Life & Beyond : ENGLAND VS URUGUAY: ENGLAND WERE AT PAR BUT IT WAS SUAREZ’S DAY

The best way to know the self is feeling oneself at the moments of reckoning. The feeling of being alone, just with your senses, may lead you to think more consciously. More and more of such moments may sensitize ‘you towards you’, towards others. We become regular with introspection and retrospection. We get ‘the’ gradual connect to the higher self we may name Spirituality or God or just a Humane Conscious. We tend to get a rhythm again in life. We need to learn the art of being lonely in crowd while being part of the crowd. A multitude of loneliness in mosaic of relations! One needs to feel it severally, with conscience, before making it a way of life. One needs to live several such lonely moments. One needs to live severallyalone.

Saturday 21 June 2014

ENGLAND VS URUGUAY: ENGLAND WERE AT PAR BUT IT WAS SUAREZ’S DAY

Now that Italy’s unexpected loss to Costa Rica (though nothing is unexpected in a Football World Cup) has eliminated England from the FIFA World Cup 2014, the added layer of critique, the scrutiny of the English team performance, that was already there with England’s two defeats in first two matches, has taken more acerbic shades.

After losing the Uruguay match, England were almost out of the World Cup, depending on Italy’s performance to continue further. Italy needed to win its next matches and England’s performance coupled with some statistical equations could have ensured its survival. But that didn’t happen.

And the scrutiny has become the outright criticism now, especially by sports commentators and English fans.

But it was not what is being written, especially for someone like me, who doesn’t watch the professional Football but is a World Cup enthusiast. I enjoyed the game by the English team. They played well and were equal and at par in both of their matches.

Yes, the rivals teams did walk away with the win but none of the games were one-sided affair. In fact, none of the days were for England (it is the story of some missed chances Vs some chances that scored).

In the match against Uruguay, it was indeed Uruguay’s and Suarez’s day. Luis Suarez was the differentiator. Wayne Rooney could never be what Suarez was able to do (after returning to the ground from a knee surgery).

Yes, Uruguay was better at times but England did try to catch up sincerely and it reflected in many moves they made in the 2^nd half but except Rooney’s first World Cup finals goal (yes, he could get it, finally, in the 75^th minute of the match), none of the moves hit the target. In the meanwhile, the day came to favour Suarez to score over the equalizer by Rooney (after his first hit in the 39^th minute).

Suarez proved the winning card for Uruguay backed with a good overall team performance. England played at par as well if we see the overall show but it was Uruguay's and Suarez's day in this do or die match for the two teams. Yes, Uruguay remain and England are out of the World Cup now, but let's not say they 'crashed out'. They played spirited Football in both of their matches.

No more full length watching of matches on TV for two days now. Match highlights are good enough. The next match I have planned to catch is USA Vs Portugal 3:30 AM India time June 23.

It’s time for some good moments, some quality TV viewing time..

Enjoy the game. You don’t need to be a soccer expert for it. Football was never my first love, yes, but the FIFA World Cup is different.

The motion, the action, the crowds, all so volatile, all so paced up, like the high-pitched notes of every type of foot-thumping music – it’s so charming, so loving, so captivating.