I’ll admit I’m not the most knowledgeable soccer fan, but I love the World Cup. I had written an elaborate post about the France vs. Ireland World Cup qualifier, but scrapped it….
If you haven’t seen what is possibly the worst blown call on the world’s biggest possible stage, you can check it out below.
This morning, I decided to check out an Irish sports page to see how the sports media there handled this craziness. Either European soccer writers are just plain better than most baseball writers, or I lucked into one of the most amazing pieces of sports writing that I’ve read this year.
Thierry the thief steals our dream by Vincent Hogan
I saw this title, and thought I was maybe stumbling into the Shaughnessy of soccer…not the case. Here’s the first paragraph of the article:
Under a starless sky, death by a single cut then. The end had a larcenous feel. A goal in extra-time that should never have stood. A French captain, literally, with guilt on his hands. ‘La Marseillaise’ being sung by empty voices.
Hogan later refers to the French crowd as “obstreperous.” The whole article is definitely a must read. It’s linked here. But if you need some more convincing, here’s another highlight:
When pride abates, the defeat will untap a torrent of familiar sounds. Odes to Andy Reid; homilies to Lee Carsley; dissertations on the blind spots of Trap. The usual pieties. But what were we watching here in this mesmeric saucer on the tip of Paris?
We were watching a refined, technical team eventually outsmart an utterly heroic one. A fulfillment of the natural order.
‘Que Sera Sera’ sang the Irish fans as extra-time commenced. They understood there could be no recrimination now. Just pride and salty tears.
I have no idea who Reid or Carsley are, but baseball writers, you’re on notice. Any way we can get this guy to cover the Mets? He sure knows how to cover painful losses.
Tags: 2010 world cup, fifa, france, handball, ireland, thierry henri, vincent hogan
(4.88 out of 5)