Day 10: The last waltz
19 June 2006, 18:17
I had forgotten about the Korean fans. I have a South Korean supporters’ T-shirt from the last World Cup that is bright red. For me, the shirt evokes both a Coca-Cola ad and a communist party uniform. It says (in English), “Be the reds.” What does this mean?
The passionate, coordinated, slightly frightening red mass covered the former East German town of Leipzig the other day. They drowned out the blasé French. They maintained their roar as their team went down a goal, and then they rose into a crescendo as the Red Devils pulled back.
Zidane earned a yellow card in this game that will keep him out of the next match. If the French, who seem unsure of how to play together, do not advance, it may be his last game. I’ve always thought Zidane looks more like a modern dancer than a soccer player. His legs makes precise movements while his upper body is involved in other, unrelated activities. Each move is an unexpected combination, and when he is on the ball, we get a series of unexpected combinations. He will glide one way, then stand up straight. He will flick the ball to his right while walking to his left, or he’ll burst forward, stepping over the ball and doing a twirl. If Sunday was his last performance, it’s a sad way to go.
France needs to win, and they need Korea or Switzerland to win in their game. If the Koreans and the Swiss tie, and France wins, then tie-breakers will be invoked.
Over in Munich, the Australians came out in their solid navy uniforms like they were ready for a rugby match. The Brazilians, meanwhile, stood very, very still. Are they going to win just because they have really good players? I mean, don’t they have to give us a little show and not just score goals while standing around? Whatever you might say about Fat Ron, he held the ball at the edge of the area, drawing a big crowd of Socceroos. Once that happened, he passed to Adriano, who now had only one Socceroo nearby. World Cup formula number 1: One Adriano + one Socceroo = one goal.
The Socceroos need a draw against Croatia to go through. Croatia goes through with a win. Japan still has an outside shot.
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