World Cup semi finals: a showcase of contrasting styles & football cultures & a historic opportunity for European teams to shine

The World Cup's knockout phase has provided plenty of drama, excitement, goals & classic footballing moments & now we are in the final phase of the tournament with only 3 crucial matches plus the third place playoff left to consider.

Having started with correctly predicting only 12 of the 16 teams which qualified for the knockout stage, I managed to predict 7 of the 8 winners & all 4 of the quarter final winners correctly.

A special mention at this stage of the tournament must go to the black stars of Ghana. They preserved the pride of African football with their entertaining displays & in the process proved me wrong in the first knockout phase & were then desperately unlucky not to qualify for the semi finals.

Many of my "non football" friends have commented on Uruguay's Suarez & his handball which earned him a red card but ultimately resulted in the heartbreaking elimination of Ghana. What Suarez did was simple: a heroic sacrifice for his country & an awful act in the eyes of his opponents & many fans. It must however not be judged as a cynical act as he did it as a mixture of reflex reaction, instinct & desperation.

Now to my prediction for the semi finals:

Uruguay vs Netherlands: Whilst my dream final is the repeat of the 1974 final between Germany & Holland, if Suarez was not suspended & the fitness of Uruguay's influential Captain Diego Lugano (familiar to the die hard Socceroos fans) was not in question, I would have tipped Uruguay to potentially beat Netherlands. However, like Argentina & Brazil in the last round, Uruguay have had reasonably easy run thus far & are yet to prove themselves against a world class opponent. On the other hand, holland have won all their games so far & have not lost for more than 24 internationals. All of these factors, & taking into account the magical display of Arjen Robben against Brazil, I tip Holland to narrowly beat Uruguay & make it to their third World Cup final.

Germany vs Spain: The ever insightful SBS football commentator Craig Foster summed it up about Germany when he said "Germany have become lovable & are great to watch!"

As the sign above suggests, Germany are the first team since the legendary World Cup winning Brazil team of 1970 that have managed to score 4 goals in at least 3 World Cup matches. Their young guns are fearless & energetic & in Bastian Schweinsteiger have the "Player of the Tournament" so far. Although both sides are playing down the comparisons to Spain's 1-0 win in the final of Euro 2008, Germany will avenge that defeat & make it to the final.

If Holland win their match & the final becomes an all European affair, a European team will win the World Cup for the first time in Southern Hemisphere/Central America. Regardless of the final outcome of the two semi finals, we are set for two exciting & thrilling football matches with 4 teams with different styles & tactical approaches. The first semi final will be a matter of trying not to lose, whilst Spain & Germany will be aiming to win in their clash.