Only love will win.
After Germany's losses to Japan and Argentina's losses to Saudi Arabia, it seemed that the world order had changed.
If we examine the surprises in the World Cup so far, it is first and foremost about reducing the quality gaps.
Also, it is clear that even a quality team can have a bad day that will lead to a loss.
The first game in the World Cup carries with it uncertainty for all the coaches, who cannot know what the opposite team will present, in terms of the composition of the players and the tactical formation.
This is what happened to Germany's Hansi Flick, when Japanese coach Hajima Moriasu changed the formation during the game and switched to playing with six attacking-oriented players.
Flick had no answer for that - and the German team collapsed.
Herve Renard, the coach of Saudi Arabia, also had a decisive influence on the victory against Argentina, and it was possible to clearly see how the professional talent that exists in the Saudi national team was combined into an excellent team ability through his professional ideas and charismatic personality.
Mentally, the first game in the tournament is more difficult for the favorite teams, who fear a loss that will keep them away from qualifying for the next stage - while the opponents, on the other hand, have only something to gain.
The players of Japan and Saudi Arabia have one thing in common, in that they had an unequivocal belief in success and both teams came back from a deficit to a sensational victory.
A significant part of a player's success depends on his ability to eliminate idle thoughts in the game and be in the given moment in his full power, focused on the goal and action.
Japan players celebrate against Germany.
The focus should also be on them, photo: IPA
The Japanese managed to turn a game in which Germany had a significant advantage into a sweeping victory, while dealing with unpleasant moments in which they almost conceded the second and third goals.
They didn't give up, and didn't let their mediocre ability in the first half distract them from the need to perform better in the second half.
They continued to believe in themselves, got stronger and stronger as the game went on until the stunning winning goal and the final whistle.
In teams that surprise, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts thanks to a special group connection.
This connection can be called "mutual understanding and appreciation", and you can also call it "love".
Not good for Africa, good enough for Qatar?
The issue of refereeing in the World Cup has come up in recent days due to the extra time in the games.
It turns out that football is not played for 90 minutes, but for 100 or more.
I certainly understand the logic that says that the intentional waste of time should be reduced, but it is wrong to come in advance with an agenda of long time additions.
It is clear that if there is an injury that requires special treatment, or a case where a game is stopped for a few minutes due to various reasons, it is appropriate to have a special time extension - but there is no need to deviate from what is customary.
Saudi fans in a frenzy last Tuesday, photo: Reuters
Another judicial issue that came up for discussion is the refereeing errors of Zambian referee Jenny Sikazawa, who refereed the match between Belgium and Canada, in which the Red Devils won 0:1.
It is difficult to understand how Sikazawa was chosen to judge in the World Cup, given the fact that he was a referee who whistled for the end in the 85th minute of a match in the African National Team Championship.
It should be noted and made clear that I do not doubt Sikazawa's integrity, but that for the first time in the World Cup, the refereeing decisions had a direct impact on the result, and the Canadian team is failing by not receiving two more penalties that they deserved.
On the other hand, I would like to mention the Mexican referee Cesar Arturo Ramos, who refereed the match between Denmark and Tunisia.
This is the first time I have seen in a high level game a referee who was called to VAR and remained in his original opinion, contrary to the position of the VAR referees.
If Ramos had automatically agreed with the VAR judges and awarded an 11-meter kick in favor of Denmark in the 93rd minute - the game might have been decided because of an unfortunate refereeing error.
The final decision on any refereeing issue must rest with the main match referee.
The technology should help him in his decisions, but not replace him.
were we wrong
We will fix it!
If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us
