July 2, 2010 6:56 PM 
Uruguay handled the pressure, Ghana didn't
- Posted by Tim Vickery
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Uruguay has every reason to dread penalty shootouts. It missed out on the last World Cup after losing one to Australia, and lost to Brazil by the same method in the semifinals of the last two Copa America tournaments.
Now Uruguay has a young, elastic goalkeeper in Nicolas Muslera -- probably better at penalties than in open play -- and also has big Sebastian Abreu to give the delightful final touch.
The much travelled Abreu is a cult figure in Uruguay -- and thoroughly lived up to his "El Loco" tag with the way he struck the winning penalty.
Pressure makes for miscalculations. Asamoah Gyan could have won the tie in the last minute of extra time. He had scored two superbly taken penalties in the tournament -- and did so once more in the shootout.
But when it really mattered, he leaned back just a fraction too far and the ball hit the bar -- the effect of pressure. Abreu, though, is nerveless, and chose the moment to go with one of those delicate little chips down the middle that look great when they work, and terrible when they don't.
Whether Abreu should have been on the field is a different question. The old blunderbuss is Uruguay's option from the bench, sent on to get on the end of crosses struck into the penalty area.
He didn't do it, and his lumbering presence of on the field meant that Uruguay lost control of midfield in extra time. Quick, mobile strikers would surely be a better bet in the semifinal against the flat Dutch defence.
Suarez suspended
Luis Suarez would be perfect. But he, of course, is suspended after being sent off for handling the ball on the line in that dramatic 120th minute. Surely Abreu will not start the game. It could be the moment to introduce Sebastian Fernandez, a perky little striker who works well in wide spaces.
That, though, is for Tuesday. For now Uruguay can celebrate its first World Cup semifinal in 40 years. As so often in the past, it went into the lion's den and stood up tall.
Uruguay was up against not just a country but an entire continent. The marginal decisions went against them -- the free kick that lead to that dramatic 120th minute penalty looked especially dubious.
Already without outstanding centre back Diego Godin, they lost his defensive partner and the team captain Diego Lugano to injury in the first half. Uruguay's team lacks subtlety in midfield - the team made attacking substitutions in an attempt to win the game.
But, especially in extra time, the Uruguayans were unable to move the ball well enough to bring their strikers into play.
But they overcame the problems and their own limitations to book their place in the last four of the World Cup. They dealt well with the pressure of the occasion -- unlike Brazil a few hours earlier.
Brazil falls flat
Anyone who was expecting glorious, exuberant play from Dunga's Brazil had clearly come to the wrong place. It is a team capable of producing some wonderful moments, but it has never wasted energy looking good.
We knew all about the strengths and weaknesses of the team before the tournament -- or we thought we did. A new factor arose during the quarter-final against Holland that had a key influence in the outcome of the match.
It is one of my deepest wishes that a debate might now open up in Brazil about the style and philosophy of the national team's play. It has always pained me to see Gilberto Silva plodding around in the centre of midfield, where Brazil used to field their best passers of the ball.
This is a debate that is far bigger than Dunga. It is the direction that Brazilian football has taken, relying on counter attacks and quick breaks down the flanks instead of the more elaborate midfield play of old.
In part, this change also helps explain the failure of Brazil to win last year's World Cups at the under-17 and under-20 levels. A rethink here would be most welcome.
Others will say that more star names were needed, that everything would have turned out differently if Ronaldinho had been there, or Alexandre Pato, or (with less grip on reality) the very promising Neymar and Paulo Henrique Ganso. Maybe.
20/20 hindsight
This kind of thing can never be tested -- and when the team loses the best players are always those that don't play. It's worth remembering, though, that four years ago Brazil had a whole galaxy of stars, and were worse than they have been in this tournament.
But for all the doubts about tactics and selections, this team had spent two years accumulating a sequence of excellent results.
It has always been devastating on the counter attack, threatening from set pieces, sure of what it is doing and both physically and mentally strong. And it seemed to display all those virtues in the first half against Holland.
During those opening 45 minutes many people must have thought they were looking at the tournament winners, so evident was Brazil's superiority. Yet this all fell apart after the interval, because this collection of players, one of the most experienced squads in the World Cup, turned into a collective bag of nerves.
That mental strength, which had seemed such a plus point, evaporated into nothing. Like a band of petulant schoolboys they seemed primarily concerned with arguing with the referee -- Felipe Melo's red card for stamping on Arjen Robben was not an isolated incident. It was a symptom of a team in which everyone had lost their head.
In a way, it was like watching Asamoah Gyan take that 120th minute penalty for Ghana. Normally, this is a strength of his game. But under pressure he was not able to reproduce what he does in normal circumstances.
This was the moment when the inexperience of Dunga as a coach was found out. He has taken to the job very well. Whatever one might think about his methods there have been things to applaud in his work.
Brazil's goal, for example, came from a move that had been prepared -- Luis Fabiano dropping, taking his marker and leaving space behind for Robinho to burst through.
Dunga has shown good man management, creating a healthy spirit of sacrifice in his squad. But in his biggest game he was way too hysterical, obsessed with swearing and protesting at the referee, uptight at every decision that went against his men. Uptight coach, uptight team.
One of the coach's key responsibilities is to set the emotional tone of his team. Judging on Brazil's appalling second half against Holland, he was not up to the task when the pressure really started to bite.
Now Uruguay has a young, elastic goalkeeper in Nicolas Muslera -- probably better at penalties than in open play -- and also has big Sebastian Abreu to give the delightful final touch.
The much travelled Abreu is a cult figure in Uruguay -- and thoroughly lived up to his "El Loco" tag with the way he struck the winning penalty.
Pressure makes for miscalculations. Asamoah Gyan could have won the tie in the last minute of extra time. He had scored two superbly taken penalties in the tournament -- and did so once more in the shootout.
But when it really mattered, he leaned back just a fraction too far and the ball hit the bar -- the effect of pressure. Abreu, though, is nerveless, and chose the moment to go with one of those delicate little chips down the middle that look great when they work, and terrible when they don't.
Whether Abreu should have been on the field is a different question. The old blunderbuss is Uruguay's option from the bench, sent on to get on the end of crosses struck into the penalty area.
He didn't do it, and his lumbering presence of on the field meant that Uruguay lost control of midfield in extra time. Quick, mobile strikers would surely be a better bet in the semifinal against the flat Dutch defence.
Suarez suspended
Luis Suarez would be perfect. But he, of course, is suspended after being sent off for handling the ball on the line in that dramatic 120th minute. Surely Abreu will not start the game. It could be the moment to introduce Sebastian Fernandez, a perky little striker who works well in wide spaces.
That, though, is for Tuesday. For now Uruguay can celebrate its first World Cup semifinal in 40 years. As so often in the past, it went into the lion's den and stood up tall.
Uruguay was up against not just a country but an entire continent. The marginal decisions went against them -- the free kick that lead to that dramatic 120th minute penalty looked especially dubious.
Already without outstanding centre back Diego Godin, they lost his defensive partner and the team captain Diego Lugano to injury in the first half. Uruguay's team lacks subtlety in midfield - the team made attacking substitutions in an attempt to win the game.
But, especially in extra time, the Uruguayans were unable to move the ball well enough to bring their strikers into play.
But they overcame the problems and their own limitations to book their place in the last four of the World Cup. They dealt well with the pressure of the occasion -- unlike Brazil a few hours earlier.
Brazil falls flat
Anyone who was expecting glorious, exuberant play from Dunga's Brazil had clearly come to the wrong place. It is a team capable of producing some wonderful moments, but it has never wasted energy looking good.
We knew all about the strengths and weaknesses of the team before the tournament -- or we thought we did. A new factor arose during the quarter-final against Holland that had a key influence in the outcome of the match.
It is one of my deepest wishes that a debate might now open up in Brazil about the style and philosophy of the national team's play. It has always pained me to see Gilberto Silva plodding around in the centre of midfield, where Brazil used to field their best passers of the ball.
This is a debate that is far bigger than Dunga. It is the direction that Brazilian football has taken, relying on counter attacks and quick breaks down the flanks instead of the more elaborate midfield play of old.
In part, this change also helps explain the failure of Brazil to win last year's World Cups at the under-17 and under-20 levels. A rethink here would be most welcome.
Others will say that more star names were needed, that everything would have turned out differently if Ronaldinho had been there, or Alexandre Pato, or (with less grip on reality) the very promising Neymar and Paulo Henrique Ganso. Maybe.
20/20 hindsight
This kind of thing can never be tested -- and when the team loses the best players are always those that don't play. It's worth remembering, though, that four years ago Brazil had a whole galaxy of stars, and were worse than they have been in this tournament.
But for all the doubts about tactics and selections, this team had spent two years accumulating a sequence of excellent results.
It has always been devastating on the counter attack, threatening from set pieces, sure of what it is doing and both physically and mentally strong. And it seemed to display all those virtues in the first half against Holland.
During those opening 45 minutes many people must have thought they were looking at the tournament winners, so evident was Brazil's superiority. Yet this all fell apart after the interval, because this collection of players, one of the most experienced squads in the World Cup, turned into a collective bag of nerves.
That mental strength, which had seemed such a plus point, evaporated into nothing. Like a band of petulant schoolboys they seemed primarily concerned with arguing with the referee -- Felipe Melo's red card for stamping on Arjen Robben was not an isolated incident. It was a symptom of a team in which everyone had lost their head.
In a way, it was like watching Asamoah Gyan take that 120th minute penalty for Ghana. Normally, this is a strength of his game. But under pressure he was not able to reproduce what he does in normal circumstances.
This was the moment when the inexperience of Dunga as a coach was found out. He has taken to the job very well. Whatever one might think about his methods there have been things to applaud in his work.
Brazil's goal, for example, came from a move that had been prepared -- Luis Fabiano dropping, taking his marker and leaving space behind for Robinho to burst through.
Dunga has shown good man management, creating a healthy spirit of sacrifice in his squad. But in his biggest game he was way too hysterical, obsessed with swearing and protesting at the referee, uptight at every decision that went against his men. Uptight coach, uptight team.
One of the coach's key responsibilities is to set the emotional tone of his team. Judging on Brazil's appalling second half against Holland, he was not up to the task when the pressure really started to bite.
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Date Match Time Sun. July 11 Netherlands vs Spain 12:30 ET 
About the Author
Tim Vickery
The son of a reasonably skilled amateur soccer player, Tim Vickery inherited the enthusiasm but none of the talent - and soon came to the conclusion that his best position was on the sidelines writing about the game. Tim did not make it out of his native England until the age of 23, but has since made up for lost time. He has been based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for over 15 years, and writes and broadcasts about South American soccer for, among others, the BBC, World Soccer magazine, and SI.com.
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