ARGENTINA WINS! ARGENTINA WINS! ARGENTINA WINS!!

It has been very difficult to write this blog because I cant get my fingers to type fast enough to show all of you how we feel in this household. 

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Sorry, this will happen a lot while I type this blog up which is taking me way too long to type because I just cant get my thoughts straight. THERE IS JUST TOO MUCH TO WRITE!

The History!

Firstly, I need to talk about my Dad! He is one reason I fell in love with the beautiful game. We had many arguments on and off the field about how we played or how the teams we cheered for played. Dad was a Brazil fan (probably still is and brainwashed my sister, Noni, to be one as well) but because we liked jawing at each other I cheered for Argentina. Sticking to my guts I cheered for them in 1986. I was 10 when Maradona won the 1986 world cup, especially to move forward on the tournament with the Hand of God goal (sorry Shamir, it will always be historic). This win basically sealed the deal with me to be an Argentina fan for life. It was incredible at the time where we all would play soccer and pretended to be like Maradona and trying to juggle with untied shoelaces. We fell flat on our faces a ton! In 1990 when we lost against Germany (West Germany at the time), my dad was suddenly a Germany fan too. I came to realize that all Brazil fans will always cheer against Argentina no matter what. For the last 36 years, every world cup has been excruciating especially when I was actually in Brazil 2014 and to lose in the finals against Germany (AGAIN!!). When Messi was 12 years old, I told Arifa, "watch out for this kid, he is going to be something!" and she responded with "soccer sucks!". Fast forward to today and she pretty much watched every world cup game and was all in on the family world cup pool and wanted to win as bad as Messi wanted to win! It only took 25 years!

The Road to the Final!

We started the group stages not really well with getting embarrassed by Saudi. The amount of grilling I got from everyone was just insane. One it was definitely embarrassing and I really had no words but to claim that this World Cup has a lot of talented teams and expect upsets. Which I had said in my first blog for this World Cup. On the other side, I was actually impressed how many people knew to check in on me to see if I was ok (nope! to gloat obviously) and I also appreciate all those who know I am a die hard Argentina fan :) I decided to make a bold move to not wear the 2022 Argentina Jersey from that day on game days and wear my oldest jersey from the 2006 World Cup in Germany where we lost to Germany in the Quarter Finals! (UGH!). That seemed to have changed their luck (yes! i didn’t wash it until after the finals) and go on to beat Mexico, Poland and Australia to get through the Round of 16. In the Quarters they go on to play Netherlands, who I watched in World Cup 2014 in Brazil which went to shootout and Romero was the hero! Once again Argentina gave up the lead with a ton of controversy around this game. Never have I seen Messi so emotional against a team in this game. There were stories about Riquleme's time in Barcelona with Netherlands coach Louis Van Gaal. The reffing was atrocious against both teams, yet an Argentina goalie,  Emi "Dibu" Martinez, comes out a hero again for us. This put us in the semis against a very stingy Croatian team led my Modric. 

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I kept thinking that Modric has everything in him to put up the best World Cup for himself since he hasn't won and has come really close to winning like Messi. We will be getting a very strong game from them BUT Argentina came up with a very good tactical plan to drive through their defenders and breaking their trap which was the opposite of what Brazil was doing with all the passing. It was a commanding win by Argentina that put us in the Finals against France. A special mention to Morocco for being the HEART of this World Cup. They put together the best run by an African team that we are all proud of and hope to build on their success with other nations looking at that as the next bar. 

The Final!

We couldn't be more excited about this game than anyone else in the world. Both my boys cheer for Argentina so I was able to brainwash them better than my dad was able to brainwash me (LOL). I continue to brainwash other people and their kids to become Argentina fans as well, SORRY NOT SORRY! My older sister, Zemeen, being the only one cheering for Argentina in the Dosani house is pretty awesome too :) The game started off with some epic runs by Di Maria who was a constant threat on the left wing. He got us the first penalty with Dembele giving up a penalty and Messi tucking that away nicely. Messi becomes the first to score a goal in every stage of World Cup! Then Di Maria finishes a beautiful flick from Messi to Mac Allister to Di Maria to finish a beautiful sequence of passes in the back of the net. We are now going into the second half and we can all feel the win here. Then they pulled out Di Maria to put Acuna and in a flash that threat was gone. Personally should have kept him till the 75th mark or so to continue the threat even though he was starting to not come back. It would have kept France honest. Then comes Otamendi, as I have said before who always has at least one boneheaded play in the game which turns into a penalty that Mbappe finishes. You can see that gave life to France. and within 90 seconds they equalize! The idea to remove Di Maria and perhaps bringing a guy like Lisandro Martinez - "The Butcher" for Otamendi should have been the right move. This went into extra time where both teams traded on some really good chances. Messi gets one at the doorstep to get a goal to put us up 3-2 with a shot from Lautaro Martinez that rebounds to Messi's feet. With the offside flag up and I could see the green "Goal" image on the refs watch, we knew this was a goal!

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But sure enough we France gets a penalty on a blocked shot by Montiel. We later see that there was a handball in the box from the corner which should have been called and that penalty given to Mbappe should have never happened. One chance that it would have been game over for Argentina was when there were seconds left in ET to go to shootout and Emi Martinez makes a historic leg save on Kolo Muani with a breakdown in defense, note that it was Otamendi's guy to cover (ugh). We end up going to penalty shootout Mbappe and Messi trade goals with Messi calmly tucking it by Lloris. "Dibu" gets into Koman's head and saves a penalty! Dybala who had come in at the 121st minute takes the penalty and rips right through the middle! Then Tchouameni goes and by this "Dibu" is totally in their head and he misses the net entirely!! Paredes comes in and finishes his shot cleanly. Kolo Muani comes in and tucks it into the net which Emi Martinez almost got to it as well. Finally comes Montiel whose handball in the extra-time (which shouldn't have been a penalty because of the handball in the box) gave up the tying goal. Here he is now to score and that would win the World Cup for Argentina! The PRESSURE! He puts it away from Lloris and wins it!! ARGENTINA WINS! ARGENTINA WINS! ARGENTINA WINS!! This was the best team for Messi where had lot of support from various players who really impressed the world compared to 2014, when Messi had to carry the whole team. Players like Alvarez, Fernanadez, Mac Allister, Paredes, De Paul, all the Martinezs... all stood out. What was most important to see Messi become a playmaker and once in a while he can dial it back as Gvardiol found out the hard way :) 

We will be champs for 4 years and we hope to be back in the final when the tournament comes to US/Canada/Mexico in 2026! I hope Messi comes back for one more as a bench player to play a few minutes here and there and be more of a voice in the room and when needed available to torch it up!

This is the sequence of how things went in the Nathooligans household that I posted on Instagram. ENJOY!

The World Cup Pool - Nathooligans Challenge!

Here are our top 10 finishers and huge Congratulations to Naaz Nathoo to finish first, I mean of course you finished at the top, you are a Nathooligan!! It makes sense a fellow Nathooligan won! An honorary mention to Koosoo (almost 2yo) and Zizi (10 yo) really making a push for it. Arifa gets a wins against me so now apparently I dont know anything about soccer because she beat me by 2 points, this is the same person that said soccer sucks!

Well done everyone, until the next one :)

Thank you to everyone who participated here are the rest of the rankings :)

The REAL GOAT!

Finally lets rest all the silly debates about who real GOAT is! 

VAMOS VAMOS ARGENTINA

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Argentina in the FINALS!!!!!

 

Here we go! First the game between Argentina was definitely ready to breakdown the  Croatian defensive line by attacking through the most stingy defense. How this team played as a team was unbelievable. When I watched this team in 2014, it was all the weight on Messi. This time around it is quite evident that he has support that he has never had. before. This allows Messi to move a bit freely because there are other threats in the team. The play of Alvarez is really showing how good this Argentine player really is. Man city has gold mine with this player on their team. The play by Messi in this game was incredible, he dialed it back to the classic Messi where he freely moves through defenders like pylons. Messi showed Gvardiol who Messi really is where a 35 year old showed a 22 year old defense juggernaut on how really good Messi really is. How he went by the defender with simple moves and using his body to leave the defender behind to find Alvarez through a nutmeg to make a clean goal was must magical. France had a great game against Morocco, who won all of our hearts. They deserved a better outcome for sure but you could tell they ran out of gas, yet they put it all out there to keep the game close. They could have easily scored a goal or twi and could have given France a run for their money. France was just too strong and just have too much firepower and Morocco although struggling played with heart till the last second. Mad respect to this African team who have put themselves in everyone's radar for many years to come. 

Since 2014, when I saw Messi try to win his first world cup to now finally Messi will be getting a chance to win that elusive world cup trophy. In 2014 he had a chance but he was carrying the team and you could tell by the final it was difficult when he was being surrounded by 5 to 6 people. This time around no team can do that and risk leaving other players open. France is exceptionally strong and have a. very strong team. It will be tactical....it will be stressful....it will be entertaining... and still I have no clue which team will get ahead. What I wish and pray for Messi to win one of these to stop all the controversial debates about his greatness. 

Let's soooooooo

Vamos Vamos Argentina 

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WHAT  IS HAPPENING IN THIS WORLD CUP!!!!!

This World Cup, I must say has been the most entertaining I have ever encountered, even more than the one I actually went to in Brazil 2014. I thought THAT would have been the best World Cup of my life but 2022 World Cup has put a whole new stamp on the amount of talent and HEART players bring as a country. 

Let's start with Brazil vs Croatia. This being possibly the last game for Neymar, who levels up with Pele with goals scored for their Country. This in itself is a major achievement, however, it was cut short by a resilient and disciplined team of Croatia. There has been a lot of attention given to Neymar, Messi and Ronaldo for this possibly being their last appearance but not a lot of attention given to Modric. He is also quite motivated to win this World Cup. Croatia wanted this to go to shootout and they achieved it with their incredible goalie. Brazil fell into their trap and were not able to outskill them. A huge upset by Croatia. Then came the Dutch with a repeat of semifinal in 2014 that I watched live in Brazil. To think that this time it went to a shootout this time as well was insane. There was no need for this game to go to a shootout. Argentina got a bit lucky here and there was a lot of controversy on the calls. I have never seen Messi angry and vocal as he was in this game. England comes up very close against France where Kane's penalty miss will go down in the history books. Rashford also comes close to converting a free kick. The young players in England are going to be a bright future but Southgate will need to retire and a new voice will need to be in the locker room. Then comes the biggest upset of the tournament with Morocco beating Portugal. The first African country to make it in the semifinal. A proud moment for all those who have lived and understand how amazing this is for the whole continent. The discipline and the heart the team plays with is just amazing and contagious. 

On to the semifinals. Croatia will be tough for Argentina and they can do the same thing they did with Brazil. Argentina needs to attack and attack skillfully to break down their defensive trap system and not get frustrated with their physical play. Otamendi was a high liability against the Dutch and need to calm himself. France and Morocco will be very interesting for sure.... has Morocco reached their peak or they still have more left in their gas tank. France has a lot of firepower and a very deep bench. I have no idea who will win. Any possible combination is possible in this world cup. It's just been that kind of world cup. 

Buckle up everyone, this going to get very bumpy. 

On to the Quarters!!

 

WOW! This world cup just keeps getting better!

First with Australia really playing like they always do, with HEART! They definitely gave Argentina a run for their money. England and Netherlands looking very strong! France, Brazil and Portugal in cruise control in the round of 16. Then we have Japan, they could have totally beat Croatia and losing penalties was heart breaking. Then we have MOROCCO! WOW!! Just WOW! What a game they played against one of the giants of soccer! Love to see an Arabic African team to make it to quarters making them only the 4th African team to make it this far. Definitely cheering for them against Portugal!

On to the quarters with some big games coming today with Croatia and Brazil, which should be a clinical win for Brazil but Croatia does play a very physical game and it may shake the Samba Kings if Croatia gets under their skin. Then we have my beloved Argentina playing against Netherlands. This will be tough match for Argentina and it will be a close one. I also predict that it could go to shootout. Morocco and Portugal will be very interesting, with all the distractions around Ronaldo it will be interesting how they setup their starting line up. Morocco can really upset Portugal here as well, who play a very similar style like Spain. The England and France game will be epic! Only because I think England has a very strong squad but France is just more talented. France has so many injuries prior to the world cup and they have still easily won their games. This is a change for England to really make a statement with their youth. Another very close game I would think!

Enjoy this round everyone! 
Vamos Vamos Argentina!!

A World Cup of surprises!!

What a World Cup to remember and we are just done for group stages. I had mentioned in my previous blog that this is most talented teams we have ever seen and what was the outcome?

• We saw group A have Senegal make it through and an expected Netherlands. That's where the obvious results stopped. 
• Group B saw a massive win by Iran over Wales. After many years being out of the World Cup, Wales bows out with a poor showing. England is a force to reckon with and the US have made it through the group where we could have easily seen Iran make it through. 
• Group C came down to the last game where we were watching the tie breaker for second place coming down to fair play ie number of yellow cards. Ya ya! Argentina lost to Saudi but they have experience and you cant count them out. As I was saying each team is very talented and Saudi played a system that really shut them down. A 4-1-4-1 system is tough to play. At the end of the day Lewandowski gets to score his first in the world cup and Argentina had to show the world to just relax. 
• Group D saw a huge surprise with Denmark to go through to end up last in the group. Tunisia beats France and ties with Denmark that in itself should have seen them through but the socceroos were also here to make a statement with 2 wins to knockout Denmark's spot. 
• Group E, another group with a shocking result with Japan  coming out number 1 and shocking wins against Germany and Spain! That makes two Asian teams through to the world cup and knocking out strong South American team. 
• Group F, wow just wow! I did say that Canada will have a hard time coming out of this group  ut who would have guessed that Belgium will not be coming out of this group and Morocco yes! Morocco coming out first in the group! Unbelievable! This is definitely a wake up call for Canada at this stage for the next world cup in bringing the level of playing a much more tactical game. Canada got their first goals but didn't secure a win and they could have actually secured one against Belgium. They underestimated Croatia and with the public comments woke up a sleeping lion. This better be a lesson to just play the game and don't give material to the other team to use in the locker room. 
• Group G, wow a first win by an African team, Cameroon, against Brazil! What an amazing feat! Although not making it through and Switzerland game coming down the wire this became quite an exciting group. 
• Group H, another surprise finish by Korea by them beating Portugal in style. And then Uruguay getting upset by the same win and not winning against Ghana with more goals knocked them out. Ghana once again choked in the world cup where they could have made it through but first Ayew misses a penalty and don't get. Win against a vulnerable team is very depressing. Korea however becomes the third Asian team into the knockout stages! I believe that is a record. 

On to the knockout stages and don't be surprised with some incredible upsets! As I said the teams are getting talented across the world and the gap between the power houses and teams who are underdogs is closing rapidly. This will be another exciting round. Get your picks in!! 

Vamos Vamos Argentina!!