COMMENTARY : To Settle These Scores, It Won’t Take Many
Four big football games on tap this weekend. The Orangemen are at the Cotton Bowl. The Vikings are in San Francisco. Two of the game’s longest-standing rivals meet in Foxboro. And Giants Stadium plays host to a classic tussle from the Black and Blue Division.
In case you haven’t received your latest issue of Pro Futbol Weekly, expect to see four low-scoring games, dominated by strong running attacks, defense, tackling and ball control.
And look for the kickers to decide it in the end, each and every time. . . .
BRAZIL-NETHERLANDS
Site: The Cotton Bowl.
Line: Brazil by 1/2.
Coaches: Brazil has Carlos Alberto Parreira; the Netherlands has Dick Advocaat. At the moment, Parreira has very few advocaats--not after millions of testy Brazilians watched their boys tie Sweden and go scoreless for 73 minutes against the United States.
When Brazil has the ball: Brazilian journalists will be yammering into their cellular phones, lambasting Parreira for benching Rai, for starting only one goalkeeper, for using 11 men instead of 10 (it worked so well against the Americans, no?), for getting Leonardo suspended and for not playing Pele.
When the Netherlands has the ball: The Netherlands’ two best players, Marco Van Basten (out, sprained ankle) and Ruud Gullit (out, sprained ego) will be nowhere near it.
Key stat: The Netherlands routed Brazil, 2-0, in the semifinal round of the 1974 World Cup. This has absolutely nothing to do with players competing 20 years later, but serious soccer journalists will insist that the carry-over effect is tremendous. Major edge in momentum to the Netherlands.
Chance for international incident: Greatly diminished since a) that Netherlands beat writer who joked about carrying a bomb aboard the Dutch team plane has been taken into custody and reprimanded, meaning no more plane evacuations and five-hour flight delays; and b) the Dutch are not playing the Germans.
Prediction: 1-0.
ITALY-SPAIN
Site: Foxboro Stadium.
Line: Italy by 5/8.
Coaches: Javier Clemente for Spain and Arrigo Sacchi for Italy. Unless Italy is trailing at halftime. Then it would be Javier Clemente for Spain, Arrigo Sacchi’s top assistant for Italy and Arrigo Sacchi on the first flight out of Logan to Paraguay.
When Italy has the ball: Thousands of headlines for the next day’s Il Manifesto and Il Giorno will be written and rewritten. Baggio dribbles across midfield. Headline: “Viva Azzuri! “ Baggio loses ball. “ Woe Is Italia !” Baggio tackles Spaniard, regains possession. “ Joy Is Ours !” Baggio slips on a hot dog wrapper. “ Italia’s Darkest Hour! “ Baggio gets up, wipes himself off, heads ball toward Spanish net. “ Comeback Of The Century! “ Spanish goalie makes save. “ Tears Of Despair Bathe Our Streets! “
When Spain has the ball: 58 million Italians hold their breath.
Key stat: Spain is undefeated in games in which it scores a goal and the opposition does not.
Chance for international incident: Very good. It has been 502 years and these countries are still arguing about who gets credit for Columbus discovering America.
Prediction: 1-0.
ROMANIA-SWEDEN
Site: Stanford Stadium.
Line: Romania by 0.425.
Coaches: Anghel Iordanescu and Tommy Svensson. Let’s see, who coaches where? . . .
When Romania has the ball: Play-by-play commentary to pop aspirin to. “Petrescu to Lupescu . . . over to Popescu . . . crossing pass to Dumitrescu . . . who waves at Iordanescu . . . back to Petrescu . . . who runs into Popescu . . . I escu, wasthatamiscue?”
When Sweden has the ball: Watch out for Tomas Brolin, Sweden’s preeminent “withdrawn striker.” Which is saying something, considering Sweden leads the world in withdrawn strikers.
Key stat: Swedes are undefeated since midfielder Klas Ingesson plowed his car into a moose in May.
Chance for international incident: Virtually nil. This rivalry’s been nowhere since Borg and Nastase retired.
Prediction: 1-0.
BULGARIA-GERMANY
Site: Giants Stadium.
Line: Germany by 0.5667.
Coaches: Dimitar Penev for Bulgaria, Berti Vogts for Germany. Penev coaches traditional European football--pack the defense in, counterattack when possible, build around the goalkeeper. Vogts coaches traditional American football--blitz the guy with the ball, sack him, pound him, whack him in the head, knock his teeth loose . . . and advance to the quarterfinals because the referee isn’t looking.
When Bulgaria has the ball: It had better duck and cover, especially when it traipses inside the German penalty area.
When Germany has the ball: German fans begin to yawn. What they want to see are Bulgarians eating grass, Bulgarians wrapped around the goal post, Bulgarians getting carted off the field. Action, Berti, action!
Key stat: Germany is winless in the last two world wars.
Chance for international incident: Downgraded, if the reports from FIFA are to be believed. According to FIFA, the referee for the Bulgaria-Germany game will be permitted to wear a whistle, and blow it, unlike the referee for the Belgium-Germany game.
Prediction: 1-0 (on penalty kicks).
