waka waka

Germany beat England in South Africa! This is the first football game I watched from start to finish. I loved it!

Admittedly, I'm not one of the millions (billions?) of football fans out there. Before cable TV, I knew football to be a game of big brutes banging their big-shoulder-padded bodies as they fight for a brown pigskin egg-shaped ball, a ball that to me looked like a giant chocolate egg candy. Apparently, my understanding of football had a lot to do with the Americanesque mind-set and culture I grew up in. When cable TV arrived, I was introduced to the football that the greater part of the world was so passionately in love with...SOCCER.

Yup, I realized soccer was football to almost everyone in the planet except for the Americans (and for people like me whose first exposure of Western culture was the American culture). I didn't know UEFA, but I knew NBA and MLB.

My first encounter with the FIFA World Cup was with the song Tubthumping (Chumbawamba) in the 1998 World Cup. I loved that song! But I was in school then, and I failed to see a single game, no thanks to the time zone difference between France and the Philippines. My passion was Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls...I remember cutting classes just to watch a live game. So the World Cup to me then was just a good song.

Last night, I wasn't intending to watch the game between Germany and England. My fascination with football had heightened a bit, but mainly because of my interest in Kaka. I still wasn't hooked in the game. I find it too slow (score-wise) and the possibility of having it end in a draw (or even worse, a scoreless draw) did not help in whetting my appetite for it. But my sister wanted to watch the game, and since there was nothing else on TV, I decided to give it another chance. I had a book with me, though, because I'm expecting to lose interest after the first couple of minutes and failed score attempts.

But, lo and behold, I got hooked. Maybe it was the sell-out crowd, but the atmosphere was too magnetizing. I didn't know anybody on the field (except Rooney, but I only hear about him because of news reports of his injuries). The first half passed quickly and I was surprised that half-time came without me noticing the minutes ticking by.

You're a good soldier
Choosing your battles
Pick yourself up
And dust yourself off
And back in the saddle

I liked the game I watched last night. I liked the way the teams appeared to be evenly matched. I liked how they exchanged ball possessions, and the game pace. I even liked how outlandish some fans were, with face paints, wigs, costumes and flags. The football game last night made the F1 race, which I watched minutes before the game, seemed like a shmooze-fest.

You're on the frontline
Everyone's watching
You know it's serious
We're getting closer
This isn't over

I think what made this particular game last night so engaging was that each player played with heart. It was a do-or-die game, and there was no way it was going to end in a draw. Only one team will advance and the other will have to wait four more years to get a second chance. One team's dreams will shatter as the other gets to continue their bid for football's greatest treasure. And so every player, English and German alike, played with all they have. It was a battle for survival, and no one was going to back down.

The pressure is on
You feel it
But you've got it all
Believe it

When you fall get up
And if you fall get up

I was almost sorry that England's World Cup dreams had ended. On the other hand, I was elated that Germany, a younger team without real superstars, is continuing on. I knew from the start that only one team will advance, but it was still bittersweet. But that's how it is in sports. There can only be one winner. Germany have won this match, but it's just another battle for the elusive cup. The war has not ended, and now they will have to face a more formidable foe. I hope I get to watch their game with Argentina. If the game is anything like last night's game, staying up until the wee hours is certainly worth it.

Listen to your god
This is our motto
Your time to shine
Don't wait in line
Y vamos por todo

People are raising
Their expectations
Go on and feed them
This is your moment
No hesitations

I am now beginning to understand the world's fascination with football. While I am still a long way from becoming a fan, now I have an inkling of why this sport is loved by so many. A game played with heart supercedes one laced with superstars. Who knows, maybe if I continue seeing more games like this, I'll be a convert by the time the 31st day rolls in.

Today's your day
I feel it
You paved the way
Believe it

If you get down
Get up
When you get down
Get up