The commentator gets carried away a bit after the goal: “… the Samba-dancing Brazilians from South America.” Like Brazilians are always dancing. But you can’t disagree; it was a great free kick by FC Barcelona right back Daniel Alves.
In the end, South Africa and its passionate fans with their vuvuzelas will rue all the missed chances.
On the field the tournament was good for South Africa on the field: After the tentative start against Iraq, and being outclassed by Spain, they turned up. And a few players emerged as stars: goalkeeper Ithumeleng Khune, defenders Matthew Booth and Siboniso Gaxa, midfielders Siphiwe Tshabalala and Steven Pienaar, as well as striker Bernard Parker, can hold their own against the world’s best. South Africa now has a year to build a team around this nucleus of players. And they might just keep the coach.
That leaves us with a Confederations Cup final–that no one predicted–set for Sunday in Johannesburg.
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