World Cup to Germany

       At the bitter end of an equally hard fought contest, the Deutchlanders triumphed over the the South American opponent.   In the 117 minute,  Mario Goete put  a volley past the Argentine goalie into the far corner of the net.   A terrific goal without controversy, only admiration and also disbelief.  @ 1/2 minutes from the agony of a shoot out, both teams responded in kind.   One jubilant with the taste of victory welling up in their mouths; the other, downcast and forlorn.   Lionel Messi put a  free kick over the goal to no avail.   The contest ended with unmatched jubilation from the German side, confirming the hours of practice, the tropical heat, the long travel times in the vast forests of Amazonia, not to mention the transAtlantic ride at the beginning of the tournament.
      All the participants can return to normalcy, except Goezte, who will live forever as the face of Germany's 4th World Cup victory.   As a 22 years old, he will live his adult life, his soccer career and its aftermath in the reflected light of glory from his moment as a blazing comet across the world.
     Much will be written of the game, the struggles, the close calls, and missed opportunities.  Suchis sport, such is soccer.  The host Brazil can bask in a completed task that began with controversy and ended with some, but less.
     Vladimar Putin, Russian president/premier, was on hand to accept the baton leading to Russia in 2018.   That project will be interesting, given the current geopolitics and Realpolitik.
     But Russia is older, smaller, and perhaps more experienced when it comes to sport, money, and politics.   It can be argued that just as much corruption exists in Brazil as in Russia, but there's less money in Brazil.
    In Tahoma, West Side Pizza was the preferred venue for local fans and the place was packed for hours as the European rep battled the South American flag carrier.   Everyone enjoyed the excitement, if not the outcome(many supporters of the Europeans were in evidence).  Joaquin, the owner, took many bets from German side fans(in the kitchen,too), and set about balancing them all after the final whistle.   Bravo Joaquin, the loyal supporter of River!