Italy and the Netherlands, another pair of football giants, didn’t even qualify for the World Cup in the first place. Strange World Cup many would call it.
The defending champions, Spain were knocked out by the host nation, Russia in a thrilling encounter. The match ended in penalty shootout. The hero on the day was Igor Akinfeev, the Russian goalkeeper, who made two saves to give the Russians the victory.
Argentina, another heavyweight, went out in the round of 16. With all the hype surrounding Lionel Messi, they could not get past the second round of the World Cup. In the group stages, they were poor. Their first game against Iceland ended in a draw. That was very poor given Argentina’s status in the football world.
The Albicelestes were humiliated by Croatia in the second game losing 3-0. Argentina had only one point in two games. Their last game against Nigeria was a must win. Anything short of that meant that they would be eliminated before the commencement of the knock out stage.
They played as poorly as their first two games against the Super Eagles, but luckily Messi was able to get on the score sheet after he was left unmarked in the 18 yard area for the first time in this World Cup.
Nigeria pulled one back via a penalty, through Victor Moses. In the dying stages of the game, Argentina got the winning goal through Sergio Aguero. They won but the world knew that a performance like that would see them knocked out against France. And that was what happened.
Portugal , the reigning European Cup champions were undone by the brilliance of the Uruguayan duo of Luiz Suarez and Edinson Cavani in the round of 16.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who was unstoppable earlier in the tournament, ended his World Cup career without scoring a goal in the knock out stage.
Germany, the defending champions went out of the World Cup in the first round for the first time in 80 years. The German had not failed to make it past the group stage. This time around they did not only fail to make it out, they finished bottom of a group comprising of Mexico, Sweden and South Korea.
The Germans were stunned by an organized Mexico team in the first game. In the second game, the four times world champions came from behind to win 2-1. It took a Toni Kroos free kick in the last minute of the game to get the much needed three points. The last game against South Korea was a must win.
The defending champions were creative as usual. They moved the ball around the pitch as usual. But one thing the Germans are known for which they were not able to reproduce on the day was speed. The Germans were not quick enough. They were lethargic. Some analysts are of the view that they are an aging side. Toni Kroos, Mesut Ozil, Mat Hummels, Thomas Muller, Mario Gomez, Manuel Neuer are all key players for the team and they are 30 and above. They lost to Korea 2-0.
What the three football giants have in common is an aging side. Spain, Argentina and Germany fielded players who are considered old in football terms. Argentina, for instance, had the oldest team in the World Cup. Javier Mascherano, Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Angel Di Maria, Gonzalo Higuian, Nicolas Ortamendi are all above 30. In Spain, Gerrad Pique, Sergio Ramos, Andreas Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, are above 30.
As for Portugal, the man they rely on for the goals, Ronaldo is 33 years of age. He may not be in Qatar in 2022 for the World Cup.
These teams may be down but not for long. They have the talents to come back stronger. Germany, for instance, used a young team to win the FIFA Confederations Cup last year.
