I believe that many of you may have left a few messages on social media forums expressing your views about the results of the World Cup semifinals this week. As a German I can say that we earned an extraordinary, in fact freakish result, defeating Brazil 7-1 in the first semi-final early on Wednesday morning Hong Kong time. I’m sure few, if any fans or commentators would have imagined the contest going the way it did, with the Brazilian defense capitulating so tamely, giving Die Mannschaft an astonishing 5-0 lead by the half-hour mark.
Although there was a sense of disbelief as I watched events unfold, it was good to see Germany performing at such a high level. But I do feel for the Brazilian players and their fans, as there were many tears from players and fans alike as the team for which everyone had such high hopes crumbled in such a way, and the dreams of a host-nation World Cup victory were dashed so completely. Football is deep inside the Brazilian culture and an important part of life for all Brazilians – the sport is in their blood. They are always a major powerhouse on the international football stage and I believe and hope that they will bounce back from such a major setback in the not-too-distant future.
Brazil will take on Holland in the third-place playoff match late night tonight. Although Neymar will continue be absent, their captain Thiago Silva will return from suspension and I believe his presence will have a stabilising effect on the team. They will be playing for the pride of the whole nation and it will be good if they can show what they are capable of tonight.
After their outstanding performance in midweek, Germany will certainly be the favourites against Argentina in the final at the Maracana overnight on Sunday, especially given Argentina’s somewhat tepid display in their semi-final. It will also be a rematch – with us under the former West Germany banner – with Argentina after we won the World Cup final against them in Italy in 1990. I am optimistic about our chances but the most important thing is that the players shouldn’t get carried away by their emphatic win against Brazil. If they go into this match expecting to win easily and taking their opponents too lightly, there is a risk of undoing all the good work to this point. What we need is just one more victory and I will be cheering my team on and hoping they can end that 24-year wait and win the World Cup for the 4th time.
Apart from the World Cup, on the racing front we will also bring you the season’s final simulcasts from the UK, with live racing action comprising a total of nine races from the July Cup day at Newmarket and the John Smith’s Cup day at York tonight. Last season’s LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint runner-up Sole Power and his stablemate Slade Power will both feature in the Group 1 July Cup, as will Neil Callan, whose win on Hidden Value last Sunday helped Caspar Fownes lift the trainers’ title. It will be interesting to see if one of the ‘Power’ horses can extend their winning form from Royal Ascot last month and win this major summer sprint prize this evening.
The ground condition in today's July Cup will have a big impact on which horses finally will compete in tonight's race, because Due Diligence, Fountain Of Youth, as well as Sole Power are doubtful if the ground stays on the soft side. Due Diligence was my favourite pick before looking at the soft ground. I would recommend you to make your final selections after you get the latest update on track going before the race. Under the expected circumstances, I like Slade Power and Aljamaaheer, as well as Astaire and Noozhoh Canarias who in the eyes of Christophe Soumillion has the potential to become one of the best sprinters in Europe.
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