Forlan ignores pain to keep dream alive
Source: Agencies |
July 8, 2010, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
DIEGO Forlan ignored the pain for as long as he could, carrying Uruguay on his shoulders and giving the little nation hope of a most improbable World Cup final berth. That made the disappointment all the more bitter.
Forlan was leading by example as the stand-in captain, spreading passes from deep and threatening in the box. Despite a fantastic tournament for himself and his country, Forlan was crushed.
"We were so close to the final," said the 31-year-old striker, who scored four goals in South Africa. "It's very disappointing. We had chances and we didn't take them."
Forlan said he felt pain in his thigh before the 2-3 semifinal loss on Tuesday, but was determined to play - and the immediate results were astounding. He brought his country of 3.5 million people back into the match with a swerving shot from distance that Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg couldn't keep out for a 1-1 result at half-time.
With Uruguay missing a number of regular starters because of injury or suspension, Forlan wore the captain's armband in place of Diego Lugano and seemed determined to compensate for the absence of his normal forward partner Luis Suarez and part of the first-team midfield.
There he was almost as a right back, sending a pinpoint through pass halfway across the pitch to an onrushing Uruguayan winger. He tested Stekelenburg again with a swerving, 30-yard free-kick that brought out a good save. Then, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben scored for the Dutch in quick succession. The Uruguayans were deflated, and Forlan's thigh was dead.
"When we started the game, I had a bit of pain. In the later minutes it was more painful," he said, stoically. Still he ran off the pitch at full speed when Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez replaced him in the 85th minute with Sebastian Fernandez.
Those seconds might have counted as the team closed the gap to 3-2 with a late goal, setting up a frantic finish. "He was hurting," Tabarez said. "It wasn't anything grave, but obviously you could see, especially at the end, that he wasn't 100 percent."
Forlan said he hoped to play in Uruguay's third-place consolation match on Saturday against either Spain or Germany. It might be the last chance for Forlan to display his talents on the world's biggest stage. He will be 35, and possibly too old, when the 2014 World Cup takes place in Brazil.
After averaging more than 20 goals a season at club level in Spain over the last six years, and twice winning the Golden Boot as Europe's top scorer, this tournament cemented the blond-haired striker's reputation as one of the world's top marksmen.
Forlan acknowledged the team's great improvement in recent years, and its fine showing at the World Cup. But a bitter sense of frustration pervaded.
"It's a shame because we lost a unique opportunity," Forlan said. "We had a chance to score a goal in the second half. The game was going for us. But we didn't score, and they scored."
Forlan was leading by example as the stand-in captain, spreading passes from deep and threatening in the box. Despite a fantastic tournament for himself and his country, Forlan was crushed.
"We were so close to the final," said the 31-year-old striker, who scored four goals in South Africa. "It's very disappointing. We had chances and we didn't take them."
Forlan said he felt pain in his thigh before the 2-3 semifinal loss on Tuesday, but was determined to play - and the immediate results were astounding. He brought his country of 3.5 million people back into the match with a swerving shot from distance that Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg couldn't keep out for a 1-1 result at half-time.
With Uruguay missing a number of regular starters because of injury or suspension, Forlan wore the captain's armband in place of Diego Lugano and seemed determined to compensate for the absence of his normal forward partner Luis Suarez and part of the first-team midfield.
There he was almost as a right back, sending a pinpoint through pass halfway across the pitch to an onrushing Uruguayan winger. He tested Stekelenburg again with a swerving, 30-yard free-kick that brought out a good save. Then, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben scored for the Dutch in quick succession. The Uruguayans were deflated, and Forlan's thigh was dead.
"When we started the game, I had a bit of pain. In the later minutes it was more painful," he said, stoically. Still he ran off the pitch at full speed when Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez replaced him in the 85th minute with Sebastian Fernandez.
Those seconds might have counted as the team closed the gap to 3-2 with a late goal, setting up a frantic finish. "He was hurting," Tabarez said. "It wasn't anything grave, but obviously you could see, especially at the end, that he wasn't 100 percent."
Forlan said he hoped to play in Uruguay's third-place consolation match on Saturday against either Spain or Germany. It might be the last chance for Forlan to display his talents on the world's biggest stage. He will be 35, and possibly too old, when the 2014 World Cup takes place in Brazil.
After averaging more than 20 goals a season at club level in Spain over the last six years, and twice winning the Golden Boot as Europe's top scorer, this tournament cemented the blond-haired striker's reputation as one of the world's top marksmen.
Forlan acknowledged the team's great improvement in recent years, and its fine showing at the World Cup. But a bitter sense of frustration pervaded.
"It's a shame because we lost a unique opportunity," Forlan said. "We had a chance to score a goal in the second half. The game was going for us. But we didn't score, and they scored."
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
