Holland pay the penalty

The World Cup went from one of the most dramatic games of the tournament to one of the dullest as Argentina overcame Holland on penalties to reach the final.

After the goal-fest of Brazil 1 Germany 7, neither side could find a goal in 120 minutes. It was not pretty viewing and at times was hard to pay attention to, and totally not what you would expect from a World Cup semi-final.

Before the game I thought that the second semi-final could be more cagey, with both sides having seen Brazil obliterated the night before and not wanting to be on the receiving end of a similar hammering. But I did not expect it to be quite as dull as it turned out to be, especially with the likes of Lionel Messi on show.

To prove just how dull the game was, Argentina had just 4 shots on target to Holland's one over 120 minutes. There really was very little of note in a game where so much more had been expected due to the two top quality sides that were doing battle against each other. Not only that but the legendary Messi himself did not touch the ball in the Dutch penalty area during the 120 minutes before the shoot-out - a truly remarkable stat that had me baffled.

The main chance of note in the first half saw Messi's free-kick comfortably saved by Jasper Cillessen in the Holland goal. I genuinely thought there had been a goal in the second half when Enzo Perez's perfectly timed assist was met by Gonzalo Higuain. I stupidly, partly out of not wanting Holland to win, stood up and cheered but the ball had actually hit the side netting. Luckily I wasn't the only one as I know at least one person who made their cats jump doing the same thing.

Holland almost got a breakthrough when Arjen Robben found his way into the box, only to be denied by a world class challenge from Javier Mascherano. Not only was it a sublime tackle from the Barcelona man, but also meant he had made more tackles than any other player in the tournament with 28.

Robben was again in the thick of the action as the Dutch registered their first shot on target after 99 minutes - yes it really did take that long! Robben's shot was straight at Sergio Romero and did little to trouble the Argentina goalkeeper.

Argentina really should've taken the lead in the second half of extra time when a ball over the top found Rodrigo Palacio, but the Inter Milan striker controlled the ball before sending a tame header straight into the grateful arms of Cillessen. Maxi Rodriguez also poorly shot straight at the Dutch shot-stopper but all would be forgiven as he later became the game's match-winner.

It was down to the dreaded penalties - a cruel yet pulsating way to decide a game. With no subs remaining, I turned to a friend and I said that I think Argentina will win and, that if they did, some people will blame the fact Tim Krul wasn't subbed on this time. In the quarter final against Costa Rica Krul came off the bench to win the shoot-out for his side, but he wasn't given the chance this time. Klaas Jan Huntelaar came on for Robin Van Persie after 96 minutes, meaning the Dutch had run out of substitution and there would be no Krul heroics this time!

As it was Cillessen remained on the pitch, but it would be harsh to blame the Ajax stopper as he had obviously been picked as number one throughout the tournament for a reason and deserved his starting place between the sticks. But it was his opposite number Romero who took all the plaudits in the end. Romero kept out Ron Vlaar, who had previously defended excellently in the game, and Wesley Sneijder to ensure it would be Argentina booking a third World Cup final meeting between themselves and Germany.

Both sides have a win apiece, with the South Americans winning 3-2 in the 1986 final before Germany gained revenge with a narrow 1-0 win four years later. So, who will win their 3rd meeting in a World Cup final? I certainly hope it is a better game than the second semi-final and I genuinely believe it will be.

It has been a truly remarkable tournament full of shocks, drama and plenty of entertainment, with several of the underdogs putting in heroic performances. But it has all been about the favourites in the knock-out stages, barring Brazil's embarrassing defeat, and it is great to see two footballing giants in the final. That is what we had all hoped for (other than the desire to see England in the final of course).

But before the final we have the anti-climax of the third/fourth place play-off between hosts Brazil and Holland. A great chance for Brazil to restore some much-needed national pride and ensure they can at least end the tournament on a win. Really though it is a very pointless game. Does anybody really think back to a tournament and remember the team that finished 3rd or 4th? Other than the 2002 World Cup where we had the surprise of South Korea vs Turkey in that match and an unexpected side finishing 3rd, this game often seems pointless. It prolongs the tournament but it is really unnecessary and I would much rather see it go from the semi-final stage straight into the final.

So time for some final predictions...

Brazil vs Holland
Neither side impressed in their semi-final match and Brazil will undoubtedly be desperate to erase the memory of their 7-1 defeat by Germany to end their tournament on a high. Nothing will ever fully erase that memory but at least they can try and salvage a bit of national pride. Or maybe this could be the start of a decline and it could be back-to-back defeats. I think Brazil will have a scare and go behind in this one but ultimately prevail with a 3-1 win.

THE FINAL - Germany vs Argentina
This is it! The moment we have all been waiting for! We will finally get to find out who replaces Spain as world champions. The 2014 World Cup has certainly been one to remember for various reasons and can be considered one of, if not, the best World Cup tournament of my lifetime (barring England's disappointing group stage exit). The tournament deserves to go out with a bang and it needs one last match of footballing magic before we wave goodbye to a great summer of entertainment in Brazil. But which way will the final go?

When the knockout stages started, I had a funny feeling Germany would go all the way and even before they demolished Brazil said to a friend they would win the tournament. I am sticking to my guns and going for a Germany win although they should get a much tougher match than in the last round. Germany seem to have so much great depth in their squad and if they maintain their form will be unstoppable on their way to glory.

But as we know all too well from this tournament it is dangerous to write off any team. Argentina will be looking to win the World Cup for the first time in nearly 30 years and if they can pull it off it will be a fine tribute to the late Alfredo Di Stefano. The Argentine-Spanish striker, who was regarded as one of the finest players to have ever graced the game, recently passed away and it would be fitting if Argentina were able to pull a win out of the hat. Arguably the greatest player of the modern generation, Messi, is in their ranks, so Argentina will pose a massively dangerous threat to the Germans and it really is a tough one to call.

If the match goes as many expect, it will be an absolute cracker! If both teams can hit top form there will be a flood of goals but now I really must decide which way it is going to go. I am going to predict a 4-3 win for Germany in Rio! Let's just hope the game lives up to expectations!

Let the drama continue!

World Cup 2014 - One to remember and it's not over yet!