Ugh, I am so nervous.
Being Colombian, there is no doubt I am biased, but I have been seduced into thinking a World Cup win is possible for this team. I've watched ~85% of the games, and have even gone back and rewatched some games from World Cups of yore, and very, very few of the teams have brought the same dynamic, elegant football to the table. It's amazing to watch not simply because I enjoy watching my national team actually accomplishing something on a grand stage, but because the football on display is inherently uplifting. This has been an awesome, awesome World Cup, and I'm proud of Colombia's contribution to that.
Germany, France, and Brazil have all shown vulnerabilities. So have Argentina and Netherlands. A path to victory exists, and my god, can anyone deny that a World Cup which benefited from the participation of nearly every big team but that happened to be won by
this team would go down as remarkable? I can imagine such a result only being good for the sport. It opens things up dramatically, would be an upset for the ages, and I'd say Colombia (between their style, their players, and their fans) is a pretty easy underdog to root for.
And not to mention Colombia's
sad World Cup history. I would be sad to see Brazil go home because I know the massive pressure on those players, how heartbroken the country would be, and because of the missed opportunity to overcome the ghost of 1950. Colombia has their own ghosts to overcome, though, and it would be no less poetic for them to win in the end.
Anyway, I know I'm getting ahead of myself. I can envision a scenario where Colombia effectively moves past Brazil, but chances are Brazil is going to wake up and test this Colombian team in a way they've yet to be tested. Their shortcomings may very well reveal themselves against more experienced, more settled franchises. Realistically, it wouldn't be a good idea to bet on Colombia getting much further.
Still, I suddenly can't help but to dream.
