It turned out that Paul the Octopus was right. Photo (cc) flickr user craig Quimby

So the Deutschland dream is over. Buried in a wave of tiki-taka. Yeah, Spain was much superior to Germany and totally deserved their win, but how boring is it to watch them play? Pass, pass, pass. Then pass, pass, pass again. And again, for 73 minutes until they broke German hearts with a goal ‘made in Barcelona.’

It got ugly here in Berlin once the final whistle blew. Schland der Tränen. Everyone annoyed and crestfallen. Frustration at not getting hold of the ball, being unable to do anything worthwhile with it when they did, and the dawning of reality; things too good to be true usually are.

Fans watched tensely as Germany faced Spain this week. Photo (cc) flickr user monicamüller

It was painful and sad for me to see Germany knocked out of the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa. I had predicted that Germany would lift the coveted trophy this year.

I watched the game with some sense of confidence. But with a cagey first half, the game became lively in the second half as both teams sought to edge out the opponent.

Puyol’s header gave the Spaniards a World Cup final ticket and robbed me of my spirits. After 90 minutes of play, I knew I had been wrong.

Germany fans are hoping for another win in Saturday's game against Argentina. © ATP Yoshihiro KOIKE / dpa

So-called experts are notorious for getting it wrong. As soon as they open their mouths, a curse is cast on whoever has the misfortune to be spoken about.

“Ronaldo’s in great form. He’ll bring Portugal far.” Cue Portugal’s exit.

“Franck Ribéry will take the competition by storm.” Cue France’s ignominious exit.

“Wayne Rooney will explode into action at any time.” Cue England’s exit following Rooney’s perplexing lack of combustion.

India and Pakistan's national football teams facing off in Lahore in 2005 for the third time ever. Photo Rahat Dar © dpa

Last week I found myself shocked by the news: Younus Khan–former captain of the Pakistani national cricket team–had been named “ambassador of football” for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in South Africa by the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF).  But why a cricket player as the ambassador of football?

During a recent visit to Lahore’s cricket team camp, former Pakistani football coach George Kottan remarked that four or five of the Pakistani cricket players were also talented football players.  Younus Khan, Kottan said, can play just as well as any European player. Though football is very common in this part of the world, due to a lack of legendary players and a poor show of attention from the PFF, the national team is still waiting to see its name among the leading teams.

The Adidas 'Jabulani' football, the official ball of the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa, being tested in a wind tunnel. © dpa

Nobody’s happy. Not the coaches, not the players, not the officials in charge, and certainly not the players. Nobody is happy with the ball to be used at the World Cup, despite having had weeks to get used to kicking it in frustration.

The new Adidas ball is ironically called ‘Jabulani,’ meaning ‘to celebrate’ in the native South African isiZulu dialect, but nobody is celebrating its apparent unpredictability.

First Spain’s Captain and Goalkeeper Iker Casillas had a go at it, said it was too light, and described it as a “beach ball.”  Brazil shot-stopper Julio Cesar wasn’t complimentary either: “It’s the same as the balls you buy in the supermarket,” he said.

Fans go wild as the Italian national team arrives in South Africa just before the 2010 World Cup. Photo GPA/Luca Ghidoni

As defending champions, Italy will definitely be one of the leading contenders for victory at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.  Besides Italy–who won the cup in succession in 1934 and 1938–Brazil is the only country to have won two World Cups in a row.  Italy has won a total of four World Cups–and Brazil five–since the very first World Cup tournament was held in Uruguay in 1930.

You’ve already met three of our World Cup 2010 bloggers: der Irische Berliner, Fazal Adnan, and Philip Bright Mensah.  Now meet Rick Bosch, Young Germany’s on-the-scene World Cup 2010 correspondent.  Rick will be bringing us football blogs directly from Cape Town, South Africa.

Rick Bosch will be blogging from Cape Town, South Africa.

Rick is a South African who loves many things. After studying journalism he spent 18 months in the UK. Upon returning from the UK he started working as a copywriter in Cape Town.

With a passion for music and words, Rick will be sharing a truly South African perspective on what to do, where to eat, and where to go out if you’re lucky enough to be in South Africa for the tournament.