Stevie G knows this feeling all too well.
Now this is really characteristic of the 2010 tournament. Whether it's the Jabulani, the altitude, or just a low sample size this far, the fact is that no one can hit a target from any distance. Through 26 matches before Sunday morning, there have now been 49 goals (1.88 per game; still a World Cup low, but slowly improving). But not one of those goals has come via a direct free kick. Crosses lobbed in front of goal for headers, yes, but not a single bent-like-Beckham magic strike from outside the box. (In fact, the problem extends beyond free kicks: according to one statistical tracking service, shooting accuracy in general is down 10% from Premier League totals.
But for now I'm content to keep the focus on set pieces. Nothing takes the wind out of fan's sails like a golden opportunity from 20-25 yards, say, rocketed far into the heavens above the goal-mouth. An attempt right at the keeper forces a save. A ball struck well wide still has a chance to ricochet out of bounds for a corner or a throw in. Even a shot hammered bone-headedly right into the wall may find a crack or generate a friendly rebound opportunity. But the ball blasted over the bar is not a goal, was never going to have been a goal, and has no chance, however remote, to become a goal. Instead, the entire offensive possession is definitively blanketed, and the opposing team usually gets the ball at about midfield. It's absolute the height of preposterous, exasperating wastefulness -- the psychological equivalent in American football, I think, of punting on first down inside enemy territory.
But for now I'm content to keep the focus on set pieces. Nothing takes the wind out of fan's sails like a golden opportunity from 20-25 yards, say, rocketed far into the heavens above the goal-mouth. An attempt right at the keeper forces a save. A ball struck well wide still has a chance to ricochet out of bounds for a corner or a throw in. Even a shot hammered bone-headedly right into the wall may find a crack or generate a friendly rebound opportunity. But the ball blasted over the bar is not a goal, was never going to have been a goal, and has no chance, however remote, to become a goal. Instead, the entire offensive possession is definitively blanketed, and the opposing team usually gets the ball at about midfield. It's absolute the height of preposterous, exasperating wastefulness -- the psychological equivalent in American football, I think, of punting on first down inside enemy territory.