Maladict Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 Rejoice, for the heathen Portuguese have been eliminated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosmo Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 Just hope Croatia beat the dirty Turks tomorrow night, I'm definitely getting my red and white checks out tomorrow!! This will give the Germans a chance to revenge the defeat in the group. The only question is who will lose the final to Germany? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaius Paulinus Maximus Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 Don't want to talk about the Turkey game Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosmo Posted June 21, 2008 Report Share Posted June 21, 2008 Holland - Russia was clearly the most beautiful game yet with over 50 shots fired and fast attacks. My favorites, the dutch, played unconvincing and Russia deserved to win. Holland joins Portugal and Croatia among the group leaders that go home in the quarterfinals. It's Spain next? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Augusta Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 Holland - Russia was clearly the most beautiful game yet with over 50 shots fired and fast attacks. My favorites, the dutch, played unconvincing and Russia deserved to win.Holland joins Portugal and Croatia among the group leaders that go home in the quarterfinals. It's Spain next? Well Kosmo, I went on record as saying (very early on) that neither Holland nor Spain would win this tournament, and I will still stand by it. Although gli Azzurri are a bit hampered tomorrow by the suspension of Pirlo, he has hardly been at his best in this tournament, and we are due a decent game from Ambrosini. Reno Gattuso isn't half the player he was, so his suspension tomorrow probably won't be too much of a loss either. Nevertheless, I'm expecting a very tight game, but I do feel that the final of this tournament will be played between Germany and Italy. And let's hope that Luca Toni can make up for all his missed chances in this tournament! God - the man should be on 10 goals! I had flirted with the Portugese a week ago after Germany's poor show against Croatia, but at that stage I did not know that they would play Portugal in the quarters. Once that was on the cards I knew there would be only one winner. FORZA AZZURRI! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docoflove1974 Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 Wow...I missed a helluva match! But I'm geeked for tomorrow's match. FORZA AZZURRI!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonic Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 As an Englishman I have to admit I've been impressed with Croatia and Russia. When they beat us and knocked us out it was assumed that England were poor/hadn't performed well/didn't deserve to be in it etc. But now we have proof that we lost to what are actually very good teams, and we don't really need too much of an excuse for losing! Having said that, we should be given a good hard kicking for complacency!! Now that Austria are out I find myself wanting Russia to win. Last night they played a fantastic game of football and, if they can maintain that level, there's no reason why they can't win! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silentium Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 Espa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docoflove1974 Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 (edited) Fabio Capello: Impossible!It would take a miracle!Translator: It all looks very promising! He was dubbed with a Neapolitan accent, he's from Trieste though, North East of Italy but the videos are still funny . Wow...isn't that illegal? Why not just dub him with a Sicilian accent! Edited June 22, 2008 by docoflove1974 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maladict Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 Wow, that Russia was amazing. I shall be backing them for the title Another good one coming up tonight, down with Italy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docoflove1974 Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 Yeah, well, it's about to go to PKs...and the ref was crap. Italy is lucky they didn't lose this one to PKs earlier. Nail biting time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docoflove1974 Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 Hey, Spain played better in this match...I'll hand it to them. I wish them luck! (Now I'm seriously going to hear it from my Spanish friends...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Augusta Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 (edited) Well, that's it for another tournament. And after saying that we wouldn't miss Pirlo and Gattuso - my, how we missed 'em! Having said that, I am used to watching the Azzurri go into their Roman legionary testudo tactics like they did tonight, and once again, it almost came off in the shoot-out. However, I am probably one of the biggest fans of the Azzurri on here, but I have to say that di Natale missing his penalty was justice. He had done what I hate - rolled back onto the pitch when injured to get the game stopped. This is a trick the Italians must have learned from the Spanish, whose Reyes perfected it all over Europe! But I detest it whoever does it, so when I saw him step up for that pen I knew he would miss. And I could not begrudge Cesc his final winning penalty - I love the lad as a player and a person. Ah well - I will now be rooting for my second team and my overall tip to win the thing in the first place - Germany. Edited June 22, 2008 by The Augusta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosmo Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 Indeed a lot of diving tonight in a rather ugly and boring game. As Romanians know well a testudo it's worth only if one has something to defend. Italians did nothing to win the game hoping for some chance that they did not get. Maybe if the referee gave the Spaniards that penalty kick as he should have, Italy would have start playing something before the extra time. This way of closing the game without a serious attempt to score first is the error of Donadoni that has no place coaching Italy. Testudo it's good for closing a game not starting it. Spain - Russia should be a nice game especially because russians simply don't defend and attack whenever they have the ball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Augusta Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 This way of closing the game without a serious attempt to score first is the error of Donadoni that has no place coaching Italy. Testudo it's good for closing a game not starting it. Kosmo - don't blame Donadoni entirely! He didn't invent these tactics. Believe me, he is carrying on a long, long tradition. I have been watching Italian football as long as I have been watching English football - i.e. 40 years. Tonight was a classic example of the Italian 'testudo' mentality. What did they have to defend? Their penalty box, of course! I can tell you that Roberto - until this tournament - had instilled the team with a far more attacking mentality than they had hitherto had. I honestly do believe that the loss of Cannavaro before the start of the group stages threw everything out of the window, and he went for the old tried and tested Plan B. It is a given fact that in football, the Italian's first priority is not to lose. Unfortunately, we saw it in full measure tonight. On a purely technical level, one has to admire such steely defending, but alas, it doesn't make for an entertaining game. I have no complaints. Had we gone through in the shoot-out, it would have been very hard on Spain. Justice was done and the better team have gone through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.