You're right, it would not be a total shock if Ukraine tops Italy.

Something different about this Spanish team wouldn't you say? It would be something if Spain wins the World Cup, with Sevilla winning the UEFA Cup and Barcelona taking the Champions League in the same year. And how about beating England in the final...strange coincidence.


BAH! Who am I kidding?! Spain winning the World Cup? When pigs fly!

Agh I forgot about the game. I missed two days I think. Oh well, I made it in time to send out Brazil.

portugal-holland was one of the weirdest games i've ever seen for holland, maybe only topped by a friendly game against belgium in 1999 or so (final score 5-5!) or that penalty disaster against italy in euro 2000. anyway, terrible referee, but portugal would've won either way. the dutch lacked creativity, were not cool enough to keep their heads (maybe lack of experience?) and not sharp enough in finishing chances.

the referee should have sent off figo and van bommel in my opinion, they were the main instigators. heitinga's not returning the ball was bad sportsmanship, but i can understand his frustration because of course the portugese "injury" that made them shoot the ball out was just another way of time wasting. all in all i don't think the game was that dirty to warrant so many cards though. nobody broke any bones; most bookings were for talking, time wasting, unsportsmanslike conduct and that kind of stuff. portugal's many cards will probably break them up if they manage to reach far this world cup. the game against england could be one with many cards too. if portugal wins that one then they'll be in a similar position as argentina in 1990.

tomorrow's games shold be interesting. spain vs france could be a very close one. sadly i doubt ghana will be able to upset brazil, and missing essien won't help either.

How did the Dutch press cover the game/controversy?

most media draw the conclusion that an experienced and sly portugal outsmarted the somewhat unexperienced dutch squad. but they also mention more players could have been sent off (boulahrouz right for his first tackle on ronaldo, nuno valente for kicking robben on the shoulder etc.). also they ask why portugal is somehow so difficult to beat for holland time and again. there's not a single country holland has such a bad record against, including brazil etc.

about the referee they write that he completely lost it. (personally i had a bad feeling when i found out we would have the same referee as the one from france-switzerland)

they're also paying attention to the unsuccesful attacking display this tournament (too many long balls, not creating enough chances, etc) and then mention van basten is on the right way in rejuvenating the team, but that there's still a lot of work to be done.

Interesting. There were several happenings in the first half involving Robben that I though could have brought a card, a few of them were in the box at that.

Also, why keep Nistelrooij on the bench? Even late in the game?

yeah, but robben already earned himself a bad name worldwide because of diving (which of course he couldn't resist doing on sunday too). it really works against him, but he's got himself to blame.

van nistelrooij is really a finisher, not really a team player who can create his own chances. he needs to rely on feed from midfield or the wings and there just wasn't enough of that in this world cup. van der vaart either injured or not match-fit, sneijder disapointing, robben going for own glory, van persie not a really winger and on top of that a leftfooter playing on the right... the idea was that kuyt would be better in linking up midfield., but that didn't really work either. i don't think van nistelrooij would have been a good pinch-hitter though, so i agreed with keeping him on the bench late in the game. i have my hopes up for huntelaar in 2008.

I hadn't seen Kuyt before the cup and he gave me some good impressions. He's surely youg and will remember all that has happened when Holland try to qualify for the European Cup.

Totti's thumb : I believe that it has to do with his relatively recent fatherhood (3 months ago or so).

It's quite telling that no straight red cards were given; all four were for second yellows.

It's always dodgy picking DUtch players for the fantasy team, as their team selection always seems to be affecte by internal wranglings - my man van Persie scored a few points, but I didn't dare pick more thaam one despite them having such a good squad.

As the fantay game rolls on, and we all have similar players scoring, it'll be the choice of captain that's most important perhaps?

Brasil were a bit cheeky today, really - they didn't see the need to exert themselves against Ghana, thinking it would be a straightforward win anyway.

They were right. Only one African tem in the second round, and no African teams at all in the quarter finals. And all that with the next World Cup being hosted in Africa in 2010, by South Africa (who didn't even qualify for this one).

Ronaldo still looks out of sorts, but the fact remains that if you give hime a few chances, then he'll score one or two goals. He's scored 12 points today (doubled for me, as he's my captain).

Spain vs France is very hard to call, really; France can play much better if they try, whilst Spain have only looked especially impressive in that 4 - 0 win. It could be tight. But Spain seem to be the legitimate favourites.

Nice game. France wins. Determination in the eyes of the players, then happiness and trust - all these things that were missing. Beautiful goals. Sad for Puyol.

Sad for Spain, of course, but I do feel that they only really excelled in one game. They've got a good generation of players though, and should be a big threat in the Switzerland & Austria European Championships.

I am glad for France though. Great finish by Zidane, and it's good to see Viera on form. They have so much talent - if the France vs Brasil lives up to possibilities, then it'll be a fine spectacle.

How confident are the French people, Bertrand?

Well, I don't know much about them all. To be honest, I won't go out to celebrate, gotta be up early tomorrow for work (and they don't dig football much there - I work for and with athletes, but athletes who won't probably earn as much as a footballer - and they're currently too concerned with their scholar exams or their own competitions).
I'd say the opinion's quite versatile here. I read a first review of the game, it's as if coach Domenech had never been criticized (but they're all, apart from the Swiss and one or two others).
I spoke with a friend from Portuguese origins, on the day Portugal faced Iran. I asked him a few questions during the game, and his answers would probably apply to lots of persons. He told me he couldn't imagine his (second) country to lose. I asked him if he thought of the team winning in the end. And he told me that he couldn't either. We kinda felt strange.
In a Nick Hornby book, there's that also. Hornby describes his life as an Arsenal fan, always being there, prepared for the defeat, hoping for it not to come, and surprised by victory, but not that happy, for a final victory would change so many things.
That's how I felt back in 1998.
I guess there are some cars downtown honking here and there, prudently (my town ain't big and lively, and it's not the semis).
The radio mentions scenes of happiness, people starting to believe in the team NOW.

In England, the people are following the team closely, watching religiously, but not sensing great things - overcoming the first real quality opposition on Saturday, especially with a stylish performance, would change everything though. Strange atmosphere, diffferent to other big tournaments.

Brasil can always get goals, obviously, but I think that the French midfield and defence is capable of killing off most good moves - Ronaldo has not looked on top form, and this will be the first time in this tournament that he will have faced such good defending.

You played well tonight - well enough that the previous uninspired performances can be forgotten a little, and the confidence form beating a team with so much potential must be a great bonus. Getting goals from three different players is good too, it gives a sense that good things might come from anywhere, rather than relying on one player.

Chimbonda hasn't played yet, which is a shame. I kind of wish Emmanual Petit was still around too - he was a favourite of mine.

Chimbonda's selection was the cause of so many jokes, you wouldn't believe it, as you have the opportunity to see him play.
When Domenech announced that he would be in the 23 players list, I was not the only to ask myself : where does this guy comes from? All the French remembered was his time in Bastia, and the fact that he nearly cried when people mocked monkey grunts every single time he touched the ball.
His inclusion gave a comedy show some opportunities to make people laugh (not offensively) about that fact : the French team had a secret weapon that was sooo secret that noone even knew what it was.

Yes, Emmanuel Petit was a favorite of mine too. And the third goal in the 1998 final to make it all the more perfect.
He left the national team with a bit of bitterness I think, but overcame it, since an injury put an end to his carreer.
What most French supporters didn't understand was Domenech's decision not to include Pires and Giuly (both of them played the Barcelona-Arsenal final this year), and not to select Anelka either.
Lots of bad press about Dhorasoo, Vieira's shape (I agreed with that) and even Zidane (who had been applauded when he came back a few months before - versatility again).

Pascal Chimbonda would be welcomed into the England team, no doubt about it! Hwas named in this year's Professional Footballer's Association team of the year, which is not bad for a defender playing for such a 'small' club as Wigan Athletic. Everyone in England has been very impressed with him - he's one of those players (often French, for some reason) who are well-respected by all fans. He hasn't played though, so he's earned me nil points so far. It's a big surprise to hear the French reaction to his inclusion in the squad. He deserves the reward though.

I can see the confusion about Giuly, Pires (classy player) and Anelka, but I have to confess that I don't really know much about Dhorasoo. The fact that such players as Giuly, Pires and Anelka can be left out shows the extent to which you have quality players available, though - for all the supposed qualities of this English football generation, it has to be said that we do not have that luxury.

Dhorasoo plays in a 'big' club, Paris-Saint-Germain, a club whose president gave the boot to the coach for no particular reason. There's always been a lot of pressure on this team since it's the only team of the capital.
Yes : there's only one team in Paris, when there are several in London (Tottenham, Wimbledon, Arsenal, Chelsea...), Liverpool (Everton), Manchester, etc...
The Paris-Saint-Germain season was disappointing this year, and Dhorasoo was more than once put the blame on. Some friends of mine, former colleagues, and more journalists insisted on the fact that there was another French midfield that had done much better : Johan Micoud, from Bremen. Alas alas.

The Spanish team was deprived of Guti.
The British team, well, you're probably right, I can't see who could have been left behind or who could replace Owen in a near future. The championship is stuffed with foreigners, it doesn't help.
Hargreaves is the only one to play abroad. I wonder how he is considered.
(By the way, his name is a problem for our oldest TV football host Thierry Roland : he wouldn't pronounce his name properly, at times it's Heargreaves, a few minutes later it's Hargraves, and most of the time, he calls him Heargraves, which would be kind of poetic if he only knew English a little).

I remember PAris Saint Germain looked like becoming a big team in Europe, too, maybe ten years ago? They used to have a very nice club crest, with the Eiffel Tower, but they changed it to a crap one, just the letters PSG. That's where it all started to go wrong (or maybe not)!


I actually think that all of the foreigners are a good thing; they are nearly all very good players, which should mean that the English guys are getting great competitive experience every week. There are less English players playing in the league, but those who are there are the best and should be developing as aa result. Our clubs now do better in Europe too. Also, it's great for the fans - so many wonderful players, and now we will see Shenchenko (gosh), which is fantastic.

To be fair, We have improved overall since the foreign players came to join us, but not as much as we should have.

Maybe the problem is partly that all of the teams we play against have so much experience of our style, and our players, and know how to combat us?


I like him a lot, I have to say, although he has had a poor reception - he even got booed when he came on at a friendly just before the World Cup! Ludicrous. He hadn't actually played well for England until very recently (in this tournament, in fact), so the criticism was to some extent understandable. He's doing well now.


I remember when Cameroon came to Italia '90 and a player called Roger Miller came on. His name is just pronounced as it would be if it were an English name, but our commentator decided it should be much more exotic, and was calling him something like 'Rowshay Millay' (the best apporximation I can manage!).

'Heargraves' is nice, like the name of a quaint English village. Twelve houses and a pub.

I missed the entire Brazil - Ghana game, but it doesn't appear that I missed much. Work, once again gets in the way.

I started to watch France - Spain, but fell asleep about 15 minutes in. Oh well, some nice strikes I see from the highlights.

No games until Friday, eh? Excited about the Germany - Argentina clash.

All four quarter-finals have the chance to be good, providing Ukraine make the effort to take the game to Italy. Learn from Australia's mistake and force the Italians to play - too many people let Italian teams dictate the pace, which is just falling into their trap.

2 days without games. It doesn't seem right, somehow! Yesterday's refereeing was a bit more sensible on the whole, I thought.

Switzerland were knocked out, but became the first team in World Cup history to finish a tournament having conceded no goals (not counting the shoot-out, obviously).

Brasil are breaking a few records too:

Ronaldo’s history-making goal - his 15th in the FIFA World Cup™ taking him above Gerd Muller in the all-time goalscoring list – was not the only landmark achievement in Brazil’s Round of 16 defeat of Ghana.

Adriano’s goal, which made it 2-0, was Brazil’s 200th in FIFA World Cups. The 100th was scored by none other than Pele, the magnificent header against Italy in the 1970 Final in Mexico City.

Captain Cafu’s appearance in the game with Ghana in Dortmund was his 19th FIFA World Cup game - a Brazilian record, taking him past Claudio Taffarel and Dunga who were both on 18. If Brazil go all the way and he plays in all the remaining games, Cafu would end the tournament on 22, three behind record-holder Lothar Matthaus who appeared in every FIFA World Cup between 1982 and 1998.

The victory was also Cafu's 16th winning game in the competition – another FIFA World Cup record. Both Matthaus and Wolfgang Overath enjoyed 15 wins with Germany while Paolo Maldini and Franz Beckenbauer are next best on 14.

cafu fucking rules

cafu cafu cafu!!!!!

--

& ribery is the son of god

Maniche! What about Maniche? Player of the tournament so far. Footballing king, that man is.

Yes, two days with no games and I feel lost.

I'm hoping Ukraine can pull off something special. And you're right Hipster, playing Italy safe is exactly what they want. It doesn't take a genius to realize this, but teams in the past have really fallen for it. Just watching Serie A matches, this is obviously a staple of Italian football; denfensive and quick counter-attack. The good thing is, I don't think Ukraine fits the profile of a team that will wait for something to happen, they create a lot of chances. As long as they don't allow an early goal.

It''s so great that ESPN is broadcasting all the games this time because there's been so much history made & so many milestones passed this tournament. I'm glad to be able to watch & grateful to all the sy boardies involved for helping to pique my interest.

Finally, after all of the waiting (two whole days), it's quarter-final time: Ukraine vs Italy and Argentina vs germany today. I'm expecting Argentina to progress, as they have the strongests squad in the competition and have been reasonably lucky with injuries, bookings etc. They've also already played beaten two good teams (Mexico and Cote d'Ivoire) and drawn with Netherlands.

Although Italy are favourites in their game, I am of course still hoping that Ukraine come through - how nice it would be to have a World Cup newcomer reach the last four.

It's currently 1 -0 to Argentina. Ayala did well to meet the corner - nice header (and an assist for Riquelme - hurrah!).

Oh no. My goalkeeper is injured - looks like he's being substituted.

edit: now it's 1-1, about ten minutes left. But whereas Jurgen Klinnsman has made attacking changes, Argentina's Jose Pekerman has used all of his substitutions trying to shore things up, and as a result Argentina have much less by way of attacking options - Riquelme and Crespo are both off, so this is a real test for the Argentines. Things look to have swung in Germany's favour.

edit 2: 1 - 1 after 90 minutes, extra time immenent.

Germany win on penalties!

Argentina had 65% of the first half possession but only one shot on goal - that's the statistic that they will have to look at when they examine at what went wrong. There is no question that this tournament was Argentina's for the taking - a generation of truly wonderful players on top form, good team spirit and a recent record of breathtaking performances. But they blew it - it was not taken from them, not at all.

There was a disgraceful punch-up at the end, apparantly started when one of the Argentine players punched a German player. I'm sure there will be reports on the guilty parties by tonight.

The build up on Kloses equalizer was fantastic!

Good game all around. Germany is now very dangerous. At home, playing well enough to beat anyone...are they the favorite now?

I'm ready for Ukraine!! Today I wore my Dinamo Kiev shirt in support.

fight fight fight fight!

Perhaps we haven't talked enough about how good Italy is. This Italy team is ACE. Maybe it seems more clear after this pounding of Ukraine. It will be hard for anyone to beat these guys. Return to glory?

(The diving should stop though, really)

the only team i have four players from is italy...but i'm sullen about that argentina loss & losing the goalie. when cruz was named as the last sub, i was thinking just what the marcela guy was thinking...that messi should have came in, that the argentines needed to play their game...

Yes, Argentina played some dumb football today. Too bad that game had to go to PK's though.

Atari, should we be alarmed you are thinking like Marcelo Balboa?

naw, he's a goon mostly...that dave o'brien guy creeps me out more though because he sounds like such an al michaels clone

I think people always know that Italy are very skilful, the problem is that they so rarely apply that skill to it's logical effect. Today was the first time this tournament that Italy attacked the oposition, and they demonstrated very ably that when they attack, they cause massive problems. This lack of application must be a source of massive frustration for the Italian people, but maybe the team will build on their discovery of this new-fangled attack thingy.

I'm a bit sad that Ukraine have gone - for whatever reason, I've developed a little bit of passion for them. Such fine players but again, not the right tactics on the day - why oh why were after getting the ball up the field in the first half, did they consistently elect to play it around too much? Maybe they just didn't realise that that guy waving his arms around in the box was Andriy Shevchenko - "SHEVA" - the greatest forward in the world, and on their team! Please, forgive my sarcasm, I'm a touch miffed (and more than a tad nonplussed).

A bad day for my team. After rising up the league a bit, Ukraine and Argentina both flop, and the dropped Luca Toni finally scores (twice, if you please). At least I've got him for two more games.

Good luck to fellow leaguesters in the remaining games - the right choice of captain on any given day might mean massive points!

Ten hours to kick off at Gelsenkirchen. England aren't going to get away with being lucky today. Let's hope for a decent game, I really can't face the thought of another England borefest. I fell asleep during the last one.

Hopefully two years with Jose Mourinho and several Portugese players will have given the Chelsea boys enough of an insight into their way of thinking that it'll help us through. Although it works both ways I guess, there are several Portugese players who have played against or alongside every member of the England squad.

italy ukraine

3 0



ohh yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh :D :D :D

A hot day, moderate alcohol intake and yr average England performance don't encourage alertness, do they? If England don't perform from the start then they will surely be punished by this Portugal team. Maniche won't take any s***, I would imagine.

I have to confess that I'm not too confident, but we all know that England can wipe out the opposition when they get it together.

As the number of matches dies down, so does the number of valid news stories.

The numbers suggest it's Brazil... or Germany
1 July 2006
by FIFAworldcup.com

It’s definitely a numbers game at this FIFA World Cup™.

FIFAworldcup.com has already explained how it all adds up to a Germany triumph on 9 July in Berlin. Multiply the years of their first two FIFA World Cup triumphs (54x74), subtract the year of their third (1990), and it comes to 2006.

Another calculation - the sequence of South America-Europe-South America triumphs since 1962 - suggests the Trophy is headed for European hands once more. But the figures also throw up other quirks.

For instance, looking at Brazil and taking their triumph in 1994 and adding the year of their previous championship victory – 1970 – produces 3964. Adding together Argentina’s last win – 1986 – with their other victory – 1978 – also produces 3964.

Germany’s last triumph was 1990, before that they had lifted the trophy in 1974. Add them together and it comes to ……3964.

Following the same logic we could have calculated the winners in Korea/Japan before a ball was kicked. Subtracting 2002 from 3964 and you get 1962. The winners in ‘62? Brazil. The winners in 2002? Brazil.

So what about 2006. Subtracting 2006 from 3964 produces 1958. The winners that year? Brazil!

Mmm. England take on the impressive Portugal in just over an hour.

pekerman's substitutions were ridiculous indeed and argentina's negative aproach to the game rightly costed them the victory. after the argentinian goal there was space for their attackers to finish it off but instead he takes off all his creative players and tries hanging on to the lead. after the equaliser you just knew that argentina didn't have the players on the field anymore to drag a victory out of it... and of course germany were the favourites for a penalty shootout.

in my fantasy team, yesterday i just decided to throw everything on argentina and brazil, even though history says neither of them were going to win it. yesterday before the game i suddenly had a feeling germany were going to win it and to be honest i have a similar feeling today that france are going to knock out brazil. my only chance of still catching up 70 points on grand popo though is by picking different players than him and hoping they will do better. i now have 5 brazilians in my fantasy team. :rolleyes:

as for the england-portugal game, it's a really close call, but i think england are going to reach the semi-finals, despite of having sven the mastermind on the bench. at least they have a much better chance now than they had two years ago. but i hope they're finally going to show a decent performance on this tournament, they've been terrible to watch so far; except for joe cole and steven gerrard.

portugal will have to improvise on midfield today... however that turns out could be the decisive factor today.