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World Cup 2006

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ONLY NICE THINGS

16:08 / 02.07.06

I'd like to be supporting Portugal also - underdogs, never won it, small country - but in the last couple of years they've become so cynical. Cristiano Ronaldo attempting to interfere with the referee is just one example of that. As for the balls... it might be worth looking at the video rather than the still image - it looked clumsy to me rather than malicious, especially given that he was being pushed off-balance by repeated fouls by Carvalho in particular. Still, it's hard to gauge intent.

Still, he was pretty ineffectual, anyway, without an advanced striker. And, of course, there was no advanced striker, because Owen was injured, Walcott apparently unusable and no other striker had come along. So, Crouch found himself isolated up front, having to shield the ball from two or three defenders for up to five seconds before somebody - usually Hargrinho - could get past him and provide an attacking option.

17:48 / 02.07.06

I think yours is an exceptionally charitable view, Haus, on reviewing the video - which isn't, I'll admit, running awful well on my comp; the ball is more than a foot away, there is a downward stamp - whether intended for leg or cock, it doesn't particularly matter.

Portugal, though, I'll agree look the least worthy of the final four contenders. They were pretty short on inspiration, albeit Figo-less latterly and the use of, well, was it Ronaldo up front? Or was it a unique 4-6-0 formation? left a lot to be desired. It's not a morality issue for me, having seen several players (including Beckham) wave imaginary cards at refs this year, something Ronaldo didn't do - it's just... they're not that great to watch, excepting the opening 30 mins against Mexico, really.

Everyone else has a great narrative pattern to live up to: France, the old warhorse Zidane and cohorts, back for one last tilt at glory solidifying his name in legend. Italy, beset by corruption and the Luca Pessotto near tragedy. Germany, hosts beginning with no expectation, growing throughout. Portugal... Scolari hasn't lost a WC match. 'S not that good, comparatively. France's is best, and that's probably in order - essentially, I'd rather any of the others won, unless of course Portugal produce some amazing football in the last two games, but I feel that's unlikely.

News: apparently, Michael Essien's trying to persuade Freddy Adu to join him both at Chelsea and representing Ghana - could be interesting, if he's as good as they say.

18:31 / 02.07.06

Haus's view is pretty much the opinion of me mates, and whilst I take your point, Duncs, I am talking about an exceptionally sensible and smart bunch of folks who I've known for, pretty much, ever, and whose footballing opinions I've learnt to respect. I'd be very surprised if their thinking was swayed too much by bias (although, granted, it is possible).

Sadly, I didn't manage to see much of the match - Boboss and Babon got together with Runce that afternoon, and there was NOISE.

18:37 / 02.07.06

Oh, I should say that I'm not convinced of my pals' rightness, just that they're the kind of folks whose opnions you don't dismiss out of hand. I haven't actually heard their thinking in any detail.

nedrichards is confused

18:46 / 02.07.06

I'm just disappointed every time I see anyone in football try and get someone else sent off or yellow carded by diving, holding non touched apendages, rolling about or pressuring the ref. This is something that England certainly aren't innocent of, since it's rpevelent in top flight football (you tend to see a *lot* less of it in the Championship and below). I can remember a couple of occasions where both Gerrard and Cole (J) blatently dived yesterday.

That doesn't mean that Rooney should have been sent off for what looked suspcisiouly like trying to stay on his feet whilst being bodychecked by two players in what used to be referred to as a 'sandwich'. However again, it turned out to be rather good that he was sent off as England played mch better when down to 10 men, both in defence, where they looked staunch and composed as Portugal shuttled the ball about the outside of the penatly area with not much intent and on the break where they gambled on getting bodies forward, betting that they'd be able to use their superior speed and fitness to track back. One particular lung busting run forward, then dash back and impeccable sliding tackle from Gerrard will live long in the memory. As Haus has already said Hargreaves was clearly the man of the match outstanding in both attack and defence and revealling the turn of speed we never knew he had. And still, England created enough opportunities to score a goal, opportunities at least as good as Henry's great strike later. If I were C Ronaldo I wouldn't be holding out much joy for a move to Madrid though, not the way Beckham was shouting at him.

Finally, can we all shut up about how england have never won a game on Penalties in a major tournement. Euro 96. Quarter final, Spain 0 - England 0, England win 4-2 on penalties, Psycho Pearce does his emotional bit. How could you forget?

19:00 / 02.07.06

I certainly haven't, given Spain had a legitimate goal and penalty request turned down, much as they did in Korea six years later.

20:46 / 02.07.06

Making up a WCXI plus subs, as FIFA do at the end of tournament - may need work, but here we go:

-----------------------Ricardo (Por)-----------------------

Zambrotta (Ita)--Ayala (Arg)--Cannavaro (Ita)--A.Cole (Eng)

------Maxi (Arg)------Muntari (Gha)------Akale (IvC)-------

-----------------------Zidane (Fra)------------------------

----------------Klose (Ger)---Torres (Esp)-----------------

Subs:

Lehmann - GK - Ger
Pernia - LB - Esp
Marquez - CB - Mex
Terry - CB - Eng
Ballack - MF - Ger
Riquelme - MF - Arg
Messi - RW - Arg
Robben - LW - Hol
Henry - FW - Fra

I think it's normally a squad of 23, so that's what I've come up with thus far, 20, needs another goalie, prolly a right-back and a forward; Akale at left-mid almost certainly won't feature but he blew me away against Argentina alone. There's an argument for a more solid, defensive centre-mid, but everything Muntari did against Brazil was notable, and he effectively ran that game, and finally killed off the Czechs with a thumper. I *heart* him.

23:15 / 02.07.06

As I recall, it didn't look like an attempt to get the ball at any rate.

looks like an attempt to get both, falcon!!

agree with your assessment of your manager, dm. what a bench gone to waste. robinho was one of the players of the tournament for mine - every moment he was given was a marvel. but yeah, zz shone and france look like a squad on a mission. heaven help us. c'mon portugal. o, you have to win, pleeeeeze? [can't see it, we seem destined on momentum to have germany v france - wouldn't like to try to pick that, but if i had to, hmmm, probably the hosts; who i have previously declared to have no hope of winning this thing.., so a most likely result!]

of course what i should want to happen is italy win, so i (relatively truthfully) can say 'australia were 8 seconds from winning the world cup!' ha!

but this has been a world cup of relatively little drama, no? especially leaving refereeing aside and looking just at the football. no s.korea this time, no cameroon, the 'wonder goals' have been ubiquitous, though maxi's cracker in the mexico game comes close to the pick of 'em, or cambiaso's end of the team goal - both argentina and they've gone home. sad.

few real surprise stars, mebbe the prevelance of coverage and the fact most top players play in the big leagues irrespective of heritage now, so we see them all the time. and the last eight had six previous winners, + portugal who'd been close and are a prominent side in lists of 'best to never win' and such... so ukraine the only real 'official' surprise.

but there's four games left! ooh, yeah!!

20:33 / 04.07.06

Italy 2 x 0 Germany

Talking about a surprising ending...

IMHO, this was the best game of the Cup so far (I haven't seen them all, so I might be wrong. astrojax, what do you think?). Very exciting. And those two Italian goal in the last 200 seconds of the game... wow!

let's see how tomorrow's Portugal x France turns out.

21:31 / 04.07.06

No, I think you're right Megs - Argentina 2 Ivory Coast 1 was an early classic, but the stakes was high tonight, and the goals we finally got were entirely worthy of the two hours of practically flawless football that had predated them. I could watch Cannavaro defend all day, I really could.

In the end, you have to feel sorry for the Germans, but I'd say Italy shaded them where it mattered, in creating chances, and eventually got their due; they've been offering supremely elegant stuff, in every department (Pirlo was notably incredible tonight,) all tournament (except the US debacle) and I'm happier to see them do it of the two.

Onto tomorrow and allez les Bleus, I hope. Got something to match up to, anyhow.

22:21 / 04.07.06

yeah, absolute cracker of a semi-final... watched at my italian hair salon again - what jubilation!!

the right team won - what a captain's game from canavarro - and that much maligned striker, badly dubbed 'defender' and 'diver' after that thug hooligan lucas neil assaulted him in the australia match, with a ripper to win it. del-p's second just icing to give the score some appropriate status and the hysterical italian throng even more reason for a morning [here] stupor... the italian defence was rarely breached and they missed a couple golden chances. good result from a sparkling game.

the mexican referee let things go a little - certainly a few challenges would have attracted yellows in earlier rounds, huh? but the game flowed, the pace was unrelenting in the opening stanza and it will be a great final now! best i've seen italy play football for a while.

tomorrow morning's match should be equally open - i rekkun both teams will look to get the midfield supplying angled runs and moves from the flanks, both will seek to score early and i hope portugal don't self-combust. can't see that happening with their coach, but the french will be resilient. if zouzou fires we'll have a cracker; if deco gets in stride we might see a white[maroon]-wash.

btw did anyone else note the german directors gave their team a helping hand in the opening moments - the score on my broadcast read 'ger 5 0 ita' for the first minutes of the match!! ha ha...

ooh, this is why i wait four years. o boy o boy, another game tomorrow. then the final. (in gianni's salon, with an even more boisterous crowd, methinks...) bring it on.

(and nice of them to have the gaps on days sans-football at this end of the tournament filled with le tour!

)

00:29 / 05.07.06

a propos of matters world and football [if not cup, so semi threadrot?] - greece has been suspended from all international football by fifa because the greek goverment has, according to fifa and uefa, too much control so they have been suspended until they relinquish such control by parliamentary legislation! absurd...

what will football come up with next?

so, looks like england will have even more of a rest than planned, huh? they are slated to play greece in the next available fifa int'l calendar date, i believe...

on with the semi, and on with the game... [here endeth, then, any semi threadrot...

]

Regrettable Juvenilia

07:40 / 05.07.06

the mexican referee let things go a little - certainly a few challenges would have attracted yellows in earlier rounds, huh? but the game flowed

I think "and so" would be more appropriate than "but" - one of the reasons this was a great game was that play wasn't being stopped with every challenge, nor was there a steady stream of arguments about whether a card would or would not be given. You have to give the players some of the credit for that, obviously, but I don't think the ref "let things go" - on the contrary, I think he was very astute at telling a few players to get up when they were clearly not injured, which helped set the tone.

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

13:32 / 05.07.06

I did like seeing a ref telling people who were clearly not injured to stand up.

I felt bad for the Germans simply because I think they would have won the match on PKs. Of course they obviously thought so as well and stopped playing defence to wait for the clock to run out.

15:13 / 05.07.06

Pretty much spot on, Fly.

That's a little unfair, Elijah: I was amazed that Pirlo had the energy and imagination after two hours of working like a bastard to drop firstly his very good lang-ranger for the corner, and latterly his beautiful disguised pass to Grosso for the opener - not many teams'd stop that at any point.

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

15:33 / 05.07.06

The first goal was well played by the Italians, but it was also a very sloppy corner as handled by the defense. Based on the lack of action by the players and the German coach in the last 5 minutes of the OT I really think they were tired and hoping to skate through into a PK contest which they very likely would have won.

15:59 / 05.07.06

Well, it was about the only corner Jensi Lehmann didn't pluck from the air - can't recall much of it, otherwise. Fwiw, I thought both teams played for a win for the full 120 (119, maybe, with Germany then going for pens. after Grosso's ripper) and that was what made it so engrossing.

I was so excited at del Piero's closer, I actually shouted 'This is how we do.' at the telly. Partner has a bet, and I know I bang on about betting like I love the bookies, but I only really bet four times a year or so, on an Italy/France final placed at start, £5 at 40-1, so double-excitement tonight; I foolishly did go for the Dutch to face the Azzuri, forgetting that there'll always be a fall-out.

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

19:28 / 05.07.06

I wish I were watching this game instead of the semi frequent ESPN updates...

19:46 / 05.07.06

Honestly not missing much.

19:53 / 05.07.06

I want to take this opportunity to eat my own words from upthread:

Excuse me, france? FRANCE? Living in the past much?

Yeah, they taste bitter

and "those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it"

19:56 / 05.07.06

Well, it wasn't nearly as good as yesterday's game, but it was dead exciting, and the best team won. And congratulations, Mr Falconer!

20:16 / 05.07.06

Well, that was guff. Happy about the money, though.

Group stage-style France, really, but Portugal toothless again up front and hopefully we should get a proper final out of it, now the winners don't have to worry about suspensions, etc.

20:17 / 05.07.06

Not even sure France were best, on the night, but for every other reason - yes, good. Thanks, elene.

02:45 / 06.07.06

no team, was really best on the night. a tragic decision for the penalty and then the portuguese just had no way to find the net. thought some of deco's passes were sublime, then they went to waste. thought the winners were lucky and the italians will make mince meat of them.

rbery was good, zouzou in patches until maniche and carvahlo closed him down a little, if too late. ronni-c just didn't get past stepping over the ball and on to kicking it, though in fairness he was well marked really. pauletta sadly off-form and not much else to spark up the match. can't see a winner from this game in berlin...

and who'd bet against the hosts in the other match - funnily, this match is regularly a cracker, so i'll be watching to see what scolari's record does next...

and thanks in advance to all posters above - it's been a hoot getting gee'd up about football and then to have some intelligent people with whom to discuss it. rock on...

05:46 / 06.07.06

Yes, you could be right. I was so sure France were going to win by about the 50th minute, I went for a bath. When I came back, with ten minutes to go, Portugal were pressing really hard so it was very exciting. So, I don't actually know how well Portugal played for most of the second half.

And yes, this thread has been fun and informative and increased my enjoyment of the whole affair. Thanks everyone!

Regrettable Juvenilia

09:40 / 06.07.06

a tragic decision for the penalty

Tragic in the sense of sad, for Portugal, but surely quite right.

Some people have criticised this Portugese team's style of play, but I thought they were enthusiastic, diverse... *checks notes* - oh, sorry, that says "enthusiastic divers".

Regrettable Juvenilia

11:12 / 06.07.06

Although having said that, one of the red tops (forgot which one) today has managed to do the impossible and make me feel sorry for C. Ronaldo - however smug he can be, he hardly deserves to be booed for an entire match, and then have his tears at the end of the game pasted on the front page of a paper in country his team BEAT with a "HA-HA!" style headline. That wasn't the fucking story last night, you tabloid cocks - have the decency to put Zidane on the front page instead or something.

13:45 / 06.07.06

He did also throw himself comically to the turf in the penalty box fully four times. I mean, you're right, they should've taken the high road.

Ronaldo is among those listed for young player of the tournament, incidentally - the tragically underutilised Messi or Podolski would be my choice.

Also released was the shortlist for the Golden Ball, for player of the tournament. Cannavaro and Zidane are favourites but, unless the latter produces a performance like he did against Brazil, I can only see it going one way. Andrea Pirlo has been amazing too, though, even though I omitted him from my WC squad above.

16:15 / 06.07.06

Scowling Scolari blames referee:

Ronaldo claimed after the game that he was pushed by the French defender Willy Sagnol as he attempted to reach a Luis Figo cross. "He was a very bad referee, I should have had a penalty," said the winger afterwards. His coach agreed that a foul went unpunished, a sentiment demonstrated when he led most of Portuguese bench to the edge of the technical are in protest at Larrionda's decision to wave play on.

"It was a penalty, they had to give a penalty, and against Ronaldo it didn't happen," Scolari said before implying that the officials had conspired against his side. "The referee made a mistake when he did not give a penalty when Ronaldo was fouled. The referee knows exactly what he is doing. We know South American referees know how to kill the game."

I'm so glad I was right about these guys! But it was wrong to tar them all with the same brush. I take back what I said about the others - even Luis Figo.

19:58 / 08.07.06

... and he dives and dives, and he dives again. C. Ronaldo should be banned from TV, really. Children shouldn't be given the impression this is normal, let alone right & proper.

So, a well earned third place for Germany in the end. They've come a long way in a short time. Will tomorrow be a great game, or just a typical final?

Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!

20:44 / 09.07.06

YES ZIDANE, WAY TO GO

20:57 / 09.07.06

Silly, silly man.

I was totally all about the happy Zidane ending as well.

Bum.

21:28 / 09.07.06

Suedey, are you saying:

?

Odd. The only thing I can conceive meriting that reaction is 'Matrix' having some racist Berber/Algerienne insults up his sleeve, but I think that's scarcely credible. If that were the case, he ought to be up for a year at least's ban, but I really doubt it.

Funny end, to Zizou's career, to the tournament, on a night where I think France were worth it, but I'm loath to deny Italy, after manifold misfortunes over the years, their spot in the sun. They were the most consistent team, playing at a high level, at the tournament. And they won the best game.

23:12 / 09.07.06

o falcon, i could watch that all day...

what a bizarre way to end such a career... and what a 'man of the match' performance from matterazzo!! (ie, not nec 'best player', but surely m o m!)

well, australia lost the world cup final by just eight tiny little miserable grosso-filled seconds - of all players for him to seal the cup... sheesh! [the studio in oz had brett emerton as a guest and he was pretty bitter about the penalty and the italian's progression and was very pro-france.]

i thought the semi fianl was the match of the tournament and the final was always going to pale in comparison at that level, but an absorbing fixture that flashed by - is it half-time already? i recall asking - with sporadic bursts of wonderment and a few tatters of nerves and msitakes. then, of all things, italy wins a penalty shoot-out! o robbie baggio, all is forgiven!

...and the 3rd 4th game was a cracker - what a performance by bastian schweinsteiger, wow! i'd give him all three really. that first one - those balls!

and the gold - real gold i believe in the final - balls float and dip and move and poor 'keepers. i still think everyone was too harsh on our zelko kalac in the croatia game. wasn't the only 'keeper caught out by the wickedness of the ball's trajectory and spin. i want one of those final balls but - on the mantlepiece. (i guess i could get one on e-bay for squillions by and by...)

and the world cup?

over. and in italian hands.

Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!

08:54 / 10.07.06

Yeah, I was trying to say that Falcon! Funny, it was there alright when I posted... let's try this one...

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