Official World Cup Spoiler Thread

Inuyasha · Post by **Inuyasha** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 8:21 pm

To Italy's credit they haven't allowed one goal against them all tourney.

dougb · Post by **dougb** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 8:54 pm

That was a terrific match. This is not your father's Italian team, playing defensively and tehn scoring on the one occasion they venture into the opposition half. This is a very, very positive attacking team that can also defend very well. And they deserved to win after hitting the post and the bar in extra time. Wow!

Now, if France can just dispatch the thespians from Portugal we can sit down to a potentially terrific final. Otherwise, we might have to get the Olympic diving judges out there on Sunday.

Best wishes,

Doug

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 9:24 pm

Good game by the Italians. Patient and lethal in the end. Cannavaro is a horse and you can tell that the whole team is playing together like telling the world " Everything is OK back at home". If Z. Zidane is inspired as he's been the last two games, they should advance to the finals.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:32 am

JRod wrote:Feanor,
Nah scoring in the 115 minute still doesn't earn my praise for them. They won but couldn't do it in the 90 minutes. It was a great goal but equally the game could have gone to penalty kicks.

The way it is looking, France will probably get beat. I'd like to see France get to the finals after their Brazil defeat.

Man, you're so full of s***. You proclaimed a 3-1 victory by Germany and Germany couldn't even score one goal against the Italians in 120 minutes and you still don't feel they deserve praise? Feel free to dislike the Italians all you want (it's quite clear you despise them) but at least give them credit where credit is due.

As for the game, I was thoroughly entertained. Italy dominated the first half. Germany dominated the second half. Italy dominated the first half of the first overtime while Germany dominated the second half of it. The second overtime went back and forth. America in general might not be following the World Cup but my whole neighborhood sure as hell knows Italy advanced to the Finals

.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 1:02 am

Damn. It figures that one of the few bets I win will be one I'd rather not

I think the first half was even. The numbers seemed to favor Italy, but the corner number was inflated in part by the preferred method of attack; Repeated long balls to the flanks down near the touch line. No short passing at all...except between their own center halfs.

Germany deserved a goal in the second half, but couldn't knock one in through Italy's risable but solid defensive tactics. Italy certainly deserved its goal though, as they played an entirely different brand of football in the OT.

Look how good the football became in the OT when Italy decided to periodically bring more than one man across midfield. I think that's what frustrates me so much about the Italian way. It's not just unimaginative, but it ties the hands of its own players, and limits their brilliance in the process. Watching those beautiful 1-2's iand back heels n the OT made the repeated Route One balls to Camorenasi in the first half all that much more objectionable.

Hopefully they opt to take off the shackles a bit earlier in the final.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 1:52 am

Twenty some minutes into the exciting OT, but Buffon makes an incredible one handed save on Podolski that could have changed the outcome of the game. He's arguably the best keeper in the world IMO.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 3:25 am

Hope he can still motivate himself when he's playing in front of 2,000 in Serie C1 next season...that's assuming he isn't banned personally for admitting placing bets on matches, which is itself illegal, I think, in Italy.

Does have a certain symmetry with 1982...

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 4:02 pm

Busy first half. I keep getting the feeling that Barthez has a Barthez moment coming up though.

sfz_T-car · Post by **sfz_T-car** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 4:37 pm

...and THAT'S your Barthez moment

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 4:55 pm

sfz_T-car wrote:...and THAT'S your Barthez moment

and Figo...captain of the Portugese diving and whining team...flubs it...

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 4:55 pm

Your Barthez moment lasted the last 15 minutes of the game.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 4:56 pm

Revenge - it tastes lovely when cold. No amount of Olympic antics from Ronaldo could generate a spot kick, but i was praying that he'd have a stick on penalty turned down...

Congrats to Les Bleus.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 4:57 pm

Ronaldo should have gotten at least two yellows for diving...Hes embaressing.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 5:01 pm

I can't believe that none of those Portugese dives drew a yellow. Absolutely disgusting!

France reminded me of a pitcher getting by without his best stuff. They were clearly not in top condition, but they did what they had to. I hope they can get their legs under them by Sunday lest they be run over by a younger Italian side which has had little trouble recuperating between matches.

Atxj · Post by **Atxj** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 5:01 pm

Congrats to the French. Glad to see the U8 girls team from Portugal make an exit.

Programmed2Kill · Post by **Programmed2Kill** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 5:03 pm

Good Lord, those Portugeuse can flop faster than a Vin Diesel movie

Mucho dapo to France. Zindane, once again, had alot of room to Zidanian things and he controlled the tempo.

BUT...

Someone please tell me what in the holy hell near the end there was Saha doing passing BACKWARDS?! He damn near made it go into extra time. Idiot.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 5:07 pm

AtXj wrote:Congrats to the French. Glad to see the U8 girls team from Portugal make an exit.

Ditto that...I started the game attempting to root for Portugal but they make it impossible...Easily Me least favorite team all time except maybe for the 90 Argentina side that had no interest at all in crossing midfield in their final wiith Germany.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 5:10 pm

Ronaldo was getting by the first guy and sometimes the second guy. Why flop when he's electric with that ball?

Yeah energy level is going to be a factor for the French.

Italy probably wins it. Seems the only scenario for France to win is the shootout.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 5:20 pm

As I told my brother on the phone this afternoon, an Italy-Portugal final would mark the first time ever the World Cup final was played more in a horizontal than a vertical position. Those two teams are the diving kings of the world.

The French vs. The Diving co-Kings -- nothing very appetizing here for me. Let's just hope it's a compelling football match.

I guess I wouldn't mind seeing Zidane end his career on top.

Take care,
PK

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 3:34 am

Headline on Football 365 this AM

"Diving Cheat Blames Referee"

No doubt blaming him for not sending off players who were diving, because then Portugal would have gone beneath the minimum number of players and they could have abandoned the game

Unfortunately for the Diving Pony, the guy who won the Real Madrid presidential election wasn't the one who had him on his shopping list (this one has Fabregas, Kaka and Robben), so it looks like he'll be going back to The Swamp with super Wayne Rooney after all...

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 9:05 am

Thats awsome news , cant wait to see the first challenge go in on him.

Dont think hes aware of " the code of the school yard" and if he is then maybe he thinks he can dance past them all.

Id like Pierce to lace 'em up 1 more time against him.

hopefully Rooney will take care of it at practice he can afford the fine .

Bring on the EPL. How long do we have.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 9:07 am

Aug. 5 is the start of the lower English Leagues. I'll assume that the Premiership starts the next weekend.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 9:10 am

Premiership opens Aug. 19-20. The opening weekend matches:

Sat - 19 Aug 06

Sheff U v Liv'pool
Arsenal v A Villa
Everton v Watford
N'castle v Wigan
Portsm'h v Blackb'n
Reading v M'brough
West Ham v Charlton
Bolton v Tot'ham

Sun - 20 Aug 06

Man Utd v Fulham
Chelsea v Man City

Take care,
PK

Feanor · Post by **Feanor** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 9:51 am

ScoopBrady wrote:Man, you're so full of s***. You proclaimed a 3-1 victory by Germany and Germany couldn't even score one goal against the Italians in 120 minutes and you still don't feel they deserve praise? Feel free to dislike the Italians all you want (it's quite clear you despise them) but at least give them credit where credit is due.

Good article about how the Italians have actually played at this World cup:

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/st ... d=tab1pos1

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 11:18 am

pk500 wrote:Premiership opens Aug. 19-20. The opening weekend matches:

Sat - 19 Aug 06

Sheff U v Liv'pool
Arsenal v A Villa
Everton v Watford
N'castle v Wigan
Portsm'h v Blackb'n
Reading v M'brough
West Ham v Charlton
Bolton v Tot'ham

Sun - 20 Aug 06

Man Utd v Fulham
Chelsea v Man City

Take care,
PK

Fecking Pigs are in the Premiership. That still makes me sick. I hope they get drilled time and time again.