[Wiflewood]

Yes, football. The English kind of football, aka soccer. The first matches are in 2 days, from group A (Germany vs Costa Rica and Poland vs Ecuador)

Naturally, I'll be supporting England, and I think we have a pretty good chance to win. The last I checked our odds were 7-1. We have Sweden, Paraguay and Trinidad & Tobago in our group. (lol) Apparantley the last was so happy to get in their government declared it a national holiday.

Anyway, as the world cup unfolds, you can use this topic to discuss it etc.

COME ON ENGLAND!

[Sea of Time]

I always thought sports topics were part of the Entertainment forum.

Anyways, does anyone else think the U.S. will get out of the first round? They'll have a hard match against the Czechs and I'm not sure if they're quite good enough to get past the first round..yet.

Of course, Brazil is the favorite, even though Ronaldo is complaining of blisters. (Blisters?)

I've never been more excited about soccer, to say the least.

[Echo_djinn]

I am going for Italy, Brazil, or France.

[Eugine]

I'm going for Trinidad (although I know they wouldn't make it anywhere), Brazil, Germany or France... Though my pick is Brazil.

[Toasty]

Sea_of_Time, on Jun 7 2006, 02:56 PM, said:

I always thought sports topics were part of the Entertainment forum.

Anyways, does anyone else think the U.S. will get out of the first round? They'll have a hard match against the Czechs and I'm not sure if they're quite good enough to get past the first round..yet.

Of course, Brazil is the favorite, even though Ronaldo is complaining of blisters. (Blisters?)

I've never been more excited about soccer, to say the least.

I'm 1/4 Czechleslovakian. My Grandpa was born in Czechleslovakia, obviously before it split into the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. I won't post anynore in here, bassically since I don't follow this sport.

[Golden Legacy]

Since the World Cup is a notably extremely popular international event that comes every four years, I think it's worth having its own topic.

On that note, I am excited beyond anything for it. Naturally, I'm following the likes of the giants Germany, Brazil, and Argentina, but here's hoping still that the USA can have a good run all the same. I'm also curious to see how the lesser experienced nations will do.

[Sea of Time]

I'm wondering if the coverage in the States on ABC and ESPN will feature European commentators. I don't know how American commentators would fare.

[Kikuichimonji]

Echo_djinn, on Jun 8 2006, 01:36 AM, said:

I am going for Italy, Brazil, or France.

Naturally, everyone goes with them cuz they're the big shots.

Naturally, I'll be an England supporter however I am not so certain as to them winning. I mean they're good but compared to Brazil or something...yeh B)

Cuz I'm asian, I think I'd like to see the asian countries who qualified to get far too (korea and japan)

but meh, I think I'll join with wifle here and say

COME ON ENGLAND!

[Sea of Time]

I'm actually a quarter Italian so I have a good excuse to cheer for Italy. I only wish I were part-Brazilian.

[TheEnglishman]

Kikuichimonji, on Jun 8 2006, 04:01 PM, said:

COME ON ENGLAND!

Gotta agree with that! :D
Well it starts tomorrow but the first match for England is Saturday. I'm just hoping for a good win!
@ SoT: Don't we all. ;)

[Saturos S.]

I'm supporting Togo, yes the MTV-trend.

It's just so funny that they qualified. I'll start supporting holland when they make it to the quarter finals, till then. I'll be a sort Johan Cruijf. Just commenting everything.

[Kwesi]

GHANA ALL THE WAY!!!!!!! (thats my country) As u can see from my avatar

[Sea of Time]

So, national coverage of the games start tomorrow. Does anyone know when the U.S. will play?

[TheEnglishman]

It depends on the group they're in. Check it out on an official site.
Germany are playing right now. Looks like they're winning as well. ;)

[Bexie]

WORLD CUP! Yeeeeah! *dances*

I've got my England shirt.
I've got my giant England flag.
I have NOT got Crazy Frog's new World Cup single (I'd rather die).

And I shall be glued to the screen for England's first match tomorrow.

Footy footy footy footy footy footy....

*is shot*

[Kikuichimonji]

Saturos Striker, on Jun 8 2006, 09:17 PM, said:

I'll start supporting holland when they make it to the quarter finals, till then. I'll be a sort Johan Cruijf. Just commenting everything.

Hey I forgot about Holland. I mean I've always liked the Holland team cuz they have style ;P (ORANGE anyone)

And Davids (sp?) is my fav player

[Eugine]

Current score: Germany 4, Costa Rica 2.

Germany is shining.

[Sea of Time]

Great match, overall, turns out 4 -2 is the final score. Costa Rica put up a good fight though.

Ecuador beat Poland, 2 nill. Kind of sad, really to see Poland go down like that, but the back line of Ecuador was fantastic.

[TheEnglishman]

Bexie, on Jun 9 2006, 07:45 PM, said:

I've got my England shirt.
I've got my giant England flag.
I have NOT got Crazy Frog's new World Cup single (I'd rather die).

Are you one of those people with two flags on your car as well? ;)
Looks like Germany have taken down another team with their ruthless efficiency.

[FlamingDuck]

Yeah, the World Cup doesn't get as much attention over here(USA) as over...other places. So...um...Go Germany? Yaaaaaaay! I don't really like the US team, I'm so unpatriotic.

[Bexie]

Me111, on Jun 9 2006, 10:27 PM, said:

Are you one of those people with two flags on your car as well? ;)
Looks like Germany have taken down another team with their ruthless efficiency.

Nooo... because I'm too young to drive and my mum won't let me put them on her car.

Germany played poorly in my opinion. I expected a team like Germany to beat Costa Rica with a score of 4/5-0.
But then again, Germany aren't on top form. They were thrashed 4-0 by Japan in the run up to the World Cup. So far, all I've seen of Germany is pretty mediocre defence. I've seen nothing so far to make me fear the German team. If they played like that against England (who are second favourites), we'ed beat them easily.

On a different note, has anyone seen this? If not, you should. It's awesome.

[Sea of Time]

Germany had a few breakdowns on defence, the most costly resulting in Costa Rica's first goal. That break by the Costa Rican player (can't remember name) should really have never happened.

I was rooting for Costa Rica, if I don't particularly like either of the teams, I always cheer for the underdog.

England is up tomorrow morning!

[TheEnglishman]

Everybody's gone so all out for the match. The paper has the headline 'England Expects.' Talk about pressure!
Still it's good to see everyone being so patriotic. This has probably been the most eagerly anticapted World Cup for years in England.
EDIT: England 1 Paraguay 0. Not a pleasing second half but the victory was important. I felt the referee was unfair in his decisions though.

[Sea of Time]

The refs were just strict. And maybe Paraguay was smarter with their fouls. If you do it when they're backs are turned, there will be no call.

I'm interested to see Trinidad & Tobego play this afternoon, should be a 'smashing' match (working on my British language).

[TheEnglishman]

Sea_of_Time, on Jun 10 2006, 04:35 PM, said:

The refs were just strict. And maybe Paraguay was smarter with their fouls. If you do it when they're backs are turned, there will be no call.

Some of the decisions just seemed downright unfair. Peter Crouch would try to head the ball, get pulled back by the Paraguayan defenders, and they would get the free kick! Even the commentators, who are neutral in a match, said that the ref was being unfair in his decisions.
By the way SoT we don't say smashing. ;)

[Sea of Time]

*shrugs*

The American commentators are quite funny. It just seems like sometimes they don't know what they're talking about. Sometimes, though, they are quite knowledgable, but it's still referred to as soccer.

[TheEnglishman]

Well I guess it is difficult when you're commentating on a sport that isn't that well known in your country. I'm sure commentators here would struggle with American football.

[Sea of Time]

Trinidad & Tobego 0 - Sweden 0

Obviously, even with the draw, this is an upset in favour of Trinidad & Tobego. Good for them, though, but who will they play next?

[Someone Else]

It's really too bad that the U.S. Soccer Team sucks. (Football for all you furreners as Wiflewood says)

And so, yeah... *goes back to not caring about sports*

[Wiflewood]

Rofl. The referee doing England vs Paraguay had waaaaay too much hair gel.

I don't think we did amazingly. The only goal scored was an own one, and we didn't play offenseive enough.

I'm glad Trinidad & Tobago drew. I want to see them go far ;)

@SoT: Naw, we say "I say old chap, It should be a spiffing game of the old footy, if I do say so myself! What-ho Pip-Pip!"

[I'm Always BROKE]

Kikuichimonji, on Jun 9 2006, 08:53 PM, said:

Hey I forgot about Holland. I mean I've always liked the Holland team cuz they have style ;P (ORANGE anyone)

And Davids (sp?) is my fav player

Too bad were gonna face Argentia in the first match. ;)
Holland is gonna lose agains them thats for sure. I think it'll be 3-1 for them

[Eugine]

YAY, Trinidad and Tobago drew when playing Sweden. YAY.

Good news for me, I expected them to lose.

[Golden Legacy]

That was a interesting match.

Also, Argentina 2 - Ivory Coast 1. Looks like Argentina will actually pass the qualifying rounds this time.

[Sea of Time]

Wiflewood, on Jun 10 2006, 01:47 PM, said:

@SoT: Naw, we say "I say old chap, It should be a spiffing game of the old footy, if I do say so myself! What-ho Pip-Pip!"

Well, thanks for clearing that up. XD

Anyways, the next match I'll probably watch is the U.S./Czech game on Monday. Should be an interesting one.

[I'm Always BROKE]

Golden Legacy, on Jun 10 2006, 11:25 PM, said:

That was a interesting match.

Also, Argentina 2 - Ivory Coast 1. Looks like Argentina will actually pass the qualifying rounds this time.

Dude Argentina sure is gonna qualify to the next round. Still that goal of Ivory Coast looked dayum sweet. :D Whoa those guys are fast.

[Golden Legacy]

Of course, but it's just that in the last World Cup in 2002, Argentina actually lost in these rounds and failed to move on to the quarter-finals, so it's nice to see that they've got their touch back.

And yeah, that goal from the Ivory Coast was cool. A very thrilling sequence of passes :D

U.S. vs. Czech Republic. Looking forward to it!

[Sea of Time]

Is it single elimination? Or how does the pool play work?

[TheEnglishman]

Sea_of_Time, on Jun 11 2006, 02:44 AM, said:

Is it single elimination? Or how does the pool play work?

Heh... Pool play. :D
Basically the winner of one group will play the team that finished second in another group.
E.g: If Group A's winners were Germany and Costa Rica came second, Germany would play whoever came second in Group B and Costa Rica would play whoever came first.
To answer a question you asked a few posts ago SoT, Trindad and Tobago play England next.

[Bexie]

Sea_of_Time, on Jun 10 2006, 06:58 PM, said:

Trinidad & Tobego 0 - Sweden 0

Obviously, even with the draw, this is an upset in favour of Trinidad & Tobego. Good for them, though, but who will they play next?

They play England on Thursday.

[Golden Legacy]

Netherlands 1 - Serbia and Montegro (sp?) 0

Robben was absolutely dangerous out there.

[I'm Always BROKE]

YEAAAAH WE WON! :D I didnt watched it myself but I was very happy to hear it. I didnt expected Holland would win but its sure a nice suprise. :silence:

[Mindpatch]

Nice 'n all, I'm not really into football, I figured it's better for you to go outside and play yourself then be Onslowy and stay inside and watch.

[TheEnglishman]

DiddyKong, on Jun 11 2006, 04:42 PM, said:

YEAAAAH WE WON! :D I didnt watched it myself but I was very happy to hear it. I didnt expected Holland would win but its sure a nice suprise. :silence:

I thought they'd win, considering they've got players like Robben and Van Nistelrooy, who have done so well in the premiership. It's a shame Bergcamp (sp?) doesn't play anymore.

[Sea of Time]

Next up is the good old United States! The whole world hates them (according to a Nike ad campaign where U.S. soccer players play while "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" is played in the background) It'll be awesome to see them kick the Czechs ass. :D

[Echo_djinn]

So far the games I have seen have been alright. No big upsets and even though I can't damn well stay and watch the full 90 minutes of a soccer game I usually catch a goal or two.

I am just waiting to see a Brazil or U.S.A game. I wonder if any Americian players will get jumped while playing. With all of that security around them they're just inviting trouble.

[TheEnglishman]

So you don't count Trinidad and Tobago's draw as an upset?

[Sea of Time]

That definitely was an upset. I mean, it might have been Sweden's fault, but the T&T goalie was great.

[TheEnglishman]

You mean Shaka Hislop? He's done pretty well in the premiership for West Ham, so it's not surprising that he's done well on the World Cup stage as well. England may have problems with him.

[I'm Always BROKE]

Whoa the Ausies where awesome agains Japan. :D In the last 15 minutes they managed to get 3 goals. Awesome match.

[Sea of Time]

Ouch, the Americans are losing 2-0 now!

There's still a chance for a comeback though...

[TheEnglishman]

Only if they up their game a bit.
Has anyone else noticed the bizarre flags in matches? There were loads of England flags in the Portugal match, and there's a giant Welsh flag in one corner of this match as well. :D

[Sea of Time]

I haven't seen the flags. I have heard a lot of national anthems, but somehow that doesn't surprise me.

[Saturos S.]

I saw that too. In most stadiums you have permanent banners and flags. That might be it, though I can't imagine it is.

[Sea of Time]

Speaking of stadiums, the stadium in Germany (I don't know what it's called, the one that Germany/Costa Rica played in) is beautiful. The architecture used in that building is some of the best I've ever seen.

[TheEnglishman]

The stadium in Frankfurt that England played Paraguay in wasn't too good. The giant screen at the top was pretty annoying. It cast huge shadows and was in the way when the goalkeeper tried to take his kick.

[Sea of Time]

There are alternative stadiums, but when it comes down to the last few teams, we'll be watching games in the beautiful big stadium (I still don't know what it's called).

[TheEnglishman]

Speaking of the later games, who do you think can get through and who do you think will take an early flight home?

[Sea of Time]

Well I know Brazil and Italy will get through, (barring a tremendous upset), but I really don't know enough about the other teams.

By the way, I was on SI.com and found this in the boxscore for the U.S./Czech game.

SI.com said:

Jan Koller (CZE) scores a goal, assisted by Zdenek Grygera; celebrates by running around. The score is now 0-1.

Tomás Rosicky (CZE) scores a goal; celebrates by running around. The score is now 0-2.

I didn't know it was required to tell us how they celebrated. XD

[TheEnglishman]

I would laugh if they type in how Peter Crouch does it.
Peter Crouch (ENG) scores a goal, celebrates by doing the robot...
If you saw England play Hungary or Jamacia you should be laughing by now.

[Sea of Time]

Wow, the robot? I thought the standard celebration was just to run around for a while, fall to your knees, lean back and take your shirt and put it over your head. Then pump your fists in happiness.

[Wiflewood]

Well, Peter Crouch does a Robot dance. I think there was a Cameroon player last time who always did a dance at the corner flag. I guess they want to do something memorable.

[TheEnglishman]

Sea_of_Time, on Jun 12 2006, 06:23 PM, said:

Wow, the robot? I thought the standard celebration was just to run around for a while, fall to your knees, lean back and take your shirt and put it over your head. Then pump your fists in happiness.

The first time he did it, it seemed to sweep the nation. I need him to score in the world cup, then everyone will do it!

[Sea of Time]

Italy has just gone up 2-0 on Ghana, it looks like they have this match all wrapped up. They're the only good team that I'm somewhat a part of, so YAY!

[Bexie]

Peter Crouch's robot dancing is now legendary. They show it on TV whenever they talk aboyt Crouch. The satirical comedy show Dead Ringers did loads of things on it last week.

And Prince William himself asked Crouch to do it for him when he went to visit the England squad at training a couple weeks back.

And as Crouch said, when the future King of England asks you to do something, you can't say no. xD

[Mycarayne]

Holy Crap, Australia beat Japan.

Awesomesauce.

[Echo_djinn]

Me111, on Jun 12 2006, 03:07 AM, said:

So you don't count Trinidad and Tobago's draw as an upset?

Meh, I don't really know much about those teams so I can't really say. I know that when Poland lost that was a big upset.


Japan defense was terrible in that game. The thrid goal by Australia was just flop. It look like the defensive player couldn't even keep up with his target yet at first he was ahead of him. Get skills plus poor defense lead to the lose.

[Wiflewood]

I read in the paper today hes going to stop doing it (Peter Crouch this is). Apparantley he wants to take it more seriously from now on.

[Saturos S.]

There was this portugese player who pretended to be a doggy and peed (fake) doggy style against the corner flag at the European Championship 2000.

[TheEnglishman]

Wiflewood, on Jun 13 2006, 09:44 AM, said:

I read in the paper today hes going to stop doing it (Peter Crouch this is). Apparantley he wants to take it more seriously from now on.

But everyone will be expecting it! I wish he'd keep it up. I guess he has to be more serious now though. He is the only fully fit England striker.

[Wiflewood]

Yeah, that was his reasoning.

Korea 2 - Togo 1

[TheEnglishman]

So France drew 0 - 0. From what I saw, they weren't up to their usual standard.

[FlamingDuck]

Yeah, the French should've won. I just realized how badly the Czechs owned us. Ouch.

[Mars Djinni]

Haha. 1-0 win for Brazil. I was at school during the game, so I'm gonna watch a replay of it later.

[Mycarayne]

I can't beleive that Mexican bloke laid on top of a teammate because he scored a goal.

...and they say this isn't a *** sport.

[Sea of Time]

Well, the English players should be nice and loose for the next game.

Their coach lifted celibacy on all the players, so they can get busy before the next game. I don't know if it will affect performance, but I'm sure David Beckham won't mind. Celibacy has probably been torture for him.

[TheEnglishman]

:P Moving swiftly onwards...
Did you notice how much Ronaldo was off his game yesterday? Brazil weren't up to their usual standards yesterday. It seems the big teams are more interested in the win, rather than performing well. I guess that makes sense.

[Toasty]

We actually watched part of the game in math class yesterday on ESPN.

[Sea of Time]

We watched South Korea - Togo in our gym class. We really have nothing to learn now that it's the end of the year.

[TheEnglishman]

When the last World Cup was on, we watched the England matches in the hall.

[Wiflewood]

Yeah I remember doing that as well Me111. The teachers brought portable TVs in and we watched them in the lessons.

Englans Vs Trinidad & Tobago this afternoon. Should be fun to watch.

[Golden Sun Master]

ZOMG there's a Wordl Cup topic!?!?!?

OMG OMG ENGLAND GO ENGLAND!

They finally have such a good squad, such talent, even without Bobby Moore. I think this could be the 40th year of no wins for the English finally broken. In school (in England but now I livez i america) we would watch the games and skip lessons and no one would go to work. YEAH!

Well anyway we're having an England party (AS USUAL) were a bunch of Englishes hang out and eat snax and !!!!!!!!! GO!!!! watch the game so yeah
ENGLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! T & T has no chance they can go suck England's wang. THATS RIGHT T & T!

Sweden was easy for you but we won't be!

P.S. Sven please don't put Rooney on the pitch today:

1. We don't even need him >_>

2. We don't want something bad to happen.

P.S.S. Anyway where was I. Oh yeah ENGLAND!!! So anytway I'm trying to decide which jersey to wear today in support. I could go with the red away shirts, but the new shirts are just so cool. You know, I think I'll wear my rugby jersey. I haven't worn that in forever. (Stupid south americas blah blah blah)

P.S.S.S. Well so anyway I'm hoping England wins today, as this would secure a position in the knockout stages, and I bet we will make it to the quarterfinals unless we get runner-up in our group. If we get runner-up we HAVE to VS. germany! ZOMG!
But that's okay. You know why? Because if we win today all we need to do is tie against Sweden to win our group. Yeah! Then we will go on to face most likely Ecuador from the Germany-Ecuador-Poland-Costa Rica group.

P.S.S.S.S. Ecuador totally surprised me with how good they did against Poland. It blew me away and I'm really glad for them to beat a more reknowed team such as Poland. It seems they'll be facing Costa Rica in 50 minutes. Who's excited?!?! ME!!!! It'll be a tough match for both teams, but I'm sure a good one.

P.S.S.S.S.S. My favorite England player would have to be Owen. I think it always has been Owen and probably always will be. He's so skilled and awesome. GO OWEN!!!! But enough of that colly whollop. Let's hope Owen is more fit for his match today - he did not look good against Paraguay and should step it up today and show fans around the world how skilled they really are!

GO ENGLAND!!!!!

[pHantOm]

Saturday its Italy vs. the US

I WILL be watching this game, as im of italian heritage and I live in the US.

[Golden Sun Master]

That will be fun to watch!

[Sea of Time]

I'm also from Italian heritage, and my parents are from the U.S., so it's a must-see match for me.

[Golden Sun Master]

Ecuador just obliviated Costa Rica.

[TheEnglishman]

Golden Sun Master, on Jun 15 2006, 01:12 PM, said:

P.S. Sven please don't put Rooney on the pitch today:

1. We don't even need him >_>

2. We don't want something bad to happen.

I partially agree. I don't think Sven should play Rooney as he is injured, but I still think England need him. The only match fit, completely ready striker is Peter Crouch. He's not exactly the same as Owen or Rooney. But like you said, Rooney shouldn't be played today.
I'd like to be as confident as you that England are gonna win the World Cup (believe me I'd love it) but I can't see it happening. The way they've struggled against the heat suggests they won't have an advantage. They should definitely win the group stage but after that things are not so easy to predict. I would agree that this is their best chance in a long time.
Believe me I would love them to prove me wrong I really do.

[isaac rules]

GO GERMANY, and in light of their recent victory, i will make an avatar (once i get around to make one, though i know its going to not be the best) to support them. they had a great game yesterday with poland, but germany scored the only goal in stoppage time! i was unimpressed though with the amounts of scoring opportunities they had, but they kept missing the net... can't wait for that usa game coming up, hope we win also!

[Saturos S.]

England just begun. Owen's playing, Rooney isn't.

I'm still for both teams really, although I'm leaning towards T&T cause they are showing more balls in the first 10 min.

[Eugine]

I doubt England will win, I'm rooting for Brazil anyway now that England scored against T&T (score 1-0 so far)... :P Before was T&T...

Oh, England you suck... (Tis' football don't take it personal) D:

UPDATE: Match finished, England 2-0 ^_^... Oh well, there's goes the Caribbean shine. *CRIES* *CRIES* I'm so sick...

[Wiflewood]

Yeah, England won, but we played pretty crap. T&T played excellently, muchos kudos to them.

You have to admit though Eugine, that John Terry (the defender)'s save from T&T's shot was fantastic.

I hope T&T beat paraguay though :P

If they do, and Paraguay beat Sweden, and England beat Sweden, then T&T might go through, yes?

Because then it'll be:

England: 3 wins
T&T: Win, Draw, loss
Sweden: Loss, Draw, Loss
Paraguay: Win, Loss, Loss

Good luck to T&T.

[Kikuichimonji]

Ha ha go England!

I'm still annoyed at Japan losing, I mean they seriously got pwned by australia. What was it, three goals in about ten minutes? Dissapointing but congrats australia.

[TheEnglishman]

Not exactly a brilliant victory but England really improved when Rooney and Lennon came on. The last 30 minutes were a lot better. It's always good to see a player like Peter Crouch score, even if he didn't do 'The Crouch.' :P
I was pretty impressed with the way T and T played. Considering a large proportion of their players come from lower league clubs they've done pretty well.
I laughed when I saw an England flag with Bromsgrove on it. That's the town I come from!

[Sea of Time]

Ah, I'm disappointed that T&T lost, but it was good to see Rooney back on the field I suppose.

[TheEnglishman]

Considering England fans feel he's the one to get them the World Cup, then yeah it was good to see him back.
As things stand in Sweden - Paraguay, T and T could get through. Don't you guys lose hope yet.

[Sea of Time]

Can someone please tell me where the Ivory Coast is? I'm really confused as to what background their players actually are.

[TheEnglishman]

http://www.arts.uwa.edu.au/AFLIT/images/CountryMapCoastIvoryEN.gif
Does that help you SoT? The only one of their players that I really know about is Drogba, who plays for Chelsea. He can produce some brilliant stuff but that gets overshadowed when he dives in the box, which is the worst form of cheating in football in my opinion.

[Kwesi]

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES MY COUNTRY WON. GHANA DESTORYED THE CZECH REPUBLIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sea of Time]

Which means Ghana would beat the United States, which means the United States sucks. If they win today, it will be the shock of a lifetime.

[Golden Sun Master]

Well.. it's halftime and they're tied up, but only because of an own goal. Now it's 10 v 10 as well. America has control of this match - they can win it if they start finishing, but they just can't do it. I, sadly, think Italy will beat them (isn't rooting for America anyway, but I live here so...).

[FlamingDuck]

Oy, that one dude got elbowed in the face. Ouch. Yeah, I don't think the US will win. But go anyway!

[TheEnglishman]

Well the USA didn't win. What a shame. I'm so sad now. (Sarcasm meter overloading!)
I did feel sorry for that player who got elbowed in the face. Pretty nasty. Not quite Terry Butcher, but bad all the same.
Just thought I'd say well done to Ghana as well. It's always good to see the underdogs do well.

[Sea of Time]

Glad to see Italy won. They are officially my new favorite team. This is what they call "jumping on the bandwagon". Wish me luck!

[Echo_djinn]

When Ghana beat the Czechs my dad almost broke his back in joy. He tells me that Ghana was the team he watched when he was little and dreamed he was on it. I was just shocked to see him jumpping up and down. Damn, crazy, Fifa cup. :P

[Wiflewood]

Sea_of_Time, on Jun 17 2006, 11:36 PM, said:

Glad to see Italy won. They are officially my new favorite team. This is what they call "jumping on the bandwagon". Wish me luck!

Ummm... It was a draw. 1-1.

That ref was a bit mean though: 3 red cards in one match!? And he was a bit inconsistent as well.

[TheEnglishman]

Sea_of_Time, on Jun 17 2006, 11:36 PM, said:

Glad to see Italy won. They are officially my new favorite team. This is what they call "jumping on the bandwagon". Wish me luck!

ARGH! I hate when people do that! Just pick one team from the beginning and stick with them! Even if they go out you have the satisfaction of knowing that you didn't change!
I thought the ref was being a bit harsh by sending 3 players off. They were oredered to crack down on bad behaviour, but I don't think some of the challanges warranted being sent off.

[isaac rules]

this doesn't make any sense, italy and usa ties, but italy beats ghana; ghana beats the czechs, but us lost to the czechs...i can't wait for the usa ghana game

[Kwesi]

USA is garbage from what I have seeen these past games. Ghana can crush them and advance but the US will be playin there hardest because they need a win to advance as well.

USA got lucky becuase of that own goal by Zaccardo.

[TheEnglishman]

isaac rules, on Jun 18 2006, 02:30 PM, said:

this doesn't make any sense, italy and usa ties, but italy beats ghana; ghana beats the czechs, but us lost to the czechs...i can't wait for the usa ghana game

Football rarely makes sense. It's more fun when upsets happen.

[Golden Sun Master]

I, basically, couldn't of said it any better than that. You can have good or bad games. Anyway, France and S. Korea just tied. I was rooting for S. Korea so bad! Oh, well. (half the time I was reading Pendragon book #7.)

[Sea of Time]

I know now that it was a draw, but in retrospect, Italy did win as the U.S. needed 3 points to "control their own destiny" in the tournament.

I like England, I like Italy, and I'm looking forward to USA/Ghana.

[TheEnglishman]

I'm looking forward to England's game tomorrow. They don't need to beat Sweden, but they should try to or else they'll probably be up against Germany. Either way I'm waiting for our usual heroic exit.

[Sea of Time]

So, you're expecting to lose? You need to keep your spirits up!

I'm looking forward to the match as well. Good luck to the English, I think they will beat the Swedes.

[TheEnglishman]

Well England haven't beaten Sweden since 1968, so it won't be easy. :P
It's very difficult to keep my spirits up when I've seen the quality of the opposition. In my opinion, they're a lot better than England.

[Eugine]

Does anyone here find Brazil a bit dissapointing? You know for being the world champion I expected a 5-0 score against their opposition, but really, Brazil is struggling..

[isaac rules]

or maybe brazil knew that australia was an easy match for them, so they didn't bother to go all out with the goal scoring as usual. you know, saving up the talent until later in the tournament

[Aquamarine]

I'm watching most of the games, though I'm not very much a fan of FOOTBALL and I don't know a lot about each individual player.

This happened a few days ago, but what the hey: Argentina beat Serbia and Montenegro 6-0. I'm from Serbia, but I'm not too sad, since our players are stuck-up idiots that have fame and money and don't think they have to play well anymore so they deserved this.

Brazil and Argentina are the best, if you ask me, though I'll be rooting for Brazil, since Argentina beat us.

[TheEnglishman]

Eugine, on Jun 20 2006, 11:35 AM, said:

Does anyone here find Brazil a bit dissapointing? You know for being the world champion I expected a 5-0 score against their opposition, but really, Brazil is struggling..

Many teams struggle in their opening matches. It can take awhile for them to find form, but they will do. In the last World Cup, Brazil struggled to even qualify but they still won it!
EDIT: England draw 2 - 2 despite deserving to win. They didn't play great but, in my opinion, they deserved to win their match. It's made worse by the fact that Micheal Owen was injured. Then again Joe Cole did score one of the best goals in the tournament so far and England got through. I guess it's not all bad.

[Sea of Time]

Oh well, they got through and that's what matters. I'm excited to get the second round underway. That will be football that really matters.

[TheEnglishman]

What annoys me is how they struggled though. Other teams will look at them and think, 'We can beat them.'

[Sea of Time]

None of the good teams are really having easy times of this first round though. With the exception of Germany and maybe Portugal, all of the teams have shown weakness in the first round.

[TheEnglishman]

Are you saying that Argentina have struggled then? :)
Things have gotten a little more depressing for England. Micheal Owen is definitely going to be out for the rest of the World Cup. His injury will keep him on the sidelines for about five months. You may be thinking 'What does it matter, he hasn't scored any goals.' Well he is a hugely influential figure, and has been Englands best player, in my opinion, at the last two World Cups. Not only that but England only have three strikers now. They've got the not totally match fit Rooney, the untested Theo Walcott and Peter Crouch, who really isn't the same quality, again in my opinion.

[Sea of Time]

Forgot about Argentina, yeah they haven't been struggling have they? :)

[TheEnglishman]

They struggled last night against Holland. They only managed a 0-0 draw. I didn't see the match though so I can't really tell.
Ghana got through, which I wasn't expecting. I thought they'd be out. Always good to see the underdog do well.

[Sea of Time]

You just can't trust those American players.

And now they're the laughing stock of all three of the late night talk shows. Congratulations U.S.A.

[TheEnglishman]

Well I doubt the country will be too bothered. After all football isn't a huge sport over there.

[Echo_djinn]

Korea Republic are eliminated. To bad, I think they had the best fans.

[TheEnglishman]

I think all of the countries were well supported, but the ones who've got the best fans in my opinion are Holland and England. There were loads of their fans at the matches, as well as outside.

[Sea of Time]

In Europe, life just stops when the World Cup comes along. You don't see that in the U.S. In fact, with the NBA Finals going on, the attention was elsewhere in the world of sports.

[Golden Legacy]

That's unfortunately true, whether it's the World Cup or the Olympics, people in the USA just seem more interested in that next baseball game, and certainly pay more attention to the "World Series" or the SuperBowl than these events.

[Mars Djinni]

I had a lot of soccer fans in the class as well as a Poland-supporter for a teacher. So of course, it's a bigger event, alongside the Stanley cup finals. Plus, much of the major sports of the school are finished anyways.

[TheEnglishman]

It's amazing how popular the World Cup is over here. I don't think there's been a day since it started that I haven't talked about the World Cup to somebody.

[Golden Legacy]

Anyone watch the Argentina vs. Mexico match today? In the 98th minute (overtime), Rodriguez scored one of the most brilliant goals, if not the most amazing, goal in the Cup yet. That clinched Argentina's victory, 2-1.

[TheEnglishman]

I still prefer the goal that Joe Cole scored. Then again, being English I'm bound to. :P
I thought both teams played well in that match. Argentina v Germany should definitely be worth watching.

[pHantOm]

I dont even know if the US lost or won to Italy last week.

I like football more than american football though, I just like hockey and thats about it lol.

[TheEnglishman]

They drew against Italy but they're still out. Sucks to be them.

[FlamingDuck]

Yup, Us is out. Eh well.

[TheEnglishman]

England have gotten through with another ok performance. They're really gonna have to up their game against Holland or Paraguay. But they got through, which is important.
Poor Beckham. After he scored, he ended up being sick! :P

[Mindpatch]

And then suddenly, all the wuppies died.

[Wiflewood]

Portugal beat Netherlands, so we're playing them.

[Sea of Time]

I just want to comment on Joe Cole's goal earlier in the tournament. What a shot! I'm not sure if it was luck or not but that ball had no business going in the net. Brilliant!

[musicman2059]

Holland's out, and that game was probably the dumbest game in the whole World Cup... and I only watched five minutes of it. (Around the 80th minute)

Ah well... back to cheering for Italy.

[Mars Djinni]

I heard 16 yellow and 4 red cards were called. Haha.

[Mindpatch]

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/6871/ivanov1ru.gif

He broke a record.

[TheEnglishman]

Mars Djinni, on Jun 26 2006, 08:25 PM, said:

I heard 16 yellow and 4 red cards were called. Haha.

At least he remembered when to send them off. Graham Poll (English ref) gave one player THREE yellow cards before sending them off! Considering he's the best english ref it was a very basic error.
Looks like Italy got lucky earlier against Australia.

[Sea of Time]

What a game between the Swiss and the Ukraine, the Swiss becomes the first team to lose in the World Cup without conceding a goal.

I wonder how the Ukrainian team will fare against the heavily-favored Italians?

[TheEnglishman]

From what I heard about the match it wasn't that exciting. I didn't see all of it though.

[Kwesi]

Well.. My country lost against Brazil. But I didn't expect them to win, my country was also just hoping for a win. I am just happy that we went to the Round of 16. The seconf goal by Brazil shouldn't have been a goal becuase Adriano was offsides. That is the end for my team. At least we made a big appearence in this World Cup, we are the youngest team int he World Cup, So far we have the fastest Goal made by Asamoah Gyan against the Czech Republic, and we were the only African team to get through to the next round so I am happy for my Country.

[TheEnglishman]

It's certainly good for them. Everybody thought they'd go out straight away, but they got to the last 16, which isn't easy.

[Sea of Time]

Ghana turned out to be that tough little country that every World Cup needs. They did great.

But Brazil looks really strong and it seems like they're picking up more and more steam as this World Cup progresses. Does anyone have the talent to beat these guys?

[Golden Legacy]

Sea_of_Time, on Jun 27 2006, 05:22 PM, said:

Ghana turned out to be that tough little country that every World Cup needs. They did great.

But Brazil looks really strong and it seems like they're picking up more and more steam as this World Cup progresses. Does anyone have the talent to beat these guys?

Another South American giant called Argentina. I honestly think that those two will face off, assuming Argentina wins over Germany, which will prove difficult, but certainly not impossible with their talent.

And indeed, I was impressed by Ghana's performance all the same. So many opportunities, their speed is truly unrivalled. It's a shame to see them depart, but the World knows now that Ghana is an elite team. Congratulations to them.

And to Ronaldo. That goal, the World Cup record (15 in total), was amazing. Simply amazing. :)

[Lemontime]

Damn the italians. They cheated against Australia! FILTHY FAKERS!!

[Sea of Time]

I think the 'dive' penalty should be put into basketball. You can see a lot of basketball players pretending fouls are a whole lot worse than they actually are. I think the call in the Italy/Australia game was a tough one to make, but it was the right call. It just came at a very bad time.

[TheEnglishman]

When I saw it I wasn't so sure. Without trying to be unfairly prejudiced, the teams that tend to dive are from that type of area like Italy. I saw the challenge and I wasn't sure about. I still feel that Australia were unlucky (and as someone who comes from Britain it's very hard for me to say that :) ).

[Sea of Time]

The Italians were going crazy here in Winnipeg. They blocked off traffic on two different major streets. It made for good news in a pretty boring town.

[My Best Wishes]

Sea_of_Time, on Jun 28 2006, 11:26 PM, said:

I think the 'dive' penalty should be put into basketball. You can see a lot of basketball players pretending fouls are a whole lot worse than they actually are. I think the call in the Italy/Australia game was a tough one to make, but it was the right call. It just came at a very bad time.

HE FELL OVER THE DEFENDER. He ran right up to him and tried to walk over him! No way that should of been anything, the Italian should of been shot instead.

As for us we had Riots. Some Aussies from Fed square went into lygon Street (where there is a major italian population) and rioted. When Police rocked up BOTH sides turned on the police!

[TheEnglishman]

Argentina - Germany (checks watch) about now. Being English I'd hope for some magical way in which they both lost, however I'd want Germany to win this one... just.

[Sea of Time]

You got your wish. Germany won in a 1-1 draw by winning 4-2 in penalty kicks. Germany is also starting to gain steam as they play and look really good going into the last 4.

[Golden Legacy]

It's a shame to see Argentina eliminated though (and the head coach resigned soon afterward). They really had a strong team put together, the likes of Crespo, Messi, Saviano, Rodriguez, etc.

[TheEnglishman]

Yesterday was probably the only time I'll cheer on Germany. I felt Argentina were stupid to fight in the way they did. They should have gracefully accepted defeat.
England play today. I'm not full of confidence, but maybe we'll get lucky.

[Wiflewood]

Rooney has a Red card, he was sent off, so its 10 men for England
its 86 mins, 0-0.

[Golden Legacy]

And England loses on penalty kicks. It's a shame, but Ricardo (Portugal's goalkeeper) was fantastic on the penalty kicks.

[TheEnglishman]

What did I say? It would be another heroic exit. I'd be surprised but it happens a lot to England and you get used to it.
I think, seeing the weakness of Portugal, England should have just won it. I felt sorry for Beckham, but not for Rooney. He should be able to control his temper by now. Ricardo did do well with the penalties, but he did well last time they met so it's not surprising.
Looks like 40 years of hurt just became 44. :unsure:

[Eugine]

OMG. How could Brazil lose to France? I didn't watch the match. Someone explain to me... I'm about to cry.

[Golden Legacy]

You're not the only one, Eugine.

Dear God, what happened out there? Brazil... they weren't playing with the same coordination, the same technique as before. Sure, they started off pretty well, fairly even with France, but as time progressed, their offense seemed to be very weakened. They barely got off any shots on goal, let alone scoring one.

Now then, it isn't so much Brazil losing as it is France winning. The French were unbelievable. Zidane was an inspiration on the field, and he really directed the team to victory, with his amazing technique, style, and overall skill.

What an upset though... France did it before, and they've done it again. But man...

[Sea of Time]

Huge congratulations to France, but what the hell is Brazil doing? This is the one year they could've won with ease if they had played to their potential.

It's good to see a 'Cinderella' story emerge here in the last week of play.

[Golden Legacy]

Not so much a 'Cinderella' story, because France is actually a strong team. Ghana, Australia, and the Ukraine were probably had the most surprising performance of this tournament. France, however, was under a lot of pressure, considering that they won Fifa '98 but were eliminated in the first round in '02.

[Eugine]

This is definetly not a Cinderella story. France was the team that defeated Brazil in 98' and they've done it again...

Brazil definetly hates France now. DEFINETLY. Two times preventing them from victory... OMG, no more visitors to France from Brazil.

[TheEnglishman]

To be honest, I think it would be dull if Brazil retained the cup everytime. I'm glad that France won and I was impressed with Zidane, considering he's about 33.

[Golden Legacy]

Yes, Zidane's performance was astounding. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that he is probably the main reason for France's victory over Brazil.

Considering this is his last World Cup, he's really going out in style.

[TheEnglishman]

So does anyone have any predicitons on who the eventual winners will be? I feel it'll be Germany, though France have a good chance.

[Sea of Time]

I think with the home crowd behind them, Germany has a good chance. But France should give them a good run for their money.

[Eugine]

I believe it will be France. Well, I honestly don't care anymore.

[Bexie]

I think it'll be Germany v. France for the final. And Germany will probably win.

Although, that was supposed to be an England v. Germany final, but noooo, Christiano bloody Ronaldo had to bugger it all up.

I hope France kicks their arse in the semis.

... Wow. Never thought I'd be cheering for France. o.O;;

[Golden Legacy]

Hey, don't forget Ricardo! His brilliant saves on the penatly shoot-out also helped Portugal win.

It's a shame that Beckam is standing down as captain, though. A great player, and certainly an icon in the football world.

And yes, I too expect the final to be Germany vs. France, with Germany having the slight edge due to the home field. But even so, if Zidane proved anything, it's that upsets are always possible.

~1900~

[TheEnglishman]

Golden Legacy, on Jul 3 2006, 10:09 PM, said:

It's a shame that Beckam is standing down as captain, though. A great player, and certainly an icon in the football world.

I'd agree that he's an icon, but I'm not so sure he's a great player anymore. His peak was a few years ago, in my opinion. He still deserves a place, but not as much as he used to.

[Sea of Time]

From what I saw this year, he had some great crosses. And, along with Ronaldo, he is probably the best-known football player here in Canada and the U.S.

[TheEnglishman]

That's because he does loads for marketing. He tries to be in promotions a lot of the time. Believe me though, he isn't the same player he was a couple of years ago. He was scoring goals like the one he got against Ecuador practically every match he played.

[-Edge-]

Yeah, Me111 do you remember that goal he got from half-way when he was playin' with United?..I think it was against Aston Villa...

I'm supportin' the Deutschland now, hope they smash Italia :P, gehen sie Klose..

[Golden Legacy]

Perhaps. You can say the same for Ronaldo, that he is not as good as he once was. Of course, Ronaldo's problem isn't so much skill as it is mobility, as he can't turn or run as quickly as he did, but his touch with the ball is phenomenal. Anyone see the goal he made against Ghana? Brilliant how he got past the goalkeeper like that.

[Nick Presta]

Game Prediction:

Italy 2, Germany 1

Germany scores the first goal, crowd goes wild, Italy scores the second goal around the 34th minute and the crowd silences. Italy scores the second goal about minute 79 to grab the game....

[Golden Legacy]

Interesting prediction...

And so, I'll make one of my own:

Germany 2, Italy 1

Germany scores the first goal, crowd goes wild, Italy silences the crowd later in the first half (I agree with that much). However, in the second half, Germany stuggles as Italy dominates possession and gets many opportunities, but doesn't score. The game goes into overtime, and in the first overtime period, Germany finally scores, with a header by Klose from a pass by Ballack.

... Yeah.

[TheEnglishman]

-Edge-, on Jul 4 2006, 01:22 AM, said:

Yeah, Me111 do you remember that goal he got from half-way when he was playin' with United?..I think it was against Aston Villa...

Yeah! He was brilliant then! Techinically he scored from his own half. It was really amazing to see.
I think Germany should win their match tonight. It won't be easy but they're always so efficient.

[Bexie]

Golden Legacy, on Jul 3 2006, 10:09 PM, said:

It's a shame that Beckam is standing down as captain, though. A great player, and certainly an icon in the football world

BECKHAM HAS AN H IN IT! xD

Anyway, I think Beckham should have stepped down as captain long ago. He's not such a great player anymore. That goal he scored from his free kick against Ecuador (think it was them) was the first one he scored since 2003.
Personally, I think he was given a choice. Either step down, or be sacked.

[TheEnglishman]

You can't really be sacked from the captaincy, but you're right about the options he got. You're also right about the date, that it was the first goal that he got from a free kick in 3 years.
Any idea who you want to replace him? I feel John Terry or Steven Gerrard would be the best options for Steve McLaren.

[Zxor]

OMG ITALY RULEZ, TWO GOALS IN THE LAST MINUTE!!!!!

Italy will play either France or Portugal, and will win against eaither one.

[Aquamarine]

I have to agree with you Zxor. I thought Germany would win, though I was rooting for Italy even before the match started. Excelent, excelent game that was.

[Bexie]

I was actually cheering for the Germans. Don't like the Italians much. xD

It's weird, tho... Apparantly, the German's favourite football song is "You'll Never Walk Alone". Which is the Liverpool football song. They were all singing after the match.

And their second favourite football song is apparantly "Three Lions".

o.O Wtf. xD GET YOUR OWN SONGS.

[-Edge-]

Italia dominated, their back four were sublime, Carnovaro (spelling?), Grosso, Zambrotta and Materatzi (again spelling?) they were unbeatable they didn't give Germany a chance...ich hasse Italia...jks jks...they wrapped Podolski and Klose so easily...

I'm goin' for the French now :P...

[TheEnglishman]

Zxor, on Jul 4 2006, 10:48 PM, said:

OMG ITALY RULEZ, TWO GOALS IN THE LAST MINUTE!!!!!

Man United did that 7 years ago and it was in a final. Lot more exciting too.
It still bothers me that people are going 'Oh my team's gone out, I'm gonna switch.' Just pick one team and stick with it!

[Sea of Time]

Yeah, the two goals were great. The first goal basically won the game but when Del Pierro (sp?) scored that last goal I literally jumped out of my seat it was that good.

Congratulations to the Italian team, my favorite to win the World Cup. :P

[FlamingDuck]

Wow, Italy actually WON...That was a shock...I know its a little late, but the England vs. Portugal game was pretty awesome. At least the penalty shootouts were. Portugal's goalie is either amazing or very very very lucky.

I'm betting on Portugal to beat France.

[Sea of Time]

After France beat Brazil, I think the pressure will be on them to beat Portugal now, or their tremendous upset will be all for naught.

I'll take France to win this one, they have something great going and I think that aura is gonna take them all the way to the final.

[Bexie]

I'm watching the Portugal v. France match... hahaha, its awesome! Every time Christiano Ronaldo gets the ball, all the French fans boo him. Although the boos changed to cheers once when he was knocked on his arse.

I think the French must be pissed at Ronaldo for getting Rooney sent off - the ref wasn't going to until Ronaldo had a go at him, and after Rooney was given the red card, he winked at the bench. So I think that must be what the French are angry about. I mean, they can't be angry at him for knocking us out, the French HATE the English. xD But they hate him for being a git. x3

Yeeeah, France just scored. Zinedine Zidane. Penalty. :P

[TheEnglishman]

I doubt they're angry about him getting Rooney sent off. They're probably angry about his conviently placed diving.

[Golden Legacy]

Bexie, on Jul 4 2006, 04:06 PM, said:

BECKHAM HAS AN H IN IT! xD

Anyway, I think Beckham should have stepped down as captain long ago. He's not such a great player anymore. That goal he scored from his free kick against Ecuador (think it was them) was the first one he scored since 2003.
Personally, I think he was given a choice. Either step down, or be sacked.

Whoops, my fault. Beckham it is then :P
And while that's true, remember that he has said that he will still play for England, as well as for clubs, so he's not out yet.

Here's hoping that Michael Owen heals and is fit for the next World Cup... major loss to England, that was.

Zxor, on Jul 4 2006, 05:48 PM, said:

OMG ITALY RULEZ, TWO GOALS IN THE LAST MINUTE!!!!!

Italy will play either France or Portugal, and will win against eaither one.

Sea_of_Time, on Jul 5 2006, 10:43 AM, said:

Yeah, the two goals were great. The first goal basically won the game but when Del Pierro (sp?) scored that last goal I literally jumped out of my seat it was that good.

Congratulations to the Italian team, my favorite to win the World Cup. :D

The first goal, especially so late in the game (the second overtime!) really caught the Germans off guard, and the next goal was the result of that. Still, it's a shame to see the host country defeated like that... their loss, and Brazil's, are major upsets that I don't think many were anticipating.

Bexie, on Jul 5 2006, 03:31 PM, said:

I'm watching the Portugal v. France match... hahaha, its awesome! Every time Christiano Ronaldo gets the ball, all the French fans boo him. Although the boos changed to cheers once when he was knocked on his arse.

I think the French must be pissed at Ronaldo for getting Rooney sent off - the ref wasn't going to until Ronaldo had a go at him, and after Rooney was given the red card, he winked at the bench. So I think that must be what the French are angry about. I mean, they can't be angry at him for knocking us out, the French HATE the English. xD But they hate him for being a git. x3

Yeeeah, France just scored. Zinedine Zidane. Penalty. :D

And that's the only goal of the game. France wins, 1-0, and it will play for the title against Italy in Berling this coming Sunday. Come on Zidane, let's see that magic one last time! :D

[Sea of Time]

My friend is a Portugal fan and he is pissed off. Any reasons other than the fact that his team lost? Any questionable calls?

[Zxor]

FlamingDuck, on Jul 5 2006, 10:43 AM, said:

Wow, Italy actually WON...That was a shock...

Um...dude..you are WAY wrong. Italy has won 3 world cups, tied with Germany for 2nd place of most world cups won. So that means they have won alot. They have been in the semi-finals for the past like 4 wrold cups. And if they win Sunday they will have the 2nd most amount of world cups won. You are wrong and think before you type.

[Sea of Time]

I'm glad they didn't go to penalties, because as the commentators said, Germany was definitely the favorite if the game had gone to penalties.

Kudos to the Italians for finishing the game like they did.

[Golden Legacy]

Germany's record in penatly shoot-outs: 4 wins, 0 losses
Italy's record in penalty shoot-outs: 0 wins, 3 losses

Germany was just a few minutes from victory when Italy struck.

And SOT, the foul committed against Henry in the 18 yard box was itself questionable, which led to Zidane scoring. Likewise, sometime later, a Portuguese player (either Ronaldo or Figo, I can't remember) looked like he was tripped in the box, but no penalty came from it.

So, a curious match, but tell your friend to be proud; Portugal had arrived to the semi-finals for the first time sine 1966.

[Zxor]

Golden Legacy, on Jul 5 2006, 09:29 PM, said:

Germany's record in penatly shoot-outs: 4 wins, 0 losses
Italy's record in penalty shoot-outs: 0 wins, 3 losses

Germany was just a few minutes from victory when Italy struck.

And SOT, the foul committed against Henry in the 18 yard box was itself questionable, which led to Zidane scoring. Likewise, sometime later, a Portuguese player (either Ronaldo or Figo, I can't remember) looked like he was tripped in the box, but no penalty came from it.

So, a curious match, but tell your friend to be proud; Portugal had arrived to the semi-finals for the first time sine 1966.

Vicory wasn't in a few minutes for the Germans. Many things against history went wrong in this World Cup. Italy and Germany also played in the city in which Germany hasn't lost for 14 games, turned wrong. Czech Republic was second best in the world, didn't even get the the 2nd round. And more stuff happened, so you can't say a team was going to win withought actually KNOWING they were gonna win.