Good first half between Spain and Sweden. Spain denied an obvious penalty at the end of the first half, though.
Good first half between Spain and Sweden. Spain denied an obvious penalty at the end of the first half, though.
"The players make the manager, it's never the other way." - Sparky Anderson
Greece has been the only team I've really disliked watching so far this tournament. They play a very ugly, negative style of soccer. I was ecstatic when Ibrahimovic cracked their bunker the other day.
Probably around same time as when it happened in Happy Valley.Originally Posted by Yachtzee
All models are wrong. Some of them are useful.
Wow, the Greek keeper makes the boneheaded play of the tournament to give the Russians an open goal.
Wear gaudy colors, or avoid display. Lay a million eggs or give birth to one. The fittest shall survive, yet the unfit may live. Be like your ancestors or be different. We must repeat!
I was really impressed with Sweeden today right up until the second minute of extra time. What a collosal defensive collapase that was to allow Spain the winner.
Grape works as a soda. Sort of as a gum. I wonder why it doesn't work as a pie. Grape pie? There's no grape pie. - Larry David
In the "things I don't understand about soccer" category, how come the numbers on their jerseys look like a third-grader drew them on with a magic marker?
Reading comprehension is not just an ability, it's a choice
Nike's style department often does goofy things. They were probably bored with messing around with the latest Oregon Ducks uniforms and thought they'd spruce up the Dutch uniforms. I think they look like third-graders got into dad's masking tape. Of course Puma has their teams, including hosts Switzerland and Austria, rocking pixelated "anti-aliased" numbers. It looks like someone was trying to be too fancy with photo shop and used the .jpg file for the template instead of the .gif. Adidas probably has the better looking jersey fonts in this tournament.
Wear gaudy colors, or avoid display. Lay a million eggs or give birth to one. The fittest shall survive, yet the unfit may live. Be like your ancestors or be different. We must repeat!
Its been a AS Roma's unofficial song since April 2007. I cannot recall a Serie A game featuring this Ole, Ole ...chant you mention.
?
Mistake? What did Sweden do wrong on that play? They had three guys covering Villa. How about Villa's sublime touch to get into shooting position? He beat three guys with two touches and his speed.
I like Spain's form right now as the best in this tournament. However, if Puyol is hurt and can't dress for upcoming games, they will be vulnerable in the center.
Last edited by Betterread; 06-14-2008 at 10:18 PM.
I suspect it's probably been the unofficial song for a lot of teams since April 2007, judging from the Euro 2008 crowds. Here's the past "unofficial song" of many teams from the late '80s until recently.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0Gmx...eature=related
Wear gaudy colors, or avoid display. Lay a million eggs or give birth to one. The fittest shall survive, yet the unfit may live. Be like your ancestors or be different. We must repeat!
It was an interesting game. Both teams played their version of defense - the Swedes packed their half of the field and the Spanish passed the ball around for minutes on end (holding the ball, preferably in the other team's half of the field, is how Spaniards like to play defense).
I wouldn't be too hard on the Swedes about that last goal. The ball took a big bounce and Villa made a tremendous play on it (notice the little flick he put on the ball to cross it over the defender before he found the back of the net). Most strikers don't even touch that ball let alone score. Villa and Torres are lethal. They might just be the two best strikers in the tournament. For me, that play reinforced how well the Swedish had played given the razor thin margin of error given them by the Spanish attack. Even if you pile up bodies inside the box, they can find ways through, around or over it.
Meanwhile, the Turks today produced an instant classic. Nihat Kahveci is already a star in the Spanish League, but you've got to figure Arda Turan just moved to the top of a few western European shopping lists and that Mehmet Topal might also be moving to a top tier league.
Last edited by M2; 06-15-2008 at 09:02 PM.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
Stupid question for Tuesday:
What stops the Dutch from Losing on purpose to Romania?
They still keep the top position in the group, and France and Italy would have to go home, regardless of the outcome of their game.
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it."
http://dalmady.blogspot.com
Nothing except athletic pride. It wouldn't be a bad move, but I would never condone it.
YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!!!!!
Grape works as a soda. Sort of as a gum. I wonder why it doesn't work as a pie. Grape pie? There's no grape pie. - Larry David
What is funny is that the Spanish were most dangerous counter-attacking, not during their marathon ball-hogging passing sessions This may sound counter-intuitive, but they might have done better off letting the Swede's have some of the ball. When Spain was passing the ball around the pitch, Sweden was able to keep its defensive shape and put 9-10 guys behind the ball. But, after they went forward, the Spanish were able to catch the Swede's out of shape. Just a thought.
Variatio delectat - Cicero
Yes... we all know about The University of Oregon don't we?
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