ITV pundit Adrian Chiles' commented pre-kick off about a Spanish fan playing air guitar:
"...and there's a spaniard playing guitar without a guitar. Next, Ireland will have to play football without a football." :)
Apparently Spain had a world record number of completed passes tonight :O
YourValentine · Member since
I do not know Jim Beglin but he was definitely wrong. The Irish team is not to blame, at all. Spain is such a perfect team that it takes the best other teams of the world to beat them on a lucky day when everything goes wrong for Spain and everything goes right for the other team. The Irish team simply does not have the means to beat Spain, it is impossible and they must be applauded for their courage and passion. Just imagine the incredible running effort it takes to cover the technicially perfect and fast Spanish players - no team can manage that completely over 90 minutes.
If you saw the other match of the group you saw a team that is to blame for not winning: Italy. They did have the means to beat Croatia but they were too lazy or to arrogant to make the effort. Now it is possible that they are kicked off the tournament by the same Irish ream that won the respect of millions of European viewers last night.
The Real Wizard · Member since
England vs Sweden
Hands down, best match of the tournament so far.
greaserkat · Member since
Damn it Sweden!!! Why did you let me down; don't you know I HATE the English team??!!
YourValentine · Member since
I can't believe that Russia and Holland have been kicked out of the game. Last night I really panicked - only one goal made the difference between group leader and complete failure! I did not watch Holland vs Portugal but the later reports showed how great Rinaldo plays when he is in shape. If he only would not look like arrogance on two legs...
brENsKi · Member since
Germany never looked in danger against Denmark. the Danes appeared to be playign for a draw
Ronaldo is a f**king cock...an extremely talented one...but i hate the way the Portugese played last night...lots of gamesmanship and feigning injury
dianamascarenhas · Member since
It looks like Holand has gone fishing somewhere out of the championship... Portugal is the fair winner, that's it.
Holly2003 · Member since
Greece -v- Germany
The Bailout Game
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18532321
GratefulFan · Member since
Read a similar article earlier today on my eyes still half shut morning cruise of the headlines, for those who might be riveted by a Canadian perspective. I think it was a good article. Honestly it might have just been about Baklava v Black Forest cake. I was pretty tired.
Angela Merkel arrives at passport control in Athens.
"Nationality?" asks the immigration officer.
"German" she replies.
"Occupation?"
"No, just here for a few days…"
YourValentine · Member since
The article you are referring to, GrateFulFan, is pure rubbish. I am really disappointed that you link to such a piece of "journalism". Not even mentioning the grammar and spelling errors and all the factual mistakes and outright lies - this guy should not travel in Europe. Apparently, he has no antennas for the joy and euphoria of an international football event - the moaning about his hotel says it all. I can only hope he takes his prejudice and stupidity untouched by reality and returns to wherever he came from. Funny how both articles that you and Holly posted are based on the "Bild" - the worst German tabloid available. This is like writing an article about London based on SUN hatred and defamation.
Back to football: I am of course not impartial but I think it is a good thing that the creative and offensive team won over the "brick wall" tactics of the defensive Greeks. We had four players scoring which is very encouraging looking at the upcoming semi finals where the team plays versus England or Italy.
Holly2003 · Member since
Re: hatred, defamation etc. I don't see any of those aspects in the articles :o
Both make the point that the Euro crisis adds some friction to this game. Hardly controversial.
As for the football, Germany look good going forward but are suspect in defence. Spain still look easy favourites to win overall, but I'm hoping Portugal win it as I'll be £420 richer if they do :)
GratefulFan · Member since
The only thing the vast majority of Canadian readers will have taken from the article I posted is that John Doyle has written another wry piece on football, this time riffing on the political subtext of one game set against the backdrop of the larger financial crisis. No villains or victims, and nobody really thinks Angela Merkel swings between abdicating her responsibilities and pushing around other European leaders in the pursuit of good football seats. I'm sorry if there was some kind of cultural or contextual disconnect that made the article feel offensive to you or to Germany or to football or to whatever.
The writer is from Ireland initially, but emigrated to Canada two or three decades ago. He's a massive football fan and in 2010 he published a book called 'The World is a Ball: The Joy, Madness and Meaning of Soccer'. A reviewer:
In recounting three World Cups (2002, 2006, and 2010) and two Euros (2004 and 2008), he focuses less on the field and more on what happens beyond the camera’s eye, from raging parties in the streets to quiet encounters between fans. He has a knack for choosing telling details, and in chronicling the crowds, context, and spectacle of these mammoth competitions, he makes a strong case for them as “joy-bringers, unique festivals of congeniality.”
His focus on the hotel, the merchants, the locals, the subtest etc. of the game in the article may be better understood in this light.
GratefulFan · Member since
[QUOTE] [b]Holly2003 wrote:[/b]
As for the football, Germany look good going forward but are suspect in defence. Spain still look easy favourites to win overall, but I'm hoping Portugal win it as I'll be £420 richer if they do :)
[/QUOTE]
Having no dog in the fight, and deciding an underdog was as good a dog as any, especially an underdog that would make a fellow QZer independently wealthy for a day and a half, I have already taken care of shifting the forces of the universe toward Portugal on your behalf. Before the quarterfinals began I slipped a subtle yet powerful piece of secret good luck Portugual juju into one of my posts. I'll confess after the championship game. Or when they fall on their faces. Ha ha.
Holly2003 · Member since
[QUOTE]
[b]GratefulFan wrote: [/b] [QUOTE][b]Holly2003 wrote:[/b] As for the football, Germany look good going forward but are suspect in defence. Spain still look easy favourites to win overall, but I'm hoping Portugal win it as I'll be £420 richer if they do :) [/QUOTE]
Having no dog in the fight, and deciding an underdog was as good a dog as any, especially an underdog that would make a fellow QZer independently wealthy for a day and a half, I have already taken care of shifting the forces of the universe toward Portugal on your behalf. Before the quarterfinals began I slipped a subtle yet powerful piece of secret good luck Portugual juju into one of my posts. I'll confess after the championship game. Or when they fall on their faces. Ha ha.[/QUOTE]
I appreciate that psychic help. I''ll buy you a pressie if they win. And maybe even if they don't ;)
