IMJohnCox wrote on 06/23/08 at 12:01:20:

It was a card and the ball was in, so the card should not have been reversed. Anyway the action was worth a yellow, regardless of whether the play was officially dead. The Turkish keeper also got himself expelled that way and I am sure I have seen Baros getting a yellow when he was sitting on the bench.

Note that I am completely objective and my judgement wasnt impaired by loads of beer

Smyslov_Fan wrote on 06/23/08 at 08:05:23:


In fairness, they were the only Ferrari in the field two years ago and played very positively then (same with 1990).  Like France, though, they're in a bit of a limbo between two generations at the moment.  Many of the heroes of 2006 were absent (Totti, Nesta, Cannavaro), and there was nobody to replace them.  I really think they should be satisfied with the quarterfinals and that they played almost as well as they could with the personnel available this time out.  I still think they could have been better with Cannavaro, who would have provided more confidence at the back.  Keep in mind, also, that they held a very potent Spanish team scoreless for 120 minutes, which is no mean feat (just ask the Russians!).

I think a Germany-Spain final is on the cards, and like S_F, I'm hoping that everyone is available for both sides.  Russia will be missing some important pieces against Spain, which won't help their chances...

Bah

So there still is justice in this tournament. Italy refused to play the game and was only good in destroying the game of the opponent. What a shame, what a bore!!

Spain did ok given the opponents strategy, they tried at least and I can´t blame them for not opening too much. Italy was only waiting for the chance to counter-attack. Spain didn´t get too many chances, but hey, they played against italian cattenaccio or however they spell it.

My god, now we have two days without soccer. Germany vs. Turkey, Germany should be favorite, Turkey has only 13 players left. But looking at the tourney it might be a good idea to let them score first, they were so amazing in their comebacks. The german team must continue to play until the referee takes the ball.

Russia vs. Spain, I´m looking ahead to that one. It will be interesting wether the russians can continue with their tremendous play or wether it will be another rout for them.

alumbrado wrote on 06/22/08 at 14:24:57:


On this side of the pond, the World Cup Qualifiers have already begun!

(Oh, I believe that Spain has the speed and talent to win the whole thing, I was just suggesting that Italy and Germany would make a more direct threat to the Russian style of physical defense.  I would love to see a Spain-Russia semi-final which pairs two teams of such different styles.)

Smyslov_Fan wrote on 06/22/08 at 02:41:45:


Russians were much better and played a much stronger game.  Van Basten made some curious early substitutions, which tied his hands later in the game.  They struck me as a bit arrogant: he expected the be winning by half-time, and the team lacked the imagination to strike.  Kolodin was terrific on defense and Zhirkov was probably Russia's most important player.

But I don't agree that the Italians would make a tougher opponent for the Russians because of physical play.  Remember that Spain made this Russian side look very pedestrian.  There's no question that the Russian team is rounding into form, but Spain holds onto the ball better than the Dutch did and I think Villa and Torres will give the Russian defense fits (again) with their speed.  Van Nistelrooy is a great striker but he relies on his height more than his speed.  The Russian defense could cope with that; they didn't and won't cope with Spanish speed.  Spain is creative coming forward, and if their defense remains healthy, they should win out.  

I've already said it several times, but Puyol is almost more important than Villa or Torres.  If he's fit and playing well, he is the Cannavaro of this tournament.  I don't think there's a better central defender in this tournament when it comes to anticipating the play (which is what made Cannavaro so special in 2006) than Puyol.

As for today, the Italians will likely prove a sterner test, but I just don't see Panucci keeping up with the Spanish attack; a shame, he's a nice player at the end of his career, but he could end up being the goat (while being asked to play out of position).  No Pirlo, no Gattuso: Italy will need a huge game from Buffon...

Suddenly my little flutter on the Russians at the start of the tournament is looking like less of a dumb bet ...

The Dutch looked out of sorts.  I thought in spite of their impressive wins in the group stage that their back line was weak and the Russians certainly demonstrated that.  They'll miss some important players in the semi-final, though...