Brad

Eusebio is low profile here, but Pele should be left off the screen for his own good. The guy obviously isn't wearing any clothes and every time he opens his mouth and presents one of his no-content open-door comments to the world, I could bite another piece out of some furniture. Do you have any furniture left?

It should be interesting when Rooney and Ronaldo report for training camp at Manchester United later this summer.

Yes, but it seems like without Rooney, the game is opening up a bit. However, I think now that's in extra time, England will just play for the penalty kicks.

This has the smell of PKs.

Now with the red, this has the potential to get ugly.

I saw parts of 1966 but not as much as I'd like but I did see just about all of 1970 and that was the best tournament I ever saw. 1982 was rather good too and so was 1998. I have good memories of that although I can't point you to anything specifically. Maybe it was just the idea of France winning finally after all these years.

Again, my apologies for doing that. Getting back to the subject, nobody's talking about the Italy game. I thought that match was better than I expected and I thought the Ukrainians were better than I expected. Aside from Saudi Arabia, which I didn't consider a real test, this was probably the best I've seen them play. They had some good shots on goal in the second half and only some good defense and a little luck prevented this game from being tied. But you also had a sense that Italy was going to get a second goal and end the drama. I have to say I've never seen so many blonde athletes on a pitch at any one time.

I wasn't trying to use Germany as a counter or any country as a counter and perhaps I shouldn't have brought politics in and if I offended anybody, my apologies. However, I lived down there and while I know many Argentinians who are great people, based on my experiences, they are not good sports when they lose or things go wrong. That is why this is not surprising at all.

Why am I not surprised at the Argentinian antics. In terms of footballing how can you have any respect for a team that scores a goal with its hand or the antics of Diego Simeone in 1998. I lived in South America for many years and this doesn't surprise me at all. Further still, how can you have any respect for a people who hunted down their own people. Yes, I know it happens in wartime but this was peacetime. No, I have no respect for Argentina at all. I'm not glad they're gone and I'm glad Germany won. I hope they go through to the final.

Allez Les Bleus!! is correct. Let's Zizou one more title. I have to go to France on business next week and will be there for the final. It would be fantastic to be able to watch France play for the final while I'm there.

Bleedin' arseholes. MG Seconded.. Where does this bunch of 'forever on tour' delinquents get their money and perpetual time off work from anyway? This place is pleasantly quieter without them. That's a good question and pretty amazing that you could drink some cities dry. I guess they never heard of going to the gym.

Experience over youthful energy and I can't say the victory was undeserved. This team will go down kicking and screaming. Second half was definitely not as good as the first and the Spanish team looked a bit ragged. I don't really think the Puyol card was worthy of a free kick but so be it.

Should be quite a second half. Looks like a generally clean first half. I'm shocked!

Spain 1-0!!!!

I like Spain a lot more for it than I would have done if you'd asked me before the Brazil game. True, the Brazilians 'did enough' - but, as with England, I'm beginning to wonder whether that's a bit of a convenient excuse, especially at this stage of the competition. If a betting man, I suppose I'd naturally go with Brazil still (bearing in mind Spain haven't really been tested yet), but given the right odds, I wouldn't pass up a fiver on the Spanish... When you say 'assuming' the Spanish get through, is that just that you'd like them to, or that you think they will? I just wonder whether the French mightn't have a shout... I think they will and they should but as a Spain supporter, I've learned never to expect too much and be over optimistic. They barely got by Ireland and should have beaten S Korea but thinking about it brings back bad memories.

I wasn't able to see the game for the most part (although I have taped it as I will be suffering from withdrawal tomorrow). I did catch the last few minutes and it seemed like Ghana had some chances but couldn't finish them off. On the other hand so did Brasil. So, assuming Spain gets through, what's the view on their possibilities?

In today's Telegraph: England Warned By Holland.

Maybe that's why he didn't start; he was practicing at local swimming pool.

The second round started on a high with Saturday's matches but has started to slowly sink since then, with the last match of today bringing it down even further. However, I expect tomorrow's matches to be very good and assuming Brasil and Spain win tomorrow, I think we could have some very good quarters, well three out of four ain't bad

Now, let's talk about something really exciting, Ukraine in the quarters Of all the quarter final matches, this looks like it will be the worst and unless you're a fan of one of those countries, one you won't necessarily mind missing. I guess you'd have to root for Italy, just because Ukraine really has not done much in this Cup, other than their whitewashing of a poor Saudi team.

Porcy, Your comments are disgusting and your comment to couw is totally out of order. Porcy, your comment defies belief. Nothing I ever expected to see here. I believe an apology is in order.

I think I saw Figo starring in this film. Had me rolling!

I think that's the problem. Giving him a penalty at that point is just absurd unless the penalty was crystal clear, which it wasn't as he just tripped over the player.

Just when you think the refereeing can't get any worse, you find that it can. On the Spanish station, they were referring to the award of the penalty as a complete theft. As I was watching this match, I was thinking how many quality teams have we seen in this Cup? Very few: Germany, Argentina, Brasil (in the last match) and probably Spain (not based on the Saudi match, however, although in fairness they were resting some players). Overall, a disappointing Cup so far.