couw Posted June 22, 2004 Report Share Posted June 22, 2004 ouch, the Italians had just scored and were celebrating when the news came in... Tears of joy fast became tears of sadness. Bye bye Italia, I cannot mourn. Saw some great football tonight watching the Denmark-Sweden game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted June 22, 2004 Report Share Posted June 22, 2004 Czech Republic against Denmark on Sunday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcoliv Posted June 22, 2004 Report Share Posted June 22, 2004 for me the best teams so far we´ll meet on Sunday. i´m soooo happy that Italy is out of the competition Tomasson's goal is the most beautiful of the tournament so far. he is a nice player who's gonna be qualified tomorrow? holland or germany? i don't think Latvia can reach the quarter-finals. Marcus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claude Posted June 22, 2004 Report Share Posted June 22, 2004 Uefa will not investigate Story from BBC SPORT: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport2/hi...004/3831443.stm Published: 2004/06/22 22:27:49 GMT Uefa maintained there was nothing suspicious about the 2-2 draw between Sweden and Denmark which ended Italy's Euro 2004 campaign. There had been suggestions prior to the game that the Scandanavian rivals would play for that result to make sure both progressed to the quarter-finals. But Uefa spokesman Rob Faulkner: "There isn't anything there at all." Sweden and Denmark denied the match-fixing claims before and after the game that sealed their quarter-final spots. Meanwhile, Italy were not the only losers on the night as bookmakers also admitted they had paid out heavily on the result. Punters had bet heavily that Denmark and Sweden would play for a 2-2 draw to eliminate the Italians on goal difference. "That result will cost us a six figure payout, but we have done well out of the elimination of Italy, so there is a silver lining to the cloud," said William Hill's spokesman Graham Sharpe. The bookies had been offering the 2-2 scoreline between Denmark and Sweden at odds of just 7/2, the shortest odds they have ever quoted for that outcome in a competitive match. Mr Sharpe added: "Whatever price we put up was snapped up by punters desperate to back that outcome and we soon had to shorten the odds to 7/2, the shortest price we have ever offered about a 2-2 draw." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcoliv Posted June 22, 2004 Report Share Posted June 22, 2004 Marcus, just remember the French disaster at the 2002 World Cup when the team that won the 1998 Cup was out by the first round without having scored a single goal! As for Silvestre, he is not that bad a player but after helping the opposite teams score in each of the three first first matches he played, he should be out of the Bleus for the duration! And Santini has announced just before the start of Euro2004 that he would no longer be the team coach right after the French last match in the tournament. He will head for Tottenham next season. Santini is the latest in a succession of inept coaches. We have not had a decent coach since Michel Hidalgo. Aime Jaquet was just lucky to have the top players available. At least he made good use of them. Then Roger Lemerre was a disaster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcoliv Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 Marcus: Most of your post is applicable to the Spanish team... and at least France is gonna take part in the next stage! I am completely ashamed of how Spain has played. OK that in many previous championships we played well and then we lost, but with a coach like this... BTW he was renewed BEFORE the tournament: fuck stupid Spanish football federation!!! (anyway he SHOULD resign) And with some players totally off fit. Raul is the most clear example: it´s been his worst year ever without any doubt, but he´s kinda totem in the Spanish team. Results: he has been a heavy charge, not having added anything at all. Eke, i can understand your rage but as a french maniac i want my team to win playing with passion and if possible playing well. it's true that this was the worst season of Raul and once again he was unable to conduct Spain to a respectable position on this Euro. i´m having the same feeling with Henry. he played nothing on WC2002 and he's not playing seriously on this Euro... i really think that Spain should review/limit their importation of foreign players. Italy and Germany are facing off serious problems with their national teams too. this was very similiar with France when they renewed Lemerre's contract before the WC2002 and after the disaster he was sacked. i think Saez should leave his job. Eke, i wish you better luck on WC2006!! Marcus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcoliv Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 the game was played with intensity so there's nothing to claim. it´s a pity that Italy scored their second goal so now they have something or someone to blame.... MCO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 (edited) Marcus wrote: [quote} brownie, please don't remember me the WC2002...i have 3 major disappointments in life: 1) to loose the semifinal in 1982 against Germany.... 2) the disaster of the WC 2002 and having Brazil clinching their 5th title.... 3) to loose against Bulgaria in 1993 and not going to WC 1994 France did not loose against Germany in 1982. Schumacher just knocked out Patrick Battison who was going to score the victory goal. You don't mention the 1986 World Cup. With the right coach, we could have wom that one. We had the best team with the great Michel Platini. Too bad that coach Henri Michel could not control his players. Best match I ever attended (was there on assignment and did not see all of the match but I still remember the whole structure of the stadium at Guadalajara shaking every time there was action close to the goalmouths) was the France-Brazil quarterfinals match. Those penalty kicks that gave France victory! And the utter despair of the wonderful Brazilian fans! Edited June 23, 2004 by brownie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B. Goren. Posted June 23, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 Marcus, I would like to remind you that in 1993 the French also have lost to Israel 3-2. Unfortunately this was the last achievement of the Israeli national team… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 Interesting perspective from 'The New York Times' on the impact of Euro2004. LETTER FROM EUROPE What Kicks the Continent to Life? (Not Politics) By ALAN COWELL ROME, June 22 - Just what is Europe? Two recent events, juxtaposed, would give roughly the same sense of a simple answer as, say, Jekyll and Hyde or any other combination of opposites on a scale from revulsion to farce. The first event was an election this month for the European Parliament in which Europeans registered their lowest turnout - as low as 26 percent in some places - just weeks after their overall ranks expanded to 450 million, the largest ever, with the addition of 10 new states to the European Union. That mass display of indifference seemed, if nothing else, to illuminate the central paradox of the broad dysfunction between European citizens and the European political institutions from which they feel generally estranged: only by making the politics irrelevant do Europeans protest irrelevance itself. Or, as a columnist named Ida Magli wrote in Il Giornale, "to show their dissent in dealings with the European Union, the only possible maneuver is to not vote, in other words to not legitimize a power structure that has been built by politicians without the participation and consent of the citizens." So much for that Europe; big Europe, grown-up Europe. Now consider Europe as a joust, a tournament of champions, a medieval war of nation-states sublimated in soccer, celebrated in headlines and banners and roaring crowds, punctuated by such eminently real and tangible events as the failure of David Beckham, the English captain, to score a penalty goal against France, or, more recently - and more passionately followed in this city - the three-match suspension of an Italian superstar, Francesco Totti, for spitting in the face of Denmark's Christian Poulsen. That, too, is Europe, one written in the genes of a Continent that shies from its centuries of war but has not forgotten them either. "This is Europe, not the European elections," said Beppe Severgnini, an Italian author speaking by telephone from the Euro 2004 European soccer championships currently under way in Portugal. "People need to be involved emotionally,'' he said. "Things that work in Europe belong in this category. When I say emotional, I mean simple, accessible. The European Parliament is not simple or accessible." Thus, soccer works, and so do roaming cellphones, the euro single currency, reduced border controls - anything, in fact, that allows a new, younger generation of Europeans to crisscross a playground from the Baltic to the Mediterranean. And, as the generations have changed, so too has the sense of nation that once took Europeans to war. The soccer tournament, Mr. Severgnini said, has become "a most beautiful, peaceful allegory for the wars that, thanks be to God, no longer exist in Europe." But, if the swords are sheathed, the pennants still flutter and the passions still flow. In London, for instance, cabs and private cars fly the red-on-white flag depicting the cross of St. George, the English emblem. Swedish fans paint their Viking faces blue and yellow in the nation's colors. Across the Continent, newspapers and television stations bear eagerly awaited news from the front lines of Portuguese soccer stadiums. Indeed, on June 17, British offices emptied early as thousands hurried home to watch England play Switzerland and win by 3-0. The story was the same for the England-Croatia (4-2 for England). Evidently, it is much easier for soccer teams to re-enact Europe's divisions than for politicians to pretend they no longer exist. History, it seems, has not quite released this Continent from its bellicose past. Indeed, by competing with one another for the European trophy, national soccer teams seem to generate some of the hostilities that politicians in Brussels, the European Union headquarters, seek to subsume in a newly minted and far from accepted European identity. "Jacques Chirac can you hear us Jacques Chirac? Our boys are gonna give you one hell of a beating," The Sun said in Britain on June 8, five days before France, in fact, gave England a 2-1 beating - and several hundred years after the English carried out the threat somewhat more bloodily at the Battle of Agincourt. In a way, club soccer linked to local teams draws more passion than do national teams in lands, like Italy, where the nation-state is a relatively recent implantation. "The nation is more in the national psyche of England, Denmark, Sweden, and in Italy not so much," Mr. Severgnini said. Sometimes, too, it is hard to avoid the feeling that the big-name heroes are champions in the medieval sense of fighting for a patron's cause, particularly at clubs owned by Europe's wealthiest tycoons. Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, for instance, owns A. C. Milan and the Agnelli auto-making dynasty owns Turin's Juventus. In Britain, the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has bought the Chelsea club. And, of course, as medieval jousters often discovered, they were only as good as their last tussle: after England's humiliating defeat by France, British sportswriters perked up considerably when the new star in the team, Wayne Rooney, 18, nicknamed "Man Child," scored two goals against Switzerland then two more against Croatia to become a national idol. That, said The Daily Telegraph, "put the smile back on the face of English football." At roughly the same time that all this was unfolding, European political leaders pondering electoral setbacks from apathetic voters, and locked in their own contests over the future shape of a European constitution and leadership, seemed to have far less to smile about. "It would be a sad paradox," mused the left-wing French newspaper Libération, "that at the moment when Europe of soccer is witnessing its maximum mobilization, Europe of politics is distinguished by minimum participation." That argument may not endure far beyond the Euro 2004 tournament. The next major item on the Continental agenda is a decision on whether the European Union should adopt a new constitution. Already, arguments over the treaty have revived old divisions between the French-German axis that has traditionally powered European integration and others like Britain that shy from close unity. In Britain itself the debate threatens to overwhelm political discussion in advance of elections expected next year. So as the crowds file out of the soccer stadiums, other swords are already being sharpened for a more serious battle to determine the destiny of Europe and its nationalism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcy62 Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 the game was played with intensity so there's nothing to claim. it´s a pity that Italy scored their second goal so now they have something or someone to blame.... MCO I am just curious: Is there something personal in your hate against italians? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 the game was played with intensity so there's nothing to claim. it´s a pity that Italy scored their second goal so now they have something or someone to blame.... MCO I am just curious: Is there something personal in your hate against italians? The question is not directed at me and I certainly don't hate the Italians, but I'm having problems with their constant whining regarding their results and the outcome of their Euro 2004 group. It's their own fault they didn't qualify and not anyone else's, they just didn't play well enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 Germany 1, Czech Republic 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 Netherlands 1 (penalty), Latvia 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 Germany 1, Czech Republic 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 The Czechs have just scored a peach of a free kick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 Netherlands 2, Latvia 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
couw Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 lekker biertje d'rbij.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 lekker biertje d'rbij.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B. Goren. Posted June 23, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 It's their own fault they didn't qualify and not anyone else's, they just didn't play well enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
couw Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 (edited) so Germany fails to win and is out. The Dutch did what had to be done and played 3-0 to Latvia. Difficult team to play good against, Latvia, as they play some very disruptive football. Still, with twice as much ball contact as the baltic dudes, the Dutch were pretty convincing, even if that penalty was a bit overdone (then again, was this the first time shit like this happened? no). The second one got much discussion and no, it was not okay according to the old rules, but yes, it was according to the new rules. Especially the German television seems to have a hard time to remember those new rules when they don't help them... Edited June 23, 2004 by couw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 (edited) Full time: Netherlands 3, Latvia 0 Germany 1, Czech Republic 2 Edited June 23, 2004 by J.A.W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 Quarterfinals: 1. Portugal against England on Thursday 2. France against Greece on Friday 3. Sweden against Netherlands on Saturday 4. Czech Republic against Denmark on Sunday Semifinals: winner 1 against winner 3 on Wednesday, June 30 winner 2 against winner 4 on Thursday, July 1 Final on Sunday, July 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKE BBB Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 Quarterfinals: 1. Portugal against England on Thursday 2. France against Greece on Friday 3. Sweden against Netherlands on Saturday 4. Czech Republic against Denmark on Sunday Semifinals: winner 1 against winner 3 on Wednesday, June 30 winner 2 against winner 4 on Thursday, July 1 Final on Sunday, July 4 My bet: 1.- England vs Netherlands 2.- France vs Czech Republic and then England vs France and then France B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 My bet: the Czechs will go all the way. They have a great team and the smartest manager (Brückner) of the tournament. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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