Swede Posted June 22, 2004 Share Posted June 22, 2004 And 2-2 it is... let the conspiracy(sp?) theories continue... Great game, loved every minute of it... especially the last 2, hahahahah (oh, the 2-2 game was Sweden-Denmark, ensuring that both teams go to the quarters and Italy goes home... bye bye!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Leeds Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 Whoo-hoo Danes....next up, the Czechs. I wanted to beat the Swedes, but the last minute tie actually made me laugh. Bye-Bye Azurri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koufax75 Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 Hard game!! Terrible situation!! Maybe, Sweden and Denmark decided to play a 2-2 game. I wouldn't be surprised if they had decided that before the game. But that is not the point! If we really had a good team, we would have won against Denmark and then against Sweden. And then, Sweden and Denmark could have won, tied, lost, but for us it would have been the same... Now, Trapattoni will be fired! He failed 2 great competitions. I am sorry for him, but he did too many mistakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 Hard game!! Terrible situation!!Maybe, Sweden and Denmark decided to play a 2-2 game. I wouldn't be surprised if they had decided that before the game. But that is not the point! If we really had a good team, we would have won against Denmark and then against Sweden. And then, Sweden and Denmark could have won, tied, lost, but for us it would have been the same... Now, Trapattoni will be fired! He failed 2 great competitions. I am sorry for him, but he did too many mistakes. There is really no way you can arrange for a 2-2 draw. I cannot believe the italian press. 2 years ago it was the ref's fault, against denmark totti blaimed new socks and shoes for his play, sweden was lucky against them the next game, and now the last game was fixed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOTCB Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 Hard game!! Terrible situation!!Maybe, Sweden and Denmark decided to play a 2-2 game. I wouldn't be surprised if they had decided that before the game. But that is not the point! If we really had a good team, we would have won against Denmark and then against Sweden. And then, Sweden and Denmark could have won, tied, lost, but for us it would have been the same... Now, Trapattoni will be fired! He failed 2 great competitions. I am sorry for him, but he did too many mistakes. There is really no way you can arrange for a 2-2 draw. I cannot believe the italian press. 2 years ago it was the ref's fault, against denmark totti blaimed new socks and shoes for his play, sweden was lucky against them the next game, and now the last game was fixed... Im an Italy fan and i dont believe it was fixed at all...bottom line is they should have won 2 games and they failed to do so...case closed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilsrule33 Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 I found this conspirasy stuff really funny. Italy if they want to play, are possibly the best team in the tournament and they blew it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redruM Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 Been watching al the highlights on FOX World, and whqt ganes they show.... the goal Sweden scored to tie italy was just crazy... can someone tell me why italy went into defensive mode w/ a 1 goal lead w/ 20 minutes left int he game?? Also, I know Totti got a 3 game suspension for spitting.... I guess spitting is worse then all the other crap that goes uncalled every game??? Don't get me wrong ZI love the game, and the talent inthe Euro is unreal.... but all the fouling and faking drives me crazy.... I have not seen a single corner kick where jersey' sare not pulled... yet nocalls.... scary..... Do the top 2 from each group move on???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 Been watching al the highlights on FOX World, and whqt ganes they show....the goal Sweden scored to tie italy was just crazy... can someone tell me why italy went into defensive mode w/ a 1 goal lead w/ 20 minutes left int he game?? Also, I know Totti got a 3 game suspension for spitting.... I guess spitting is worse then all the other crap that goes uncalled every game??? Don't get me wrong ZI love the game, and the talent inthe Euro is unreal.... but all the fouling and faking drives me crazy.... I have not seen a single corner kick where jersey' sare not pulled... yet nocalls.... scary..... Do the top 2 from each group move on???? Yep, the diving and such is kinda irritating, but it has somehow become a part of the game (when you see these players lie on the ground as if they have been shot one minute and then see them going full force against the ball the next you kinda wonder, haha) yep, 2 teams from each group Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redruM Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 Well Swede I guess the fun is just begining.... the qtrs are looking to be really good.... Hopr Fox Sports keeps showing those late night replys of the games.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 (edited) Well Swede I guess the fun is just begining.... the qtrs are looking to be really good.... Hopr Fox Sports keeps showing those late night replys of the games.... I have just moved to chicago and am not allowed to work until mid july, so I am watching the games live at a bar close to where I live. $20 cover is killing me, but its worth it b/c I don't have cable Yep... the fun is just begining... hopefully Swe can do better in the qtrs than what they did in '02... after winning the group (Sweden,Nigeria, Argentina, England) they lost in OT against Sengegal(?!?)... Edited June 23, 2004 by Swede Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koufax75 Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 Fixed results are rather common in international soccer. And I don't blame it. When 2 teams need a tie to move on, it is 90% sure that they will do that. And it isn't very difficult to do that: 3-3 could have been problematic, but 2-2 is not so difficult. And then, look at the stands.. But I don't blame Sweden or Denmark. Italy would have done the same. I blame Italy, instead. Azzurri should have played differently against Denmark. If we had scored the 2nd goal vs Sweden, we would have won that game. If Trapattoni hadn't decided to play so defensively in the last 20 minutes vs Sweden, we would have won. Trapattoni failed 2 competitions and he will be fired!! Marcello Lippi should be our next coach. Marcello Lippi won 5 Italian Titles, 1 Champions' League with Juventus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Leeds Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 That game was not fixed. The Swedish keeper kept them in the game when the Danes led 2-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 Koufax, there is where we differ. In sweden it is very uncommon, and there is no way they would have fixed this. The signs were there to mess with you guys... there was so much talk from Italy about 2-2 so the fans brought these... heck, a friend of mine brought a similar one to the bar we watched the game at... and he has much insider information Look at the chances the danes had when leading 2-1.... as Leeds says, our goalie kept us in the game Once again, no way!!! xcept the last 2 minutes... but you can't really blame them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koufax75 Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 I haven't blamed Denmark or Sweden. I have blamed Italian players and Trapattoni, our coach. And even though Denmark and Sweden had fixed the game, I would not blame them. Italy should have won against Sweden... We have a new coach: Marcello Lippi has become the new coach of Azzurri.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 I haven't blamed Denmark or Sweden. I have blamed Italian players and Trapattoni, our coach.And even though Denmark and Sweden had fixed the game, I would not blame them. Italy should have won against Sweden... We have a new coach: Marcello Lippi has become the new coach of Azzurri.... Good to hear that you have a new coach. Is this one going to play a more offensive game? The first half against Sweden was sick! if they can keep playing like that they should be back at the top in no-time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciyenne Posted June 29, 2004 Author Share Posted June 29, 2004 We was robbed. Bloody Urs Meier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redruM Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 Hey Ciy: You might want to change that avatar.... Beck's embarrassed all of England w/ the PK.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciyenne Posted July 1, 2004 Author Share Posted July 1, 2004 It's true. I know. I still love him. (but am really loving Pavel Nedved Right now). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 So the finals are today. Here is an AP (via TSN) article on the Greek team. I'm feeling deja vu for some reason. Greece not making many friends Associated Press 7/2/2004 LISBON (AP) - Greece has received high marks for surprisingly reaching Sunday's final of Euro 2004, but the Cinderella team hasn't garnered rave reviews for its style of play. No one can deny that Greece surprised everyone by beating host Portugal, defending champion France and hot favourite Czech Republic on the way to the final. The fact the Greeks had never before won a game at a major championship makes it all the more remarkable. But their tactics didn't make many friends. German coach Otto Rehhagel, whose team plays Portugal again in the final, didn't have a lot of talent to play with. So he worked a system in which his players sit back on defence, stifle the creative play of their opponents as much as possible and try and catch them on a lucky break. Look at Thursday's 1-0 semifinal victory over the freescoring Czechs. After the Greeks had restricted them to three or four half chances, defender Traianos Dellas scored the winner with just seconds to go of the first period of extra time. It was the first ``silver goal'' of the championship which meant the Czechs had to equalize immediately or the game was over. They didn't even have time to restart. The result of Thursday's semifinal is that Greece now has a rematch with the Portuguese at Lisbon's Stadium of Light. Portugal is odds-on favourite to beat Greece in the championship game (TSN, 2:45 p.m. EDT). Bookmakers William Hill make Portugal a strong 4-11 favourite to win a major title for the first time with the Greeks, who started out 100-1, now 2-1 to win the championship. The odds of a Portugal-Greece final were 250-1 at the start of the three-week tournament but one Hills customer, from Athens, has won 1,875 euros ($3,210 Cdn) on a 7.5-euro ($12.20 Cdn) bet that would be the matchup. Having beaten the host 2-1 on the opening day, the Greeks' task sounds easy. Like the Greeks' other Euro 2004 victims, however, the Portuguese didn't know what to expect and were caught out. Spain also was held to a 1-1 tie by Rehhagel's men and the French were unable to impose their classy style on the quarter-final game and went down 1-0. By a strange twist, the only team to beat the Greeks here were the already eliminated Russians in a group game. If the Greek journey to the final had been filled with top quality passing, shooting, dribbling and goals, no one would have doubted their performance. But they admit their game is nothing like that. ``It's work, work, work,'' said defender Mihalis Kapsis. ``We have 11 players with one only target: to help each other on the field. ``We are used to each other. A lot of the players played on the same Greek teams together. We are always talking and know exactly what the other is going to do.'' The fact that Greece made it to the final while powerhouse teams like defending champion France, three-time winner Germany, Italy, Spain and England didn't even get past the quarters suggests that there is a changing of the guard in European soccer. Big stars like Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry of France, England's David Beckham, Spain's Raul Gonzalez and Italy's Alessandro Del Piero performed poorly and even five-goal Milan Baros couldn't find a way past the tough Greek defence. But, if other underachieving countries adopt the same style of economy class soccer, the game is going to lose much of its appeal. The theme running through Europe's media was respect for the Greeks rather that gushing praise. ``The team stays in place,'' said the French sports daily L'Equipe. ``It is, as usual, a tight block. For all those who thought the run of Greece was just an accident, the reality is there for all to see.''< The Italians papers, used to seeing their clubs and national teams playing similar negative tactics for years, said the Greek style was nothing new. ``Passing this soccer, at least 30 years old, off as something new is an undertaking. But maybe, after so much time, a few things have been forgotten about how to confront a team like Greece,'' La Repubblica said in an editorial. La Gazzetta dello Sport offered some respect for Rehhagel and his team. ``Greece doesn't play a spectacular kind of soccer, but it has proven itself balanced and resistant like its German coach,'' said Italy's largest sports daily. Gazzetta said Rehaggel's Greece is ``organized, disciplined and powerful.'' ``A good part of his soccer is left over from pre-modern times. But it works,'' the paper said. Spanish papers gave mixed reviews. ``Greece could only win like that,'' said a critical headline of leading sports daily Marca pointing out at Greek's defence strategy to win the game, while El Pais was more positive. ``Greece has vindicated itself for its capacity of neutralizing the rivals and attack in the precise moment with the right player,'' the paper said. British papers praised the Greeks for a remarkable effort in reaching the final and only one paper, the Daily Express, criticized Rehhagel's tactics. ``The right to play hosts Portugal in Lisbon on Sunday turned into a dour war of attrition,'' the paper said, ``as defensive-minded Greece took football to Hellas and back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevens_4 Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 It's true. I know. I still love him. (but am really loving Pavel Nedved Right now). Hes useless and so over-rated and had a torrid season at real madrid and i cant say im suprised really as all real do is buy "great" players (which most have apart from him) for insane amounts of money and think they can win everything,3rd in the league and losing to monaco in the champions league shows it just doesnt work As A Man Utd fan i was glad to see him go, he was past his best and didnt seem the player he once was and was too much of a celebrity to survive under Sir Alex, ok we didnt win the title this year but from recent signing were bulding a team to win the champions league again and hopefully the treble (more than arsenal managed this year!) and reclaim our place at the top. Ok Arsenal were unbeaten in the league and they did well but we beat them once and drew twice so that doesnt suggest theyre the better team on the day to me. Dont worry next year well have our trophy back, and keep the one we got now too! BTW anyone on here seen Tim Howard play for the Metrostars as didnt they play at the giants stadium near the Continetal Airlines Arena? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 Greece are winning 1-0 and we're late in the 2nd half. Greece have settle back into their trap... Portugal has had the last 3 shots on net. I haven't seen the ball over half in last two or three minutes.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 GREECE WON!!! HA!!! Rinaldo and his pretty, pretty earrings is crying like a little girl. HA!!! The team of no stars, but great defence take Euro 2004. That's amazing. As the commentator just put it: "Absolutely stupendous". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevs4978 Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 Amazing...they've never done squat in any competition (not even a win!) in like 100 years or more of soccer and they go and win the second most important soccer tournament in the world. Then again there's been more of that these days, Bulgaria and Sweden in '94, Croatia in '98, and Turkey and South Korea in '02 came out of nowhere to have great showings in the World Cup. I suppose it's about time soccer stopped being the priviledged domain of the chosen few (only like seven countries have ever won the World Cup). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 Ever see this sh!t before (this is from TSN fan feedback): "The worst final in international football in memory. You can blame the boring Greek style of play for that. A sad day for football indeed when you consider the way that Greece played. Hopefully, this won't start a trend in teams wanting to play defensive and outright shameful football. I'm not necesarily a Portugal fan, but for the greater good of soccer, Portugal should have won. Hell, Latvia probably played more offence than Greece. So here's to the Czech Republic, the true winners of Euro 2004, with their exciting and talended style. Viva Espana!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevens_4 Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 Some people dont understand the defensive style of play, im guessing theyre not devils fans either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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