Samba Soccer Club

FIFA Club World Cup 2008 - Manchester United, Pachuca, Waitakere and LDU, are already there

2008-07-03 20:39:34

Last night LDU - Liga Deportiva Universitaria - from Quito, Ecuador, defeated the Brazilian side of Fluminense in the penalty shootout to win the 2008 Copa Libertadores title and secure the South American spot in the FIFA Club World Cup.

An impressive achievement for sure but now the question is simple: Can this humble team cause one of the greatest upsets in the history of football and beat the super-powered Manchester United?

I honestly doubt it.

In the last 10 years the title of "Best Club of The Planet" only ended in the hands of a South American team 4 times and it was only with Boca Juniors, twice, and two other Brazilian clubs, São Paulo and Internacional.

LDU has some really talented players (Guerron, Bolaños, Vera, Manso and Bieler) but without the financial resources of the big teams from Europe or even from Brazil or Argentina it will be very hard to keep these players on the squad until December.

Guerron, the most talented on the list, is the first one to leave. He has already signed with Spanish side of Getafe. That transfer by itself is a huge loss for Liga.

La Liga de Quito and Pachuca are, in my opinion, at the same level and both teams might face each other in a possible semifinal to decide who will be the one to play a possible final against Manchester United.

This is football. Everything is possible even when it's 99% improbable.

Here is how the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup table looks like so far:

MATCH 1	MATCH 2	SEMIFINAL 1	FINAL
Asian Champions (TBD Nov. 12th) X Waitakere-NZL (Oceania Champions)	MATCH 1 Winners X Host Team (2008 J-League Champions)	MATCH 2 Winners X Manchester United-ENG	SEMIFINAL 1 Winner X SEMIFINAL 2 Winner
	MATCH 3	SEMIFINAL 2
	African Champions (TBD Nov. 16th) X Pachuca-MEX (CONCACAF Champions)	MATCH 3 Winners X Liga Dep. Universitaria-ECU

GERMANY vs. SPAIN - Die Deutsch Bratwurst vs. La Tortilla Española

2008-06-29 18:37:57

90' (+2): It's over SPAIN WON!!! THE NEW EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS!!! There won't be enough sangria in the streets of Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, etc... tonight!!!! CELEBRATION!!!!

90': And after that horrible cross it can be Auf Wiedersehen!!!

89': Another kerfufle inside Spain's box. The ref called a foul on Schweinsteiger and the German didn't like it...

89': You can hear the Spanish crowd singing happily now: España, España!!!

84': But Germany can still save this match. Lots of goals have been scored in this Euro. Can Germany do just like Turkey did a couple of times?

82': Spain is 8 minutes away from their first International title in 44 years. It's about time.

80': Right in time to catch this amazing play by Spain. Marcos Senna started the play an almost finished it in great style!!!!

66': Great set piece by Spain. The ball is crossed and Sergio Ramos with a splendid header forces Lehmann to make another good save.

62': Germany NOW is trying to put pressure on Spain's defense ... There's still time... This match is far from over

59': Ballack!!!!!! Almost, almost, almost!!!!

58': Here comes Kevin Kuranyi. Two Brazilian-born are on his pitch right now. Marcos Senna for Spain and Kevin Kuranyi for Gemrany

54': David Silva shooooootssss after the corner and Sergio Ramos tried a heel flick. If he scored that one he could've gone home and just chilled

51': Germany is in trouble. They are not creating. They're nervous and Spain seems more and more comfortable and dangerous.

47': So Lahm, the man who could follow the 12-year-old-girl-looking Fernando Torres, is out and replaced by Jansen.

45' (+1): Half time whistle. Spain 1, Germany 0. A first 45 with lots of ups and downs.

41': Another corner for Germany.

37': The ref is not happy with Ballack's blood. He's out again. I'm telling ... staple him, staple him!!!

36': Ballack headed Senna's head. Staple him and he'll be fine!

25': The match gained some speed finally. Both teams are now attempting offensive plays

22': Spain had a great chance with Torres. El Niño jumped so high to head that ball it looks like he had coils on his boots. The ball hits the bar. Lucky Germans

19': Look at Torres punching the grass... hahahahaha... Metzelder who looks like a psycho with that beard got him. Free kick for Spain

15': Easy for Lehmann

14': Lehmannnnnnn!!!! Great save!!!! The shot was deflected by Mezelder and Lehmann found time to come back and make an amazing save!

12': I haven't seen Cesc Fabregas touch the ball yet. Did he go to the pooper and didn't come back???

10': The intelligence of the German strategy is admirable. Podolski and Ballack will explore the left side to force Sergio Ramos to stay in defense

7': Ballack just left Puyol eating dust with a sweet move on the far left but his cross was wayyyy far

6': Through ball to Capdevila on the left side of the attack but he was caught offside.

4': Sergio Ramos and all the Spanish defense has been flaky this tournament and the Real Madrid guy gave a present to Schweiney butthe German didn't take full advantage of it.

2': The match starts slow as I expected. Nobody wants to risk a crazy move in the beginning.

1': Here we go. Spain kicks it off.

Before Kick Off:

The National Anthems. Spain's players look a little nervous. I guess no matter how professional you are when it comes a decisive moment and the responsibility of proving you are really the best in the continent the tension takes over. All the German players (and the bench and crowd as well) are singing their anthem. A very beautiful moment

Before Kick Off: So here it is my fellow football lovers. The big Euro 2008 Final. Maybe not the final some expected but both teams got there with merits. Spain by playing an extremely offensive football and Germany with the well known organization and discipline.

Spain vs. Russia - LiVe commentary HeRe!!!

2008-06-26 19:25:42

90' (+2): The ref did the right thing. he didn't even wait the 3 minutes. The match is over. Spain is in the FINAL!!!

90': 3 minutes of stoppage time on this one

88': Cassiiiiiiiillllaaaaaassssss!!!!!! What a save!!!! A magnificent header the Russian player and Iker Casilas dives to his right for an splendid save!!!

87': Spain now pass the ball around trying to waste time while Russia does not do anything.

84': I still don't get why Fabregas start on the bench. He's got much more quality than Silva.

82': GGGOOOOAAAALLLLL... David Silva seals the Russian coffin!!! 3-0. The second half of a champion

79': Now Spain controls possession. And Russia is done. This match is over. Sunday we'll see a great clash between Germany and Spain

73': I told you, I told you, I told... Just put Guiza in for Torres.... In his first opportunity he scores!!!

73': GOOOAAAALLLLLL !!!! GUIZA!!!!

70': Cesc takes a good blaster from outside the box and forces Akinfeev to tip it out for a corner

68':

Thank God!!! Fernando Torres is leaving... and Guiza is coming in... now Spain is going to score a second goal

66': Hahahahaha.... Torres runs like a drunk gazelle... And gets shouldered by the russian defender!

64': Right into the wall...

64': Here comes a Free Kick for Russia....

62': What??? What the fuck Fernando Torres???? He was scared of the ball...

61': Excellent combination Iniesta/Fabregas. Russia is being creamed right now!!!

58': Is it just me or Fernando Torres really suck bad in this competition??? Put Guiza in... He was the topscorer of the season in La Liga

55': Saenko also left the pitch and Sychev takes his place.

55': Senshov is being replaced by Bilyaletnov (or something like that) on the Russian squad

54': Didn't Sergio Ramos just grab that ball with his hands??? hahaha...

51': Fabregas just received a free oral examination, Russian style.

51': What's wrong with Torres... He shouldn't have wasted that one. He was open on the left side of the box and with time to shoot much better

49': A cross by Iniesta to the middle of the box finds the boot of Xavi and the ball found the back of the net!!! Spain closer to the final now. 1-0

49': GGGOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL !!!!!! XAVI !!!!

47': Zyryanov just had his boot removed by Fabregas and unintentionally the Nike-sponsored-gooner just gave Adidas a chance for free advertisement

46': Ramos tries a deep ball for David Silva who has not participate in this match at all. Was he hiding somewhere during the first half?

45': All right... time to go downstairs and get some food and a ~~beer~~, I mean, a soda!!! Fuck!!!

45': No blood??? What??? Pussies

45': That hurt... Will he get staples on his head too? That would be cool!!!

43': I need a beer!!! Oh shite... I'm at the office... A soda will do then

42': Here comes Ramos. Adventuring in the attack for the 19485th time and not doing anything

38': Wow... Look at Torres fancy play... He tipped the ball over the defender but the shot with the left was crappy...

36': Oh shit. Some photographer just got his camera broken ... That's about $1000 pounds

36': It seems that the Spanish team got psychologically affected by Villa's injury.

34': And Pavlyuchenko almost puts it in!What a chance!!!!

33': Uh-oh... Bad news for Spain, very bad news... David Villa is out!!!

33': Fabregas is already warming-up. It might be Xavi or Iniesta coming out earlier than expected

32': AAAAMMMAAAZZZIIINNNGGGG SHOT!!!! A curvy ball that was touched by Casillas fingertips. The ref didn't see that... It should be a corner. Fucker!

26': Iniesta!!!! Oh Jesus Christ!!! He missed the ball... He can go to the third row to grab his "foot" back... hahahaha... Ridiculous

25': Marchena wanted to fight Saenko... Don't mess with the Russians mate! hahahaha

24': Sergio Ramos tries a wild long range shot but he can continue shooting like that all day long and he won't beat Akinfeev

22': Corner for Russia now! Played short and nothing came out of it.

21': Oh, and the more it rains the better it will be for Russia so Spain should really try getting a goal soon

20': David Villa still didn't find his space. But when the Ruski least expect he will be there... (the same with Arshavin on the other side)

15': Great strike by Pavlyuchenko!!!! But the ball flies over the bar and hits someone's beer in the 4th row

15': Casillas has his amrs up in the air... Maybe asking God to help him or something

14': I think the Russian guy pulled Torres but the ref didn't see it that way and now a dangerous free kick for Russia.

13': Sergio Ramos passes the ball back to Casillas with his chest! Classy

10': Fuck... Great Shot by someone in the spanish team. Akinfev saves it. And Peter Nguyen has his fat face in front of the TV... Move man!!!

6': There are 7 fucking hungry fellow co-workers mobbing on my desk to grab their food. Why the fuck they placed the food on my desk.? I can't see the telly... move you fuckers!

5': TOOORRREEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!! Almost... El Nino almost had it!

5': Great ball for Spain and Ramos almost touched his head on that one. Spain is looking dangerous right now

3': Free kick for Spain in midfield ends in nothing. Russia passes the ball in defense

2': Russia is passing the ball well. One can tell that they have incorporated the Dutch touch of Hiddink

Before Kick Off: Russia already won my vote for having sexier women than Spain. (Even though there some stunning Spanish women too)

Before Kick Off: Akinfeev; Anyukov, Ignashevich, V. Berezutski, Zhirkov; Semak, Saenko, Semshov, Zyrianov; Arshavin and Pavlyuchenko

Spain is ready to exorcise the ghost of the underachievement

2008-06-26 18:53:01

.:. Spain vs Russia .:.

Spain has a great chance to advance to the Euro 2008 finals. The team is very motivated and with talents like Fernando Torres, Sergio Ramos, Carles Puyol, Iker Casillas, Iniesta, Xavi and the inspired David Villa (and Cesc Fabregas on the bench (?)) one could only think that they are really the favourites to play Germany for the title on Sunday BUT some other facts should be taken in consideration before the fans of La Roja start celebrating.

Russia has a fast, disciplined and well trained team. Guus Hiddink is a very intelligent coach and he might use a strategy to surprise Spain just like he did with the Netherlands.

Another point that will make a difference today is the weather. It's been raining in Viena for quite some time and the wet pitch might give Russia a physical advantage.

So all I can really say is that there are no real favourites in this match. Russia has a not-so-well-known roster but that doesn't mean that they don't have the necessary quality to win and Spain, we all know very well. The team has quality, has talent and has already beat Russia once in this competition. But can they really perform under pressure?

We shall see ...

Germany vs. Turkey - Follow the LIVE commentary here!!!!

2008-06-25 19:11:43

90' (+1): GGGGOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLL GERMANY!!!! DEUSCHLAND!!!!! Lahm

82': The brilliant Semih Senturk gives Turkey another miracle. He got to the ball before Lehmann and put it in for another equalizer.... 2-2 now... Turkey is not dead yet!

76': Oh fuck... not again!!!! Can I have another beer then?

74':

If Germany win the Euro Metzelder will receive a life supply of Gilette Mach 3 to get rid of that awful beard he's been carrying

70': I believe this match is still up for grabs. Either team can score a second goal and win the whole thing but the closer it gets to the end of the match the more dangerous Turkey is... We've all seen that movie right?

68': And after a second cross German'y's defense finally cleared the ball from the box

67': Cleared partially

67': Boral gets a corner for Tukey...

65': Friedrich tried a cross from the right.... Too hard. it crossed the box and nobody got a touch of it

64': Apparently nothing changed ... the score is st\ill 1-1

58': The explanation is: The power went down in Basel... Well... Let's wait...

57': And fucking ESPN just lost its satelite signal... so I'm not watching anything anymore

57': Bad kick by Ballack... it hit the bottom of the wall... What a wasted opportunity...

56': Lame

56': Danger Danger Danger for the Turkish goalkeeper

56': Foul from behind on Ballack. There should be YELLOW for Altintop

54': The second half started just as if it's a Formula 1 race. These players are running 300km per hour at least

54': Here comes German in counter attack... no... it was cleared... they got the ball back... and Hitzpelger (or whatever his name is spelled) shot over the bar...

52': Now a yellow card for Semih Senturk

51': Oh yeah... The replay shows it WAS a penalty...

51': Huge kerfufle around me. The German fans go wild with the s0-non-called penalty for them. Was it? Wasn't it? I couldn't tell for sure

49': So Frings is in for Rolfes. They will try a better method to staple his head I guess

Half Time: The Free Beer was excellent... I even got a picture with a pretty girl to prove but it's on my phone. I'll upload it later

45' (+2): There we go... let me run now!!! Free Beer Free Beer Free Beer Free Beer Free Beer

45': C'mon ref... Blow the whistle... I want my free beer

44':

Frings is coming in for Germany... who left?

39': Rolfes used his eyebrow to open a cut in Akman's head... they'are both bleeding... And Akman;s got his head stappled in the pitch... hahahaha... Look at the size of that stappler... That's for big heads

39': Blood Blood Blood.... show me the blood!!!!

37': Boral with a powerful shot when everyone expected a cross... Lehmann's couldn't hold it and bounces it back to the middle of the box... nobody got a good touch on it... Germany is saved for now

37':

Free kick for turkey ...

35': Free

35': Oh yeah, you heard me right: FREE BEER + BEAUTIFUL WOMEN ...

35': I'm only cheering for Germany because there will be free beer here at the Goethe Institut during half time. And there a lot of pretty German women here.

33': Oh Lukas!!!!! Where did you shoot that one... Crazy Polski

32':

Turkey's impetuosity has to be admired. I really respect them much more now. They didn't step on the pitch tonight to play defensevly

30':

Cleared

29': A header for Turkey ends in Lehmann's hands... a now a corner for Gemrany

26': After showin his white arse to the world Schweinsteiger scores the equalizer and I didn't even finished explaining Turkey's goal... Oh, what the hell!!!!! It's 1-1. That's all you need to know

26':

Ok, let me explain better the whole kerfuffle!!! (while I look away from Schweineys white butt)

A guy from Turkey set the ball with his chest: then Altintop crossed the ball and Kazim-Kazim hit the crossbar again...

SHIT!!! GOOOOAAAAALLLLL for Germany!!!! Schweiney....

21': Boral scores for Turkey after the great set up play by the attack

20': They just showed Joachim Low and he looked like a little kid who lost his parents in a shopping mall. I think he can't believe what's been going on.

17': And nothing came out from that corner... Rustu punched the ball out

17': Germany movesup and gets a corner after the Turkish guy kicks the ball to the last row of the stands

16': Harsh tackle by Boral on Klose. Free kick for Germany... That was easy for Rustu

14': The German fans here at the Goethe Institut are screaming, kicking and almost having a heart attack. Just to let them know I'll only perform CPR in beautiful German women

14':

HIT THE CROSSBAR!!!!! What the Fuck!!!! Turkey is playing very aggressive. Very solid and much better than Germany

10': Turkey is not shy at all. The 5 men in the middle rotate well and confuse the German defense.

8':

Lahm almost made Turkey job easier now.

6': Rustu's uniform is also very bright yellow. Both goalkeepers look like gigantic lemons

5': The first dangerous play comes from Turkey. the cross from the left was cleared by Schweiney

4': Lehmann's shirt is incredibly blinding. That might help distract the Turks

2': Turkey is playing with 5 men in midfield trying to avoid Ballack's passes.

1': Ballack wanted the throw in but Turkey already won this first dispute

Before Kick Off:

Lineups Confirmed:

GERMANY: Lehmann; Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Lahm; Rolfes, Schweinsteiger, Hitzlsperger, Ballack; Klose and Podolski

TURKEY: Rustu; Sabri, Mehmet Topal, Gokhan Zan, Hakan Balta; Mehmet Aurelio, Kazim Kazim, Hamit Altintop, Ayham Akman, Ugur Boral; and Semith Senturk

Before Kick Off: I'm watching the match at the Goethe Institut in Los Angeles with a lot of German fans (including some beautiful girls) so I guess I'll have to cheer for them (I mean the girls...) hahaha

Before Kick Off:

I don't know what kind of miracle the Turkish coach is going to try this time but he's going to need a big if they want to beat the balanced and motivated German side.

Here are the probable Lineups:

GERMANY	TURKEY
1- Lehmann	1- Rustu
3- Friedrich	20- Sarioglu
17- Metersacker	4- Zan
21- Metzelder	16- Boral
16- Lahm	3- Balta
6- Rolfes	6- Topal
13- Ballack	22- H. Altintop
7- Schweinsteiger	19- Akman
15- Hitzlsperger	7- M. Aurelio
11- Klose	18- Kazim-Richards
20- Podolski	9- Semih Senturk

Turkey will need to pick up the pieces of a broken squad to face Germany in the Euro Semifinals

2008-06-24 21:16:23

Germany vs. Turkey

Tomorrow Germany and Turkey will play the first Euro 2008 Semi-Final. Both teams got to this point with merit but in totally different scenarios.

Germany came from a unexpected second place in Group B behind Croatia but the team used its force, discipline and tradition to beat Portugal - one of the favourites - in the quarterfinals.

Turkey struggled to finish in second place in Group A scoring last-minute goals and having passion as the main ingredient for the success. The "never give up" motto was also essential to give the team a goal in the stoppage time of extra time to allow Turkey to beat Croatia in the penalty shootout and secure a spot in the semis.

With that being said, both teams should have equal possibilities to moving to the final but everything changes if we analise each team's roster at this point.

From the 23 players on the squad Turkish coach Fatih Terim can only count on 14. He has 4 players suspended and 4 players who are injured. Important names included in this absence list are: Nihat and Emre (injured) and Arda Turan and Tuncay (suspended).

On the other hand, Germany has no injuries or suspension problems. All 23 players are available for the head coach Joachim Löw. And after the victory over Portugal the motivation level is high.

The responsibility now lies on Germany's back. They have all the favourable conditions to get to another Eurocup Final.

As for Turkey, they have ahead them another "mission impossible" but we've all seen this movie before during this tournament and we know that so far the Turks are playing award-winning roles.

Coach Fatih Terim's mission just gets tougher and tougher

Captain Michael Ballack knows that the Final is just one step away

Spain vs. Italy - LIVE COMMENTARY HERE!!! (I'm back)

2008-06-22 19:38:58

Penalties: Here comes Cesc Fabregas. If he scores Spain goes through to the semis... He runs and.... GGGGOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!! Spain is in the semifinals of the Euro 2008!!!!

Penalties: Guiza steps up to take the penalty for Spain: SAVED!!! SAVED By Buffon!!! Italy is alive in the match

Penalties: Camoranesi on the ball... He has to score... GGGOOOAAALLLL... a relief for Italy - Spain 3-2 Italy

Penalties: The brazilian born Marcos Senna with the chance of putting ahead: GGGOOOAAAALLLL - Spain 3-1 Italy

Penalties: De Rossi on the ball - SAVED!!! SAVED!!! SAVED!!! Amazing Save by Casillas!!!

Penalties: Santi Carzola for Spain... GGGOOOAAALLLL - Spain 2-1 Italy

Penalties: Now it's Fabio Grosso for Italy... GOOOOAAALLL: Spain 1-1 Italy

Penalties: David Villa takes the spot. GGGGGOOOAAAALLLL. Spain 1-0 Italy

120': The Ghost of Underachievement is right there now. Haunting every single Spanish fan, every single Spanish player. If Italy wins we will have for the first time in the Euro history NO group winners moving to the semifinals

120': And it's over!!! Penalty shootout...

119': And that was probably the last chance of this match. Wasted by Santi Cazorla...

117': I don't see any of the teams fighting to score a late goal. They attack but with no intensity

115':

Five more minutes and this match will be decided in the penalty shootout

113': Oh my God!!! The referee stopped the match AGAIN for nothing!!!

111': Great deep ball for David Villa... No offside... but his touch was not the best... Corner for Spain. Ramos heads it ... it goes out

109': Aquilani is coming and here comes the man... Alessandro Del Piero.

108':

A good free kick for Italy now. Grossos lifts it in the box and nobody reaches it.

106': The Spanish crowd is singing non-stop. They are expecting for a miracle goal from David Villa or La Liga's top scorer, Guiza. Italy keeps its cool and the solid defensive style

105': And the the referee blows for half time of extra time

100': And we reached 100 minutes of football

100': Nice heel flick pass by Guiza to Cesc but he was offside.

98': All right. My wife got Baby Lucas now. And Fabregas fell in the box. Nothing it was nothing. Just good italian defense again

95': Casillas just made an incredible save for Spain.

94': sorry guys i'm typing with one hand and rocking the baby with the other

92': Great attack by Spain and it ends with Silva`s shot going centimeters away from the post

Extra Time: it's on. 30 more minutes of football betwee Spain and Italy

90' (+3):

we're going to extra time here

90' (+2):

Great defense by the Italian side. Corner for Spain... cleared

90': stupid ref!!! that was a clean tackle by Puyol

90': 3 minutes of stoppage time

87': Why did Guiza touch that ball with his hands... He had the chance to score the goal...

84': Torres is upset again. Aragones replaces him. Guiza is in

82':

We are less than 10 minutes away from another extra-time

80': A lost ball finds Marcos Senna again... Ultra powerful shot. Buffon can't hold and the ball touches the woodwork and then he picks it up... What a Blaster by Marcos Senna

79': Another free kick for Spain and it's Villa again. Senna is next to him. Marcos Senaaaaaa... and Buffon punches it out! Good strike by the brazilian-born

78': Another corner for Spain. Ball in the air and it's punched by Buffon

76':

Corner for Spain. Fabregas plays it short. The ball bounces back out of the box and back to Sergio Ramos's chest he couldn't quite get a good touch and it's another easy one for Buffon

73': Di Natale replaces Cassano on the Italian team

69': Zambrota bends a cross in for Toni and he hheads it. not his best header tough

69': Fabregas takes the corner and Ambrosini clears it

68': Deflected by the wall and it's a corner for Spain

68': Panucci came hard on David Villa. A free kick for Spain. It's a long one. Villa is on the ball.

66': The Italians are coming up more on this second half. Free kick for Italy. Camoranesi lifts the ball in the box but it goes wide and high. Far.

60': Casillas AMAZING save with his foot on the shoot by Camoranesi...

58': Substitutions for Spain now. Cesc Fabregas comes in for Xavi Hernandes and Cazorla takes Iniesta's place

58': Another corner for Spain. It's Xavi on the ball. Buffon punches it out and David Silva shoots the rebound far from the goal

57': A substution for Italy: Perrota comes out and Camoranesi takes his place. (no Del Piero so far)

55': Torres is running a lot in this second half. He got this ball and crossed low in search of Villa. the defender puts it out for a corner. And nothing comes out of that ... But it's good to see El Nino fighting for the ball

52': Great deep ball by Marcos Senna to David Villa but the attempt of cross was horrible!

50':

Toni almost got his head on the cross. The flag was up though, he was offside!

49': The Italian defense made it's first real mistake in the match and David Silva almost had that one

47': That's an interesting fact that they just showed on TV. the last time Spain defeated Italy in a major competition was in the 1920 Olympic Games.

46': And we're off for the next 45 minutes of football between Spain and italy.

Half Time: As GoonerJoe just mentioned in the chat we just hope for a brighter second half.

45' (+1): And it's over. 45 dull minutes. I'm going to get food finally

45':

Iniesta takes another shot and it goes outy for a goal kick. Spain has more initiative but they still didn't figure out how to break the Italian defense. Italy had a couple of chances too but nothing to really force Casillas to work hard

41': How bad can referees be? That was obviously a foul. Not a penalty though but certainly a foul. It should be a free kick to Spain

36': Cassano turns Sergio Ramos in and out and gets a cross. Toni almost gets to it. The ball is cleared by Puyol!!!! (the exclamation marks are to try to bring some intensity to this very poor match so far)

34':

And I still didn't go get my drink and my food.

32': Spain is not being able to get inside the Italian box. The players insist on long range shots or deep passes. Uneffectevelly so far

30': Ambrosini saw an yellow card.

28': Long ball from Aquilani in the air. It's for Toni... But the ref blows the whistle on the italian striker. Free kick for Spain.

27': Cassano keeps on giving Ramos a hard time.

26': Bad boy Cassano tanlges with Sergio Ramos and gets the free kick.

23':

Free kick for Spain. Good opportunity!!! Villaaaaaaa.... The ball goes fast on the ground but Buffon dives and keeps it safe

21':

Oh my... I want some action please

18': Great cross by Ambrosini and Perrota came as a surprise in the middle, right behind Puyol. The header was just not powerful enough. Casillas has the ball

17': Torres hasn't been the same in this Tournament. He just delivered an awful cross.

16': Italy kicks the ball out because David Villa was down. Ambrosini kicked him in the previous play but the ref didn't call the foul or anything.

15': Very slow match right now... Nothing really going on. I need some chips and a drink.

13': Another long ball lost in the Spanish attack

12': Long ball for Villa but he couldn't get to it in time. Spain is looking nervous in these first minutes. Is it the ghost of the underachievemts haunting them already?

11': The first yellow is finally shown and it's to Iniesta.

10': Cassano steals the ball and is fouled by Torres. The ref has a talk with El Nino.

8':

Iniesta is alternating sides, trying to confuse the Italian defense. But the match is still in a very slow pace. Teams seem to be studying each other

8': Good combination on the left of the Spanish attack. Buffon picks up the deflected shot

7': Free kick for Italy on the left side. De Rossi sends it to the box. And Casillas picks it up easily

6': A long ball to nobody in the the Spanish attack

5': Iniesta gets a good cross cross from the left but the defense clears. Italy goes for the counter but David Villa comes back to help the defense and recovers the ball

2': Tough tackle from Marcos Senna on Cassano. No card shown.

1': Here we go. Italy playing all in white and Spain with their traditional Red shirts and Dark Blue shorts and socks

Before Kick Off: Camoranesi... GOOOOAAAAALLLL...

Before Kick Off: Here comes the National Anthems!!!

Italy vs. Spain - Unpredictable ( and some points of view about the other matches)

2008-06-22 19:04:56

Hello Everyone,

Spain and Italy will step into the pitch in less than an hour and now I really don't know what to expect about this match. I could only predict or comment something after the first ten minutes and even after that things could drastically change.

It's a mach of high expectations. Spain has the potential (like always). Youth, talent, speed, determination... Let's just hope they have the balance.

Italy has tradition, balance, and luck. Oh yeah, and they are the World Champions! (a small detail right?)

An Apology

I haven't been watching the matches live since Wednesday (with the exception of Germany vs. Portugal on Thursday). The reason some of you already know. I just got a new acquisition to my "team". My son Lucas was born on Wednesday, the day that Brazil and Argentina played each other in my hometown, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. I'm already training him for World Cup 2022.

Anyway, I just wanted to pinpoint a few things about the three quarterfinals matches so far: (after watching all the highlights)

Germany 3 x 2 Portugal

I would be very stupid if I simply said that Cristiano Ronaldo let his team down. It's not true. Every chance, every goal scored by Portugal in this competition had this young guy's touch.

But was he the same as the Cristiano Ronaldo we know from Manchester United? Absolutely NOT! His club teammates play for him, they do all the hard work in order to let Cristiano Ronaldo shine. That doesn't happen in the National Team. There, the best player of the year has to work a little harder for the team. And sometimes he can't do it all. He's still Cristiano Ronaldo but not a Garrincha, Pelé or Maradona yet. Will he ever be? Who knows?

Germany played like the three-time World Champion and three-time European Champion that they are. Discipline, confidence and efficiency were the secrets of the German victory. (and a great performance by Schweiney)

Turkey 1 (1) x 1 (3) Croatia (penalties shootout)

What a match!!! It's hard to find words to describe how incredible this match was. I bet that a lot of cardiac attacks happened in both countries with all the tension and late goals and the penalty shootout.

And what can I say about Semih Senturk? Is this kid blessed or what? He comes in from the bench twice just to score the goals that the team needs to qualify. That's why he's called the Liferguard among his Fenerbahce teammates and fans. He does save the team.

As for the Croatians I believe they went as far as they could. They could've qualified if they had transformed the chances they had or the mistakes of the Turkish goalkeeper into goals. They didn't and paid a high price for not doing their job. This if football.

Netherlands 1 x 3 Russia

Russia played exactly like Zenit FC in the UEFA Cup semifinals against Bayern Munich. Keeping the ball possession and putting pressure on the opponent's defense. Great job by the Russians and well deserved.

The great Netherlands was once again the most pleasant team to watch in the group stage but then... underachiever's syndrome.

The problem is that this team was not expecting to be attacked. They were prepared for a timid and defensive Russia. And they were shocked, surprised and groggy by the Russian Roulette's impetuosity.

FRance vs. Italy - Follow it here play-by-play

2008-06-17 19:36:29

90' (+3): The referee blows the whistle. Pizza, Spaghetti, Lasagna and Ravioli to be eaten in every Cantina around the world tonight!!! Italy who had a terrible start in the competition managed to advance. France and Romania go back home earlier!

90' (+2): Great shot by Toni and once again denied by Coupet!

90': Three minutes of added time to be played in this match. Italy is through to face Spain in the quarterfinals

89': Benzema takes a free kick for France. Sends the ball in the box but it was too much. Nobody could've reached that ball

86': The corner is taken and Cassano takes the shot. Easy for Coupet (meanwhile Netherlands scored the second)

86': Camoranesi gets the ball open on the right side of the box. Shoots. Deflected. this time for a corner

84': Now it's a yellow for Thierry Henry for a nasty slide tackle

82': Great header by Luca Toni but the referee blew the whistle. The Italina striker pulled Boumsong's arm.

81': Sub for Italy. Gattuso is replaced by Aquilani.

77': The TV cameras just showed Vieira on the bench. The french team was expecting to count on him for the quarterfinals but it seems that it's not going to be necessary. France might be going home earlier.

75': Time is running out for France. A tie would force the match to go to the penalty shootout. But the French has only 15 minutes

73': Great shot by Karim Benzema! Buffon splendid save

72': Gallas got a slight touch on the ball to intercept Toni's header

69': Henry is up

69': Henry is down.

66': Gouvou is replaced by Anelka on the French squad. It's do or die for them now

62': I was about to say that Italy didn't have Pirlo for the free kick but then the ball is set for De Rossi and he shoots. Thierry Henry was on the wall and put his foot on the way. The ball is deflected and Coupet couldn't do anything... The ball went straight into the net. Italy closer to the quarterfinals

62': GGGGOOOOAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!! ITALIA ITALIA!!!!

60': Italy is marking France under pressure trying to recover the ball fast. and it's working

58': Henry got the cross in the box. But he pushed the Italian defender and the referee calls the foul. The French offensive play ends there.

52': Is France a;ready getting desperate? Henry is trying to call the responsibility to himself but with long range shots he'll need something very special to beat Buffon. This last one was also just too easy

51': Another good pass by Toulalan find Henry in the box. He turns and shoots. The ball is easily picked up by Buffon

49': A very good play by Toulalan on the right. He crosses Henry misses the ball and Benzema shoots a blaster from outside the box. The cannonball flies over the bar

46': First one to put his face up close on the screen in this second half is Govou. He got a yellow card.

46': Second half is on its way. France needs to improve a lot if they want to perform a great comeback

Half Time: I'm gonna get some food.!

45' (+3): He lifts the ball for Benzema... Cleared! And the referee blows the whistle for half time!

45' (+3): And another free kick for France. Could it be it? A goal now would make things much better for Les Bleus

45' (+2): Now it's Evra who's receiving treatment. He got a hit on his foot after he crossed the ball.

45' (+1): Clerc crosses form the right side and .... nobody gets it. Just Italians there

45': Perrota is out receiving treatment

44': And now Prilo is out of the next match (if Italy moves on). He saw a yellow card for a foul from behind on Benzema

43': Grosso with the left foot. HITS THE POST, HITS THE POST!!!

43': Free kick given to Italy. After De Rossi was leaving the third defender behind. Here comes Pirlo or Grosso

42': Benzema on the left. he turned Gattuso in and out and crosses to nobody... goal kick Italy

38': Italy tried once again the lifted ball in the middle of France's defense. This time Cassano was caught offside

37': No, it was Benzema... Terrible terrible!!! The ball hits the wall bounces back to him and he shoots again. Far from the goal

37': Henry and Benzema on the ball. Of Course is going to be Henry

37': Free kick given to France. Gattuso got Henry.

33': Great move by Henry, He avoids the offside and moves to the right to turn and shoot in diagonal. The ball goes wide.

32': GROSSO!!! What the hell was that??? Well, at least the team is winning ...

29': two balls send in the middle of the French defense and Toni missed the chances. Where's the French defense????

28': Toni with a fine touch of the heel almost gets the second goal

27': WHAT A BLASTER BY DE ROSSI!!!!! It went over the bar but now Itaoly looks more dangerous than never. They want to finish this match as fast as possible to avoid any reaction from France

25': And Nasri who came in to replace Ribery now is replaced by Boumsong. The French defense needed to be recomposed

25': PERFECT Penalty shot. Top right corner of Coupet

25': Pirlo takes it! GOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLL!!! For Italy!!!!

24': PEnalty!!!! Clear penalty on Luca Toni!!! And Red Card to Abidal!!!!

22': France with much more possession but it was Italy who had the best chances so far

20': Perrota couldn't control the ball in the box. Italy could've scored there!

19': Gouvou receives the pass. What kind of shot is that Gouvou??? You had Henry and Benzema in the box ... The French seem nervous

18': Good cross by Pirlo and the defense clears

17': Very rough tackle by Evra. Cassano goes down. Free kick to the Italians and yellow card to Evra

16': The ball is sent too deep from Zambrota to Cassano. Throw-in for France

14': France coming to attack now on the right. Bezema gets the pass and takes a shot. Buffon just follows the shot the goes out for a goal kick

12': My friend Frenchi is blogging in the French area of OleOle and he's sitting on a desk right next ot mine. He's totally devasted with Ribery's injury...

10': Panucci with a headeeeerrrr.... WHAT A SAVE by Greg Coupet!!!!

9': And now a corner for Italy. Pirlo on the ball

8': It's over for Ribery. Henry is trying to console him. Ribery is out and Nasri takes his place

6': Ribery is down and signs to the bench. That might be trouble for France. It's his ankle.

5': Henry recovers the ball in the midfield for France. Pass it to Ribery and I'm confused now. I don't know if he tried to shoot or cross... either way it was not even close to the goal

4': Great chance for Luca Toni and he missed. Abidal made the mistake and Toni could've gotten closer to score that one. The ball went wide but near the right post

3': France had a second corner and the ball went low crossing the whole extension of the box

3': France got the first corner. I push in the box was waved by referee. The heat is on

1': Game on! Italy playing in white and France is with their tradicional blue

Before Kick Off: A new encounter between France and italy after the 2006 World Cup Final. Both now both teams NEED a win if they want to continue in the competiton. France is bringing Henry and Benzema up front nad Italy will come with Cassano and Luca Toni.

Poland vs. Croatia - Live Commentary (pro-Croatia)

2008-06-16 19:54:54

90' (+2): And it's over. Poland out. Croatia assuring the first position of the group to face Turkey in the quarterfinals.

90' (+1):

Shot for Croatia. Way over the bar. That a good moment to call the game over. Poland failed in doing their part. Well, Austria didn't help them either

89': Nope. They tried a set up play. But it didn't work quite well

89': Free kick for Croatia on the right side of their attack. It's going to be a cross into the box.

87': Another incredible goal chance wasted by Poland. The deserve to tie but they are not finishing well enough

84': Vukojevic saw a yellow for pushing Guerreiro.

81':

What a play for Poland. Great Shot!!! Over the bar

79':

A free kick for Croatia! Far Far Far

74': Sub for Croatia: Kranjcar comes in for Petric

68': Great save by the Croatian goalkeeper now. And Poland wastes another chance. Time is running out

63': Great chance for Roger Guerreiro. Poland almost tie things up

60': Poland is toasted. Germany beating Austria, and the Polski are not being able to score on the reserves of the Croatian squad.

55': Smolarek with the chance to tie. But the shots goes wide. Off the left post

52': GGGGGGOOOAAAAAALLLLLL Klasnic buries Poland's hopes. Great counter attack ends with Klasnic shooting from inside the box and putting it away from Boruc!

Half Time: Croatia dominated about 38 minutes of the first half and then Poland decided to put some pressure and had one or two chances. Boruc made GREAT saves for Poland!

45' (+1): Great chance for Croatia now. Rakitic almost put it on the top left corner of the goal. Great opportunity

45':

Poland moving up now. They need score a goal. Actually the ideal for the Polish would be a win by two goals. Then a 1-0 by Austria would give them the second spot in the group. But they need to do their part first

42': Cleared by the defense

42': A corner for the Polish now

41': Poland with a free kick near the box

38': Roger Guerreiro tried a fancy Brazilian move and got fouled by Pokrivac. I'm sorry Bart but Croatia is still plying much better

34': Another corner for Croatia after a great save by Boruc.

31': Great opportunity for Croatia. Klasnic on a one-on-one but he missed

31': Roger who had a great game against Austria is not playing as well tonight

23':

A sub for Croatia early in the match.

21': There's nothing really going on on the match. I'm trying to watch both. Croatia is just administrating the match and Poland are not being able to attack

11': Just got here. Sorry folks. I don't even know what'sd going on in the match but I'm sure Croatia is playing better... hahaha