Football thread

[robbie]

Congratulations Italy! Great news!

[Sabeena]

Zidane le fou!!, what an idiot,

[RowerB]

Originally Posted by freddie

Someone who's a role-model to so many young people shouldn't have alowed himself to lose control like that.

We’ve seen Zidane’s temper before. In his last season in Italy he committed some truly malicious fouls. It’s really sad to see him end his career like that though.

Originally Posted by freddie

next stop losing in the finals in 2018?

I’ll be dead by then.

I think this was the best World Cup for some time. The German’s looked after the fans who couldn’t get tickets and the stadiums were filled with enthusiastic crowds. The refs were good and the diving and shirt pulling has been reduced, though not eliminated. We saw Messi briefly, which was worth buying my TV licence for. Last but not least, to a team who’s players are all based in a league in utter turmoil, well-done Italy.

[Rachel]

Offtop:

Originally Posted by RowerB

I’ll be dead by then.

Offtop:
LOOOOOL nice and positive I see

[freddie]

On a bragging note:
Italians have been virtually unbeatable for a couple of years now. You know which national team was the last one to beat them? It was no other than land of the imprisoned and home of the timid - gimme an S... gimme an L gime an... Ovenia?! Yup... We beat them back in 2004 in a qualifying match for the WC finals (which they now won). They always hated playing against their vicini sclavi.

[marina]

FUCKING HELL !!!
What kind of results is this ?!
It's not that I have anything against Italian team but I've grown to love French team during the World Cup ( I wasn't their supporter from the start) , they won many games proving you wrong and I feel personally *in debts* to them for sending ghastly Ronaldo home....
And now this ....
What exactly happened to Zidane ? No , I mean REALLY ?
How much you have to insult the man that he would risk being sent off at such a moment when Italy went on to win 5-3 in a penalty shoot-out in which France badly missed him ??
Something must have happened !

Greatly disappointed . To hell with this World Cup...

[coolasfcuk]

Originally Posted by marina

What exactly happened to Zidane ? No , I mean REALLY ?
How much you have to insult the man that he would risk being sent off at such a moment when Italy went on to win 5-3 in a penalty shoot-out in which France badly missed him ??
Something must have happened !

agreed!

I mean, both teams werent my favs.... but i was going for France! They also did seem to play better today...
still, I REALLY hope it comes out in the press what did that sleezy Italian mouth out to make Zidan loose his temper SO badly .... not that i am excusing it, but still ....

ok, lets move onto the euro.. this world cup SUCKED! Thank god Bulgaria never even made it to be part of this event

[la_fee_verte]

I'm not a happy girl. With add due fairness to Italy, they should not have even been there. After The Aus v Italy game (which was shown here at 2.00 am mind you with school the next day) I could not move. I was so shitted off. After all we did to actually get to Germany jumping through bloody hoops for FIFA. If the game tied, as it should have, we could have worn them down after about 10 mins. Guus hadn't even put Kennedy out, and Aloisi was on for about 10 mins - though his shot at goal was pretty good, shame it missed.

What actually annoys me is that after all that Soccer will go back to being a 5th rate game here after Cricket, AFL, Rugby, and league. Not to mention how hard it is going ot be to get to South Africa...

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE! OY OY OY!

[intervolkov]

1 Gianluigi Buffon
2 Cristian Zaccardo
3 Fabio Grosso
4 Daniele De Rossi
5 Fabio Cannavaro
6 Andrea Barzagli
7 Alessandro Del Piero
8 Gennaro Gattuso
9 Luca Toni
10 Francesco Totti
11 Alberto Gilardino
12 Angelo Peruzzi
13 Alessandro Nesta
14 Marco Amelia
15 Vincenzo Iaquinta
16 Mauro Camoranesi
17 Simone Barone
18 Filippo Inzaghi
19 Gianluca Zambrotta
20 Simone Perrotta
21 Andrea Pirlo
22 Massimo Oddo
23 Marco Materazzi

ITALY WORLD CHAMPION!!!!!

Edit: Titles of Italian and international newspapers

Gazzetta dello sport (Italy): TUTTO VERO!!!CANIPONI DEL MONDO

Corriere della sera (Italy):L'Italia dei Campioni

Corriere dello Sport (Italy):ITALIA!

Le figaro (France): L’Italie assomme la France

Liberation (France): France, étoile fuyante

L'equipe (France): "ça a pesè lourd"

De Spiegel (Germany): Schiedsrichter bestreitet Einsatz von Videobeweis

Bild (Germany): Grosso schenkt Italien den Titel

Frankfurter Allgemeine (Germany): Italien erwartet den neuen Weltmeister

The Times (england): No ifs or butts, Italy are champions

The Guardian (England): Italy strike gold as Zidane sees red

The sun (England): Yes,We Cann (there is a photo where Cannavaro get up the WC)

Marca (Spain): Italia sube al cielo y Zidane baja al infierno

As (Spain): GANÓ ITALIA; PERDIÓ ZIDANE

Sport (Spain) :Zidane Arruina su despedida

[freddie]

Sometimes I think there just has to be some universal mechanism of fate out there. I remember back in Euro 2000 finals France and Italy played for the cup. Italy was leading 1:0 right until the last minute when France equalized. It went to overtimes when Davide Trezeguet scored for France. The golden goal rule was still in use then so that won it for France 2:1. He was the main rooster in the galic henhouse that day.

Yesterday Davide Trezeguet fucked up France's only penalty, which consequently cost them the title.

... Mysterious ways indeed ...

[nath]

Originally Posted by intervolkov

Le figaro (France): L’Italie assomme la France

really?...hihi....I haven't noticed that in watching the match..

I think this match was very disappointing for a Final match....it was boring and...just my point of view, nor France nor Italy were playing well.

I don't know what was said to Zidane but I agree that he has no excuse to have acted like that...and I think that today he might be the first unhappy of a such act.

I had a lot of pleasure in watching France-Bresil for the quality of the football...
I just hope to have soon a such pleasure in watching a match...whatever the nationality of the team..

May be I haven't seen football for a long time but what I will keep is a dispointed and irritated feeling: may be my memory is definitively "out" but I don't have the souvenir than players were playing like that before.i mean 20 years ago....
Now, all the 5 minutes you are stopped because of "cinema"...people are about to die on the field and 5 minutes later run as rabbits!
They can't play without holding the teee-shirts of others...or pushing the other on the grass when the player becomes too dangerous...

Rules should be strictly applied by referees if not football will turn to "american football with foot"...i was really , really irritated by this aspect.

[freddie]

Originally Posted by nath

Rules should be strictly applied by referees if not football will turn to "american football with foot"...i was really , really irritated by this aspect.

That's true but at the same time they have to make sure that the game flows freely. Which means overlooking some insignificant fouls in the middle of the pitch (ones that don't even result in losing the possession of the ball) and only stop the game when something harsher happens. It's tedious when a ref blows his whistle every 3 seconds. Gameplay gets completely murdered like that.

[la_fee_verte]

I think thats why other football codes (in AUS particulary) are so boring. Every 5 mins they are checking with a video ref which is annoying and takes up too much time. I actually heard that the Aus v. Japan ref was given the sack after that game... I dare say a few will be in review at least.

So what am I going to do for another 4 years since there is like no proper football here?

[fanoff]

Zidane gets Materazzi

the moment zidane hit italian player.if you look at the comments they were such sayings that called Zidane a "stupid,barbarian Muslim"(is Zidane Muslim?).i dont know what to say to these kind of people who actually have some problems with themselves and are totally racist.

[marina]

I'm sure the Italian team knew what they were doing ; they probably provoked the French teams best player so he's be out and they'd have an easier chance at winning !
Anyway ...This world cup will not be remembered for Italy's victory in penalty kicks. It will be remembered for Zidane wiped that italian out !

[coolasfcuk]

Originally Posted by fanoff

Zidane gets Materazzi

the moment zidane hit italian player.if you look at the comments they were such sayings that called Zidane a "stupid,barbarian Muslim"(is Zidane Muslim?).i dont know what to say to these kind of people who actually have some problems with themselves and are totally racist.

I cannot watch your link right now, but I am SURE the Italian said something racist (that's what me and my friends were thinking) ... saying "Fuck your mother" would not make someone do what Zidane did .. either way, ugly moment

Too many Italians in San Francisco, North Beach (the italian neighborhood) and most of the city for that matter were crazy yesterday: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object...NG90JSHVJ1.DTL

[nath]

Originally Posted by freddie

It's tedious when a ref blows his whistle every 3 seconds. Gameplay gets completely murdered like that.

Yep I understand but they should say to all the teams now:"Enough is enough"...so the game will be stop until people would be able to play football and not a remake of "Welcome to Hospital" and they should give systematic sanctions to people who pass their time in catching the tee-shirts of others or who don't leave others playing in holding them and sanctions too to people who use fake injuries.

If you do nothing , it would never improve but will become worse and worse.

When people will complain cause they can't see a match until the end because rules are applied, players will be obliged to change attitude.

[fanoff]

funny things
funny ad
the reason why zidane hit materazzi is simple.A Butterfinger!

the game
you are zidane and you hit the players(all materazzi)and kill them!but in the end you see the red card

[forre]

Football is more of a business than any sport. Forget about fair game. It's so dirty and boring. Yep, they blow the whistle every 20 seconds and we have to watch "ladies" rolling on the grass in pain for another minute.

Italy won. End of the deal. They played well. France played well but France would have needed to score for Christ's sake if they wanted to bring the Cup home. Ok, France scored but over the penalty. Then it was all about nerves at the end.

Zizou is supposed to be a national model figure and a team captain. Last night he showed one thing - he's just another ball kid from the block. Where he started, there he ended. Bye Zizou...

P.S. Those guys are so overrated!

[Argos]

Originally Posted by forre

... we have to watch "ladies" rolling on the grass in pain for another minute.

Sexism!

Originally Posted by forre

Zizou is supposed to be a national model figure and a team captain. Last night he showed one thing - he's just another ball kid from the block. Where he started, there he ended. Bye Zizou...

First of all he showed that he is no superhero like in american comics, but a human with flesh and blood and temper. In the end we will always remember his cultivated play (even his chest-header was technically perfect! ), not his not so glorious leaving. Bye Zizou, thank you!