Posted on 07/07/2006 8:05:16 PM PDT by soccer_maniac
The World Cup Final will be held Sunday in Berlin at 2 p.m. ET (ABC).
Germany will face Portugal to play for third place on Saturday in Stuttgart at 3 p.m. ET (ESPN).
(Excerpt) Read more at fifaworldcup.yahoo.com ...
Pretty close. Mais pourquois = but why? I could watch that clip over and over. Forza Azzurri!
Thanks!
That's untrue. They were not secured a place until the last game was played. A tie against the U.S. did not secure a place for Italy. Going into the last games, all four teams in Group E had a chance to advance. (Italy had 4 points, Ghana and Czech Republic 3 points each and U.S. one point. If Italy had lost to the Czechs, they would have been out). Please stop pretending Italy didn't play hard against the U.S. because either they had already secured a place in the next round or a tie was all they needed to secure a place. NEITHER IS TRUE. Italy were playing to win. They had to. They needed every point they could get and the tie did NOT secure them a place in the next round.
heh...it kinda does. To me it looks like a gaudy statue of a bird of prey's talon holding a ball. Is that what it's supposed to be?
I don't know. He'll probably try to say that it is? I can't imagine what came over him. Nothing could be so bad as to make such an ass of himself with billions of people watching.
"Buffon has a whole lot to do with why folks don't seem to score on Italy."
It's more like the entire defense, including Buffon.
Italy has been known for a strong defense. The defense, and to a lesser degree control of centerfield, was the primary reason that led them to victory. Italy lacked one or two good forwards, hence the reason for the low scoring.
Btw, Italy played without their best defender, Nesta. He and Cannavaro are the pillars of the Italian defense. Materazzi substituted Nesta and did a very good job by scoring twice.
If you have followed Cannaro's playin in these matches and during the regular season and cup games, I won't be surprised to see him nominated as the MVP of the tournament.
"They needed every point they could get and the tie did NOT secure them a place in the next round."
A tie was enough to go to the next round due to goal differential.
Italy 4 +2
Czech 3 +1
Ghana 3 0
USA 1 -3
An Italy tie with the Cezch Rep would have meant a +1 goal differential with the Czechs and 5 points. Irrespective of the result between Ghana and USA Italy would have advanced to the next round. Everyone knew Italy only needed a tie.
Evry match is different and is played with a strategy in mind taking into consideration a lot of factors. Had Italy lost to the USA and won the cup does not mean that the USA should have won it because they beat Italy.
Pent up rage and anger made him do it. Even if something was said to him, that's not the way to behave.
He played with Yuventus for a number of seasons and I've never seen him behave this way. Credit where credit is due, though, he's a great player that exited the tournament in disgrace.
Maybe Muhammad made him do it?
Had Italy lost to the USA and won the cup does not mean that the USA should have won it because they beat Italy.
Did anyone say that?
Now that Italy has done it's duty (After winning against Germany it would have been ungrateful to the host to screw up against the French) -
I like to say that I am glad that in the end we only lost against the momentarily best team in the world.
THANKS FOR THE THREADS !!!
I enjoyed them a lot.
As an Italian, I am intimately aware of this quality of Italian character.
Italy plays to the level of its competition.
It is our nature to be inspired by a great opponent, and to be de-motivated by a lesser foe.
Killer instinct is reserved for our day job, aka Cosa Nostra.
After all, soccer is just a sport.
Olympic hockey is decided by penalty shots.
The game currently permits only 3 substitutions in the entire match, including overtime.
If you've ever played the sport, it is akin to boxing in terms of conditioning. Most people could only throw a dozen solid punches before becoming exhausted, unable to lift their arms convincingly.
Full sprints up and down the soccer field, coupled with precision, swift movements on just one leg (that is how you control and kick the ball, deke opponents, etc.) means most people wouldn't last 5 minutes at that level of exertion.
Changing the end of soccer any other way would be quite imaginative.
Perhaps you would prefer another way to end a tie, but you've already forgotten how American football ties are decided, even for the NCAA or Superbowl for that matter.
Not pretty.
So there it is - don't like Italians, do you?
Hallo to the Meister of the Weltmeisterschaft.
Would you mind explaining to me why Michael Ballack didn't get to play in the last (Bronze) game and what his future will be ?
Any idea on how much of this German team will remain intact for 2010 ?
Hope this isn't too much of a time intensive request.
And DANKE fur alles.
Germany really took this team of theirs to heart it seemed to me. Germany was a Super Host and what a great way to show Germany's Pride and Resurgence.
Thanks for your kind words, I´m happy that this World Cup helped to understand our country better.
Coach Klinsmann decided to give some reserve players a chance, so that all of the 23 players (except for the third goalkeeper) have played at least a few minutes during the World Cup in our country. Ballack had a injury, not serious - and if it was the final, he would have played - but since it was "just" the 3rd-place game, it was a good decision to keep him out.
Many of our players will be in South Africa 2010, yes. Ballack will be quite old then, but it´s hard to say whether he will be there or not. Germany had the youngest team IIRC, and with the new trainings methods of our coach, I´m confident that we will be among the favorites for the World Cup 2010 as well as for the Euro 2008.
For the first time ever, I not only liked the team´s way to play, I LOVED it. For me - and I don´t say it out of patriotism - the German team has played the best mix of defensive and attacking soccer. Spain in the pre-finals was as good, and Argentina looked very well, too. But all others - including Brazil - were behind that. Italy became World Champion because they have the best defense, not because they play nice soccer.
If you remember the 4-1 defeat against Italy in February, the German team has made the best progress. Now give us two years and you have the new European Champion. :)
LOL, exactly!!!
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