ah, so good.
i'm sorry to see zidane go like that, whatever was said, football is not a gentlemen's sport, he could have reacted during the game rather than when the game was stopped. i think it's a scandal that he won the "best player of the tournament" after what he did, it's unacceptable. anyway, whatever, the cup is ours.
cannavaro played like a champ, he was everywhere and our defence was easily the best in the world. everybody is calling him the president of the republic now.
i have seen baguette-burning in the streets yesterday night...:)
FRANCESI, MAGNATEVE STA PIZZA...CAMPIONI DEL MONDO!!!
I think this zidane-materazzi event is evocative of the whole dilemma that europe is facing. The trouble I'm having is that everyone thinks Zidane is disgraced. There maybe no honor in love and war and these principles most likely translate to the pitch, however, materazzi is more disgraced in my mind--anything to win is not an ideal that anone should admire or cheer. Yes, Zidane is a hothead, but I state firmly that this is because he has a limit to the amount of injustice he will tolerate--he has a line in the sand and when people cross it they get called-out with their asses on the pitch...
Everyone on here lives in a world where we think of the hollywood turning of the cheek and then the good guy overcomes--puts his feelings in-check and wins in the end or walks off into the sunset a hero for his virtue alla John Wayne. Are we all to romantic with over-imagined idea of the hollywood/christian idea of grace which has been bought and sold to us by the machines of commodification. Well you all can have your Michael Jordans, your Jacky Robinsons, your OJ Simpsons, and your Jim Thorpes, and I'll take Muhammad Ali, Jack Johnson, Jim Brown, and Zinedine Zidane!
Yes, what Zidane did was awful, but I don't think it will hamper his career in the future. This will probably be remembered forever, but it will grace the front pages of tabloids and sports pages for a while ... but I don't think this incident will eclipse Zidane's career.
Anyone remember this little incident involving Eric Cantona?
Well, it seems like he survived it fine. In fact, he was named footballer of the century by Man U.
all saying that this will permanently stain zidane's entire career
are overreacting...no way. yes through the lens of one game
it may be a bit of a stain..but it's not like the guy didn't deserve
it..
who knows what he said..but matterazzi is a cheap player..period.
he was the player that almost injured zidane initially where zidane
was calling for a sub...a hard foul that he didn't even get a card
for...and then he comes up from behind him and twists his nipple..
which is just childish. and then probably said something. you can't
lose your cool like that..but i don't know what i'd prefer a response
in kind or actually standing up to him like a man.
and he head butted him in the chest..not the head. is figo's entire
career tainted because of his head butt? i don't think so.
matterazzi made it look like he got shot of course..but i wonder
how injured he actually was. i would've loved to root for the italians,
but they deserved oscars not the world cup. it's nice to see buffon
almost have a clean sheet for the tourney..and he definitely kept
them in yesterdays game.
italy made very few attempts on goal and france had the run of
play almost the entire second half..but buffon kept them out of
the net.
matterazzi called zidane a terrorist apparently.
If that's the case and for that racist cliche alone then i will forgive Zizou for headbutting the fucker.
or maybe he called his sister a whore...(that is another version)...but don't make it look like materazzi did something that is never done on a football pitch. defensive players calling other players names is as old as football, it happens all the time, luckily people don't always react like zidane. (standing up to him like a man? call it being an unprofessional hotblooded brawler, and it's not the first timehe does it)
he made a massive mistake, and possibly costed his team the world cup. or maybe not, but whatever. materazzi behaviour was morally incorrect, that's a given, but it was a common behaviour for a footbal player, it is a game made by strong blooded, strong headed people, with attitudes and egos. i've heard of players finding out about the names of other players' wifes and mothers in order to offend them better.
as for the oscar for italians lars, how about the dive on that first penalty? watch the french player as he trips on it's own leg...that's good acting too!
anyway, today the office is in a real slow mood, strangely enough:)
if you think this act is classless, then i would argue that 99% of the players on the field lack class bc all players have done their share of dirty work...it's a part of the game.[/]
[i]And I don't believe in any moral or fairness on the field. You just have to look at the behaviour of italian palyers, always overacting to find more faults and to disorganize the adversary, which is a clever strategy.
Are we all to romantic with over-imagined idea of the hollywood/christian idea of grace which has been bought and sold to us by the machines of commodification.
i've heard of players finding out about the names of other players' wifes and mothers in order to offend them better.
So sad. I guess the definition of "sportsmanlike behaviour" needs to be changed.
liberty, it's not sad. it's a game. it's not played in churches or schools, but in stadia full of people who often end up kicking the shit out of eachother inside and outside the stadium. it's fun to watch and scream about, but it's a game.
sportsmanship in football is limited to kicking the ball out when another player is injured and then returning it (not done in two occasions by germany in the samifinal by te way) but that's pretty much it.
lets not forget the whole sport-thing originates in part from the greek olympics, but in part from people killing eachother with spears and being ripped to pieces by lions...
if it was just name calling, then yes it's an overreaction.
but the other physical b.s. is unneccesary. if you've played any
soccer/football/calcio you know that getting fouled hard just
plain sucks and when it starts happening multiple times and
the ref doesn't card the player it gets really frustrating. it's
a physical game, but their are fair tackles and tackles where
it's obvious the player is trying to injure you. i take offense
at the latter since i have to work the next day... soccer players it
could be their career...of course zidane's career was over anyway..
as for the first penalty...have to admit i didn't see it...but i did
hear there was another foul worthy of a pk later on. henry seemed
to be the only player on france that i saw diving. (i'm not a french
fan btw just like good soccer) and he should've been booked for
his acting job against portugal..how that was a foul anyway i don't
know.
yesm ther was a real penalty faul later on, maybe two, but footbal is like that, either the strongest team wins, or the game is decided by mistakes, insults and tactics. and that is the beauty of it i think.
and the phisicality was on both sides, makelele continously went on the ball with his legs straight and up high, yet the only real injuries where on accidents (henry's head and zidane's shoulder) where there was no clear responsability on either parts.
and to be honest, even if it was a racist remark worth of a court appeareance in many countries, zidane's reaction was a big, unprofessional mistake in football terms. he reacted like a person not in control of his emotions, not like a skilled, international level football player with the future of his team on his shoulders. judge football by footballs rules.
how does this ruin a guy's career. juan marichal crowned johnny roseboro over the coconut with a baseball bat during a game and he's in the hall of fame.
Zidane overreacted in the field, something that he shouldn't have done for many reasons:
He was the captain;
It was his last game;
France needed him for the final kick offs;
No matter what someone tells you, you don't act like this while playing, if you have issues, fight when you are in the locker rooms or in the corridor leading to the locker room with no fifa members or referees around......
Anyhow, he has never been nice, I don't think I have ever seen a smile by him.
i agree if it was only the remark then yes it's uncalled for..it's
really uncalled for anyway. but i'm sure we've both played with
players that can't control their tempers and do something cheap
off the play.
however, maybe zidane saw it differently..
1. he was fouled by matterazzi where he almost had to leave the
game. a foul that he may have thought was intentional.
2. matterazzi came up from behind him and grabbed his nipple..
and twisted it...obviously looking for a reaction. i don't know if
you can get a card for that, but you should.
3. maybe he says something.
if it's a combo of all three then maybe i react the same way..
although i don't typically hit people outside the run of play...
i have been known to drop my shoulder and check a player...
or kick a player in the shins ('accidentally missing the ball')
who i thought was trying to hurt me...plays which i later
apologized for and regret still.
bottom line zidane should've kept his cool and found an
occassion to go in cleats up if he felt it was necessary.
or do something similarly cheap to what matterazzi did.
or he could've just ignored it.
as for the pks..all i was trying to say..that even though the
one pk may have been a dive there were others that could've
been called. i just have little respect for players that prefer
to lie down than actually try to continue the play. i don't
believe i've ever taken a dive in a game...although i may have
fallen cause i was exhausted once or twice. it just seemed to
me that totti would rather fall down than play. i was looking
forward to watching him play and i was bitterly disappointed
with his play.
ZZ overreacted? no.....i believe this loser Materazzi said something really unacceptable. anyway, he is just a small defender and nobody will remember him 2 year later.
the Frech team performed a wonderful game. they deserved the cup. but like other said, the result was decided by mistakes.
that headbutt probably didnt come out of nowhere. i don't know what on earth went through his mind but there is only so much a player can take. he probably snapped because the other fucker kept abusing him. still he screwed up by over-reacting and materazzi got exactly what he was looking for, that is getting ZZ sent off. i can only say that it's not excusable but it is totally understandable. anyway, italy won so i should leave it to rest, what bothers me is that we've got them in our group qualifiers for euro2008 and with all our great players having retired from international duty that will be another thrashing for us and more winding up on the way...
RC, who would you rather see get the award? If not Zizou, maybe Klose...either way, I don't see any disgrace.
I love Italy, Italians, the language, the culture, mmmm the food...but I seldom root for Italian soccer because, as some have illustrated above, they use tactics that are not in the spirit of the game. Even warfare has its rules.
That said, Cannavaro is an excellent player. If I had a dream 11, he would be on it. Maybe Buffon too...
Zidane is one of the greats.
He will go down in history as such...as French said above, this instance is only another line added to the legend.
<i>I love Italy, Italians, the language, the culture, mmmm the food...but I seldom root for Italian soccer because, as some have illustrated above, they use tactics that are not in the spirit of the game. Even warfare has its rules.<i>
see, it's not like i have a choice who to root for!
Yeah, I'm not a big soccer fan, and I'm not nationalist by any means (except maybe my alias in this forum) but if soccer was always played the way the Italian team played it, I wouldn't even bother watching it. And I wouldn't be the only one. They deserve to win, but I don't like to watch them play.
italy did get out of the group which was impressive
although they tied a u.s. team that was a man down for 45
minutes...beat a czech team that didn't have koller
...then who did they play? they beat germany in the semifinals, but
they weren't all that impressive vs. australia...in fact not at all
impressive..and they were semi impressive against ukraine..
once they got out of their group they were practically given the
semifinals.
france on the other hand had an easy group which they struggled
to get out of...but then they play spain, brazil and portugal to
get to the finals...
they destroyed spain who absolutely tore up their group..they
beat brazil on a brilliant strike...a game that france dominated..
and then they beat portugal on a pk..by far their weakest game..
but a game they also dominated.
i think even an italian would have to admit that france played the
tournament of a lifetime to get to the finals...and were within
a missed pk of a world cup they were never expected to get.
this may sound as though i hate the italians and i don't..but
although their defense was world class...their opponents were
anything but. even germany was a weak side before the cup
began. when you play three of the best teams in the tourney,
including the best team in the world, then you deserve the
nod for having played the best world cup. italy did win, but it
was in pks which is basically a coin flip...and i personally think
that france looked far more dangerous (even a man down) in
the finals. of course that's italy's game...to counter and play
defense...but france could've easily won 3-1...if buffon doesn't
make that great save on zidane who was completely unmarked..
or trezeguet sp? hits his shot then we have a different story.
Oh by the way, I'd like to thank Orhan for his live coverage of the tournament. That was great. And I know he sort of roots for ZZ too so, good job Orhan!
At my university the ratio is 60% girls and 40% guys.
And as you can see from my 2 best girlfriends: Carla (left) and Chiara (right), who are studying arch with me, girls in my university are usually very very pretty and stylish.
here is a reprint of minute by minute live commentary of the game by popular demand...Yes where else, but in Archinect
~~~~~
Orhan Ayyuce
10:58
LET'S GO. WHERE EVER.....
OA
11:07
so far spectecular. i do think stadium's ghostly past had a successful exorcism via some african drumming and shakira stage which was beautifully designed.
shit what happened to henry? mins. 4
he's back after sniffing some good stuff..;)
so far it seems like italians are going with a gusto towards breaking legs.
and that already cought up with them... penalty or penal....!!! zidane. unusual gol. cream puff again .... so early so different...
fra 1 ita 0
OA
11:19
15 mins.
if france wins the orro, zidane is going to be the new pele...
so far so good. for france that is every minute is a good minute passed...
13 mins. freekick ita. hey hey hey.. nobodody is kidding. hohoho...
french defence can't even defeat ordinary attacks. what's gonna happen when the vezuvius erupt?
so much like fra por game except french is less dangerous. ribery
seems energized but purposeless like the rest of his team.
mins. 18
gol gol gol
mins 19. a beautiful one
1-1 lets go indeed
dot
11:29
trivia: in recent world cup history, italy has made the world cup final exactly every 12 years. 2006, 1994, 1972, 1960.
since they won't be in the finals again until 2018, they had better make the most of it.
btw, that was NOT a foul in the box.
OA
11:31
20 mins.
french became penalty seekers. henry falls zz scores... not this time.
french are pressing without much dangerous. but slowly they are gaining control. since the gol, italy parked the car and turned off the engine. usual motis operandi.
27 mins.
italy is more relying to corner shots as they scored one with it. similar play greeks played in last european cup. trying to win the game with standing balls.
min.29 another freekick by them.
so far it is ribery busting his ass in french front.
seems like both coaches are in deep thought charting the game and relying to their players' indi efforts.
32 mins
OA
11:44
is that right? every twelve years ha?
the new italian pm watching? i wonder le pen or sarkozy are watching also?
mins 34
wowowowo... on the bar italy. side ball. again. france has to come up with a solution to this. how soon they forgot the lessons from greece?
as the 1 st half start to melt away, there is a sense urgency and danger in developments.
mins 40
looks like both teams are satisfied with 1-1 and don't want to risk anything before the 1st half.
mins 42.even the audiance is happy with the status quo. both countries are burocratic systems mind you..
ribery on opposite side trying to pass one italian while 2 more waiting in the back. good luck rib. we know its not easy all by yourself.
mins 45. another freekick ita and another nothing...
OA
11:46
i wonder if shakira is coming back for the half time?
i doubt it...
OA
12:04
i wonder what udjustments are figured out in the changing rooms?
both sides have to increase mid fied efforts. so far it has been most balls, are brought to front by long passes with the lack of mid field formulated danger. it is very much calculated game with mediocre application. i wonder how the teams adjusted their tactics?
OA
12:12
mins 2
beautiful slide in with henry ends with a weak shot.
the game looks spacious but spacious games require a lot of speed which is lacking.
mins 3.5 another corner by ita. damgrous again.
mins 4.5 henry again. same way sliding thru but weak finish again.
both sides, specially france seem to fix their mid field play, therefore more consisting attacs more dangerous more fun to watch game.
dot
12:13
now that was a foul. all is fair now.
OA
12:31
mins 10
it looks french who is closer to a goal.
but ain't it just the environment italians like to exploit?
ita is trying to slow the tempo. if they have the ball that is.
french is getting morefamiliar with italian defence and doubtlessly will exploit it soon in theory.
mins 15
refree is writing some notes in his notebook. i always wonder what they wright. numbers or names or both .
gol italy. offsite though. get there incognito and bingo. however its a warning.
mins 18- 24
french coach finally smiled sarcastically. he looks so mucyh like an architect. is he doing a music center? hmmm.
henry again.. same type ofslide blocked.
this is, 'take no risk but do your best' instructed game. so far players are just doing that and because of their class it is not boring yet...
mins 28.
OA
12:40
+,- 15 minutes left.
so far they should make a shocking move and give the cup to shakira.
31.5 mins.ita free kick. beatufully shot by piero. like i said standing balls = italy's chance.
mins 33.33
35 mins
zidane hurt. might have to quit. will he?
it might be good for france. bring someone fresh and fast. tezeqet?
OA
12:40
ninja is back..
OA
12:51
he no quitter. did you see him smoking cigs on hotel balcony?
mins 38
game looks like a 3 and 4th place game. yow there is chirac saying no thanks to popcorn. he looks aged a bit.
mins 40 extra time talks already started.
remember the extra time rhapsody in last italian match.
mins 42.
so far i am wired the news from roma that there are no tvs on the street thrown from upper floors.
i wonder ifv they should laser cut the cup in half and award them to shakira and zizu for being there?
the game is going to extra time. now...
OA
13:07
xt 1
mins 3
barthez is a sweet guy and taking the role of goal keepers goal keeper nicely.
so far it's kinder garden chats and it is obvious italian defence metaphoricaly show, they build more stone walls than germans and french combined, historically. if kahn asked a stone stone would say italian defence in 2006 world cup.
mins 9 rib rib rib. what a chance for france why they pull him out right when missed by an inch? teze comes in. now he is a danger x 2 when fresh.
mins 11
OA
13:12
zidane heads a beautiful shot .... what a finish that would be. head on target just as a beautiful save...oh. this on 14 min, could go down to history.1x over...
dot
13:14
1 half ot, italiens are playing for a pks, where they clearly have the advanrage (baffon).
expect more hunkering down of the italien defense except for maybe a last minute attack
dot
13:18
zidane,
fall from grace. he should be out of there!
expect more defense and longballs by italiens
OA
13:19
will this be the game of exorcisms and italy finally getting rid of penalty evil? or barthez and zidane will take the world cup in a perfect ending of the dream which is also positive.
uwww zidane is upset. he heads the guy like a kid from banlios. red material in real life what an ending to a biblical goodness. it is just as well. but not good. his points go down to the red... wow.
OA
13:20
france has to win it for zizu now.
OA
13:25
how stupid of zz. he did something like that with the coach in the first game too. throwing his captain bag. he should be more careful. but hey its only human. i mean it. he is still the hero. i bet he is dying for a marlboro now...
anyway back to game which has lost its king and the kids of the south having the street fight...
mins 11.5.
all of a sudden barthez has a chancee to still the show from bad boy Z.
sloring
13:26
I just lost all respect for Zidane, there is no excuse for the lack of class he jus showed.
dot
13:31
time to exorcise the ghost of roberto baggio.
dot
13:33
by the way. if italy wins. baffon should get the golden ball.
2 goals allowed: one by teamate, and 1 pk...unparalled in world cup history
OA
13:43
13.5 mins
italy must win the penalty kicks. france looses the perhaps last chance.
in penalty shoots it would be important to have zz out there.
yes.... penalties, yes nervous time, yes tragic ends and yes the glory. coming in next 10 minutes...
barthez don't want to hear anything from his coaches basically he needs quiet. he knows what to do. he has been there.
ita2 fra2 (note that i am counting the real goals too)
ita3 fra 2 (ita chasing the evil indeed)
ita4 fra 3 ( o yea this stadium is worthy of new history now)
ita5 fra 3 ( ita closer than ever on PKs)
ITALY ITALY . HisTORY is made...BELLA ITALY...
sign off from yours truly unless a delicious fist fight developes at the end worthy of mediterrannean boys...the rest is better to watch with tears.
and there are reports of what he said to zidane...they differ
from story to story...one that he called him a dirty terrorist..
another that he called his sister a whore ..another that after
the nipple twist he said that that's how your mom likes it..
their were some news agencies that hired lip readers...that
may have been said here already...
i just don't like the way matterazzi plays..i've played with guys
as cheap as this and we kicked him off the team...the only
thing that does is escalate tempers and cause the other team
to intentionally try to injure. played in some of those games
and they're not fun.
World Cup Predictor Game
WORLD CHAMPIONS!
ah, so good.
i'm sorry to see zidane go like that, whatever was said, football is not a gentlemen's sport, he could have reacted during the game rather than when the game was stopped. i think it's a scandal that he won the "best player of the tournament" after what he did, it's unacceptable. anyway, whatever, the cup is ours.
cannavaro played like a champ, he was everywhere and our defence was easily the best in the world. everybody is calling him the president of the republic now.
i have seen baguette-burning in the streets yesterday night...:)
FRANCESI, MAGNATEVE STA PIZZA...CAMPIONI DEL MONDO!!!
at least he didnt headbutt him in the grille...
Sent-off Zidane named best player
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2006/5154248.stm
I think this zidane-materazzi event is evocative of the whole dilemma that europe is facing. The trouble I'm having is that everyone thinks Zidane is disgraced. There maybe no honor in love and war and these principles most likely translate to the pitch, however, materazzi is more disgraced in my mind--anything to win is not an ideal that anone should admire or cheer. Yes, Zidane is a hothead, but I state firmly that this is because he has a limit to the amount of injustice he will tolerate--he has a line in the sand and when people cross it they get called-out with their asses on the pitch...
Everyone on here lives in a world where we think of the hollywood turning of the cheek and then the good guy overcomes--puts his feelings in-check and wins in the end or walks off into the sunset a hero for his virtue alla John Wayne. Are we all to romantic with over-imagined idea of the hollywood/christian idea of grace which has been bought and sold to us by the machines of commodification. Well you all can have your Michael Jordans, your Jacky Robinsons, your OJ Simpsons, and your Jim Thorpes, and I'll take Muhammad Ali, Jack Johnson, Jim Brown, and Zinedine Zidane!
Yes, what Zidane did was awful, but I don't think it will hamper his career in the future. This will probably be remembered forever, but it will grace the front pages of tabloids and sports pages for a while ... but I don't think this incident will eclipse Zidane's career.
Anyone remember this little incident involving Eric Cantona?
Well, it seems like he survived it fine. In fact, he was named footballer of the century by Man U.
Oh, yeah. And he too is from Marseille.
why wasnt there a bench clearing brawl? in baseball that would have been a pileup in the middle of the field with sucker punches being thrown etc...
ahhhhhh Cantona. my favorite player when I was a youth...
maybe that helps explain my affinity for zz? ...
Congratulations to Italy, bigness, matteo, John Jourden et al.
all saying that this will permanently stain zidane's entire career
are overreacting...no way. yes through the lens of one game
it may be a bit of a stain..but it's not like the guy didn't deserve
it..
who knows what he said..but matterazzi is a cheap player..period.
he was the player that almost injured zidane initially where zidane
was calling for a sub...a hard foul that he didn't even get a card
for...and then he comes up from behind him and twists his nipple..
which is just childish. and then probably said something. you can't
lose your cool like that..but i don't know what i'd prefer a response
in kind or actually standing up to him like a man.
and he head butted him in the chest..not the head. is figo's entire
career tainted because of his head butt? i don't think so.
matterazzi made it look like he got shot of course..but i wonder
how injured he actually was. i would've loved to root for the italians,
but they deserved oscars not the world cup. it's nice to see buffon
almost have a clean sheet for the tourney..and he definitely kept
them in yesterdays game.
italy made very few attempts on goal and france had the run of
play almost the entire second half..but buffon kept them out of
the net.
matterazzi called zidane a terrorist apparently.
If that's the case and for that racist cliche alone then i will forgive Zizou for headbutting the fucker.
...and he might as well have gone for the face instead of the chest...
or maybe he called his sister a whore...(that is another version)...but don't make it look like materazzi did something that is never done on a football pitch. defensive players calling other players names is as old as football, it happens all the time, luckily people don't always react like zidane. (standing up to him like a man? call it being an unprofessional hotblooded brawler, and it's not the first timehe does it)
he made a massive mistake, and possibly costed his team the world cup. or maybe not, but whatever. materazzi behaviour was morally incorrect, that's a given, but it was a common behaviour for a footbal player, it is a game made by strong blooded, strong headed people, with attitudes and egos. i've heard of players finding out about the names of other players' wifes and mothers in order to offend them better.
as for the oscar for italians lars, how about the dive on that first penalty? watch the french player as he trips on it's own leg...that's good acting too!
anyway, today the office is in a real slow mood, strangely enough:)
if he called his sister or whore than fine, but if it was some racist bullshit than I think that fifa should sanction matterazzi. nuff said.
bravo quattro stelle!
[i]And I don't believe in any moral or fairness on the field. You just have to look at the behaviour of italian palyers, always overacting to find more faults and to disorganize the adversary, which is a clever strategy.
Are we all to romantic with over-imagined idea of the hollywood/christian idea of grace which has been bought and sold to us by the machines of commodification.
i've heard of players finding out about the names of other players' wifes and mothers in order to offend them better.
So sad. I guess the definition of "sportsmanlike behaviour" needs to be changed.
liberty, it's not sad. it's a game. it's not played in churches or schools, but in stadia full of people who often end up kicking the shit out of eachother inside and outside the stadium. it's fun to watch and scream about, but it's a game.
sportsmanship in football is limited to kicking the ball out when another player is injured and then returning it (not done in two occasions by germany in the samifinal by te way) but that's pretty much it.
lets not forget the whole sport-thing originates in part from the greek olympics, but in part from people killing eachother with spears and being ripped to pieces by lions...
bigness..
if it was just name calling, then yes it's an overreaction.
but the other physical b.s. is unneccesary. if you've played any
soccer/football/calcio you know that getting fouled hard just
plain sucks and when it starts happening multiple times and
the ref doesn't card the player it gets really frustrating. it's
a physical game, but their are fair tackles and tackles where
it's obvious the player is trying to injure you. i take offense
at the latter since i have to work the next day... soccer players it
could be their career...of course zidane's career was over anyway..
as for the first penalty...have to admit i didn't see it...but i did
hear there was another foul worthy of a pk later on. henry seemed
to be the only player on france that i saw diving. (i'm not a french
fan btw just like good soccer) and he should've been booked for
his acting job against portugal..how that was a foul anyway i don't
know.
yesm ther was a real penalty faul later on, maybe two, but footbal is like that, either the strongest team wins, or the game is decided by mistakes, insults and tactics. and that is the beauty of it i think.
and the phisicality was on both sides, makelele continously went on the ball with his legs straight and up high, yet the only real injuries where on accidents (henry's head and zidane's shoulder) where there was no clear responsability on either parts.
and to be honest, even if it was a racist remark worth of a court appeareance in many countries, zidane's reaction was a big, unprofessional mistake in football terms. he reacted like a person not in control of his emotions, not like a skilled, international level football player with the future of his team on his shoulders. judge football by footballs rules.
how does this ruin a guy's career. juan marichal crowned johnny roseboro over the coconut with a baseball bat during a game and he's in the hall of fame.
Zidane overreacted in the field, something that he shouldn't have done for many reasons:
He was the captain;
It was his last game;
France needed him for the final kick offs;
No matter what someone tells you, you don't act like this while playing, if you have issues, fight when you are in the locker rooms or in the corridor leading to the locker room with no fifa members or referees around......
Anyhow, he has never been nice, I don't think I have ever seen a smile by him.
wow, that is sportmanship!
bigness.
i agree if it was only the remark then yes it's uncalled for..it's
really uncalled for anyway. but i'm sure we've both played with
players that can't control their tempers and do something cheap
off the play.
however, maybe zidane saw it differently..
1. he was fouled by matterazzi where he almost had to leave the
game. a foul that he may have thought was intentional.
2. matterazzi came up from behind him and grabbed his nipple..
and twisted it...obviously looking for a reaction. i don't know if
you can get a card for that, but you should.
3. maybe he says something.
if it's a combo of all three then maybe i react the same way..
although i don't typically hit people outside the run of play...
i have been known to drop my shoulder and check a player...
or kick a player in the shins ('accidentally missing the ball')
who i thought was trying to hurt me...plays which i later
apologized for and regret still.
bottom line zidane should've kept his cool and found an
occassion to go in cleats up if he felt it was necessary.
or do something similarly cheap to what matterazzi did.
or he could've just ignored it.
as for the pks..all i was trying to say..that even though the
one pk may have been a dive there were others that could've
been called. i just have little respect for players that prefer
to lie down than actually try to continue the play. i don't
believe i've ever taken a dive in a game...although i may have
fallen cause i was exhausted once or twice. it just seemed to
me that totti would rather fall down than play. i was looking
forward to watching him play and i was bitterly disappointed
with his play.
ZZ overreacted? no.....i believe this loser Materazzi said something really unacceptable. anyway, he is just a small defender and nobody will remember him 2 year later.
the Frech team performed a wonderful game. they deserved the cup. but like other said, the result was decided by mistakes.
what a shame...Italy!
ideo, franc edid play a better game, but italy played a better tournament.
no shame, no shame, just sheer happiness.
that headbutt probably didnt come out of nowhere. i don't know what on earth went through his mind but there is only so much a player can take. he probably snapped because the other fucker kept abusing him. still he screwed up by over-reacting and materazzi got exactly what he was looking for, that is getting ZZ sent off. i can only say that it's not excusable but it is totally understandable. anyway, italy won so i should leave it to rest, what bothers me is that we've got them in our group qualifiers for euro2008 and with all our great players having retired from international duty that will be another thrashing for us and more winding up on the way...
guardian retracted the news about the terrorist comment, brasilian tv analyses footage, and lip reading confirms the prostitute sister remark.
He won the Golden Ball award.
i doubt if that will be of any comfort to him but that's better than nothing.
he only won it as the journalist voted at half time, i doubt he would have won it otherwise. not exactly a good spokeperson for sportmanship is he?
correction
the vote was held after the game.
no it wasnt
RC, who would you rather see get the award? If not Zizou, maybe Klose...either way, I don't see any disgrace.
I love Italy, Italians, the language, the culture, mmmm the food...but I seldom root for Italian soccer because, as some have illustrated above, they use tactics that are not in the spirit of the game. Even warfare has its rules.
That said, Cannavaro is an excellent player. If I had a dream 11, he would be on it. Maybe Buffon too...
Zidane is one of the greats.
He will go down in history as such...as French said above, this instance is only another line added to the legend.
<i>I love Italy, Italians, the language, the culture, mmmm the food...but I seldom root for Italian soccer because, as some have illustrated above, they use tactics that are not in the spirit of the game. Even warfare has its rules.<i>
see, it's not like i have a choice who to root for!
good point.
As an American, I have only my heritage to guide my picks (Mexico and Germany)...it's tough to get excited about the US team...
Yeah, I'm not a big soccer fan, and I'm not nationalist by any means (except maybe my alias in this forum) but if soccer was always played the way the Italian team played it, I wouldn't even bother watching it. And I wouldn't be the only one. They deserve to win, but I don't like to watch them play.
Are they friend of you matteo? looks like you had a good time yesterday evening...
If you don't like to watch the italian team, just come to watch the italian fans.
bigness...
have to disagree again...
italy did get out of the group which was impressive
although they tied a u.s. team that was a man down for 45
minutes...beat a czech team that didn't have koller
...then who did they play? they beat germany in the semifinals, but
they weren't all that impressive vs. australia...in fact not at all
impressive..and they were semi impressive against ukraine..
once they got out of their group they were practically given the
semifinals.
france on the other hand had an easy group which they struggled
to get out of...but then they play spain, brazil and portugal to
get to the finals...
they destroyed spain who absolutely tore up their group..they
beat brazil on a brilliant strike...a game that france dominated..
and then they beat portugal on a pk..by far their weakest game..
but a game they also dominated.
i think even an italian would have to admit that france played the
tournament of a lifetime to get to the finals...and were within
a missed pk of a world cup they were never expected to get.
this may sound as though i hate the italians and i don't..but
although their defense was world class...their opponents were
anything but. even germany was a weak side before the cup
began. when you play three of the best teams in the tourney,
including the best team in the world, then you deserve the
nod for having played the best world cup. italy did win, but it
was in pks which is basically a coin flip...and i personally think
that france looked far more dangerous (even a man down) in
the finals. of course that's italy's game...to counter and play
defense...but france could've easily won 3-1...if buffon doesn't
make that great save on zidane who was completely unmarked..
or trezeguet sp? hits his shot then we have a different story.
anyway congrats.
mmm... Italian girls... You forgot that in your list AP!
Oh by the way, I'd like to thank Orhan for his live coverage of the tournament. That was great. And I know he sort of roots for ZZ too so, good job Orhan!
At my university the ratio is 60% girls and 40% guys.
And as you can see from my 2 best girlfriends: Carla (left) and Chiara (right), who are studying arch with me, girls in my university are usually very very pretty and stylish.
Do you want us to emigrate or what?
~~~~~
Orhan Ayyuce
10:58
LET'S GO. WHERE EVER.....
OA
11:07
so far spectecular. i do think stadium's ghostly past had a successful exorcism via some african drumming and shakira stage which was beautifully designed.
shit what happened to henry? mins. 4
he's back after sniffing some good stuff..;)
so far it seems like italians are going with a gusto towards breaking legs.
and that already cought up with them... penalty or penal....!!! zidane. unusual gol. cream puff again .... so early so different...
fra 1 ita 0
OA
11:19
15 mins.
if france wins the orro, zidane is going to be the new pele...
so far so good. for france that is every minute is a good minute passed...
13 mins. freekick ita. hey hey hey.. nobodody is kidding. hohoho...
french defence can't even defeat ordinary attacks. what's gonna happen when the vezuvius erupt?
so much like fra por game except french is less dangerous. ribery
seems energized but purposeless like the rest of his team.
mins. 18
gol gol gol
mins 19. a beautiful one
1-1 lets go indeed
dot
11:29
trivia: in recent world cup history, italy has made the world cup final exactly every 12 years. 2006, 1994, 1972, 1960.
since they won't be in the finals again until 2018, they had better make the most of it.
btw, that was NOT a foul in the box.
OA
11:31
20 mins.
french became penalty seekers. henry falls zz scores... not this time.
french are pressing without much dangerous. but slowly they are gaining control. since the gol, italy parked the car and turned off the engine. usual motis operandi.
27 mins.
italy is more relying to corner shots as they scored one with it. similar play greeks played in last european cup. trying to win the game with standing balls.
min.29 another freekick by them.
so far it is ribery busting his ass in french front.
seems like both coaches are in deep thought charting the game and relying to their players' indi efforts.
32 mins
OA
11:44
is that right? every twelve years ha?
the new italian pm watching? i wonder le pen or sarkozy are watching also?
mins 34
wowowowo... on the bar italy. side ball. again. france has to come up with a solution to this. how soon they forgot the lessons from greece?
as the 1 st half start to melt away, there is a sense urgency and danger in developments.
mins 40
looks like both teams are satisfied with 1-1 and don't want to risk anything before the 1st half.
mins 42.even the audiance is happy with the status quo. both countries are burocratic systems mind you..
ribery on opposite side trying to pass one italian while 2 more waiting in the back. good luck rib. we know its not easy all by yourself.
mins 45. another freekick ita and another nothing...
OA
11:46
i wonder if shakira is coming back for the half time?
i doubt it...
OA
12:04
i wonder what udjustments are figured out in the changing rooms?
both sides have to increase mid fied efforts. so far it has been most balls, are brought to front by long passes with the lack of mid field formulated danger. it is very much calculated game with mediocre application. i wonder how the teams adjusted their tactics?
OA
12:12
mins 2
beautiful slide in with henry ends with a weak shot.
the game looks spacious but spacious games require a lot of speed which is lacking.
mins 3.5 another corner by ita. damgrous again.
mins 4.5 henry again. same way sliding thru but weak finish again.
both sides, specially france seem to fix their mid field play, therefore more consisting attacs more dangerous more fun to watch game.
dot
12:13
now that was a foul. all is fair now.
OA
12:31
mins 10
it looks french who is closer to a goal.
but ain't it just the environment italians like to exploit?
ita is trying to slow the tempo. if they have the ball that is.
french is getting morefamiliar with italian defence and doubtlessly will exploit it soon in theory.
mins 15
refree is writing some notes in his notebook. i always wonder what they wright. numbers or names or both .
gol italy. offsite though. get there incognito and bingo. however its a warning.
mins 18- 24
french coach finally smiled sarcastically. he looks so mucyh like an architect. is he doing a music center? hmmm.
henry again.. same type ofslide blocked.
this is, 'take no risk but do your best' instructed game. so far players are just doing that and because of their class it is not boring yet...
mins 28.
OA
12:40
+,- 15 minutes left.
so far they should make a shocking move and give the cup to shakira.
31.5 mins.ita free kick. beatufully shot by piero. like i said standing balls = italy's chance.
mins 33.33
35 mins
zidane hurt. might have to quit. will he?
it might be good for france. bring someone fresh and fast. tezeqet?
OA
12:40
ninja is back..
OA
12:51
he no quitter. did you see him smoking cigs on hotel balcony?
mins 38
game looks like a 3 and 4th place game. yow there is chirac saying no thanks to popcorn. he looks aged a bit.
mins 40 extra time talks already started.
remember the extra time rhapsody in last italian match.
mins 42.
so far i am wired the news from roma that there are no tvs on the street thrown from upper floors.
i wonder ifv they should laser cut the cup in half and award them to shakira and zizu for being there?
the game is going to extra time. now...
OA
13:07
xt 1
mins 3
barthez is a sweet guy and taking the role of goal keepers goal keeper nicely.
so far it's kinder garden chats and it is obvious italian defence metaphoricaly show, they build more stone walls than germans and french combined, historically. if kahn asked a stone stone would say italian defence in 2006 world cup.
mins 9 rib rib rib. what a chance for france why they pull him out right when missed by an inch? teze comes in. now he is a danger x 2 when fresh.
mins 11
OA
13:12
zidane heads a beautiful shot .... what a finish that would be. head on target just as a beautiful save...oh. this on 14 min, could go down to history.1x over...
dot
13:14
1 half ot, italiens are playing for a pks, where they clearly have the advanrage (baffon).
expect more hunkering down of the italien defense except for maybe a last minute attack
dot
13:18
zidane,
fall from grace. he should be out of there!
expect more defense and longballs by italiens
OA
13:19
will this be the game of exorcisms and italy finally getting rid of penalty evil? or barthez and zidane will take the world cup in a perfect ending of the dream which is also positive.
uwww zidane is upset. he heads the guy like a kid from banlios. red material in real life what an ending to a biblical goodness. it is just as well. but not good. his points go down to the red... wow.
OA
13:20
france has to win it for zizu now.
OA
13:25
how stupid of zz. he did something like that with the coach in the first game too. throwing his captain bag. he should be more careful. but hey its only human. i mean it. he is still the hero. i bet he is dying for a marlboro now...
anyway back to game which has lost its king and the kids of the south having the street fight...
mins 11.5.
all of a sudden barthez has a chancee to still the show from bad boy Z.
sloring
13:26
I just lost all respect for Zidane, there is no excuse for the lack of class he jus showed.
dot
13:31
time to exorcise the ghost of roberto baggio.
dot
13:33
by the way. if italy wins. baffon should get the golden ball.
2 goals allowed: one by teamate, and 1 pk...unparalled in world cup history
OA
13:43
13.5 mins
italy must win the penalty kicks. france looses the perhaps last chance.
in penalty shoots it would be important to have zz out there.
yes.... penalties, yes nervous time, yes tragic ends and yes the glory. coming in next 10 minutes...
barthez don't want to hear anything from his coaches basically he needs quiet. he knows what to do. he has been there.
ita2 fra2 (note that i am counting the real goals too)
ita3 fra 2 (ita chasing the evil indeed)
ita4 fra 3 ( o yea this stadium is worthy of new history now)
ita5 fra 3 ( ita closer than ever on PKs)
ITALY ITALY . HisTORY is made...BELLA ITALY...
sign off from yours truly unless a delicious fist fight developes at the end worthy of mediterrannean boys...the rest is better to watch with tears.
~~~~~~~
yes, yes I did... :) It goes without saying, though.
nice list, Orhan, ninja commentater of the WC thread.
some 'highlights' from matterazzi...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7HblsV-urHg&search=materazzi
and there are reports of what he said to zidane...they differ
from story to story...one that he called him a dirty terrorist..
another that he called his sister a whore ..another that after
the nipple twist he said that that's how your mom likes it..
their were some news agencies that hired lip readers...that
may have been said here already...
i just don't like the way matterazzi plays..i've played with guys
as cheap as this and we kicked him off the team...the only
thing that does is escalate tempers and cause the other team
to intentionally try to injure. played in some of those games
and they're not fun.
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