Euro 2012 - Official Discussion Thread

[minionofmidas]

lolrussia.

Attempts 31-8
On Goal 2-2
Attempts from outside the box 19-2

Possession 69%
won duels 46% (whatever is the term used in English here?)

[minionofmidas]

They're up already.

[minionofmidas]

So're Germany.

[minionofmidas]

1-1.

[minionofmidas]

I like how Podolski's goal apparently ended all hope for Portugal to win the group.

Also how, if Poland had equalized in the 94th minute, they wouldn't have helped themselves at all but the Czechs would have tumbled from 1st to 3rd and Russia would have gone from 3rd to 1st.

[minionofmidas]

Should Germany be eliminated, we really need a gif of Özil slipping and falling over the ball just right now.

[minionofmidas]

This one is over folks..

Denmark don't even lead yet!

[minionofmidas]

No, no. We'll see either one more German goal or two more Danish ones.

[minionofmidas]

One wonders if things would have gone any different if the Dutch had won or at least drawn their first match against Denmark. Quite possibly not.

[minionofmidas]

Prophetic post, Mantis!

That ought to have been an obvious penalty just now.

[minionofmidas]

As of right now, Italy are on top of the group, right?

[minionofmidas]

I think it's time to admit that this game won't end 2-2.

[minionofmidas]

I think it's time to admit that this game won't end 2-2.

There is still a chance of a 1-1. Which would also eliminate Italy (under the current score).

Right. True.

[minionofmidas]

Ah, I was just wondering "Balotelli was offside? I've really seen it from just one angle, so it's possible, but it's different to imagine how." But he meant Spain. That "passive offside" stuff contains certain gray areas that won't ever go away, and this was slap bang in the middle of it really. (It was also on the very borders of handgame by Iniesta. Not to mention the clear-as-day penalty and a mild-but-constant pro-Spanish bias in the refereeing throughout. But that's what you get with the DFB's best-rated refs, to a man.)

[minionofmidas]

But that's what you get with the DFB's best-rated refs, to a man.)

What do you mean by this? Shouldn't a good rating indicate fair refereeing?

The instrumental word being "should".

[minionofmidas]

Why are Özil, Khedira and Boateng never singing the national anthem ?

Hmmmm...I think the answer is pretty obvious...

No, please tell me ...

Podolski as well.

Seems like Germans of migrant background are the only people in the footballing world left with any sense of manners (well, they and the referees). An orchestra is playing the national anthem - whether your own or the opponents'. All present with any sense of decency will stand upright and be quiet.

[minionofmidas]

I've never seen so little buzz about a penalty.

Because it was legit.

No, I'm not talking about disputing it, but none of the players even changed their facial expression, and the commentators kept talking in their usual voice.

Well, it's the 90th minute and the game is won anyways. No bother. If that had been the 2-1 or 2-2, it would be considered controversial.

[minionofmidas]

For anyone not old enough to remember or not a true fan, Francesco Totti converted the same type of penalty as Pirlo in the Euro 2000 Semi final against The Netherlands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2bBN6D9nBY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Of course the copyright belongs to Antonin Panenka.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp2HZNheCZ8

Final penalty of the 1976 final, too - the first penalty shootout in world football history and still the only one that Germany (A) ever lost.

[minionofmidas]

Oh. My. God.

Have you guys seen the photo of the England fan behind the goal during the shoot out? He pulled down his shorts and underwear during Diamanti's penalty. Wow.

I think it's two guys, actually, one of them either pulling down too late or pulling up too early to have his insular dwarfism captured by the photographer.

[minionofmidas]

For anyone not old enough to remember or not a true fan, Francesco Totti converted the same type of penalty as Pirlo in the Euro 2000 Semi final against The Netherlands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2bBN6D9nBY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Of course the copyright belongs to Antonin Panenka.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp2HZNheCZ8

Final penalty of the 1976 final, too - the first penalty shootout in world football history and still the only one that Germany (A) ever lost.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=aWzn_zIlT_w

A "top ten" of such penalties... including another one by Pirlo, another one by Totti, another one against England (by Portugal's Postiga), five Latin American ones because it's a Latin American video... and Zidane against Italy in 2006, of course, at no.1 because it very prettily kissed the crossbar.

[minionofmidas]

I didn't watch any of the matches in this cup so far, but for those who have followed all/most of them, hasn't this been a fairly boring cup overall? I mean, it's quite disappointing/boring to have only the old powerhouses in the finals, when it would have been nice to see countries like Russia (or Greece... ) go further.

It's been infinitely cliché. The biggest names to miss qualifying entirely were... uh... Serbia and Switzerland? The eight biggest names reached the quarterfinals with the single exception of the Dutch, and that was due (in part) to the draw. Yes, I'm counting the Czechs as 8th biggest name in Europe. Have a look at the statistical record. England can't win on penalties. Germany can't beat Italy. It's like a rerun.

[minionofmidas]

I dunno, I've always viewed Spain as an insufferably boring team (from the perspective of an ignorant American). 2008 Euro Final and 2010 WCF were snoozefests. But non-powerhouses Turkey and Croatia put on quite the show four years ago, no?

Spain are great in that they really separate the wheat from the chaff. If you understand and like the game, you'll like their football. If you don't really understand it and only watch big tournaments, they'll seem dull.
But yeah, Turkey 2008 were really something.

[minionofmidas]

England is the biggest lie in football history.

Uruguay vs. Italy = Catenaccio vs. Catenaccio

Catenaccio is dead outside the British Isles as far as national teams go.

[minionofmidas]

I didn't watch any of the matches in this cup so far, but for those who have followed all/most of them, hasn't this been a fairly boring cup overall? I mean, it's quite disappointing/boring to have only the old powerhouses in the finals, when it would have been nice to see countries like Russia (or Greece... ) go further.

It's been infinitely cliché. The biggest names to miss qualifying entirely were... uh... Serbia and Switzerland? The eight biggest names reached the quarterfinals with the single exception of the Dutch, and that was due (in part) to the draw. Yes, I'm counting the Czechs as 8th biggest name in Europe. Have a look at the statistical record. England can't win on penalties. Germany can't beat Italy. It's like a rerun.

Greece as a "biggest name". lol.

No - they're the ones that got in instead of the Dutch. Totally forgot to list "Russia choking", too.

You know, it's quite possible that the tournament will end with the highest scorer having only got 3.

Kinda hoping for one or two of Torres, Fabregas and Xabi Alonso to join the ranks of three-goal-scorers with the final.

[minionofmidas]

Well, in the last Copa América Paraguay reached the final without winning a match in the 90' or 120'.

Lol, wow.