Official 2006 World Cup Thread...Italy wins 1-1 (5-3 PSO)

Why do I have this suspicion that Ronaldo "sold" this WC (like what he "allegedly" did during '98).

I'm rooting for Portugal now, just to piss off my sister.

You're pissing me off too. Don't make me hurtchu Jackarl.

Final Thoughts on Brazil



Firstly, this goes without saying that I am obviously disappointed. Brazil showed flashes of brilliance on a few occasions but showed nothing when they needed it the most. The "magic quartet" were not nearly as good as expected and I would say that I was disappointed in them the most.

My assessment of the quartet

RONALDO


-Was not at his best during the first two matches but a strong performance against Japan got his confidence up which led to another goal against Ghana. It can be argued that Robinho should have started ahead of him but I feel he is class when it comes to finishing while Robinho is suspect at times in that department. Against France he had a couple half chances but never really got going. Maybe a few more plays to his feet would have been nice since we all know heading situations isnt his niche. Very disappointing tournament for him by Brazil's standards even with 3 goals in 5 games.

RONALDINHO


-Going back to his club team Barcelona may be a breath of fresh air for this guy. He just did not play well in this tournament and all he has to show is a single assist. Maybe an inability to share the spotlight....who knows. He showed some flashed today as he seemed very inspired to begin the match however as we all know by now nothing productive didnt arrive. The Brazilian staff said the team would play to his strengths but either they didnt or he was just too passive. I'd take the passive choice since whenever he went forward with intent he looked somewhat dangerous but these instances were few and fa between.

ADRIANO


-Quite possibly the worst of the bunch. He deserved as much criticism as Ronaldo regarding not only his play on the pitch but also his weight. Kinda looked bigger than usual in my opinion but oh well. He made a few good defensive plays during the tournament as he dropped back but its not a good sign when a forward is given more credit for his defensive capabilities. He also held the ball up too long on occasions which resulted in a loss of possession. Scored two goals, which isnt bad, but one was offside and the other was nothing that truly showed the talent he has.

KAKA


-Probably the most consistent of the four. He has had very stable performances during the tournament but nothing out of this world. Had one critical goal which was a sigh of relief at the time but Brazil still ends this tournament on a bitter note. Very fluid on ball but lackd that little something extra.

Pleasant surprise

Cicinho


-Was really impressive in the one match we really got to get a good look at him. Cafu is a lucky man for getting that spot ahead of him since he deserved it more because of the more effective attacking dimension he brings (Gilberto wasnt good enough to take R. Carlos' spot on the other wing). This guy showed great stamina and was flying up and down the pitch like a walk in the park. Made excellent defensive plays and great decisions on the ball, something Cafu wasnt excelling in. Oh well, maybe we will see him in four year.

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Brazil wil be back in four years and maybe it will be history repeating itself after they won it in 2002 when losing in 98 to France.

Great game by Zidane who benefited by too much respect on Brazil's part which gave him enough room for a 12 year old to look like Maradona.

Congrats to Thierry on his winning goal but on another note he whines a bit too much, even when he is feinting a foul. Love the football, hate the whining and bickering.


Anyways, thats my 1 cent for now until further notice.

First, the best player on entire WC so far, is Zizu. Left leg, right leg, head, pass, reception, shoot, vision... I mean, man is 34 years old and still kicking asses, Brazilian asses to be precise. Great game, I 'm so happy for France! YAYYYYY. Second thing I would like to mention-Joga Bonito my hairy white asrse! They sucked on entire WC, ok, you can say that they were good against Japan, if that... Even Essienless Ghana was better. They came over there thinking they already won it. Well get real dumbasses, people play better football, if you still didn't get it .

Hmmm, I like the brasilian players. Most of them. They have some pretty good players if you go with quickness, technique, shooting, passing

But what I dont like, and that is definitely more :

Players who dont wanna fight, dont show that they want to win and dont play emotionally (correct term ?)

Weak perfromance by Brasil, nice Zidane-Ribery-Henry axis in the offense and very strong defensive work by Vieira, Thuram, Abidal, Sagnol, Gallas and also Ribery.

France is cool, more like Germany, they give everything and are concentrated in defense, I like it !

He can still play but he slows them down too much and a lot of his "brilliant" passes don't actually arrive. So I'd say try to speed up the tempo with someone maybe less talented but faster.

You were/are wrong my friend, so wrong.

Witness.

Zidane has been playing well as of late but didnt really start the tournament strong. Even that goal in the last match wasnt representative of the entire game he had which was nothing out of the ordinary. I wouldnt say he has been the best player so far and in truth there isnt anyonw who really stands out. This game was by far his best in my opinion but he still looks old.

Hopefully Adriano will make a difference. Brazil need to do something on the pitch besides putting me on the brink of a heart attack.

where does this obsession with Brazil come from? Are you Brazilian?

You were/are wrong my friend, so wrong.

Witness.

Yeah nice they're trying to add to Zidane's legacy by hyping up France, can Zidane win it one more time?

Well I'm not buying that shit, refs need to start threating every player equally, especially since we're in the quarter's/semi's. And Zidane isn't even 70% of what he used to be.. even now he still belongs at the WC don't get me wrong, but not have a forced main role like this, I'd like to see someone else on France's squad get a chance, they have enough talent.

Hopefully Adriano will make a difference. Brazil need to do something on the pitch besides putting me on the brink of a heart attack.

where does this obsession with Brazil come from? Are you Brazilian?

They were the first team I ever saw back in 94. My uncle played football and he said they were the best so I took it as that since I looked up to him and have been supporting them ever since.

Thats the same way I feel when the Lakers lose...sadly they do it more often.

In what I've seen, I think Ribery has been the most consistant for France. Even though he scored the only goal today Henry hasn't been that great, especially with all the offsides calls. But it looks like France is pulling it together.. I'm hoping for a France/Germany matchup.

England are impotent when it comes to penalties, it's almost hilarious to watch. Here's a hint, try not kicking it at the goalkeeper.

Best mid-field in the world is the one where Zidane plays at. He really showed Brazilians how to control a game....Jason Kidd of the game.

Now maybe people can stop jacking off to Englands supposed "best midfield" and stop saying Brazil was in "1st gear".

Don't care who wins as long as it's not the germans or italians.

Matt, that Zidane-Kidd comparison... It's what I was looking for all the time. Zidane reminded me so much of Kidd yesterday. He completely had the game in his hands. Or feet. But you gotta admit it was his first brilliant game in this tournament. What was up with Brazil, btw? They didn't even fight! Seemed to me they didn't care...

Don't care who wins as long as it's not the germans or italians.

I do not think that any of the four teams that are still in the tourney, deserves it more or not.

Germany played great except the Argentina match, but hey it is Argentina.
They still do not get the respect they deserve, Germany did very well.

Italy showed that they are here when it comes to be important. Against Australia they had bad luck with the red card, the other games against Ukraine, Ghana and Czech Rep. were cool and easy won.

Portugal showed that they are able to fight and to go over 120 mins. If it comes to penalty shootout, they are maybe the best team. And with the returning of Deco they also have a very creative midfield.

France grew with each game. To all Zidane criticism ..... the Kidd comparison is just the best I´ve heard.
Zidane does not shoot goals like he did in his prime, but he touches the ball more than everybody and plays simple + good passes to control the game. And sometimes he shows his skills by going past two defenders and playing a perfect pass.

I think each team deserves it .... I hope Germany makes it, but semi-final is pretty good for us, so lets see.

i think the way France are playing they're gonna take home the cup. France over Italy in the final

I do not think that any of the four teams that are still in the tourney, deserves it more or not.

the team that deserves it the ost is the one that wins the final...simple as that.

Here's a hint, try not kicking it at the goalkeeper.

How about giving some respect to Ricardo?

This is crazy look at it...


http://www.sonjaswette.com/index_en.html

OMFG, I can't see anything! Crazy!

Quite a few sites with counters similar to that saying stuff like "oh if i get this and this i get head etc etc".

Im rooting for Germany for now....

How about giving some respect to Ricardo?

yeah he owned them all....again

im going for france now

Found this while reading another site. C. Ronaldo talking about the Rooney red card drama.

Ronaldo clears the air
By Peter ORourke | Monday 3rd July



Cristiano Ronaldo insists there is no bad feeling between himself and Wayne Rooney.

Rooney was upset with Ronaldo after being sent off during England's World Cup quarter final defeat to Portugal on Saturday.

Rooney showed his anger with Ronaldo by pushing him after the winger approached the referee following Rooney's foul on Ricardo Carvalho.

It was claimed that both players were at loggerheads as a result of the incident and that Ronaldo could even be forced out of Manchester United.

Ronaldo has refuted the rumours and revealed he has cleared the air with his Old Trafford team-mate.

"The things that have been said regarding me and my team-mate and friend Rooney are incredible," said Ronaldo told www.gestifute.com.

"Between me and Rooney, there is absolutely no problem.

"I reiterate, no problem.

"At the end of the game, we sent each other some text messages and also today. Between the two of us everything has been cleared.

"He wished me the best of luck in the World Cup. He told me we had a great team and that if we continued to play like this, we would go far.

"He wasn't angry with me and moreover, he told me to completely ignore what the English press has said, that all they wanted was to create confusion but we are already used to that."

Ronaldo again pleaded his innocence that he was not to blame for Rooney's sending off.

"I am not a referee and I don't have the power to send off a player," added Ronaldo.

"I had nothing to do with the fact that the referee showed the red card."

The flying winger also rubbished talk that he will leave United for Real Madrid this summer.

Real Madrid presidential candidate Juan Miguel Villar Mir claimed Ronaldo was keen on joining the Spanish giants if he won control at El Santiago Bernabeu.

Ronaldo has denied the reports and confirmed he is happy to return to United.

"There have been comments published in which I reportedly said that I didn't want to go back to Manchester United," noted Ronaldo.

"That is completely false, of course I want to go back.

"It's just typical of the English press but I don't lose any sleep."

Ronaldo also revealed that he asked Portugal boss Luiz Felipe Scolari if he could take the final penalty in the shoot-out against England.

The 21-year-old kept his cool from the spot to book Portugal's place in the semi-finals and he was always confident he could decide the outcome of the game.

"When the decision was going to be taken on who will take the penalties, I asked Scolari if I could take the last one," Ronaldo said.

"I like to take penalties and to score them.

"Why did I ask to be last? Because I like to take responsibility and because I had a strong feeling that I was going to be the one to resolve the game."

God damn it, Germany vs. Italy goes to Extra time again...
Very fun game to watch... Like Dallas vs. Suns..

Go Germans!