Without weighing in on the Rooney situation (I was confused at the time as to what the red card was actually for) I will say that the Brazilian team was surprisingly flat. They didn’t seem to show any life until they were down a goal.
I’m anticipating a Germany-France final. Winner to get (or keep) Alsace-Lorraine.
I am also expecting Germany-France. Although I think Italy has been the best team in the tournament, those damn Germans always, always find a way.
For the semis, I take Italy to beat Germany by the score they’ve virtually trademarked over the years, 1-0, with Inzaghi coming off the bench to score, and France to get past Portugal 2-0 - with Zidane and Henry doing the business.
Italy to prevail over France in the final. Hate to say it, but it’s just got to be penalties after a sterile 0-0, with Italy reversing their wretched form in the shoot-outs.
Golden Ball (MVP): Fabio Cannavaro
Golden Boot: I think Miro Klose might have that wrapped up.
Spot on, if you’d pardon the pun. I thought the same at the time. Actually, when Carragher was brought on just to take a penalty with only three out of the 120 minutes remaining, I thought, “Yup - another bad decision from Eriksson. Players need time to get used to the tempo and the “spirit” of a game”. As for Lampard, even my nephew, aged 8, held his head in his hands and exclaimed: “Oh, NO!”
I reckon whoever wins the Germany v Italy game will lift the cup.
I keep thinking Italy will win on penalties tonight after a dull 0-0, either that or Germany will knock two past them in the opening 15 mins and it’ll finish 3-1 to Germany.
Can’t see Portugal beating France.
2-0 France.
I’ve got money on Italy (from before the first match), so I’m hoping them. But I think Portugal is playing the best and most inspirational football of the remaining teams. How about Italy-Portugal for the finals.
Inspirational? Flopping around on the turf is inspirational? Getting out played and out chanced by a 10-man English team is inspirational? Portugal has been the least impressive of the four remaining teams.
Germany doesn’t lose penalty shootouts, ever, it seems.
World Cup penalty shootout statistics.
Almost right. They missed one back in 1982. It was taken by Uli Stielike against France. Germany still won the game.
Germany also lost a shootout against Czechoslovakia in the 1976 European Championship final.
Wow. Germany’s defence just collapsed in extra time. What a horrible way to lose.
If we end up with an Italy-Portugal final, I’m going to throw up.
Ditto. I don’t what I’m going to do if that happens. I’m just glad that I’m not in Toronto right now. I’m getting a headache just thinking about all of those car horns.
Agreed. I might not even watch. Italy-France would be a bit better I guess, although after Henry’s dive against Spain I have no real desire to cheer for them either.
I hope that things don’t get nasty in Germany tonight… 
What a game, huh? Well, what a last-20-minutes-plus-extra-time, anyway, like Germany/Argentina. Italy was clearly the better team out there IMO, and could’ve put the thing away a couple of times over in regulation time if they had cooled their jets and figured out how to stay onside. Seemed there were 7 or 8 fantastic runs that ended in offside calls. That said, Lehmann was on fire, and I don’t think there was much he could’ve done about the two goals in extra time. But as much trouble as Italy’s offensive overexcitement gave them in offsides, Germany’s was just as problematic with midfielders freaking out and air-mailing wild shots into the sky. I think both offenses really blew a number of good chances late in the game, and of course it could’ve easily been 1-1 in extra time after Italy’s two post hits and Germany’s chance going the other way.
I would hate to see an Italy-Portugal final. What a flopfest that would be! Thankfully the ref kept his cards in his pocket on all the wild dives today, but it seemed like it was just one after another after another. Really shameful way to play the game. Unfortunately, Italy’s quite good at everything else, too, so we have to see that dreck all the way through the Cup.
Interesting note by Mark Ziegler, the San Diego Union-Tribune soccer columnist; in an email discussing the Italian and Portuguese penchant for acting, he said that his wife, a U-10 coach, has solved the problem on her team. Her girls used to flop around and cry after mild contact to get calls from the ref, then she would have to come out and console them, and she started to catch on that it was a teamwide act. So the next time one of her girls cried on the field, she took her out for the rest of the match and said “You’re obviously so distraught you can’t possibly play the rest of the game.” She only had to do it once.
It seemed to me that Italy’s runs only looked good because they were offside. Italy didn’t look very good to me in regulation time, especially in the second half. I thought that Germany easily had the best chances.
Extra time was a completely different story. Germany seemingly forgot how to defend, and Italy was finally able to take advantage.
I’m officially changing my prediction to a Portugal win against France, simply because my predictions suck donkey balls, and I don’t want an Italy/Portugal final. So there it is: Portugal 1-0 vs. France. cough
Didn’t catch tonight’s match because I was out becoming the world’s first timeshare boyfriend. Weirdness, but anyway: Highlights made Italy look awesome, but then highlights never really give you a good grasp of the match. Some of the passing moves they put together, though; bugger me, they looked awesome. I’ve been highly impressed with some of the Italian players through this tournament (in particular I think Gattuso could walk into any side in the world, and obviously Buffon), and really wouldn’t know how to call an Italy/France final. Which is just as well, really, since a) it’s officially not going to happen according to my prediction, and b) I’d be wrong anyway. Either way, I am satisfied that there have been at least three teams in this tournament that England probably couldn’t have beaten even if we hadn’t had a cretin for a manager. So that makes me feel better. Somehow.
I don’t think so; I think they were just barely offside most of the time, and could’ve converted if the striker had slowed down just a notch.
This statement is awfully lacking in details. What’s the deal?
Glad to see Portugal go out.
Manager made a show of himself at the end. Bad show all round really from the Portuguese. Disgraceful amount of diving. They actually missed chances due to their rampant diving.
One-nil to the football team…
Yep, Portugal got what they deserved. Stay on your feet, lads, and you might score.