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Posted by: Ashraf Jun 5 2006, 04:47 PM

Yes.Finally those days are about to start.If I say frankly world cup days are few days which I just forget all other things and enjoy myself.Being a person coming from football crazy Kerala I am waiting anxiously for June 9.

Let us discuss about it.Tell about your favourite tams and players(if any body is interested in football).

My favourite team is Brazil(as always)

My favourite players are Kaka and Adriano(Brazil).

After Brazil my support goes to Holland.

only team which I dislike is France.

I feel missing my home now .it would have been great If was there with so many friends and football fans .

Posted by: azad Jun 5 2006, 05:15 PM

Don't know how far they will go but definitely glad to see Australia make it to Germany. Football (code=soccer) is almost non-existent in Australia (well, was non-existent untill a few months back). Just this opportunity they got, regardless whether they make it round 2 or not, will do very good for the sport there.
With all the interest this worldcup has aroused in Australia, they will be the team to watch for in the next world cup.

My tip, Germany, the 2006 World Champs.

Posted by: Flex001 Jun 5 2006, 09:15 PM

Rooting for Brazil here. My player to watch, Ronaldinho, the bucked toothed assassin. I think Argentina and Italy also have good chance though you can never ignore the Germans, plus they have home advantage this time round.

My mates reckon England have a great chance, HAHA, I promised each of them a new jersey should that happen!


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Posted by: oye_sonu Jun 6 2006, 01:04 AM

Milao Azad ji haath Apoon bhi Germany ka fan hai.

Football is my fav sport. but delhi people hardly like this game.
I dont have cable at home....so totally clueless abt players and hype that usually comes with such events.

but apoon ko Germany ka game hamesha pasand hai. so this time also its Germany for me.
Brazilians individual efforts per kaafi depend karte hai.

ghar me kaha hai ek mahine ke leye cable lagane ko.... . unko darr hai kahi Baywatch na dekhne lag pade ladka



Sonu

Posted by: princeali Jun 6 2006, 05:23 AM

Oh Man, great thread Ashraf bhai, Football is one of my most favourite sports.

My team is ITALY !!!!

I hope this time they don't let us down, the past two tourney's have been big letdowns, being eliminated by SK in 02 and then failing to qualify to the second round in the Euro Cup in 04.

My favourite player is Del Piero, he's re-invented himself and is in the form of his life right now, he's had a great season with Juve and hopefully he will shine in this tourney, but the question is can he and Totti play together, considering they have had their share of problems in the past.

I hope they finish first in their group so they don't meet Brazil right away in the second round, not that I think they can't beat them , but that would be a good semi-final or final clash.

Nice to know there are football fans here on HF.

Posted by: azad Jun 6 2006, 07:09 PM

LOL......................

Posted by: hari Jun 6 2006, 07:47 PM

England All The Way!

Players to watch, Messi, Kaka, Toni, Ronaldihno, Rooney(if fit), Adriano, and HENRY.

Posted by: Ashraf Jun 7 2006, 11:24 AM

Hari bhai

You mean u like England or England has the best chance to win?

Actually England disappoint always.In premior league English players are stylish and plays attacking style of football,but when it comes to international matches English football sucks.They always plays defensively.
I like Steven Jerrard in English team.

I hope 'Ronaldinhco-Ronaldo-Kaka-Adriano-Robinhco' will be in good form so that Brazil can score at an average of 3 goals in all matches.So even if defence goes little weak Brazil can win the matches.

Any Argentine fans here?.

Prince bhai.Italy has improved a lot and now a days playing some fast/attacking game unlike they plays in 90s.But they need to have some luck going on their favour(just like the dutch)

Most luckiest team in the world is France sure.

Posted by: NATURE Jun 14 2006, 04:48 PM

my teams: france, brasil, argentina, germany. but 1 thing i dislike about germany is
they r very aggresive and do misdeeds to take the game in their favor ...

i was in full support of france during france v switzerland, but they couldn't win. kya dayaa game thaa ...
bore ho gaye the ... henry has been in form but did nothing remarkable.

i guess the best goals came from "kaka" ( brasil, with croatia ) and "frings" ( germany, with costa rica ) ,
what say ? anybody watched all the matches ???
to know all the updates of matches & results, plz visit this ... http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/w/schedule.html

Posted by: Ashraf Jun 14 2006, 08:55 PM

Nature ji

Frankly speaking France has no chance this time.Their game is just average.I really don't know why the teams like England and France getting prominence in the media where the truth is that teams like Netherlands are way aahead of them.

Brazil disappointed everybody including diehard fans like me.

best result so far is Spains 4-0 victory against Ukrain.Inside of my heart says that this time the cup will be won by either Netherlands or Spain.

Posted by: deghosh Jun 14 2006, 10:13 PM

Great thread. I took half a day from work yesterday to watch my favorite team (Brazil) and what a let down it was. Croatia stiffled then in the middle third and suddenly the Brazilians looked oh so ordinary. I think they were very lucky to garner full points with such a scrappy performance. But may be they are holding back, it might just be that they are playing percentage soccer and saving their best for sterner tests ahead. But all in all I am greatly dissapointed. Till now I have been very impressed with Germany, Spain and Argentina. Germany's defence looked a bit shaky though. Also Spain has this habit of playing its heart out in the group stages only to dissapoint in the knockout phases. They had been the biggest under-achievers in the history of WC Soccer.
BTW, any of you watching India/WI game. Howz the pitch behaving, any chance of India prising out the remaining seven wickets

Posted by: Talaikya Jun 15 2006, 02:54 AM

Boy oh boy! What a thriller that Poland vs Germany turned out to be... !!!

Posted by: ashe Jun 15 2006, 11:44 AM

Poland vs Germany. That was a real thriller, going down to the wire. Unfortunately the Poles lost to Equador & may not be able to enter the next round of the tournament.

Posted by: princeali Jun 15 2006, 11:11 PM

Brazil was a let down, Ronaldo looks like he has weight issues, he wasn't effective at all, but there's still time, they should get it together against two relatively weaker sides in Australia and Japan.

France (as Ashraf bhai pointed out) seems like no real threat this time, they looked sloppy on the field, but they do have a team of veterans and are capable of giving a fight, we'll see how they do.

Netherlands and Spain are both strong, but Spain has a history of choking as Deghosh put it, the Netherlands have the team that can make some noise this year.

Poland had no offence at all, Germany should have won that match earlier but their chances didn't go through for them until the end, Ecuador who just made it to the Final 16 have faced two easy sides, and now they will find it harder in the Final 16.

I am disappointed with Del Piero's form which is why Lippi is playing all the other subs ahead of him, I hope he gets back his form in time so that he can get more playing time. This is def. not the same Del Piero of this season and of old. I think Italy should play Del Piero and Totti along with Toni, that would be the right combination and bring Gili off the bench. (although Gili has alot of speed, but this way you would have two playmakers DP and Totti to feed Toni and DP serves both as a playmaker and a striker)

I hope Italy beats the US, the big match is against the CR on Thursday, Italy have to finish first in their group.

Posted by: Reeth Jun 16 2006, 06:37 PM

Germany any day..........
The kind of aggressiveness they showed against the poles and won the match (Oh boy, Was it a thriller?), i'd say it w'd be the Germans.
Though Ronaldo looks a bit soft now, one still can't rule him out entirely, he may still be able to tilt the balance,so ,To watch a final conflict between the brasilians and germans yet again( if it so happens) wd be a dream come true.
But there is also Argentina....

Posted by: Talaikya Jun 16 2006, 08:21 PM

... who (Argentina) are making mincemeat of poor Serbia n Montenegro. I am cringing at the thought of watching US vs Italy tomorrow

Posted by: princeali Jun 16 2006, 10:44 PM

Can't wait for tommorow T-ji, I hope Italy washes out the US and eliminates them from the competition.

Totti is still 70 percent fit, he needs playing time to get back his form and then there is not a midfielder in the world that can stop his talents.

I hope Del Piero gets his form back, he is a big part of the squad, he needs to prove his talent on the international stage.

Argentina are good, and the Netherlands are great as well, they have a team that can go all the way this time.

Posted by: Flex001 Jun 16 2006, 11:00 PM

One mother of a game!

That second goal was one of the best team goals I've ever seen; 23 passes, back heel by Crespo, bang, GOAL!

Posted by: NATURE Jun 17 2006, 12:43 AM

u r very true ashraf ji, france is not in form. the very first game was not at all enjoyable. very bad attacks
from both of the teams. let's see how they do next. henry and few others may do better. i like france ...

i am not aware of that. it might be in many places, here there is no media hype i guess.
---------------------
anybody watched england vs. trinidad & tobago ??? it was good, awesome defence by terry.
bas ekhi shot mein main terry kaa fan ban gayaa. it was good to see rooney's come back, people
were shouting for him in the theatre, he had lots of fans. but i didn't see any special effect from him,
see next time ...
---------------------
what about netherlands v ivory coast 2day ??? so many golden opportunities yet ivory coast couldn't
make more goals. but they played well ... here is the top 10 fifa world ranking teams.

1 brazil
2 czech republic
3 the netherlands
4 mexico
5 usa
5 spain
7 portugal
8 france
9 argentina
10 england

who do u think have a change to win worldcup 2006 ??? interesting thing people was not satisfied
with performance of brazil with 23rd rank holder croatia and the condition was even worse with
france v ivory coast ( 32th rank holder ) .....
-----------------
let's start a poll, let's see how many of us can make a good guess. choose 10 best teams, put them
in the poll and let's see who wins ... what say ??? i will be happy if 1 of the following wins

france, brazil, argentina, netherlands, spain ...


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Posted by: princeali Jun 19 2006, 04:32 AM

The Italy-US matchup was crazy, three red cards.....De Rossi's elbow was bad though, he should not have made such a move and now it might cost him playing time in the rest of the World Cup if he comes back....Italy should have still won having the extra man....Del Piero had two great chances but they didn't go through.....I am hoping Italy beats the Czech's to top their group on Thurs.....they play best under pressure.

France's situation is bad....they can be knocked out and to add to it Zidane misses the next match, so the match against Korea might have been the last WC game of his career....a sad way to exit.

What else do you guys/gyals think about the First Round so far ?.

Posted by: zashakeel Jun 19 2006, 05:43 PM

Posted by: Flex001 Jun 19 2006, 10:40 PM

Love the caricature!

Sadly, he hasn't fired like I thought he would, there again many of the big players and teams have looked poor and unimaginitive. Maybe the minnows have caught up.

Argentina look a good bet for the finals.

Posted by: Talaikya Jun 19 2006, 10:59 PM

Argentina looked good with S&M or maybe S&M made them look good? I didn't see them play Ivory Coast, lets wait and watch what develops with the Netherlands. I need a break from football, have it coming out of my ears over this weekend

Posted by: deep750 Jun 20 2006, 01:27 AM

4 saal baad WC aya, abhi break chahiye kya?
10 july ko kehenge ki, kaash worldcup thode din aur chalta

Posted by: Talaikya Jun 20 2006, 02:27 AM

Satya vachan!

Posted by: NATURE Jun 20 2006, 03:05 AM

esp v. tun, awesome game !!! similarly bra v. aus .... i am happy now, though france disappointed me a lot.
this time, i see good teams disappointing very much. france is for sure 1 of them, brasil doing the same
though they won, samething applies to czech ... what an awesome win by ghana ... they tried very much
and they won ... frankly speaking, it doesn't matter which team will win, cause my country is not playing
but i have started liking some teams and i wish 1 of them wins ...

i got an idea, the idea of "3rd umpire" concept in soccer like in cricket ??? i mean "another referee"
cause i noticed these facts:

1. wrong decisions by the referee regarding fouls/yellow cards/free kicks, sometimes they don't give
when they must give ... a camera can say u everything and helps u taking better decisions ...

2. especially the goals & offsides ... they player is inside the posts(at the time of defending) and
still it is not a goal and there r some cases of invalid offisides ....

what say ??? forget it , soccer loves will laugh at me ... just chil man, i am joking ...






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Posted by: Flex001 Jun 22 2006, 07:07 AM

Actually France were poor last time too, if I remember right they failed to score and hence didn't make it through the group stages.

BTW, why the old pics?

Posted by: deep750 Jun 22 2006, 03:50 PM

aaj italy ke liye bada zaruri din hai. Agar Czech se aaj har gaya to most likely they wont continue to the 1/8-finals, or thode time baad, italy ke corruption-scandal ka jawab milega. 4 clubs degrade ho sakte...

Posted by: deep750 Jun 23 2006, 05:38 PM

Italy had a good game yesterday, and are now playing the kangoroos in the 1/8-final. As Ghana also went through to 1/8 final and meeting Brazil, they dont have very bug possibility to get further. But if all the Ghana players give 110% in every part of the game, and with a bit luck, they may beat brazil. Hope so

Posted by: Bhirgu Jun 23 2006, 05:50 PM

Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oi oi oi!
Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oi oi oi!
Aussie! Oi! Aussie! Oi!
Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oi oi oi!

Posted by: azad Jun 24 2006, 09:00 AM

Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi!
We will give them Italians a fair crack of the whip, bring them on!

Posted by: Talaikya Jun 24 2006, 11:23 AM

Kal kya hoga?

Germany vs Sweden n Argentina vs Mexico??

My money's on the Germans and the Argentinians... what say the rest of you fans??

Posted by: Ashraf Jun 24 2006, 12:07 PM

T ji


I have same opinion as you....It will be Argentines and Germens to go through....We can watch good match in the quarter between the two teams....waiting for that.

I am so so happy that finally Brazil has started to play their natural game.....I hope Brazil can reach in the semifinals(No Ghana, Ukrain/Swiss can stop brazil sure)....Then 2 tough matches(semi final&final)....If there is some luck Brazil can win....Any way I am happy if Brazil plays well...thats all

Posted by: Nimii Jun 24 2006, 12:43 PM

Me bettin on Germany!!!!!!!!!!

N

Posted by: sri Jun 24 2006, 01:00 PM

What a treat it would be for football lovers...if it were to be an
ARGENTINA - BRAZIL Final on July 9th !!!!!!!
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that.

Sri

Posted by: gin_ger_ale Jun 24 2006, 01:04 PM

I would love to see Germany vs Brazil, with Brazil winning of course

Posted by: Nimii Jun 24 2006, 01:06 PM

Gingz

Posted by: Flex001 Jun 24 2006, 04:13 PM

So we're down to the last 16, here's where we currently stand:

1) Germany vs Sweden
2) Argentina vs Mexico
3) England vs Ecuador
4) Portugal vs Holland
5) Italy vs Australia
6) Switzerland vs Ukraine
7) Brazil vs Ghana
8) Spain vs France

Italy have the easiest route to the semis where they could possibly meet Argentina or Germany. I want the quarters to look like this:

1) Germany vs Argentina
2) England vs Holland
3) Italy vs Switzerland
4) Brazil vs Spain

Posted by: NATURE Jun 25 2006, 04:32 PM

watched the matches ???

1. england v. sweden
2. brasil v. japan
3. argentina v. netherlands
4. germany v. sweden
5. argentina v. mexico
-------------------
the most exciting match till now i have watched is " argentina v. mexico "
what an interesting match it was

i would go for france, argentina & brasil ... after france, i like argentina and above of all
messi & tebez ...
-------------------

u mean supporting or opposing ???
-------------------

i like germany, the way the play. they are the most disgusting team i guess. ask why ?
they will do all sorts of misdeeds, sometimes they deserve yellow cards but nobody will say
anything. but when the samething happens to them, they will fight to give red cards to the opponents
the last red card was pathetic ( i guess it was from argentina ), that fellow did nothing ....
only from this point of view i dislike germany, otherwise germany is my in favorite list ...
let's see if fra / argentina / bra can win or not ...

Posted by: Nimii Jun 25 2006, 04:34 PM

Supporting only Nature

Posted by: NATURE Jun 25 2006, 05:00 PM

you are kidding me !!! waise aap karenge bhi kya ? debate to kar nahi sakte !!!
------------------
got some fifa babes in my email, wanna share with u guys ...







want more ???

Posted by: Nimii Jun 25 2006, 05:04 PM

Did I ask at all Why would I be interested in babes

N

Posted by: august Jun 26 2006, 01:53 AM

i see everything except one decent football...

ahh.. football.....well now it isn't what it used to be.

Posted by: Talaikya Jun 26 2006, 02:45 AM

I am tired after the last match (Netherlands Vs Portugal). I felt like spanking everyone!!! Too much aggression not enough Football

Posted by: Nimii Jun 26 2006, 08:08 AM

Tji

(nimii sniggering to herself.. with a "I told you so" look on her face he he he )

Posted by: Reeth Jun 26 2006, 11:18 AM

am still betting on Germany..........
Being on home ground with the crowd behind you , and Podolski.....everything going their way.

Posted by: Nimii Jun 26 2006, 11:28 AM

Reeth join the club

Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Posted by: Talaikya Jun 26 2006, 11:39 AM

Amongst the 4 that are already in QFs, to me Germany's looked the most consistent and solid so far. Aage aage dekhte hain kya hota hain.

Posted by: NATURE Jun 26 2006, 01:02 PM

cool down nimmi ji !!! babes are harmless ( soccer babes particularly ), they entertain us and take nothing
in return .... i just shared them with you guys for your fun ... so enjoy and forget ...








sahi farmaaye !!! ... fouls, free kicks, yellow cards, red cards that's all about it . ... kya dayaa match thaa
after all portugal won which i didn't xpect, i thought netherlands would ... nothing impossible !!!

satya bachan. germany did very well, they are in better form than brasil i guess. aage aage dekhte hai hotaa hai kya ...
i hope argentina, brasil, germany would win. but germany v. argentina quarter final ... so very exciting ...

here it goes, few decent footballs ...

Posted by: Nimii Jun 26 2006, 01:10 PM

Nature Ooffffff! No more OK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: visuja Jun 26 2006, 01:18 PM

Nature-ji, aapko football ka aerodymnamic CFD hi mila dikhaane ko !

People see football for different reasons.. some for able bodied men and then, some for the gals who come to support those men ! Waise football hi nahiin, hum to tennis bhi isiiliye dekhte hain !

I vote for Germany... so far. Waiting for Brazil's QF match with Spain / France too see their form.

Posted by: Ashraf Jun 26 2006, 06:05 PM

Germany or Spain or any team may win the world cup.
But nobody can win the heart like Brazilians.
When they play with their heart it is a magic
some thing that no other team can give.

I just love Brazil..the kings of Football
the way I love Rafi saab,Lataji,Kishoreda,Mukesh ji & hfm.

Wishing them all the best for the next 4 matches.

Posted by: visuja Jun 27 2006, 11:50 AM

Australia were quite unlucky to lose out to Italy. Quite commendable that they managed to keep Italy at bay almost the whole of 90 minutes, and could have been anybody's game in extra time. Awarding a penalty at the last minute to Italy for the foul seemed quite harsh

As for the Swiss who missed 3 penalty shots....

Posted by: Talaikya Jun 27 2006, 11:58 AM

Yep ill fated matches those... I hate it when it gets to PKs, seems so unfair rather like luck of draw.

Looking forward to Brazil - Ghana tomorrow, that should be something!

Posted by: sri Jun 27 2006, 12:22 PM

Some teams have it easy...fortune smiles on them.

Looks like Italy will surely go through to the semis...if they play to their potential...should not be difficult for them to beat Ukraine in the quarter-finals

The Argentina-Germany match will be a 'semi-final' or even 'final' class match - unfortunately they are meeting in the quarter finals itself. Based on their play so far....both these teams have the calibre to be 'finalists'


Sri

Posted by: deep750 Jun 27 2006, 01:03 PM

Aussies unlucky kahe ke? They were lucky that materazzi was sent off for a tackle that was NO more than yellow. Italy ruled the game untill the sending off.

Hope Brazil loses badly against Ghana today

Forza Italia!!!

Posted by: Ashraf Jun 27 2006, 03:47 PM

Deep bhai.Dream on.Every body has the right to dream(the impossible)

Posted by: deep750 Jun 27 2006, 04:47 PM

dekhte hain. If brazil doesnt play better than they have, it is likely that they loose. Ghana can surprise, and I hope africas pride can continue further...

Posted by: Bhirgu Jun 27 2006, 05:10 PM

WE WAZ ROBBED !!!!!!!!!!!


.......in the game’s dying moments.


Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi.

Posted by: deep750 Jun 27 2006, 05:54 PM

what did they steal?

Posted by: Bhirgu Jun 27 2006, 06:08 PM

Deep

The opportunity to go right as far as the semi-final in my opinion !!!!!

Soccer is not a mainstream sport in Australia, but after an absence of 32 years , this team did the country proud.

Anil

Posted by: deep750 Jun 27 2006, 06:51 PM

saale angrej they weren't good enough, thus they lost.
Hope england will be humiliated in the game against protugal.

Angrejis cant play football even they invented it

Posted by: NATURE Jun 28 2006, 02:40 AM

brasil won, france won ... too good, oh god u r so kind ...
i am so happy nimbu ... so so so so soooooooooooooooooooooooooo happy !!!



i love u france !!! vive la france ...
nimmi ji, i wanna give treat to all hfians, plz do come to bombay. i will serve a cup of black tea and
if u want then a packet of hide & seek biscuit to every 1 ... i invite u all !!!

bahut sahi kahaa aapne sri ji ... next xciting matches will be: argentina v. germany and france v. brasil
let's see what happens ... i am very nervous now. don't know what will happen 2morrow, but am happy 2day


why r u against angrez ??? woh log (bhaarat mein) raaz kiye isliye ? aap kahaan se hai ? naarwe yaa norway ?

Posted by: Flex001 Jun 28 2006, 04:51 AM

It didn't quite go how I wanted, but hey, 5 out of 8 ain't so bad!

Germany vs Argentina
Italy vs Ukraine
England vs Portugal
Brazil vs France

I hope the semis look like this with Argentina and Brazil progressing to the finals:

Argentina vs Italy
Brazil vs Portugal

Posted by: Talaikya Jun 28 2006, 07:01 AM

Germany / Argentina vs Brazil ... but then I guess 99% of the folks would predict that huh?

Posted by: deep750 Jun 28 2006, 01:51 PM

It isnt because they ruled india, but it is a factor for not liking them. angrez along with the french people appear to be sooo nonchalant. They try to give the image of being perfect, by appearing as never commiting any mistakes...

hope portugal gets to the final and meets argetina or italy in the finale.

yep im from norway, but since indians pronounce it as naarwe ...

Posted by: Ashraf Jun 29 2006, 11:36 AM

Oh Brazil

Now your time has come.Dont you remember mexico86.......Ziko missing penalty....Finally beaten by the French in the shoot out....Though you were the best team in the competition you were thrown out by fate....Dont you remember france98....those 3 goals from French in the final....Now it is your turn...pls do it for millions of Brazil fans...We don't mind if Brazil does n't win another cup...But to win the next match is very very important...Wish you all all the best.

Brazilian fan

Posted by: Bhirgu Jun 29 2006, 02:58 PM

Ashraf

Zico did miss that penalty in regulation time but did not miss his penalty in the shoot-out.

Remember the ever confident Socrates ? He stood just one step behind the ball and kicked right into the hands of French goalkeeper.

Anil

Posted by: princeali Jun 30 2006, 01:04 AM

I really hope Brazil gets knocked out either in the quarters or the semi's......I think out of England or Portugal, England if they play to their potential has a better chance of beating Brazil if that's a possible semi-final matchup. Then again don't count out France, they have the experience and can pull off an upset against Brazil.

I was happy Del Piero got the start but none of the Italian forwards have played to their potential.....they have by far the best defence in the world, no team can score against them easily.....Iaquinta is a useless forward, I don't know what Lippi sees in him, Inzaghi should have come on for Gili last match and I hope he gets to play in the match vs Ukraine.

I know this is never going to happen but I would put DP and Totti together along with Toni, and watch out everyone, if Toni comes out of his slump, he will be a FORCE.

I hope Portugal get knocked out by England, I didn't like the way they played against Holland and they should go home.

An Italy-Argentina semi matchup would be thrilling, and so would Italy-Germany.

Brazil can be defeated, if chances go your way and you have a strong defence, they will find it hard, unfortunately all the teams they have faced don't have a really strong defence.

If Brazil makes it to the finals, an Italy-Brazil matchup would be awesome and then hopefully Italy can come through and take it .

FORZA ITALIA !!

Posted by: deep750 Jun 30 2006, 04:13 PM

i agree, iaquinta realy sucked last game.The reason for using iaquinta and not pippo last game is probably because pippo is a typically box-player. He cant do much on his own, he is more a player that just is on the right place at the right time, and scores many goales. Against the aussies, italy needed someone who could hold on to the ball as they were one less than their opponents, so the midfield would get enough time to come after to attack. but as iaquinta played worse than I could have, it didn't work very well
read that pippo might be teamed up with toni on top for italy against ukraine, but that lippi might try the same formation as against czech-rep 4-4-1-1 with toni alone on top with totti behind. so hope they play 4-4-2 with pippo inzaghi and luca toni/Gila on top

forza azzuri!!

Posted by: Reeth Jun 30 2006, 05:25 PM

Nail biting suspense tonight as germans take on argentinians........
I hope germans do not underestimate their opponents as argen..are a formidable lot.
I am keeping my fingers tightly crossed......!!!!

Posted by: Talaikya Jun 30 2006, 09:24 PM

Too early for this but...
Not penalty kicks oh God!!!

Posted by: Bhirgu Jun 30 2006, 09:37 PM

Start of second half. Argentina has scored !!!!!!!!

Posted by: Talaikya Jun 30 2006, 10:00 PM

My Klinsmann & Ballack going ??

On the positive side... Maybe history in the making... Sri's wish fructifying???

PS: Klose strikes and equalises = biting mah nails!

PKs it is

That hurt Either way it would've hurt

Posted by: sri Jun 30 2006, 11:17 PM

Tragedy strikes the world cup...as expected

the robots won....the footballers lost

as usual - germany with their style-less play win again (though to give them some credit their equalising goal was very good - the only time during the 120 mins they showed some class !!)

the argentines were certainly better footballers....and a great sight to watch....but sadly they are out now
goodbye football !!

Sri

Posted by: Talaikya Jun 30 2006, 11:23 PM

Oh c'mon Sri... there's still Brazil and this was just a draw of the luck. Also Germany haven't been so very robotic this time around (the tournament) to my mind; but as is usual with me, I enjoy more than I know

Posted by: sri Jun 30 2006, 11:32 PM

yes...there's Brazil of course....but in my opinion Argentina was playing a better brand of football - sometimes really breathtaking - in this world cup.
And as we get closer to the finals...teams tend to become more careful and less entertaining.....anyway here's to Brazil now !!


Sri

Posted by: NATURE Jun 30 2006, 11:36 PM

yeah, sri ... u r right. both of the teams played very well, but i am slightly unhappy. i don't know
why am i lil bit upset. sometimes, i feel in my subconcious mind, there is a supporter of argentina ..
i liked both the teams but from the day, i heard that german use tricks to win the matches, some are
legal tricks and some are illegal. i was disappointed by the later one ...

no doubt klose, podolski are very good players but messi, tevez are genious players ...

let me ask all the football lovers: are the germans very good in using the illegal tricks ?
( more than any other team) YES or NO ???
----------------------------

yeah, u r very true. the match was so xciting that there so no seat left in the theatre, housefull
they(both) played well, they(none) never reached the penalty shoot out situation in the history ...
i enjoyed that match. argentina, the only team that can give brasil a fight.
but i guess bad things happened to argentinaian ...

1. that free kick
2. that yellow card
3. the previous goalkeeper went back, i think argentina needed him at that time ...

even the german supporters were saying: " 1. & 2. are wrong, injustice " ...
let's see what happens in the next match: bra v. fra ...
----------------- editing -----------------------


forza italia ( the other t ) !!!
haa haa !!! i am loving it. u must be a big fan of italy, sorry italia ...
so, finally they have won by 3-0 ... nice !!! congrats man !!! their defence is quite good, but semi final would be
a tough competition, rite dude ? anyway, forza italia ... ( but i am neutral now )

Posted by: deep750 Jul 1 2006, 07:01 AM

glad italia made it, but also feel that ukraine was unlucky not to score a singe goal. but on the other side I'm glad Shevchenko lost, dont like him after he left Milan for Chelsea

Posted by: Nimii Jul 1 2006, 07:18 AM

NATURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Ashraf Jul 1 2006, 03:34 PM

Anil ji.I have nt seen that match live.But I heared a lot about that and saw some highlights.I heared that Brazil played the best football and lost it at the end.Always unlucky



Prince bhai

I have just a fear for France only..not because of their footballing ability.They are the luckiest of team in the whole world.Just an example their match against Spain.Spain was the better team in any count.But they failed bcs luck was against them.England is nothing infront of Brazil.England is over over rated team.At present only Germany is a team to be feared.Then again ur argument regarding the defence.Brazil has beaten England in the last world cup quarter final, Germany last confederation cup s/final, Argentina last confederation cup final.All these team have weak defence?So your argument does nt make sense.Only my fear is bad luck that happened to Argentina yesterday.

Posted by: Talaikya Jul 2 2006, 01:51 AM

Time to start crying Sri? Suddenly France and Italy are looking good.

Posted by: Nimii Jul 2 2006, 01:53 AM

He he he!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: sri Jul 2 2006, 02:30 AM

Shock defeat for Brazil !!!!

But cannot grudge France their victory - they were the better team today !

Zizou ...whatta player.....lovely kick to Henry to score a great goal...but more than that ..they controlled the game today ...didn;t give Brazil a chance

Was this the same team which drew against Switzerland ????

Maybe it will be a France - Germany final ..methinks

Sri

But i would have preferred France Vs Argentina !!

Posted by: august Jul 2 2006, 02:32 AM

france goes ahead and brazil goes out.. 1-0

i am all angry about ronaldo and his game today..

and mad about not covering henry at that crucial moment ...

sri, i wish france goes against germany...

Posted by: Talaikya Jul 2 2006, 02:34 AM

They were good weren't they? They've been looking better and better. Yep... Italy looked good against Ukraine, so we're probably in for Germany - France. I've gotta choose between Zidane and Klinsmann!!

Ps: yep Auggie, Ronaldo was a rock today wasn't he and I don't mean that in a stable way!

Posted by: NATURE Jul 2 2006, 03:49 AM

he he he !!! france won the match, i better say zidane won the match ... hip hip, hurrey !!!
i love u france, vive la france ... ... zidane,

but brasil lost the match, i am unhappy ... i love them too.

but liked the match. what a performance 2day, even if brasil won the match
everybody would be satisfied by frence performance ... hai naa ???
--------------------------------------------

--> aap log angrezo ke khilaaf kyun hai bhai ? aur française ne kya kiyaa ? what did they do ?
except the fact that britain ruled over 62 countries ... but did they do any over injustice in soccer ???
i am not sure.
--------------------------

i say: France v. Italy will be the final ...

forza italia , hai naa princeali saheb ???
---------------------------


--> u are about two choose between zidane & klinsmann ??? u compare them ?
zidane is zidane, the commentators say: " so easy for him ", the people say " he is a one man show "
and i say "you go for zidane" ...
really impressed by their performance, even french opponents started liking them ..
------------------------

tussi mussi ki khichaai kar rahi ho ? to ye lo
ab mussi bhi tussi ki khichaai karungaa ...
i thought all the soccer lovers will support argentina when they fight against germany.
par tussi exception ho ji ...
u know argentina is a wonderful team. they have genious players
and germany has good and tricky players, without using tricks u know they can't win.
---------------------------
sorry, nimmi ji. budaa mat maano. just teasing u ... nothing serious, cause i like germany too ...

Posted by: Flex001 Jul 2 2006, 06:49 AM

France deserved the win they played the better football and seem to be peaking just at the right time. Brazil were a real let down man!

Posted by: Nimii Jul 2 2006, 09:15 AM

Na na Nature me not taking what u say seriously But I am so glad that the game is going unpredictable!!!!!!!!!

Dekhenge kaun jeet tha hai.. 9th July is one such day!!!

N

Posted by: Reeth Jul 2 2006, 11:00 AM

With Argentine and Brass out, it looks like a France n Germany confrontation.............and i guess Germans can handle France
very well..........
Almost sure of the outcome.......

Posted by: AzgarKhan Jul 2 2006, 03:34 PM

Brazil was really disappointing, they were so defensive while france was attacking. France deserved the victory and ZIDANE did so well.

Brazil and Argentina are both out of worldcup.

My favorite is Germany. I hope they win!!

Posted by: Nimii Jul 2 2006, 03:41 PM

Azgarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrahhhhhhhhhhhh yipeeeeeeeeee you are with me re!!

N

Posted by: princeali Jul 3 2006, 10:00 AM

Ashraf bhai,

IMO I don't think France is lucky, France proved in their win over Brazil that they are a great team, they have the experience and the resources to stop any team in the world. There should be no excuses for Brazil losing the game, they could not score because the defensive tactics of France were great.

About defence, here was my orignal point:

Brazil can be defeated, if chances go your way and you have a strong defence, they will find it hard, unfortunately all the teams they have faced don't have a really strong defence.

I was proved right. I had mentioned that so far in this tournament Brazil did not get tested by the best defensive teams, I am not talking about previous years such as the QF against England or the C Cup that you brought up nor did I talk about Argentina, Germany, England with respect to defence.

If you look at Croatia, Australia, Japan, Ghana, these teams are traditionally not known to be that great on defence, and France was the first real test Brazil had, and they couldn't get passed them. Brazil came into this tourney thinking they couldn't be stopped, and they were.

I said England had a better chance if they faced Brazil (if that was the case) instead of Portugal because I think they are a better team than Portugal, and I don't really fancy Portugal, for me they are a cheap team who only know how to hurt the opposition. Talking about luck, I think that term should apply to the Portuguese, as they have been lucky to reach where they are. England have always been traditionally bad on penalty kicks, but if you saw the game, you could see how they controlled more of the flanks, were better on defence and were causing problems for Portugal with their pace.

I don't really fear Germany, honestly I don't find them that great, Argentina was the better team. They will find it difficult to break the Azzuri Wall, and now that Totti is almost 100% and Toni is finally back on track, the German's better watch out. One thing that will help them and motivate them will be the home crowd and the fact that they have never lost at Dortmund.

I am very happy that France made it through, everyone was expecting Brazil to make it to the semi's and France came through, I hope they make the Finals and kick Portugal really hard.

Looking forward to an Italy-France Final ! .....and then ofcourse an Italy win .

Posted by: Ashraf Jul 3 2006, 11:20 AM

Prince Ali bhai

I also agreed that France was better team against Brazil.Why I told France is lucky team.In Euro 2000 France has got a lot of decisions going their way .

Let me give few example

1. the wrong Penalty they got against Portugal in semifinal extra time(golden goal)

2. Equalising goal against Portugal in same match which was a clear offside.

3.Injury time (93rd minut) equaliser against Italy in the final.

4.This worldcup quarter against Spain wrong free kick given and goal beside Span dominated the entire match.

Their african born defenders were using their body against the stylish players and Refrees were blind.Any way Zidane is a class player and what ever France is achieved is due to him.Once he and his senior collegues retire after the world cup we can see the fate of France where Brazil will remain in the top for years to come.I consider the teams like Holland which was(and still is) among the top teams always and still did nt win a cup(missed out in 74 and 78).Same applies for Spain also.

I say that rather than France's victory it was defeat of Brazil.Brazil coach is to be blamed for their defencive tactics.Brazil was playing like they have some divine right to reach in the final.Same Brazil without Ronaldo,Carlos and Cafu won the Confederation cup.This time the veteren horses and the coach cost heavily for Brazil.Don't doubt attacking calibre of Brazil.They have many many youngers coming up and even in the defeat that is something to cheer about.



Now hoping on our little brothers Portugal.Your argument about that match(Port-Eng) is biased one..Portugal had a ball possession of 62% and 20 shots on goal.From this itself one can estimate who played better.

Finally the teams which attracted me in this world cup(though I could nt see many matches) Ivory cost,Ghana and Portugal just because of their stylish and attacking football.

Posted by: NATURE Jul 3 2006, 12:59 PM

--> excellent princeali saheb !!! well said. france did well, so they won. i loved their performance
especially zidane dominated the match. i am so happy ...

that too i predicted. france v. italy final, don't know what will happen. forza italia !!!
but no, don't go for italy. go for france, plz plz plz ... vive la française !!!
---------------------------------------

euro 2000 ? but i am talking about fifa 2006 ... well, who are lucky then ???
i guess germany and portugal. i like portugal, but england was unlucky that day. let me give some
counter examples ...

against germany, argentina being unlucky:
1. that free kick, do u think it was a justice ?
2. that yellow card, it was against germany but the referee favored them, why ?
3. the goalkeeper ... oh, no !!! he should have been there till the penalty shoot out ...
4. messi didn't play, so sad ...

in favor of england
1. becham left, rooney left.
2. some decisions were against england
3. they were much better in defence. and i think terry is a very good defender. portugal got so
many golden opportunities but couldn't make it though, why ? because of british defence. but finally
portugal won, so we may feel they are better ...

i am not suporting england. but i want to accept the negaitve points of my prefered teams. don't u ?
------------------------------------

yeah. zidane is a class player, i like his style like i do ronaldinho, messi, tevez, terry, gerrard's ...
i don't see the same in germany. r u talking about podolski & kolse ? they are no where around
messi, zidane & tevez at least ... i don't know why people love germany so much ... i love them too
but there is no point of favoring them when we have teams like brasil & argentina ...
-------------------------------------

that's quite true. cause the victory is relative. if u win, it could be yr strongness and my weakness ...
-------------------------------------

to tussi germany ki support mein ho ??? ... mussi itnaa kyun tussi ko samjhaa rahaa hoon.
tussi jo chaahe woh karo, germany ke support mein raho parantu kamse kam brasil aur argentina ko to
zyadaa support karo ...
aur jabtak zidane hai tabtak podolski ke baaremein mat socho ... is he cute ?
---------------------------

Posted by: Nimii Jul 3 2006, 02:16 PM

No no me no support countries u support Nature

Haan Podolski

N

Posted by: princeali Jul 4 2006, 04:12 AM

Ashraf bhai,

I understand what you're saying.....however I was focusing on the current WC and not past tourney's but I get what you're saying about previous tourney's and France. I was so upset when France won Euro 2000 against Italy, and Del Piero missed those two chances, now if they meet up in the Final, it will be Italy's turn to set the record straight.

Yup Zidane is the center of the French team, and it will be interesting to see how they cope without him, in fact he came out of retirement to lead this French team in the WC and now they are in the semi's, something no one would have predicted this time around.

I never doubted Brazil's attacking calibre, in fact if I was the coach, I wouldn't have played the team they played through the whole match, I would have put in some more effective youngsters who could have given the team a boost in the second half instead of relying on the same group. I was just pointing out that they had not been tested throughout the tourney, and France was their first test, and in the end it showed.

I know Ronaldo scored three goals (mostly set-up) but he was slowing down the team, I don't think he should have been the number 1 striker. From the time he played in the Champions League with Real Madrid, he was not fully fit and def. not the same player he was in 02, there were other better options as well as players such as Fabiano or Oliviera waiting in the wings who were not chosen in the squad. However Parriera chose to stick with him and he should have stuck to playing him one half and seeing how he progressed.

Brazil scored against weaker oppositions, and against France they were truly tested. It's interesting that France has gotten the better of Brazil on most encounters after the 98 Final. Parriera was the same Brazilian coach that led the team to a victory in 94, and this time he had arguably a much better team, but when the test came they could not gel together. France were solid in defence and didn't allow too many opportunities for Brazil which is why subs should have been made. Anyways, it will be interesting to see who the next coach of Brazil is since in the past, Brazil has had a habit of changing their coaches after each WC.

IMO Ball Possession doesn't matter in some of the matches for ex. that Italy played, they had less ball possession but it was the chances they created, the opportunities of scoring that they had, how they controlled the flanks and their midfield that mattered in the end, and ofcourse the scoreline. Portugal was clearly troubled by England in the match and England had chances to take the game away, and Ericksson would finally win against Scolari, something he hasn't been able to do in previous years, but it was not to be. Ofcourse everyone has their own views, and these are mine based on the match.

Yes Holland is a class team, wish they had gone further in this tourney, Ghana played well, probably would have gone further if they didn't face Brazil in the second round, Spain was expected to go further but as always they choked in the next round after playing well in the group stages, they have a good group of youngsters for the future.

Forza Italia !!!!!

Regards

Ali

Posted by: princeali Jul 4 2006, 04:31 AM

I feel so sad seeing Del Piero being reduced to a sub and not even featuring in some games. That's how much riches the Azzuri have, that a player of his calibre is on the bench. Other teams would jump at the thought of getting a Del Piero playing for them.

What do you think about the Germany match, will Lippi opt for the lone Toni up front or will he bring Gila back. This is a stronger opposition, I think Toni should get support upfront with another striker, and then Totti right behind them now that he is almost fully fit.

DP needs to sub for one of the strikers, forget bringing him on for Totti, they should play together, something Lippi hasn't tried yet, and Pippo can come on for another striker if needed.

Posted by: deep750 Jul 4 2006, 04:13 PM

italy played with these players in last nights practice game:


Team one: Buffon; Oddo, Nesta, Barzagli, Zaccardo; Gattuso, Pirlo, Perrotta; Totti, Toni, Iaquinta.

Team two: Peruzzi: Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Materazzi, Grosso; Camoranesi, Barone, De Rossi; Gilardino, Inzaghi, Del Piero

If I would make a guess for the starting lineup based on these teams:

Buffon; Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Materazzi, Grosso; Gattuso, Pirlo, Perrotta; Totti; Toni, Iaquinta.

hope that iaquinta aint starting. dont feel he is good enough for the starting 11, would rather like to see gila or pippo.

Forza Italia!

Posted by: princeali Jul 4 2006, 11:59 PM

That's how the starting lineup has been with Gili usually in place of Iaquinta....I also feel Iaquinta's not that great in fact he shouldn't have even been in the squad, Cassano should have been in his place. Nesta will be missed in this game, but Materazzi has been good in his place.

I really hope DP gets to play, he's hungry for a chance to shine in this tourney.

Posted by: deep750 Jul 5 2006, 12:09 AM

well, I dont agree with you about cassano. He almost hasn't played a full match since new year, and he is a person who often have negative influence on the teamspirit. I think iaquinta probably is the 4th best striker in italy at the time, but he hasnt been good this WC, and shouldnt have played as much as he has.

here are the official lineups:

Germany: Lehmann; Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Lahm; Borowski, Schneider, Ballack, Kehl; Klose, Podolski

Italy: Buffon; Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Materazzi, Grosso; Camoranesi, Gattuso, Pirlo, Perrotta; Totti; Toni

Ref: Archundia (Mex)

thank lippi for not playing with iaquinta from start

Posted by: Talaikya Jul 5 2006, 03:00 AM

What a finish!!!

Posted by: NATURE Jul 5 2006, 03:32 AM

forza italia !!! i am so happy, hip hip hurrey !!!
what a win, 2-0 even at the 2nd half period extra time ... the penalty shoot out might
give the germans to win the match ... but that didn't happen anyway. god is really kind
initially italia missed so many chances, they fougth, took the ball upto the goalkeeper but couldn't
deliver a on target shot ... but the end was good ...

congrats princeal saheb, congrats deep and congrats all the italian fans ...

so, my prediction is 50% correct now. say, what will happen in france v. portugal fight ???
i must say impossible nothing ...
hats off to italia at least 50% trickery is finished now ...
------------------------

--> hmmmmm, to phodolski hai ??? woh hume pataa nahi thaa nimbu, bas hume yehi pataa thaa
ki woh bhaagtaa bahut hai. bahut tez bhaagtaa hai. he runs very fast, very good ... these 2 could be
the reasons why he is in the hearts of millions ... ( if u understand what & who do i mean )
------------------------
anyway, forza italia and vive la française ...

Posted by: unni Jul 5 2006, 05:30 AM

No fair!

What did you expect? With the Pope on their side to get God on their side. How else do you explain a goal in each of the last two minutes of extra-time?

Miracles never cease!

CONGRATS ITALIA!!!!

Posted by: Nimii Jul 5 2006, 08:11 AM

Nature

N

Posted by: princeali Jul 5 2006, 08:18 AM

YESSS THE AZZURI ARE GOING TO THE FINALS .......What a finish it was !......Thanks Nature ji, I am sure Deep ji and all other Azzuri Fans are also jumping in joy !!!

Deep ji, that's true Cassano hasn't played a match in a while and that was the reason why Lippi left him off the squad but he's far better than Iaquinta IMO although as you mentioned his attitude and team spirit is not that great.....maybe if he was picked he could have tried to regain his form and then play the role Iaquinta played.....anyone would have been better than Iaquinta ....for me Iaquinta doesn't have the skills to be on the national team, that goal against Ghana was given to him....and plus they already have a big player like him in Toni so I don't think they needed him....I know he gave the Germans some trouble subbing on for Camoranesi....but overall I don't rate him that highly....what about you ?.

I am also not a big fan of Cassano, I only mentioned him because I thought he would have been better than Iaquinta....but if he was in the squad I would prefer Inzaghi and Del Piero over him any day. It's sad Inzaghi has only seen one match and that too when he scored a goal.

I am soooooooo happy Del Piero scored....words can't describe it....he has been my favourite player forever....today he silenced all his critics....he still has alot to offer to the team....and Grosso's goal was excellent as well.

Heard Totti might retire after the WC....which really is bad....because he also still has alot to offer to the team....if that's the case....then hope he goes out with the winning trophy.....he's one of Italy's greats !.

Forza Azzuri !!!!!!

Posted by: Talaikya Jul 5 2006, 08:32 AM

Congratulations PA ji and Deep ji!! Well done... even though I am heart broken for Klinsmann. Those were two phenomenal goals and what timing!! (Pope notwithstanding )

Posted by: Ashraf Jul 5 2006, 11:11 AM

COngrads Italy and Italian fans(prince Ali bhai especially).

It was a great match and Italy played great football.I have been watching football for last 16 years and I have never seen Italians playing so beautifully.As always their defence was great but what astonished me is their eagerness to go forward .They controlled the game through out the match.Zambrotta is I think an under rated player.He was great in defence and attack.Buffon also super.This time I think Italy deserves the cup.

Posted by: deep750 Jul 5 2006, 02:37 PM

thanx everyone

and congrats to all italia fans

Forza Italia.

agree with you. he hasn't been good at all, but the strange thing is that lippi was sure about bringing him with to the WC. Inzaghi was very unsure, even though he was in marvelous form at the end of serie-a. but lippi has brought with very many strikers. think he has brought with maximum strikers in WC - Inzaghi, Gilardino, Del Piero, Toni, Totti and Iaquinta.

Forza Italia.

I think that when inzaghi left juve in 2001 lippi and inzaghi didn't part as very good friends. Lippi's favourite players at that time was inzaghi and del piero, and I dont think he liked that he joined juves biggest rival, ac milan. that is probably the reason for why he has been used least. But I think Inzaghi is happy anyway, he didn't have the WC as a goal before the season, as he had been injured for a looong time. So the few minutes he has played has been a great bonus for him

Cannavaro proved that he is the best defender in ages. Just hope that Nesta wil be his partner in the Final. The best defence in the world
Forza Italia.



Today I hope Portugal wins. I went to Portugal at the Euro 2004, and they were the friendlies people ever. People in the villages was as friendly as people in villages in India. I realy fell in love with the country, and now I hope they'll reach the final

Forza Italia.


ps. I'm trying to brainwash the readers, with Forza Italia
Now I hope all users of this forum supports Italia

Waise did anyone notice the assists? both given by Milan-players


Attached image(s)

Posted by: Nimii Jul 5 2006, 03:26 PM

hahaha Deepz no worry.. me brainwashed already

Hail Germany!!!!!!!! oooops Hail Italia

N_turncoat

Posted by: deep750 Jul 5 2006, 03:50 PM

for those of you who didnt see the first goal




GOOOOAAAAALLLL


and guess what happened--

Posted by: august Jul 6 2006, 01:22 AM

Posted by: deep750 Jul 6 2006, 02:28 AM

france played just like Norway does. 10 defenders and one goalkeeper.
France won because they got a penalty that shouldnt have been a penalty. Hope Italy chrushes France on sunday.

Posted by: august Jul 6 2006, 02:29 AM

and now as the match ends.. still 1-0.



and Italy France in the world cup final..

Posted by: NATURE Jul 6 2006, 03:42 AM

i am unhappy ... ask why ? france won but couldn't satisfy me by their performance.
infact, portugal did that. i was with france but didn't like their style. they won because of the
penalty ... that goalkeeper is too good man !!!

but i am happy, cause france got through and final will be between france & italy .. mr prediction
let's see what they do. italy is awesome in defence and goalkeeper is so good. it will be a real fight if
zidan gets back in form ... zidan is awesome man ... he plays with the ball, 4-5 people fight against him,
still plays with the ball, he falls down and still plays with the ball ...
zidane is the only man who can make france complete ... am i right guys ???

nimbu & tali, tussi log go for zidane and forget podolski & klinsmann, ok ?
-----------------------------------

intially, i thought the same. i felt so bad, cause i don't like my fav team wins that way. i felt so bad
and hated it. but the penalty was not an injustice when the camera focused from a different angel, we
saw he was obstructing the player inside the d ... rite ??? i guess it's valid, otherwise ...
-----------------------------------

--> no, no unni ji ... i didn't wanna say those goals are xtraordinary or so. but goals are goals untill
u do them in the penalty shoot out, before that every goal counts a lot. miracles happen when u score
something in the penalty shoot out or some unexpected happens in the entire match ...
anyway, happy ...

Posted by: princeali Jul 6 2006, 03:54 AM

Thanks T-ji and Ashraf bhai

So an Italy-France final......what do you guys/gyuls think will be the outcome ?.

It's time for the Azzuri to get revenge for Euro 2000....Ashraf bhai brought that point up about the France goal in injury time in Euro 2000 that tied the game when it was almost certain it would be an Italy win, now it will be another great contest.

Posted by: Talaikya Jul 6 2006, 05:17 AM

I'd like Zidane to go off with the World Cup but... Italy looks better to me than France, and then there's Barthez

Posted by: unni Jul 6 2006, 05:24 AM

I'm no expert on football (or anything else, for that matter ), but was that penalty justified? Was there really a foul? Unfortunately, I see the matches on American TV where the commentators know less than even I do.

Posted by: Ashraf Jul 6 2006, 10:58 AM

Unniji.You said it.It was never a penalty.THough the defender tried to foul Hentry he escaped from it and later he fell on his own fault.But as always refree was with France.It is natural that refrees makes mistakes.But it seems that France is most fortunate team bcs in important tournaments France are blessed with such refereing mistakes.Great fate.

Wishing all the best for Italy.

Posted by: Flex001 Jul 7 2006, 02:55 AM

It was definitely a penalty; when I first saw it, I too thought Henry had dived but when they showed the incident from a reverse angle shot you could clearly see Carvalho had clipped Henry's shin. Most of the pundits covering the game, including Leonardo, Shearer and Hansen, thought the same.

Posted by: NATURE Jul 7 2006, 12:04 PM

ziddi, zidou, ziduni ...
-------------------------------------

u have got it right flex ... it was a penalty. i too thought(in fact, every 1 in the theatre) that it was a wrong
decision but when they showed from a different angle, we realized it was a valid penalty.
otherwise i wouldn't love my fav teams who cheated in wining a soccer match ...
------------------------------------------------


is it ? might be, i am not sure. but why didn't u say the samething about argentina v. germany and
england v. portugal ? are you against france more than you support portugal ...
------------------------------------------------
anyway, whoever wins will be a happy day for me. italy is fantastic in defence. but my prediction is:
france will win. 98-fifa will be repeated. and zidane will show his excellent playing style once again ...

Posted by: Ashraf Jul 7 2006, 06:15 PM

I am not a football expert.What ever I and those who saw the match with me felt it is a debatable decision and not once or twice many times France got such decisions in favour of them .

Once Brazil is out I don't mind who wins the cup and who not.If the deserving team wins the cup then it should be Italy and Italy only.

Posted by: deep750 Jul 9 2006, 02:56 AM

congrats to germany for winning the 3rd place. One thing that makes me wonder is why Pauleta ahve been the starting in "all" matches since beginning of euro 2004, when he hasnt done a good job? Apna Nuno Gomes came and played for 20 minutes and scored. Pauleta didnt manage to score for the last 3 or 4 games

Posted by: NATURE Jul 9 2006, 03:04 AM

i am happy ... why am i happy ? cause i predicted correctly. germany has won ...
even the 2nd goal was predicted by me ... well, i should stop now before it goes too much

germans got so many free kicks, but couldn't make any goal. ricardo is so good man. one self-goal
by petit, like it happened to italia ... anyway, this is called winning a match. france should know that
winning a match by penalty is not the job of a soccer genious ...
--------------------
let's see what italia and française will do 2day. here is the vote-result from another forum,
different views carried by different people .... 2 screenshots

Posted by: august Jul 10 2006, 02:19 AM

unbelievably shocking..

coudln't believe when zidane did that worst act of his career

guess he deserved that card..


waiting for presentation........

Posted by: Talaikya Jul 10 2006, 02:30 AM

Passion clouds one's judgement. Yes, a bad act, but he's human too. I guess he just acted out of disappointment of not making that goal amongst other things. But... he must surely be feeling the loss of not being there on the grounds right now.

Posted by: Talaikya Jul 10 2006, 02:32 AM

Congratulations PA ji and Deep ji!! Well done!! And yes Deep ... it got over too soon

Posted by: NATURE Jul 10 2006, 02:38 AM

here are cakes for all the soccer lovers, a big festival is over ... so let's celebrate
unpack these and eat !!! ...
-----------------
oh, no ... france has lost the match. mere prediction kaa kya hogaa ??? wrong prediction
but happy cause italia was the opponent team, they have won. forze italia !!!

initially italy used as usual tricks, fouls, obstructions, 2nd penalty(overruled). i got so angry. but in the extra time
france did the same thing. hell man !!! i thought it's possible to play with dignity even in soccer like golf and tennis
but what if we don't want play with dignity ... and the commentator finally said " what he did there's absolutely
no explanation for that ", they were refering to zidane. his head attack, i guess some ego issue was involved ...
zidane and ribery could change the match, but they were already out ... !!!
-----------------
congrats to italia, they have won, this was their 4th time. may many congrats ...
bye, bye fifa-worldcup. we will meet u in 2010 ...

Posted by: august Jul 10 2006, 02:44 AM

i agree T ji, it was an act on the spur of the moment but i didnt expect it from him!

there are things that separate great player from ordinary ones..
i guess its a thin line only..

Posted by: myawan Jul 10 2006, 08:37 AM

The better team won!!!! France was always at my hit list since they defeated Brazil in a doubted fashion and rumors are there......

Posted by: NATURE Jul 10 2006, 01:13 PM

i felt sorry for ziddi, what he did at the end. august ji, u r right. there are things that differ great players
from ordinary ones ... so shame but there could be some resons behind that. if i read these views then
i guess provoking could be a good adoption sometimes ... but not sure cause rumors always do nonsense
things ....
--------------------------------------------

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and finally this is the gif file, zidane's headbutting Italy's Marco Materazz ... see this:



and this is the article from wikipedia:


----------------------------------- editing --------------------------------------------
and i guess because of the rumors they have locked ( restricitng anonymous eidting )
marco materazzi's wikipedia profile .. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Materazzi
2day, i heard in news: zidane is known for his cool & calm behaviour, his act made all the fans unhappy ...
did anybody see him in obstructing players, in fouls ??? ... what made him to do that nonsense ...

Posted by: deep750 Jul 10 2006, 04:52 PM

wont say much 2day. just tnx for congrats, and congrats to everyone


Attached image(s)

Posted by: princeali Jul 10 2006, 06:06 PM

The Azzuri take the cup home, I didn't want the match to go to penalties, but I am happy that Italy are the World Champions.

They all pulled together after the scandal back home and showed how well they could play.

It was a sad end to a great career for Zidane, that headbut was shocking coming from him, and it also came at a crucial time in the match, and he fully deserved the red card for his actions. However, some verbal exhanges may have taken place between him and Materrazi which made him do that.

I hope Totti, Del Piero and Lippi stay on for the national team, there are chances that Totti might retire from international football, Lippi may go somewhere else, as for DP he is thinking about his future.

Posted by: Ashraf Jul 11 2006, 12:18 PM

As somebody pointed out neither France nor Italy deserved the cup.It is a reality that Italy are the world champions .Congrats Ali bhai.

As far Zidane is concerned he deserves the best player award.Though I did nt see his unfortunate incident it was shame for football.I think there will be some reasons for such an action from Zidane.

I am happy that Brazil won the fairplay award.Young player award should have been given to C.Ronaldo.According to me he is the best young player.

Posted by: Ashraf Sep 4 2006, 07:16 PM

Brazil :3 Argentina:0 at friendly played in London


I had stated that Brazil will remain on top for the time to come in my comment after the exit of Brazil in worldcup.It is proved beyond the doubt.This is achieved by playing with only 3 players from world cup .Brazil is always Brazil.

Ali bhai what is going on with Italy

Posted by: princeali Sep 7 2006, 11:30 PM

Ashraf bhai, Italy has started off their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign with a 1-1 draw against Lithuania and a 3-1 loss to France.

However in both these games, the full Italian outfit was not playing, now they will most likely recall Totti, Toni and Del Piero.

Surprisingly, Italy is in a dangerous position right now as they have to win their next two games or else they might not qualify for the tourney in 08.

Posted by: YaarMere Sep 7 2006, 11:33 PM

Isnt Totti considering international retirement?

Posted by: princeali Sep 7 2006, 11:38 PM

YM good to see you back !

He was considering it, but then Donadoni convinced him to stay on since he still has alot to offer to the team. Recently he said he won't play for the national team until 07, but since Italy is in a scary position right now he may be recalled right away.

Posted by: YaarMere Sep 7 2006, 11:50 PM

Thanks Ali.

Apart from Italy's defence n Buffon in goal its average team at best. The attack is ok-ish but the midfield is just poor! I mean when ppl start to think of Gattuso as the Italian version of Roy Keane and Diarra, you know they have problems.

Posted by: princeali Sep 12 2006, 08:04 PM

LOL !

Gattuso is a hard worker though, he moves around alot and gets in the way, in the WC he was everywhere on the field.

Italy with a full team are great, their midfield with Pirlo and Totti (leaving aside Gattuso) is very good. The attack could be better if planned well. As you pointed out, the defence and Buffon is excellent. I hope they get their act together and win the next two games.

Btw YM, like your pic, Maldini's great, he is one of the all-time greatest defenders, you know I read that Lippi called him before the WC and asked him if he wanted to be a part of the team, but he said that part of his career (i.e international football) was done with.

Posted by: YaarMere Sep 13 2006, 03:38 AM

You know Ali, I have a feeling this will be Maldini's last season.

PS, Totti isnt really a midfielder. He's a true No10... just behind the strikers, in the 'hole' as they say.

Posted by: princeali Sep 14 2006, 12:14 AM

You're right he isn't a midfielder but isn't that what they label him as even though he plays in the 'hole' ?.

I hope its not Maldini's last season, I think he should continue on as long as he is fit, he's a gem of a player.

How do you rate ACM's chances this season ?.

Ashraf bhai, do you think Ronaldo will stay with the National team ?.

Posted by: YaarMere Sep 14 2006, 04:03 AM

In regards to Champions League, no matter who you are, Barcelona, Real Madrid or AC Milan you need a certain amount of luck to win CL. But having said that, Milan is Milan... they will always be 1 of the favourites.

Serie A? With all the mayhem of 'Calciopoli' and the points penalty plus the loss of Shevchenko its going to be difficult season. But I still expect automatic CL qualification for next term. We have Kaka on the books and Gourcuff will be a revelation for us.

Posted by: princeali Sep 19 2006, 08:38 PM

Kaka and Gourcuff are both good players, ACM should do well this season.

Serie A isnt the same this season, I was hoping Juve wouldn't get demoted but atleast some of their big name players stayed like Trez, Del Piero etc., hopefully they can make their way back into the top league.

Posted by: Ashraf Sep 21 2006, 02:40 PM

Ashraf bhai, do you think Ronaldo will stay with the National team ?.


Happy to know that our football thread is still active.Regarding your question I can only say that he will try to hang there bcs he want to reach some where near Pele's record for most no of goals for Brazil.( I think Pele scored 90+ and ronaldo 60+).but I prefer all those above 28 yrs old to retire as brazil has dearth of talents.

Posted by: YaarMere Sep 21 2006, 08:30 PM

If there's a lack of talent (which there isnt!) why do u want ppl to retire?

Posted by: Ashraf Jul 17 2007, 12:19 PM

I hope you got the answer yesterday.

Posted by: YaarMere Jul 17 2007, 06:52 PM

Barzil won. Are you saying they wudnt have won with Kaka, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo in the team?

Posted by: Ashraf Jul 17 2007, 08:06 PM

I did n't mean it YM.What I meant was nobody is greater than the team.This is specially applicable to Ronaldinho who plays dashing game for Barca and some what lazy for Brazil.In case of Kaka he plays more or less in same fashion for both Milan & Brazil.

Being a Milan expert YM what do you think about Ronaldo's future in Milan.Can he get a place in the playing eleven or will he be sitting in the side line ?

Posted by: YaarMere Jul 18 2007, 05:17 PM

He looks like he had liposuction + abdominoplasty. They're good at that stuff in Brazil. Or maybe he's just been having lots of sex with them Brazilian hotties I hear they are always willing but wotever it is, it has the guy back in shape. But I think he will get in a decent preseason and as his game is more based on teamwork and finishing now (and the motivation he will have), he will definitely have a 20+ goal season. I'm very much looking forward to seeing him in action from September.

He can still do: