The matches over the past couple days have been amazing! Turkey and Croatia both scoring goals in the final minutes of extra time and taking it to penalty kicks. Russia winning 3-1 against the Netherlands in over time with a couple beautiful goals, and the 120 minute standoff between Spain and Italy, which also came down to PKs…I am loving this tourney and I don’t even have a favorite team in there. But I think I have to throw in with Russia. Those guys are fighters. I’m hoping for a final between them and Turkey, cos by then the Turks’ luck will HAVE to have run its course. But should be a damn exciting game anyway. Make sure you tune into one of the semi-final matches if you can at 2:30 on Wednesday!
i am firming behind spain at this point, mostly because they beat italy. and their food is pretty good.
spain v. italy was honestly the most boring match of the cup. you’d expect more from those teams!
more than half of turkey’s starters will be missing. i hate the germans, i hope they lose. and spain too, they have never sparked my interest.
S’gonna be Russia. At least I want it to be.
Auf Wiedersehen Turkey! Their luck has run out. Quite fitting that they lose in the last minutes of the match. Germans will with the final. “Brüderlich mit Herz und Hand!”
considering the turks were missing so many players, and the germans were the favorites for the entire tournament, the germans shouldn’t have needed a last minute goal to win. i’m also with the russians (big surprise).
After the group stages got underway the Germans were no longer the favorite. By the style of play from both teams a 3-2 decision would not have been expected. The Turks, like the Italians, generally play more defensive with numbers back and try to counter. So it was no surprise they only had one forward. The Germans were also playing defensive with a 4-5-1 (usually a 4-4-2 but were struggling earlier on in matches so they switched to the 4-5-1) formation with Klose as the target striker. Both teams aimed to pack the midfield and have numbers back. Thus, really limiting the attacking options. Early on the Turks did a much better job at penetrating the Germans back four but are not as efficient as the Germans in the final third of the field. Turkey had 17 shots (11 on target) and only scored 2. Germany had 7 shots (3 on target) and scored 3. Clearly, the Germans made their chances count. And Turkey edged out the Germans in possession as well, 55% – 45%. So Turkey could have walked away with another victory….. but they didn’t. (And missing players is a lame excuse. These are national teams and the best players in the world. Everyone called up to a squad is more than capable of fulfilling their duties. And yellow card suspensions are nothing new in football. Turkey only had soo many because they were giving everything they had out on the field -which is hugely respectable- and made poor decisions/fouls due to tiredness in most instances. Not a single member in the German camp discounted the Turks for having to alter their starting eleven, look at Bierhoffs interview.)
The funny thing is, I think this was Turkey’s best game. Even without so many starters. Granted, they lost and it was less exciting than their past three matches cos of the loss, but they seemed a lot more “on” for the semi-final. Ah well…
Brilliant tourney though.
which is exactly why the germans should consider themselves lucky for winning! idk why turkey’s winning streak is considered “luck”. they made the euro cup much more exciting this year.
now if only turkey would be admitted into the EU…
i just hate how much of a whiny baby michael ballack has become. and i hate that podolski is really polish by birth even if he is ethnically a german. and i also hate schweinsteiger’s hair.
go spain! and cesc fabregas!
but i guess i only feel that way because he plays for arsenal and is my favorite playmaker.
michael ballack is definately a whiny baby. i was so happy when he left bayern munich to go to chelski. ballack was supposed to fill the role of a stefan effenberg but has never quite lived up to be as strong a leader or player. the final is going to be interesting.
It better be now that all the teams with the flare are gone…
see will, flare only counts in fantasy football. it is not a stat in real life.
i can’t stand ballack, or bierhoff and his magical head. i guess i’m with spain (reluctantly).