The Euro 2008 Football Championship Thread

Portugal no match for German power show​
by Simon Hart from St. Jakob-Park
Portugal`s Nuno Gomes halves the deficit (©Getty Images)
http://en.euro2008.uefa.com/tournament/matches/match=301699/report=rp.html#newsActions




Germany progressed to the semi-finals of the UEFA European Championship for the first time since 1996 as goals from Bastian Schweinsteiger, Miroslav Klose and Michael Ballack secured a 3-2 victory over Portugal in Basel.
Heads, you win
The Mannschaft ended up lifting the Henri Delaunay trophy that year and the way they raised their game to meet the challenge of a Portugal side that refused to lie down, halving a two-goal deficit twice through first Nuno Gomes and then, in the dying minutes, Hélder Postiga, augurs well for Joachim Löw's team. By contrast, it was a night when the worst fears of Portugal's Chelsea FC-bound coach Luiz Felipe Scolari were realised, his pre-match nightmares about Germany's aerial superiority materialising in the form of headed goals by Klose and Ballack. Semi-finalists in 2000 and runners-up in 2004, Scolari had hoped to take that final step at UEFA EURO 2008™ but his farewell party fell flat at St. Jakob-Park where Portugal were overpowered by opponents who shrugged aside impressively their occasional first-stage torpor.
Debt paid
With Simão probing down the right, Scolari's men appeared to have found their stride first and offered the first threat on goal when Bosingwa crossed and João Moutinho, free of his marker but seemingly caught in two minds, steered the ball over at the near post with his knee. Yet in the 22nd minute they fell behind. It was a wonderfully worked goal too, swift passing between Philipp Lahm, Ballack and Lukas Podolski advancing the ball down the left, with Podolski bursting clear to drive in a low cross which Schweinsteiger converted with a sliding finish. Schweinsteiger's coach Löw had told the midfielder he had a "debt" to his team-mates after his red card against Croatia and here, in his first start of the finals, he resembled a man on a mission.
Scoring feat
Scorer of two goals against Portugal at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Schweinsteiger was the architect of their second here too, drifting a free-kick into the Portugal box which Klose, ghosting clear of the red shirts, headed past Ricardo. Raul Meireles replaced the injured Moutinho and Portugal went in search of a lifeline. It came via captain Nuno Gomes five minutes before the break. Simão's crossfield ball sent Ronaldo racing clear of Per Mertesacker down the inside-left channel and though Jens Lehmann blocked his shot, Gomes was first to the rebound, striking first time into the net via the foot of Christoph Metzelder, defending desperately on the line. It was Gomes's sixth goal on the European stage over three tournaments – a scoring span only achieved by Jürgen Klinsmann, Thierry Henry and Vladimír Šmicer before him.
Tense finish
Ronaldo was a whisker away from an equaliser moments before half-time, flashing the ball past Lehmann yet just wide of the far post. Deco did find the net shortly after the interval but was in an offside position and the little midfielder then flicked on a Simão corner to set up Pepe, only for the defender to nod over. Ballack showed him how it should be done in the 61st minute when he shrugged off Chelsea FC team-mate Paulo Ferreira and beat Ricardo to another Schweinsteiger free-kick to head home. Scolari sent on Nani and Postiga as Portugal chased the game and the pair combined to ensure a nervy finale when Postiga headed in from Nani's left-wing delivery but the glimmer of hope was soon extinguished.

GERMANY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
portugal totally off-form...
slacky attack, poor defence...
finally tonight can rest a bit...haha...n reserve energy for SPAIN!!!!
 
fuzztremecho said:
turkey and russia finals...we'd be eating kebabs and vodka all the way bros..
Click to expand...

haha good one bro! But not possible, because the menu for today calls for a special Roast Turkey - the Croatian!

The Turks have great individual ability. You can actually count on their midfielders and attackers on beating their opponents on one-to-one situations but henceforth, they lack the penetration. The Czechs gave that game away - not in a kelong way lah but Cech was doing a great impersonation of James - errr, not Soft's James but England's Calamity James.

Team spirit may be great now but their biggest downfall is creativity. After beating their man, they don't seem to know what to do with themselves or the ball.

So tonight - we shall serve Roast Turkey ala Croatian.

Enjoy, while it lasts.

The chef says he's got two Turkeys to roast tonight. That only means a scoreline that reads as such -

Turkey 0 - 2 Croatia

Haha - the menu never lies.
 
Last edited:
hehehe thumbs up bro Rork
over at the kakinangs,im betting for Croatia to lift the cup!!

know any Croat delicacy??
only delicacy i know from the Eastern European block are the spicy hot "chicks"-en..hehehe...put sambal..shiok lah!!
 
Lolz...........but GERMANY are definitely the favourites to win the title now! Spain and Germany for the final, where the score will be 5-4 to Spain at 90 minutes!
 
CHEF KAYU! :D

Dang it!#$!

Turkish keeper's name is RoastTwo - What to do? Croat strikers were shooting with paper bullets all game long.

I was hoping for an early Croat goal - at least one in the first half. The Turks never looked like scoring. Then - BOB's Your Uncle - Shortgun!

BUt it's still --- ... --- ...

GERMANY!!!!!!!!!!
 
Lolz....u know, all the Turk goalies are alike. Moments of sheer madness followed by moments of sheer brilliance. Volkan Demirel's like that too. But i find it disappointing that Rakitic and Modric failed to find the net. I wld've like to see Germany crush those pretenders in the semis. But Turkey poses a very stern test. In Nihat Kahveci they have a world-class striker, and with Arda Turan on the left it'll be a busy time for Phillipp Lahm or Arne Friedrich, whoever starts at RB for Germany. And their defence is waaaaay better too. But i believe Frings and Ballack will overrun the Turkish midfield; that is where the goals will come from. Turkey look good for at least 1 goal though..........i predict 3-1 to Germany in the semi.

Holland 4-2 Russia and Spain 2-1 or 3-2 Italy for the other quarter finals.
 
tonight looks like hunting season for the dutch.hopefully we'll be able to see the russians have a dig at the dutch.

hopefully guus hiddink has a master plan to turn the euro championship on its head.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
Music To Die For
Replies
0
Views
841
jackofjills
J

Latest posts

Share this page

Back
Top