All the talk about European Unions and reconciliations is nice and good, but what’s the point without a sports competition?
My three teams for the tourney are Greece (for obvious reasons), Holland (because hope dies last) and France (because it’s nice seeing them try, despite Raymond Domenech not being what I’d call an inspiring coach). It seems I like about half the teams, so this will be interesting.
Group C gives me headache, heartache and heartburn – just like in the World Cup two years ago I am split between my love for Les Bleus and my “arranged marriage” to Squadra Azzura. I live in Italian neighborhood, and I will probably watch THE game with my Italian buddies; so going undercover as a tiffosi is my only choice, but of course, deep inside my mind La Marsellaise will play full blast.
Seems Holland managed to get their stuff together -hooray!
Seifer, I didn’t know Russia has Ivan Drago filling in for Pogrebnyak This is a good challenge.
I’m not too surprised France got a draw with Romania, but in the ideal scenario they’ll pass together with Holland after winning Italy. Stay undercover; you can’t always be this upfront.
Simply because they’re perennial underachievers, a good, hard-working team, not diving shitbags (looking in your direction, Italy/Spain/Portugal) and not German, I’m rooting for the Czechs. Who will likely get stuffed tomorrow by Portugal.
You said it. The Czechs should have won the last Euro, but tough luck. This time, they don’t have Nedved and Rosicky and other teams seem to be in better form compared to 04 (Portugal, Spain, Holland, Germany).
That was quite humiliating, I must say. It looks like Hiddink’s successful track record comes to a sad period in this contest. Good luck this Saturday. Either team needs a win to advance – a tie or a loss would lead to a fast exit.
It was so quite in my neck of the woods that day, for a moment I thought that our resident Don Corleone wannabe passed away, and the whole neighborhood was paying respect to the boss. But no, the Oranje just creamed the Azzurri.
Disgrazioto!
Neb, now I wish that your team had qualified. England would probably put on a better show than some of the teams that made it to the final stage.
Not surprising. They already beat us in the World cup quarter finals 1998 (which was the last time we played against them methinks, so yes, the croatians apparently got their asses up since then).
Such a bad end for France! Losing Ribery and playing with a player less… Our neighbours, the Turks, pulled a nice show against the Czechs, returning from 2-0 and making a 2-3.
Hiddink is back on track. It looks like he is worth US$2.4 million a year plus bonuses that Mother Russia pays him. But this is the end of the line for Russia – the game vs. Holland could be another humiliating experience a la Spanish fiasco.