OFFICIAL - UEFA EURO 2008 TOURNAMENT

[carlos tevez]

I missed the last 20 mins of the game and 3 goals.

I'm about to throw my HDTV in the garbage and buy a radio.

 

[platinumfunk]

Originally Posted by Krisp Kicks

Yo Lehmann is fired, because that should NOT have been a goal. Come on now, 2 weak-sauce goals given up by Lehmann is unacceptable.

While I know there are no bonus points for pretty vs. ugly goals, but both Turkish goals have been ugly/gifts from Lehmann.

What you smoking? How is the first goal Lehmann's fault? Lahm was absolute trash until that "penalty" and the his goal. The German defense isto blame...

 

[jasko mostar]

ahhhh %#+#

 

[an dee 51o]

Cot damn that chick was bangin.

 

[platinumfunk]

Originally Posted by Krisp Kicks

Why do ya'll feel bad for Turkey. They overachieved this tourney (played great, so they should be happy). I have nothing but respect for the Turks, but it's not like they were unlucky to lose today.

Today they ran into a better team, and got beaten. Dudes in here talking about the short end of the stick etc...how, it was actually a fitting way for the Turks to lose, on a late goal, which is what they have been doing to every other team.

Congrats to both teams. Hopefully my Germans can win in the Final whoever they face.

Turkey played much better than Germany today... Germany did not deserve this win (not that I saw most of the second half, but that is what it looked likeuntil we got blacked out).

 

[an dee 51o]

Originally Posted by PlatinumFunk

Originally Posted by Krisp Kicks

Yo Lehmann is fired, because that should NOT have been a goal. Come on now, 2 weak-sauce goals given up by Lehmann is unacceptable.

While I know there are no bonus points for pretty vs. ugly goals, but both Turkish goals have been ugly/gifts from Lehmann.

What you smoking? How is the first goal Lehmann's fault? Lahm was absolute trash until that "penalty" and the his goal. The German defense is to blame...

I have seen AYSO goalies stop harder shots than that. Dude could have tapped it out easily.

 

[grizztheboss]

what a game!

 

[f sharp005]

When the feed went out here in Germany, we just switched on the radio. Thank goodness no goals were scored during the blackout.

It's all about the footballer's wives....so hot!

Peace
F Sharp005

 

[krisp kicks]

Damn the haters are out in full effect. LOL platinum, I get that you hate Germany and all it's players, it's ok, but today they beat Turkey correctly.They were outplayed the first half, but then they completely dominated possession and the game in the 2nd half.

Turkey played their best, Germany played mediocre, but the two teams standards are different. Thats the whole point. Turkey didn't play better than theGermans, they LOST fair and square. They played their best, which is good for them and I congratulate them. However even on a day where Germany didn't playtheir best football, they were the superior team, and deserved to win.

I know it's popular to love the underdog and hate on the favorites, but some of the things I'm hearing are just ridiculous, word to the kid that saidGermany has been "horrible" this tournament. Come on fam, they are one of 2 teams that will play in the Final. This means they are one of the top 2teams in this tournament. Haters fall back, take a deep breath, and just realize that Germany is better than whatever your team is until your team beats themand wins the Euro.

PS Platinum, take my meat out yer mouth man. Every post I make you quote me, and yet you are wrong 99% of the time

.

 

[brrraptors]

@ tsn's broadcasting problems

 

[np86123]

Great game but just wish the feed wasn't interrupted. I still think Russia is going to win it all.

 

[platinumfunk]

Originally Posted by an dee 51o

Originally Posted by PlatinumFunk

Originally Posted by Krisp Kicks

Yo Lehmann is fired, because that should NOT have been a goal. Come on now, 2 weak-sauce goals given up by Lehmann is unacceptable.

While I know there are no bonus points for pretty vs. ugly goals, but both Turkish goals have been ugly/gifts from Lehmann.

What you smoking? How is the first goal Lehmann's fault? Lahm was absolute trash until that "penalty" and the his goal. The German defense is to blame...

I have seen AYSO goalies stop harder shots than that. Dude could have tapped it out easily.

Less than a meter away... It was a terrible shot which in reality makes it harder, because the balls come with all sorts of awkward spin.


The second Turkish goal was ridiculous though, I just saw it.

 

[blaxoid]

I think the first goal was pretty unstoppable considering he was backtracking due to the cross bar hit.

While I'm happy we won, the defense was shaky at best. The only consistent player back there is Metzelder, I'm very impressed by him. The rest gotlucky quite often, but we won in the ends so it's all good.

 

[platinumfunk]

Originally Posted by Krisp Kicks

Damn the haters are out in full effect. LOL platinum, I get that you hate Germany and all it's players, it's ok, but today they beat Turkey correctly. They were outplayed the first half, but then they completely dominated possession and the game in the 2nd half.

Turkey played their best, Germany played mediocre, but the two teams standards are different. Thats the whole point. Turkey didn't play better than the Germans, they LOST fair and square. They played their best, which is good for them and I congratulate them. However even on a day where Germany didn't play their best football, they were the superior team, and deserved to win.

I know it's popular to love the underdog and hate on the favorites, but some of the things I'm hearing are just ridiculous, word to the kid that said Germany has been "horrible" this tournament. Come on fam, they are one of 2 teams that will play in the Final. This means they are one of the top 2 teams in this tournament. Haters fall back, take a deep breath, and just realize that Germany is better than whatever your team is until your team beats them and wins the Euro.

PS Platinum, take my meat out yer mouth man. Every post I make you quote me, and yet you are wrong 99% of the time

.

First of all, my actual team, like the team that represents the country I was born in... can't compete in the Euro. We're busy losing to Paraguayand Venezuela. OH and about my team beating "your" team, 2002

.
Second of all, Turkey def. outplayed Germany, but Germany's quality showed up in the form of 2-4 plays and they capitalized (Podolski missing hischance). Klose's goal was based on opportunity, but it's still a goal and that's what matters (oh and Rustu was terrible on an aerial ball...again, go back in the post and see how many times I mentioned that was his weakness).

Third of all, don't flatter yourself. I only quote you because your views are so skewed it hurts. Lahm, Schweinsteiger and Fritz are actually 3 of myfavorite players in all of football... Oh, and Ballack got shut down by my man Marco today, in a BIG way.

 

[krisp kicks]

^ My views aren't skewed actually. How is a team that scores 2 "weak"goals better than, or outplaying, a team that scores 3 goals, each of whichwas a precise finish, not giving the keeper a chance. All 3 German goals were clinically finished, Lahm's goal especially was a very difficult finish,looking at the angle and speed with which he had to strike it.

Regardless, the team that scores more goals deserves to win because they were the better team. I would actually like a detailed analysis of how you feel Turkeyoutplayed Germany today, because I fail to see it. Each team outplayed the other in 1 half. 1 team finished well and scored more goals. Lets hear how Turkeywere the better team please.

Also,notice how I say both of Lehmann's goals were weak, you counter with how they weren't and then someone else points out that they WERE in fact weakgoals and Lehmann should have DEFINITELY stopped the 2nd, and was in position to stop the first although the mis-hit threw him off (he had no idea where he wastho and thats his fault).

On to the Ballack argument again, I'm not really going to keep arguing with you. He may no longer be THE #1 2 way mid-fielder like he used to be in theearly 2000's, but he is still one of the best mid-fielders in game. He captains one of the top countries in the world, and is one of the best players forone of the top clubs as well. Is he going to score every game? NO. But he is tied for the lead among 3 mid-fielders with 2 goals so far in this tourney, andhis team is playing in the final, so he has done his job.


Listen in general I'm not a huge fan of arguing with people over the internet. You seem to think I have some lack of knowledge or a skewed view on thegame, therefore almost EVERY time I post you quote me and try to dispute what I am saying. I am no idiot, I know football very well, and am unclear as to whyyou seem to have this intense drive to prove me wrong everything I say. It's not really going to happen anyway, since A) it is just 2 opinions that aredifferent, and B) much of the stuff you try to argue you have no basis for. Just another opinion, which often other people on this board take issue with. Yournot some genius who is always right, and I'm not some idiot who is always wrong, just let it be and stop falsely trying to argue with me every time I post.

Are you actually Brazilian, or you "just happen" to root for them by some stroke of fate?

 

[xblaze23]

While I'm happy we won, the defense was shaky at best. The only consistent player back there is Metzelder, I'm very impressed by him. The rest got lucky quite often, but we won in the ends so it's all good.

He needs to stay healthy which in turn will get his fitness up. Hes looked rusty/sluggish throughout the tournament but he was better today.

 

[platinumfunk]

Originally Posted by Krisp Kicks

^ My views aren't skewed actually. How is a team that scores 2 "weak"goals better than, or outplaying, a team that scores 3 goals, each of which was a precise finish, not giving the keeper a chance. All 3 German goals were clinically finished, Lahm's goal especially was a very difficult finish, looking at the angle and speed with which he had to strike it.

Regardless, the team that scores more goals deserves to win because they were the better team. I would actually like a detailed analysis of how you feel Turkey outplayed Germany today, because I fail to see it. Each team outplayed the other in 1 half. 1 team finished well and scored more goals. Lets hear how Turkey were the better team please.

Also,notice how I say both of Lehmann's goals were weak, you counter with how they weren't and then someone else points out that they WERE in fact weak goals and Lehmann should have DEFINITELY stopped the 2nd, and was in position to stop the first although the mis-hit threw him off (he had no idea where he was tho and thats his fault).

On to the Ballack argument again, I'm not really going to keep arguing with you. He may no longer be THE #1 2 way mid-fielder like he used to be in the early 2000's, but he is still one of the best mid-fielders in game. He captains one of the top countries in the world, and is one of the best players for one of the top clubs as well. Is he going to score every game? NO. But he is tied for the lead among 3 mid-fielders with 2 goals so far in this tourney, and his team is playing in the final, so he has done his job.


Listen in general I'm not a huge fan of arguing with people over the internet. You seem to think I have some lack of knowledge or a skewed view on the game, therefore almost EVERY time I post you quote me and try to dispute what I am saying. I am no idiot, I know football very well, and am unclear as to why you seem to have this intense drive to prove me wrong everything I say. It's not really going to happen anyway, since A) it is just 2 opinions that are different, and B) much of the stuff you try to argue you have no basis for. Just another opinion, which often other people on this board take issue with. Your not some genius who is always right, and I'm not some idiot who is always wrong, just let it be and stop falsely trying to argue with me every time I post.

Are you actually Brazilian, or you "just happen" to root for them by some stroke of fate?

Yes, I am. (actually Brazilian). The first goal was far from Lehmann's fault, how the hell are you going to let a throw in be an offensive move (Lahmmessed up on that play...), and then after allowing Kazim to lie down and attempt to score NOT get the rebound (I'm not sure who just stood next to Ugoland watched him) and then blame your keeper for not stopping a shot from 1 meter away (notice I also pointed out that Ugol mis struck it). Lahm also failed onthe second goal, his marking was

this game.

Your little paragraph about precise finishes at the beginning was funny, but I'm sure you also noticed Klose was heading towards an empty goal? Lahm didfinish off that goal like a striker though

(Schweinsteiger pulled twodefenders away from Lahm

). I felt Turkey outplayed Germany because theypassed much more efficiently and created quite a few more shots on goal, and shots on target. Germany missed an absurd amount of passes while Turkey passed theball with few problems, even after Germany applied their pressure. Germany scored on isolated incidents (due largely to the superior quality of their players,and one or two players choosing to display this quality at the right time), Turkey scored after applying constant pressure for several minutes, word to Boca.The color of the jersey prevailed in the long run, it happens.

 

[im like pele]

Originally Posted by an dee 51o

Cot damn that chick was bangin.

haha. you noticed her too? I better hope she was one of the player's girlfriends.

Now regarding todays game, I don't have much to say. Great game. Turk's played with an all-out mentality and I think they shoulda won if it wasn'tfor Rustu's misjudgement on that aerial ball. Pretty pissed off that I didn't get to watch the best parts of the game though

 

[krisp kicks]

I understand a lot of what your saying and agree to a certain extent. I think that part of it is when you have an underdog, they feel no pressure and fireshots from all over the pitch. Turkey may have shot many more times, but often it was from distance, and not a real threat to beat Lehmann (although with hisplay lately you never know). I liked Turkey's will to attack and skill, but I think a small part of their success must be attached to the fact that if theylose, everyone will say great job, they gave their best, we must respect how they played. While if the favorite (in this case Germany) loses, the players willbe mocked at home, the manager possibly fired, and riots will take place in Germany (especially against Turkey

). This type of atmosphere can free up theunderdog to play above their norm, and cause the favorite to play more conservatively, and play below high expectations.

In terms of actual chances, Germany put away 3 of about 5 real legit chances they had. That is what I mean by precise finishing. If you read what I wroteduring the first half, I said that Germany's touch and passing was horrific and almost everything was a turnover. In terms of clear cut chances to score,Turkey didn't really have any more than Germany in this game, they did have many more shots though.

The defending from Germany has been questionable all tourney, especially on the ground against fast players and 1 touch passing (although this will beat mostany defense in the world, good or bad). Lahm has had 2 really good games this tourney, and 1-2 really bad ones too. He is lucky he made up for the performancetoday with that finish, because he would have been the scapegoat for sure. Marking, tackling, positioning, everything today for him was bad.

I think today Germany felt some pressure to advance, and Turkey played free and could attack all out because no one expected them to even make it this far. Itshowed in the 1st half, and for spurts in the 2nd, when Turkey just looked to be the more aggressive, attack-minded team. But with all the players they weremissing, their finishing and creating real solid chances (considering the amount they attacked) was quite poor. Again I don't think Germany played great,but from what I saw, they gained control of the game in the 2nd half, and I can't really say I was worried much that they would lose. Turkey justdidn't really seem like for all their skill and heart they were going to go up and keep a lead.

The first goal for Turkey absolutely was earned. They applied full pressure and hit the bar once or twice, so it was a well earned goal. The 2nd for Turkey, onthe equalizer, was really coming at a time I felt Germany were in charge of the match, and it was a huge mistake from Lehmann to get beaten near post on a playlike that. Germany has been involved in mostly exciting games this tournament (only boring one was against Austria

) This is largely due to the quality ofopponents in this tournament, combined with some really questionable defending at times.

The Euro to me is the toughest tourney to win, because top to bottom there really aren't many weak/mediocre teams. Of course in the WC you add the SouthAmerican Powers, but also a few sub-standard teams from Asia, Concacaf, and Africa. This Euro has really lived up to expectations with fantastic football, andlots of teams playing really well. I think whoever they face in the final will be a great, exciting game. I hope Germany wins, but I will be happy with whoeverearns the win, whether that is Germany or Spain/Russia.

 

[platinumfunk]

Originally Posted by Krisp Kicks

I understand a lot of what your saying and agree to a certain extent. I think that part of it is when you have an underdog, they feel no pressure and fire shots from all over the pitch. Turkey may have shot many more times, but often it was from distance, and not a real threat to beat Lehmann (although with his play lately you never know). I liked Turkey's will to attack and skill, but I think a small part of their success must be attached to the fact that if they lose, everyone will say great job, they gave their best, we must respect how they played. While if the favorite (in this case Germany) loses, the players will be mocked at home, the manager possibly fired, and riots will take place in Germany (especially against Turkey

). This type of atmosphere can free up the underdog to play above their norm, and cause the favorite to play more conservatively, and play below high expectations.

In terms of actual chances, Germany put away 3 of about 5 real legit chances they had. That is what I mean by precise finishing. If you read what I wrote during the first half, I said that Germany's touch and passing was horrific and almost everything was a turnover. In terms of clear cut chances to score, Turkey didn't really have any more than Germany in this game, they did have many more shots though.

The defending from Germany has been questionable all tourney, especially on the ground against fast players and 1 touch passing (although this will beat most any defense in the world, good or bad). Lahm has had 2 really good games this tourney, and 1-2 really bad ones too. He is lucky he made up for the performance today with that finish, because he would have been the scapegoat for sure. Marking, tackling, positioning, everything today for him was bad.

I think today Germany felt some pressure to advance, and Turkey played free and could attack all out because no one expected them to even make it this far. It showed in the 1st half, and for spurts in the 2nd, when Turkey just looked to be the more aggressive, attack-minded team. But with all the players they were missing, their finishing and creating real solid chances (considering the amount they attacked) was quite poor. Again I don't think Germany played great, but from what I saw, they gained control of the game in the 2nd half, and I can't really say I was worried much that they would lose. Turkey just didn't really seem like for all their skill and heart they were going to go up and keep a lead.

The first goal for Turkey absolutely was earned. They applied full pressure and hit the bar once or twice, so it was a well earned goal. The 2nd for Turkey, on the equalizer, was really coming at a time I felt Germany were in charge of the match, and it was a huge mistake from Lehmann to get beaten near post on a play like that. Germany has been involved in mostly exciting games this tournament (only boring one was against Austria

) This is largely due to the quality of opponents in this tournament, combined with some really questionable defending at times.

The Euro to me is the toughest tourney to win, because top to bottom there really aren't many weak/mediocre teams. Of course in the WC you add the South American Powers, but also a few sub-standard teams from Asia, Concacaf, and Africa. This Euro has really lived up to expectations with fantastic football, and lots of teams playing really well. I think whoever they face in the final will be a great, exciting game. I hope Germany wins, but I will be happy with whoever earns the win, whether that is Germany or Spain/Russia.

Agreed, about practically everything.

at how things work out.

However (I know you just got the

face on), I think that's theonly way to beat a team like Germany. Honestly, how many times has Germany (or Italy, Brazil, etc.) lost to a team which played behind all game? If youdon't play them as equals, you'll never win. Turkey had the balls to do that. I do agree the Euro is significantly harder to win than any othercontinental tournament, but the World Cup has never had any real nobodies win, whereas the Euro has Denmark and Greece gracing their list of past winners

. I do agree there are rarely any really weak links in the Eurothough, because even the weak links play well for some reason.

 

[smokey1212]

Originally Posted by IM LIKE PELE

Originally Posted by an dee 51o

Cot damn that chick was bangin.

haha. you noticed her too? I better hope she was one of the player's girlfriends.

Now regarding todays game, I don't have much to say. Great game. Turk's played with an all-out mentality and I think they shoulda won if it wasn't for Rustu's misjudgement on that aerial ball. Pretty pissed off that I didn't get to watch the best parts of the game though

Pretty Sure you guys are referring to Schweinstagger's (sp? I don't care) chick. And yes, she is off the handle.

 

[Sinner]

Soccernet

A thunderstorm that cut power supplies interrupted coverage for millions of television viewers watching Germany's thrilling 3-2 semi-final win over Turkey at Euro 2008 on Wednesday. [table][tr][td] http://ad.dc2.adtech.de/?adlink|605...ro+481+ASIA;kr206=1473750;kr204=1333;kp=7120; [/td] [/tr][/table]Tournament organisers UEFA said the cause of the problem was still being investigated, with particular emphasis on the violent electrical storm that hit Vienna during the match. The game was being played in Basel, Switzerland but the Austrian capital is the hub of TV operations for Euro 2008. UEFA declined to speculate on how badly coverage had been affected around the world but the BBC said the problem affecting pictures from the St Jakob Park stadium was global. Johannes B Kerner, moderator for German broadcaster ZDF, said: 'The Swiss were the only ones in the world who had an extra cable to their home stadium in Basel'.

Everyone was affected...

 

[af writer]

Anyone got a stream for todays game? I'm at work.

 

[carlos tevez]

I'll be supporting Russia in this one.

 

[gordon gartrelle]

I'm a little concerned about Spain's ability to perform given with the weather and field conditions. They have a full squad though so it should be agreat match.