The Official World Cup Thread

[priad]

haha Lele you are already there!! haha

[studioDIM]

there IS.
Remember back in 2002.
Same coach sent US off at the last minute.
I say we're even now.
And it was both beautiful play and extremely good charachter, what Italy has shown.
I am happy, period.

[rivoli]

And it was both beautiful play

I guess we've seen two different games. you can say almost everything of today's game, but beautiful doesn't really fit there. we both sucked.

[studioDIM]

As usual, Italy's composed of way too many sofa coaches.
Two are here.

On the other hand, from a technical standpoint, i would like to see ANY detractor of this national team with ANY experience at high or very high level of competition say we sucked.
I had my fair share (documented, mind you) of high level athletics races.
Ever heard the word "Tension", or "Responsibility"?
I know i threw away a national title in the 1500 meters just by shitting myself out on a petty detail.
The year before, with people one year older than me (of course, i'm talking teenage years, where one year can make a world of difference in developement and performances), and no pressure to achieve anything, i was a whiff from the podium (woodden medal for fourth place) and second of my age, apparently conducting an extremely good race.

I also know personally the Italian team steeplechase guys, DiPardo (he was the first of my age in the year i came 4th) and Maffei (we trained and raced very closely for a number of years).
They both threw away OLYMPIC races not out of lack of talent (they both have wagons of it) but out of simply getting too scared by the event.
That's not only entirely humane, but also very welcome to a degree.
Threading the thin line of fear can do marvels for the adrenaline buildup, but can quickly throw anyone out of balance.
Every race is a story in and of itself.

Bottom line: i would NOT for my life try and judge a hearty perfomance like this one as a lacklustre one.
Mark my words, as long as we play like today, we can match up with anyone.
Should we lose the temper, and become agitated, well, we'll be out as fast as lightning.

I think we saw the same game, but with very different approaches to it

Lele

[mcphep]

the Aussies are quiet.....

[studioDIM]

they're asleep, no worries.
Daforce's gonna come kick me soon enough

Lele

[mcphep]

Or get just about close enough to be able to fall over

[studioDIM]

lmao

I think that sets the difference as far as experience goes.
Experienced (and lucid, granted) defenders NEVER tackle in the area.
Especially at a few seconds from the end of the game, where something like this DOES happen and DOES hurt
Well, it's all good experience. Australia did play well.
And besides, noone complained on the pitch. But i read the Aussie news are going mad thinking about the italian "diver".
More people with little familiarity with lactic acid and running balance
Funny, in fact, how they do not comment so harshly about that red card, REALLY non existent (watch the replays...)
It's football, and it's round in shape :P


Lele

[mcphep]

exactly. What goes around....

I think the Aussies did really well, backed up their complaints about it being so hard to get into the tournament - they DID prove they should be there for sure. In the end experience (cunning?) showed through. The same in the Portugal/Netherlands game (game loose reference).

I watched the Australian news and most people were looking pretty good natured about the whole thing - no riots (yet). A lot of people there were half Italian anyway.

Oh, and on the Portugal game, I really do find it hard to feel sorry for the kickings dished out to both Ronaldo and Robben, like I said at the top, what goes around comes around. Admittedly, if either of those challenges had been punished more harsly I think we would have seen a much better game and probably the same result.

[rivoli]

As usual, Italy's composed of way too many sofa coaches.

true. but I watched the last part of the game standing, and I barely had the guts to keep my eyes open on that penalty.

[DaForce]

NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

8 seconds, 8 f*cking seconds..... damn it.

LOL




I am yet to actually watch the match so I wont comment on the game itself

[jacksc02]

what can i say.................................

Nice dive italy?

Or well done Ref?

[studioDIM]

ahahah

There you go rivoli: so our guys DID play some entertaining football in the end, for one reason or the other

And, bloody hell, i thought aussies couldn't tell a freesbee from a football.
They very nearly proved me wrong.
Now for the hard part: trying to let them know about the RULES of the game, like "contact in area means an attacker will dive, as a penalty is at hand: do NOT make contact in the penalty area."

I guess they are learning it the harsh way, but, again, hat tip to them.
Both teams played balls to the wall, and fundamentally in a correct way.
let's do that again!

Lele

[jacksc02]

lele says "contact in area means an attacker will dive"

Exactly, attacker will dive as he was barely touched......

[studioDIM]

rofl!

Precisely broh!
That's what he's supposed to do to straighten the odd game, and so he did

Entirely normal, IF you actually watched football games during the course of a year, instead of kangaroos kickboxing!

Lele