Italy Are Champions [Archive]

Karlos

09/07/2006, 9:17 PM

Well that depends on what makes a game great in your own mind.

I thought it was entralling stuff. Intriging tactical matchup and plenty of incident. Best World Cup final in a long time for me anyway. :)

gustavo

09/07/2006, 9:23 PM

Thought France deserved to win it more on the night shame about the Zidane incident might overshadow it slightly , feel sorry for Trezeguet as he was unlucky all the penalties were good. But happy for Italy cos i tipped them before the tournament started:)

ken foree

09/07/2006, 9:41 PM

what did you think about the "offside" toni goal? france were clearly better but italy scored two legit goals (france shoulda had one peno, for the 2nd malouda tackle, not the first dive)

Marked Man

09/07/2006, 9:45 PM

Definitely offside.

jockser

09/07/2006, 9:59 PM

The first penatly was NOT a dive his ankle was definately clipped which i couldnt belive only the BBC picked out. Both ITV and RTE said it was a dive when is wasnt.
But anyway Forza Italia!!! Vaiiiiii!!!!!
Very happy for cannavaro and grosso

JoeSemi

09/07/2006, 10:18 PM

Delighted for the Italians. Not the best team on the night but deserved it over the course of the tournament. A team of outstanding players and, in the main, proper men. I dismissed them before the start of the WC but I take back everything I said now!

Priveleged to say I saw the champions play too:)

L'Italia s'e desta!!

pineapple stu

09/07/2006, 10:37 PM

I thought it was entralling stuff[...]Best World Cup final in a long time for me anyway. :)
Eh, no. It was an appalling final. It was heading for penalties from about the hour mark. Both teams could pass it about fairly prettily, but when it came to doing something constructive, neither had a notion. Dreadful final, which fairly sums a generally dreadful World Cup.

FarBeag

09/07/2006, 10:44 PM

I am glad the Italians won it; I think they deserved it overall. They had the two most consistent players throughout Gennaro Gattuso and Fabio Cannavaro and a clever manager in Lippi. I don�t think there was one team in the whole of the tournament that really stuck out though apart from Argentina but look what happened to them.Well done to Italy once more.

Closed Account 2

09/07/2006, 10:48 PM

FarBeag

09/07/2006, 10:59 PM

Italy were a very poor side to watch tonight, didnt create anything except headers from set plays. France played much better.

The quality of teams in the competiton seemed to dip after each round.

Now is the time, more than ever, to do well in international football. If we can make it to the Euros or next World Cup, it would probably be the best chance we will ever get.

I agree with you there.The Italians were good in the first half and shaded it ,but for some reason were all defense for the remainder of the game.The reason I think they deserved to win it is because they did it with a very mediocre side when there were better teams in the competition.

Yes..I think we have a good chance ,judging by what i have seen for the past month.I think we would have gone quite a way if we were there this time too.

ken foree

09/07/2006, 11:25 PM

Definitely offside.

due to the other "active" player?? coz i don't think toni was when the ball was played. i'm open to the clipped malouda ankle. the replays i saw were sidelong and from behind, and they both looked like a bad dive.

Sandro

09/07/2006, 11:47 PM

Even a hundrum town like Vicenza is getting crazy tonight...

Junior

10/07/2006, 9:17 AM

due to the other "active" player?? coz i don't think toni was when the ball was played. i'm open to the clipped malouda ankle. the replays i saw were sidelong and from behind, and they both looked like a bad dive.

BBC did a freeze frame and drew the line on screen. All 3 Italians players looked to be offside (it was very marginal though).

Block G Raptor

10/07/2006, 9:22 AM

Italy Conceded 2 goals in their 7 matches. one an OG and the other a Dubious Penalty. If that is not the form of Champions I dont know what is. I have alway's had an irrational dislike of the Italian National team(probably to do with Toto Schilachi in 1990:o ) but really wanted them to win this from the quaters on. Cannavaro was an absolute Giant for them and IMO there has never been a more deserving wining captain!
Forza Italia ............Deserved World Champions

NeilMcD

10/07/2006, 9:27 AM

osarusan

10/07/2006, 10:40 AM

Yeah I agreee, Italy were the best side in the competition. Cannavarro was the best player followed closely behind by Gattuso and Pirlo and Zambrotta . They lacked a world class striker but so did France in 1998.

I agree with this.

I think we want to see the World Cup winners banging in goals from all over the place, but that hasnt happened for a while (Argentina '86?). Italy were the best side from a technical and defensive point of view. With a top quality striker, they would have looked much better.

Sandro

10/07/2006, 10:53 AM

With a top quality striker, they would have looked much better.

It was actually supposed to be a highly offensive side, with Toni, Gilardino and Totti up front with a big help from Camoranesi, Zambrotta and Grosso on the sides. Then something went wrong mainly due to the poor performance of the two bigs, Toni (81 goals in the last three seasons with Palermo and Fiorentina) and most of all Totti (he was rubbish, whatever media will say).

micls

10/07/2006, 10:59 AM

due to the other "active" player?? coz i don't think toni was when the ball was played. i'm open to the clipped malouda ankle. the replays i saw were sidelong and from behind, and they both looked like a bad dive.

What channel were you watching? Toni was marginally offside alright and Malouda was definately clipped although the defender tried to pull out. Was clear enough on the BBC replays

ken foree

10/07/2006, 1:30 PM

What channel were you watching? Toni was marginally offside alright and Malouda was definately clipped although the defender tried to pull out. Was clear enough on the BBC replays

univision (spanish language u.s. network). i remember saying aloud that he was never offside but that might've been the volka talking.:o trying to find a replay of it now.

ken foree

10/07/2006, 1:48 PM

just saw the replay, definitely offside, my mistake.

hoops1

10/07/2006, 1:51 PM

Ken that station you watched the game is pure class
the commentators really celebrate the goals as if they have scored themselves

pete

10/07/2006, 2:56 PM

Malouda dived as he was already on his way down when he barely touched the defender who did everything he could he move away.

France were the better on the night & Italy were somewhat disappointing however Italy were clearly the best team of the tournament. Delighted to see them win & the players celebrations showed all the best Italian passions. Materazzis antics on the stage showed how happy they were & didn't seem to think what they were doing at all.

Italy is a true football nation whereas France seem to have huge bandwagon element who wouldn't go near a domestic game.

I think Zidane lashed out as he was sick of the nice guy image & thought people whould stop asking him to join politics if he became a villan ;)

ken foree

10/07/2006, 2:58 PM

Ken that station you watched the game is pure class
the commentators really celebrate the goals as if they have scored themselves

yea i love it, the only one i watch the games on. they definitely get into it, screaming at seemingly random moments, interjecting english snippets, and of course the GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLL and GOLGOLGOLGOLGOLGOLGOLGOL eruptions. the half hour before the game ('republica deportivo') isn't bad either, plenty of lovely latinas shakin their jubblies. i read something like 30% of u.s. wc viewers are watching univision coz espn is so bad!

Marked Man

10/07/2006, 3:21 PM

univision (spanish language u.s. network). .

Same as meself. Those muppets on ESPN drove me to switch over to Univision from the quarter-finals on.

strangeirish

10/07/2006, 3:43 PM

Same as meself. Those muppets on ESPN drove me to switch over to Univision from the quarter-finals on.
Was watching the German/Portugal game on ESPN and the camera pans to Michael Schumacher in the stands. John Harkes of ESPN proclaims " And there is Oliver Bierhoff, the German Manager"! Anyone else stateside catch that? Now he did admit his mistake a couple of minutes later, after some director probably yelled in his earpiece.

Clowns.

ken foree

10/07/2006, 7:30 PM

it's ****-poor coverage and don't get started on tommy smyth. a louth man and all, how embarrassing :mad: :rolleyes:

strangeirish

10/07/2006, 7:41 PM

it's ****-poor coverage and don't get started on tommy smyth. a louth man and all, how embarrassing :mad: :rolleyes:
The 'Oul onion bag' man?......:D or "Roberto Carlos, left back may be his address but ye never find him home der".

Sorry.

Marked Man

10/07/2006, 7:55 PM

it's ****-poor coverage and don't get started on tommy smyth. a louth man and all, how embarrassing :mad: :rolleyes:

My personal favorite was in the closing stages of the Croatia/Australia game after the referee had sent off an Aussie player (having earlier sent off a Croat): "It's hard to tell who has the extra man here, isn't it?" asked Smyth.

strangeirish

10/07/2006, 8:10 PM

It looks like there is growing international discontent with Mr Smyth (http://www.sportscolumn.com/story/2005/8/10/194052/616) with a Y that is.

ken foree

10/07/2006, 9:36 PM

It looks like there is growing international discontent with Mr Smyth (http://www.sportscolumn.com/story/2005/8/10/194052/616) with a Y that is.

ha, that's great to see... finally someone taking him to task

Karlos

10/07/2006, 9:53 PM

Eh, no. It was an appalling final.

Different strokes for different folks, obviously :)

Marked Man

10/07/2006, 11:57 PM

It looks like there is growing international discontent with Mr Smyth (http://www.sportscolumn.com/story/2005/8/10/194052/616) with a Y that is.

Smyth is crap, but just as bad are O'Brien, Balboa and the other ESPN commentators.

Though I don't know where that author got the idea that soccer fans only trust commentators with a British accent.

lim abroad

11/07/2006, 12:47 AM

"they'll be home before the postcards" is another favorite of smyths

sligoman

11/07/2006, 12:59 AM

Thought it was a good match myself. Italy better in the first half, France in the second while extra time was fairly crap for both. Overall in the whole tournament, France didn't deserve to win and I'm glad they didn't.

It was never a penalty for France either, clearly he wasn't touched at all.

Marked Man

11/07/2006, 6:42 AM

It was never a penalty for France either, clearly he wasn't touched at all.

I thought as much at first. But the reverse angle replay showed clear contact. Definite penno. As was the claim in the second half. Never going to get two of them in the same world cup final though.

pineapple stu

11/07/2006, 12:48 PM

Funny - I thought it was a definite penalty until I saw the reverse angle replay!

Dodge

11/07/2006, 1:02 PM

Same as Stu. Think he was touched slightly and momentum made him fall. Can't see how anyone could call it a dive.

Either way, doesn't matter now...

CollegeTillIDie

12/07/2006, 7:45 AM

Italy were the best team in the tournament.. the point about two goals conceded one they scored against themselves and a dodgy penalty is well made. As regards the lack of a goalscoring striker, when your defenders such as Grosso and Materazzi are capable of scoring goals of that quality... do you really need a striker?

Junior

12/07/2006, 9:05 AM

the point about two goals conceded one they scored against themselves and a dodgy penalty is well made.

Italy were fabulous defensively, but this point being constantly made is beginning to get on my tits.

Does the own goal count any less? did the Italian team/keeper try any less to defend it? NO

Conceding just 2 goals isl an impressive defensive performance fullstop.

pineapple stu

12/07/2006, 9:40 PM

Same as Stu. Think he was touched slightly and momentum made him fall. Can't see how anyone could call it a dive.
Actually, that's the opposite of me...

Just saw there that Switzerland set a World Cup record - first team to go through the finals without conceding a goal. Four clean sheets to bring their total in World Cup Finals up to...4! They were also the first team to fail to score in a penalty shoot-out.

bennocelt

15/07/2006, 10:34 AM

Italy is a true football nation whereas France seem to have huge bandwagon element who wouldn't go near a domestic game.

)

yeah they deserved to win it, the World Cup is tainted by cheats and diving scum,
seen the italians doing their monkey chants every time a french player got a ball, here in london, scumbags