WORLD CUP 2006 / GERMANY

[J.A.W.]

A France - Germany final would be something to look forward to.

[couw]

They did not play up to expectations. I think the Australia match was an eye opener. It showed how they could be contained. I think the sentimental choice, unless you're German, Italian or Portuguese, is France and that's because of Zidane. Ribery! He's come on in the last couple of games. I will be in Southern France next Sunday. I sure hope that France is in the final. That would be something to experience.

well, let all hope that France manages to reach the final instead of the Little Pisser and Figo and their crew.

[J.A.W.]

By the way, where was Ronaldinho this tournament?

somewhere in the BIG hole between defense and forwards?

He was probably still celebrating Barcelona's Champions League win...

[J.A.W.]

They did not play up to expectations. I think the Australia match was an eye opener. It showed how they could be contained. I think the sentimental choice, unless you're German, Italian or Portuguese, is France and that's because of Zidane. Ribery! He's come on in the last couple of games. I will be in Southern France next Sunday. I sure hope that France is in the final. That would be something to experience.

well, let all hope that France manages to reach the final instead of the Little Pisser and Figo and their crew.

Yep. Portugal are one of the most irritating teams I've seen lately. As for Mr Pisser, I never understood what Man Utd saw in him. I think he's a waste of time.

[P.L.M]

Oh Jesus, now that crap starts again? Dork.

Son of my ass you're the most stupid fucker of this board.

The man takes himself for a GREAT HISTORIAN.

Poor of us.

Poor Dummy.

Edited July 1, 2006 by P.L.M

[P.L.M]

And, by the way, THEY HAVE DO IT!!!!!!

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

And, by the way, THEY HAVE DO IT!!!!!!

Yes, Mr. James Joyce Jr., they most certainly have do it!!!!

[Brad]

I'm probably stating the obvious but if France win this Cup, this will go down as Zinedine's Cup. It's amazing to think how far they've progressed after those awful showings against Switzerland and S. Korea. How many of us (myself included) had written them off! We all assumed it was a foregone conclusion that Spain would beat them. Sometimes a great player, knowing this is it, is just not willing to say goodbye, adios, adieu, whatever. I guess we will find out soon enough.

Re the little pisser, the guy has a lot of flash, the fancy moves, but other than that I don't see much there.

[sal]

What a day!!!

I was expecting to take the afternoon off of work on Wednesday to watch England vs. Brazil. What a shocker.

[Jim R]

I'm very disappointed in the level of play lately. England's effort against Portugal reminded me of this year's U.S. team, although I think even we could have done better with out PK's. Rooney needs to grow up (hopefully he matures in the next four years).

After England/Portugal, I was really looking forward to a great match between Brazil and France. France were terriffic, but Brazil didn't keep their end of the deal. Oh well, I'm happy for Zidane & co. Hopefully there's at least one great, memorable match yet to come, which I can look forward to watching on tape in years to come.

[Alexander Hawkins]

Lots of great players on show at this year's Cup - Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Figo, Lampard, Ballack, Rooney, Nedved, Crespo, Riquelme, Thuram, Raul (granted that very few of these played to anything like their potential - but only one true genius - Zidane. Zidane is the ONLY one who will be mentioned in the Pele, Garrincha, Eusebio, Platini, Cruyff, Moore, Beckenbauer, Maradona, Puskas, Di Stefano breath in the future.

The most underrated player in this tournament (and in the world) - IMHO, of course! - is Makelele, without whom Zidane is only a shadow of himself. These two are one of the greatest midfield pairings ever to play the game.

[Alexander Hawkins]

cheerio Brazil. thanks for your interest but I think on this occasion I think that we'll stick with a European Final. Ha bloody Ha ! Football is coming home after all. I'm so pleased to see the smug, arrogant, bloated Brazilians on the way home. Its about time someone realised they were there for the taking. well done les bleues..

For Brazil/Brazilians, subsititute England and English and the statement remains valid.

By the way, who didn't realise they were there for the taking from a VERY early stage? Perhaps even as early as the start of their qualification campaign?

[Alexander Hawkins]

I'm probably stating the obvious but if France win this Cup, this will go down as Zinedine's Cup. It's amazing to think how far they've progressed after those awful showings against Switzerland and S. Korea. How many of us (myself included) had written them off! We all assumed it was a foregone conclusion that Spain would beat them. Sometimes a great player, knowing this is it, is just not willing to say goodbye, adios, adieu, whatever. I guess we will find out soon enough.

Re the little pisser, the guy has a lot of flash, the fancy moves, but other than that I don't see much there.

Cristiano Ronaldo? I agree, a lot of flash etc. - and the guy is FAR from being a favourite of mine, and I should do penance for mounting even a weak defence of a United player - but he is a competent wing player. I think the point is that he's not the wonderkid (new George Best, as the horrifically awful James Lawton writing in the Independent after his first Premiership appearance, suggested) he's cracked up to be. He would, truth to tell, start for a great many international sides.

p.s. I won't blow my own trumpet too much here - and will readily admit that my impression was somewhat sentimentally clouded - but I've never had the French written off at any stage, and fancied them against the Spanish.

[Chalupa]

What a day!!!

I was expecting to take the afternoon off of work on Wednesday to watch England vs. Brazil. What a shocker.

Ditto.

[Dmitry]

[Holy shit - I missed the Brazil/France game.

You didn't miss much, my friend...

Sad [and almost unbelievably so] performance from the Brazilian team.

FWIW, I was wearing the number 9 yellow and green Brazii t-shirt today, and after the game ended and I went out for a bit, a couple of strangers came up to me on the street on 2 different occasions and expressed the opinion that money changed hands.

[Dmitry]

Does anyone else think that Peter Crouch is the worst striker to ever play for England?

[Clunky]

I thought France were superb, here's hoping it's a Germany vs. France final.

[ASNL77]

[Holy shit - I missed the Brazil/France game.

You didn't miss much, my friend...Sad [and almost unbelievably so] performance from the Brazilian team.

FWIW, I was wearing the number 9 yellow and green Brazii t-shirt today, and after the game ended and I went out for a bit, a couple of strangers came up to me on the street on 2 different occasions and expressed the opinion that money changed hands.

You are very harsh. Football is not only about scoring fantastic goals every ten minutes, wonderful passes etc....

This game was a good game of football and France managed to neutralise Brazil and its stars. The French defended very well and managed to close down the Brazilian players for 90 minutes. This is also what football is about. Guys like Gallas, Makelele and Thuram had a great game last night. I am sure that anybody who likes football enjoyed the second half of France last night watching Zidane having one of the best games of his career. We have seen a lot of worse games in this world cup.

[birdanddizzy]

I thought France were superb, here's hoping it's a Germany vs. France final.

+1 !

[P.L.M]

The most underrated player in this tournament (and in the world) - IMHO, of course! - is Makelele, without whom Zidane is only a shadow of himself. These two are one of the greatest midfield pairings ever to play the game.

MAKELELE is one of the great midfielder of the history of the soccer.

I don't think so, aniway, than ZIDANE would be "a shadow of himself" if the little man wasn't backing him.

But, true, the pairing of the two is something special.

When you think than REAL MADRID has let him go because they didn't want to raise his salary to the level of the top players of the team... They never win much after his departure and nothing on the european scene anymore.

Aniway, the great man of the french team is not for me MAKELELE or the mesmerizing ZIDANE but the one and alone VIEIRA.

He has kept alive the team when they nearly drown in front of SWITZERLAND and COREA.

Win the match all by himself when fighting TOGO.

Organised the play against SPAIN et was the TRUE leader of the backs when fronting BRAZIL.

Playing the role of the libero IN FRONT of his backs, closing back every door possible when a "jogador" from BRAZIL try to open it..

In this tournement, VIEIRA is a MONSTER.

You could feel than ARSENE WENGER, who plays consultant for the FRENCH TV when FRANCE is playing, is still full of regret to have not been able to keep his midfielder at ARSENAL, a year ago.

Edited July 2, 2006 by P.L.M

[P.L.M]

FWIW, I was wearing the number 9 yellow and green Brazii t-shirt today, and after the game ended and I went out for a bit, a couple of strangers came up to me on the street on 2 different occasions and expressed the opinion that money changed hands.

Yeah, sure. In 1998 too, the FRENCH has bought their victory.

BRAZILIAN are greedy as hell as you know all and french are master when it comes to corrupt the other teams.

Wonder how much they paid the SPANIARDS, this days?

Your commentary is just a gossip from a gossip man (you) and the couple who "went" to you, if not comming from your imagination, is just like you.

Aniway, if you have watch the number nine yellow jersey exclusivly, not surprising that you've seen a bad match.

You should have watch the number ten white jersey, instead. You may have seen another match. I mean the good one.

So, conclusion. Surprise! Your FWIW worth nothing.

Edited July 2, 2006 by P.L.M

[P.L.M]

A lyrical view about Zidane from The Guardian (UK):

"He walked off the pitch with a wink. While the younger ones cavorted in front of the blue corner, Zinedine Zidane took himself away from the limelight. He embraced a few desolate Brazilians, saluted some unused substitutes, stood back from the party and took his leave. It is always best to watch the quiet ones.

France began this tournament saddled with worries about the ageing legs at the heart of their team, but they have changed their tune. Allez les vieux. The capacity to inspire beats on inside Zidane.

The games might be running out, but there is a first time for everything. One of the enduring curiosities of the France team - the sheer oddness of a statistic that told of 54 games when Zidane and Thierry Henry played together for France without the master creator setting up the master marksman a single time - was obliterated.

Zidane, just as he did in his finest hour, welcomed the opportunity to shatter Brazil. He stood over a set piece on the flank, measuring the moment. He stroked over a free-kick, the ball dipped perfectly to bypass the bewildered Brazil defence and land in front of Henry's right boot. Merci, mon ami. About time too.

While Henry ran off into goalscoring glory, followed by the majority of his team-mates, the old maestro smiled to himself. Patrick Vieira, his vice captain, ran over to engulf him. The legend lives on and on.

How could he have had an ordinary game here? How could he bow out just after reminding us of his wonders with that vintage goal against Spain? How could he not have illuminated this occasion with flashes of the sumptuous talent that has made him probably the greatest player of his generation. A genuine maestro.

'Zizou president' - on the night of 12 July 1998, those two words filled the night air like fireworks. And in a funny way, Zizou's disciples really believed what they were singing. Zidane, the son of Algerian immigrants, the child of the Marseille banlieue come good, the man whose humility made him the most introverted kind of hero imaginable, he didn't just unite football fans. He united France.

It was inevitable there would be so many flashbacks here. France versus Brazil, with Zidane and Ronaldo on the pitch, it was impossible not to reflect on the drama that entwined these two players - the best of their generation - eight years ago.

They shared a private joke in front of thousands of prying eyes here in Frankfurt in the seconds before kick-off. Beaming at one another with silly grins from opposing sides of the centre circle, they would be the best of enemies for one more night.

It was first blood to Zidane, who rolled the ball, pirouetted and surged away. A classic move. The French fans roared their approval. He emulated it just before half time with another example of ageless craft. Zidane made difficult control look easy and then had the imagination to conjure a pass that sent Patrick Vieira hurtling towards goal.

For a man whose gait is a little ungainly, he has always possessed such delicacy of touch, such deft balance. It seems effortless, and yet evidently not entirely so. Sweat always drips off him like Amazonian rainfall.

There will be time ahead to reflect on the snapshots of a gilt-edged career. He will remember the day he began making strides as a teenager with Cannes, taking his first wage packet of £500 and handing it straight over to his parents. On his first appearance along the coast in his home town, at the Stade Velodrome, he helped the underdogs of Cannes inflict a rare defeat on the Olympique Marseille team managed by none other than Franz Beckenbauer.

He will remember becoming a Galactico, unveiled at the Bernabeu as the most expensive player of all time - the £49 million fee a record that still stands. And repaying some of that with a gaspingly poetic volley to win the European Cup in the white of Real Madrid at Hampden Park.

He will remember les Bleus. The full spectrum of emotions. Thigh strapped and legs shackled, he was part of the abomination that was France's World Cup exit from the 2002 World Cup. Two years before that he was a great player playing out of his skin in a team designed around his brilliance. He was the arch trickster. He was the team's metronome. He was zen master. He was the man. Watching him keep yogic calm at the penalty spot while Portugal virtually started a riot around him was to witness a man entirely at one with his chosen art. Of course he scored.

Above all, he will remember the summer of 1998. Throughout the tournament his face covered the side of a building overlooking Marseille's port along the Corniche. By the end, that familiar gaze illuminated the Arc de Triomphe after two soaring headers to propel France to their only World Cup. So far. And for that he will always be Zizou President.

In 1998 he was sent off for a vicious, reckless stamp in a match when France were cantering past Saudi Arabia. Genius always comes with a dark side. We will remember the good times. We thought they were all over. They aren't just yet."

Amy Lawrence is an Observer football writer

[ASNL77]

[Holy shit - I missed the Brazil/France game.

You didn't miss much, my friend...

Sad [and almost unbelievably so] performance from the Brazilian team.

FWIW, I was wearing the number 9 yellow and green Brazii t-shirt today, and after the game ended and I went out for a bit, a couple of strangers came up to me on the street on 2 different occasions and expressed the opinion that money changed hands.

I assume that nobody is entitled to beat the great Brazil in a fair way. In 1998 Ronaldo was supposedly ill or France bought the world cup. Yesterday was the same.... By the way, Ronaldo played better in the 1998 final than yesterday The drink he had before the game must have been spiked by a French dwarf hidden under his bench in the brazilian changing room!

If no team has the right to beat Brazil without being accused of things like these, why bother? Shall we give a permanent world cup to Brazil and let the other teams have a tournament for second class football players!

Brazil is like any other team. It has its strengths and its weaknesses. We all know its strengths but it seems that a lot brazilian fans haven't realised yet that Brazil is incredibly weak on corner kicks or free kicks and that the Brazilian defence is often shocking. What France did yesterday was to frustrate their opponent for 20-25 minutes, before starting moving forward and put pressure on the Brazilian team with an excellent Zidane delivering some great balls to his forwards. Brazil started to doubt and played without any depth. The French goal had to come and it did. Brazil have only got themselves to blame but they also have the right to admit (like Juninho did) that the better team won last night.

Edited July 2, 2006 by ASNL77

[Alexander Hawkins]

The most underrated player in this tournament (and in the world) - IMHO, of course! - is Makelele, without whom Zidane is only a shadow of himself. These two are one of the greatest midfield pairings ever to play the game.

MAKELELE is one of the great midfielder of the history of the soccer.

I don't think so, aniway, than ZIDANE would be "a shadow of himself" if the little man wasn't backing him.

But, true, the pairing of the two is something special.

When you think than REAL MADRID has let him go because they didn't want to raise his salary to the level of the top players of the team... They never win much after his departure and nothing on the european scene anymore.

Aniway, the great man of the french team is not for me MAKELELE or the mesmerizing ZIDANE but the one and alone VIEIRA.

He has kept alive the team when they nearly drown in front of SWITZERLAND and COREA.

Win the match all by himself when fighting TOGO.

Organised the play against SPAIN et was the TRUE leader of the backs when fronting BRAZIL.

Playing the role of the libero IN FRONT of his backs, closing back every door possible when a "jogador" from BRAZIL try to open it..

In this tournement, VIEIRA is a MONSTER.

You could feel than ARSENE WENGER, who plays consultant for the FRENCH TV when FRANCE is playing, is still full of regret to have not been able to keep his midfielder at ARSENAL, a year ago.

Fair enough - I suppose it was harsh to say that Zidane would be a 'shadow' of himself without Makelele... simply that Zidane is marginally(!) less mesmorising IMHO without the safety net of Makelele.

No coincidence, I feel, that Frank Lampard has become one of the world's top midfield players since he began lining up with Makelele. Claude is an absolute icon amongst Chelsea fans, FWIW!

Interesting what you say about Vieira...there was a strong feeling in the French press (and amongst the fans) that he should have been dropped for the South Korea game. But you're right - Wenger must be furious that he let him go (even if Fabregas is showing signs of maturing into a very decent player, much as it pains me to say as an avowed Arsenal hater )...

[J.A.W.]

No coincidence, I feel, that Frank Lampard has become one of the world's top midfield players since he began lining up with Makelele. Claude is an absolute icon amongst Chelsea fans, FWIW!

Sorry, but I strongly disagree. I think Lampard is nothing more than a "good" player, who should indeed be grateful for the presence of Makelele. On an international level, against strong opponents I've never seen Lampard play as good as he does in the Premiership.