[WC] QF : England vs Portugal -> Portugal through

Saturday, 5PM local time.

England 0-0 Portugal (1-3 on penalties)

I could really see England winning this game, there were signs late in the game that they were coming alive and if Lampard could actually pass or shoot, the game probably would have been 3-0. With the Portuguese weakened, I think England will win it.

It's forecast to be another scorching hot day at 27/28 C. That certainly gives Portugal a big advantage - if they werent already favorites, they should be now. They may not have their Brazilian playmaker but their Brazilian coach is a canny one and their pass-and-move is ingrained in all the players.

Well, Blatter said England's offensive game is disappointing.
:D

Sepp Blatter says a lot of things.

I think it's going to be close, extra time probably but the heat will tell and Portugal will just sneak through.

Should be a great game. I know alot of england supporters and I respect the team. I'm alright with whatever the outcome (but of course I'd be exstatic for a Portugal win).

Key Matchup's

Portuguese Holding Midfielders(Maniche, Petit most likely) vs Gerrard and Lampard: I think this is about equal as Maniche does a great job defending and Petit is a bulldog. Gerrard and Lampard will have there problems with them they are more talented offensively by a good margin, defensively not so much. Advantage: None

Miguel vs Joe Cole: Arjen Robben couldn't do anything against Miguel so I doubt Cole will do much better, Miguel's attacking power as well helps. Advantage: Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Ashley Cole: Cole does a good job marking and he knows not to give Ronaldo any space, I expect Ronaldo to break a few run's but not get the better of Cole on most occasions. Advantage: Even

Pauleta vs John Terry: Pauleta seems to dissapper in the big games and even though Terry was quite bad vs Ecuador you still must give him the advantage here. Advantage: England

Wayne Rooney vs Ricardo Carvalho: If Rooney was 100 percent this would be debatable but Carvalho is one of the better shut down defenders in the world and knows Rooney's style as they have played against each other in the premiership. Advantage: None

Luis Figo vs Gary Neville/Owen HargravesL I don't think Owen Hargraves(if he plays LB) can hold his own against Figo or Ronaldo as they tend to switch. Ronaldo will eat him alive for sure, the experienced Gary Neville would be better in my opinion. Advantage: Portugal

Ronaldo versus A Cole is the match-up that will probably decide this game.

Key Matchup's

Portuguese Holding Midfielders(Maniche, Petit most likely) vs Gerrard and Lampard

Miguel vs Joe Cole

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Ashley Cole

Pauleta vs John Terry

Wayne Rooney vs Ricardo Carvalho

Luis Figo vs Gary Neville/Owen Hargraves

I don't think Owen Hargraves(if he plays LB) can hold his own against Figo or Roanldo as they tend to switch. Ronaldo will eat him alive for sure, the experienced Gary Neville would be better in my opinion.

Neville will play if he's healthy and he looks like he is. With Neville and Cole, I think that England will be able to deal with the Portuguese wingers. Cole especially was very good against Ecuador. Also, I think that Terry should be able to handle Pauleta. Rooney will have a huge part in deciding the game, it will be interesting to see how the Portuguese handle him.

Well, Blatter said England's offensive game is disappointing.
:D

Bladder is an absolute idiot unless he's trying to pressure England into losing by forcing them to play Crouch.

Whoever faces Figo will have a hard time IMO.
As for Terry handling Pauleta, he needs to play much better. Because that opportunity Tenorio missed on that Terry blunder won't be missed by Pauleta.
I also think Beckham's role could be extremely important.

Bladder is an absolute idiot unless he's trying to pressure England into losing by forcing them to play Crouch.
You know Blatter. He saw two infos :
First : One striker started against Ecuador
Second : Only one goal scored

Which is enough for him to draw conclusions... :shakehead

Whoever faces Figo will have a hard time IMO.

Agreed. They need to duct-tape their hands to their sides to avoid BS calls.

Whoever faces Figo will have a hard time IMO.
As for Terry handling Pauleta, he needs to play much better. Because that opportunity Tenorio missed on that Terry blunder won't be missed by Pauleta.
I also think Beckham's role could be extremely important.

I'm not a Terry fan (he looks like a mug and acts like one too sometimes), but there's no denying that he always steps his game up when it counts. Besides, if he messes up, A. Cole will always be there to save him. ;)

I agree with you about Beckham. He's created several goals for England and I believe that he can do it again.

And whoever faces Figo will have a hard time avoiding cards with the way he's been diving around the pitch. I do think that Cole or Neville can handle him though, they are both very sound defensively.

Agreed. They need to duct-tape their hands to their sides to avoid BS calls.

:shakehead I could have just imagined if the dutch had won the game, Figo may have dived once, Van Bommel had at least 5 or 6 to his name without any contoversy around them. Especially the headbutt :biglaugh: , shades of Rivaldo

I think (and hope) England will pull it off. Rooney is improving all the time, they won't have to deal with Deco, and I think they are slowly but surely starting to play better. Come on England, no more losses to Scolari! Send him home this time! I optimistically predict 3-1.

I think (and hope) England will pull it off. Rooney is improving all the time, they won't have to deal with Deco, and I think they are slowly but surely starting to play better. Come on England, no more losses to Scolari! Send him home this time! I optimistically predict 3-1.

We haven't given up more then 2 goals in all games since Scolari took over, I sincerly doubt it happens on Saturday unless Ricardo buckles under the pressure and gives up some turkeys.

We haven't given up more then 2 goals in all games since Scolari took over, I sincerly doubt it happens on Saturday.

Sneer if you like. I'm a fan and I'm optimistic. :)

Sneer if you like. I'm a fan and I'm optimistic. :)

Im not sneering just stating the facts

I'm not a Terry fan (he looks like a mug and acts like one too sometimes), but there's no denying that he always steps his game up when it counts. Besides, if he messes up, A. Cole will always be there to save him. ;)

I agree with you about Beckham. He's created several goals for England and I believe that he can do it again.

And whoever faces Figo will have a hard time avoiding cards with the way he's been diving around the pitch. I do think that Cole or Neville can handle him though, they are both very sound defensively.
Honestly, I have never had anything against Terry, but he has been awful in this world cup. Absolutely brutal. It seems every mistake along the england backline has been from him, he honestly looks like he has never played the position before in his life. He's a class act for Chelsea, but for england this summer he looks like a bumbling fool.

If england have Gerrard and Lamps playing at the same time, the other team always has a chance. Sven will never ever see that the two can NOT play in the same team.

And whoever faces Figo will have a hard time avoiding cards with the way he's been diving around the pitch. I do think that Cole or Neville can handle him though, they are both very sound defensively.

Agreed. They need to duct-tape their hands to their sides to avoid BS calls.

Guys, guys. You know I agree with you about Figo's antics, but there's no denying he's a great player.

The England media is doing everything to pump up the team including publishing a fake interview with Pauleta where he criticized Paul Robinson :shakehead . What a joke :biglaugh: , the English sure don't fear us. Mourinho has already stated not to play Crouch because Carvalho would eat him alive

Guys, guys. You know I agree with you about Figo's antics, but there's no denying he's a great player.

Let them underestimate his talent, the guy is in the best shape of his life at 35. Funny how he is criticized for the embellsihment of the elbow from a guy who should have been long gone from the game after the 12th minute

The England media is doing everything to pump up the team including publishing a fake interview with Pauleta where he criticized Paul Robinson :shakehead . What a joke :biglaugh: , the English sure don't fear us. Mourinho has already stated not to play Crouch because Carvalho would eat him aliveWe haven't looked great on corners so I'd be surprised if Crouch doesn't see some time on the pitch.

The England media is doing everything to pump up the team including publishing a fake interview with Pauleta where he criticized Paul Robinson :shakehead . What a joke :biglaugh: , the English sure don't fear us. Mourinho has already stated not to play Crouch because Carvalho would eat him alive

Haha couldn't be further from the truth. The media has been heavily critical of England so far. I think they have almost forgotten that we have made the QF'S.

Haha couldn't be further from the truth. The media has been heavily critical of England so far. I think they have almost forgotten that we have made the QF'S.

Then why publish the fake interview?

The England media is doing everything to pump up the team including publishing a fake interview with Pauleta where he criticized Paul Robinson :shakehead . What a joke :biglaugh: , the English sure don't fear us. Mourinho has already stated not to play Crouch because Carvalho would eat him alive

They're not scared, they're just pulling in the same direction for once!

Guys, guys. You know I agree with you about Figo's antics, but there's no denying he was a great player.
fixed

fixed
Nope, he's still one heck of a player.
I personally thought he was done right before Euro 04, but he's played well since then.

Hopefully, we will all be discussing after this game why the bloody hell Walcott was included on the squad, and what's the point of him being on there if he isn't getting any playing time?

Figo has looked like a different player this WC. To me, he's regained that step he lost the last few years. He's made some great runs this tourney.

1-0 England. Portugal will really miss Deco and I see Garrard with a late goal.

Figo is definitely still a great player, but I think you guys are underrating Neviller and Cole as defenders, they're a long distance above the Cannibal and Gio and most of the other defenders that Portugal have faced in this tourney. Portugal haven't scored a tremendous amount against poor defences and England have one of the best in the tournament.

Figo is definitely still a great player, but I think you guys are underrating Neviller and Cole as defenders, they're a long distance above the Cannibal and Gio and most of the other defenders that Portugal have faced in this tourney. Portugal haven't scored a tremendous amount against poor defences and England have one of the best in the tournament.The same could be said about england.

For all of the anti-Terry talk, he saved the game against T&T and his team is 3-0-1 thus far. I've never seen a team that's a meaningless goal away from resulting perfectly take so much criticism.

Rooney's playing better and Lampard will eventually start to find the back of the net. He's getting himself into good positions and a player of his class won't continue to blow the chances.

2-0 England. Rooney off of a Beckham set peice early in the game and Lampard on a long strike in the mid second.

The same could be said about england.

Very true, but we still haven't seen the best that England have to offer.

It's a shame Walcott is on the squad, Jermain Defoe should be there...as him and Rooney would play together quite well I think...alot better then Rooney and Crouch can

It's a shame Walcott is on the squad, Jermain Defoe should be there...as him and Rooney would play together quite well I think...alot better then Rooney and Crouch can

Crouch is a shame imo. And too be honest I can't understand Eriksson's decision of choosing Walcott over Defoe... maybe I don't know enough about football !!!

If England wins, I hope France will win too. But if Portugal wins, I hope Brazil will come out ahead of France. The quarterfinals are so nice, and semis should be even better ! World Cup 2006 is amazing so far. Futbol esta el mejor deporte del mundo !!!!

Looks like Lampard is in doubt for Saturday http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/internationals/article1147048.ece

For all of the anti-Terry talk, he saved the game against T&T and his team is 3-0-1 thus far. I've never seen a team that's a meaningless goal away from resulting perfectly take so much criticism.


Yeah and if not for his bumbling, ashley cole would not have had to make that brilliant deflection in the last game to save a certain goal. There are other instances of his bumbling leading to clear cut chances in this WC, I just cant remember specifics. As I said, while I don't like Chelsea, I've always thought he was a quality player, but this world cup he has been awful.


Looks like Lampard is in doubt for Saturday http://sport.independent.co.uk/foot...icle1147048.ece
Great news for england.

Nope, he's still one heck of a player.
I personally thought he was done right before Euro 04, but he's played well since then.

Not a bad player, but a mere shadow of his former self.

Yeah and if not for his bumbling, ashley cole would not have had to make that brilliant deflection in the last game to save a certain goal. There are other instances of his bumbling leading to clear cut chances in this WC, I just cant remember specifics. As I said, while I don't like Chelsea, I've always thought he was a quality player, but this world cup he has been awful.


I disagree, he hasn't been exceptional at this WC, but he hasn't been bad, I certainly can't remember when a mistake of his has led to a clear-cut chance and it seems that you can't either.

Hopefully, we will all be discussing after this game why the bloody hell Walcott was included on the squad, and what's the point of him being on there if he isn't getting any playing time?

Figo has looked like a different player this WC. To me, he's regained that step he lost the last few years. He's made some great runs this tourney.

I don't disagree with his selection in the squad, however i do massively disagree with Sven the bumbling moron picking him as only the fourth striker. It becomes even more ludicrous when you consider two of those four strikers were injured, one was a freak of nature and one had never even played a Premiership game.

If i didn't know better, i'd say Sven was trying to pay the English back for the **** he has had to put up with during these fiver years. His decisions are nothing short of bemusing.

Great news for england.

How so? He's better then Gerrard in my opinion. Is this like the whole he is holding us back from playing better BS that Evilo was spewing about Zidane before the game against Togo and Spain ;) . As a Portuguese supporter out of the whole England squad he is the one I fear the most as Rooney is a wild card match fitness wise.

Quoted by the Russian ref in that holland/Portugal game: The Portuguese were Rude and Volatile. But , Holland were the instigators with there Dirty Tactics.

:sarcasm: Case closed

I disagree, he hasn't been exceptional at this WC, but he hasn't been bad, I certainly can't remember when a mistake of his has led to a clear-cut chance and it seems that you can't either.
I pointed to the example that I can most vividly recall. He stuffed around with the ball and directly led to Ecuador's scoring chance, which cole managed to get a small piece of. I'm not going to go back and watch every single game to point out the mistakes, all I know is I remember thinking to myself time and time again while watching the england games "man, terry screwed up again". He does not look composed when he has to control the ball at all, he seems to be misjudging the flight of it in the air all the time, and he was beaten for pace at least three times in the last game and saved his *** by diving on the ground. He has easily been England's worst defender at this cup, and I honestly think Carragher would be more stable there.

Incidently, I will take a moment here to acknowledge the contribution of Ashley Cole. I think he has been one of england's best players. Know that it is very hard for me to do this as I think he's a slimeball, but he has really done himself proud.

Terry has been fine, he'll never be the quickest defender, but he's done fine, one bad mistake doesn't ruin his WC and you saying that you think he's been bad and being unable to cite any mistakes just undermines your point.

As for Lampard being better than Gerrard, I completely disagree. Do you think that Gerrard would have missed the 10 or so good chances that Lampard has had in this WC? Gerrard has 2 goals and he hasn't had nearly as many opportunities. Still though, the 4-5-1 is England's best bet for now and Lampard is a big part of that.

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=reu-worldportugalfigo_picture&prov=reuters&type=lgns This really wrenches the heart, great gesture

Terry has been fine, he'll never be the quickest defender, but he's done fine, one bad mistake doesn't ruin his WC and you saying that you think he's been bad and being unable to cite any mistakes just undermines your point.

perhaps because they are so numerous they all blend into 1??

seriously, i am not going go and watch every single game again just to prove a point. i remember in another game terry bumbling and tripping over his own feet, only to see the defender run right past him with the ball, perhaps against paraguay.
Jesus, it's not like I'm sitting there jotting down every single time he screws up. I made an off the cuff comment that he has looked awful here compared to his club form and all of a sudden I have to provide as many specific examples as I can. maybe you can provide 10 examples of why he has been the stud defender his reputation suggests in this tournament, besides the clearing off the goalline.....

Portugal are in trouble. They don't have Urs Meier to bail them out again.

Terry has made multiple mistakes and done everything to shatter his Top Dman status.
He's been awful. Surprisingly worst than Ferdinand. Cole has been the best english player period.

Portugal are in trouble. They don't have Urs Meier to bail them out again.

:biglaugh: Ah yes, the Sol Campbell goal where Terry was holding Ricardo's jersey to stop him from getting there. Hell why not just body check the goalie into the net and when he's done put it in :shakehead

Terry has made multiple mistakes and done everything to shatter his Top Dman status.
He's been awful. Surprisingly worst than Ferdinand. Cole has been the best english player period.

I think you're being very harsh. He certainly hasn't been at club form, I always said that, but I think you guys are making a little much of his mistakes. If you mean J. Cole, I agree with you, if you mean A. Cole, I disagree. Ashley has only found his form in the last couple games.

No, I'm talking about Ashley Cole.
He's been great except for the first game.

No, I'm talking about Ashley Cole.
He's been great except for the first game.

I'd still say J. Cole, he's been a real threat for England. A. Cole still isn't playing at his best IMO although he's been getting a lot better. I think Beckham has to be in the discussion as well just cause he's the only one creating goals.

Well, don't count me as a Joe Cole fan.
Except for one nice pass, one very nice goals, and tons of dives, I haven't seen him make any impact.
Sorry, I'm not convinced by this guy.

Well, don't count me as a Joe Cole fan.
Except for one nice pass, one very nice goals, and tons of dives, I haven't seen him make any impact.
Sorry, I'm not convinced by this guy.

Dives are just a part of his game and I'm certainly not a fan (Chelsea scum to boot). However, he's been the only England man who can run at men and get past them. Whenever England get him the ball, good things happen for them. Of course, they don't get him the ball nearly enough.

Seeing as how Terry's been "awful" and is battling Ferdinand for the worst defender honor, it's amazing that England has given up one meaningful goal in 4 games.

It must be Beckham's great defense from the middle...

Seeing as how Terry's been "awful" and is battling Ferdinand for the worst defender honor, it's amazing that England has given up one meaningful goal in 4 games.

It must be Beckham's great defense from the middle...

It could also be that they really only faced one above average team in the tourney and did not win that game.

Im not understimating the English, if Cristiano Ronaldo can't play and if he does is not at least decent were in big trouble. Win or lose im proud of these guys as they have given me many moments to rejoin this time around unlike 2002. If we lose, sure I'll be dissappointed but as long as it is a good game of soccer with a clean advanatge for who ever wins you can't ask much more. After all their can be only one....

After watching Argentina-Germany and Italy-Ukraine, I'd just like to see a more competitive and exciting game.

Hopefully there will be a lot less cards and fouls as in the last Portugal game and that England squeaks out another victory. I want a team to BACK INTO the World Cup Finals. Make it happen, England; just do barely enough to win!

If england have Gerrard and Lamps playing at the same time, the other team always has a chance. Sven will never ever see that the two can NOT play in the same team.

I think they can work together in the 4-5-1 formation England employed against Equador, so long as they both have the green light to attack in that formation (which they should).

Hopefully Portugal shows up to play football and not some ugly mascarade of the sport.

May I emphasis that besides that Dutch game we hadn't had a player sent off for a red card in four years. Even the Russian ref has admitted that the Dutch's dirty tactics were why things escalated

Seeing as how Terry's been "awful" and is battling Ferdinand for the worst defender honor, it's amazing that England has given up one meaningful goal in 4 games.

It must be Beckham's great defense from the middle...
Not what I said. I said Terry is worst than Ferdinand, which doesn't mean Ferdinand sucks.
I think Ferdinand has been steady, while Terry has been bad.
For their standards of course.

A.Cole has been my favorite player. That deflection onto the bar against Ecuador was sensational, but all game he also put Ecuador's right side into a strait-jacket. I hope Terry can get back to his usual form. He did miss that header from a long throw-in that led directly to Larsson's equaliser for Sweden. (His missed header was followed by Campbell's misjudgement).

As for Lampard, I can see why the Portuguese fear him.. he's the one that equalised in extra time in Euro 04 to send it to penalties. I still feel that dropping him and bringing in Lennon could be a good strategy. It wont happen but hopefully they'll bring on Lennon in the second half.. a tired full back really doesnt want to face him in this heat.

Forca Portugual. We dont want another dull uninspiring team in the semis thanks. And I'm still amazed by people cracking on at how underhand the Portuguese were in their 2nd round game.

The Dutch played dirty initially & the game went downhill from there.It was surprising to see the Dutch resort to this.I have to say its not one of the best squads they assembled.They need to locate a playmaker.They have an excellent set of forwards & defenders coming through.

But Portuguals posession football should take care of an inept England side.I'm sure Svennis will raise the teams performance for today but it wont be enough.

Having said that its a shame Caresma isnt available(not picked in the squad) if CR is not fully fit.Petit & Tiago will do a solid job for the Portuguese .Just Ricardo gives the jitters now & then.

Miguel v Cole will be interesting as will be Figo v GN who does add balance & combines well with chavtastic Beckham .GN also leads the defence well.You'll see him giving orders to the likes of Ferdinand at Old Trafford.

How so? He's better then Gerrard in my opinion. Is this like the whole he is holding us back from playing better BS that Evilo was spewing about Zidane before the game against Togo and Spain ;) . As a Portuguese supporter out of the whole England squad he is the one I fear the most as Rooney is a wild card match fitness wise.

Nonsense, Gerrard is twice the player Lampard is. FL has been a key part of the Chelsea side for a few years but his only key attribute is his attacking prowess. Gerrard has been the heart of the Liverpool side for years now and is fantastic all over the park. You don't notice how little else Lampard does until he begins to miss. You notice Gerrard's contribution every damn week.

Come on England.

Forca Portugual. We dont want another dull uninspiring team in the semis thanks. And I'm still amazed by people cracking on at how underhand the Portuguese were in their 2nd round game.

Bar the S&M game, i'd say that Argentina have been nothing short of dull. Keep the ball, keep the ball, don't create anything, keep the ball.

Miguel v Cole will be interesting as will be Figo v GN who does add balance & combines well with chavtastic Beckham .GN also leads the defence well.You'll see him giving orders to the likes of Ferdinand at Old Trafford.

Chavtastic? :dunno:

The match-up that will decide this game will be Ronaldo vs A Cole. Mouth-watering stuff.

Not what I said. I said Terry is worst than Ferdinand, which doesn't mean Ferdinand sucks.
I think Ferdinand has been steady, while Terry has been bad.
For their standards of course.

If you mean during this World Cup, then you're right. Terry has been...missing at times whilst Rio has just been steady and unspectacular. However, Terry has provided 2 or 3 real world class defensive moments whilst Rio hasn't.

Overall, i'd have John Terry over Rio every day of every week of the year.

Terry has made multiple mistakes and done everything to shatter his Top Dman status.
He's been awful. Surprisingly worst than Ferdinand. Cole has been the best english player period.

In your eyes maybe, everyone else sees it as it is; a great player having a dodgy period.

I think you're being very harsh. He certainly hasn't been at club form, I always said that, but I think you guys are making a little much of his mistakes. If you mean J. Cole, I agree with you, if you mean A. Cole, I disagree. Ashley has only found his form in the last couple games.

He's only found his form in the last 4 games to be precise... :sarcasm:

Ashley Cole is the best left back in the world, i'd challenge anyone to prove me wrong on that one. His fitness is a worry, constant injuries have blighted him this year but when he's 100% there is no better. That tackle against Ecuador to stop us going one down was a perfect example.

Go Portugal! I really like how they play, got a nice ballcontrol and I have always been a big Figo-fan. Will be sad to see either team go though, the English has great fans that great an awesome atmosphere at every game "RULE, BRITANNIA! BRITANNIA, RULE THE WAVES!"

I'd still say J. Cole, he's been a real threat for England. A. Cole still isn't playing at his best IMO although he's been getting a lot better. I think Beckham has to be in the discussion as well just cause he's the only one creating goals.
This will come as a shock :sarcasm: but I agree with you!! As much as I don't like either Cole, they have both been very very good thus far, the only threat england have. Although Joe Cole may have some portuguese, italian or Dutch ancestry, cause he is really nothing more than a tricky pony who drops like a brick when breathed on......

Robbie Williams + Pancho of Dirty Sanchez = Joe Cole

Spitting image, they is.

Game on!

What a poor game, Crouch needs to come on to help Rooney out.

Its just 2 teams cancelling each other out and that will continue unless someone scores.

So..

the always useless C.Ronaldo has been the most dangerous player on the pitch despite coming off an injury.

the top notch striker Pauleta has touched 4 balls in the whole first period and lost all of them; hopefully he will score in the second half to give a sense to his presence on the national team.

the clean and brave English players are faking injuries to prevent yellow cards. It worked for Hargreaves, it didn't for Terry.

Rooney and Pauleta are completly isolated up there. Pauleta has received some balls but he's been pissing most of them away.

Deco is dearly missed, he has the skill to create something out of nothing to turn a game like this around.


BTW, when did Becks become such a useless footballer? It seems he's not even on the pitch, only rolled out to take the odd free kick and rolled back in again.

So..

the always useless C.Ronaldo has been the most dangerous player on the pitch despite coming off an injury.

the top notch striker Pauleta has touched 4 balls in the whole first period and lost all of them; hopefully he will score in the second half to give a sense to his presence on the national team.

the clean and brave English players are faking injuries to prevent yellow cards. It worked for Hargreaves, it didn't for Terry.

Some how Lampard gets away with a obvious handball :dunno: . How does Costinha get carded in the other game and is sent off yet Lampard gets zilch

Some how Lampard gets away with a obvious handball :dunno: . How does Costinha get carded in the other game and is sent off yet Lampard gets zilch

Cause Costinha already had a tackle that easily could have been a 2nd yellow and the handball was the last straw.

I wouldn't say Becks is completely useless. He'll do nothing all game and then create a goal from a set piece or a cross. I missed the 1st half, doesn't look like I missed much though.

Does Ronaldo sleep on a bed of grass? Because he sure loves to lie down on it at every opportunity.

Beckham's ankle seems to be really hurt, had to be subbed out.

Aaaaaand that's a LATE out-of-bounds call. I'm surprised Ronaldo didn't fall down there :)

Maniche haha, what a dive.

Ohhhhhhh...what a poor finish! Rooney misses, Joe Cole goes over. Oohhhh...

Hopefully that doesn't come back to bite them the arse.

Portugal go down EVERY TIME they lose the ball.

OWWW!! He stomped his balls.

Rooney was playing aggressive all game long, now that he pushes Cristiano Ronaldo after stepping on a Portugal player's groin (ooooow!!!!), that's a bit too aggressive!

Rooney gets the RED CARD.

Good luck, England, you'll need it!

I have never seen a team dive like this Portuguese team.

It's disgusting.

I'm glad I don't play soccer because if I played against a team that was doing this I probably would have done a lot more than just push a guy.

This is unbelievable. It's completely dishonourable...

Portugal has surpassed the Argentinians in acting abilities :shakehead

Come on guys they aren't diving, its those damn snipers on the roof... :sarcasm:

OWWW!! He stomped his balls.

that's gonna leave a mark ...

OK, you're Portugal. You're a talented team with the other squad's top striker out with a red card and their captain and arguably their top midfielder subbed out with an injury. A man advantage and plenty of time, so what do you do?

If you say play really conservatively and bring this to extra time, you're correct! UGH, this is going to penalties and it's going to be ugly.

I have never seen a team dive like this Portuguese team.

It's disgusting.

I'm glad I don't play soccer because if I played against a team that was doing this I probably would have done a lot more than just push a guy.

This is unbelievable. It's completely dishonourable...

If you think only Portugal is diving out there you are obviously blind.

If you think only Portugal is diving out there you are obviously blind.

They're not the only ones, but they are the best at it.

They're not the only ones, but they are the best at it.

Portugal isn't in Italy. Or Argentina. Or even Germany.

That reminds me.

HEY PORTUGAL! Stop playing for a shootout and make something happen! You're up a man! Beckham isn't in either! STRIKE. ARGH. This game is not beautiful.

They're not the only ones, but they are the best at it.

Oh please, England goes down just as often. Everytime one of them is touched they go down like they've been shot. Like it or hate it, it's part of the game.

Portugal isn't in Italy. Or Argentina. Or even Germany.

That reminds me.

HEY PORTUGAL! Stop playing for a shootout and make something happen! You're up a man! Beckham isn't in either! STRIKE. ARGH. This game is not beautiful.

Agreed. I know they're missing Deco, but they should still be able to create more offense than this. If I see one more shot from outside the area, I'm going to throw a beer bottle at the TV.

I guess so much for the Hargreaves haters'..

I have never seen a team dive like this Portuguese team.

It's disgusting.

I'm glad I don't play soccer because if I played against a team that was doing this I probably would have done a lot more than just push a guy.

This is unbelievable. It's completely dishonourable...


We're in the chat room, you should see how many people went from caring less who won, to rooting for England.



Crouch has done a pretty good job for how good he isn't

Hargreaves is having the game of his life. 15 more minutes of extra time. Who takes the PK for england?

I'm not at all an England fan, but Portugal is the cheapest side I've seen in a while.
Christ, that little b***h Ronaldo goes down like a Dortmund hooker every time he goes for the ball. The Lisbon Dive Team is in full flight today.
It would be a insult to football everywhere if the Portugese made the semis.

Oh boy, methinks that should have been a penalty.

Oh please, England goes down just as often. Everytime one of them is touched they go down like they've been shot. Like it or hate it, it's part of the game.

Not even close.

Renaldo should probably be wearing a bathing cap at this point he dives so much.

There was that other guy too. Didn't even get touched in the face and he's rolling around on the ground like somebody threw a vile of acid in his eyes...

Oh boy, methinks that should have been a penalty.


Nah, not after seein a replay

Nah, not after seein a replay

If the guy hits the ball first right?

Is that how it works.

That guy did hit the ball first.

Definitely not a penalty kick situation.
The defender got the ball before Lennon went down.

Nah, not after seein a replay

The way I see it, it prevented the English player from following the ball and possibly getting another scoring opportunity.

Penalty kick time.
What a crappy way to decide a match.
It sucks to win or lose this way.

And we are going to penalties! A shorthanded squad attacking and an overly-conservative attack from the other team leading to a PK situation? NO! I'm so shocked.

Anyway.

So, does England finally win an important game on the PK here? We will find out...soon.

Portuguese players were boiled before the red card to Rooney. In fact they could not capitalize the man advantage, England had and has better legs.

That should count in the penalty shots as well..

What a terrible game. Both these teams don't deserve to win the WC. Diving, whining to the refs, poor poor finishing.

The way I see it, it prevented the English player from following the ball and possibly getting another scoring opportunity.


Isn't that what you're supposed to do on defense?

I want Portugal to win, but England is more deserving. They played the better game.

Score! 1-0 Portugal

Nice stop there by Ricardo!

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaack, beats Robinson but it goes wide!

UPDATE: Owen Hargreaves puts it in to tie it up!

UPDATE #2: Petit misses! Maybe Portugal should have asked for Bob Pettit...oh, this joke sucked.

Hargreaves scores, Petit misses.

Edit: Lampard and Gerrard have missed.

Carragher...AND IT'S BLOCKED!

England and penalties... :shakehead :cry:

WOW, Ricardo penalties' specialist!

If A-Rod played soccer (or footy), he'd be a perfect fit for the English national team... they know how to choke.

Probably the worst game of the tourney.
Portugal advances by default, but neither team deserved a semi final berth IMO.

Not sure if Portugal is the better team, but I'll take it. Portugal really has England's number in big games in recent years both on the national and club side.

It's too bad that the President of Splash Mountain scored the winner.

He should be beat down for being such a damn nancy boy.

Both team dove though, terrible display.

Man, that Ferdinand guy has a menacing scowl.

And Ricardo is a beast.

England lose on penalties, what a suprise!

They did well to hang on that long after the BS red card.

Portugal were very poor against 10 men and Hargreaves was MOM so I hope that shuts up his doubters for a while.

Looks like Ladbrokes is going to be paying out lots.

Register with Ladbrokes today, place a bet of £10 or more on the above game and if there is a repeat of Euro 2004 (when England lost to Portugal on penalties) we will put £100 in your Ladbrokes account to have 10 x £10 bets of your choice!

Oh well go Germany!

On a side note, of all the people in the game, I would not want to fight Rooney the most.

THe guy just looks like he's about to snap and distribute some beatings basically all the time.

Kudos to Ricardo for some brilliant tending.
As I said, horrible way to win or lose.
After seeing this game, I don't like Portugal's chances against Brazil.
We'll see.

That's one of the best displays of PK keeping I've seen. He got a hand on all four shots. :clap:

I just knew Lampard would miss. It was that kind of tournament for him.

England lose on penalties, what a suprise!

They did well to hang on that long after the BS red card.

Portugal were very poor against 10 men and Hargreaves was MOM so I hope that shuts up his doubters for a while.

It wasnt a BS red card. Rooney clearly stepped on his nuts. If Rooney walked away instead of pushing some guy then he myabe wouldnt of gotten a red card.

Personally I really dont care who won this game. Either way, whatever team ( Portugal now ) that won is going to get steamrolled by Brazil in the semis.

I want France to win today, but they probably wont.

What a disgrace. It's unfortunate a team like Portugal gets to move on, it's bad for the integrity of the sport.

Rooney was sent off for the push, not the treading on the nuts. :propeller

Plus Ronaldo headbutted Rooney before the game just like Figo did.

That's one of the best displays of PK keeping I've seen. He got a hand on all four shots. :clap:
I just knew Lampard would miss. It was that kind of tournament for him.
Yeah, Lampard was snake-bitten the whole tourney.
I shuddered when I saw him step up to the ball. You could see the wheels grinding in his head about his bad luck recently and he was done before he touched the ball.

What a disgrace. It's unfortunate a team like Portugal gets to move on, it's bad for the integrity of the sport.

Don't be ridiculous. England dove just as much. You remind me of Don Cherry. Just replace Canada with England and Portugal with Euros/French Canadians.

Was Ricardo good? Yes. But alot of these shots were of the piss poor quality. Lampard, Gerrard, high and in the center of the net, absolutely terrible.

Brazil will light the ever living hell out of Portugal in the semi's though.

Rooney was sent off for the push, not the treading on the nuts. :propeller

Plus Ronaldo headbutted Rooney before the game just like Figo did.

:nopity:

:nopity:
They are facts, not whining. Still, Ill remember that icon for when you get knocked out by Brazil in the next game.

Probably the worst game of the tourney.
Portugal advances by default, but neither team deserved a semi final berth IMO.
Sounds about right to me. I was hoping England would win, but without Rooney, and even Owen, they were awful. Just boring. Not that Portugal was much better.

Ricardo was awesome on the PKs

Was Ricardo good? Yes. But alot of these shots were of the piss poor quality. Lampard, Gerrard, high and in the center of the net, absolutely terrible.

Brazil will light the ever living hell out of Portugal in the semi's though.

No, totally disagree. He guessed right on every penalty and he used his entire body. Fantastic save on the Lampard try.

They are facts, not whining. Still, Ill remember that icon for when you get knocked out by Brazil in the next game.
Or France. Portugal doesn't stand a chance regardless.

Don't be ridiculous. England dove just as much. You remind me of Don Cherry. Just replace Canada with England and Portugal with Euros/French Canadians.
:nopity: :D

They are facts, not whining. Still, Ill remember that icon for when you get knocked out by Brazil in the next game.

As I predicted in my office soccer pool. If Brazil wins, I'll have nailed all four semi-finalists. I picked Brazil over Germany in the final.

So after 2002 David Beckham was known as Beckscum all over England.......what does that make Rooney?

:nopity: :D

Touche mon ami;)

So after 2002 David Beckham was known as Beckscum all over England.......what does that make Rooney?
Nothing, the ref shouldnt make any plans to visit England though.

The sending off was disgusting. Its not sour grapes, I had England to lose in the quarters from the start. I cant be unhappy with the players, just the ref and Sven.

Nothing, the ref shouldnt make any plans to visit England though.

The sending off was disgusting.

Is Ronaldo welcome back at Man U?

Don't be ridiculous. England dove just as much. You remind me of Don Cherry. Just replace Canada with England and Portugal with Euros/French Canadians.

Their are 2 types of diving. Type I is going down when obstructed, held or slightly tripped up where you could have stayed on your feet. The player gets up right away after this type of dive. Both teams (and every team in the tournament) have been guilty of this type of diving. This is a tolerable form of diving (and is what MOST diving is in the NHL)

But Type II diving is where the player acts like they have been shot after nothing. Portugal was the ONLY team guilty of this on the pithc today. Light taps to the shin don't hurt, your wearing a shin pad. A hand touching your face doesn't require the player to force play to stop as it did this game. This type of diving is an embarassment to the game and to the player.

So, in honour of the golden boot, I think Ronoldo has secured the golden diving board for most dives in the tournament!

Is Ronaldo welcome back at Man U?He doesnt want to be there and after his treatment of Rooney, I highly doubt it.

Or France. Portugal doesn't stand a chance regardless.


I disagree. If France go through, Portugal are 50/50 against them. Remember, Deco and Costinha will be back in the next match, and Deco makes a huge difference.

But Type II diving is where the player acts like they have been shot after nothing. Portugal was the ONLY team guilty of this on the pithc today. Light taps to the shin don't hurt, your wearing a shin pad. A hand touching your face doesn't require the player to force play to stop as it did this game. This type of diving is an embarassment to the game and to the player.
Otherwise known as the Tucker. :D

Their are 2 types of diving. Type I is going down when obstructed, held or slightly tripped up where you could have stayed on your feet. The player gets up right away after this type of dive. Both teams (and every team in the tournament) have been guilty of this type of diving. This is a tolerable form of diving (and is what MOST diving is in the NHL)

But Type II diving is where the player acts like they have been shot after nothing. Portugal was the ONLY team guilty of this on the pithc today. Light taps to the shin don't hurt, your wearing a shin pad. A hand touching your face doesn't require the player to force play to stop as it did this game. This type of diving is an embarassment to the game and to the player.

So, in honour of the golden boot, I think Ronoldo has secured the golden diving board for most dives in the tournament!
:clap:

Hopefully Rooney uses that incident like Beckham did to become a better player, I am not optimistic though, I am not certain the right attitude is in place.
Still, poor game from both teams, best of luck to Portugal the rest of the way. They did not look good that game, but they were without Deco, who should be nicely rested up for the semi.
FIFA needs to do something about players trying to get other players carded, the diving is bad enough, but it was a little out of line of Ronaldo to steam in and show the ref where the player was after Rooney trod on his nuts (just in case the ref couldn't see him). However, it has gone all tournament though, and I don't think we have seen the last of that kind of behaviour, and I am sure people will be able to come up with English players who behave in the same way.

Is Ronaldo welcome back at Man U?

I hear he might be going to Barcelona or Real Madrid.

So after 2002 David Beckham was known as Beckscum all over England.......what does that make Rooney?

Ma-Rooney? :propeller

I hear he might be going to Barcelona or Real Madrid.

Real with Beckham eh, that'd be a good spot for him.

Nothing, the ref shouldnt make any plans to visit England though.

The sending off was disgusting. Its not sour grapes, I had England to lose in the quarters from the start. I cant be unhappy with the players, just the ref and Sven.

The British commentators seemed to agree with the Rooney red. I would have given a yellow, but the stepping on the nuts is deserving of a red and possibly further sanction.

Wow what a crappy game and what an aweful way for England to be eliminated... I have been cheering on Portugal as my second team since Euro 2000 but this game turned it all around, horrible to see all these dives, England really played with alot of heart even though they were one guy less on the pitch. This stinks...

I felt so sick when Lampard missed, so I'm relieved that others did too. Club always over country for me, so meh. I knew England would lose.

Maybe it was a case of the yellow for the stamp, yellow for the shove, so the ref just cut out the stage in between. Like Beckham in 98 he deserved to walk. I am not sure however that the stamp was delibrate, and it didn't seem like the ref would take any action until Rooney started pushing

I'm simply gutted for Carra and Gerrard... poor lads (Lamps as well BTW).


Anyway, I don't think either team deserved to win. I found it hard to support England troughout the tournament because of the crappy football they played consistently and even worse manager they employ. How can you root for a team that has created about 3 chances in it's last 210 minutes of football?


On the other hand, some of the criticism by the BBC guys has been unwarranted, Gerrard, Lampard, Cole, Hargreaves and even Beckham play 4-5-1 or have played it at certain stages at their clubs or at least enough to be comfortable with it. What went wrong is that they didn't play with enough pace at any time, as well as not having any creativity on the flanks. That's the main difference with what a team like Chelsea does (or did as they have moved to 4-4-2 more recently)

Joe Cole is creative never mind, but he's always coming to the inside. And Beckham...well, he was even worse today then earlier. Also interesting how he got injured on such a weak challenge where he actually embellished the contact IMO, even though I'm not sure his embellishment was the reason for the injury rather then just bad luck landing badly.


Anyway, Portugal squeezed trough despite not being able to create anything against ten men. In the semis they will have to show up, but Deco should be back then that's a plus for them.


All in all I'm just sad now, poor Gerrard and Carragher :( :( :( :(

Ahhhhh, it's so satisfying watching england lose...

Undoubtedly, the psycho english fans are going to riot in germany. Pathetic.

Their are 2 types of diving. Type I is going down when obstructed, held or slightly tripped up where you could have stayed on your feet. The player gets up right away after this type of dive. Both teams (and every team in the tournament) have been guilty of this type of diving. This is a tolerable form of diving (and is what MOST diving is in the NHL)

But Type II diving is where the player acts like they have been shot after nothing. Portugal was the ONLY team guilty of this on the pithc today. Light taps to the shin don't hurt, your wearing a shin pad. A hand touching your face doesn't require the player to force play to stop as it did this game. This type of diving is an embarassment to the game and to the player.

So, in honour of the golden boot, I think Ronoldo has secured the golden diving board for most dives in the tournament!

:biglaugh: Gerrard did the same, excuses are made every time you guys lose. It was a hard fought game but both team couldn't finish. I give credit to England for percevering down a man :clap: . You guys are young you will be back

I am so unbelievably disappointed from today's result. England fought valiantly, despite being down (unfairly) to 10 men. I don't really know what to say.

I thought Hargreaves was a beast for England today. On the day that Canada celebrates its birthday, Hargreaves was England's best player.

I didn't think the Rooney incident was a red. That step was accidental and it deserved a yellow, but Ronaldo clearly just went over there and started provoking Rooney, he's the one that should have received the yellow. I lost any respect for Ronaldo that I might have had after the Holland match.

Maniche's dive was disgusting, the one where he pretended to elbowed in the face, worse than Henry's I think. He should have been yellow-carded for it. I felt really bad for England. After Lennon came on, they looked like the more dangerous team and it looked like a goal was coming, really hard luck to see Rooney sent off. And for all those talking about how great Portugal's football is, I can't remember Robinson really being tested except for the Figo shot. In fact, I think England may have had the better chances at 10 v 11.

Lampard's stock must be dropping drastically. He had a fantastic opportunity from that Gerrard corner, but he completely scuffed it.

Ricardo was exceptional on the penalties though, both Gerrard and Lampard are good PK takers, but Ricardo was just better. I also don't see why Sven wanted Carragher to take one, I would have rather seen Terry or Cole or even Lennon.

Well next time me and my friends play football at college, we are gonna play it Portugal style. So basically we wont play football, we will just fall over.
We played with alot of heart. We sucked with 11 players though, on paper we look a great team but the chemistry isn't there and Sven is just a small bald man.
Beckham was invisible, and Lennon IMO was along with Hargreaves and A Cole our best player. He will definetely be Englands full time RM come Euro 2008.

Man i just hope someone smashes a shovel in Ronaldo's face.

Hope Brazil beat France, and out 25 past them.

Did anyone happen to see during the pre-game handshakes who the United players behaved towards C.Ronaldo and vice versa?

Did anyone happen to see during the pre-game handshakes who the United players behaved towards C.Ronaldo and vice versa?

At the start of the game Ronaldo put his head up against Rooney's side of head in a malicious way and whispered something to him. It didn't look to friendly. Be suprised if Ronaldo is playing at Old trafford next year. But then who cares?

Rooney was sent off for the push, not the treading on the nuts. :propellerUh? really? I thought the treading on the nuts was enough to deserve the red card..

Plus Ronaldo headbutted Rooney before the game just like Figo did.Ronaldo joined Rooney at the pub before the game?

At the start of the game Ronaldo put his head up against Rooney's side of head in a malicious way and whispered something to him. It didn't look to friendly. Be suprised if Ronaldo is playing at Old trafford next year. But then who cares?


They were both chatting and laughing on their way out of the player's tunnel though.

Their are 2 types of diving. Type I is going down when obstructed, held or slightly tripped up where you could have stayed on your feet. The player gets up right away after this type of dive. Both teams (and every team in the tournament) have been guilty of this type of diving. This is a tolerable form of diving (and is what MOST diving is in the NHL)

But Type II diving is where the player acts like they have been shot after nothing. Portugal was the ONLY team guilty of this on the pithc today. Light taps to the shin don't hurt, your wearing a shin pad. A hand touching your face doesn't require the player to force play to stop as it did this game. This type of diving is an embarassment to the game and to the player.

So, in honour of the golden boot, I think Ronoldo has secured the golden diving board for most dives in the tournament!

:clap:

The British commentators seemed to agree with the Rooney red. I would have given a yellow, but the stepping on the nuts is deserving of a red and possibly further sanction.
That was an accident, they showed a replay of it and the ref did nothing until he pushed Ronaldo. It was very clear.

Ahhhhh, it's so satisfying watching england lose...

Undoubtedly, the psycho english fans are going to riot in germany. Pathetic.
Just like they do in Canada, eh?

Uh? really? I thought the treading on the nuts was enough to deserve the red card..not when its an accident.

Ronaldo joined Rooney at the pub before the game? :confused: :propeller

They were both chatting and laughing on their way out of the player's tunnel though.

I missed that. Hopefully The Potatoe convinces Mr fergerson to sell Ronaldo.

AS gutted as I am now, at least I won't have to suffer losing to Germany in the final.

At the start of the game Ronaldo put his head up against Rooney's side of head in a malicious way and whispered something to him. It didn't look to friendly. Be suprised if Ronaldo is playing at Old trafford next year. But then who cares?

They were both chatting and laughing on their way out of the player's tunnel though.

My guess is that Ronaldo was probably saying, now it's game on.

:biglaugh: Gerrard did the same, excuses are made every time you guys lose. It was a hard fought game but both team couldn't finish. I give credit to England for percevering down a man :clap: . You guys are young you will be back

Your team are diving all over the pitch. Sadly, every team dives sometimes, but Portugal are taking it to an entirely different level. Diving to draw cards is the most dispicable of all dives, and Portugal are doing it 5-10 times a game. Disgraceful.

I am also not an England fan, I just like watching good football. And Portugal ruin games with their rediculous antics.

Wow, I feel for the English. Clear hand ball, and clearly something should been called when Lennon was brought down. Not the first time they've been shafted against Portugal.

The red for Rooney was deserved, but so was one for Figo last game. Just like in the NHL, the inconsistant officating is ruining a great tournament.

not when its an accident.But yes when it is not.

Your team are diving all over the pitch. Sadly, every team dives sometimes, but Portugal are taking it to an entirely different level. Diving to draw cards is the most dispicable of all dives, and Portugal are doing it 5-10 times a game. Disgraceful.

I am also not an England fan, I just like watching good football. And Portugal ruin games with their rediculous antics.

The Maniche elbow was bad I admit but saying were the only side that does it is just stupid. I laughed my head off when Henry today complained about getting a kick to the head today and then the replay showed nothing happened. Steven Gerrard dove like crazy today to yet that never is mentioned. Of any of you are ignorant enough to believe that Ronaldo talked the ref into giving Rooney a red card your pitifully ignorant considering the ref let alot go. The ref had been lenient in card showing that whole game and Rooney pushing Ronaldo wouldn't get him a red. The ref must have thought Rooney purposely kicked Ricardo Carvalho in the nuts. Big up's to Ricardo, he has progressed greatly since Euro 2004 as I really never liked him back then as he had a penchant for giving up turkey's. He has been awesome in this tourney though

Or France. Portugal doesn't stand a chance regardless.

:biglaugh: Of course not we just beat two top squads and have one of the best midfielders in the game returning. We are just as good as anyone left in the tourney

The Maniche elbow was bad I admit but saying were the only side that does it is just stupid. I laughed my head off when Henry today complained about getting a kick to the head today and then the replay showed nothing happened. Steven Gerrard dove like crazy today to yet that never is mentioned. Of any of you are ignornat enough to believe that Ronaldo talked the ref into giving Rooney a red card your pitifully ignorant considering the ref let alot goal. The ref had been lenient in card showing that whole game and Rooney pushing Ronaldo wouldn't get him a red. The ref must have thought Rooney purposely kicked Ricardo Carvalho in the nuts. Big up's to Ricardo, he has progressed greatly since Euro 2004 as I really never liked him back then as he had a penchant for giving up turkey's. He has been awesome in this tourney though

Nobody on England cam anywhere close to diving like Ronoldo did. The referee ignored 3/4 of the times Ronoldo went to ground, and he still won like 10 free kicks. He is a terrific player, but the diving detracts from his game.

And yes, I did see Henry pull a similar stunt. He has been whining all tournament about either 100% correct (and often OBVIOUS) offside calls (such as the disalowed goal he scored today) and yes, he has also been trying to draw cards. Hes in the running for the golden diving board, but nobody can touch Ronaldo.

:biglaugh: Of course not we just beat two top squads and have one of the best midfielders in the game returning. We are just as good as anyone left in the tourney

Forca Portugual ! Having said that France are an entirely different proposition. Zizou is playing like the legend he will be. England are another uninspired dull team & as to Holland their fluid style of neat passing was absent this time probing for weaknesses .

Well so long as Germany (the team who play against the likes of Costa Rica but are scared witless to come out to play against Argentina) dont win being a counter attacking side at heart I'm not too bothered.

And as to Newham.Thats what football is about.Keeping the ball & doing useful things with it. If you understood anything about traditional S.American football its that we dont shoot on sight or hoof the ball into the area looking for chances we probe & try to create a clear cut chance.

Hence our shots on goal per goal scored is quite high & SOG much lower v-v other nations in the round of 8.

And as for our games.Against Holland we did most of the creating & against Mexico who were unlucky in the refereeing decisions we did miss 2 clear cut chance s& had 1 legitimate goal disallowed.And in the QF who did most of the pressing & didnt place 10 men behind the ball ?

JP outcoached Herr Diver for 70 minutes then did an Erikkson & Trappatoni in one & threw the game away.

So Ronaldo is questionable for the game, comes back from an injury, plays a great game outrunning anyone else aside from Hargreaves and all what people talk here on hockey boards is his diving. Like he was the only one acting on the pitch, or like only one team was doing it (Joe Cole?, Gerrard? Hargreaves and Terry faking injuries?)

classic.

Thank you Portugal!

Is Ronaldo welcome back at Man U?

Doubt it. It was interesting how Rooney, Ferdinand and Neville were all shoving Ronaldo before Rooney's send off. They didnt seem to like him that much.

I am so unbelievably disappointed from today's result. England fought valiantly, despite being down (unfairly) to 10 men. I don't really know what to say.

I thought Hargreaves was a beast for England today. On the day that Canada celebrates its birthday, Hargreaves was England's best player.

Amazing how good he was.

When watching, I remember how many Englishmen didnt want Owen in the squad for not being good enough.

He outplayed the likes of Gerrard and Lampard today.

But yes when it is not.

it was accidental, anyone with eyes in their head could see that. He had to put his feet down somewhere.

The Maniche elbow was bad I admit but saying were the only side that does it is just stupid. I laughed my head off when Henry today complained about getting a kick to the head today and then the replay showed nothing happened. Steven Gerrard dove like crazy today to yet that never is mentioned. Of any of you are ignorant enough to believe that Ronaldo talked the ref into giving Rooney a red card your pitifully ignorant considering the ref let alot go. The ref had been lenient in card showing that whole game and Rooney pushing Ronaldo wouldn't get him a red. The ref must have thought Rooney purposely kicked Ricardo Carvalho in the nuts. Big up's to Ricardo, he has progressed greatly since Euro 2004 as I really never liked him back then as he had a penchant for giving up turkey's. He has been awesome in this tourney though

I was slightly intoxicated during the game, but i cannot recall a single incident of Gerrard diving. Ronaldo however was doing it all over the fecking pitch. He's scum.

:biglaugh: Of course not we just beat two top squads and have one of the best midfielders in the game returning. We are just as good as anyone left in the tourney

This will sound like sour grapes on my part, but IMHO Portugal have till now not looked as good as the other semi-finalists. I know they didn't have Deco but you still can't have been very impressed with how they played against a 10 man England. Scolari (damn him :madfire: ) keeps finding ways to win, but I think your boys are going to get found out against the French.

I was slightly intoxicated during the game, but i cannot recall a single incident of Gerrard diving. In fact there was not only a single one. There were a couple..

it was accidental, anyone with eyes in their head could see that. He had to put his feet down somewhere.anyone with English eyes in their English heads i guess. Maybe other fans think otherwise cause Rooney didn't just rest his foot on the Portuguese's nuts.. he moved and bear down it on the opponent's nuts.

it was accidental, anyone with eyes in their head could see that. He had to put his feet down somewhere.

He was sent off for the push on Ronaldo which is absolutely pathetic.

So Ronaldo is questionable for the game, comes back from an injury, plays a great game outrunning anyone else aside from Hargreaves and all what people talk here on hockey boards is his diving. Like he was the only one acting on the pitch, or like only one team was doing it (Joe Cole?, Gerrard? Hargreaves and Terry faking injuries?)

classic.

England didn't fake injuries to draw cards. England never did the 15 foot roll after a tackle. Period. Ronaldo went to ground so many times that game it got rediculous. And the "elbow" incedent where the portugal player stayed on the ground for 2 minutes, stopping the game for what on the slo-mo replay was CLEARLY nothing was DISGRACEFUL. IT was as bad as the Rivaldo incident at the last WC (which was equally disgraceful). The fact that neither player suffered any consequences from their actions is even more disgraceful. At every WC, one team has to dive the most, and I can safely say that for this year, its Portugal.

anyone with English eyes in their English heads i guess. Maybe other fans think otherwise cause Rooney didn't just rest his foot on the Portuguese's nuts.. he moved and bear down it on the opponent's nuts.

The red was CLEARLY for the push, just watch what the referee's behaviour during the incident. Its a good thing that this ref didn't do the Portugal-Holand game, as I think one team would have gone under 7 men if that push is a red card.

He was sent off for the push on Ronaldo which is absolutely pathetic.

The ref said he was sent off for the stamp

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2006/teams/england/5138240.stm

This will sound like sour grapes on my part, but IMHO Portugal have till now not looked as good as the other semi-finalists. I know they didn't have Deco but you still can't have been very impressed with how they played against a 10 man England. Scolari (damn him :madfire: ) keeps finding ways to win, but I think your boys are going to get found out against the French.

well, the german's had their first real opponent with argentine and didn't look very convincing (lets say it loud: it was pure luck)

the french were absolutely lousy before their fine play against the brazils, they never would have made the quarter-finals, had the spain played the way they did in their group-games. confront them with speed and aggression, and the french will falter again (thankfully for them, portugal forgot how to play that way under scolari)

ok, the italians are way better - they are the only team in the tournament, that really played to win every game they were in (and not just to wait for the win)

so i think, three of the four semi-finalists are at the same average level.

as for the england-game: i wonder, why england didn't risk more (especially in overtime), when they seemed to have lost all their belief in their penalty-shootout abilities? a look ito the face and it was clear, that none of their selected players would shot a good penalty (with the saddest joke being carraghers). why not play for win (with the risk to lose) during the 120 minutes, when you are kind of sure, that you won't win the shootout?

but sooo good, that the eriksson-days are over, what a waste of years and talent! and it comes back to haunt you, when you travel to a world cup with only 3 fowards (why did he take walcott, when he seemingly never indended to use him?) and thus have to rely on crouch to execute the counter-attack. england did make the quarter despite of and not 'cause of their coach, when they would have had the ability and talent (especially in this year's weak edition) to win it all. will such a chance ever come again? :rolleyes:

really don't want to see and suffer an english shootout in the next 10 years or so ... :shakehead

The ref said he was sent off for the stamp

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2006/teams/england/5138240.stm

As he should have. So much for the theories from many of the English fans on this board. Anybody who thinks that was an accident, is either extremely naive or biased.

He was sent off for the push on Ronaldo which is absolutely pathetic.

Guess your theory is out the window

As he should have. So much for the theories from many of the English fans on this board. Anybody who thinks that was an accident, is either extremely naive or biased.

what should the ref say otherwise? so he saw it and he thought, that it was a deliberate stamp, and one can argue that call (as i do, just like 1998) or be the same opinion - it won't matter anymore (and won't change the fact, that the only thing worse than the quality of play after the group stages is the quality of officiating)

As he should have. So much for the theories from many of the English fans on this board. Anybody who thinks that was an accident, is either extremely naive or biased.

It certainly looked from the replay as though the card was given for the push, not the stomp. It's easy for the ref to claim otherwise after the match, and after replays. If it was intentional, than a red card was deserved, but Rooney is the only one who knows that. I hate to say it, but given his temperment (a bit of Darcy Tucker-style insanity now and again) it's not unlikely that he did it on purpose.

It certainly looked from the replay as though the card was given for the push, not the stomp. It's easy for the ref to claim otherwise after the match, and after replays. If it was intentional, than a red card was deserved, but Rooney is the only one who knows that. I hate to say it, but given his temperment (a bit of Darcy Tucker-style insanity now and again) it's not unlikely that he did it on purpose.

Exactly, Rooney's reputation is what cooked him in that situation

the french were absolutely lousy before their fine play against the brazils, they never would have made the quarter-finals, had the spain played the way they did in their group-games. confront them with speed and aggression, and the french will falter again (thankfully for them, portugal forgot how to play that way under scolari)

Erh, actually, France is not Saudi Arabia.
France blocked Spain's scheme, and the spaniards couldn't mount a single dangerous chance because of it. Just like the brazilians.

If you watch the replay it is clear the referee awarded a free kick for the foot on Carvalho initially. After a few seconds, during which Ronaldo protests and Rooney pushes Ronaldo, he only then suddenly looks at Rooney and indicates to him to move aside. That is why many people believe the red was for the shove. However I just heard that it is possible he received information from the assistants via his ear-piece which led to it.

Whether Rooney did intend to tred on Carvalho or not is highly subjective and can not be proved either way, no matter what some posters may think.

It is disappointing that the referee acknowledged many dives by the Portuguese and only warned these players about their unsporting conduct. There is a clear directive delivered to referees that these players should have been booked. Not to mention the shocking headbutt Ronaldo delivered to the back of Rooneys head. England did dive as well - Beckham in particular.. however what Portuguese apologists always fail to notice is that that doesnt even come close to the number of times a Portuguese hits the deck. A joke doing the rounds now is that there were so many portuguese on the ground, he could hardly fail to step on one!

Worst part of the game for me was when Viana was brushed in the eye. He raced upfield to launch an attack which failed. As England counter attacked down the field, Portugal screamed at them to put the ball out for Viana who suddenly noticed he was injured. C.Ronaldo especially took it upon himself to berate England. What a selfless martyr to sporting play he is.

England are out. Im proud of how they played - they even made an 11-man Portugal team look ordinary. They didnt go out because of talent or because the referee sent Rooney off, or because of Portugal. They were managed poorly and did not perform to their ability.

If you watch the replay it is clear the referee awarded a free kick for the foot on Carvalho initially. After a few seconds, during which Ronaldo protests and Rooney pushes Ronaldo, he only then suddenly looks at Rooney and indicates to him to move aside. That is why many people believe the red was for the shove. However I just heard that it is possible he received information from the assistants via his ear-piece which led to it.

Whether Rooney did intend to tred on Carvalho or not is highly subjective and can not be proved either way, no matter what some posters may think.

It is disappointing that the referee acknowledged many dives by the Portuguese and only warned these players about their unsporting conduct. There is a clear directive delivered to referees that these players should have been booked. Not to mention the shocking headbutt Ronaldo delivered to the back of Rooneys head. England did dive as well - Beckham in particular.. however what Portuguese apologists always fail to notice is that that doesnt even come close to the number of times a Portuguese hits the deck. A joke doing the rounds now is that there were so many portuguese on the ground, he could hardly fail to step on one!

Worst part of the game for me was when Viana was brushed in the eye. He raced upfield to launch an attack which failed. As England counter attacked down the field, Portugal screamed at them to put the ball out for Viana who suddenly noticed he was injured. C.Ronaldo especially took it upon himself to berate England. What a selfless martyr to sporting play he is.

England are out. Im proud of how they played - they even made an 11-man Portugal team look ordinary. They didnt go out because of talent or because the referee sent Rooney off, or because of Portugal. They were managed poorly and did not perform to their ability.

Don't know what game you watched but Viana was fighting with Crouch for the ball at midfield when the giant slapped him in the face, Viana did win the ball but he went down where he got slapped he did not go upfield. And unlike the Dutch we gave England the ball back

Don't know what game you watched but Viana was fighting with Crouch for the ball at midfield when the giant slapped him in the face, Viana did win the ball but he went down where he got slapped he did not go upfield. And unlike the Dutch we gave England the ball back

Not that it's going to make any difference to you, but I'll clarify it. I saw Viana going forwards from there to launch a very threatening Portuguese attack, injured or not. Yet when England won the ball and went on a dangerous counter, Portugal decided they wanted the ball out after all. That's what happened.

Erh, actually, France is not Saudi Arabia.
France blocked Spain's scheme, and the spaniards couldn't mount a single dangerous chance because of it. Just like the brazilians.

for sure they are not, but i meant the way the spain played against the ukraine and tunisia - there they risked, attached and won; then their coach changed team and tactics against saudi arabia (i thought, to give some of the players a break) and for reasons only he would understand didn't went back to the formular, that was so successful for them. it was a major blow to their system to bring raul & fabregas instead of luis garcia and marcos senna, and as you say, that france blocked spain's scheme, i say, that spain didn't play with the speed and risk they executed in their first two games - they seemingly preferred the waiting game (maybe in underestimating france?)

as we saw in so many games at this wc, defenses won't make mistakes, unless they are forced to do - but that won't happen without pressure, attaching, risk and enough players in the attaching zones. the way the brazils played in this tournament, was kind of waiting for things finally to happen (in faith of their individual skills), whereas spain tried things to force to happen in their first two games. that try (not the execution) was missing completely in their game against france, they just started to speed up and try to shoot as in game 1 and 2, when it was too late. brazil, by the way, even didn't change their tactics after the fell behind - that was kind of irritating, too, yesterday ... .

i was convinced, that france will beat brazil, because of the lack of speed (in the back and up front) and determination (especially in midfield) in this year's brazil squad, and i'm still convinced, that spain would've beaten france, had they started with garcia & senna and played for the win (especially as france waited in this game, too). but that's theory right now (as france was the derserved winner against spain) and i hope your side will beat the portugese and show us a fine final for the love of the game against italy :rolly:

France's D is incomparable to Ukraine's and Tunisia's.

And it's exactly why Spain couldn't develop their game.

England didn't fake injuries to draw cards. Yeah, in fact they faked injuries to avoid getting booked themselves! (like i already said previously)

Im gutted from yesterday's game. One of the most dissapointing things i have ever been a witness too. Rooney was stupid, but Ronaldo is a litle *****, that doesnt deserve to set foot on English soil ever again. Owen Heargreaves was absolutley brilliant, and i hope his performance today will shut people up. I think we had a great chance to win the game, and that we were the better team. Losing on penalties is such a kick to the nuts, after defending like we did for an hour. oh well, now its time for me to support the French, just so I can see them beat these Portugeuese ****ers.

Yeah, in fact they faked injuries to avoid getting booked themselves! (like i already said previously)

You can say england were the worse side, very boring, did not deserve to go through. That i can take. But we were no where near faking injuries or diving like Portugal did.

I caught the game at the 70th minute until the end, so I won't comment on all the dives and the red card.
However, I must stress that against Ecuador, Robinson (who was horrible all tournament BTW, he's definately not the answer long term) faked an injury and put the ball out.
How do I know he faked? There was no contact, and he was whining about something muscular.
However, after gaining about 1 minute, probably 2, he was given the ball back, and when EVERY goalie would pass the ball to a teammate to avoid injurying his muscle too much, he kicked the ball 60 meters away.

Big fake if you ask me.

PS : that doesn't mean I'm weighing in the "English vs Portugese", etc...
I've already said Portugal are the kings of acting and diving.
But England has had a big share of acting and diving in this tournament.

I caught the game at the 70th minute until the end, so I won't comment on all the dives and the red card.
However, I must stress that against Ecuador, Robinson (who was horrible all tournament BTW, he's definately not the answer long term) faked an injury and put the ball out.
How do I know he faked? There was no contact, and he was whining about something muscular.
However, after gaining about 1 minute, probably 2, he was given the ball back, and when EVERY goalie would pass the ball to a teammate to avoid injurying his muscle too much, he kicked the ball 60 meters away.

Big fake if you ask me.

PS : that doesn't mean I'm weighing in the "English vs Portugese", etc...
I've already said Portugal are the kings of acting and diving.
But England has had a big share of acting and diving in this tournament.

I remember Robinson having that "injury". Thought he just wore it off. Meh maybe he did fake it, but he didn't try and claim a foul or anything like that. We have actually been one of the lesser divers in this tournament. Every player will at some point fall over questionably. J Cole dived a few times, but compared to Italy, Portugal or the Dutch we dived very little.

I remember Robinson having that "injury". Thought he just wore it off. Meh maybe he did fake it, but he didn't try and claim a foul or anything like that. We have actually been one of the lesser divers in this tournament. Every player will at some point fall over questionably. J Cole dived a few times, but compared to Italy, Portugal or the Dutch we dived very little.

If I had to "rank" diving teams IN THIS WC (important!), I'd rank them this way :
1- Portugal
2- Argentina (very close, arguably first)
3- Holland
4- England
5- Germany
6- Italy
7- Spain
8- France

If I had to "rank" diving teams IN THIS WC (important!), I'd rank them this way :
1- Portugal
2- Argentina (very close, arguably first)
3- Holland
4- England
5- Germany
6- Italy
7- Spain
8- France

How can we be ranked first if we did not once this whole tournament dive in the penalty like most teams on that list some players multiple times

If I had to "rank" diving teams IN THIS WC (important!), I'd rank them this way :
1- Portugal
2- Argentina (very close, arguably first)
3- Holland
4- England
5- Germany
6- Italy
7- Spain
8- France

Italy 6? What?!?

How can we be ranked first if we did not once this whole tournament dive in the penalty like most teams on that list some players multiple times

You didn't GET a penalty, which is different from not TRYING to get one.
And their actions in the Holland game put them over the top.

Portugese are the kings of diving. They've dived in every game multiple times, even against Angola.

Italy 6? What?!?

When have they dove?
Gorro embelished his dive, no doubt, but it was still a foul.
Italy has maybe one or two dives a game during this WC.

I found them quite surprising in that domain so far.

Guess your theory is out the windowNot really, its very clear from the replay Ive seen, the ref does nothing until Rooney pushes Ronaldo and then he goes nuts.

Don't know what game you watched but Viana was fighting with Crouch for the ball at midfield when the giant slapped him in the face, Viana did win the ball but he went down where he got slapped he did not go upfield. And unlike the Dutch we gave England the ball back
So you should have, it was your players faking injury twice.

When have they dove?
Gorro embelished his dive, no doubt, but it was still a foul.
Italy has maybe one or two dives a game during this WC.

:yo: :yo: :yo:

think you meant one or two dives every 15 minutes ... ;)

prob is, they are that perfect at diving, that most don't realize it (even the refs) - and gorro was no way a foul (just like ronaldo yesterday - btw, where are the brazilians in your list? they seek for the foul-whistle everytime they are in free-kick distance); if you fall intentionally over someones feet, that's not a foul.

it's hard to distinguish the top-teams in diving and faking, cause every one (england, too) takes the chance, when there is one. thats becoming worse and worse each and every year and tournament, and has put a lot of fun out in watching the games (for me).

btw, how many bookings were there for diving in this wc? not that much compared to the increase of the delict ...

but nevertheless i hope, italians will win it (if they continue to play for the win).

Who is Gorro??? :joker:

Who is Gorro??? :joker:

shame on me :silly:

that faker is called grosso (to be remembered for eternity) :eek:

but you can call him also luigi or luca or andrea or as you like it (just to quote a brilliant satire about italian's diver in german's spiegel-online, which sadly has to be removed ...) ;)

Who is Gorro??? :joker:

4 armed dude from Mortal Kombat?

So you should have, it was your players faking injury twice.

And your players faking injuries to not get carded

You didn't GET a penalty, which is different from not TRYING to get one.
And their actions in the Holland game put them over the top.

Portugese are the kings of diving. They've dived in every game multiple times, even against Angola.

:eek: Holland dove much more then we did in that game.

:eek: Holland dove much more then we did in that game.

They did.
But you dove more overall in the tournament.

Pretty much every portugese player has doved in this tournament.
Them and Argentina are the only teams in that case.

They did.
But you dove more overall in the tournament.

Pretty much every portugese player has doved in this tournament.
Them and Argentina are the only teams in that case.

Actually I have not seen a dive from Pauleta, Ricardo Carvalho, Miguel, Fernando Meira, Costinha,Simao. Tiago has not been accused of diving either. Everyone is focusing on Figo and Ronaldo and Maniche to a lower extent and calling the whole team divers

And Deco, and Petit, and Valente, etc...

I caught the game at the 70th minute until the end, so I won't comment on all the dives and the red card.
However, I must stress that against Ecuador, Robinson (who was horrible all tournament BTW, he's definately not the answer long term) faked an injury and put the ball out.
How do I know he faked? There was no contact, and he was whining about something muscular.
However, after gaining about 1 minute, probably 2, he was given the ball back, and when EVERY goalie would pass the ball to a teammate to avoid injurying his muscle too much, he kicked the ball 60 meters away.

Big fake if you ask me.

PS : that doesn't mean I'm weighing in the "English vs Portugese", etc...
I've already said Portugal are the kings of acting and diving.
But England has had a big share of acting and diving in this tournament.

As we've already stated, that theory is nonsense. Muscle injuries come and go. What reason did he have to waste time there?

They did.
But you dove more overall in the tournament.

Pretty much every portugese player has doved in this tournament.
Them and Argentina are the only teams in that case.

Don't mean to be the pedantic police, but it's not 'doved', it's 'dived'!