wc06: the final is set
Well, in matters both related and unrelated to football, this morning’s advent of dawn here on the peninsula was less eventful than was yesterday’s. There was no craning of necks here in the Cave of Dissidence looking skyward for migrating birds, only intent gazing at the TV set to witness the settling of Italy’s opponent in the finale at the weekend.
Perhaps KJI is backing Italy to win the World Cup, as I personally think his fireworks display was less a brazen attempt to overshadow either the U.S.’s anniversary of declaring independence from Curious George or the U.S.’s relaunching of the space shuttle program than it was a militaristic cry of “Forza Italia!!!”
All the hullabaloo over Jung-il’s immature javelin-throwing, complete with one or two acts of amateur detonation, certainly got the attention of newspaper hacks and TV quacks the world over, all of which led to lots of premature extrapolation–and we all know what always follows such acts of unfulfillment: disappointment and lowered self-esteem. But such thoughts take a backseat to footie for now…
Portugal 0-1 France
While there was always a hint of simmering tension just beneath the surface of this match, this semifinal was somewhat less chippy than the one 24 hours previous. In fact, viewers could have felt a sense of letdown by the relative lack of drama in this one, but there was still fine play on both sides of the ball.
There were elements of unsavouriness in this one: regardless of how much I was backing France and how much I like Thierry Henry, I’m still not convinced that Carvalho’s foul on him, which garnered the penalty kick that Zinedine Zidane converted with the coolest of verve (*sigh*, take notes, England), warranted such a harsh penalty. Henry went down more easily than I would have liked at Carvalho’s trip.
However, karma is an unerring, faithful reaper of what has been sowed and a somewhat dubious penalty given to a Portugal opponent gives the football astral plane a more level look. And it got even more level when, moments later, Histrionics Ronaldo gave the dive of a lifetime in the France box from a phantom push by a defender.
Seriously, did you see that dive? You would have thought he’d gotten passed over for the lead role in Superman Returns and was re-auditioning in front of a near-worldwide audience in hopes that public sentiment would change the casting director’s mind and give him the role. That dive made Henry’s splash look like he was corralled by a Lex Luthor kryptonite tripwire.
The referee was outstanding, for a change, ignoring dives from both squads, unwarranted calls for bookings, remonstrations from both benches, turning his cheek to the play-acting, and constantly gesturing to players just to play. That only two players were booked was both a relief and a welcome sight.
Remember, this was a rematch of that infamous Euro 2000 semifinal where there was a post-match brawl, an encircling of the ref by a posse of Portugal players, and a total of two years’ banning from international play for several of said posse, so there was less acrimony than I thought there would be.
Aside from his efforts to win an Academy Award, Ronaldo was really the only Portugal player to trouble constantly the France defence. He was never able to quite create any real clear-cut chances, but he was dangerous throughout the match, nonetheless.
Figo was tireless and should have done better with a point-blank header rebounded from a Ronaldo free kick late in the second half, but the rest of the Portugal midfield and strike force were pathetic. Part of this, of course, was due to the suffocating France defence, led by Thuram and aided by Sagnol, Gallas, Abidal, and holding midfielder Makelele. The France defence continues to be remarkable.
On the other side, the Portugal defence was nearly just as tough. There were periods of dominance by the French with Zidane, Ribery, and Vieira, but Henry was mostly shackled the entire match, save for his one big splash. The result was a bit harsh on the Portugal defence and on Ricardo in goal, but they were let down by the underperformers up front and the middle (again, save for Ronaldo).
In the end, France, just as Italy 24 hours previous, were the better team. Portugal’s run to the semifinals was unexpected and all of their supporters should be proud of their historic run, though a bit disappointed in the overall team performance in this match. If their evolution continues in the same line of ascent, they will be serious contenders for Euro 2008.
But, that’s the future. For the present, we have a mouthwatering final in Italy v. France. Storylines will no doubt abound in this one–itself a repeat of the same Euro 2000, that match a final, as well–and we’ll get to the storylines in a preview at the weekend.
Perhaps KJI is backing Italy to win the World Cup, as I personally think his fireworks display was less a brazen attempt to overshadow either the U.S.’s anniversary of declaring independence from Curious George or the U.S.’s relaunching of the space shuttle program than it was a militaristic cry of “Forza Italia!!!”
All the hullabaloo over Jung-il’s immature javelin-throwing, complete with one or two acts of amateur detonation, certainly got the attention of newspaper hacks and TV quacks the world over, all of which led to lots of premature extrapolation–and we all know what always follows such acts of unfulfillment: disappointment and lowered self-esteem. But such thoughts take a backseat to footie for now…
Portugal 0-1 France
While there was always a hint of simmering tension just beneath the surface of this match, this semifinal was somewhat less chippy than the one 24 hours previous. In fact, viewers could have felt a sense of letdown by the relative lack of drama in this one, but there was still fine play on both sides of the ball.
There were elements of unsavouriness in this one: regardless of how much I was backing France and how much I like Thierry Henry, I’m still not convinced that Carvalho’s foul on him, which garnered the penalty kick that Zinedine Zidane converted with the coolest of verve (*sigh*, take notes, England), warranted such a harsh penalty. Henry went down more easily than I would have liked at Carvalho’s trip.
However, karma is an unerring, faithful reaper of what has been sowed and a somewhat dubious penalty given to a Portugal opponent gives the football astral plane a more level look. And it got even more level when, moments later, Histrionics Ronaldo gave the dive of a lifetime in the France box from a phantom push by a defender.
Seriously, did you see that dive? You would have thought he’d gotten passed over for the lead role in Superman Returns and was re-auditioning in front of a near-worldwide audience in hopes that public sentiment would change the casting director’s mind and give him the role. That dive made Henry’s splash look like he was corralled by a Lex Luthor kryptonite tripwire.
The referee was outstanding, for a change, ignoring dives from both squads, unwarranted calls for bookings, remonstrations from both benches, turning his cheek to the play-acting, and constantly gesturing to players just to play. That only two players were booked was both a relief and a welcome sight.
Remember, this was a rematch of that infamous Euro 2000 semifinal where there was a post-match brawl, an encircling of the ref by a posse of Portugal players, and a total of two years’ banning from international play for several of said posse, so there was less acrimony than I thought there would be.
Aside from his efforts to win an Academy Award, Ronaldo was really the only Portugal player to trouble constantly the France defence. He was never able to quite create any real clear-cut chances, but he was dangerous throughout the match, nonetheless.
Figo was tireless and should have done better with a point-blank header rebounded from a Ronaldo free kick late in the second half, but the rest of the Portugal midfield and strike force were pathetic. Part of this, of course, was due to the suffocating France defence, led by Thuram and aided by Sagnol, Gallas, Abidal, and holding midfielder Makelele. The France defence continues to be remarkable.
On the other side, the Portugal defence was nearly just as tough. There were periods of dominance by the French with Zidane, Ribery, and Vieira, but Henry was mostly shackled the entire match, save for his one big splash. The result was a bit harsh on the Portugal defence and on Ricardo in goal, but they were let down by the underperformers up front and the middle (again, save for Ronaldo).
In the end, France, just as Italy 24 hours previous, were the better team. Portugal’s run to the semifinals was unexpected and all of their supporters should be proud of their historic run, though a bit disappointed in the overall team performance in this match. If their evolution continues in the same line of ascent, they will be serious contenders for Euro 2008.
But, that’s the future. For the present, we have a mouthwatering final in Italy v. France. Storylines will no doubt abound in this one–itself a repeat of the same Euro 2000, that match a final, as well–and we’ll get to the storylines in a preview at the weekend.
posted by shaved wave at 17:52
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