Euro 2008: Day 11

The Netherlands vs Romania
2 - 0

France vs Italy

0 - 2

I didn't go to the game last night, partly because I knew they were going to air the France/Italy game, and I wasn't exactly interested, but mostly because I had some homework to finish up on. I didn't plan on taking a break from blogging, but I guess I needed it. Sorry to all of you waiting with bated breath to find out the results. (I'm sure there are so many of you.)

I'll be honest, I was really hoping Italy would lose this game. As I've already said, I'm a not a huge fan of either of those teams, but I am a huge fan of Schadenfreude, and having both the reigning Euro and World Cup champs miss out on the quarterfinals is about as schadenfreutastic as it gets. Plus, ESPN would have looked even dumber, which is always fun. Sigh. Anyway, I hope Spain stomps them in the next round.

By the way, Hannah, being the smart cookie that she is, found out why all of the last games of the group stage are being played simultaneously. One of her friends directed her to this article from CBC online, which tells the story of the collusion between Germany and Austria at the 1982 World Cup. I admit, that was a very cheating cheater thing to do, but the way the writer gets all righteously indignant about it is still pretty funny

In the 1982 World Cup in Spain, Austria and West Germany shamefully conspired with one another, draping a blanket of controversy over the competition and leaving an indelible stain on the sport that will never be cleansed away.

Algeria, playing in its first World Cup, had pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the history of the tournament when it earned a 2-1 victory over West Germany in Gijon on June 16, 1982. The Africans looked a sure bet to go through to the next round from Group B.

Austria and the Germans faced off in the final match of the group in Gijon on June 17. Because FIFA did not require the final two games of the group stages to be played at the same time, Austria and West Germany knew that a 1-0 win for the Germans would be enough for both nations to advance to the next round at the expense of the upstart Algerians.

And so, the two neighbouring countries had their arrangement and stopped playing when the Germans went up 1-0 after 10 minutes.

From that point on, the game slowed to a crawl with neither team seriously venturing forward, instead killing time with a series of short passes inside their half of the field.

The Spanish spectators in the stands booed both countries unmercifully as they carried out the most despicable of sporting frauds, and Algeria protested the result to FIFA the next day, but soccer's world governing body turned a blind eye and let the injustice stand.

Both the Austrians and Germans denied they had made any sort of arrangement beforehand, but their act of collusion was as obvious as it was abhorrent, and it prompted FIFA to change the rules for subsequent tournaments so that the final two games in each group were played simultaneously.

Euro 2008: Day 7

Italy vs Romania

1 - 1

The Netherlands vs France

4 - 1

(Note: I've been running around the city all day and haven't had a chance to update my reaction to last nights games yet. I posted the scores, and my commentary will follow when I have the chance, so stay tuned. Update: It's there now!)

I'm going to be missing the first game, since I've decided I really just don't care about either team. After spending so much time with Germans recently I've remembered why I hated the Italians so much in the World Cup, and I've decided it's best if I just stay away and don't let their good looks get to me. (Although second-hand reports tell me they are considerably less hot now than they once were. These reports have not been confirmed.) In any case, I'm definitely super stoked about the second game. I said the Dutch had to work if they wanted to win my affection, and boy have they done a great job. The glaring orangeness of their jerseys and patent ridiculous of their names was just a start, and from there they went on to beat Italy 3-0, with some of the most beautiful goals I've ever seen. (Seriously, check them out.) Plus, I've heard their fans are really fun. So I've rewarded them by buying an orange shirt, and am looking forward to the fan mile tonight. Also, I still hate France. Go Nederland!

Update: Like I said, I didn't watch the Italy/Romania game, and it seems I missed what might be the best save of the tournament so far. With nine minutes left, Romania was awarded a penalty shot, and their chance to break the 1-1 tie and beat Italy for the first time in almost 20 years. But then this happened:

Sexy.
[Getty Images]

On the one hand, I wish I had seen it, but on the other hand, I'm glad I didn't, because it might have made me start liking Italy, and that's dangerous, dangerous ground.

On to the game I actually did see, I don't really have much to say about it, since my friends and I decided to play a drinking game beforehand. It was all kind of a big blur. It did make the viewing more fun though, especially since the fan mile was relatively empty in comparison to the night before. The game was really great from the perspective of a Netherlands fan; they scored early and never gave up the lead, or really lost control of the game. France scored on a really nice redirection by Henri that just squeaked into the side of the net to make it 2-1 and Holland responded by scoring an even prettier goal just seconds later. A Dutch player maneuvered around the French defense to take a bad-angle shot, which had no business going into the net, but it did anyway. It was really beautiful, and perfectly juggernauty. I think I might be in love with the Netherlands. I really wish I knew Dutch though, especially when people started chanting Dutch chants at me, expecting me to join in because I was wearing an orange shirt. That was a little awkward. Also, I may not hate France anymore, but I think I need to do some more research before I can conclusively say. Stay tuned.

Euro 2008: Day 3

Romania vs France
0 - 0

The Netherlands vs Italy

3 - 0

(Note: I did, in fact get to see the Group B games, but I'm still working on the post about them. Keep an eye on the post before this one for an update. Update: It's updated now! How many times am I going to say update? Update!)

As I feared, I was on a train somewhere between Budapest and Vienna when these games took place, so I don't have much to say about them except: I'm glad I missed that Romania/France game. Sounds like a snooze. And I'm super pumped that the Netherlands won. They have hilarious names and really pleasing orange jerseys. I approve. And since I have yet to actually see them, the Italians haven't yet been able to bewitch me with perhaps their greatest weapon, their looks. Better luck next time, I guess.

Idiot's Guide to UEFA Euro 2008: Group C

The UEFA Euro Cup (also known by about a billion other names like the European Football Championship, Euro 2008, or die Euro or die EM if you're speaking German) is a competition consisting of 16 teams, split up into four groups of four. In the early rounds of the tournament, the teams from each group compete amongst themselves and the top two finishers go on to play in the quarter finals. The 2008 schedule looks like this. I've spent the past couple of days getting to know the teams a little bit, and here's what I've found out.

Group C - The Netherlands, Italy, Romania, France

The Netherlands

Giovanni van Bronckhorst - How you doin'?
[Getty Images]

What I think: Can anyone tell me why in God's name Team Netherlands wears orange when that color is nowhere to be found on their flag? Not that I'm complaining, there are certainly enough teams that have red white and blue covered. It's just always been a mystery to me. To Wikipedia I go! Okay, so apparently the red band on the flag was originally orange, and it has to do with some dude called William of Orange-Nassau. I suspect it also has to do with the fact that they can't pass up a nickname like "Clockwork Orange." Okay, with that out of the way, I have no strong feelings about the Dutch one way or the other, so they're going to have work if they want to win me over. The above picture is a good start.
Jerseys I would consider buying just for the sake of having the name on my back: Ooijer, Boulahrouz, de Zeeuw, Sneijder, van der Vaart, van Nistelrooy (Okay, having pretty uniformly ridiculous-sounding names is a step in the right direction, too.)
The outlook: Clockwork Orange seems to be a perfectly competent football team, qualifying without much drama (Romania gave them the biggest trouble, tying and beating them once apiece). They made it to the semifinal round of the 2006 World Cup before losing a pretty ugly game to Portugal 0-1, to whom they'd also lost 1-2 two years previous in the semifinals of Euro 2004. Some bad blood there, I expect. The Netherlands are celebrating the 20-year anniversary of their only Euro Cup win, and hoping for a repeat. I'm just hoping they'll get more interesting.

Italy

Gianluigi Buffon - Buffs back the ball.
[Getty Images]

What I think: The reigning World Cup Champions, the Italians are pretty hot shit. They're also just pretty hot. Undeniably. Unfortunately, they're also responsible for knocking my beloved Germany out in the semis of the 2006 World Cup, so I'm conflicted. (Also, what's up with them playing in blue when it's not one of their national colors and about a million other teams wear blue? It's just lame.) I predict, however, that my first glimpse of their faces will do a lot to bridge the gap of my soured feelings.
Jerseys I would consider buying just for the sake of having the name on my back: Buffon, Grosso, Materazzi, Quagliarella
The outlook: Obviously, after winning it all in 2006, the expectations are quite high. Unfortunately, their captain, Fabio Cannavaro was carted of the field at a training session three days ago after sending his ankle ligaments in all directions. I'm not familiar enough with the sport to speculate on how the absence of one player will change things, but losing your captain can never be a good thing. They competed strongly in their qualifying matches, though they struggled with France, whom they beat in a shootout in the 2006 finals. Italy should still be a major player in the tournament, and their game against France (June 17th) should be an interesting one.

Romania

Bogdan Lobonţ - Hope he doesn't get "bogged down."
(No, the bad puns won't ever stop.)
[Getty Images]

What I think: I know next to nothing about Romania. I've never been there, I've never met anyone from there, and they don't even have a delicious foodstuff for me to cling to as a basis for my opinions. (At least not one that I know of, though I'm open to suggestions.) All I can say is that it's pretty cute that their flag features the three primary colors. And that's all I got.
Jerseys I would consider buying just for the sake of having the name on my back: Popa, Stancioiu, Raţ, Sapunaru
The outlook: This is Romania's first trip to the Euro finals since 2000, but they seem to have pretty effectively asserted their dominance in the qualifying round. They conceded a 0-1 loss to Bulgaria, but remained unbeaten in their other ten games. They failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, and seem like the odd team out in this group, but their coach, who led them to qualifying for Euro 2000, but was replaced before the finals started, is looking for vindication. Could be some drama there.

France

Nicolas Anelka - He can fly!
[Getty Images]

What I think: There's some residual bad blood between me and France from the 2006 World Cup. After Italy destroyed Germany's dreams of winning on their home turf, I decided to throw my support 100% behind France in the finals. Keep in mind, I had just finished watching Carolina, who'd stolen Buffalo's spot in the SCF, hoisting the Cup, and I was not at all about witnessing the success of another team that beat the one I loved, no matter how hot they were. Of course, then that ugly Zidane incident happened, and it was suddenly impossible to root for France, either. Just like that, in the game I'd looked forward to for weeks, I hated both teams. As a result, I've somehow ended up resenting France more for taking away my rooting interest than Italy for actually winning. Yes, I realize it's not fair for me to hold the actions of one player, especially a player who's not even playing anymore, against the entire team, but this isn't about being fair. If France wants my respect back, they're going to have to earn it.
Jerseys I would consider buying just for the sake of having the name on my back: Mandanda, Boumsong, Squillaci, Toulalan
The outlook: Well, everyone knows how the World Cup ended for them. Losing in a shootout after their captain had been sent off in disgrace. Pretty rough. Moreover, they exited Euro 2004 in the quarterfinal round at the hands of the eventual champions, Greece, after winning it all four years before. Their qualifying games were a bit of a mess, as they avenged themselves against Italy, beating them 3-0 and then tying them 0-0, but struggled to put Scotland away. They eventually clinched their place in the finals, finishing second in their group behind Italy, but it was more of an ordeal than they were expecting, and they'll have to pull themselves together if they want to go the distance this time.

Coming Soon: Group D!