Italy v Australia

[aaken]

I wish I had the same confidence in Italy as Goldorak...
Anyhow, don't feel too sore about the game lost...in the end Australia was reasonably well set on the field but didn't pose a threat to italian defence and if that absurd red card had not been issued to Materazzi, Italy would have probably scored before the 95th minute

[aaken]

Just to remain in the theme of bashing, an interesting editorial of "Der Spiegel". I hope you know german.

"Eingeölt und angeschmiert"

Von Achim Achilles

Durch einen umstrittenen Elfmeter in der Nachspielzeit hat Italien den Einzug ins Viertelfinale geschafft. Wie der Strafstoß zustande kam, erinnert stark an erschöpfte Strandfußballer an der Adria. Doch nur bis zum Halbfinale kann diese Schlawiner-Taktik gutgehen.

Der italienische Mann, nennen wir in Luigi Forello, ist eine parasitäre Lebensform. Er ist nicht in der Lage, ohne fremde Hilfe zu überleben. Irgendwo saugt er sich immer fest. Und dann lässt er sich fallen. Gern auch auf dem Fußballplatz. Luigi Forello ist fortgesetzt damit beschäftigt, seine Hilflosigkeit zu zeigen. Das fängt schon beim Namen an. Wer nicht Luigi heißt, hört auf "Andrea" oder "Luca".
Luigis vorrangiges Lebensziel ist das Vermeiden von Anstrengung. Liebstes Wirtstier ist "La Mama", seine großbrüstige Erzeugerin, die ihm seine halbseidenen Socken wäscht und jeden Tag Nudeln kocht, mit dick Soße drauf. Wenn er ungefähr 30 Jahre alt ist, wechselt der italienische Mann die Köchin. Er heiratet, um sich fortzupflanzen. Die Folgen sind grausam. Eine ehemals strahlend schöne Italienerin verwandelt sich binnen weniger Monate in eine breithüftige Küchenmaschine - eine neue Mama. Das ist ihm aber egal, denn Luigi ist mit der Teilnahme an einem Autokorso beschäftigt, sofern sein klappriger Fiat es bis dahin schafft. Zum Essen ist er aber wieder da.
Beim Sport ist unser Luigi besonders tückisch, wie man jedes Jahr millionenfach an den Stränden der Adria beobachten kann. Er braucht Stunden, um seinen schmächtigen Körper und das Haupthaar einzuölen, seinen Rücken von Fellresten zu befreien und sein wenig spektakuläres Gemächt in eine viel zu enge Badehose zu stopfen. Dann stolziert er stundenlang umher, um schließlich maximal fünf Minuten beim Strandfußball mitzumachen. Er springt wie ein Wahnsinniger umher, imitiert brüllend Gesten, die er im Fernsehen gesehen hat, trifft den Ball höchst selten, die Knochen der anderen dafür umso härter.
Weil er schnell erschöpft ist, genügt ihm die leiseste Berührung eines Gegners, um melodramatisch zu Boden zu gehen. Noch im Stürzen wirft er einen Blick ringsum, ob im Publikum genügend Menschen sind, insbesondere Frauen, die ihn bemitleiden und wieder aufpäppeln. Schmachtende Blicke deutscher Urlauberinnen sind die Lebensgrundlage des italienischen Mannes.
Insofern geschah gestern nicht Ungewöhnliches. Fabio Grosso fiel im Strafraum und grinste noch im Fallen. Der nicht minder ölige Francesco Totti verwandelte dann den Elfmeter gegen Australien. Danach lutschte er am Daumen. Das ist normal bei italienischen Männern. Es war wie immer. Am Freitag werden die kickenden Holzfäller aus der Ukraine eingeölt und angeschmiert. So schlawinern sich die Italiener mal wieder bis ins Halbfinale. Dann, liebe Luigis, ist allerdings Feierabend. Wir haben da noch ein paar Rechnungen vom letzten Italien-Urlaub offen.

I've always been well disposed towards the german team and the germans in general. Now I just hope they don't get kicked out by Argentina so that we can get the chance to kick them in the ass (and hopefully not just there)! Friggin' racist bastard!

[Fish]

Originally Posted by goldorak

Yes, the referee did an awful job, he just couldn't control the match.
On the other hand, holland lost also because of tactical errors by Van Basten.
He is one of the greatest players ever (any my favorite since his days at the Milan AC ) but as a coach he sucks.

I'm not sure i understand.
I only quote the part of message to which i'm responding.
I'm not about to quote 4 different messages at the same time.

Backspace doesn't work.

About van Basten, he is new to the job and won 23 from the 25 matches as coach of the national team, so we give him some more time.

I love it, these Australians saying the game of football is fundamentally flawed. What about cricket? The most ludicruos rule is the LBW (Leg Before Wicket). That purely goes on the opinion of one person...even if you had instant-reply, it would be nigh impossible to judge.

Now that IS a flawed sport... :hmm:

[mog]

Do you realise that there are 11 players on a team, and each team bats twice? There's a total of 40 wickets to be taken in a game of cricket. The bad LBW decisions almost always balance out, and they hardly ever change the outcome of a game.

In soccer there is usually only 2 or 3 goals per game, and a penalty in the box is virtually a guaranteed goal! Cricket is a far more complete and thorough contest between the two teams.

What a load of rubbish. What about when "rain stops play"...or "bad light"... and they decide the winner there and then? And, oh yeah, as if there's only 1 bad LBW decision...more like a good few per game. Cricket isn't a "complete" game. It's a bore fest, a bad excuse for fans to get hammered sipping on beer for 5 hours while you watch men wearing jumpers (for God's sake) supposedly participating in a "sport". In cashmere sweaters. Please mummy, will you hold my jumper while I play with my friends..so he hands it to the umpire.

Bad decisions in football also balance out, usually. For example, no way should the Italian defender have been sent off for a harmless tackle. So Australia played unfairly with 1 extra man for near enough the entire match, and the penalty at the end equaled it out. There you go.

By the way, Australia played for penalties, seeing it was the only way they'd get through...and it didn't work. Tough luck. That's football.

[mog]

Originally Posted by Kurushio

What a load of rubbish. What about when "rain stops play"...or "bad light"... and they decide the winner there and then?

Do you realise that Test matches can go for 5 days? The only way the winner could be decided in that fashion is if it happened on the afternoon of the fifth day and the match wasn't over before then.

And, oh yeah, as if there's only 1 bad LBW decision...more like a good few per game.

Originally Posted by mog

There's a total of 40 wickets to be taken in a game of cricket. The bad LBW decisions almost always balance out, and they hardly ever change the outcome of a game.

Cricket isn't a "complete" game. It's a bore fest, a bad excuse for fans to get hammered sipping on beer for 5 hours while you watch men wearing jumpers (for God's sake) supposedly participating in a "sport". In cashmere sweaters. Please mummy, will you hold my jumper while I play with my friends..so he hands it to the umpire.

It's absurd that you are deriding the wearing of jumpers when it's cold, when in soccer players wear tiny shorts and fall to the ground crying like little girls whenever they are touched. If only soccer players had a quarter of the sportsmanship of cricketers. And most absurd is you implying that there is such a thing as a 'bad excuse' to get hammered for 5 hours.

Bad decisions in football also balance out, usually. For example, no way should the Italian defender have been sent off for a harmless tackle. So Australia played unfairly with 1 extra man for near enough the entire match, and the penalty at the end equaled it out. There you go.

After a send off you can flood the defence to keep the opposition out. There's not much you can do to stop a penalty spot-kick. One of those penalties gave away a goal, and the other didn't. In cricket a wicket is a wicket. What's more, cricket umpires aren't scared to make decisions against the big teams, which can't be said about international soccer referees.

By the way, Australia played for penalties, seeing it was the only way they'd get through...and it didn't work. Tough luck. That's football.

No we didn't. Bugger all of our goals could be put down to penalties. If you are seriously disputing that, then I suspect you didn't watch any Australia games.

Listen...Australia are crap at footy...so stop whining. The worst team lost. And yes, I remember an important test series finishing because of poor light...or other such crap...actually I'm sure many more have. Rain stopped play...! And you call footy players "girls"? Rain doesn't stop a football match...cricketers are scared getting their hair wet...cos they have floppy, girly hairstyles. Jumpers when it's blimming cold? These wimps are always cold. Cos they have no muscle and lack fitness...I bet they wear jumpers on the beach. And how nasty is it when the umpire ties a jumper around his waist so the neck part absorbs his bum sweat, then the player wears it sniffing umpire arse for the rest of the match. I bet they all have big orgy/showers at the end, umpire included...

Nah...it's not good for your liver boozing for 5 hours...do it, go on. Then when you're in hospital trying to find a spare kidney, phone me up so I can tell you how intelligent you are.

Oh...and in footy we have a 15 minute half time break. In cricket you stop for tea. And then for lunch. Fat bastard cricketers...no wonder they can't run faster then an old lady runs for the bus.

Cricket... How many countries participate in the cricket world cup? 3? Baseball is about a million times better then pansy cricket.

Oh yeah...very sporting cricket is...what about that Pakistani cricketer who's always accused of bending his arm too much...or how about that match fixing scandal involving Sri Lanka....

effing cricket...give me a break...most stupid game (not a sport) on the planet...look at the picture to see how "manly" cricket is. More like "manlove". Look at that stupid ladies hat he's wearing.