Tuesday, June 10, 2008

EURO 2008: Group of Death

So I watched both games yesterday and the France v Romania game was horrid, as the commentators like to say, as a spectacle it just didn't come off. The ball would be 3 or 4 yards off the Romanian penalty box and there were 8 or 9 players, excluding the keeper, between it and the net. The French just weren't inventive enough and poor Ribery was made to run around for nothing.

Good, that is out of the way.

Italy vs Netherlands is an almost comical clash of 2 complementary colours the blues indeed took on the oranges. After the first goal I was excited because the Dutch scoring first meant the Italians had to open up a bit more than they like to and with Cannavaro out it seemed like the back line might not hold as well as it normally does making for some spill and thrills.

What I didn't anticipate was Wesley Sneijder growing eyes on the back of his head and poping the ball over his shoulder to make it 2-0. At the half I felt for the Italians as the same sluggish midfield that I saw let Milan slip to the UEFA Cup was struggling again. In the end though, the game wasn't lost for a lack of opportunity it was for a lack of finishing. Luca Toni spurned a few chances that could've made the difference.

In the end though the better team on the day won and it was, for the most part, good football. I enjoyed it.

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