Big Question: Who do you want to win now?

Italy..now and always

Not for Portugese who have shown the worst sportsmanship in the tournament. The Germans have been good. But the Italians and the French have been improving greatly. Whoever plays the best in the next two games can take it, but there is no clear cut winner (I thought that was argentina :)

Portugal

The old boys, going for one last fling! France!

I am rooting for Zidane and the French!

ITALIA ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!

EVEN THOUGH CHRISTIANO RONALDO IS FROM PORTUGAL, HE IS THE HOTTEST MAN WHO E V E R WALKED THE PLANET!

hmmn pros and cons:

germany: pros – have actually played some good football, proven themselves to be the equal of (imo) the best team in the tournament – Argentina, cons – oh no not germany AGAIN!

portugal: pros – have great players in particular figo and deco who are amazing to watch, also would be great if someone new won, cons – won’t be winning the ‘fifa fair play award’ for a reason

france: pros – showed their class against brasil, zizou is the best player of this generation, cons – best defence around … and worst attack (just look at their qualifying)

italy: pros – will mean football rather than bribes take the headlines in Italy, cons – the weakest of the semi-finalists imo, have not played any classy football yet.

I reckon germany should be the neutral favorite, but somehow I suspect that Italy will come from nowhere to pull it off (I really hope not though :P )

PORTUGAL, PORTUGAL!!!

For those of you who keep bringing up that Portugal doesn’t know fair play. You guys obviously know NOTHING about the Portugal team.

Portugal has NEVER, EVER been known to be rough and have bad attitudes. It is the media who has made them to look this way!!! The game against Holland was the ONLY time that Portugal played this way. WATCH the game again to see how it all started and it wasn’t the Portuguese!!! If an oppent is going to start a game by drop kicking there oppents best player CR….what did you expect Portugal to do.

If you watched Euro 2004 and all the WC qualifing you will know that Portugal has NEVER played dirty.

France. Go Zidane!!

GERMANY GONNA WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this fifa i’ve been goin through teams fast.

PORTUGAL – #17 Christiano Ronaldo
IRAN – #7 Ferydoon Zandi (half-german, born and raised. damn hot!!!!)
HOLLAND – #17 Persie, #11 Robben, #7 Kuyt
ENGLAND – #7 Beckham, #9 Rooney
GERMANY – #13 Ballack

I don’t hate any teams. I just hate SORE LOSERS, or more usual sore WINNERS. Portugal, Holland, England, and Iran hav been getting a lot of criticism lately. THAT’S BULLSHIT. IT’S JUST A GAME, THERE’S GOT TO BE A WINNER AND A LOSER.

So I just hope Germany wins this cup caz it’s either them or portugal. My likeing for portugal decreased after the holland match. Holland deserves to be here now. But i still love portugal and germany they still in and i dunt care which wins the cup but it better be one of them.

I am so surprised that so many people keep saying the Portuguese team has no fair play. Hei, guys, did you really see the whole Portugal Holland match? So you must have noticed that both teams played rough, and players from both teams were punished. Ah, by the way, it was the Dutch players who started, C. Ronaldo was forced to abandon the match because of it, remember? And, how about England-Portugal match? 12 fouls for the English, three for the Portuguese. Now if you guys share the common view that only the usual ones deserve to win, that’s your problem.

Whatever

Even though i love holland thas so true. The fights happened after Ronaldo’s injury. He is their best player and was deliberately fouled so you can’t really blame for unfair play.

rooting for a Germany v. France Final, with the Germans coming out on top. They have played much better than anyone thought, and played attacking football the entire tournament. Though seeing Zidane walk away World Champ would be cool.

French and Italians showed a lot of Love and Respect to Argentina so any of this teams will be fine by me!

Portugal! Itd be nice to have 8 countries with a world cup instead of 7 :)

duh. I want Portugal to win. I’ve always wanted them to win.

Cristiano Ronaldo is GORGEOUS.
He is the new “IT” guy.

Germans – not that pretty
French – wayy too old.
Italians – Has- BEen

Yay Portugal

Anybody but the french. Actually, I’d love to see Portugal take it, it will be their first, and just because Cristiano Ronaldo is the finest thing to ever walk this earth, he is heaaaaavenly, yummy, delicious, perfect, he is a GOD!!!!

I’m a portugal fan, as I said they play great football, I’ve watched every game in this world cup and quite a few in the last euro (though I didn’t watch their qualifying campain), there is no doubt in my mind that there are portuguese players who fake injuries and who dive, and there are more than some of the other teams.

The dutch game was, as people have said, ruined by the dutch who played like raving lunatics and should have had several players receive long suspensions for it – but still both teams in that game were disgraceful even if the dutch started it.

Italia!!
Portugal v. Italy finals
3-2 Italy on top!

With a new playing culture, with superb fitness, with adrenalin injected from GIGANTIC supporters, with (read the blogs – especially http://www.bbc.co.uk –
unheard-of sympathy from all over the globe …

and a little bit of luck:

G e r m a n y !

If not: France !

But please not ugly Italy.

i want italy to win

and i want germany to lose cause they are cheaters and obviously pay off refs

urgh noooo i dunt want portugal to win….and c.ronaldo is not all dat. dunno wat kinda taste sum ppl hav. yes he is alrite buh definately not yummy. he is slightly leaning on the feminin look.

#13 michael ballack and #7 ferydoon zandi.

now they’ve got looks.

I forgot to say that it would be great to see a small country win for a change. Ok, ok, I know that it’s impossible, considering the economic interests behind such a competition. So let’s enjoy the next games. But let’s not forget that even small countries have great players who deserve all the respect they have shown for their opponents, their fans and fans from other countries. Sorry, but it really seems so unfair that everybody has “forgotten” Euro 2004 in Portugal, the way everyone was welcome, the way the teams played, the fair play that everyone showed before, during and after the matches. After Greece’s victory, no one tried to find any alibis. The media dindn’t crucify the winning team. So this is what really makes me proud.Of course I would like Portugal to win, but as I said before, it won’t happen, it’s not meant to be. But to see the way Ricardo defended those three penalties was really great, it was a great response to all those who insist on treating small countries like dirt.

Portugal!!!
Felipão Felipão!!!

Italy will not give up a goal in its remaining games and if they dont score in regulation they will win on penalty kicks

Germany will win. After some TV footage the Italian sent to FIFA, they have to loose against Klinsmann’s team. I guess a Final between Germany and Portugal, which Germany will win. ;)

unless there is proof germany has paid the refs, don’t level baseless acusations.

France they’re the most awesome to watch of the remaining teams and just b/c i love Zizou. If not France, then Portugal b/c they’re newcomers and frankly it’d be nice to see someone new win the WC.

Italy–Cannavaro and Buffon don’t look ready to give up goals any time soon and Toni is scoring again.

Portugal…will win because C.Ronaldo is pretty…(arrogant)! Figo uses his head (no butts about it)! and their best player DECO and coach are Brazilian!!!

Jesus Christ!!! So England lost because their coach is Swedish? And France weren’t playing well so far because, as Le Pen said, most players are not “real” French because they’re black??? Give me a break… Oh, by the way, Deco is Portuguese now. Just like any other immigrant who wishes to adopt the nationality of his host country. I didn’t know Americans had any problem with that, since the US is a nation of immigrants, which, by the way, is one of the things people admire it for. I do.

I’d be happy if Portugal, Germany, or France won, in roughly that order. The only unfortunate result would be Italy though even that would have a silver lining, at least for the future of US soccer, because we’d be the only team they played and didn’t beat (and maybe the only one that scored on them, too–yeah, I know, an own goal, but nearly a legitimate goal on its own merits).

1. Portugal — because they are small and new and usually play the beautiful game (and sorry English and Dutch fans, no more likely to dive than your own players, or shockingly the Germans (who dove more than the Argentines) or Thierry Henry for that matter.

2. Germany — because I’d like to see Germany play this way every tournament, and I think Klinsmann is right; if they don’t win it, the conservative old farts will take over again.

3. France — Because I normally root for Africa first and foremost, and the French are the closest thing to Africa’s team still remaining, plus there’s nobody more enjoyable to watch than Zizou.

Boring, diving, injury-feigning, brutal, cowardly Italy? I don’t think so–I don’t think they need a distraction from their scandals; instead they need to face the music. And I’m not generally anti-Italian (e.g. I rooted for them all the way in ‘82 as the winner of my team’s [Cameroon's] group)

Portugal are Brazil’s stunt-double!

Flair
+
creativity
+
never having won it
=
Go for Portugal

France are Africa’s stunt-double!

Portugal all the way — I’m tired of people bashing the Portuguese unjustly. Yes there was a rough game vs the Netherlands, but the Portuguese were not responsable for starting the bad blood. Furthermore, the Portuguese have a clean record of fair play and good sportmsenship. Why has this reputation seemingly been ruined by just one game? Portugal plays with heart. They’ve never won a cup and they deserve to win. Figo, C.Ronaldo, Ricardo, Deco, Pauleta… their lineup is full of great players. Go Portugal!

GERMANY ALL DA WAY!!!!!!!!!

Portugal proved that they aren’t so great after all. Remember Holland vs Portugal?? Ball possesion was 60-40. Holland was better.

Germany are Austria’s stunt-double!

I don’t really care who wins, although I will say that watching Zizou–when he is on–is precious enough to make me hope France plays for as long as possible.

Nothing against Portugal, whom I also enjoy.

a quick tally (maybe inaccurate):

Portugal 8 votes
Italy 6 votes
France 4 votes
Germany 4 votes

this is very euro-vision

PS bobbio who are italy stunt-doubles of, Corsica?

Sorry guys some information to people who say that Argentina went out in last 16.
Correction Argentina lost to Germany in Quarter Finals on penalty shoot-out and I belive that Argentina played most entertaining football of this World Cup. They looked much stronger then Germans and lost becouse of mistake of their coach Jose Pekerman.
Also let’s not forget that Argentina was playing the hosts of this World Cup which was not a easy thing to do anyway.

FORZA ITALIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don’t care who wins.
I just don’t want Portugal TO WIN.

IF Rooney didn’t get a Red Card and if Beckham wasn’t Injured we would have won.

Cristiano Ronaldo Paid the Referee to make sure that Rooney got a REd CARD.

Cristiano Ronaldo also told CARAVALHO to make sure he ends up in between Rooneys Legs and to make sure that he position his CROTCH so that ROONEy can “STEP” ON IT!!

And then Ronaldo told Rooney to Push him right in front of the Referee. And Rooney is so nice he actually PUSHED Ronaldo because he told him to do so. If Ronaldo told him to Jump he would.

So yeah people. Just make sure Portugal Doesn’t Win.

Jealous dutch-boy? why not, you should be.

Of course im cheering for the german team. final vs. zidane and winning, great thought.

and if not….

France as a winner would be ok, i don’t like the idea of the oldest team winning, but it’s still zidane

Portugal – is ok, too…they’re the underdog right now. way over the line against holland, although, as a german,i kind of enjoyed it. on the other hand i hat ronaldo, arrogant, whiny sob, i just hate him.

Italy -n o way, destructive, defensive,too much diving.

To Krautfighter

WHY are you hating on Cristiano Ronaldo. He is so Powerful. he is so Rich he was able to pay the Referee to giev Rooney a RED CARD. omg

Italia!

Actually, let’s face it, I was never cheering for the US– it’s much more fun to support a team from a country where it actually means something.

Just some thoughts in response to the Italy-bashing: yes, the Azzurri are not the most fun team to watch as there are fewer exciting plays near the goal (they just won’t allow them), but don’t you think that the art of good defense is undervalued? Just because it’s not as action-packed doesn’t mean the players aren’t just as skillful. As for the accusations of brutality and play-acting, are they the only team guilty of this?

I’d love to see Portugal win against all the biased and unfair opinions.

The fact is Portugal’s football used to be all about playing a beautiful game and loosing in critical moments. I agree we haven’t showed a beautiful game throughout the tournament but we’ve been effective.

For those who say Portugal is small, I say 800 years of a rich history say otherwise. Does a country’s area really matter in today’s globalized culture?

GO PORTUGAL!!!

PS: Netherlands are Luxembourg’s stunt-double!

Both Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo are just kids. Who came from a poor background and who are too young to deal with instant fame and money. Too much responsibility has been put on their shoulders, by fans, the media… Leave them kids alone!!! They are both excellent players and if they’re allowed to grow up normally, they will continue to develop and will surely give great football performances to all the ones who really love football. So, come on, leave them kids alone!!!

Rooting for: Germany/Portugal (I don’t know what I’ll do if they both make the final.)

Rooting against: Italy (Just because.)

I want Germany to win because I like their creative Polish strikers. Along with Zidane, Klose has been the best man in this WC. Portugal is a great country so I wouldn’t mind it if they won. Just not France or Italy.

To eibe

I’m sorry. I can’t help it. I’m really upset that Ronaldo Winked at the Portugal Bench right after He got Rooney Red carded.

I really believe that ROnaldo Paid the Referee to get ROoney sent off. I mean We would have won if Rooney stayed.

ROnaldo is mean. He’s soo smart though. I mean he was able to tell Rooney to PUSH HIM. wow.

Michael Ballack is the Man! I love Michael Ballack…

GERMANY all the way!

I would love to see Germany vs. France…although it would be fun to watch Germany vs. Portugal and watch the Portugese lose! I can’t stand C. Ronaldo. Ugh..He ain’t all that..if anybody are cheaters in this World Cup, now that’s the team!

oh and Italy..only got there because they cheated Australia…they haven’t played that well…yeah they beat Ukraine 3-0 but it was Ukraine…I must admit though Luca Toni is hot…but still..no doubt I’m going for Germany….I love Germany!

Since everyone keeps bringing up diving. Posted by another user.

http://www.slate.com/id/2144625

Can I have Germany with the world cup please? Thank you.

To I’m English and Sally

Hei, guys, so you missed the subtle handshake between the two Dutch players when C. Ronaldo was injured in the Holland-Portugal match? Or didn’t you know that when an important player from the opposite team has to leave the field the other guys feel very happy about it? Sports ain’t always nice, you should know…

Germany all the way!!

I’m sick of hearing of this whole Ronaldo drama. He winked. Big deal. It’s Rooney’s own fault he got sacked. He stomped on a man’s genitals (whether intentional or not, that’s for Rooney himself to know) and he shoved another player. That’s a clear red card. Ronaldo talked to the ref, which is done by all players of any team.

He’s not playing for Man United right now, he’s playing for Portugal. He doesn’t have to hand the game to his club teammate.

Ronaldo is just a scapegoat for England’s poor performance during the cup.

ronaldo is a sissy, rooney is just a hooligan with skill, he deserved this red card. he kicked a lying man right there where it really hurts, man don’t do that and he is a professional sportsman, so this is far worse. he should be suspended for at least 3 games

Well lets see…its always easy to point fingers at the winners of any match and try and make excuses about why they won, but the reality of the matter is all the teams that have reached the semis do deserve to be there. They really do. and it is sad to hear the English and Dutch go on about how the Portuguese played rough and have suddenly become the bad boys of soccer. The Portuguese have balls! They always show respect and have always shown ethics in the game of soccer. It is a tradition they pride in the beauty of this game.

so come on guys we all know that if the English won no one would be mentioning anything about the Netherlands-portugal game. or this little country that at one time in history had the Pope divide the world in half for them. lets show a little class and enjoy watching the portuguese without trying to discredit them. They are truly a special breed of players with their rich and diverse influence coming from a mix and match of european, african and south american styles. they are able to adjust their game to any of the above mentioned styles…including rough if provoked!

The Lusitanian National Team deserves to win, because they have earned it!

Portugal all the way!

If Brazil couldn’t do it then Portugal for sure..and give me a break English!! Your team played like they were at a boxing match not a soccer game. Rooney screwed himself AND his team. I feel sorry for Beckham who has a little rabid bulldog for a teammate. As for the Portuguese being rough–BS! Anyone who saw the whole Holland/Portugal game saw that it was the Dutch who started all the rough play..what did you expect the Portuguese players to do–take it? GO PORTUGAL!!!!!

..and by the way? Italy played horribly. France would be my only other choice for winner as they played very well, unfortunately for my team – Brasil. ):

p.s. Oh yes, in respect to our Brasilian friends. Thank you for lending us Big Phil!!! You know that the Portuguese consider their team a Luso-Brasilian powerhouse because of him restructuring their team. After all lets not forget his huge contribution to date.

the English are sobbing because the Portuguese approached him before they did.

LUSITANOS all the way!!!

The Fatherland all the way.

Definitely Italy; great skill, great sportsmanship

GER vs FRA finals.
FRA wins.

That is all.

yes…that is all incorrect!

Time for a new champion…POOOORRRRRTTUUUUGAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!

Now onother world why Germany will win the cup: Take the last wins of Germany and you’ll get following mathematical term.

(54 * 74) – 1990 = 2006

So math can’t be wrong, we will win.

:)

Now another word why Germany will win the cup: Take the last wins of Germany and you’ll get following mathematical term.

(54 * 74) – 1990 = 2006

So math can’t be wrong, we will win.

:)

and thats why you guys should stick to designing automobiles :)

look at this :
ITALY….
1970 final lost
1982 final won
1994 final lost
2006 final ??
so.. math can’t be wrong ?!
can anyone stop crapshooting please? for every kind of “magic- math” there is another one i have seen so many about Brasil and Argentina BEING DESTINED to win and now is Germany ??..
yes math can be wrong if it manipulated to our desires!! may tomorrow be a good day for soccer all i ask is that!

Go Portugal. Go Felipao! Portugal for the win!

I go to a Portuguese church so it has to be Portugal all the way! FORÇA!!

Hoping for a France-Germany final and for France to win. Portugal and Italy have great skills and often great football but too much cynical and theatrical play for my liking. France and Germany seem to be happy to let the football do the talking and as a neutral observer that’s what I want to see.

France!!

or portugal!!

I know Germany will be the 2006 FiFa world cup champions.I like there style of play,and long time goal keeper shoemarka. i think the name i just spelt wrong,but it is pronounced that way. I think he is the best keeper yet.Go Germany!

Germany! They’re playing well, and so far they haven’t cheated their way to a win (Italy), or been horribly unsporting (Portugal), so they get my vote 100%

right now, i’m looking at a GER-FRA final match. but ask me again in a a couple of hours, i might just have another bet. at this stage, it’s anybody’s game. as far as i’m concerned, i expect an amazing game–whatever teams land on that field in berlin. this is what the world cup’s all about anyway, right?

peace, y’all.

As long as Italy lose, I’m happy :) They don’t need stunt-doubles, they’re all fine actors!

Can we PLEASE have people who want Portugal to win because of their love of the team, not because “OMG CRISTIANO RONALDO IS SOOOOOO HAAWWWT”….really takes away any credibility….

I want Portugal to win because I am Portuguese and all I’ve wanted is for the country that I love to lift that trophy and get some recognition!

I don’t want Italy to win cuz if the US couldn’t win I don’t want anyone in our group to. France I don’t want to win cuz I have personal biases. Germany I’m neutral about, but if it comes to Germany vs. Portugal…Portugal!!!

Rebecca: Accuse me of blind patriotism all you want, but I believe that you should ALWAYS root for your nation’s team. The only exception being if you were an immigrant. Then I could see supporting your home nation. And if soccer doesn’t mean something here isn’t that even MORE reason to support it, in the hopes that a strong performance will rise awareness and appreciation and earn fans? I think so.

All four teams have peaked; two have done so,early (Germany ,Portugal) and two are peaking now(France ,Italy) Italy vs Portugal in final. Italy wins final 2-1

OMG y is every1 hating on Cristiano Ronaldo… he did nothing portugal was the better team this time (alltimes) just give them creadit and if england cant win cuz of 2 players then they SUCK!!!! i want portugal to win all the way to the bank..
and 4 the boys who talked about C.ronaldo ur just jeally cuz he is wayyyyyyyyyy hotter than u… but i luv portugal team ..adios and good bye

Italy’s defense is a thing of beauty when it’s on. Germany’s two strikers are so technically skilled it takes one’s breath away. Portugal gives it their all every time out. France has Zidane, which is enough to make anyone love that team.

I will honestly be happy with whichever side wins this Cup!

The main thing that everyone should not loose site of is the fact that the four remaining teams are there because they earned it. Im sic of all the excuses all you loosers are making especially the Austrailians, you had almost a full game with an extra man and you couldnt score. Don’t blame the Italians for taking the call, there isnt a team or player from any country that wouldnt take it if it was in there favour. The thing I love seeing now is how all the “we’re the greatest” Brazilians are quietly going back to there third world country. Arrogance will always bite you in the end.

Not Italy (I can watch ballet here in home city)

Not Portugal (I hate DIRTY teams)

Germany VS France FINAL!
Let the best of football win!

Portugal ftw.

Portugal
Italy
German
France

? or it could go the opposite side… :-) EIther way, let’s hope to see some really awesome football!!

France (1st choice) – would love to see Zizou lift the Cup before he finally calls it a career.

Italy (2nd choice) – given the current sad state of affairs of the serie a, i would like Italy to win it to bring some joy to the people.

PORTUGAL!!!!

to every one else

Quite su boca!!!!!

Tricia,

The best known keeper to-date in term of records is Dino Zoff of Italy. The second best known to date is perhaps Dassaiev of Russia.

just wanted to say great piece nicko first of all. There are 3 teams in this worldcup who all deserve to win equally in my opinion.

Germany – Has played the best football out of any team at this worldcup thus far, their fearless style and change of style from their traditional defence based approach has been amazing to witness and their young stars such as klose and podolski have been a sight to see with their brilliance and skill and being on home soil would be a fantastic experience for the youngsters in the team

France – have been there before with pretty much their current line-up would luv to see Zidane go out on the high that his GREATNESS deserves

Portugal – havn’t been there, have played good football this worldcup were unlucky at euro 2004 and have a great chance this time

and if Italy win, then may fifa be taken to jail with them on July 9th. Either way excitement awaits :)

It seems to me that Portugal embody the negative traits that everybody wrongly accuses Italy of: diving/playacting taken to new heights, unimaginative attack, going into a defensive shell with a 1-0 lead. They have absolutely no chance against France.

anyone but Italy please. May the Football Gods listen…. ANYONE BUT ITALY. preferably germany… I think they were the least of all teams tipped to win… And how they went on through the tournament, was good to see.

ITALY….
1970 final lost
1982 final won
1994 final lost
2006 final ??
so.. math can’t be wrong ?!
(Lets watch and see…, Though football match wining doesnot falls into mathematics law.. (^_^) )

And this time no one but Portugal has got a good chance, because of good players and their long range shots , and quality..

Cheers,
Raj.

But in terms of sheer “oh-jesus-on-a-pogo-stick-that-was-a-unbelievable-save” quality, you cant do better than Lev Yashin and Michel Preudhomme.

germany: mazing hosts,great attcking play,riding a wave of unprecedented soccer mania!
portugal:solid attacking players-ronaldo,maniche..to top a goalie like Ricardo to stop shots.. when comes to penalties!
france:zidane flair and if the vintage team gets it going it would be worth a spectacle.
italy:if you saw brian mc bride bleeding..tough to support.But,if germans prod them to let loose totti, toni can brighten up the nights.

Let me join portugal.. then germmany!!

Hi
Germany beat Argentina though Argentina played well.France beat Brazil though Brazil played well.Italy played well and won.Portugal was better than England on that day and won.So Italy and Portugal won played better and reached semis.But Geramany are host and France have ZIDAne palying his last.
So It is HOST vs BETTER and ZIDANE(emotions for France) vs BETTER .
I have to choose for two finalist.(Hard) Choice !!!
So leave one BETTER and one Emotions.

So Final is Between GERMANY and PORTUGAL.

They have rooted out Aregentina (My favourite) but believe me it is all GERMANY ,GERMANY this time.

I hope Italy wins. Just because it would piss all the sore Aussies off

Deutschland vor!

DJR:

Let me perfectly clear about this:
Italy, England and France (from the top of my head) have all benifited directly (and advanced in the tournament) directly due to cheating. Ill specify:
Italy: late penalty with a dive in a deadlocked match.
England: Victory over T&T with a foul by Crouch.
France: Dive by Henry against Spain resulted in the Goal that gave advantage to Spain.

Name 1. ONE. 1 example where Portugal benifited directly (goals) from cheating. Apparently it´s one of the “cleaner” teams in the semis. You like being spoonfed crap by the English tabloids? Go right ahead.

What’s with the Cristiano Ronaldo lovers?…. He has a lopsided mouth

France.

Ok lets see

France
- Pros – They have old players with lots of experience. They screwed Brazil in their asshole like they never experienced since 1982.
- Cons – They are not a european team. When in europe a european team always wins. Maybe in South Africa 2010 they have better chance when they play home. Ribbery should change nationality, even though France is not the only african team to have a few white players. Angola had some too that was surprising.

Portugal
- pros – They have a cross on the back of their shirts. That is definitely a plus and the only reason they got this far. I was expecting them to beat the Iranians with great wrath. Everytime Portugal plays against a muslim country like france they will win. So portugal will go the finals.
- Cons – They are portugal. They never win anything. Also they have a brazilian coach, they don’t deserve to win. Teams that win always have their coach of the same nationality.

Germany
- pros – They play at home, and can easely influence the refs. Also they have great beer. Liquid bread.

- Cons – They will get really screwed against Italy if they don’t cheat. Also individually they have no real brilliant player. Ballack is ok, but like his name seems to tell us, he suck donkey balls.

Italy

- pros – They have a team full of quality players. they really want to win. They have one of the best coaches in the world. They have the best defense in the world, and one of the greatest strikers in the world.

- Cons – Germany is gonna play with 12 players. (ref included)

So my prediction will be

Italy winning the world cup

FRANCE

France. Let’s give the old guys (who are also the only ones currently playing attractive football) one last hurrah!

This world cup is Italy’s!

I know that not all of the english fans are like some bastards that write in here. For the good ones i would like to say that you had bad luck because the game was a lot harder after you lose rooney (but the game is that way and in portugal other game it happened to us).

For the others, i say to them to go sit in front of TV and go watch the dives of Michael Owen in 98 and 02.

Portugal is a great country and respects the people from other places and you saw that when we organised the euro 2004 everything went well and not even the stupid hooligans came here because it was everything made with our hearts.

We have a great team with fantastic players and we will support them to the end (winning or loosing).

A kiss to a friend in England that had a difficult time on saturday and thanks to her english boyfriend that is by her side and even being sad will support Portugal.

Cheers to all that love football and respect the other fans.

Portugal will win 15 – 0 !!!

France, please. Zidane deserves it. Mr. Scarface deserves it too. If not France, anybody but Italy.

Massimo, keep it up. You’re doing great for dispelling the notion that Italian football has a serious problem with racism. Oh, and don’t forget to make those monkey chants while watching France play.

To “DeKaY”, from russia.
Our “dirty team” won against russia 7-1 last time… Do you need “rennie”?

To those who accuse the Portuguese of diving or cheating their way through the Cup (and yes the Portuguese, like almost all the other countries at the Cup, do endulge in too much theatrics) please give me a concrete example of cheating.
As far as I can see, Portugal has not won any game through cheating:
1) No penalty kicks given unfairly (ie diving) to Portugal. Same can’t be said of Italy
2) No goals scored through cheating (ie. foul, offside, hand of god, etc). Same can’t be said of England (Crouch’s goal against Trinidad and Tobago).
3) No set pieces that ended in goals brought about by cheating (ie diving). Same can’t be said of France (Henry’s diving which set up free kick against Spain which led to the goal).
4) Diving. OK, well the Portuguese do dive, as do many others. On the other hand, the portuguese dives have not helped them at all, on the contrary (many actual fouls against Ronaldo were ignored by the ref in the England match precisely because of his reputation, which works against him). In fact, I don’t recall seeing any portuguese diving in the penalty box at all, unlike many others (Robben and V. Persie in the Holland match, M. Rodriguez in the Germany match, Italian dive against Australia, too many brazilians to mention and I do recall the Michael Owen diving antics in WC 1998 – yes even the English dive although they like to think its’s a foreign import to the Premier League).
The only blemish I can make out on Portugal’s game so far is the Figo head butt in the Holland game. Yes that was inexcusable (it always is no matter the reason), but one must look into the context it happened. A very tough match where the Dutch deliberately set out to injure Portugal’s star player Ronaldo in the first five minutes of the match and the level of violence escalated from there. One incident (which did not even look violent on TV, unsportsmanlike yes, violent no) does not define a team. How come no one accuses the Germans of being dirty and violent despite the fact they brawled against Argentina, with punches thrown on both sides?
The reason that Portugal has been branded as cheats is because the media (anglo/dutch) deliberately branded them that way despite the facts (go see the stats at FIFA’s site) disproving that “conventional wisdom”.

To sum up, diving is a part of the game. Always has been, always will. I don’t think it’s cheating unless it changes the outcome of the match (ie Italy v. Australia). Furthermore, every human being cheats if the incentives are right (go read the excelent award winning book Freakonomics), as is clearly the case with WC football. Recently I saw a great article in the english press about the top 10 dives of all time. I wish I could find the link.
Many of the fans here that scream hatred and bloody murder against (insert your hated nationality here) are just unable to cope with their team’s loss, and therefore engage in the classic psychological escape valve of denial (we are the best and they won by cheating) and transference (transfering blame to anybody but their team).
To the more mature and civilised fans out there: Don’t worry about it and don’t take the insults against your team/country personally. And please don’t respond in kind, it ruins this blog for the rest of us who love the game and the civilised exchange of ideas and opinions.

Thank you for your time.

Portugal to win the Cup.

It’s not racist to say France has an African team. It’s pretty much true.

If you think I was being racist is because you think that comment is negative.

I actually don’t care about racism in football. It’s not something I would spend so much time and money getting rid off like Fifa is doing. Just let it happen it’s normal. If you are a Mexican player and play in the MLS (American league) you cannot expect to have everything easy. You will be given a hard time, especially because you are in another country. If you are a white Engeneer and get a contract in South Africa, you cannot expect to be treated well. In fact I know many that have a real hard time working in Africa. So if you are an African player and play in Seria A, it’s obvious people are gonna give you a hard time. Nothing wrong with that. It’s called life.

If they bitch about it, let them go back to their country and rot.

and Kevin K,

I would make monkey sounds if I was supporting France. I would dress up like a monkey in the stadium, the players would feel more at home and play better, but I’ll rather they lose.

@ Janus

I think Portugal is a strong team but their achilles heel is their temper. It always comes back to nip them in the butt. Remember Korea 2002 when Joao Pinto (I think) punched or pushed or attempted to punch a ref. I think they got frustrated in that game and let the other team and the ref get under their skin. The result: they overreacted and get stupid red cards.

In this year’s world cup they did get some favourable calls.

1) Maniche scores against Holland and runs off the field _ which should be an automatic yellow card ( and seeing he already had one in the game (19 min) he should have been thrown out after he scored (23 min)

2) Figo should have been red carded and suspended for his head butt – violent or not – if Fifa is going to suspend frings via video replay, not suspending figo is inexcusable.Other teams have felt the wrath of fifa : ask Italy , Arg or Ger but PORT???

In short, Portugal is a good team but to sat they got ZERO favours from the refs is laughable. I have a feeling these missed red cards would have definitely affected the outcome of the Holland game as portugal would only have 7-8 players left on the field.

Anyways my theory is as long as we have HUMAN BEINGS refereeing games we will have MISTAKES -some big some small. Then again if it weren’t for these mistakes we would have nothing to talk about or complain about. Until we have video replay during live games we should not complain about bad calls because they are unfortunately part of the game.

“So if you are an African player and play in Seria A, it’s obvious people are gonna give you a hard time. Nothing wrong with that. It’s called life.”

It’s maybe obvious for an italian fan making monkey sounds,throwing bananas and stuff is called life, Italian clubs have the most racist
fans in whole europe, especially the roman clubs. its really bad

“If they bitch about it, let them go back to their country and rot.”

i think your a racist scumback, and a discrace for your nation. i spit on ignornat assh*les lik you. btw, is there any chance that you’re a lazio fan? cause it would fit perfectly in my worldview

Best GK of all time:

Sepp Maier, Dino Zoff, Toni Schumacher, Walter Zenga, Zubizaretta,Oliver Kahn and of course Igita (don’t remember igita? ttp://www.ferienwohnungen-davos.ch/filme/torwart_cool.mpeg)

Why germany will win:
we have never won against italy in a wc

we never lost against anyone in Dortmund

this means: draw after 90 minutes, draw after 120 minutes result: PENALTY KICK and Germany rules PK

and yet again Massimo, u prove why italians are so hated around the world, ur nothing more than a bunch of DOGS!!! maybe everytime u dumbf*cks step on to the pitch everyone in the crowd should start barking and playing BAHAMEN’s WHO LET THE DOGS OUT? WOOF WOOF!!! RACIST DIPSH*TS

@Zantheman

You are right about the lack of emotional control in the Portugal team in WC 2002. It was Joao Pinto who punched the ref and thereby squandered the rest of the squad’s chances. The team payed the price and so did Pinto (he never played again for Portugal).
I believe that since that shameful incident indiscipline has been eradicated from the squad, and their record since then speaks for itself (not one single red card, a claim most of the other teams cannot make). This 4 year record without a single red card ended with the Holland match. As has been stated before, that match was one to forget from both teams, but there was actually little violence on the pitch.

Regarding your points:

1) I can’t agree with you on this one. If this were true then every single match would be rife with expulsions as 99% of the players run towards the stands after scoring. I don’t know where you get the idea that running off the pitch is an automatic card. I believe this only happens when the celebrations take too long or the players remove their shirts.

2) Here I agree with you that Figo was very very lucky (I can’t say favoured because the Russian ref clearly had no love lost for Portugal – as he admitted later in an interview to a russian paper.) The reason FIFA did not ban him (unlike the Frings case) was that Ivanov booked Figo during the incident (admitedly he was lucky to see yellow, not red, but Van Bommel’s theatrics probably actually backfired against Holland). In all the other cases (Frings, Italy) the ref missed what happened on the pitch or the events took place after the match, that’s why FIFA felt it had to apply “justice” later on.

Except for the Figo incident I just analysed above (and remember that Boolarouz should have gotten a direct red card for his assault on Ronaldo, so the ref made a mistake both ways), I still don’t see anyone pointing to any example where Portugal was favoured or cheated their way to the semifinals.
Lucky? yes
Favoured by refs? no
Cheated? no
Skill? yes
Willpower and total dedication to victory? yes

And I agree that bad calls are part of the game and will remain forever because of the human element. Sometimes they go your way, sometimes they don’t. It happens in every other sport, so why not football?

Again, thanks for your comments. I enjoy discussing these issues with like minded individuals in a civilised manner.

@Massimo: So, nothing technical against POR…

“The” cross, is still the legacy of the Order of Christ – “leftovers” of the Kights of Templar, ordered to me terminated by the pope and kept by D Dinis, portuguese king. They were crutial in the discoveries quest. It’s the one you can see in the boats, NOT the country’s cote of arms.

It’s the same you see in red in the portuguese federation symbol, and in white in the brazilian confederation symbol.

“The” brazilliant coach… Well… Not only it’s a poor argument, there was a time POR and BRA were indeed a single country, called “The United Kingdom of Portugal and Brazil”. It was the portuguese prince (D.Pedro) who fought for Brazil’s independance.

All the other collonies were independant much after. More than 100 years later than Brzil…

To those who accuse the Portuguese of lack of fair play, enjoy this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9Eh20XkatM , an example of english fair play…

alright it seems everyone is getting too agitated before the game…

new FIFA rule (suggested by a Lusitanian) . everyone needs to quickly find their special someone and have a lot of really aggressive sex!!!! and make sure they are wearing your teams jersey, that will help!

the testosterone level has gotten far too high, in these last e-mails. :)

@ janus .

Thanks for the response. Regarding Figo he was lucky to get a yellow . So when I say he was favoured I am comparing his call to other tackles: Matterazzi on The aussie player ( direct red -a joke) he was trying to legally tackle a guy and missed (tackling is part of the game ) but Headbutting your opponent is inexcusable no matter how lightly you do it! So much for FIFA fair play. Figo was lucky, really lucky!!

Regarding the Maniche running off the field incident. I was unaware of this yellow card rule and thought it was for overcelebrating (taking off your shirt ) but while I was watching the game the announcer (a former CANADIAN national team keeper ) stated that he should receive a yellow for LEAVING the pitch to celebrate.

I was perplexed about this info so I looked up fifa’s rules of the game and it states that:

a player shall be cautioned if he:

7. deliberately leaves the field of play without the referee’s permission.

Here’s the link:http://www.fifa.com/en/regulations/regulation/0,1584,3,00.html

I haven’t noticed many players other than Maniche actually leaving the field of play to celebrate.He practiclly ran up to the crowd. I have seen many celebrations, pile ups and festivities take place ON the field. As a result, according to FIFA rules, not my rules, he should have been shown his 2nd yellow and dismissed from the game.

Apparently, you can also get a yellow card for violating rule 6: reentering or leaving the field of play without the ref’s permission.

just some food for thought!

I enjoy your well thought out comments and responses that contain no vulgar add ons.

Cheers!

Screw this, I am too nervous to even make a prediction! But I want the Azzurri to win it!

Southern California supports Portugal!

Germany r gr8 they’ve been doing the best,I hope they win but if they somehow lose i think France will win it cos they have returned to form

Suck a lemon, Italy!!!!

Today against Italy.. The first goal is for you, Torsten. The second goal is for you, Torsten and the third goal against Italy will tell the Italian press that they cannot beat Germany. In the meanwhile, please someone replace FIFA.

Greater Los Angeles area, inlcuding Mexico supports Germany….

I support Germany from the very beginning. I really don’t mind who they go against but I really hope they win the cup. And if not….then any other team will be fine too. I’m just so sad that I won’t be able to see Ronaldinoh anymore. XD I loved him, he was so cute! And an awesome football player. My dad was devistated when Brazil lost. XD We all loved Ronaldinoh.

GER and ITA might not want to meet FRA in the final. They both would be rooting for POR to win.

However, FRA and POR would prefer meeting ITA in the final. FRA would be rooting for ITA to win.

So, my conclusion: Final game will be ITA – POR.

And if this becomes true, my heart says POR will win the cup and my mind says ITA will win the cup.

I hear everybody complaining of the poor performance by top players and teams just playing “crisis management instead of positive attacking football.” However, please keep things in perspective and realize the intensity and brutal toll the sport has on these athletes. The World Cup is undoubtadly football’s greatest spectacle. It’s also a monthlong grind, and the fatigue starts to sink in.

Games every few days, many playing under a hot, muggy sun. Travel across a country that’s almost as big as California. Pressure that grows with every game. And that’s on top of the nine months – or more – that many players just spent with the top and very demanding clubs accross Europe.

“The World Cup is a special test,” said Portugal goalkeeper Ricardo Pereira.”No matter how hard you try, you can’t completely overcome that tiredness.”

Or the injuries. Or the mental exhaustion.

Some teams manage better than others. Look at Germany, Italy, France and Portugal. They all have outstandin players but they definately do not look like it. But, they managed to outlast the other 28 teams, and it’s not only because of skill, timing and luck.

Italy is probably the strongest team mentally, able to ignore distractions from a corruption scandal that is rocking the domestic league. Despite several grueling games, Portugal has managed to remain in the tournment. France saved its energy and now looks fresher now than a month ago. And Germany is among the fittest teams after coach Juergen Klinsmann overhauled its training program.

“Physical condition is very important, because in soccer these days, 95 percent of the time the team that runs more wins,” Italy defender Gianluca Zambrotta said. “Compared to the past, soccer is much more athletic and the pace is much faster.”

When the tournament began in 1930, there were only 13 teams and it lasted two weeks. Now 32 teams play 64 games over four weeks, and qualifying begins two years out.

So give them a break and enjoy the teams from a perpective that the best crisis management team will win and not necessarily the team with the most lightning strike attack with precission pin point accuracy.

Forza Italia

Germany is the best and it will win

Final: Germany vs France

I’m sorry Italy won…..since they won that penalty against Australia there is no team I hate more…. If you want to talk about a clear group of cheaters…it’s Italy.

France….NEVER… also divers and cheaters

I guess I would want Portugal (forget about holland match…more holland fault than Portugal’s) to win…they are the “Brazilians of Europe”

Portugal win it for your former colony ..BRAZIL

Good luck Portugal…such a small country and such a big achievement…congrads

This is so pointless. I’ve read most of it and from what I gathered is that none of the post’s I’ve read even think of the final four from a football point of view(I’ve read about 15, so perhaps not all). My point is this, everyone reaches their conclusions based on theories, the Portuguese are foul players, the Germans cheat, the French are old, and the Italians are has-beens. Why not look at it from a different angle, something no-one seems to be doing. Which team actually plays the best football? Now I’m no expert but here are a few points to digest.

Germany: Play strong ball, much stronger physically than the other three.
Italy: Have not played to their full potential, but have advanced this far. Should be dangerous if they just stepped up the tempo a bit, while still playing their usual patient ball.
France: The most promising of the four. Played a near perfect ball against the current (but only for 9 more days) champions. Have great talent with the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vierra, Claude Makelele, and Frank Ribery (who in my humble opinion is likely to be the next Zidane. Any comments?)
Portugal: Haven’t really seen much of their games. Only game I’ve seen, unfortunately was the Porto – Netherlands game. Frankly I was to busy commenting on the fighting. But great talent, great players, great team.

Having said that I think France will be the eventual winners simply because I’m a French fan  and they play a very good ball.

definately portugal even though a few hours ago id said germany when they were still in it.would nt mind france. it’d be a great send off for zidane. france will be krap after this world cup.

Portugal is considered the weakest link BUT let’s not forget we are still 2nd place in Europe, and amongs the 4 best from the world…do I need to say more?!
PORTUGAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maradona and Messi support Portugal. Maybe because they know a bit about footbal :)

PORTUGAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@Zantheman

I enjoyed reading your comments. You make some good points but I don’t think that the rule you mentioned applies when the game is stopped (ie. after a goal). Even if it does, the rules are made to be interpreted by humans who are supposed to use common sense and not an inflexible “by the book” mentality.
Anyway, that is how the football culture in Europe works, maybe in Canada they have a stricter interpretation. It boils down to the football culture and the ref in the final analysis.

Cheers to you too my friend.

I have to get back to work before I get fired ;)

Forza italia… why does everybody go against italy and why does everybody think there cheaters. Diving is a good thing. They do it to win free kicks. (its not really cheating). And that penalty shot against austrailia, they didnt cheat. i say that was a bad call but that was the refs disission. thats not italys fault……. ITALIA IS GONNA WIN IT ALL