Liveblog: France vs. Spain

June 27th, 2006 | by: Chris Heidrich |

After taking the early lead via a penalty, Spain could not hold out against a French side that showed they’re not afraid to attack. Two goals in the second half put France through to face Brazil in the quarter-finals in a replay of the ‘98 final.

Final: France 3-1 Spain

Full-time: Like the sun rising in the east, Spain bows out of a major tournament early. They just cannot crack into the final rounds, whether through nightmare referees (2002), or being outplayed by an experienced French team. After the early rounds when they looked so good, Spain just did not look good enough to win tonight. France had the better chances, looked more likely to score and while I’m not happy with the way France scored their second goal, I have to say the better team on the night won. My prediction of the score was correct but I chose the wrong winner. Well done, Les Bleus!

91:30 – GGGGGOOOOAAAALLLLL!!!!!! France. Zidane! He springs the offside trap once again, this time the pass coming from soneone other than him. He still had some work to do, but showed some life in the old legs as he skipped around one Puyol and finishes nicely past Casillas.

90:55 – Yellows coming thick and fast in the final stages of this otherwise clean game. Zidane brings down Fabregas.

90:00 – Alonso fouls Gallas by putting a hand in his face. Could be Spain’s last chance. 3 minutes of injury time.

88:06 – Spain pressuring from the free kick and earn a corner after nice work on the right. From the corner Garcia just misses his header and Zidane clears. The nxt corner goes deep and Bathez comes to claim the ball after it is headed back across the face of goal.

86:52 – Ribery gets a yellow card for kicking the ball away after Vieira fouls Fabregas. Stupid yellow. France takes the time to take out Dirty Henry for Wiltord.

85:10 – Minutes for Spai to come back in this one. They haven’t looked likely and France has snuck in with a late goal. Don’t like the way Henry earned the free kick that lead to the goal, but what’s done is done and Spain must fight back.

83:10 – GGGGGGOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!!!! Zidane free kick into the box. Alonso gets his head to it but it falls to Vieira at the back post. His header hits Ramos and squeaks into the goal. Nothing Casillas could do on that one.

81:45 – Yellow card for Puyol of Spain. Absolute joke as Henry milks the free kick. Puyol gave Henry a nudge in the chest with his elbow and Henry collapsed holding his face. Sickening to watch that crap from a class player.

80:24 – Quick free kick sees Zidane sweep a long ball over to Ribery who controls the ball and moves inside his defender in one movement. Nice stuff. His pass finds Govou on the edge of the area but his shot is skied over the bar.

78:39 – Joaquin shows a nice turn of pace to blow by Abidal and into the French penalty area. His shot, unfortunately for Spain only finds the side netting. Barthez not called on to make a save from 15 yards.

77:46 – Ramos steps up his acting regime with a nice tumble in the corner. He was well defended and simply fell over. No need to cry out and grab your legs when you only hurt yourself.

77:05 – Corner after the free kick Torres earned is headed clear. Replay shows a Spanish attacker jumping with his arm raised. No need for that in the game.

76:10 – Torres enjoys spending time on his back as once again he’s on the deck after a light challenge from Saginol.

73:55 – Malouda comes off for France. Govou takes his place. Spain will breathe a sigh of relief.

72:50 – Torres makes a meal out of a light touch NEAR his face by Vieira after the Frenchman had won possession from the Spaniard. The ref has nothing to do with the theatrics but stops play since it appears to be a problem with the head.

71:05 – Malouda does his best to win a free kick and the ref obliges. Chance for Spain to make their last sub. Xavi comes off for Marcos Senna. Malouda is a bit of a bull. He throws his body about quite a bit and is often seen clattering into someone.

70:03 – Quiet times for France. They haven’t had any prolonged possession or gotten the ball towards Henry for some time.

68:22 – Joaquin is called for handball in the box after a tussle to the ball as it was coming down. He can’t believe it but the ref had a great view of it and it was the right call.

66:35 – Abidal hacks down Xavi but instead of a booking the ref makes a point of having Abidal go over to Xavi to shake his hand. This is good refereeing. Seconds later Vieira scythes down Torres. Again no card, although it was a worthy foul and probably a good time to use the yellow.

65:38 – Nice sweeping move with Fabregas finding Pernia with a long pass. Pernia runs inside but is dispossessed. A story of Spain’s night so far.

63:20 – Spain starting to dominate possession again but not creating many chances as yet. France defending well in numbers without giving the impression they’re playing a negative style of football, ala Italy.

60:45 – Ramos makes a textbook sliding tackle on Malouda on the corner. Great to see that in slow motion.

59:41 – Nice chance for Spain. Ball crossed in from the right and a desparation tackle by a French defender clears the danger. Looks like Garcia might have had the best shot at getting to that ball.

57:20 – Figured out it was Joaquin who replaced Villa. His speed should help Spain get in behind France. They haven’t really been able to yet.

55:30 – Happy to see Raul sit down. He’s been pretty quiet. Spain needs some imagination up front to break down the French who have defended very well so far (penalty notwithstanding).

53:26 – Double substitution for Spain. Raul for Luis Garcia, and David Villa is off as well. Didn’t see who replaced him yet but will update as I find out.

52:55 – Perhaps Spain is a little too inexperienced to handle the French pressing of the offside trap. They’re really struggling to contain the fast break.

51:15 – Malouda forces a great save from Casillas . The ball just would not come down quick enough for him to get a solid shot away, but he does well enough with the side volley. Zidane’s pass put thim through again.

49:40 – Ribery and Henry take turns controlling a long pass from Zidane on the right wing. Henry takes on a Spanish defender but his pass inside finds no one.

48:22 – Henry lucky to escape with a talking to from the ref after a hefty and late challenge on Puyol, who invited the challenge by mis-controlling the ball in the first place.

47:40 – Pablo acquainting himself with the grass again. This time he gets a kick in the guts while jumping for a header.

45:34 – Makalele wastes no time making his presence felt, by banging into Pablo. Pablo shows he’s very good at falling down a second time. But the ref did make the right call with the penalty.

45:01 – Second half underway. Thanks to JMV in the comments for clearing up the mystery of Torres’ tattoo. Apparently it is “Fernando” in one of the languages J.R.R. Tolkien made up. Pretty cool, but I’m not sure I’d need to see my own name staring back at me all the time. Unless he’s very forgetful.

Half-time Highlights: Zidane has been highly involved without dominating the game. Henry has been playing right up to the last defender and looks ready to break the offside trap at any time.

Spain on the other hand have been more patient in their build-up. Fabregas has had plenty of touches but no killer passes as yet. Villa and Torres have been throwing themselves about but most of their possession has been in deeper positions, running at defenders but having to get rid of the ball before they get close enough for a shot on goal.

It’s a tight encounter and while Spain has had more possession, I give France the edge so far. Let’s see what the second half holds.

Half-time: No injury time played by the ref, who blows right on 45 minutes. A fairly entertaining half of football. Not a shower of chances but two goals and some enterprising passing in midfield by both sides. Neither goalkeeper has been called on to make a save as yet, but they’ve both picked the ball up out of the back of the net.

43:37 – Great morale boost for Les Blues just before the half. What can Spain do in response?

42:32 – This game has turned into end-to-end stuff. France nearly break through again at one end, then Torres bursts into the French area at the other. Torres goes down in the box but the ref tells him to get up and get on with it.

40:42 – GGGGGOOOOOAAAAALLLLL!!!!!!! Ribery springs the offside trap, while Henry was in an offside position but not interfering with play. Vieira plays him through, Ribery rounds the keeper and finishes well.

38:45 – Henry is unhappy with the offsides call, but perhaps it was the push-off on the Spanish defender that made the ref blow his whistle. Either way, a fair result.

37:50 – Frustration for Spain as they get two cheap free kicks awarded against them. The second is in range for a dangerous cross by Zidane to the back post, but Casillas is there to take care of it.

36:36 – Torres has got some wicked tatts down his left forearm. Anyone know what they are or if they say anything? Looks like Arabic.

35:21 – Sergio Ramos hits the deck hard clutching his face after Malouda runs into him trying to get by. Ramos is a good actor and will do well in Hollywood with that hair.

34:29 – Ribery earns a free kick after keeping the ball away from 5 Spaniards. He’s got some nice close in skills.

31:55 – Pernia charges into a challenge to win the ball but gets hurt in the process. Probably because Ribery dragged his studs down Pernia’s shin. The ref plays on, but Spain kicks it out so he can receive some attention.

30:46 – Corner to Spain. The ball bounces out to Fabregas who scuffs his shot from 20 yards and it dribbles to Barthez.

29:01 – Fast response by France. They certainly have some urgency after the goal. Some nice passing moves that cross the width of the field, until the final ball which finds Malouda offside.

27:21 – GGGGOOOOOOAAAALLLLLL! Villa steps up and takes a strong penalty. Barthez guesses right but the penalty was inch-perfect. Villa has three goals in the World Cup now.

26:24 – Penalty! Spain. Pablo is hacked down from behind by Thuram. It was unlucky, but the right call by the ref. Villa steps up to take it.

24:54 – Fabregas not having the best of spells. He gets skinned on the wing by Saginol who whips a cross in. Casillas cleans up though and there is no danger.

22:42 – Fabregas loses the ball in midfield and Zidane picks it up. His patient pass finds Henry who puts a cross in and the ball rolls across the face of goal. Two French players, Ribery and Vieira, only have to get a solid touch on the ball to score but neither can. Great chance for France that came and went in a second.

20:38 – Ball bobbling around in center field with no player able to control it. Zidane is in the thick of it. God to se the ol’ fella battle it out with the young blokes.

19:40 – Gallas pulls Torres down at midfield after the young striker down well to chest the ball down.

17:02 – Zidane plays a long ball from deep in the French half to try and put Henry in a one-on-one race with Puyol. Puyol is equal to the task and heads to safety, stretching something in the process.

15:32 – Zidane plays a nice ball down the right to put Ribery into space. His cross at speed has only Henry to aim at. Spain is back in numbers but the balls hangs in the 18 yard box long enough for Zidane to charge in. His shot is blocked and a corner results.

14:18 – Nice buildup by Spain and they burst down the right with Xavi releasing Torres. He tries to get behind Abidal but slips at the crucial moment.

12:38 – A quick free kick taken by France sees Zidane just offside. Nice shot of him interacting with the AR showing him how close it must have been.

11:14 – France coming back now. Ribery to Zidance who feeds Henry out wide on the left. He cuts inside but his shot is weak and Casillas collects easily.

09:58 – Nice, controlled possession by Spain. not going anywhere but making France chase the ball about.

07:58 – Villa is felled by a bump to the back of the head by Thuram’s forehead. Free kick to Spain and Pernia steps up to take it. His bending shot is well struck with nice pace but just doesn’t come around enough to trouble Barthez.

07:10 – Finally there actually is a corner to France. Casillas punches clear but a foul is blown on French players jumping into the keeper.

05:26 – Confusion reigns. It appears as though Henry has told the referee that instead of a corner to France, it should have been a goal kick to Spain. Zidane has no idea what’s going on and I’m in the same boat. Damn the German commentary. I want Henry to tell the IRS I don’t owe them any money this year. He’s got such an honest face.

04:11 – A long ball into the French box aiming for Raul. Barthez claims but the ref blows for a push by Raul.

02:35 – Spain breaking out of defense and showing some of that speed. Within 3 passes they were putting a ball into the French box. Nothing came of it, but a warning to France to make sure they leave someone at home at all times.

01:17 – Saginol goes on the litle run down the right near the half then hits the deck like a sack of spuds under challenge. He reckons he got a bump to the face. Replay inconclusive.

00:01 – We’re off! Let the games begin. Spain should bring a fast-paced game which will test the ageing legs of the French, especially towards the end of the game. If France progress, 6 of the 7 World Cup winners will be through to the quarter finals.

National Anthems: Spain’s wordless anthem just looks weird to see no players singing. Wonder if they feel left out when all the other teams get to belt out a tune. Platini not singing the French anthem. As the players shake hands, Fabregas gets a hug from Henry and Vieira. The Arsenal connections run through both teams.

5 minutes to go: Players in the tunnel. France wearing white tonight. Spain in traditional red. Fabregas is starting the game for Spain and I think that’s a good move for them. Starting Raul on the other hand is a backward step. They have so many other talented strikers. Raul is Spain’s Zidane.

15 minutes to go: Amazingly, Spain and France have never met in the World Cup before, but they did meet on this date in 1984 and it was a glorious day for the French. Will we see history repeated? Chris O over on the France team blog makes the case for Zidane starting on the bench. This will never happen, of course, but it’s an interesting thought. Is there a point where he becomes a liability?

Pre-game: Who will win this match?
After watching the Brazilians (literally) stroll through their 3-0 win over a defensively naive Ghana, we’re almost ready to find out who they will play. France may be finding their scoring touch after their 2-0 win and constant peppering of the Togo goal in their final group game. Spain rested just about everyone in their final group game and still squeaked out a win so we should expect them to be full of running tonight.

It has the potential to be a fantastic game and I’m crossing my fingers. My prediction is 3-1 Spain. What’s yours?

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Tom

As much as I love los hombres de españa, I have a bad feeling about this game. France is going to play a very defensive game and I’m predicting a 1-0 France win.
Denis

If France doesn’t get their team gameplay back, that’s a 3-1 for Spain, but if their magic is back, France wins 3-2.
malik

what is that live foooty website again…for the free streaming? is there any way i can stream the game after its over???????
Ali Siddiqui

Looks like a good match! :D
Henna

If anyone has a link to an audio feed, I’d be very grateful — stuck in office again & Sun link does not seem to work. Thanks.
Chris

Live British commentary at:

http://clients.mediaondemand.net/theSun/?Channel=1
JMV

Torres’s left arm tat is his name in a language J.R.R. Tolkien made up. WHAT A NERD.
Anton

Answer:

No. Two yellow cards in the SAME game means ejection from that game and suspension from the next game.

A yellow card in last game and a yellow card in a current game (two separate games) means suspension for the next game without an ejection.
http://facetiae.blogspot.com Philipp

I’d agree that France has (have) the edge now, but only after going down one goal. Now they’re unispired, but with energy. While Spain is focused, but without drive.
Henna

Mohan, keep hitting refresh — second or third try usually works. Lurch, thanks for link!
Dinhduy

Raul – OUT ~ Spain GIVE IT UP!
Yevy

My respect for Thierry Henry just took a dive.
Dinhduy

ACTING is a part of the game!
Good to see it works for France!
GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!
BlancaD

This is a scary trend — France, Brazil, England — teams that have been playing incredibly boring, unimaginative, “do-just-enough-to-get-by” football have made it to the quarters! Teams that have been playing their hearts out like Spain, Australia, Switzerland are out?! I know life is not fair, but this really hammers the point home. World (Loser) Cup! To reiterate an earlier idea — let Graham Poll officiate the Brazil/France match.
thedogmode

sad sad end for La Furia.. i guess this time experience triumphs over youth.. Even though España will not be playing further Im still gona be cheering for them! No excuses. Viva La Furia Roja! Viva España!
Jazzcat

From the replays there was absolutely 120% no foul on Henry. Henry barged into – threw himself into Puyol’s back and then fell clutching his face. From the replays there was clearly, again 120% clear, no contact with Henry’s face. It was pure simulation. Henry has tarnished World Cup 2006 beyond repair. He must receive a 4-game ban, just as De Rossi for the Italians. France scored off the free kick from Henry’s simulation so France’s “win” is illegitimate. Whether or not you like France, there is no place for deliberate cheating. FIFA must act swiftly and ban this blatant disrespect for football fans worldwide.
Raybron

It was a good game the refereeing was decent, but not perfect with both sides getting some tough calls, which in the WC is really the best reasonable outcome.

Unfortunately if it weren’t for ANOTHER ref screw-up (not counting France’s second goal in the FRA-KOR matchip) this game wouldn’t even have happened and both teams would have gone on. It is too bad because clearly they are both CLASS TEAMS and yet because of France’s wacky group you have a team like UKR, which probably shouldn’t even be in the Round of 16, moving on. Oh well, that’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes, there has never been a perfect WC but even with a few of the antics both sides did the game proud, the only shame is that both of them do not get to move on.
Nikola

What can i say, I´m a spanish living in serbia, and i can only congratulate france, they knew how to play us, and they did exactly what they need to win the match, just chapeau for france because they neutralized all the power of xabi alonso, cesc and xavi, makelele, vieira and thuram did an exceptional match, so, for me the only thing I´m happy is that we have a new good generation of players (especially Cesc was AMAZING) to give us some hope for the next competitions. I´m sure that they will learn about this, and for the first time since Italy ‘90 we play great football, but, as usually we come home to early. We dare with 3 strikers against france, but at least we dare, now I only hope our brothers from Portugal, gave us some joy. We come home but at last we showed good fotball that´s more than in past years, congratulations to France.
Deviilz.

my bookies gave me this odds:
Spain to win with a goal or more margin within the 90mins.
Which team to pick..?
JS

One thing is clear from this WC is that CHELSEA will be untouchable next season. If Robben, Sheva, Ballack (and perhaps Torres) maintain their form – watch out Champions League…
Deviilz.

Spain had proven to be a tough opponent for any team.
On the other hand France are weak,or some punters here believe France are just “putting-on-a-show” to be SEEN as weak team…,until they spring into action,a.k.a peak at the right time.
I personally believe the Spanish matadors will deliver the results within the 90mins.
Any supporters..?
http://www.melissagalitz.com Melissa

I support! I believe Spain will defeat France 2-1.
Alex

This is what the World Cup is all about…Raw and unpredictable futbol between 2 of the greatest teams of all time. Anything can happen. As far as I see it, although Spain has been dominating its group and proven to be a very fast offensive side, France is very experienced and the Henry Zidane duo know how to step it up when they need to. My vote goes to France, by a small margin.
nv ramani

spain, in fact, had the edge over france mostly through the game, but it was unfortunate to have lost a good team out. ramos, villa had done their best.
Deviilz.

After the Brasil’s match…,I’m richer a little bit more..,hehehehe..!
Thanks to some brave blogger providing me with their piece of mind,I pick wisely.
Next,can Spain win this match with a goal or more margin within 90mins..?
Possible…?
Bobbio

Abientout Zinadine!
http://www.infynit.com Comm-Commander Radius

A Por Ellos! Viva La Furiaaaaaaa Espana 3-1
Alex

ALLEZ LES BLEUS!

Experience over Youth
Bobbio

Those old men can’t hold out any longer. They’ve been hanging on to the tournament by their aging fingernails, but now it’s time for Spain to do the decent thing and euthanize the blue geriatrics.
Yue

I feel it’ll be 2:0, Spain!
Elias Zac’karia

Totally I believe Spain will go through as the youth and hopefully we will see more action from Raul!!! This they are more robust and determine as ever.

France this year seem to be unable to communicate amongst themselve and the act movement kinda sloppy and as always depend on Henry to make something of an opportunity.
eric

remember 1998, France had the same start, do not under estimate them. France 2-1
Murpoz

Remember 1998 and 1… and 2… and 3… – 0
Do not under estimate France…

Allez les Bleus!!!!!
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

Spain are strong challengers for the title. They have 4 hurdles to cross for that, today’s hurdle should be the easiest.
http://www.angeloabruzzese Angelo Abruzzese

We will probably hear chants of Vive L’Empreur from the Grenadiers de la Guarde Imperiale while we are it.

I feel France will put on a defensive show and this whole thing mike come down to a frustration induced bad play which in turn will warrant an overly hash card or PK from the ref.

Hopefully this match will be clean and we see a nice enjoyable game.
Claudio

France needs to re-group and come back strong in 2010. This game is for Spain 3-1
shuai

Good luck Spain, this year you probably play better than us… but… We can do it!!!!!!!! We have to!!

Allez les bleus!!!

It will be the best 8th
Lurch McCoy

I pick Spain to win, but would like to see France advance.

I think if Ribery starts, he can put a lot of pressure on Spain with his speed and passing ability.
dietmar

i am guessing france will crumble early on
3-1 spain
shuai

Really happy to play a good team! Its been a long time….
Hope we’ll play brazil next!!

Qui ne saute pas n’est pas francais! hé!
http://USA KK

I think it is going to be Spain 1 – 0
Tom

This will be the best match of the round of 16, I think. Although it doesn’t have much competition.
http://brazil.worldcupblog.org Zé

I really wanted to see more of the legend Zidane, but it looks like he’s just bored now.

Spain to win easily, 2-0. I’ll still watch this historic match though.
dietmar

france just doesnt seem like they have been firing on all cylinders. they clawed at those 2 goals they have.
SES

3-2, Spain.

Spain has a lot of attacking players and defensive tactics so I predict they’ll win. France still has the ‘golden boys’ from ‘98 so Henry and Viera/Zidane will score a goal apiece.

It’s fun when upsets occur in the WC though. ^^ Nonetheless, this will be a thrilling game.
Lurch McCoy

dietmar,

I disagree that they “clawed” at those two goals against Togo. They absolutely dominated posession and had a ton of great looks at the net. The score should have been 4-0 or even 5-0, if they had finished properly. If they regain a a finishing touch, Spain could be in trouble.

I think Spain will win, but France is certainly not a huge underdog. France could just as easily win this one, in my opinion.

Will be very interesting to see if one team can dominate possession, since they are both technically superior teams.
Roland

2 – 1 Spain in a nailbiter.

¡Qué vence España! ¡Viva La Furia Roja!
Honeyman

I’m sorry, but Spain always chokes.

The game is tied 2-2 after overtime and France wins in penalties.
SES

I hope the ref is easy on the game this time around. It’d be a true shame for a great match like this to be constantly interrupted by a whistle.
Lurch McCoy

Honeyman, in all honesty, Spain did not choke in the last WC. they were robbed by horrible calls by the ref in 2002. 2 or 3 clear goals were waved off. It was incredible!
dietmar

@l.m.,
clawed may have been the wrong word, they’ve just had such a drought, desperate may be more to the point.
Deviilz.

If the ref does let this game flows,so to speak,will this benefit Fra or Spa…,besides those neutrals watching..?
paddy

I think this will be Zidane’s farewell to wc football and Spain will finally beat France.
Let’s just hope it’s a match worthy of the occasion.
Spain 3-1
dietmar

fair game(with no bad reffing)spain moves on!
Andreia & Alex

I’m thinking I will pull for France this go round. My son isn’t sure yet
Bidemi

This has the makings of a classic game.
Lurch McCoy

Let’s just hope this doesn’t turn out to be a Ukraine/Switzerland snoozefest.

I so hope it doesn’t come down to penalty kicks.
Roland

The problem for the French is, with the 4-5-1, you need Zidane in the box to get on the end of crosses and put real pressure on Spain’s back four. If he is contained, France is finished.
Lurch McCoy

Looks like Ribery will start. I think he will have a good game. gotta love his speed and his ability to go forward with the ball.
Van

If Aragones decides not to put Joaquin to play then Spain has a good chance to win; otherwise it’s going to be difficult for Los Matadores.

Vamos España!
dietmar

does france even have a “b” squad?
marlboroman

chris you’re wrong raul is not spain;s zidane he has scored this world cup and proved he is still useful.
Tom

Viva la furia roja española!
shuai

Roland : secret tactic ;)
Lurch McCoy

Why the hate for Joaquin? the guy has amazing dribbling skills.
SES

This will be a historuc celebration for Spain if they win over France.
Nicholas

1:0 in favor of France
The Spanish will get frustrated at the French defensive tactics. This game will disappoint the neutrals and again the referee will decide the match
Honeyman

Lurch,

You’re right about Korea, but ever since 82, it is always supposed to be Spain’s year, and they never make the semis.

I have laid $100 to make $200 that this is tied after 90 mins.
Werttrew

My prediction: 3-1, Spain wins.
Jodido

I hope Henry gets a hat trick to stuff it down Aragones’ throat.
Matt M

Anyone knows of a live feed on the net? I’ve lost the one from China (CCTV 5) and Saudi Arabia. Did FIFA block them???
HELP
hoa

France – Spain : 1 – 0. Experienced (and old!!) France will win over the young Spain.
Ali Siddiqui

I think the French vets will have a good time in this game,however, the younger players of Spain may hold an ace in the hand with their age. I predict a 1-1 tie perhaps with a equalizer near the end.
Mitchel

Can you give me a website, so i can see the match on my computer. Please
Jodido

Barthez does not inspire any confidence.

I hope France gets a couple quick ones.
Tom

I hope France loses badly. :)
Roland

4 years ago Zidane would have gotten there in time.
Tom

Spain with neatly a 70% possession advantage but they’ve had no really good chances.
Bobbio

Perhaps France would have better control of the ball if you gave them walking sticks to aid their balance.
freakaholic

sorry guys, i love your coverage and input, but i have to refresh about 5 or 6 times for the page to come up, and i just cant do that.
dietmar

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ’s
hoa

France just loss a great chance there
Jodido

Zizou!
dietmar

click on the bottom lands head line blog and just return to live blog
GT

The teams seem to be still feeling each other out. What I need is some good action, and a card or two -_-. I wonder how many will be given out. I think this morns game set the record for number of cards given out.
Tom

France has had the better chances by far, even though they’ve had few possessions. Defensive? Big time.
dietmar

two feet 1 ball no goal..huh?!
Rafael

Penalty. No way people can say the referee did a bad call.
http://sports.godblessthefreaks.org Philip

I thought the penalty was fine, but for those who like conspiracy theories, take note:

Today’s ref is Roberto Rossi, from…. where else?
GT

and its a goal! It has begun!
hoa

A penalty was too harsh for that one
dietmar

i didnt see the re-play was it a good call.?
Tom

Dietmar,

I thought it was a decent call. It was an immediate call from the ref, and the ref was right there at the play.
Carlos

Good call. Any ref in that position would call it the same.
hoa

I guess you can say the ref goes by the book. But I would not say it a good call, it is just too harsh.
GT

The call was good. The dude obviously stepped and pushed Spain. even without the ankle step, it was the wrong place to try something stupid.. just like they just did again. This ref needs to give out some cards, some of the play is just unsafe.
Tom

hoa, why? It was certainly a foul, no?
hoa

It was a foul, I agree. But Thuram looked like he was after the ball, not Torres’ ankle. There were many France and Spain players in the area, and Torres was not in a position that he could score a goal( he was facing away from France goal.)
dietmar

i havent seen the bottom of a cleat yet…
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

game has come alive with this brilliant equaliser
GT

Whats with all the agro from France? Tell you what, they are lucky they have a good ref, or a slow one.
JMV

The tat on Torres’s left arm is “Fernando” in a language J.R.R. tolkien made up. WHAT A NERD.
hoa

Ribery finally can score
GT

France get the equalizer! Very clean too.
Carlos

5 offsides for France, all for Henry…
P Diddy

QUESTION?

Hey, sorry i know this is slightly off topic but, its been troubling me forever and i wanted to get some clarification. Michael Eissen (sp?) for Ghana received his second yellow card during the match against the USA during group play. Due to that infraction he had to sit out the game today against Brazil. How come he didnt have to sit out the remainder of the game against USA? I was under the impression that two yellows during group play equated to one red thus, ejection from gameplay. Shouldnt he have been removed in the US game?
ks

wow, nice play france!
Andreia & Alex

GOOOOOlllll France!
Andreia & Alex

Blah, server keeps getting that red card message takes forever to get things through
Rafael

P Diddy, after the first fase, all cards are set to zero.
P Diddy

Rafael,
It was still the first phase though…
Andres

Diddy, he got two yellows in different matches. This merits suspension but not expulsion.
JMV

Torres’s left arm tattoo is “Fernando” in a language J.R.R. Tolkien made up. WHAT A NERD.
Vin

Which team would give Brazil a harder time?
dietmar

they had them(red cards) in the stadium last night …its very comical!
Lurch McCoy

For live net feed:

http://dbpr.blogspot.com/
Vikingo

The french goal was clearly off-site. I hope those stinking a– go home. Viva Espana!!!
Andres

Diddy, he got two yellows in different matches, that merits supsension but not expulsion.
Bobbio

Old French are now back in the locker rooms to rinse their dentures, get their medication and have a quick sponge bath from their nurses…
marco

A question for you.
Which team do you think is behaving fairer?
(Answer even during the match. Try to say why).
SeS

This game is finally seeing action! Let’s hope for more goals and no cards 2nd round. This ref is actually doing a good job so far. I like him. This was worth the snoozefest that was Ukraine-Switzerland.
shuai

Best match of last 16….definitly

Carlos :
“5 offsides for France, all for Henry… ”

don’t worry, when he won’t be offside, he won’t miss.
hobart

i think if i ever met ribery in a dark ally i would sh– my pants.
P Diddy

Andres,

Oh… i was under the impression that if you received 2 yellow cards PERIOD during group play you were removed from the time of the 2nd yellow and in addition, had to sit out the following game.
Rafael

Sorry, i didnt readed well.

2 yellow cards overall games. 2 yellow cards in the same game is a red card. But not plus the yellow card from the previous games, but he get a suspension for the next game.
laprimavera

Well, “young” Spain get the goal by penalty kick, “aging” France get the goal by actually playing the ball to the goal. Who’s older?
futbol

SPA is one of the best team setting up off side trap. And they still lost 1 goal…

No wonder GHA was not succesful at setting up off side trap against BRA
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

it appeared as if Spain had the game under control…the french equaliser came out of the blue
Vikingo

Vamos Espana, que les quiten las plumas de las nalgas feas de los franceses!
Sam

I believe that Spain will certainly score another goal, but France might get one through as well, especially with the moral boost going into the second half. So I’m hoping for 2-1 Spain, but it might go to penalties on 2-2.
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

france will start the second half much more confidently
canadianbaylor

France was offside bigtime…officiating stinks, FIFA bring on video replay!
P Diddy

Maybe im just crazy, but i could have sworn ive seen players receive 2 yellow cards, one of which from a different game, and upon receiving the second, were ejected (compounding yellows) … am i wrong?
SeS

I think we were too rash on underestimating France. They still have vitality, despite the age of their players. We can’t rule them out of a place in the quarterfinals.
Lurch McCoy

France has had way better movement into and around the box. Spain has been diddling with it in their own end and giving it away in midfield.

France midfield is teaching Spain a lesson.
Vikingo

Spain win 2-1
SeS

The Ghanaian coach and Gyan were sent out during the match with Brazil.
ETucker

Spain is gambling on the offsides trap.

Which is ridiculous given that a) France is playing a 4-5-1, and b) Puyol could just manmark Henry.

I really think the 4-5-1 puts too much stress on Zidane, although he has looked sharp this game.
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

posting in spanish language from India? will someone solve this mystery?
dietmar

wasnt the score in VICTORY 5-4
(the stalone/von syndow movie?
Rafael

P Diddy.

2 Yellow cards in the same match = red card and suspension for the next game

2 yellow cards from diferent games = suspension next match.

I belive one referee in this cup did a mistake and booked a player with 3 yellow cards. that was a shame.
Kevin K

P Diddy,

Yes, you must be mistaken as that cannot happen. Players are sent off only for receiving two yellows in the same game.
Keyser

spain should win. if they dont, well, it will be a proof that they don’t have enough guts to make it in the WC.
futbol

Even though SPA was kind of controlling the tempo but could not dig a hole in FRA’s defense…Very interesting…Wist RAUL can do more…
Keyser

Chris, perhpas torres is like the guy in Memento.
Ali Siddiqui

Hehehe my 1-1 prediction was right. ;)
Bobbio

heh, Raul is the only Spanish player old enough to play in the French team!
oyo

So much for FRA old legs…they look preety actve for me. Lets see how they hold up for a full 90 mins
Eric Phillips

“Fernando” in Elvish? Very cool. It’s good to see Tolkien fans from non-English-speaking countries. Viva la translacion.
Bobbio

We have plenty of our own nerds Eric! Plenty!
JMV

Sorry about the multiple postings. Damn red cards on the server!
Eric Phillips

Como se dice “nerd” en Espanol?
Tom

Spain is being outplayed by France in a big way.
Eric Phillips

oh, and in Dutch?
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

this page is not refreshing easily..some referee is frequently showing a RED CARD !
P Diddy

Ok cool. Thanks ya’ll. That was buggin me!
Keyser

Eric, you would be amazed to know the number of freaks of ‘El Señor de los Anillos’ that you an find in non english speaking countries.
For example, my irish setter is called Gandalf.
Tom

Mexicans call “nerds” nacos. Eres un naco.
shuai

raul is old lol ;)
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

This page has been shown the red card

If you typed the page address in the Address bar, make sure that it is spelled correctly.

Go to the Home page, and then look for links to the information you want.

Click the Back button to try another link.
Eric Phillips

Rhymes with taco. I’m so happy.
ETucker

Eric:

translacion is to physically move something :)

traduccion is to translate
hoa

I dont understand why RAUL started in the Spain line up today. It seems to me that Spain played better with him comming off the bench. RAUL is a good player by the way.
Keyser

I guess that each spanish speaking languagebhas its own word. In argentina for example there is not an exact translation. we use the word nerd. ‘que nerd que sos!’
by the way, now I’m not so sure that spain will easily win as I was thinking.
GT

Mohan
I feel you. It’s bloody frustrating. I am going to have a chat with Kelly of FIFA (he’s the IT guru over the whole set up).
Eric Phillips

Tucker,

Thanks. One can only get so far with U.S. high school Spanish. After that, I just start making things up based on English and Latin.
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

the server is most annoying today
Bobbio

Dissapointingly I doubt there are direct translations of the word “Nerd” used in different language. I’ve never heard a dutch version anyway.
Andreia & Alex

What time is it in India
ETucker

Keyser, che, vos sos porteno? Que barbaro! Por q llevas un apodo aleman?

Ojala no seas gallina….

France looks about ready to blow this game open. Aragones has got to shift away from the 4-3-3…maybe a 4-4-2?
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

hope its not another shoot-out today…need to sleep :)
Keyser

my spanish neighbour is going to have a heart attack. I can hear him scream as if he was here
Lurch McCoy

Henry needs an onsides touch…
Ali Siddiqui

Yeah, I’m getting the same “Red Card” site just like Mohan. Nice to see my wireless isn’t acting up again.
ETucker

Good substitutions by Aragones.

If France doesn’t score by the 70th minute I’m betting on Spain.

This game has been smashing!
Tom

Every time Spain goes for an attack there are like 75 Frenchmen around the ball.
Keyser

Yes, i’m porteño and ‘funebrero’. surely even worse for your standards :)
Keyser stands for Keyser Soze. The german word for emperor is Kaiser.
and regarding the match, spain is slowly dissapearing.
http://USA KK

Looks like it may be Spain 2:1 now
dietmar

in german, its more of a question—-spinst du?
Eric Phillips

Sounds like a great game. I wish I were watching it, and not just “watching” a live blog at work.
GT

Yippeeee! a yellow card. I was waiting for one.
ETucker

What time is funebrero? I only know los diablos rojos, la academia, y los xeniexes (los 4 grandes)

Come on Spain! Roland: stop covering your eyes from fright and post something to encourage your team!

Animo Espana! Animo!
Trapper

67 minutes for the first Yellow.

Must be a record for this tournament?
hoa

Henry got a lot of…offsides to day.
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

this is the match of the 16
Keyser

Funebrero is Chacarita Juniors, a team from the 2nd division.
go spain. send the french home.
http://deleted ks

completely agree with etucker on spain gambling on offsides. brazil got a goal today while offside. france could get one too.
but this ref seems to be good so far catching henry
ETucker

Keyser-

is Chacarita Jrs. near Villa Crespo? that’s where I lived and I remember seeing some of their flags at one point or another…

the prob with offsides is that refs make mistakes, but if you man mark, you control your own destiny.
marco

fernando torres is ridicolous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://deleted ks

red card for me again, and again. very annoying.
Tom

Torres was acting big time there.
rew

Torres is made of glass obviously…
rew

Great match so far though.. pitty about the penalty kick though… none the less its still a great match so far….
GT

Mohan
You should have seen the match this morn. That ws crazy, great job from both sides. Most of this games action is mid field, there does not seem to be much penetration.
Tom

France is much faster than Spain and they have better ball control. Spain looks to be lagging big time.
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

i am worried it will go to a shoot-out..that will be a pity for such an important match as this
Sam

Well, it was clear that Spain and France were going to be very tightly matched, but I was really hoping for a 2-2 draw over a 1-1 draw.

Hey, anyone know any penalty scoring statistics on these two teams, if it gets to that. Which team has the better goal keeper?
marco

oh…spain so unfair!!!
ETucker

This game is like a second or third date: lots of action near the middle of the park, but no penetration where it counts!
GT

And he gets a card.. about time for a second card. I have not yet got my card quota in yet.
hoa

what a shot from Joaquin there!
Troglodyte

Whoa…serious French dive draws a yellow.
Keyser

uf that hurts
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

GT..of course I saw every minute of the Brazil-Ghana match :)
Ali Siddiqui

“This game is like a second or third date: lots of action near the middle of the park, but no penetration where it counts!”

O_o
Sam

I’ve never heard the blogger single out so many dives as he has in this game.

Is this match really the Oscar-seeking performance that it sounds like it is?
Rafael

Once again, this game is proving experienced players counts a lot in a match.
Tom

Wow, Henry acting big time, too.
Keyser

the oscar goes to henry; grea diving à la italienne
GT

And its in France 2
ETucker

Its France vs. Spain.

Neither of these teams or countries are known for their physical prowess or tackling skills.
Jodido

GOOOOOOOL!

Good dive Henry, you got a goal out of it!
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

gosh..France!!
oyo

FRA 2 SPA 1….OLD LEGS MY ASS…
dietmar

mmm…
GT

Hahahahaha… I like the way the cards are flowing. Now that is enough yellow.. where, or who will get the red. I’m taking bets.
hoa

Henry has a hollywood acting potential there. Poor Pyvol, the ref made a very bad call. And that bad call led to a goal. Oh my god, referee.
Keyser

i can’t believe this
Bidemi

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
Tom

Acting leads to goal.
Trapper

Puyol was silly to commit the foul that led to the French goal.

Henry was NEVER going to get that ball.
squiggle

*dances*
sam

OH MY GOD! WHY DID YOU DO IT HENRY?? THAT WAS PATHETIC, AND IT LED TO A GOAL!
Ali Siddiqui

Goal! By Viera due to Henry’s acting?
Bobbio

HOHOHO Those frenchies may be old, but they’re still wily! Guess that experiance does count for something after all! wink wink!
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

this is atrocious !
Tom

This game is all but over, I think. France can defend hard for the next 10 min.
http://AOL Marc

France 2, Spain 1 Should not have been a penalty on the Spanish Player
Ali Siddiqui

Bah! Another perfectly fine game made into a farce. :(
Sam

Oh My! From where I’m sitting, that sound like one of the worst diving cases so far this world cup. Of course, I’m only listening on the radio, so can’t see it myself.
ETucker

Both teams have been flopping like Pam Anderson’s chest while she jump ropes.

But this is sad indeed……
Rain

As usual, another wrong call after the 80 minutes…when the damaged team has no time to recover
Lurch McCoy

Say what you want abou the foul, but France deserves to win this game. Absolute class in every position.
Keyser

another diving that counts
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

this will be a sad end for the Spanish campaign
oyo

I must say this is an extremely exciting/watchable game. Let the sangria keep flowing…
hoa

Wowow now that a GOALLLL!!! Go Ziouuuuuuuuu
Jon

This blows – the only team that had more than a snowball’s chance in hell of beating Brazil is about to crash out, thanks to another cheap dive.

Henry must have had pasta for dinner last night, because he dove like an Italian.
Bidemi

Hey, the Spaniards have been diving all game, Henry’s dive just led to a goal. Ton pis.
Bobbio

That yellow card is a lot like a Frenchman. It does not wash.
Sam

Com’on Spain! What’s done is done. You can still score in the few minutes left!
Henna

Henry off to meet with his acting coach.
Troglodyte

Sickening. First truly outrageous dive leading to a victory in this tournament.
Andreia & Alex

uuuggghhh hate that word
ETucker

Spain’s only hope is for the nino to get a penalty in the box….
Henna

Lovely. A dance in the old dude yet.
rew

Sam… Spain cant score in regular play it has to penalities only….
Sam

I think it’s “tant pis”, but I guess it’s all the same color.
Tom

Nah, this one is over.
Lurch McCoy

Spains first penalty kick was questionable as well. so all even,as far as I am concerned.
GT

Zidane gets dished a helping of the yellow.
squiggle

Henry made too much of it but I thought the call was good.

Zidane!
Ali Siddiqui

Zidane carded again? Jeez.

Would love to see Spain get an equalizer right now.
Trapper

I haven’t seen a replay yet, but it sounds like Henry pulled one over the refs eyes. At first sight I had thought it was a clear foul.

I’m starting to think that FIFA should review every match afterwards and absolutely PUNISH acts of simulation. 3 match-bans and the like.

3-1!!!
Rafael

Was not really because the referee the France scores the second goal.

Say now the third goal were because the referee.
http://deleted ks

okay, zidane’s goal makes up for the cheap henry tactic! france deserve to win now
shuai

ZIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANE HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.worldcupblog.org/world-cup-2006/liveblog-ecuador-costa-rica.html billy

Troglodyte- You think that is the first?
http://AOL Marc

Good goal by France, Game over
Bidemi

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL.

HAHAHA BYE BYE SPANIARDS. BACK TO YOUR RACIST COUNTRY.
Tom

Goal Zidane. Adios España.
Jon

Ok, that made up for the Henry’s dive. That was freaking beautiful.
oyo

FRA 3 SPA 1. lets call it a day…
rew

Majic… majic…nice GOAL>>>>>>
shuai

IT will be the Torres jubilee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ahahahahahahahahahahah
Andreia & Alex

GOOOOLLLLLL Zidane. Yes France!
Sam

Trapper: That would mean admitting that the ref’s were taken in by acting, and FIFA doesn’t really seem like they do that kind of thing….
Rafael

Lurch McCoy

The penalty was valid, wouldnt be valid a card, is what happened.

The referee did a great job, congratulations to France.
I was expecting Spain to win, but France showed they are really good.
ETucker

Spain’s first penalty was questionable? He was kicked AND pushed from behind in the box with the ball!?

Do they have to cut off a limb with a chainsaw to get a penalty?
dietmar

who knew!
Trapper

The Spaniards seem to have taken it well. Lots of good-will and exchanging of shirts. Nice.
ETucker

Great goal by Zizou.

Moral of the story: Spain is a different team in elimination rounds. Do not be seduced by their talent….
Vikingo

Talking about racism, Bidemi, France is the most racist country in all of Europa!
Good game though, Brazil will not have any trouble with these outdated french. Spain played his worst game so far unfortunately.
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

this has to be an upset of sort
Ali Siddiqui

Brazil vs. France once more…should be enjoyable.
ELECTRA

Will Spain once again not make it to the FINAL??

….Bad calls and good acting.
Andreia & Alex

Nice to see France with the win. Could have done without the acting from both sides. Personally think the game would be much better without it
Honeyman

I repeat….

SPAIN ALWAYS CHOKES!
rew

etucker.. that penalty was not one at all…just glad they able to equalize it in the first half…
greg_13

Ohhh yeah

France made me happy tonight….finally those red jerks are going home…they always think they’re the best but aren’t able to play soccer when it really counts
Lurch McCoy

Spain didn’t underachieve. they were simply outclassed.
Keyser

I’m so sad. I thougt that this spain was going to do something.
they have no soul.
Jodido

Zizou! Beautiful!
ETucker

There was a PUSH and a KICK from behind inthe box? What is a penalty? Describe me a “penalty situation”

Does it have to be a breakaway where the guy is tripped from behind?
rew

It was actually a very good game with little real dives …especially compared to the recents games in the last few days…
HurrikaneDIABLO

*sigh* so much for Spain’s dominating play in the group stage. How disappointing. Ukraine even got in the quaters. sheesh… im so friggin depressed right now.
hoa

I rooted for France and I am very happy to see Zidane scoring again!! But I think the ref call thanks to Henry’s acting that led to France second goal killed Spain.
Trav

There’s no footie tomorrow :-(
SeS

Wow, the French really surprised me. What a great goal by Zidane. The quarterfinal matchup sure will be deja vu for both teams.
Lurch McCoy

Brazil v. France. Should be a tremendous match. France defense looked very very good.
Bobbio

Henry’s cheating aside, what a cracking goal by Zidane eh? Brought a tear to my eye – the old fart’s still got some goals left in him yet!
Nice effort Spain, but come back when you’ve grown up a bit!
Rafael

Nice game. Now saturday we will see France vs Brazil , make your bets. ;)
mojo_lo

Great game. I hate to say it, but i’m happy to see France win. They deserved it…especially their veterans. Zidane was great, and Barthez is one scrappy mofo.

if they play like today, France v. Brazil is gonna be awesome. i’ll have a hard time choosing someone to root for.
ELECTRA

Spain always chokes!!!!

JILIPOLLAS!! PEDAZOS DE CABR**!
greg_13

Spain always lack cojones when it comes to be decisive
Vikingo

Greg, dont worry, you will go home soon too.
Lurch, bullsh*t, spain played very bad and the first goal from the french was clearly offsite, even a blind bat could see that!
Keyser, i agree again, spain has a very bad history in worldcups, i guess it is because what you say. Strange, because in club-football they are definately the best in Europa with Barca and Real.
futbol

I feel bad for RAUL. He seems still not recovering from the lost in WC 2002.

I’m happy for ZIDDAN. Finally, he has happy moments in WC

What a surprise!

FRA deserves the win!

Good game but not best game
rew

Spain played really well.. but oh well… they will be really awesome in the next cup .. when they mature four years….
Vikingo

Mojo, for me Brazil is definately favourite, they will have no problem winning against this team of oldies.
Bobbio, grow up yourself please, your country has shown us the worst type of football so far this worldcup.
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

i am sort of numb at this result, Spain was such a good team
http://deleted ks

Trav, i agree. no footie tomorrow. what will I do tomorrow….
oh well, great matches today to make up for yesterday’s crap.
see you guys on friday!!
http://brazil.worldcupblog.org/group-f/quarter-finals-here-we-go.html Quarter finals, here we go – FIFA World Cup 2006 – Brazil World Cup Team Blog

[...] As usual against my predictions, France has defeated Spain by 3 to 1, and they will Brazil next. This World Cup is now getting into its quarter finals, and there is no more fooling around anymore. [...]
Tujeni

Viva la France !!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How sweet it is…Huuu…Oh baby!
shuai

Vikingo : Go learn the rules man
Trapper

Sam, too true. FIFA seems to think their appointed referees are infallible, when they clearly are not (sorry it took me so long to respond, had to reboot).

OMG, no WC for two whole days.

And I thought 4 (or even 32) years was bad ;)
Roland

Pathetic. No matter how badly the refs screwed us, in the end we were outplayed. I’m not sure how you can take anything positive out of this. It’s a sad, sad day.

Congratulations to France.
Lurch McCoy

Spain could not get enough shots on goal this match. France’s midfield simply outclassed Spain’s.
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

Spain continues to live with the title of ‘biggest underachievers’
hoa

I think France can win over Brazil. Brazilian team exposed its defense weakness and selfishness in today games against Ghana. But ref! please watch out for acting on the pitch. Henry not only can score but he can act too.
futbol

BRA – FRA

very interesting ….

can’t wait….

is there any suspension/injuries on either teams?
Tujeni

Viva la France!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Viva la France!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Viva la France!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My final hope for the WC….
Idler

It’s a pity that a team like Spain (Mexico too) is out while weaker teams remain, especially Portugal.

However, great win for Les Bleus today. They showed a lot of class.

Happy to see Ribery finally see some return on his fine efforts. He’s had some dreadful finishing in the Cup. Nice to see him put one in.
hoa

RAUL is a great player, but I donnt think he should be in the starting line up: Spain seemed to play better with him comming off the bench.
Dave Hamilton

Freakin’ ZIZOU runied a perfect day for my predictions, but still nailed the W. Spain has learned to play the game, but not how to win. That was the difference.

Dave hamildav@yahoo.com
Lurch McCoy

futbol.

Don’t think so. Although Robihno may be out still. Doubt it though.

Will be a very good rematch of champions. France showed they still have a lot of class: Zidane, Viera, Makelele, Henry and now Ribery. And how about Sagnol in defense.

It doesn’t get any better.
ELECTRA

Spain always chokes!!!!

JILIPOLLAS!!
futbol

It took GER 8 years to get back on track. I don’t know how many years it takes for FRA to be considered one of the soccer power again, especially after this old FRA team, who will step up in FRA????

very interesting…
ELECTRA

You cannot say “Viva la France” That is not correct. It would be “Vive la France”.

That being said, they will be humiliated by Brazil….
http://beingruthiesmom.blogspot.com/ Trish

Major withdrawals now. No more football for a little while!!

Henry has to live with knowing that the 2nd goal was due to his brilliant acting. Hmm, that is really something to be proud of…NOT!
Tujeni

Thanks Electra, my Quebecan sister from another mother. Vive la FRANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brazil will go down! Those Amazonians are excellent soccer players, but man, they’ll go down hard against this French bunch. Vive la FRANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JA

Lurch McCoy, Henry has class when he dives like that? Diving and faking injury kill this sport for me. Henry did the worst kind of offensive. He didn’t even get elbowed in the face! Maybe this is just my American sensibilities (if you can agree American have any sense)but FIFA should suspend him from next match. This type of behavior should not be tolerated in football.
Bobbio

“Viva” is Spanish (and Italian) you silly!
Tujeni

Viva, vive, vivo, vivi, vivu, who gives a c#$%^, GO FRANCE!!!!!!!!!!
Brazil will go down!
Murpoz

And 1 and 2 and 3…
asta lavista spain

Hello Brasil……………..
vive les bleus!!!!!
Trapper

All of a sudden the server/site thinks Trish is an Australian.

Welcome to Australia, Trish :)
Lurch McCoy

I haven’t seen a replay. Even if he didn’t get hit in the face, the contact might still have warranted a foul.

Anyone able to see a replay to see if even a foul was warranted?
futbol

it’s a foul
greg_13

henry didn’t dive…the foul was clear….but he wasn’t hit in the face….stop appealing at wrong ref calls…puyol was slower so he elbowed to block henry
JA

Lurch McCoy. Elbow to the chest. Elbow seemed to come from the act of running not “throwing”.

Watching football reminds me of basketball. I can rarely tell what is a foul and what is just incidental contact. Too much inconsistancy and rewards for poor sportsmanship.
Chack

Semis: – Brazil, Germany, Portugal, Italy.

Final: – Brazil, Germany

Spain did not deserve to win. Break my heart.
futbol

it’s OK to block but it’s not OK to elbow. It’s clearly a foul.
greg_13

and if we’re talking about diving….i hope you’ve seen Adriano this afternoon. Even the holders dive!
http://deleted ks

i saw the replay and i didn’t think it was a foul. but i could be wrong.
anyway, france still deserved to win this one.
JA

Henry’s acting is just a real turn off. Shouldn’t the sideline ref be able to see this type of acting? Please FIFA, come down hard on this poor sportmanship!
Jazzcat

There was no elbow by Puyol. There was absolutely no contact. Watch the replay. It’s clear. Henry acted=Suspension.
JA

I agree with the suspension. Didn’t a Brazilian player fake getting kicked in the leg a few years ago during a world cup match?
Jazzcat

Puyol didn’t block Henry off. Henry deliberately threw himself into Puyol’s back. With no contact to his face, Henry went down clutching his face. That is deliberate cheating. FIFA must act to punish Henry immediately. 4-game suspension.
greg_13

thinking we’ve seen different matches…LOL
Jazzcat

greg_13 maybe you need a DVD or VHS to look back at.
http://deleted ks

hmmm….rethink. it was a foul.
puyol obstructed henry without being on the ball – about 2 yards away from the ball. so that deserved a free kick but i didn’t understand the yellow card he got.
missed the elbow bit.
also thought that henry clutching his face was acting as i didn’t see him getting hit in the face.
but this is soccer and everybody gets unlucky with the ref. spain didn’t play well enough and france played better.
ab initio

There go my predictions of a Germany vs Spain final!

Having watched Spain play the last 3 games they seemed to be clicking real well with good ball movement, speed and finish. And France barely made it out of the group.

This is why this WC is so exciting and so much fun. Each game is sooo unpredictable. And it really depends on which team makes it to the field on the day of the match.
greg_13

nahh…for me it was foul. my opinion
futbol

Semis: ARG, ITA, BRA, ENG

Final: ARG – BRA

I don’t recall if BRA ever met ARG in the final. This could be the first time…
http://AOL Marc

Don’t rule the Germans out.
JA

I saw contact but it “is” a contact sport. Go ahead call the foul but call the acting.

The acting/diving needs to stop. I don’t understand how many football fans seem to accept this type of thing. I guess I’ll always be a frustrated.

Which league has the least amount of diving? I’ll watch it.
Jazzcat

greg13, you say Henry didn’t dive. Why? There was no contact to his face. Yet he went to ground clutching his face. Isn’t that a dive?
Ramoncinho

Wow! What a finish for the French. So, now we have to mini-finals in the Quarters: Argentina vs Germany and Brazil vs France. Exciting! This WC is shaping out to be a cash between favorites. I predict Brazil will take revenge on the French for the 1998 loss and Germany will do the same with the Argentines; but don’t hold your breath. You might miss a goal. Good stuff coming on Friday and Saturday. In other news, good officiating today in both matches. Good level-headed referees. And I take back what I said about the Spanish referee yesterday i nthe Australia vs Italy game. It was a penalty after all.
Scorpio

Zinedine Zidane!!!Greatest!!!
France all the way!!!!
Jazzcat

Many football fans accept diving/acting because they are cheaters in their own hearts too. Non-acceptance of diving by all=getting rid of it from the sport.
greg_13

Jazz….for me that was foul. I did see clearly henry not being hit in the face but in the chest. But the foul remains. If you’re talking about the acting i might agree with you
Bobbio

JA you are probably referring to the time when Ronaldinho pretended he was fouled in the England-Brazil Quarter Final (That he had already won with his amazing Free kick that destroyed David Seaman). The ref saw him through and Red-Cared him the hell out of there.
And as for this match, Henry saw that he would never reach that ball in time and so ran straight into Puyol’s elbow. Hard to see in the game, but increasingly obvious in the replays.
Mcthingy2

Painful for me to say but France deserved it. Ribery was sensational. Hopefully he’ll turn it on against Brazil and show up Roberto Carlos for the has-been he has been for 4 years now!!!
Bhouri M.

only by seeing the result of the match you can imagine the disaster for the game !!!
futbol

I agree with Greg 13,

I was a light foul and Henry acted like a heavy foul. However, it’s still a foul.
http://deleted ks

why does my post end up in between everyone else’s?
agree with greg13 – it was a foul even though he was not hit in the face and acting.
puyol obstructed without being on the ball – foul.
Jazzcat

greg13. OK, you say Puyol fouled Henry, by blocking him off or something. Henry did jump into Puyol’s back, deliberately, not by running into him, but with premediated action, making first contact and then going to ground clutching his face. The whole “foul” was orchestrated and pre-thought by Henry. That is the grossiest kind of cheating possible. Unfortunately, it ruined the gmae because a goal was scored from that free kick. No goal and we could say “diving sucks”, but this cheating affected the outcome directly. And if as you think Puyol fouled Henry, Henry fouled too, so there is no free kick there. All of this would be nothing if players like Henry weren’t interested in cheating. But guys like Henry obviously don’t care how they “win”. To me that isn’t winning, that is losing, and Henry will always be a loser, regardlessof what else he does.
EL MORO

España, go home!! please!!
Vete a tu país!!!
owen

this henry stuff makes me wonder what game you were watching. the referee rightly gave obstruction against puyol on henry. if you watch the previous three or four seconds, puyol is deliberately running first left, then right to stay in front of henry and even trying to back up well away from the ball. the free kick had nothing to do with the contact as a foul and everything to do with a very clear and deliberate obstruction. it was even a stupid obstruction – there was a second spanish defender coming up from the front. let henry go and step back to be between him and the goal and let your defensive partner try to take the ball off him.

not the first time this competition that puyol has acted like an idiot in defence.
Jazzcat

ks, futbol, and greg13, please answer this: did you see or not see Henry jumping into Puyol’s back.

BTW, Puyol had position and was clearly going to be first to the ball. How many times does that happen for a defender a game. 10? 20? That’s not called a foul. Why here?

And who were you cheering for?
greg_13

Jazz (i still think that was foul)

again….the goal came after the spain’s defenders got asleep on that free kick.

France didn’t steal anything
owen

jazzcat – absolutely NO way puyol was going to be first – before the obstruction henry was going more than twice as fast as him. puyol wasn’t even trying to get to the ball. if they had been going straight at the ball it wouldn’t have been obstruction but henry tried straight and THEN tried to go wide

frankly spain lost because that imbecile manager of theirs made some really stupid substitutions to take off people who were playing the best
Raybron

It was a good game the refereeing was decent, but not perfect with both sides getting some tough calls, which in the WC is really the best reasonable outcome.

Unfortunately if it weren’t for ANOTHER ref screw-up (not counting France’s second goal in the FRA-KOR matchip) this game wouldn’t even have happened and both teams would have gone on. It is too bad because clearly they are both CLASS TEAMS and yet because of France’s wacky group you have a team like UKR, which probably shouldn’t even be in the Round of 16, moving on. Oh well, that’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes, there has never been a perfect WC but even with a few of the antics both sides did the game proud, the only shame is that both of them do not get to move on.
Laura

Not even with the present the referee gave them at the beginning of the match Spain could win… tsk, tsk…
Je t’aime Zizou!
futbol

Jazzcat,

FYI: I was hoping SPA won at pre game. But I have to say it’s a foul. Sorry Jazzcat.

FRA played better today and deserves the win.
greg_13

My opinion:

henry was tring to go past puyol and to get ball…and he was way faster…puyol obstructed him…no elbowing in his face, but still a foul.

And I have to say i was supporting France…but not too much. i Follow another team
shuai

Jazzcat : Henry a looser…. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Jazzcat

futbol and greg13, do you have access to replays or are you deciding it was a foul from memory?
GT

Dang, ya’ll still talking about the game.. Can’t stop eh?
Free chips and dip, my place!
Raybron

PS-

Does anyone else think Puyol had a rotten Cup besides his brilliant assist in the UKR game? I had him picked since I really love Barca (then again if you don’t have another cheering interest in La Liga, who doesn’t?) but I saw him come up short MANY times, and I think that Zidane burn was the second or third time I’ve seen him get burned like that this Cup.
Chris. Losito

Did not started too good for France but a great team can allways come back. Great match France a well deseved win.
owen

agree with comments about the refereeing – best refereed game i’ve seen so far – first game was decent too – although a bit iffy on offsides
greg_13

jazz…I’ve seen the action…we just got different opinion ;)
Jazzcat

greg13 – I thought the Italy-Aussie match was the best example of fair play in the round of 16 so far. Neither team was diving or faking injury. Despite the Italians reputation they played very fairly and with the Aussies hard tackles weren’t complaining and begging for yellow cards, unlike Portugal and Netherlands the night before. What did you think? Or anyone?
greg_13

Lol@GT

me too
http://deleted ks

hey jazz cat – still think it was a foul. i think henry was obstructed by puyol who was clearly a couple of yards from the ball.
i am indian and usually cheer for the underdog. this morning it was ghana although i knew brazil would win and i love brazil.

this one, was for spain at the beginning, then france when they were down, then spain again and then happy for france when zizou scored.
:-)
JA

I say lets not argue over wether their was a foul or not. The real issue is someone falling down and acting like they were elbowed in the face when you weren’t. If an elbow in the chest makes you fall down in pain then you are a PUSSY. Someone from Spain should have really elbowed Henry in the face later so he can see what a real elbow feels like (Fine I said it react with violence. I’ll be the ugly American). I give credit to Spain for not doing so since they still could have tied.
greg_13

Jazz….dunno…this match seemed quite correct to me…And you know…Australian will talk for weeks about that penalty. In my opinion a foul like that is called with penalty kick in most of the cases. Australia vs Italy was harsh but correct in my opinion
futbol

I’m still looking for the best game. Todays game are just OK…I’m hoping BRA – FRA, or ARG – GER will go down as one of the best in history…
greg_13

I agree with futbol…We need the real thing now!
Jazzcat

yeah it was harsh but the player was blocked off once he tried to go by – i think penalty in most cases but it was a little sad with 10 seconds to go. i was looking forward to extra-time!
http://deleted ks

yes, can’t wait for the gerrrr-arrrg game.
Jazzcat

yeah, i’m waiting for the best game too. Teams have played very tentative. Heat? Fear? The Germans were the most aggressive so far.
greg_13

I wasn’t looking for extra-time!!! too much suffering!!!

and I had my wife waiting for me! LOL
http://deleted ks

well, must get out of the house. see you all on friday!
futbol

Agree With Jazz there, GER looks very good.
greg_13

I wanna see Germany with Argentina. Then I will start to have an idea about who the next world cup winner be
Carolina

i’m sad, sad, sad, why? why? why??
futbol

ANALYSIS;

GER Vs ARG
8/10 offense 8/10
9/10 midfield 9/10
6/10 defense 7/10

your thought?
futbol

Thanks…

very interesting thought
Carolina

I need a few words of spirit, snif
greg_13

ger vs arg

8/10 off 9/10
8/10 mid 8/10
7/10 mid 7+/10
futbol

Carolina,

SPA has the most exciting league in the world. Many talents are coming to SPA
Alvaro

Allways the same…, spain has never won to great teams!!
Spain was optimist but the reality is that will never win nothing
greg_13

c’mon carolina!

you have way more luck with club teams there in spain!
Jazzcat

GER vs. ARG

8/10 off 8/10
8/10 mid 7/10
6/10 def 7/10

Germany’s central defenders haven’t had too much to do. German mid-field is stronger on tackles and on ball. Guys like Saviola won’t get all their dives called aginst hosts. Best finishing will decide. Hopefully a 3-2 game.
greg_13

well.. i’m going…cheers to all;)
rew

Greg 13 .. hope your not an Italian fan… they stick… and Spain could have easly beaten them….
Welsh

Yeah, yeah.. Spain played well and yet they lost.. The same think in the previous match.. Ghana played well and yet they lost, what’s the difference, the game is played to be won and the wise teams won over youth teams simple as that. I am sure both today teams wirh their beautiful game will mature in due time and get their chances to shine future championships. For now the moment belongs to the Les Bleus and the Samba dancers. Two great games! better than yesterday’s boring unimaginative games.
Mcthingy2

I’m really looking forward to the Germany vs Argie game. I think it’s too close to call — Argies are the better team but Germany has the home field advantage.

If anyone presses Germany’s central defenders they will cough up the ball — and Saviola has been phenomenal at this WC in his running at defenders and general hustle (remember the 3rd goal against Serbia?).

Usually I hate the boring German style but this year they have played excellent going forward and have scored some cracking goals. They are playing with little pressure because expectations were so low….

2-1 to the Germans?
rew

I think the Argys have taken over from the italians for the DIVE…. man they do it all the time and with all that long hair it seems even more dramatic….
rew

hope Gremany takes it to them….hard…. 3-1 germany…
Alvaro

and Ucrania in quarter, while spain 4-Ucrania 0 …
Welsh

Argentina is a great team and I hope they win. But, the truth must be told, this German team will surgically operate on the Argentines and win the game. I am sorry to say it, but that’s what all the indicators point to. I will be happy if the Albiceleste win the game though.
jeanie

Once again, spain cheated out of glory! When will a bit of luck be on our side! We have waited long enough! As they say, the best always come last!
Carolina

zanks, futbol and greg, snif
Carolina

thanks futbol and greg
pf

and so the marathon ends….

time to catch up on laundry and other errands huh?

Can’t wait to see all the games in the quarters!

(Good Job France — quite a surprise in my opinion, but then again this is football!)
BlancaD

Out of all the games to lose, why this one??? It would have made more sense to lose to Brazil or Germany. Out of 20 games gone right, how did this one go horribly wrong? The more I see, the less it all makes sense. (Is anyone talking to the player Aragones made the racist remarks to? Let’s hear what he has to say.)
Joe

France v Spain – dull passionless football; little craft or guile from either team.
Sonny

Henry lost serious points with me today. Only thing Henry did today: Being offsides, and ACTING. CRAP CRAP CRAP.
http://chezmamamia.com/blog/2006/06/12/running-commentary/ tidBiTs » Running commentary

[...] Amazingly, France and Spain have never met before at the World Cup. Started off this match supporting Spain, but was won over by France – been watching veterans like Vieira and Zidane for years and years in club and international matches, it was too difficult not to cheer them on. Man of the match: in my book – the referee, who flashed a minimum of yellows, breaking away from the card-happy trend that referees at this World Cup have tended towards. Goals from Ribery, Vieira and Zidane. “Like the sun rising in the east, Spain bows out of a major tournament early.” -Chris Saturday – France vs Brazil: Brazil has a score to settle with France. [...]
tomtom

Thank god france won!
the spanish team never deserved to win. They were too arrogant and they have the most stupid fans ever. No guys, you should not boo any anthem! Next time, stop talking and be fair play!
Enrique

I just read about the Spanish press before the game vs France. Never seen such an arrogant country. Hey Spain, have a nice trip home !
Tikvar

Damned offsides. My friend Dragan says there shouldn’t be any offsides in FoolBall – soccer, like in waterpolo, it will be VERY INTERESTING, CRAZY ball chasing.
Forecast: Aussies will be the next world champions.
Cheers.