Eh yeah. I was actually secretly rooting for France to survive the 'Group of Death' with the already-qualified Holland. Actually for both France and Italy, their national team's nickname is called 'The Blues' in English.
Still, I am feeling the blues. Not just because 'Les Bleus' (French national team's nickname) were out of the tournament (but then again, the team seemed to be losing the plot early in the match in Zurich, and maybe coach Raymond Domenech has a hand in it). I was just flipping through the Teletext (while the Internet connection went berserk for a while and waiting for it to be reconnected) slightly before 9pm and saw this. What the...? But then, this is UEFA's final decision and there is nothing one can do about it
I reviewed the entire incident in Vienna in my head and...what's wrong? Not as if both the coaches (Germany's Joachim Loew and Austria's Josef Hickersberger) are doing anything wrong. They were just dong ther job on their respective touchlines (until the referee stepped in and...complicate matters). Anyhow, I am having the funny feeling ahead of the first quarter-final match (between Portugal and Germany) which is going to be played in Basel after Group D ends today (or in view of time difference, early tomorrow morning). And it's not good. And it brought me back after Germany were through to the World Cup semi-finals after the penalty shootout against Argentina two years ago. What happened after the match was what I rather forget.
At the rate I am going, I am feeling even more sicker than even ahead of the match in Vienna the day before. If I am feeling real pissed (which I am), I might as well add in that Jogi better don't do a Jose Mourinho. The former Chelsea manager once received a touchline ban for a Champions League match and somehow he managed to communicate with his players and coaching staff (I only remembered I went amused at his methods) on the day of the match. The story only surfaced like the year before or something. Now Loew has become, for the first time in a major tournament (excluding the Champions League), incurring the wrath of UEFA. Yeah right. Just what he needs after taking over Juergen Klinsmann since the World Cup and make himself be in the spotlight for all the unnecessary reasons. *is feeling a little sarcastic*
Has the bulb finally fused? No longer the Mr. Nice Guy? That thought came about as I was reading an editiorial on the Deustche Welle's website in the wake of the fracas in Vienna. To think I remembered reading somewhere that Jogi was voted like among the most popular well-known Germans last year. *now feeling a little depressed and still pissed* Even trying to replay whatever my mother was saying last week about Loew (being handsome, that is; and she is not a football fan even)...is not doing me any good. Still, what is this?! Threatening to completely take away the happiness I had been searching in football when life is not really treating me well? I don't know when was the last time I was really happy with my life (alright, except when I was on board the Singapore Flyer last week with my family...but that was for a while). I am really angry that it has been taken away from me.
Well, like the German football officials...I actually feel like muttering 'We are robbed!'. No wonder back then the then-Scotland coach Alex McLeish blamed the referee for his side not in Euro 2008 but Italy instead (given it's actually the same referee whom refereed the Austria-Germany match). Since when Joachim Loew has a very nasty temper? Not that I remember of! Alright, he doesn't always show much reactions on matchdays (unless a goal has scored or if the camera aimed at him when there was a near-miss) but, I am very pissed at the ruling. Usually I don't react strongly to such things, unless it's concerning the team I am supporting. It has hit a real raw nerve on me this time.
The day after the match in Vienna, memories of my former Secondary One Science teacher returned when Germany coach Joachim Loew addressed the media...wearing a pink shirt (or it looks like that to me...just look here). To think I almost said my former teacher's name aloud when I saw the photos. My former Science teacher used to wear a pink shirt in class for lessons (not all the time though, but I remembered in my very impressionable mind at that time, he looked handsome in it and that was the beginning of the belief of guys wearing pink is not strange to me anymore). And it was only after my teacher left the following year (he was transferred to the Ministry of Education), in no disrespect, I realised no other teacher can replace his sense of humour. He brought so much joy to the class. Those Secondary One and Two days back in 2000 and 2001 respectively were like the real last time I was really happy about life. Long before the World Cup two years back in Germany, it was my original 'summer fairytale'. Oh, the search for the elusive happiness!
It's a do-or-die clash in Zurich. A make-or-break match. Whatever it is between France and Italy in their final Group C before deciding who is staying on and who is going home, Italy are through at the expense of France (2-0 the final score to Italy). When France's Eric Abidal was sent off (this was in the first-half), I knew it's not going to be France's night. Already in the first 25 minutes, Franck Ribery stretchered off, then the red card with Italy's Andrea Pirlo converting the penalty. I almost wanted to give up watching the match but then remembering how Turkey came back from the dead and beat the Czech Republic with the former to the quarter-finals, I carried on watching. It didn't do me good when Daniele de Rossi added a second for Italy (and it came as a result of a deflection). By then, news came in from Berne that Holland are in the lead over Romania.
Given the situation in Group C is that, a Holland win will mean that this opens up to either France or Italy entering the quarter-final as runners-up (provided either side won the match) of the group. Before I forget, the highlights of the match in Zurich. My reason for France to be in the quarter-finals is mainly personal. The 2006 World Cup semi-final between Germany and Italy. Well, Italy got the better of France again. Like they did two years ago in the World Cup final. From Berlin to Zurch, it's the Azzuri once more. And like the case in Berlin two years ago, France has a player being sent off in Zurich.
Well, Italy coach Roberto Donadoni survived (given he was hackled back in Italy after his side lost to Holland 4-1) while his France counterpart Raymond Domenech...the fate hangs in the balance as the France Football Federation will decide Domenech's fate on July 3. The French media had been calling for the coach to go in the wake of the exit but until then, Domenech is going to get married soon as after France's elimination fron the tournament, he proposed to his long-time girlfriend and TV presenter Estelle Dennis live on French TV (*in an-almost girlish voice* Sweet!). Anyhow, immediately after the match, Italy coach Roberto Donadoni gave his side full marks for reaching the quarter-finals with his French counterpart hailed 10-man France for the way they reacted to a series of "catastrophes" in the 2-0 loss to Italy. Also, 36-year-old Lilian Thuram has called time on his international footbll career, other than Claude Makelele.
While France's Euro 2008 campaign has ended, Franck Ribery suffered a seriously twisted ankle in the 2-0 defeat by Italy. The day after the match, France coach Raymond Domenech admits to "errors of communication" during the match. While Italy coach Roberto Donadoni has insisted that they can beat anyone. Spain is up next for them and the Spanish media are in horror at who their quarter-final opponent is. Italy has never lost to Spain in a major competition in 88 years. And the fact that both sides are facing each other in the quarter-finals...the 'curse' of the quarter-finals is looming where especially it was in the 1994 World Cup quarter-finals where Spain lost to Italy. And also, it's always seemed that 22 June has always been unlucky for the Spainards as they always bow out in a major tournament at that date and this time, the Italy encounter is on that date too.
While Holland awaits whether they will be meeting Sweden or Russia (it will be interesting, given their coach Guus Hiddink is from Holland himself), they ended their group campaign on a 100% record with a 2-0 win over Romania. And coach Marco van Basten sent out his reserve side and still keeping the pace. So now on average, three goals scored for the Oranje. While it looked like Holland made light of the work in Berne, striker Robin van Persie (who scored the second goal) said that it was tough to break down Romania's stubborn resistance. After all, it was only in the second-half Holland got the two goals. As for coach Marco van Basten, it will be back to square one in the quarter-finals. Romania defender Cosmin Contra pointed out that Adrian Mutu's penalty miss against Italy will haunt them for a long time (as that was what eventually led to Romania's elimination from the tournament).
There's actually more than one reason why I am not getting the good vibes ahead of Portugal's quarter-final match against Germany tomorrow (or rather, early Thursday morning here). Given Basel is the location for the match and it's where freshly-laid grass will be laid (remember the bad weather during the Switzerland-Turkey mtch?) and according to the organisers, it's in place. While Portugal will have a training session on the pitch, the German Football Federation's decision is that they will not train on the pitch (and the decision was entirely theirs). Even before Switzerland new national coach Ottmar Hitzfeld takes on his job on July 1, he has managed to persuade striker Marco Streller to reverse his decision to retire from international football (Streller did that given he was fed up with being booed and whistled by the country’s supporters).
Euro 2008 thought of the day: Other than the sense of deja vu which reminded me of what happened after Germany were through to the semi-finals of the World Cup, this case of deja vu is slightly more freakier. I have to admit after learning the news that Germany coach Joachim Loew is not allowed to have contacts with his players before, during and after the Portugal match in Basel (that means his assistant Hans-Dieter Flick will be in the dugout instead), it brought me back the time when I first read about UEFA's 'Respect' campaign for the tournament. One of the rules - Any coaches challenging the referee's decisions will face consequences (I forgot what though). Why back then I was already picturing in my head of Loew seemed to be arguing with the referee over something? Don't tell me a woman's instincts (as it has always been said 'Always trust a woman's instinct') even extend to what she is picturing in her head? And even all the more being a female myself, it's scary.
Greek media in thoughtful mood (As the inquest in the national side's dramatic fall from grace continued, FIFA.com caught up with Greece's football correspondents on duty in Austria and got their views on what went wrong. Perhaps surprisingly, the fiercest criticism of the Greeks' lacklustre performances has come from the foreign press. That said, the country's football reporters have struggled to find positive angles on a dispiriting few days in the Alps.)
Past weighs heavy on Germany's Loew (After they sneaked past a rather mediocre Austria with a 108 kilometres-per-hour bullet free kick from Michael Ballack's boot Germany coach Joachim Loew admitted an improvement would be needed to see off Portugal.)
