Anyone but Portugal

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

To balance up, we need this one.

Cristiano Ronaldo is clearly a towering talent, and a superb player, but he's still a fucking cheat. And so's Nani.

I don't want Portugal to win, nor even reach the final again, just for those reasons. Or if they do, I want them to lose, horribly, with Ronaldo, ideally, missing a penalty like he did in Moscow. I realise I may be alone in those sentiments.

[Bored Of Education]

Anyone but Portugal

I think so. I want Nani to curb himself but Ronaldo is having a great tournament (now he has taken my advice in using his left foot)

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

Anyone but Portugal

I stick to my prediction, Portugal will win it, and I hope they make Tiki-Taka look like ancient bullshit.

[Bored Of Education]

Anyone but Portugal

Yeah, we get it, PPV

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

Anyone but Portugal

Bored of Education wrote: Yeah, we get it, PPV

Alright, am bored with this shit anyway

[Jimbags]

Anyone but Portugal

Rogin Chorzow wrote: Cristiano Ronaldo is clearly a towering talent, and a superb player, but he's still a fucking cheat. And so's Nani.

So are most of the Spanish team.

[E10 Rifle]

Anyone but Portugal

I haven't liked Portugal's team for at least a decade but I've warmed a bit to them this time round. They're much less negative and niggly than they've been for a while and I enjoyed their performance against Holland more than I've enjoyed anything from anyone else in this tournament outside of Germany's games.

I still don't want them to win it or anything but they're not the snivelling, snidey, petulant anti-heroes of the past two World Cups.

[G-Man]

Anyone but Portugal

Jimbags wrote:

Cristiano Ronaldo is clearly a towering talent, and a superb player, but he's still a fucking cheat. And so's Nani.

So are most of the Spanish team.

I think you'll find that none of the Sanish team are Nani.

[ursus arctos]

Anyone but Portugal

Dunno, G-man.

A number of them are quite short . . .

[Calvert]

Anyone but Portugal

Pietro Paolo Virdis wrote:

Yeah, we get it, PPV

Alright, am bored with this shit anyway

Fuck, you are?
You've guaranteed eternal badminding from at least one poster for anything Croatia ever do again, sporting or otherwise.

Rogin's just miffed that Carragher didn't actually amputate Nani's leg last season.

I hope the eventual tournament winner emerges from this semi-final.

[Pietro Paolo Virdis]

Anyone but Portugal

Calvert W. McCutcheon wrote:

Yeah, we get it, PPV

Alright, am bored with this shit anyway

Fuck, you are?
You've guaranteed eternal badminding from at least one poster for anything Croatia ever do again, sporting or otherwise.

Rogin's just miffed that Carragher didn't actually amputate Nani's leg last season.

I hope the eventual tournament winner emerges from this semi-final.

fuck i am.
bye

[dalliance]

Anyone but Portugal

While thinking that Portugal have grown into this tournament, it's actually been a bit of a mixed bag so far.

They were dour and stodgy against Germany, they looked needlessly fragile against Denmark and in some ways they got a little lucky that the Dutch decided to play a stupid formation that allowed Ronaldo all the time and space he needed to show what he had struggled to do before.

They were the poorer team in the first half against a very weak Czech team and while better in the second, they hardly came through as comfortably as they should.

Spain for me I think.

[Ray de Galles]

Anyone but Portugal

I find the idea that Portugal were "the poorer side in the first half" against the Czechs very bizarre.

They may not have begun to dominate the game until near end of the half (and that dominance grew after half time) but by all stats I can find (possession, territory, attempts, attempts on target, passes in the final third) they were comfortably ahead if the Czechs at the break.

In fact I think the Czechs made about two or three breaks in one five minute period that were there only attacks of note at all.

[steveeeeeeeee]

Anyone but Portugal

Agreed Rogin. The Czechs had a great opening 15 minutes, but Portugal adapted quickly and from then on in dominated the game. It took them a long time to get past a 9 man defence, but they did it because of their excellence.

[Ray de Galles]

Anyone but Portugal

Hey, are you calling me Rogin?!

[Gangster Octopus]

Anyone but Portugal

You Welsh and West Country folk all look the same to us...

[hobbes]

Anyone but Portugal

I realise I may be alone in those sentiments.

You're not.

[dalliance]

Anyone but Portugal

I find the idea that Portugal were "the poorer side in the first half" against the Czechs very bizarre.

They may not have begun to dominate the game until near end of the half (and that dominance grew after half time) but by all stats I can find (possession, territory, attempts, attempts on goal, passes in the final third) they were comfortably ahead if the Czechs at the break.

In fact I think the Czechs made about two or three breaks in one five minute period that were there only attacks of note at all.

The Czechs were never dangerous, but in the first half they defended with ease, their passing was a lot crisper and sharper than the stodgy Portuguese and they had some exciting surges into something approximating good attacking positions through players like Jiracek.

Portugal were undoubtedly a much better team but it took them long enough to realise this. Similar to the Dutch game, their opponents led 1-0 and dominated the opening 20 minutes before Portugal realised how rubbish their set-up was and took over.

[blameless]

Anyone but Portugal

hobbes wrote:

I realise I may be alone in those sentiments.

You're not.

Thirded. ABP, please.

[anton pulisov]

Anyone but Portugal

Portuguese cheating is chaotic and blatantly obvious. The ultra-systematic Spanish cheating is quietly efficient and was refined by cheating scientists at the Advanced Research Centre for Stealth Cheating at the University of Cheating in Madrid.

[Bored Of Education]

Anyone but Portugal

Portuguese cheating is chaotic and blatantly obvious. The ultra-systematic Spanish cheating is quietly efficient and was refined by cheating scientists at the Advanced Research Centre for Stealth Cheating at the University of Cheating in Madrid.

You've got that all wrong. German cheating is efficient. Spanish cheating is oily, Italian cheating is cowardly and Japanese cheating is inscrutable.

English cheating like, I don't know, Ashley Young's is brave