EURO 2008

[Plan B]

Like about every fellow-dutchee, I have low expectations.
Butt, this national lack of confidence might take some pressure off the team, allowing them to play more freely.
Which raises my expectations again...funny how that works.
Being a cunt, if they go through, I'll don my orange and claim to have always backed them 100%, of course.

[seremtan]

Butt, this national lack of confidence might take some pressure off the team, allowing them to play more freely.

i suspect teams ignore "national lack of confidence" and play like shit because they're shit

england being a prime example

[Chupacabra]

wow, holland v. italy is shaping up

[Chupacabra]

horrible horrible call

[chopov]

NED-ITA 1-0

YESSS!

[Plan B]

Bit of green grass, there.

[Chupacabra]

beautiful goal

[chopov]

2-0

WTF....

[Plan B]

See how I'm always right?
Obviously, the Italians are shook up about losing Cannavaro.
But I think Holland plays better with their underdog position.

[chopov]

Considering Italy being current world champion the difference isn't that obvious...

[Plan B]

Well, it should, but 2-0 says otherwise

[chopov]

DAMN...nearly the 3-0....

[Chupacabra]

ruud should have had that

[Plan B]

indeed, not like him to get panicky

[Plan B]

Right, halftime.
If they give this away in the second half, I'll emigrate.

[HM-PuFFNSTuFF]

Great first half! God I hate those diving crying Italian players.

That pass near the end of the half for a breakaway was perfect.

[chopov]

by the way, I like how the ball actually looks like a real football again: white with black dots. Hated those wanna be high tech tribal pattern pills from recent tournaments.

[Plan B]

lol, I live in the ghetto and the kids down on the playground are actually shouting "go holland!"
Football will bring us all together!

[Chupacabra]

the game is exciting to watch, but has been somewhat ruined. i feel bad for italy.

the missed offside goal changes the game around. teams play differently when they're down. im not saying that italy is excused for allowing that second goal, but its arguable that second goal would not have happened. maybe italy wouldnt have played that far up and zambrotta would have been able to recover better.

its all part of the game, but its still lame.

[chopov]

the game is exciting to watch, but has been somewhat ruined. i feel bad for italy.

the missed offside goal changes the game around. [...]

Which offside goal do you mean? The 1-0? One italian player was behind the goal line so it wasn't offside...it's just that nobody knows this rule.

[Grudge]

Italy can fuck off, never cared for those primadonnas

go Orange!

[Chupacabra]

the game is exciting to watch, but has been somewhat ruined. i feel bad for italy.

the missed offside goal changes the game around. [...]

Which offside goal do you mean? The 1-0? One italian player was behind the goal line so it wasn't offside...

if youre out of the field, you aren't counted (not only that but he was injured on the ground). sometimes, if an offensive player knows he'll be considered offside, he'll purposely step off the pitch momentarily.

[Plan B]

Of course sports *should* be 100% objective, but sports you like to watch usually include a ref, and therefore aren't.
But that also makes it more interesting and a part of the game, trying to influence the ref (which Italians are masters at).

[chopov]

Yes, if it's an enemy player at the opposing goal line but not if it's a (defensive) player at his own line. If it were as you sait it would be easy for every defensive player to set an attacking enemy offside by just stepping across his own goal line...

[Plan B]

Van Persie on in a bit.
Mark my words; he'll score.