Euro 2012

but we played far better than England... far more convincing and really took the game to Spain... We are a hard working team and play attractive football...

The real final happened a week ago, between Spain and Portugal.
You could all see Spain game there. Where was the "tiki-taka" during 120min?
Says it all to me.
Spain did good, far better than anyone else.... but fuck me, lucky gilipollas.

...the German team were exposed on several occasions and the Portuguese hard working ethics would have meant a goal or two especially after the way we played against Spain... We left the competition with pride!

Trufax.
But need to (once again), quote Bento, after the defeat against Germany: "We played like never before, lost like we always do"...
That's Euro 2012 roight there.

John H, what's your point?

No point really, just trolling.

And that we've beaten you in 2006, 2008 & 2012.

;)

Please post a pic of Euro2000 too.

What was that?
Sergio Conceição 3
Germany 0

ooops

....with our 2nd team. Only the bench played that game.

lol

:D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNR5toJQnV0

Oh god, I forgot all about that. Even beaten by England. Bottom of the group.

Surprising now, if you look back at the team, some good players in there, but I guess they were getting on a bit.

Kahn, Babbel, Linke, Nowotny, Jeremies, Ziege, Matthäus, Deisler, Häßler, Bierhoff, Ballack, Scholl, all top players.

Paulo Rink >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Best WC game ever?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wALiyDM_Nk

Now you are talking, I loved that game. So good when the Barca players sent off were just sitting on the side together watching the game.

Since 2000 that whoever puts Portugal out of a competition (EC or WC), goes on to Win it.
Apart from wc2002.... sort of.

I won't take anything away from Germany... they were a team of the highest calibre but unfortunately exposed and looked jaded after the second Balotelli goal in a classic semi...

But as for a possible win over what has now been regarded the greatest team ever...

I think not...

the facts...

120mins in a semi-final of the highest calibre and win through a nerve-racking penalty shoot out would be enough to leave very little mental and physical strength for any team... But to go onto the final and find the strength again to play the opposition into the ground takes something exceptional... in all fairness that was a team from another planet even though half of them were only 5ft 5"... Iniesta, Xavi, Silva, Jordi... etc...!

The great thing is we can both believe we are right.

I still have the misguided belief Germany would have beaten Spain.

We played out of our skin and gave our Iberian brothers a true run for their money... that was the final... all 120mins of it...

nuknow:- The real final happened a week ago, between Spain and Portugal.
You could all see Spain game there. Where was the "tiki-taka" during 120min?
Says it all to me.
Spain did good, far better than anyone else.... but fuck me, lucky gilipollas.

Iniesta! Voted player of the tournament! Now no one can contest or argue over that decision! So well deserved!

Spain were able to do what they did against Italy because Italy went for them. Even at 1-0 down Italy had more possession and more attempts on goal, but in doing so Spain had easily enough space to slot away a second.

Italy showed they can hold Spain in the group stage, as did Croatia and Portugal in the knockout stages. Same can be said of Barca with Chelsea, Real, Inter. Before the final Spain can only be said to actually go for goal with Iniesta in extra time v portugal. Otherwise they dominated midfield and knocked it about like a metronome ad infinitum, and everyone creams themselves.

This Spain side typifies this walk-it-into-the-net football which simmers away without much incident. They're less like a vice, more like a chinese water torture. As effective as it's been in crowning them 3 times in a row, it's lead to very few memorable games. Then again this may be largely due to their opposition rarely attempting to playing them man for man. Italy's attempt shows what that does.

mmm... you make it sound that Spain got lucky and weren't anything special...
To score a second on the break against Italy is far from easy as we all know how defensive their football can be...
takes something special to retain a major championship let alone win three tournaments in a row...

Untouchables...

what have you got to say about the other teams, their performance's... ??

Iniesta! Voted player of the tournament! Now no one can contest or argue over that decision! So well deserved!

Well, being a subjective decision, it can be argued over.

I was saying it's easy for Spain because they are special, but it's for that reason all teams which play them don't attempt to play them man for man, because Spain are so well balanced.

For example in the CL final Chelsea were so deep Barca sat around the Chelsea box and were ineffectual as they had no where to run into. In a way, sitting back a little and giving chelsea the ball would be better. Yesterday, Italy did that for them.

Consequently Spain are involved in more than their fair share of high possesion low attempt-on-goal games. Which can be pretty dull, as evidenced by their lack of exciting wins like yesterday's

I don't get the impression Spain are untouchable, no team is. An untouchable team wouldn't leave progression from the group stage up to Croatia to lose for example.

so who in your opinion was the player of the tournament? Subjective topic...

Well, being a subjective decision, it can be argued over.

Iniesta
Pirlo
Ibrahimavic