Viva La Espana!

Glory for Captain Casillas and the Spanish team as he lifts the Euro 2008 trophy

Lol, my university had the Euro 2008 broadcasted at the dining hall so I need not go all the way to the mamak stall. Me and my pals also ordered some McDonalds delivery to go along with the match and we were pleasantly surprised when we get two free cups of green tea from our a la carte items.

Looking at the lineup of the two finalists, I have to say that's the best team they could ever possibly put out. Both had solo strikers at the end in the form of Klose and Torres respectively, with quality from the latter far outnumbering the previous. Deutschland started well with a few penetrating runs but afterthat, the attacks started fizzling out and the majority of the shots later came from Espana. German defences were at sea once again (how many times have i said that?..haha). Deutschland was fortunate to escape when Torres' header bounced out against the pole. Torres had been a constant pain for the Deutsche defence and he timed his runs really well. His pace and acceleration is excellent and it was coupled with his strength in fending off defenders. Torres' skills paid off in the 33rd minute when he outmuscled Lahm before lifting the ball off a charging Lehmann to put the Spanish 1-0 up. Lahm was taken off in the second half and replaced by Jansen probably because of his role in letting Torres through.

A couple of small controversies did come in the match but they were really insignificant given the way the Spanish were playing. Deutschland tried their best to get the equalising goal but as the minutes grew closer to the final whistle, they were running out of ideas. I would say there is no one in the substitute bench that is capable of turning the game around. Casillas was alert too for the whole match around and his confident punching away of the ball at one of the corners showed his sharpness. Perhaps the closest that Deutschland came to equalising was a Ballack shot. Other than that, they looked no where near getting a goal except at the starting of the match. Spain held out until the 90th minutes and then they were now the new champions of Euro 2008!

Jose Mourinho got his prediction right...haha and so does many of the media at the start of the tournament. Looking back at my predictions, I got 4 group stages guess correct, 1 quarter-finalist correct, 0 remainder semi-finalist correct and my finalists were correct but the champions wrong..haha.

Espana truly deserves to be the champions Euro 2008 for all the aesthetic and wonderful football that they play. Even the German press is full of praise for the Spanish team. As a Deutschland fan, I'm just glad that the Mannschaft is not slaughtered 0-3 or 0-4. For Michael Ballack, it's a tragic year for him as he lost 3 "finals" to his opponents and he had to settle for 3 "second-places". He bled and fought but it was not enough. Fate just didn't want him to be a winner. It' something like Alan Shearer, for all the respect and skill that he got, he won nothing at Newcastle except for the adoration of the fans. On the other hand, you have funny peeps like Silvestre getting Champions League medals and Richardson getting Premier League Champions medals. Sigh, looks like Deutschland really needs to scout for new blood as their squad members are ageing fast. For Lehmann, if he wanna remain in the national squad, he has to play regular goalkeeping games at his new club. It would certainly be interesting to see if Espana can retain their good form for the 2010 World Cup. The future certainly looks bright for them with so many outstanding young talents such as Sergio Ramos, Fabregas, David Silva and Iniesta.

Vienna Finale Preview

This is it. Possibly the best possible clash any football fan would wish for. I predicted the Euro 2008 finalists correctly and so do hordes of other media figureheads..haha. Deutschland will take on Espana in Vienna in about 2 hrs time. The latest news is that Deutsche captain Michael Ballack may not make it for the match due to injury. Espana on the other hand had already lost David Villa. Well, if there's no Ballack, I would be curious to see who Loew would replace his captain with.

I'll be hoping very hard for a German glorious night. Go Deutschland!

Spanish delight

The Spanish team huddles together in joy after the final whistle

A revitalised Russian team is set to take on Spain in the semis. The question on everybody's mind is whether the Russians would get whipped again like what happened during the group stages. Russia certainly enters this match with more confidence as compared to their first meeting with the Spanish after dispatching the dominant Dutch. It was a cagey first half with neither side making a headway. At the 34th minute, David Villa suffered a muscle strain and had to be subbed off by Fabregas.

Russia could no longer handle the second half as Spain runs rampant with their attacks. Puyol and Sergio Ramos have been solid behind for the defence and this enabled the attackers to do their job without worry. A supposed shot into the net by Iniesta had its course diverted by an incoming Xavi Hernandez. The Spanish gain even more confidence afterthat and looked forward to score their second. At the 73rd minute, center midfield maestro Cesc Fabregas effortlessly flick a ball for Guiza to score Spain's second goal. It was Fabregas there once again to assist in wrapping up the game when he ran free down the left flank to set up Silva to score the third. Espana will now meet Deutschland in the final after their 3-0 win.

Spain is looking good for the title given the way they play in the semis. Russia could not really find much weaknesses to exploit and they were eventually outplayed by the superior skills of the Spanish. Fabregas' intelligent passes and reading of the game was truly a joyful sight to behold and I believe he fully deserves a starting place in the final. For the entire tournament, Fabregas did not start because Aragones remained "loyal" to his starting eleven although some of them had not been as impressive.

After reaching the semis for the first time in 24 years, the Spanish are now reaching the final also for the first time in 24 years and they would now be looking to win a trophy for the first time in 24 years.

Deutschland to the final

Lahm delivers Deutschland a spot in the Vienna final with his 90th minute strike

It was a dramatic semi final match but a good chunk of its broadcast was marred by power failures. As a result, fans around the world lost the sight of 2 goals during live broadcast but fortunately managed to catch the last goal.

Loew kept the same team which won against Portugal but I really question the way he places his players. Klose plays as a solo striker upfront, Podolski on the left and Hitzlsperger at the center. The results of such a screwed up positioning was apparent during the first half. It looked like a repeat of the Croatian match. Passing was bad, slow to close down, defence all over the place and attack was just toothless. Bear in mind that Turkey was severely crippled with suspensions and injury problems that they are contemplating to even field their 2nd Goalkeeper as an outfield player. Instead of rampaging through Turkey's B team, the Germans are having trouble (again) dealing with fast and pacy Turkish peeps that seem to slip past the defensive lines all the time. Phillip Lahm in particular was having a hell of a time trying to contain Kazim-Richards.

First of all, Podolski on the left again! Seriously, when will Loew learn? Klose can't play as a single striker really as he's no van Nisterooy. He may be good with the head but he needs support. He doesn't have the physical strength or the ball skill to push off defenders on ground play. Hitzlsperger and Rolfes were just redundant in the middle. They made absolutely no impact at all and I thought that Hitzlsperger would be better utilised on the left so as to allow Podolski to move upfront to partner Klose. As I've said before, the weak link of the Germans is the goalkeeper. Lehmann has not been getting the regular games at Arsenal and his rustiness is showing very clearly. The first goal by Turkey was a big boo boo from him. The shot went through his legs as he fumbled with a ball that was directed right at him. Next, a seemingly routine basic goalkeeping catch during a free kick turned into some panicky punch by Lehmann.

Fortunately for Deutschland, they equalised within seven minutes when a break allowed Podolski to race down the left to pass the ball to Schweinsteiger. It was another masterful finish from Schweini as he flicked the ball into the net without even looking at it. The first half was a very nervous affair for the Germans. Rolfes got cut while jumping and he was replaced by the half-injured Frings in the second half. The midfield improved a little with the introduction of Frings. Even so, there's a level of frustration because the Germans don't seem to put in some urgency to score another goal. At the 72nd minute, Klose put the Germans on the lead when he beat Ruustu and a Turkish defender in the air from a Lahm's cross to nod the ball into an empty net. Bad call by the Turkish goalie since he should have just stand there where he could have saved the header. Perhaps he thought that he could catch the cross easily with his hands. It was thought that Klose's goal would be the winner but the Turkish don't say die and looked as if they are riding on their luck again when they equalise it to 2-2 from one Deutschland's defences lapses. However, at the 90th minute, Lahm played a long distance one two with one of his teammates and then coolly rams the winner's ball into the net. Turkey had a taste of their own medicine as what they had done to Switzerland, Czech Republic and Croatia. The Germans were through to the final with a 3-2 win and Turkey's fairy tale run ends at the semis.

Despite Deutschland's win, I have to say it is a bad performance on the pitch. A huge part of the reason for the victory was due to Turkey's poor finishing in front of goal and some unlucky crossbar deflection. Deutschland on the other hand had less chances but they make their chances count. Deutschland's control of the game was generally poor. If David Villa and Torres had been the strikers instead, the Germans would have been pounded and Lehmann would look very silly indeed. Up till now, Deutschland still has no confirmed and consistent starting eleven and Loew's positioning tactics always places players at their unnatural areas. Whether it is Russia or Spain in the final, they are going to have lots of problems containing these attacking teams if they don't get their positioning right. On a positive note, being a Deutschland Mannschaft fan, I'm definitely delighted that they have reached the final :)

Interesting observations

Lol! Criminal lecturer came early this morning looking very jolly while half the class was half dead. And then later, he got MIA for the afternoon class coz he kena bitten by insect and got some nasty infection from it (from what I heard). Looks like 4hrs session just got pushed to next week. It's very rare he get so many misfortunes piled onto him as he's one who is always punctual, always serious, makes sure you get the least break time, and utilises the entire 2hrs (just like what a strict papa would do..haha). No leeway or flexiblity at all.

Btw, I never realised that one of my law classmates had so much Bible knowledge until I talked with her bout it today. I think part of the surprise came about because of certain assumptions based on her background. There is love in the air surrounding CF nowadays..lol. I just got to know today that two sets of boys and gals who just got to know each other brought their friendship to the next level. Maybe the pastor's sermon regarding relationships around 3 weeks ago had some effects :P

I want my guitar!

It's another few days of break from footie coverage since the semi finals is only coming on Thursday morning. Euro 2008 is ending soon with only 3 more matches in the tournament for me to cover..haha.

Anyways, just came back from guitar class. Yay! More improvements as now I can incorporate A minor into my chord strumming! :) So, now i can basically play the first part of Robbie Williams' Better Man. That's a welcoming change instead of me everytime strumming the song I know so far: Six Pence None the Richer's Kiss Me (it's a beautiful song btw). Not only that, I can remember how to play B and F chord too. Playing guitar requires lots of finger bending flexiblity. The bar chords remain a challenge to me coz I can't use my thumbs like the usual chords to support the rest of my fingers. Ugghh..I really really wanna go back to Taiping to grab my guitar to Inti but the weekends are just filled with lots of stuff that needs to be completed by the end of this month (not that Stan gets much things done during weekends anyway..haha). Sometimes I'm just dying to practice the guitar coz I don't wanna forget what I learn. Somehow, I get this "shiok" sensation whenever I managed to get a familiar tune right on the guitar. It's the same on the piano too. It's different from the "shiok" sensation that I get when I practice my core speciality which is my drums...haha.

Oh man, it's gonna be 4hrs of Criminal Law lessons tomorrow since my dear lecturer missed one session last week due to some "misadventure" with his car. Of all my lectures, criminal is the most serious and stifling (speaking of the court sessions and police enforcement..lol). The class is literally fixated on listening and writing plus cannot chat or do nonsensical stuff to relax yourself. 2hrs is bad and tiring enough and to have 4hrs is just *toot*. And Wednesday being the only day where class starts at 12pm is being robbed as the first class is scheduled at 8am. Nothing wrong with 4 hrs lessons as long as I don't get locked down with boring regulations. In fact, I would be glad to sit in for 4hrs of my good old English Literature classes where we get to learn and slack at the same time..haha. One good thing is that my criminal lecturer doesn't really pay attention to the back, so I can get away with some light air drumming or doodling on the paper =p.

Spain breaks hoodoo

Fabregas and Villa runs over to celebrate with a jubilant Casillas

It was goalless for 120 minutes, nothing to separate them and it had to be the penalties. Spain attacked till to death and Italy defended till to death, and thus nullifying each other in the process. Italy started the match without their regular center midfield partnership of Pirlo and Gattuso as they are being suspended from the previous match. Spain on the other hand fielded their strongest 11 on the field. Italy held their ground well with their classic trademark defensive play but there were a couple of times when Spain managed to get through using counterattack. Most of the Spanish shots were relegated to outside the box with attempts commonly by Silva and Villa. The Spanish became so desperate at times that they are willing to try anything including diving to avoid the dreaded penalty shootout. Of course, the referee would have none of that nonsense and promptly booked Villa when he tried to do that.

Italy's insistence in depending on Luca Toni as the main target man would be the death of their aspirations. Again, I want to reiterate that club football is different from international football. Luca Toni is has been superb in his time at Bayern but the group matches have already illustrated that he's incapable of causing much damage. He tries and tries but ends up looking embarassing especially when he tried to do too much at one point by attempting to execute a bicycle kick. With no hope at the front and with the lack of the playmaking skills of Pirlo, the Italians could only try to defend as much as they could and hope that they have a lucky break. Well, Deutschland was one step smarter when they decided to axe their so called "star striker" Mario Gomez to ensure that they had a chance in the quarters..lol

There was a "lol moment" when Buffon apparently spilled Silva's shot while catching it. The ball slowly rolled towards the goal line to his horror and he quickly got up and rushed back to grab it. Actually, he was one second late but fortunately for him, the ball slowly rolled and.....hit the crossbar...hahaha.

The penalty shootout proceeded after both managers have submitted the list of takers and the two captain goalkeepers are now placed at the center stage. Villa and Grosso were the first ones to take and both converted it well. 2nd round - Substitute Cazorla got the goal but De Rossi's was saved by Casillas. 3rd round - Senna scored and so does Camoranesi. 4th Round - Tension was back again when Guiza's shot was saved by Buffon. The penalty shootout could go all night..haha. It's so difficult to separate them. Di Natale was next for Italy but his shot was brilliantly saved by Casillas! Spain is back in the lead! And the final decisive point of the shootout is handled by Cesc Fabregas. I have to say good choice in putting him as the last taker as Fabregas has a high level of composure in front of goal. The Spanish wonderkid coolly slotted it past Buffon, bringing Spain to their first Euro semis in 24 years.

Casillas was definitely the hero of the night and his most memorable moment in the match has to be when he bravely kicks away an incoming Camoranesi shot to ensure that Spain keeps the clean sheet. Two saves in the shootout and he helped his country to finally break the 20-year+ jinx. Now, they are being set up for a rematch against the Russkis in the semis. A final showdown between Deutschland and Spain would be mouthwatering but based on the unpredictable nature of football, never discount the dark horses of Russia and Turkey...haha.