Serie A @ the Euros: Day 1: ahh_serie

bustedflush in ahh_serie_a

Serie A @ the Euros: Day 1

Jun 07, 2008 19:45

(Jankulovski lives!)
Since there are a lot of Serie A players in Austria and Switzerland this month who don't play for the Auzzurri, we're going to do a daily (never more often, sometimes sightly less) spam post to give them a little love, heavy on match pictures -- only of them, of course -- but also including the odd press conference and training festivities.

There are two Serie A players starting for the Swiss: Lazio's Valon "Frosty" Behrami (#19), and Udine's Gökhan İnler (#8), who is outrageously beautiful and should not be ignored.

The entire Czech defense is from Serie A: Ujfi (ok, he's ex-Serie A, but come on, it's only been like a week!), Jankulovski, David Rozehnal (#22, Lazio, on loan from Newcastle) and Zdernek Grygera (#2, Juve's bench).

What up, bitchez? Can't get away from me, even in Switzerland.

Swiss first, since they lost.

Behrami was everywhere, particularly early.

The guys on TV kept saying he was having a hard time, but at least he was trying something, and making the Czechs defend.

Apparently he's "the David Beckham of Switzerland." Does every country really have to have one?

(I don't think Beckham sticks his tongue out nearly as much as Frosty does.)

(Monkey face.)

Beckham or not, he was his usual dramatic self, with a lot of arm waving and Italian gestures of disbelief.

(He wanted a handball on Ujfi really badly. With good reason.)

He also had a ... rather intimate encounter with Jarolim.

*boggle* Have you ever seen that sort of definition in a grope before? And my god, I think he's twisting! That could NOT have been comfortable.

He also spent a lot of time with Jankulovski, who was clearly well-rested after spending all season being ignored by Milan.

(Dueling tongues.)

Frosty had a few chances and put at least one shot on target, but he never broke through and ended up being subbed late in the match.

Mmm .... Inler.

He's a midfielder.

He attacked a lot, but also put in periodic stints as a human wall.

And, like Behrami, seemed to find Jarolim utterly irresistible.

I guess he should be flattered by all the attention, but the touching seems a little rougher than necessary.

In RAWR mode.

(DANGER!)

He had a couple good shots, but Ujfi and Rozehnal pretended they had it all under control.

Speaking of Rozehnal (and groping).

I love how he's being dragged by his crotch and then accused of committing a foul.

(Clearly the photographers were prejudiced against Czech defenders with short hair, because this is pretty much all there is of him.)

Grygera, not Jankulovski.

You would not BELIEVE how difficult the photo agencies find it to tell them apart.

I mean, ok, they sort of have similar hair, but they're far from twins.

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, NO! WE DO NOT LOOK THAT MUCH ALIKE!"

"I'M MUCH MORE FISHY! STOP LABELING MY PICTURES WRONG!"

His main contribution, sadly, was making the tackle on which Alexander Frei, Switzerland's captain and all-time leading scorer, was injured.

The tackle wasn't dirty, but the result must have made him feel awful.

His alleged twin, meanwhile, seemed totally untroubled by not having played since August (mostly).

He was definitely in midseason form when it came to sharing his opinion, that's for sure.

And, also, in knowing how to get to the pretty ones first, come goal-celebration time.

Ujfi, for his part, had an adventurous day.

Most of the time, he defended really well.

He did a great job of stepping up and covering the wingbacks when they got forward.

And also danced like nobody's business.

He even got his muppet on from time to time -- you know he was fired up if it came to that.

(Nnnnnnnnnngh.)

He also, however, committed two handballs in the box. This was the one that had Frosty so upset, and really should have been given.

This one was in injury time, and was more dubious because he had his arm pull into his body, but a cruel ref might have given it anyway.

In the end though, they survived, and there as moderate rejoicing.