portugal vs germany...
Portugal vs Germany: 2-3
(N. Gomes 40', H. Postiga 87'; Schweinsteiger 22', Klose 26', Ballack 62')
Portugal: Ricardo - P. Ferreira, R. Carvalho,
Pepe, Bosingwa -
Petit (
H. Postiga 73'), J. Moutinho (R. Meireles 31') - C. Ronaldo, Deco, Simão - N. Gomes (Nani 67')
Germany: Lehmann -
Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder,
Lahm - Schweinsteiger (Fritz 83'), Rolfes, Ballack, Hitzlsperger (Borowski 73') - Klose (Jansen 89'), Podolski
Now that's what I call football! I really wonder if the Germans have motivation problems and can't bring themselves to make an effort when there's nothing at stake. Honestly, I expected them to lose against Portugal because their performances against Croatia and Austria were pretty bad while the Portuguese marched through the group stage with an ease that added them to the list of true title aspirants. This game didn't reflect any of that though, and sometimes I got the impression that this was the world turned upside down. The way Portugal had played during the group stage was suddenly adopted by the Germans while the Portuguese picked up Germany's incompetence. In detail, the Germans played with speed, accuracy and self-confidence, which I think is mostly the merit of the new midfield with Rolfes and Hitzlsperger. When you have wing players who are drawn forward all the time (Podolski, Fritz), you need a stable midfield, something Ballack and Frings couldn't really provide with during this Euro so far. Now, it worked. Rolfes didn't just replace Frings, he was a lot better than him. His passes reached their destination, he passed forward rather than to a player standing behind him, and he always had an eye for free players. Hitzlsperger did more defensive work than Podolski had done (even though I still think that Podolski is a very good choice for the left side) and thus took some of the pressure off Rolfes. A most excellent choice.
At the same time, nothing seemed to go Portugal's way. Passes didn't arrive where they were supposed to, clear chances weren't turned into goals, and the defense was highly unstable, especially on the right side. Bosingwa really was a weak spot in the Portuguese defense that day. The only reason I bolded him in my line-up above was that he was involved in nearly all Portuguese chances.
Significantly, it was Bosingwa's very side that Germany's first goal originated from. Podolski played a quick one-two with Klose on the left side, then crosses to the middle where Schweinsteiger just has to put his foot in. Ricardo didn't have a chance. But that often seems to be the case when Schweinsteiger meets Ricardo, hm? :D When my ex (who I watched the game with) and I discussed possible outcomes of the game during dinner and he suggested a 2-1 victory for Germany, I told him that the only German player who seems to be able to score against Ricardo is Schweinsteiger (see World Cup of 2006 and Champions League of 2007), and our dear #7 hasn't quite been in shape lately. Thanks, Schweini, for proving me wrong. Actually, I was more than amazed by Schweini's performance during this game. He was the best player on the pitch, which is almost incredible considering his horrid performances for both Bayern and the national team during the last year. He was involved in every single goal, his free kicks and corners were suddenly damn accurate, and he didn't lose himself in unnecessary dribblings but passed the ball on before an opponent could attack him. In the 26th minute, Germany got a free kick, and Schweinsteiger sent it towards the second post where Klose, left alone by Bosingwa, headed the ball in. (I was especially happy that Klose scored again. I hope he's out of his hole now!) Later, Pepe rammed Klose, and Schweinsteiger took the free kick once again, kicking the ball into the box, right on top of Ballack's waiting head. Please, Schweini, be repeating this next time, kthx.
Also, lots of love for Arne Friedrich. He might not be the best rightback in the whole world, but he took good care of Cristiano Ronaldo, and that's more than can be said about some other rightbacks. He failed only once, during Portugal's counter attack in the 40th minute. Friedrich wasn't back in the defense quickly enough, and CRon took the opportunity to enter Germany's box and dribbled around Mertesacker, who seemed to be asleep. His shot was blocked by Lehmann, but then the ball unfortunately landed right in front of Nuno Gomes, who just had to turn around and take a shot because Lehmann was still down.
In the 87th minute, Hélder Postiga scored the 2-3 for Portugal, but I didn't even pay much attention to this goal, to be frank. I just remember that it happened after someone sent a cross into Germany's box, and Postiga headed it in from a short distance, but it's not as if it matters, really. Portugal were far too weak to turn the game around that day, and even though I'm a bit sorry to see them go, I think that Germany deserved the victory because they played their best game of this tournament so far. I got a Germany flag with the monitor I bought for my computer, so maybe it's time to finally put it in my car now? ;)
Oh, and one last thing. I suppose nothing can describe the glee I felt when Cristiano Ronaldo stepped off the pitch and I realise that it would be the last time during this Euro. I didn't really care about him before the Euro, but with all the fuss about him, I really started to dislike him. I mean, hello? There are loads of talented players, but the media were focused on him alone. Annoying!
(N. Gomes 40', H. Postiga 87'; Schweinsteiger 22', Klose 26', Ballack 62')
Portugal: Ricardo - P. Ferreira, R. Carvalho,
Pepe, Bosingwa -
Petit (
H. Postiga 73'), J. Moutinho (R. Meireles 31') - C. Ronaldo, Deco, Simão - N. Gomes (Nani 67')
Germany: Lehmann -
Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder,
Lahm - Schweinsteiger (Fritz 83'), Rolfes, Ballack, Hitzlsperger (Borowski 73') - Klose (Jansen 89'), Podolski
Now that's what I call football! I really wonder if the Germans have motivation problems and can't bring themselves to make an effort when there's nothing at stake. Honestly, I expected them to lose against Portugal because their performances against Croatia and Austria were pretty bad while the Portuguese marched through the group stage with an ease that added them to the list of true title aspirants. This game didn't reflect any of that though, and sometimes I got the impression that this was the world turned upside down. The way Portugal had played during the group stage was suddenly adopted by the Germans while the Portuguese picked up Germany's incompetence. In detail, the Germans played with speed, accuracy and self-confidence, which I think is mostly the merit of the new midfield with Rolfes and Hitzlsperger. When you have wing players who are drawn forward all the time (Podolski, Fritz), you need a stable midfield, something Ballack and Frings couldn't really provide with during this Euro so far. Now, it worked. Rolfes didn't just replace Frings, he was a lot better than him. His passes reached their destination, he passed forward rather than to a player standing behind him, and he always had an eye for free players. Hitzlsperger did more defensive work than Podolski had done (even though I still think that Podolski is a very good choice for the left side) and thus took some of the pressure off Rolfes. A most excellent choice.
At the same time, nothing seemed to go Portugal's way. Passes didn't arrive where they were supposed to, clear chances weren't turned into goals, and the defense was highly unstable, especially on the right side. Bosingwa really was a weak spot in the Portuguese defense that day. The only reason I bolded him in my line-up above was that he was involved in nearly all Portuguese chances.
Significantly, it was Bosingwa's very side that Germany's first goal originated from. Podolski played a quick one-two with Klose on the left side, then crosses to the middle where Schweinsteiger just has to put his foot in. Ricardo didn't have a chance. But that often seems to be the case when Schweinsteiger meets Ricardo, hm? :D When my ex (who I watched the game with) and I discussed possible outcomes of the game during dinner and he suggested a 2-1 victory for Germany, I told him that the only German player who seems to be able to score against Ricardo is Schweinsteiger (see World Cup of 2006 and Champions League of 2007), and our dear #7 hasn't quite been in shape lately. Thanks, Schweini, for proving me wrong. Actually, I was more than amazed by Schweini's performance during this game. He was the best player on the pitch, which is almost incredible considering his horrid performances for both Bayern and the national team during the last year. He was involved in every single goal, his free kicks and corners were suddenly damn accurate, and he didn't lose himself in unnecessary dribblings but passed the ball on before an opponent could attack him. In the 26th minute, Germany got a free kick, and Schweinsteiger sent it towards the second post where Klose, left alone by Bosingwa, headed the ball in. (I was especially happy that Klose scored again. I hope he's out of his hole now!) Later, Pepe rammed Klose, and Schweinsteiger took the free kick once again, kicking the ball into the box, right on top of Ballack's waiting head. Please, Schweini, be repeating this next time, kthx.
Also, lots of love for Arne Friedrich. He might not be the best rightback in the whole world, but he took good care of Cristiano Ronaldo, and that's more than can be said about some other rightbacks. He failed only once, during Portugal's counter attack in the 40th minute. Friedrich wasn't back in the defense quickly enough, and CRon took the opportunity to enter Germany's box and dribbled around Mertesacker, who seemed to be asleep. His shot was blocked by Lehmann, but then the ball unfortunately landed right in front of Nuno Gomes, who just had to turn around and take a shot because Lehmann was still down.
In the 87th minute, Hélder Postiga scored the 2-3 for Portugal, but I didn't even pay much attention to this goal, to be frank. I just remember that it happened after someone sent a cross into Germany's box, and Postiga headed it in from a short distance, but it's not as if it matters, really. Portugal were far too weak to turn the game around that day, and even though I'm a bit sorry to see them go, I think that Germany deserved the victory because they played their best game of this tournament so far. I got a Germany flag with the monitor I bought for my computer, so maybe it's time to finally put it in my car now? ;)
Oh, and one last thing. I suppose nothing can describe the glee I felt when Cristiano Ronaldo stepped off the pitch and I realise that it would be the last time during this Euro. I didn't really care about him before the Euro, but with all the fuss about him, I really started to dislike him. I mean, hello? There are loads of talented players, but the media were focused on him alone. Annoying!