France v. Portugal
8:00 - Oh my. Ronaldo is outstanding and Maniche just sent a missle barely over the net.
5:40 - Portugal is coming out fast and hard. A good shot on goal already. Barthez, te timebomb, got a hand on it.
5:40 - Portugal is coming out fast and hard. A good shot on goal already. Barthez, te timebomb, got a hand on it.
posted by Bixby Bulletin at 12:09 PM
13 Comments:
So, was the penalty shot legit? I guess we'll take it any way we can get it, but I'd rather we make a legitimate goal! Their playing some tough soccer out there
As all the announcers say, it is legit. One live blogger that I follow from NYT rightly pointed out - and he wasn't able to see replay - was that the Portuguese were not protesting very much
I say 'announcers' not because i don't have my own opinion, but because people wouldn't trust me to assess that call! I want France to win.
Good game. You didn't blog much!
Definitely a penalty kick. There was no doubt. I heard a Portugese Fan in Lisbon say that it was a PK. Congrats to France. I tell you, the supsension that Zidane had was vital. Having him rested really helped in the Spain and Brazil games. You can really tell that he's getting "on in years." I'm afraid that he'll be very worn out for the final. Should be a good game to watch!
Yeah, I don't see how they can make it. Even Ribery was wiped out. And, Italy will get an extra days rest...plus a spectacular win which is highly motivating!
Zidane's play in the Brazil game convinced me to root for France throughout the rest of the tournament. (after USA, Germany and England were eliminated) I greatly enjoyed the play of Henry and Reibarry (sp). Barthez made me laugh out loud. . . Zidane ruined it all in one minute. Have you heard anything from any French sources that tell you why he committed that foul? I think they win the shoot out with him in the first five. .
I wasn't rooting for France anymore after Zizou did that--very sad way to end a career--no excuse regardless of the goading that was taking place. (Although I was sad for the rest of the team.) Apparently the Italy team was out to get him red-carded. I have heard that the French press is tearing him to pieces, but I haven't heard it myself.
He was apparently called a "dirty terrorist".
I just read a statement from FIFA that said they were looking into in and if validated, they would "take appropriate action". The guy, obviously, denies it, but "reliable sources" heard the statement and others prior to the game and have relaid their information to the appropriate anti-racism FIFA officials. Zidane has told that French press that he will make a statement "in a few days" pending the statements from FIFA.
Okay, I'll try to make this my last comment. Zidane did win best player of the tournament which was allowed by FIFA without hesitation. He was welcomed back in France with thousands of people lining the Champs Elysees and a dinner with the president. After comments made by FIFA before their return to France on Monday, the "sting" of ZZ's actions were somewhat lessened. The comments made somewhat "cleared" him, though his action is still "not excused, but understood."
I've always been a huge Zidane fan. We first need to understand that this is not the first time that he has done something like this. He stomped on a Saudi player a few years ago. He's taken swings a couple of times. What's interesting is that it never seems to be an explosive reaction, but a pre-meditated action to correct something. He's always taken care of his business, regardless of what others think. In one way that's what makes him Zidane. As soon as it happened I was sad. At church that night I told everyone that it would eventually come out what had happened and he would be partially vindicated. I still don't condone the action, but I might have done something similar if I were in his situation. (especially if someone called my sister a whore, which is what a Brazil paper is saying.)
They brought in a deaf lip reader who didn't even speak italian. She was able to sound out the phonetics and an italian translated them. They were able to prove all of the above things and that he hoped Z's ---mother would die. (Apparently she is very ill and the players all knew it.)
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