Who do you think will go on to the semifinals?

I got:

Germany v Argentina: Argentina

Italy v Ukraine: Ukraine

England v Portugal: Portugal

Brazil v France: France(the best)

Argentina
Italy

Portugal
Brazil

This is what I hope and what I predict.

Germany
Italy

England
France

That would be brilliant.

Anyone else have a prediction?

Argentina
Italy

England
Brazil

COME ON ENGLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!

My predictions are half way there!
Watch the other 2 come true today....
Perhaps

My predictions are half way there!
Watch the other 2 come true today....
Perhaps [/b][/quote]The Final: England vs Germany
this would be aussum. I hope for it.

My predictions are half way there!
Watch the other 2 come true today....
Perhaps [/b][/quote]The Final: England vs Germany
this would be aussum. I hope for it.


[/b][/quote]Me too my friend!
As long as it does'nt go to penalties
England are useless in penalty shoot-outs,unlike the Germans who always seem to win them!

I love it how I don't swear anywhere else other than the sports forums. I also love how I will disappear completely from the sports forums after this World Cup is over.

Gutted, today. Absolutely gutted. I don't even think we played badly, today. They showed a lot of bottle, battling it out with ten men. I was especially disappointed for the back four and Hargreaves, who I thought played awesome today, or at least got better as the game went on. Crouch and Lennon were great, too.

Lampard? Jesus Christ. He's had an awful tournament.

The reason this is so disappointing, time and time again, is the feeling of injustice that comes with every England defeat in major tournaments. While this has by no means been a magnificent tournament for us, the team are never really outplayed in the game that they actually lose.

And what is it about the English mentality? I've never really understood the concept of "Englishness", but today I figured it all out; we're too old-fashioned; too much self-respect; too honest. Football, on an international level, has moved into a game full of deceit and on-pitch drama--diving unnecessarily, calling for other players to be booked, etc. The only time I've seen an English player do this in the World Cup this year was Owen Hargreaves, who of course plays in the Bundesliga. On a side note, Hargreaves won me over in the last two games, with an undying fitness level and dogged run after every loose ball 'til the final whistle. If anything, he's more of a big game player than Frank Lampard, who can't seem to cut the mustard for England the way he can for Chelsea; I ruefully remember the days of Scholes and Gerrard, not Lampard and Gerrard.

Anyway, another exit on penalties. Now I want Germany to win the tournament.

No offense to my British friends here, but many British football fans, anytime during the World Cup, always act like Boston Red Sox fans before they finally won another title in 2004. They feel like they were cheated out of every chance, that they were screwed over, blah blah blah.

England played very well today, but the coin of luck just didn't fall on their side. One or two different changes of occurences, and England could have prevailed over Portugal. Its not like we got another "Hand of God" incident here.

Besides, at least England has won a title. Portugal is fighting for its first.

BTW, France defeats defending champions Brazil 1-0.

So it'll be for the semi-finals:

Portugal/France
Germany/Italy

Absolutely agree Mick. I came online without the intention of talking football, it's taken too much out of me but the France/Brazil game restored some love of the game after such a torrid afternoon.

Lamps and Gerrard have had a horrible tournament considering their talent and hype. Chelsea are lucky they never signed the Scouse it looks like they'll never prove to be successful on the same team.

I think a few million of us have been won over by Hargreaves. He's finally done it in an England shirt. He was everywhere today. One part of me wants to give him a personal apology - the other wants to ask why it's taken him so long to perform like that for us.

But let's be positive. No more Swede head. :rolleyes:

Considering the 7 pints I've had and the bottle of wine I've started on I actually feel alright now.

Don't get me wrong, I'm, still pissed off though. Just being rational in my thoughts.

I don't know what to think.

Brazil out. How? Why? Ronaldinho, Kaka, Ronaldo... Why didn't you do anything? Fuck.

England. Don't care. The Portuguese managed to beat Van Basten and Holland (which was my team), so now for me they are allowed to reach the final.

But please, lord of soccer, don't let the Germans win this thing. Italy would be okay, but not the Germans.

The Portugese?

Are you a fan of football or drama?

I'm a fan of everything, Capo. Which makes me the whore of this thread.

Besides Capo my friend, one question I ask you. Would you type that same post if England had won the game?

why?
Do you have any reasons for this?

:p

I've criticised Portugal all tournament; when they're not playing well (and they can play well), they get all frustrated and dirty and start feigning injuries to get other players booked. That's not football.

Or these days, perhaps it is.

If England had won yesterday, would I have stood up and said, "The Portugese played very fairly"?

why?
Do you have any reasons for this?

:p [/b][/quote]Yes.
All Europeans hate German soccer. It's a biological fact.

They can't play it, they don't understand it. And in the end, they win anyway.
Crazy!

Did you see Holland-Portugal?
All Holland people were saying "stupid Portuguese, they're drama queens, we played fair". But if you looked objectively at the match, the Hollandese were just as unfair as the Portugese.

I'm not saying they play fair, they might even play dirtier than the others, but the difference is small.
I admit Figo is an ass, but most of them are quite normal, within the drama-fighting-thing football has become.

You said England plays too honest? Saw Rooney?
And Terry and Ferdinand, they're the kind of defenders I like, the ones who would cut their opponent in half if neccesary.

Anyways, Italy can win the thing now.

Was that comment on Terry and Ferdinand sarcastic? I can't tell. Either way, I agree, genuinely, that Terry and Ferdinand are brilliant defenders. They do cut defenders in half, when necessary. And most of the time they win the ball, too.

I don't actually mind physical football; if anything, I encourage it, because I hate seeing people going in for a challenge already apologising to the referee. Too much pussy-footing. It's the diving and feigning injury and calling for other players to get booked that I don't like. Because that's not what football should be about.

It was not sarcastic.

I don't mind the football be a bit physic, but the wrestling games that happen with every corner kick are a bridge too far for me. Don't you think?

And you're from England, where they're quite used to heavy kick-and-rush physic football.

Yes, which is why the refereeing at this World Cup has seemed especially frustrating for me to watch. I just said I like to watch physical football. But there are far too many "dirty" players now, not in the physical sense, but in the "Hey, he fouled me ref, you should book him."

That's why I always admire the likes of Gerrard and Terry, who rarely stay down after a tackle. Paul Scholes was the same. It's just, "Right, I've been fouled, but I have to get up and play on." No grudges.

Capo CApo CApo, who cares if one team plays it fairly or cheated?

Remember, history remembers the winners, not the fair-players. Chicks dig trophies and rings, not respect and tolerance.

Besides, you might be too nationalisticly biased on your behalf. Take a breath and stand back for a moment.

Um...

What's the point in being objective when following a sport? Wouldn't that be "playing fair"? I support my country insofar that I want them to win.

Chicks dig trophies and rings; too fucking right.

As Travis says to Wizard in Taxi Driver, "I don't know man, that's gotta be one of the most fucked up things I ever heard man."

Besides, watching your opponent cheat without justice isn't too good on the heart.

It's one thing to support your country. It's another to whine and bitch when things don't go your way.

Was I pissed that America got slammed in this tournament? Hell yeah, but I got over it.

Does it really sound like I'm not over it already? I mean, who made a thread dedicated to the (near) future of the national team?

Turi will be the first to tell you that I don't even follow football as much as some others on this board; I find it too frustrating, too much of a loathable business than a loveable sport.

I'm a very good loser, I think; does that means I have to condone foul play such as diving and feigning injury?

I was walking home after the match yesterday, and the city was full of devastated fans. How did I know they were devastated? By paradox: you wouldn't have believed the volume of the unified chanting, "England 'til I die." You would have honestly thought we'd just won the match.

I've meandered off point there, somewhat. Never mind.