(no subject)

[swatkat]

OMG France! This was like '98 all over again! They totally outplayed Brazil – it was like they were playing with 20 men instead of 11! OMG Zidane! ♥♥♥

It's hard to watch a match when you want both teams to win, you know? Yay Zidane!

And is it just me, or is Ronaldinho really overrated? *sobs a little bit for poor Ronaldo*

Comments

[labellamafia494.livejournal.com]

Definitely like 98.

But...but...*sobs for Brazil*. Just because my friends and the French here are unsufferable when they win. IE blocking the circulation downtown by jumping with huge flags in the middle of the street.

I also love Zizou though, so....

Ronaldinho who? All the love here is for Ronaldo. ;)

[swatkat24.livejournal.com]

I'll miss Brazil. *sniff* But let's face it, they were totally outplayed.

There was all this hype about Ronaldinho and how he's teh best evah, but all I saw was some pointless dribbling. *wuvs Ronaldo*

[jaybee65.livejournal.com]

Hey, I actually watched this match! To my non-football-knowledgeable self, it did seem that France controlled the entire game.

[swatkat24.livejournal.com]

Yes, they did! It was like the '98 final all over again! And in a way I'm glad Brazil lost - I didn't want this to be Zidane's last match, and no team should be in the finals four years in a row. But I'll miss Ronaldo. *sniffs*

Did you enjoy it? *g*

[rita2129.livejournal.com]

Not much of a football fan, but I have to confess with somewhat keeping up this year. I actually knew who was in the semi's and what happened.

Have the referees been as bad as people are saying?

One of the things I don't like about the sport is the amount of fan violence that surrounds it. Is anyone trying to curb it at all? Maybe by not really following closely, I hear only the bad stuff that makes headlines, but it seems that there's a lot of it.

[swatkat24.livejournal.com]

Have the referees been as bad as people are saying?

Well, I confess I didn't watch any of the US matches - there were more interesting matches going on alongside. *g* From what I hear, your team did get some bad decisions - but this info is mostly from US fans so I really don't how unbiased it is. There have been some controversial decisions - the penalty against Australia in the last half minute, Wayne Rooney's red card, although I personally think both were justified. The worst was in the Holland vs Portugal match, where there *20* cards (including four send offs), but that whole match was such a mess - players bumping heads and throwing karate kicks... The ref probably could've handled it better, though. All those cards didn't really help the situation. There were other bad decisions, but that's a part of the game.

Which is my longwinded way of saying, no, I don't think so, but referees always get a bad rap so you really can't say.

Is anyone trying to curb it at all?

FIFA has been doing its best for the past few years, in co-ordination with the host countries. The security measures in Germany this year, for example, are massive - simply *unbelievable*. But there are always hooligans. The incidents are getting fewer and fewer - it used to be worse in the past.

[rita2129.livejournal.com]

I didn't mean US matches in particular, just the refereeing in general.

It's such a shame that sports of any kind (the USA is no exception when it comes to World Series, Super Bowl, etc.) needs so much security. God forbid people celebrate sanely.

[swatkat24.livejournal.com]

Nah, I don't think so. But people will always complain about the referee - a lot of it would depend on individual biases, I think. *g*

It's such a shame that sports of any kind (the USA is no exception when it comes to World Series, Super Bowl, etc.) needs so much security. God forbid people celebrate sanely.

Word.

Question about Finals

[rita2129.livejournal.com]

Was the head butt as awful and unusual as the commentators made it out to be?

And, they were also talking about showing/not showing the replay on the screen in the stadium. Is that not a standard thing to do?

Re: Question about Finals

[swatkat24.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, very, very awful. *And* unusual, because players are quite sneaky about hitting each other because if they get caught they'll get a card, depending on the degree of offence. FIFA has become very strict about this stuff these days - there have been instances in the past where players like Pele were forced to leave the field due to injuries. It was just plain unbelievable. It was like he *wanted* a red card.

And, they were also talking about showing/not showing the replay on the screen in the stadium. Is that not a standard thing to do?

I'm not too sure about this, but it's against the rules for the referee to make a judgement after watching replays. He's allowed to consult the assistant referees, but he can't watch any replays. Maybe that's what they were talking about?

Re: Question about Finals

[rita2129.livejournal.com]

I was surprised because he was/is one of the best (he got mvp, yes?) players and he should (unfortunately) be used to insults, etc. coming from other teams.

That explains the replay thing. Makes sense.

Re: Question about Finals

[swatkat24.livejournal.com]

Yeah, he's definitely one of the best - they actually made him break his retirement for the team. He spearheaded the French attack in '98 and the Euro '00. And this was his last match ever - I was practically horrified when he did that. Whatever Materazzi had said, that's not the way to respond.

Re: Question about Finals

[rita2129.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's not a good last impression to leave.

But I can't complain, the team I was rooting for did win. I just feel sorry for the guy who missed his shot. Had the goalie beat just to hit the crossbar...

Re: Question about Finals

[swatkat24.livejournal.com]

Heh, I was rooting for Italy as well. I've always had a soft spot for them, and they are so very pretty! Poor Trezeguet - he's going to remember this forever.

he's going to remember this forever.

[rita2129.livejournal.com]

Heh. It reminds me of the opening montage for an old US show called Arli$$, about a sports superagent. The title sequence has a voice over about sports with sporty montages, including "the agony of defeat." If the show was still on the air, this would be a great replacement in the montage.

So, every 4 years, right? Where's the next one?

[jaybee65.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed it, although I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that I was watching with other people and being served food and drinks. LOL.

The one other female at the party and I amused ourselves by picking out eyecandy. We eventually settled on Cafu as the nicest-looking.

[swatkat24.livejournal.com]

The one other female at the party and I amused ourselves by picking out eyecandy. We eventually settled on Cafu as the nicest-looking

That's one of the perks of watching football. I'm partial to Dida and Kaka myself, and, of course, Ronaldo, even if he isn't pretty. I'm looking forward to the Germany vs Italy game - now *that's* going to be really pretty.