12/18/24
June 24, 2012
Italy Punts England on Penalties: After dominating England for most of the preceding 120 minutes -- but scoring no goals -- Italy beat England 4-2 on penalties after a 0-0 match in the Euro 2012 quarterfinals Sunday. England had a 2-1 lead after Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney scored and Riccardo Montolivo shot one wide, but they scored no more after Ashley Young hit the crossbar and Ashley Cole was stopped by keeper Gianluigi Buffon.
I fucking agree with you.
Andy Carroll was running around on fawn legs tonight. He kept falling over like Bambi on ice.
I don't remember the last Euro having this many teams camping around their own goal and hoping for the occasional counterattack. These quarterfinals were dull.
posted by rcade at 06:09 PM on June 24, 2012
The Brits couldn't put three passes together to save their lives.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 06:18 PM on June 24, 2012
The better team won the unenviable right to be marmalised by Germany.
posted by etagloh at 06:53 PM on June 24, 2012
The Brits couldn't put three passes together to save their lives.
Big deal, it's not like the name of the game is triangles or something.
posted by yerfatma at 07:05 PM on June 24, 2012
Pirlo might as well have spat at Hart after that penalty kick...a move that would've looked awful if Hart had've read it.
I thought Millner had a really weak game; every time he had the ball, he seemed to turn it over by running into a tackle or passing the ball two feet behind his intended target. He wasn't the only lousy passer in the bunch, but there were a number of attacks that went dead on Millner's foot.
posted by dfleming at 07:57 PM on June 24, 2012
The kind of penalty kick Pirlo did is called a cucchiaio in Italian. Francesco Totti is known for them. Pirlo said he did it to psych out the English penalty takers.
posted by rcade at 08:24 PM on June 24, 2012
Pirlo was on another level tonight - way too good for the English. Having said which, most of the night he was way too good for the Italians too.
Going out in the Quarters on penalties must be considered at or slightly above par for this English team. Appropriate that the exit came just as we heard more and more noise about how England could win the whole thing.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 08:39 PM on June 24, 2012
The kind of penalty kick Pirlo did is called a cucchiaio in Italian.
I thought those were just the chip shots over the goalie and not the penalty kicks where you effectively throw a change-up. I learn something every day!
posted by dfleming at 09:14 PM on June 24, 2012
I will never understand how some of the most important games in the world's biggest sport can come down to penalty kicks. Talk about essentially throwing away the previous 120 minutes.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 09:44 PM on June 24, 2012
I'd like to see a tournament scheme in which extra-time draws result in neither team advancing. Only winners play on. Shake things up a bit.
posted by Hugh Janus at 11:27 PM on June 24, 2012
Or, they eliminate a player every 5 minutes until it's just the keepers making one sprint up or down the field.
posted by dfleming at 06:43 AM on June 25, 2012
Or a fight between Mario Balotelli, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and a bear with a taser.
The sort of penalty that Pirlo took yesterday was always known to me as a "Panenka."
Prior to the 1992 European Championships Gary Lineker had a penalty which, if scored, would have tied him for the all-time lead in goals for the English national team with 49.
His Panenka didn't go so well.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 08:35 AM on June 25, 2012
Panenka is the other word I was looking for. I think Ian Darke said it after the shot.
One of these days it will fail in a major international match, to the taker's enduring embarrassment.
posted by rcade at 10:07 AM on June 25, 2012
For an example of how bad the memory can be I had recall of the Brazilian Socrates using the Panenka in the '86 world cup and Joel Bats saving one in the shoot out between France and Brazil.
On hunting it down it turns out it wasn't a Panenka - it was a two-step run-up and then more of a scoop, into the top.
Socrates scored a penalty using that style against Poland, but then Bats had clearly been watching, because he dived way high to his right to palm it away in the shootout.
I was taking penalties for my school side at the time and was thinking of copying the style. Then changed my mind when Bats saved it.
Also, "Socrates vs Bats" sounds like a really weird philosophy debate.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 10:37 AM on June 25, 2012
Also, "Socrates vs Bats" sounds like a really weird philosophy debate.
Or a movie along the lines of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
Would have been interesting to see what England could have done with Wilshere, a player who has been known to actually hold onto the ball and make passes that actually find his teammates. Wilshere and Cleverly in the middle in 2 years time (assuming both recover from injuries and England qualify for the next World Cup) would potentially make for some more forward-looking, possession-oriented football.
posted by holden at 10:59 AM on June 25, 2012
Some folks pointed out that Hodgeson left his most important player--Michael Carrick--at home. Would him in the team ahead of Parker have been a difference maker?
Also, it seemed to me that Wellback was marking Pirlo very closely and this was a big part as England started very strong. After Wellbeck stopped doing it Pirlo had the time and space to manage the play, so I also wonder why Danny stopped when it was clearly working.
posted by billsaysthis at 11:46 AM on June 25, 2012
Some love has to go out to Buffon for that amazing reflex save on the point blank shot in the first half. The fact that he then recovered and corralled the ball before it hit the ground was even more amazing.
I was cheering for England, but I like both keepers. Buffon, because he's fits the fiery Italian stereotype so well (and is excellent). Hart, because he seemed to have the attitude of "fuck it, let's have some fun here" while on the line during the penalty kicks. He was smiling, laughing, and bouncing up and down like an grinning fool.
Finally, Pirlo was amazing. Of all the games I've watched for Italy, he's always been the best player. How come I've never heard of him outside of Euro/World Cup? Is it because he doesn't score that often?
Predictions for the semi-finals:
Spain 2 Portgual 1
Germany 3 Italy 2
posted by grum@work at 12:09 PM on June 25, 2012
Hart also stuck out his tongue like he was doing the haka.
posted by rcade at 12:20 PM on June 25, 2012
"Some folks pointed out that Hodgeson left his most important player--Michael Carrick--at home."
Hopefully some folks also noticed that it was Carrick's decision - he informed the FA that he wouldn't accept a call up unless he was going to be starting.
"Finally, Pirlo was amazing. Of all the games I've watched for Italy, he's always been the best player. How come I've never heard of him outside of Euro/World Cup? Is it because he doesn't score that often?"
I think the goals definitely have an impact, but he's also never been the heart of a city the way Totti has and never had the glamour aspect like Del Piero.
In a world obsessed with the Trequartista, he's a Regista.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 12:31 PM on June 25, 2012
Also, "Socrates vs Bats" sounds like a really weird philosophy debate.
Actually, it was the working title for an ESPN feature in which Shaquille O'Neal attempted to pitch for a minor league baseball team. It goes on record as the only ESPN feature where management used its better judgment and never released it.
This ends the musical interlude. Now back to our regular feature.
posted by Howard_T at 12:57 PM on June 25, 2012
he informed the FA that he wouldn't accept a call up unless he was going to be starting
Hopefully he had Garry Templeton inform them.
posted by yerfatma at 02:56 PM on June 25, 2012
Since Carrick should've started, especially when Lamps went out injured, why should that be an issue? /sarcasm
posted by billsaysthis at 04:10 PM on June 25, 2012
You hate penalties, but I bet you'd hate the "golden goal" more. I despised the sudden-death format; it wasn't traditional. What other options are there besides PKs?
BTW, how about Hart talking to Balotelli, then Balotelli smacking one past? Balotelli's smirk said it all.
Spain 1 - Portugal 1 (Spain 3-2 PKs; Ronaldo will fail at the biggest moment)
Germany 3 - Italy 1
posted by jjzucal at 11:51 PM on June 25, 2012
Germany 3 Italy 2
You are aware Germany have never beaten Italy in the semi-finals of a knock-out tournament, right?
posted by rodgerd at 03:34 AM on June 26, 2012
You hate penalties, but I bet you'd hate the "golden goal" more. I despised the sudden-death format; it wasn't traditional.
I have no problem with the "golden goal" format. At least that involves a team deciding the game in a regular version of the sport, and not a limited skills competition.
You are aware Germany have never beaten Italy in the semi-finals of a knock-out tournament, right?
I don't take into account how teams from more than a year ago fared against each other. I've never understood what that would have to do with current teams, as usually there isn't any carryover in personnel or coaching.
In summary: I don't believe in ghosts and curses.
posted by grum@work at 08:56 AM on June 26, 2012
You aren't a Cubs fan.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 09:54 AM on June 26, 2012
You hate penalties, but I bet you'd hate the "golden goal" more. I despised the sudden-death format; it wasn't traditional. What other options are there besides PKs?
I also hate shootouts, and I love golden goal. I wish they would bring it back. Golden goal playoff overtime hockey is some of the most exciting sport I can think of.
Conversely, I think the idea that I remember hearing during the last World Cup of holding the shootout prior to extra time has merit, giving the shootout winner the advantage in the event of a tie. There's no neat and tidy solution, as they can't realistically keep playing until the game is decided, but at least under this format, the game ends when time expires.
posted by bender at 10:20 AM on June 26, 2012
Conversely, I think the idea that I remember hearing during the last World Cup of holding the shootout prior to extra time has merit, giving the shootout winner the advantage in the event of a tie.
Ugh. Then you have to sit and watch extra time being played as one team is out there strictly to waste time and play turtle defense.
posted by grum@work at 10:27 AM on June 26, 2012
You aren't a Cubs fan.
I'm a Canadian version: I'm a Leafs fan.
posted by grum@work at 10:28 AM on June 26, 2012
They tried both Golden and Silver goals and they were both dreadful.
The Euro 96 and 2000 finals were both decided by golden goals and felt really anti-climactic. It was much less "Yes!" and much more "Oh. Well that's that then." I'm sure German and French fans were into it when it happened, but I'm not sure anyone thought it was a good idea, long term.
They lasted eight years and then it was decided going back to the whole penalty thing was a better idea. If someone can think of a better way then the desire to get away from penalties is still out there, but Golden Goals wasn't it.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 11:18 AM on June 26, 2012
Silver Goal for those, like me, who had no idea what that might be.
posted by yerfatma at 12:06 PM on June 26, 2012
It was much less "Yes!" and much more "Oh. Well that's that then."
How is that any different than penalty kicks?
Wasn't watching the last Italian goal the same thing?
With this English loss, there are only 3 people that can take "the blame" for losing: the two Ashleys (fairly) and Hart (unfairly).
If you lose on a golden/silver goal, then at least the whole team is to blame as they were all involved in the final result.
I prefer the golden goal aspect because it involves everyone on the field.
The silver goal is a nice substitute because it then involves the final frantic minutes of a team desperate to extend the game.
My personal preference is to do an endless golden goal finale. Never stop playing (only switching sides every 45 minutes) and decide it on the field.
Exhausted? Fine, then it should be easier for the stronger team to score.
Too long? They don't schedule back-to-back games in the same stadium/day when they'd need this, so what's the rush?
Boring? How can it be? It's what you came to see in the first place!
I will say, using golden goal AND crazy scoring rules does lead to some interesting results:
In a qualification game for the 1994 Caribbean Cup, Barbados deliberately scored a late own goal in a successful attempt to advance to the finals stage by forcing golden-goal extra time against Grenada, as an unusual tournament rule stated that golden goals counted as double. Needing a two-goal victory to advance, Barbados found themselves up 21 with three minutes left in normal time. After the Barbadians scored an own goal to bring the scoreline level at 22, Grenada in turn tried to score in either net while Barbados defended both goals for the final three minutes of the match.[2] Barbados won the game in extra time and advanced to the next round
posted by grum@work at 02:46 PM on June 26, 2012
I fucking hate penalty kicks.