11/05/24
June 22, 2004
Game on!: Italy, who have spent the last few days loudly proclaiming their belief that the Danes and Swedes will engage in skullduggery to ensure a 2-2 draw which would send them both through, should have woried about their own shortcomings, they are 1-0 down to Bulgaria at half time while Denmark are winning 1-0. As it stands, they are, hilariously, bottom of the group. It's going to be an interesting 45 minutes
posted by Fat Buddha to soccer at 02:46 PM - 10 comments
Well, if that was a fix, it was the most carefully contrived fix in history. Though the stoppage time keep-ball was a bit embarrassing. The bookies are going to pay out absolute shitloads, of course. (Apparently, 82% of those betting on the score went for 2-2. The odds must have been something like 10/1 on.) And the Italians will say they were robbed, thus perpetuating their persecution complexes.
posted by etagloh at 03:36 PM on June 22, 2004
What a bloody finish that was! I blame the Villa myself.
posted by Fat Buddha at 03:41 PM on June 22, 2004
Maybe Italy will start blaming their sod-all cautious-naccio system rather than other teams for their inability to win. If they can get over the "tradition", they may actually be a scary attacking team at the next World Cup.
posted by worldcup2002 at 04:03 PM on June 22, 2004
[nelson] HA HA [/nelson] There was no conspiracy. Anyone who saw Isaksson's saves on Rommedahl and Graveson (??I think) when it was 2-1 could see that the Danes were going for the win. Italy have only themselves to blame, not being able to score against an ordinary Danish defense, and getting only 1 against Sweden. Maybe if they had put as much energy into the game as they do into whining about conspiracy theories, then they would have done a bit better.
posted by sauril at 06:11 PM on June 22, 2004
It wouldn't have been much of a conspiracy if Italy didn't blow their lead against Sweden with five minutes left in the game. As such, they have only themselves to blame. *haa hah*
posted by mkn at 08:41 PM on June 22, 2004
I just finished watching this one and there is no way that goal was a giveaway. The keeper just couldn't recover from the first shot in time. Italy should have gone 5-1 on Bulgaria like Sweden did if they really wanted to keep playing.
posted by billsaysthis at 10:35 PM on June 22, 2004
Unless Germany somehow gets bungled out of the mix (currently at two draws), Italy can raise their heads as the only other team to finish the tournament undefeated. I used the same logic to make myself feel better about my team (Belgium) at the '98 World Cup (three draws).
posted by charlatan at 10:44 PM on June 22, 2004
YAY... it's good to be a dane this year. F... the spaghetties... ohh, and it is spelled Gravesen (son of Grave).
posted by Eirixon at 02:06 AM on June 23, 2004
a tidbit i saw on the beeb: The sequence of at least one of the finalists from the previous European Championship exiting in the group phase of the next tournament is now 20 years and running. (which isn't 20 years so much as 5 tournaments, no?)
posted by gspm at 02:18 AM on June 23, 2004
From the Guardian: When Italian journalists asked their Swedish counterparts what the Swedish word is for "fix", they were stunned to be told that there was not one. In Italian, they pointed out, there are about 20. The Italian populace are already storing up old tomatoes for the team's arrival home.