On this day of rest, NY Coed places down the soccer ball and picks up one of a crystal variety, as it previews and predicts the upcoming quarter-finals…
England vs. Portugal: [Saturday, 11am]
Oh, this is bubbling up nicely. If the game is not to be remembered for quality football (and the way England have been playing that’s likely), you can at least guarantee that there will still be a number of talking points.
While England captain David Beckham suggests that “it's not a personal battle against Scolari or Portugal,” Saturday’s clash has all the makings of a grudge match. And of course, the English tabloid media are stoking the fires furiously.
Today, Portugal have vented their fury at the English press for publishing a "fake" interview by their striker Pauleta. Tsk, tsk.
The Portugal star is quoted as telling The Sun newspaper that keeper Paul Robinson is England's weakest link.
"The Sun has published a fake interview with Pauleta that was then quoted by other outlets," said team spokesman Alfonso de Melo. "Portugal players give no interviews outside team press conferences and mixed zones after matches."
BBC Radio Five Live's Juliette Ferrington said that De Melo also accused some of the media outlets in England of labelling the Portugal side as "insubordinate and violent" after their 1-0 win over Holland.
"Such comments are unbearable, unfair and preposterous," he added.
The tabloids are also honing in on the appointment of the referee, as he once sent off Beckham for a studs-up tackle six years ago. And he’s – gasp – Argentine!
Horacio Elizondo showed Becks the red card during a match between Manchester United and Mexican side Necaxa in the first game of the 2000 World Club Championship in Brazil. And with Anglo-Argentine relations not always the sweetest, the tabloids are gearing up to do what they do best.
If you recall, the Euro 2004 quarter-final, which the Portuguese defeated England, won on penalties, was soured by the reaction to a controversial decision by Swiss referee Urs Meier, who disallowed what would have been a winning goal from Sol Campbell for a foul by John Terry.
Meier was hounded from the game after English newspapers published his email address and he received death threats.
Portugal’s Pauleta, however, isn’t running scared and decides to play The Big Man, declaring, "If you know a little bit of Portuguese history you can see that Portugal aren't afraid of anybody.”
That quote, incidentally, comes from the BBC and not the Sun.
So with Portugal building a “come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough” mentality more reminiscent of English fans, referee Horacio Elizondo is sure to have his hands full. Probably of cards.
Incidentally, Mr Elizondo, a Physical Education teacher, speaks English as well as Spanish, and lists his interests as playing golf and writing poems. Just in case you wanted to know.
NY Coed boldly predicts:
CM: England to, gulp, eventually come good, while the Portuguese combust. 2-1 to the Three Lions.
SM: England will continue to find it difficult to find the back of the net, and against a weakened Portugal without the services of Deco in the midfield, this one will prove a nailbiter. But while England will continue to find nothing productive upfront, Portugal will find a way to squeeze through. Portugal win 2-1.
FRANCE vs. BRAZIL [Saturday 3pm]
The France coach Raymond Domenech last night claimed his players were subjected to racist abuse from Spanish supporters as they arrived for Tuesday's match.
Domenech said fans gathered around the entrance to Hanover's World Cup stadium directed monkey chants at the black players in his squad as the team coach pulled up: "When the bus arrives at the stadium, when you hear some fans making monkey chants . . . I just turned my head away. I don't even give them the satisfaction of a look."
Spanish fans proceeded to drown out the French anthem La Marseillaise before their team were beaten 3-1 though, while France's players admitted that had served as motivation, the racist abuse has proved unsettling.
The French have suffered a late injury scare after Zinedine Zidane sat out training on Thursday. The 34-year-old has a sore foot but is expected to play in an unchanged team.
Meanwhile – and mercifully – someone has punctured Team Nike’s play beautiful myth. And surprisingly it has come from Brazil’s left-back Roberto Carlos:
"Jogo bonito was invented by a sports brand," smirked the player. "You can't blame us for that. Brazilian football is intelligent and winning, with great champions - that's what we have always been. When you start talking about the beautiful game, that's more about selling things. And the gullible love to buy.”
Ok, we made up that very last sentence. We’ve caught Sun-itis. But it’s heartening to hear the Brazilian players dismissing jogo bonito. Hopefully the commentators will do likewise and we can be spared the ridiculous effusing every time a man in yellow does even the most basic thing. But don’t bet on it…
Brazil and France have met each other 12 times in history with Brazil winning five and France winning three. However, the only time Brazil have beaten France in a competitive match was at the 1958 World Cup, when they triumphed 5-2 in the semi-finals.
They've met each other three times in the World Cup. Most recently was in 1998 when the French won 3-0 in the final. In 1986, France eliminated the Brazilians at the quarter-final stage. After the match ended in 1-1, France prevailed 4-3 in the penalty shoot-out...
NY Coed boldly predicts:
CM: The heart says France in 90 minutes, the head says – boo, hiss – Brazil 3-1. Interesting match-ups: Makele vs. Ronaldinho, & Frank Riberry running at the Brazilian back four. Also interesting to see whether Thierry Henry manages to rid himself of the big game choker tag, and if the aged legs of Vierra and Zidane can hold up…
SM: Brazil have been flattered by the final scorelines of their previous matches. Against France they'll face a fiesty and determined opponent that will render Brazil's "beautiful" game into mere merde. It will be tied at the end of extra time, with France holding their nerve and beating Brazil on penalties. 1-1 with France the winner on penalties.
GERMANY vs. ARGENTINA [Friday, 11am]
The classy Argentines and the ebullient host nation. It’s the setting for a corker, as well as a soft decision going for the Germans as FIFA and their sponsors seek to ensure a Germany-Brazil final. Cynical? Nah…
An emotional occasion and likely to prove the first great match of the tournament. German coach Jurgen Klinsmann promises a physical encounter, adding "We are ready for an almighty fight - and to win it. We will go into the match full of aggression and passion and then we will see how Argentina respond."
Argentine coach Jose Pekerman states simply,""This match will be resolved playing football in the right way. The truth will be revealed on the pitch."
Meanwhile, bullish Argentina striker Carlos Tevez insists Germany must raise their game if they are to beat the South Americans.
"Germany are going to have to show more than they have done so far to beat us," he said. "They know that if they let us play, we can cause them problems."
He also says that even the German crowd will not affect their style of play.
He added: "I like to play with the crowd against me, we Argentine players are used to that. The great players and the great teams show themselves in the difficult matches. If it was a fight we would surely lose - but if we play our game to feet then we have a good chance of advancing..."
Germany have played Argentina on 16 previous occasions. The Germans have won five times and Argentina seven. Four matches have been drawn. The two nations have met on four previous occasions in World Cups including the finals of 1986 and 1990. Germany have the upper hand with two wins to one. The 1966 fixture was drawn.
Their most recent fixture was in last year's Confederations Cup and ended in a 2-2 draw. Neither of Germany's goalscorers, Kuranyi and Asamoah, will start this match. Argentina's two goals were netted by Riquelme and Cambiasso.
NY Coed boldly predicts:
CM: Teutonic power may well see the slick passing of Argentina being disrupted. However, the German defence has yet to be tested and may find it difficult in containing the likes Riquelme, Messi and Tevez. This is going to have goals. And extra-time, with Argentina winning 3-2.
SM: This should prove the most wide open game of the quarter-finals, with both teams on the attack. Germany will continue to ride its goal-scoring momentum, edging out the Argentinians in the final 15 minutes. This will be a thriller and the most enjoyable match to watch. Germany win 3-2.
ITALY vs. UKRAINE [Friday 3pm]
The runt of the litter and a game with the least expectations. Which means it'll probably be the best of the lot. Then again...
Today, Italian coach Marcello Lippi rejected claims that his side are the luckiest team left in the World Cup.
"I'd like to say something about this talk that we have been lucky," he said. "We had Francesco Totti ruled out for three months, then Gianluca Zambrotta, Gennaro Gattuso and Alessandro Nesta all got injured. That's really lucky."
In addition to the typical over-reaction of the Italian media, Lippi also said "we have to deal with the unprecedented mess happening in Italy," referring to the ongoing match-fixing investigations involving Serie A teams. And yesterday several players flew back to Turin to be by the side of Gianluca Pessotto who attempted suicide earlier in the week (see blog entry below).
Meanwhile, Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin believes his side's underdog tag will be an advantage when they go into their last eight tie against Italy.
"We are not afraid of playing against them, we will play freely. We are going to aim for victory," he said. "Italy are under pressure because they are the favourites in our game and we have already achieved what we wanted to. We have already made history."
Italy have played Ukraine on three previous occasions. The Italians are unbeaten having won twice and drawn once. The stalemate, which was goalless, came in a friendly just one week prior to the World Cup, on 2 June. Their two previous encounters came in 1996 European championship qualifiers. Italy won 2-0 in Ukraine and 3-1 on home soil.
NY Coed boldly predicts:
CM: An Italian team in emotional turmoil. An Ukrainian side dependent on captain Andriy Shevchenko. A close encounter. Don't be surprised if it heads into extra-time with Italy coming out victors 1-0.
SM: It won't be pretty to watch, and frankly this match could be a bore, with Italy scoring twice in the second half and then holding off the Ukrainians. Italy win 2-0.
You've listened to us. Now, let's hear your predictions...
Recent Comments