I'm still keeping the usual topics like you have read the past two editions. I'll be keeping this trend until the NBA finals ends. Then the Euro Cup will end and I'll be in a sports depression until August where football buzz in the air. I'll still have UFC and wrestling to watch but still I'll miss all this excitement. I don't have anything to rant about or really talk about. I'll give you the links at the bottom if you want to check out my experiences at No Way Out and Raw. I went to both shows and I wrote two mini reviews about them on wrestlingsmarks.com. I love being there live so even through bad segments, I found joy in them. I wore my Edge & Christian shirt at No Way Out which got so many high fives from strangers which was great. Then I wore my Daniel Bryan shirt which is very popular with the smart crowd. I'll post the links later on because I have a lot to get into for the Euro Cup which I'm still heavily interested in despite the heart break. I'm going to go through the last batch of group stage games then I'll preview and predict the quarterfinals. I'll also talk about the five best games so far and post youtube videos of the best five goals as long as I can find them. These will legit picks so don't worry it won't be filled with all Croatia. I'm not doing breakout players or best players of the tournament until its all over. I want to see more players step up going into the knock out stages.
Before I get into all the sports, I just want to post a video of my favorite person on the radio Peter Rosenberg. Rosenberg has gotten some heat like you've probably heard if either listen to Hot 97 or read the blog. He has been going at it with Young Money mainly Nicki Minaj but now Lil Wayne has gotten into the discussion. Lil Wayne recently said that he should respect women, yes Lil Wayne said someone should respect women. I don't think I need to say anymore than to just post this video. Even for Wayne's fans out there, I think you all know that Wayne should never speak about respecting a woman if you ever listen to those glorious lyrics he likes to say about women. It's a short clip but heres just another reason why Rosenberg is the best thing on the radio since Howard Stern.
Game, set, and match
Recap
Recap
Before I recap the last batch of Euro Cup games, I want to give one shout out. Some people may hate him but you have to respect him. When I heard Michael Ballack was going to be an analyst for the Euro Cup, I was so excited. You may know this already, but the Germans are considered brothers to the Croatians. I do like the Germans a lot and I'm always rooting for them. Ballack was a terrific player to watch because even as a defensive midfielder, he was a great playmaker. Overall Ballack is a terrific analyst and I'm happy that he's there to save my ears from hearing Alexi Lalas for the entire time. Lalas is a complete fool that I'd consider the Chris Collinsworth of the soccer world.
Well done Ballack!
Czech Republic 1 Poland 0- I only saw few highlights of this game so I can't really make much an assumption on this. Most people were watching Russia vs Greece like me so I can't really judge much. Poland seemed to be in control the first half but couldn't break through. The Czechs are very mysterious mainly because I haven't seen them play once and they don't have many stars. I'm impressed by a few breakout players for the Czechs mainly Valcav Pilar who has developed into a pest to defenders and capable of getting past defenders with his speed. Petr Jiracek is the other breakout performer with another goal in the tournament off a great counter. Poland looked like more of the threatening team but they got caught and that cost them a spot in the knockout stages. Czechs somehow win the group despite a negative goal differential. The man of the match was Pilar according to many but I can't make a fair assessment. I'm sad to see Poland being eliminated because they were a joy to watch at times.
Greece 1 Russia 0- I watched the full game and it was vintage Greece. They somehow score on a mistake and then the Greek wall rise up to defend the goal with eight men. It was pretty frustrating to watch because I enjoy watching Russia play and they really moved the ball well in the first half. When things were getting desperate, Russia started to move away from their smooth passing to find the open player and started to send long balls to the box. It was frustrating to watch Greece go through because they were completely dominated on the ball but that all changed in the mid 2nd half. Russia was very fortunate that they didn't call a penalty when Karagounis got fouled in the box. It was an easy penalty call yet the ref decided to book Karagounis for a dive. It was a ridiculous call and it made me neutral after that game. When Greece went through, it was well deserved because they defended really well and should have had a penalty. I'll miss watching Russia because players like Arshavin are so fun to watch when dribbling in the central midfield and Alan Dzagoev breaking out in the tournament as a future star. Russia will be missed but Greece deserves credit for going through. The man of the match has to be Karagounis who scored the winning goal right before halftime. It was a botched header by Russia that Karagounis pounced on to score on a tough angle. He'll be missed in a big way in quarterfinals against Germany. Karagounis is a classic central midfielder that will attempt any tackle, lead the counter attack, and most importantly being a great captain.
Portugal 2 Holland 1- The game had high expectations but I personally felt a bit let down as a fan looking for an epic game. Portugal clearly showed they were superior despite the close scoreboard. They controlled most of the game and their defense didn't look like a bunch of clueless eighteen year olds. They were an organized side that could have scored more if it wasn't for Stekelenburg making some great saves. Holland's back four looked slow, disorganized, and very weak. They were losing balls in dangerous areas constantly and were getting beat several times on the ball. Even when they were winning, I wasn't too sure about Holland. Arjen Robben actually passed the ball which is a bit of a shocker in this tournament with the way he has played. Rafael Van Der Vaart scored a terrific goal with the perfect bend to get in the bottom corner. I'm a huge Spurs fan so it was great seeing him on the score sheet. The rest was all history and Portugal really controlled the game. Ronaldo was on his world class form and he was setting up chances everywhere. He was unlucky not to score a hat trick and Portugal should have won by more. They got great games out of Miguel Veloso and Nani who were outstanding. Portugal looked like a team that can make a serious push to the finals while Netherlands looked like a dysfunctional team that couldn't win a game. Even when Holland created chances, you saw Huntelaar and Van Perisie miss great chances badly. It wasn't Holland's time this year and they are easily the biggest disappointments of the tournament. The man of the match is clearly Ronaldo for his two goals and really dominated the midfield like he is capable of.
Germany 2 Denmark 1- I got some decent highlights from this game and it made me want to watch it. I don't have all the time in the world to watch full games and it stinks that these last batch of games were on at the same time. You will have to cope with some small reviews especially from this one. Germany pulls off the complete sweep of the group of death even through nerve racking moments. They looked mostly in control but Denmark had a few moments where they looked like they were going to pull the upset. The goal that was scored off the corner kick was impressive with Bendtner using his great size to win the ball in the air to assist to Krohn- Diehl for the finish. The Danes fought really hard and even stuck the post at one point with Poulsen nearly scoring on a great strike. You have to give it up for Denmark because they never laid down in any of the three games. They were battling all through out the tournament and they deserve major praise despite the lack of star power. They didn't even get much from their huge blue chip prospect in Christian Eriksen. It was a team effort and they caught my eye. Germany is the better team though and they showed it even though they weren't firing on all cylinders. Muller and Gomez really didn't get going even though Muller is credited for the assist to Podolski even though Denmark did a poor job marking. That should have been easily cleared out then on the second goal it was just a classic Germany counter attack with the goal credited to Lars Bender who got the start over the suspended Jerome Boateng. Germany continues to roll through and the main man of the match once again goes to Bastian Schweinsteiger. He was setting up Germany's chances and he started up the infamous Germany counter attacks. He's been phenomenal all tournament which shouldn't surprise anyone.
Italy 2 Ireland 0- Another game that I clearly didn't get to see due to Croatia vs Spain. Ireland had no business being in this tournament in terms of quality. I know they won their playoff round but they beat a lucky Estonia team. I'm happy they made it through but they were the only team in the Euro Cup that looked like a complete joke. They battle hard but they were completely out matched. Other than Keith Andrews shot who was one of the few players that stepped up in the tournament, Ireland didn't create many chances. Italy looked dominant all game and it was a team effort for the win. I'm not sure who wins man of the match because the highlights were limited but I'm happy for Cassano that he scored. After going through heart surgery, its great to see Cassano score since he's so talented. It hurt Croatia's chances of course and I was pissed to see him score at first but he's a very talented player so congrats to him. Italy needed a game like this where the entire team is playing well and they got it.
Spain 1 Croatia 0- I'm going to try to keep this limited as possible because I don't want to get on a rant here. It was a very emotional game as a fan and I couldn't be more proud as a Croatian. They took the world champions to the limit of elimination in this game. If you would have told me that after Croatia lost 2-0 to Greece, that they would take Italy to the limit I would have told you to get out of my face. Instead Croatia came into this game with a defensive mindset and it really worked. They held Spain to zero clear cut chances in first half and Pletikosa didn't really need to make any tough saves. It was a pretty boring first half if you watched it as a casual fan but for Croatia, it was brilliant. Eventually in the 2nd half, Croatia had to open up because Italy took the lead so this is where games got interesting. Croatia started getting possession after being dominated most of the 1st half. They started to make some runs led by Luka Modric who was once again spectacular. Modric has played a terrific tournament and continues to show how much of a world class player he is. He made some great runs splitting the Spanish defense then made the cross of a life time of his weaker foot. Ivan Rakitic was in perfect position to be the hero but his header was saved by Casillas. It was a miss that is still fried in my mind because it was the chance that Croatia needed to take. It would have given Croatia so much optimism but the miss ended up to be just a bad memory. Croatia had one other good opportunity but Ivan Perisic didn't really make Iker Casillas move from a nicely hit volley. Croatia kept pushing on while Spain still weren't hitting their stride. Goran Schildenfield and Vedran Corluka played outstanding in the back the entire game with Spain's through balls going nowhere. The entire starting eleven deserves a huge round of applause for frustrating the world champions that much. Now the theories of possible miss calls, I'll touch on quickly. I do think Spain's goal was on side as Iniesta just made his perfect. My argument is that it should have been a handball because he clearly was using his left arm to chest down the chipped ball. How that wasn't a handball was ridiculous but at that point, I was losing hope so it didn't make me go crazy. The few near penalty calls with Corluka being held in the box and Mandzukic getting taken out by Sergio Ramos are legit cases. I think they should have been penalties and the ref blew it but at the end of the day, Croatia really should have won this with that Rakitic chance. When I look back on this game, I'll be proud of Croatia but the Rakitic miss will forever haunt me. The referees were poor without a doubt and the fix could possibly be in but I'm not going to put much of my thought into it. The man of the match is tough because both teams had their stars but I'll go with Xavi. Luka Modric makes an excellent case but Xavi set up the goal and he had great moments controlling the midfield especially in the first half. I'm still bitter about the loss but I'm a happy Croatia fan because they truly put their heart out there and they gained back the respect they lost after not qualifying for World Cup in 2010.
Sweden 2 France 0- I didn't see the full game but the highlights I saw were pretty good. This was a pretty shocking result considering Sweden had nothing to play for and France seemed to have some momentum. France just looked life less throughout the game and even when they got in the box, they never really threatened Isaksson other than a few times from Ribery. The offense wasn't clicking that well mainly because of how great the Sweden is. Olof Melberg was dominant frustrating Benzema among others where they were going to force France to take shots outside the box. It was a good strategy along with going on the counter after France would push all out to get a goal. Sweden were a bit unlucky going on because they forced some good saves out of Lloris. Eventually the goal came from none other than Zlatan Ibrahimovic who scored the goal of the tournament so far with a flying axe kick in the bottom corner. You had a feeling that Ibrahimovic was going to score at some point with his skill and the quality of it shouldn't surprise anyone. France pushed on to get a point but they never looked like it was going to happen. The chances were mostly half chances until late on when Grioud should have done better on a corner kick after not being marked. It was a frustrating game for France which ended with a mental lapse with Sebastian Larsson scoring off a rebound that should have been cleared out. Sweden pulls the upset despite being eliminated already but you have to give it up to them. They took it to a very good France team even when eliminated so well done to them. The man of the match is Olof Melberg because he led that back four and it was Melberg clearing out the crosses or marshaling crosses out of the box. He may be a 33 year old past his prime center back but he brought his A game against France.
England 1 Ukraine 0- Even though the game had plenty to play for, it was the most boring game I've watched in the tournament. It seemed like both teams were doing their best to just cancel each other out. Both teams struggled to create much in the first half although Wayne Rooney should have put that free header in. Ukraine somehow forgot about him but Rooney scuffed the ball with his head to the opposite direction. It was a tough first half for both teams but I knew Ukraine was going to come out stronger in attack. They had some good moments in the first half but Joe Hart was rarely tested. England scored first though with a complete whiff by Pyatov who has been solid in the tournament. It was an easy cross to gather but it evaded his hands and Rooney was right there to put it in the header. Ukraine tested Joe Hart after that with a few long distance shots including one nerving moment when Lescott barley cleared out a possible rebound. Lescott and Terry were strong all game for the most part. They seem to have the chemistry down and have become a formidable duo. Now the controversy of the game was that Marko Devic should have scored after England got beat on the counter. It's no argument that the ball crossed the line without a doubt. Nobody could deny that but how can anyone besides Ukrainians be upset about the call. If any team was going to catch a break, it was going to be England after 2010. Everyone knows the infamous Frank Lampard goal that was ruled out despite clearly crossing the line against Germany. Even though I do support England, this is a valid reason that England deserved to catch a break despite it crossing the line. Now do I think the goal technology needs to be installed? Of course it has to be installed, this is the 2nd major tournament this has happened. This is pretty embarrassing from a referees standpoint but if any team deserved the break it was England. Ukraine deserves plenty of credit for playing hard in the tournament. They weren't the push overs that everyone thought they were going to be. It was a well fought effort and we should see more of them in World Cup qualifying because they are in the same group as England. The man of the match is tough to pick out for me because John Terry deserves a lot of credit for saving that goal even if it went over the line. Joelon Lescott also deserves praise for his dominant performance but I'm going with Terry because he put in a top notch performance. I personally don't like Terry and most people I know can't stand Terry, but on the pitch he works his tail off and you feel confident when he's in the back.
Portugal 2 Holland 1- The game had high expectations but I personally felt a bit let down as a fan looking for an epic game. Portugal clearly showed they were superior despite the close scoreboard. They controlled most of the game and their defense didn't look like a bunch of clueless eighteen year olds. They were an organized side that could have scored more if it wasn't for Stekelenburg making some great saves. Holland's back four looked slow, disorganized, and very weak. They were losing balls in dangerous areas constantly and were getting beat several times on the ball. Even when they were winning, I wasn't too sure about Holland. Arjen Robben actually passed the ball which is a bit of a shocker in this tournament with the way he has played. Rafael Van Der Vaart scored a terrific goal with the perfect bend to get in the bottom corner. I'm a huge Spurs fan so it was great seeing him on the score sheet. The rest was all history and Portugal really controlled the game. Ronaldo was on his world class form and he was setting up chances everywhere. He was unlucky not to score a hat trick and Portugal should have won by more. They got great games out of Miguel Veloso and Nani who were outstanding. Portugal looked like a team that can make a serious push to the finals while Netherlands looked like a dysfunctional team that couldn't win a game. Even when Holland created chances, you saw Huntelaar and Van Perisie miss great chances badly. It wasn't Holland's time this year and they are easily the biggest disappointments of the tournament. The man of the match is clearly Ronaldo for his two goals and really dominated the midfield like he is capable of.
Germany 2 Denmark 1- I got some decent highlights from this game and it made me want to watch it. I don't have all the time in the world to watch full games and it stinks that these last batch of games were on at the same time. You will have to cope with some small reviews especially from this one. Germany pulls off the complete sweep of the group of death even through nerve racking moments. They looked mostly in control but Denmark had a few moments where they looked like they were going to pull the upset. The goal that was scored off the corner kick was impressive with Bendtner using his great size to win the ball in the air to assist to Krohn- Diehl for the finish. The Danes fought really hard and even stuck the post at one point with Poulsen nearly scoring on a great strike. You have to give it up for Denmark because they never laid down in any of the three games. They were battling all through out the tournament and they deserve major praise despite the lack of star power. They didn't even get much from their huge blue chip prospect in Christian Eriksen. It was a team effort and they caught my eye. Germany is the better team though and they showed it even though they weren't firing on all cylinders. Muller and Gomez really didn't get going even though Muller is credited for the assist to Podolski even though Denmark did a poor job marking. That should have been easily cleared out then on the second goal it was just a classic Germany counter attack with the goal credited to Lars Bender who got the start over the suspended Jerome Boateng. Germany continues to roll through and the main man of the match once again goes to Bastian Schweinsteiger. He was setting up Germany's chances and he started up the infamous Germany counter attacks. He's been phenomenal all tournament which shouldn't surprise anyone.
Italy 2 Ireland 0- Another game that I clearly didn't get to see due to Croatia vs Spain. Ireland had no business being in this tournament in terms of quality. I know they won their playoff round but they beat a lucky Estonia team. I'm happy they made it through but they were the only team in the Euro Cup that looked like a complete joke. They battle hard but they were completely out matched. Other than Keith Andrews shot who was one of the few players that stepped up in the tournament, Ireland didn't create many chances. Italy looked dominant all game and it was a team effort for the win. I'm not sure who wins man of the match because the highlights were limited but I'm happy for Cassano that he scored. After going through heart surgery, its great to see Cassano score since he's so talented. It hurt Croatia's chances of course and I was pissed to see him score at first but he's a very talented player so congrats to him. Italy needed a game like this where the entire team is playing well and they got it.
Spain 1 Croatia 0- I'm going to try to keep this limited as possible because I don't want to get on a rant here. It was a very emotional game as a fan and I couldn't be more proud as a Croatian. They took the world champions to the limit of elimination in this game. If you would have told me that after Croatia lost 2-0 to Greece, that they would take Italy to the limit I would have told you to get out of my face. Instead Croatia came into this game with a defensive mindset and it really worked. They held Spain to zero clear cut chances in first half and Pletikosa didn't really need to make any tough saves. It was a pretty boring first half if you watched it as a casual fan but for Croatia, it was brilliant. Eventually in the 2nd half, Croatia had to open up because Italy took the lead so this is where games got interesting. Croatia started getting possession after being dominated most of the 1st half. They started to make some runs led by Luka Modric who was once again spectacular. Modric has played a terrific tournament and continues to show how much of a world class player he is. He made some great runs splitting the Spanish defense then made the cross of a life time of his weaker foot. Ivan Rakitic was in perfect position to be the hero but his header was saved by Casillas. It was a miss that is still fried in my mind because it was the chance that Croatia needed to take. It would have given Croatia so much optimism but the miss ended up to be just a bad memory. Croatia had one other good opportunity but Ivan Perisic didn't really make Iker Casillas move from a nicely hit volley. Croatia kept pushing on while Spain still weren't hitting their stride. Goran Schildenfield and Vedran Corluka played outstanding in the back the entire game with Spain's through balls going nowhere. The entire starting eleven deserves a huge round of applause for frustrating the world champions that much. Now the theories of possible miss calls, I'll touch on quickly. I do think Spain's goal was on side as Iniesta just made his perfect. My argument is that it should have been a handball because he clearly was using his left arm to chest down the chipped ball. How that wasn't a handball was ridiculous but at that point, I was losing hope so it didn't make me go crazy. The few near penalty calls with Corluka being held in the box and Mandzukic getting taken out by Sergio Ramos are legit cases. I think they should have been penalties and the ref blew it but at the end of the day, Croatia really should have won this with that Rakitic chance. When I look back on this game, I'll be proud of Croatia but the Rakitic miss will forever haunt me. The referees were poor without a doubt and the fix could possibly be in but I'm not going to put much of my thought into it. The man of the match is tough because both teams had their stars but I'll go with Xavi. Luka Modric makes an excellent case but Xavi set up the goal and he had great moments controlling the midfield especially in the first half. I'm still bitter about the loss but I'm a happy Croatia fan because they truly put their heart out there and they gained back the respect they lost after not qualifying for World Cup in 2010.
Sweden 2 France 0- I didn't see the full game but the highlights I saw were pretty good. This was a pretty shocking result considering Sweden had nothing to play for and France seemed to have some momentum. France just looked life less throughout the game and even when they got in the box, they never really threatened Isaksson other than a few times from Ribery. The offense wasn't clicking that well mainly because of how great the Sweden is. Olof Melberg was dominant frustrating Benzema among others where they were going to force France to take shots outside the box. It was a good strategy along with going on the counter after France would push all out to get a goal. Sweden were a bit unlucky going on because they forced some good saves out of Lloris. Eventually the goal came from none other than Zlatan Ibrahimovic who scored the goal of the tournament so far with a flying axe kick in the bottom corner. You had a feeling that Ibrahimovic was going to score at some point with his skill and the quality of it shouldn't surprise anyone. France pushed on to get a point but they never looked like it was going to happen. The chances were mostly half chances until late on when Grioud should have done better on a corner kick after not being marked. It was a frustrating game for France which ended with a mental lapse with Sebastian Larsson scoring off a rebound that should have been cleared out. Sweden pulls the upset despite being eliminated already but you have to give it up to them. They took it to a very good France team even when eliminated so well done to them. The man of the match is Olof Melberg because he led that back four and it was Melberg clearing out the crosses or marshaling crosses out of the box. He may be a 33 year old past his prime center back but he brought his A game against France.
England 1 Ukraine 0- Even though the game had plenty to play for, it was the most boring game I've watched in the tournament. It seemed like both teams were doing their best to just cancel each other out. Both teams struggled to create much in the first half although Wayne Rooney should have put that free header in. Ukraine somehow forgot about him but Rooney scuffed the ball with his head to the opposite direction. It was a tough first half for both teams but I knew Ukraine was going to come out stronger in attack. They had some good moments in the first half but Joe Hart was rarely tested. England scored first though with a complete whiff by Pyatov who has been solid in the tournament. It was an easy cross to gather but it evaded his hands and Rooney was right there to put it in the header. Ukraine tested Joe Hart after that with a few long distance shots including one nerving moment when Lescott barley cleared out a possible rebound. Lescott and Terry were strong all game for the most part. They seem to have the chemistry down and have become a formidable duo. Now the controversy of the game was that Marko Devic should have scored after England got beat on the counter. It's no argument that the ball crossed the line without a doubt. Nobody could deny that but how can anyone besides Ukrainians be upset about the call. If any team was going to catch a break, it was going to be England after 2010. Everyone knows the infamous Frank Lampard goal that was ruled out despite clearly crossing the line against Germany. Even though I do support England, this is a valid reason that England deserved to catch a break despite it crossing the line. Now do I think the goal technology needs to be installed? Of course it has to be installed, this is the 2nd major tournament this has happened. This is pretty embarrassing from a referees standpoint but if any team deserved the break it was England. Ukraine deserves plenty of credit for playing hard in the tournament. They weren't the push overs that everyone thought they were going to be. It was a well fought effort and we should see more of them in World Cup qualifying because they are in the same group as England. The man of the match is tough to pick out for me because John Terry deserves a lot of credit for saving that goal even if it went over the line. Joelon Lescott also deserves praise for his dominant performance but I'm going with Terry because he put in a top notch performance. I personally don't like Terry and most people I know can't stand Terry, but on the pitch he works his tail off and you feel confident when he's in the back.
Quarterfinal Predictions
The quarterfinals seem a little weak but that doesn't surprise me considering how weak Group A. Instead of the likes of Russia (should have went through), Holland, Croatia, or Sweden we get Czech Republic in it and Greece. Sometimes things just aren't fair and we move on. Before I get into, I just want to clarify my predictions. The only matchup I got right was Greece vs Germany which is still pretty good. I nailed the Spain and Italy picks but that was ruined when France decided not to show up against Sweden. France was my pick to win the group but now roles have reversed. Portugal and Czech Republic were the only teams that I didn't pick so eight out of ten is a solid job from me. It's going better than my NBA predictions!
World Cup 2006 memories
Portugal 3 Czech Republic 1- This is a rematch from Euro 2008 from group stage when Portugal won as well. I can't see the Czechs really winning this game but they'll be a pest through out the game. They run around a lot and can cause problems in the central midfield. Czechs have some players that have broken out in this tournament like Thomas Necid and Petr Jiracek who can cause problems. I think they'll score a garbage goal that Portugal is used to giving up that should have been cleared out but I expect Portugal to roll through. Ronaldo seems to be on form and they seem to be growing more confidence.
Germany 3 Greece 0- I actually got a game right going into the quarterfinals from my original predication before the tournament. I'm also keeping the same score despite Greece putting eight in the back probably. They'll likely be playing to go into penalties but it won't work with how good the Germans are. They'll miss Karagounis who is suspended after the awful yellow card he was given against Russia. I still can't believe UEFA still hasn't overruled that call (those clowns). Greece will be pleased to make this far but it'll be all over against Germany.
Spain 1 (4) France 1 (3)- The shocker pick right here is that this game will be going to penalties. This game is so even to call that I think it will be doomed to go to penalties. I'm not a fan of the shoot outs but their always seems to be at least one. Spain has Iker Casillas so that immediately gives them the edge for the win. This will be the best game of quarterfinals but it will end in a harsh way.
England 1 Italy 0- I'm really excited for this game don't get me wrong but this has a chance to be really boring. Both teams play more defensive and tend to be scrappy. I know Italy has loosed things up but England does a great job in defense to keep teams from getting any shots in the box. This game will be a bit tough to watch but with highly populated fan bases, people will love it. I'm going with the England win which might be upset and it might make me a little bitter picking against Italy. Chilleni might be out and I think England will be a problem with their speed late in games. Also Italy doesn't have the speed to really give problems to a strong England back four. I could be easily wrong but I think Italy's too young to beat a veteran England side.
Top Five Games
I'm doing top five games to go along with the end of the group stage because their has been some epic games. Of course by the end of the tournament it will change because the drama and intensity will be even higher. I'm still going to choose the best five from group stage during this great Euro Cup with no 0-0 games being played which is great to see. The games have been very loose and full of offense which makes this an excellent tournament so far. This will be in numbered order because I put some serious thought into this and it should be put into order since games have certain amounts of quality.
Four & half star classic
1. Portugal 3 Denmark 2- This game really picked up after a dull 30 minutes. Denmark coming back really caught me by surprise because Portugal's defense looked so good against Germany. The Danes are considered an offensively challenged team that win games by effort and keeping teams scoreless. It was shocking to see how they set up that first goal then Bendtner getting picked out again for the 2nd goal. Then who can forget the Cristiano Ronaldo blooper reel with the worst miss of the tournament. He had a rough game but his teammates were picked up all around. Nani had a solid game along with Veloso and Pepe standing out. The winner was shocking to see coming from Varela who had to spin around just to get the shot off. It had so much power on it that it somehow got through and it was crucial win for Portugal. The game had everyone talking and it was a great response from Portugal after the improbable comeback from Denmark. After playing each other once in the last five years dating back to World Cup qualifying, Portugal finally beat them.
2. England 3 Sweden 2- Another high scoring game filled with different twists and turns. It was a pretty dull first half with Andy Carroll scoring the only goal thanks to a great cross by Stephen Gerrard. The 2nd half things finally picked up since Sweden realized that a loss would have them eliminated. They scored a few minutes after the break with a set piece on a broken play. It was a scrappy goal by Sweden with Glen Johnson being credited with the own goal. It wasn't really Johnson's fault because he hustled but he was in the wrong position. The 2nd goal should have been cleared by England but Lescott lost Melberg on a high free kick for the goal. England's back four was breaking down at the worst moment and they needed reinforcements. Theo Walcott came on and the entire game changed. Sweden's old back four couldn't handle his pace and he immediately became a threat. Eventually it showed on the goal sheet with a nice goal that was aided through Sweden's defense blocking the goalie's vision. Walcott is credited with the goal but it should have been saved. He continued to be a problem on the wing and eventually set up the winner to Danny Welbeck who scored a terrific back heel goal. It was a clever finish to put England ahead. Sweden never backed down though and gave England problems the entire 2nd half testing Joe Hart consistently. It was a great comeback by England but it lacked the late minute goal to make it truly better. A weak first half didn't help the cause either but still this game was really fun to watch and deserves the spot.
3, Germany 2 Holland 1- I'm sure people may question this game but it had plenty of exciting moments. Germany mostly controlled the game but Holland had their moments of excellence. Both teams were considered favorites going into the tournament. Obviously everything changed with Holland crashing out of the tournament but this game was enjoyable just for the stars and how Holland came back in 2nd half. Germany may have controlled most of the game but Holland never backed down and it made for a great game.
4. Spain 1 Italy 1- It may have ended in a tie but this game was so back and forth that you believed Italy could pull off the upset. Italy never really played too defensive and they looked confident on the ball. Cassano looked like a major threat and Spain didn't seem to create many dangerous chances. It was mostly half chances until the last 25 minutes where Italy seemed to tire out. The goals weren't anything spectacular but it was great passing from Andrea Pirlo and David Silva from their respective teams. This was the first game that made me felt that the tournament truly began. It was a fantastic game where a winner could have easily happened. Spain seemed more likely in the end but Fernando Torres continued to show his poor form.
5. Croatia 1 Italy 1- The chances weren't coming that consistently for either team but the drama of the game was intense. You saw two teams really battling for a win after Italy dominated the first half. Croatia really started pushing Italy to the limit especially after that Mario Mandzukic goal. Italy looked off balance in 2nd half even though they forced a few nerve racking free kicks in the end. People were really buzzing over the game on how tight it was even though both teams really wanted those 3 points to give them the edge going into the last game of group stage. It may have been mostly Italy domination in the first half but the 2nd half had people all across the world talking which made up for some great action on the pitch.
4. Spain 1 Italy 1- It may have ended in a tie but this game was so back and forth that you believed Italy could pull off the upset. Italy never really played too defensive and they looked confident on the ball. Cassano looked like a major threat and Spain didn't seem to create many dangerous chances. It was mostly half chances until the last 25 minutes where Italy seemed to tire out. The goals weren't anything spectacular but it was great passing from Andrea Pirlo and David Silva from their respective teams. This was the first game that made me felt that the tournament truly began. It was a fantastic game where a winner could have easily happened. Spain seemed more likely in the end but Fernando Torres continued to show his poor form.
5. Croatia 1 Italy 1- The chances weren't coming that consistently for either team but the drama of the game was intense. You saw two teams really battling for a win after Italy dominated the first half. Croatia really started pushing Italy to the limit especially after that Mario Mandzukic goal. Italy looked off balance in 2nd half even though they forced a few nerve racking free kicks in the end. People were really buzzing over the game on how tight it was even though both teams really wanted those 3 points to give them the edge going into the last game of group stage. It may have been mostly Italy domination in the first half but the 2nd half had people all across the world talking which made up for some great action on the pitch.
Top Five Goals
I'm mostly just going to post the best goals in my particular order. I'm not going to do a huge summary on it, you get the idea about how great the goals are. It was hard to judge how I'm going to order this but eventually the consensus was made up. The videos will be here for you see so you can judge.
1. Zlatan Ibrahimovic against France
2. Danny Welbeck against Sweden
3. Mario Balotelli against Ireland
4. Jakub Blaszczykowski against Russia
5. Rafael Van Der Vaart against Portugal
NBA Finals- The Bad Guys Will Win
Shoot the arrows
The finals have gone from a possible seven game classic to a quick finish that has caught everyone by surprise. The Heat may very well win the finals tonight and I'll celebrate like any true fan would. I'll drink a lot although I'm not going to shed tears. I was telling people this since they know how passionate I am about sports. Unlike the Falcons, Croatia, or St.John's basketball this is a team that is supposed to win everything. This isn't an underdog story or a team that was in the mix to win it then just got hot. Miami is a team that was built to win championships so I'm not going to get on my knees and say finally. This finals victory will be something to keep the haters shut and for LeBron James to finally have his finals moment. Also Eddy Curry because we know how hard he works (too easy). The Heat winning the finals will be a sigh of relief but it will be still great because this is the first championship I can see a team of mine win since 2006. I've witnessed great moments like the Falcons being the number one seed in 2010 or St.John's making to the NCCA tournament for the first time in nine years, but nothing is better than winning a championship. I'm well aware that the series isn't over yet and Thunder just need one win to go back to their home turf. Still I'm very confident and who can blame me? The bad guys are about to win and the world is going to go crazy.
I got to see the replay on Monday of Game 3 after missing it. It wasn't a pretty game to watch with several misses by both teams. Miami shot just 37% from the field and 30% from the three point line. They won by out rebounding the Thunder by seven which is shocking considering how big the Thunder are. Oklahoma City just shot 62 precent from the free throw line while Miami shot 88 percent. Oklahoma City simply lost their edge at the end when the jump shots weren't falling. The league realizes that they are a jump shooting team and when they go 4-18 from three point range, it will be difficult to win. I was a little shocked to see Serge "worst trash talker in recent memory" Ibaka only play 22 minutes. For some reason, the Thunder love Derek Fisher and with Miami playing small ball that lead to Oklahoma City playing the same way. Fisher wasn't really effective shooting 3-8 and having a minus 9 in the score margin of when he's on the court. I'm not sure why he played that much along with James Harden who was terrible. He shot 2-10 and continues to be a liability defensively. Harden shows plenty of effort but his shot selection is terrible at times. It was amazing how Miami's starters played nearly the entire game. I don't think will ever see someone shoot 1-8 yet play 40 minutes still ever again after Mario Chalmers did it. I have no idea why Chalmers was on the court because he was hurting the team all night. I would have liked to see Haslem get more playing time but Miami seemed comfortable to stick with the system. LeBron James continued to have a great series and showed no signs of slowing up. He got to the hoop at will during major parts of the game while Dwayne Wade made his timely great plays even though he struggled with his shot going 8-22. It was turning into a two on two game with both teams since Harden was struggling and Bosh was shooting 3-12. Despite Durant's great shooting night going 11-19, Oklahoma City didn't have enough in the end when Durant was closely guarded. Durant took just one shot in the final two minutes which shouldn't happen. You don't want Russell Westbrook taking wild threes to try to win the game. Miami escaped an ugly game that even I was happy to stop watching. It wasn't a good game in terms of quality but the stars shined tonight but the league MVP was the one that shined the most.
I got to see most of Game 4 live although I missed a bit of the 3rd quarter. The game was once again down to the wire like everyone mostly expected. Now people criticize the Heat for playing individual basketball yet who is the team that only had two guys in double figures? Who is the team that went 3 for 16 from three point range? I don't get how Miami garners so much criticism yet they showed once again that they can play team basketball. They move the ball around either when LeBron gets double teamed or Wade penetrates which led to ten three pointers. The breakout performer was Mario Chalmers who rebounded from a dreadful Game 3. Even though he had a rough start to the game and shot only 3-9 from three point range, he made huge baskets with his floater. When you're a point guard, you always want to develop that shot because you see shot blockers always floating around ready to block a lay up. If you develop a floater or a tear drop (however you want to call it), it makes things much easier. Chalmers hit that shot consistently in Game 4 and it played a huge part in Miami's success. As the game wore on, it turned into the Miami Heat vs the Oklahoma City Westbrooks. Russell Westbrook completely took this game over scoring 43 points and scoring at will. The shocking part about Westbrook is that he didn't make any threes and only made three free throws. He was simply making mid range jumpers and scoring layups. It was becoming a massive problem even though Oklahoma City had nobody step up other than Durant. Harden shot 2-10 again and Serge Ibaka played just 22 minutes as neither men really stepped up to give Westbrook some help. Durant played his usual great game with 28 points and he didn't fail to deliver, it was just impact on the defensive end was minimal. You would expect far more than two rebounds from a guy his size that usually gets a decent amount of rebounds. The ending was pretty dramatic with LeBron James going down with cramps. It was pretty scary moment mainly because if he's out, then this series really goes down the tube for Heat fans. Instead he got up and hit a three right in Durant's face much to the delight of the haters (sarcasm). Oklahoma City simply couldn't hit shots at the end especially when Westbrook was getting extra attention. It got to the point where Sefolosha had to take a three pointer that was way off. Miami pulled through in the end to take a pivotal 3-1 lead and look ready to win the championship. I'm not ruling out Oklahoma City but they need other guys to step up and people need to start hitting threes. They can't rely on two superstars to carry them through the game because when it becomes crunch time, they begin to command all the attention and the role players can't step up. I thought this would have been Miami's problem but the role players have really stepped up since Bosh's injury in Indiana series. If Miami continues the defensive intensity and the stars keep playing team basketball, then it will be over Thursday. If Wade and James each could have 25 to 27 points with consistent shooting from the field then Thursday will be a day to remember. From Miami's perspective, you don't want to go back to Oklahoma City regardless if your up. They need to wrap it up at home Thursday just to avoid any momentum loss because this is still a very dangerous Thunder team.
Mini Reviews
Here are the links from No Way Out and Raw that I wrote for because I was live. It's not long and its mostly broken down into positives and negatives.
http://wrestlingsmarks.com/forums/t25667/ - No Way Out live review
http://wrestlingsmarks.com/forums/t25737/ - Raw live review
Final Word/Plugs
I know this was very long and some people don't like reading long, so I apologize. So many things needed to be covered so hopefully I can limit more next time. I personally don't mind typing this much but I know some people would like things shorter. I'll do my best going forward but I hope you enjoyed this because so many interesting things going on in the Euro Cup along with the NBA Finals. I'm enjoying it until July 1st when it all ends and I have to hear people talk about basketball weekly. Maybe if CM Punk does another shoot promo, people will start talking about it. Next Wednesday is the one year anniversary of the CM Punk shoot promo and it was also the day where I truly really got back into wrestling. Sure I watched it and read dirt sheets about certain guys but I wasn't paying to really to events or going all out. When Punk did that promo, it was like things are fun again and one of my favorites is finally getting the push that he deserves. It also makes me wonder if he didn't re sign and if I would be watching right now. That's a big 50/50 decision because Jericho left in 2010 then Edge retired in early 2011 but then you have Punk leave and it really hits hard. Those three guys are guys that can carry a show and can keep my interest at any point. I'm happy I'm watching it though and I'll definitely talk about it some time next week. I think when the Finals end would be good so sometime at the end of next week. I'm planning to a new edition either Monday or Tuesday so I can cover the new NBA champions Miami Heat (I'm going to love it) and preview semifinals of Euro Cup. So during Friday after the semifinals are done, I'm going to discuss the infamous Punk promo that had so many people talking even ESPN was covering. It was that big and it was a great angle for about three months until WWE decided to kill it which was a terrible decision but I knew it was too good to last with the whole PG criteria. That's it for Friday though, next Monday or Tuesday I'm sticking with the same Euro Cup and NBA finals talk. Hopefully the Heat can win tonight and we get some more epic games in the Euros. I hope you enjoyed this, talk to you guys later.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/allen.strk
Twitter: @AllenOutraged
Gmail: AStrk19@gmail.com
Old Blog: http://allen-strk.blogspot.com/
Feel free to leave a comment below or contact me on any of those links above.
No comments:
Post a Comment