A superior Spanish side beat the Germans one-nil in Sunday's final of the Euro 2008 tournament, with Fernando Torres netting the game's lone goal on 33' to bring Spain their first major title since winning the 1964 version of the same competition.
Spain were better throughout, and Torres had headed off of the base of German 'keeper Jens Lehmann's post ten minutes earlier. After some patient buildup play at the back by the Spaniards, the ball found Brazilian expat Marcos Senna in the center circle. Senna quickly played the ball directly forward to the officially recognized player of the tournament Xavi, who at once pivoted and threaded a pass forward to Torres, who in turn let the ball run past him and outmuscled pursuing German left-back Philipp Lahm as he drove toward goal.
Lehmann came off his line and nearly got his hands to the ball, but Torres deftly dinked it over his diving form to send it goalward, and in it trickled in at the same far post off of which Torres' headed ball had caromed ten minutes earlier.
Apart from a very threatening spell of about 15 minutes from the increasingly desperate Germans that began near the hour mark, Spain were easily better on both the day and throughout the competition than their opponents, who rode their luck at times over the recent three weeks and appeared to have run out of steam at the last hurdle --indeed, notwithstanding their status in some quarters as pre-tournament favorites for reasons of geography as much as anything else (the tournament was played in neighboring Austria and Switzerland), it would not be unfair to say that they overachieved a bit in going as far as they did.
Spain are a top quality side who play attractive, attacking football and can pass the ball as well as any national side these days. They have youth going for them, and they at one blow have shaken the label of chronic underachievers on the big stage. Now bouyed by their ultimate tournament success and justifiably confident, they should be a force at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, for which the long road to qualification out of the European federation begins with group play in September.
They're in a comparatively manageable qualifying group of six with Turkey, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belgium, Estonia and Armenia, and they'll qualify automatically for the final tournament if they top their group; a second place finish likely would suffice to entitle them to play off over two legs with another second-place finisher from a different group for a berth in the final tournament. Should be quite the ride, and we'll have total coverage right here.
30 June 2008
28 June 2008
Y'gotta make way...
Been on an absolutely massive Bowie kick of late --Spiders from Mars era, and Hunky Dory and The Rise and Fall... in particular. Much more on that in the coming days, but this worthy tribute is deserving of notice:
The rest:
#2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11
Spain got thru to Sunday's Euro final by stuffing Russia three-nil in their semifinal encounter on Thursday. A fair enough result, as Spain made the most of the running throughout and dominated in the statistical categories of shots taken, shots on goal and time in possession.
Their first goal was an accident, as Andrés Iniesta attempted to find the far post from long range on the left and miscued his shot, but it so happened that his teammate Xavi was streaking up the middle and was on hand to blast home; it all happened in a flash on 50'.
Cesc Fábregas the Arsenal boy had subbed on for injured striker David Villa in the first half and breached the Russian defense with a deft lob from the edge of the area that played in fellow substitute Daniel Güiza for Spain's second on 73', and Cesc would cross superbly for David Silva to add their third eight minutes from time.
So that's the other darlings of the tournament --now Russia, to go along with Turkey-- dumped out at the penultimate hurdle, and it'll be Spain and Germany in the final on Sunday from 1:45 PM sharp Chicago time on ABC, and one may follow along online at soccernet.
With the exception of their 120 minutes of frustration against a bunkered Italy side in a goalless quarterfinal encounter that they won in a penalty shootout, Spain have looked sensational throughout the competition and already had pasted the Russians 4-1 in the group stage.
The Germans dwarf them and will look to use that advantage in height and bulk to make the most of whatever set pieces come their way, so Spain will have to take care not to commit fouls in their own half and try to avoid conceding corner kicks on purpose.
Spain, notorious underachievers on the big stage, haven't won a major international tournament since Euro '64, and the Germans --who got away with theft against Turkey in the semifinals and will need to be much better if they hope to stop a Spanish side playing anywhere close to recent form-- have a knack for having a knack in these competitions. Should be a cracker, and let's hope that it is.
The rest:
#2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11
Spain got thru to Sunday's Euro final by stuffing Russia three-nil in their semifinal encounter on Thursday. A fair enough result, as Spain made the most of the running throughout and dominated in the statistical categories of shots taken, shots on goal and time in possession.
Their first goal was an accident, as Andrés Iniesta attempted to find the far post from long range on the left and miscued his shot, but it so happened that his teammate Xavi was streaking up the middle and was on hand to blast home; it all happened in a flash on 50'.
Cesc Fábregas the Arsenal boy had subbed on for injured striker David Villa in the first half and breached the Russian defense with a deft lob from the edge of the area that played in fellow substitute Daniel Güiza for Spain's second on 73', and Cesc would cross superbly for David Silva to add their third eight minutes from time.
So that's the other darlings of the tournament --now Russia, to go along with Turkey-- dumped out at the penultimate hurdle, and it'll be Spain and Germany in the final on Sunday from 1:45 PM sharp Chicago time on ABC, and one may follow along online at soccernet.
With the exception of their 120 minutes of frustration against a bunkered Italy side in a goalless quarterfinal encounter that they won in a penalty shootout, Spain have looked sensational throughout the competition and already had pasted the Russians 4-1 in the group stage.
The Germans dwarf them and will look to use that advantage in height and bulk to make the most of whatever set pieces come their way, so Spain will have to take care not to commit fouls in their own half and try to avoid conceding corner kicks on purpose.
Spain, notorious underachievers on the big stage, haven't won a major international tournament since Euro '64, and the Germans --who got away with theft against Turkey in the semifinals and will need to be much better if they hope to stop a Spanish side playing anywhere close to recent form-- have a knack for having a knack in these competitions. Should be a cracker, and let's hope that it is.
26 June 2008
Counting our blessings...considering the alternatives
Michael Scherer at Time's Swampland blogåsbord ties it all together tidily in a post called "Mid-Campaign Malaise."
No doubt we're in a serious rut here after the near-constant gratification of the primary campaign, and of course that of the Democrats in particular; generally speaking, the cycle of debate>major campaign address>voters to the polls>flip on cable news to count the ballots and take in "expert" "analysis">day after>repeat in full furnished its own rewards for the rapt observer of whatever degree of actual expertise --and the indeed most agonizing phase of the campaign was the long six-week layoff, at least in terms of actual voting, between Mississippi on 11th March and Pennsylvania on 22nd April (and such would've been the case even without the agony of the Wright story dominating the intervening news cycles as it did).
So with the primary season ended and the party conventions not due for another two months, we're now back into the old, familiar attack-and-rebut silliness on the cable news shows, of adults acting like overeducated children; we're in a place where there seems to be a presumption of some reward for getting in a particularly pithy zinger or, when all else fails, just talking the loudest and not having any compunctions about interrupting others.
Dan Balz in the Washington Post lays it out thus:
In the meantime, what by turns and for the most part had been a thrilling, enlightening, entertaining and exasperating campaign season has degenerated into one gigantic snoozefest. What would fill this vacuum is the same kind of thing that does so under normal circumstances having nothing to do with the whirlwind primary campaign ended in the first days of this month: the sort of Anna Nicole/Britney/Paris/JonBenét/Elizabeth Smart/Phil Spector/Scott Peterson/hostage drama/high-speed CHP freeway pursuit stories that --if they were happening at all during the primaries-- went unseen by those of us watching cable news on a daily basis.
No doubt we're in a serious rut here after the near-constant gratification of the primary campaign, and of course that of the Democrats in particular; generally speaking, the cycle of debate>major campaign address>voters to the polls>flip on cable news to count the ballots and take in "expert" "analysis">day after>repeat in full furnished its own rewards for the rapt observer of whatever degree of actual expertise --and the indeed most agonizing phase of the campaign was the long six-week layoff, at least in terms of actual voting, between Mississippi on 11th March and Pennsylvania on 22nd April (and such would've been the case even without the agony of the Wright story dominating the intervening news cycles as it did).
So with the primary season ended and the party conventions not due for another two months, we're now back into the old, familiar attack-and-rebut silliness on the cable news shows, of adults acting like overeducated children; we're in a place where there seems to be a presumption of some reward for getting in a particularly pithy zinger or, when all else fails, just talking the loudest and not having any compunctions about interrupting others.
Dan Balz in the Washington Post lays it out thus:
It is difficult to believe that Americans are enjoying all this -- or evenYep, a whole lotta preachin' to the choir going on these days, and not at all unlike business as usual during non-campaign years. It's also perfectly understandable in a way --this is the generic Democratic nominee's election to lose, and Barack Obama fit the suit; he's also got a lead to protect, can't risk spending the summer "being defined by" the opposition and all that. From the other side, it's all about "raising doubts," and so on and on it'll go until Labor Day, the conventions and the beginning of the serious business of the dead run to 4th November looms in the near distance.
paying close attention to it. The attack-counterattack cycle is so quick that
only the most devoted of political aficionados can keep up, and the tone is so
relentlessly critical that only the most partisan will applaud it.
In the meantime, what by turns and for the most part had been a thrilling, enlightening, entertaining and exasperating campaign season has degenerated into one gigantic snoozefest. What would fill this vacuum is the same kind of thing that does so under normal circumstances having nothing to do with the whirlwind primary campaign ended in the first days of this month: the sort of Anna Nicole/Britney/Paris/JonBenét/Elizabeth Smart/Phil Spector/Scott Peterson/hostage drama/high-speed CHP freeway pursuit stories that --if they were happening at all during the primaries-- went unseen by those of us watching cable news on a daily basis.
25 June 2008
The Greatest Game You Never Saw
They played the first semifinal of the quadrennial European football championship today, and it looked like a hell of a game --or at least what I and the rest of the planet saw of it, anyway.
No fewer than three times did the global TV feed completely conk out during play, and Germany scored a go-ahead goal during the second blackout; the game would end with the commentary team of the incomparable Derek Rae and on-loan (from Sky UK) Andy Gray narrating the action as cameras panned a "fan zone" outside the stadium in Basel, Switzerland.
Rae even called the end of the game prematurely, and he did so based on the only direct visual evidence available to him and anybody else not at the stadium or watching a working feed on local Swiss TV: the delighted reaction of German fans, who in fact were celebrating a late Turkish freekick taken from a dangerous position that had come to naught. Fierce storms in Vienna, whence the action from Basel was beamed to the world, was blamed for the troubles with transmission of live images from what was actually happening inside the ground.
At least we did get to see a Turkish side, one riven by injuries and suspensions along their utterly improbable way to the semifinal round, run riot over the Germans during much of the first 25 or so minutes and opening the scoring on 22' as Uğur Boral jabbed home a rebound off of the German crossbar (the second time a shot from the Turks' London-born Colin Kazim-Richards had hit the woodwork).
Turkish joy didn't last as Germany drew level within five minutes, with Bastian Schweinsteiger redirecting home from close range with the outside of his right foot from a Lukas Podolski cross from the left. Scores were level at one each at halftime, and so they remained during the first TV outage of six minutes at around the hour mark, until Germany --with the live match feed gone dead again-- took their first lead on 79' from a long header by Miroslav Klose past Turkish backup goalkeeper Rüştü Reçber, who had come well off of his line in a feeble attempt to defend a ball played in by German left-back Philipp Lahm.
Turkey --with the TV feed having been restored by now-- were back on level terms seven minutes later as Lahm got skinned on the right wing by Sabri Sarıoğlu, who then drove toward and fed Semih Şentürk, who in turn slid the ball home inside of Jens Lehmann's near post from close range when Lehmann really should have done better.
Then Lahm --with extra time beckoning and the world still bearing live witness-- would atone for that defensive lapse in the final minute of normal time, initiating a sweet give-and-go on the left with Thomas Hitzlsperger that wrong-footed the Turkish defense and ended with Lahm lashing home the winner to Rüştü's right. Seconds later, the TV feed went out again, and so it would remain until the full time whistle.
So a game that well could have gone the other way finished 3-2 to the Germans, who on Sunday will meet the winners of the other semifinal to be played on Thursday between Spain and Russia. Let's hope they've got that TV situation sorted by then ::rolleyes::
No fewer than three times did the global TV feed completely conk out during play, and Germany scored a go-ahead goal during the second blackout; the game would end with the commentary team of the incomparable Derek Rae and on-loan (from Sky UK) Andy Gray narrating the action as cameras panned a "fan zone" outside the stadium in Basel, Switzerland.
Rae even called the end of the game prematurely, and he did so based on the only direct visual evidence available to him and anybody else not at the stadium or watching a working feed on local Swiss TV: the delighted reaction of German fans, who in fact were celebrating a late Turkish freekick taken from a dangerous position that had come to naught. Fierce storms in Vienna, whence the action from Basel was beamed to the world, was blamed for the troubles with transmission of live images from what was actually happening inside the ground.
At least we did get to see a Turkish side, one riven by injuries and suspensions along their utterly improbable way to the semifinal round, run riot over the Germans during much of the first 25 or so minutes and opening the scoring on 22' as Uğur Boral jabbed home a rebound off of the German crossbar (the second time a shot from the Turks' London-born Colin Kazim-Richards had hit the woodwork).
Turkish joy didn't last as Germany drew level within five minutes, with Bastian Schweinsteiger redirecting home from close range with the outside of his right foot from a Lukas Podolski cross from the left. Scores were level at one each at halftime, and so they remained during the first TV outage of six minutes at around the hour mark, until Germany --with the live match feed gone dead again-- took their first lead on 79' from a long header by Miroslav Klose past Turkish backup goalkeeper Rüştü Reçber, who had come well off of his line in a feeble attempt to defend a ball played in by German left-back Philipp Lahm.
Turkey --with the TV feed having been restored by now-- were back on level terms seven minutes later as Lahm got skinned on the right wing by Sabri Sarıoğlu, who then drove toward and fed Semih Şentürk, who in turn slid the ball home inside of Jens Lehmann's near post from close range when Lehmann really should have done better.
Then Lahm --with extra time beckoning and the world still bearing live witness-- would atone for that defensive lapse in the final minute of normal time, initiating a sweet give-and-go on the left with Thomas Hitzlsperger that wrong-footed the Turkish defense and ended with Lahm lashing home the winner to Rüştü's right. Seconds later, the TV feed went out again, and so it would remain until the full time whistle.
So a game that well could have gone the other way finished 3-2 to the Germans, who on Sunday will meet the winners of the other semifinal to be played on Thursday between Spain and Russia. Let's hope they've got that TV situation sorted by then ::rolleyes::
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