UEFA Euro 2004

[denoir]

With some exceptions a pretty dull game so far. France is not very good, but clearly better than Croatia and apparently both teams have decided that it's that way. France plays pretty static and defensive (good) and sometimes repeats an identical offensive procedure (extremely predictable and Vieira gets stopped by Kovac each time).

The Croats on the other hand seem to have given up for the most part, apparently saving their energy for England (which will be decisive). From time to time they make a nice charge but are in general incapable of finishing. They clearly lack a competent goal maker.

We'll see how the second half turns out.

[laulau]

i guess french don't want to play at their full potential. If Croatia refuses to play more french team won't play faster.
It's still damn hot on the field, 30 celcius degrees at the beginning. Maybe with heat going down we will see faster plays. At the same time Croatia knows that winning or loosing don't make a big difference for them, they're wainting for their next game versus England to take their chance.

But i agree with you , Denoir, hoping second half will be better.

[denoir]

Penalty!

1-1

[IsthatyouJohnWayne]

Balschoiw-

Quote[/b] ]England played a lame game. They had huge gaps in their defense in first half but unfortunally the Swiss offense missed the chance. They would have deserved to get at least one goal against a lame team.
With one player less the swiss team had to open up it´s defensive and Rooney luckily scored by hitting the pole and the swiss goalkeeper got the ball on the back of his head and it went straight back into it.
If the english team continues to play like that they won´t be long at the EM.

As an England supporter i somewhat agree with you. We played nothing like the standard of the England-France match except for very occasional bursts of good play (about the second of which resulted in the first goal) and in the last ten or fifteen minutes. Apart from that the Swiss looked more purposeful in the first half but they didnt seem to have the ability the make anything of their attacks, except to get free kicks and corners time after time (Frei nor Yakin seemed able to really penetrate Englands half hearted defending). But with Englands substitutions the tempo of the game changed and the Swiss seemed to lose hope at the end after which they were steamrollered. Not a greatly convincing performance except for the end but its the result that counts (as England discovered against far from entirely convincing France). The result will certainly boost spirits for the Croatia game anyway.

[denoir]

2-1 Croatia!

[Monkey Lib Front]

2-1 croatia, looks like they learned how to play.

[IsthatyouJohnWayne]

OMG Croatia lead!

2-1...

[Ex-RoNiN]

Absolutely stunning goal. Just wow.

[KEVBAZ]

feck! i turned over at half time, looks like a missed the best bit hehe

[Monkey Lib Front]

England played a lame game. They had huge gaps in their defense in first half but unfortunally the Swiss offense missed the chance. They would have deserved to get at least one goal against a lame team.
With one player less the swiss team had to open up it´s defensive and Rooney luckily scored by hitting the pole and the swiss goalkeeper got the ball on the back of his head and it went straight back into it.
If the english team continues to play like that they won´t be long at the EM.

Rooneys goal was a good goal, although he did hit the post and it unfortunatly hit the goal keeper's head but that's how football is, he did well to position himself in the 1st place for a shot on goal, I see you never mentioned his other goal which IMHO was pure sex on a stick in the way it was set up. On the Defensive gaps they adapted to how the swiss play which is defensive they never to my knowledge had a shot on goal which is what the defense is there to do and so job well done, the way england played was not lame, clinical yes, lacking flare yes, but after a moral depleting defeat against France they played how they had to in order to secure any hope of qualifiying which was slightly boring tbh but it was an enjoyable game non the less. id rather england secure there place in the knock outs thru boring football (rooneys runs are anything but) than getting knocked out in the groups because they where over confident.