Liveblogging Euro 2008!
So, I have been taking my hours away from work early in the morning so as to be able to watch soccer. (Don't worry, Mom, I'm strictly limiting myself to one game a day and staying late to make up for it.)
Up today: Portugal vs. the Czech Republic! A match with a lot of potential for excitement, to be sure. We bring you to the 20th minute, goals from Deco for Portugal and Sionko for the Czech Republic. It's been a really free-flowing game, very unlike the one between Switzerland and the Czech on Saturday, which the Czechs won (undeservedly, although finishing is 9/10s of scoring goals).
Both this teams have a reputation for dirty play and diving (especially the Portuguese), so that will be something to watch. Everyone's been behaving themselves so far, though.
24'--Decent shot over the bar from Deco.
25'--Another good shot, this time from Ronaldo, who might just be the world's best player and is getting more enthusiasm from the announcers than he probably deserves because of it.
26'--Baros and Pepe collide and slap each other in the head...perhaps that dirty play beginning to manifest itself.
29'--Dang. Portugal needs better organization on these corners--it came to Sionko on the back post and they were lucky the Czechs didn't do more with it.
30'--Yellow card for Bosingwa--wow, not sure I would've called that. He did have the studs up, though.
It's kinda funny--Czechs are all red, Portugal all white, and in the last game I saw the Czechs were all white and the Swiss all red, so it's a little confusing.
32'--Game is getting a little choppy; neither team is showing great control of the ball.
34'--Grigera (sp?) passes it to nobody and kills a Czech attack--and gets something like karmic payback by blocking a pass with his face on the other end, Czech on the attack.
35'--Baros (Cz) makes a great run and then gets too fancy--you have to shoot at some point, my friend.
36'--Deco gives it a little too much and it's back to the Czechs.
They use the word "mazy" in soccer--"a mazy run"--for an elaborate, befuddling display of dribbling going up the field. Kinda interesting as an example of sports-talk.
39'--Portugal have apparently had 62% of possession, which seems a little odd; certainly they haven't been dominating play to that extent. It's not as if the Czechs are just absorbing the pressure and counterattacking--they've been going forward quite a bit.
40'--Corner to Portugal...
41'--and another corner. Carvalho has a chance but his first touch isn't soft enough.
42'--Sionko totally whiffs on a pass (you don't see that often--swing the leg and miss everything) and Ronaldo promptly takes a dangerous shot, Cech (Cz goalkeeper) is there and all is for naught.
43'--Baros goes down again...
44'--And now the field is strewn with bodies. Ronaldo imitating a glass-jawed boxer, then two players (Deco and someone) going down for better reason at the center line--the Czech guy stepped on the ball and then clipped Deco with his heel (!).
45'--Ferreira changes his shirt. Why? Who knows?
45+1'--One last hurrah--Ronaldo takes a free kick from about 25 yards out, not too much trouble for Cech.
And that's halftime!
55'--Not too exciting to start the second half...
59'--Now some excitement! A strong spell of attack from Portugal, but Cech is equal to the occasion.
59'--and Ricardo takes his life in his hands--one does NOT want to see the goalkeeper dribbling around opposing players.
60'--But the Portuguese are piling on the pressure here...weak shot from Ronaldo though.
62'--Corner for the Czechs--rather weak...h'm. Trouble in the box, the referees rushes in to admonish the responsible parties, and we'll re-kick...
63--WOW. Again, Portugal looks very bad on a corner and CzechR almost bundle it in...
64'--GOAL! On the counterattack! Ronaldo takes the cross from Deco and skims it in past the diving Cech, taking it in a field of red shirts and driving it home. Well done!
66'--Petit (Por) concedes a free kick in a dangerous spot--Portugal have looked lousy on set plays-and do again, but no harm done and Portugal on the counterattack...
67'--Portugal corner kick, a nice build-up but, well, the whole Portuguese team was offside.
70'--Eek! Another very dangerous cross from the Czechs, and it's good work by Ferreira to get it out of there.
73'--Jan Koller (Cz) in--obviously the Czechs are going to give everything they have for that last goal to draw even.
76'--Free kick in a dangerous spot for Portugal...straight into the wall. A little back and forth, and then a free kick at the center line for the Czechs--and Baros interferes with a pass that would have been better left to Sionko and puts it out. Goal kick, and opportunity lost.
81'--Another decent chance for the Czechs but the shot is over the bar--probably should have controlled that and passed, he had three men in the box...
83'--Sionko again with a dangerous header! And Ricardo does well to put it over the bar for a corner. Back and forth at the edge of the box, but now Ricardo has the ball and forward it goes.
85'--And back again...and forward...Czechs may have to resign themselves to the long ball.
86'--Especially if they keep passing it to the Portuguese when they try a build-up.
88'--Corner to Portugal--no? Well, goal kick then, but it looked like a corner...
89'--And another free kick for the Czechs--dangerous, but Richard punches it away and then Sionko and [someone] tangle in the box, and Portugal gets the free kick.
90'--Sionko over the bar!
90+1--Whoops! A gaping hole at the back for the Czech as the free kick was taking quickly, and Ronaldo feeds it to Quaresma for the goal. (And more enthushing over Ronaldo from the announcers...people really do pass the ball sometimes, it's not that remarkable, guys.)
90+2--Match! And Portugal deserves the win, although their aerial defense leaves a LOT to be desired.
Up today: Portugal vs. the Czech Republic! A match with a lot of potential for excitement, to be sure. We bring you to the 20th minute, goals from Deco for Portugal and Sionko for the Czech Republic. It's been a really free-flowing game, very unlike the one between Switzerland and the Czech on Saturday, which the Czechs won (undeservedly, although finishing is 9/10s of scoring goals).
Both this teams have a reputation for dirty play and diving (especially the Portuguese), so that will be something to watch. Everyone's been behaving themselves so far, though.
24'--Decent shot over the bar from Deco.
25'--Another good shot, this time from Ronaldo, who might just be the world's best player and is getting more enthusiasm from the announcers than he probably deserves because of it.
26'--Baros and Pepe collide and slap each other in the head...perhaps that dirty play beginning to manifest itself.
29'--Dang. Portugal needs better organization on these corners--it came to Sionko on the back post and they were lucky the Czechs didn't do more with it.
30'--Yellow card for Bosingwa--wow, not sure I would've called that. He did have the studs up, though.
It's kinda funny--Czechs are all red, Portugal all white, and in the last game I saw the Czechs were all white and the Swiss all red, so it's a little confusing.
32'--Game is getting a little choppy; neither team is showing great control of the ball.
34'--Grigera (sp?) passes it to nobody and kills a Czech attack--and gets something like karmic payback by blocking a pass with his face on the other end, Czech on the attack.
35'--Baros (Cz) makes a great run and then gets too fancy--you have to shoot at some point, my friend.
36'--Deco gives it a little too much and it's back to the Czechs.
They use the word "mazy" in soccer--"a mazy run"--for an elaborate, befuddling display of dribbling going up the field. Kinda interesting as an example of sports-talk.
39'--Portugal have apparently had 62% of possession, which seems a little odd; certainly they haven't been dominating play to that extent. It's not as if the Czechs are just absorbing the pressure and counterattacking--they've been going forward quite a bit.
40'--Corner to Portugal...
41'--and another corner. Carvalho has a chance but his first touch isn't soft enough.
42'--Sionko totally whiffs on a pass (you don't see that often--swing the leg and miss everything) and Ronaldo promptly takes a dangerous shot, Cech (Cz goalkeeper) is there and all is for naught.
43'--Baros goes down again...
44'--And now the field is strewn with bodies. Ronaldo imitating a glass-jawed boxer, then two players (Deco and someone) going down for better reason at the center line--the Czech guy stepped on the ball and then clipped Deco with his heel (!).
45'--Ferreira changes his shirt. Why? Who knows?
45+1'--One last hurrah--Ronaldo takes a free kick from about 25 yards out, not too much trouble for Cech.
And that's halftime!
55'--Not too exciting to start the second half...
59'--Now some excitement! A strong spell of attack from Portugal, but Cech is equal to the occasion.
59'--and Ricardo takes his life in his hands--one does NOT want to see the goalkeeper dribbling around opposing players.
60'--But the Portuguese are piling on the pressure here...weak shot from Ronaldo though.
62'--Corner for the Czechs--rather weak...h'm. Trouble in the box, the referees rushes in to admonish the responsible parties, and we'll re-kick...
63--WOW. Again, Portugal looks very bad on a corner and CzechR almost bundle it in...
64'--GOAL! On the counterattack! Ronaldo takes the cross from Deco and skims it in past the diving Cech, taking it in a field of red shirts and driving it home. Well done!
66'--Petit (Por) concedes a free kick in a dangerous spot--Portugal have looked lousy on set plays-and do again, but no harm done and Portugal on the counterattack...
67'--Portugal corner kick, a nice build-up but, well, the whole Portuguese team was offside.
70'--Eek! Another very dangerous cross from the Czechs, and it's good work by Ferreira to get it out of there.
73'--Jan Koller (Cz) in--obviously the Czechs are going to give everything they have for that last goal to draw even.
76'--Free kick in a dangerous spot for Portugal...straight into the wall. A little back and forth, and then a free kick at the center line for the Czechs--and Baros interferes with a pass that would have been better left to Sionko and puts it out. Goal kick, and opportunity lost.
81'--Another decent chance for the Czechs but the shot is over the bar--probably should have controlled that and passed, he had three men in the box...
83'--Sionko again with a dangerous header! And Ricardo does well to put it over the bar for a corner. Back and forth at the edge of the box, but now Ricardo has the ball and forward it goes.
85'--And back again...and forward...Czechs may have to resign themselves to the long ball.
86'--Especially if they keep passing it to the Portuguese when they try a build-up.
88'--Corner to Portugal--no? Well, goal kick then, but it looked like a corner...
89'--And another free kick for the Czechs--dangerous, but Richard punches it away and then Sionko and [someone] tangle in the box, and Portugal gets the free kick.
90'--Sionko over the bar!
90+1--Whoops! A gaping hole at the back for the Czech as the free kick was taking quickly, and Ronaldo feeds it to Quaresma for the goal. (And more enthushing over Ronaldo from the announcers...people really do pass the ball sometimes, it's not that remarkable, guys.)
90+2--Match! And Portugal deserves the win, although their aerial defense leaves a LOT to be desired.