magnificent. that's the one word i'll use if asked to describe last night's Euro Quarterfinal between england and portugal. this year's Euro has certainly been nice to me. of all the games that i have stayed up for...none have been dissapointing. it's like everyone's trying to outdo each other to see who has the best match. yesterday's match was the
creme de la creme. kudos to england and portugal for making it such a memorable game. free flowing football, end to end stuff, last minute goal and a nail-biting finish. all the ingredients for a great match.
i was rooting for portugal last night. england's media and all the hype about the team, especially the rooney kid and his comparisons with the great pele (what??!!) was just too much. so i betrayed the country that taught me the love for the game. lagipun i had sentiments for the so-called Golden Generation of portugal. this is their swan song. it's do or die. on home soil..this is the best chance that they got. or else..it's just another 'has been' team like the Eusebio era. another great team with nothing to show for.
you've probably read all the reports and articles about this game. this is my viewpoint:
Man of the match
this is a tough one. the english midfield was great, ronaldo was creating havoc on the flanks...i can't tell who came out tops. so i'll give it to both teams for making 3.00am not that sleepy for a tired guy like me.
Goal of the match
of the 4 goals scored during full time, rui costa's screamer that thumped inside the post was awesome. nothing clamity james could do about that.
Reaction of the match
Sven Goran's face when postiga scored the equalizer. rare show of emotion from the iceman. priceless...
Quote of the match
martin tyler commentating on ricardo pumping the crowd after postiga's equalizer.."Come on portugal, or the portuguese equivalent of it."
What the **** are you doing award
The great figo substituted in the closing moments of the game. they were trailing 1-0 then...nasib baik postiga score. figo's face showed it all.
Big payoff award
Both substitutes scored for Portugal. now that's a great gamble. the same couldn't be said about england's substitution though...
I ran out of steam award
owen hargreaves for falling to the ground after a great run dribbling thru the portuguese midfield...aiyohhhhh
Balls of steel award
postiga's cheeky penalty kick in the shootout. i coudn't imagine what he was thinking. if he failed to score, england would have won. it was do-or-die for portugal, the crowd was standing still, millions of people were holding their breath and what did he do? simple...chip it into the net...even cheekier than ibrahimovich's back heel..
Best Jonny Wilkinson impersonation
David beckham kicking the ball into the upper tier for england's first penalty miss. it looked a lot better than the slip in turkey though...
let's hope for more great games to come. come on oranje!!
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