Jul 25, 2006
Jul 16, 2006
Back to normal....
World cup is finally over and it’s hard to adjust back to the normal routine. I became so accustomed to turning on the TV at night, hoping to catch a match or two of wonderful football. And unintentionally, I would always read the sports section in the newspaper first whenever I got hold of a paper (which I never even bother to look at last time).
Anyway, Italy’s victory didn’t last long. Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina all had been relegated to second division while Ac Milan had to start from below Serie A. It’s sad to see fantastic Italian players like Cannavaro and Nesta had to be bought at bargain prices, though some might enjoy a better pay than others. But it’s a good thing that these players are finally playing outside of Italy, which means there might be more variety of styles of football (instead of defensive one) in the Azzurri Squad.
Yesterday was one the most tiring day in my life. I went to school at 730 and stayed there until 4.00 for my school’s canteen day. I was running around the school the whole time and it was such a hot hot day! But it was fun, nonetheless, we played water balloons and I got hit the most by the guys. Perhaps I’m an easy target (because I’m short?), but I had fun throwing balloons at the guys as well, hehe, payback time!
Then at 7pm I went for Bon Odori until night. It was so hot and crowded. The amount of people there was immense that the phone connectivity was so low. We couldn’t make any calls at all and consequently, many got lost. I wish I had been there earlier to join the dance performances. Anyway, it didn’t turn out to be as fun as I thought it would be and I was rueful that I actually drag my friend along…
So, out goes the world cup and in comes the school!
Anyway, Italy’s victory didn’t last long. Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina all had been relegated to second division while Ac Milan had to start from below Serie A. It’s sad to see fantastic Italian players like Cannavaro and Nesta had to be bought at bargain prices, though some might enjoy a better pay than others. But it’s a good thing that these players are finally playing outside of Italy, which means there might be more variety of styles of football (instead of defensive one) in the Azzurri Squad.
Yesterday was one the most tiring day in my life. I went to school at 730 and stayed there until 4.00 for my school’s canteen day. I was running around the school the whole time and it was such a hot hot day! But it was fun, nonetheless, we played water balloons and I got hit the most by the guys. Perhaps I’m an easy target (because I’m short?), but I had fun throwing balloons at the guys as well, hehe, payback time!
Then at 7pm I went for Bon Odori until night. It was so hot and crowded. The amount of people there was immense that the phone connectivity was so low. We couldn’t make any calls at all and consequently, many got lost. I wish I had been there earlier to join the dance performances. Anyway, it didn’t turn out to be as fun as I thought it would be and I was rueful that I actually drag my friend along…
So, out goes the world cup and in comes the school!
Jul 11, 2006
Victory
Yeah! Cannavaro lifting the cup for the very first time. Sweet victory for Italy especially during now that the match-fixing scandal case is still on the court.
They truly deserve every bit of it!
Jul 10, 2006
Finally, Azzurri.
24 years.
That’s how long the azzurri last won the world cup.
12 years. That’s how long I have waited for this moment. I have watched and supported them since I was 9 years old. It was during world cup 1994 when I started to have a passion for Italian football. It was the crucial penalty miss by Roberto Baggio that sent Italy to 2nd place in the Finale. The memory was vague but it was stuck in my mind for years. Then more disappointment came along with Italy losing in many major tournaments.
Italy had a fantastic world cup this year, the best I have ever seen in these 12 years. From the match against Ghana onwards, many might have said that Italians were just lucky but I believe that you have to be good to create your own luck. Italians did slack against US and Australia but it was their supreme effort and fantastic comeback against Germany that qualified them into the finale. Subsequently, they were obviously the better side in the final match against France. No one can deny that.
The first half was so exciting. Azzurri’s forward was in full speed and strength, penetrating the French defence with many many shots on goal. The French defence though, Thuram and Viera on particular, was right on the spot and Italians just could not find the goal. Then, it was Zidane’s penalty that really spurred Italians to attack. Matterazi conceded a penalty for his tackle on Henry in the penalty Box and Zidane scored it ever so willingly. It seemed to me that Matterazi had not much contact with Henry and it looked as if Henry took a dive. The referee was poor on that decision. Incidentally, after Zidane scored, I received tons of sms saying Italy will lose and all the bullshits.
Thank god Matterazi scored or else he’ll be the villain! He equalised with a fine header and from there on, things started to heat up. Italy then created more chances with Toni finding the post a couple of times and a superb free kick by Pirlo, which, who had not been Barthez, would have been a fantastic goal!
Second half wasn’t as heart-thumping as the first. Although Lippi made a few substitutions, none of the shots found the net. Iaquinta, and De Rossi came in when Perrota and Camaronesi, I think, were sub-out. France started to attack more and Buffon made many superb saves to deny France of any chance. The score line would have been a bit better if both sides were more aggressive but it was 1-1 at 90 mins.
Extra time did not help much either. Lippi made his last sub with Totti out and Del Piero in. It was so sad to see Totti ending his career without the glory that he dreamt of. It was, however a right decision by Lippi as the As Roma player was slacking more and more throughout the game. After all, he was once the golden boy of Italy but his time was up. Domenech brought in Wiltord and Trazeguet, the pair that sent Italy to their 2nd place in Euro 2000 when Wiltord equalised at the stoppage time and Trazuguet scoring the golden goal. Henry, who had injured himself in the first few minutes of the game came off for France.
Then came the moment that would have made the world talking about it for years to come: Zidane got a red card in the final match of his glittering career for a silly and immature action. He head-butted Materrazi and it was so intense that it sent Matterazi flying to the ground, literally. He got a red card of course but that was only after Buffon came out of his post and complained to the referee. Zidane deserves a red card, without a doubt! He went from Hero to Zero and he rightly deserved it. Italy couldn’t penetrate French defence even though having one man advantage. Thuram, Makelele and Veira were on the spot and their solid defences were perhaps what kept France in the game.
A few compliments must be made to Cannavaro, Pirlo and Matterazi for their fantastic play. Cannavaro was the backbone behind Italy’s strong defence. When the Italians and French were arguing about Zidane’s red-card, it was Cannavaro who pushed away and calmed his countrymen to avoid further controversies. It was his eagle-eye marking on Henry that made the French impossible to penetrate the Italian defence. As for Pirlo, his superb free kicks found Matterazi in the second goal and Italy would have taken the lead if only the strikers managed to head in Pirlo’s absolute precise free kicks.
When the final whistle blew at 120mins, I had anticipated the worst. Italy has not won any of the penalties for the last 20 years or so and the memories of WC 1994 flashed though my mind! I was virtually praying for lady luck to be by the Italians. When Italians had scored 3, (after Trazeguet missed) I was almost close to tears. When the fourth one was struck in by Del Piero, I was already jumping up and down and finally, the hero, Grosso did it. I was bursting with tears of joy! I was too elated and it was beyond words! Seeing Cannavaro lifting the WC and the Italians kissing it, I was ecstatic. It was superb, fantastic and no words can describe it! I would not be as happy as now even if Malaysia wins the world cup (if ever!!!).
Many might not understand my devotion to Italy but seeing a team that you have been supporting for more than 10 years to lift the cup, it was simply breathtaking. It was worth all the sweats, complaints, late nights and most of all, the lack of sleep!
Although I was watching alone at home, it was nonetheless as exciting as watching with crowds of people! I screamed, complained and booed so loud, that I think my whole neighbourhood could hear me. Finally, after 12 years of sheer disappointment, they have proven themselves. Fabulous!
I was however sad that Nesta couldn’t play due to groin injury. Perhaps this world cup could see the end of many great players with the likes of Totti, Cannavaro, Nesta, Matterazi, Toni, Inzaghi and maybe Buffon.
Hopefully, more young talents will emerge form the Italian side to replace the veterans. Perhaps Gilardino might be the next hero to retain their title in South Africa 2010. Till then, victory belongs to Italy!
With a heavy heart, we bid farewell to Germany 2006 which has been a world cup full of joys and tears. Another 4 long years ....
aggettivo eccellente Azzurri!
That’s how long the azzurri last won the world cup.
12 years. That’s how long I have waited for this moment. I have watched and supported them since I was 9 years old. It was during world cup 1994 when I started to have a passion for Italian football. It was the crucial penalty miss by Roberto Baggio that sent Italy to 2nd place in the Finale. The memory was vague but it was stuck in my mind for years. Then more disappointment came along with Italy losing in many major tournaments.
Italy had a fantastic world cup this year, the best I have ever seen in these 12 years. From the match against Ghana onwards, many might have said that Italians were just lucky but I believe that you have to be good to create your own luck. Italians did slack against US and Australia but it was their supreme effort and fantastic comeback against Germany that qualified them into the finale. Subsequently, they were obviously the better side in the final match against France. No one can deny that.
The first half was so exciting. Azzurri’s forward was in full speed and strength, penetrating the French defence with many many shots on goal. The French defence though, Thuram and Viera on particular, was right on the spot and Italians just could not find the goal. Then, it was Zidane’s penalty that really spurred Italians to attack. Matterazi conceded a penalty for his tackle on Henry in the penalty Box and Zidane scored it ever so willingly. It seemed to me that Matterazi had not much contact with Henry and it looked as if Henry took a dive. The referee was poor on that decision. Incidentally, after Zidane scored, I received tons of sms saying Italy will lose and all the bullshits.
Thank god Matterazi scored or else he’ll be the villain! He equalised with a fine header and from there on, things started to heat up. Italy then created more chances with Toni finding the post a couple of times and a superb free kick by Pirlo, which, who had not been Barthez, would have been a fantastic goal!
Second half wasn’t as heart-thumping as the first. Although Lippi made a few substitutions, none of the shots found the net. Iaquinta, and De Rossi came in when Perrota and Camaronesi, I think, were sub-out. France started to attack more and Buffon made many superb saves to deny France of any chance. The score line would have been a bit better if both sides were more aggressive but it was 1-1 at 90 mins.
Extra time did not help much either. Lippi made his last sub with Totti out and Del Piero in. It was so sad to see Totti ending his career without the glory that he dreamt of. It was, however a right decision by Lippi as the As Roma player was slacking more and more throughout the game. After all, he was once the golden boy of Italy but his time was up. Domenech brought in Wiltord and Trazeguet, the pair that sent Italy to their 2nd place in Euro 2000 when Wiltord equalised at the stoppage time and Trazuguet scoring the golden goal. Henry, who had injured himself in the first few minutes of the game came off for France.
Then came the moment that would have made the world talking about it for years to come: Zidane got a red card in the final match of his glittering career for a silly and immature action. He head-butted Materrazi and it was so intense that it sent Matterazi flying to the ground, literally. He got a red card of course but that was only after Buffon came out of his post and complained to the referee. Zidane deserves a red card, without a doubt! He went from Hero to Zero and he rightly deserved it. Italy couldn’t penetrate French defence even though having one man advantage. Thuram, Makelele and Veira were on the spot and their solid defences were perhaps what kept France in the game.
A few compliments must be made to Cannavaro, Pirlo and Matterazi for their fantastic play. Cannavaro was the backbone behind Italy’s strong defence. When the Italians and French were arguing about Zidane’s red-card, it was Cannavaro who pushed away and calmed his countrymen to avoid further controversies. It was his eagle-eye marking on Henry that made the French impossible to penetrate the Italian defence. As for Pirlo, his superb free kicks found Matterazi in the second goal and Italy would have taken the lead if only the strikers managed to head in Pirlo’s absolute precise free kicks.
When the final whistle blew at 120mins, I had anticipated the worst. Italy has not won any of the penalties for the last 20 years or so and the memories of WC 1994 flashed though my mind! I was virtually praying for lady luck to be by the Italians. When Italians had scored 3, (after Trazeguet missed) I was almost close to tears. When the fourth one was struck in by Del Piero, I was already jumping up and down and finally, the hero, Grosso did it. I was bursting with tears of joy! I was too elated and it was beyond words! Seeing Cannavaro lifting the WC and the Italians kissing it, I was ecstatic. It was superb, fantastic and no words can describe it! I would not be as happy as now even if Malaysia wins the world cup (if ever!!!).
Many might not understand my devotion to Italy but seeing a team that you have been supporting for more than 10 years to lift the cup, it was simply breathtaking. It was worth all the sweats, complaints, late nights and most of all, the lack of sleep!
Although I was watching alone at home, it was nonetheless as exciting as watching with crowds of people! I screamed, complained and booed so loud, that I think my whole neighbourhood could hear me. Finally, after 12 years of sheer disappointment, they have proven themselves. Fabulous!
I was however sad that Nesta couldn’t play due to groin injury. Perhaps this world cup could see the end of many great players with the likes of Totti, Cannavaro, Nesta, Matterazi, Toni, Inzaghi and maybe Buffon.
Hopefully, more young talents will emerge form the Italian side to replace the veterans. Perhaps Gilardino might be the next hero to retain their title in South Africa 2010. Till then, victory belongs to Italy!
With a heavy heart, we bid farewell to Germany 2006 which has been a world cup full of joys and tears. Another 4 long years ....
aggettivo eccellente Azzurri!
Jul 8, 2006
Azzuri will win Les Blues
Since Maldini's era, the Azzuri haven't really proven themselves to be worthy of all the supports we gave them. But this time around, they have been really good. They should continue their effort and not let us down again like in Euro 2000 and Wc 1998!!! (remember the Finale where they lost in penalty in both Eur0 2000 and WC 1998??)
I hope Lippi will put in more forwards like what he did with Germany. It's good to see all the previous golden boys like Totti, Del Piero and Inzaghi to play together in the final but that will be impossible. Totti and Del Piero is said to have a feud while Inzaghi, well, just not really on form. Inzaghi used to be 'The' Inzaghi (AC Milan's fan will definitely loves him!) , he scores goal easily and often, will put other strikers in shame because of his intelligence in the offside trap.
Lippi should consider putting Inzaghi in and Iaquinta out cos inzaghi is the master of offsides while Iaquinta has been caught offside for soooo many times!
It's so sad that Nesta is out.Btw, i have a picture of Nesta which i put on my desk in class and he has really given me the 'inspiration' and motivation to study harder..lol.drool....You see, whenever i get bored studying, one glance at his picture and ill be awake.lol...
Nobody has yet to get pass Cannavaro and Buffon and i have faith in them! Cannavaro has been absolutely outstanding in this WC. Long gone the Cannavaro who used to be under Paolo Maldini's shadow. He had a fantastic game so far in this tournament, saving Italy from many crucial goals. I think, by far, he's the best defender in this Wc and he should really be given the 'Golden Boot'. I mean, why all previous golden boot awards went to forwards (maradona, Ronaldo, Zidane etc..) and not defenders? They should be given the recognition for all their hardwork!!
Lippi will probably put 2 defenders to guard Zidane. So, we will have to see if Lippi's gonna put more players at the back or he's gonna attack.
Anyway, no matter what's the line-up, let's hope Italy can be crowned Champion again!!
FORZA ITALIA
FORZA ITALIA
FORZA ITALIA
I hope Lippi will put in more forwards like what he did with Germany. It's good to see all the previous golden boys like Totti, Del Piero and Inzaghi to play together in the final but that will be impossible. Totti and Del Piero is said to have a feud while Inzaghi, well, just not really on form. Inzaghi used to be 'The' Inzaghi (AC Milan's fan will definitely loves him!) , he scores goal easily and often, will put other strikers in shame because of his intelligence in the offside trap.
Lippi should consider putting Inzaghi in and Iaquinta out cos inzaghi is the master of offsides while Iaquinta has been caught offside for soooo many times!
It's so sad that Nesta is out.Btw, i have a picture of Nesta which i put on my desk in class and he has really given me the 'inspiration' and motivation to study harder..lol.drool....You see, whenever i get bored studying, one glance at his picture and ill be awake.lol...
Nobody has yet to get pass Cannavaro and Buffon and i have faith in them! Cannavaro has been absolutely outstanding in this WC. Long gone the Cannavaro who used to be under Paolo Maldini's shadow. He had a fantastic game so far in this tournament, saving Italy from many crucial goals. I think, by far, he's the best defender in this Wc and he should really be given the 'Golden Boot'. I mean, why all previous golden boot awards went to forwards (maradona, Ronaldo, Zidane etc..) and not defenders? They should be given the recognition for all their hardwork!!
Lippi will probably put 2 defenders to guard Zidane. So, we will have to see if Lippi's gonna put more players at the back or he's gonna attack.
Anyway, no matter what's the line-up, let's hope Italy can be crowned Champion again!!
FORZA ITALIA
FORZA ITALIA
FORZA ITALIA
Jul 5, 2006
Azzurri triumph
Azzurri is aiming for another world cup title and they definitely can do it with that kind of performance played against Germany. They bounce back after some slow and slacking group stage matches and they have proved the critics wrong. Who says they can's play beautiful football? Look at how they played against Germany- fabulous and heart-thumping game!
Italy will win the cup this year.
Italy will win the cup this year.
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