James Galvin

Germany v Italy
Tuesday, 04 July 2006, 20:00
Traditionally, I like to see the Germans lose. I don’t know what they did to change my mind against Argentina last week, but before the 120 minutes were up, I was cheering for the home team. This was only re-enforced by the soap-opera ending with Kahn burying the handbag with his nemesis Jens Lehmann, cheered on by thousands of German fans. I’d like to see them continue their momentum, but Italy’s skill with a cynical football is second to none. The Italians lack an attacking threat, but the shaky German defence is likely to grant them the opportunities they need to progress. Nevermind the Ballack.

Portugal v France
Wednesday, 05 July 2006, 20:00
It seems that in all sports, France are hot and cold as… er… a baguette. They can remain dormant for months then suddenly click and become devastating in the big games. Their midfield was unbelievable against Brazil yesterday, their defence is top notch, and they’ve got Henry up front (even if he’s not as effective as he could be). These are the components of a World Cup winning side. They’ve stepped up a gear, and I don’t think they’re going to return to medocrity until after they’ve got their trophy. I expect the Portuguese to improve on their performance against England, but it won’t be enough.

So I predict a repeat of the 2000 European Championships - Italy vs France. Possibly even a carbon-copy with France claiming victory after extra time.

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This entry was posted on Monday, July 3rd, 2006 at 0:21 am and is filed under Soccer, Sport. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.