Help! I live in the hinterland! I can't get any of the games, not by cable, by satellite, not even at a local pub.

I think.

Anyway, did anyone see Portugal lose to (was it?) Greece? Let me know, let me know!! I'm dyin' here ...

Greece took it to Portugal in Portugal, 2-1. It wasn't really that close, with Portugal's goal coming in, or near, injury time. I think I heard the greeks chanting "overated, overated" (which is what the U.S. Fans chanted at the 2002 WC when Portugal went down to the US in the opening game.)

Spain beat the very unlucky Russians.

Tomorrow England Vs. France. I don't give the UK much hope in this tournament with or without Beckham. Still a win over France, who have looked really lackluster in most of their warmup games prior to the Euro Cup, would go along way in giving the Brits a lift.

I bought the Direct TV package for around $150 for all the games. There was actually a promotional offer to get the Euro Cup free if you were a new DTV subscriber and bought the dish and sat receiver with a year subcription (about $250)

Even if you have dialup, get real audio or MS media Player and go to some of the European/BBC web radio stations, where you can get a live (or almost live) webcast of some of the games for free.

OG

I got to see the two quarterfinals this weekend. At least I got my "fix." But the games were ... ho-hum, at best. I can't really get into the idea of watching later rounds, without knowing where the teams are coming from on the basis of their play in earlier rounds.

I very much enjoyed the Greek conquering the French -- serves 'em right. And Italy, as well, going down. Both "classic" nations played as though they deserved a win merely for being there, while their opponents actually worked toward getting one.

I was not as impressed with the Czechs on Sunday as I had hoped (my first chance to see them, after having heard much bally-hoo about how great they looked versus GER, LAT, HOL).

Any thoughts? I'll have to miss the semi's, but I'll be in place to catch the final on the Fourth. Fireworks for Portugal, I predict.


(Message edited by book_guy on June 28, 2004)

Portugal-England was a great game, best of tournament, otherwise very defensive play. Italy had a good team but got unlucky.
All the games are free in SoCal on channel 21, 45, 27 or 33.

Nada where I live. Week old replays on FSW. I saw the group matches when I was in Rio. Are the games in SoCal on Spanish language channels? Estou com ciume.

Funny thing is that the score in the Portugal game did not demonstrate how dominating Portugal was against England...they had possession nearly the entire game and had four times as many shots on goal prior to overtime. Both of England's goals were fortunate on defensive miscues by Portugal. This is why it's difficult for Portugal to consistently win...they make beautiful runs to the goal but just collapse inside the box. They are a team full of non-finishers. Ronaldo and Deco look promising and Nuno-Gomes and Postiga are talented players that are inconsistent. I always liked watching Postiga play for Tottenham Spurs and wished that they would play him more...maybe they should. Portugal is the most talented team in the tournament that is left but that means nothing in soccer...one team can dominate the other team and LOSE.

Athos, I promise I won't give you any shit about France choking again...well, maybe a little shit....Jeez, talk about an all star team..France should lose to noone.

France SHOULD ... heh, but that's why we play the games, rather than just declare an outcome in the first place.

I will just have to move to SoCal, obviously.

France sucked big time...I may as well root for Brasil from now on.
Portugal played a great game...thanks to Big Phil...but I have to root for Holland tomorrow. England was so negative I ended rooting for Portugal.
Games are also available on ppv, some establishments charge $20 if they show ppv games, other places show mexican tv so no charge.
All these channels are from Mexico or LA I believe. Picture is good with good antenna.

Yeah I found out AFTER I bought the directTV package that if I put out my old tv antenna and point it just so, I can get a local (well, not to local) mexican channel that was carrying the games. It was kinda snowy, and all in Spanich, but Hey, It's FREE. Damn I could have spent all my hard-earned soccer money in Nogie and fucked the chicas AND watched the games. I was assured that the games would not be on the local channel, but it was. DAMN

Portugal had the run of the game, as they usually do, and I expected them to fuck up and give England the decision. Instead "blow it like" Beckham, gave the portugese the game.

My favorites, though are the Greeks. With all the jokes, the best was from a French newspaper the Midi Libre, which had it's headline: (roughly translated) "Les Blues get it greek-style" I do not know if that was a translation error or they meant to say that.

The Greeks have a good chance to beat the Czechs and I gotta take Ruud boy over the Portugese, who I believe ARE overated, and were it not for some luck and the home crowd would have been out of this tournement early.

Overall. I like the Dutch to take the title.

OG

Well looks like Portugal is not so overrated....they dominated the game against Holland and had 4 shots hit the post in the first half alone. Teams look confused with the Portuguese speed and technical skill. Phil has this team playing very similar to his Brazilian teams and this team is nearly as talented...I mean Nuno-Gomes and Postiga don't even start and they are great players.

How did the Portuguese get there by luck Organgrinder....they outplayed England and Holland easily..shots on goal, time of possession...in every facet of the game...shit, Holland's only goal was by a Portuguese player. Portugal outshot England 4 to1, it seems that England was lucky to be in the game at all. There is a reason why Porto won UEFA Champions league and Deco was the Tourny MVP...it's because Portugal is loaded with talented players now.

Look for Portugal to win the whole thing on July 4 and it will be well-earned as they are playing the best right now and are at home. France, England and Holland will continue to choke in big games as they have for the last 6 years.

Last 6 years? you mean 38 years for England and 30 years for Holland.
Have not seen much of Czech so I am assuming Portugal team to beat. Holland just committed defensive mistakes otherwise it was a good game today.
That was a great goal, oh well cameramen from Portugal eh
Porto was f. lucky to get out of Old Trafford...
Shit win it for Eusebio.

the mystery of the tournament to me is why wont anyone see that he Czech's are the real deal in this tournament. The Greeks will fold like a house of cards tomorrow and the Czechs will win the final. This tournament has been extremely entertaining so far. It only would be better if Ireland was there.

Rematch of game 1 to close tournament but this time expect reverse score, Portugal wins for first time in history. I read that 100,000 brasileiros live over there and are celebrating too. Even Figo is running hard.

He is running even harder now in case the stupid coach might substitute him again. The game is on PPV for $25. Make a party and have a BBQ and get the game, thats what I'm doing.......

Beware of Greeks bearing trophies.

Well I think we can surely say that the Greeks were underated.

Portugal lost twice on thier home soil, both times to the same team, a team that had never even been as far as the quarterfinals in the Euro Cup. OUCH

Portugal got where they were because of some good luck against Spain, and watching England "blow it like Beckham", but never showed me any, except for some brief instances, brilliance in their game. They, in almost every game, kept overall possesion, had great technical skill, and took more shots on goal than any other team, but missed more than any other team. If you can't finish, you'll go home empty handed.

The Greeks won it by stupendous teamwork, brilliant and a bend, but don't break, defense, that gave up a limited amount of set plays, and some good luck.

Their Greek's German coach had everybody in Germany, pounding the walls for the German football federation to hire him. He has rubbed many of the players the wrong way when he has coached in the Bundisleague. Otto Rehhagel is a disciplinarian, but gets results.

He was on the short list when the US fired Steve Sampson, as he speaks pretty good English and expressed a desire, several times, that he would have liked to coach the US, as according to him, they stress team play more than individual acheivement. Something the Greeks can attest to.

He can name his price and his conditions to anywhere he wants to go.

I invited a few local neighborhood friends over to watch the game. They were mainly hispanic. When one of them asked to bring a friend, I told them only if they bring beer or food.

Well I had about twenty people show up. I now have more leftover enchiladas, tamales, frijoles, chips and beer on this 4th of July than I will be able to consume for several weeks.

But I'll try.

OG

Teamwork and good coaching. I saw it at :20, and called it to a T. "Header on a cross from the right wing will be scored by that tall guy, Charistywhatsis, name sounds like a stripper, sometime in the middle of the second half. Greece 1 to nil." No lie, ask book_mom, book_dad, or book_friend_of_the_family.

You could tell Figo and Pauleta didn't bring it, and Scoalri had no clue how to rearrange. All he knows how to do is be cute, in a bumpkin kind of way. I would have to say, categorically, that Big Phil lost the tournament, while Rehagel merely picked up the scraps afterwards.

The Greeks are beatable. Hell, RUSSIA beat 'em, Spain tied. They're worse against teams that play poorly, draw them out, allowing for counters.

As did Phil with the Portugese, so did that blockhead Advocaat for the Dutch and that nitwit (who looks like a public school administrator) Santini for the French ... all three are masters at making great players look like shit. Heh, and now I gotta suffer with Santini at my Tottenham. Blargh ... well, at least we got a midfielder to reckon with.

I love the players for Portugal and Holland, but neither side looked like a team when it mattered. More power to the Greeks. Soccer's number two trophy and the Olympics all in one summer -- an al Qaeda suicide boy's dream!

We're seeing increased parity among many more nations, increased reliance on club-bench-sitters during national-team games, and a general awareness (at least in this fan, if not in the clownish, oaf-like heads of Scolari, Trappatoni, Advocaat, Ericson, Santini, etc.) that ORGANIZATION and TEAMWORK actually have a bearing on the end result.

I feel sorry for Rondaldo, Maniche, Carvalho, even Ricardo, all of whom played up to par and deserved better from their teammates and coach. Likewise for Davids, van Nistlerooij, Cocu, and the rest of my heroes (whom I have named my doggies after; fetch, Overmars! down boy, Bergkamp, bad doggie!).

Some day Holland will have a coach whose schemes aren't fantasies, and they'll get it together and be a force to be reckoned with. Can't say as much for Portugal -- I think this, their one moment in the sun, has been wasted. Pity.

BG


(Message edited by book_guy on July 06, 2004)