QF3: England 0 Portugal 0 (1-3 on Penalties)
It's nearly 8am and H and I have just got home.
How I wish I hadn't set a precedent in writing about every game because I really can't be arsed now. I'm tired, drunk and I need to go to bed.
We watched the game in a bar in the City. It was messy. It kicked off during the game and it kicked off after the game. It's a wierd one really. English fans can be right dickheads sometimes. I met a guy called Steve from Manchester who is a United fan. In fact I watched all of the game with him. By the end of it it was like we had known each other for years. We went through the highs and lows together. It brought back memories of Brannigans in Euro 2004, standing there with your mates, arms over each other as the penalties are hit and missed. The euphoria of the Portuguese missing or us scoring. The despair when we miss. The despair when we lose on penalties AGAIN. How I'd love to experience that winning feeling.
It was the first time since we have been here that H and I felt a bit homesick.
I hope Ronaldo doesn't set foot in the Premiership again.
"Television pictures appeared to show Ronaldo winking towards the Portugal bench as Rooney made his way off." (BBC Sport).
How I wish I hadn't set a precedent in writing about every game because I really can't be arsed now. I'm tired, drunk and I need to go to bed.
We watched the game in a bar in the City. It was messy. It kicked off during the game and it kicked off after the game. It's a wierd one really. English fans can be right dickheads sometimes. I met a guy called Steve from Manchester who is a United fan. In fact I watched all of the game with him. By the end of it it was like we had known each other for years. We went through the highs and lows together. It brought back memories of Brannigans in Euro 2004, standing there with your mates, arms over each other as the penalties are hit and missed. The euphoria of the Portuguese missing or us scoring. The despair when we miss. The despair when we lose on penalties AGAIN. How I'd love to experience that winning feeling.
It was the first time since we have been here that H and I felt a bit homesick.
I hope Ronaldo doesn't set foot in the Premiership again.
"Television pictures appeared to show Ronaldo winking towards the Portugal bench as Rooney made his way off." (BBC Sport).
posted by Jonny @ 7:50 AM
4 Comments:
At 2/7/06 9:23 AM,
Me said…
I found it a bit easier to cope with this year, but that's only because I never believed in a million years we'd get past the quarter finals. We were never going to win the shootout. We just get worse and worse at penalties.
Hope you're feeling better today...
At 2/7/06 6:30 PM,
Andy said…
Yes, Ronaldo's surely got to leave the UK now, for good. Does anyone actually know weather Rooney got sent off for the 'stamp' (which looked more to me like he was simply trying to stay on his feet and keep the ball, after being fouled by two Portuguese players), or for pushing Ronaldo, when he outrageously appealed to the ref to get his Man Utd team-mate sent off?
Still feeling pretty sick about the whole thing over here, especially after so briefly taking the psychological lead in the penalty shoot-out. Gerrard looked nervous to me - it was not a typical Gerrard penalty. He seemed to change his mind at the last second when he realised the keeper was going that way, but it was too late to change the direction of the ball.
Then there was Carragher's retaken penalty. Keeper wasn't ready apparently...why on Earth not?
Still, at least we kept up our tradition of losing in such a way that we can all feel hard done by, and talk about how it could all have been so different...
At 2/7/06 8:10 PM,
Unknown said…
Sent off for stamping was the offical line, but i think he was gonna get a yellow until Ronaldo stepped in.
The bebb showed Ronaldo sticking his face into Rooney's ear and whsipering somethine just before kick-off...presumably laying the foundations for winding Rooney up.
Alan Green go it right on FiveLive..."all of these portuguese are cheats!" Strong words.
That being said, we simply weren't good enough throughout the tournament. The players were playing a system they weren't comfortable with ...my only hope is that McClaren can see that, and now Beckham has resigned the captaincy he has the balls to play his best 11.
...but of course we can win euro 2008...can't we???
At 3/7/06 12:24 AM,
Jonny said…
Oh yes, of course we can and we will.
Yeah - I'm feeling better today. In fact I felt a bit better on Sunday but that was only because I went surfing with H and it was a great way to take our minds off of it.
It's a bit odd being so far away from it all over here. If I was in England, surrounded by the press and media reports 24/7 it'd probably take longer to get over.
If England had won the Cup then it would obviously be amazing - and I think I'd have had to have flown home to experience it all.
As for Ronaldo - yeah, I heard that he whispered something in his ear. What a shocker. I can't see him going back to Utd now. Surely the fans won't forgive him and I can't see Fergie forgiving him for winding up his Golden Boy.
Although we played poorly up until that game, we were pretty immense when down to 10 men. Well Owen Hargreaves was, as well as back four. Lampard, consistently brilliant for Chelski week in week out, played some of the worst football I have seen from him in each of the games he played. It's a funny old game.
Felt sorry for Becks though. That press conference was really sad and he must be heartbroken to resign as captain on such a low point. For all his faults (and there aren't very many) no-one can deny that he has been a very good skipper for the country.
So who will take his place? Terry? Gerrard? I'd be more than happy with either.
Post a Comment
<< Home