Sleep well tonight my friends

Have just been going through your very “intelligent” comments.Is it a case of sour grapes?!!! Força Portugal…youw ill reach the final….against all odds!!!

Posted from  India

The stage is nearly set for a World Cup final that I believe will bring the two best coaches on the national side stage together this Sunday, Lippi and Scolari. It is no accident that these two will probably meet, although the Italians clearly had some help from the ref against Australia (but may have won anyway).

Lippi is going with essentially the same kind of set he did when he was Juve’s boss in the 90s, placing Totti behind his strike force for service (something Ericsson could have learned when he isolated poor Rooney up front the other day) as well as a green light to penetrate and shoot anytime he likes. I expect Lippi will stay with that 4-4-1-1 in the final and Camoranesi will remain very active on the wings, aided by Pirlo coming forward as needed (not something Trappy would have been familiar with in 2002); Gattuso won’t come forward, as he is a defending midfielder exclusively. Gilardino and Del Piero will again probably be wisely held in reserve for late-strike energy and a shootout (if necessary) while the point man for much of the contest will be hard-working Toni, who can present a lot of problems even to a defense as staunch as Portugal’s. Cannavaro is the defender of the Cup so far, and Zambrotta, Zaccardo and if available, Nesta, along with Buffon, are incredibly tough to score on, especially if they jump out on top.

I don’t want to break down in much detail what I think Portugal might do for a theoretical match, but although Scolari can be remarkably flexible in his alignments, he does like that 4-2-3-1 with wingers Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo supporting Pauleta. Costinha returns, and if he behaves himself tonight, he and Maniche will have holding duties but may will be able to move forward on occasion while Deco directs matters on both sides of the center stripe. With decent protection of their formidable back four and the continued performance of the tournament’s best keeper Ricardo, Portugal will be as stingy as Italy with goals. I look for Portugal to claim a 1-0 win tonight, and it might not any different on Sunday against Italy.

Dave hamildav@yahoo.com

Posted from  United States

Portugal footballl team is a team full of cheat especially C. R., cause they cheat to win no matter what. Their coach Mr. S., is the source of everything, with winning every game their priority no matter what their player will do. So, what’s so great about Mr. S?

Posted from  Brunei Darussalam

Dave – thank you for a quality post.

Forca Portugal!

Posted from  United States

The world love us you know.

The chats of Portugal are crowded.

The chat of Cristiano Ronaldo is huge.

How a beautiful and lovelly little country can rock europe.
(They even said a bunch of crap and still come here in summer)

Posted from  Portugal

The Netherlands started with the dirty play right from the start, with the vicious tackle on Cristiano and the constant diving from Kuyt and Robben, and the ref let it spiral out of control (for both teams). The English press jumped at the chance to make the team that took them out in Euro 2004 and that they were facing next look bad, including taking comments out of contest or making up interviews completely. Now after Portugal beat England cleanly in the semi’s they’ve vilified Ronaldo even though he had little to no influence in Rooney’s red card as the referee has already stated. The ref was two feet away and saw the incident with his own eyes.

England got outplayed (more shots, shots on goal, possession, fewer fouls) but played a strong defensive game after the send-off, but in the end they had a lacklustre World Cup over all and didn’t deserve to go further.

Rooney tried to make Vinho do Porto with Carvalho’s grapes and that’s why England is going home

Força Portugal!

Posted from  Canada

koh chun siong – brunei

How many Portugal games have you watched before the World Cup? Probably none and I’m sure it will be the same after the World Cup is over. Please don’t bother posting if you have little or no knowledge about this team.

Forca Portugal!

Posted from  United States

Can someone please explain to me where this C.Ronaldo being a cheat came from?

Do you people honestly think that he FORCED the ref to red card Rooney? Do you think he used voodoo or maybe he bribed him?

I just don’t get it..

Forca Portugal

Posted from  United States

Yas – sour grapes?

No mate, Im Scottish and we dont have sour grapes over here.

Luis – “How many Portugal games have you watched before the World Cup”

I think that’s the point….

People around the world see very little of Portugal and at the biggest tournament in the world what they have seen is poor sportsmanship, diving and cheating which has given your country a bad reputation around the world not just in France, England and Netherlands.

No one doubts that you are a great country. I spent 2 weeks of Euro 2004 in Portugal and had a fantastic time, you were great hosts.

In a football sense you’ve endeared yourself to nobody as your approach and behaviour stinks.

You guys seem blind to this but around the world this is the impression people who have limited access to Portuguese football have been given…

Posted from  United Kingdom

It’s really good to hear that English fans are supporting France.

Really happy about it. this will be the last world cup for us, so, we will support England in Euro 2008!!!!!

Posted from  Canada

Game prelude – How they match up

Managers:
Scolari Vs Domenech
Winner – Scolari

Goalkeepers:
Ricardo Vs Barthez
Winner – Ricardo

Defenders:
Meira/Carvalho/Valente/Miguel Vs Thuram/Sagnol/Gallas/Abidal
Winner – France

Midfielders:
Figo/Ronaldo/Costinha/Deco Vs Zidane/Viera/Makelele/Malouda/Ribery
Winner – France

Forwards:
Pauleta/Simao Vs Henry
Winner – France

Final Analysis:
France 3 – 2 Portugal

Posted from  India

I got this from an english web site and hopefully it can settle this whole Ronaldo/Rooney debate once and for all…

“And In The Defence Of Ronaldo
The current vilification of Christiano Ronaldo in the tabloid press and, to an extent, on Football 365, is utterly ridiculous and quite offensive. What exactly did he do that the majority of players, including England players, would not have done in the same circumstances? He saw a player on the opposing side apparently stamp on a member of his own side – an action that clearly deserved a red card – and ran towards the referee to join his team-mates in appealing for the appropriate action to be taken.

Where’s the problem with that? Had Rooney not been sent off, Portugal would have been entitled to feel cheated had England gone on to win the game, as would England had the roles been reversed. I would have been extremely surprised if a Portuguese player had stamped on Rooney and a few England players hadn’t had something to say to the ref about it.

Stephen Gerrard claims that he would never behave like this towards a club colleague in an international match implying that it would be acceptable towards someone who wasn’t a club colleague. But this is surely irrelevant – if you’re representing your country in a World Cup quarter-final and you allow personal relationships with members of the opposition to reduce your competitive edge, then you’re letting down your team-mates and fans.

This sort of thing is part of the game and, within reason, I don’t see anything wrong with it. It’s not as if Ronaldo went down clutching his face like Maniche did earlier and attempted to con the referee into issuing an undeserved red card. Rooney deserved to go and, in view of the violent nature of the offence, the Portuguese players were fully entitled to complain to the ref. I don’t feel their protests were unduly hysterical or out of proportion to Rooney’s “crime” – I don’t recall any imaginary cards being brandished. In fact I doubt if they even influenced the decision. Rooney clearly stamped on Carvello and even if the push on Ronaldo helped the referee to make up his mind, this too was Rooney’s fault.

I suspect that before the game the Portuguese had identified Rooney’s temperament as a possible weakness for England and had planned to try to exploit it – there’s nothing unusual or wrong with that, and if there was such a plan, then again its entirely Rooney’s fault for losing his temper on numerous previous occasions.

Strange, isn’t it? Wayne Rooney lets down his fans, his team-mates and his manager who had bent over backwards to make sure that he featured in the World Cup and refuses to apologise or even acknowledge that he was at fault. His team-mates rush to his defence, the FA apparently backs his version of events despite pretty conclusive evidence to the contrary and Alan Shearer reckons he should seek physical retribution against Ronaldo.

I even read a comment by a supporter in one paper saying that Ronaldo should be ashamed of himself for denying Rooney the chance to fulfil his World Cup dream!

Ironically whilst our “honest” lads were stamping on the opposition, taking feeble penalties, and failing to understand the really quite simple rules for taking spot kicks, Ronaldo who volunteered to take his side’s fifth kick, showed supreme confidence in dispatching his penalty to win the tie.

You would think our Press and fans would be capable of acknowledging that what Ronaldo did, whilst not particularly sportsmanlike, was nothing that we haven’t seen hundreds of times before. They might also ask why our star players lacked the sort of belief he showed in taking his penalty. In short, they might be expected to accept our deserved defeat gracefully.

On the contrary, the English tabloids have initiated a vicious witch hunt against Ronaldo, bandying words like “slimy” about, their main justification seemingly being his wink which clearly showed him to be a devious foreigner. This is so childish and, more disturbingly, clearly intended to stir up racial hatred, not that they would ever recognise it as such. Don’t they remember the death threats that German referee received two years ago? Of course they do; it probably helped them to sell newspapers.”

Enough said and finally an intelligent comment.

Forca Portugal, forever..

Posted from  Canada

Robert – CR didn’t cheat but he did try and get a ‘friend’ sent off and when he did he winked at the bench – mission accomplished. That’s bad sportsmanship and shows the kind of character he is.

The cheating is the theatrics, diving, spoiling the game. Maniche grabbing his face (like Henry!) the constant diving of Figo, over reaction of Carvallho. Anytime a Portuguese player was tackled in the last 2 games they fell over looking for a free kick and looking like they needed to go to hospital only minutes later to be back on the pitch OK!

It’s not good to watch, and is looking to cheat the refreee…

Posted from  United Kingdom

The row with Ronaldo and Rooney is media hype and really apples and oranges. Ronaldo represents PORTUGAL in this Cup, not Man United and what happens at Old Trafford down the road is IRRELEVANT to the World Cup. What is so hard to understand about that?

Posted from  United States

Al Garve,

If Rooney hadn’t been acting like a thug in the first place, Ronaldo would have no reason to complain to the ref.

You can look at it anyway you wish… but Rooney wouldnt have received a red card for nothing.

The article that Ceasar Lourenco posted above pretty much sums it up…

you should read it.

Forca Portugal!

Posted from  United States

ceasar – can you share the link to that site. it really sums up everything beautifully and if it’s coming from an englishmen, even better…

Posted from  United States

Rooney and Roanldo are both immature kids – like some of the ppl posting on this site.

Posted from  India

Caldas17

Here’s the link

http://www.worldcup365.com/mailbox/0,16726,7981_1316855,00.html

scroll down till you see the “In the defence of Ronaldo” heading

Posted from  Canada

To all our ex-allies:
If you care to step down from your self-inflated English “superiority”, and gives us the credit we deserve, like most of the unbiased world, you’d probably rise over the ridiculous tabloid press you have and the bullocks they write.
If you will look away from your bitter bellybutton for a minute, you might wanna check out the Rasta-pulling, nuts- treading team the world should be proud of:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JURU3iFmRxs&search=trinidad

Your next subject might be, a reflection on your country’s hooligans and their bottle-throwing achievement against innocent people, women and children (fact).
You cancel yourself out speaking about Sport and Fair Play – get some moral, please…

By the way, you have done great services to mankind (not fish&chips and your wrong about Internet); but presently you have a lot to be ashamed of as well!!!
Portugal (like Dan, in his Yankee ignorance, admits – next time, research about our feats) has a lot to be proud of – if it hadn’t been for the Portuguese being at the genesis of Navigation and discoveries, probably you’d still be getting shaft by a Franc Coq (get it?) in the thousand-years war… no wonder you’re so fun of the frogs now…

Anyway, for Portugal this is already a victory; and the jealousy…

[...] Sleep Well Tonight, Friends (World Cup Blog) [...]

good luck boys. kick some ass!

Forca Porugal!

Posted from  Saudi Arabia

My grandfather is from portugal, and i’m from argentina. The best team in the WC was Argentina for me, but i love portugal and i want to wach how win the worldcup. VAMOS PORTUGAL!!

Posted from  Argentina

Good Riddance Portugal you bunch of cheating diving swines.

Didnt see much play acting tonight though, but then again you were 1 0 down for most of it. What a surprise that was you cheating diving swines.

And YAS

Up yours pal.

Who is the “intelligent” one now numbnuts.