Euro Semifinals in Hindsight

Well, those were certainly some interesting semifinals we had. I guess my good predictions throughout the tournament were a build up for the ones I’d miss now. That Portugal/Germany match-up sounded great in my head, but instead we have a rematch of the Group C opener between Italy and Spain (and as a fan of Italia, I have no complaints). We’ll start with a reflection of the previous matches.

Portugal came out at the beginning of the game against Spain dominating offensive chances. They were giving all the skeptics reasons why not only they were able to compete with Spain, but could win the game as well. The Spanish attack looked non-existent. I think the biggest problem for Spain was the lack of their strength, which is a solid midfield that has a focus on playing a beautiful, fluid passing game. The Spanish were having problem moving the ball from the mid to their strikers and attacking mids on the wings. Portugal won the first half. Spain came out much stronger in the second half and seemed to finally (after about an hour of soccer) find their groove. I think second half could have gone either way. Extra time was all Spain, who showed shades of the champs we’ve come to know. Lucky for Portugal, they were able to hold off the defending champs for the thirty minutes and set up a finals berth via penalty kicks. I think if you asked Portugal if they would like to go to penalty kicks against Spain, that they would have taken that opportunity.

We started the penalty kicks with a save by each keeper and it looked as if there was never going to be a goal in this game. They traded a couple more goals. But when Bruno Alves tried to take a shot for Nani, he definitely didn’t look confident, and he still looked nervous going up. I’m not sure if it’s allowed (maybe someone can write and let me know) but that’s when Ronaldo as the captain should step up and pick someone else to kick for him. Nonetheless, Bruno Alves stepped up, looked shaky, and missed the shot. It was all on Fabregas to put Spain through to the final. As an Arsenal fan, I guess I couldn’t wish ill on Cesc’s shot, but I certainly was hoping Portugal would still have a shot (especially since I not only predicted Portugal to move on, but have them in my Euro pool). Fabregas had a perfectly placed shot though (at first I thought it was curving wide).  There was no way Patricio was getting to that shot. Spain to the finals.

In the other semi final, the favorite Germans had their hands full with Super Mario and the Italians. The normally tactical Germans couldn't seem to string their passes well together. Passes were often off target, or placed in an area where an Italian could easily fight for it and steal it off their German counterpart. It wasn't until some second half substitutions when the Germans finally started to find their rhythm. Unfortunately for them, it was too late. Thanks to Balotelli's gorgeous goals and a strong midfield, the Italians dominated the first hour of the game. Even with the Germans pressuring near the end, the Italians had a great counter attack developing with DiNatale and Diamanti creating some great scoring chances. The Germans showed up to this game far too late. It was nice though to see the Azzurri finally capitalize on quality chances on goal.

More posts/thoughts to come later today. Prediction for the final as well as my thoughts on shootouts. Stay tuned! Same Bat time, same Bat channel!