OT - Euro 2012 Final - Spain vs Italy - 2:45PM ESPN
The final is finally here. Hopefully it's a good match but it seems that if there were two teams that would end a match in penalties, it'd be these two. I pray that doesn't happen. Should be interesting which formation the Italians and the Spanish come out in.
My grandma is 100% Italian so that is who I'm pulling for. Eating some homemade lasagna and knocking back a couple glasses of Italian wine. Forza Italia!!!
His injury mattered more than I thought it would. He is really missed up top.
1-0.
in Canada today, please don't drive around honking your horn with Italian or Spanish flag if 'you' win or lose. It's Canada Day, fergodsakes! Show some respect or gtfo.
Note: flying both flags, say Italy and Canada is Ok in my books.
Anyone find a decent stream?
ESPN3.com
My kids are complaining that the Italians can't sing.
GAME TIME! SPAIN TIME!
La Furia Roja FTW!
Great run of play right there.
Damn it. Bad marking by Italian defenders there.
Damn did ESPN crap out for anyone else?
Not working for me. None of the ESPN channels are.
Yes, it did for me and I'm on vacation in Florida at Parc Soleil
ESPN2 is frozen too, not exactly great timing there WWL
ESPN3 is working fine BTW.
Way to go ESPN, biggest match of the year
Someone at ESPN isn't going to get a good performance review
It seems to be working fine now. Hopefully the rest of the match goes uninterupted.
Gotta love the shameless MLS plugs.
Why not. I'm a Galaxy fan so I like the updates.
Just a small jab at quality of current product verses plugged product.
My ESPN crapped out too... i just reset my cable box, working now... thank god
loved the Barca->City connection! rockin my Xavi shirt and my Kun Aguero shorts!
I have a strong feeling this will be the final score. Spain = Kings of the age old game of Keep Away
What I really love about Spain brings me back to my soccer days in high school. We employed a triangle style of movement that Spain use as well. Quick triangular passes as opposed to long ball or counter
possession is king.. goin on 450+ mins now without conceding
Looks like this one is over :(
Agreed. Spain are such a technically skilled bunch. I would love to see a Brazil - Spain World Cup final if Brazil could finally play up to their potential in 2014. That would be a beautiful game. Imagine the international intrigue if Spain could continue their success that far.
It's hard to believe Brazil won't get to the finals in 2014.
Beautiful. The conquest is on.
Such a good signing for Barca.
All I want to see now is Torres come in at the half.
I don't know much outside of trying to watch Sunderland from the EPL because I have a man crush on McClain, but is Spain just more talented roster wide than any other Euro team? They seem to be just dominant while other teams have a superstar Spain just has depth of talent that is unmathched. Is it that or just great team play and strategy?
IMO, it is all of the above.
They probablly have the most technically proficient team in the world. If you tried to get England to play like Spain they would not be able to. They don't have the players to be able to play that tiki-taka style of soccer.
Their midfielders are freaking brilliant. It's amazing that they can do so well without having an elite striker. Their defense is solid but how can it not be when you don't face many challenges thorughout a game.
Spain has really good team chemistry, owing to the fact that practically its whole starting lineup plays on one of two clubs (Real Madrid and Barcelona). Sometimes the rivalry between these two clubs can lead to in-fighting, but under the captaincy of Casillas (who is also an incredibly good goaltender) this hasn't been a problem.
They seem to have a psychological edge at this point as well. They've won some gut-wrenchers.
Some skeptics have raised questions about possible doping going on in Spanish soccer, and by extension the national side.
If this post (from a cycling forum) is correct, there is only token drug testing in the Spanish Liga, where virtually the entire national team competes.
http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showpost.php?p=458651&postcount=112
Hopefully the rumblings are not true, but it wouldn't shock me if it they were. Spanish athletes have suddenly been extremely successful in a number of sports over the past decade, and doping scandals have occurred there before (chiefly in cycling, but a doctor associated with FC Barcelona was previously implicated).
he really needs to have the game of his life, again, but it looks to me like he's trying to do too much.
WHAT. A. RUN... see you at the Nou next season Jordi!!!
Love that the last major tournament loss by the Spaniards happened to NORTHERN IRELAND.
Just looked it up. You're right. Bad reporting on ESPN and worse paraphrasing by me. FAIL.
I think what ESPN said was that the last time they lost after having a lead was in 2006 to Northern Ireland.
USA played lights out defense in that game, and Spain also had big problems w/ the USA's height. Spain even had to stop kicking its corners in the air and instead settle for short corner kicks on the ground because they could not keep the ball.
It was the only way the USA (or just about any team) could try to successfully play Spain, and it worked that day.
was brilliant in that game and USA were lucky that Spain didn't score 3 goals.
Good showing by El Rojo
1 more half to go!
I'd be interested to see something on how location on the field affects the likelihood of a penalty being called. Its fairly obvious that "ticky-tack" trips and pushes near mid-field that do get called will never get called in or near the box
but using your last substitution to put on a player who's just coming back from a hamstring pull was pushing the odds a bit. Unfortunate for the viewers, for sure....