Football
Congratulations Subrata!!
Subrata Pal, the goalkeeper of the Indian national football team, has been named as the the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) Player of the Year 2009. One can never forget the contributions of the brave and intelligent goalkeeper during the nehru Cup 2007 and 2009 tournaments. One of the safest hands under the bar, Subrata is one of the best goalkeepers India have ever produced. He currently plays for the Pune FC in the current i-League. India should nurture this gifted goalkeeper.
Germany and Italy in Semis
Argentina went down to Germany 4-2 on penalties. I missed the first half but the second half was a keenly contested match. Argentina were a little defensive after scoring their goal. I dont understand why Riquelme has been substituted..it made a huge difference and Cruz who substituted Crespo was rather ordinary.
Germany played under pressue after conceding a goal in the second half but did not crumble down…came back brilliantly through a Miroslav Klose header in the 81st minute.
Ukraine were no match to Italy. Italy won 3-0
It seems like a Brazil Vs Germany final this time too. Lets see.
BRA..Zeal
Brazil managed to beat Croatia by a solitary goal. Ronaldo failed miserably. The Croatians came back strongly in the second half. They have missed at least half a dozen goal scoring chances. Still they played really well.
Henry, Wiltord flopped. Zidane loses his magic.. and France struggled.
Missed the Korea vs. Togo match.
Looking forward to the Argentina vs. Netherlands match.
Germany started in style
Well..the World Cup has finally stared. I have missed the opening ceremony as there has been a power failure in the colony. But light came just on time, 5 minutes into the game.
Germany won the opener by beating Costa Rica by 4-2 with Miroslav Klose scoring a brace. But the fourth German goal, a powerful shot from outside the box by Torsten Frings was a good one. Germany need to improve their defence..failed twice.
The second match was rather boring..as i have no favurites among them. Poland played better but the Ecuadorian defenders were too strong for them. Ecuador won 2-0.
Today, within a few minutes, England will take on Paraguay at 5.30 IST. at 00.20 midnight Argentina will play Ivory Coast. Argentina was my childhood fav. team (may be because of Maradona).
May skip Sweeden vs T&T match at 9.30 IST.
Good luck Argentina. England u are a star studded team..don’t let us down.
FIFA World Cup 2006
World Cup fever is definitely here in India but not as much as the Cricket World Cup. The 2006 FIFA World Cup sometimes referred to as the World Cup finals are scheduled to take place in Germany between 9 June and 9 July 2006. Host Germany will take on Costa Rica in the inaugural match at The Allianz Arena, Munich on 9 June 2006. ESPN Star will be telecasting the matches live in India. The final match will be played on Sunday 9 July 2006 Olympiastadion, Berlin.
Il Divo and Toni Braxton will sing the official song “A Time of Our Lives”. The official album will be released in May 2006 which will also include Shakira’s hit “Hips Don’t Lie”. The mascots for the competition are the lion Goleo VI and Pille a talking football. The official logo design, “The Smiling Faces”, incorporates the logo of the 2002 FIFA World Cup: a stylised version of the FIFA World Cup Trophy.
Starting with the 2006 Cup, FIFA has changed the qualification rules so that the winner of the previous World Cup had to qualify for the Finals; only the host nation is given an automatic berth.
Teams to watch out for : Brazil, England , Germany, Argentina and Italy, Checz Republic (dark horse)
My pick of the Players : Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Kaka and Adriano (Brazil), Owen, Rooney, Gerrard and Lampard (England), Henry & Zizou (France), Totti and Inzhagi(Italy), Baros and Nedved (Czech.), Ballack (Germany), Drogba(Ivory Coast), Riquelme and Messi (Argentina), Shevchenko(Ukraine), Nistelrooy (Netherlands), Ronaldo and Figo(Portugal)…
Who wil win the World Cup this time? My prediction is Italy.
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