There is so much good to write about Euro 2008, starting with the fact that ESPN/ABC's live telecast of every single contest suggests that American soccer fans need remain in the closet no longer.
The games themselves have been stellar. I could write about the robust Germans and the rekindled luster of their captain, Michael Ballack, who at times this season had seemed less than himself in Chelsea's star-studded attack. Or I could write about Turkey, the "Cardiac Kids," as the announcers have dubbed them, who have won over the fans with their heart and resilience in last-second, comeback wins over the Czech Republic and Croatia. Or I could write about Russia's relentless, attacking football, defying conventional strategy by keeping the pedal to the metal in overtime to dispatch the heavily favored Dutch. Or I could write about the young Turks of Spain (and one brilliant elder in the goal), who apparently weren't aware that it is always Spain's place to fold in a crucial match, especially against Italy—and who outlasted Italy for their first win over the Azzurri in a major tournament since the 1924 Olympics.
But first I really need to rant about the Italians. Italy was my first love in international soccer, the byproduct of a long-ago assignment to profile the great Roberto Baggio. Today there is no trace of the stylish and creative team that won my heart. Indeed the Italians are the most cynical, unappealing squad in the upper ranks of the game. Offense is a secondary (or tertiary) consideration. Sure, Italy will counterattack on occasion and hope Luca Toni can get his head on the ball for a goal. But they are more fearful about getting caught without at least seven men back on defense. Spain outshot Italy by about 3-1, but most were futile, frustrated blasts from too great a distance. Italy's defense clogs the middle and seldom finds itself out of position. From the opening touch against Spain, you sensed that Italy has but one mission—to defend for 120 minutes and wait for the penalty shootout. To abet the team's goal, the Italians dive, they flop, they feign injuries, they shove, they grab shirts and anything else within their reach, and, of course, as we remember from the 2006 World Cup, they taunt and insult. And they don't care that nobody likes them or their game much any more.
Much like the NBA's famed "Bad Boys" in Detroit, Italy dares the ref to blow his whistle all match long and counts on him, as he grows accustomed to the Italians' high level of mischief and mayhem, not to make any decisive calls against them. In Sunday's quarterfinal, the German ref did, in fact, blow the whistle all match long. But he never dared penalize Italy for their worst offenses; he certainly missed one penalty kick for Spain and possibly a few more. And for some reason, he was willing to halt Spanish attacks to tend to Italian players faking an injury back downfield. (Credit to ESPN's Andy Gray for noting this wretched officiating performance as it was happening.) One notable faker, Antonio Di Natale, was jeered by the crowd for the rest of the match and some kind of justice was served when he missed his penalty kick in the shootout. When Spain survived, thanks to some heroics by its goalkeeper captain, Iker Casillas, my elation far exceeded that of a few hours later when Kevin Youkilis smashed a walk-off home run for the Red Sox in the 13th inning. Viva España!
The officiating has been the spottiest part of the tournament and, particularly in group play, there was a host of botched calls—offsides missed both ways, questionable penalties, dubious cards both yellow and red. That is more the rule than the exception in these big soccer tournaments. The European like their game the way it is and are more tolerant, or at least they understand that bad officiating is an inevitable byproduct of soccer's refusal to avail itself of modern technology. If some of these games were NBA playoff contests, a full-scale congressional investigation would already have been launched.
Now that I have all that off my chest, on to the Final Four, though it is hard to imagine the semifinals Wednesday and Thursday, Germany vs. Turkey and Spain vs. Russia, matching the excitement of those riveting quarterfinals.
Germany vs. Turkey: Turkey's high-wire act has been the unsurpassed highlight of the tournament. But with Turkey missing a handful of key players due to injury and suspension, it is hard to imagine that the team has one more miracle in it—and can stand up to Germany's intimidating combination of skill and physicality. The pre-tournament favorite, Germany has played brilliantly at times and in truly lackluster fashion at others. Its 1-0 victory in a must-win game over Austria was a collective sleepwalk, and Croatia showed how Germany could be vulnerable to a skilled attack. Too bad Turkey's most skilled players will be watching from the sidelines. Germany 2, Turkey 0
Spain vs. Russia: Russia has been the surprise team of the tourney, attacking relentlessly with great speed and, at times, tremendous creativity. But I guess by now nobody should be surprised by a Guus Hiddink team. The Dutch wizard had tremendous success with host nation South Korea in the 2002 World Cup and again with Australia in the 2006 World Cup. His teams are always exceptionally fit and now, after beating his former team and native Netherlands (giving true meaning to "you can't go home again"), could catch Spain flat after their celebrated triumph over Italy. Though Spain whipped Russia 4-1 in its opening match, the game didn't feel quite that one-sided, and certainly this match won't be as easy. Andrei Arshavin, who helped lead Zetit St. Petersburg to the UEFA Cup, has been as good as any player on the pitch (and is ticketed for an elite English team). Still, Spain has greater talent and its younger stars aren't hampered by the burden of past disappointments. Spain 2, Russia 1
Germany vs. Spain: A lot of folks are going to expect this showcase final to be a repeat of Germany's quarterfinal victory, where the bigger, stronger, more physical German team held off the talented, but Smurfy Portuguese 3-2. Spain is undersized too, but its talent is deeper than that of its Iberian neighbor, and more evenly distributed between the front and back lines. If Spain can avoid giving the Germans too many set plays, it can score on the run of play. Seldom does any team boast an advantage over Germany in the goal, but Casillas seems more confident right now that Jens Lehmann. Maybe I'm just being sentimental here, but Spain bears far more of a resemblance to my first love, Italy, than Italy does. I hope to see that kind of soccer rewarded on Sunday. Spain 2, Germany 1
