BarryLFC

Turkey

Due to a sore finger I was hospitalised for the games against Romania and hosts Austria. Why the Austrian doctors kept me in I'll never know, but it backfired as we won both games to qualify for a Quarter Final with the unbeatable Italian side.

We would lose, but we'd do it with four up front!

retired_hern1001

Quarter Finals

The last time Oranje met Portugal in a European Championship, the Portugese managed to get a 2-1 win. It was of course nothing compared to the yellow card littered game in the 2006 World Cup, but I’d rather not be reminded of that. I’d caught a brief glimpse of the Portugese players in their game with Turkey where they conceded a stunning first minute goal before Hugo Almeida had set things straight. He would be a handful and I’d make sure my defenders knew to look after him.

It was an open ended affair in the first half. The Portuguese were better at finding the target, but Edwin van der Sar was in excellent form and pulled off some fabulous saves to deny them. On our part, there were plenty of shots, from the likes of Kuyt and van der Vaart, but failed to put any of our efforts on target.

Right from the restart though, Wesley Sneijder fired in a fantabulous free kick that left Ricardo standing there to admire it as it went by him. 1-0. Despite the lead we kept pouring men forward until the dying seconds and Huntelaar came close by hitting the upright, but we nearly paid for our attacking style when Meira was put in on 92 minutes. Once more though veteran goalie Van der Sar saved it and the Dutch were through to the semi finals.

shannon2007

Quarter Finals

Turkey v Italy

There is little doubt the Turks had done well to get this far - even if they did have one of the easiest groups of the lot. With their insistance in playing four strikers, this was going to be a difficult match to defend in, but truth is we should have the quality of player to do it. Just five minutes in, Luca Toni sends us ahead but any thoughts we had that this was going to be a canter were dispelled when Gokhan pulled the Turks level five minutes later.

What Turkey lacked in skill, they tried to make up by force of effort and sheer number pouring forward but fortunately they couldn't hit the target and when they did, Buffon was there anyway. Toni fired us ahead after thirty four minutes and although Turkey tried hard, they were never really at the races and in injury time Toni grabbed a well deserved hattrick and now we wait to see if it will be Spain or England who bloke our path to the Final.

retired_manragh

England

Quarter final versus Spain

Playing Spain was going to be a very difficult task going on the last game versus Serbia, if we didn’t shoot we didn’t score, and then it was penalties, which going on history we had no chance.

Robinson-Neville,Bridge,Terry,Ferdinand-Gerrard,Barry,Huddlestone,Lampard-Bent,Owen

Ferd's I want you to mark Villa tight and when you get the chance crunch the Bastard! Were my only instructions before the game if you don't count go out there and hurt anyone you can, but that was a instruction i give everygame!

5 minutes in Ferdinand lays a crunching tackle on Villa, and he hobbles off the pitch, cant ask more than that

The game was a goal fest to be honest and there was actually some decent play(not by the defence unless you count that tackle by Ferdinand on Villa) but in the end as expected we were on the wrong end of the 4-3 scoreline.

Too much was left up to Owen and even though he scored 2 it wasn’t enough, the worthless bum in goals just let through too many, I don’t know for the life of me why I picked him, he’s an idiot who makes stupid mistakes for both club and country. Shrek scored the third goal for us to give us a sniff with a few minutes of play left.


Spain 4 – 3 England

retired_bbcarr

Euro 2008
Quarter Final

Spain vs. England
Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Saturday 2st June
4-4-2: Casillas; Iraola, Ramos, Pique, Lopez; Joaquin, Alonso, Fabregas, GarcÃ*a; Torres, Villa

They got to the final of the rugby. They were not going to do the same in the football. This was billed as the cripple fight between world football’s constant underachievers, so it was bound to go to penalties before one side stumbled into the semi finals.

Of course, the English are dirty cheating bastards. Having put David Villa out of the tournament in just the fifth minute of the match, they went and to put Casillas (my captain) out of the game as well. Cheatings sons of bitches.

By that time we were two-one up. Morientes proved the folly of their Villa ploy by putting us in front, and though Owen equalised, Torres netted his first of the competition to give us back our deserved lead.

Owen luckily netted in first half injury time, but we stormed away in the second period, Fabregas leaping high to head home a corner and Alonso driving in from twenty yards. Shrek pulled one back late on, but nothing could stop us. It’s the Argentinians in the semis next.

Spain 4 – 3 England
(Morientes 11, Owen 15, 45+3, Torres 20, Fabregas 60, Alonso 78, Shrek 87)

retired_hern1001

Semi Finals

One of the two host countries, Switzerland would await us in the semi finals. Having managed to put both France and Serbia out of the tournament, we’re not expecting an easy game. But we have sufficient quality in our side to overcome, I’m sure.

And sure enough, we dispensed with the Swiss easily. Rafael van der Vaart was by far the best player on the park on the day and they way he opened the score after two minutes illustrated that. He picked up the ball in midfield and from a whole of 30 yards fired a dazzling shot past a stranded Swiss goalkeeper. The Dutch continued to dominate the first half and it wasn’t until just after the break that the Swiss started to threaten somewhat. Veteran striker Streller had two good chances, but any Swiss revival was ended in the 52nd minute.

Van Persie put a cross into the box from the right and while the defenders and keeper scrambled to get it away, van der Vaart popped up and smashed it into the net to make it 2-0. After that, the Dutch went looking for a third, but Sneijder and Kuyt were both denied before substitute Landzaat put Ruud van Nistelrooij clean through. The Dutch key striker had no problems with that and sealed the result at 3-0.

The winner of Italy vs Spain would await in the final.

retired_bbcarr

Euro 2008
Semi Final

Spain vs. South America
Stadion an der Gugl, Thursday 26th June
4-4-2: Casillas; Iraola, Ramos, Pique, Lopez; Joaquin, Alonso, Fabregas, GarcÃ*a; Torres, Morientes

We won. We ****ing won. It wasl only one-nil, the goal was offside, and Italy were the better side, but we ****ing won. Holland in the final. Easy.

Spain 1 – 0 Italy
(Morientes 56)

shannon2007

We lost.

Gits.

retired_hern1001

Final

Spain it would be then. Of course, the dastardly Spaniards would end our challenge for the World Cup in two years time, so we couldn’t let them get away with a win here. It just wouldn’t be right. And frankly, we had every chance to win this. A great goalkeeper in the form of his life, a solid defence. A midfield that can score goals and two strikers who do just the same. So when the game kicked off, I was full of confidence.

That lasted exactly four minutes. At that point, Wesley Sneijder was hardly sent off for what was adjudged a professional foul, but could’ve gone either way. I brought off Dirk Kuyt for Ryan Babel in an attempt to keep a solid midfield and it worked to such an extent that we kept creating chances. But on 41 minutes, Torres put the Spaniards ahead by heading on a free kick from the left.

And still we were in the game, even though referee Howard Webb was doing his best to put us out. He awarded a harsh penalty against Boulahrouz on 64 minutes, but a brilliant save by van der Sar kept it out. It was only a matter of time though. We couldn’t find the net ourselves, being kept out by Casillias and in the end, Xabi Alonso sealed the result. Damn

retired_bbcarr

Euro 2008
Final

Spain vs Holland
Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Sunday 29th June
4-4-2: Casillas; Iraola, Ramos, Pique, Lopez; Joaquin, Alonso, Fabregas, GarcÃ*a; Torres, Morientes

I love Howard Webb. I really do, I love his baldy head. In judt the fifth minute of the Dutch’s revenge mission, he took exception to Wesley Sneijder and sent him off. Beautiful. To be honest, it didn’t seem to do the Dutch much harm at first and Casillas needed to be sharp to keep them out.

But as the game wore on, so did the effects of having only ten men, and four mintues from half time, Lopez swung a cross into the box and Torres flicked it past Edin van der Sar. 1-0. Told you we were going to win this.

Half time came and went, Bojan replaced the tiring Morientes, and then Howard tried to throw us the game again, penalising Khalid Boulahrouz in the area and giving us a penalty. Unfortunately, Iraola couldn’t beat Van der Sar, and one-nil it remained.

The Dutchies were bouyed by the penalty save and tried everything they could to get back in the match. To be honest, they deserved it, but Super Iker made two stunning saves to keep us ahead, and Xabi Alonso wrapped up the title with a stunning strike from twenty-five yards.

Oh yes, you read it right. SPAIN ****ING WON!

Spain 2 – 0 Holland
(Torres 41, Alonso 87)