Speaker: KICK IT! The Highest Mountain, and an Ode to Robert Green
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"Italy continues to disappoint - only 1-1 vesus New Zealand". And the report is more about Italy's deficiencies than New Zealand's heroics, as you'd expect I suppose. The All Whites painted as a tall, muscular bunch, booting the ball forward to their towering strikers, to which Italy initially responds in kind. Notes that both the goal the penalty were iffy, gives credit to New Zealand for creating the best chance in the dying stages (the title of the last section of the report is "Assault and terror"). But mostly it's about Italy's shortcomings. Indeed the headline of the other article is "It's not just Lippi's fault, we're just poor..."
ETA: I see your PS now, thanks, I'll read it through and report back.
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That one's all about Italy, not a game report as such. Opening para:
"Now we can add to our curriculum of world cup holders a draw against New Zealand, and can add our name to the list of big teams - France, England, Germany, Spain and so forth - for whom the tournament has become literally indigestible. Assuming we still count ourselves amongst the big teams: you wouldn't say so on the evidence. From now on we'd better start looking at home instead of commenting on the troubles of others. We have a poor team and it's becoming harder to continue repeating outselves that the further we go, the more chances we're going to have, that we're not that bad, that with a little luck we could get the big prize. The words are carried away by the wind of the savannah: if we can't score a goal - if not via a penalty that was half gifted - the problem is difficult, almost insurmountable."
He notes further on that Italy's was "the easiest group in the draw". Not sure I agree with that (what about Group C, the best English group since the Beatles?) but it sure didn't look hard on paper.
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"Italy continues to disappoint - only 1-1 vesus New Zealand". And the report is more about Italy's deficiencies than New Zealand's heroics, as you'd expect I suppose. The All Whites painted as a tall, muscular bunch, booting the ball forward to their towering strikers, to which Italy initially responds in kind. Notes that both the goal the penalty were iffy, gives credit to New Zealand for creating the best chance in the dying stages (the title of the last section of the report is "Assault and terror"). But mostly it's about Italy's shortcomings. Indeed the headline of the other article is "It's not just Lippi's fault, we're just poor..."
I take my hat off to the AW's, they just keep surprising me. This result was massive, mainly for the defence display right across the field, Italy may have hammered away at us all match but we never gave them much in terms of quality opportunities, and when they did get into position they were usually met with Ryan Nelsen or one of the of the other defenders to snuff it out.
We've known for a long time how good Nelsen and Vicelich can be but what a revelation Tommy Smith and Winston Reid have been this year. Just unbelievable....
Italy are missing Pirlo big time, and Totti as well IMO.
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Just a fantastic day for NZ football and NZ sport - and something I never thought I'd see in my lifetime, a draw with the World Champs when it actually counted for something. Personally though, I thought Andrew Dewhurst missed the commentating gift of a lifetime ...
"We matched the best in the world! We are the best in the world! We have drawn 1-1with Italy in football!! It is completely unbelievable! We have drawn with Italy! Italy, birthplace of giants. Leonardo Di Vinci, Luciano Pavarotti, Benito Mussolini (ahem), Don Corleone, Paolo Rossi, and Fabio Cannavaro - we have beaten them all. We have beaten them all. Silvio Berlusconi can you hear me? Silvio Berlusconi your boys took a hell of a beating! Your boys took a hell of a beating!” -
Totti as well IMO
Camoranesi was asked to play in Totti's role in the second half, which is a little like putting Rococoko at first-five.
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L'Italia continua a deludere
Solo 1-1 con la Nuova Zelandaand Non è solo colpa di Lippi
siamo proprio modesti...We've already had to put up with good old fashioned Anglo-Saxon pluck being denied by un-manly Latin theatrics, now you telling me they don't speak English either?
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Silvio Berlusconi can you hear me? Silvio Berlusconi your boys took a hell of a beating! Your boys took a hell of a beating!”
Bloody hell! Welcome to Hyperbole Central!
Heard the news on RNZ 'round 6am. First reaction was disbelief but now I am a believer. Nevertheless, it does not take the gloss of a splendid rugby test match on Saturday night.
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We're going to have to start entertaining the possibility that New Zealand will advance to the second stage.
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Such a great result. Met a random German/Norwegian guy in a bar in Oslo and his first word to me was "Congratulations!".
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Apparently if we draw wth Paraguay by the same amount as Slovakia draws with Italy then it will come down to a coin toss between us and Italy!
I'm going to go out on a limb,
Paraguay 1- NZ 1
Italy 0 - Slovakia 0NZ progresses.....
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That would be my most likely scenario for NZ to advance too.
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It certainly was rather a good day. I was in a pub on Old Brompton Road, which had a mixed crowd of Kiwis and Italians, so you could imagine the noise.
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couldn't sleep a wink after that - holy hell, what a game. could not believe our composure at the back, whatever pep talk Nelsen gives to the young fullas a Reid and Smith needs to be bottled.
damn, so jealous of the guys over their watching and waving their shirts.
and Sofia, loved the who's your mumma line.
geoff, not so fond of the need to make any kind of comparison with the ABs.
my hope now is that Paraguay see they only need a draw and go into it at something less than full clip. they'll be far more dangerous up front.
oh and Fallon really needs do something about his jumping style - he's a red card waiting to happen.
and I'd like to see more of Wood. good olde style front man, just wish he had a left foot for that late strike.
roll on Friday.
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We're going to have to start entertaining the possibility that New Zealand will advance to the second stage.
What form should this entertainment take for maximal effect? Something tasteful to avoid sapping the moral fibre, but nevertheless inspiring?
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good old fashioned Anglo-Saxon pluck
Oh that's right - in the jokey vernacular employed in sports circles - some people still like to pretend and (make pathetic jokes) that the English don"t whine. And continentals are all like waving arms and ....who me?
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loved this in a chest thumping kind of was from the Guardian report...
'48 min. The second half begins as the first ended, with Italy on top and Ryan Nelsen giving an epic display of over-ma-dead-body defending.'
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That was rather enjoyable. It would have been good to see us force a corner or two. But how many corners and shots on goal did Italy have! Heroic defense and a little luck perhaps, mind you a little more luck (from Woods strike) and we would have won that game.
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But how many corners and shots on goal did Italy have!
If they had applied the "every five corner you get a goal" rule, Italy would have won 4-1. Just sayin'.
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A high-scoring draw or a win against Paraguay, and we're through to the next round - how amazing would that be? (let me answer my own questions and say INCREDIBLY amazing).
If there's any justice in the world, Ryan Nelsen for one should be looking at a job upgrade to a better club than Blackburn after the World Cup. He's been immense in both games so far. And I'd like to see Wood start the next game instead of Fallon, just in case we do go through (are all outstanding yellows still wiped after the group stage like they used to be?).
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A high-scoring draw or a win against Paraguay, and we're through to the next round
A high-scoring draw is going to be enough only if Italy and Slovakia play to a low-scoring draw.
And I'd like to see Wood start the next game instead of Fallon, just in case we do go through
If you're suggesting that Herbert is going to "rest" anybody for the most important game in the history of NZ football, let me be the first to say: you're crazy.
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Mwahahaha..... My evil plan is working, First Italy then the world.
All together now. Here we go here we go here we go... -
A high-scoring draw is going to be enough only if Italy and Slovakia play to a low-scoring draw.
True - if our result matches Italy's we need to have scored more goals than them.
And call me crazy, but if we get another referee like last night, and Fallon continues to lead with his elbows again, we'll have a blunted strike force - I wasn't suggesting Herbert would "rest" Fallon, more like not risk him collecting another yellow if the group stage yellows aren't wiped before the knockout round.
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If you're suggesting that Herbert is going to "rest" anybody for the most important game in the history of NZ football, let me be the first to say: you're crazy.
I concur, with added arm-waving for emphasis
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I think Ricki Herbert deserves a knighthood, no matter what happens in the next game. He's brought the team so far
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