Euro 2012 Group C: News & Analysis

Interesting.. so should Spain prevail over Ireland as expected, then a 2-2 draw between Spain v Croatia eliminates Italy regardless of how many they put against Ireland... it's 2004 all over again!

Which is why Italy had to get the win today, but in typical fashion, they make it hard on themselves. That said, assuming your scenario, i.e., a Spain win today, Spain can't really screw around against Croatia either.

I hate Spain so much, sry!
They will be unbeatable till maybe 2016-2020. Crazy shit....I have to admit I don't understand it ^^
Yes they have good players but nobody can control the ball like they do. Nobody. Why the hell not? Unbelievable...

Came here to say: it is indeed Euro 2004 all over again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2004_Group_C

Haha, I hate you.

It would be maybe better to say above: Vicente, I will give you an offer that you cant refuse. Il padrino.

After the match Italians can relax with prosciutto, Croats can relax with prsut, Spaniards can relax with jamon. After all, we all have similar habits and syndroms of manana, domani, sutra... After vino and beer, everything is back to normal. Fjaka (Croatia), fiacca (Italy).

oh well to quote Dickens here... of the teams eliminated from the Euros so far, I have to say Ireland had the worst of teams, the best of fans.. Croatia had the best of teams, worst of fans.... although Russia will maybe argue their case for both the latter two. Anyhoo, Spain & Italy move on to the quarterfinals. Not really convinced by either so far as winners of the tournament, but the quality is certainly there to go far...

If you avoid 2,3 referees intentional errors against Croatia, Spain "really deserved" the quaterfinals, also during Italy-Ireland broadcast they said that Turkish referee gave fouls for Italy...another unfair competition against Croatia, but lets go in Brazil, so that we can be eliminated again....because countries with bigger number of residents must play in the end....

How can we know that Spain and Italy didnt fix that match 1-1 and how can we know that Trapattoni did everything against Italy....with bad advices he could help a lot to Italy...and you all blamed Croatia, about that 2-2 result...probably diversion from possible other fixed matches.

Italy won once on coin flipping....this EURO was in Italy 1968. Coin filipping...

http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/season=1968/matches/round=175/match=3938/postmatch/report/index.html

If we also include fixed matches in Italian championships, Italy cant blame anyone because of unfair approach.

Same things happened on World Cup 1998, France needed to win that title there....on Golden goals, penalties...."bad approach" and errors of their opponents....those competitions look funny every four year...

What about that penalty between Italy and Australia....gifted penalty... Italy is very protected in UEFA, FIFA, except that match against Croatia, but they wanted us as South Korean opponents...who knows what happened in 30s and other decades....but these contemporary times give a lot of injustice for some teams....with all technology, media watch...imagine than what happened before when football was not so popular like today....

Of course that Italy will go further, referees will give you fouls, they wont see possible penalties against Italy. They will watch carefull if your players come in the space of 16 meters, one suspicious penalty, like in 2006 against Australia and you are in. Also Spain, they must play in finals, no matter what.

Also decisions, about who will be the host of those competitions are also funny. Croatia and Hungary should be hosts of this EURO 2012, votes say clear that something happened...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2012_bids

From 9 points to 0 points. Voters changed their minds. What was the reason...?

Please don't comment if you didn't see the games. There was a clear handball on O'Shea in the box that wasn't called. There was also another debatable handball against an Irish defender in the box that wasn't given. Either way, Italy had potential penalties that were not given. Italy have not had the benefit of the officiating, as we rarely do-so don't cry about Croatia being hard done, at leastr by Italy.

Also, in that Australia-Italy match, convenient that you fail to mention that Materazzi was given a red for nothing, leaving Italy playing a man down for about an hour. Give it a rest.

Arriverci, Croatia. I was especially impressed by the class that you and the rest of the racist Croatia fans have shown throughout the tournament. Good riddance.

I think its such a shame that Croatia have gone out, with the greatest of respects to Greece & the Czechs, they're not a patch on the Croats, in my eyes, but I suppose that's football, but there will be lesser teams than Croatia that make the semis!

Reporter mentioned that Turkish referee gave "small fouls to Italy", he also mentioned this hand of OShea. I think that Italy is wanted country in football. 60 million of people, good league, popular clubs.

I cant remember every detail from that match, it was before six years ago, but I remember that Grosso wanted to cross over one Austrialian player and that Australian player was on the ground, he could not avoid Grosso at all.

Several countries are very protected. Countries that have problems on bigger competitions and referees from Europe are Portugal and Croatia.

France is very protected, they used hand two times, EURO 2004 against Croatia and against Ireland 2009, before South Africa, both hands affected the result.

Spain is protected, Barcelona was protected against Chelsea, UEFA tries to fix Barcelona and Real Madrid finals.

Germany is protected. Against Denmark there was one suspicious penalty.

Argentina is protected also. Against Mexico, offside goal, 2,3 meters.

Its much easier to get gifted 11 meter than to attack with 10 players when its 0-0. Australia was not bad at all, they had some great players Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka (Croat), Marco Bresciano (Italian-Croatian). Tim Cahill, Jason Culina (Croat).

Now when you mentioned Croatia as a completely racist country, its nice to know that Italy never had any racist, or maybe fascist ideas. There is no politics in Italian football, they are all democrats: Livorno (communist club, when Croatia played against Italy, you invited us in Livornograd, Italian fans had Yugoslav flags, how low they could go? Communist worshipers, dictators), also clubs like Ascoli, Hellas Verona, SS Lazio and some others are very right oriented, I still remember when Liverani and Dabo had problems to play in Lazio, this club was free of black players before 10 years maybe.

http://smokingsection.uproxx.com/TSS/2009/09/mario-balotelli-italian-soccer-and-racism

"However, racist chanting by the Cagliari fans against Balotelli marred the win—it wasn’t the first time he’d dealt with similar treatment. Last year, playing away in Turin against Juventus, opposing supporters jeered at him, “A black Italian does not exist.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_Italy

Italia is pretty democratic society.

Some grafiti of Italians in Croatia, you still dream about Croatian territory. Istra and Dalmacija is Croatia, not Italy. Those grafiti draws are pretty new.

http://www.google.hr/search?q=paren...T24QS6msjUDQ&ved=0CD4Q_AUoAQ&biw=1600&bih=799

Those contracts are also interesting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Rapallo_(1920)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_London_(1915)

Italian fascists joined in alliance with Croats during WWII, but you wanted to trick us and take our coastal parts. You pretended to be our friends, alliance and all that you ever want was our territory. Thats why you capitulated.

Nice to see that England is protected now, it would be shamefull to accept Ukrainian goal, because England must go further. They "invented" football after all. Five referees, big video screen, plenty of slow motions, but this could spoil the football magic.

Also, have you seen island Lampedusa at all? Immigrants who wait that someone takes them on continental Italy, they wait, wait, but nothing. Viva Italia, viva democrazia italiana, arrivederci fratelli dItalia.

The important thing is that you are not bitter about it.

No, I am not. Croatia is the only racist country in the Europe. Other European countries have never used racism or any other derogatory activities directed to other races. Every country in Europe, except Croatia is a democratic society. But its strange, Croats as racist people, consider Eduardo da Silva one of the most popular Croatian footballers. He also had a desire to learn racist Croatian language. Maybe he has Stockholm syndrome, as Croatian hostage, he expresess empathy and has positive feelings towards his evil captors Croats. Also I dont understand why so many tourists visit Croatia, why so many immigrants want Croatian citizenship. Usually people dont feel welcommed in those terrible, racist countries.

Nice to see answer here after 5,6 days. Insignificant theme after all. What does it mean Parenzo Fascista? Croatian city of Poreč wont be Italian. 4.23% of Italians against 75.4% Croats. Very amitious. Thats why Italians draws were made very fast. Brave legion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poreč

Also one draw has the words Sćavi raus. This means Schiavi Raus, or Slaves, get out. Croats are Italian slaves? For last 1300 years we fought against Venice and we always won. And we are slaves. But those radical Italians dont know Italian very much, they write Sćavi. True patriots. Molto interesante. I think that those Italians are bitter, they try to create guerilla society in democratic country, they still dont realize, that its impossible. But I could give them an A for their effort, C for artistic sense and expressions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Croatian_Navy

One Italian user started to talk about Croatian racism, just wanted to remind him on deeper issues of racism in Italy and Italian "multicultural" society. Thats all. Sorry for off topic. This group finished anyway, so I dont have to add anything.

Italian fascists are, needless to say, complete and utter idiots (it's entirely their fault that the likes of Portorose, Capodistria, Pola, Rovigno, Umago, Parenzo, Cherso, Lussino, the other Carnaro islands, Fiume, Zara, Brazza, Lesina, Curzola, Spalato, Sebenico, Ragusa all the way down to Cattaro aren't Italian like they used to and should be), but 'schiavon' is how illyrians (Croats, Serbs, Albanians etc. notoriously don't exist, they are all the same exact people) were called in Norteastern Italy. Used to be 'sclavus' or something in Latin. 'Schiavo' (Italian for Slave) derives from Slav too. It's because Slavs from the Balkans used to be enslaved by whoever passed through that region so people just started identifying them with servants.