Italia

[robii]

Very unimpressed by Italy !
The blame is all on Casiraghi ! Very unimpressive coach, I was dubios about Gentile in his time, but at least he won his medals! Italy usually has some of the best players in the world, at any level, but Casiraghi is not all there ! Has Giovinco and Rossi playin wide, one in China and one in Alaska !
Giovinco played well, Rossi did not ! Aquafresca missed the best chance of the tournament so far just after 2 minutes, so for him is a 5. Not good so far ! The rest did good, but to after seeing Argentina , Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Holland, they seem pretty strong, especially the 1st two ! Brazil very unimpressive, actually quite worried for the bad form of Pato and Dinho !
Italy can still win , but they have to do better than today !

[Catracho_Azul]

The GK slid into Acquafresca's right leg for the 2nd penalty. There was certainly contact.


no that was him diving, he did what cristiano ronaldo wouldve done, he felt contact and dove his ass off, there was barely contact, and i dont blame acqua of taking full advantage of it, but what happend, happend you guys won good game. Giovinco, look out the kid is very good.

[Pateau]

Run full speed forward, have someone slide into your leg clipping the top of your foot with their elbow and see what happens.

[Khaloisha]

End of First Half: Italy - South Korea - 2 - 0 (Rossi, Rocchi)

[TechFootball85]

Congrats.

You guys just schooled us.

Good luck in the next stage.

[Wezza]

Oh man! That Italy v Cameroon match was awful! Both sides were sooo negative.

[VCFan]

Oh man! That Italy v Cameroon match was awful! Both sides were sooo negative.

I think Cameroon only stayed in the game with their fouling. Italy backed off in the second half and played for the tie to avoid injury, fatigue, and card accumulation. Cameroon played along because a tie would send them through as well.

Strategically, well played on Italy's part, but it was an eyesore for a spectator.

[Leopejo]

Strategically, well played on Italy's part, but it was an eyesore for a spectator.
Especially for one of them, Sepp Blatter. His comment to the match was... "no comment". Expect very bad refereeing for both Italy and Cameroon in the next games...

[VCFan]

Especially for one of them, Sepp Blatter. His comment to the match was... "no comment". Expect very bad refereeing for both Italy and Cameroon in the next games...

I'm glad Blatter probably felt like clawing his eyes out. Payback for the snub in 2006 :p

Not sure the refereeing will matter much, Italy has avoided meeting a really good team until the final itself.

[FNU]

Especially for one of them, Sepp Blatter. His comment to the match was... "no comment". Expect very bad refereeing for both Italy and Cameroon in the next games...
He has no control over the Olympics, plus the refs. are already shit so who cares. Belgium is a fairly good side, but beatable.

[ks vllaznia]

can some one put up the QF matchups and so on . i know Italy is playing belgium but thats it

[Campioni_2006]

can some one put up the QF matchups and so on . i know Italy is playing belgium but thats it

Quarterfinal Match-Ups:

D1 Italy
C2 Belgium

B1 Nigeria
A2 Côte d'Ivoire

---

C1 Brazil
D2 Cameroon

A1 Argentina
B2 Netherlands

For a better view go here and scroll down to "Knockout Stages":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics_-_Men%27s_tournament

[FNU]

http://www.fifa.com/mensolympic/matches/kostage.html

[Maruti]

Not sure the refereeing will matter much, Italy has avoided meeting a really good team until the final itself.

Cameroon evidently the better side in the game. They didn't need to win, but almost did. The red card killed the game, where Cameroon looked better.

Now Italy has a tough game with Belgium and will be underdogs to win against either Ivory Coast or Nigeria looking at how the Africans have been playing.

I predict a South American - African final.

[divinocodino1018]

Cameroon evidently the better side in the game. They didn't need to win, but almost did. The red card killed the game, where Cameroon looked better.

Now Italy has a tough game with Belgium and will be underdogs to win against either Ivory Coast or Nigeria looking at how the Africans have been playing.

I predict a South American - African final.

You gotta pass whatever you're smoking to me. Do you honestly think Italy is going to be underdogs to Nigeria or the Ivory Coast?

[ITALIA1982]

Cameroon evidently the better side in the game. They didn't need to win, but almost did. The red card killed the game, where Cameroon looked better.

Now Italy has a tough game with Belgium and will be underdogs to win against either Ivory Coast or Nigeria looking at how the Africans have been playing.

I predict a South American - African final.

Italy are underdogs only to Brazil and Argentina, even that suits Italy well, because if we reach the Final either Brazil or Argentina will be in for a surprise...

[Maruti]

At the World Cup a senior side - yes.

At the Olympics a youth side, albeit Italian, are the underdogs, with the Africans having much better credentials and the better players. Even at the weak Cameroon-Italy game the not so flashy Africans were better than the Italians, who were flailing to do anything in the game.

Come on... Italy is at the Olympics as the 5th best team from Europe and got there through the back door, at the expense of England.

[Maruti]

You gotta pass whatever you're smoking to me. Do you honestly think Italy is going to be underdogs to Nigeria or the Ivory Coast?

Yes. They are. Times have changed. At this level Africans are always favoured to win. Especially if they play Nigeria, which dominated a group with Holland in it (European Youth Champions).

Nigerian Olympic Squad is basically the same squad that were u20 finalists in 2005. Italy didn;t even make it out of there group.

Italian fans - get back to reality. You will be the underdogs against Nigeria especially, but to Ivory Coast also. Ivory Coast thrashed Serbia, a squad that won with Italy at the u21 European Championships.

[Leopejo]

Cameroon evidently the better side in the game. They didn't need to win, but almost did. The red card killed the game, where Cameroon looked better.
You said one real fact: the red card killed the game - thanks to Cameroon killing it, let me add (did you see that goalkeeper?).

But Cameroon the better side? Even if the unjustly given PK were transformed, and Giovinco denied a legitimate one, do you really think that Italy wouldn't have tied?

I don't know if Italy will arrive at the semifinal (Belgium scares me more than Nigeria or Ivory Coast) and I don't know about its result, but Cameroon was NOT the better side today. No way possibly.

[Maruti]

Even if the unjustly given PK were transformed, and Giovinco denied a legitimate one, do you really think that Italy wouldn't have tied?

Don't know what match you were watching... In the one I was there was a just PK (clear handball) and a good decision (the goalie clearly went for the ball). I don't think they could have tied.

The red card was harsh, but an ok decision.

Cameroon was NOT the better side today. No way possibly.

No way possibly was Cameroon not the better side. But in a game where no one really cared what difference does it make? A tie was good for both sides so no one really played up to full potential. With one man down Cameroon stopped rtrying to win and they could be only one scoreline.