Portugal's best decade ever (2000-2010) is summed up with a "meh". And the last decade is pretty mediocre at best. (2005-2015) Positives - 1 World Cup Semi final (2006) Negatives - Losing a EURO final as hosts. There are few things that scream "small team" than being upset at home by Greece. GREECE! - 0 titles - Awful 2002 FIFA World Cup - Mediocre 2010 World Cup - Awful 2014 FIFA World Cup
They were grinding the 1-0 wins in the knockout stage indeed. France, Czech Republic and Portugal. I always think back on how we played Greece in a friendly 2 months before EURO 2004 and we beat them very easily with 4-0. Damn, we maybe could have won this EURO if we would have beaten Portugal in the semi's!
I think South Americans need to realize that they just aren't as good as the European teams anymore. Three consecutive wins for European teams and I don't see them slowing down. Brazil got smoked by Europe's best. Although South America will continue to be far better than the other regions.
I would really be satisfied with an Eastern European team making it to the final. I actually hope Russia performs well as a host because of that, unlike others I would be pleased with them winning a World Cup.
Positives Euro 2000 WC 2006 Euro 2012 Negatives WC 2002 Euro 2004 WC 2014 Neither positive nor negative but something called neutral Euro 2008 WC 2010 But hey, who has time to view things subjectively when it's easier to speak out of your ass.
france didn't qualify for world cups in 90 and 94 and won 98 at home south korea hardly won a match before 2002 and reached the semi finals at home people thinking that russia won't be tough to beat at home in 2018 are very funny... russia won't organise this competition to see their nation lose in first round....
The sad thing is if they do well people are going to accuse them of match fixing or cheating even if they didn't, I can already see it.
Well I suspect Russia will probably do pretty well, maybe qf, but who knows. However if we see another South Korea 2002 you can't blame anyone for yelling fixed, because 2002 was clear as day.
How come Brazil in 2014 does not seem to get the same treatment? Their games against Croatia and Colombia were not well officiated, but people don't seem to have as much as a problem with them making the semifinals.
Don't beat your chest that much, except for the trashing in 2010, Germany didn't really outplay Argentina in those 3 other wins. 90 - Dubious PK win vs a very average Argentina. 06 - PK shootout win. Even match and if I remember right Argentina played better. 14 - Lucky Higuain and Messi fluffed their chances.
And also Rodrigo Palacio in extra time. Argentina actually played quite well in that game. Just didn't use their opportunities.
Carve South America into 50 nations and see what happens. There are so many European micro states that comparing them is not fair. Imagine what Yugoslavia could have been had it stayed together. Take away Macedonia, every other country has been part of a WC/Euro finals in the past 20 years. Even Kosovo, unable to play, would have a decent team if its diaspora returned.
You should take away Montenegro as well, as they haven't taken part in any tournament as an independent member yet (same as Macedonia, btw). For 2006 WC, they were still part of what was left of the former Yugoslavia, which only changed its original name to "Serbia and Montenegro". Montenegro only acquired full FIFA membership as an independent nation for 2007.
Also give South America twice the population and the opportunity to host the World Cup every other time while you're at it.
Revisionist history. When have WC semis or finals ever been a blowout when the victim's name wasn't Brazil? These teams usually are there for a reason. In 1990 Germany was the better team and won accordingly against rather brutish Argentines. And winning by a well deserved penalty still beats the hell out of having your military dictatorship bribe (Peru) or threaten (Netherlands) your opponents. Or scoring and advancing due to a handball (1986, against England). Argentina really should be the last team to complain when they get their behinds handed to them. Regarding last year's final: Higuain's "chance" was an offside situation, gifted by a Toni Kroos brain fart. And Messi's shot against Neuer wasn't even on target. Once one has to resort to counting these plays as opportunities worthy of winning a World Cup, he's either delusional or a sore loser or both. But since we are already talking "should have, would have": What about Höwedes' header striking the post... or Schürrle's later shot... or the intentional knockout of Christoph Kramer, which should have entailed a red card... or the equally red-worthy bloodying of Bastian Schweinsteiger...? Fortunately, we don't have to debate these incidences anymore because Germany actually scored in a game they dominated against an Argentinean side that largely relied on fruitless counter attacks.
I said the word "part" for that reason. In 2006, Montenegro did take part in the WC, albeit with Serbia. Yes, I am familiar with the history. I travelled to Montenegro two months after independence.
For the WC90 final, Caniggia got an absolutely ridiculous yellow card in the semifinal against Italy that suspended him for the final. Caniggia plays and he takes Germany's scalp, like he had done with Brazil and Italy before. The penalty for Germany was non-existent, by the way. And Argentina still beats England had the "Hand of God" being called off, but it's so much better it stood.
Why was it ridiculous? He caught the ball deliberately. Deliberate handball is a typical yellow card and he'd tried to do it multiple times before that. It was idiotic for him to do it, but it was a justified yellow card.
He caught a ball that was obviously beyond his reach and in the open for anyone to see, he was trying to stop it from going out of bounds. It was dumb but not malicious, a yellow card was way too harsh.