Shame on Porto! The diving and faking of injuries in that game was offensive. That isn't football. They disgraced the game. I'm not even a Celtic supporter, but the way Porto played the game was classless. No sportsmanship whatsoever, and it was ridiculous that the referee could not control them. One man being carried off on a stretcher FOUR times! And the goal celebrations lasting minutes long. A disgrace.
Are you defending them? There's no way someone with any respect for the game could defend Porto's antics! Vitor Baia. Classless. Thank god the US team drilled him and the rest of that slimy team. Now I understand why Figo always is on the ground complaining. Horrible, horrible tactics for the game.
I don't know if this is a Portuguese thing, but Boavista were a disgrace earlier this year as well. The ref didn't help though, at the first very first incident he should have had the yellow card out. Unfortunately he let it carry on, and he was as much to blame as Porto for the way the game turned out.
look guys, im not trying to defend dirty play. i think it is totally uncalled for. that said, you have to understand Portugal's style. Portuguese prioritize a technical game, and not physical elements like the brits, germs, dutch etc... because of that, when you have a big man like Blade taking out Deco (much smaller) in a possible career ending injury, blade better get carded. he deserved a red on the first card, no question. he was obviously NOT going for the ball, but for porto's best player. same for Thompson (sp?) he annihilated capucho in the second half. now that, IMHO, is just as dirty as Derlei delaying the game over and over again. and AFCA, too bad the "dirty" Portuguese players beat Celtic here and Holland in the WC . Just because you dont appreciate the technical aspect of the game doesnt mean you should brand it automatically as dirty. Sure, it is dirty when people start diving *cough*henrik for penalty*cough*, but so is using the physical game to abuse your size. Both are equally reprehensible.
"Shame on Porto" who are you? some f****ng polititian? the Celtic players spend the all game knocking down Porto players!!!!!they lucky they got off with just one red card. Every time Derlei and Deco and others got the ball they were being pushed, kicked and grabed....and the fact that a Celtic defender kneed, elbowed and pushed from behind out of the pitch and then procided to slam the Porto player's head on the racing track and not even got an yellow card is mind buggling!!!!!he should gotten a straight red card right there. Before you call Porto classless, thing about what Celtic players did and maybe you will not be such an hipocrit....Derlei was carried out on the stretcher 4 times because he was kiked and attacked at least 4 times............ At the end the best team won and that is it....
afca: seemed like you were saying "too bad" because the Porto players were acting. if i got it wrong, sorry...i feel like an ass.
I was thinking about this issue last night as I watch the game on tape. It is probably a cultural issue. Americans, Brits and others see hard tackles, shirt-tugging and pushing as "playing hard." In other countries, it is probably seen as "dirty." As a 240 lb forward, I obviously don't mind rough play. In defense of Porto, rolling on the floor, while deplorable, never snapped a knee ligament or sent someone to the hospital, while Balde could have ended a career. And altough I was for Celtic, Balde and others have to know, especially after playing Boavista, that any contact they made was going to cause the Porto players to roll around on the ground like spoiled two year olds. Diving for a foul (which happens even in the EPL and SPL) is bad but I can live with it much easier than diving to get someone booked or sent off. In other words, its not the diving that makes me so upset, it is the rolling, clutching, crying (see Rivaldo v. Turkey last summer for a spectacular example). Having said all of this, for me the worst was Baia's rolling around at the end --- his theatrics were despicable.
I saw the match after reading the first post of this thread. I expected to find unsportsmanship behavior from the Porto players. Instead, I did not see anything wrong with Porto. Yes, Victor Baia did fake his injury, but it is hard to attack him and side with Celtics after seeing 110 minutes of dirty tactics committed by the Celtic players. I thought the Uruguayan NT was wearing green. I do not blame the Porto players for faking it on the ground..... if the Celtics played a clean game, the Porto players would not have the chances of rolling around the ground. Thompson and Balde deserved to be red carded. I am NOT a Porto fan. I heard of a few players on their team before the match, but I had no idea that they played for Porto. I wanted Celtic to win because I am a Boston Celtic fan. I switched sides after the HT. Read this... this is exactly how I felt about the match. http://www.soccerage.com/en/13/n5799.html
You are so right!!!! i just like to point out that most of that "roling around on the ground" were not fakes, the players were really hurt, and yes, Celtic should have finished the game with 9 players!!!!!
Absolutely correct; Celtic should have finished the game with just their keeper and the entire Porto team should have received gold medals in synchronized swimming............
Maybe if FIFA adopted the "3 Knockdown Rule" for soccer? One player having play stopped so he can be stretchered off 3 times - and immediately jumping up and asking to be waved back on each time is.... "curious" at best.
You guys have to make up your minds!!!!i read post that said he was carried out on the stretcher 3 times, 4 times and 5 times...each one is it?
4 or 5 by my count and I was at the match. He was on first name terms with the first aid team by the end of the first half.
In most cases if a player is rolling around in agony he is not hurt as badly as someone who is simply lying on the ground. For a player to be stretchered off 4 times and be ready to play the second he reached the sidelines on the stretcher ALL 4 TIMES is a disgrace. I am not taking away from Porto. They are a great side, they deserved to win, they deserved it and they are good enough that they don't need to do all of this play acting to be sucessful. When I see that happen I lose respect for them, maybe when a Portugese fan sees it he believes it is just part of the game. It depends on the culture I guess.
you mean to tell me that Thompson did not deserve the red card for that foul on Carvalho in the extra time? Even your English fox commentators thought so...listen to them on tape!!!i saw red cards showed for a lot less.... i never realized before, but i think Celtic fans might have a problem in realizing they were outplayed and outsmarted>>>