Monday, June 9, 2008

No One Expects The Italian Emasculation

But it sure happened. After a disappointing Romania v. France opener, I was afraid the Italians and Dutch would play cautiously and be content to each take a point. Not so. What a match. A controversial non-offsides call left the Italians reeling and the Dutch counter-attacked, counter-attacked and then counter-attacked some more. Van der Sar was great in goal, creating those opportunities. The Italians will undoubtedly cry foul over the non-call, but the fact is they had their asses handed to them.

What I wouldn't give to be in Amsterdam tonight. I was there, purely by chance, during their opening match against the Czechs in Euro2000. It was insane. We were lunching at a café on the Rembrantsplein, when it suddenly erupted in a sea of singing, orange-clad lunatics. This was well before I followed soccer but we had a blast talking to the table of shit-faced fanatics sitting next to us and they delighted in schooling us on that year's European Cup. It was a great afternoon.

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