[Phantom51]

haha, that's great, now maybe the Italians won't dive every chance they get.

[schaggs]

Yeah I saw that. Panucci might have stopped the goal if he managed to get up and play defense instead of waiting to get scored on before he got up.

And that Wesley Sneijder goal was one of the best I've seen.

Today I'm pullin' for Russia and Sweden - both big time underdogs - but I think Sweden can maybe tie the Greeks.

[tigerthelion]

I am no expert on the sport of soccer but I watched a little bit of the Greece/Sweden match today and it was horrific.

[MattyM]

The Dutch did indeed play brilliantly, not sure they'll keep it up though. Sneijder's goal was good, but Gio Van Bronckhorst really impressed me throughout! The worry is that, like Spain, the Dutch team play brilliantly, but fail against the most 'committed' teams. To be honest, I wouldn't write off the Italians yet, but Germany are my pick to win.

[schaggs]

Germany are my pick to win.

2-1 Croatia (Full Time). Germany's not going to win if they continue to play like that. Sitting back for 65 minutes before turning it up and trying to make a game of it is no way to win a Championship.

[The Heron Outside]

My picks for the tourney are turning out t'be white hot...Germany was a damn machine agianst Portugal, Turkey is proving t'be the workhorse of the tourney (Watching Semih score that goal in extra time in the heart of Istanbul was like watching a dying horse get up and immediately win the Kentucky Derby)...And I was never quite sure why I picked Russia as the underdog, but they looked strong against the Dutch last night...

But Italy/Spain today? Look for the collective number of dives to outweight passes completed...