Reviewing the European Championships from an Arsenal Perspective

Champions….yet again

After an entire month of exciting international football, the European Championships reached its climax in an emphatic fashion with the defending champions, Spain, running riot against their contenders for the throne, Italy.

Both sides had cancelled each other out in the group stages and the Italian gaffer, Cesare Prandelli, got all the plaudits for his tactical genius, employing the 3-5-2 formation that was worth its weight in gold.

However, the final match offered a different prospect and Prandelli employed his usual 4-3-1-2 formation with the aim of narrowing things down the middle. Vincente del Bosque and his Red Army were hugely criticized for using the 4-6-0 formation that involved strangulating the opposition with a “boring” passing game till they buckled.

Gary Lineker had stated that strikers would become an endangered species if Spain won the Euros using this false 9 set-up. I think it’s just Spanish strikers that could become extinct with such a formation because I can’t recall any team with such a vast array of talent in midfield, so vast that the likes of Juan Mata, Jesus Navas, Fernando Llorente, Fernando Torres and many more Spanish juggernauts in club football became peripheral figures in the Euros.

The Spaniards opened the scoring when Cesc Fabregas evaded Giorgio Chiellini to send a cross-field ball that arrived at David Silva’s head. The Manchester City lynchpin nodded him his 18th and most important international goal for Spain. Minutes later, Italy suffered a big blow as Chiellini picked up an injury causing Federico Balzaretti to come in his stead.

The world and defending European champions doubled their lead from an unlikely source, Barcelona’s new recruit, Jordi Alba. The full back instigated the attack from the left hand side and made a darting run forward. Xavi timed his defense-splitting through ball to perfection and Alba broke his international duck with a finish an attacker would have been proud of.

When a full back can finish as confidently as that, why would you need a forward?

If my senses serve me right, it’s only in Liga BBVA you can find a full back drifting so far into the opposition’s back line that he could be caught in an offside position.

Dani Alves anybody?

Italy replaced Antonio Cassano with Antonio di Natale in their bid to chase the game but the contest was officially over when substitute, Thiago Motta, decided to have his Abou Diaby moment in the finals of all games. That forced injury took the sting out the Italians and it became a damage limitation exercise.

Their cause wasn’t helped when Fernando Torres replaced Fabregas and he got his goal shortly afterwards. It was a simple placed effort that went past Buffon from another pass that split the Italian defense like hot knife through butter.

Torres then turned from scorer to provider when he supplied the easiest of assists to substitute, Juan Mata, that put the icing on a well-baked cake.

Despite several taunts from the media Vultures, football fans and what have you, Spain remains the team to beat and they have sealed their immortality status with a third consecutive win in another major tournament.

Vicente del Bosque must be enjoying his job but no eyebrows will be raised if he decides to call it quits, sealing his status as a Spanish legend in every sense of the word.

While the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and other Spanish sides will take pride in seeing how their ambassadors fared in the European Championships, Arsenal fans will certainly have mixed emotions about the tournament.

Some Gunners performed admirably giving themselves a tourney to remember while others failed to move past first gear.

It’s time to review the Euros from an Arsenal perspective.

Group A had Wojciech Szczesny, Tomas Rosicky and Andrey Arshavin flying the Arsenal’s flag in the group stages.

Wojciech Szczesny certainly had a tournament to forget as he conceded a goal after a communication error with his defender and compounded his misery with a red card. He was replaced by Tyton that became a national hero for sparing his blushes, and he also took Szczesny’s place in the team till they got eliminated in the group stages.

Szczesny gets a Euro rating of 3.0

Tomas Rosicky was heavily subdued in Czech Republic’s curtain raiser against Russia but he pulled the strings on the midfield when the Czechs eased past Greece. An Achilles tendon injury cut his tournament cut as he was on the sidelines in the remainder of the Czech games till their elimination in the quarterfinals in the hands of Portugal.

Rosicky gets a Euro rating of 5.5

Andrey Arshavin was a joy to watch in Russia’s 4-1 spanking of the Czechs and he continued his consistent run against Poland. However, he failed to come up with the goods against Greece, and a loss to the Euro 2004 winners cost Russia their place in the quarterfinals courtesy of the harsh head to head rule.

Arshavin gets a Euro rating of 7.5

Group B, or the Group of Death, as it was fabled had four Gunners on the spotlight, Nicklas Bendtner, Robin van Persie, Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski.

The greatest striker that ever lived was a peripheral figure in the game against Holland but he sprang to life with a brace against Portugal. He placed himself in the back pages for his goals as well as his ambush marketing strategy for Irish bookmakers Paddy Power that earned him a heavy fine. He ended the group on a high with an assist from Michael Krohn-Delhi in Denmark’s loss to Germany.

Bendtner gets a Euro rating of 8.5

Robin van Persie was part of that egotistical Dutch side that were woeful in the Euros. Van Persie was at his profligate best against Holland, had a perfectly executed finish against Germany and was heavily subdued against Portugal. He and his team crashed out in the group stages, a feat that cost Bert van Marwijk his job.

Van Persie gets a Euro rating of 6.0

If you were looking at this tournament as a measure of player ability then we’d be looking to offload van Persie asap while offering a bumper new deal to Nicklas Bendtner – Arseblog

Lukas Podolski’s Germany were touted as tournament favorites, and they went all the way to the semis before bowing out after a Mario Balotelli inspired defeat to Italy. Lukas Podolski was a disciplined performer against Portugal and Holland, then he capped his 100th game with a goal against Denmark. He was benched in the quarterfinals against Greece and he had a stinker in the semis against Italy.

Podolski gets a Euro Rating of 7.0

Per Mertesacker on the other hand, failed to add to his 81 caps for Germany, as he watched from the dugout as Holger Badstuber and Mats Hummels played every game before their exit in the semis.

Ze Big F*ckin Giant gets no Euro rating.

Group C had no Arsenal interest but Group D had the likes of Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Olivier Giroud as its Arsenal ambassadors.

For reasons best known to Adolf Hitler, Chick Norris and Mojojojo of the PowerPuff girls, Theo Walcott failed to command a starting berth in the European Championships as Wily Ol’ Woy Hodgson preferred James Milner to Arsenal’s speed machine.

He came off the bench late on against France to no avail but he made an impact in his next cameo appearance against Sweden. He ended his national goal drought with a finish Cristiano Ronaldo would have been proud of and he supplied the match-winning assist. Injury made him miss out on England’s final game but he was fighting a lost cause against Italy.

Walcott gets a Euro rating of 7.0

The Ox made one appearance for England in the first game against France and for more strange reasons, he couldn’t challenge the disappointing Ashley Young for a place on the left hand flank. He watched on the sidelines as Young kept messing up until he put the nail in his own coffin with his penalty miss against Italy.

The Ox gets a rating of 6.0

Olivier Giroud was a peripheral figure for France, as he kept coming off the bench as he couldn’t contest with Karim Benzema for a starting berth in a formation that favored the use of one center forward. Giroud’s only telling contribution in the tournament would have been a headed effort against Sweden but it went wide.

Giroud gets a Euro rating of 5.5

From the ratings I handed to the Gunners in the European Championships, Nicklas Bendtner earned the highest rating because he’s undoubtedly the greatest striker that ever lived.

I must commend Poland and Ukraine for hosting such a spectacle in the manner they did. The pitches were top-notch and the football was entertaining, scintillating and enthralling to say the least.

However, the Golden Boot has to be cut in six places as Mario Mandzukic, Mario Gomez, Mario Balotelli, Nintendo’s Super Mario, Cristiano Ronaldo, Alan Dzagoev and Fernando Torres all ended up with three goals each.

Like Achilles’ morale boosting speech in the 2004 classic Troy, Spain was told that immortality was there for the taking, and they took it in grand style.

Here’s to the world and three time European champions,

La Furia Rojas.

Sayonara.

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More on Giroud, Freddie Speaks and the Dark Horses in the Finals

Many will label Italy’s semifinal victory over Germany as an “upset”, but both there was a bit more to the Italian triumph.

Gianluigi Buffon was in inspired form, the defensive combo of Andrea Barzagli and Leandro Bonucci was impregnable, the full backs maintained their balance, Andrea Pirlo was his imperial self and Super Mario was on fire.

However, it started with some German attack as Pirlo spared Buffon’s blushes with a goalline clearance while more miscommunication between the legendary goalie and Barzagli would have resulted in an embarrassing own goal.

Italy drew first blood when Antonio Cassano made mince meat of a couple of German defenders before lofting a cross that was nodded home by Mario Balotelli. Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira stung Buffon’s hands with long-range piledrivers but the goalie was equal to the challenge.

Cassano fashioned another defense-splitting through ball for Riccardo Montolivo but the attacking midfielder dallied on the ball and a good chance went begging.

Montolivo made amends when he supplied a diagonal through ball to the Italian maverick, Balotelli, that beat the offside trap to blast in an emphatic finish that left Manuel Neuer rooted to the spot. The striker showed off his swagger with a celebration that saw him take off his shirt to give a Mr. Olympia-esque pose.

Why Always Him?

As expected, people went haywire on various social networking platforms but this tweet certainly caught the eye,

OOH Balotelli, he is a striker, he's good at darts, an allergy to grass but when he plays he's fucking class! OOOOHHHH BALOTELLI!—
Football Manager (@FM12Tweeter) June 28, 2012

Germany’s manager, Joachim Loew, declared his attacking intent by bringing on Marco Reus and Miroslav Klose for Lukas Podolski and Mario Gomez. Podolski didn’t light up any fireworks and Gomez was a peripheral figure throughout the first half.

Reus was a thorn in Italy’s flesh making some mazy runs that put the Azzurri defense on the back foot. The new Borussia Dortmund acquisition swerved in a brilliant free kick over the wall but Buffon bellied his years to make a great save.

Germany pushed on for the goal that was going to bring them back in with a shout but they left gaping holes at the back. Claudio Marchisio and Antonio di Natale spurned chances to put the game beyond doubt.

The ref awarded the Germans a penalty late on and it was duly dispatched by Mesut Ozil even though Buffon guessed the right way. The ref’s final whistle was like music to Italian ears as the tournament’s Dark Horses progressed all the way to the final when nobody gave them a chance.

The stage will be set for a mouthwatering final and we all hope to see the new kings of Europe. Just like the UEFA Champions League, teams hardly defend their titles. People have criticized Spain for their boring passing game but it has gotten them to another final.

Besides, Vicente del Bosque will let everyone know when he gives a fledgling fuck.

Moving on to Arsenal news, ex-Gunner, Freddie Ljungberg, has returned to the spotlight, as he had so many nice things to say about the club he notched up 313 appearances for. Good old Freddie declared that Arsenal is a big part of his life and he still keeps in touch with his fellow old hags that donned the Red and White.

He played sweet tunes on Pat Rice, stating how he helped the defensive unit, with Ca$hley Cuntly Cole being one of the benefactors of Rice’s tutelage.

He also talked the current crop of players,

“I enjoy watching the current team – it’s a young side and will hopefully get better and better. With the addition of one or two good signings, things look bright.”

We all know about the newest signing, Olivier Giroud, and I shared some interesting facts about him. However, Giroud hasn’t left the back pages yet, as he remains a talked-about figure in several destinations all over the world.

Respected French football journalist, Philippe Auclair, has decided to give his take on Arsenal’s new signing.,

“He is around 6ft 3in tall, so you would be talking in principle about a typical target man who you can hook the ball to and hope he holds it up. But he is not just that, though. He has huge physical presence, but one of the main characteristics of his game is his intelligence and willingness to find his team-mates in the danger zone. He is very alert to the runs made by his wingers, and is known for his link-up play as much as his finishing.

“He is terrific with his back to goal, at receiving the ball sometimes from awkward angles and, crucially for Arsenal when you think of their style of play, he has the technique and intelligence to play first touch. He doesn’t offer just a physical presence, an aerial presence and a danger in front of goal, but he is also incredibly quick-thinking and quick-footed.”

Auclair went on to say that Giroud should be a 15 to 25 goal per season striker in the Premier League and he’s a very adaptable character, so he’s going to thrive well in the Premier League.

Like Lukas Podolski, many Gooners can’t wait to see Giroud strut his stuff for Arsenal and we’ll witness that for the best part of 10 months next season. If a respected football figurehead like Auclair believes that Giroud can produce 15 to 25 goals, the prospect of watching him play will be mouthwatering to say the least.

Elsewhere, Arseblog News reports that Giroud’s first club, Grenoble Foot 38, is going to receive around €600,000 as part of the transfer deal. Giroud spent seven seasons with the lower division outfit but the club is currently playing in the fifth tier of French football after going bankrupt in 2011.

They will definitely welcome the money with open arms.

That’s today’s bit folks.

Have a great weekend.

Sayonara.

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Good News on Wilshere, Arsenal to play Nigeria and Transfer Speculation

The European Championships returned to our TV screens yesterday with the first semifinal tie between Spain and Portugal. The Spaniards continued their relentless passing game but Portugal matched them pound for pound.

Cristiano Ronaldo had a vast array of free kicks but he kept killing birds in the sky. Late on, the Iberians on white launched a counter attack that put Spain on the back foot but Ronaldo wasn’t in the same wavelength with everyone else. Extra time beckoned and Andres Iniesta had a glorious chance to kill the contest but Rui Patricio made a great stop.

120 minutes of football wasn’t enough to get a winner, so a penalty shoot-out stood between both teams and a place in the finals. Xabi Alonso, Joao Moutinho and Bruno Alves missed their chances but I must commend Sergio Ramos for pulling out a script from the Andrea Pirlo movie to delightfully chip the ball past Rui Patricio.

He already has a planet to his name after launching his penalty into orbit in the Champions League semifinals and there was no point creating a new one.

Cesc Fabregas repeated the same feat he achieved against Italy in the last Euros, scoring the penalty that won the game for his nation. Spain aim to be the first team to successfully defend their European Championship title but we’ll have to see what Germany or Italy has to say about that.

Still sticking with the Euros, Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand expressed his disappointment on not seeing more of England’s youngsters in the competition. He declared that he is a “fan of the Ox” and he wanted to see more of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the tournament but he turned out to be a spectator, as Ashley Young and James Milner kept disappointing.

He was also surprised that Phil Jones failed to make any appearance in the tourney. With Harry Redknapp touting Jack Wilshere for the “Pirlo” role, Ferdinand stated that England had its own Pirlo in the form of Michael Carrick but he wasn’t called up.

Speaking of Wilshere, the Metro has reported that the midfielder is making good progress in his rehabilitation and he’s now poised to step up his training regime, which includes more work on the ball, after spending countless times on the gym to strengthen his ankle.

Wilshere has been out for the best part of a year and his influence on the pitch has been badly missed. Arsenal has stated  that they expect Wilshere to return ahead of the new season, despite the player having a minor knee operation in May that cleared up a long-standing issue.

There are still options for the club to play the box-to-box role and caution must be thrown to the wind when handling Wilshere’s issue because it’s very delicate and we wouldn’t want to have any further setbacks again.

Moving on to transfer news, I’m sure you must have heard about the bullocks regarding Robin van Persie’s future and I don’t intend to bore you with that.

However, I can report that Real Sociedad has made an official bid for Carlos Vela, but it’s way below Arsenal’s asking price. I know that Arsenal has been regarded as a club that is “all about the profits” but we have to cut our losses and let Vela go to a club he’ll be happy plying his trade.

He had his chances at Arsenal, despite being infinitesimal, but he clearly failed to impress and I was surprised to see his exploits in Real Sociedad last season. He’s further down the pecking order for a place as a striker or a left winger, so Arsenal has to do the right thing to let our chipper-in-chief go.

The club has also increased its asking fee for the greatest striker that ever lived, Nicklas Bendtner. Bendtner has told us that he’s under the radar of many teams in the galaxy and I won’t give a rat’s ass if an intergalactic team from a nebula beyond come around for his services.

He’s available for just £8m. It’s not too much to ask for the world’s best striker, is it?

Finally, the Gunners are going to visit my nation, Nigeria, to take on the Super Eagles in a friendly on the 5th of August in the National Stadium, Abuja. The match is scheduled to kick off by 4 pm, local time.

Tickets for this game will appear in Arsenal.com from the 4th of July, and I’ll keep you posted on those details.

My nation is currently ranked 60th in the world (what a shame) but we’ve learned that the Gunners are going to field a strong side against us and our manager, Stephen Keshi, is going to follow suit to showcase Nigeria’s finest.

As a thoroughbred and proud Nigerian Gooner, I’m going to watch the game live and I also hope to take a picture or two with some Gunners.

I guess it’s high time I customize my “Forget Batman, we’ve got Robin” T-shirt.

Sperie Customs will help me do that.

Sayonara.

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England Licks its Wounds and Jack Wilshere the new ‘Pirlo’

Unless your line of sight is no different from Ashley Young or Ashley Cole when they took penalties for the Three Lions, you must have noticed that I’ve tweaked things a bit in the blog and I hope you like it.

With a gaping net looking at both players from 12 yards out, Young preferred to kiss the bar while Cole handed his effort on a platter to Gigi Buffon. This meant that the penalty curse of England continued and the nation will have to wait till the World Cup in 2014 for another shot at glory.

At least, they “prepared for immortality” but they had some life in them after all.

Arsenal’s Theo Walcott was tipped to do great things in the Euros after enjoying a successful club campaign by his standards.

Walcott’s English shenanigans and escapades can be starred as a Hollywood movie; from booking a flight to Germany in 2006 as a kid without making any appearance to watching the 2008 Euros at home with his fellow teammates after the nation’s failure to qualify. From missing out entirely on a World Cup berth in 2010 for having “no football brain” to making it to the 2012 Euros only to play second fiddle to James Milner throughout the tournament.

Walcott was given the same jersey number the legendary David Beckham donned in this tournament but I was bewildered and perplexed when he was brought on for Welbeck in the 89th minute or so against France. He made a great cameo appearance against Sweden, making the difference for his country with a Cristiano Ronaldo-esque goal and supplying a brilliant assist for the Danny Welbeck winner.

However, caution was thrown to the wind in the final group stage game against Ukraine, as it was believed that he had picked up a niggling hamstring injury.

Against Italy, Walcott and Andy Carroll were meant to offer a new lease of life to the English attack but Scotty Parker kept feeding the winger with awkward balls that he could never reach.

I have a hunch that the Spurs man wanted the Gunner to “suffer” a bit in the name of chasing a through ball. However, he was replaced by a peripheral Jordan Henderson that offered no dimension for England in his cameo appearance.

I’m no Woy Hodgson but I would have called Michael Carrick up after Frank Lampback of  Notre Dame picked up a thigh injury. That’s another argument for another day.

Walcott told some media Vultures that England’s exit from the tournament was cruel but he’s confident that his country has a very bright future ahead.

He also backed the Ashley duo that gaffed from 12 yards, labelling them as one of the most experienced lot in the dressing room and he believes that they’ll bounce back to become even stronger for England.

In a tournament where Lukas Podolski and Xabi Alonso joined the 100 mile-high club for their nations, players like Ashley Cole, Steven Gerrard and Philip Lahm came close to a century of appearances for their nation.

Walcott also stated that lessons have been learned from the quarterfinal exit and his nation is looking forward to their 2014 World Cup qualifiers.

As expected, England’s manager, Woy Hodgson, has taken some positives from his team’s Euro 2012 performance. For the first time in centuries, there were no high expectations on this English outfit and eyebrows were not raised when they bowed out in the quarterfinals.

They were expected to scale through from a group that had France, Sweden and co-hosts, Ukraine but getting pole position in that group was a success in my opinion.

It was unfortunate that the English side had to lock horns with a great nation like Italy, but if you want to win any tournament, you have to play the best teams and win as well.

I’m not going to delve too deep into tactical analysis but England was piss poor in some games in the tournament. Their performance in the quarterfinal against a team of the same ‘calibre’ like Italy was an aberration and I was glued to my television as I witnessed wave after wave of Italian attacking play all game long.

Some players like Steven Gerrard, Joe Hart, Danny Welbeck, Theo Walcott and the legendary ex-girlfriend shagger John Terry (annoyingly) made a very good account of themselves while the likes of Ashley Young and James Milner failed to stand up to the occasion despite given countless opportunities.

Managers get some right while they get some wrong but leaving Adam Johnson at home was a poor piece of judgment in my opinion. Like the Michael Carrick exclusion, that’s an argument for another day.

Hodgson’s optimism for this England side has been fueled by the emergence of some promising young players. The likes of Kyle Walker, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Jack Wilshere missed out through injuries but their potentials are very massive. Others like Danny Welbeck, Andy Carroll and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got a shot of top flight elite international football and they’ve certainly be hungry for more in the near future.

Like my nation Nigeria, the English football team is going through a rebuilding phase and I believe that Woy still remains the best man for the job.

Speaking of men and jobs, Twitchy Ol’ ‘Arry Redknapp has been in the news recently and it had nothing to do with the England job, tax evasion or a new twitch on his face.

Sir Twitchy has highlighted the importance of producing “an Andrea Pirlo of our own” if England are to truly compete on the world stage, and has stated his belief that Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere is exactly the type of player who can fill such a role.

Redknapp said,

We must learn a lesson from this and do our utmost to produce an Andrea Pirlo of our own.

“Look at Pirlo against England – he had no pace, strength and he’s ancient. But what a fabulous display.

What we have got to do is bring through kids who as defenders will be happy to bring the ball out and forwards who want to receive the ball in tight areas surrounded by the opposition because they are comfortable in possession.

 ”Strangely it was the absence of Jack Wilshere which was felt most keenly. He can be our Pirlo, he’s the type of player I’m talking about who doesn’t rely on strength or speed – he’s a genuine footballer.

This is the best thing I’ve heard Redknapp say in a very long while.

Taking it into perspective, Wilshere is a player that can emulate the legendary Andrea Pirlo because he possesses the vision to make that killer pass, he likes to dwell on the ball, dictate tempo and reads the game magnificently.

He showcased his eagle eye for a pass with that brilliant assist for Nicklas Bendtner against Ipswich in the Carling (now Capitol One) Cup semifinal second leg. Wilshere is indispensable to Arsenal and he was duly missed last season.

I can’t wait to see him strut his stuff this season alongside Mikel Arteta and Alex Song. Who knows if a Yann M’Vila will be added into the fray.

The semifinals wont take place today, so I’m in for a serious dose of Football Manager 2012. I might upload a couple of great strikes from van Persie and Marek Hamsik (Unlike Wenger, I bought him) in my YouTube page.

Despite being a proud Nigerian, I’ll always love my Arsenal as well as the nation that has won,

Two world wars and One World Cup, England all the way.

Sayonara.

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Italy vs. England: How the Better Team Won (Picture Special)

Pure Class

So, my predicted semi-finals are Portugal vs Spain and Germany vs Italy. It will be the death of football if Greece play England. Let’s wait and watch. – Supreetkini

They say that pictures send a clearer message than words and I’ve decided to dedicate today’s post to the best quarterfinal fixture in the European Championships. This is also for the benefit of those folks that missed the game for reasons best known to them.

Enjoy!

It’s a new week and the world will take another deserved break from the European Championships.

The last quarterfinal fixture turned out to be the most exciting as the Italians dominated the proceedings from kick-off to Alessandro Diamanti’s match winning penalty.

Daniele de Rossi drew first blood with a shot Ricardo Quaresma would have been proud of. A stunning volley with the outside of his left book that left Joe Hart scrambling but the post spared the goalies blushes.

Glen Johnson made one of his Liverpool-esque slalom runs and some shaky defending from the Azzurri allowed the full back to test Gigi Buffon from six yards out. Luckily for Italy, there was no venom on the shot but the legendary goalie did well to keep the ball out of his net before smothering it on his second attempt.

Close shave

Andrea Pirlo was a general in midfield and he pulled all the strings in the Italian midfield like the chief puppeteer he is. He lofted a superb over the top through ball to Mario Balotelli that was on side, but the forward dallied on the ball and was closed down by the legendary shagger, John Terry.

Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck shared a Manchester United moment as both strikers connected well with a neat one-two but Welbeck killed a bird in the sky with his attempted side-footed effort.

Balotelli had a scissor kick drive that was also saved by Hart

Unlike Spain that bored me to tears with their predictable passing game, Italy tossed England around and showed great intent, creating chance after chance.De Rossi missed a sitter from less than two yards out but Hart came into the fray again when he stopped the AS Roma midfielder’s stinging shot before saving Mario Balotelli’s shot as well. Riccardo Montolivo fired his effort over the bar.

Wily Ol’ Woy Hodgson brought Theo Walcott and Andy Carroll to add some attacking verve to his team but Italy continued to dominate their illustrious English counterparts. Steven Gerrard had a free kick from quite some distance that almost went all the way to Buffon’s net but the goalie kept the ball in his sight despite Wayne Rooney’s attempt to impede his vision.

With just minutes to spare in regulation time, Claudio Marchisio chipped a brilliant ball over England’s defense to the feet of Antonio Nocerino. The AC Milan defender controlled the ball superbly and launched a shot that would have beaten Hart nine times out of ten but Johnson was on hand to make a great goal-saving tackle.

Right at the death, England made a late surge against the run of play and almost broke Italian hearts. Ashley Cole waltzed forward from the left before lofting a cross across the goal mouth. Andy Carroll used his body mass well to guide the ball into Wayne Rooney path and Manchester United striker prepared for immortality with a bicycle kick that would have put his name in the back pages.

Unfortunately, a rocket in orbit incurred the wrath of Rooney proposed shot.

whew, that was close

Extra time beckoned and the Italians picked up where they left off. Nocerino thought that he had won the game for his nation with a header when Alessandro Diamanti dinked in a cross for him. The goal was ruled offside.

Offside

Joe Hart’s reaction after the goal was ruled out was priceless.

Whew!!!!

Over 500 passes, 68% ball possession, 36 goal attempts, seven corners and 120 minutes of great Italian football was not enough to win the contest. The world held its breath as both sides went through the lottery of a penalty shoutout.

Balotelli kicked off the shootout against his club colleague, Joe Hart. They exchanged pleasantries in the build up to the spot kick but the maverick’s shot went into the bottom corner.

Balotelli slotting his effort past Hart

Steven Gerrard took a long walk and stepped up confidently facing the unforgiving eyes of Gianluigi Buffon. He dispatched his effort past the goalie to level the contest for England.

Riccardo Montolivo hit his penalty hard and low but it also went wide off the mark.

Montolivo covers his face in shame

Wayne Rooney was tasked with an opportunity to handing England an advantage by converting his own spot kick. A feat he performed admirably.

Nice spot kick by Rooney

While Andrea Pirlo took his time to get to the box, Joe Hart seemed like an imposing figure, making funny face at Pirlo, like the way those Rugby folks taunt their opponents before a match.

However, Pirlo’s penalty was the C in class. A cheeky lob through the middle that left Hart for dead.

Damn!

Ashley Young was next in line to take a spot kick to increase England’s lead yet again. The winger has taken his fair share of penalties  in his Aston Villa days, but he smashed his effort at the cross bar.

Ashley Young slamming the cross bar

Antonio Nocerino knew that a goal for Italy would put one foot in the semis pending on subsequent shootouts. He sent his spot kick past Hart to put the scoreline at 3-2.

Up stepped the next Ashley with the funny hair-do. Ca$hley Cuntly Cole is a decent penalty taker on his day, but his effort against a keeper of Buffon’s quality was one of the poorest spot kicks I’ve witnessed in a long while.

Poor penalty by Cashley

The misses from the “Ashleys” meant that a goal from Alessandro Diamanti, a player that has plied his trade in England with West Ham, was going to put his name in the history books for scoring the decisive penalty that was to send Italy to the semifinals.

And history he made…

Sayonara England

And that’s how the better team won.

There was enough time for this…

As well as this…

A familiar feeling at Arsenal….an ENGLISH team

The Italians revelled in their glory while both Ashley Young and Ashley Cole hoped for the ground to open up and swallow them.

I love Arsenal and the English national team, but seeing Ca$hley Cole miss a penalty was a bitter sweet feeling.

The quote of the day belongs to FourFourTom,

Only three things are certain in life. Death, taxes and England losing penalty shootouts. Gutted.—
  (@FourFourTom) June 24, 2012

I hope you enjoyed the picture special.

Sayonara.

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