phelps

believe it! believe it!

they were defensive only in group stage. then they dominated a full offensive minded main round (2-1 and 3-2 vs and ), semi & final (2-0 and 3-1 with a missed penalty vs and ). as I wrote, it was the turnaround of the Century under any POV (from attitude to style of play to results). p.s. I was only 8 years old, but I remember that tournament (almost every match) as if it was played last week sad to say, but I have better football memories from the Eighties and Nineties than the last 10/15 years, when I progressively started to dislike the whole environment (from players to referees to officials and footy-related media) and losing interest day after day (nowadays I'm at the all time low...I just follow the world cup and continental champs...and not because of the games themselves, rather for the mystic aura that those global events have on me).

Italy in 1982 won the title advancing from the group stage with 3 tied games And even if it was a 24-team tournament, in that year only the top 2 in each group moved on to the main round. It was quite a turnaround.

aggiungo il clamoroso 3.posto di Federico Pellegrino in una gara "distance" di Fondo. sorpresa se ce n'è una. ieri ottimo secondo posto di Marta Bassino nello Sci Alpino. tra ieri e oggi, weekend da dimenticare per Paris nelle prove veloci: CdM di Discesa già compromessa, direi. per il resto, senza la Jutta, settimana insignificante per me...

1...and only because of the 2 big upsets by and (quickly overturned by the following game of those 2 teams, however ).

Stage #1 ( Val Thorens) Mixed Relay Gold: Emily Harrop & Thibault Anselmet Silver: Ana Alonso Rodriguez & Oriol Cardona Coll Bronze: Cèlia Perillat Pessey & Xavier Gachet

there once was a sport where Italy used to be the dominant force or, at least, a very competitive team... now that this sport has become part of the Olympic program, R.I.P. Italy

always...in any sport, here a single commentator is a very rare exception (even if because 98% of the Italian jornalists can't make a broadcast of any sport except those 2 or 3 "mainstream", they need an "expert" -former player/coach- to explain even the basics of most disciplines).

or the Mexican Codesal at the Italia '90 final (actually also before that match, but especially in that circumstance).

play-by-play is absolutely well balanced, always on top of any situation, never getting crazy nor depressing the viewers. he's mainly a "Germanist", so, he's not used to nor an enthusiast of South American Football...he's very professional. on the other hand, the color commentator, former player Daniele Adani, is a possessed fanatic of South American football, especially Argentina and Uruguay. as @Gianlu33 wrote earlier, he makes always every broadcast with certain teams a mess, a real circus...way beyond any form of acceptable enthusiasm. and we're lucky that on our public TV he can't go as mad as he used to do when he was working for Sky Italia, where he finally lost his job because of his excessive show (screams, not so polite expressions and so on).

you named the poor officiating...I just replied that this is not the worst WC in terms of refereeing at all, 'cause 20 years ago it was way worse...

Paris...

and what a race so far in Lake Louise! Kilde, Hemetsberger and Odermatt in 10/100

going with triple screen, actually Footy on TV, NHL on tablet and Alpine Skiing on PC

just kidding of course... but still...it was part of the karma hitting for their robbery in the 1966 World Cup final...

I guess you didn't follow that closely the 2002 World Cup in Korea (and Japan)...

Talk for yourself! that's the more righteous goal in the history of football...

we let Jorginho miss 3 in a row... and if the 1st one (Euro 2020 final vs ) didn't cost us anything, the following 2 (vs away and home) basically cost us a place in this World Cup, even more than the infamous match vs so, please, don't let him try and miss once again for any reason if you want the good of your team... here we have 3 daily sports newspapers...and I'd pay a lot to get them to a weekly mag if not even closed down at all... right now, they just became social/gossip farce rather than serious newspapers...

xG? point-G, you mean...

b. 10-7 it's the second Bronze Medal in a row for at the men's European Champs!

no, not yet... in 1982, 2006, 2010 and 2014 there were 7 goalless draws.

Tomorrow's vs is really promising... waiting for vs and vs p.s. those idiots are playing with fire...they don't know what expects them if they end up in the Qatari police hands...

well, Lalas played here in Italy when Serie A was something serious...he was also a very good player, not only folklore because of his look...

even better...

naaa...the great Alexi Lalas was the real boss