THIRD PLACE MATCH

GERMANY 3 PORTUGAL 1


Germany finished with something to show for their amazingly unexpected (except by me: ask my friend Josh what I thought of Germany on June 8) World Cup run by manhandling a Portuguese side who have learned nothing from both their shortcomings and the criticism levelled toward them throughout this tournament.

Bastian Schweinsteiger was the man of the match after scoring two wonderfully taken goals from practically the same spot - perhaps 25 yards out from the left - making the Portuguese keeper Ricardo look amateurish as he flailed and jumped the wrong way. He even set up the third, taking the free kick that Petit put into his own net. Meanwhile on the other side, Oliver Kahn was superb in the German goal, starting in the spot conceeded to him by his new best buddy, Jens Lehmann. He made several fantastic saves throughout the match and only let in a diving header by Nuno Gomes on a cross by Luis Figo that would have left every other keeper in the world helpless as well.

Even with Ballack resting, Germany looked in firm control, as Torsten Frings' return from suspension (after Italian TV tattled on him prior to the Italy v. Germany match) brought strength to a German side in which his contributions in their campaign cannot be overstated. Klose and Podolski played well (sorry about the comments yesterday, Lukas) and the defense did their job for the most part.

But by now it's obvious that Portugal were a couple good strikers and any shred of dignity short of being much better in this tournament. Pauleta was been thoroughly unimpressive. Their main striker only scored in the first minute of their first match - against Angola - on a goal for which Luis Figo did most of the work to set up. He has no moves except to dive and complain. I think he might have scored that penalty too, against Mexico (or was it Simåo?), but I'm not going to really count that. Seriously, he's terrible. I would look no worse in the box than he does. What if this team had a decent finisher? Secondly, Christiano Ronaldo was up to his same old tricks, running straight at the Germans today. He can force the pace when he first gets the ball, no question, but playing with a guy who tries to beat every player in front of him can really disrupt the rest of his team. Can you imagine trying to time your runs when he's busy on the sideline trying to fake someone out for 10 minutes?

But it was the same old from Portugal as well with their behavior. By now you'd think they'd figure out that running and falling down, regardless of contact, won't get them the calls, but there they were again, looking like a grenade just exploded right behind them whenever they came upon a German defender. Thankfully, the ref was having none of it, yet once again Ronaldo was one of the worst offenders, doing nothing to argue his case for the Young Player Award given out yesterday, for which many assume he was overlooked because of this sort of gamesmanship.

And talk about a bad day: Petit entered the game at halftime, was caught ball-watching as Schweinsteiger fired two goals right past him before he decided that defending might be a good idea, and between these two goals knocked one into his own net as well.

So congratulations Germany. You represented your country well, and for that they are obviously extremely proud of you. Congratulations as well on playing completely unlike the German teams we all remember. Great team, even better hosts. Portugal, thank god you didn't make it to the final. It's a shame your talents were overshadowed by your ugly behavior. Go to your room and come back in (Euro) 2008 with better manners.


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As for tomorrow's match: Wow. Two teams peaking at just the right time. Both have outstanding defenses, leaving me a bit worried that it will be a low scoring affair, but think of the matchups: Henry against Cannavaro, and holding back Zambrotta from attacking; Zidane trying to draw Gattuso out of position; the Italian defense trying to stifle Ribery dancing through them; Totti, Pirlo and maybe del Piero going up against Vieira and Makelele. The efficiency of Buffon vs. the buffoonery of Barthez. And with Saha unavailable, will it be Trezeguet time deep into the match? After all, 'all he does is score goals,' one of my favorite lines. Whoever comes away with another star on their jersey, I'll be happy. Both teams have been plenty entertaining and are immensely talented. But Zidane is probably the ultimate big-game player. Think about it: the 1998 World Cup final - two goals headed in, to opposite corners of the net; the 2002 Champions League final, with his incredible left-footed volley; Euro 2004, in which he singlehandedly beat England late with two goals. To see Zidane lift that trophy one last time would go down as one of the most memorable images in all of sports, for all time. Les Bleus v. Gli Azzurri: blue on blue. I can't wait.