[football] Portugal it is, then...

[mrph]

...but what a shambolic game that was. Some good football in there, but the number of cards... and the referee...

Lots of bad feeling on both sides, but one image picked up by the ITV coverage that seems to sum it up:

Gio Van Bronckhorst (Holland), who'd been sent off and was sitting next to Deco (Portugal) - who'd also been sent off. Both of them play for Barcelona and while their national teams were bickering, they seemed to be in total agreement about something, presumably exchanging rants about the ref...

Comments

[jonny-eol.livejournal.com]

I only caught the second half, and was only planning to watch 10 minutes whilst watching dinner. I haven't seen such an ill-tempered game since playground matches in junior school.

[wechsler.livejournal.com]

Sheesh, I've seen board games with less cards than that...

[adamw]

I'll agree there - that was insane.

In amongst the mayhem, though, Portugal play good, incisive football. Something that is woefully lacking from the England camp at present...

[deeply-spurious.livejournal.com]

To be honest I reckon on most of the decisions either the ref was right or the play acting of players on both sides made it virtually impossible for him anyway... Deco shouldn't have gone, but not sure I have too much sympathy with the others - and Figo should have gone as well!!