According to ESPN, Henry has been tonight’s Panamanian Hero’s idol. I doubt Henry knew, as Waterman is a 33-year old who plays in the Chilean League. Seems his squad mates just followed along in the hug-fest. The winning shot was Panama’s only shot on target. They have defeated USA three times in a row. This tournament only started in 2019 and will be the first not won by USA. Panama get Mexico Sunday night.
Got severely dicked by Croatia last night. 0-2 loss which we need to overturn in Paris on Sunday which I'm not keen that we do: our WC qualifier trips are much better if we lose (Czech, Faroe, Gibraltar (here's hoping they eventually play at home and not in Portugal)) than if we progress to the final 4 (Ukraine (wherever that game might take place), Azerbaijan, Iceland (both very far so very expensive)). International breaks are still bollocks.
There seems a lot of negativity around the US team. Anyone who hasn't seen the celebration should check it out: https://x.com/tekkersfoot/status/1902890068869566817?t=3nRZaCI52eL9ZTc18DJrGg&s=19
I don't know, for me there is simply a difference in terms of quality, the fair result was at least a draw, but clearly if our strikers are not able to score the chances you have, we don't score. We will surely lose on Sunday too, but I liked the team's attitude and I hope to see it again. Mediocre attackers like Maldini, Kean, Raspadori or Lucca are the best we have today, relegation zone players.
tbh I'm not so sure if Italy loses also on Sunday. Have we ever been victorious against Italy in 3 consecutive matches? I don't think so, the most were 2 in a row (twice) I can remember. If you score again the first goal then everything can happen. I'm only celebrating when it's over and we have won, not any minute sooner. I have too much bad memories of matches against Italy Yes, they showed really some attitude but that had to be expected in a k.o match at home against (one of) your rival(s). When Maldini came in the German TV immediately showed his father (and mother?) in the stands. But no comparison here, the father was a legend and the son....ok, I've just seem him for the first time playing for Italy so don't want to form a verdict yet. Kean, though, wasn't so bad in my opinion (the German commentator always said that in Italy he is spoken "Kane" like Harry Kane, but there's some way to go for him to reach his level) btw: Was he granted Italian citizenship?
Yes but your "mistake" is to compare what we were before with what we are now, in fact as you said in the last 7 matches we never won. We haven't been at your level for at least 12-13 years, you can easily win the next one. Yes Kean may be not so bad, but the problem is that our best striker is "not that bad". We also have Retegui injured but we are on the same level more or less. Anyway the pronunciation is wrong, the correct one is "Ken", and he is italian (born near Turin, in Vercelli). Parents are from Ivory Coast. As for Maldini, he could be ok in a low ranking team, but my problem is that given the history we have, I can't accept that certain players are the best we have now. I am satisfied with the goalkeepers, defense and attack, I think we have many good players worthy of this shirt, but in attack we are totally non-existent.
Come on, Cassio. That's not true. Although Italy couldn't beat Germany since 2012 in now 7 matches, you have to consider that you won the Euro 2020/21 and that Germany was shit from 2018 until 2023 (when Nagelsmann took over as Bundestrainer). So in that time you were at least partially way above our level (that we won the match before yesterday with 5-2 in the last Nations League and even were ahead 5-0 was only because Italy couldn't be arsed back then and played with a B-team) Didn't know that he was born in Italy. I really thought that he was English (or so) and was granted Italian citizenship. Thx for enlightening me.
Little to no confidence in anything. Hardly clear that Pochettino is any answer. A lot of blame on Palace’s Matt Turner; consensus from fan comments is that USA need someone else between the goal posts. We did learn that we can’t hit the barn side even with Ricardo Pepi out injured. In summary, our lack of results is sad, especially now where the whole world has such good feelings of us and where we are leading the community of nations in our benevolently magnanimous Way.
The top teams compete for a trophy . Others use it to gain a play off spot for a tournament by winning their section. England are somewhere in the middle .
@Cassio if Italy wants to win the match on Sunday, Spalletti should avoid giving Daniel Maldini playing time . Because it seems that when Italy plays Germany and a Maldini is on the field then you can't win. I didn't know that either but just read about it: All began with Paolo's Father, Cesare, who only made a few matches for Italy (14) but one of them was against Germany in the World Cup 1962 which ended 0-0. Paolo Maldini, a true legend, played in this career 4-times against Germany and Italy couldn't win either. (2 Losses-2Draws). On Thursday his son, Daniel, came into the match in the 71th minute when it was 1-1. 4 minutes later Goretzka scored for Germany. So, "Maldini for Italy against Germany" = No victory!!! Hope I haven't "jinxed" it now and Maldini scores the winner on Sunday Anyway, I hope it will be a cracker match (like 2006 but with different outcome). The tickets were sold out in less than 2 hours btw. Unfortunately, due to UEFA regulations in Dortmund are only about 60-65.000 allowed unlike the 82.000 for Bundesliga matches For Germany it is important to stay focussed. If Italy scores again the first goal then it will be totally different. Would be so important for Germany to get to the first semi-final of a tournament since 2016, after we made at least all semi-finals from 2006-2016 and then the downwards spiral began. Yes, it's only the Nations League and not the Euro or World Cup but it's nonetheless important for the development of the team to advance
Didn't know that, but if we had the real Maldini I would honestly still make him play as a starter Daniel should start tomorrow (according to the press), we are going to play with the same men except for Buongiorno for Calafiori, Ricci for Rovella and Maldini for Raspadori. I expect to see also Cambiaso, but maybe in the second half. A friend of mine lives in Koln so for a moment I had thought about going, but I couldn't find the tickets.
Yes, of course you wouldn't play without such a legend like Paolo Maldini just because he's cursed when playing against Germany (every curse is there to be broken sometimes) It's really curious that some of the best players in the world (or even the best) don't function against Germany, e.g Since Ronaldo is playing for Portugal Germany hasn't lost anymore against them, even thrashing them several times. And with Messi it's for World Cup, Argentina can't win against us when he's on the field in a World Cup match. So we hope Messi and Ronaldo are playing forever so we have a "sure" win against them in a tournament (only kidding ) As I said in Germany the tickets for this match were sold out immediately. Germany vs Italy has this fascination for us (only the match against the Netherlands is similar for us and to a slower degree the duel against the "cousins" from Austria)
It actually shocks me how bad the Italian squad has been the last few years. Even when you win the Euros, the squad didn't look like much on paper. Italy used to be a conveyor belt for talent, and I feel like that belt just suddenly stopped about 15 years ago.
Same for us, as I said some days ago. For us there is not match like Italy-Germany, no rivalry even remotely comparable. But your fans have always been amazing, Italians are usually very "spoiled". The national team has been an open wound for us for years now, there are still too many people disappointed by the failure to qualify for the World Cup twice, for this reason San Siro was sold out only a few days before the match. Yes, it's true. There a lot of reason, it'd be long to explain, but the italian mentality doesn't help. In italy we want everything right away, because we have always been used to winning and having strong teams, plus in italy (much more than in other countries) people live with the obsession of victory. There was such pressure in the games we lost when we didn't go to the world cup that even the historic veterans of our national team would have struggled to play. In italy there is only and exclusively football, people only talk about football, at the bar, in the office, everywhere. In other countries there are many other popular sports.
In the timespan of 2018-2023 it wasn't so easy with the relationship between the Fans and our Nationalmannschaft because of the way we played during this time. Jogi Löw should've resigned after winning the World Cup 2014 or after the semi-final in the Euro 2016 and his legacy would've nearly perfect. So he stayed until the Euro 2020/21 and this was the time when many Germany football fans couldn't be arsed anymore about our team because there was nearly no passion anymore and the coach hadn't it either (anymore) (best shown when we were hammered in the Nations League Group phase in Spain with 0-6 in November 2020 and he sat there as if he was doped. This was the moment were he should be fired immediately, no matter of his merits of reaching every semi-final from 2006 to 2016 and the World Cup in 2014. But they let him stay even until the Euro 2020. The result is known...beaten by England And the home matches showed that the German Fans weren't happy with this teams attitude. The DFB couldn't fill the stadiums anymore (and under Flick it wasn't any better). Normally the Nationalmannschaft is sacred here in Germany but we had enough of this shit play and the players mentality. The hiring of Julian Nagelsmann in 2023 was like a fresh air for all. He has a clear concept and he brought back the enthusiasm of the Fans with their Nationalmannschaft. We played a good Euro 2024, only got beaten by eventual winners Spain in the last minute of extra time in the quarterfinal (and we should've gotten a clear handpenalty but it was denied) The Fans forgive losses when they see that the team is giving it all and is fighting. We will get setbacks on our way back to be contenders for titles, that's for sure but we're convinced of the way Nagelsmann wants to bring us to the World Cup 2026 and the Euro 2028. It was imo the best decision the DFB has made since hiring Franz Beckenbauer as Coach in 1984. So I hope you don't mind that I want our team to win today again against Italy (which btw would be a first, winning 3 in a row against the archrival). If we fail, though, I won't be angry (only disappointed) when I see that we gave it all and lost to a then better opponent.
I know it's only Armenia, but Georgia are currently 6-0 up against them after 25 mins of their playoff second leg and playing some beautiful football (yes I'm that bored). Was really impressed with them in the Euros as well.
