At the summit of Pallastunturi, after 3 kms of snowshoeing (before another 3 kms on the way back).
Tag Archives: football
Euro 2008: Great football, now over
So, last night Spain were crowned (fairly) as champions of Europe. This tournament, in my opinion, was much, much better than 2004 in the sense that attacking football was rewarded, not only for the Spanish, but also for the Turkish, Russian, Dutch, Portuguese and even for moments German teams.
Pity we can’t have this kind of quality football every day.
Superclásico fever
In every league in every sport there are derbies. You know what I’m talking about, the kind of grudge games that build up in the whole city or country that are one of the highlights of the season.
In Mexican football, there is none bigger than the América (águilas, or eagles) vs. Guadalajara (chivas, or goats) rivalry. The 200th version of that game was played last Sunday, and my beloved Chivas won.
The most rewarding part of the whole experience is when we look at the league table, where Chivas is at the top (having lost one game in their whole league campaign) and América at the bottom (having won only two in their worst season in history).
Chivas’s Copa Libertadores campaign hasn’t been so good, but there is still a chance to qualify to the knockout stages of that competition too. Needless to say, I’m a happy Chiva congelado.
The secret of a good marriage
As a friend would say, the secret of a good marriage is that both of you should "play for the same team". So, "if the goal is that way, no shooting on own goal is allowed".
I knew that football is life, but this is starting to get ridiculous 😉
And Chivas keeps on winning
5 games, 4 wins, no defeats. And with goals like those below, we can dream of the title.
Mexican football roundup
My beloved Chivas lost in the Mexican Clausura 2007 championship semifinals against eventual champions Atlante. Their history has taken a remarkable turn for the better this season. Founded in 1916 in Mexico City, the "Team of the People" had fallen on hard times, as followers became few and far between. An attempted move to Ciudad Neza to get new supporters didn't work, and they had to return to ever more empty seats at the Aztec Stadium. This year, to improve their luck, they decided to move to Cancún. Their results improved considerably, their local stadium is continuously full and the team played very well both in the regular season and in the playoffs. Congratulations!
América, on the other hand, lost the final of the Copa Sudamericana against Arsenal de Sarandí. They were completely schooled during the second leg at home in the Azteca, and even though they won away it was not enough.
Furthermore, Pachuca lost their first and only match in the Club World Cup. After having a wonderful few years, winning the Mexican championship multiple times, the Copa Sudamericana and the CONCACAF championship to qualify to Japan, they underlined their terrible second half of 2007 with a disastrous performance against Étoile Sportive du Sahel, the African champions.
There is rumours that more Mexican players will move to Europe in the winter, with Héctor Moreno from Pumas UNAM going to AZ Almaar, therefore joining Carlos Salcido in the Dutch Eredivisie.
Let's see what new surprises there are in the new year.
“Ricardo La Volpe necesita su propio departamento de Relaciones Exteriores”
Antes de que el Sr. La Volpe dirigiera a Vélez en Argentina, algunos medios de ese país (especialmente "Olé") decían que en México no se le apreciaba dado que es argentino.
Después de haber experimentado las malas formas de este entrenador con la prensa, con los jugadores y hasta con sus partidarios, se dieron cuenta que aunque esta persona es realmente es uno de los que más saben de táctica en el balompié mundial, sus formas y su trato humano es lo que lo hacen fallar.
Después de escuchar la frase que da título a este post de boca de un amigo argentino, me dí cuenta que ellos habían llegado a la misma conclusión. Escribo esto aún cuando sigo siendo de la opinión que el partido México-Argentina del Mundial pasado fue el mejor que una selección mexicana jamás haya jugado en una Copa del Mundo.
World Cup & Olympics in Brazil
The organisation of the World Cup has been awarded to Brazil for the event in 2014. Furthermore, they have submitted a bid to organise the Olympics in Rio in 2016.
With this, Brazil would become the second Latin American country that organises the Olympics (after Mexico 68), and the second that organises the World Cup for the second time (after Mexico as well, who did so in 1970 & 1984, while the World Cup was in Brazil in 1950).
I definitely think the Brazilians will put a great show, but the country has to be sure that they will be able to cover the expenses involved. These events become bigger and more expensive every time, and as such they are a drain on public resources.
This is not fair
And Chivas lost again, this time the National Derby against América…
Hope the team finishes their chances next time, as according to the reports in the media they played better than their opponents for long stretches of the game, but ended up losing 2-1.
It’s not over until it’s over
And Chivas lost against Arsenal de Sarandí at home for the second leg of their knockout tie in the Sudamericana Cup.
Chiva Congelado suffers…