Euro 2008 Quarterfinal Weekend Awards

We have two games to cover with this weekend’s award ceremonies. So let’s get cracking. First up …

The Life of Brian Award : Always look on the bright side of life, Italy fans. The loss today means two things. One, Antonio Cassano kept his shirt on. Good for everyone concerned. Two, Roberto Donadoni is almost certainly gone. Good for Azzurri fans who dream of a fifth star.

Group of the Dead Award : The group of death collapsed this weekend, with both surviving representatives, the group-winning Dutch and the runners up Italy, crashing out.

The Golden Guus Award : Guus Huddink makes the semi. Again. This might be the most talented of the underdog sides he has coached to the late stages of tournaments. Is it finally his time to take home a cup?

The Howard Webb Award for Excellence in Blind Refereeing : Herbert Fandel. I don’t think you can call it biased, or bottling, but it was a poor performance from the German ref and his team. At least they didn’t call back any legitimate goals.

Great Moments in Bias : Andy Gray, commentator for ESPN’s coverage of the match, was absolutely clear in his allegiance for this game. It would be one thing if he was the Spanish, or Italian, commentator. But for the man running the feed to a neutral country, you expect a bit more than cheering for Cesc Fabregas as he lined up for the game-winning PK.

Cool Under Fire Award : This was always going to be a battle of two great goalkeepers, but in this particular penalty shootout, it was Iker Casillas that got the better of Gigi Buffon, saving two penalties to Buffon’s one, and making an excellent save with his foot in regulation to keep the game scoreless.

Line in the Sand Award : The Italian defense was happy to let Spain control possession, and pass to their little hearts’ content at midfield. But in the last third, the Italian back four (plus De Rossi) formed an absolute wall. Their game is to play flawlessly at the back and depend on Luca Toni’s accuracy up front. One worked perfectly.

Will Score for Food Award : This one goes to Miroslav Klose, who didn’t even play this weekend. He had a bet with Luca Toni over who could score more goals in this tournament, and even if things ended today, he would have the better of it. Then again, they might have been talking about actual goals, not the ones the refs decide to count. In that case, its even Steven.

The “Help me, Obi Wan” Award : Andrei Arshavin, you are your team’s only hope. Without you, Spain romped 4-1. But once back from your suspension, the Russians had more of everything you want a team to show – fluid passing, attacking vigor, and a razor sharp finish. Without that red card in Andorra, one wonders what that first match with Spain would look like. We’ll find out soon enough in the rematch for a spot in the final.

And now, the ladies : Since we’re putting two matches into one awards post, there are four lovely fangirls representing their side today. Talk about an embarrassment of riches.

Thanks to Euro2008girls.com for these pics. Doing a great job over there, guys.