Euro 2008 Final Preview: Germany vs Spain

Is this Spain’s time? If the world was fair, then it would be. All that talent and just one trophy (the 1964 European Championship) and one second place (1984 European Championship) to show for it. Oh, and a whole lot of quarterfinal appearances.
Or is it Germany’s time? Isn’t it always Germany’s time? ... [read]

Euro 2008 Jersey Poll Tournament Final: Spain vs Germany

Would you believe this? Our Euro 2008 Jersey Poll Tournament, which we’ve run throughout Euro 2008 to find WCB readers favourite jersey, is down to the last two. Not quite as big an event as the actual Euro 2008 final, but a little WCB milestone nonetheless.
And guess who’s in the final? Spain ... [read]

Bayern Munich are the Most Represented Club in the Euro 2008 Final

After today’s 90 (or 120) minutes of action, we’ll have to start thinking about club football again. So I was wondering which team had the most players involved in the Euro 2008 final.
Here are the most represented club teams at Euro 2008, according to how many players they have in today’s squads:
... [read]

Who Do You Think Will Win the Euro 2008 Final?

We’ve been a reasonably accurate group of voters so far. We predicted Spain would beat Russia, just as we predicted victory for Germany over Turkey.
We know who neutrals want to win the Euro 2008 trophy today. But who do you think will win? Will be fascinating to see how closely the head follows the heart. So let’s keep our record ... [read]

EuroDose, June 28, ‘08

Some news to read as you brake for a fake speed bump:

The best photos of Euro 2008 (Futblog)
Video: The top Euro ‘08 goals (The Beautiful Game)
Or, if you prefer, the best goal of the knockout stages (The Run of Play)
Final Preview (Footie Girl)
Meet the Schweinsteigers and learn about the Tragedy of Philipp Lahm’s Great-great-great-great-grandfather (Germany Blog)
5 biggest flops of ... [read]

Vote: Should There Have Been a Third Place Playoff at Euro 2008?

My initial reaction when I gave the Euro 2008 schedule was: No 3rd place playoff? Excellent. It’s basically a friendly between the B teams of two disappointed teams.
Sandwiched between the drama of the semi-finals (there’s always drama in semi-finals) and the big event that is the final, the game to see ... [read]

Lilian Thuram’s Career May End with Heart Defect Diagnosis

Lilian Thuram has always been one of my favorite French players — a class act both on and off the field. He’s thirty-six years old and has played for France since 1994. He’s the team’s most-capped international at 142 games. In the years since World Cup 2006, he’s worn the ... [read]

Freddie Ljungberg Hangs Up His International Boots

Sweden’s captain and object of lust for women all across the globe has decided to call it quits on the international stage and focus on his club. After a fairly disappointing Euros for pretty much everyone with Sweden, it comes as no surprise that the team will attempt to blood in some ... [read]

EuroVision: What It’s All About

The lady every player wants to take home at the end of the night. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)
... [read]

Germany’s Midfield Now A Hospital Ward

If Spain doesn’t win this one, they’ll never win one. Michael Ballack is fresh off a calf injury and now in doubt for the final; Torsten Frings has a broken rib which limited him to spot duty in the semifinal against Turkey; and Simon Rolfes looks like he just went 15 rounds ... [read]