Did anyone predict a

France v Italy final.

Nope, thought not.

Two contrasting semi-finals brought together the finalists at Euro 2000, which France won 2-1 with a Trezeguet “golden goal”.

Italy v Germany was probably the best semi-final seen for a very long time, indeed the match of this tournament, not bad for a game that was scoreless for 118 minutes. Got nil-nil written all over it I said at the beginig and was pretty damn close to being correct.

Though Jurgen’s side had played pretty well throughout, exceeding most expectations but isn’t that what German teams always do at championships? I didn’t think they had it in them to get past the Italian defence, no matter how attacking the played.

I’m still not that sure about the quality of Klose & Podolski up front, especially up against a centerback with the quality of Fabio Cannavaro. And Michael Ballack faded from view very early on, still injured from the quarter final win over Argentina ? Funny I thought Schweinsteiger played his best in the first game when Ballack was on the bench, and Premiership watchers are going to love Ballack’s falling down party piece, to go with Drogba & Robben.

The Italians were also going for it attacking so unlike Azzurri teams of old, and didn’t they play well but again I didn’t feel even though he became the first player to score 30 goals in Serie A for decades that Toni is that good and would score.

Both teams attacking, a ref who let the game flow, didn’t start off waving cards left, right & centre, blowing for every infringement, made for a great game, everything you want from a semi but very rarely get.

And then onto the scumbags err I mean Portugal v France, where Portugal decided the only way they could actually score was to get most the French team sent off for non-existent fouls and the resultant “penalty” by throwing themselves to the ground at the slightest if any touch.

Scumbag in chief Ronaldo was booed by the vast majority of the 66000 crowd every time he touched the ball and was throwing himself about in the most pathetic way at every opportunity, but of course they were real fouls being committed on him and only not given because Portugal are a small country 🙄

We played well and did our best but the referee didn’t help us, everyone who saw the match could see that the referee wasn’t fair. He should have shown yellow cards but he did not because Portugal is a small country. Cristiano Ronaldo

No Ron it’s because you’ve got previous, which everyone really has seen, no ref can trust a Portuguese player going down and on this occasion the ref was proved right in every instance for thinking they were all diving.

Portugal didn’t win cause they didn’t turn up, Deco & Figo were nowhere, they don’t really have a striker worth a damn and again played for a period without a striker at all. Portugal, been too scummy at too many tournaments, especially 1966, 2000, 2002 and now 2006.

It’s not as if France were that great either, Zidane looked more like the player in the first round than the genius ZiZou of old against Spain & Brazil, don’t know if he’ll get it back for the final, too many big games in too short a time. Class may be permanent but legs ain’t. Though he would win a sweating competition hands down.

And Henry, well he’s got one more match to try and prove he’s not a big game flop.

If the both teams play like they did in the semi then Italy should win on Sunday, their right side of Zambrotta & Camoranesi should be able to destroy the French left of Abidal & Malouda who look pretty inept really.

Scandal back home, starting slowly, beating Germany, England going out tamely unbeaten…it’s got 1982 written all over it…