*André and Pedro shaking hands* :)

Bruno Jesus: Yes, I'm in. If Portugal doesn't make it to semifinals (Top 4), you'll buy me a 6 months of rook membership. If it does make it to the semis, I'll buy you a rook membership of the same length. Deal?

Bruno Jesus: I take that bet...Portugal is not going to make it to the quarterfinals - look at Group C - Argentina, Serbia and Montenegro, the Netherlands - all of them are better than the Portuguese I guess...

Czuch Chuckers: Yes, it is but that doesn't mean that it's better. The Czech Republic is ranked second for instance and I'm more than sure that we aren't the second best team in the world.

But - look at the groups the US and Portugal are playing in. It is almost certain that the Portuguese will promote from the Group D, while the Americans are the outsiders of the Group E. All the other teams seem to me to be better.

Congrats on your free six months, André...LOL

MagicDragon: Inscrutable - I mean hard to fathom, I don't know what to expect from them. They were playing great football in Korea/Japan, other recent results are not so dazzling though. It's easier to prepare for a team there's a lot of information about, which the USA isn't. They're simply inscrutable...:)

MagicDragon: I was hoping not to get the USA from the last basket, they're inscrutable. I will personally attend this match in Gelsenkirchen and believe it will end up in the similar way as the last time these two teams (or actually Czechoslovakia and the USA) met at the WC (4-0). :) And yea, Group E is one of the toughest, maybe together with Group F. Looks like an easy way for Germany, Portugal, France and Spain. I was personally hoping the Czech Rep. would play in Group D, but the Portuguese took the place...:)

A: Germany, Costa Rica, Poland, Ecuador
B: England, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, Sweden
(LOL @ Eriksson)
C: Argentina, Ivory Coast, Serbia and Montenegro, the Netherlands
D: Mexico, Iran, Angola, Portugal
E: Italy, Ghana, USA, Czech Republic
F: Brazil, Croatia, Australia, Japan
G: France, Switzerland, Korea, Togo
H: Spain, Ukraine, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia

Congrats to Australia on making it to the Germany'06.

Socrates: Is it really so obvious?.......definitely not to me...

Hrqls: That was just a training match, I bet the players focused especially on that nobody would get hurt in that game.

Andre Faria: And so does Vítor Baía I bet.

Andre Faria: In Euro 2004 I was betting in Portugal - Czech Republic in the final...

I was hoping for this final also. It would have been nice to see a rematch of the Euro 1996 game. :)

Andre Faria: But wouldn't it be interesting to see these two countries in the finals?

The Dutch have a great team - they defeated us 2-0 in Prague last Saturday. Humiliation.
-----------------------------------
-----------
FIFA World Cup play-off draw:
Spain v Slovakia
Switzerland v Turkey
Norway v Czech Republic

All wrong - 1. Czech Rep, 2. Slovakia....:)

Andre Faria: Yeah, can't wait to beat two Sportings in a row...LOL...

Bry: I've signed up with Sparta Praha...:)

Andre Faria: Huh!

Mourinho? As black and white as that...

How do you explain that, Anders?
I think the answer is as clear as daylight: They didn't have Mourinho... or Mourinho enchanted them....

Pedro Martínez: He chose the wrong profession then I guess. Should've been a pope, or at least a healer. I'd pay him hundreds to transfer my "pressures" to him.

Must be some sort of guru or something...

Andre Faria: Is it?

Well, it usually does not happen that one of the teams that made it to the finals had the advantage of playing at their own pitch. The place where the final match will be played is determined before the season starts, so even if AZ had defeated Sporting, they would still have played CSKA in Lisbon.

THE 2005 ICE HOCKEY WORLD CHAMPIONS

ANTICHRIST: For the 27th time: I have never said Portuguese clubs and players are "poor" and can't play football.

Andre Faria: No, why?

Hrqls: Sporting

UEFA Cup 2004/2005:


1R:
Sporting - Rapid 2-0, 0-0
AZ - PAOK 3-2, 2-1

GR:
Sporting - Panionios 4-1
AZ - Auxerre 2-0
Sporting - Tbilisi 4-0
AZ - Amica 3-1
Sporting - Sochaux 0-1
AZ - Rangers 1-0
Sporting - Newcastle 1-1
AZ - GAK 0-2

32:
Sporting - Feyenoord 2-1, 2-1
AZ - Aachen 2-1, 0-0

16:
Sporting - M'brough 3-2, 1-0
AZ - Shakhtar 3-1, 2-1

QF:
Sporting - Newcastle 0-1, 4-1
AZ - Villareal 2-1, 1-1

Andre Faria: I've never thought Portuguese players were poor.

sLaMdAnCe: I find that WAY overrating.

Please guys, you must have noticed such a small Union Jack next to the name of this debate board. Now why do you think it is there? Bingo, it means that you are supposed to speak English here.

Moreover, antichrist is banned for two days for slanders.

RicardOliveira: Yes, I think you're right - my original feeling was wrong. Please accept my apology again.

Andre Faria: Yes, you are completely wrong.

Yes guys, but it was meant as an irony...please read my apology post again...carefully...

Nuno: "it's not a question of nationality" - THAT is exactly my point.

Ricardo: I will delete your opinion everytime you insult anybody at this board.

RicardOliveira: Your posts were aggressive and insulting. Now please let's talk about sports again.

OK, I'm sorry, guys ... I had a feeling that some people here were taking up chelsea and throwing dirt at man u just because of the nationality of mourinho, carvalho, etc. I think I was wrong...please accept my apology...

Chelsea is definitely one of the best teams in Europe right now. But maybe you would agree, Antichrist, that they would be much better without all those "poorly" playing Portuguese players, don't you think?

I'd wish my team played as "poorly" as the United...LOL

Congrats Porto, well done.

I'll be there...;D

RED SOX rule!!!! ;-)

ML - I didn't expect that at all!!! I still can't believe that the Sweds with Lidström, Tärnström, Forsberg, Alfredsson, Axelsson, D. Tjärnqvist, Jönsson etc. lost their 3-1 lead and the entire game...

Sweden 3 - 5 Canada

Yeah, I was just gonna tell you, LJ, that Lendl was better than McEnroe and Flemming combined...he'd kick their ass playing against them just by himself...;-)

They're coming back to Sweden? Great news, hope they're both gonna play for Djurgaarden, my favorite team....;-)

I wouldn't bet a dime on Leafs or Colorado. In my eyes, the Avs team is much worse than it was last season and generally, I'd say that teams from the Eastern Conference are better than those from the West. As for Toronto, I don't like the way the team is made up. Players like Sundin, Mogilnyi, McCabe...I don't know, as I say, I wouldnt bet on them. But I may be wrong. BTW, I'm a Pens fan...:(

Flyers

OK, MadMonkey, it ain't gonna happen again. ;0)