Germany - Argentina (Quarter-final)

[J zanetti]

Great to see him pack his bag – what a fool!
Pekerman to quit after defeat

Paul Jump
Friday June 30, 2006
Jose Pekerman says he will quit as coach of Argentina after his team's 4-2 defeat on penalties to Germany.
"This has come to an end and I will certainly not go on," he said after the game. "You have to make a decision and I'm convinced I've done everything in my reach, and it's time to look for something else.
"I'm very sorry for the coaches and the fans and the players. This team deserves to go further but we couldn't make it."
Pekerman defended his decision to substitute Juan Román Riquelme and Hernán Crespo for Esteban Cambiasso and Julio Cruz with twenty minutes of normal time remaining, leaving the exciting Lionel Messi on the bench.
"Riquelme looked a bit tired," he explained. As for Messi, "We always had that option in mind...but it wasn't the right moment."
The 55-year-old added that he was happy with the way his team had played.
"Argentina always looked to win but in our best moments of football we had no clear-cut chances," he said. "It was a very exciting match. Argentina played like favourites and gave of their best although they lost. It's a shame for Argentina who played very well today and in the whole championship."
German coach Juergen Klinsmann said he thought the passionate German crowd had played a big part in his team's victory.
"The fantastic crowd carried us, they believed in us," he said. "We knew that even down a goal we'd come back. We were convinced that if we got to penalties we'd advance.
"The belief we have in ourselves is really strong. This is a team that's grown together over the past six weeks and we want to be world champions."
Captain and man-of-the-match Michael Ballack added that he though the hosts deserved to win.
"That was sensational," he said. "The match was maybe not so interesting for spectators but it was a match at a very high level. The team fought to the end.
"Of course, there's always luck when it comes to penalties but I think the team really deserved to win."

 

[UhUhOleguer]

I feel sorry for him. He was a decent guy but he was never meant to be coach of Argentina. He wasn't big enough for it.

I hope Valdano or Bianchi take over.

 

[Neon]

F@CK Pekerman and I hope he never coaches even a pre-school team. Damn him to hell!

Poor Cambi, he cried, and I nearly cried cause he is a good, good boy.

Pekerman is such an ass. His subs were horrible, his penalty kick lineup was horrible! AYALA! Ayala would have to go dead last, and Cambi, how could you put Cambi there so early!

In the end though I prefer this. Italy is going to stomp Germany, whereas Argentina might have been a problem.

Forza Cuchu and damn Perkerman, even I could've done a far, far better job.

Anyways did anyone know what happened or what was said that caused the scuffle on the field? I saw Mascherano jump punch someone! What was happening...........

 

[UhUhOleguer]

this happened

World-Argentina and Germany players clash

By Mike Collett
BERLIN, June 30 (Reuters) - Players and officials from both teams clashed on the pitch after Germany beat Argentina 4-2 on penalties to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup on Friday.

Argentina's Leandro Cufre, an unused substitute, was shown the red card after the final whistle, FIFA said in its official match report.

Although German coach Juergen Klinsmann and his Argentine counterpart Jose Pekerman played down the incident, FIFA are likely to take a very dim view of it especially as TV pictures were beamed to a huge global audience.

German team manager Oliver Bierhoff, caught in the middle of the melee, said he had intervened after an Argentina substitute trod on German defender Per Mertesacker.

"It's a shame that in a game like a quarter-final such pictures end up getting sent around the world," Bierhoff said.

"The fans have shown that they can get on well with each other and we should be able to do the same as sportsmen and team representatives."
Klinsmann put it down to the heat of the moment.

"I'd like to remind people that in football there is so much tension, so many emotions and if it goes all the way to penalties someone can lose control.

"Football is just so emotional. It's just normal. It's no big deal, no problem at all."

Pekerman added: "At times emotions run away with themselves at a match and its not what we feel.

"Germany and ourselves have great respect for each other and this was a thing in the heat of the moment."

INCURRING WRATH
FIFA officials and referee Lubos Michel were all caught up in the melee and punches and kicks appeared to be thrown in chaotic scenes which went on for approximately 90 seconds in front of a 72,000 crowd.

The trouble appeared to start when midfielder Tim Borowski gestured towards the Argentina players to "keep quiet" having scored his penalty to make it 4-2 in Germany's favour.

Several of the South American players walked towards him and when Esteban Cambiasso's final Argentina spot-kick was saved by German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, the Argentina defender Fabricio Coloccini approached Germany's Oliver Neuville.

Punches were thrown in a brief melee before it was broken up.

Germany skipper Michael Ballack blamed the Argentinians for starting the trouble saying after the match: "I think the first provocation came from Argentina. They were shouting at our players during the penalty shoot-out.
"They said something we couldn't understand but I think they tried to influence our penalty takers.

"When we scored the last penalty, Tim Borowski put his fingers to his lips and they were a bit mad.

FIFA will examine video footage of the incident and both teams are liable for heavy fines or other sanctions.
__________________

 

[minterke]

I thought Heinze showed great passion at the end, he wanted to take the whole German team to himself for obviously something that bothered him.

Good on you Gabby. I thought Cruz was complete shit today and cost Argentina a good man upfront, Messi should've been brought on instead of him. I can only feel sorry for 2 people though: Cambiasso and Ayala who gave his nation the lead and went from hero to zero.

Shouldn't hurt either of their stellar reputations though.

 

[Neon]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Hmmmm. We at home saw none of this taunting, only the aftermath, but who am I to judge I wasn't on the pitch.

Still football is a sport where emotions run high, these things happen, there's alot of passionate boys on the pitch and no one likes to go home.

I for one understand.

I wanted to punch Lehman in the face though when he was waving his finger at Cambiasso.

 

[BFC82]

Damnit man....:-(

I was really convinced Argentina could have win the WC. This is so damn depressing, hurts worse than when USA failed.

Damnit!!!!

 

[Frisko]

The Argies are just very bad losers, other than cheats. They put so much effort into diving, chating abuse and shit like that, no wonder they always get their asses kicked out of big competitions.

Peckerman resigned, this is just a day to remember.

 

[BFC82]

The Argies are just very bad losers, other than cheats. They put so much effort into diving, chating abuse and shit like that, no wonder they always get their asses kicked out of big competitions.

Peckerman resigned, this is just a day to remember.

C'mon Frisk...you act like they are the only ones who would do that. The Germans werent being any angels either, they were roughing up anyone they could. The only good that came out of this is Pekerman resigned.

Man just seeing Cambi's face after the game made this loss sting so much more. All I could think about was Zanetti's face after they lost to Milan in the CL.

:-(

 

[minterke]

Argentina didn't deserve this victory, a draw was the right result but only an Argie would say they deserved the victory. Leo Franco was shit in the PKs, he barely dove he just fell to the side.

Both teams were hungry, but in the end I guess Klinsmann and Lehmann were the difference makers.

 

[Gaetan]

The Argies are just very bad losers, other than cheats. They put so much effort into diving, chating abuse and shit like that, no wonder they always get their asses kicked out of big competitions.

Peckerman resigned, this is just a day to remember.

I'm loving every single minute of this Argentine defeat.

I personally play with a bunch of Argies at home and they've got this attitude about football that just makes me sick. Many lie, cheat and are sore losers.

And please, before this is called racism, it's more like first hand experience. Sorry if class acts like catanha and co may not like what is coming out of my mouth, but I sincerely think so.

 

[Fabio]

Why wasn't Abbondanzieri playing?

Fabio

P.S This has been a BAD week for catanha

 

[Miki]

Pekerwood got what he thoroughly deserved. You reap what you sow, numbnut.

Zaidriano's avatar says it all, really. Essentially, he screwed Argentina right before the tournament even started. He had a squad comprising the world's best players, but he couldn't do a thing with them.

What a shame. A great team goes out.

Ciao,
Tim

 

[minterke]

I personally don't care that Pekerman didn't call up JZ or Samuel. I mean if you are trusted enough to be the coach of a huge footballing nation like Argentina at the WC then you should pick whatever players you like and it should be your own project. Sadly though, Pekerman disappointed everyone from day 1 by keeping players like Aimar, Tevez and Messi on the bench.

You pull out your key playmaker at the 70th minute to defend a 1 goal lead against a team like Germany in the WC quarterfinals? I wish I can say that Germany don't deserve to advance, sadly though they do.

 

[rainBOWstarlite]

I think Pekerman should have kept Riquelme on, and bought Messi or Saviola on in the last minutes. I heard that he's resigned as team coach and it's probably so that he dosen't have to face the media regarding his tactics today. I honestly thought Argentina would go on to win htis but I knew Germany would be a tough team.

 

[zip]

Where catanha is it now? Someone know? LOL

 

[snake]

Colocci is a JOKE!!!

If Burdisso is injured, you could of used Samuel, Gonzalo or even Milito.

The best bit of the whole day was seeing Sorin owned like that by Odonkor

Pekermans an idiot, Tevez...fuck me i want him @ inter.

 

[shahz_nerazzurri]

DAMN, I wished Pekerman would have gotten sacked instead of resigning, that would have been much more humiliation for him, and more satisfaction for me.
Frankly, this was the best Argentine team in years, and I feel sorry for the Argentinian public, one moronic coach screwed them over

 

[Alex de Large]

Tevez has proved that he can play in the big team he wants, we should get him now

 

[Pravesh]

fuck fuck pekerman ... for not having j.zanetti in the squad, for not playing messi yesterday, for not playing with a playmaker ....

As to those who says Argentina didn't deserve the victory (Frisko), so was the case with Germany.