>>>>
>>>>I just watched Spain-Portugal and it again came down to PKs One of the Spanish players did a variation of Pirlo's slow looper, successfully.
>>>>
>>>>The most notable PK today is undoubtedly the one that was not taken. I suspect the debate over that one will go on for quite a while. (Not being coy but maybe some working folks here recorded the match to watch this evening and don't want to know the ending).
>>>
>>>But did you see when he failed usingcexactly the same kick.It didn't look so clever then.
>>>
>>>
>>>I though the referee was quite poor. Wasn't that Metins Turkish contribution. Too many yellow cards, didn't play Nanis advantage and stopped play too many times because players had messed up their makeup. A referee who blows too often or too quickly can be a problem.
>>
>>I did not think the referee had good control of the match at all. Yes, he was Turkish, although I am not making any connection there. He just was not a good ref, certainly not at that level. All your points are valid. He also missed at least two hand balls and fell for some really bad dives, two of them by that Spanish pygmy. (Announcer after one of them: "They were both going equally for the ball and the only contact was on the bottom of his foot!" Guy writhing on the ground like he'd been shot). They say the mark of a good referee is you hardly notice them. You definitely noticed this guy.
>>
>>Another thing that had me shaking my head about the referee was he was clearly stepping off the 10 yards on free kicks. Even in youth soccer referee instruction they teach you not to do that. If you don't know what 10 yards is you have no business refereeing in a major tournament. Even worse, after carefully marking off the distance he then failed to enforce it. The Spanish in particular kept creeping up a yard or two and he didn't do a thing about it. Just not in control.

>>
>>Have you gotten any post-match information about Ronaldo and the penalty kicks? In particular I am curious who decided the kicking order for Portugal -- typically it is the manager, I believe -- and why Ronaldo was not moved up when Portugal's position became dire. I'm pretty sure Spain changed their planned order of kicks. The two announcers on the American telecast, who are both English, were incredulous at the end of the match. How can you be in penalty kicks in the semifinals of the Euro Cup, one of them said (paraphrased), and Cristiano Ronaldo never kicks the ball? The other announcer, what would be called the color commentator over here, was even more blunt. He clearly thought Ronaldo insisted on being the last kicker so he had the chance to win the match and be the hero. If that is true -- and I have no basis for knowing it is -- it will greatly reduce my respect for him, no matter how fantastically talented he is. (And you and Dmitry will be able to say, "Told you so" <g>).
>>
>>The announcers were quite unhappy with the match, especially Spain's play. Everyone knows they play a deliberate, smothering game, and no one can say it doesn't work for them. They have not allowed a goal in this tournament, five matches, which is incredible. But yesterday they squeezed the life out of their own game along with that of their opponents. They seemed almost disinterested in scoring goals, at least until extra time. If they keep playing that joylessly I may wind up cheering for Germany in the final. (Oh yeah, Italy. OK).
>
>I enjoyed it, Portugal threw Spain off their stride which was interesting to watch. I noticed classic Ronaldo moment. Nani was running forward with the ball attacking towards the Spanish goal. I could see Ronaldo in the background running ahead and to the left. I saw him look back and then slow almost to a stop. It was like he didn't think there was anything in it for him so he did't bother. Spain aren't disinterested in scoring goals but they are interested in retaining possession. It was quite unusual to see them going for long shots and a mark of how Portugal where successful at disrupting their usual play.
>
>One other general point is I think the TV coverage had been pretty poor. I believe the broadcasters have to take a local feed and I don't think whoever is supplying that has much of a clue.

I sure was wrong about Germany vs. Italy, wasn’t I? Germany had played such a strong tournament that it took on an air of inevitability that they would at least reach the finals. There was one Achilles heel which I should have noted more: occasional defensive lapses. Early on in this match they were dominating play, just missing several scoring opportunities. Then there was a badly played sequence at the other end in which an Italian player stepped right around the German guarding him, not very closely, and crossed it to Balotelli wide open in front of the net without a defender on him. The goalkeeper never had a chance. The next lapse was worse, much worse, Balotelli bursting in alone on the keeper on a breakaway. Again it would have taken a miracle save. That one seemed to take a lot of the wind out of Germany’s sails.

We were talking about the referee last night. To me the ref tonight demonstrated exactly what I meant about keeping control without being an overt presence. When there was a foul he saw it and called it without making a big deal about it. Once the players trusted him to do that the histrionics went way down. As opposed to last night, when some early calls were missed and dives were rewarded. From that point on it was drama night – “Why not give it a try?” Then you’re down the rabbit hole.

He even called the hand ball PK. That was an awesome job of refereeing.

UPDATE: From "Advice for Referees", FIFA's bible for referees right after "The Laws of the Game" --

5.5 TRIFLING INFRACTIONS
"The Laws of the Game are intended to provide that games should be played with as little interference as possible, and in this view it is the duty of referees to penalize only deliberate breaches of the Law. Constant whistling for trifling and doubtful breaches produces bad feeling and loss of temper on the part of the players and spoils the pleasure of spectators."