CZE V. POR : Austin, TX

And there is Pepe getting in the way. Red v white first international goal. Quick pace fleet feet. Cagey and cautious as they were against Switzerland. Digest stats cross fast keep it open. Bruckner white-haired debutant. Philipao 'Big Phil' Scolari the task master. They're all attackers except Petit. White with green numbers 20 Deco. Nuno Gomesh. Ferreirra playing fullback. Deco scores. What a start. Decoco. Bits of passes in the box. Touch touch heartbeat 4th goal for Deco. Unfortunate Czech megged, Petr flicked off his hands. 8th minute Geneva strike. Lazy let it go out. Deco: Portuguese goal scorer. Cech had it covered. Tough customer, Petit. Yanpollack check. Milan Barosh, whata touch, slips around Pepe meia lua. Goal. Corner header. Portugal had it coming. Crumbling tumbling defense. Unstoppable header Janko. Game against the Scots. Dramatic emphatic finish. Green lines shaded horizontal on the pitch. The will has shifted. White shirts to red shirts. The Czechs have it now. Goalie's placid face in the air the ball in the net, he has a slow descent. Thumbs up in the sun. Portugal Petit. Republic goalkeeper give it a lash. Hand in the back. Dancing Czech chanting red shirts. Plachile places a cross two times. Is two times denied. Pollack yellow card. Big tackle. Overexuberance cumbersome blumbersome. Ronaldo upright running. Motor-piston legs. Deco eyes up eyebrows snaking his way towards the box shot over the cross bar. Ronaldo shot snaps snaped up by Petr. Quick shot. Head collision with elbow, yell and fall down. Poked in the eye, poked in the face. I don't understand Simao. Looked like a purpose hand stepped on. Goalie misjudged steady left foot finds the opposite team. Yellow card Bosingwa. Nervy stuff out there isn't it? Chelsea for Scolari contract Carvalho considers future. Ai eha flush in the face gotta be bloody. Boggled his brain. Entertaining passages of play who was that the heck Barosh crosses bad. 15 months without a goal Barosh. Delay big screen big Phil hands like Woody Allen. Blue shirt ref baby blue points like officially like. Switch the direction of the play, like the ribbon. Surrounded by Scots myth the leprechauns for centuries. Ronaldo shot Cech defends they know each other well. Cannonmastercardkiamotorscalesberggenevaadidascocacolaimlovinitjvceverio Ronaldo in no great rush to return to his feet three guys down hand into his face. Defenders get the job dones then fall to the floor with a cut over his eye. Like a boxer. Ronaldo goal. Must eat now. Spaghetti stir-fry veggies.

NED V. ITA : Austin, TX

Well the Dutch must be cursing their luck the Argentina and the Ivorycoast with Denmark didn't really work out that way. Making it difficult. Van Nistelrooy. Collected that on his way round. Fair to say, Andy, most of his best penalty work not too often 80 yard balls. Keep the movement adept to jeep the movement. Big falling out with Marco linked out of decisive on the bench against Portugal. No strangers yeah to controversies. That's Italy on the move Marc Van Bommel ditched. Van Nistelrooy touched gamely to stay up. Just manages to put his hand in the way super piece of play. Buffon did very well to avoid any sort of contact. Forced him wide aaahhhoooo aaaaayyyoooo Van der Vaart period of possesion the dutch Brockhurst games coming alive two taxis for the Dutch. Shot over the bar. Buffon kicks out of hands. Draws against Denmark and Sweeden. They never talk about the game. Always analysis. Interesting, but not entertaining. Del Piero on the bench. Cross the defence, Holland, passing coast to coast, back to keeper Van der Saar. Fennuci, back to Pirlo, Zambrotta, smooth middle passing and back, Pirlo, crossed in. What you expect from Andrea Pirlo. Remains a main. Ambrosini quick feet, tripped up. Dead ball situation, over Luca Toni big chin. Tried to steal too many yards, the ref brought it back. The Dutch dominating possession of the ball so far. Schneider delivers up another. Look who's preying on that. Ruud. Good touch by Materazzi. Batttle in the middle shift and shift and lost. Throw in blues Azzurri. Fouls fouls everywhere blasted Italy. Buffon - ggggooall. Ruud Van Nistelrooy. The Dutch! Orange shirst in one of the worst decisions you will ever see. Not being on the pitch you can't count him. Luca Toni yellow card. Crowd in a huff. Jeers and boo's abound. 1-0 the score remains after a controversial call. Looked like clearly offside position. Touch to Gattuso. The claps and the ooohs. Luca Toni down no decision in the referee great closing Van der Vaart again a cool little on the arm good decision. Such an aura of pessimism surrounding the Dutch. Pirlo rolling balls beneath his foot, Beatles mop-top hair shambles along. Slide tackles slip into advertisements. Boularoul to snuff out danger to bring up huge threat to the same place mab flicked on off the line by Brockhurst left goooaal. Perfect. Dutch. 2-0. Counter attack of the ages. Brockhurst, chanced to Kuyt, to Schneider to gaol net. Adrian Heel Andy Grey commentators 32 minutes gone by, body blows to the Italians. Volley from Di Natale. Van der Saar. Bigbird. Blocks. 7-3 shots 2-0. Gianluca Kuyt-tripper. This time the flag does go up. Nayerves. English accents. Gianluigi Buffon 2 goals in 7 games in Germany. Boularouz at the back. Ice cream. Dare I say almost total football. In BASEL. Buffon defend. Beauty ball-passing. Old Italians. Gattuso not so inventive ball-winners Ambrosini. Last 35 minutes brilliant orange. Good goalkeeping that. Halftime.

Pretzels. Buffon surrounded by oncoming orange suns. Blasts the ball into the sky. This is a don't lose group. Why is that not a foul? Explain to me. First goal allowance guilt. Feet flying Ambrosini against. Gattuso. Lack of goals. Winding out. The cheer coming Del Piero on the bench. Donadoni turns who to first ten best out, tentative little protective to jeep on the game. Cross the refs consistent just let the game go. Kuyt taking time you know how much has been made Arjen Robben, fifty minutes in Kuyt has been any better from a by position wingless wonder one tackle too many. Break the choreography cam. Network seeds four interfifa. Dutch and ditch and struggles. Materazzi tumbled over good decision Materazzi free kick Kuyt. Corner. Ruud, thigh pain, grimaces on his face the shirt pulling. And the Wrestling, the referees say it wasn't that. Blueazzurri in the back passing up to lanks Luca Toni. Zambrotta flashed it across the face of goal. Half-moon touches on the end at speeds, tight angle tough shot to beat Van der Saar. Elbow to the face of Schneider jumping headers elbows to faces. Rosso on for Materazzi. Marco. Left back. The logical case. Much like 9 minutes to make a change could have been had. At halftime. Talismanic figure for Italy. Ten minutes gone in the second half. On the righthand side. Whistles and jeers from the crowd. Pirlo in the platform Massimo De Jong. Didn't see the Dutch pinned back now firmly on the backfoot. Age of 37 foutry-sixth captain night. Holland passing passing passing put pressure on, the Italians. Evasive againstation. End result: a yellow card caper. Kuyt's clearance Camoranesi hasn't factored. Encouragement the last five minutes. Cap tonight cap tonight cap tonight. Hourmark Luca Toni wouldn't. Literally Celtic Tuesday night NBA final plugs. Gatusso grinning sheepish goatee. Dirk Kuyt crossed deep Zambrotta Camoranesi. Del Piero standing up for Azzurri entry. Idle look good show from Pirlo. Allesandro Del Piero the little artist in Italy. St. Pirlo. Fair challenge passing Gatusso offside Piero. Lost Cannavaro front line defender. Helm of the Dutch to manage Ajax. Del Piero for Italy slips when he shoots. Bend it back in wide Del Piero off the post ten seasons 51 goals scored in top flight. Flicks and flaps. Much easier Marco Van Basten. Camoranesi counter-offensive two nil goals. Grosso again back in the thick dramatic game winner, Dutch just want to get to take keep out for as long as possible. Van der Vaart spinning Ambrosini. Commended great skill. Dead-ball situation for Schneider. Day four group D. Defending champions Greece Sweeden. Was that the moment? Great first touch Del Piero Ruud runs out, for Van Persie. Yes. Arsenal representative Van Persie. Another injury-wracked campaign too far too few games. 16-9 fouls committed Netherlands. He fizzed that in. Make a mark felt a mark flailing long balls on striker Cassano on the bench. Bad pass blues. Clockwork orange two-goal cushion. Thwumpthump. Easy clearance. Dropped back deep. Look at Van Persie he's on here comes Cassano for Camoranesi. Third and final substitution from Sampdoria. Toni onside Luca Toni shot overrushed it. Just makes Dutch through. Boularouze pretty good job you have to say Johnny Hightinger. Engalah. Saved. Fabio Grosso beaten away by Van der Saar. Coldblooded clearance the Dutch don't know how to defend. Still not in their DNA isit? No. Referee one of the worst officials for the best games. Pirlo free kick woodwork he saved that Dirk Kuyt Gio 3 goal. Three strikes. Out for Italy. Counterattack masters, the Dutch. Beautiful. 5 foot 6 Gio. Van der Bigbird best goalie. Kuyt out. Bigbird saves Pirlo starts counter scores goal. Total football. Back to front. Got there early Grosso dig out. Going for goal fishes across the goalframe. Probably wishes he hadn't freekick Pirlo. Italians don't suffer this this is an old side. Dutch didn't just shut up shop. Non-Italians. Clapping brilliant orange chorus. Player lying behind the goal still considered active. Still at a lost lying down defender still on the pitch off the pitch injured. Van Persie tricks through shoots. Girl hands. Inflict further damage but not quite 90th minute Materazzi's health Dutch firmly sole position group C. 3 minutes stoppage start major tournaments fizzle then Spain great point important to grow into them. Introduce yourselves. Delivering the cross dealt with such contention suspect backfour. Whistle Dutch to outscore due to defense. Toni on the turn time stoppage deep in the corner. End whistle whistles especially not orange-clad fans quite remarkable win 3-nil. Italy lose. Group of death orange halo.