Azzurri v Faroe Islands: Take That, Part-Timers!
By: Martha | November 22nd, 2007
Roberto Donadoni busted out another B-team yesterday, returning only three starters from the Scotland match, but the team he sent out was more than enough to drop a semi-interested 3-1 whupping on the Faroe Islands. Which is great and all, but since the Faroes ended qualifying with a grand total of zero points from 12 matches, anything less would have been really, really embarrassing.
The Azzurri, including debutant Raffaele Palladino who started and played all 90 minutes, were all over the visitors in the first half, with Vincenzo Iaquinta and Simone Perrotta both having good chances before an own goal got Italy on the board in the 10th minute. The pressure continued, and homeboy Luca Toni scored the second a quarter of an hour later, and Giorgio Chiellini’s ego got a little bigger when he turned a bad first touch into a screamer from about 25 yards just before the half, finishing the Azzurri scoring in fairly spectacular fashion.
The second half was spent mostly sitting back and waiting for the game to be over and, with the pressure they managed to create, it was almost inevitable that the Faroes would eventually score. When the goal came, it was from the head of Azzurri-killer Rógvi Jacobsen, who scored on the first leg, as well. (In case you’re wondering, half of the Faroes’ four qualifying goals came against the World Champions. And, yes, Jacobsen is an amateur player who earns his living as a carpenter, thanks for asking.)
The bottom line is that the win secured Italy the top spot in Group B, and helped them finish with a good enough UEFA coefficient (I’m rolling my eyes here) to land in Pot 2 for the Euro 2008 draw this weekend. The logic of the entire system is as lost on me as it is on anyone else — I’m not sure what the point of seeding is if you can still end up with a group that contains Holland, Italy, Germany (or Spain) and France — but who are we to complain? UEFA and Michel Platini know all.
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Comments
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I remember looking at the calculations for the seedings once, but I think it was for WC.
Anyway.
They are based on past performances in the tournament and something else.
Which begs the question.
Why is France in pot 4?
They won it in 2000 (puke) and came to the quarters last year.
Plus runners up in WC 06.
And perennial underachievers / international non-entity Holland is a first seed.
While the calculation is easy, I think the logic behind the criteria needs some scrutiny.
And perhaps a degree in theoretical nuclear physics.
Posted from
United States
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I wish UEFA would just simplify it and seed all continental competitions (Euro and WC qualies) on FIFA world rankings. They’ve agreed to do it with WC qualifiers, a move I totally support. I understand why the hosts get a free spot, but should they really get a free 1-seed? That makes no sense at all to me, especially for a dual host. The defending champ and the hosts should get free spots, but they should be placed according to their rank.
Posted from
United States -
I finally saw this match on replay today. Toni scoring before his hometown had me all wishy-washing. And that Chiellini strike was a mut-fuk-in doozy. He’d never get that kind of space against a real side, but what a cracker (the shot, not Chiellini.)
Posted from
United States -
I know it still counts and all, but from what I can tell from the highlights, the only reason Chiellini was even in that space was because he took an awful touch and had to chase the ball down.
Romanista, according to the UEFA website, it’s two qualifying cycles, so for Euro 2008 and WC 2006:
“The system is based on the results of the qualifying competitions – a cycle of two competitions, that is to say one EURO qualifying competition and one World Cup qualifying competition,” explained UEFA’s professional football director Giorgio Marchetti. “The coefficients are drawn up by dividing the total number of points earned by each team during the two qualifying competitions by the number of matches played. From this point of view, the system is simple, transparent and objective, there is no interference.
I’m sure it’s all perfectly clear now, right? (I still don’t get the France thing. Domenech penalty?)
Posted from
United States -
Err..
That’s about as clear as partial differential equations.
So then seedings have nothing to do with past performances in the actual tournament, but past performances in QUALIFYING for said tournaments.
Except for the host(s) and champions who are automatically first seeds.
Seems a bit stupid to me.
But such is life.
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United States
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