Oh yeah, right, the expos...still hope the molsons buy them and stay in montreal...
An MLB Collaborative TL: Piece of Cake: The Cubs win Game 6 in '03
- Thread starter Looper
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2004 NBA Finals
2004 NBA Finals
Sacramento Kings vs Boston Celtics
This series was battle between two different stories. On one side, you had the Sacramento Kings, a team that was supposed to be here at the start of the season after many heartbreaks of recent playoff past. On the other side, the Boston Celtics were a Cinderella story, becoming the first number 6 to reach the NBA Finals since all the way back in 1981, being led by one man in Paul Pierce, who's clutch performances had dazzled the NBA world in the Spring of '04. Only one team could win, who would it be?
Game 1 in Sacramento on June 5 would be a harbinger of things to come, as the Kings jumped out to a 27 point lead in the first quarter, with the Sacramento defense only allowing 9 points for Boston. Yeah, you read that right, the Celtics only managed 9 points in 12 minutes. The Kings would continue to dominate, outscoring Boston in the first half 57-32 in the first half alone en route to series opening 121-86 win, Mike Bibby led all scorers with 53 points, Doug Christie with 50 points, Vlade Divac with 22 rebounds. For Boston, Paul Pierce was practically non-existent in the first half, scoring 32 of his 37 points in the second half. Game 2 would be more of the same for the Kings, with Bibby at one point making 11 shots in a row in the third quarter as Sacramento was just making the Celtics look like a JV team against the Varsity squad, Kings win 108-89 in the biggest back to back losses in NBA Finals history.
With the series shifting back to Boston for the next two (or three) games, the Celtics were optimistic that they could potentially turn the series around in front of their hometown fans. And it began well, with Paul Pierce waking up after two lackluster performances in Sacramento, leading the Celtics to good start in the first quarter, as the Celtics had their first lead after a quarter in the series as Pierce had 18 of Boston's 28 first quarter points. But the Kings would once again, take control of the game with Hedo Turkoglu connecting on back-to-back 3's to start the second quarter. From there, it was virtually all Kings with Sacramento leading at the half by 6 and continuing to take further control of the game, though Boston did manage to go a run led by Pierce near the end of the game, it was too little, too late for the guys in green, as the Kings held on for a 104-92 win to move within one win for the franchise's first championship in 53 years.
Game 4 would be the best game of the series as both teams went blow for blow in the first quarter, though Pierce would again find a way to wheel the Celtics ahead after one. Pierce would keep up his momentum, including a poster dunk on Divac that sent the FleetCenter crowd to it's feet. At halftime, the Celtics had their deepest lead of the series, winning 55-49 with Pierce accounting for 38 of Boston's first half total. The Celtics would keep up the pace in the third quarter, taking an 8 point lead into the final frame. But Sacramento would scratch and claw their way back, with Bibby, Christie and Chris Webber (who had been quiet all series up to this point) making their shots while Vlade Divac made plays on defense. with 2:16 left, Webber hit a three that gave the Kings a lead they would not relinquish as for the first time since they were the Rochester Royals in 1951, the Sacramento Kings were champions. Mike Bibby your finals MVP.
2004 NBA Finals recap
G1 (June 5, 2004): Boston 86 @ Sacramento 121 (SAC leads series 1-0) (worst game 1 loss in NBA finals history)
G2 (June 7, 2004): Boston 89 @ Sacramento 108 (SAC leads series 2-0)
G3 (June 10, 2004): Sacramento 104 @ Boston 92 (SAC leads series 3-0)
G4 (June 12, 2004): Sacramento 101 @ Boston 95 (SAC wins series 4-0)
2004 NBA Champions: Sacramento Kings
Sacramento Kings vs Boston Celtics
This series was battle between two different stories. On one side, you had the Sacramento Kings, a team that was supposed to be here at the start of the season after many heartbreaks of recent playoff past. On the other side, the Boston Celtics were a Cinderella story, becoming the first number 6 to reach the NBA Finals since all the way back in 1981, being led by one man in Paul Pierce, who's clutch performances had dazzled the NBA world in the Spring of '04. Only one team could win, who would it be?
Game 1 in Sacramento on June 5 would be a harbinger of things to come, as the Kings jumped out to a 27 point lead in the first quarter, with the Sacramento defense only allowing 9 points for Boston. Yeah, you read that right, the Celtics only managed 9 points in 12 minutes. The Kings would continue to dominate, outscoring Boston in the first half 57-32 in the first half alone en route to series opening 121-86 win, Mike Bibby led all scorers with 53 points, Doug Christie with 50 points, Vlade Divac with 22 rebounds. For Boston, Paul Pierce was practically non-existent in the first half, scoring 32 of his 37 points in the second half. Game 2 would be more of the same for the Kings, with Bibby at one point making 11 shots in a row in the third quarter as Sacramento was just making the Celtics look like a JV team against the Varsity squad, Kings win 108-89 in the biggest back to back losses in NBA Finals history.
With the series shifting back to Boston for the next two (or three) games, the Celtics were optimistic that they could potentially turn the series around in front of their hometown fans. And it began well, with Paul Pierce waking up after two lackluster performances in Sacramento, leading the Celtics to good start in the first quarter, as the Celtics had their first lead after a quarter in the series as Pierce had 18 of Boston's 28 first quarter points. But the Kings would once again, take control of the game with Hedo Turkoglu connecting on back-to-back 3's to start the second quarter. From there, it was virtually all Kings with Sacramento leading at the half by 6 and continuing to take further control of the game, though Boston did manage to go a run led by Pierce near the end of the game, it was too little, too late for the guys in green, as the Kings held on for a 104-92 win to move within one win for the franchise's first championship in 53 years.
Game 4 would be the best game of the series as both teams went blow for blow in the first quarter, though Pierce would again find a way to wheel the Celtics ahead after one. Pierce would keep up his momentum, including a poster dunk on Divac that sent the FleetCenter crowd to it's feet. At halftime, the Celtics had their deepest lead of the series, winning 55-49 with Pierce accounting for 38 of Boston's first half total. The Celtics would keep up the pace in the third quarter, taking an 8 point lead into the final frame. But Sacramento would scratch and claw their way back, with Bibby, Christie and Chris Webber (who had been quiet all series up to this point) making their shots while Vlade Divac made plays on defense. with 2:16 left, Webber hit a three that gave the Kings a lead they would not relinquish as for the first time since they were the Rochester Royals in 1951, the Sacramento Kings were champions. Mike Bibby your finals MVP.
2004 NBA Finals recap
G1 (June 5, 2004): Boston 86 @ Sacramento 121 (SAC leads series 1-0) (worst game 1 loss in NBA finals history)
G2 (June 7, 2004): Boston 89 @ Sacramento 108 (SAC leads series 2-0)
G3 (June 10, 2004): Sacramento 104 @ Boston 92 (SAC leads series 3-0)
G4 (June 12, 2004): Sacramento 101 @ Boston 95 (SAC wins series 4-0)
2004 NBA Champions: Sacramento Kings
Congrats Kings! As a resident of Kansas City, where they used to play, I’m happy…
Hopefully the real-life team can do the same this year!
MLB Performances, and Expos vs Twins relocation battle
June 15, 2004: Shaquille O'Neal announces he is re-signing with the Toronto Raptors on a 3-year, 32 million-dollar contract with an option for a fourth year. O'Neal was traded to the Raptors from the Lakers during the season following a heavily publicized feud between the two stars. The tandem gives Toronto perhaps the best duo in the Eastern conference with Shaq and rookie of the year Chris Bosh.
June 16, 2004: In some MLB highlights, Jim Thome and Barry Bonds hit four home runs each in the same game, marking the first time ever that this has happened in MLB history as the Phillies beat the Giants at Citizens Bank Park 11-8. Also that day, Kerry Wood pitches a perfect game for 8 innings before Adam Dunn hits a single to break it up as the MLB best Cubs beat the Reds at Wrigley 3-0. Also, during the Padres-Expos game in Montreal, a group of Expos fans stage a rally, urging the MLB to save the Expos from relocation to show their passion while in Minnesota, the Twins attendance strugglues continue, as despite having a contending team, Minnesota has only drawn above 15k at the MetroDome only twice this season.
June 16, 2004: In some MLB highlights, Jim Thome and Barry Bonds hit four home runs each in the same game, marking the first time ever that this has happened in MLB history as the Phillies beat the Giants at Citizens Bank Park 11-8. Also that day, Kerry Wood pitches a perfect game for 8 innings before Adam Dunn hits a single to break it up as the MLB best Cubs beat the Reds at Wrigley 3-0. Also, during the Padres-Expos game in Montreal, a group of Expos fans stage a rally, urging the MLB to save the Expos from relocation to show their passion while in Minnesota, the Twins attendance strugglues continue, as despite having a contending team, Minnesota has only drawn above 15k at the MetroDome only twice this season.
Clippers news, Arsenal changing venues, wild walkoff
June 18, 2004: Glen Rice and Elton Brand are officially released by the Los Angeles Clippers, with Brand saying “That guy (Donald Sterling) deserves the shit that he is about to get dragged through.”
June 20, 2004: Reigning Premier League champions Arsenal announce that they will be building a new, 75,000 seat stadium. Until that Stadium is built, the club will spend the ‘04-05 season at Highbury, and spend ‘05-06 at Wembley Stadium.
June 23, 2004: The Pirates meet the Cardinals in an interesting game. With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 9th, the Pirates get off to a good start, with Jack Wilson hitting a single. Then, pinch hitter Jason Bay also hit a single, moving Wilson to third. The pitch from Kiko Calero gets away from Yadier Molina, but Molina reacts quickly to get Wilson out trying to win it on the wild pitch. However, Bay ran to second, and tries to get to third with the Cardinals distracted. After tagging Jack Wilson, Calero turns to throw out Bay at third. Unfortunately, for the second time in the inning, Calero makes a bad throw, with the ball ending up in the outfield. Bay, seeing this, sprints to home, where he meets Molina, who got a nice throw from Ray Lankford, to get a chance to get him out. Bay decides that, rather than trying to avoid the tag, he just runs through Yadi, who drops the ball. Bay is called safe, and the Pirates win a fun game.
June 20, 2004: Reigning Premier League champions Arsenal announce that they will be building a new, 75,000 seat stadium. Until that Stadium is built, the club will spend the ‘04-05 season at Highbury, and spend ‘05-06 at Wembley Stadium.
June 23, 2004: The Pirates meet the Cardinals in an interesting game. With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 9th, the Pirates get off to a good start, with Jack Wilson hitting a single. Then, pinch hitter Jason Bay also hit a single, moving Wilson to third. The pitch from Kiko Calero gets away from Yadier Molina, but Molina reacts quickly to get Wilson out trying to win it on the wild pitch. However, Bay ran to second, and tries to get to third with the Cardinals distracted. After tagging Jack Wilson, Calero turns to throw out Bay at third. Unfortunately, for the second time in the inning, Calero makes a bad throw, with the ball ending up in the outfield. Bay, seeing this, sprints to home, where he meets Molina, who got a nice throw from Ray Lankford, to get a chance to get him out. Bay decides that, rather than trying to avoid the tag, he just runs through Yadi, who drops the ball. Bay is called safe, and the Pirates win a fun game.
First Division playoff final
I realized I never covered the promotion playoff, so here it is
May 29, 2004: The FL First Division playoff final is kicked off between Norwich City and Sheffield United. The match begins with a bang, as Norwich defender Adam Drury hits Peter Ndlovu with a bad tackle, getting himself sent off in the process. Sheffield United threatens most of the game, and finally get a goal through Andy Gray in the 34th minute. The Blades continue to exert their pressure on the Canaries, and Gray eventually chips the Norwich keeper, Rob Green, to score his second of the match. Before the match ends, Darren Huckerby gets Norwich’s second red card, and Sheffield United hold the ball to close it out and secure promotion to the Premier League.
May 29, 2004: The FL First Division playoff final is kicked off between Norwich City and Sheffield United. The match begins with a bang, as Norwich defender Adam Drury hits Peter Ndlovu with a bad tackle, getting himself sent off in the process. Sheffield United threatens most of the game, and finally get a goal through Andy Gray in the 34th minute. The Blades continue to exert their pressure on the Canaries, and Gray eventually chips the Norwich keeper, Rob Green, to score his second of the match. Before the match ends, Darren Huckerby gets Norwich’s second red card, and Sheffield United hold the ball to close it out and secure promotion to the Premier League.
Euro Kickoff
June 19, 2004: Following a week long delay thanks to storms making it difficult for Croatia and Latvia to reach Portugal, the European Championships of 2004 kick off with Portugal meeting Greece. The match is pretty dull for a while, thanks to Greece playing a rather uninteresting style of football. However, it really begins in the 64th minute, with Champions League hero Deco swiping a pass and going on a nice solo run, before beating goalkeeper Nikopolidis for a go-ahead goal for the hosts. Greece control possession and get a corner in the 93rd minute. The corner is swung in, where it deflects off the head off Basinas Stelios, then cleared off the line by Rui Costa. That clearance lands on the foot of Vassilis Lakis, who hits a screamer into the top corner, giving Greece the 1-1 goal, and that is what the final score is. This game is hopefully one that will bring more excitement throughout the tournament. The second match, between Spain and Russia, is a dominating 2-0 win for Spain.
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McGwire coaching, Eli cover athlete, Randy Johnson rumors
June 21st 2004: Former MLB slugger Mark McGwire announces a return to baseball this time as a hitting coach for the USC Trojans baseball team for next season.
June 22nd 2004: Eli Manning is confirmed as the NCAA Football 2005 cover athlete
June 24th 2004: Rumors of Randy Johnson being traded at the trade deadline next month start to heat up. Though for now Johnson is stay put with the Diamondbacks
June 22nd 2004: Eli Manning is confirmed as the NCAA Football 2005 cover athlete
June 24th 2004: Rumors of Randy Johnson being traded at the trade deadline next month start to heat up. Though for now Johnson is stay put with the Diamondbacks
Pride FC
June 20th, 2004:
Pride Fighting Chmapionships hosted its Critical Countdown 2004 card, live from its homebase, the Saitama Super Arena, on Fuji TV PPV in Japan and DirectTV and Bell Expressvu in north america, with Mauro Ranallo and Bas Rutten on english commentary.
The first fight of the night was between Sergei Kharitonov if Russia and veteran Tsuyoshi Kohsaka. The 4th degree judo black belt scored some nice Uchi-Matas on the taller russian, but Kharitonov would use his slick boxing to manhandle kohsaka's face, eventually knocking him out at 8:23 of the first roundwith a nasty right hook right on the button.
Next up was the return of Carlos Newton to Pride since his loss to Kazushi Sakuraba at Bushido 2 earlier this year in the welterweight GP. His opponent, also a former welterweight GP competitoor in Ryo Chonan, came in prepared, countering Newton's ground game with great sprawl and excellent pressure fighting. Newton almost caugh him with a defensive kimura in the third round, but Chonan fended it off and managed hi some thunderous ground and pound before trapping Newton in a leg lock, but the bell rang just before Newton could tap!
In the end, though, Chonan was declared the winner by unanimous decision.
The next fight was between Pride Heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko's younger brother, Alexander, and texan Heath Herring. The fivht quickly took to the ground, with Herring trying to use his jiu jitsu to snare up Alexander's arm, but Alexander broke free and later managed to rock Herring with a solid left hand, sending hin tumbling into the corner, where Alexander stomped and soccer kicked his way to an impressive TKO win in his Pride debut!
Up next is the former Pride Heavyweight champion, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, back in the ring for the first time since his loss to Fedor Emelianenko last year. For his comeback fight, he takes on young Hirotaka Yokoi, who scored wins over former UFC fighter Katsuhisa Fuji and kickboxing champion Jerrel Venetian.
Everybody expected this fight to be nothing more than an easy fight for Nogueira to build his momentum back up, but Yokoi surprised everyone by going toe-to-toe with the former heavyweight champion, showing great technique and even taking him down with an impressive hip throw! Unfortunately, the inexperienced japanese fighter couldn't capitalise on the initial moment of surprise, and big nog would eventually snap him up in an anaconda choke in the 2nd round to win it by submission. Nevertheless, Yokoi has definitely impressed people, and he will no doubt get more bookings in Pride FC in the future.
Next up is Pancrase Light Heavyweight champion Yuki Kondo, fighting in Pride for the first time since his win over Mario Sperry at Shockwave 2003, taking on well traveled Brazilian fighter Evangelista Cyborg. The fight was another grapplefest, with both men exchanging sweeps and scrambles for poisition. Throguhout the fight, Kondo looked more dangerous, hitting some well placed knee strikes on the head of Cyborg and even attmepting several leg locks. In the end, Kondo easily won the decision after 3 rounds.
Josh Barnett vs Igor Vovchanchyn is next, with the Ukrainian pain train looking to continue on his good run of form after defeating Kharitonov at Total Elimination 2004 earlier this year. Unfortunately for him, he fell into a motivated Josh Barnett. The former UFC heavyweight champion would wisely avoid a standup exchange with Vovchanchyn, using muay thai clinching to score some nice knees before taking him down and laying good ground and pound.
In the end, Barnett's sound game plan awarded him the unanimous decision victory.
Up next was a bout between Quinton Rampage Jackson and alistair Overeem. Both fighters needed a win to blunce back, and both swung at the fences right at the opening bell! Overeem managed to rock Rampage with a nice head kick, but Rampage countered with muay thai knees before demolishing Overeem with a devastating uppercut left hook combo to send him crashing down on the mat!
Quinton Rampage Jackson wins it by KO in only 3 minutes!
Next up is the big fight that japanese fans wanted to see: a rematch 10 years in the making between former Judo olympians Hidehiko Yoshida and Naoya Ogawa, who last fought each other in the All Japan Judo Championships final in 1994. Tnis is also Ogawa's first MMA fight in 2 years, and he has an undefeated record on the line.
The fight was a pure judo masterclass, as expected, with Ogawa and Yoshida delivering beautiful uchi-matas and inside trips to each other, but none of them gaining the advantage on the ground. That is, until Yoshida countered Ogawa's inside leg trip with a rolling Kimura, making him tap out instantly in 6 minutes into the first round to the roar of the 30,000+ strong japanese fans at the Saitama Super Arena!
Finally, it was time for the main event: the Pride Heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko tkaing on former UFC champion Kevin Randleman, who schocked the world by knocking out Mirko Cro Cop at Total elimination 2004.
The fight only lasted a minute and a half, but it was quite possibly the most exciting minute and a half in MMA history, featuring the greatest suplex in the history of the suplexverse:
Pride Fighting Chmapionships hosted its Critical Countdown 2004 card, live from its homebase, the Saitama Super Arena, on Fuji TV PPV in Japan and DirectTV and Bell Expressvu in north america, with Mauro Ranallo and Bas Rutten on english commentary.
The first fight of the night was between Sergei Kharitonov if Russia and veteran Tsuyoshi Kohsaka. The 4th degree judo black belt scored some nice Uchi-Matas on the taller russian, but Kharitonov would use his slick boxing to manhandle kohsaka's face, eventually knocking him out at 8:23 of the first roundwith a nasty right hook right on the button.
Next up was the return of Carlos Newton to Pride since his loss to Kazushi Sakuraba at Bushido 2 earlier this year in the welterweight GP. His opponent, also a former welterweight GP competitoor in Ryo Chonan, came in prepared, countering Newton's ground game with great sprawl and excellent pressure fighting. Newton almost caugh him with a defensive kimura in the third round, but Chonan fended it off and managed hi some thunderous ground and pound before trapping Newton in a leg lock, but the bell rang just before Newton could tap!
In the end, though, Chonan was declared the winner by unanimous decision.
The next fight was between Pride Heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko's younger brother, Alexander, and texan Heath Herring. The fivht quickly took to the ground, with Herring trying to use his jiu jitsu to snare up Alexander's arm, but Alexander broke free and later managed to rock Herring with a solid left hand, sending hin tumbling into the corner, where Alexander stomped and soccer kicked his way to an impressive TKO win in his Pride debut!
Up next is the former Pride Heavyweight champion, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, back in the ring for the first time since his loss to Fedor Emelianenko last year. For his comeback fight, he takes on young Hirotaka Yokoi, who scored wins over former UFC fighter Katsuhisa Fuji and kickboxing champion Jerrel Venetian.
Everybody expected this fight to be nothing more than an easy fight for Nogueira to build his momentum back up, but Yokoi surprised everyone by going toe-to-toe with the former heavyweight champion, showing great technique and even taking him down with an impressive hip throw! Unfortunately, the inexperienced japanese fighter couldn't capitalise on the initial moment of surprise, and big nog would eventually snap him up in an anaconda choke in the 2nd round to win it by submission. Nevertheless, Yokoi has definitely impressed people, and he will no doubt get more bookings in Pride FC in the future.
Next up is Pancrase Light Heavyweight champion Yuki Kondo, fighting in Pride for the first time since his win over Mario Sperry at Shockwave 2003, taking on well traveled Brazilian fighter Evangelista Cyborg. The fight was another grapplefest, with both men exchanging sweeps and scrambles for poisition. Throguhout the fight, Kondo looked more dangerous, hitting some well placed knee strikes on the head of Cyborg and even attmepting several leg locks. In the end, Kondo easily won the decision after 3 rounds.
Josh Barnett vs Igor Vovchanchyn is next, with the Ukrainian pain train looking to continue on his good run of form after defeating Kharitonov at Total Elimination 2004 earlier this year. Unfortunately for him, he fell into a motivated Josh Barnett. The former UFC heavyweight champion would wisely avoid a standup exchange with Vovchanchyn, using muay thai clinching to score some nice knees before taking him down and laying good ground and pound.
In the end, Barnett's sound game plan awarded him the unanimous decision victory.
Up next was a bout between Quinton Rampage Jackson and alistair Overeem. Both fighters needed a win to blunce back, and both swung at the fences right at the opening bell! Overeem managed to rock Rampage with a nice head kick, but Rampage countered with muay thai knees before demolishing Overeem with a devastating uppercut left hook combo to send him crashing down on the mat!
Quinton Rampage Jackson wins it by KO in only 3 minutes!
Next up is the big fight that japanese fans wanted to see: a rematch 10 years in the making between former Judo olympians Hidehiko Yoshida and Naoya Ogawa, who last fought each other in the All Japan Judo Championships final in 1994. Tnis is also Ogawa's first MMA fight in 2 years, and he has an undefeated record on the line.
The fight was a pure judo masterclass, as expected, with Ogawa and Yoshida delivering beautiful uchi-matas and inside trips to each other, but none of them gaining the advantage on the ground. That is, until Yoshida countered Ogawa's inside leg trip with a rolling Kimura, making him tap out instantly in 6 minutes into the first round to the roar of the 30,000+ strong japanese fans at the Saitama Super Arena!
Finally, it was time for the main event: the Pride Heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko tkaing on former UFC champion Kevin Randleman, who schocked the world by knocking out Mirko Cro Cop at Total elimination 2004.
The fight only lasted a minute and a half, but it was quite possibly the most exciting minute and a half in MMA history, featuring the greatest suplex in the history of the suplexverse:
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Offers for the Clippers, Coach K to NBA?
June 22, 2004: Offers begin to ring into the NBA offices about a potential sale of the Los Angeles Clippers as the Donald Sterling crisis gets more and more serious, as more Clippers say they will refuse to play for Sterling as long as he owns the team. A owners-only vote to determine weather Sterling will be forced to sell the team will be held on June 29.
June 23, 2004: Rumors begin to swirl that Duke MBB head coach Mike Krzyzewski may make the jump to the NBA after 24 years as head coach and three national titles at Duke. Teams rumored to be interested include the Knicks, the Bulls, the SuperSonics and the Lakers should Phil Jackson leave.
June 23, 2004: Rumors begin to swirl that Duke MBB head coach Mike Krzyzewski may make the jump to the NBA after 24 years as head coach and three national titles at Duke. Teams rumored to be interested include the Knicks, the Bulls, the SuperSonics and the Lakers should Phil Jackson leave.
New Basketball League
June 22, 2004: A new pro basketball league is announced, called the World Basketball League, or WBL. With the announcement, the league announces its team locations and says the league will be a summer schedule, taking place between June-October. The WBL will feature college players who weren’t deemed good enough to be drafted, as well as former NBA players who were phased out, making the league something of a “second chance” league. The WBL will begin play in 2006, with a draft in the summers of 2004 and 2005. The teams that are announced are split into two conferences, East and West, with the team identities to be revealed at a later time. The teams are split as such:
| East | West |
| Tampa Bay | San Diego |
| Louisville | Las Vegas |
| Pittsburgh | Kansas City |
| Nashville | Vancouver |
| St. Louis | Anaheim |
Euro 2004 Matchday 1
June 20: The first Matchday of Euro 2004 moves on from the first matches, with fans hoping the matches in the next few weeks can exceed the excitement of the Portugal-Greece match. The first match is between Switzerland and Croatia, a match that doesn’t seem very interesting to the naked eye. If you thought that, you’d be right, as Croatia score a goal in the 2nd minute from Dado Pršo, and pretty much nothing else happens, with Croatia winning 1-0 on that early goal. However, the match on June 20 that everybody was excited for was between England and France, two titans of world football. The discussion leading up to the match mainly surrounded England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson leaving Frank Lampard on the bench in favor of youngster Joe Cole, meaning England will play a 4-3-3 rather than the usual 4-4-2. The controversial decision to start Cole pays off almost immediately, as he makes a nice set off dribbles before pinging a short cross to Michael Owen, who heads the ball past Fabian Barthez to give England the lead. France begin to ravish the English goal, and it looks like they will respond when Thierry Henry makes an across-the-box pass to Devin Trezegut, who hits the ball towards the top corner. However, David James channels the spirit of Gordon Banks in 1970 and covers the entire distance of his goal, then making an unbelievable leaping save. England fans in the Estádio da Luz erupt with chants praising James and hazing Trezegut. With the crowd bearings down on the French players, it was only a matter of time before Les Bleus made a mistake, which they did when, in the 56th minute, Paul Scholes is tripped up by William Gallas in the box, giving Gallas a red card and giving England a penalty. After a quick discussion with Owen and Steven Gerrard about who would take the penalty, David Beckham emerges from the discussion and places the ball on the penalty spot. The penalty is taken, and rather than one of the best set piece takers we’ve ever seen scoring, Becks hits the post, and the ball rebounds back towards the players behind him. Wayne Rooney wins the race to the ball, before taking one dribble and chipping Fabian Barthez and scoring the goal to double Englands lead. The final 34+ minutes consist of a few attacks, with chants of “It’s Coming Home” ringing out across the stadium. England end up winning 2-0.
June 21, 2004: Todays matches come from Group C, and the first one is Italy against Denmark. Italy are hoping to avenge a loss to France in the Final of Euro 2000, and their campaign gets off to a nice start, as Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero both get braces in the 4-1 victory. Meanwhile, Sweden get a glimpse of the past as well as the future against Bulgaria, as both Henrik Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimović get goals in the 2-0 win.
June 22, 2004: Matchday 1 is arriving at its end, with Group D closing it out. It begins with the Czech Republic meeting Latvia. The Czechs are favored to win it, and in the 37th minute, it looks like they’ll be getting that, as star man Milan Baroš scores a rocket from 25 yards out. Latvia struggle to get in the game, but suddenly, in the 91st minute, get a good chance on the counterattack, with quick pass after quick pass guiding them towards goal. The attack culminates with Andrejs Rubins scoring and sending the Latvian fans into hysteria. Latvia hold off one final Czech attack, and they get one of the biggest draws in their nations history. The next match is expected to outdo the first one, with rivals Germany and the Netherlands dueling. However, the Netherlands decide that an epic clash of titans would not be what the world would get, as they throttle the Germans all night, getting a dominant 3-0 victory, that could have been up to 5-0, with Wesley Sneijder scoring the first hat-trick of the tournament.
Note: I know this is really long, I’m sorry guys.
June 21, 2004: Todays matches come from Group C, and the first one is Italy against Denmark. Italy are hoping to avenge a loss to France in the Final of Euro 2000, and their campaign gets off to a nice start, as Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero both get braces in the 4-1 victory. Meanwhile, Sweden get a glimpse of the past as well as the future against Bulgaria, as both Henrik Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimović get goals in the 2-0 win.
June 22, 2004: Matchday 1 is arriving at its end, with Group D closing it out. It begins with the Czech Republic meeting Latvia. The Czechs are favored to win it, and in the 37th minute, it looks like they’ll be getting that, as star man Milan Baroš scores a rocket from 25 yards out. Latvia struggle to get in the game, but suddenly, in the 91st minute, get a good chance on the counterattack, with quick pass after quick pass guiding them towards goal. The attack culminates with Andrejs Rubins scoring and sending the Latvian fans into hysteria. Latvia hold off one final Czech attack, and they get one of the biggest draws in their nations history. The next match is expected to outdo the first one, with rivals Germany and the Netherlands dueling. However, the Netherlands decide that an epic clash of titans would not be what the world would get, as they throttle the Germans all night, getting a dominant 3-0 victory, that could have been up to 5-0, with Wesley Sneijder scoring the first hat-trick of the tournament.
Note: I know this is really long, I’m sorry guys.
Germany is probably going to burn their football development even further to the ground ITTL than they did otherwise, after getting clocked like that by the Oranje
Euro 2004 Matchday 2
June 23, 2004: Euro 2004 kicks off Matchday 2 with Greece facing off with Spain. Spain take control in the 17th minute off a goal thanks to a deflection off Vicente Rodríguez. Spain score again late from 20 year old Fernando Torres, and win a match 2-0 that Greece struggled to get in to. Portugal, backed by great support, score four goals in the first half, beating Russia 4-0, officially making Russia the first team eliminated from the tournament.
June 24, 2004: Group B arrives with significantly less fanfare, as the two giants off the group, England and France, are playing the two smaller teams, Switzerland and Croatia, respectively. England and Switzerland kick off, and again Frank Lampard is left on the bench for Joe Cole, with the Three Lions playing the same 4-3-3 that led to them dominating France. Well, it’s more of the same for England, as two early goals from Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen give England all the momentum early, which they use to crush the Swiss 4-0. England are officially through to the knockout stage with the win. The next match, between France and Croatia, is a boring and slow game, which clearly was what Croatia wanted, and they hold on for a 0-0 draw, meaning that Croatia, France, and Switzerland will be competing for a knockout spot on the final matchday, while England clinch top spot in the group.
June 25, 2004: It’s Group C action for the tournament, and Denmark and Bulgaria kick it off. Neither team is in a great spot on paper, and the game isn’t that interesting, as it’s a 1-1 draw with both of them being own goals. Sweden and Italy is more interesting, with both teams being very evenly matched through the first half. Gennaro Gattuso scores the first goal on a corner, but the Italians lead doesn’t last long, as Zlatan Ibrahimović scores a beautiful rabona off a cross. The Swedes come out of the locker room way more energized than Italy, and promptly score two goals from Anders Svensson and another goal from Zlatan. Italy get one back from Totti late, but their comeback bid falls short, and Sweden clinch a knockout stage spot. Again, the second spot to advance is contested by the remaining three teams, with Italy having the advantage.
June 26, 2004: Group D closes out matchday 2, and the beginning of the end of the matchday is Germany-Latvia. Germany look desperate to keep their hopes alive, while Latvia looks to build off of a huge draw against the Czech Republic. Germany begins the game playing well, but they can’t get the ball past Aleksandrs Kolinko, who is the equivalent of a brick wall with a Latvia kit on. This stands until the 73rd minute, when the dam breaks and Torsten Frings scores a tap-in. However, unbeknownst to the celebrating German players and fans, the linesman had called it offside, and once this was discovered by Germany, they immediately began begging the referee that it wasn’t offside. German pleas would be unanswered though, as it stood as offside, so Latvia was revived. Kolinko immediately resumed his unbeatable form, and eventually something happened that nobody expected. With four of the dove added minutes gone, Latvia took a German attack and quickly punted the ball long. The ball was received by Juris Laizāns, who took it towards the goal. After dismantling Phillip Lahm, Laizāns passed the ball to the man across from him, Māris Verpakovsis, and because Oliver Kahn was on the other side of goal, slotted it into the bottom corner to stun the Germans, and the world. The Latvian fans, of which there were a good number, most of whom traveled to Portugal following the draw against the Czech Republic, went wild in the stands. With so little time remaining, Germany never had a chance to respond, and Latvia pull off the upset. The Latvian fans partied well into the following morning, and the rampant partying across Latvia led it to be called “The night no Latvian slept.” The next match between the Netherlands and the Czech Republic was a 1-0 win for the Dutch, but it wasn’t as well noticed thanks to the stunner that occurred before. The Dutch had secured a knockout stage spot, and Latvia, the Czech Republic would battle for the spot. If you haven’t noticed, the loss to Latvia means Germany are eliminated from the Euros, still with one group stage match to play.
June 24, 2004: Group B arrives with significantly less fanfare, as the two giants off the group, England and France, are playing the two smaller teams, Switzerland and Croatia, respectively. England and Switzerland kick off, and again Frank Lampard is left on the bench for Joe Cole, with the Three Lions playing the same 4-3-3 that led to them dominating France. Well, it’s more of the same for England, as two early goals from Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen give England all the momentum early, which they use to crush the Swiss 4-0. England are officially through to the knockout stage with the win. The next match, between France and Croatia, is a boring and slow game, which clearly was what Croatia wanted, and they hold on for a 0-0 draw, meaning that Croatia, France, and Switzerland will be competing for a knockout spot on the final matchday, while England clinch top spot in the group.
June 25, 2004: It’s Group C action for the tournament, and Denmark and Bulgaria kick it off. Neither team is in a great spot on paper, and the game isn’t that interesting, as it’s a 1-1 draw with both of them being own goals. Sweden and Italy is more interesting, with both teams being very evenly matched through the first half. Gennaro Gattuso scores the first goal on a corner, but the Italians lead doesn’t last long, as Zlatan Ibrahimović scores a beautiful rabona off a cross. The Swedes come out of the locker room way more energized than Italy, and promptly score two goals from Anders Svensson and another goal from Zlatan. Italy get one back from Totti late, but their comeback bid falls short, and Sweden clinch a knockout stage spot. Again, the second spot to advance is contested by the remaining three teams, with Italy having the advantage.
June 26, 2004: Group D closes out matchday 2, and the beginning of the end of the matchday is Germany-Latvia. Germany look desperate to keep their hopes alive, while Latvia looks to build off of a huge draw against the Czech Republic. Germany begins the game playing well, but they can’t get the ball past Aleksandrs Kolinko, who is the equivalent of a brick wall with a Latvia kit on. This stands until the 73rd minute, when the dam breaks and Torsten Frings scores a tap-in. However, unbeknownst to the celebrating German players and fans, the linesman had called it offside, and once this was discovered by Germany, they immediately began begging the referee that it wasn’t offside. German pleas would be unanswered though, as it stood as offside, so Latvia was revived. Kolinko immediately resumed his unbeatable form, and eventually something happened that nobody expected. With four of the dove added minutes gone, Latvia took a German attack and quickly punted the ball long. The ball was received by Juris Laizāns, who took it towards the goal. After dismantling Phillip Lahm, Laizāns passed the ball to the man across from him, Māris Verpakovsis, and because Oliver Kahn was on the other side of goal, slotted it into the bottom corner to stun the Germans, and the world. The Latvian fans, of which there were a good number, most of whom traveled to Portugal following the draw against the Czech Republic, went wild in the stands. With so little time remaining, Germany never had a chance to respond, and Latvia pull off the upset. The Latvian fans partied well into the following morning, and the rampant partying across Latvia led it to be called “The night no Latvian slept.” The next match between the Netherlands and the Czech Republic was a 1-0 win for the Dutch, but it wasn’t as well noticed thanks to the stunner that occurred before. The Dutch had secured a knockout stage spot, and Latvia, the Czech Republic would battle for the spot. If you haven’t noticed, the loss to Latvia means Germany are eliminated from the Euros, still with one group stage match to play.
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