When winning is all that counts and rules make no sense

I could care less whether Spain or Germany won. Both are fantastic countries that I love, but in football they are often hard to like.

Today was one of those days.

The good thing about German elimination is that Germany again made history: the first time ever the hosts have been eliminated in the quarterfinals of a European Championship! Secondly, it was good to see Toni Kroos play his last match; a good player sure, but completely overrated; he is not at the level of some of the greats, but merely a good player that will soon be forgotten. So no tears over Germany.

But no celebrations over Spain either.

Spain have proud traditions, and this team has some of the elements that could make it a great team. But today we saw a side that despite its quality have no qualms over how to win. Some years ago I would have lamented the lack of fair play and being a gentleman, but truth is that I learnt in El Salvador that in life you are stupid if you think you can play fair and even less be a gentleman and I am trying hard to be neither. Therefore I admire a Dani Carvajal that is ready to get a red card by violently taking down a young Florian Wirtz (who had scored the equalizer for Germany following Dani Olmo's lead goal) in the 124th minute in order to avoid any risk of losing and giving a spectacle to fans.

Winning is everything in life, no matter what, and whoever says any thing differently is bound to lose (and believe me, because I learnt this the hard way the last couple of years).

Think only of yourself and run over Florian Wirtz if it comes to it.

And then we have refereeing: a light handball and VAR review gave Germany a penalty kick over Denmark. But a clear handball in the area by a Spaniard was not deemed worthy even of a VAR review by the referee, who let the game play on. The problem is not VAR or whatever tools they use; nor is it the rules, but it is the inconsistent refereeing that seems to change from game to game.

I cannot wait till we get AI referee bots, because at least they will take responsibility.

So now Spain are in the semifinals and likely winners of the tournament. Who can take them on? Perhaps all time boring France who defeated Portugal after penalty kicks in an all-boring match that reminded of the dead boring final in 2016. Two sides who are both willing to shed any pretense of playing a game we all love, for the mere fact of winning.

It is sad, but that is today's world: win win win, no matter what or who you run over on the way.

The first finalists

The semifinal match between Italy and Spain went as I expected except for the result: the Spaniards, whose quality has varied enormously during the tournament played some of their best football against an Italian side that was not allowed to play the possessive attacking style that has characterized their games in the tournament so far, and with better strikers Spain could have carried the day. 

Despite Alvaro Morata´s equalizer following Federico Chiesa´s outstanding first goal for Italy, Spain missed big chances or simply poor shots against an Italian side whose defense did not look as steady as in previous matches (this may be a comfort to their opponents in the final). 

In the lottery of penalties the misses came firstly from Dani Olmo, who until then had played an outstanding match, and then Morata, whose miss will probably be remembered more than his goal, and add fuel to his many critics. 

Although Spain deserved better in this match there is no doubt that seen over the entire tournament Italy are the right finalists. They have been strong and have a strong team spirit led by the ever-smiling Chiellini, who appears to love every moment of the tournament. 

Perhaps Chiellini is one of the few people who have realized that it is only football, and enjoying it must come before the result... 

Like almost every Dane in the world I am excited about tomorrow´s match, but weary about Danish chances against a top-motivated English side playing in front of its home spectators. Denmark (luckily) defeated England in a Nations league match in October last year (a prelude to their excellent World Cup qualifiers and this tournament) and will play without the massive pressure of expectation that burdens the English players. But I would still say that chances are heavily stacked (90%) in England´s favour to make it to the final and face a fantastic Italian side!

Historical RB Leipzig

Only 11 years after the club was founded, RB Leipzig just made it to the Champions League semifinals after defeating Atletico Madrid 2-1.
Atletico Madrid are hard to like because of their defensive awaiting style that almost seemed a bit sad today as Leipzig moved the ball around and was really the only creative team on the pitch. In the second half Dani Olmo finally brought the Saxon side ahead, which forced Atletico Madrid to wake up. The young Joao Felix entered the pitch and he gave Atletico Madrid some "happiness" ("alegria", as Mario Kempes said, commenting the match on ESPN), and he was also the architect of the equalizer, as he scored on a penalty against himself. Atletico Madrid continued pressing against a Leipzig side that looked tired, but on a counterattack three minutes before the end Tyler Adams was a bit lucky to have his shot deflected into a 2-1 lead and eventual victory.
RB Leipzig will face Paris St. Germain, and the French side will be favourites. But RB Leipzig have certainly shown they are a competitive side and will play without pressure, so they should certainly not be discounted yet!
I will be supporting them!