The New Republic

Spain is the master of the 1-0 victory and this could easily prevail for them to win the championship. del Bosque doesn't seem concerned that he cannot figure out a way to unleash all the offensive players at his disposal since he knows they will have enormous possession time (yes, even against Germany) and that they will get the one goal they need. Despite UEFA's major screw up in scheduling the fixtures so that one team in each semifinal has 48 hours of extra rest, I'm partial to Italy going through simply because nobody seems to be able to control Andrea Pirlo whose play has just been sublime (though the realist in me recognizes the massive advantage Germany has because the Italians had to go to penalties against England).

- agoldhammer@yahoo.com-old

June 27, 2012 at 11:59am

"Italy won’t give Germany much of a game, I’m afraid." Oh dear.

- IggyPop

June 28, 2012 at 5:24pm

Talking about Italy beating Germany contundently and definitely. The star is a Jewish young man Mario no less no more, the TNR bloggers are behind the times. Mario scored two goals in the first half and the Germans lost all spirit. Enjoy. Mario Balotelli: The Jewish Hero of Euro 2012? Tras la visita a Auschwitz, dos goles de un judío sacan a Alemania de la Copa Europea (en Inglés) Italian star adopted by Jewish parents. Por: Sammy Hudes Fuente: Shalomlife.com Vie Jun 29 2012 (9 Tammuz, 5772) Mario Balotelli's two goals on Thursday didn't just propel his Italian squad past Germany and into the Euro 2012 finals to face Spain while setting off a wild celebration of Italian supporters, but his performance was also a source of nachas for the worldwide Jewish population. For a religion that never shies away from acknowledging its own prominent celebrities, the Italian soccer hero and Manchester City striker is no doubt an unlikely, but now very much appreciated and welcomed member of the Tribe. Balotelli, in fact, wasn't born Jewish. He was born to Ghanaian immigrants in Sicily in 1990, and as an infant suffered from life-threatening health complications. With his family unable to provide him with the proper medical assistance, he was put up for adoption at two years old and entrusted to Francesco and Silvia Balotelli, his Jewish foster parents. The Balotellis were a white family who lived in a villa in a small village near Brescia, in northern Italy. At first, he stayed at the Balotellis during the week and returned to his family on weekends. He eventually grew closer to his foster family and took their surname. Two days before the start of Euro 2012, he and his Italian teammates paid a visit to Auschwitz. There, Balotelli sat by himself on the train tracks and appeared more struck than anyone else on his team by the surroundings, according to journalists. Throughout the tournament, Balotelli has coped with being the victim of racist abuse, as Italian neo-Nazis have spread hateful messages on the internet claiming he should not be allowed to play for Italy due to his background. "Balotelli's black and Jewish. He should play for Israel not Italy," wrote a US-based website called Stormfront, run by white supremacists. The website was closed down in Italy by Jewish authorities following complaints regarding racist posts about the Italian striker. Italy's coach Cesare Prandelli called the racism "a social problem"rather than "an Italian problem." After Balotelli vowed to walk off the pitch prior to the tournament if he suffers racist chanting, Prandelli declared that "if Mario gets any problem, I will give him a big hug on the pitch." During the tearful visit to Auschwitz, Balotelli told his teammates about a box of letters that his Jewish adoptive mother, Silvia, kept underneath her bed. On Thursday, he dedicated his two-goal match against Germany to Silvia. "At the end of the game when I went to my mother, that was the best moment. I told her these goals were for her," he said. "I waited a long time for this moment, especially as my mother is not young anymore and can't travel far, so I had to make her happy when she came all the way here." La Dirección y Consejo Editorial de "Foro Judío", no se hacen responsables de los contenidos de artículos firmados por autores, periodistas o sus seudónimos, a la vez que el autor de este artículo no se responsabiliza de los contenidos de las diferentes secciones de esta WEB, ni de los criterios establecidos por su Dirección o Consejo Editorial.  0 OPINIONES DE PARTE DE NUESTROS LECTORES OPINAR   ARTÍCULOS RECIENTES Rickey Henderson: "El Rey del Robo" Vie Jun 29 2012 10:10:30 (9 Tammuz, 5772) La Mannschaft fuera de la Euro: Crónica Alemania vs Italia Jue Jun 28 2012 13:45:36 (8 Tammuz, 5772) Crónica Portugal vs España Jue Jun 28 2012 09:12:09 (8 Tammuz, 5772) Noticias Curiosas sobre la Eurocopa 2012 Mie Jun 27 2012 17:05:17 (7 Tammuz, 5772) Sarah Hughes, Campeona Olímpica de Patinaje Artístico Sobre Hielo Mie Jun 27 2012 10:32:47 (7 Tammuz, 5772)

- JAIMECHUCH

June 30, 2012 at 1:37pm

This was supposed to be a blog about the European soccer cup 2012. The last blog is dated June 27. The semifinals were played on June 27 Spain vs Portugal, and June 28 Italy vs Germany. The final is on Sunday July 1st between Spain vs Italy. The new TNR has become very mediocre. And this "soccer" blog is the poorest of poorest. A good way to kill the magazine. Besides being irritating it is a waste of time. The fellow in charge of this soccer blog is completely inept. There you have it TNR, The New Refuse.

- JAIMECHUCH

June 30, 2012 at 1:51pm