Ahh, the World Cup

YES, i'm the typical girl..i watch football for the guys. well, not so much for the GUYS (maybe a bit), but more for their antics. There's something pretty darn funny about the way they go around tripping each other, acting so bloody in pain (while getting up and going the moment after another player smacks their bottom), and the way they really show their camaraderie (yeah, even rivals can be nice to each other..sometimes =p). It's a good game, when played in the right spirit, bla bli bloo.

Jergen Klinsmann, Germany's pretty-darn-cute coach, really is an interesting character to watch. His maniac-like involvement in any game that Germany plays is pretty intense, and he has a pretty hot-looking side-kick too (yeah, i'm a woman..so let me be). Plus it's always funny to see the coach jump and run around when his players score. Puts a smile to your face, for sure. And he's cute, but I already mentioned that =p

And then, there's Germany's Goalie Jens Lehmann. I was always pretty impressed with Germany's intricate preparation (strategies etc) for every match. What struck me most was the prep before they went against Argentina for the penalty shoot-outs. Lehmann was captured reading a piece of paper, which probably had info. on all the ARgentinian players striking ways etc..and he was clearly refreshing his mind/memorising them..in any case, it seemed to have helped cos he performed preettyy well.

But what's reaallyy funny was how Straits Times writer Tay Yek Keak poked fun at him today.

"I was hoping just before the Italians scored their two late goals that the match would go into penalties. Normally, I hate penalties as much as I hate rising cab fares but the German goalie, Jens Lehmann, aka Crazy Jens because he goes into inexplicable dark moods at Arsenal, is a funny guy who talks to himself and stuffs pieces of paper into his sock.

In the shoot-out against Argentina, he took out the paper and read the instructions from his coach about which opponent was going to kick where and saved two of them. I wanted to see Jens take out the paper against the Italians and read 'Eggs, broccoli, ham' and realise in front of millions that he'd pulled out his wife's grocery list by mistake.

An Italian paper joked that there's no magic formula in that piece of paper. It just contained a message from Klinsmann that said, 'If you don't make these saves, I'm going to break your neck.' "

(Tay Yek Keak, Straits Times Life!, 6 July 2006)

Well, at least we get a chance to see Germany play again this Saturday. Looking forward, would be fun =) I wanna see more prancing around =D