World Cup Winners - Italy Wins the Final!!

click on pic to enlarge

UPDATE:UPDATE 7/9/06 19:00 - Italy won the final match with a sweet victory over France. The game was very well played in the first half, with both teams giving 110% and very little fouls. It went into overtime and in the 111th minute, France's Zidane - one of the captains of the French team and supposedly one of the "greatest players of all time" and whose career was to end at the end of this tournament - was ejected from the game because he head-butted Italy's Materazzi in the chest in an off-ball foul (a really blatent and unnecessary show of unsportsmanlike behavior). It was to be the deciding factor in France's defeat. With Zidane out during penalty kicks, Italy scored all five and denied France their second. With Zidane in the penalty kick lineup, who knows what might have happened?

UPDATE:UPDATE 7/8/06 21:00 - Germany beat Portugal 3-1 to give them the 3rd place slot.

UPDATE:UPDATE 7/1/06 19:40 - Well, looks like I was way off base for today's matches. Portugal beat England after 30 minutes of overtime in pentalty shots. England's Beckam was injured shortly into the 2nd half, and Rooney was sent out for stepping on a Portugal's player's groin.

Brazil succommed to France in a match I was unable to watch. Needless to say (but I'm gonna anyway) I was really surprised with France advancing.
This shakes my predictions up a bit.

I'll be bringing this page to the top as the teams advance. I'll also show where I went wrong and right in my predictions below.

OK. The US got trounced by Ghana and sent home. Then I rooted for the Swedes who got smacked around by the Brits and left for the fjord. My last option is to cheer on the "home team" or at least the team hosting this year's World Cup, Germany.

Here are my picks for the remaining games:

Last Round of 16
Brazil destroys Ghana in Match 55
Update: Brazil 3 - Ghana 0
Spain fries France in Match 56
Update: Spain 1 - France 3

Quarter-Finals
Germany blitzes Argentina in Match 57
Update: Germany 4 - Argentina 2 in OT w/ penalty kicks!
Italy is victorious over the Ukraine in Match 58
Update: Italy 3 - 0 Ukraine
England sends Portugal home in Match 59
Update: England 1 - Portugal 3 in OT w/ penalty kicks!
Brazil creams Spain France in Match 60
Update: Brazil 0 - France 1

Semi-Finals
Germany beats Italy in Match 61 (making the Pope feel kinda funny)
Update: Italy 2 - Germany 0 - In overtime! A well deserved victory!!
Brazil Portugal barely beats beats up England France in Match 62 (God I pray)
Update: Portugal 0 - 1 France, ugh!

Final
Germany Italy narrowly destroys wins over Brazil Portugal France by three two goals.
Update: Italy 6 - France 4 in OT and PSO!

Any discussion out there?