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The Official Euro 2012 Thread

CheesePie

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset

Gamblers lost heavily in Euro football final


3 July 2012 5:34 PM | Updated 5:41 PM

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Gamblers have reportedly lost heavily due to the unexpectedly one-sided result of the Euro 2012 final.

In the match that took place in the early hours of 2 July Singapore time, Spain defeated Italy 4-0 to claim the trophy.

Many had anticipated a more even game, Lianhe Wanbao reported. The opening odds gave Spain level/half ball, meaning gamblers would lose only half of their stakes if the game resulted in a draw.

Punters were mostly unimpressed with Spain’s semi-final game against Portugal. In contrast, Italy had been playing well on its way to the final. When the match started and Spain took the lead in 14 minutes, punters still believed Italy would come back and reportedly started to bet more on Italy, hoping to recoup and potentially win more if the team scored.

It was a similar situation two years ago, when Argentina lost to Germany 4-0 in the World Cup. It was said that many had bet on Argentina to win the game. Those who bet $1,000 on Argentina before the start of the game doubled their stakes and bet $2,000 on the nation when Germany scored its first goal.

When Germany scored its second goal, they placed $4,000 more on Argentina. When Germany scored the fourth goal, the group placed a further $16,000 on Argentina, still hoping for a fight-back. By the time the final whistle went, these people have lost more than $30,000.

Many gamblers were believed to have suffered this fate with Italy, although it is not known how much were lost this time this time. There was talk that punters placed about the same amount of bets on each side before the match started. Once Spain scored its first goal, punters favoured Italy more heavily.

The wide score-line is unusual for a final, when the two teams are usually evenly matched. The stifled performance of the Italian players left some fans wondering if the match had been rigged, especially since Italy’s domestic league was embroiled in a match-fixing scandal.

A fan, known only as Mr Wang, told the Chinese daily that punters can only blame themselves for their misplaced faith. Other fans have voiced their suspicions online, with one asking how Italy could lose so badly after making its way to the finals.

Mr Teo Ser Luck, Minister of State for Trade and Industry, who is a sports fan, believes that Spain has won on its own merit. He added that the country has a strong midfield with players such as Xavi Hernandez pulling the strings. He added that a lot of Italian players cried at the final result and their feelings seemed genuine.

Mr Dennis Foo, CEO of St James Holdings, said Italy lost by such a big margin as it played most of the second half with just 10 men. He said around 1,500 fans watched the game at his club, packing the place to full capacity.

A 28-year-old accountant, who wanted to be known only as Ms Wang, said things did not go well for Italy with their injury problems. Yet another fan, who gave his name only as Mr Tan, said that despite the loss, Italy can be proud of being in the final and there is no disgrace in losing to a strong side like Spain.

 

Baimi

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
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Up 4-0 against a 10-man Italian side in the Euro 2012 final, Spain captain Iker Casillas made it that much harder to not like him by asking the officials to cut the three minutes of injury time a little short and blow the final whistle.

Casillas, who became the first player ever to win 100 international matches and also set a record by going 509 minutes without conceding a goal in the tournament (beating Italian legend Dino Zoff's previous record of 494 minutes) with that win, called to the referee's assistant and said, "Respect for the rival." "Respect for Italia," he repeated, his teammates had the ball in Italy's half yet again. He then said the score to make his point that enough was enough. As it happened, the referee did blow the final whistle immediately after Iker's request because, unbeknownst to Casillas, the full 93 minutes had actually been reached. Casillas then shook hands with the official he was speaking to before Spain's celebrations began.

It was a small thing and ended up being irrelevant, but the point here is the thought and that seems to be one of sportsmanship. So, respect for San Iker.
 

Cruxx

Alfrescian
Loyal
Sportsmanship my arse. If I knew my opponents would patronise me in this manner, they would get it from me :mad:
 

Yi Dao

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Euro 2012 over.

now i can't wait for the return of the best league in the world the English Premier League! :biggrin:

To be called "English Premier League" where it's full of foreign players is a joke. England failure to win in Euro and World Cup for half a century is proof. :biggrin:
 
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jw5

Moderator
Moderator
Loyal
Hahaha, Euro 2012 just ended. Europa League 2012/13 has just started.
Inter just beat a team called Trans Narva 5-0. :biggrin:
 
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