ah lol, my fault then, sorry.

I WAS pulling for the USA... now idk

It's always good to see Italy leave the WC. It means at least one defensive nation out of the WC, which means that MAYBE there's a chance we'll see some good football in the decisive matches (semis and final). Like it or not, Italy plays catenaccio, you may like it and no doubt it's an effective and legal way of playing football, but it makes shit games that are boring to watch. Two attacking teams always produce better games.

In Italy the offense is even worse because they HAVE the players to play better, I don't really blame Greece for playing like that, they don't have anything, sure, I'd love teams that don't have much to attack non stop, but it's kinda delusional for me to expect that. But Italy really does have a pool of talented players to pick up and play some decent football, and they do what? Catenaccio, defense first, then offense. I don't want to see football like that. I want to see attacking football, like the one that Spain and Holland (more Holland than Spain) showed in the Euro 2008, to give an example. If a team plays defensively and they're out, good riddance. Try to attack next time

And in the end, people always remember the best attacking teams. Hungary '54, Brazil '70, Holland '74, teams that have left a mark in history, teams that will forever be remembered, and two of those didn't even lift the WC. Who remembers today Italy '82? No one, you remember that Paolo Rossi was the star and that they won the WC after DRAWING THE FIRST THREE MATCHES. Who'll remember the world champion Italy '06? No one. History books will say that that world cup was won by Italy in a horrible final against France where Zidane was sent off, and nothing else. In 50 years, we'll still talk about Barca '09 and how we were lucky that we saw such a great football. And I don't even like Barca, but it's the truth, history always puts everyone in the place it deserves. Good playing teams get remembered and catenaccio ones are forgotten. Sure, Italy might enjoy their 4 WCs, but what good is it when no one even remembers ONE good match in those? What good is it if you remember the WC 82 more for Tardelli's celebration than for how Italy played in that one?

We destroyed Austrian Empire during WWI.   

Feel sympathy also for the Greeks, but the French instead deserved the bashing, well, actually not those poor players, just that filthy Domenech.   

Edit: anyhow, football has long become boring, just like Formula 1 racing, currently, except some rare good matches and races, I enjoy just MotoGP and SBK races (but MotoGP without Valentino Rossi isn't the same, and I really liked how Capirossi drove the Ducati before going to Suzuki, he was mad as a hatter).

Well this year F1 is better, atleast you have 3 teams competing for victory. Plus Alonso, Hamilton, Vettel and other drivers drive very well and make many surpasses. I agree that football became boring: just few matches are interesting.

Yes, I must agree, particularly since Brawn, Red Bull and Force India unexpected exploits last season, and with the balance changed this year too, there were more enjoyable parts in the races than the sad races we were becoming used to in a recent and far too long past.

Exactly my point.  Defense is the most important aspect in sports.  Unfortunately, both the Bears and Italy play crappy defense recently.  I'm not arguing that Italy stunk.  They were terrible, but don't make it sound like they're lucky when they do win because they aren't.  This simply isn't true. 

Too many secondary matches and tournaments besides the major ones that overexploit the players, the whole football overvalued, thanks also to TVs, the need for the biggest and strongest teams to not lose too much and avoid at all costs to be relegated to lower divisions to avoid disastrous drops of the teams' economic value, add the lack of sporting spirit and fair play of most football supporters, so that a defeat is a tragedy and an offense to wipe out with blood, all this contribute to take to an excessively defensive play.

Its shocking but Italy never were going to win like they did last year after their earlier performances so the loss against Slovakia gets the pain out early, 

look at the bright side, at least they didn't make the top 16 and get embarrasingly smashed like England

And New Zealand almost beat them, If there was no penalty from that ridiculous 'hollywood' (fake injury) pulled by Italy they would have been even further last, I don't know if you understand how embarrassing a loss against NZ would have been but those in this part of the world know that all talented NZ kids go into the All Black (rugby union) training behemoth and only second rate athletes and resident foreigners play soccer there

Still I'm friom Australia and we were awful too, so I commisserate with you

I normally only follow rugby union but my partner loves soccer so I have seen the world cup games

I hope Spain win, they seem to have the most entertaining style of play in my opinion, but thats just my opinion.