PORTUGAL v. IRAN [2-0]

There is the Perfect Riposte

HIGHLIGHTS


"...and after all his problems, and his lack of form, and the criticism that's come his way..."

Hate to belabor this point, but people are yapping 'bout it anyway. Whatever people's thoughts are towards "the boy," as Alex Ferguson likes to refer to him (and anyone else under the age of 25), it was a smart and generous move on the part of Luis Felipe Scolari (and certainly Figo, Pauleta, and other senior members of the team) to allow him to take that penalty. I don't think I've seen a player more subject to the whims of his emotions than he so often is. In what's been a tough, tough year, the kid needs all the confidence he can muster (Of course, as some saw, when dude scores goals in successive games, he thinks he's Cantona. Still nope.)

Either way, Deco's shot was still the best thing going in this game.