Mary Hannigan World Cup TV ViewWe had to rewind to be doubly sure, but he said it alright. "I love the Germans, man," Ian Wright declared after the BBC showed their highlights of Tuesday's rather splendiferous semi-final, the pundit extraordinaire later confirming that he would "most definitely" be supporting France against Portugal in the second semi.

See what the World Cup does to folk? They're compelled, emotionally, to swap old enmities for brand new ones. In that sense Wrightie and his fellow BBC panellists were very nearly taking the World Cup motto, "A time to make friends," to heart. Except they were adding a PS: "And a time to make new foes."

Gary Lineker maintained the theme last night. "It was a rather odd feeling to see Germany go out and not be overjoyed by it," he said, before moving on to the business in hand: "As always on the BBC we'll be completely unbiased, so Allez les Bleus."

We take it they'll drop the "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" lark? For now.

Poor Portugal. Mind you, judging by yesterday's Italian newspapers even if they made it to the final they didn't stand a chance. "Against whom - France or Portugal - we shall know this evening. But this Italy now can beat anyone. Martians included," as Il Messaggero so marvellously put it. Not as marvellous, though, as the headline in Corriere della Sport: "WE LOVE YOU." If only the Italians would show some passion about their football.

Anyway, France and Portugal had a helluvan act to follow, and we're not just talking about the football in the first semi-final, we're talking about Fabio Grosso's goal celebration, which put him into second place in our all-time favourites list, just behind that peerless 1982 offering from Marco Tardelli.

Tear-inducing, too, are those BBC musical montages; they'd go through you like a knife through the butter you leave out in this weather. Last night's one, featuring Zidane and co, was so elegantly lovely you felt they could have made Gary Breen seem Paolo Maldini/Franco Baresi-like if they'd included him. Well, okay, maybe not.

The usual suspects were on duty for the BBC: Lineker, Alan Hansen, Martin O'Neill and "Bono", as Lineker renamed Alan Shearer (after his daughter put a video of him singing along to a U2 song on the internet).

Shearer, as it happens, still hasn't found what he's looking for, which is the ability to see the light. "Of the four teams in the semi-finals there wouldn't be too many players you'd take and put in the England side . . . apart from Zidane, Henry, Cannavaro and Ballack - but who else?" he asked. Well . . . Thuram, Gallas, Vieira, Makelele, Lehmann/Buffon, Klose, Pirlo, Gattuso, Zambrotta . . .

Martin O'Neill smiled to himself but resisted saying anything at all, moving on to the thorny subject of Portugal and their propensity to, well, dive. "One or two euphemistically sail close to the wind," as he delicately put it. In fairness to French coach Raymond Domenech he defended the Portuguese against these allegations before the game: "Portugal is a beautiful team, I am sorry but they are not only divers," he said. Eh, okay.

Back on RTÉ Gilesie was defending the pundits' honour after Billo reminded him that they'd all giggled hysterically at the notion that France could do anything of substance in this World Cup. Us also Billo, to be honest. And for describing Zidane as "over the hill". "You can have good nights when you're 34, but not as many as when you were 24," he explained, the nation replying: "Who are ya tellin' Gilesie?"

First half. It's many things, but not Germany v Italy. Penalty. Zidane. Goal. Ronaldo. At the risk of stating the bleedin' obvious: dive. No penalty. And that was about it.

With a bit of luck the family of French full back Eric Abidal didn't tape RTÉ and BBC at half-time. Gilesie: "He looks like he never played before!" Hansen: "Abidal? He should be Abigail! He's had a shocker." But Gilesie was just generally aghast at the French. "A few of them need a kick up the backside," he said, particularly the man he calls "Riberiay".

Second half? As you were. Full-time. Dunphy, who told us he backed France last week at 12-1 to win the World Cup, was a bit down in the dumps about the performance of the winners: "Shocking! Shocking ineptitude!" True enough, but all the same, wouldn't you love to be inept and be in the World Cup final?