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Post by ripper on Jun 23, 2021 9:59:14 GMT
An improved performance from England. Good to see Maguire back, and Saka and Grealish must have given themselves a decent chance of being in the team for the next game. I wonder if we are seeing an evolution in the team that sometimes happens at tournaments, with some players falling out of favour and others seeing their star rising. Scotland showed pride and passion, but their performance against a poor England proved to be a false dawn. Croatia bossed them for most of the game. A shame that all 3 home teams could not make the next round.
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Post by dem bones on Jun 23, 2021 11:47:19 GMT
Czech Republic 0 England 1. Bright start by hosts, early goal, should really have been a couple, Grealish and Saka clicking to provide creative spark so woefully absent in previous game. Second half, back to underwhelming, safety-first approach, but got job done. Nightmares that GS has modelled this England on the great Greece "entertainers" of Euro 2004.
Croatia 3 Scotland 1. Only caught highlights. Win lifts Croats to coveted second spot. Would not be surprised to see them come up on blind side and make semi's or better now group business done. Sorry to see Scotland - and especially their superb support - bow out early. 12, 000 at Hampden, 25, 000 at Wembley, and it's the latter sounds like a morgue.
Final group games today, then a two day break. English eyes on Group of death for next opponents. Horrible feeling it will be France.
Today
Group E
Poland V Sweden Slovakia V Spain
Group of Death
France V Portugal Germany V Hungary
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Post by dem bones on Jun 24, 2021 10:49:43 GMT
Poland 2 Sweden 3 Slovakia 0 Spain 5
Netherlands-Croatia revisited as Poles came back from two down only to concede in injury time - not that a draw was enough to progress. Cracking second half, Lebandoski the Terminator deserved more for giving previously unbreached Swede defence nightmares, though he missed best chance of game. Wheels came off Slovakian challenge at the last, spectacular own goal, weird defensive lapses and opportunist finishing sending Spain through as runners up.
France 2 Portugal 2 Germany 2 Hungary 2
The Germans are having a weird Euro's! Put in a magnificent all-round performance V Portugal, very nearly tripped up in home banker against the supposed group soft touch. Only caught the second half, thought the Hungarian lads were brilliant! France-Portugal was tense as ref awarded three disputed penalties, one for a dive so blatant I had to check if G. Bale was on pitch. A surprisingly benign encounter given ref was winding everyone up. Even Pepe's left his steel toecaps at home. Beside that, it's deja vu all over again. France turn it on when they need to but otherwise blasé about whole thing, Portugal through as a best third place team, just as they were when they won it five years ago.
End of group stage. Out go; Finland, Hungary, N. Macedonia, Poland, Russia, Scotland, Slovakia, and Turkey
Quarter finals:
Sat 26
Italy v Austria Wales v Denmark
Sun 27
Netherlands v Czech Republic Belgium v Portugal
Mon 28
Croatia v Spain France v Switzerland
Tue 29
England v Germany Sweden v Ukraine
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Post by ripper on Jun 24, 2021 15:35:54 GMT
Of all the teams England could have face, there was a kind of inevitability that it would be Germany. Oh, well, just so long as it doesn't go to penalties; I have enough grey hairs already, thank you very much.
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Post by dem bones on Jun 26, 2021 7:03:05 GMT
Today
Austria V Italy Denmark V Wales
The Italians have arguably been the only team to put in consecutive good to excellent performances and I love their new found commitment to attack. Austria not the most enthralling watch (though ill-tempered clash versus North Macedonian was lively). Should be a cracker.
After that traumatic opening game, Denmark put on two brilliant displays versus Belgium and Russia, the worry now being they may already be emotionally and physically spent. Count me out of the Wales love-in. Media darlings, perpetuating a myth that they're a team of humble, lower league part-timers on minimum wage, taking on the spoilt millionaires. I loved it when, on the eve of the Danes game V Russia, a certain Welsh pundit wrote that he was looking forward to facing the Fins or Russians in the last sixteen, "Either of those would be a winnable game and I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve - I can't wait."
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Post by dem bones on Jun 27, 2021 14:37:17 GMT
Austria 1 Italy 2 (aet: score at 90 mins 0-0). Few gave them a chance (me among them), but the Austrians were glorious in defeat, the better team in the second half, and desperately unlucky to have a marginal offside given against them. Italy, with reinforcements from bench, came alive in extra time, banged in two and just held out against a spirited fightback.
Denmark 4 Wales 0. Neither "winnable game" materialised, the Red Dragons were played off the pitch, but "everyone writes us off, but we proved them wrong again," ad nauseum. Danes, once they'd sussed out their opponents - who'd had an extra rest day - simply overwhelmed them. Eight goals in two games, and great to watch.
Today
This pair far more difficult to call.
Czech Republic v Netherlands. I'm getting bloody penalty vibes. Belgium v Portugal. Who will we lose - the world's top ranked national side or the Euro holders? Can Ronaldo mob continue to defy the odds? Are Belgium's golden generation doomed to remain pot-less?
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Post by ripper on Jun 27, 2021 15:56:04 GMT
Two very enjoyable games. I, too, thought Austria would be swept aside, but they played their hearts out, and I am sure Italy were relieved when that final whistle was blown.
Wales had a bright start, but it didn't last long. Denmark dominated, and after that second goal went in, there was no coming back. Four games and one decent performance against a very disappointing Turkey. Despite the presence of Bale and Ramsey, they just lack the quality; there's just so far you can go on passion and pride in this kind of competition.
I'm looking forward to Belgium vs Portugal. If the Belgians don't win it this time, then when? It's not unprecedented for a 'golden generation' to win nothing. England had Scoles, Beckham, Gerard, Lampard, Ferdinand, Neville, Rooney, our most recent 'golden generation' and they did diddly squat in World Cups and Euros.
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Post by dem bones on Jun 28, 2021 7:44:40 GMT
there's just so far you can go on passion and pride in this kind of competition. They don't seem to realise that every other player in the tournament takes enormous pride in representing their country, not just them. Czech Republic 2 Netherlands 0 Belgium 1 Portugal 0As their group opponents discovered, the Czech's are horrible to play against, resolute in defence, two mobile giants up front, and bollocks to your fancy dan stuff. Dutch red card obv gave the Czech's impetus, but the orange entertainers were already showing signs of frustration by then and simply ran out of ideas. Some spectacular missed chances by both sides, too. If Belgium win the thing, they'll have done it the hard way. Portugal gave them a game, that's for sure, were the better team in second half but blew three decent opportunities. And at last a foul of the tournament contender! Angelic throughout the group stages, Pepe had to come good eventually, and any fair-minded ref would have awarded him a well deserved straight red for his his textbook scything of match winner Thorgan Hazard. But as Wales' Chris Gunter so rightly whines, "when was life ever fair?" You can see his point. The Danes must have been furious that the Welsh had an extra days rest prior to Saturday's mis-match. TodayCroatia V Spain France V Switzerland Will go Croatia and, unsurprisingly, France.
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Post by dem bones on Jun 29, 2021 11:53:01 GMT
Croatia 3 Spain 5 (aet; score at 90 mins 3-3). Fantastically dramatic match. Unai Simon's slice gifted Modric's maestro's an own goal of sheer "somebody up there hates me" proportions, but Spaniards responded brilliantly. Five minutes to go, 3-1 up and coasting until sub Orsic forced ball over line after an almighty goal-mouth scramble gave the Croatians hope. A superb 92nd minute bullet header from another sub and it was 3-3. Credit to Spain for winning it again in extra time which they began like a team in shock. Their defence is past merely dodgy but they create enough chances to outscore virtually everyone. Most dramatic game to date and a fabulous effort from both sides.
France 3 Switzerland 3 (aet; score at 90 mins 3-3: Swiss win 5-4 on penalties). As it transpired, Spain-Croatia was only the undisputed most dramatic match of EURO 2020 for a matter of minutes before this one kicked off. Same thing. Swiss deservedly took early lead, missed a penalty shortly after the break and three minutes later the world champs, shambolic in first half, were 2-1 and coasting. Paul Pogba made it 3-1 with a screamer, did his face pulling and funny dance thing, and at that stage it was so game over. For maybe half an hour the French looked like the best team on the planet - and then the Swiss blew them away. They were magnificent!
Today
England V Germany Croatia V Sweden
More of whatever that was yesterday will do fine. The quarter finals have been magical.
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Post by ripper on Jun 29, 2021 18:52:38 GMT
Spain vs Croatia and France vs Switzerland were both thoroughly enjoyable games. Such drama from back-to-back matches.
I can't say I enjoyed the England Germany game until that second goal went in and I started to believe that we could actually win. Nowhere as dramatic as last night's feasts, but a competent performance. I hope that result will give the team confidence and belief, which I feel they have sometimes lacked. Great to see Kane get a goal, maybe this will open the floodgates--we can hope! Also, all the talk about Sterling shouldn't be in the team, and he scores another vital goal. Foden was tipped to set the tournament alight, but so far he has been disappointing imo. He is still very young and I am sure he will get better and be a valuable member of the England team in the years to come. He has the talent and time on his side. Next up, Sweden or Ukraine. I hope the media don't talk up the team too much--fat chance--for I expect both to give us a stern challenge.
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Post by dem bones on Jun 30, 2021 6:31:53 GMT
I can't say I enjoyed the England Germany game until that second goal went in and I started to believe that we could actually win. England 2 Germany 0Sweden 1 Ukraine 2. (aet; 1-1 after 90 minutes). I was wondering how you were bearing up, Rip! It became scarier to watch once Sterling had put England ahead. If Thomas Muller had potted that chance when he was clean through, the Germans could well have gone on to win. As it was, Kane netting so soon afterward knocked the stuffing out of them. Nothing in it first half, nothing to write home about either after Monday's epics, but thought England deserved it on a strong second half performance (their first of the tournament). Neat build up and great finishes for both goals. Must feel great to be Gareth Southgate tonight! Re media. Several of the players - Sterling and Grealish in particular - have had grief from press over their private lives before now, so if they are shrewd as they seem, they'll treat the gushing praise with the same indifference as they do the abuse. Second game was a strange one. Sparkling first half, Swedes equalising a brilliant Ukraine opener shortly before break, after which match fizzled out to unwatchable until the sending off in extra time. Dramatic last minute winner. Eng V Ukraine unlikely to be pretty.
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Post by johnnymains on Jun 30, 2021 7:32:06 GMT
That England match was a fun watch and a well deserved win. A lot of teams will be glad to see the back of Joachim Löw, a formidable manager who took Germany to win the 2014 World Cup.
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Post by ripper on Jun 30, 2021 9:06:12 GMT
I can't say I enjoyed the England Germany game until that second goal went in and I started to believe that we could actually win. England 2 Germany 0Sweden 1 Ukraine 2. (aet; 1-1 after 90 minutes). I was wondering how you were bearing up, Rip! It became scarier to watch once Sterling had put England ahead. If Thomas Muller had potted that chance when he was clean through, the Germans could well have gone on to win. As it was, Kane netting so soon afterward knocked the stuffing out of them. Nothing in it first half, nothing to write home about either after Monday's epics, but thought England deserved it on a strong second half performance (their first of the tournament). Neat build up and great finishes for both goals. Must feel great to be Gareth Southgate tonight! Re media. Several of the players - Sterling and Grealish in particular - have had grief from press over their private lives before now, so if they are shrewd as they seem, they'll treat the gushing praise with the same indifference as they do the abuse. Second game was a strange one. Sparkling first half, Swedes equalising a brilliant Ukraine opener shortly before break, after which match fizzled out to unwatchable until the sending off in extra time. Dramatic last minute winner. Eng V Ukraine unlikely to be pretty. Scary is the word, Dem. I was expecting a German goal until Kane put it out of their reach. Agreed that England deserved the win. Hope he will go on to score more now that he has gotten that crucial first after a long wait. Similar to how Shearer went without a goal for such a long time prior to Euro '96, then scored and it took that weight of expectation from him. Our media love to build up players and managers then put the boot in with glee when they have a bad match. After the Croatia match, Southgate was hailed as a master tactician. After the one against Scotland, he went from hero to zero in the eyes of the press. Now, he is the second coming of Alf Ramsey. Agree with you, Dem, best to ignore the press. The most useful function too many papers perform is to wrap up bags of fish and chips, and it should be drilled into every young player and manager, and truthfully to any person in the public gaze that the press is not your friend.
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Post by 𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr on Jun 30, 2021 12:28:16 GMT
Re media. Several of the players - Sterling and Grealish in particular - have had grief from press over their private lives before now, so if they are shrewd as they seem, they'll treat the gushing praise with the same indifference as they do the abuse. Our media love to build up players and managers then put the boot in with glee when they have a bad match. After the Croatia match, Southgate was hailed as a master tactician. After the one against Scotland, he went from hero to zero in the eyes of the press. Now, he is the second coming of Alf Ramsey. Agree with you, Dem, best to ignore the press. The most useful function too many papers perform is to wrap up bags of fish and chips, and it should be drilled into every young player and manager, and truthfully to any person in the public gaze that the press is not your friend. I'd imagine the press are scanning social media at this very moment, hoping to find an offensive to someone ten year old tweet from a player or member of staff, and I bet it's the more successful ones they are hoping to catch out. Players should be told to avoid it (social media), but it is like an addiction for many isn't it. The Wags (dislike that label so much, hate typing it here) don't help of course, being desperate for celebrity they use social media for publicity and undermine their husbands/partners. I was told they helped wreck England in a World Cup once, is this true?
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Post by Michael Connolly on Jun 30, 2021 12:59:31 GMT
What is Euro 2020? Is it a popular beat combo?
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