Starts this week (Friday).
The England team left for Germany an hour ago. Seeing them all boarding the flight made me feel a little bit excited 8)
The first game is Scotland vs Germany on Friday evening.
@FETCHER. You looking forward to it?
Me and the boys ready to support England in the boozer:
(https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Flookaside.fbsbx.com%2Flookaside%2Fcrawler%2Fmedia%2F%3Fmedia_id%3D2570109566405336&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=e36205cf53b6e3a7f0c84893408bb92bc5ddb61ca000e3e42100467b88cfd51f&ipo=images)
(https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/309/571/83a.png)
Simple as!
Sorry but as a proud Irishman I'm going to be supporting my Celtic cousins. Haway the lads! Scooootland the bravvvvv!!!!
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/Flag_of_Scotland.svg/510px-Flag_of_Scotland.svg.png)
Alright that'll do you for three games but what are you going to do after that? Who you gonna root for then?
8)
Spain
lol at those drawings
I still don't know how much I'll watch but I'll probably catch some of the big games
Happy Euros Day everyone.
This is like Christmas for me, I have a warmth in my heart and spring in my step.
A festival of football begins today, with Scotland vs Germany.
On Sunday though...
(https://i.4pcdn.org/pol/1536000546235.jpg)
I just hope that Germany and all countries from which there are a lot of people living here lose as quick as possible so I don't have to be bothered by the fans' retarded screaming and honking and other dumb noises.
Quote from: grindy on Jun 14, 2024, 02:59 PMI just hope that Germany and all countries from which there are a lot of people living here lose as quick as possible so I don't have to be bothered by the fans' retarded screaming and honking and other dumb noises.
;D
I hope Germany get knocked out quickly too mate. What other people live there? Guessing you've got a decent Turkish population. Any Croatians? Any English?
Quote from: jimmy jazz on Jun 14, 2024, 03:05 PM;D
I hope Germany get knocked out quickly too mate. What other people live there? Guessing you've got a decent Turkish population. Any Croatians? Any English?
If we quickly get rid of the Turks, the Greeks, the Italians and the people from ex-Yugoslavia (so, yeah, lot's of Croats) it'd be awesome. (Please don't quote this out of context. :laughing:)
Also a lot of Northern African people here (Tunisia, Morocco..), not sure whether they participate and have good teams. Lots of Russians but I suppose their team got sanctioned right the fuck off the list anyway. Of course lots of Ukrainians as well (still feels weird having to separately name those two), so I certainly hope Ukraine loses as well, if they even play.
Don't think I've ever met an English person living here, so I guess I'm rooting for England now.
No they play in the AFCON (African Cup of Nations).
Pleased to read that, knew you were a decent lad 🏴
Lol, I forgot it's the Europe thingy and not the World thingy, so obviously no African countries. Duh.
Quote from: jimmy jazz on Jun 14, 2024, 02:34 PMHappy Euros Day everyone.
This is like Christmas for me, I have a warmth in my heart and spring in my step.
A festival of football begins today, with Scotland vs Germany.
On Sunday though...
(https://i.4pcdn.org/pol/1536000546235.jpg)
Is that Baz, Faz, Daz and Gaz? With a bottle and a Ginsters? Could they not at least tuck their shirts in?! ;D
It might be an idea to play "Euro Supporter Bingo". Next time you're in a pub or café with live television, tick off any phrases you hear being shouted out. The classic ones I've heard might be:
"Who are ya, who are ya?"
"Oi Fritz, u want some?"
"Yes, having it." (Usually for an attacking corner with good forward momentum)
"Fackin' hell ref, that was a blatant yellow!" (if an English player goes down)
"Get up, u big girl's blouse" (if an opposition player goes down)
"He fell ova, he fell ova" (if an opposition player goes down)
"Why why why Delilah?" (sung by a random, sporadically during the game)
"Two world wars, one world cup" (reserved uniquely for any England-Germany match)
"Get in, son!"
"We was robbed!"
And a couple of memorable Premier League ones:
'Thierry Henry.., Thierry Henry..."
'Vierra, whoa...Vierra, whooaa...he comes from Senegawl...he plays for Arsenawl.."
the Vieira chant is now the chant for Victoria Pelova in women's football!
Pelova, who-o-oh, Pelova, Who-o-oh
She comes from Amsterdam, she is an Arsenal fan...
Most one sided 5-1 I've ever seen.
If Scotland can get out the group from here then well done to them.
Five-fucking-one? You know, when half time loomed at it was 3-0 to Germany with Scotland a man down, I turned off, not expecting anything. I guess generally I didn't lose out. Reminds me of the time someone was beaten something like 7-0 and the losing manager was asked what happened, and replied acerbicly "We were lucky to get nil!" :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
Spain tomorrow. Why the fuck are none of the channels here doing a highlights show? I can't sit through three full matches tomorrow! Guess it's record and fast-forward till something interesting happens...
Vamos Espana! Half an hour in and it's 2-0! :love:
And now it's half time and they're three to the good. Viva!
Shock incredible start for Albania who are 1-0 up against Italy after thirty seconds!!!!
Ten minutes later, normal service has been resumed: Italy 1 - Albania 1
The Adidas Hey Jude advert with Bellingham is great.
For those who want to know but can't be bothered checking, I'll keep a list of the scores and who's doing what.
GROUP A
Germany 5 - 1 Scotland
Hungary 1 - 3 Switzerland
Germany currently tops Group A, no surprise there.
GROUP B
Spain 3 - 0 Croatia
Albania 1 - 2 Italy
Spain top Group B, again no real surprise
Tomorrow's matches
Poland v Netherlands (Group D) Expected outcome: hard to say, but the Dutch usually don't let you down. Prediction: 3-2 to Netherlands
Slovenia v Denmark (Group C) Expected outcome: Denmark should win this. Prediction: 2-1 Denmark
England v Serbia (Group C) Expected outcome: duh, talk to JJ! Prediction: 3-0 England
Controversies so far: 1) Croatia get a VERY dodgy penalty against Spain (let's put it this way: it was so soft that had you wrapped a baby in it there wouldn't be a peep out of the baby), penalty was missed but then scored on the rebound, and then chalked off (offside? Not sure; JJ will confirm I'm sure)
2) After a woeful throw by Italy in the first 30 seconds of the match, Albania score an unprecedented and unexpected goal, to not only lead Italy 1-0 (for 10 minutes) but also register the fastest goal in Euro history!
It was for encroachment in the box.
Basically the player who played the assist from the penalty had ran into the box before it had been taken. Correctly ruled out.
Should never have been awarded anyway. Justice seen to be done.
Okay, since my Serbia shirk shrunk (try saying that after six pints!) :laughing: I'll ask forgiveness from my ancestors and say COME ON ENGLAND! Well, no, not really - no Irish person could say that. But I'll wish you luck JJ. Should be a cakewalk.
Quote from: Trollheart on Jun 16, 2024, 04:54 PMOkay, since my Serbia shirk shrunk (try saying that after six pints!) :laughing: I'll ask forgiveness from my ancestors and say COME ON ENGLAND! Well, no, not really - no Irish person could say that. But I'll wish you luck JJ. Should be a cakewalk.
Cheers mate really looking forward to it.
I'd be surprised if it was a cakewalk. Very tough side. Draw wouldn't be the worst result in the world.
Anyway I'm ready! Do it for Hastings, for Harry Potter, and for Henry VIII!
(https://i.ibb.co/Vm25Pv1/20240611-192901.jpg)
Or close their walls up with our English beer! :laughing:
What did you think? I mean, honestly? The goal was class but the performance? Or are you just going to Englishly ignore that and say we won and that's all that matters?
TODAY'S MATCHES AND RESULTS
GROUP C
Slovenia 1 - 1 Denmark
England 1 - 0 Serbia
England currently tops Group C, no surprise there.
GROUP D
Poland 1 - 2 Netherlands
Netherlands top Group D, again no real surprise
Tomorrow's matches
Romania v Ukraine (Group E) Expected outcome: Romania are likely to take this one. Prediction: 2-1 to Romania
Slovenia v Belgium (Group E) Expected outcome: Belgium by a mile. Prediction: 4-0 Belgium
France v Austria (Group D) Expected outcome: France all the way! Prediction: 3-1 France
Controversies so far: None today really. We have our first draw of the tournament though, as Slovenia staged a late late show, an unlikely comeback against Denmark to leave with honours even. Oh, and some lunatic was shot by the Police in Hamburg as he was attacking them with an axe. Just, you know, a normal day in Euro 2024! (Nobody was injured - other than him - hence the flippant tone. Representative of the United Federation of Axes and Hatchets were unavailable for comment at time of posting).
Quote from: Trollheart on Jun 17, 2024, 12:13 AMWhat did you think? I mean, honestly? The goal was class but the performance? Or are you just going to Englishly ignore that and say we won and that's all that matters?
It's the first group game. I don't give a shit about the performance. The win is all that matters.
Argentina lost their first World Cup game to Saudi Arabia.
Spain lost their first in 2010.
I could post plenty more examples.
It's a marathon not a sprint and Serbia are no mugs.
Matter of interest, where are you watching the games JJ? So far as I can see, rather amazingly, our own national station, RTE, are the only ones who have all 51 games live. Just wondering. Even BBC have only one match a day, it seems, then highlights, and SKY don't even have highlights! Sometimes, the odd time, it's not so bad being Irish! :thumb:
Quote from: Trollheart on Jun 17, 2024, 04:24 PMMatter of interest, where are you watching the games JJ? So far as I can see, rather amazingly, our own national station, RTE, are the only ones who have all 51 games live. Just wondering. Even BBC have only one match a day, it seems, then highlights, and SKY don't even have highlights! Sometimes, the odd time, it's not so bad being Irish! :thumb:
They're all on either BBC or ITV. I'm looking forward to seeing France later. None of the big hitters have lost yet. Maybe this is the one 8)
@TrollheartDid you see the France match? Mbappe broke his nose. Looked a bad one too, like something out of the UFC. Nose was moved across his face. French FA have confirmed it is broken (you could see that anyway) and he will be going for surgery.
So I'd guess best case scenario for France is he is back for the knockouts with a protective mask.
Yeah I saw it. BAM! Right against that guy's shoulder. They kept replaying it. Looked horribly painful. Belgium were shit, weren't they? It's opening up now. Weird looking tables in some of the groups.
TODAY'S MATCHES AND RESULTS
GROUP D
France 1 - 0 Austria
Netherlands still tops Group D, which is a surprise as France were more or less expected to overtake them, but as they only scored the single goal, Netherlands remain on top due to goal difference.
GROUP E
Romania 3 - 0 Ukraine
Belgium 0 - Slovakia 1
Romania top Group E, which very much is a surprise: Belgium were expected to head the group.
Tomorrow's matches
Only two matches tomorrow, both from Group F
Turkey v Georgia Expected outcome: Imagine the Turks will see off Georgia, though at the moment the way things are going, who knows? Prediction: 1-0 to Turkey.
Portugal v Czechia Expected outcome: The mighty Portugal should storm this one. Prediction: 4-0 Portugal
Controversies so far: Belgium shock by dropping 1-0 to the lowly Slovakia, a huge milestone for the Slovaks. Kylian Mbappe of France has his nose broken in an incident on the field (an accidental collision). France have two goals ruled out, one offside and one for handball. The latter decision is rife with controversy, placing us in the hands of the AI Gods of Football.
Interesting display of football violence and cuntery so far.
Turks and Georgians kicking the shit out of each other right now in the stadium.
I particularly liked the Serbians storming Albanians and English fans. Had gone all round the world and casual fans and know nothings had blamed England before the German police confirmed England fans had nothing to do with it and the Serbian FA has been charged.
50 odd Italians found with knives and paper bombs planning to attack Albanians too. That was kept very quiet for some reason.
(https://i.ibb.co/b3pX5HK/Screenshot-20240616-151136.jpg)
I know I bang on about this, but just imagine 50+ English fans had done that. ::)
You're right: credit where credit is due. Did you see the Paddypower ad with Danny Dyer? Fucking hilarious.
Balkan teams love kicking the shite out of each other, don't they? Lucky Russia isn't in the tournament!
TODAY'S MATCHES AND RESULTS
GROUP F
Turkey 3 - 1 Georgia
Portugal 2 - 1 Czechia
Turkey top Group F, something of an upset as Portugal were expected to be there, but are now second on goal difference.
Tomorrow's matches
Group A
Scotland v Switzerland. Expected outcome: ? Both teams are now fighting for their lives, so expect both to rise to the occasion, but only one can go through. Prediction: Not sure but it can't be a draw*, so let's support Scotland and give them a narrow win: 1-0 to Scotland.
Germany v Hungary. Expected outcome: you'd have to expect the Germans to triumph. Prediction: 3-1 to the Krauts.
Group B
Croatia v Albania. Expected outcome: Croatia should have the advantage here. Prediction: 1-0 to Croatia.
Controversies so far: Czechia score first in their game against Portugal, the football powerhouses not performing anywhere near as well as they need to, despite winning the match (one goal of their two was an own goal, the other coming in extreme extra time, two minutes before the end of four minutes added on). Turkey v Georgia, expected to be a pretty pedestrian match, turned out to be almost the best yet, real end-to-end stuff.
* Oh yes it can Trollheart you knob end! ::) And it was.
Turkey vs Georgia was definitely the best I've seen so far. Spice, goals, chances and the ending. Really good.
I think Scotland will lose again tomorrow but Croatia I agree with you on, except I think it'll be more than 1-0 to them.
TODAY'S MATCHES AND RESULTS
GROUP A
Scotland 1 - 1 Switzerland
Germany 2 - 0 Hungary
Germany top Group A and have already assured qualification on goal difference.
Group B
Croatia 2 - Albania 2
Spain remain top of Group B, and are more than likely shoo-in to qualify.
Tomorrow's matches
Group B
Spain v Italy Expected outcome: Repeat of the 2012 Euro Finals, so hard to say, but I think Spain should do it. Prediction: 2-0 Spain.
Group C
Slovenia v Serbia Expected outcome: could go either way. Serbia impressed against England (or perhaps it might be more accurate to say, England did not impress against Serbia, sorry JJ) so I would tend to go with them. Prediction: 1-0 to Serbia.
Denamrk v England Expected outcome: Denamrk were not very impressive in their first match. England may be able to take them. Prediction: 1-1
Another low-level (on paper) game, Croatia v Albania turned out to be our second thriller, with Albania scoring first, then Croatia levelling, going ahead and looking to have the victory before Albania scored a last-gasp equaliser, taking the heart out of Modric and Co. Superb. Scotland fought off a resilient Switzerland to grind out a - relatively unlikely, given their 5-1 thrashing by Germany - draw that leaves them in with a chance of still getting out of the group. A powerhouse performance, which left one of their team being stretchered off.
Cornish pasty > Danish pastry
Carling > Carlsberg
Coventry > Copenhagen
Come on England! 🏴
@jimmy jazz so long since I had a Cornish pasty! Can't get them here anymore. :(
Aaannyway...
TODAY'S MATCHES AND RESULTSGROUP BSpain 1 - 0 Italy
Spain top Group A and have already assured qualification on goal difference.
Group CSlovenia 1 - Serbia 1
England 1 - Denmark 1
England remain top of Group C and are assured of at least progressing, even if they don't end up going through at the top of the group (though they likely will).
Tomorrow's matchesGroup DPoland v Austria Expected outcome: dunno. Neither have fired on all cylinders so far. Probably a draw is the best we could expect here. Prediction: 1-1
Netherlands v France Expected outcome: France being one of the favourites, even with Mbappe's broken nose, they should triumph here. Netherlands are no slouches either, but failed to impress in their first match, whereas France were all over Austria, even if they only scored the one goal. Prediction: 2-0 France.
Group ESlovakia v Ukraine Expected outcome: Ukraine were pretty dire against Romania, leading to the second-highest score in the tournament then or since. Should expect Slovakia to win. Prediction: 2-0 Slovakia.
Again, the "low-level" match was the one with the most excitement, Slovenia through until the very last second almost of extended time (actually longer; there were 5 minutes and Serbia scored in almost the seventh). A thrilling end to what looks to have been a great game, though I was out doing the shopping and missed virtually all of it. Boo me. England v Denmark was a tentative, edgy affair again and a draw was probably the best we were going to get. Neither team particularly distinguished themselves, with England's only goal coming from a mistake by Denmark, then Denmark's effort due to a mistake by England. Controversially, Southgate made a triple substitution of his best-known players - Kane, Foden and Saha. It didn't work. Spain v Italy was billed as a clash of titans but was a gigantic yawn, with Italy on the defensive for most of the time. Promised much but delivered little.
Serbia have threatened to leave the tournament because of racist chanting from Croatia and Albania fans.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cd110nzxwvko
The chant for those on X:
https://x.com/MyLordBebo/status/1803525994424496312
That is about as bad as it gets, not as if it was one or two. The majority of Croatia fans inside the ground clearly chanting "kill, kill, kill the Serbs"
Jesus. Well, we all remember Sarajevo right? Fucking hell: these people make the differences between out two countries look like a minor disagreement! So much for sport bringing everyone together!
TODAY'S MATCHES AND RESULTS
GROUP D
Poland 1 - 3 Austria
Netherlands 0 - 0 France
Netherlands top Group D and have already assured qualification. Poland become the first team to be eliminated.
Group E
Slovakia 1 - Ukraine 2
Romania top Group E, much to the surprise of the football community, who all expected Belgium to be there, not last, as they are currently.
Tomorrow's matches
Group E
Belgium v Romania Expected outcome: dunno. Belgium have failed to impress whereas Romania have been on fire and are currently topping the group. If the Belgians take the brakes off and remember to bring their shooting boots, could be a hell of a match. With no points (and everyone else the group having 3), no goals and a negative goal difference, if they don't turn it on they could be going home. Romania will want to retain their place at the top of the table and assure qualification, especially after Ukraine's surprise spurt against Slovakia. Prediction: 1-1, Belgium are on the plane home.
Group F
Georgia v Czechia Expected outcome: again hard to say. Both teams have been surprisingly impressive. Prediction 1-1
Turkey v Portugal Expected outcome: Portugal have to come good if they're going to retain their reputation in European football, though they're in a good position to go through anyway so with Turkey on top and not wanting to risk their position, maybe another nervy match? Prediction: 1-1
Two great matches, and neither were the one you'd have expected. Austria played Poland off the park, managing to knock them to the bottom of the table and making them the first team to go home, eliminated from the tournament. Ukraine, struggling against Slovakia and one goal down, came back in a quite unlikely turnaround and won the match. The "big match" between France and the Netherlands was mostly unremarkable, with some chances, but none taken, no real talking points and no goals. Le yawn!
TODAY'S MATCHES AND RESULTS
GROUP F
Georgia 1 - 1 Czechia
Portugal 3 - 0 Turkey
Portugal are top of group F, to nobody's surprise.
Group E
Belgium 2 - Romania 0
Romania top Group E, much to the surprise of the football community, who all expected Belgium to be there, though their performance tonight moves them into second place, so they should go through. An interesting point about this group is that every team in it, even the one on the bottom, has three points.
Tomorrow's matches
Group A
Scotland v Hungary Expected outcome: Scotland have ground to make up after their original thrashing by Germany in the opening match, while Hungary also suffered at the hands of the Germans, though while Scotland sort of redeemed themselves against Switzerland, Hungary rolled over (sorry) for the Swiss. Both teams have the same negative goal difference, with Hungary currently at the bottom of the table, so both will be eager to fight for their place. Prediction: 2-1 to Scotland.
Switzerland v Germany Expected outcome: Germany have already qualified top of their group, as expected, and may therefore field a slightly weakened team, in order to hold back their best players for the next round. Or not. Switzerland are already assured of going through, unless by some miracle Scotland score three or more goals, so a cagey affair is likely. Prediction: 1-1.
For the third or fourth time, a "small" match provided great entertainment, with Georgia and Czechia battling out a powerful 1-1 draw, in which it looked the latter team had the upper hand and would retain it, while for once a "big" match did not disappoint, as Portugal turned on the style, and while we have yet to see a Ronaldo goal, they, um, stuffed Turkey, showing why they are still regarded as one of the tourament's favourites, and still one of the best teams in Europe. Belgium finally turned on the style to steamroller over a shell-shocked Romania, one of their goals even coming from a badly-placed and badly dealt with backpass to the keeper, making it an own goal.
An interesting quirk of this tournament is that Belgium have so far had three goals ruled offside, and all scored by the same guy, Romelu Lukaku. Got to be some sort of unwanted record!
I've not kept up with it too much because I was at Download festival.
The Scotland vs Germany game was on while we were watching bands, getting skudded 5-1 while you are in England is not ideal 😂.
At least they partially redeemed themselves in the next game. Tonight's will be crucial. To the skirl of the bagpipes! Or something. Fry up some haggis? Remember Robbie Burns? Arrest this man for racist remarks? What man? That rapidly-disappearing dot in the distance? :laughing: :laughing:
Quote from: FETCHER. on Jun 23, 2024, 12:00 PMI've not kept up with it too much because I was at Download festival.
The Scotland vs Germany game was on while we were watching bands, getting skudded 5-1 while you are in England is not ideal 😂.
:laughing:
You're a good egg Fetcher.
Quote from: Trollheart on Jun 23, 2024, 03:10 PMAt least they partially redeemed themselves in the next game. Tonight's will be crucial. To the skirl of the bagpipes! Or something. Fry up some haggis? Remember Robbie Burns? Arrest this man for racist remarks? What man? That rapidly-disappearing dot in the distance? :laughing: :laughing:
Haha I hope they do well, there will be no haggis just yet though!!
I've seen a lot of people share pipe band videos in Germany... I would absolutely love to be there for that alone 😍
From today it's only (!) two matches a day and they're played at the same time, so I'm going to be, though watching football, as if I were at a tennis match: check this channel, check that channel, goal there, miss there, that was never a penalty ref are ye blind, what happened in the other match while I was making comments on the ref's sight etc! Gonna be fun! Sore neck on the way! :laughing: :laughing:
There is plenty swearing going on in my household at the moment.
Fingers crossed Scotland 🤞🙏
I hope to god that Barnabás Varga is okay 🙏
What the actual FUCK???!!! Not a penalty? Someone fire that ref. Out of a cannon! Jesus! Unbelievable! :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :rage: :rage: :rage:
Dramatic.
Wheesht Jimmy 😜 we were robbed
TODAY'S MATCHES AND RESULTS
GROUP A
Germany 1 - Switzerland 1
After slipping to second place during the match, with the score 1-0 against them, Germany fought back with a last-gasp equaliser to regain their position at the top of Group A and go through to the next round. The Swiss turned out to be a tougher opponent than was originally envisaged.
Scotland 0 - Hungary 1
After a pretty poor display by the Scots, they wuz robbed when a clear and stonewall penalty was not only turned away by the idiotic ref, but also not overturned by VAR. My cat could have told you that was a penalty, and he's dead. As the match looked to be heading for a nil-all draw, Hungary scored in the final seconds of TEN MINUTES of extra time (mostly occasioned by the serious injury and removal to hospital of one of the Hungarian players) to break Scottish hearts and send them home. Again.
Tomorrow's matches
Group B
Croatia v Italy Expected outcome: you'd have to think Italy would take this one, though they haven't been playing as well as they should be. Prediction: 1-0 Italy.
Albania v Spain Expected outcome: again you would be extremely surprised to see one of the hot favourites for the title lose to lowly Albania. Prediction: 3-0 Spain.
Never quite realised how hard it is to watch (and listen to) two matches at once! In the end, neither was exactly a goalfest, though there was controversy, such as it is, in both, with first Switzerland scoring against Germany before the Germans equalised, and that mad lack of a penalty and then the hammerblow of a Hungarian goal in the dying moments of the Scotland match. You gotta feel for the Scots: next time lads, next time.
Quote from: FETCHER. on Jun 24, 2024, 12:48 AMWheesht Jimmy 😜 we were robbed
Yes I won't be a dick about it.
Hungary were lucky to get that decision.
Croatia vs Italy for me.
I don't really like either of these but as Croatia are the shitter team it's probably better that they go through. Both need win so should be good.
TODAY'S MATCHES AND RESULTS
GROUP B
Albania 0 - 1 Spain
They put up a good fight and didn't roll over, but the Spanish know how to hold on to a lead, and they, as expected, top the group while Albania head back to wherever they came from.
Croatia 1 - Italy 1
A much tighter match than it would seem from the scoreline. Croatia bossed the possession and Modric missed a penalty but scored almost immediately afterwards, marking, it would seem, his towering presence once more on the tournament, probably for the last time. Unfortunately they couldn't hold on and Italy, despite a pretty uninspiring performance overall, snatched it at the death after EIGHT minutes of extra time, literally in the dying seconds. Italy now go through and while Croatia have a mathematical chance of also doing so, it's more than likely this ends their Euro 2024 journey.
Tomorrow's matches
Jesus scoring on the rebound in extra time! If I thought watching two matches at once was hard (it is) try watching FOUR tomorrow! No, not four at once: what do you think I am, Cerberus with an extra head? But still, four matches, two of each of which will take place at the same time. Gonna be a busy one!
Group C
England v Slovenia Expected outcome: doesn't really matter. With the exit of Albania from the tournament England, France and the Netherlands are all guaranteed to progress. Prediction: 1-1
Denmark v Serbia Expected outcome: could be tight but I would fancy Denmark to come through. Prediction: 2-1 Denmark
Group D
Netherlands v Austria: Expected outcome (see above) Prediction: 1-0 Netherlands.
France v Poland Expected outcome (see above, and also note Poland are already heading to the airport after this, so maybe pride to play for, but meh) Prediction: 2-0 France
Overall, not two of the greatest matches, but the Italy/Croatia far the more entertaining, as described above. Albania tried their best but really the mighty Spain swept them aside, as expected. They've made some friends here though, punching above their weight, and will be missed. You really have to feel for Croatia, who played Italy more or less off the park and were about to hand the Azzuri an embarrassing exit from the tournament, and you also have to wonder where the hell eight damned minutes extra time came from? But, them's the breaks, and I guess that's the last we'll see of Luka Modric in a Croatia shirt. At 38, he's likely to retire now from the international game, having carved his own legend upon European and world football over almost twenty years.
Posting in advance, we're going to fuck Slovenia hard tomorrow.
The players are under pressure and I can see a fire and anger in their comments.
Quote me and laugh at me but tomorrow they're going to prove a lot of England fans wrong.
I hate England fans BTW. And it's not for the reason you would think.
They absolutely hammer the team regardless of what happens. If we win 4-0 it's because the other team was shit. If we lose its because we're shit. Before we beat Germany at the last Euros they were almost all certain we were going out because the narrative is we go out to the first decent team we face. Then we beat Germany and suddenly Germany are a shit team.
They never, ever give credit to the team or manager.
We have a reputation of being arrogant but the truth is so far away from that it's unbelievable. They're saying Bellingham is overrated now.
And the fact they have been slating Kane for years?!
Honestly.
I'm so sorry, but I am going to piss myself laughing if Slovenia stuff you! :laughing:
I do wish you luck though.
In fairness, the English team could take a lesson from the Scots. When they were thrashed by Germany they didn't whine about it, blame the manager, the media or even the Germans. They took it like men, realised it wasn't good enough, and gave it the old Scottish try. I respect them more for that.
Now apparently Southgate is all hand-wringing and finger-wagging at the media for being so mean to his team that they put them off, dispirit them? Come on! They're grown fucking men, and they're in an international tournament. Man up for fuck's sake guys. The fact is, they were lucky to get through as they did. Surely even you are not going to suggest they breezed through, that they showed themselves a proper prospect for the finals? They came up against a poor Serbian side and were damned lucky to stumble through against Denmark, literally faults on both sides, each goal the result of a mistake for both teams. They're not the Golden Generation, no matter what anyone may think. They may make it against Slovenia, but really, what does that prove? I know I'm using your maxim, but look: Serbia, nothing special. Slovenia, nothing special. Denmark, old and tired and themselves just staggering through against poor oppostion. Spain or France ye're not!
Nevertheless, you're through anyway so what does it matter? What annoys me is that if you*, as you probably will, thrash Slovenia, you'll be all "Enger-land! Enger-land!" when you're expected to win and are through no matter what. Wait till you come up against some proper opposition before you puff yer chest out. I mean, you weren't exactly in the Group of Death, now were ya? :laughing:
Before you go off on one, I admit England have had some famous victories (Germany 5-1 anyone?) and I respect** them for those ones, but your current record in the Euros don't have any of them. Yet.
* This does not refer to you specifically or personally, but all England fans, supporters and especially the players.
** Obviously, to the limited extent any true Irishman can be said to respect an English team!
They're calling Bellingham overrated? He seemed to be almost the only one who was trying. Do they expect him to fly the team to victory on his magic wings?
I think you're too hasty though, group stage performances don't necessarily say much (and France didn't exactly impress me either, I haven't seen the other title favourites though). They may get it together once the pressure's on and then the cheering would be not so much a pretense that everything has always been great and more something like: finally a decent game, we seem to have got it together finally, let's fucking go.
Alternatively, a team that plays uninspired, fangless football can still be very hard to beat and claw their way to the title via scrappy wins and penalties, but let's hope for the sake of football quality that that won't happen.
Anyway it's been fun reacquainting myself with the Dutch team a little. Xavi Simons seems like a bit of a cunt and I was almost glad his goal got rejected. Ake (looks very charming) and van Dijk (handsome and regal) are my favourites so far. I wondered where is Daley Blind is. I used to like him, is he too old already, did he fall off, or what
I think it would probably be fair to say no team has really set the competition alight so far. Some of the smaller teams - Albania, Slovenia, Ukraine, Serbia, Georgia - have done better in some games than they might have been expected to, and rather than just making up the numbers have given some of the bigger teams a decent fight. Some of those teams, on the other hand, have scraped through on nil-nils (Netherlands/France) and dodgy goals (England/Denmark) and the only "big" teams to impress so far, for me, would be Spain, Portugal and possibly Belgium, though they did take their time to get going. Italy have been poor overall and were lucky to get through as they did, robbing Croatia of their place. Thought they went up eventually through the gears, Belgium were for some time an embarrassing bottom of the table, and there was a fear they might not go through. France, of course, are France, though not always it seems. Austria and Poland failed to fire on even one cylinder, with the latter on the way home.
Still, as you say, these games are just the warm-ups and it will be in the next stage, when teams are fighting for their lives every game, that we see what they're made of, or not. My money (as such) remains on Spain, who I think have a great chance. If not them, then maybe Portugal or France. Of course, you never know with football, and we could have a major upset (Romania for European champions, anyone?) so we'll just have to wait and see. That's what's so great about football: you just never know how it will turn out. Guess that's why we love it so much.
Quote from: Marie Monday on Jun 25, 2024, 10:34 AMThey're calling Bellingham overrated? He seemed to be almost the only one who was trying. Do they expect him to fly the team to victory on his magic wings?
Yes they do.
He's overrated based on one quiet game vs Denmark and the fact he didn't score in the CL knockouts.
Kane gets slated because he hasn't won a trophy.
I'm agreeing with you the group performances don't say much BTW. To win an international tournament you need to be tight defensively and be able to nick a goal. That's it. You don't even need a good manager. But if we don't blow every team away 5-0 the fans just criticise.
If the unlikely happens and England win it this year, I guarantee as soon as the final is done, the fans will belittle it and say it was only because we got an easy draw.
Regarding Dutch, Villa are signing Ian Maatsen BTW. You know much about him Marie? Meant to be shit hot 8)
I know nothing I'm afraid
Just got me costume on, trying to channel the spirit of Lancelot, King Arthur and the rest of the lads from the Round Table.
(https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/417/423/b76.png)
Let the English lions roar again!
(https://media.tenor.com/OrkagMo48XgAAAAM/england-lions-roar.gif)
Simple as.
Total dominance from England. Difficult to score when the opponents park the bus.
Through to the knockouts. England win the Group of Dirge. We get the favourable side of the draw.
Looks like we're playing Netherlands 5pm Sunday
@Marie Monday 😲
Total dominance me arse! What happened to "we're going to fuck Slovenia hard"?? Yiz were shite, as we say here. Ye were through anyway, so I don't see what you're crowing about to be honest. Slovenia deserve all credit for getting through against all odds. You lads just stumbled through. As someone once said: NO FUTURE! ::)
Quote from: Trollheart on Jun 25, 2024, 11:18 PMTotal dominance me arse! What happened to "we're going to fuck Slovenia hard"?? Yiz were shite, as we say here. Ye were through anyway, so I don't see what you're crowing about to be honest. Slovenia deserve all credit for getting through against all odds. You lads just stumbled through. As someone once said: NO FUTURE! ::)
See for yourself - https://www.flashscore.com/match/tAQfuwDk/#/match-summary/match-statistics/0
71% possession to 29%
12 attempts to 5
That's dominant.
They stuck everyone behind the ball and played for a draw. England played well.
There was no hard fucking but that's the only bit I was wrong about.
Quote from: jimmy jazz on Jun 25, 2024, 10:56 PMTotal dominance from England. Difficult to score when the opponents park the bus.
Through to the knockouts. England win the Group of Dirge. We get the favourable side of the draw.
Looks like we're playing Netherlands 5pm Sunday @Marie Monday 😲
ooh fun
@jimmy jazz total dominance is not much use if you don't do anything with it. It's just another version of keep-the-ball, and yiz had almost no shots on goal, other than the one goal ruled out for offside. What you had was total possession, completely different. I'd have to check, but I think Slovenia may have had more shots on goal than you did. See, I'd have no problem agreeing any team was dominant if they did something with that dominance, but just holding onto the ball does not make you a dominant team. As someone once said, it's not what you've got it's where you stick it that counts. :laughing: Anyway, moving on...
TODAY'S MATCHES AND RESULTSGROUP CDenmark 0 - 0 Serbia
England 0 - Slovenia 0
Group DFrance 1 - Poland 1
Netherlands 2 - Austria 3
If you had decided to watch only two matches, the early ones from Group D were the ones to watch. France missed chance after chance, while Poland, with nothing to play for now but pride (and did they do that) scored a penalty, which had to be taken twice (see below for more). Although Mbappe played (mask included) he struggled to put his mark on the game, which ended up being one not of two halves but of two penalties as the French golden boy also scored from the spot. The game between Netherlands and Austria was much better, with end-to-end action, own goals and last-gasp winners, and upsets the table for Group C, placing Austria, against the odds, at the top. By contrast, both Denmark and Serbia and England and Slovenia played out a rather lacklustre nil-all draw, though Denmark did at least have the ball in the net twice, both times ruled offside. As a result of their exertions, Slovenia go through while Serbia are homeward bound.
Tomorrow's matchesThe final matches in the group stages take place tomorrow when all four teams from the remaining groups meet.
Group EBelgium v Ukraine Expected outcome: Ukraine started slowly but surprised everyone by mounting an unlikely comeback against Slovakia, but Belgium have begun to show the fire we expected from them. Prediction: 2-1 Belgium.
Slovakia v Romania Expected outcome: with Romania now building up a head of steam, and at the top of the group, can't see them falling here. Prediction: 3-1 Romania.
Group FGeorgia v Portugal: Expected outcome Georgia have proven themselves worthy of being in the competition, but you couldn't expect Ronaldo and Co. to give them a sniff really. Prediction: 4-0 Portugal.
Czechia v Turkey Expected outcome should see the Turks taking this one. Prediction: 2-0 Turkey
Let's kick off (sorry) with the early matches, and as mentioned they were well worth watching. France, despite the inclusion of their talisman, did little to show the talent that made them world champions, and while Poland are already on the way home they gave them a good fight. Like Croatia's Luka Modrich last night, good to see Poland's Robert Lewandowski place what might be a final mark on the Euros when he took the penalty they were awarded, though he did perform an annoying stuttering run-up which caused the French keeper to come off his line and, despite the penalty being saved, necessitating its having to be taken again. This time he again stuttered his run but scored. France's only goal was also a penalty, taken by Mbappe, so you could say with some certainty that the two big men scored for their country, though obviously the Frenchman will be there long after the Polish legend has retired.
With little to offer in terms of attack, England struggled to a nil-nil draw with Slovenia, whom they had been expected to roll all over. Although Saka scored, the goal was correctly ruled offside. Slovenia did not score, but drawing the game gives them a historic progression to the next round. Despite a poor performance that offered nothing much, England go through at the top of the group. Denmark had a better match against Serbia, scoring twice but both goals ruled offside, whil Serbia battled gamely but the draw is useless to them and they go home.
A curious thing about the first two matches is, given they were being played (and watched by me) at the same time, there was a point where both matches were being VAR-checked at the same moment, one for a possible penalty (awarded) and the other for a handball (not awarded).
Trolls
I literally just posted the stats above.
England had 12 shots, Slovenia had 5.
So England had more than double.
It's possible to dominate a game and draw or even lose. When people say the team dominated, they mean had the majority of possession and attempts. Slovenia barely got out of their own box.
Although I do agree possession means little if you don't do anything with it. 8)
I agree that a lot of possession is not necessarily complete dominance or the that it's guaranteed to get you anything. There was a spectacular game in the last women's world cup where Japan thrashed Spain 4-0 on just over 20% possession, I think, through very effective defending and countering (and baiting Spain into defending abysmally). But combined with chances on goal or other stats you can certainly call it dominance and even if they drew, that's the kind of football that may win them the tournament despite not being pretty. Just keeping the games under control (and defending well) can get them very far, if they're able to keep it up
Good analysis, will start calling you Jose Marienho or Mariena Wiegman, totally agree.
Back when Villa were extremely shit that's how we used to win quite often.
This was a great example, the BBC even use the word 'dominance' to describe Southampton -
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/25115885
Great days.
We could get Belgium or The Netherlands, Belgium I wouldn't worry about. The Dutch are a concern. Who cares anyway, I'll enjoy the games tonight.
I would only worry about Holland if their attack (and midfield) were better but as it is (from the one game I've seen admittedly) you'll be fine. Defending can get you far but if you have nothing else going for you possession or attack wise it's not gonna work
I'm just glad we're not in this. Can you imagine the embarrassment? "And Slovenia, a tiny nation of two million, in their first ever Euro tournament, have beaten Republic of Ireland by 5-0!" :shycouch: Not even kidding. Our new chant is "We're shit, and we know we are, we're shit, and we know we are"...
Quote from: Trollheart on Jun 26, 2024, 05:19 PMI'm just glad we're not in this. Can you imagine the embarrassment? "And Slovenia, a tiny nation of two million, in their first ever Euro tournament, have beaten Republic of Ireland by 5-0!" :shycouch: Not even kidding. Our new chant is "We're shit, and we know we are, we're shit, and we know we are"...
You need more English players imo.
Louie Barry hasn't declared for anyone yet and is eligible for Ireland. Omari Kellyman is too, the lad Chelsea are trying to get for £20m off us.
Worth a try?
8)
We could have Ronaldo and Messi and we'd still fuck it up. We have players who don't seem to know what they're doing, a new manager who looks unequal to the job and a previous manager who was (and here I'm using a technical term so only football fans will know it) shite, with no real hope for the future and the glory days of Jack Charlton and Mick McCarthy and Martin O'Neill are long gone, disappearing in the rearview mirror. I have no idea what is needed, but what we got ain't it.
England vs Slovakia on Sunday.
Win and then it's Italy or Switzerland in the quarters.
Then Romania, The Netherlands, Austria or Turkey in the semi.
TODAY'S MATCHES AND RESULTS
GROUP E
Ukraine 0 - 0 Belgium
Romania 1 - Slovakia 1
Group F
Czechia 1 - Turkey 2
Portugal 0 - Georgia 2 (No you read that right!)
For the first time ever in the history of the Euros, one of the groups, this one, had every team in it exactly on the same points, three, with only goal difference separating them. And after the matches were done, still the same, though this time everyone had four points. Belgium and Romania are already through, while Slovakia could make it if they drew with Romania. The Belgium game, despite having so many stars in it, failed to impress and both teams played out a pretty boring nil-all draw, this emphasised at the end when Kevin de Bruyne made sure to keep the ball in the corner down the opposition half in the dying seconds of extra time, making sure that Ukraine had no chance to get the goal they needed to progress. In the Romania/Slovakia game, the Slovaks scored first, with Romania awarded a penalty, a goal they didn't need but which shows they were at least playing, something you really couldn't say about Belgium. About the only interesting thing about that match was when some idiot started shining one of those laser lights in DeBruyne's eyes - dangerous and illegal.
The last two matches in the last group didn't promise a lot. It was pretty obvious Portugal would grind Georgia into the dust and that Turkey were likely to brush Czechia aside, and that's what happened. Not. In a pretty amazing game, Georgia went ahead in the first two minutes, adding another one in the second half, when they were given a penalty. Portugal had few chances, including a missed free by That Man, furious it was saved, as if it was his god-given right to score. Well, as it happened, an admittedly much-changed Portugal side could not score at all. They were of course through anyway, but teams like that always want to turn on the style, and they pointedly failed to do so. An increasingly angry and frustrated Ronaldo was substituted late on; his manager may have been concerned his tirades against the ref and his general behaviour would earn him a second yellow card to add to the one he had already picked up for simulation (diving) and rule him out of the next match. Portugal's footballing legend did not look happy about it, but though he played his part, to be fair, he didn't offer much, nor did any of his teammates. Huge congratulations to Georgia, who put in a battling, defiant performance to hang on for the win and go through for the first time ever to the next round.
Czechia, as last in the group, looked to be heading home when they had a man sent off after ten minutes, giving themselves a mountain to climb. That mountain got steeper when Turkey scored a wonder goal just after the second half began, but the Czechs managed to equalise, and right up to the end looked like they had done enough to secure their own passage into the next round. However in the dying moments (how many games have had winning or must-equalise-equalising goals scored in the last few minutes/seconds of the game in this tournament? Find out tomorrow perhaps if I feel like it) Turkey netted again, and were in total command, handing Czechia their ticket home. Just in with a slim chance up to now, the wait is over for Hungary, who may see the Czechia team at the airport. Croatia, of course, also clinging on by the slimmest margin, find that lifeline snapped and they're homeward bound too.
So now the surviving teams who go through and the corresponding fixtures are:
Spain v Georgia
Germany v Denmark
Portugal v Slovenia
France v Belgium
On the other side of the draw (and therefore to play the winner of each of those matches) are
Romania v The Netherlands
Austria v Turkey
England v Slovakia
Switzerland v Italy
So, as JJ will tell you, England's path to the finals, if they make it through, will be to play either Portugal or Slovenia, and for Marie, if The Netherlands beat Romania they will face either Spain or Georgia.
No more matches now till Saturday, when the "Round of Sixteen" begins with the first two matches as Italy takes on Switzerland and Germany face Denmark for a place in the quarter-finals.
So....
(https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/what-now-26156207.jpg)
Well, me being me, I won't be taking a break. Tomorrow I'm going to do a look back at the Group stages and chart how each team progressed, or did not, to the next round. I'll note any interesting points in any of the matches, and maybe throw in a bit of humour and observation too. No, sorry, that injunction runs out at midnight: should have applied for a continuance, too late now.
Quote from: jimmy jazz on Jun 26, 2024, 11:09 PMEngland vs Slovakia on Sunday.
Win and then it's Italy or Switzerland in the quarters.
Then Romania, The Netherlands, Austria or Turkey in the semi.
England/France final? The spirit of Agincourt?
Quote from: Trollheart on Jun 27, 2024, 12:47 AMEngland/France final? The spirit of Agincourt?
Germany and a reversal of 1996 would be good for me 👍
The tournament gets juicy now.
France by a nose.
Sorry Kylian. :laughing: :laughing:
For those few of us who have the slightest interest, over the next few days I'll be posting, as I intimated (intimidated? Never!) yesterday, a detailed review of what's happened in the tournament up to now. As I'll be doing this on a country-by-country basis, and making each entry, I hope, as interesting and entertaining and informative as I can, I'll be posting each as separate entries. Were I to put it all up as one, knowing my propensity for diarhhea of the pen, I'd well go outside the maximum character limit, so instead we'll have, not bite-sized but at least more manageable chunks of data going up one after the other.
And no, you can't stop me. Better men and women than you have tried. All have failed, and their bleached bones now decorate the sands of ... well, it's not really important where their bleached bones decorate now, is it? I mean, not really. At least, certainly not in a legal sense.
Must dash: back later.
Ole Ole Ole, or something.
(https://img.allfootballapp.com/www/M00/50/AA/CgAGVmZt5jSAA6BVAG2fkFmKxlM858.gif)
And so it's time for Trollheart's roundup of the Group Stages of Euro 2024. I'm going to do this on a country-by-country basis, and in alphabetical order. Which means we start with
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Flag_of_Albania.svg/250px-Flag_of_Albania.svg.png)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/Stema_e_Fanell%C3%ABs_s%C3%AB_Komb%C3%ABtares.svg/280px-Stema_e_Fanell%C3%ABs_s%C3%AB_Komb%C3%ABtares.svg.png)
Albania: For those who don't know (I didn't) Albania is an ex-Communist country, bordered by Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Greece. Though never likely to be able to call themselves a footballing power, Albania's ranking has improved slightly over the decades, beginning in 1992 when they were ranked at 86th, dropping to their worst ranking in 1996 when they were 116th, but showing reasonable progress over the next twenty years, where, with a few blips along the way, they rose to their highest-ever ranking in 2015, attaining the giddy heights of 38th. This didn't last though and they slipped steadily over the next almost ten years, to end up as 66th, as of 2022, the most recent rankings.
This is only their second time to qualify for the Euros, the previous effort having been 2015, when they finished 18th in the Group stages, so this was their first hope of ever getting out of their group and facing the bigger teams in the Round of 16. So far as I can make out (JJ can correct me if I'm wrong) the rules at that time only allowed the top two teams to qualify, which in Albania's case was unfortunate as they came third in their group, and under today's rules would have made it through. They played Switzerland in their first match, beaten 1-0, and had the misfortune to face world champions France in their second, where they were beaten 2-0. This can't have filled them with confidence they would progress, and they did not, despite winning their last game against Romania 1-0, and thus were eliminated with a total of 3 points compared to Switzerland's 5 and winner of the group France's 7, though they may have taken some solace from the fact that they were not bottom of the group, that position being occupied by their last opponents, and the only team against which they were victorious, Romania, who ended up with one lousy stinking point. This year they (Romania) topped their group. What a difference a decade makes, huh?
Anyway, that's sort of their potted history of participation, such as it is, in the Euros to date. This then being their second shot, they ended up in Group A, which was not good news for them, with both Spain and Italy to play, and they were, to be fair, not expected to advance far. Their first match saw them take on the feared Italy, and as predicted they fell to the Azzurri 2-1. However... Italy shot themselves in the foot as a terrible mistake by their keeper gifted Albania a goal in the first 30 seconds of the match, allowing the Albanians the rather unprecedented and somewhat surreal honour not only of leading Italy for ten minutes in a game they were categorically expected to lose - and did - but also of making history by scoring the fastest-ever goal in the Euros ever! Once the Italians got back on their feet, so to speak, normal service was of course resumed and they came out comfortable winners, handing Albania the first of what were expected to be four defeats.
Albania 1 - Italy 2
Points: 0
Position in Group: 4Buoyed up surely by a better performance than they had been expected to put in, Albania headed off to their second match to see how they might fare against Croatia. This one, too, bucked the trend and showed the world (or Europe at least) that Albania were not a team to be written off lightly. I'll be going into Croatia's fine pedigree in the tournament when I do their article, but let's just say this was far from their first rodeo, and Albania really rose to the challenge. They actually scored first, which surprised everyone (especially the Croatians!) and led for some time before Croatia equalised and then scored again to take the score to 2-1. As the match passed into extra time it looked like Croatia had done enough to hand Albania their second defeat, but a last-gasp equaliser gave them the point, and showed everyone this team were still very much in the fight. Still, one point earned kept them at the bottom of the group, and their next match was going to be a killer.
Albania 2 - Croatia 2
Points: 1
Position in Group: 4One way or the other, they were going to have to face Spain, who had, at this point, won all their matches and sat (and would remain) comfortably at the top of the table. Perhaps having earned new respect after their heroics against Croatia, it's not as if anyone gave them a chance but this was not anticipated to be anything like a 5-0 thrashing or the like. And it wasn't. But the Spanish still came out triumphant, if with only the one goal to show for their efforts, proof that Albania were not going to go down easy, and wanted to show they were not just there to make up the numbers. However, coming up against one of the princes of European football, they really didn't have a chance, nor did they score. Their second defeat marked their exit from the tournament, but they had certainly left their mark on it, and we look forward to their hopeful qualification for 2026.
Albania 0 - Spain 1
Points: 0
Position in Group: 4
Result: Eliminated from the tournamentSo, a quick recap then:
Beaten by Italy 2-1, held Croatia to a thrilling 2-2 draw and then beaten 1-0 by Spain.
Total points: 1
Goals for: 2
Goals against: 3
Drew 1, Lost 2
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_Austria.svg/250px-Flag_of_Austria.svg.png)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b7/Austria_national_football_team_crest.svg/310px-Austria_national_football_team_crest.svg.png)
Austria: I'm just going to assume everyone knows where Austria is, right? No, you can't go surfing on Bondi Beach there! That's
Australia, mate - over that way, few thousand miles. You know, there was someone famous born there, but can't for the life of me think of his name. Adolf something. Neumann, was it? Something like that anyway. But as far as their participation in the Euros goes, well now that I
can tell you, as you may not know. It may seem odd, and it certainly surprised me, but Austria have only qualified for the Euros three times before, and have only got out of the group stages once. Even odder, their involvement in the tournament only goes back a mere sixteen years, with their first qualification having been in 2008, where they found themselves in Group B. Their first match saw them lose 1-0 to Croatia, where a penalty scored in the fourth minute by legend Luka Modric was the only goal, so either the match must have been very boring or very tenacious and hard-fought. At any rate, Austria lost their first match and they again trailed in extra time when they faced Poland, only getting a penalty in the third minute of extra time, which allowed them to draw the match 1-1. Facing the mighty Germany in their final match though proved too much for them and they went down 1-0, ending, like Albania in 2016, third in the table with a single point to their name.
They next tried in 2016, the same year as Albania's only previous effort (and, incidentally, one of the few times we qualified) and this time ended up in Group F, alongside the scary Portugal. Their first match saw them face the country of whose empire they used to be a part, as they went down 2-0 to Hungary, then perhaps surprisingly held Portugal to a 0-0 draw, before almost doing the same to Iceland, who ended their hopes with an extra time penalty to take the game 2-1 and send them home. Their final attempt prior to this one saw them do a lot better. In 2020, though due to the Covid-19 pandemic this actually took place in 2021. Here they were in Group C, with their only major threat being the Netherlands, so they must have fancied their chances. And they did well, putting North Macedonia to the sword 3-1 in their first match, though the bloom on the rose wore off quickly as they were given a masterclass in football by the Dutch, falling 2-1 to the Netherlands and then beating Ukraine 1-0 to end up second in the group with six points. There must have been some celebrations on the streets of Vienna that night!
Into, then, for the first time ever, the Round of 16 they went, where a hard-fought match against Italy, in which NO GOALS WERE SCORED UNTIL EXTRA TIME AND THREE SCORED AFTER, with two goals scored by Italy and one by Austria, this last coming in minute 114 (!) but not enough to gain them a point as they fell 2-1 to Italy. The Azzurri would eventually go on to win the tournament, after a thrilling 1-1 draw with England and a penalty shoot-out, but this was the end for Austria, the furthest they had progressed up to then. This year, then, marked their fourth attempt to get beyond the Round of 16 and their third attempt to get out of the Group stages.
It didn't start off too auspiciously, with a loss to France which could have been a lot worse. France's only goal ended up being an Austrian own goal, so not good, however two goals were ruled out for the French, one offside and one, in a major VAR controversy, for handball, so the score ended 1-0 to France.
Austria 0 - France 1
Points: 0
Points total: 0
Position in group: 3The next match though was like chalk and something that is nothing at all like chalk, as Austria turned on the style, determined to get out of the group and make this their year. Coming up against Poland, they stormed to a 3-1 victory, equalling their biggest score so far in any of the Euros in which they have taken part, and in fact managed to ensure that Poland were eliminated from the tournament, while they themselves rose to second in the group and looked certain to qualify, especially after France and the Netherlands played out a boring nil-all draw.
Austria 3 - Poland 1
Points: 3
Points total: 3
Position in group: 2The final game was to prove Austria were here to stay this time, as they played the Netherlands, favoured to have been the other team to go through, after France were expected to top the group. It did not start well for Austria, giving away an own goal in the first six minutes of the game, but they fought back gamely, end-to-end action as the game swung one way then t'other, until Austria finally settled it in the last ten minutes, putting them top of the group and sealing their intention to qualify for the next round.
Austria 3 - Netherlands 2
Points: 3
Points total: 6
Position in group: 1So for only the second time in their relatively short history taking part in the Euros, Austria qualify for the Round of 16, and not only qualify, but at the top of their group. This leaves them facing Turkey, and assuming they win, either Slovenia or Portugal. They wouldn't be favourites to win the title, though they should on paper beat the Turks, but getting past even a pretty misfiring Portugal (assuming Ronaldo and Co. beat Slovenia) may be a hurdle too much for them. Still, they're in with a chance, and who knows?
Recap then:
Beaten by France 1-0, beat Poland 3-1 and beat Netherlands 3-2
Total points: 6
Goals for: 6
Goals against: 4
Won 2, Lost 1
Next opponent: Turkey
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Belgium: Whether they would be considered one of the "big four" of European football is, to me, in doubt - for me, that's made up of Spain, Italy, France and Germany - but Belgium certainly have a fine record in the Euros, are a powerful European team and boast, and have boasted down the years, some top players. Unfortunately, this can often be a two-edged sword, as the expectation is that you will do well, and if you don't, questions are asked. Questions are already being asked about this Belgian team, but before we get into that, let's look into their history in the competition. One of the oldest to take part, in fact, Belgium's first involvement was way back in 1972, and they in fact came third. 1972 was the fourth year of the tournament, and from what I can see the groups at this time were numbered, not identified by letter, so Belgium ended up in Group 5, with Portugal, Scotland and Denmark.
It seems (check the Oracle aka JJ to be sure) that back then the tournament took a lot longer, and I mean a lot, since the group stages appear to have been played through 1970! At any rate, Belgium's first match was against Denmark, which they won 2-0, then against Scotland which they also won, this time 3-0, and finally another 3-0 against Portugal, A rematch against Denmark in 1971 saw them march on with this time a 2-1 victory. They then handed another 1-0 defeat to the Scots, but drew with Portugal 1-1, the first time they had failed to win but with a points tally which put them top of the group anyway. Why so many matches? Search me. In the semi-finals they faced Germany (then West Germany) and lost 2-1, then went on to win the third place play-off against Hungary 2-1.
1980 then saw them in Group 2, the so-called "Group of Death", where they faced Spain, Italy and England. Playing out a 1-1 draw against England they next took on Spain, and beat them 2-1, then drew nil-all with Italy. This put them again at the top of their group and assured qualification to the next round, where they faced (West) Germany in the final, beaten 2-1. This remains their best ever performance (well, other than winning it, which they have never done, it would have to, wouldn't it?). Four years later they were back, this time in Group 1 with France, Denmark and Yugoslavia. They took on Yugoslavia and won 2-0 but France absolutely hammered them, Belgium going down 5-0, their heaviest defeat up to that point (and possibly to date, we'll see) then perhaps still reeling from such a thrashing they fell 3-2 to Denmark, ending third in the group and going home, their worst performance to that point.
It was literally the twenty-first century before they managed to qualify again, and in 2000 they were in Group B, and were also the host nation, so may not have had to qualify., Let me check that. Yeah I was right: both they and the Netherlands, who were co-hosts, automatically qualified. How did they do? Let's see. In their group this time were Italy, Turkey and Sweden, and they faced Sweden first, getting off to a good start and beating them 2-1, then their old nemesis Italy beat them 2-0 and the wheels came off as Turkey made it a three-strikes of two goals against them, beating them 2-0 also. Belgium ended up third in the group again, and again heading to the airport early. Another sixteen years passed before they were in the tournament again, and in 2016 they were in Group E, with again Italy and Sweden, and this time a nervous Ireland. The old curse held and Italy beat them 2-0 again in their first match, but they beat us 3-0 and Sweden 1-0 to take second place and go through to the knockout stages for the first time in thirty-six years.
They beat Hungary, again, this time registering their highest ever winning score as they thumped the Hungarians 4-0 but were stopped by the Welsh, who took them for 3-1 and sent them home. They were back for the next one though, and in 2020 in Group B they thrashed Russia 3-0, took Denmark for 2-1 and completed an impressive group performance by knocking Finland down 2-0, to top their group and this time repeat the result of the previous tournament, making it through to the next stage, where they beat Portugal 1-0 to stake their place in the quarter-finals. There they faced the Azzurri, who once again proved their undoing, the brick wall built of blue blocks they could not, and never have been able to pass. 2-1 to Italy and Belgium were travelling a by-now familiar route back to Brussels.
Which brings us to this year, where Belgium, now fancied as a real prospect, started slowly. Again in Group E, with Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine, on the face of it an easy group they should have been expected to top, they went down to a surprise early goal from Slovakia in their first match and never recovered, losing 1-0 to the Slovaks. Romelu Lukaku had two goals ruled offside in the game, and people were already beginning to mutter about Belgium being tired and out of ideas, and already talking about them going home, being at that stage bottom of the group.
Belgium 0 - Slovakia 1
Points: 0
Points total: 0
Position in Group: 4They put those rumours to bed when they met Romania and beat them 2-0, even if one of their goals did result from a bad Romanian backpass and so turned into an own goal. The match could not in fairness be said to have been a classic, but it did inject fresh life and belief into both the Belgian team and their fans, and made it far more likely they would perform as expected, and at least get out of the group, if not actually top it. Oh, and poor old Lukaku had
another goal ruled offside! Damned VAR!
Belgium 2 - Romania 0
Points: 3
Points total: 3
Position in Group: 2Belgium's final match saw them take on Ukraine, who held them to a nil-all draw, though it was not enough to save them from going home. A quirk of Group E was that, for the first time ever in the Euros, every team had exactly the same number of points - four - and every team had won 1, lost 1 and drawn 1, so the only thing separating them was goal difference, and Romania's 3-0 demolition of Ukraine turned out to be the deciding factor, allowing them to top the group while Belgium go through as second, reaching the knockout stages for now the third time in a row.
Belgium 0 - Ukraine 0
Points: 1
Points total: 4
Position in Group: 2Belgium now face France, and if they can somehow get past them and Switzerland lose, they'll end up facing their "auld enemy", the Italian wall, in the final. Could be a day of destiny for DeBruyne and Co. Or not.
Recap then:
Beaten by Slovakia 1-0, beat Romania 2-0 and held to a draw by Ukraine for 0-0.
Total points: 4
Goals for: 2
Goals against: 1
Position in Group: 2
Next opponent: France
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Croatia: Probably just me, but I always tend to mix them up with the Czech Republic (previously known as Czechoslovakia, now known as Czechia), whom we will of course also be covering next. Anyhoo, another of the great footballing nations, Croatia's links to the tournament go back to technically 1960, when they were part of what was then called Yugoslavia, but just as I would not suggest the likes of Georgia or Armenia should be covered as part of the Soviet Union's participation, I think it's only fair to judge Croatia's performance based on the point from which they became an independent nation, and that's after 1992. Therefore, with one blip, it can be seen that Croatia have in fact qualified for the tournament each time it was on, right up to this year. The year they missed out was 2000, but other than that they have an unbroken line of qualification stretching right up to this year's tournament, very impressive.
The country, as I say, is a relatively young one, having been formed after the Croatian War of Independence allowed it freedom from the Federal State of Yugoslavia in 1996, Yugoslavia itself splintering into Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Macedonia, a troubled birth which saw some major atrocities in the wars which raged right into the twenty-first century. Croatia, therefore, has only been in existence for less than thirty years, but as a footballing nation it is respected and has acquitted itself very well in the Euros, as well as the World Cup. 1996 then was Croatia's first qualification for the Euros as an independent nation, and they found themselves in Group D, with Portugal, Denmark and Turkey. The new kids on the block, they immediately set about putting their stamp on the competition, beating Turkey 1-0 and Denmark 3-0, but fell foul of Portugal, who beat them 3-0. This was still enough to allow them to finish second in the group and advance, where in the quarter-finals they fell to Germany 2-1 and went home, surely with their heads high for their first appearance at the tournament. They would not be back the next year, but it would be the only time they were not present at the Euros.
2004 then saw them in a difficult group, Group B, with France, England and Switzerland, where they drew with the Swiss 0-0, had a respectable 2-2 draw with France but were hammered 4-2 by England, finishing third in the group and heading home. They would be back in four years, and would have their best tournament to date. 2008 saw them in Group B again, this time with Germany, Austria and Poland. They surprised everyone as a young Luka Modrich burst upon the scene, scoring a penalty in the first four minutes to beat Austria 1-0, and then go on to beat Germany 2-1, completing an all-but-perfect showing by taking Poland 1-0 and topping the group, surely an upset as Germany must have been expected to take top spot, though they of course qualified in second place. Heartbreak awaited them though as they met Turkey in the quarter-finals, and after a hard-fought 1-1 draw and extra time, the new penalty shoot-out rule meant that Croatia went down 3-1 to Turkey and were sent home. It's perhaps worth noting that the only Croatian player to score his penalty was that man, Modric.
2012 found them in Group C with Spain, Italy and ourselves, so other than the lowly Ireland they must have known they were in for a fight, and though they breezed past us at 3-1 Italy held them to a 1-1 draw, and then it was time to face the mighty Spain. They had already kicked us out with a 4-0 drubbing, and though they went easier on Croatia, the result was the same: both of us commiserating at the airport over how we wuz robbed, though we weren't: we were just shite. 1-0 to Spain and Croatia's latest Euro attempt was over. Back they came in 2016, where they again faced Spain in Group D this time, as well as Turkey and, for the first time, the Czech Republic, as it was known then. Again they beat Turkey 1-0, drew 2-2 with the Czechs and, revenge no doubt on their minds, pushed past Spain to beat them 2-1 and advance to the next round. They came up against Portugal (possibly, though not necessarily, ready to avenge their Iberian cousins!) and though the game was scoreless after normal time, in the 117th minute Portugal scored to break Croatian hearts and send them home, 1-0 to Ronaldo's lads.
And so 2020 rolled around, they again qualified, and this time their group was Group D, where it was almost an all-British affair, with England and Scotland (joint hosts) and again the Czech Republic to play. They got off to a bad start, beaten 1-0 by England, but managed again to hold the Czech Republic to a 1-1 draw, before beating Scotland 3-1 to progress to the next round. Here they again came up against Spain, this time fighting furiously (their cause not helped by an own goal), losing 3-2 at the end of the ninety and just barely forcing the game into extra time at 3-3, but the Spaniards took the day, the game ending at 5-3 and Croatia again homeward bound.
An impressive overall performance, I think you'll agree, and so much was expected of them this year, though it was noted that their talisman, Luka Modric, was getting on in years (in football terms - anyone in their thirties is usually expected to be heading for retirement, and he's 38 now) and they might struggle. And they did. Sharing Group B with their mortal enemy Spain, as well as Italy and newcomers Albania they fell foul of a superb Spanish side who have showed no sign of slowing down or ageing (or those who are doing so are being supplemented by younger players every bit as good as, and in some cases possible better than them) and were soundly beaten 3-0, those three goals (without reply this time) surely bringing back nasty memories of their exit from the previous tournament. Croatia got a very suspect penalty award, but Modric missed it, then scored but it was ruled out for encroachment in the box, and Croatia had nothing. But if they had scored the penalty and it been allowed it would have been a crime. To everyone except Croatians of course.
Croatia 0 - Spain 3
Points: 0
Points total: 0
Position in Group: 4They next faced Albania, which was surely expected to be an easy victory, but to everyone's surprise the Albanians scored first. Croatia then equalised and went ahead, and looked to be heading indeed for a win before a last minute equaliser from Albania put paid to those hopes, and at 2-2 it started looking bleak for Modric and Co.
Croatia 2 - Albania 2
Points: 1
Points total: 1
Position in Group: 3For their final match in the group Croatia came up against what has been a relatively uninspired Italy, and indeed they went ahead early on when Modric had a penalty saved but then scored a few moments later (not on the rebound; nothing to do with the penalty, it was a fresh attack) and as the game wound on into an incredible eight minutes of extra time Croatia were holding on, dreaming of progressing, when in the literal dying seconds Italy scored a breakaway goal to equalise, break Croatian hearts and once again send them home. There was a slim chance, one of those mathematical possibilities that relied on a lot of unlikely scores going their way, which would allow Croatia to get into the knockout stages, but fairly soon on it was clear this was not going to happen.
Croatia 1 - Italy 1
Points: 1
Points total: 2
Position in Group: 3So that is probably the last we'll see of Luka Modric in a Croatia shirt. The next Euros won't be till 2028, and he'll be 42 by then. Few footballers have stayed in the game at that age, and it's very unlikely he will. The next World Cup is in 2026, but again he'll be celebrating his 40th birthday, so it seems the legend will live on, but the man will hang up his boots for good. No doubt Croatia as a team will be back: it doesn't seem possible to keep them down for long.
Recap
Beaten by Spain 3-0, held to a draw by Albania 2-2 and drew with Italy 1-1
Total points: 2
Goals for: 3
Goals against: 6
Lost 1, Drew 2
Position in Group: 3
Result: Eliminated from tournament
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Czech Republic/Czechia: Never realised till I started trying to type it how hard it is to get the word CZECH right. Letters on the keyboard are all kind of bunched together and you end up going forward, back, forward... yeah, yeah, our hearts bleed for you Trollheart, I know! Anyway it seems I was wrong earlier when I said the Czech Republic had changed its name to Czechia - that apparently only refers to their football team. As Robbie Williams once wrote, how peculiar. But before even they were the Czech Republic they were of course Czechoslovakia (another hard one to write and spell properly!), and while Croatia were part of Yugoslavia and so we dealt with their Euro appearances only as an independent nation, it was different with Czechoslovakia, so I'll include their entries, should there be any. But first, what's the deal with the change of name?
Actually, it turns out it's not even the original name, as the country was called Bohemia up until the First World War, after which, being no longer part of the Austrian Empire, it became the First Czechoslovak Republic, and after World War II Czechoslovakia. In 1992 after the fall of communism Czechoslovakia was "peacefully dissolved" (by which I assume Wiki means it was not subject to a nation-destroying war the likes of which attended the years-long breakup of Yugoslavia) into Slovakia and, you guessed it, the Czech Republic. Yeah, Czech's in the mail. Sorry. Anyway that's basically the exceptionally short and concise history of the country, but what about their participation in the Euros? Well...
When I said Belgium have a long history in the competition, they're mere babes in arms compared to (at the time) Czechoslovakia, who were literally in there at the beginning, when the first tournament was held, way back in 1960, three years before the world was graced with my birth. Now this is interesting. No, it is, really. The first Euros featured only 17 teams, and some countries who would go on to become giants of the tournament were absent, not because they didn't qualify, but because they had
voted against the creation of the thing in the first place! Why? Hmm. Let's see: Germany (then West Germany, as I've mentioned before), The Netherlands (then Holland), Italy and England kicked up because they believed setting up the Euros would interfere with the Home Internationals, whatever they were (advise you ask the soccer oracle, JJ) and apparently they had done the same thing (well, the English had) in opposition to the setting up of... the World Cup! Wow. Now didn't I say it was interesting?
Anyway, due to this group sulk, which is all it can be called really, Italy, West Germany, Holland and England said no thanks and were not present. Spain also gave the Euros the finger, but to be fair they had a more valid reason, being under the brutal oppression of the Franco government and not therefore all that keen about travelling to a communist country (the first Euros were held in ... France? Huh? Maybe because France sounds too close to Franco? No, I think - guessing here, as it doesn't make it too clear - that some of the matches were held on the home ground of the participating teams, one of which was the Soviet Union (Russia) and so Spain wouldn't go there and were disqualified. I think - guessing again - that this refers more to the qualifying rounds, as there appear to have been - yes, still guessing - no group stages in this first tournament, something that probably only got sorted later on.
So it seems the Czechs lost their first match to the Soviet Union 3-0 but came back to beat France 2-0 and take third place. They missed the next three tournaments but made their mark in history with the 1976 competition, where they beat the Netherlands (who had obviously gotten over their snit and joined) 3-1 and then went on to meet West Germany (ditto obviously) in the final, the match ending 2-2 after extra time, decided on penalties which the Czechs took 5-3, becoming European champions for the first and only time. 1980 was the last time they played as Czechoslovakia, and by now the group stages had been instigated, and the Czechs found themselves in Group 1 with West Germany, Netherlands and Greece. West Germany beat them 1-0 in their first match, but they beat Greece 3-1 and drew 1-1 with the Netherlands to take second spot in the group and make it through. A hard-fought 1-1 draw led to penalties against Italy, and it must have been a stormer as Czechoslovakia ran out winners 9-8! This then allowed them to take third place, while the previously sulky West Germany must have had to admit this wasn't such a bad idea after all as they carried home the cup, beating Belgium in the final.
That was it for Czechoslovakia, but as the Czech Republic they were back almost as soon as the ink on the new treaty declaring them a separate country was dry, or something. Basically, 1996 saw the newly-minted Czech Republic storm back into the Euros, which they had missed for three tournaments, and they were ready to rock! In Group C with Italy, Germany (no longer West Germany due to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of East and West) and Russia (also changed due to the fall of communism, no longer the Soviet Union) they first faced the new, united Germany who kicked them 2-0 and then they beat Italy 2-1 before almost falling to Russia 3-2, a last-gasp equaliser earning them second place in the group. In the knockout stages they took Portugal for 1-0 and after another dogged display against France, holding them to a 2-2 draw after extra time, the match decided on penalties again, which they won by 6-5. This set them up for the final, where they met Germany again, the match ending in a 1-1 draw and going into extra time. Back then, something called "the golden goal rule" was in force. What this meant was that, if a match ended all square after full time, and went into extra time, the next goal scored could win it. Obviously, if nobody scored it went to penalties, but if this "golden goal" was scored within the extra time, that was it. End of. And it was. Germany scored the precious golden goal to take the match and win the final again. Hmm. Given that the golden goal was scored in the 95th minute, there must have been little or no extra time added to the original 90 (maybe they didn't do that back then?).
Undaunted, the Czech Republic have been in every Euro tournament since, and so in 2000 they were back, this time in Group D, with The Netherlands, France and Denmark. Their first match pitted them against the Netherlands, the game looking to be a draw until Holland gained a penalty in the dying moments and took the match 1-0. Next up was France, and though the Czechs this time got a penalty of their own, they still went down 2-1 to the French, leaving them playing Denmark, whom they beat 2-0, but not enough to secure progression as third in the group. They did much better in 2004, again in Group D and again facing the Netherlands and Germany, as well as Latvia. Not too surprisingly, they beat Latvia 2-1 in their first match, then went on to beat the Netherlands with a last-gasp winner, giving them a score of 3-2 over the Dutch, and took revenge on Germany for two failed attempts to win the final as they beat them 2-1 and qualified at the top of their group. They again beat Denmark, this time 3-0, but were frustrated by Greece, who held them to a 0-0 draw and then played the golden goal card, winning the match and sending the Czechs home. Greece would in fact go on to win the tournament, beating Portugal in the final.
2008 saw them in Group A, with Portugal, Turkey and Switzerland. They beat the Swiss 1-0 but were well beaten by Portugal 3-1, while their final march saw them face Turkey, which they were winning until the last few minutes when Turkey scored two goals within three minutes to take the match 3-2 and end the Czech Republic's hopes of progressing. In Group A again four years later, they faced former champions Greece, as well as Russia and Poland. Russia decimated them 4-1 in their first game, but they fought back to take down Greece 2-1 (both their goals scored in the first ten minutes, so they must have been really hanging on!) and Poland 1-0 to take top spot in the group. Portugal did for them in the quarter-finals though, taking revenge and sending them home on the back of a 1-0 defeat, the goal that kicked them out scored by that man, Cristiano Ronaldo. 2016 then found them in Group D with Croatia, Spain and Turkey. They held Spain almost to the death in their first match, but went down 1-0 with three minutes to go, then had some luck of their own as a last-minute penalty allowed them to draw 2-2 with Croatia, but Turkey beat them 2-0 and again it was time to pick up some duty free on the way home. Which left one tournament, and in 2020 they were in Group D again, again with Croatia and this time also England and Scotland. They took the Scots for 2-0 in their first game, drew with Croatia 1-1 and were beaten by England 1-0. That left them third in the group, but due to new rules they were able to progress to the knockout stages, where they met the Netherlands, beating them 2-0, but were stopped in the quarter-finals when Denmark beat them 2-1.
And so to this year's tournament, where they found themselves in Group F with Portugal, Turkey and Georgia. Their first match was against the Iberian masters, but it did not go as would have been expected, with the Czechs scoring first and then Portugal scoring a spectacular own goal, to make it look as if Portugal were going to be beaten. However in the dying minutes (again) Portugal scored again and the match ended 2-1 to the Portuguese.
Czechia 1 - Portugal 2
Points: 0
Points total: 0
Position in Group: 4Czechia now faced Georgia, who, on paper, should have been a walkover. It did not prove so, with Georgia, a nation making their debut appearance at the Euros, scoring from the spot just on half time, and Czechia barely managing to draw, leaving them still looking nervously over their shoulder at an early exit.
Czechia 1 - Georgia 1
Points: 1
Points total: 1
Position in Group: 4Their final match in the group looked to be also heading for a draw, which really wouldn't have helped them anyway. In the end, Turkey scored a superb goal right at the death to take the match 2-1 and send Czechia looking for the number of a taxi to take them to the airport.
Czechia 1 - Turkey 2
Points: 0
Points total: 1
Position in Group: 4Whatever else you can say about them, for a small nation who have really only been properly born from 1996, the Czech Republic have done themselves proud, attending almost every Euro, doing well in some, punching well above their weight, and no doubt we'll see them back again for the next one.
Recap:
Lost to Portugal 2-1, drew with Georgia 1-1 and beaten by Turkey 2-1
Points total: 1
Goals for: 3
Goals against: 5
Drew 1, lost 2
Position in Group: 4
Result: Eliminated from tournament
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Denmark: Another nation with a fine footballing pedigree, Denmark have acquitted themselves well down the years, both at the Euros and at the World Cup. Almost as long in it as the Czechs, their first attempt was during the second tournament, in 1964, when they were soundly beaten, first 3-0 by the Soviet Union and then 3-1 by Hungary. It would be 20 years before they would return, and in 1984 they were in Group 1 with France, Belgium and the not-yet-broken-up Yugoslavia. France beat them 1-0 in their first game but they went on to annihilate Yugoslavia (sorry) 5-0 and took Belgium for 3-2, advancing at their expense into the next stage. Here they met Spain but the two could not be separated, 1-1 after extra time, and it went to penalties, the Spanish coming out winners 5-4. In 1988 they ended up in the "Group of Death", Group 1, with Spain, Italy and West Germany. Revenge against Spain in their first match for the defeat in the semi-finals four years ago did not go to plan, and they went down 3-2. Things got steadily worse for them when West Germany beat them 2-0 and another 2-0 defeat to Italy completed an embarrassing early exit for the Danes. The next time though, it would be different.
Again in Group 1 (though this time not the Group of Death) they faced their Scandinavian neighbours Sweden, as well as France and England. They played out a nil-all draw with the English, fell 1-0 to Sweden but beat France 2-1 to go through second in the group, behind hosts and fellow ex-Vikings Sweden. Another tense penalty shoot-out after a 2-2 draw saw them beat the Netherlands 5-4 and advance to meet Germany in the final, where they finally (sorry) had their revenge, beating the previous winners 2-0 to become European champions. In 1996 then they were in Group D as defending champions, with Portugal, Croatia and Turkey in their group. Lightning would of course not strike twice and they were held to a 1-1 draw against Portugal in their first match, beaten by Croatia 3-0 and though they reversed that against Turkey in their final match and beat them 3-0, it was not enough to advance and their elimination this time must have been even more humiliating, given the weight of the expectation they must have been carrying as the previous winners. Didn't stop them coming back as the millennium turned though.
Again in Group D in 2000, they had the Netherlands (host nation), France and the Czech Republic to get past, their campaign not opening well with a 3-0 defeat to France, another 3-0 loss to the Netherlands and a final 2-0 rout by the Czechs, leaving them at the bottom of the group and again heading home, the euphoria of '96 surely long worn off by now, hard reality established. 2004 was better though. In Group C with Sweden, Italy and Bulgaria they drew nil-all with Italy, beat Bulgaria 2-0 and drew 2-2 with Sweden, to go through second in the group. Unfortunately for them there was to be no reliving of the glories of 1996 and they fell 3-0 to the Czechs.
They didn't qualify for the 2008 tournament but were back in 2012, in Group B with Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands.They beat the Dutch 1-0 but were defeated 3-2 by Portugal and again fell foul of the Germans, losing 2-1. Again the next tournament passed without their presence but in 2020 they were the host nation, along with Russia, so qualified automatically, ending in Group B with their co-host nation, Finland and Belgium. It didn't start out well, with Finland beating them 1-0, then Belgium beating them 2-1, but they pulled it out of the bag to beat Russia 4-1 and go through second in the group, where they met Wales and thrashed them 4-0, going on to beat the Czech Republic 2-1 before losing to England in the semi-finals after extra time, 2-1.
That of course brings us to this year, and Denmark were in Group C with England, Slovenia and Serbia. On the face of it, that didn't look too tough a group, though they were probably surprised to have Slovenia come back from 1-0 to take them to a draw for their first game. The equalising goal came close to the end too, so they must have been expecting a first victory. Didn't turn out that way though.
Denmark 1 - Slovenia 1
Points: 1
Points total: 1
Position in Group: 2Their next game saw them take on England, and this ended up being another draw. A mistake by Harry Kane let Denmark in to score, while they returned the favour later on in the match, losing the lead and having to settle for a draw in the end.
Denmark 1 - England 1
Points: 1
Points total: 2
Position in Group: 2Completing a trio of draws then, their final game in the group was a nil-all effort against Serbia, despite Denmark's scoring twice, both goals ruled offside by VAR. The draw was enough though to send them through second in the group.
Denmark 0 - Serbia 0
Points: 1
Points total: 3
Position in Group: 2Denmark now advance to the next round, where they are due to meet their old nemesis Germany, and if they can beat them, it will be either Austria or Turkey in the semis. Can this Scandinavian nation, with a long and proud tradition in the competition and one title already under their belt, do it again? Find out in the coming weeks.
Recap
Drew 1-1 with Slovenia, drew 1-1 with England, drew 0-0 with Serbia
Points total: 3
Goals for: 2
Goals against: 2
Position in Group: 2
Drew 3
Result: go through to the next round
Next opponent: Germany
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England: Always the bridesmaid, never the bride could certainly describe England's adventures in the Euros, ever since they first took part (despite, as related in the article on the Czech Republic, initially opposing the creation of the tournament). They've reached the finals once, but never managed to win, and the spectre of missed penalties haunts them like, well, a spectre of missed penalties. England, despite having usually a very strong team, have consistently underplayed in the competition, and each successive failure seems to both harden their resolve to do better next time, and depress and deflate them, as they begin to believe they will never hoist that cup. Perhaps they will this year, perhaps they won't. But what's their history at the tournament?
Well as we've seen, the first two tournaments they didn't even want it to be there, but it was, so they weren't, so to speak, their first entry being in 1968, when they probably grumpily folded their newspaper, turned off the World at One, and sneered "All right then: let's see what this bally thing is all about!" Given that the original qualifying rounds took place over two years, and I'm not going through all that again, the 1968 tournament ended up with just four teams: Italy as the host, the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and England, leaning against a lamp post possibly smoking and narrowing its eyes, wondering what it was doing amongst all these foreigners? But their first match, as it turned out, they were beaten by one of those "foreigners", Yugoslavia, 1-0, but due to a poor nil-all between Italy and the Soviet Union, they went on to take third place when they defeated the Russkies 2-0, so that's all right then. England's World Cup winning heroes of '66, Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Geoff Hurst both scored, showing these damn Europeans what it's all about, don'tcha know?
It was a while before they qualified again though, and in 1980 things had changed radically, with proper group stages (numbered not lettered at this point) and a total of eight teams in the competition. England were in Group 2, with Italy, Spain and Belgium, and had a poor time of it, held to a 1-1 draw by Belgium, beaten by Italy 1-0 and finally beating Spain 2-1, but not enough to qualify and they were sent home. Eight years passed before they were back, in Group 2 again,along with us (surely this must have been the first time we qualified?), the Netherlands and the Soviet Union. Not exactly the Group of Death, then. Even so, they couldn't even beat us, as they fell 1-0 to Ireland (yay!) then 3-1 to the Netherlands and finally 3-1 to the Soviet Union, ending at the bottom of the group, beneath even us! Yay! Sorry. Another early exit for England, and 1992 wouldn't be any better for them, in Group 1 this time with Denmark, France and Sweden. Two nil-nil draws, one against Denmark and one against France was made worse with a 2-1 defeat to Sweden, and England were heading back to dear old Blighty again.
1996 would change all that though. As host nation, England qualified automatically, but this time they would show the world (Europe) that they weren't just there because the games were being played in their own backyard, and they had a much shorter distance to travel home. In their group were Scotland, the Netherlands and Switzerland. They didn't get off to the brightest of starts, drawing 1-1 with Switzerland, but then put their fellow Brits to the sword, taking Scotland 2-0 and going on to avenge themselves on the Dutch, beating the Netherlands 4-1 to go through at the top of their group. England must have awaited, and expected every man to do something I've forgotten, but important. Anyway, on they went to show the Spanish who were in charge, holding the European football royalty to a scoreless draw which ended in a penalty shootout which they won 4-2, some fella called Shearer, another Gascoigne? Never heard of them meself now. The first of many penalty shoot-outs to haunt England though, and against of all teams the "auld enemy", Germany 0 England 0 after extra time ended with victory for Germany after the fifth English penalty taker, Gareth Southgate (now manager of the England team) missed, and Germany took the semi-final 6-5 on penalties. They'd take a long time to get over that one.
2000 found them paired with Germany again, a chance to avenge the defeat in the last semi-finals? Group A also had them up against Portugal and Romania, perhaps another Group of Death, and they went down 3-2 to Portugal but did have their revenge as they beat Germany 1-0, sending them to the bottom of the group and home, though they progressed no further themselves, beaten by Romania 3-2. Still, there must have been an element of
schadenfreude there I'm sure. If we go, we take you with us. In 2004 they were in Group B, with France, Croatia and Switzerland, and did much better this time, though beaten by France 2-1 (both penalties scored by Zidane) they took Switzerland down 3-0 and Croatia 4-2 to go through second in the group. Would it, though, be heartbreak for England again? So close and yet so far? Well yes, sadly for them, it would. After holding Portugal to a 1-0 almost to the end of the match, they were level after 90 minutes, then Portugal scored in extra time and looked likely to win, before England managed a last-gasp goal of their own to force the game into the dreaded penalties. This time it was England's young star, David Beckham, who fluffed his lines, and Portugal ran out winners of the shoot-out 6-5. England must have been beginning to believe they were cursed.
Perhaps dispirited due to another penalty shoot-out exit, England did not qualify for 2008 but by 2012 they were ready to go again, this time in Group D with France, Ukraine and Sweden. In case it been seen that I'm laughing at England (I'm not, honest. Well, not that much) let it be known that this was the same year when my country finished at the bottom of their group, not a single goal scored and 8 against us! Sweden, Italy and Croatia showed us that we should have stayed at home, digging turf or chasing leprechauns, or whatever we Irish do. But back to England. They did much better, and though held to a 1-1 draw by France they beat Sweden 3-2 and Ukraine 1-0 to top the group. In the knockout stages they faced Italy, where, if you can believe it, once again that shadowy spectre hung around like a bad smell. After extra time the teams could not be separated, neither able to score, and so fingernails began to get bitten down back in London, and Middlesborough, and Liverpool and Manchester, and all over England, as the dreaded penalty shoot-out loomed. At least this time they didn't go down to a single penalty, but were beaten 4-2 when the two Ashleys - Cole and Young - missed, and that so-familiar sinking feeling blanketed England again.
In 2016 they were grouped alongside their British counterparts, Wales, in Group B along with Slovakia and Russia. This was not too bad a group, and they should have done well. And they did, leading Russia for the entire game and looking to be successful at 1-0, only for the damned stinking commie reds (sorry) to grab one at the death, forcing a draw. They took out their frustrations on Wales, in fact all but emulating Russia and scoring their second goal in the 92nd minute, making the score 2-1, and then playing out a nil-all draw with Slovakia which sent both them and Wales through, England in second place. Deep breath. It surely couldn't happen again, could it? Wasn't God English? Didn't he love football? Could he not give them a break? Remember Saint George, God! Hell (sorry) we even gave one of ours for a pope once! Come on: Enger-land! Enger-land! No? Well, no. Though there was no tense, ear-twisting, teeth-grinding, watching-from-behind-the-hands penalty shoot-out (England actually scored a penalty in normal time) they went down to the not-at-all-fancied Iceland, and that, I think, in some ways, was even worse for England: beaten by a bunch of fucking Vikings! Maybe they had bet on the wrong god?
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more. Or something. 2020 saw England give it the old Oxford try, possibly, and in Group D they were casting sideways glances probably at Croatia and the Czech Republic, as well as their co-hosts Scotland, who could expect no mercy, and when had a Scot ever thought he could expect such from an Englishman? Freeeeeddommm! Or something. Anyway, England set about righting wrongs as they took Croatia for 1-0, drew 0-0 with Scotland and slipped one past a goalless Czech Republic for good measure, to top the group and warn anyone who even mentioned the "p" word that they were asking for a good kicking. But the curse seemed to have been broken as they breezed past Germany 2-0, Ukraine 4-0 and took down Denmark 2-1 to once again stake their place in the final, where they needed to beat Italy.
Would you Adam and Eve it? Another 0-0 after extra time and it was, as they say in footballing circles, squeaky bum time. Each keeper eyed the other as they made their way back to their respective goals, pints were held in shaky hands in pubs all across England, and Scots and Irish prepared to raise a mighty cheer as the bloody English again proved they couldn't do it when it came to a shoot-out. So close... And so it proved, though this time, whether nerves got to them, or the curse was real, or the pressure told, no less than three English players missed, allow Italy to repeat their defeat of England in 2012 and take it 4-2. How they cried! How we laughed! How the papers the next morning gleefully roared that they had told us so, and how England wished UEFA had never instigated the bloody penalty shoot-out! Hell, tossing a coin (I kid you not) would have been a better option! At least then you had a 50-50 chance!
And so, the curse remains as we reach this year's tournament, but at least we can say England, though never in the least inspiring or looking like they deserved to go through, ground out the results and have done just that. Here's how it happened. First up were Serbia, whom England were, let's be honest, expected to breeze past. They didn't quite, though there was a wonderful goal from their new hopeful, Jude Bellingham, but they basically held on for the 1-0. Job done.
England 1 - Serbia 0
Points: 3
Points total: 3
Position in Group: 1Next up was Denmark, and we've already discussed this match in the article on the opposing team, so let me just add that Southgate made a very controversial triple substitution late in the game, taking off his star players Kane, Saka and Foden, but his gamble didn't work, and the only goals scored (one by each team) were down to individual mistakes. Nevertheless, a draw did not hurt England's chances of going through, keeping them at the top of the group.
England 1 - Denmark 1
Points: 1
Points total: 4
Position in Group: 1And so to their final group match, where they came up against Slovenia. After much hostile press and a lot of talk about how poorly England were playing and how Southgate hadn't a clue what he was doing, how tired Kane was and why someone called Tony had never even seen the green never mind played, England were out to prove something. And they emphatically failed, just about managing to hold Slovenia to a nil-all draw. Still, as the man says, they all count and it meant that they go through at the top of their group, and in some ways, isn't that what it's all about? What? It's not? Well, it is for them.
England 0 - Slovenia 0
Ppints: 1
Points total: 5
Position in Group: 1England now face Slovakia and, assuming they beat them and Slovenia also go down to Portugal, it will be a replay of the 2004 quarter-finals. 20 years of hurt? They'll be hoping, praying for no penalty shoot-out! All joking aside though, this could be the year for England. If they can get past Portugal (and that's a big if - and also assuming (grin) that Slovenia don't beat Ronaldo's boys) then they could be in with a real chance, a possibility even of facing France in the final. Everyone now:
"It's coming home, it's coming home, it's coming football's coming home..." Well, that remains to be seen.
Recap
Beat Serbia 1-0, drew 1-1 with Denmark, drew 0-0 with Slovenia
Points total: 5
Goals for: 2
Goals against: 1
Position in Group: 1
Won 1, Drew 2
Result: Through to next round
Next opponent: Slovakia
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France: And so we come to the first of the Big Four, a team who have not only won the Euros but also the World Cup, twice each. Now
that's what you call a footballing power! The only one of the Big Four, and the only European country to have taken part in the inaugural tournament (well, it was held in Paris), France are therefore tied with Czechoslovakia as being the only two teams who took part in the first Euros who are still around (even if technically the latter are now a different country), with Yugoslavia split into six separate countries and the Soviet Union no more. France can also claim the distinction of being in the very first World Cup in 1930 (so can Yugoslavia) and the only European team to take part in both. They failed to impress in their first Euro however, losing 5-4 to Yugoslavia (ah! Those were the days. Apparently) and then 2-0 to Czechoslovakia to end up in last place.
Sacre bleu! It took them another 24 years to qualify again, but man was it worth it!
In the year of Big Brother, France, as host nation, were in Group 1 along with Denmark, Belgium and their old muckers from 1960, Yugoslavia, who, did they but know it, had less than a decade to remain as one country. The French swiftly set about kicking ass and taking names, beating Denmark 1-0 before absolutely trouncing Belgium 5-0 and leaving them wondering what had happened probably. Incidentally, Denmark would enact a similar beating upon Yugoslavia, making, I think but am pretty sure I'm right in so thinking, this the only Euros where two teams beat two others by five goals to nil. France then rounded off a sort of
blitzkrieg of the group by taking poor, dazed Yugoslavia 3-2 to top the group.
Marching relentlessly on, they did the same to Portugal, holding them to a 2-2 draw until extra time loomed, wherein they scored again to take the game 3-2 and send the Portuguese home. Absolutely unstoppable now, they rampaged to a 2-0 victory over Spain and claimed their first European Championship trophy. It wouldn't be their last. As someone once said (a Romulan I think), other matters drew us away, but make no mistake: we are back. And they were. Well, not quite. Perhaps they were saving themselves, because over the next four years they would win not only their second Euro but also their first (but not only) World Cup. However they did not qualify for the next two tournaments, which meant the next we saw of them was 1996. It would herald a golden age in French football, as they re-established themselves as one of the crown princes of European foot-thing-game. Drawn in Group B with Spain, Bulgaria and Romania, they must have sniffed contemptuously at the competition, taking Romania 1-0, drawing 1-1 with Spain (at this time entering their own Golden Age) and completing a successful group performance that took them to the top by beating Bulgaria 3-1.
Once again, the French were on the march and it seemed nobody could stand in their way. They "did an England" on the Netherlands, holding them to a 0-0 draw after extra time and forcing a penalty shoot-out, which they won 5-4, then having this reversed when they came up against the Czech Republic in the semi-finals, losing that penalty shootout 6-5. How England must have chortled, especially with the tournament having been held there, the scene of France's final defeat at Old Trafford coming only three days after the English had been humbled by Spain at Wembley. It's not so bad when you don't go down alone maybe. Not that France, unlike England, were content to settle for what could have been, oh no. They made sure the new millennium ushered in their ascendancy as, as already related, 1998 saw them crowned World Champions and two years later they were on their way to a second European trophy.
They found themselves in Group D with the Netherlands, Denmark and the Czech Republic, and set about atoning for their near-miss in '96, smashing Denmark 3-0, the Czechs 2-1 and then suffering their first defeat of the tournament since 1960 when the Dutch beat them 3-2. Still enough to have them qualify as second in the group, and once they were through they were taking no prisoners. They again took Spain 2-1, sent Portugal home again after a late Zidane penalty gave them a 2-1 victory and after struggling against the penalty shoot-out masters Italy in the final, ensured the Azzurri would not be able to pull that trick as they instead levelled in the 92nd minute to make it 1-1 and then unleashed the golden goal on Italy in extra time, taking it 2-1 and winning their second European title. Nobody could doubt that France were the undisputed kings now, not just princes, of football, and not just European football either.
They haven't missed a single tournament since, and in 2004 they were drawn in Group B alongside England, Switzerland and Croatia. England, their first opponent in the group, felt the familiar heartache of penalty loss, if not an actual shootout, as both France's goals not only came from the spot but in extra time, and they ran out 2-1 winners. They were actually lucky to draw 2-2 with Croatia though, one of their goals courtesy of the other side, and then they beat the Swiss 3-1 to top their group. In the knockout stages though they were swiftly, um, knocked out by the eventual winners, Greece, a 1-0 defeat that sent them home, no doubt grumbling and asking who these Greeks thought they were, and did they not know who France were? Well, if they had a point to prove they did not manage to do it in 2008. Drawn in Group C with Netherlands, Romania and Italy, they stuttered and misfired all over the place, being held to a 0-0 draw with Romania, battered 4-1 by the Netherlands and finished off 2-0 by Italy, ending up, so far as I can see for the first time, at the bottom of the group. How humiliating for the former World and European champions!
Was the famous France fading then? Well, in 2012 they were in Group D with England, Ukraine and Sweden, and drew 1-1 with England but then beat Ukraine 2-0 and were beaten 2-0 by Sweden, but this still allowed them to qualify second in the group. They were swiftly defeated by Spain 2-0 and sent home, but in 2016 things began to take an upswing and French football was looking much healthier, as two years later they would again be world champions, and this particular Euro tournament was held on their home ground. They had poor opposition really, drawn in Group A with Switzerland, Albania and Romania. They set to with a will, beating Romania 2-1 thanks to a late penalty, Albania almost holding them to an unexpected 0-0 until again two late penalties scored within minutes of each other gave them the victory, and in their final game they drew 0-0 with Switzerland to go through at the top of their group. They beat us 2-1 and then, no doubt to the delight of England, who had been kicked out of the tournament by them only a week earlier, sent Iceland home with a thumping 5-2 defeat. Another old enemy was despatched with clinical ease as they breezed past Germany 2-0, to end up facing Portugal in the final. Unfortunately for them, though the match went to extra time at 0-0, Portugal scored in extra time to take the title and deny France a third European crown.
As reigning world champions again, they entered the 2020 tournament and found themselves, for the first time, in Group F, but with somewhat familiar opposition in Germany and Portugal, as well as Hungary. No doubt riding high and attempting a double title bid, to have both the World Cup and the European Cup on the shelves at Versailles or wherever, they lashed into Germany, cutting them down 1-0. Well, kind of not really, as the only goal they scored wasn't scored by them but by a German, but they still won. Perhaps a little embarrassed at that and determined to do better, they, um, drew 1-1 with Hungary and again with Portugal, no doubt determined to exact revenge for their ignominious exit from the previous Euros, but it ended 2-2, with three of the four goals penalties! Relatively poor performances from both Germany and Portugal however ensured France topped the group, and in the next stage they came up against Switzerland, who put a stop to their gallop.
Essentially, the Swiss also "did an England" on France, forcing a penalty shootout, though their game ended a thrilling 3-3 after extra time. The penalty missed then was by, of all people, the man rated France's best player, Kylian Mbappe, who is today ranked as one of the best not only in France or Europe, but the world. Just shows, we can all have an off day. So France were beaten 5-4, and their attempt to hold both crowns was over.
Perhaps because of their failure (despite winning twice and also having two World Cups - "two Eur-os and two World Cups, doo-da! Doo da!" - obviously translated into French) France have been looked on as something of a broken flush this year, and it's true to say they have hardly set the tournament alight as they had been expected to. Nevertheless, like England in ways, they've put their heads down, ground their teeth and made it through, if in less than scintillating style.
Drawn in Group D with Austria, Poland and the Netherlands, they beat Austria 1-0, but only due to an own goal, however France did have the ball in the net themselves not once but twice, both ruled out by VAR. One was offside and other judged to be hand ball, though there was massive controversy over how that decision was arrived at, basically a computer telling the ref this happened and so you have to award handball and disallow the goal. Oh, and in a really nasty collision with the shoulder of an Austrian player, Mbappe's nose was broken. Who nose what can happen on a football pitch? Sorry: just masking my horror. Sorry again. Heh.
France 1 - Austria 0
Points: 3
Points total: 3
Position in Group: 2They next took on the Netherlands, and this was where things really began to slow down. Some chances, a few shots but no real action to get excited about. No controversial decisions, and really you'd have to say a fairly pedestrian and boring nil-all draw.
France 0 - Netherlands 0
Points: 1
Points total: 4
Position in Group: 2France's final match saw them play Poland, and at least there was excitement here. Mbappe, who had not played in the previous game, was back on the field, and in fact scored the penalty that put his team ahead. But so too as was Polish legend Robert Lewandowski, soon to retire. Both men took penalties, but the Polish one was the more controversial. Lewandowski skipped and hopped up to the spot, causing the French keeper to come off his line, so the penalty had to be retaken even though the keeper had saved it. Again the big Pole did his hop, skip and jump routine but this time, possibly wary of again coming off his line and moving too soon, the keeper stayed where he was as Lewandowski netted what will probably be his last ever goal for his country, drawing the match but sending an already homebound Poland to the airport while France topped the group and move on.
France 1 - Poland 1
Points: 1
Points total: 5
Position in Group: 1France therefore qualify for the knockout stages and will face Belgium, then assuming they beat them it will be either Switzerland or Italy. Can they do it for a third time? Well, the talent is there but they'd need to up their game, considering how relatively poorly they've played up to now. Personally, my money is on Spain, but you don't care about that.
Recap
Beat Austria 1-0, drew 0-0 with Netherlands and drew 1-1 with Poland
Points total: 5
Goals for: 2
Goals against: 1
Position in Group: 1
Won 1, drew 2
Result: Go through to next round
Next opponent: Belgium
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Georgia: Not a huge amount to write about this small nation really, as this was their first ever time to qualify for the Euros, so there's no history to look into. Georgia itself is of course part of the former Soviet Union, one of the breakaway republics that sprouted up when the Berlin Wall fell in 1990 and after suffering the oppression of communist Moscow for over almost seventy years, the newly-independent Georgia chose, unlike many of the ex-Soviet countries, to pursue a western-led democracy. Russia doesn't like this of course and so Putin sent the troops in to occupy parts of it in 2008. Apparently, they're still there today. Again, like many of its now-satellite and independent republics, Georgia was a "vassal state", as it were, ot the Soviet Union and so technically competed in the first thirty years of the Euros under that banner, but in deference to their independence and lack of desire to be reminded of their past, and as it would be pointless anyway, we'll only cover their participation under their own name and flag.
Which, as I say, leads us rather quickly to this year, as Georgia qualified for the Euros for the first time, assigned to Group F along with Portugal, Turkey and the Czech Republic, surely a daunting prospect for the new kid on the bloc. Sorry. Their first match ended as everyone expected, with a large victory to Turkey, who beat them 3-1, though at least Georgia got to score their first ever goal in a European competition, which must have meant a lot to them. They provided good entertainment, and the match featured one of the goals of the tournament, though not from Georgia.
Georgia 1 - Turkey 3
Points: 0
Points total: 0
Position in Group: 4Their next match saw them score their first penalty, and hold the experienced Czechia to a 1-1 draw, earning themselves their first point of the tournament.
Georgia 1 - Czechia 1
Points: 1
Points total: 1
Position in Group: 4For their final match, the debuting nation stunned the Euros, scoring first against Portugal (in the second minute in fact) and then adding a penalty in the second half to send the fans into delirium both in the stadium and no doubt at home, securing for themselves a very unlikely progression to the knockout stages as they took third place. Fair play to them.
Georgia 2 - Portugal 0
Points: 3
Points total: 4
Position in Group: 3So, against all the odds and expectations, and making anyone who had a flutter on it with Paddy Power a stack of money, if anyone thought to do such a thing, Georgia, on their debut appearance in the Euros, who had surely hoped for little more than not to disgrace themselves too badly, progress into the knockout stages, where they will meet Spain tomorrow, and, with the greatest of respect to them, you can't see them coming out of that one winners. Spain haven't lost a single match and have qualified top of their group, are, like France, both previous European and World champions, and you'd imagine they will put Georgia to the sword. Should the unlikely, even the impossible happen (remember, nobody gave Leicester a chance in 2015/16) then they will have another mountain to climb, facing either the Netherlands or Romania. But even if, as we all expect, their first Euro journey ends tomorrow, they can hold their heads high and be proud of themselves. Not many small nations like that can claim to have done what they have done, and they're a credit to their country.
Recap
Lost to Turkey 3-1, drew with Czechia 1-1, beat Portugal 2-0
Points total: 4
Goals for: 4
Goals against: 4
Position in Group: 3
Won 1, drew 1, lost 1
Result: Go through to the next stage
Next opponent: Spain
Just a quick note, in case someone cares. It was obvious that with 24 teams to write about I would never manage to get this completed, or even close, before the knockout games began. So when one of the new entries coincides with a knockout stage game, I'll update the information to include that match and the results, however I won't be going back and updating ones that have already been posted up to tonight, only those which are affected and which have not been posted by now.
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Germany: As everyone knows, from the 1960s until the fall of the Berlin Wall, Germany was divided into two countries, the communist-controlled East Germany and the democratic West Germany. Both had football teams and indeed it may be that East Germany competed for the Euros, but to my knowledge they never qualified, whereas West Germany did, almost every time the tournament was held. Up until 1991 then, they competed as West Germany and after that just as Germany, with both East and West united. So in this article I'll be concentrating on both West Germany and Germany, and making no distinction between the two. From what I read then, Germany (then West Germany) as one of the "sulkers", let's call them, were opposed to the creation of the Euros and did not take part in the first three, but when they did qualify they let everyone know they were a force to be reckoned with.
1972 was the first time they did get into the competition (ironically, perhaps, the same year as the Olympics were held in Berlin and 11 Israeli athletes were killed by Palestinian terrorists in Munich) and West Germany beat Belgium 2-1 in the semi-finals and went on to face the Soviet Union in the final, winning it 3-0 and taking their first European trophy. For a team debuting in the competition that's pretty phenomenal; even France had to wait till their second attempt to achieve such a thing. Mind you, West Germany had already been world champions after they won the 1954 World Cup, and two years after this tournament (the 1972 Euros) they would lift the trophy again, going on to win the World Cup an incredible four times (so far) and the Euros three. 1972 to 1990 then could be seen as the Golden Age of German football, when they seemed unstoppable, winning both trophies twice within that period.
Their next appearance was in 1976, where Yugoslavia held them to a 2-2 draw in the semis but were undone by two late goals in extra time, allowing West Germany to take the match 4-2 and meet Czechoslovakia in the final, where the game again ended tied after extra time, 2-2, and went to a penalty shootout. The West Germans lost out 5-3, but would be back in 1980 when they would again confirm their status as football gods. This time the group stages had been instigated, as the tournament had expanded to twice as many teams, and West Germany were in Group 1 with the Netherlands, Greece, and the team that had thwarted them in the last final, Czechoslovakia. They immediately exacted revenge on the Czechs, beating them 1-0 and going on to defeat the Netherlands 3-2 (all three of their goals scored by the same player) and were held to an unlikely 0-0 draw with Greece, but qualified top of their group. There were at this stage no semi-finals; the winner of each group went through to the final and West Germany met Belgium in a replay almost of the 1972 semi-finals, a match which ended with the same score, 2-1 to West Germany and they were again crowned kings of Europe.
As I said, two years later they were world champions again, and riding high they qualified for the 1984 tournament, this time facing rising stars Spain, Portugal and also Romania. This would not be the easy group the previous one had been, and to some extent you could probably characterise it as the Group of Death. West Germany found out how much things had changed since last time when they were held to a 0-0 draw by Portugal, beat Romania 2-1 but were defeated by Spain 1-0 and sent home. This was the first time West Germany had failed to get out of their group, and as defending champions that must have been seen as particularly shocking, but they were back in 1988, again in a kind of Group of Death, Group 1 with Italy, Denmark and Spain. Determined that things would be different this time, and eager to restore their tarnished reputation, they held Italy to a 1-1 draw, beat Denmark 2-0 and exacted revenge on Spain by beating them 2-0 to qualify at the top of the group. However in the semi-finals they came up against an in-form Netherlands team (which boasted, at the time, the current head of the national team today, Ronald Koeman) and went down to a late goal, losing the game 2-1. It was still a better performance than the last time, but they must have been disappointed at not getting to the final. Their time was coming though.
1992 saw them in Group 2 with the Netherlands, Scotland and something called the CIS, the Commonwealth of Independent States, which apparently was a sort of hodge-podge of former Soviet republics when the Soviet Union itself was dissolved after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Following its reunification with its eastern neighbour, of course, West Germany was now Germany, but call it what you will, the country was a massive footballing power and had no intention of going home early this time. They faced CIS in their first game, and things were not going to plan as they fell 1-0, but in the last minute the new, revitalised Germany scored to draw the game 1-1. Hardly the start they had intended though, and they did much better against Scotland, 2-0 to the Germans and they were facing their old enemy from the 1988 semi-finals. Unfortunately for them, lightning struck twice and they were beaten 3-1 by the Dutch, but this was not enough this time to send them home, and they qualified second in their group, meeting Sweden in the semis, whom they beat 3-2 then failing to beat Denmark in the final, losing 2-0.
1996 was the one though. Seeded in Group C with Russia, Italy and the Czech Republic, they beat the Czechs 2-0 and the Russians 3-0, then though held to a nil-all draw by Italy still qualified top of their group. In no mood to be stopped, they powered past Croatia 2-1, then broke English hearts as they fought out that 1-1 draw with a penalty shootout which they won 6-5, and on into the final where they met the Czech Republic, who held them to a 1-1 draw until extra time, when Germany scored the golden goal to take the match, and the title. This was their third European trophy, which nestled very comfortably beside the three World Cups they had already won.
The new millennium, however, would perhaps signal the slight decline of German football, as though they would take the world trophy again in 2016, this would be the last European title they would win, to date, and the last time they would get out of the group for eight years. Seeded in Group A with Portugal, Romania and England they struggled against a good Romanian side, barely managing a 1-1 draw, beaten 1-0 by England (how the English must have loved that!) and going down in a humiliating 3-0 loss to Portugal, ending as bottom of the group, enforcing an early exit for the first time since 1984, and the next tournament would not be much better for them, drawn in Group D with the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Latvia, they were again frustrated by the Dutch, barely managing a 1-1 draw, a surely disappointing and poor 0-0 draw with Latvia and ending with a 2-1 drubbing by the Czechs, leaving them third in the group and on the way home. Two exits in eight years must have stung the former European and World champions, but they were about to leave those dark days behind forever.
Drawn in Group B with Austria, Poland and Croatia, 2008 saw them take Poland down for 2-0, lose 2-1 to Croatia but beat Austria 1-0 to qualify second in the group. In the quarter-finals they took revenge on Portugal for their exit from the 2000 tournament, defeating them 3-2, squeezed out a last-minute goal in the 90th minute to beat Turkey, also 3-2, in the semi-final and advanced to the final, where they were once again thwarted by Spain, a single goal settling it and giving the Spanish the title. Germany would have its revenge, of sorts, when Spain would be humiliatingly dumped out of the 2014 World Cup after a 5-1 thrashing by the Netherlands and a 2-0 defeat to Chile while Germany would go on to win it. But for now, there was 2012.
Drawn in Group B with two of their old nemeses, Portugal and the Netherlands, as well as Denmark, Germany must have been expecting a hard time getting out of the group, and maybe looking at dealing out a little retribution too. They started this by taking Portugal 1-0 and the pushing past the Dutch 2-1. Revenge must have been sweet: both their enemies dealt with. That left Denmark, and they made it a trio of wins by taking them 2-1 to qualify top of their group. In the quarter-finals they came up against Greece and beat them comprehensively, running out 4-2 winners and heading on to meet Italy, who beat them 2-1. To their intense annoyance, probably, Spain went on to win their second title, beating Italy 4-0. 2016 was good for them too: drawn in Group C with Poland, Northern Ireland and Ukraine, they must have fancied their chances, and they were right. After taking Ukraine 2-0 and drawing with Poland 0-0 they finished off a, let's be honest, not incredibly impressive performance, given the weak opposition, with nevertheless a victory as they beat Northern Ireland 1-0, qualifying at the top of their group again.
In the knockout stages they came up against Slovakia, and rolled over them 3-0, gleefully exacted revenge on the Italians in the quarter-finals for their 2012 exit as they played out a 1-1 draw after extra time, winning the resultant penalty shootout 6-5 and sending the Italians home while they advanced to the semi-final. Here they met - if my calculations are correct, for the first time in a Euro game - France, and fell at the final fence, losing 2-0. That left one tournament before the current one, and of course they qualified for this too, ending up in Group F with the team responsible for their failure the last time, France, their old enemy Portugal, and Hungary, who, again, I think, were facing them for the first time, certainly in a group game. France, defending champions, rubbed it in by beating them 1-0 in their first game, and whether or not this stung them to action, they went on to defeat their other traditional enemy, Portugal, 4-2, and drew 2-2 with Hungary, to go through second in the group. England, however, were out for some revenge of their own, and knocked them out of the tournament with a 2-0 defeat, going on to face Italy in the final, though losing out to that old curse of theirs, the penalty shootout.
Germany, therefore, were once again looking to prove themselves as the 2024 tournament rolled around, and selected in Group A with Scotland, Hungary and Switzerland, they set about demolishing the Scots with a 5-1 drubbing, the only Scottish goal coming from a German player, leaving the poor Scots reeling and in serious trouble, but showing the world that Germany were in no uncertain terms back, kamerad!
Germany 5 - Scotland 1
Points: 3
Points total: 3
Position in Group: 1It was the turn of Hungary next. As I said, so far as I can see anyway, this was only the second time these two teams had met at the Euros, at least in the group stages, and Germany proved the juggernaut everyone expected them to be, powering past the Hungarians who never even had a shot, the game ending with another victory to the Germans. Don't mention the war.
Germany 2 - Hungary 0
Points: 3
Points total: 6
Position in Group: 1Germany's final match saw them take on Switzerland, who bossed the game and looked to be heading for a famous victory when the Germans - remember Jack Charton? Never count the Germans out - came back with an unlikely goal in the 92nd minute to level it and go through top of the group, as everyone had thought they would anyway.
Germany 1 - Switzerland 1
Points: 1
Points total: 7
Position in Group: 1So, to nobody's surprise, Germany march on into the knockout stages, where they will meet Denmark, and if they can get past them, which seems more than likely, and England beat Slovakia, then there could be a meeting of the old enemies again in the semis. Either way, Germany have to be one of the favourites and you would expect them to keep marching on. A fourth European title? Don't rule it out.
Recap
Beat Scotland 5-1, beat Hungary 2-0, drew with Switzerland 1-1
Points total: 7
Goals for: 8
Goals against: 2
Position in Group: 1
Won 2, drew 1
Result: Go through to next round
Next opponent: Denmark
(https://cdn.britannica.com/55/1455-004-5897143C/Flag-Hungary.jpg)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Coat_of_arms_of_Hungary.svg/240px-Coat_of_arms_of_Hungary.svg.png)
Hungary: In total contrast to the mighty Germany, Hungary have rarely qualified for the tournament, though they were one of the teams in the early ones. Their first participation was in the second one held, 1964, where they held off Spain in the semi-finals till an extra time goal made it 2-1, and then did something similar in reverse in the third place play-off, 1-1 with Denmark until the Danes forced extra time and Hungary scored twice more, winning the match 3-1. They didn't qualify for the next tournament but in 1972 they did, and this time were beaten 1-0 by the Soviet Union in the semi-finals, and lost the third place play-off 2-1 to Belgium.
That was it for them for forty-four years (so I was correct when I said, in the article on Germany, that they had only come up against Hungary twice) until 2016, when they actually qualified top of their group, surprisingly ahead of both Portugal and Austria, and indeed Iceland, beating Austria 2-0, drawing 1-1 with Iceland and drawing also with Portugal in what looks to have been a thrilling 3-3 draw. In the knockout stages though they became very much unstuck, going down 4-0 to Belgium. They were back in 2020, but in a real Group of Death faced both former champions France and Germany, as well as Portugal, a serious mountain to climb. A mountain they fell off, going down 3-0 to Portugal, managing a 1-1 draw with France and fighting out a 2-2 draw with Germany, but ultimately they ended up bottom of their group and progressed no further.
This year they were in Group A, with again Germany but this time Switzerland and Scotland. Their first match saw them well beaten by Switzerland, 3-1, only avoiding ending at the bottom of the group due to Scotland's awful inferior goal difference thanks to that 5-1 thrashing by Germany.
Hungary 1 - Switzerland 3
Points: 0
Points total: 0
Position in Group: 3Riding high on that demolition of Scotland (sorry Kay) Germany were in no mood to show mercy and thumped Hungary 2-0, maintaining their iron grip on the top of the group while Hungary slipped to the bottom thanks to the Scots grinding out a point in a 1-1 with Switzerland.
Hungary 0 - Germany 2
Points: 0
Points total: 0
Position in Group: 4In their final game, they heaped further misery on a (again sorry Kay but) poor Scottish team, who didn't seem to be able to recover after the game that had laid them low,though having a total stonewall penalty not only turned away, but the stupid and obviously wrong decision not overturned by VAR didn't help. Nor did a last-minute goal by Hungary in the last minute of eight minutes of additional time, and where that came from nobody seems to know, but earning three points allowed them to rise to third position in the group, not enough to allow them to progress but still something. There was also a serious injury to one of their players, necessitating his removal from the pitch on a stretcher and his conveyance directly to hospital.
Hungary 1 - Scotland 0
Points: 3
Total points: 3
Position in Group: 3That, then, ends the less than stellar performance of Hungary in the Euros, but at least they ended up with two goals and a few points to take home with them. We wish a speedy recovery to Barnabas Varga, and hope to see him, and Hungary, back in 2028.
Recap
Beaten by Switzerland 3-1, beaten by Germany 2-0, beat Scotland 1-0
Points total: 3
Goals for: 2
Goals against: 5
Position in Group: 3
Result: Eliminated from tournament
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Italy: Another of the Big Four of European Football, Italy boast four World Cups and two Euro titles, though in fairness two of their four World Cups came way back near the time the competition was set up, in the 1930s, with their most recent being almost 20 years ago, in 2006. Another of what I've termed the "sulkers", it was 1968 before they entered or qualified, and that same year they took their first European title, rather like Germany and France also did on their debut. Now, this seems entirely crazy to me - and I did allude to it in one of the previous entries - but apparently it's true, and here is the proof. When a game had ended nil-nil and gone to extra time without being decided, a COIN WAS TOSSED to determine the outcome! Yeah. Really. I know. So you could lose a game based on whether you chose heads or tails. Unbelievable. But that's what happened in the semi-finals between Italy and the Soviet Union, when it ended 0-0 and Italy won the toss. Literally.
Even weirder, though apparently a coin toss (go on, say it, you know you want to: tossers!) was enough to decide a semi-final, it wouldn't do for a final, and when that ended 1-1 after extra time between Italy and Yugoslavia, the final had to be replayed two days later, and this time Italy came out clear winners at 2-0, taking their first European title. Football was, then, you'd have to say, mad. It was another 12 years, 1980 before they qualified again, this time automatically as host nation, and ended up in Group 2 with England, Spain and Belgium. Their first game was a nil-all draw with Spain, then a 1-0 defeat of England and then another nil-all draw with Belgium. Hardly inspiring, you would have to say, but it allowed them to progress as second in their group. Perhaps showing how long they had been away, they then lost the third place play-off with Czechoslovakia, the game ending 1-1 after extra time and the subsequent penalty shootout providing a thrilling 17 shots, with Italy losing 9-8.
Italy missed qualification for the next Euros but returned in 1988, and found themselves in the very Group of Death with West Germany, Spain and Denmark. A 1-1 draw with West Germany, a 1-0 defeat of Spain and a 2-0 victory over Denmark put them through in second, where they met the Soviet Union in the semis and lost 2-0, memories no doubt recalled of their own 0-0 exit on the toss of a coin from the 1968 semi-finals. Revenge is a dish best served cold, comrade, or something. 1992 was the last year Italy failed to qualify for the tournament, so in 1996 they began an unbroken string of appearances that has lasted to today. Drawn in Group C with Germany, the Czech Republic and the no longer Soviet Union, Russia, and surely smarting from their 1988 defeat they took them down 2-1, going on to lose by the same score to the Czechs and finally draw nil-all with Germany, ending their adventures in Britain.
The new millennium was kinder to them though. Drawn in Group B with Belgium, Sweden and Turkey, they qualified top of their group after beating all three teams in their group; Turkey 2-1, Belgium 2-0 and Sweden 2-1. In the knockout stages they disposed of Romania 2-0, played out another 0-0 after extra time against the Netherlands in the semis, winning the penalty shootout 3-1 and advancing to meet France in the final, whom they held to a 1-1 draw until the French scored that all-important golden goal in extra time, winning the title. Things began to slide badly for them after that. In 2004 they never even got out of their group, drawing nil-nil with Denmark, 1-1 with Sweden and beating Bulgaria 2-1, while in 2008 Italy's fortunes began to tilt in their favour, as they qualified second in their group, beating the Netherlands 3-0, drawing 1-1 with Romania and beating France 2-0. This time though it was they who fell to extra-time penalties, as they faced Spain and lost 4-2 after the match had tied at 1-1. Spain would go on to win the tournament that year.
Encouraged no doubt by their performance in the previous Euros, Italy came back in 2012 and in a group they shared with Spain, Croatia and, um, Ireland, they drew 1-1 with Spain, the same against Croatia and expectedly beat us 2-0, which secured them second place. In the quarter-finals they came up against England, who held them to another 0-0 after extra time and were dispatched by a 4-2 penalty shootout, leaving Italy to stride on to face Germany in the semi-final and beat them 2-1, then Spain took their hope away as they crushed them 4-0 to take their second title in a row, the only nation, I think, to win two European cups back-to-back. In 2016 Italy were in Group E, again with us, Belgium and Sweden, beating Belgium 2-0, Sweden 1-0 and actually losing to us 1-0! Still allowed them to go through top of the group, where in the knockout stages they took revenge on Spain, defeating them 2-0 and ending eight years of hurt but, somewhat like England, fell foul of the penalty shootout as they faced Germany in the quarter-finals and came out 6-5 losers after a 1-1 draw after extra time. Interestingly, there were nine penalty takers on each side, and three of the Germans missed, though one more Italian missed, denying them progress in the tournament.
2020 was however to be the year for Italy, as they won their second European cup. A commanding performance saw them take Turkey for 2-0, Switzerland 3-0 and Wales 1-0 to qualify top of their group. In the knockout stages they met Austria and beat them 2-1 after extra time, took Belgium down also for 2-1 in the quarter-finals, turned the tables on Spain in the semis, really twisting the knife and cleansing the Italian palate as they fought them to a standstill and took the penalty shootout 4-2, sending Spain home as Italy marched on to the final. Here they met England and repeated their treatment of Spain by dragging themselves level for 1-1 before it went to a penalty shootout which Italy won 3-2, giving them their second European title.
It seems very odd to me that this renaissance (how appropriate) of Italian football should then coincide with such a poor performance at this year's Euros, but it would be wrong to say that Italy played anything like the team we had expected, just barely making it out of the group. This year they were drawn in Group B, with Spain, Croatia and Albania. On the face of it, a group they should have been expected to get out of easily, perhaps not topping due to the presence of Spain, but still, they should make a good showing. Here's how they fared.
The first shock was when Albania, against all expectations, scored first, in in fact the very first minute, setting the record for the fastest-ever goal scored in the Euros. The goal resulted from a poorly-timed throw by Italy, and was a serious mistake by the European cup holders. Though Italy quickly equalised and then went ahead to take the match 2-1, it wasn't anything like the walkover it should have been, and people began to mutter about Italy being a spent force.
Italy 2 - Albania 1
Points: 3
Points total: 3
Position in Group: 2Their next opponents were the old enemy, and Spain did them 1-0, with the Italians mostly on the defensive, as they would be for pretty much the rest of the tournament, and offering little in the way of ideas. The Golden Age of Italian football was beginning to tarnish, and questions were now asked also about their ability to progress into the next round, something that would have been taken for granted in the previous years. In fact, it had been twenty years since they had not progressed, but this looked like being another 2004.
Italy 0 - Spain 1
Points: 0
Points total: 3
Position in Group: 2In their final group match it looked like the naysayers had got it right. A boring, uninventive Italy allowed Croatia to take the lead through a missed penalty but then a goal by Modric, and as eight minutes of extra time wound down painfully for the Italians and it looked a done deal that Croatia would go through, Italy found something in the locker and scored a last-gasp equaliser, allowing them to remain second in the table and progress to the knockout stages, something that the general consensus was they did not deserve, and were very lucky to have achieved.
Italy 1 - Croatia 1
Points: 1
Points total: 4
Position in Group: 2Against all odds, then, a boring and undeserving Italy make it through to the next stage, where they are due to meet Switzerland. If they beat them - and this is by no means certain anymore - then they may meet England, assuming Kane's boys beat Slovakia. Another penalty shootout? Let's wait and see.
Recap
Beat Albania 2-1, lost to Spain 1-0, drew with Croatia 1-1
Points: 4
Goals for: 3
Goals against: 2
Position in Group: 2
Won 1, lost 1, drew 1
Result: Go through to next stage
Next opponent: SwitzerlandUPDATE!Beaten by Switzerland 2-0; Italy are out (and good riddance)
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Netherlands: For a long time identified in both tournaments as Holland (I don't know what the difference is; Marie can tell us) the Dutch team have recently become known as the Netherlands, and are another great footballing power of Europe. Their first year to qualify was 1976, where they were beaten 3-1 by Czechoslovakia after extra time, but won the third place play-off - again after extra time - against Yugoslavia 3-2. They were back in 1980, drawn with West Germany, Greece and Czechoslovakia, beating Greece 1-0 but falling to the West German attack 3-2 before drawing 1-1 with the Czechs, sending them home. 1988 began an almost 20-year Golden Age for Dutch football, as they became European champions and a real power in football. Drawn in Group 2 with ourselves, England and the Soviet Union, they went down 1-0 to the Russkies but beat England 3-1 and us 1-0 to go through second in the group. In the semi-finals they revenged themselves on West Germany, beating them 2-1 and thrashed the Soviets 2-0 in the final, lifting the cup for the first and so far only time in their career.
In 1992 they got as far as the semis, drawn in Group 2 with Germany (no longer West Germany), Scotland and CIS, the remains of the Soviet Union. They beat Scotland 1-0, drew 0-0 with CIS and West Germany or just Germany, it was all the same to the Dutch, and they beat them again, this time 3-1 to top the group. In the semis though they suffered penalty shootout heartbreak, after a 2-2 tied game with Denmark, which the Danes took 5-4 on penalties. They wouldn't reach the semi-finals in 1996, being drawn in Group A with England, Scotland and Switzerland. They struggled to get out of the group, drawing with Scotland 0-0, beating Switzerland 2-0 but losing to England 4-1. They qualified as second in the group and again suffered the penalty shootout curse as France took it 5-4 after a 0-0 draw.
Into the twenty-first century they boldly marched, and with perhaps the motto "New millennium, new Netherlands", they topped their group which saw them beat the Czech Republic 1-0, Denmark 3-0, avenging their '92 exit at the hands of the Danes, and France 3-2, paying the French back for that penalty shootout exit from the previous tournament.They went on to thrash the Former Yugoslavia (don't ask) 6-1, surely their biggest ever goal margin in a Euro competition, and met Italy in the semis, where once again the "p" word was their undoing, and after a goalless draw following extra time they lost 3-1 as Italy went on to lose to France in the final. In 2004 they were in Group D with Germany, Latvia and the Czech Republic. A 1-1 draw with Germany, a 3-2 defeat to the Czechs and a 3-0 victory against Latvia secured them second place, progressing to the knockout stages where they were able to dish out their own version of the penalty shootout curse to Sweden, drawing 0-0 after extra time with them and taking the shootout 5-4 to advance to the semi-finals, where they met Portugal, falling 2-1 to Ronaldo's mob.
Italy, Romania and France shared Group C with them in 2008 and they beat them all, Italy 3-0, France 4-1 and Romania 2-0 to top the group and meet Russia, who done for them after the match had been level at 1-1 in normal time, the Russians scoring twice in extra time to take the game 3-1. They did very poorly in 2012, ending bottom of a group that contained Germany, Denmark and Portugal, all of whom beat them: Denmark 1-0 and both Germany and Portugal 2-1 to send the Dutch home. They didn't qualify for the next tournament, and it might be said that Dutch football was on something of a decline by now, but as host nation in 2020 they made an effort, topping a pretty easy group as they beat Ukraine 3-2, Austria 2-0 and, um, North Macedonia 3-0. Their old enemies, the Czechs were waiting though to deflate their dreams of resuscitating their former glory,beating them 2-0.
This year, then, they were in Group D with Austria, France and Poland, and began their fightback with a 2-1 defeat of Poland, demonstrating that the Poles were not the team they had once been, and might, like Italy, struggle to make it out of the group. The Netherlands, to be fair, weren't anything really special but they ground out the result.
Netherlands 2 - Poland 1
Points: 3
Points total: 3
Position in Group: 1France were their next opponents, and though it was billed as a big match and one to watch, it really wasn't, as the two played out an uninspiring, chances-barren nil-all draw.
Netherlands 0 - France 0
Points: 1
Points total: 4
Position in Group: 2At least their final match was a thriller, though an unexpected one as they took on a lacklustre (up to then) Austria whom France had easily beaten earlier. 3-2 was not the score we had expected, but the game had everything, including a last-gasp winner as it looked to be going for a draw. The result completely turned the table upside-down, placing Austria - who had not really been given much of a chance of going through at all - at the top and qualified, while the Netherlands slid to third, but somehow still go through for some reason. AJJ.
Netherlands 2 - Austria 3
Points: 0
Points total: 4
Position in Group: 3So after what could not in fairness be called a classic performance, Netherlands squeeze through by the skin of their teeth. On the strength of what we've seen, it seems unlikely they have much of a chance of adding another European title to their lonely trophy cabinet, and next face Romania. If they can beat them, and Turkey go down to Austria, we may see a rematch of the last group game here between the two. Could be interesting.
Recap
Beat Poland 2-1, drew 0-0 with France, lost 3-2 to Austria
Points total: 4
Goals for: 4
Goals against: 3
Position in Group: 3
Won 1, drew 1, lost 1
Result: Go through to next round
Next opponent: Romania
And so into the knockout stages we go. No second chances, no nil-nils or draws deciding games. As they say, this is it.
Today's results
Switzerland 2 - Italy 0
In a truly disgraceful display by a team who really did not seem to care, this match was an embarrassing and humiliating exit for Italy, who never even came close. The Swiss, on the other hand, played out of their skins and deserved to go through. I shudder to think what the Italian press will have to say about it tomorrow, but the team should be ashamed of themselves: they've insulted their fans and let down their country. They never even tried. Arrivedurci, Italia! You will not be missed.
Germany 2 - Denmark 0
The strangest match I ever did see, it was stopped before half-time as a massive thunderstorm threatened, and the ref called the teams off the pitch. At this point it was 0-0. but the Germans seemed to have been in the ascendancy. The delay lasted so long that the commentator noted that it seemed like it had been going on for two days! In the end, Germany ran out 2-0 winners, deserved ones too, and to nobody's surprise go forward to meet either Spain or (chortle) Georgia.
Tomorrow's matches
England v Slovakia: who expects England not to win this one? Well you never know, but they should be favourites.
Spain v Georgia: Can the debutantes pull off a famous victory? As Monty Burns once said, not bloody likely. If they do, I'll have to buy a hat and then eat it.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/12/Flag_of_Poland.svg)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Herb_Polski.svg/310px-Herb_Polski.svg.png)
Poland: Poland would rank among the lesser teams in Europe. They have never won any major trophies, and have in fact only qualified for the Euros four times, including this one, and have only ever advanced beyond the group stages once, so it's hardly a history littered with honours, but let's look at it anyway. The first time they made it was 2008, where they faced Croatia, Austria and Germany. Beaten 2-0 by Germany, drawing 1-1 with Austria and losing 1-0 to Croatia was enough to send them home, but not enough to stop them coming back, as they did in 2012. This time their group opponents were the Czech Republic, Greece and Russia - not, you would think, the hardest group to get out of, but again they failed to do so, drawing 1-1 with both Greece and Russia and beaten 1-0 by the Czech Republic.
2016 was the only time they did anything, again in a relatively easy group which apart from Germany left them facing Northern Ireland and Ukraine. Their first ever victory came against Northern Ireland, 1-0, drew 0-0 with Germany and beat Ukraine 1-0, to progress, for the first and only time, into the knockout stages. Here they came up against Switzerland, and fought out a grim battling 1-1 draw which went to penalties after extra time, a shootout (their first ever) that they won 5-4, surely making them think this must have been their year? Portugal, however, had other ideas, but when they met Poland in the quarter-finals it was again another determined and dogged performance by the Poles, holding Ronaldo and Co, to, again, 1-1 after extra time, again forcing a penalty shootout. This may, I think, have been the only time one team was involved in two penalty shootouts after 1-1 and extra time in the one tournament. Unfortunately, it was here Poland's heroics ended, and Portugal took the shootout 5-3.
While it would be unfair not to laud their quite remarkable performance in the 2016 Euros, you would have to say that, on the strength of their previous results, normal service was resumed in 2020, when they finished bottom of their group, having gone down 2-1 to Slovakia, drawn 1-1 with Spain and beaten 3-2 by Sweden. This year they have had their moments, but never really looked likely to go through, and didn't.
Drawn in a difficult group with Austria, France and the Netherlands, their first match saw them face the Netherlands and indeed score first, but then Holland levelled and in the last few minutes took the game 2-1.
Poland 1 - Netherlands 2
Points: 0
Points total: 0
Position in Group: 4Next up was Austria, and while they themselves did not play well in the tournament at first (though they would end up topping the group and going through) they began to show here that they had something to prove, and pretty much rolled all over Poland, leaving nobody in any doubt as to how the match was going to end.
Poland 1 - Austria 3
Points: 0
Points total: 0
Position in Group: 4Before they bowed out though, Poland made a good effort to stop France being the third team in the group to beat them as they held them to a draw with a last-gasp penalty which, as related in the article on France, had to be taken twice. You'd have to say Poland bowed out with a flourish, but now out they did, leaving memories of 2016 far in the distance now.
Poland 1 - France 1
Points: 1
Points total: 1
Position in Group: 4So as pretty much expected, given their poor record in the Euros and a fairly ageing team whose main man is due to retire, Poland go home after losing two of their matches and only drawing the last by virtue of a penalty, which in some ways should not have counted, as it was originally saved. In the end, the group turned out to be too hard for them to get out of, and they performed about as average as it seems they have almost always done, with one shining exception. Will we see them back in 2028? I wouldn't put too much money on it, now.
Recap
Lost to Netherlands 2-1, lost to Austria 3-1, drew with France 1-1
Points total: 1
Goals for: 3
Goals against: 6
Position in Group: 4
Lost 2, drew 1
Result: Eliminated from tournament
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_Portugal.svg/1200px-Flag_of_Portugal.svg.png)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b2/Portugal_national_football_team.png/310px-Portugal_national_football_team.png)
Portugal: Portugal are, of course, footballing royalty and one of the Big Four. They have one European title under their belts, but perhaps surprisingly as I check, have not qualified for the Euros every year, and in fact there's a great big gap of twenty years before we see them take part. They also have not done nearly as well as I thought they had in the World Cup, but nobody can deny they're one of the princes of European football, perhaps in some ways deserving of the phrase (which I just made up) "the Brazil of Europe". No? Have it your way then. At any rate, their first qualification came in 1984, where they were drawn in Group 2 with Spain, West Germany and Romania. That sounds like a difficult group to get out of, especially for a debutante, so it's surely to their credit that they drew with both West Germany (0-0) and Spain (1-1) and beat Romania 1-0 to progress in their first tournament. A marker of things to come? Well, in the semi-finals they held the mighty France to a 2-2 draw until extra time, when the French scored to take the game. This means, despite their exit, that on their first foray into the Euros Portugal held three of the Big Four to draws. Impressive.
They didn't qualify for the next two tournaments, but were back in 1996 in what must have seemed a far easier group, drawing 1-1 with Denmark, beating Turkey 1-0 and Croatia 3-0 to again progress, this time at the top of their group. In the quarter-finals they met the Czech Republic, who beat them 2-0, sending them home. Nevertheless, it must have been obvious by now that Portugal were growing to be a side worthy of respect, and would in fact soon join their Iberian cousins, West Germany (now Germany) and France as one of the Big Four. 2000 saw them again top their group, with a 3-2 victory over England, a 1-0 defeat of Romania and a comprehensive 3-0 demolition of Germany. Determined to stamp their mark on the tournament, they powered past Turkey 2-0, but were again undone by the French, whom they held to a 1-1 draw until those pesky frogs scored again in extra time, and Portugal were on the plane home.
In 2004 they beat Russia 2-0, were beaten by Greece 2-1 and beat Spain 1-0 to advance and meet England, who held them to a 2-2 draw after extra time, but were sent home after Portugal took the penalty shootout 6-5, and Portugal moved on to take on the Netherlands, beat them 2-1 in the semis and so reaching their first Euros final, where they lost out to Greece 1-0, the Greeks winning their first, and so far only European title. It was time for Turkey to suffer another 2-0 defeat, this time in the group stages, when Portugal returned for the 2008 tournament, and the Czechs went down 3-1 but were beaten by Switzerland 2-0. In the quarter-finals, though, Germany took revenge for their 3-0 defeat by them in 2000 as they kicked them out of the tournament, beating them 3-2.
Things began to look much better for Portugal from 2012, when, although again taken down by Germany in their first group game (1-0) then went on to take Denmark 3-2 and the Netherlands 2-1 to qualify, this time for the first time in recent memory, only second, but still through to the next stage. In the quarter-finals they took the Czech Republic 1-0 and then fell victim to that curse of the Euros, the penalty shootout when, after a 0-0 draw after extra time with Spain, they lost the shootout 4-2. Portugal were building momentum though, and the next tournament would be their golden moment. It certainly didn't start out auspiciously, with a 1-1 draw with Iceland and a nil-nil with Austria followed by a 3-3 against Hungary only getting Portugal to third place, but for some reason that year third place was enough and they went through. Perhaps the footballing gods were smiling on them? Perhaps they had bet on them? Either way, finishing the lowest they had in a Euro group stage, Portugal nevertheless made it through to the knockout stages.
I'd like to say here they began to shine, but it doesn't seem that way, as they barely managed a 1-0 defeat of Croatia, having been held to a 0-0 draw and gone to extra time, but they struggled through and fought out that 1-1 draw and penalty shootout we spoke of in the previous article, beating Poland 5-3 and moving on to beat Wales 2-0 in the semi-final, till at last they stood at the zenith of their rather short Euros career, facing their old enemy, France, and determined to take revenge for their exit from the 2000 tournament, they held them to a 0-0 draw until finally scoring in extra time to take the match, and the title, for the first time. Portugal were European champions. Unfortunately for them, that was as good as it was going to get, and in 2020 they again barely managed to get out of their group, again qualifying in third place after hard games against Germany (beaten 4-2) and France (2-2), Hungary being the only team they beat in the group, 3-0. They were however quickly and unceremoniously dumped out of the competition by Belgium, who beat them 1-0, which brings us to here.
Still fancied as a team to fear (any team with Ronaldo in it has to be a team to fear) Portugal have yet to display the tenacity and grit that allowed them to become European champions even after a poor group performance, and this year they were in a relatively easy group, with Czechia, Turkey and debutantes Georgia, yet they made hard work of it. Their first match was against Czechia, and they should really have been expected to have gone past the Czechs in second gear, but it proved more difficult than they had hoped. Czechia scored first, the only response Portugal had to that being due to an own goal by Czechia, who then laboured to keep the Czechs at bay until the dying moments when they scored the goal that gave them the game.
Portugal 2 - Czechia 1
Points: 3
Points total: 3
Position in Group: 2Perhaps having a scare over the last game, or perhaps because, historically, every time they've come up against them they've beaten them, Portugal added another defeat for Turkey who went down 3-0, one of these being an own goal, which leads me to make the comment that Turkey helped stuff themselves. Sorry.
Portugal 3 - Turkey 0
Points: 3
Points total: 6
Position in Group: 2Their last match would be controversial and a thriller at the same time, and not for the reasons you might expect. Lowly Georgia, seen as cannon fodder and just an annoying obstacle to be brushed out of the way as the, um, mighty Portugal marched on, proved more stubborn than anyone could have thought. Immovable, in fact, as they scored first (in the first two minutes) and with Portugal unable to find an answer, and increasingly frustrated, feeling as if they were, no doubt, in an episode of
The Twilight Zone, watched Georgia score a penalty, gaining themselves three unlikely points that even less likely put them through on their debut performance. Portugal were left to rue many missed chances, but had qualified anyway, so it was really only a temper tantrum by Ronaldo.
Portugal 0 - Georgia 2
Points: 0
Points total: 6
Position in Group: 1So at the end of what could not be called in any way a commanding group stage performance, Portugal, as expected, go through and will meet Slovenia, whom they must be expected to beat, setting them up for a meeting with one of two old adversaries, Belgium or France.
Recap
Beat Czechia 2-1, beat Turkey 3-0, lost to Georgia 2-0
Points total: 6
Goals for: 5
Goals against: 3
Position in Group: 1
Won 2, lost 1
Result: Go through to next stage
Next opponent: Slovenia
Okay, okay! Where are me words and I'll eat them? This is for you, JJ.
(https://media.tenor.com/q9_zZ9BgOYEAAAAM/bart-the-simpsons.gif)
Oops! Sorry. Forgot to edit.
:shycouch:
(https://y.yarn.co/bc7c3f0e-38d5-4f58-b35b-7cf42d495515_text.gif)
DAMMIT!
;)
Okay, all joking aside now...
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/74/27/42/742742da07aba6474d98ee6c9f3c35e2.gif)
(Yiz left it fuckin' late enough... wonder goal though by Bellingham)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Flag_of_Romania.svg)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/ef/Romania_national_football_team_logo.svg/300px-Romania_national_football_team_logo.svg.png)
Romania: Another of those teams who haven't qualified very often for the Euros, Romania, like the mighty Portugal, first managed it in 1984, but their performance was more that befitting a team coming into it for the first time. Famous, if for anything, for its region known as Transylvania, which provided the backdrop for some novel about vampires you probably haven't heard of, Romania's performance throughout the years in the Euros has been as dark and bleak as the eponymous count's castle, and with almost as little cheer. 1984 saw them finish bottom of admittedly a tough group, as they fell 2-0 to West Germany and 1-0 to Portugal, though to their credit they did hold Spain to a 1-1 draw. Spain, West Germany and Portugal! Talk about a Group of Death on your first try! It would be 12 more years before they'd come back, and not much would have changed for them.
Again caught in a deadly group, with Spain and France, their only hope of getting any points would seem to have been against their Balkans neighbour, Bulgaria, qualifying for the first time (they have only managed it once more since) but they couldn't even beat them, losing 1-0 and then 2-1 to Spain while France took them for 1-0 and they were on their way back to the dark woods again. 2000 would be their year, or at least the only year up to then in which they would qualify from the group, second in fact. In fairness, it wasn't an easy group, with Portugal, England and Germany to face, but for once they turned it on, holding Germany to a 1-1 draw, almost doing the same to Portugal until a last-minute goal took the match from them, leaving them to take it out on England, whom they also held to a 2-2 draw until they managed their own last-gasp goal, awarded a penalty in literally the last minute, and took the match to progress to the next stage for the first time ever. As so often happens though, in the knockout stages shit gets real, and Italy defeated them 2-0 to send them home.
Having failed to qualify for the 2004 tournament, they would at least not end bottom of their group in 2008, coming third as they drew 0-0 with France, 1-1 with Italy and were beaten 2-0 by the Netherlands. Old glories fading, such as they were, they missed the next one and were back in 2016 to prop up the table as they made a quick exit after defeats to France (2-1), um, Albania (1-0) and a 1-1 draw with Switzerland. They failed to qualify for 2020 and that leads us to here.
Rather surprisingly, they've ended at the top of their group, and progress on to the next stage. Could this be their year? Let's see how they got there. Their first match was against Ukraine, who they demolished 3-0, surprising everyone, not because Ukraine are rated so highly, but because the other match in the group between Belgium and Slovakia ended in a stunning and unexpected defeat for the Belgians, allowing Romania, for the first time ever in their history, to top their group, a position they held to the end.
Romania 3 - Ukraine 0
Points: 3
Points total: 3
Position in Group: 1Their next match went more or less as expected this time, with Belgium out to show they were not a spent force or a bust flush or whatever term you want to use - I favour shite, but use your own - and smashed Romania 2-0, though superior goal difference still kept the group leaders where they were.
Romania 0 - Belgium 2
Points: 0
Points total: 3
Position in Group: 1Their last match then was against Slovakia, who scored first and led for a while before Romania got a penalty and levelled the match, ending in a draw which allowed both teams to go through.
Romania 1 - Slovakia 1
Points: 1
Points total: 4
Position in Group: 1So in a quirk of footballing fate (which did not affect Romania, who were through as leaders of the group), three of the four teams went through as they all had 4 points. Romania now advance to meet the Netherlands, who you'd have to fancy in that game. Even at that, if they go out Romania will still have made this their joint best result in Euro history, and who knows what might happen?
Recap
Beat Ukraine 3-0, beaten by Belgium 2-0, drew 1-1 with Slovakia
Points total: 4
Goals for: 4
Goals against: 3
Position in Group: 1
Won 1, lost 1, drew 1
Result: Go through to next stage
Next opponent: The Netherlands
Today's Matches and Results
England 2 - Slovakia 1 (aet)
Today was, for all English fans, the big one. Could their boys turn it on and make it through to the next round? Nobody gave Slovakia much of a chance, but then, England had hardly played out of their skins to get where they were. And so it proved that Slovakia scored first, shocking England, but not into action, and right up to the end it looked like they were going home as Slovakia pulled off an unlikely and legendary victory. However, in the 95th minute England, mostly bereft of ideas as usual, came up with the goods, their golden boy scoring. Jude Bellingham's overhead kick (though I must admit stuck in my craw) was a thing of beauty and drew the match, forcing extra time. Harry Kane then rose to almost twice his height it seemed to nod in what turned out to be the winning header. Slovakia never let up the pressure, to be fair, but once England equalised they looked dejected, and when Kane's goal went in, though their heads didn't drop, you couldn't see them scoring again. So England took the game, in what has to be described as a slice of fortune, and march on.
Spain 4 - Georgia 1
The gallant Georgia's heroics came to an end, as expected, as a juggernaut called Spain rolled all over them, though the debutantes shocked the European giants by scoring first, even if it was a forced own goal. After that, though they tried gamely, Spain were in command and in fairness the scoreline didn't flatter them, but Georgia deserve a lot of credit. We look forward to seeing them grace the competition again. For now though, Spain, as expected, storm into the next round and must still be seen as the odds-on favourites.
Tomorrow's matches
France v Belgium: Expected outcome? Depends on whether Belgium get up off their collective arses and play as we know they can. Also depends on which French team turns up. Who nose? Oh, I've used that one before haven't I? Let's see: will Belgium get a sniff? Will France be conk-ering heroes? Will I please stop now? Fair enough. I'd imagine France should take this one, but we'll see.
Portugal v Slovenia: Expected outcome? On paper Portugal should walk this, but they haven't played as we know they can, and football loves surprising us but I would be amazed if Ronaldo and the boys don't come out winners here.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/Flag_of_Scotland.svg/1280px-Flag_of_Scotland.svg.png)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/50/Scotland_national_football_team_logo_2014.svg/370px-Scotland_national_football_team_logo_2014.svg.png)
Scotland: As an ardent Irish supporter and non-supporter of England, it's good to know I have Scotland to fall back on to support when, inevitably, our boys don't make it. So it's sad to see them consistently fall at the first fence. Not really sure why it happens, as they have the players, but the big occasions just seem to take all the fight out of them. And as I look now, my heart sinks as I see they have only qualified a total of four times for the Euros, this one not included. Sigh. Let's get on with it then. 1992 was their first successful attempt, and they never got beyond the group stage, falling to The Netherlands 1-0, Germany 2-0 but at least beating the CIS (former parts of the Soviet Union) 3-0, which must have given them something to cheer on the plane home. They qualified the next year too, but it would be a long time before they would do so again.
1996 was a little kinder to them, as they drew with the Netherlands 0-0, were beaten by hosts England 2-0 and managed to take Switzerland 1-0, but they still failed to get out of their group, and it would be another 24 years before they would manage it again. In 2020 they again faced "the auld enemy", the Sassenachs of England, with whom this time they managed to force a nil-all draw, though the Czechs beat them 1-0 and their Euro adventure was ended by Croatia with a 3-1 drubbing. Ah, at least they hadn't far to travel home this time I guess.
This year was probably their worst ever performance. They failed to get out of their group, as they have every time they qualify, but to call their first game a humiliating defeat is to be very kind indeed. How it must have stung. Coming up against an in-form Germany, they were absolutely thrashed 5-1, their only goal coming from a German own goal. It's no exaggeration to say that the Scottish camp must have felt like a funeral home after that debacle, and back home they would have been wearing black armbands and covering the windows with black drapes possibly, and maybe burning German flags too.
Scotland 1 - Germany 5
Points: 0
Points total: 0
Position in Group: 4To their credit, they came out and gave it the old Edinburgh try, or something, for their next match against the Swiss, and leaving with a goal apiece is certainly less humbling than being beaten off the park with a big German stick. Plus it earned them a point, but then at the bottom of the table, that's not too much use to you. More importantly, it showed they were ready to fight and try to put the German demolition behind them, and I imagine the folks back home, and the fans, rallied and tried to will them on, even if it was a lost cause already.
Scotland 1 - Switzerland 1
Points: 1
Points total: 1
Position in Group: 4Or was it? Hungary weren't doing so well either, so at this point it all rested on the final match. Who would go third and possibly have a chance of progressing? An absolutely ludicrous call by the ref denied Scotland their lifeline, a penalty they should most certainly have had, and Hungary scored in the last minute of eight additional, to destroy any chance the Scots had of even having a hope of getting out of the group.
Scotland 0 - Hungary 1
Points: 0
Points total: 1
Position in Group: 4So once again Scotland were frustrated, though it has to be said the bedrock of their exit was laid with their first game. It's very hard to come back from such a massive defeat, and had they done better against Switzerland, and got that penalty, and the last game not gone on so bloody long, who knows? But the reality is that Scotland head home again, another chance to get out of the group gone. As someone here noted archy: whisht Jimmy ! We wuz robbed! And they were. But kind of also hoisted on their own petard. Or is it Picard? Yeah.
Recap
Beaten by Germany 5-1, drew with Switzerland 1-1, beaten by Hungary 1-0
Points total: 1
Goals for: 2
Goals against: 7
Position in Group: 4
Lost 2, drew 1
Result: eliminated from the tournament
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSvDrUpr64gHhT3Sgc6pTzU1_kztE0rmuwVNg&s)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ac/Grb_fudbalske_reprezentacije_Srbije.png)
Serbia: Another tricky one. They entered the Euros originally as part of Yugoslavia, but I've already decided - correctly, I believe - only to deal with countries which were previously part of other countries as of from the point they became independent, so I'm ignoring their participation as Yugoslavia. The first we see of them as Serbia then is 2000, but before that I do find this interesting. As Yugoslavia (I know, but listen) they qualified in 1992 but were suspended, obviously due to the atrocities going on in the Yugoslav War, and the next time the competition was held, 1996, they remained suspended, although at that point they were known as FR (former) Yugoslavia, and actually comprised Serbia and Montenegro.
In any case, it turns out that 2000 was the only year, apart from this one, that they qualified, and they did all right. Competing still as FR Yugoslavia (Serbia was not recognised as a separate entity until 2006) they played a thrilling 3-3 draw with Slovenia, also part of former Yugoslavia (though not FR Yugoslavia, don't ask me why) and also competing for the first time before this year, beat Norway 1-0 and held Spain to 3-3 for almost the entire match, Spain only winning by virtue of a last-minute penalty. Not bad at all guys! On they went, then, to face the Netherlands, where they learned the true meaning of a defeat as the Dutch crushed them 6-1. That was their last entry as FR Yugoslavia, and this year the first time they qualified as Serbia.
By some quirk of fate again paired with Slovenia in the same group, they did less well this time. Their first match saw them take on England, and though Kane and the boys far from bossed the game, they did enough to run out 1-0 winners.
Serbia 0 - England 1
Points: 0
Points total: 0
Position in Group: 4Their next match saw a replay of the 2000 group stages as they came face-to-face with Slovenia again. Slovenia probably didn't even recognise them: weren't you FR Yugoslavia last time? And didn't we used to be int he same country? What happened, bro? Here you are, calling yourself Serbia and hating our ex-cousins the Croats? What's it all for? Oh and by the way, while I've been distracting you we've just scored! In your FACE! And in fact Slovenia looked to be about to take the match till Serbia pulled a last-minute goal out of the hat and forced a draw, surely leading Slovenia to slink away muttering, you've changed man. Not cool. Not cool at all.
Serbia 1 - Slovenia 1
Points: 1
Points total: 1
Position in Group: 4And so to their last game, which saw them face a not at all in-form Denmark, the resultant nil-all draw sending them home, though perhaps they may have taken some small comfort from the fact that Slovenia's draw with England also had them on the plane. Doubt they spoke much to each other though. Old hatreds die hard.
Serbia 0 - Denmark 0
Points: 1
Points total: 1
Position in Group: 4Probably the least impressive record of appearances at the Euros then, Serbia, on their first outing under their new name, failed to progress but have impressed with their football. They certainly weren't just there to make up the numbers, and if they qualify next time we'd hope to see them go further. For now though, it's back to the Balkans for them.
Recap
Lost 1-0 to England, drew 1-1 with Slovenia, drew 0-0 with Denmark
Points total: 1
Goals for: 1
Goals against: 2
Position in Group: 4
Lost 1, drew 2
Result: Eliminated from the tournament
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQbiDZSp-CYR-YK6-lgjc7Q3MeftICR9Ng5mg&s)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/Slovak_Football_Association_logo.svg/1200px-Slovak_Football_Association_logo.svg.png)
Slovakia: The same as the Czech Republic, Slovakia were part of what was Czechoslovakia (you could tell, couldn't you?) but have been their own independent nation since 1993, and again we won't be covering their appearance as part of Czechoslovakia, something we did with the Czech Republic. This, then, sees them qualify for the tournament for the first time under their own name in 2016, where they beat Wales 2-1, took revenge on their, if you will, old masters Russia, also 2-1, and drew nil-all with England to qualify third in their group. In the knockout stages they fell foul of Germany though, going down 3-0 and heading home. 2020 saw them back again, but this time they didn't even get out of their group, beating Poland 2-1 but losing 1-0 to Sweden and absolutely hammered 5-0 by Spain.
This year they did much better, meeting a very much out-of-form Belgium in their first match and to everyone's surprise (maybe even theirs) beating them 1-0. It would not be totally unfair to say that their victory came about, not so much due to their own excellent play, but due to a pretty woeful performance from Belgium. It was a good start for the Slovaks though.
Slovakia 1 - Belgium 0
Points: 3
Points total: 3
Position in Group: 2Their second match pitted them against a shell-shocked Ukraine, who had suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to Romania in their first game, and who were determined to show that they were better than that. And they were. Although Slovakia scored first Ukraine turned it around, equalising just after the second half begun and then taking the match with a late winner.
Slovakia 1 - Ukraine 2
Points: 0
Points total: 3
Position in Group: 2Their final match saw them fight out a hard-won draw with Romania, which lifted them up the table and assured they would qualify as third in the group. Slovakia scored first and were ahead for almost 15 minutes before Romania got a penalty to level the game. They were through anyway, at the top of the group, and with, as has been mentioned several times already, this group for the first time ever in Euros history having all teams level on points, Slovakia qualified and moved on to the next stage.
Slovakia 1 - Romania 1
Points: 1
Points total: 4
Position in Group: 3So on the occasion of only their third entry in the Euros, and for the second time (a good record, you have to say, or as Meat Loaf would say, two out of three ain't bad) Slovakia go through to the knockout stages where they will meet England, and who would not give them a chance, considering how poorly Southgate's men have been playing?
Recap
Beat Belgium 1-0, beaten by Ukraine 2-1, drew with Romania 1-1
Points total: 4
Goals for: 3
Goals against: 3
Position in Group: 3
Won 1, lost 1, drew 1
Result: Go through to next stage
Next opponent: EnglandUPDATEAfter a powerful performance against a misfiring and unimaginative England side, Slovakia were forced into extra time by a superb last-minute goal by Jude Bellingham, and when Harry Kane added another in extra time it was all over. Slovakia go home, but can be proud of themselves, which is not something you can say about England.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Flag_of_Slovenia.svg)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Slovenia_national_football_team.svg/300px-Slovenia_national_football_team.svg.png)
Slovenia: One of the six states that were once the country known as Yugoslavia, Slovenia became independent in 1991, so you know by now how we're doing this. As it happens, Slovenia only qualified for the Euros once, in 2000, and had a pretty poor showing, unable to get out of their group as they fought out a difficult 3-3 draw with their ex-neighbours, FR Yugoslavia, fell 2-1 to Spain and played out a nil-nil draw with Norway to end up bottom of their group. This year they faced Denmark, England and Serbia, certainly not the Group of Death, but it still proved too much for them.
In their first match they came up against Denmark and went down to an early goal, but managed to hang on to draw the match near the end, though looking back at their very short record you can probably see they find it hard to hold a lead, and almost all of their matches to date have ended in a draw, as did this one.
Slovenia 1 - Denmark 1
Points: 1
Points total: 1
Position in Group: 4Next up was Serbia, and at this point you could possibly predict what was going to happen, and that's exactly what did happen. Neither team could score till very late in the game when Slovenia looked to have finally notched up their first victory, but in the fifth minute of extra time the Serbs came back to rekindle old rivalries and condemn Slovenia to yet another draw.
Slovenia 1 - Serbia 1
Points: 1
Points total: 2
Position in Group: 4For their final match Slovenia came up against England, who had been expected to trample all over them but, well, didn't. In fact, though England expectedly had the lion's (sorry) share of the possession, they couldn't do anything with it, and for the third match in their group Slovenia saw themselves rack up a draw, this one a nil-nil, sending them home.
Slovenia 0 - England 0
Points: 1
Points total: 3
Position in Group: 4Given their rather poor and very sporadic appearances in the Euros (two only, including this) I suppose you couldn't have expected much of Slovenia, but against all the odds they've managed to get through, though looking at who they're facing you wouldn't imagine they'll go much further. Still, kudos for them getting this far, and really, in the final analysis, you just never know.
Recap
Drew 1-1 with Denmark, drew 1-1 with Serbia, drew 0-0 with England
Points total: 3
Goals for: 2
Goals against: 2
Position in Group: 4
Drew 3
Result: Go through to next stage
Next opponent: Portugal
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(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/39/Spain_national_football_team_crest.svg/300px-Spain_national_football_team_crest.svg.png)
Spain: Ah, now we're talkin', senor! The last of the Big Four of European football, Spain are still recognised as perhaps the dominant power, both in European and to some extent world football, having won the World Cup once and the Euros three times, two of which were back-to-back trophies, something I don't think any other country has achieved. Having withdrawn in protest, as mentioned elsewhere, from the inaugural tournament, they were back in 1964 to take their first title, beating Hungary 2-1 after extra time and the Soviet Union 2-1 in their first final. They failed to qualify for the next three tournaments, but were back in 1980. They did not do well, drawing nil-nil with Italy, beaten 2-1 by Belgium and again 2-1 by England.
They missed the next but did better in 1996, when they qualified second in a pretty easy group, drawing 1-1 with both Bulgaria and France and beating Romania 2-1 to progress, where they were dumped out by England after a 0-0 draw resulted in a penalty shootout which for once went England's way, none of their players missing and the result being 4-2 to send Spain home. After this, Spain would never miss another tournament, and in 2000 they qualified top of their group, beaten by Norway 1-0 but beating Slovenia 2-1 and FR Yugoslavia 4-3. Heartbreak again for them in the quarter-finals when this time France showed them the door with a 2-1 defeat. Back they came in 2004, this time failing to even get out of their group as they beat Russia 1-0 but were held to a 1-1 draw by Greece and beaten by Portugal 1-0.
The next eight years would begin the Golden Age of Spanish football, as they won the title in 2008, qualifying top of their group with a 4-1 demolition of Russia, 2-1 defeat of Sweden and a similar fate handed to Greece. In the quarter-finals they played out a cagey 0-0 draw against Italy, forcing extra time and penalties which again they took 4-2, went on to kick Russia's arse 3-0 in the semis and met Germany in the final, beating them 1-0 to take their second European title. They would repeat this four years later, again qualifying top of their group after a 1-1 draw with Italy, a 4-0 kicking of us, and a 1-0 defeat of Croatia. Marching unstoppably on into the quarter-finals, treading familiar ground now, this time it was them who sent France home, beating them 2-0 and pushing Portugal out with another 0-0 and 4-2 penalties, then triumphantly putting Italy to the sword for 4-0 in the final, winning their third European trophy.
Could they make it an unprecedented three in a row? Well, no. In 2016 they didn't even finish top of a relatively easy group, just barely managing to beat the Czech Republic 1-0 with a late goal, smashing Turkey 3-0 and then being stopped by Croatia who beat them 2-1. This time though, Italy were waiting for them and took revenge as they sent them home with a 2-0 defeat. Were the glory days coming to an end for Spain? Not quite. In 2020 they did a lot better, as host nation, coming second in the group after holding Sweden to a 0-0 draw and Poland to 1-1, then perhaps taking out their frustration on poor Slovakia, whom they battered 5-0.
Ay caramba! They went on to knock out Croatia 5-3 and delivered the old thrust to the heart at Switzerland, 0-0 after extra time and taking the penalty shootout easily at 3-1 until Italy again stood in their way, and another penalty shootout after a 1-1 game sent Spain home again with a 4-2 defeat to the Italians.
If there is even such a thing as a renaissance of Spanish football - and I don't think there is; I just think they went through a bad patch - then we saw it this year, as Spain commandingly and somewhat contemptuously breezed through all opposition to win every game in their group and top it, easily qualifying and remaining one of the very hot favourites for the title.Their first game saw them take Croatia apart as they showed they meant business, and had no intention whatsoever of going out in the group stages this year, or possibly ever again. Croatia's only reply was a penalty, which should never have been awarded, and which was missed, scored on the rebound and then chalked off for encroachment in the box. Justice was seen to be done, and Spain ran out easy winners at 3-0.
Spain 3 - Croatia 0
Points: 3
Points total: 3
Position in Group: 1Next it was time to take revenge on the team who had twice kicked them out of the knockout stages, but they struggled against Italy, the only goal coming from an own goal which must really have pissed the Azzurri off. In fairness, the Italians have performed woefully - as detailed in their entry - and they certainly did not deserve anything from this game. So Spain took it and notched up their second victory.
Spain 1 - Italy 0
Points: 3
Points total: 6
Position in Group: 1Perhaps feeling like men facing the gallows, Spain's next and final opponent in the group was Albania. They had acquitted themselves well, to be fair, in the tournament but were already on the way home, and were not expected to stand a chance against the mighty Spain. Nor did they. Still, Spain didn't batter them, only managing the one goal, and that has to count for something.
Spain 1 - Albania 0
Points: 3
Points total: 9
Position in Group: 1To nobody's surprise then, Spain march on with ease into the knockout stages. With a perfect record in the tournament so far, and so many star players both old and young, who would bet against them? Especially with their next game being against Georgia...
Recap
Beat Croatia 3-0, beat Italy 1-0, beat Albania 1-0
Points total: 9
Goals for: 5
Goals against: 0
Position in Group: 1
Won 3
Result: Go through to next stageUPDATEThough Georgia played out of their skins, and really gave a fantastic account of themselves, even scoring first against the run of play, Spain easily saw them off and the match ended 4-1 to Spain, who march inexorably on, well on course to make history as the only team to take the title four times.
(https://cdn.britannica.com/43/4543-004-C0D5C6F4/Flag-Switzerland.jpg)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Flag_of_Switzerland_%28Pantone%29.svg/300px-Flag_of_Switzerland_%28Pantone%29.svg.png)
Switzerland: Rather surprised to find that this is only the sixth time the Swiss have qualified for the Euros, but let's check out how that happened. Their first qualification was in 1996, where they ended bottom of their group after defeats to the Netherlands (2-0) and Scotland (1-0) and drawing with England 1-1. Their next effort was in 2004, where again they did poorly, again finishing last in the group after a nil-all draw with Croatia, a 3-0 defeat by England and a 3-1 defeat by France. As host nation, 2008 saw them again prop up the group, probably beginning to wonder if they would ever get out of it. Beaten by the Czech Republic 1-0, Turkey 2-1, but not even their first victory, an unlikely 2-0 against Portugal could save them, and they were on the way home again. Hey, at least they had won their first game.
They didn't qualify for 2012, but while it would be overstating the case to say a Golden Age of Swiss football began after that, they definitely began to do a lot better, and in 2016 they got out of their group for the first time, qualifying second after beating Albania 1-0, drawing with Romania 1-1 and drawing nil-nil with France. In the knockout stages for the very first time, they met Poland and fought out a determined 1-1 game, only to go home after the penalty shootout went against them 5-4. Nevertheless, this was the best the Swiss had ever done, and more was to come. In 2020 , though they really scraped through as third in the group, having drawn 1-1 with Wales, being beaten 3-0 by Italy and taking Turkey for 3-1, they again managed to get out of the group. In the knockout stages they were able to turn the penalty shootout curse on France, holding them to 3-3 after extra time and then sending them home 5-4 on penalties. Now having advanced the furthest they ever had, they went on to face Spain in the quarter-finals, another 1-1 after extra time this time turning against them as Spain defeated them 3-1 on penalties.
Therefore you would have to say there was a certain level of expectation on Switzerland when they qualified for this year's tournament, and they did not disappoint, powering past a weak Hungary side in their first game to ratchet up their first victory in the tournament.
Switzerland 3 - Hungary 1
Points: 3
Points total: 3
Position in Group: 2Next up was Scotland, hurting from a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Germany, and they gave the Swiss a decent fight, scoring early and first, but in the end a Shaqiri wonder goal drew the match for the Swiss.
Switzerland 1 - Scotland 1
Points: 1
Points total: 4
Position in Group: 2Their final game looked like it might be another victory, and against an unlikely opponent as they went 1-0 ahead of a rampant Germany. But as the match drew to a close the Germans scored and Switzerland had to settle for another draw, enough for them to go through and keep up the good work.
Switzerland 1 - Germany 1
Points: 1
Points total: 5
Position in Group: 2Since 2016 then, Switzerland have never failed to get out of their group. Slow starters in terms of footballing history, they're certainly making up for it now. Through to the next stage, they meet Italy next, and given how poorly the Italians have played, you'd have to imagine they fancy their chances. How far can they go? With this Swiss team, don't bet against them.
Recap
Beat Hungary 3-1, drew with Scotland 1-1, drew with Germany 1-1
Points total: 5
Goals for: 5
Goals againstL 3
Position in Group: 2
Won 1, drew 2
Result: Go through to next stage
Next opponent: ItalyUPDATEEven worse than expected, Italy were almost absent at the knockout match and deservedly go home, while Switzerland now continue on in the knockout stages.
(https://cdn.britannica.com/82/4782-050-8129909C/Flag-Turkey.jpg)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/Roundel_flag_of_Turkey.svg/360px-Roundel_flag_of_Turkey.svg.png)
Turkey: I don't know what it is about 1996, but it seems to be a sort of lodestone for a lot of countries, who first qualified in this year, as did Turkey, thrown into a tough group with Portugal and Denmark, and proving unequal to the task. Both Croatia and Portugal beat them 1-0 while Denmark gave them a lesson at 3-0, sending them to the bottom of the group and home. But one thing Turks are is determined - they did, after all, run one of the biggest empires the world has seen for six centuries - and back they came the following tournament, doing much better this time. In 2000 they qualified second in their group, and after a 1-0 defeat to Italy went on to draw 0-0 with Sweden and beat Belgium 2-0, which must have been seen as quite an upset at the time. In the knockout stages then for the first time, they were swiftly knocked out by Portugal, but it was a valiant effort.
They failed to qualify for the next tournament but were back in 2008, and did really well, again qualifying second in the group (just beneath their new nemesis, Portugal, who did for them again in their first match, 2-0) beating Switzerland 2-1 and the Czech Republic 3-2 which saw them meet Croatia and knock them out 3-1 on penalties after a 1-1 tied game and then almost holding Germany to 2-2 in the final before the Germans scored in literally the last minute to send the Turks home, surely happy to have done so well. 2012 proceeded without them but in 2016 they were back, the "glory days" of 2008 far behind them as once again they failed to get out of their group, losing every game, falling 1-0 to Croatia, 3-0 to Spain and 2-0 to the Czech Republic. Perhaps reality had asserted itself? Certainly, when they again made it back for the 2020 tournament they did even worse, ending at the bottom of the table without a single point, defeats by Italy (3-0), Wales (2-0) and Switzerland (3-1) again booking them an early ticket home.
This year they've done much better, qualifying for the first time since 2008 and going on into the knockout stages. Their first match saw them take on debutantes Georgia, who gave a good account of themselves, scoring soon after the Turks had to earn their first ever goal in a Euro tournament, but the game contained two amazing goals (both from Turkey) and a last-minute one sealed an already certain victory for the Turks, and between the two teams we were provided with some top-notch - and unexpected - entertainment.
Turkey 3 - Georgia 1
Points: 3
Points total: 3
Position in Group: 2Their next match saw them fall foul of their old Nemesis, and for the third time meeting Portugal ended in a defeat as Ronaldo's men put them to the sword 3-0. Turkey even helped them by scoring an own goal, though the outcome of the match had never been in any doubt.
Turkey 0 - Portugal 3
Points: 0
Points total: 3
Position in Group: 2Their last match saw them face another adversary from 2008. Czechia (then called the Czech Republic) had beaten them 3-2 in that year and 2-0 in 2016, but they had their revenge this time as the Czechs first had a player sent off, then Turkey scored but Czechia managed to equalise and hold on almost to the end, until Turkey plunged the knife in as they scored in the ninety-fourth minute to take the game and send their old enemy home.
Turkey 2 - Czechia 1
Points: 3
Points total: 6
Position in Group: 2Memories of 2008 are possibly coming back for Turkey, as they have for only the second time in their career made it through to the knockout stages. Here they are due to meet Austria, who misfired for much of the tournament but are now through, so it may be an interesting match.
Recap
Beat Georgia 3-1, beaten by Portugal 3-0, beat Czechia 2-1
Points total: 6
Goals for: 5
Goals against: 5
Position in Group: 2
Won 2, lost 1,
Result: Go through to next stage
Next opponent: Austria
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Ukraine: Independent from the Soviet Union since 1991, it was nevertheless 2012 before Ukraine qualified for the tournament, and they have managed it every tournament since. This is to their immense credit, as we all know their country has been a warzone now for years, but Ukraine doggedly train, play and qualify, intent on showing the world they are trying to get on with life and that a little thing like an invasion by Russia and an ongoing war won't stop them competing. Sadly, that has not translated into success at the Euros. Their first effort left them third in the group after beating Sweden 2-1 (must have come as an upset) then beaten 2-0 by France and again by England 1-0. They tried again in 2016, this time doing worse, last in the group following 2-0 defeats by Germany and Northern Ireland (what?), Poland putting the seal on their second exit when they beat them 1-0.
In 2020 they managed a better finish, qualifying for the first time from their group after a 3-2 loss to the Netherlands, their first ever victory as they took lowly North Macedonia for 2-1 and were beaten 1-0 by Austria. In very unfamiliar territory now, they managed to avenge themselves on Sweden, beating them 2-1 after extra time before England destroyed them 4-0 in the quarter-finals. That, so far, has been the best this relatively young country has managed, and they deserve a lot of credit for it.
This year it was back to normal, as it were, as they met Romania in their first match and were, to be kind, battered 3-0. Everyone looking at them - including me - gave nothing for their chances of even scoring in another match, never mind getting out of the group. On the latter we were all right, but as for the former...
Ukraine 0 - Romania 3
Points: 0
Points total: 0
Position in Group: 4Next up for them were Slovakia, who scored first and looked likely to be condemning Ukraine to a second defeat, but the Ukranians fought back, levelling the match and then grabbing the winning goal in the last ten minutes, to show people they were not down and out yet.
Ukraine 2 - Slovakia 1
Points: 3
Points total: 3
Position in Group: 4The last match for Ukraine was against Belgium, already through and in no mood for a five-goal thriller, had they even been capable of such a score. Instead they held on to the ball, prevented Ukraine from getting hardly a shot, and played out a boring 0-0 which sent Ukraine home at the bottom of the group once again.
Ukraine 0 - Belgium 0
Points: 0
Points total: 3
Position in Group: 4You couldn't say much was expected of Ukraine, especially after the drubbing Romania gave them in their first game, but they didn't disgrace themselves and may be back next time, hopefully to do better.
Recap
Beaten by Romania 3-0, beat Slovakia 2-1, drew with Belgium 0-0
Points total: 3
Goals for: 2
Goals against: 4
Position in Group: 4
Lost 1, won 1, drew 1
Result: Eliminated from the tournament
Today's matches and results
France 1 - Belgium 0
As often seems to be the case when two of the bigger teams play, it can be a cagey, nervous affair which might just end with a half-chance, free or penalty, or a mistake by the other side. This didn't end that way - the goal that sealed it was class - but for most of the time I found it quite boring. In the end, France nicked it 1-0 and go through, which is really only fair as Belgium have performed way below the standard we know they're capable of, and it would have been something of a travesty for them to have beaten France and progressed.
Portugal 0 - 1 Slovenia (3-0 Portugal after penalties
Not the walkover we had all expected, even given that Ronaldo and his lads have not been firing on all cylinders, or indeed any cylinder. Portugal were in the ascendancy of course, but Slovenia had their chances too, and were able to hold the European giants until the end when it went to extra time. Ronaldo doggedly kept taking all the free kicks and trying to get non-existent penalties, a real diva who wasn't ready to let anyone else take the responsibility and yet couldn't come up with the goods himself. Cometh the hour, though, cometh the man? Well no. Awarded a penalty in the last minute of the first half of extra time, it was of course Ronaldo who stood up to the spot, but the keeper saved it! Our man ended up in tears!
Slovenia had some great chances, including a breakaway after a Portuguese mistake but straight at the keeper as we headed for the first penalty shootout of the tournament where not at all surprisingly Portugal took it 3-0. Yep, not a single penalty scored by Slovenia, and Ronaldo finally got his goal.
Tomorrow's matches
Last of the knockout games tomorrow
Romania v Netherlands: Expected outcome? Romania have been good this tournament but you'd still have to put your money on the Dutch.
Austria v Turkey: Expected outcome? Honestly, could go either way.
Holland playing some actual good football, colour me surprised
Today's matches and results
Romania 0 - The Netherlands 3
Romania never got a sniff, let's be honest here. They did their best - after all, they had made it through to the next stage - but Netherlands were just too good for them. Cody Gakpo played out of his skin, and there was no way past the orange wave. Netherlands march on.
Austria 1 - Turkey 2
Turkey scored in the first minute and though Austria gave them a good fight, the Turks went two ahead, leaving the Austrians fighting to get back into the game. Which they did, with a goal in the second half, and almost forced a draw but for an amazing save by the Turkish goalkeeper in the literal dying seconds of extra time.
Next matches
Friday
Germany v Spain: Expected outcome? Two titans of world and European football fighting it out at the very top of their game? You think I'm going to call that??
Portugal v France: Expected outcome? Hard to say. Portugal couldn't even get past Slovenia and had to take it on penalties, while France have yet to score a goal from open play. I'd be more for France, but who knows?
Today's matches and results
Germany 1 - Spain 2 (aet)
Both matches were of course huge affairs, and with this being knockout stages there could be no draws, at least, none that didn't lead to extra time and then penalties if still scoreless after that, so we should have been assured of goals. The match was high-paced but somewhat lacking in chances, and showed the German team up as having too many older players, such as Kroos and Muller, who just weren't up to extra time, as happened with neither team able to score in normal time. Spain, with younger players and a more persistent attitude, looked the more likely, and indeed it was them who scored first, with Germany managing a last-gasp equaliser to take us into extra time. As the last few seconds of that wound down, and we all got ready for the inevitable penalty shootout, Spain grabbed the winner to knock Germany out and silence most of the stadium.
Portugal 0 - France 0 (aet) Penalties 3-5
A much slower and cagier affair than the earlier game, neither team looked likely to score, and there were few chances, though the few that were on-target were mostly confined to the Portuguese, Ronaldo desperate to get a goal but kind of more getting in the way than anything. It got much better in the second half, with loads of chances and some real sitters missed, the unwritten rule that Ronaldo may never be substituted, though he was hardly contributing, leading one to wonder who actually is in charge of Portugal? Answers on a signed number 7 shirt to...
Things began to wind down in the last ten minutes, as neither team seemed ready to risk exposing their goal and losing, perhaps happy to play for penalties, though they would have to get through extra time first, if the score remained 0-0 after the ninety. Which it certainly looked likely to. And it did. And on to penalties. Again. This time it was differnt though: no saving three by the Portuguese keeper from inexperienced players: France know how to take a penalty. In the event, it was Portugal who blinked first, missing their first penalty. France didn't miss one of theirs, and took the shootout, kicking Portugal out and marching on into the semi-finals.
Anyone got a hankie for Ronaldo?
Tomorrow's matches
England v Switzerland: Expected Outcome? England will be buoyed by their, let's be honest, unexpected success against a strong Slovakia, but Switzerland have proven themselves a hell of a team. All I can say for sure is that one team will win, and one team will lose. Shrug.
Turkey v Netherlands: Expected Outcome? Turkey have definitely punched above their weight in this tournament, and deserve their place in the quarter-finals, but I would expect Netherlands to put in a big performance to get through to the semis.
Today's matches and results
England 0 - Switzerland 0 (aet) Penalties 5-3 England
A somewhat better English team met what seemed to be a subdued Swiss team who between them played out a boring first half with few chances, a possible penalty turned down for England, and not a shot on goal by either team. Hard to believe both these teams were fighting to get into the semi-finals! Looked more like a friendly to be honest. Definitely not the Switzerland I've been watching up to now; I have no idea what happened to them. Like a team who had suddenly woken up and realised where they were and what was at stake (or more likely got a bollocking from their manager - "Don't you realise where you are and what's at stake?") Switzerland finally began turning it on during the second half, and seemed the team most likely.
And with fifteen minutes of regular time left, they were. 1-0 to the Swiss, putting England under some major pressure to draw the game and force it into extra time for the second time in the tournament. This they did about five minutes later and we were all square. Again. Would that take the heart out of the Swiss, or urge them to greater efforts? Would it, indeed, push England to believe they could win the match without extra time, if they scored again? Another late late show from England? Or would they both just play for penalties?
Enough with the fucking questions, Trollheart! Okay, okay, I hear you. But a match that had been all but the epitome of boredom suddenly sparked into life in the last fifteen minutes, both teams surely realising one more goal would seal it either way, with barely five minutes and change to go. Switzerland had the best chance, right at the death, but into extra time we went for the second time in an England game. In fairness, there were chances (almost all for the Swiss) but in the end we were back with penalties again. Would England's curse hold true, or would this be the one that broke it? Well, first to miss their kick was a Swiss player, so advantage England, and they took the shootout, heading into the semi-final.
Netherlands 2 - Turkey 1
A much faster-paced, high-energy game as the Dutch brought Total Football back to the Euros and ran the Turks ragged. They, for their part, didn't just lie down but it was Netherlands who had most of the chances. Turkey were the first to convert theirs though, just on 35 minutes, great header. In the second half the Dutch really turned the screw though, and in a rather amazing six minutes had not only equalised but went ahead, to win the match and go through to face England on Wednesday.
Next: Semi-Finals
Tuesday July 9
Spain v France: Expected outcome? Again it's hard to call but Spain haven't put a single foot wrong all through the tournament while France have somewhat misfired and have yet to show their best performance, so I'd still be for Spain in the final.
Oh this is the tournament currently going on. I keep seeing people on IG constantly watching different matches and I felt lost like huh?
You damned American you! No it's NOT the Superbowl. It's huge over here though. Anyone see JJ? Still drunk after their penalty shootout victory?? :laughing: Found in an alley somewhere groaning "Up yours, Trollheart! Total fucking dominance - where the fuck am I and why is everyone speaking Japanese? How drunk DID I get last night???"
Today's match and results
Semi-final #1
Spain 2 - France 1
Now that's what you call a semi-final! Two teams, both at the very top of their game, fighting it out for a place in the final. Both had chances within the first minute or so, but it was France who struck first, Kylian Mbappe finally making his presence felt as he crossed for the opening goal, but less than 15 minutes later Spain were level with an absolute wondergoal by sixteen-year-old Yamal. Definite contender for Goal of the Tournament. Spain followed up with a second five minutes later and looked very much to be in the ascendancy at the break, France a little shell-shocked that their early lead had not only disappeared so quickly, but become a two-goal deficit. Talk about end-to-end stuff! You could not take your eyes off this one for a moment, and for once a game which had been billed as a thriller lived up to its name. Neither of these teams intended to settle for 0-0 and penalties!
Spain had a great chance to add a third almost immediately as the second half begun, but the French keeper took a gamble, coming out to meet him and getting the ball. Both teams kept the pressure up but this time there would be no extra time as Spain took the semi-final, knocking France out and marching on to try to make Euros history and win the cup for the fourth time.
Tomorrow's match
Semi-final #2
England v Netherlands: Expected Outcome? It's JJ v Marie as the last semi-finalists meet for a chance to take on Spain in the final. I would bet on the Oranjes, but we've seen how England can either scrape through or score a super goal to go through on the back of a bad performance, while Netherlands, though they've come into their own, stuttered a little in the group stages. I'd still say it will be a Netherlands/Spain final, though as always, count no chickens until the fat lady blows the final whistle. Will it be as good a match as tonight's? I would seriously doubt it, but we'll see.
Should have posted in thé "What movie are you watching" thread the Oscar-winning performance of the Spanish players continuously falling over and clutching their ankles. :laughing:
Seriously though, they played amazingly well, creating so much space. They will be very difficult to beat in thé final. Good luck to England and Netherlands this evening! :beer:
The 16 yo player is on the Spain team right?
Excellent job to Spain
Quote from: DJChameleon on Jul 10, 2024, 07:14 PMThe 16 yo player is on the Spain team right?
Excellent job to Spain
Yes, that's right. He scored their first goal with a brilliant left foot curling shot.
Today's match and result
Semi-final #2
England 2 - Netherlands 1
Once again, both teams went for it, knowing what was at stake. Netherlands scored first, within the first six minutes, but England played much better than they have up to now, probably their best performance in the tournament. Their reward was a penalty in the 18th minute. Debate rages over whether it was or wasn't, but Kane put it away and then Foden almost put England ahead, the ball just barely cleared off the line and proven not to have crossed the line. 1-1 it remained at the break.
The second half seemed to be a much cagier effort, but if there was one team who looked more likely it was England. Netherlands had a few efforts but their final ball broke down each time, and as we headed towards extra time once again Ollie Watkins came up with the winning goal to send England through to only their third ever Euros final. You'd have to say they deserve it.
The Final
Sunday
England v Spain: Expected Outcome? Despite a far improved performance tonight, Spain have never lost once in the entire tournament and they'll be up for it. Maybe there'll be an upset but I still reckon we'll see the Spanish lift the cup for the fourth time in their history.
Bloody hell 🥹
I wasn't sure if the team could pull it off three years ago, today I am full of belief that they will.
What a crazy tournament it's been, giving me my greatest England memories. Hopefully there is one more tonight.
Pork pie > Paella
Elton > Enrique
Birmingham > Bilbao
We'll be dancing from the Toon to the Thames if it happens. Do it for John Lennon, for Jelly Babies and for Jay Slater.
(https://the18.com/sites/default/files/styles/x-large_square__4_3_/public/feature-images/20211018-The18-Image-England-Fans-GettyImages-1328197730.jpeg?itok=IBU--ztu)
(https://flagpoles.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/St-George-Flag.jpg)
Simple as!
Best of luck and I hope it'll be a good game!
Oh well.
Better team won.
☹️
Hey don't be too despondent. At least you scored. Spain have been rolling over teams for fun, and yet you held them almost to extra time. Something to be proud of.
(https://y.yarn.co/d1893156-c64f-4801-9ee2-7508750b5149_text.gif)
Lineker says he believes it's only a matter of time now.
However I would just like to note:
MY TEAM WON!
(https://i.makeagif.com/media/5-05-2016/YYkLTO.gif)
Sorry.
:shycouch:
but I have to do it...
My final report later...
Yeah I'm glad I got a goal to cheer.
Been a great tournament.
Argentina vs Colombia is tonight.
Who are you guys favoring out of the two?
Quote from: DJChameleon on Jul 15, 2024, 12:17 AMArgentina vs Colombia is tonight.
Who are you guys favoring out of the two?
Argentina. I know Colombia are strong and on a long unbeaten run but Argentina should have too much. I might have it on the radio. It's too late for me to watch it.
Wassat? Copa America?
The Final
England 1 - Spain 2
This, then, was it. Two very different goals (excuse the pun): for Spain, the chance to make history as the only country ever to win the cup four times (they were already the record holders at three wins) and for England, of course, the long-awaited and long-hoped-for "end to 58 years of hurt", the chance to finally make it through and win only the second final they have been in. English pubs must have been crowded, and I doubt you'd find a single TV set, tablet, smartphone or streaming service that wasn't tuned to the match. Spain, naturally, were favourites, having breezed through the tournament, demolishing all opposition without even one loss, while England, to be fair to them, stood up when it counted. After a pretty poor and overall you'd have to say lucky passage through to the knockout stages, they had made it to the final and hopes were riding high. Would this be the year?
They would have known they were going to be in for a fight though. Spain were not likely to make it easy for them, and they have a great side balanced by older, experienced players and young guns coming up who will surely end up being icons in time. England has its young players but many of its older ones have looked a little past it, and you could not call it a match of equals. Still, football is rarely predictable and really, it only takes a slip, a mistake, a bad decision, VAR looking the other way or the dreaded penalty shootout to flip everything over, and occasionally, form can count for little. Nevertheless, you bring your A game or you're asking for trouble.
Spain brought their A-game, and though it took them till the beginning of the second half to score, they were ahead, and almost added another moments later. Things went from bad to worse for England as Spain continued to press them, another shot barely missing, and they could have been up 3-0 by now. But they weren't, and they were to rue those missed chances as Cole Palmer scored for England in the 73rd minute to give England hope, and maybe push it once again to extra time. With four minutes to go though Spain netted again and only the most amazing save by the Spanish keeper stopped Declan Rice, then cleared off the line on the rebound as the clock wound down to the ninetieth minute. England almost level, almost forcing extra time, Spain living on their nerves, but they held on to take the final and break English hearts once again.
Great credit though must be given to England (and I say this as an Irishman) for not giving up and almost, almost equalising at the death. Had that gone in, who knows? The momentum would definitely have been with England and we could have been looking at a different result altogether. But England have nothing to reproach themselves for: they were not hammered, they were always in it and really, it could have gone either way.
So that's it. Another Euro tournament comes to an end. Thanks for reading my little match reports and comments, those of you who did, and for those who are or were not too familiar with the teams competing this year, I hope my little sketches of them helped. If not, sod ya. We'll do it all again in two years, but first we got the World Cup coming up. And before that we have the UEFA Nations Cup. Oh, and before you know it, the Premier League will be back! All together now...
"You're shit, and you know you are.... You're gettin' sacked in the morning...One nil, one nil, one nil... You're not singing, you're not singing, you're not singing anymore!" etc.
"Thanks for reading my little match reports and comments, those of you who did, and for those who are or were not too familiar with the teams competing this year, I hope my little sketches of them helped. If not, sod ya."
:laughing:
Quote from: Trollheart on Jul 15, 2024, 01:52 AMSo that's it. Another Euro tournament comes to an end. Thanks for reading my little match reports and comments, those of you who did, and for those who are or were not too familiar with the teams competing this year, I hope my little sketches of them helped. If not, sod ya. We'll do it all again in two years, but first we got the World Cup coming up. And before that we have the UEFA Nations Cup. Oh, and before you know it, the Premier League will be back! All together now...
"You're shit, and you know you are.... You're gettin' sacked in the morning...One nil, one nil, one nil... You're not singing, you're not singing, you're not singing anymore!" etc.
Cheers for your match reports, TH. That was a great tournament.
The Lightning Seeds goes back in the drawer for another 4 years.
Just wondering (TH and JJ), do they have soccer at the Olympics? If so, is it a combined GBR team like the athletics?
Quote from: Saulaac on Jul 15, 2024, 07:50 PMCheers for your match reports, TH. That was a great tournament. The Lightning Seeds goes back in the drawer for another 4 years.
Just wondering (TH and JJ), do they have soccer at the Olympics? If so, is it a combined GBR team like the athletics?
Yes they do and no they don't.
We (the UK) don't put a team forward (with the exception of 2012 which is explained by #2 below). There are two reasons why.
1. The Football Associations of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland don't want to because they fear it could jeapordise the recognition of their own national teams and then have to compete as one British team, despite reassurances from FIFA that this wouldn't be the case, and
2. Qualification is based on how your team does in FIFA/UEFA competitions and qualifying. Because we compete as four individual teams, there is then the question of us having four attempts at qualifying vs everyone else having just one. With us hosting in 2012, this meant qualification wasn't an issue.
As some will know, I am a staunch Unionist and I support the United Kingdom, so an Olympic team would be brilliant.
Oh well.
Oh man, I kinda knew there was a bit of friction but I never realised the intracacies of UK football. I hope they work it out and that we have a GBR team competing soon!
Some more information for you:
The qualifying tournament, like that for the World Cup, is organised along continental lines. Most continental confederations organise a special Under-23 qualifying tournament, although the European qualifiers are drawn from the finalists of the UEFA Under-21 Championship. Teams participating in the preliminary and final competitions must be composed of U-23 players, with up to three players who are at least 23. For Paris 2024, U-23 players were born after 1 January 2001.[26]
For the 2024 Games, the number of places allocated to each continent is:
Europe – 4 (includes host France)
Asia – 3 or 4
Africa – 3 or 4
South America – 2
North America – 2
Oceania – 1