UEFA Euro 2020

[Jerry]

It's a shame the way the tournament ended but getting out of the group and into the knock out stage was a real achievement and Cymru just came up against a better team. The good thing for Wales is that the group in general is quite young and the likes of Bale and Ramsay should have at least 1 more tournament in them. Fingers crossed they can qualify for the World Cup in 2022 and Germany in 2024!

 

[TheLocalYokel]

It's a shame the way the tournament ended but getting out of the group and into the knock out stage was a real achievement and Cymru just came up against a better team. The good thing for Wales is that the group in general is quite young and the likes of Bale and Ramsay should have at least 1 more tournament in them. Fingers crossed they can qualify for the World Cup in 2022 and Germany in 2024!

Wales have almost a club feel about the squad in their togetherness. In terms of individual players, Bale and Ramsey apart they have no outstanding world stars but they make up for that with a determination to succeed.

They have a difficult path to the 2022 World Cup and are unlikely to win their qualifying group with Belgium in their group but you never know. The other countries in Wales's group are the Czech Republic, Belarus and Estonia, so it might be a battle between Wales and the Czech Republic for the group runner-up spot.

There are ten qualifying groups in Europe with the ten group winners progressing to the 32-country Finals in Qatar. It then becomes slightly complicated with the ten group runners-up joined by the best two Nations League performers not to have qualified via the groups split into three play-off pathways of four countries from which the ultimate three play-off pathway winners will join the ten original group winners at the Finals.

So finishing as runners-up in one of the original groups does not guarantee a place in the Finals by any means. However, as far as Wales is concerned the good news is that if they don't qualify automatically by winning their group, or reach the play-off pathway as group runner-up, they are likely to reach the play-off pathway as fifth best Nations League team with those ahead being Belgium, France, Spain and Italy likely to either win their groups or finish runners-up.

Wales might have a better chance getting to Euro 2024 in Germany and to the 2026 World Cup Finals, to be held in the USA, Mexico and Canada, which will have 48 countries participating so that will give many countries who might not normally be at the World Cup Finals a much better chance of reaching them.

 

[Kevin Farnell]

WOW , if today's games haven't entertained you - check for a pulse! (apologies and no disrespect intended towards Christian Eriksen, who I hope is continuing to make great steps toward a full recovery).

Kevin

 

[TheLocalYokel]

What another incredible evening of Euro2020!

Underdogs Croatia come back from 1-3 down with two late goals against Spain, only for Spain to score 2 in extra time to win 5-3.

Then underdogs Switzerland did exactly the same against France to draw 3-3, which after a goalless extra time went to penalties with the Swiss winning 5-4.

What with the Czech Republic's win over the Netherlands yesterday fancied teams are yielding to pressure. Belgium didn't have it all their own way against Portugal yesterday either. Their 1-0 win was very tight and on another day Portugal might easily have scored themselves.

I don't like penalty shoot-outs - I think it's an artificial win - and I hope that England's match doesn't end like that tomorrow. That said, if they have to have them I was pleased that Switzerland as the underdogs won this evening.

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

Ready for the snooze fest of England v Germany 1-0 victory preferably to England. 😴

 

[Kevin Farnell]

What another incredible evening of Euro2020!

It's been utterly fantastic, hasn't it! This is what top level football should be like, each team fighting tooth and nail for a win (probably not so good for fans of the losing teams, but for the neutrals it's been sensational). If future games live up to today's, this could well be remembered as one of the best European Championship competitions.

Kevin

 

[JENNYJET]

Dump the group's, keep them for qualifying campaign. The finals can be more effective if done on draws and sudden death matches, why does everyone say they love FA Cup? Every game is must win and keeps crowds on tenterhooks!

 

[Kevin Farnell]

why does everyone say they love FA Cup? Every game is must win and keeps crowds on tenterhooks!

I totally agree. I think that the FA Cup is the greatest club competition on the planet. It is a great leveller. Most club cup competions feature home and away legs which always favours the bigger club. A minor club may take a surprise win over a giant, but if it's a two leg game they are very unlikely to progress. The FA Cup takes that safety net away from the bigger clubs and has produced some incredible 'giant killings' over the years (just check out the history of my team - Walsall 'The Saddlers'. OK, not so great recently but they have a few impressive scalps in the cabinet). Long may the FA Cup reign!

Kevin

 

[Brummiegem]

Absolutely agree,the last 3 days of footie have been superb.Some big teams going out,Portugal,Netherlands and France.
Have to admit,I was looking forward to seeing France,I don’t get to see champions league matches too often,but I had heard a lot about Kylian Mbappe.Rated as one of the Worlds big stars,yet what a disappointment.Did he have any affect on his team at all???
All the games so far seem to have started slowly,but built into something special.

I actually have high hopes for the game later.As I said in a previous post,England are capable of much better than we have seen so far.When they play at a high tempo,and take the game to the opposition,they look really good.Unfortunately Mr Southgate doesn’t seem to like them playing like that,hence the bore fest we have witnessed to date.However I will take a one-nil any day of the week.
The Germans can also be just as boring as well.The game against Portugal was probably more open than they would have liked.
England will need to start strongly.I know it is a cliche often used,but if England can get a goal reasonably early,then that could give England’s attacking players a bit of freedom that they haven’t enjoyed so far.
Germany will need to come out and play a bit more,so creating spaces and hopefully opportunities.
Of course you can also say it would be the same the other way round.However I don’t fancy England having to chase a game.Germany may be too good at holding onto the ball,and making England work to get it back.
Of course that could lead to opening up further chances for Germany.
England have been good generally defensively,so if they can get that goal,then I do think it could work well.They will have the majority of the support as well,so a good start and get the fans onside will be what they will be looking for.

A good performance is what we look for all the time.However,like most sport,it is the result that gets remembered,so as long as the guys give it all they have got then I think most fans will settle for whatever outcome.
A win would be so much sweeter though.

 

[HPsauce]

Group stage matches are often very cautious affairs. Qualifying being upmost in the managers minds. I remember how tight the group matches were for England in 1966. I think we will see a more adventurous approach against Germany. Hopefully not penalties again!

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Group stage matches are often very cautious affairs. Qualifying being upmost in the managers minds. I remember how tight the group matches were for England in 1966. I think we will see a more adventurous approach against Germany. Hopefully not penalties again!

Please, not penalties. Some people find a penalty shoot-out exciting. I find them an abomination.

It's so often a matter of luck with a goalkeeper guessing which way to dive, made easier by their being allowed to move sideways along the goal line before the ball is kicked provided at least part of one foot is touching, or in line with, the goal line. When I was playing and for some time after I finished the goalkeeper had to stand still on his line until the ball was kicked.

Why they made it easier to save a penalty which in regular play is a punishment for rule-breaking I cannot fathom. Keepers still often get away with illegally moving forward from the goal line before the ball is kicked.

Instead of penalties I'd have something like the kicker starting with the ball, say 25 metres from goal, and letting him, or her these days with women's football, have a certain amount of time to put the ball into the net in which ever legal way he/she wished. It would be more a test of skill between kicker and keeper than the penalty lottery although I'd still much rather a way was devised of winning tied matches through football on the pitch. The golden goal was tried but that seemed to put both teams into a funk, scared of being the one to concede. One idea suggested is to remove a player from each side every four or five minutes throughout extra time, the idea being that would make it easier to score.

 

[JENNYJET]

If at stalemate, outfield players withdrawn to leave goalkeepers alone to settle matters. Interesting to see that one. Also, a disgraceful crowd booing the German anthem, what is wrong with them?

 

[Brummiegem]

Mr Gareth Southgate,take a bow.
Who would have thought it.He got it spot on.
All the media criticisms ,I too have been less than impressed by some of his squads,tactics and decisions.
No one can deny he got it right today.
It feels good to be English tonight.
Very proud of the team and manager.

Well done England.

 

[Kevin Farnell]

OHHHHH, SOOOOO, SOOOOO, SOOOOO SWEEEEET !!!!!!!! 😀😀😀😀😀

Not only to beat Germany in a knock out stage of a major competition, but to win by more that one goal.
If Muller had scored however (which he should have done) it might all have been very different.
Full congratulations to the England team who all played excellently and in my opinion thoroughly deserved the win.
The only downside being the yellow cards they picked up.
Great to see a large crowd in Wembley again and the noise was fantastic. The pubs are going to be busy tonight and there are going to be a lot of sore English heads tomorrow.
Congratulations England !!!!

Kevin

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Also, a disgraceful crowd booing the German anthem, what is wrong with them?

I really don't know why football fans do that. It really is a sign of disrespect to the country that the team represents. I don't think it happens in other sports such as rugby.

 

[Kevin Farnell]

Also, a disgraceful crowd booing the German anthem, what is wrong with them?

I would never do that, I would stand silently in respect.
I did note after one of the England goals (I'm so enjoying writing 'one of the England goals'), the camera zoomed in on some German fans to show a woman giving the middle finger and mouthing something at the England players. It's not just England that has (a minority) of disrespectful fans.

Kevin

 

[JENNYJET]

Xenophobic idiocy nothing more than that. However the German team were gracious and met a team with hurt to get rid of and the game exploded at the right time giving Germany little time to regroup. Mr Southgate can sleep well tonight with his demons vanquished!

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Mr Gareth Southgate,take a bow.
Who would have thought it.He got it spot on.
All the media criticisms ,I too have been less than impressed by some of his squads,tactics and decisions.
No one can deny he got it right today.
It feels good to be English tonight.
Very proud of the team and manager.

Well done England.

OHHHHH, SOOOOO, SOOOOO, SOOOOO SWEEEEET !!!!!!!! 😀😀😀😀😀

Not only to beat Germany in a knock out stage of a major competition, but to win by more that one goal.
If Muller had scored however (which he should have done) it might all have been very different.
Full congratulations to the England team who all played excellently and in my opinion thoroughly deserved the win.
The only downside being the yellow cards they picked up.
Great to see a large crowd in Wembley again and the noise was fantastic. The pubs are going to be busy tonight and there are going to be a lot of sore English heads tomorrow.
Congratulations England !!!!

Kevin

After the first ten minutes of the match it looked as though the German team was going to run England ragged but how often in professional club football do we see one team go off like a house on fire only to be pegged back as the game progresses.

I agree about the luck with Muller's miss but every sports team, no matter how good, needs some luck along the way if they are to win anything. I think that England deserved to win the game even if at times the performance wasn't spectacular. It was solidly professional and Stones, for someone often prone to mistakes, has been a colossus in the tournament so far.

Praise too for Sterling and Pickford. The latter seems a bit like Gordon Banks, one of the world's greatest ever goalkeepers; often better for England than for his club side.

In fact, everyone played their part today and Rice was particularly impressive carrying the burden of a yellow card so early in the match. Praise too for Southgate who, like Alf Ramsey in 1966, stuck to his guns in the face of criticism from elements of the sports media and some fans.

The job is only partly done. Neither Sweden nor Ukraine will be pushovers in the quarter-final in Rome which will be England's first and only match away from Wembley in this tournament. Hopefully they can go one stage further than they did in the 2018 World Cup and reach the final itself.

But there's many a slip...........

 

[JENNYJET]

Denmark worry me because they are playing for Christian Erikson as well as for their country. All remaining teams have beaten champions and have to be treated with respect.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

So it's England v Ukraine in Rome next Saturday after they beat Sweden 2-1 this evening with a goal scored at the end of extra time. It was a bit of a bruising encounter with players falling down like ninepins, Sweden had a player sent off midway through the first period of extra time.

England won't be displeased at Ukraine having to play for an extra 30 minutes.