Euro 2020(1) – England vs. Italy – Final Preview

Location: Wembley Stadium, London, UK

Date/Time: Sunday July 11, 2021 – Noon PDT, 3 pm EDT, 8 pm BST

Network: ESPN for Americans (unfortunate as ESPN has been sub-par with their coverage for me)

Now that we have the basics out of the way, let’s dive into this epic match and try to glean some sense of what could happen. I am happy that this is the final matchup, as Italy an England have been inarguably the two best teams this tournament. Both are defensively very sturdy and both have a generous amount of attacking talent as well. England have conceded only one goal so far this tournament, and the Italians have only conceded three. Italy has had England’s number at tournaments in recent years, knocking us out in 2012 and beating us in the World Cup group stage in 2014. England will be looking to buck that trend and win their first major trophy in 55 years. Italy have won the Euros before but not recently, with their best result in the last 20 years or so coming in 2012 when they lost in the final to Spain.

I think that overall this is going to be a very tense match and I don’t anticipate a lot of goals being scored. The final match of a major tournament is almost always a very defensive affair anyway, and that will continue this time around due to the defensive structure of both teams. Both teams are built on not losing first and foremost. I think both managers Gareth Southgate and Roberto Mancini would be happy sacrificing some attacking play if it means there is more security in front of their respective nets.

Italy

This squad is talented and has a very deep bench. Italy will be the toughest team that England has played so far this tournament, but that’s how tournament football is supposed to be played. It is not supposed to be easier as it goes along. That being said, while this Italian team is very good, they are not invincible. There are ways to get at them.

I have spent some time in the past few days looking at portions of replays from Italy’s matches so far this tournament, and the main thing I noticed is that this team punishes mistakes. If you misplace a pass or spend too long on the ball, Italy will be on you and looking to win the ball. Several of their goals in the group stage and in the knockouts came from simply being opportunistic and jumping on other teams when they spent too much inside their own half. They hunt the ball like a frenzied sharks who can smell blood. I think they will spend at least some time pressing England if/when we decide to try and play it out from the back.

But that’s not the only way they can win. Like any good side, this Italy team can beat you in a number of different ways. They have also looked incredibly proficient on the counter-attack when needed, and they can also do the traditional possession-based tactics when looking to break down a stubborn defense. Marco Veratti is the traditional midfield “general” who has that magic ability to find the right pass at the right time. Under Mancini that possession-based approach has dwindled somewhat though, as he seems to favor more aggressive and direct tactics. Their match against Spain proved that they are capable of winning without a lot of possession. Typically, when on the ball, Italy are doing their best to run at you. When off the ball, they are doing their damnedest to get the ball back. Mancini’s deft application of the 4-3-3 allows Italy to be aggressive in that manner and the 4-3-3 is expected again from them tomorrow.

Winger/forwards Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Chiesa are going to be the main goal scoring threats for Italy tomorrow. Insigne has dazzled at the tournament with his dribbling, and he scored an absolute stunner that ended up being the winner against Belgium. He cannot be allowed any space on the edge of the box, as he is capable of scoring from distance or finding a deadly pass that unlocks the defense. That goes for every Italian forward or midfielder, as they can all shoot from the edge of the box. Much like Raheem Sterling, Insigne’s runs at defense tends to pull defenders out of position, which creates openings for other attackers (usually from midfield) to run into. I do not know if England will double mark him, but it should at least be considered.

Chiesa is slightly different in that he is not really known for long bursts of pace and dribbling. Unlike Insigne, he is not going to run 40 yards with the ball and then try to get a shot off. Where Chiesa excels is in tight spaces at short distances with the ball at his feet. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player with his ability to get shots off from seemingly-impossible angles and create a goal from nothing. His goal against Spain was just such a goal. He spent a few seconds in the Spanish box wriggling and turning around, so much so that you thought the chance for a goal was gone. But his coordination and balance are such that he was able to get a shot off with not a lot net to aim at, and he still found the far corner. He also cannot be allowed to operate undeterred on the right side of the Italian attack. If he and Insigne are finding time and space on the ball, it’s going to be a long night for England.

The Italians also have the size to be dangerous from set pieces, but they also have conceded from a set piece too. Austria’s only goal against them was a simple header from a corner. They were just switched off at the back and the first Austrian player the ball came to simply headed it down and low. I don’t think the Italians will be that switched off again on Sunday, but all it takes is a moment of carelessness. You can expect stalwart center backs Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini to make a big impact from set pieces, whether it be attacking or defending. Those two have been rock-solid this tournament at the back and they will again be charged with organizing everything in defense.

The absence of left back Leonardo Spinazzola will once again be sorely missed for Italy. He was having an electrifying tournament before succumbing to an ACL tear, and in several of their matches he was the main attacking threat. His combination play with Insigne was borderline unstoppable at times, and while Emerson has been a solid deputy in his absence, Emerson’s decision making in the box leaves a lot to be desired. He can dribble and cross like Spinazzola, but he doesn’t always know when to do one versus the other. England’s right back and right winger will be happy that Spinazzola will not be playing.

Unmentioned Notable Players: Manuel Locatelli, Nicolo Barella, and (Olympic gold medalist in diving) Ciro Immobile

England

Southgate deployed England in a 4-2-3-1 against Denmark, which was perhaps a tad conservative but obviously nonetheless effective. Aside from a 20 or so minute spell in the first half, Denmark had little attacking play and did not create many chances. The best thing about the Denmark match from a tactical perspective was England’s response to going a goal down. Up until the semifinal England had not been behind in the entire tournament, but very importantly they were only down for a grand total of 9 minutes before equalizing. I wanted to see how this team would respond to going a goal down, and I am happy we don’t have to run that experiment against the Italians. When they have a lead, they rarely give it up.

I think the 4-2-3-1 will be used again in an effort to neutralize the midfield against Italy. Declan Rice will be charged with getting himself in the middle of the passing lanes, and if I was Southgate I would utilize Kalvin Phillips to man-mark Veratti. Spain provided somewhat of a blueprint on how to slow down Italy, and a big part of it was using Koke to constantly harass and harangue Veratti so that he has no time on the ball. When he as time to play a pass, he can hurt you. When he doesn’t, he becomes largely anonymous and ineffective. Phillips looked a little leggy at times against Denmark, but I think he will find some success in sticking to Veratti. He is a tenacious midfielder and is proficient at closing down the player on the ball. If we make Veratti consistently pass it backwards, that is a victory.

In attack, I think almost everything is going to go through Sterling and Harry Kane. Those two are on fire for England right now and in excellent form. Actually, Sterling only plays well after I insult him repeatedly, so I am going to get that out of the way now. Sterling makes poor decisions, he loses the ball too much, and he can’t consistently finish to save his life. Now that I’ve said that, he’ll go and score a hat-trick just to prove me wrong.

There is a degree of mystery as to who will play on the right wing for England, and also who will be in the “number 10” attacking midfield role behind Kane. As for the right wing, both Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho have had good tournaments playing there. Saka created England’s first goal against Denmark and Sancho was a key player in the win over Ukraine. Both offer pace, dribbling, and attacking intent. Whoever is played, they need to be eager to make diagonal runs between the left back and left center back. I’d generally like to see England’s forwards making runs in behind and also being quick to get the ball into the box. As good as Bonucci and Chiellini are, they have a combined age of 70 and as a result they are not fast players. We may not be able to out-position them or out-muscle them, but we can certainly out-pace them. For that reason, the counter-attack may be an effective tool against them as well.

Kane’s role in attack will also be interesting. He’s a natural goal-scorer of course, but against Denmark he was also the principle playmaker. Mason Mount was the designated number 10 attacking mid against Denmark, but Kane was in his spot so often it seemed like Mount was playing a different position. Kane has been known to drop back off the forward line into the space in front of the center backs when he plays for Tottenham, and because he can shoot from distance the center backs are required to run out at him and close him down. This pulls the defenders out of position and makes it even easier for speedy wingers to get in behind. I expect Italy to deploy defensive midfielder Jorginho to try and keep Kane from receiving the ball, or at the least to prevent him from turning and running with it. Kane is deadly in the box of course, but it seems he is just as deadly with the ball at his feet and other attackers running ahead of him. I doubt he starts as the number 10 tomorrow but he will undoubtedly make his way to that position if he is not seeing enough of the ball.

Another tactic England should take from Spain’s playbook is using the press against Italy. It’s true they’re incredible at pressing others, but they looked a little shaky when Spain pressed them, particularly when Italy were trying to build from the back. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is an excellent shot-stopper and he commands the penalty area well, but he looked shaky (at the least) when asked to hoof the ball up the pitch towards his forwards. Like many modern keepers, he likes to play short passes to his defenders which enables his team to build up attacks through possession more easily. Blasting the ball 60 yards gets it away from your goal, but it has the risk of being more easily collected by the opposition. That’s exactly what the Spanish made him do. When Donnarumma was on the ball, Spain’s forwards got right up on the defenders he would normally pass to. That made it too risky to pass to them, and left him with the option of clearing it long, which he did rather unconvincingly at times. I counted at least two average-to-good chances created that way for Spain. Hopefully England are more clinical in their finishing.

England rode their luck to a degree against Denmark, but you cannot rely on luck to win a final. Maybe you get some and hey it’s great when you do, but it cannot be relied upon. England will need to be very focused defensively and clinical when their opportunities to score arrive. It is almost certain that England will have at least 1-2 good chances to score, and they must take them. The Italians have proven to be very opportunistic this tournament, and England will have to be the same way. England themselves have been fairly mistake-free so far, one or two questionable clearances from keeper Jordan Pickford aside. We cannot afford to make a wary pass in midfield or under-hit a back pass from defense, because if we do the Italians will make us pay. England do not have to be perfect to win this match, but we do have to be damn well close to perfect.

Unmentioned Notable Players: Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, Jack Grealish. Phil Foden is unfortunately a doubt to play after suffering a foot injury in training. He would be a loss, but not as big a loss as Spinazzola is for Italy.

Referee/Shithousery

Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers will be holding the whistle tomorrow and he will have to be on his toes indeed. The referee should ideally be a non-factor in every match, but I have a feeling that he will be called into action repeatedly tomorrow. England won a penalty off a “dive” in their last match, while the Italians have spent generations perfecting the art of selling fouls to win free kicks/penalties. If the Italians get a lead in the second half they will certainly employ that element of gamesmanship to get them over the line. VAR will also have an influence on the match, even though ideally it should not. Prepare yourself for shithousery on a level never seen before and the resulting controversy, because it’s going to happen. There will be cries for a penalty if either team’s defense even so much as breathes on the attacking player.

Final Thoughts

Too close to call this one, and even if it wasn’t I still wouldn’t venture to guess. It seems that overall most neutrals are rooting for Italy, and for a wide variety of reasons. A lot of people didn’t like that England beat Denmark on a soft penalty, a lot of people think our supporters are arrogant, and some even go as far as to root against England due to its bloody colonial history. All of that is mostly nonsense. Denmark got at least two decisions in their favor against us, our supporters have no foundation to be arrogant given that we’ve won naff-all in 50+ years, and if you’re going to be mad at England’s colonialism you should also be pretty mad about Italy’s. My point is that all this hatred towards England is largely unfounded and frankly I don’t get it.

Two incidents I will not stand for however is the harassment of opposition fans/players on social media, and the use of a laser pointer on the face of Danish keeper Kasper Schmeichel in the run-up to Kane’s penalty. The first of those is immoral and the latter is outright dangerous. I want to win, but I don’t want to win because the fans are enabling cheating.

Everything else is fair game though. Boo the Italian national anthem. Sing songs about how they dive more frequently than submarines. Show them what true gamesmanship is by crying for fouls and waste time by rolling around on the ground. Take forever to do substitutions if we have the lead, etc. I don’t care anymore. You don’t beat Italy or win finals by being gentlemanly about the rules. It’s time to give them a taste of their own shithousing medicine. If the occasion calls for us to be villains, then villains we shall be.

Come on England!

Euro 2020(1) Semifinal Preview Part 1 – Italy vs. Spain

Two giants of European football will face off tomorrow at Wembley Stadium in London (noon PDT), and it truly is a marquee matchup between Italy and Spain. These two teams have played each other many times in this tournament, with the Italians being victorious in the Round of 16 at Euro 2016 and the Spanish prevailing in the final of Euro 2012. As alluded to, both these teams have won World Cups and both have won the Euros. Spain have three European titles (1964, 2008, 2012) while the Italians have only one (1968), but Italy has several more World Cups. No matter which you slice it, fans of both of these teams have high expectations whenever their national sides are on the pitch.

Italy

The Italians have probably been the best team at this tournament so far, dominating in the group stages and taking down a stubborn Austria side in the Round of 16. The victory over Belgium in the quarterfinals is what really sold me on this particular Italian team though. Yes they are talented, coached well, and did well against weaker opposition; but Belgium was the first real stiff test for them at this tournament and they did just enough to advance. That match was entertaining in the first half but dreadfully boring in the second, but I think that was done on purpose. The Italians had the lead, and they have a very stout defense anchored by long-tenured center backs Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini. What those two lack in athleticism they more than make up for in positioning, strength, and tactical nous. It is very difficult to get in behind them, as Belgium and other teams have found out. The structure of the team is built on the resilient back line, and so far it has worked for Italian manager Roberto Mancini.

When off the ball, the Italians are on the prowl like a pack of wild dogs. Their tactics are based on pressing high up the pitch to force the opposition into mistakes, and when they are on the ball and looking to score they run directly at defenses. Italy are traditionally a team that likes to create chances through slow build up play, but Mancini has thrown tradition out the window. These aggressive tactics can be risky, but it works when you have speedy players and a solid back line. They also have the depth of talent needed to keep using these tactics late into matches when the opposition is tiring. Mancini has however kept alive the tradition of Italian shithousery (diving, moaning for fouls, time wasting), and that makes them very effective at running out the clock. If Italy has a lead with 10 or so minutes left, look for them all to start falling over like they’ve been shot every time the other team’s players go near them. Not being cynical because it’s part of the sport and everyone is guilty of it to a degree, but that is what they will do if they’re trying to protect a lead.

Players to Watch: Bonucci, Chiellini, Lorenzo Insigne, Marco Veratti, Manuel Locatelli, Federico Chiesa, Ciro Immobile

Notably absent is left back Leonardo Spinazzola. He tore his ACL in the match against Belgium, and it’s a shame he can’t play anymore because he’s been absolutely electric down Italy’s left hand side. Pace, dribbling, crosses, it’s all been magic and his loss is a huge one.

Spain

Spain are a much more curious team. They’re certainly talented of course and have a manager in Luis Enrique who has won a ton of trophies at the club level, but they have been somewhat inconsistent this tournament. They struggled to two draws in their opening two group matches against Sweden and Slovakia, but then came alive and scored 10 goals in the next two games against Russia and Croatia. In their quarterfinal match with Switzerland though they were back to struggling in attack and needed penalties to finally put away the Swiss. The inconsistency of their form and whether or not they can create quality chances will be two large concerns for Spain. Which team is going to show up?

One positive for Spain is that they do not have to worry about the Italians putting 10 men behind the ball and parking the proverbial bus in front of their own net. Italy will come at them for large portions of the match, and that will inevitably leave gaps in midfield that Spain can potentially work the ball into with their passing game. Spain’s tactics are based entirely on short and medium passes that enable them to more easily retain possession. Possession of the ball is the foundation of their tactics, the logic being that the less the other team has the ball, the less likely they are to score. Spain do not take many chances with the ball when it comes to passing the ball forward, but they are very good at passing it around the edge of the box and trying to create gaps in defenses that way. It worked wonderfully well from 2008-2012 when Spain won 3 major trophies, but a lack of cutting edge at the center forward position in recent years has frequently been Spain’s undoing. After all, you don’t win a match by possessing the ball more. You win by scoring more, and when your strikers are in poor form, all the possession in the world doesn’t really matter.

This match will be won by whichever side wins the passing/pressing cat-and-mouse game. Will the Spanish be able to pass the ball around the press effectively, or will Italy be all over them and cause them to make mistakes? The Spanish have been prone to defensive breakdowns and mistakes this tournament, most notably against Croatia and Switzerland. They will need to be at their very best in order to beat Italy. Concentration will be vital. The mental aspect of the game is so important and never gets talked about, really. It doesn’t matter what your tactics are as a manager if your players lose concentration in key moments and fail to execute.

Players to watch: Ferran Torres, Gerard Moreno, Alvaro Morata, Koke, Jordi Alba, Pedri, Aymeric Laporte

Prediction

I think Italy has the edge in terms of depth. They win a closely contested match, 2-1.

Euro 2020(1) Quarterfinals – Two Tense Matches on Day 1

A few days off were needed for travel purposes, but the Euro 2020(1) quarterfinals got underway today with the first two games. Next two are tomorrow. All 8 of the remaining teams went in to the weekend knowing they were only three matches away from European glory. Spain took on Switzerland in St. Petersburg, Russia before the heavyweight fight between Italy and Belgium in Munich, Germany.

Spain vs. Switzerland

The Spanish were favorites coming into this match, as they boasted a lot more talent than the Swiss and are in a very rich vein of form. They have scored 10 goals in their past two matches, which is always impressive at a tournament. The Swiss however will not be afraid of anyone, having already slain the Goliath known as France. Importantly however, their captain and best midfielder Granit Xhaka was suspended due to yellow card accumulation. With Xhaka out, I thought the task just might be a tad too tall for the Swiss today.

It was clear from the outset what each team’s strategy was. The Spanish started out with their traditional possession-based game and the Swiss were quite content to let them have the ball a bit. The Swiss pressed on occasion and were trying to force the Spanish into mistakes high-up the pitch. That’s not a bad strategy as Spain can be prone to mistakes at the back, but it all went to hell for the Swiss less than 10 minutes in when Spain left back Jordi Alba fired a shot from a loose ball into the Swiss penalty area. The shot was somewhat hopeful and speculative, but it was effective nonetheless as it was redirected into the Swiss goal past keeper Yann Sommer on accident by defensive midfielder Denis Zakaria. Alba was credited with the goal initially by UEFA but they later changed it to an own-goal from Zakaria, which was probably harsh on Zakaria as Alba’s shot appeared to be on target. In any event, it was unlucky for the Swiss.

The rest of the half passed mostly without incident. Somewhat tepid, to be honest. Switzerland were again unlucky to see starting forward Breel Embolo go off after 20 minutes with a hamstring injury, and Spain were guilty of wasting a good chance that resulted from a free header by left back Cesar Azpilicueta. Aside from that though, not much else happened in the first half.

The second half started in similar fashion to the first, not a lot between the two sides. The Swiss were starting to ask more questions of the Spanish defense though, and Zakaria was again unlucky to see his header go just wide from a corner. The Swiss had an excellent chance come via midfielder Steven Zuber who forced a fine save from a tight angle by Spanish keeper Unai Simon.

The Swiss got their equalizer however just five minutes after that shot across the bow via Xherdan Shaqiri, a man affectionately known as “The Cube” by supporters due to his box-like physique. Two Spanish defenders (Pau Torres and Aymeric Laporte) both went for the same ball and their collision resulted in a loose ball that was pounced on by Swiss midfielder Remo Freuler. Freuler did well to find Shaqiri a few yards to his left, and The Cube made no mistake with a finish along the ground and off the inside of the left-hand post. The Swiss had fought back again, despite not really looking like doing so for good portions of the match.

Freuler found himself in the center of things again a few minutes later, but this time for negative reasons. He went into a tackle with both feet and his feet lifted off the ground, and made some very harsh contact with the Spanish player on the ball. English referee Michael Oliver went straight into his pocket and produced a red card. Upon review it was a rash tackle, and while you don’t always get a red card for such a challenge, it is very risky to try and tackle with both feet. You are inviting danger when you do that, and Freuler was punished for it.

Spain went into the ascendency after that due to the Swiss being down a man, but they could not make the most of their advantage and failed to score another in normal time. Extra time would be needed, which was a significant disadvantage for the tiring Swiss players. Having to play another 30 minutes with 10 men whilst having already played a full 90 is positively exhausting. However, again, Spain could not take advantage, despite some excellent chances falling to striker Gerard Moreno.

Penalties came and it was evident the fatigue being felt by the Swiss players. Spain missed two penalties themselves, but the Swiss could only convert one of them. Simon made two fine saves for sure, but I saw some very tired penalties from the Swiss. They were either hit too soft or blazed over the bar, because when fatigue sets in to the legs it is very difficult to maintain your technique and control when striking the ball. Perhaps if all 11 men had played until the end it would have ended differently, but of course now we’ll never know.

Credit to the Spanish for converting their penalties, but I would be very concerned about the semifinal if I was a Spaniard. The theme of poor finishing and defensive mistakes continued today, and against a more talented side they could have easily lost.

Spain advance to the semifinals at Wembley in midweek, where they await the winner of Belgium and Italy.

Belgium vs. Italy

Loads of talking points for this match, as it probably is the most intriguing fixture of the quarterfinals. Italy have the history of winning basically everything at major tournaments, although up until this tournament started there were questions concerning inexperience among this current batch of Italian players. They’ve done well this tournament, but their previous match against Austria caused some concerns among supporters about their ability to kill of teams effectively.

The Belgians come in with their current “Golden Generation” of players that are absolutely desperate to win the first major trophy for their country of any kind. Center forward Romelu Lukaku was in excellent form, but the major concern for Belgium was the fitness of star players Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard. Both of them are carrying injuries, but De Bruyne in particular is key to Belgian success at this tournament. As I have said before, there are serious arguments for De Bruyne being labelled as the best attacking midfielder in the world. De Bruyne did play in this match but Hazard did not.

Two great managers here too – Roberto Mancini for Italy and Roberto Martinez for Belgium. Interestingly, the last time these two managers faced off it was during an FA Cup final at Wembley, with Martinez’s Wigan Athletic pulling a shock upset over Mancini’s Manchester City.

The match was a little slow to start things off, with neither side really threatening the other in the first 10 minutes. Italy had the ball in the back of the Belgian net on 12 minutes though after a free kick found center back Giorgio Chiellini for a tap in, but after a VAR check the goal was correctly disallowed for offside. Chiellini was about a foot ahead of the ball when it came off his fellow defender Leonardo Bonucci. The tempo of the match did increase after that though, as Belgium knew they were given a let off. Romelu Lukaku did well to force a save from Gianluigi Donnarumma low to his right after good work from De Bruyne on a counter-attack. Gauging how this match would go from that point, it was likely that the team that made the fewest mistakes would go on to win. These teams were simply too evenly matched to call it one way or another. Good for the neutral of course, but nerve-wracking for supporters of the two countries.

You could call this fixture a chess match given all the tactical switching and formation changes by both teams throughout the opening half, but people tend to think of chess matches as boring and this game was anything but. End-to-end play that felt at times more like basketball than footie. The pace and energy from both teams was absolutely relentless.

The Italians broke the deadlock on 31 minutes via midfielder Nicolo Barella after a poor giveaway by Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen. The ball fell to the dangerous playmaker Marco Veratti who played in Barella, and he made no mistake with his finish over the top of Belgian keeper Thibault Courtois. Italy were even more energized by their goal and were able to grab another one from winger Lorenzo Insigne 12 minutes later. The first Italian goal was good, but the second one was a work of art from Insigne. He carried the ball about 50 yards, slaloming past a Belgian defender before shooting from the edge of the box. He got a lot of curl on the ball and the pace of it gave Courtois no chance to save. Truly breathtaking and a candidate for goal of the tournament.

The drama of the first half was not over though, as a penalty was awarded to Belgium just two minutes later in stoppage time. Teenage Belgian winger Jeremy Doku did well to beat his marker with pace in the left channel, and he went down inside the box after a shove in the back. The penalty was probably soft by most standards and the Italians were strenuously complaining, but VAR checked and the penalty stood. It’s a bit rich for Italians to complain about players going down too easily anyway, when they are the ones historically known as egregious divers. Lukaku stepped up to the spot and coolly put the ball past Donnarumma after sending him the wrong way.

The chaos continued in the second half, with both sides fashioning good chances but neither being able to finish them. Both Lukaku and Insigne were on fire and there were times when neither defense could get near those two players. There were more injuries and fouls in the second half as well, which wasn’t surprising given the effort and energy being put in by the players. The stoppages were really just temporary lulls in this hurricane of a match.

But the onus was on the Belgians to find an equalizer, and the Italians made subs that indicated they were going more defensive for the final 15 minutes or so, including switching to a back-5. They battened down the hatches and simply let Belgium come at them. It should be pointed out that as the game went on the Italians were engaging in what I like to call “shithousery”, meaning they were doing everything and anything to slow down the game without being penalized for it. They were taking their time with injuries, fouls, substitutions, and just generally wasting as much time as possible. While these Italians might play more attractive football than in the past, they clearly have not forgotten their traditional methods of gamesmanship mastered by their predecessors. I don’t like it as a tactic, but of course every team does it in matches of great importance.

The Belgians just couldn’t fashion another solid chance against the impregnable Italian back line, and the whistle finally blew. Italy held on to win despite a valiant effort from Belgium.

Italy will play Spain on Tuesday, July 6 at Wembley.

Tomorrow

Czech Republic vs. Denmark (9 am PDT)

England vs. Ukraine (Noon PDT)

I like England’s chances against Ukraine but they are a team with nothing to lose. No side should be taken lightly at this point. If a team makes the quarterfinals of a major tournament, that team is there for a reason.

Champions League: Round of 16 Review

When play was suspended back in March, only half of the fixtures for the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League had been decided. It was already decided that Red Bull Leipzig (GER) will be playing Atletico Madrid (SPA) and Atalanta (ITA) will be playing Paris St. Germain (FRA). Only the first leg in the top half of the bracket had been played though, which meant that the fixtures between Manchester City vs. Real Madrid, Lyon vs. Juventus, Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich, and Napoli vs. Barcelona still needed to be played. All quarterfinal matches will be played in one-off playoffs in Lisbon, Portugal in order to minimize travel and risk of COVID exposure for players, coaches, and staff. The sprint to the European Cup is on!

Manchester City (ENG) vs. Real Madrid (SPA) (Man City lead 2-1 on aggregate from first leg)

This was one of the more intriguing match-ups of the round for a variety of reasons. Both teams are capable of scoring goals almost at-will. City manager Pep Guardiola is Catalan through and through, and therefore dislikes Madrid with a passion. Meanwhile, Real have just come off yet another title-winning season in La Liga under the legendary Zinedine Zidane. The tie was finely poised at 2-1 as well, with City knowing that a draw or victory would mean they would move on. Guardiola was under a fair amount of pressure to deliver for City in this match, as he has been somewhat under-performing in Europe the past few seasons for both City and his former club Bayern Munich.

The match was electrifying from almost the get go, and it was surprisingly City who took the lead via England forward Raheem Sterling after mistakes at the back by the Madrid defense. That would be a theme of the night for Real, unfortunately. Karim Benzema did get an equalizer later on in the first half for the Madridistas, but they were ultimately undone at the back again by City forward Gabriel Jesus. Along with an inability to play the ball out from the back, Madrid forward Eden Hazard looked completely off the pace and possibly even unfit for play. Zidane also made some uncharacteristic errors with his substitutions, and City deservedly advanced 4-2 on aggregate.

Lyon (FRA) vs. Juventus (ITA) (Lyon lead 1-0 on aggregate)

I unfortunately did not get to watch this match due to watching Man City, but based on the highlights I saw I have to commend Lyon for standing up to the superstars of Juventus and doing enough to hold them off. It is difficult to prevent Juventus from scoring in any situation, and especially so at their home in Turin, Italy. Juventus have also just won their ninth consecutive title in Serie A, also known as the Scudetto.

Portugal forward and all-world player Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in the match for Juventus, once from the penalty spot and the other an absolute screamer from about 26 yards out. Those two goals were not enough though. Dutch forward Memphis Depay converted from the penalty spot for Lyon in between those two goals, giving Lyon an absolutely crucial away goal. For those who don’t remember, the “away goals rule” is the tie breaker in case the score is level on aggregate after two games. Away goals are deemed to be more valuable under this rule, so the team that scores the most away goals is given the tie breaker.

Lyon won 1-0 in France back in March, so even though they lost 2-1 to Juventus they still advance 2-2 on aggregate because they scored in Italy and Juventus failed to score in France. This was a pretty big upset given that Juventus are absolutely loaded with talent throughout the team. Lyon have good players too of course, but most people had Juventus advancing as far as the final. To show you the level of calamity this is for Juve, less than 24 hours after their unceremonious exit from the tournament they sacked manager Maurizzio Sarri and have replaced him with former player and Italian legend Andrea Pirlo. All credit to Lyon though, they defended well in both legs and scored just enough to sneak by. Well done. Good defending can take a team quite far in a tournament such as this one.

Lyon will play Manchester City in Lisbon on August 15th in the quarterfinals.

Chelsea (ENG) vs. Bayern Munich (GER) (Bayern lead 3-0 on aggregate)

As indicated by the scoreline, this fixture was already feeling a little lopsided. Chelsea are good, don’t get me wrong, but Bayern are another level this season. They have the best player of this current season in Robert Lewandowski, accompanied by a team of world-beaters at almost every position. When I say Bayern are stacked, I mean they are STACKED. They edged out Borussia Dortmund to win the Bundesliga for the umpteenth time, and they look poised to make a deep run in this tournament.

Chelsea just couldn’t keep up with them today in Germany, and it wasn’t really fair to expect them to. You could argue this tie was over before a ball was even kicked, but the fact that Bayern won 4-1 today tells you just what kind of mood they are in. They could have kicked it back and forth among themselves and settled for a boring 0-0 draw, but they really went for it and Chelsea were put to sword. Lewandowksi was in sensational form again and was involved in all four goals for Bayern. If he is not scoring, he’s creating for others. Chelsea’s suspect defense let them down again today, but I think most Chelsea players and manager Frank Lampard will be happy with how this season has went for the most part. They were without budding American superstar Christian Pulisic today, and he was needed for Chelsea to have any chance at overturning the deficit. Bayern advance 7-1 on aggregate.

Ze Germans are now probably favorites to go and win this whole thing.

Barcelona (SPA) vs. Napoli (ITA) (tie level 1-1 on aggregate)

Saved the most entertaining game today for last. This tie was an intriguing one as there was potential for an upset here as well. Barcelona did have the advantage on away goals after the first leg in Naples, Italy but Napoli knew on the return leg in northern Spain that if they scored they could really put pressure on the Catalan giants and possibly sneak a victory like Lyon did the day before.

The match was played under absolutely sweltering conditions, and maybe that had something to do with why Barca were almost caught napping 90 seconds into the match when Belgian winger Dries Mertens struck the post for Napoli. Barca settled down a little bit after that shot across the bow and took the lead via French center back Clement Lenglet, who headed in from a corner. Barca took a 2-1 lead on aggregate, which interestingly only slightly added to their advantage. Had Napoli scored they would have been level both on the night and on aggregate thanks again to the away goals rule.

Barca knew they needed another one, and it was the man they so often turn to who went and got it for them: Lionel Messi. Not even going to bother describing this one. You have to see it to believe it (featuring some excellent commentary from Peter Drury).

He is a wizard. A genius. The best of all time. You can throw superlative after superlative at him and you still won’t be able to fully describe just how good this man is. Not only is he capable of doing this sort of thing, he does it routinely. It is true that he is getting older and on the tail end of his prime, but clearly he is still capable of going into God Mode and obliterating defenders’ hopes and dreams. You can know exactly what he’s going to do, but it won’t matter because sometimes he is unstoppable.

Barca thought they had a third seven minutes later when Messi converted from close range again after a cross into the box by Dutch midfielder Frankie de Jong, but after VAR took a look it was determined that Messi handled the ball when the cross arrived. It was 50/50 for me, but VAR overturned the goal. It didn’t really matter though, as just before halftime Barca were awarded a penalty by VAR, which Uruguayan striker and Donkey Face Luis Suarez converted with ease. At 3-0 on the night and 4-1 on aggregate you felt this tie was done and dusted.

There was a minor hiccup for Barca though when Napoli were awarded a penalty late in stoppage time of the first half, which was dispatched effectively by Italian striker Lorenzo Insigne. Barca still had a big lead, but if you were Napoli you felt slightly better being down only 2 goals on aggregate instead of 3.

The second half was a much more tepid affair though, and no further goals were scored. Barca simply kept possession and choked Napoli out like a boa constrictor. The tie ended 4-2 on aggregate and Barcelona advanced.

Hoping to have my colleague Jose do a write up previewing Barca’s next match. They play Bayern Munich in Lisbon on August 14th. Should be an excellent match up!

Other QFs

Atalanta takes on PSG in Lisbon on August 12.

Atletico Madrid plays Red Bull Leipzig on August 13.