World Cup Roundup – Team Chaos Reigns Supreme

Qatar is a terrible place to host a World Cup for everyone except FIFA. Corrupt and rotten to the core, every one of them.

Croatia vs. Canada

Although chaos was the theme of the day, this match was probably the most predictable one beforehand. Croatia romped to a 4-1 victory over the Canadians despite going down early. This match was one of youth and athleticism versus experience and tactics. Canada have a lot of young and talented players, and it was their superstar Alphonso Davies who got their first goal of this tournament and Canada’s first goal ever at a World Cup just two minutes into the game via a header from close range. A historic moment for their nation!

But Croatia were undeterred, to say the very least. They’ve been in this sort of position before at a World Cup, and were runners-up in 2018 for a reason. They scored the next four goals over the course of the match, with two of them coming from winger/forward Andrej Kramaric. It was a brilliant day for him and the Croatian midfield in general, with a masterclass from the aging but still all-world midfielder Luka Modric. They really gave the Canadians a lesson in how to effectively pass the ball around.

Canada have sadly been eliminated from World Cup 2022, joining Qatar. Perhaps their manager John Herdman has learned the hard way not to shoot his mouth off at opposition of this caliber in pre-match interviews. It’s clear the Croatians felt disrespected today, so they were highly motivated to win. Croatia is top of Group F on 4 points.

Morocco vs. Belgium

Okay, time for some chaos now! The Belgians were strong favorites to win Group F pre-tournament, but they lost today 2-0 to a well-disciplined and opportunistic Moroccan team.

This match was a choppy one for the most part, with Belgium in particular struggling to break down a very stubborn opposition. Belgium had the majority of the possession, but that suited Morocco just fine. Belgium’s best effort of the half came early on when Michy Batshuayi’s attempt was deflected away by Moroccan keeper Munir Mohamedi. But the Morroccans broke on the counter-attack via their speedy wingers such as Hakim Ziyech several times and were causing a ton of problems for the aging Belgian defense, either via direct attacks or by winning free kicks. Morocco thought they had a goal in first half stoppage time from a header, but it was ruled out for offside after VAR checked it.

The Moroccans held on in the second half defensively, and the later it got, the more you felt like they might nick a goal. They finally did get a goal on 73 minutes from attacking midfielder Abdelhamid Sabiri, who’s free kick from near the corner flag inexplicably dipped under Belgian midfielder Thibaut Courtois for 1-0. Courtois is one of the best keepers in the world, so it was very odd to see him commit such a glaring error. He has to cover his near post from the angle, and he simply didn’t. Morocco didn’t care of course, because they were now en route to a famous victory if they could hold on for 17 minutes plus stoppage time.

Belgium poured men forward trying to find an equalizer. Their best chance came when center back Jan Vertonghen headed it just wide around 80 minutes or so. But Morocco then got their second in stoppage time via another counter-attack, with a pullback cross from the right hand side of the box finding forward Zakaria Aboukhlal in front of the goal on his own, and he made no mistake with a finish into the roof of the net. It sealed all three points for Morocco in one of their biggest results ever at a World Cup.

Belgium are in trouble. They are 3rd on 3 points, but are very much on the outside looking in. They now face the daunting prospect of playing in-form Croatia to try and stay alive and progress to the next round. To make matters worse, Vertonghen and midfielder Kevin De Bruyne are sniping at each other in the press, so one can imagine that the locker room chemistry for the Belgians is rather acidic right now. These Belgians are talented, but I think they might be coming to grips with the idea that collectively they may not be athletic enough to keep up with speedier opposition. Could this group stage be the last hurrah for Belgium’s golden generation?

Morocco are 2nd in Group F on 4 points. Croatia has the tiebreaker on goal differential. The north Africans now face already-eliminated Canada on the final matchday. It is possible they progress even if they lose to Canada, but they will want to of course guarantee progression for themselves.

Japan vs. Costa Rica

This was also another chaotic result, with the Costa Ricans shocking the Blue Samurai 1-0. Japan, fresh off their upset over Germany, were heavily favored in this match not only due to their own strengths but also the defensive frailty of Costa Rica. The Spanish put 7 goals past the Ticos on the first matchday of Group E.

But the surprising heroes on the day were the Costa Rica back four and right back Keysher Fuller, who curled home from just inside the penalty area in the 81st minute after the Japanese gave the ball away in their own final third. Keeper Shuichi Gonda got a hand to the effort but could not keep it out. Some say Gonda was at fault for the goal, but as a former amateur keeper I think that’s a tad unfair on him. It was a well-taken strike after a defensive error. He maybe could have got a stronger hand to the ball, but the Japanese defense can’t give the ball away like that.

Fuller’s goal was Costa Rica’s first of the tournament, and amazingly it was their first shot on goal as well. A very surprising and unlikely result, but this was Costa Rica’s formula in 2014 that got them to the semifinals. Militant defensive discipline and opportunistic goal scoring.

Japan could have progressed to the second round today with a win, but their loss now sees them in 2nd on 3 points. Costa Rica move up to 3rd in the group on 3 points, although Japan has the tie-breaker over them on goal difference.

Spain vs. Germany

This was the biggest matchup of the day on paper and maybe the entire group stage, as these two respective countries are powerhouses in world football. It ended 1-1 which isn’t a chaotic result in and of itself, but it did create chaos in the group standings. Coming into the match their respective moods couldn’t be more different. La Rioja were flying after their 7-0 thumping of Costa Rica, while Die Manschaft were well aware that a loss today would see them almost certainly eliminated from the tournament at the group stage for the second consecutive World Cup.

Both sides were keen to defend well and not concede, and that’s how it went for the first hour or so. I would give the Spanish a slight edge as they had more possession, but the possession wasn’t utilized towards much until just after the hour mark when veteran left back Jordi Alba received the ball on the left wing in space. He spotted the diagonal run of striker Alvaro Morata into the box, and played him the ball along the ground. Morata beat his marker to the ball and clipped it with his first touch into the air and over German keeper Manuel Neuer for 1-0. It was Spain’s most dangerous attack of the match and they did well to capitalize.

Ze Germans immediately went into attacking mode, as they had no other choice but to do so. They started pressing Spain higher up the pitch, and they began forcing some errors. Such an error led to their equalizer, when they lost the ball in their own final third. It was a well taken goal from fairly close range by substitute striker Niclas Füllkrug. He and midfielder Jamal Musiala nearly ran into each other trying to run onto Musiala’s flick around the Spanish defense, but Füllkrug got there first and lashed it into the roof of the net over keeper Unai Simón.

Credit to German manager Hansi Flick for rolling the dice and bringing on Füllkrug when they needed a goal. I’d like to see a certain England manager roll the dice when similarly needed. Musiala had an excellent match as well, particularly when they were pushing for an equalizer. They could not be eliminated today even with a loss, but a loss would have all-but-guaranteed elimination. They are still bottom of Group E on 1 point, and will need a victory over Costa Rica to secure progression. A draw does them no good.

Spain will be slightly disappointed to have given away the lead and the chance to progress, but a 1-1 draw against the Germans is never something to be too upset about. They are still top of Group E on 4 points, and can win the group with a draw against Japan if Costa Rica and Germany draw. They will want to win this group though, so I imagine they’ll go for the win and take Japan very seriously.

Euro 2020(1) Semifinal Day 1 – Italy Edge Spain on Penalties, Plus England-Denmark Preview

I did pick Italy to win yesterday, but I did not think it would be as close as it was. Indeed, Spain did an excellent job today against the Italians in terms of disrupting their normal tactics, but Italy showed a real resiliency as the match wore on.

The first half was goalless but based on possession and chances created, you would say that Spain were the better side. They took a page out of Italy’s book and decided to incorporate more pressing into their normal possession-based tactics. Spain played the same as they always do when they were on the ball, which is to spring some passes together in midfield and eventually move the ball up to the edge of the box. They tried to work several openings free in the first half, with attacking midfielder Dani Olmo looking very lively. His dribbling and passing was causing the Italians problems, but they always managed to get a final block in.

The most notable aspect of their press though was when they went at Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. He normally likes to play it short to one of his defenders when it comes to clearing the ball or taking a goal kick, but he could not do that today due to Spain’s forwards playing tight to the defenders. That forced Donnarumma into longer passes up the pitch, something he clearly was not comfortable doing today. Spain fashioned several half-chances using this method of pressing, but while they did not score this also prevented Italy from growing into the game and creating their own chances.

I have to say that in the first half, the epic battle in the midfield was won by Spain. Sergio Busquets and Pedri were dominating the middle, and Spain manager Luis Enrique deployed midfielder Koke (CO-kay) to man- mark Italian midfield general Marco Veratti. When Veratti is allowed time on the ball he can play some devastating passes to his teammates, but with Koke constantly harassing him, he never really found time on the ball to makes those passes. The same could be said for Italy’s defensive midfielder Jorginho. When he was on the ball, Busquets and others were always on him quickly so he could not find an outlet pass. This resulted in Spain winning possession much more frequently than Italy would have liked.

Despite Spain being the better team, the Italians went ahead on the hour mark after a now-familiar error in the Spanish defense. Italy hit them on a counter-attack, and a slick backheel from striker Ciro Immobile found Federico Chiesa on the left-sided edge of the penalty box. Spain didn’t have many men back and failed to clear the pass. Chiesa launched a shot at goal, and it found the top corner of the net. The positioning of the defenders and the angle of the shot did not give Chiesa a lot to aim for, but he put the ball probably in the one place it stood a chance of going in. Misery for Spain as they had been the better team. With a 1-0 lead fairly late on in the game, I figured the Italians would shithouse the rest of the match and escape with the win.

All credit to Spain though, as they kept fighting and created several good chances in an effort to equalize. Mikel Oyarzabal was guilty of missing a gilt-edged chance when he missed making contact with a cross by a matter of centimeters. Spain were rewarded for their efforts though 20 minutes later when Olmo found himself in a good position with the ball on the edge of the Italian penalty box. He played a lovely 1-2 with substitute striker Alvaro Morata, who exorcised some of his earlier tournament demons by finishing along the ground from close range. No chance for Donnarumma, and we had ourselves a semifinal.

There weren’t many further chances in normal time, and it ended 1-1 after 90 minutes. The same pattern of play continued in extra time, with Spain probably being the better of the two sides but stalwart Italian defending kept them out. It was just incredibly crowded in the box every time Spain got close, and that made it very difficult to have time for a shot. Italy sometimes broke out and attempted to hit Spain on the counter, but some tired legs and timely challenges from Spain kept it 1-1. Penalties were needed.

Football is such a fickle sport, and penalties are the most fickle part. Both sides missed their first respective penalty, with Olmo and substitute Manuel Locatelli both missing. That would be the last penalty the Italians would miss though. It stayed tied until Morata stepped up on the 3rd penalty for Spain and hit a rather tame effort low and to Donnarumma’s left. Donnarumma made the correct choice with his dive, and he saved Morata’s effort. Jorginho then took the decisive fourth penalty, and he showed some real ice in his veins by calmly sending Spain keeper Unai Simon the wrong way with his shot. The Italians stormed the field having won, and Spain were left to wonder what could have been.

Commiserations to Spain. They were the better team on the day, but Italy has been the best team this tournament. Italy showed an ability to adapt today that only elite-level teams have. They completely changed their usual tactics and still managed to execute the game plan almost to perfection. That’s very difficult to do in the middle of a tournament. They deserve a lot of credit, with manager Roberto Mancini deserving in particular. You have to feel also that a lack of finishing, both today and throughout the tournament, was a major problem for the Spanish. Morata did well to finish his chance, but they had several other opportunities to score today that they did not cash-in on. I do hope that the idiots on social media do not blame Morata for this loss. It’s not on him, at least not solely. Yes he should have done better with his penalty, but this is a team sport. Spain could have helped him out a lot more today by scoring other chances, and had they done so penalties might not have even been necessary.

Italy will play in the Euro 2020(1) final at Wembley next Sunday, July 11. They await the winner of England/Denmark. Whoever they play, it will be very difficult to beat them. They don’t quit, they have a lot of talent, and they know how to manage different scenarios well.

England vs. Denmark – Preview

Noon (PDT) at Wembley tomorrow. 60,000 fans are expected to fill Wembley to 3/4 capacity and the atmosphere should be electric.

Denmark

Denmark came into the semis as the lowest-ranked remaining team, but they don’t care about that. Not at all. England have played against more talented teams this tournament, but I am not sure we have played a team quite like Denmark so far. That is not to say they are without talent – indeed they have players who ply their trades in the top divisions across Europe, including the Premier League. What I mean is that this is a team that truly believes it is a team of destiny, and it’s hard to argue against that point. Yes they lost their two opening group games, but they have shown a resilience and team spirit in this tournament that vastly makes up for their lack of superstar talent. This is a team on a “Cinderella run” in every sense of the phrase. They are playing for Christian Eriksen, and that kind of motivation is impossible to duplicate. Denmark actually won the Euros back in 1992 and they were a “Cinderella” team back then as well, but they haven’t really come close to winning it again since then. This is the most unified and determined team left at this tournament, and that unity and determination gives them a strong sense of confidence in themselves.

It could be argued that the Danes have had an “easy” path so far, seeing off Wales in the Round of 16 and then the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals. That take is slightly disrespectful to those two other countries, but when you consider that the Swiss had to beat France and England had to beat Germany, you get the sense that the draw has been kinder to them than to other teams. The last time the Danes lost was to Belgium in the group stage, a team with an actual degree of quality about them. Yes the Danes scored first but they conceded two after that as they were not capable of dealing with the technical abilities of Kevin De Bruyne. Sometimes, an overwhelming amount of talent is really the only thing that can beat a stubborn defensive unit.

The Danes do have some talented attacking players, and I think tomorrow they will use their speedier players to try and break out quickly and hit England on the counter-attack. I don’t think they have the talent in midfield to hold possession against England for long spells, so the counter and opportunities from set pieces will be key. They scored four in a knockout match earlier this tournament in the Round of 16 against Wales, so they are capable of getting goals when they need to.

Players to Watch: Youseff Poulsen, Mikkel Damsgaard, Joakim Mæhle, Kasper Dolberg, Simon Kjær, Kasper Schmeichel 

Side note on Schmeichel: he is a Premier League winning goalkeeper with Leicester City and is the son of one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time: Peter Schmeichel. It was Peter who helped the Danes to glory in 1992, and now his son is trying to do the same thing! It’s a great story, and while Kasper is probably not quite as good as his father, he definitely has the ability to morph into a brick wall on a given day. Harry Maguire and probably a few other England players will be fully aware of his talents, having played both with and against him. Kasper perhaps was a tad braggadocios today by making jokes about the phrase “it’s coming home” in his media interview, and I hope England players saw that. People in the media or online coming with banter is one thing, but it’s completely different when an opposition player is saying something. Perhaps could serve as a motivation to England’s forwards. Speaking of!

England

England, both the team and that nation, are positively rocking right now. The match against Ukraine was the best I have seen this team play in a tournament probably ever. We hadn’t scored 4 goals in a tournament knockout match since 1966, and we will have a distinct home advantage at Wembley. 95+% of the fans in attendance will be supporting England, and I expect every single one of them to be in full throat for all 90 minutes.

Given that the best way to beat Denmark appears to be to overwhelm them with attacking talent, I suggest England does that very thing. Manager Gareth Southgate doesn’t need to change the lineup much or if at all, as the most important thing will be an aggressive approach. The entire game plan can be summed up in one two words: aggression, ruthlessness. We need to come out and be ruthless from the get-go, and if we can score another early goal it will get us a long way to the final. The longer it stays 0-0, the more confident Denmark will feel. We need to be on the ball, dribbling with the ball, and making forward runs. When we are not on the ball, I would like to see England constantly haranguing the Danes and trying to win the ball high up the pitch. No matter who is on the pitch for us, they need to be playing with unrelenting aggression and ruthlessness. Even if the Danes can withstand it for the first 45 minutes, they will eventually tire. Once again, you can expect England’s depth of talent on the bench to factor in heavily if things are not going our way.

Denmark’s defense has been “good enough” this whole tournament. They’re doing enough to win matches, but I do not think Denmark will be able to keep England at bay for 90 minutes. They have conceded at least 1 goal in every match they’ve played in so far except for one. England were dangerous from both set pieces and open play in the match against Ukraine, and we have proven to be exceptionally efficient at crossing the ball over the top. Most of our goals this tournament have come from crosses over the top. The wingers and full backs, in particular Luke Shaw, have been nothing short of incredible.

We are the first team in the history of the Euros not to concede a goal in their first five matches. Jordan Pickford looks locked to win the Golden Gloves for fewest goals conceded. The back line communicates well with each other and we have the athleticism at the back to keep up with anyone. As good as we are at heading the ball in for goals, we are equally as good at heading them away from goal when defending. Denmark’s best chances for a goal will probably come from set pieces, so alertness and concentration will be vital when those inevitably happen.

This match is England’s to lose. Having said that, it would be very English of us to come this far and do this well only to falter in the semis. I must say though, it feels different this time. I hope that line doesn’t come back to bit me in the ass, but it really does. The draw has been somewhat kind to us as well after beating Germany, and we must take advantage. The stars will not align like this for England again.

Players to Watch: Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Jadon Sancho, Shaw, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount

No prediction because of course not, I’m not stupid.

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.

Euro 2020(1) Round of 16, Day 3 – What a Thriller!

Two very appetizing matches happened on the penultimate day of the Round of 16. Spain took on Croatia in Copenhagen, Denmark before France and Switzerland travelled to Bucharest, Romania for their match. What resulted from today was probably the single best day of international football I have perhaps ever seen.

Spain vs. Croatia

This match was so good and so entertaining it almost deserves its own post, but I shall try to summarize effectively. I unfortunately did not get to watch this match due to a work engagement and I’m rather perturbed about that, because this was probably the most entertaining game of the tournament so far.

Most pundits and fans probably would have picked Spain to win this match, but only a fool would have written off Croatia and the result was far from certain. Spain hit 5 goals in their last group match, but before that they were having trouble breaking down more defensive-minded teams. Croatia were runners-up at the 2018 World Cup and still sport some incredibly talented – if old – players. Whenever your team has Luka Modric in it, you have a chance to win.

What transpired was everything a neutral fan could dream for – world class talent, rookie mistakes, and 8 goals scored. Spain made all the early runs and had the better chances in the first 20 minutes, but they found themselves down 1-0 after a fairly routine back pass from the Spanish defense bounced over Spain keeper Unai Simon’s right foot and rolled into the goal. Huge error, and you normally don’t see such a massive kerfuffle at this level. It was clear that Simon took his eye off the ball as it rolled back to him and he just…missed it. I’ve been a goalkeeper at the very amateur level, and I can tell you that there’s no worse feeling in the world than letting an easy one in. Elation for the Croats, though.

That elation didn’t last too long, as Spain were soon equal via midfielder Pablo Sarabia. The ball broke kindly for him in the box and he did well to ride a challenge and lash the ball past Croatian keeper Dominik Livakovic. It was probably the fair outcome, given that Spain had dominated the game since going behind and at halftime it was 1-1.

Spain got two more later in the second half via defender Cesar Azpilicueta, and then the other came in the 76th minute from striker Ferran Torres. I bring them both up simultaneously because both goals were scored after some bad defensive errors by Croatia. Azpilicueta was unmarked for his headed goal and couldn’t miss from so close, while Torres went around his defender like he wasn’t there for his goal. At 3-1 no one would blame you for assuming that the game was over for Croatia, given their defensive issues and lack of chances created.

But assumptions are not facts, and Croatia proved they have plenty of fighting spirit. Substitute winger Mislav Orsic put the cat amongst the pigeons by getting a second for Croatia in the 85th minute, and the goal galvanized his team. Croatia suddenly had a lot more energy, and Spain were holding on for dear life in the last 5-7 minutes. They couldn’t quite completely hold on though, as fellow substitute and midfielder Mario Pasalic headed home a cross from close range in the 92nd minute to send the Croatian fans into delirium. It was a stunning sequence of events and it meant that extra time would be necessary. In all honesty, striker Andrej Kramaric was unlucky not to put Croatia ahead 4-3 when his shot was blocked off the line by a defender. Spain were inches from losing this match!

But Spain once again were the stronger side to start the final 30 minutes, and this time their dominance paid dividends. The much-maligned Alvaro Morata put them ahead on 100 minutes, after he smartly controlled a high cross into the box and was able to volley it past Livakovic for number 4. I was happy for Morata, as he has been the target of a lot of criticism from the Spanish press and social media. He had missed a few of his easier chances, but converted the most difficult one at the most pivotal time. Usually when a team goes ahead in extra time they play more conservative, but Spain did not. Attacking midfielder Mikel Oyarzabal but the tie beyond all doubt when he slotted home from close range after another dangerous cross in from the right side. Croatia created some half-chances after that to keep things interesting, but Spain held on until the final whistle.

I hope I covered it all, but no written words can capture the drama and tension of this match. Just a classic, all around. Spain do seem to have defensive issues at times but 10 goals in two matches should make them feel much better about their attacking abilities. Up next, Spain will play the winner of France and Switzerland on Friday in the quarterfinals.

France vs. Switzerland

I didn’t think that this match would come anywhere close to the level of drama in the Spain match, but I was happy to be proven wrong. We got two high-scoring thrillers today, and two such games are great advertisements for this sport.

Most people expected France to brush aside the Swiss fairly easily. France are the reigning world champions and tons of articles have been written about their talent levels – Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe, N’golo Kante, Antoine Griezmann – all world beaters. On top of that, they have players on their bench that would probably start for any other country. Such is their strength in depth. The Swiss have some talent in the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka, but on paper France should be taking this. But no match is played on paper, and France learned that the hard way today.

Much to everyone’s surprise, the first goal came from Switzerland. France looked uncomfortable in the opening 45 minutes; perhaps even unsettled. I would tend to think they weren’t helped by their tactical set-up, though. For some reason, France manager Didier Deschamps decided to employ a back 3 instead of France’s traditional back 4. I think this led to a little bit of passiveness for France. Why make a tough pass forward from the back when you can just square it to the extra center back? They weren’t used to this set up and I think subconsciously expected the Swiss to roll over for them, however they did not. It was some excellent center forward play from Haris Seferovic that earned the Swiss their goal. He is a big, strong striker and he simply outmuscled the Frenchman marking him to get his head on a cross from the left. Sometimes football really is that simple.

It was 1-0 at halftime and France looked a little shell-shocked. You knew it wasn’t over, but they knew they would need to play much better in order to win this match. France got a little bit of luck when the second half resumed when keeper Hugo Lloris saved a penalty from left back Ricardo Rodriguez. There were questions as to why Rodriguez was taking the penalty as he is not traditionally a goal scorer, and indeed it’s somewhat of a mystery as to why Seferovic or another striker didn’t take it. VAR checked the foul and the penalty call was probably correct, but Lloris showed his own class by making the save. That save energized the French a bit and they soon started playing like how most people expected them to.

Striker Karim Benzema brought France level from close range after a slick pass from Mbappe, and he got a second one only two minutes later after he headed in a cross/shot from Griezmann. France were ahead in a matter of mere minutes, and it was during this time that they really showed what they are capable of. They can just flip a switch and all of a sudden you’re losing. Pogba got a third roughly 15 minutes later, hitting an absolutely sublime strike past Swiss keeper Yann Sommer from about 22 yards out. Pogba really can hit some amazing shots; I just wish he would score like that for Manchester United as often as he does for France!

Again, at 3-1 with roughly 10-12 minutes left, no one would blame you for assuming France had it in the bag. They didn’t play well throughout the match, but most felt that 20-30 minute spell of world-class play would probably see them through. But once again, just like Croatia earlier in the day, the Swiss were not done. Seferovic popped up again with 9 minutes to go and headed in a lovely cross from the right side from close range. He found space between the French defenders this time and was able to get good contact on it. Now only down 1, the Swiss pressed on.

Striker Mario Gavranovic was then the hero for Switzerland, doing well to beat the French defense with a dribble before sliding an equalizer past Lloris in the 90th minute. He received an excellent pass through the middle from Xhaka and went around the closest defender like he wasn’t there. As good as France were for that 20-30 minute period, they were pretty bad in the final ten minutes. No concentration, poise, or game management. I do think a bit of hubris got to them today, especially once they were winning. All credit to the Swiss though for sticking to the task and forcing extra time after being down 2.

The extra time in this match was far less eventful than the early game. Both teams were clearly very tired, and some sloppy fouls by both sides really broke up the rhythm of the play. Mbappe probably should have scored after a sublime pass from Pogba through the middle, but he delayed just a fraction too long and blazed into the side netting. France were also required to make several subs due to injury and fatigue, having to take off winger Kingsley Coman, Griezmann, and goal-scorer Benzema. No goals scored in extra time meant that a penalty shootout would decide things.

Some argue that penalties are a lottery and not really a fair way to decide close matches, and while I can understand that argument, penalties were perfectly appropriate for this back-and-forth nature of this match today. The first nine penalties – 5 by the Swiss and 4 by France – were essentially perfect. Lloris came close to saving one but the ball still slipped past him despite contact with it. The hero of the day though was Sommer, who did very well to parry out the 5th French penalty. Mbappe took that last penalty and most expected him of all people to convert it, but he struck the ball rather unconvincingly and Sommer made a good save diving to his right.

World champions and tournament favorites France are OUT! Huge upset for Switzerland, even bigger than what the Czechs did against Netherlands yesterday. Switzerland earned the privilege to take on Spain in the quarterfinals next Friday.

Man of the Match: Granit Xhaka. Got the game-tying assist and was absolutely everywhere for the Swiss today, both in defense and attack.

Tomorrow

England vs. Germany (9 am PDT)

Sweden vs. Ukraine (Noon PDT)

England really need to beat Germany now. The stars are aligning for a deep tournament run if we can just get past the Germans!