World Cup Roundup – Groups G and H

Qatar is engaging in the hypocrisy of inviting the world to their country then getting mad when the world brings its culture along. FIFA don’t care because they’ve already been paid.

In my blog post yesterday I called for more high drama, and while today wasn’t as dramatic as yesterday, our drama reservoirs are nowhere near empty.

Group G

Winners – Brazil

Runners Up – Switzerland

Eliminated – Cameroon, Serbia

Brazil came into their match against Cameroon knowing they were already through to the next round, which is perhaps a partial explanation of their 1-0 loss to Cameroon today. While they bossed possession and chances for the most part, they really struggled in the final third. The absence of all-world forward Neymar was noticeable. I do think Brazil boast plenty of attacking talent and they should have won this match without him, but their inability to breakdown a usually below-average Cameroonian defense is a concern for them in the next match if Neymar is unavailable again.

Even though the west African side is going out today, they can hang their hats on a very solid performance today against one of the favorites to win the tournament. Striker Vincent Aboubakar was on hand in stoppage time to head home the winner, after which he was promptly sent off due to removing his shirt in celebration and receiving a second yellow. Some people called this a boneheaded move by Aboubakar as he knew he was on a yellow already and removing the shirt after a goal is an automatic yellow card by rule. But given the late stage of things and the result in the other match, I suppose his actions are understandable. He likely knew Cameroon were going out, so he figured he’d exit with a bit of panache. Can’t say as I blame him. If you’re going to go out, go out with style!

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Serbia vs. Switzerland was the thriller in this group, with five total goals scored and a 3-2 final result in favor of the Swiss. The Swiss knew they could potentially get away with a tie to secure progression, while Serbia needed a win and help from Cameroon. There was also an element of rivalry about this match, as two Swiss players (midfielders Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka) are ethnically Albanian, and there is a long and very messy history of sectarian conflict between Serbs and Albanians that still exists to this day. The animosity shown towards Xhaka in particular was apparent. To be clear, I am not taking sides on this particular conflict, I just find the idea of an ethnic/cultural rivalry spilling over into football fascinating.

The first half of this match was madness! Shaqiri struck first for the Swiss on 20 minutes, but in-form Serbia forward Aleksandr Mitrovic got an equalizer just six minutes later. The Serbs then took a vital lead on 35 minutes thanks to striker Dusan Vlahovic. The pendulum swung back the other way though just before halftime, when Swiss striker Breel Embolo leveled the score once again. After 45 minutes the match was finely poised, and given that neither side was defending all that well, we appeared to be in store for more goals.

There was only one more goal scored though, though it came off the back of a very well-worked team goal from the Swiss. Midfielder Remo Freuler finished off the neat move by wrong-footing Serb keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic for 3-2. I thought the Serbs would respond immediately to going behind, and while they did throw men forward to try and find an equalizer, the Swiss stabilized themselves at the back a bit and held on for the rest of the half. Serbia tried their damnedest to find a winner, with Mitrovic having most of the chances, but they could not find another goal.

The Swiss have progressed out of their group at four of the last five World Cups, and they have the talent to cause problems for any opposition they face. I wonder if their defending is consistently good enough for a deep run, though (here would be the place to make a Swiss cheese joke). Serbia can take pride in fighting until the end, but ultimately there will be disappointment as they probably had enough talent to get out of this group as well. But their defending was even worse than the Swiss defending today, so they will be going home.

Group H

Winners – Portugal

Runners Up – South Korea

Eliminated – Uruguay, Ghana

This group was the more dramatic one of the day, and it’s difficult to know where to start. The big upset was South Korea stunning Portugal 2-1. Portugal were already through going into this match, but they showed no signs of complacency early on as they had the lead from winger Ricardo Horta just 5 minutes into the match. It was a simple cutback cross from right back Diogo Dalot that opened up the Korean back line, and Horta was in the right place at the right time to fire home. Portugal looked good to go on and win the match, but were pegged back on 27 minutes after center back Kim Young-gwon swept home from close range. The ball was played in from a corner and took a deflection off a Portuguese defender before it fell to Kim, who was less than 5 yards from the goal.

But a draw wouldn’t be good enough for the Koreans. They needed a win today, although they found themselves penned-in their own half for much of the rest of the game. Portugal went close to a second goal several times, with striker Cristiano Ronaldo missing some clear opportunities to score. The Koreans got their next chances on 65 and 67 minutes, but were denied a goal thanks to saves from keeper Diogo Costa. They kept Portugal at arm’s-length over the next 20 minutes or so, and finally got their winner in stoppage time.

South Korea’s superstar forward Son Heung-min had been rather quiet by his high standards over the course of the group stage, but he wrote his name all over the headlines today by providing the game winning assist. The ball broke to him and he carried it up the pitch in space, eventually meeting three Portuguese defenders on the edge of the penalty area. He did well to hold on to the ball and control it while waiting for support, and once it arrived he played a neat pass to forward Hwang Hee-chan. Hwang took a touch to create space and then powered a shot home with his second touch. Great work from Son down the right, and a clutch finish from Hwang to see them through. South Korea’s supporters and players were beside themselves!

Son had to drag this team to victory today, and I feel he is going to have to do that again as the tournament progresses. As goes Son, as goes South Korea. He is their national hero right now though, and if he even gets just half a yard of space in the right area, he will punish the opposition. Portugal for their part will be disappointed to have conceded a late winner, although it must be said they could have finished it off several times today had they not been so wasteful in front of goal. The world saw today what Manchester United fans have seen all season; Ronaldo is simply not what he once was. Fortunately though the Portuguese have a strong squad around him, so I still think they will go far in this tournament.

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With the South Korean’s win they secured second place, but that spot was very much up for grabs until their stoppage time winner.

Ghana thought they might take the lead in the opening 20 minutes of their match against Uruguay after being awarded a penalty, but keeper Sergio Rochet saved forward Andre Ayew’s rather tame effort to keep the match scoreless. Uruguay then finally got some goal-scoring thanks to attacking midfielder Giorgian de Arrascaeta, who netted twice in the span of six minutes in the first half. Striker Luis Suarez was heavily involved in the build-up to both goals, registering an assist on the second one.

But Uruguay knew they needed to score as many as possible, because if South Korea beat Portugal, both sides would be level on points. The two sides were all level on goal difference, but South Korea found the tiebreaker on goals scored with their late goal. The Uruguayans for their part kept attacking and attacking, but they could not find a third goal no matter what they tried. Ghana were creating the occasional half-chance here and there, but they never really looked like seriously threatening Rochet’s goal aside from the penalty. Their final ball was either lacking or their shots were going wide/high.

The Uruguayans were furious late on when they felt they should have a penalty after an alleged foul on striker Darwin Nunez in the box, but it wasn’t given to them. That led to some ugly scenes at full time, with the Uruguayan players surrounding the referee and appearing as if they were going to assault him. The referee did well to stand up to them, but it was a fairly classless display by a team that had no one but themselves to blame today. Had they played better earlier in the tournament, the penalty decision wouldn’t have mattered either way.

Ghana had one thing on their minds coming into this match: revenge. At the 2010 World Cup during the Round of 16, Suarez made himself public enemy number one in that country when he flagrantly used his hand to clear a Ghanaian goal-bound shot away. He was sent off for that, but the Ghanaians missed their penalty and Uruguay advanced. Although they did not beat Uruguay today, they did just enough to keep them from advancing and thus exacted some degree of revenge. To be fair, Suarez is a generally despicable person. I think he’s a racist, a cheat, a shithouser of the worst variety, and he generally has one of the most punch-able faces I have ever seen. He looks like a rat, to put it simply. It’s no wonder he’s viewed in Ghana by many as an incarnation of the Devil himself. But his tears on the bench after Uruguay went out will sustain me for several days, as this was probably his last World Cup. It’s always nice to see a villain get what’s coming to him.

And with that, the group stage is over! Congrats to everyone who progressed, commiserations to all who did not (except Suarez). The Round of 16 kicks off tomorrow, and there are no more draws at this point. We have to have a winner in all of these upcoming matches, which means the prospect of a penalty shootout is very much on the table. Who will advance to the quarterfinals, and who will be going home? We will soon find out!

Brazil vs. South Korea – Monday, December 5th – 7 AM PST

Portugal vs. Switzerland – Tuesday, December 6th – 11 AM PST

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!