It’s the day after the day after the night before and like Every England defeat, it gets easier with time. A Welsh friend of mine came up to me last night and asked if I was OK. I said that I was and it was true. It’s not like I haven’t had practice at dealing with England’s failure at major tournaments. Anyway, what else was I going to do? Break down in tears and fall into his arms?
Of course I hated what happened on monday night. Every England football fan did. It was embarrassing and pitiful. But I’ve seen variations on that before. I’m reading lots of articles expressing surprise at that performance. ‘Where did that come from?’ type pieces. Whereas we all know exactly where that came from. It came from the Premier League, the “best league in the world” according to the people who sell it overseas.
We’ve all seen all these players perform well in the Premier League. England finished the game with last seasons two top goalscorer on the field and I don’t think they would’ve scored if they were still there now. Wayne Rooney played for eighty-seven minutes and he looked like someone who’d never played the game before. Joe Hart made one of the best saves I’ve ever seen against Swansea last season but his (dandruff free) head looked shot to pieces. This is what playing for England can do to a person.
And yet they still think they’re brilliant. One of the Icelandic players was saying how much motivation he got from overhearing Joe Hart say to the rest of the players at half time that we really can’t play that badly against France or we’ll get beaten. At half time! When we were already getting beaten by Iceland. He also overheard Harry Kane ask the referee if losing the game meant that England were out. The arrogance is staggering. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that people paid enormous sums of money and feted wherever they go lose a sense of perspective. I know I would.
And that’s where the manager comes in. He’s the one who’s meant to tell them to stop getting ahead of themselves. Personally, I’d have taken Joe Hart off at half time but if I’d have heard him mention the France game, in the tunnel within earshot of the opposition, I’d have completely lost my shit with him. But Roy’s not that sort of guy. Imagine what Antonio Conte would’ve said in that situation. Or Slaven Bilic.
I’ve always liked Roy Hodgson but on monday night, he looked like a man without a clue what he was meant to do next. I totally get the fact that it’s much easier to manage a team from the comfort of ones living room having had a couple of beers. We can all do that. But performing under pressure is what the job is. And neither Roy nor the players could handle it.
On Tuesday afternoon, Roy was dragged into a press conference by his FA bosses. He looked shattered. He said he didn’t know what he was doing there and I could only agree. As much as I wanted an explanation for what we’d witnessed the night before, I knew he couldn’t offer one. This England job breaks managers and it’s broken another one
I feel sorry for the fans who travelled out. Most of them support lower league clubs and they spend their hard earned cash following their country to summer tournaments. And it always ends in failure. I’m sure they have a good time in between games but it always goes the same way. There’s a very funny Youtube clip of a Charlton fan, during the game, swearing mightily and complaining about how he’s been let down again. It ends with him saying “I’ve had a shit season and now I’m having a shit summer”. Haven’t we all.
Wednesday, 29 June 2016
Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Worse than Croydon
This piece contains one or two sentences borrowed from a piece I wrote six years ago just after we’d been beaten 4-1 by Germany at the World Cup in South Africa. Some of it is still relevant now and no doubt will be in fifty years when our Grandchildren are watching us lose to The Maldives in World Cup 2066
Well, that was shit. I knew there was anti-European sentiment in the country but I had no idea it extended to the England team. That performance was the worst thing I’ve ever watched. I’ve seen England draw with Algeria when we couldn’t string two passes together. I saw England get absolutely stuffed by Germany at the same World Cup and this was worse. I watched England lose to Holland with a goal by a bloke who should’ve been sent off and this was worse. I’ve seen us lose to Germany, on penalties twice in semi-finals and this was worse.
Never has being an England fan felt quite so pointless. Every time they jet off to a tournament in their new suits with the nations hopes pinned firmly on them, you think to yourself “this time, I won’t get drawn in. This time, I won’t fully commit so that when it ends in ignominy and embarrassment, at least I won’t feel quite as desolate”. And then they arrive at a tournament and in the press conferences, they all say how happy they are to be there and how the mood is really good. And you start to think ‘maybe this time’. And they play OK in the Group stages and even though they don’t qualify top, there are signs that things are coming together and you feel a slight sense of optimism. And then last night happens.
You’d think that surely now, as they sit in the airport waiting for their (hopefully massively delayed) flight home, the players in the England team know that they’re nowhere near as good as they thought they were. You’d hope that with their humiliation at the hands of Iceland, the realization might have finally dawned on them that even though they’re on multi-million pound contracts, collectively, we are, as a footballing nation worse than Iceland. Worse than a country with the same number of people as Croydon. Yes, Iceland were immense. They were, fitter and had more imagination, more heart, more team spirit and more skill. But surely our best eleven should be able to beat their best eleven. Shouldn’t they? Apparently not.
I know all the excuses and I’m not going to revisit them here. But something’s going very wrong. My friend asked me last night if England were cursed and I thought ‘we’ve looked for the causes to our multiple failures in all sorts of places. Perhaps we should consider the supernatural. We’ve tried everything else, maybe a witchdoctor might be the answer. Why don’t we sacrifice a chicken and spread it’s entrails over the centre circle at Wembley? Maybe that will help’.
As for Roy, he resigned straight after the game. He read from a statement that sounded like he’d spent some time over it but he insisted he wrote straight after the final whistle. Personally, I’d like to have heard what he thought about that performance but like pretty much everything the FA does, it was mismanaged. Wayne Rooney apologised and Joe Hart apologised but no-one really explained what happened. Possibly because they can’t. Who could explain that?
Well, that was shit. I knew there was anti-European sentiment in the country but I had no idea it extended to the England team. That performance was the worst thing I’ve ever watched. I’ve seen England draw with Algeria when we couldn’t string two passes together. I saw England get absolutely stuffed by Germany at the same World Cup and this was worse. I watched England lose to Holland with a goal by a bloke who should’ve been sent off and this was worse. I’ve seen us lose to Germany, on penalties twice in semi-finals and this was worse.
Never has being an England fan felt quite so pointless. Every time they jet off to a tournament in their new suits with the nations hopes pinned firmly on them, you think to yourself “this time, I won’t get drawn in. This time, I won’t fully commit so that when it ends in ignominy and embarrassment, at least I won’t feel quite as desolate”. And then they arrive at a tournament and in the press conferences, they all say how happy they are to be there and how the mood is really good. And you start to think ‘maybe this time’. And they play OK in the Group stages and even though they don’t qualify top, there are signs that things are coming together and you feel a slight sense of optimism. And then last night happens.
You’d think that surely now, as they sit in the airport waiting for their (hopefully massively delayed) flight home, the players in the England team know that they’re nowhere near as good as they thought they were. You’d hope that with their humiliation at the hands of Iceland, the realization might have finally dawned on them that even though they’re on multi-million pound contracts, collectively, we are, as a footballing nation worse than Iceland. Worse than a country with the same number of people as Croydon. Yes, Iceland were immense. They were, fitter and had more imagination, more heart, more team spirit and more skill. But surely our best eleven should be able to beat their best eleven. Shouldn’t they? Apparently not.
I know all the excuses and I’m not going to revisit them here. But something’s going very wrong. My friend asked me last night if England were cursed and I thought ‘we’ve looked for the causes to our multiple failures in all sorts of places. Perhaps we should consider the supernatural. We’ve tried everything else, maybe a witchdoctor might be the answer. Why don’t we sacrifice a chicken and spread it’s entrails over the centre circle at Wembley? Maybe that will help’.
As for Roy, he resigned straight after the game. He read from a statement that sounded like he’d spent some time over it but he insisted he wrote straight after the final whistle. Personally, I’d like to have heard what he thought about that performance but like pretty much everything the FA does, it was mismanaged. Wayne Rooney apologised and Joe Hart apologised but no-one really explained what happened. Possibly because they can’t. Who could explain that?
Monday, 27 June 2016
Here we go
I'm running around today trying to get things done before five. I don’t want to miss either of the games. First up is Italy against Spain. It’s a bit ridiculous that these two footballing giants are meeting in the second round but these are the anomalies you get when there are twenty-four teams. Italy in particular can feel a bit aggrieved to have won a difficult group and then get drawn against Spain in the first knock out game. Belgium finished below them and ended up spanking Hungary 4-0 last night.
Even with their slightly dubious style of defending, I’ve got a lot of admiration for the Italians. Firstly, they have my favourite national anthem. It’s a great tune and is as unlike the dirge like British national anthem as it’s possible to be. I like watching them singing it. Also, they know how to get a result. I said before their group game against Belgium that it was instructive to watch as the camera panned along the line of players. The Italians looked massively experienced and totally ready. They will take some stopping.
The same could be said for Spain. They are of course the double European Champions and they also won the World Cup in 2010. The team is packed with brilliant footballers and they have Andres Iniesta, a player I believe is as good in his position as anyone ever has been. What a nightmare he must be to play against. Up to this point, I haven’t gone in for predictions in these blogs and I’m not about to start with a game like this. But it will be tight.
And then after the hors d’oeuvres, we have, for the people of England and Iceland the main course. England are massive favourites for this game and that’s only right and proper. Aside from Gylfi Sigurdsson, no-one I know had heard of a single one of their first eleven. That doesn’t mean they’re not good players (Arsenal just spent thirty-million quid on a player I was only vaguely aware of) but it does mean that man for man, we’re better than they are. But there’s no doubt that Iceland are a tight knit group and they’ll have the vociferous backing of one in every twenty-two people from Iceland who will actually be at the game.
I think this match could be incredibly tight. I can’t imagine Iceland doing a huge amount of attacking and if the last three games have shown us anything, it’s that England have difficulty in breaking down packed defences. If England score early, I think they’ll win by two or three. But if it’s still level after seventy-five minutes, we could be looking at penalties. And if that happens, may God have mercy on our souls.
Even with their slightly dubious style of defending, I’ve got a lot of admiration for the Italians. Firstly, they have my favourite national anthem. It’s a great tune and is as unlike the dirge like British national anthem as it’s possible to be. I like watching them singing it. Also, they know how to get a result. I said before their group game against Belgium that it was instructive to watch as the camera panned along the line of players. The Italians looked massively experienced and totally ready. They will take some stopping.
The same could be said for Spain. They are of course the double European Champions and they also won the World Cup in 2010. The team is packed with brilliant footballers and they have Andres Iniesta, a player I believe is as good in his position as anyone ever has been. What a nightmare he must be to play against. Up to this point, I haven’t gone in for predictions in these blogs and I’m not about to start with a game like this. But it will be tight.
And then after the hors d’oeuvres, we have, for the people of England and Iceland the main course. England are massive favourites for this game and that’s only right and proper. Aside from Gylfi Sigurdsson, no-one I know had heard of a single one of their first eleven. That doesn’t mean they’re not good players (Arsenal just spent thirty-million quid on a player I was only vaguely aware of) but it does mean that man for man, we’re better than they are. But there’s no doubt that Iceland are a tight knit group and they’ll have the vociferous backing of one in every twenty-two people from Iceland who will actually be at the game.
I think this match could be incredibly tight. I can’t imagine Iceland doing a huge amount of attacking and if the last three games have shown us anything, it’s that England have difficulty in breaking down packed defences. If England score early, I think they’ll win by two or three. But if it’s still level after seventy-five minutes, we could be looking at penalties. And if that happens, may God have mercy on our souls.
Sunday, 26 June 2016
Lacking in Excitement
Jesus, the all British affair of Wales v Northern Ireland was shit. We had Martin Atkinson as ref as well so the entire pitch was peopled with Brits. It was like a post Brexit version of what the Euros could become and it wasn’t pretty. It looked like a reserve match where a couple of first team players were getting a run out to regain fitness. The first half was as bad a half of football as we’ve seen at these Championships. It got marginally better around the fifty minute mark when Wales had a shot and Northern Ireland crossed the halfway line for a short while. And then it reverted back to sheer soporific boredom until Gareth Bale decided to take control and hit a great cross into what we now call the corridor of uncertainty. And that was that. I’m starting to think that Wales could actually win the bloody thing.
All three knockout games yesterday were pretty poor. I watched some of Switzerland v Poland and it was OK I suppose. The Poles were much better but the truth is, it’s hard to care either way. As a neutral, all you really want are lots of goals, incidents and possibly a bit of ludicrous pushing and shoving. We didn’t get much of any of that although Shaqiri’s goal was lovely and penalty shoot outs are always dramatic.
Modern footballers are just a bit too good nowadays. A bit too well drilled. Very few people make mistakes anymore. Everybody’s first touch is perfect so it’s just a case of defenders shepherding players away from danger. Nobody takes risks anymore. They pass it backwards and forwards across the defence and the opposition push up to deny them space to turn. And then it goes back the other way. In the past, passes might be hit vaguely in the right direction but players would mis-control the ball and give the opposition a chance. Tackles would come flying in and players were scythed down with some regularity. Who wouldn’t like to see Cristiano Ronaldo scythed down once in a while.
Talking of CR7, I had to work last night so I missed almost all of the Croatia v Portugal bore fest. My friends tell me that basically nothing happened for one hundred and twenty minutes. I got home in time to see the goal. Ronaldo hit a first time shot that the keeper somehow managed to save but Quaresma nodded in the rebound. It was funny to watch Cristiano celebrate separately from the rest of his ecstatic team mates. Almost as if he’s not quite part of the collective.
Here’s hoping that today brings something a bit more exciting.
All three knockout games yesterday were pretty poor. I watched some of Switzerland v Poland and it was OK I suppose. The Poles were much better but the truth is, it’s hard to care either way. As a neutral, all you really want are lots of goals, incidents and possibly a bit of ludicrous pushing and shoving. We didn’t get much of any of that although Shaqiri’s goal was lovely and penalty shoot outs are always dramatic.
Modern footballers are just a bit too good nowadays. A bit too well drilled. Very few people make mistakes anymore. Everybody’s first touch is perfect so it’s just a case of defenders shepherding players away from danger. Nobody takes risks anymore. They pass it backwards and forwards across the defence and the opposition push up to deny them space to turn. And then it goes back the other way. In the past, passes might be hit vaguely in the right direction but players would mis-control the ball and give the opposition a chance. Tackles would come flying in and players were scythed down with some regularity. Who wouldn’t like to see Cristiano Ronaldo scythed down once in a while.
Talking of CR7, I had to work last night so I missed almost all of the Croatia v Portugal bore fest. My friends tell me that basically nothing happened for one hundred and twenty minutes. I got home in time to see the goal. Ronaldo hit a first time shot that the keeper somehow managed to save but Quaresma nodded in the rebound. It was funny to watch Cristiano celebrate separately from the rest of his ecstatic team mates. Almost as if he’s not quite part of the collective.
Here’s hoping that today brings something a bit more exciting.
Saturday, 25 June 2016
Turn off your Phone Raheem
It's all gone a bit quiet on the Euro front. I guess there's been other stuff going on but I really want the football to start again. There was some news coming out of the England camp that Raheem Sterling had been a
bit depressed because of all the negativity on social media. And there
has been a fair bit of it, some of it from me after he missed that
chance against Wales. I know this is a radical solution but someone
should take his mobile phone away. Or at least turn off the data. Is that even allowed with twenty year olds? Would they die from the shock?
By the way, doesn’t it feel like England haven’t played for about a year? Not long to wait now. But first we have all the other Round of 16 (I hate that expression) games. I might take a glance at Poland against Switzerland but aside from being either 1) the country that my Grandparents were born in or 2) the country where my Grandparents money may well have ended up, I have no connection with either place.
The second game is Wales against Northern Ireland and I’ll definitely be watching this one. Michael O’Neil predicted a cup tie feel for this game and it’s a fair prediction seeing as it actually is a cup tie. I’ve also heard various pundits say that it will be like a Premier League game but the truth is it won’t. For one thing, there won’t be anyone on the pitch from outside the UK which is unlike any premier league game I’ve watched. Also, most the Northern Ireland team don’t even play in the Premier League. This makes their achievement in getting this far quite spectacular. Some of their stories are brilliant. One of their forwards Josh Magennis spent most of his youth playing as a goalkeeper. I know they all want to play outfield but how many of them get to do it at a major tournament?
As for Wales, I’ve had a cheeky fiver each way bet on them winning the tournament. I know it’s ridiculous but why not. They’re playing well, they’re in much the easier side of the draw, they’re scheduled to meet Belgium in the quarter final and they beat them twice in qualifying. And if you get to a semi-final, anything can happen. Greece won Euro 2004 with a much more limited team and Wales have Gareth Bale. Stranger things have happened, not least in the Premier League last season.
I think Croatia will beat Portugal although with Ronaldo, anything is possible. He’s a strange man. It can’t be easy being almost the best footballer on the planet but not quite. None of us would mind being in that position but he’s Ronaldo. He has to be the best and his frustration with his Portuguese team mates is palpable. It’s difficult to know when he’ll have his meltdown at this tournament but it will definitely happen at some point.
By the way, doesn’t it feel like England haven’t played for about a year? Not long to wait now. But first we have all the other Round of 16 (I hate that expression) games. I might take a glance at Poland against Switzerland but aside from being either 1) the country that my Grandparents were born in or 2) the country where my Grandparents money may well have ended up, I have no connection with either place.
The second game is Wales against Northern Ireland and I’ll definitely be watching this one. Michael O’Neil predicted a cup tie feel for this game and it’s a fair prediction seeing as it actually is a cup tie. I’ve also heard various pundits say that it will be like a Premier League game but the truth is it won’t. For one thing, there won’t be anyone on the pitch from outside the UK which is unlike any premier league game I’ve watched. Also, most the Northern Ireland team don’t even play in the Premier League. This makes their achievement in getting this far quite spectacular. Some of their stories are brilliant. One of their forwards Josh Magennis spent most of his youth playing as a goalkeeper. I know they all want to play outfield but how many of them get to do it at a major tournament?
As for Wales, I’ve had a cheeky fiver each way bet on them winning the tournament. I know it’s ridiculous but why not. They’re playing well, they’re in much the easier side of the draw, they’re scheduled to meet Belgium in the quarter final and they beat them twice in qualifying. And if you get to a semi-final, anything can happen. Greece won Euro 2004 with a much more limited team and Wales have Gareth Bale. Stranger things have happened, not least in the Premier League last season.
I think Croatia will beat Portugal although with Ronaldo, anything is possible. He’s a strange man. It can’t be easy being almost the best footballer on the planet but not quite. None of us would mind being in that position but he’s Ronaldo. He has to be the best and his frustration with his Portuguese team mates is palpable. It’s difficult to know when he’ll have his meltdown at this tournament but it will definitely happen at some point.
Friday, 24 June 2016
Some Distraction Required
Writing a blog about Euro 2016 today feels a little pointless. Firstly, there are no games. Secondly, who wants to read a (hopefully) amusing piece about the only European thing we’re still in? And then I thought fuck it. These bastards have lied and lied in order to get people to vote to “get their country back” and the likely outcome is that one old Etonian will hand over power to another old Etonian. Surely we all need something to take our mind off the news.
So as we all know, there’s a major football tournament taking place in (soon to be more difficult to get into) France. And our teams are doing quite well. And when I say our teams, I include Ireland in that even though I know they’re not a “home” country. But seriously, right now, who cares about any of that? I might not have been singing The Fields of Athenry on Wednesday night but I still found some joy in their victory over the Italians and I’ll be cheering them on against the French. Mainly because England would have a better chance of beating them in the quarter final.
Not that I’m in any way ignoring Iceland. I’ve loved watching Iceland in this tournament and they’re no pushovers. They look indomitable. They beat Holland home and away in the qualifiers and they will present a formidable challenge on monday evening. They’re obdurate, together and they love their underdog status. Whereas we’re England with our football history and our Premier League “superstars”. They’ve got nothing to lose.
But, if we don’t beat them, I imagine the reception back at Luton airport will not be a welcoming one. (Personally, I’d make them land at the furthest gate from the terminal building and then only open one booth on passport control.) Let’s face it, after the disaster of last night (I know some of you may feel differently but it’s my opinion), I think it’s even more crucial that the England team put on a performance and cheer us all up.
All was sweetness and light at the England training camp yesterday as the team tried to shine the best possible light on us being in the most challenging part of the draw. It was all “we’ll just take each game as it comes” and “every game is hard at this stage of the competition”. And I accept that. On the other hand, I’d rather have to play, for example Northern Ireland, Belgium and Croatia to get to the final than Iceland, France and Italy. But here we are.
Anyway, there’s only one more day of this interminable waiting before we get back to some proper football. In the meantime, we can all contemplate the prospect of having to queue up for visas at the Spanish embassy and the thought of Boris Johnson as our next Prime Minister. Until tomorrow.
So as we all know, there’s a major football tournament taking place in (soon to be more difficult to get into) France. And our teams are doing quite well. And when I say our teams, I include Ireland in that even though I know they’re not a “home” country. But seriously, right now, who cares about any of that? I might not have been singing The Fields of Athenry on Wednesday night but I still found some joy in their victory over the Italians and I’ll be cheering them on against the French. Mainly because England would have a better chance of beating them in the quarter final.
Not that I’m in any way ignoring Iceland. I’ve loved watching Iceland in this tournament and they’re no pushovers. They look indomitable. They beat Holland home and away in the qualifiers and they will present a formidable challenge on monday evening. They’re obdurate, together and they love their underdog status. Whereas we’re England with our football history and our Premier League “superstars”. They’ve got nothing to lose.
But, if we don’t beat them, I imagine the reception back at Luton airport will not be a welcoming one. (Personally, I’d make them land at the furthest gate from the terminal building and then only open one booth on passport control.) Let’s face it, after the disaster of last night (I know some of you may feel differently but it’s my opinion), I think it’s even more crucial that the England team put on a performance and cheer us all up.
All was sweetness and light at the England training camp yesterday as the team tried to shine the best possible light on us being in the most challenging part of the draw. It was all “we’ll just take each game as it comes” and “every game is hard at this stage of the competition”. And I accept that. On the other hand, I’d rather have to play, for example Northern Ireland, Belgium and Croatia to get to the final than Iceland, France and Italy. But here we are.
Anyway, there’s only one more day of this interminable waiting before we get back to some proper football. In the meantime, we can all contemplate the prospect of having to queue up for visas at the Spanish embassy and the thought of Boris Johnson as our next Prime Minister. Until tomorrow.
Thursday, 23 June 2016
Warming up Nicely
I know some people watched the final EU referendum debate on Channel 4 but if they’re football fans and they still chose that over the Ireland game, there’s something very wrong with them. Ireland are a decent but limited football team but the way they went about trying to beat the Italians was superb. I don’t think there’s any way that Ireland would’ve beaten a full strength Italian team but then I didn’t think they’d beat the Italian reserve team and they did. To score one minute after missing the most glorious chance of the game and for the goal to be made by the guy who missed it was beautiful.
And then it was just a case of hanging on. The fact that Italy didn’t actually need a goal probably helped but they’ve still got their pride and Antonio Conte does not look like a man who takes defeat lightly. When the final whistle went, proof if any were needed that this was an incredible performance came when the camera caught Roy Keane with a big beaming smile on his face. And seeing Gianluigi Buffon looking genuinely happy as he congratulated Martin O’Neil was a nice touch as well. So England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland are all in the last sixteen. I almost felt sorry for Scotland for a couple of seconds. But that feeling passed fairly quickly.
The early games were just brilliant. Hungary have been one of the surprises of the tournament and they took the game to Portugal. But Ronaldo finally sorted his head out, scored two and the Portuguese scraped into the last sixteen. But the real story happened in the other game where Iceland nicked a last minute winner against Austria. If you get a chance, try and watch the Icelandic commentary on their winning goal. It’s excitable.
So now we know who will play who in the last sixteen and there are some tasty ties. I’m not sure some of the football on display for Wales v Northern Ireland will be of the highest quality but the atmosphere will be something very special. Croatia v Portugal will be a proper match and Belgium v Hungary is not a foregone conclusion. Seeing the Irish take on France will be worth it just to see Thierry Henry’s face if the Irish somehow nick it. Particularly if it’s a dodgy handball goal. We’ll get to see the first proper heavyweight clash as Italy take on Spain. And finally, England will take on Iceland in a re-run of the Cod Wars of the 1960s.
So much to look forward to but first, we have to contemplate two days without any football. Which is a relief for my family but a nightmare for the rest of us. Surely there’s a kick about happening somewhere.
And then it was just a case of hanging on. The fact that Italy didn’t actually need a goal probably helped but they’ve still got their pride and Antonio Conte does not look like a man who takes defeat lightly. When the final whistle went, proof if any were needed that this was an incredible performance came when the camera caught Roy Keane with a big beaming smile on his face. And seeing Gianluigi Buffon looking genuinely happy as he congratulated Martin O’Neil was a nice touch as well. So England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland are all in the last sixteen. I almost felt sorry for Scotland for a couple of seconds. But that feeling passed fairly quickly.
The early games were just brilliant. Hungary have been one of the surprises of the tournament and they took the game to Portugal. But Ronaldo finally sorted his head out, scored two and the Portuguese scraped into the last sixteen. But the real story happened in the other game where Iceland nicked a last minute winner against Austria. If you get a chance, try and watch the Icelandic commentary on their winning goal. It’s excitable.
So now we know who will play who in the last sixteen and there are some tasty ties. I’m not sure some of the football on display for Wales v Northern Ireland will be of the highest quality but the atmosphere will be something very special. Croatia v Portugal will be a proper match and Belgium v Hungary is not a foregone conclusion. Seeing the Irish take on France will be worth it just to see Thierry Henry’s face if the Irish somehow nick it. Particularly if it’s a dodgy handball goal. We’ll get to see the first proper heavyweight clash as Italy take on Spain. And finally, England will take on Iceland in a re-run of the Cod Wars of the 1960s.
So much to look forward to but first, we have to contemplate two days without any football. Which is a relief for my family but a nightmare for the rest of us. Surely there’s a kick about happening somewhere.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
