Enjoying this one. Good technique in both teams. Austria a better outfit than Sweden, classier anyway, so they'll be tough in the qualifiers. It's also nice watching a game and relaxing. Yesterday was very tense.
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Enjoying this one. Good technique in both teams. Austria a better outfit than Sweden, classier anyway, so they'll be tough in the qualifiers. It's also nice watching a game and relaxing. Yesterday was very tense.
I meant Hungary obviously :)
A cool and composed finish by Stieber. Great stuff from Hungary.
I like that the Hungarian fella who'd just been subbed off with a twisted ankle started celebrating the goal and ended up making his ankle worse. :)
We've got ourselves a game here. Best 25 minutes of the tournament I think.
I dunno, think Portugal have it well in hand. Barring that early chance, Iceland have nothing going forward, and Portugal should be at least two up, if Nani could direct a header a foot to the left instead of aiming dead centre.
Still, Iceland full of fight. But imagine Portugal will put them away by 70 or so minutes.
Yeah, Portugal certainly well on top since I posted. But even then, it's an open, entertaining game.
Duffer's a good pundit actually.
We got us a game here!
Since they went behind Iceland haven't really...HAHAHA...I was literally halfway through typing that when they equalised.
I'm watching at a blurry resolution, who was the Portugal defender who fell on his arse to let the Icelander in? Serious mistake. Be interesting to compare Iceland's type of play now to Ireland after they scored yesterday.
Iceland just lumping it anywhere now. Geysir misled us all along!
Great scenes. We were them once.Quote:
Originally Posted by NeverFeltBetter
It's all about the result. Iceland shipped a gilt edged chance to Ronaldo. Italy gave up two sitters at 1-0 up. We gave up ground but no shots on target, but of the 3 teams we were only ones to concede.
Ha, Ronaldo was not a happy boy at the end. I suppose Iceland did infringe a lot, but it was never anything too bad.
That was fantastic though. I suppose Portugal didn't respond to the goal with the same enthusiasm that Sweden did yesterday, but still, that's a firm lesson to Ireland in how to defend once you've gotten what you need at the other end. Iceland held their shape, and while they let Portugal have chances - that Ronaldo header, what a woeful miss - they made as many as they allowed. Iceland so well-placed now to kick-on and get through to the next round.
Portugal are such a frustrating team. There have been bucket-loads of great players for so long now, but at tournaments they frequently seem so hapless and disjointed. The Portugal team out there didn't look one iota better than the team that crashed out of the group stages two years ago.
Yes and no. Had Hungary lost as expected earlier, I'd definitely agree - Iceland beat Hungary and they're through.Quote:
Originally Posted by NeverFeltBetter
But it's not quite so easy now. They could quite conceivably get just a point off Hungary and Austria and go out. It's an interesting group.
Result of the tournament so far and can only be bettered by iceland themselves. To have an idea of the import of this game, the Faroes shut down this evening and had 3 big screens in centre of Torshavn, that's a bigger event than the storming of the Bastille, in Patrick Kavanagh's poetic world view :)
It was thoroughly disciplined display by the Iceland team, re shape and a positive 442 formation, effortless pressing throughout the whole game, resulting in the icelandic goalkeeper hardly having a shot of note to deal with, maybe he witnessed a couple of fluffed efforts and experienced a few bad doses of hair gel splatter.
No doubt Benno will be happy that a Baselian/ Baselite struck home the equaliser with aplomb.
And for a serious football project some 15 years in the making, this game was so sweet, a most proud experience for a small nation to have the national anthem sung on this stage by ten or so thousand fans, followed by such a disciplined and positive display and all landing so neatly on Lagerback's shoulders, who has proved himself time and time again (to those in the know) in the last 4 years to be a masterclass coaching technician and a master of the positive expression of sporting prowess..
Vladdy Weiss
Vladdy Weiss
Vladdy Vladdy Weiss
If Wales get anything from England this group gets very interesting.
What was that bizarre little trot around the ball the referee did before Romania's penalty there?!
Flattening down divots maybe?
worst chant ever Stutts, doesn't even rhyme at the end.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Dunno. he was kind of trotting around the ball, but two yards around it all the time, in a circle.Quote:
Originally Posted by NeverFeltBetter
It looked like he wanted to check something with either the goalline official or the keeper - but he did it in the ponciest fashion ever.
The Swiss should be barred from future finals, at least a tv blackout. They will never be anything more than functionally boring at this international level.
At 1-1 it seemed like neither side really wanted to go for it. I don't think there is any likely scenario where 4 points isn't enough to get a team through, and the Swiss had that with a draw, while Romania could be confident of getting there with a draw and a win in their last game against Albania.
This is the perils of the expanded system, with two teams that don't seem all that accomplished grinding out a result to do the bare minimum to get to the knock-outs. And they'll expand the Euro's to 32 within a decade or so, I have no doubt.
Normal enough for teams in the group stages at any finals to want not to lose after one of them equalises, that's how it's been for yonks, nothing to do with extended format.Quote:
Originally Posted by NeverFeltBetter
ireland v netherlands for example :)
Extended format bashers need to look for real evidence, not 'makey up stuff' in order to support an opinion.
If three teams of four can get out of a group, the impetus to try to get three points from every game is diminished further. I don't think anyone would claim that teams haven't played for draws under the old system, but I'm sure Romania would have each tried harder for a winner if they knew only two teams were getting out of their group. They just didn't have the motivation to do that out there.
I'm making nothing up. This is just common sense. And while there will always be exceptions and variations in the way groups pan out, I don't think its a controversial opinion to suggest the group stages have lost a degree of competitiveness with the expanded format.
The flip side is if the Swiss had won, they'd have had a great chance at first place in the group and an easier path in the knock-out section. While it's easier to get out of the groups now, I don't think it's necessarily the case that neither team was that bothered about winning.
I think it just wasn't a good game - far from the first in the tournament. It's not a vintage one at all so far.
Awful game between the hosts and Albania lends credence to that thought. France can't seem to get going at all, Martial looks lost out on the right.
As an aside, totally given up on TV3's Live Player. At least RTE's lets you pick a resolution, TV3 insist on making me follow pixels around even though my internet is just fine.
Albania's crossing has been superb; causing France no end of trouble. And Albania beat France in the "qualifiers", so they might be sensing blood now.
"Blazed" over by Matuidi - love it!
it would be a shame if this stayed 0-0 and allowed France-Switzerland last game to be a dead rubber where they could just play out the draw and guarantee they both qualify.
At least it's picked up - been a great game since NeverFeltBetter reverse jinxed it!
Argh! Harsh on Albania.
Still, we've a 50/50 chance of meeting the Group A winners in the next round if we get through as a best third-placed team. Wouldn't be worried about facing France or Switzerland having seen them so far.
Starting to get a very Brazil '14 feeling off France. Celebrating like they won the tournament after being shown up for 89 minutes by Albania. They'll get theirs.
Sickened by the late goals, really hoped Albania would hold on. I thought they were fantastic.
That could still happen anyway - if anything it's more likely to happen now that France have 6 points. I still think France will go for the win anyway though.Quote:
Originally Posted by SkStu
Yeah, but quality match considering all the context. It's why I love international footy over every other form. Just love it.Quote:
Originally Posted by osarusan
Is there much to be said for the fact of the 24-team format lending itself to a load of dull games? Teams are less inclined to go and win games if there is a good chance that draws are weighted inordinately.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
I've seen very little on account of travelling to and from France and being at IRL-SWE and but what I have seen (Bar the hilarity of England's concession [that I watched in a bar in Crystal Palace]) has been poor fare. Only got to see the first half of ALB-FRA, in Gatwick waiting on my flight and I enjoyed it.
That's the point NeverFeltBetter was making earlier in the thread - I don't think it's necessarily the case myself. Big difference between finishing third in your group (and maybe not even getting through) and winning the group in terms of who you meet in the next round.
"Kane isn't Able" as Harry Kane fires a free well over - good man Jim Beglin!
Bale is able though!
England going home?
Great stuff.
What a ball by Sturridge.
Amazing he was given that much space though.