If this game was a horse I'd shoot it.
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If this game was a horse I'd shoot it.
Great goal. Not waiting 88 minutes for.
Suits us at least.
Has to be good for us. We could qualify in second place with three draws if Sweden and Belgium draw as well. That correct?
That'd work - though we'd have to draw with Italy too. Or we could finish second by drawing with Belgium and a 2-1 defeat to Italy.
Wouldn't settle for a draw with Belgium on that basis though.
I think whatever the result was here, we just need to target one win and we're through.
Yeah, that would be:
Italy: 7
Ireland: 3
Belgium: 2
Sweden: 2
Sweden have apparently yet to manufacture a shot on goal in the tournament. Hate, hate, hate that we dropped points to them.
Again watching it on my phone in the office and I thought something similar... well that it was an old school Brazil-Italy match.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Would the number of goals scored in the drawn games make a difference in a tie-breaker situation? If the Belgium-Sweden game ended in a high-scoring draw, would that mean we'd have to score more goals as well? Looking at the tie-breaking criteria, I get the impression it would as it may come down to goals scored.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Oh, you could be right alright.
Usually goal difference - but not this time.
So if we've drawn all three of our games, then it does get hugely tight.
Let's just beat Belgium.
A second Northern Irish fan has died - suffered a heart attack during the Ukraine match in the stadium. Very sad. :(
Something on the fractured relationship between Croatia's organised fans and their football association, which was the reason for the crowd disturbance and flares on the pitch towards the end of Croatia's game against the Czechs: http://balkanist.net/democratic-hool...-fans-croatia/
Their aim was to harm their own association.
Cracking finish to this game now. Would a Croatia win have been preferable for us though? Can't believe they threw it away.
The issues runs deeper than some angst with their FA, it's more to do with their being a large fascist core in their support.Quote:
Originally Posted by DannyInvincible
Immediately after Croatia beat Iceland WC2014 play off 2nd leg, one of their players Simunic grabbed the pa mike in the middle of the field and led the crowd in a loud rendition of a call response fascist chant, only associated with ultra WW2 nazis the Ustase, who by comparison made the SS look more like kindergarten cops.
Can you imagine if some german player grabbed the mic and led the whole crowd behind the terrace in chants of Sieg Heil.
Simunic was banned for 10 games.
Has anybody noticed that teams don't always have two players right next to the ball for the kickoffs? Sometimes one will kick the ball back to another around the edge of the centre circle?
Has there been a rule change of some kind which allows this change in behaviour?
EDIT: To answer my own question - yes, the rule that the first touch must be forwards is now gone, as of 2016.
Is there a risk that even a narrow win vs Italy will not be enough to be a 3rd place qualifier? I eas thinking that Hungarian equaliser might have been good for us.
Yeah, this was from an interview earlier in the week:Quote:
Originally Posted by osarusan
Quote:
Steven Davis made a minor bit of history with Northern Ireland's first touch at the European Championship. Coach Michael O'Neill, however, doesn't want that to be his team's only milestone at Euro 2016.
Davis, a Southampton midfielder, became the first man in European Championship history to employ the one-man kickoff in Sunday's match against Poland, using a recent rule change that allows players to pass the ball either back or forward at a kickoff.
"We are hoping it's not the highlight of the tournament for us," O'Neill joked Wednesday, a day before the team's second match against Ukraine.
You'd witness Mother Teresa getting mugged and wonder how that might be advantageous to your situation :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Hard to tell what is likely to happen in Group F as form has been turned on it's head. First beat Italy (obviously) and then think about what's what, and beating italy is a long shot regardless of their starting 11
But if Ireland do beat Italy and have 4 points, offhand i can think of 9 options for group F and in 7 of those options Ireland's 4 points would be superior to group f's 3rd place.
What you don't want is
iceland to beat Austria and Portugal beat Hungary
or
Austria to beat Iceland and Portugal to beat Hungary
Consult with Tricky on the odds of that happening.
I think these are all the situations that Ireland want to happen, might have missed 1 or 2.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Pre-Condition: Ireland 1-0 Italy
4 points / -2 GD / 2 Goals
Must happen in at least 2 Groups
GROUP A:
Scenario 1: Albania Win/Draw v Romania
Scenario 2: If Romania win, France must Win by 4 goals v Switzerland
GROUP B:
Scenario 1: England Win v Slovakia
Scenario 2: If Slovakia Win v England and Russia Win v Wales, Slovakia must Win by 4 goals
GROUP C:
Scenario 1: Germany Win v Northern Ireland
Scenario 2: If Northern Ireland Draw v Germany, Ukraine must Win v Poland by 4 goals
Scenario 3: Northern Ireland Win v Germany by 5 goals
GROUP D:
Scenario 1: Czech Republic Draw v Turkey
Scenario 2: Turkey Win v Czech Republic
Scenario 3: If Czech Republic Win v Turkey, Spain must Win v Croatia by 4 goals
GROUP E:
Scenario 1: If Ireland Win v Italy and Sweden Win v Belgium, Ireland must win by 2 more goals than Sweden do.
GROUP F:
Scenario 1: Hungary Win v Portugal
Scenario 2: Portugal Win v Hungary and Iceland Draw with Austria
Scenario 3: Iceland Draw with Austria and Portugal Draw with Hungary
Scenario 4: If Iceland Win v Austria, Portugal must Win by 5 goals v Hungary
Historic first goal for Albania.
I thought Romania looked decent against France but they've been very poor since.
Looks likely enough that Ireland will be in a position to progress if they do beat Italy. If.
3 cheers for Albania, putting one over on rivals Romania, great atmosphere to the game, unforgettable experience for their fans, they're a team who could have gathered more points.
They're a bit savage though, untamed, reckless, old school scything tackles, elbows a plenty, they must be just going through their Leeds Utd (1970's vhs tapes) phase of their development.
Romania undone by two routine crosses in the end. Pantillimon at 6 feet 6 or what ever he is would have gobbled up both.Quote:
Originally Posted by osarusan
Wales awesome so far. Allen, Bale and Ramsey all over them. Wales doing to Russia what we nearly did in '88.
Switched over to England game.
Hoddle after Bertrand nearly breaks a bloke's nose with an elbow. "It's not an elbow". Then replay shows full elbow in the mush. "Well it's slightly an elbow".
Tonight wasn't ideal from our point of view, we could have done with England winning, then Slovakia would only have had 3 points and couldn't have caught us (assuming we beat Italy which we have to). Our goal difference is too bad to be able to catch a team with 4 points.
What's left is hoping the Czechs don't beat Turkey (a draw or defeat would be ideal) or Northern Ireland don't pick up a point vs Germany or there are draws in Portugal v Hungary or Iceland v Austria.
If Ireland beat Italy they should qualify. It's highly unlikely you would see Portugal beat Hungary (by less than three goals) AND Iceland beat Austria AND the Czech Rep beat Turkey AND Northern Ireland get something from the Germans. That is four results going against you.
The problem is, you have to beat the Italians......who always play like $hit for 88 minutes and then nick a goal late on.
Russia were desperately poor tonight. For my money, probably the worst team at the finals, along with Ukraine. I've literally seen qualifiers against fifth seeds that were more competitive than that game. Cyprus gave us a better game (home and away).
I hope he gave Skrtel one for nearly flooring Jonny Williams in the opening game. If there was ever a case for a retrospective red card.....Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
It's getting annoying that some teams are always doing things that we nearly did.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
In some ways this tournament could end up more disappointing than 2012. This is the tournament that should be our Germany in Euro 2000.
Hey Cymro, many congrats. Are you out there?
Russia were awful alright but you still had to do the business and you certainly did. Very flattering that you think we're better than Russia & Ukraine :)
I was up in north Wales recently. Criccieth, near Porthmadog. Lovely spot, will go back.
Incredible stuff by McGovern - one of the great goalkeeping performances.
Definitely - especially for someone so unheralded really.
Germany did ease off with half an hour to go though, and it seems Poland v Ukraine was another snooze-fest. Goal-per-game average down to a record low of 1.77 per match - 0.45 fewer than Italia 90. Suggestion down the pub last night - not entirely jokingly - was that giving no points for a draw might be a way to stop all the negativity.
In this evening's matches, a one-goal win for Turkey is I think the only result that would help Albania - and that's what we have at the moment.
Lovely goal there for Croatia though.
Edit - a win for Turkey by two goals or less means the North are going through as well actually.
2-0 Turkey now, and they're ahead of Albania.
The North can actually afford for Turkey to score again and still be ok.
Ridiculous to not give a re-take for that Spain penalty - there's taking a step off your line to aid your dive, and there's taking three steps like the Croatian keeper did.
But that said, the Croatian call two minutes previously was a bigger call than the one that was given for Spain.
Looks like his heroics will see NI get through on goal difference. Great reward for him.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
BBC annoying me with their waffle about Albania being eliminated - no third-placed team can go out tonight, but teams can go through.
Thanks Stuttgart88.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
I was in Bordeaux for Slovakia. Couldn't get tickets/hotels/time off for the other games. Cracking trip, although the trains were running a non-service half the time due to strikes and sadly, in one case, a man dying of a heart attack on the train line at the Paris Metro.
I haven't been to North Wales in years, and never to Porthmadog. Bangor was enough to put me off for a while..... :D
Ireland in fairness probably have quite a bit to do before being as bad as the Russkrainians.....although I reserve judgement in case you lose 5-0 tomorrow! I'm sure that won't happen, if you win we most likely get NI in the last 16, so come on you boys in green!
That was never a penalty anyway. There was almost no contact at leg level, and just a brush at torso level.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
The official behind the goal must have been off somewhere else mentally. It's probably a hazard when you have nothing to do for 88 minutes.
They should just bring in TMOs for decisions like that.
It was somewhat justice for the penalty being given in the first place.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cymro
This is where it all gets fascinating. Portugal equaliser knocks out Albania in the 'As it Stands' table.
Albanians having heart attacks watching all this.
I like how he went to whip off his shirt and then changed his mind almost immediately.