One thread for both games. Italy is already through, so the fight is for second. Realistically, I believe Ireland is out. They have a -3 goal differential and I don’t see Italy giving up enough goals to close that gap. If Sweden beats Belgium, they will claim second. If Belgium beats or ties Sweden, Belgium claims second. I think Belgium will do enough to go through.
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SRW1
I suspect there’s gonna be only one Swede in the next round and that’s Lars Lagerbäck, the coach of Iceland.
ETA: Goal differential doesn’t matter for Ireland to go through, they JUST have to beat Italy to get to four points.
Onkel Fritze
@Randinho
Not really. Ireland already has a point because they tied Sweden. If they manage to win against the Italian B-team, they would go through with 4 points and 3rd place.
Punchy
@Onkel Fritze: There’s Norway this revelation wont Sweden the excitement, as both teams need to Finnish with a win. Use smart attacks, Denmark your men on defense, and booyah, a win.
raven
@Punchy: Drop the bong and put your hands up!
Steeplejack (phone)
@Punchy:
I had a nice vacation in Booyah once. Lovely people.
Tony J
After the crazy-time events of the Group F games the conclusion of Group E has a hell of a lot to live up to. Hungary v Portugal was a boomclanger of a game, complete with purple patch of counter-punching goals that looked like Ronaldo singlehandedly dragging his countrymen into a last 16 tie with England, only for his expression at the end of the game to signal that he’d heard about the ICELANDSMITE taking place in the other game. I mean, 93 mins 24 seconds into a 94 minute game for a winner? Hail Woden and see you on Monday, Elf-Lovers.
Can the Republic do it here? Well they’re certainly going for it and they’ve got nothing at all to lose. No one seriously expects Ireland to beat Italy… Until they do.
Belgium – should – ease past Sweden, but it depends on which Belgium turns up. Zlatan could blow holes through the lackadaisical shower who lost to Italy, for example.
Onkel Fritze
@Punchy:
Here’s something you might enjoy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxiAe3ULuxI&list=PL5gfIrUmsVNqioLHxN4W1tPBCuIqx-boR
Even if nobody else does.
Tony J
Wow. Did not know that Chris de Burgh was managing Italy these days.
And that was a frigging blatant penalty. Right in front of the referee, nothing given. Disgraceful decision. Either it was a foul or it was simulation.
Onkel Fritze
The other group this morning was a lot more interesting. We need a goal either by Sweden or by Ireland.
Face
These games could not possibly be more boring.
SRW1
Sweden and Ireland can’t, and Italy and Belgium can’t really be bothered.
Tony J
“Italy are about as likely to score as a fat guy at a Slimmer’s World convention.”
Italy hit the post.
I’ll just shut up.
Tony J
Whoa. The guy from Eraserhead just came on for Italy.
Omnes Omnibus
Ireland? Wow.
Tony J
Look Ireland, everyone else has done it, now you just have to put the frigging ball into the box on the foot or head of a man in green and white (preferably called Keane) and score the goal that will prevent you having to go home and watch the Gaelic Rules Pig Stroking Championship with Scotland.
And they do it!!!!!!
Get. The. Feck. In.
SRW1
Jesus, this is almost like basketball: a game is x minutes, but usually only gets interesting in the last 5 of them.
Serious warning to Belgium: You wanna think seriously about a second goal and winning this group!
Onkel Fritze
@SRW1:
No. It’s the direct match-up that counts. Italy won that 1:0, they’re first, no matter what.
SRW1
@Onkel Fritze:
You’re right. And Turkey is now out.
Onkel Fritze
@SRW1: And isn’t that a happy-end to two boring games. :)
Tony J
Hand on heart, I did not think Ireland were going to be able to pull this off, even against Italy’s back-up squad, but Christ’s Balls they deserved it.
Roy Keane must have appeared in all of their bedrooms last night and sat on the end of their beds, naked, bathed in shadow, oiling a potato knife, silent but expressive.
And it worked.
Calouste
So one of the following will be in the final:
Switzerland
Poland
Croatia
Portugal
Wales
Northern Ireland
Hungary
Belgium
Quite hard to predict who of them it’s going to be.
SRW1
I don’t think there’s an even half ways clear favorite after the group phase. Especially not as all of the big animals, among which everybody can beat everyone, ended up in the same pool. Given that Croatia has a doable path, they might be able to pull it off.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
@Calouste: Out of those eight, I think you can make a respectable case for five of them as the eventual finalist: Poland, Wales, Croatia, Portugal, and Belgium.
Randinho
Thanks for the correction on the tiebreakers.
Nainggolan looks like a punk version of Tintin.
SRW1
Oddly enough, all British teams strenuously refused an exit.
Tony J
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym:
You could make a case for Hungary and Switzerland as well. The only team that I’d have put in the “going out in the first round” group when the tournament started would have been Northern Ireland. There are no whipping boys at all left in. Whoever gets to the final out of that group has a pretty good chance of lifting the trophy.
Just realised. If England beat Iceland we could get Ireland in the Quarter Final. The small matter of beating the hosts is all that stands in Oirland’s way.
Come on you boys in green!
humboldtblue
@Tony J: They’ve got to avenge the Henry handball to get a shot at the most frustrating team in the tourney, a team with speed and skill up front to run with Barcelona and the creativity of a dead sheep.
I’m a Liverpool supporter but for the life of me I can not see what everyone else sees in Jordan Henderson. He’s a slow-footed workhorse who may be able defensively but he’s utter shite in attack with this team and yet Hodgson keeps running his slope-shouldered horrible-haircut upturned-nose-ass out there.
Tony J
@humboldtblue:
I’m a Liverpool fan as well, and I have to agree about Henderson in this England team. in the last game he was… Not impressive.
But yeah, the Irish have a reason to look forward to their game against France. And, to be honest, this French team haven’t impressed me at all. They’ve got a chance.
pseudonymous in nc
Two pairs of group-concluding matches with goals scored more or less simultaneously. I don’t think that’s happened before.
And the draw for the knockout stages is very very interesting. Before every Euros there’s the question of whether there’ll be another Denmark or Greece, and this could well be one of those tournaments.