Round of 8 (AKA The Quarter-Finals)

[BlueStevie35]

I enjoyed the group stages in general (not England) but the knockout stages have been hard work.

Austria/Turkey and Switzerland/Italy were good games but everything has either been tight, frustrating or a cruise for the winning team

 

[jazzy]

Austria/Turkey and Switzerland/Italy were good games but everything has either been tight, frustrating or a cruise for the winning team

I really enjoyed the Austria / Netherlands game . Yesterday's Spain /Germany match was decent and that's about it for me.

The two tournament favourites France and England have stunk the place out

 

[jazzy]

That Rob Dorsett on Sky who reports on the England team is seriously annoying

Loves himself and so full of his own sense of importance, absolute arse.

 

[MikeH72]

I really enjoyed the Austria / Netherlands game . Yesterday's Spain /Germany match was decent and that's about it for me.

The two tournament favourites France and England have stunk the place out

It would be very bad for football if France and England were in the final. A victory for regressive, Stone Age, negative football and two dinosaur managers.

 

[Drico]

Spain IMO are not getting enough credit for what they did yesterday. They weathered that German battering and still found the strength to come out and get the winner at the death. Showed a lot of character although they did go a bit England in the lead up to Germany's equaliser

It depends on how you view this current German side. Historically, this was one of the greatest results in Spanish football history. Germany are the apex predator of European football, the big boss that you have to defeat to complete the game. It's no coincidence that of the four major tournaments that Germany has hosted, they won the 1974 World Cup and were eliminated only by last-minute goals in the other three - by Holland at Euro 88, Italy at the 2006 World Cup, and Spain yesterday. Basically, the only way to beat them is at the death - and up to now only the eventual champion has done that. If Spain go on to win this tournament, this result will take on historical dimensions and full credit will flow. It will be seen as the key game, in many ways.

However, if you look at this current German side as what they actually are - forgetting the shirt and the glorious, terrifying tradition - they are a sub-par group by their standards who are being rebuilt after an unprecedented era of humilation that saw World Cup defeats by Mexico, South Korea and Japan and a qualification defeat by North Macedonia. Nagelsmann has created a foundation to recuperate with this tournament. They played with distinction and went to their limits and they might even have won that game in the end, but they are not the West Germany of the 1970s or 1980s. France are.

If Spain go out to France - which I think they will - then yesterday will be seen as merely a dramatic clash of two flawed sides building towards the future, an interesting cul de sac in a tournament where the French ground down all-comers before losing to England in the final. Perhaps.

 

[Vintage]

 

[PITA]

"We're suspending you for a game, but you can take it against Finland, Greece or Ireland in the Nations League."

Looks like the NCAA slapping one of its cash cows on the wrist, while hammering a "lesser" school to show how tough they can be on enforcement.

That sounds familiar.

 

[Billy Dean]

It depends on how you view this current German side. Historically, this was one of the greatest results in Spanish football history. Germany are the apex predator of European football, the big boss that you have to defeat to complete the game. It's no coincidence that of the four major tournaments that Germany has hosted, they won the 1974 World Cup and were eliminated only by last-minute goals in the other three - by Holland at Euro 88, Italy at the 2006 World Cup, and Spain yesterday. Basically, the only way to beat them is at the death - and up to now only the eventual champion has done that. If Spain go on to win this tournament, this result will take on historical dimensions and full credit will flow. It will be seen as the key game, in many ways.

However, if you look at this current German side as what they actually are - forgetting the shirt and the glorious, terrifying tradition - they are a sub-par group by their standards who are being rebuilt after an unprecedented era of humilation that saw World Cup defeats by Mexico, South Korea and Japan and a qualification defeat by North Macedonia. Nagelsmann has created a foundation to recuperate with this tournament. They played with distinction and went to their limits and they might even have won that game in the end, but they are not the West Germany of the 1970s or 1980s. France are.

If Spain go out to France - which I think they will - then yesterday will be seen as merely a dramatic clash of two flawed sides building towards the future, an interesting cul de sac in a tournament where the French ground down all-comers before losing to England in the final. Perhaps.

Yes fair point. I have a feeling Spain might knock France out though (although my predictions are usually wrong)

 

[Drico]

Yes fair point. I have a feeling Spain might knock France out though (although my predictions are usually wrong)

I think they'll do very well to do that without Morata, Carvajal (a huge loss), Pedri, and Le Normande. That's a lot of surgery for one match.

 

[Runub]

Loves himself and so full of his own sense of importance, absolute arse.

The way he goes on you would think he is best mates with all the England squad

 

[Drico]

The way he goes on you would think he is best mates with all the England squad

That's always the giveaway with sports presenters. Do they think they are pals with the jocks? Think Richard Keys. Beta man trying to hang out with the alphas. It only gets more toxic over time.

 

[Ivo]

I don't really like much about the Swiss, but the flag is a big plus.

 

[Drico]

I don't really like much about the Swiss, but the flag is a big plus.

Yes, they can be the Band Aid of this tournament.

 

[davek]

I'm going to love watching that over-hyped obscene Bellingham exiting the field of play at about 7 tonight crying bucket loads.

 

[Jamo Martinez]

the most entertaining thing to happen is that Oliver's yellow card just fell out

I woke up when Vitinha booked Oliver. Should have been a red though.