Soccer Euro starting today

[Fradi]

Italy vs Turkey kicks off the Soccer European Championships today finally after the covid delay.

Belgium and England seem to be favourites.
Who is watching and what is your pick.

I still like France‘s chances, you cannot rule out the reining world Champ.
toughest group for me group F.
France, Portugal, Germany, Hungary,
Hungary seems to have little chance to advance with world Champs France, European Champs Portugal, and forever favourites Germany.

It should be interesting with games being played in various cities in Europe and the final in Wembley in England.

 

[joeca]

Love the Euro and World Cup. I will be watching, if not live, recorded and playback.

Nice performance by Italy today.

I like Belgium.
I'll cheer for England but don't have any faith they can pull it together (like every competition!),

I'll really be pulling for the underdog though, maybe Scotland/Hungary....Cinderella story ...

 

[Fradi]

Obviously with a name like Fradi I will be pulling for Hungary but I find they have little chance of advancing form their group.
Especially that their two best players are both injured and will miss the entire Euro competition.

Italy played well today, finally they are playing a style that is fun to watch, not the usual 89 minutes of defence with maybe one successful counter attack and they manage to squeeze through.
They completely dominated Turkey today.

 

[joshua1910]

No clear cut favourite this year. My pick unfortunately is France. I think they have the strongest 11 in the tournament. Lots of them have had great years. And the 2 that had average seasons are guys that will want to turn it around and explode. Mbappe and Grezman. I just hope I see a good Italy finish to 4 and improve until the World Cup. Mancini doing great things.

 

[EagerBeaver]

I do not know as much about soccer as you guys but is it fair for France and Germany to have been stuck into the same group? I look at the different groups and it seems like all of them have 1 clearcut best team except this group with France and Germany. Is this appropriate? Who decides on which teams go into what group?

UEFA European Championship News, Stats, Scores - ESPN

Follow all the latest UEFA European Championship football news, fixtures, stats, and more on ESPN.

www.espn.com

 

[Fradi]

Qualification was the most complicated process I have ever seen. For the last 4 teams to qualify the first 20 was straight forward the usual process.

EURO 2020: How did the qualification process work?

With the 16th edition of the European Championships set to begin from June 11, know how the 24 teams qualified

sportstar.thehindu.com

It is not just Germany and France but Portugal also who is the reigning Euro Champ with France being the reigning world Champ.
Actually Germany is kind of an underdog in this group as their performances lately haven’t been that great but I wouldn’t count them out.
Hungary is given almost no chance of making it out of this group, but stranger things have happened.
Hungary was in the same group with Portugal in the last Euro ( 2016) and it ended in a 3-3 draw. Portugal went on to win Euro 2016.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Look at this, Scottish goalie strayed too far from net and gets burned with 50 yard goal. In basketball they would call this a floating shot or a "floater", not sure what it's called in soccer, but if you watch the replay it's kind of funny watching the goalie try to scramble back and protect net and then realizing it's too late and he is fucked:

Patrik Schick nets 50-yard goal in Czech Republic win vs. Scotland - ESPN Video

Patrik Schick scores an amazing goal from near midfield to help the Czech Republic to a 2-0 win vs. Scotland.

www.espn.com

 

[Fradi]

^^^
It is called an exceptionally opportunistic and well placed kick, or one that was extremely lucky, take your pick.
I don’t really fault the goal keeper, it is normal to be outside that far when the ball is that far away, this happens very very rarely, that someone actually attempts a shot like this and even less that it ends in a goal.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Look at this, a great move by Robert Mak of Slovakia to beat his Polish defender leads to an own goal when the attacking Mak's kick caroms off the post, then off the Polish goalie's head and into the net:

Robert Mak's nutmeg on a Poland defender leads to own goal - ESPN Video

Robert Mak splits two defenders and his subsequent shot leads to an own goal by Wojciech Szczesny.

www.espn.com

Slovakia won this battle of friendly Eastern European rivals 2-1

 

[EagerBeaver]

Schick's 54 yard goal draws praise across the internet:

Schick's wonder goal: How the internet reacted, where it ranks

Schick's incredible halfway line goal got people talking and also moved him into exalted company for those who have scored from long distance.

www.google.com

 

[EagerBeaver]

France vs. Germany today at 3 pm, here is analysis of this big match from "experts':

Why France vs. Germany could be Euro 2020's game of the group stage

France vs. Germany is one of soccer's longest-standing rivalries. How do our experts, Julien Laurens and Gab Marcotti, see it playing out?

www.espn.com

 

[EagerBeaver]

France Wins 1-0 over Germany on this own goal by Mats Hummels:

France beats Germany on Hummels' own goal - ESPN Video

France opens Euro 2020 with a 1-0 win over Germany in a highly-anticipated Group F showdown.

www.espn.com

You could see Hummels was trying to block the crossing pass, and in that he succeeded in keeping it off the French player's foot, but it turned out his foot would boot it home. I am sure he wished he could have gotten a little more in front of the ball, but he didn't, and that is how the cookie crumbles.

 

[Meta not Meta]

Incredibly intense match today, could have been the final. Pavard probably should have gone off with concussion symptoms. Pogba superb. Benzema a little disappointing, but Mbappe arrived as advertised. With a superb defense and lethal counterattack, the French will always be happy to give up possession to an equal, or near equal opponent, like Germany.

Did anyone see the love bite Rudiger gave Pogba?

Sensual football ...

 

[EagerBeaver]

Ronaldo Coca-Cola Snub Causes Massive Dip in Stock of Coca Cola!!!!!!!

Coke market value falls $4bn after Ronaldo snub

Cristiano Ronaldo's removal of two Coca-Cola bottles at a Euro 2020 news conference coincided with a $4 billion drop in the brand's market value.

www.espn.com

Paul Pogba also removed a bottle of Heineken placed in front of him at the presser, not because it is a German beer, but because he is a practising Muslim who does not drink any beer.

 

[Meta not Meta]

If ferocity of anthem singing has anything to do with it, Italy will win this tournament handsomely ...

 

[No_Church_InThe_Wild]

If ferocity of anthem singing has anything to do with it, Italy will win this tournament handsomely ...

If there was a World Cup for singing passionately the Italians would the heavy favourites .... Go Italy ..Viva Italia!!!!

 

[Meta not Meta]

If there was a World Cup for singing passionately the Italians would the heavy favourites .... Go Italy ..Viva Italia!!!!

Mancini knows what he's doing ... no superstars, just a solid team all over the pitch, and with some great flair going forward.

29 -1 in their last 12 matches (and no goals against in their previous 10) ... but let's see how they perform against some of the bigger boys, with potential match-ups against Belgium and France in the knockout stage.

 

[EagerBeaver]

I had picked Belgium to win the World Cup a few years ago when they were down to the quarterfinals, as they looked like the best team. Their team is top notch.

 

[joeca]

Belgium looked pretty good today.
Italy has looked strong it's last 2 games. It will be interesting to see these 2 meet in the quarters.

 

[EagerBeaver]

De Bruyne is "De Man"!!!!!!!!!!

Kevin De Bruyne instrumental in Belgium's comeback win vs. Denmark - ESPN Video

Belgium advances to the round of 16 after a comeback 2-1 win over Denmark at Euro 2020.

www.espn.com