The past couple of days have seen the first upsets of the tournament so far. This edition of the European Championship is shaping up to be one of most open ever. With the good, comes the bad as off-field antics of a number of the supporter groups are putting their countries to shame.
In this post, I review matches of Group F, A and B and look
forward to a few key clashes coming up in Groups C, D and E
Match Reviews
Group F
Austria vs Hungary –
The Magyars turn on the Magic
Austria, considered one of the dark horses for the
tournament, started the match better. Alaba hit the post in the first minute
itself, and they dominated the play for the first 20 minutes. After that, the
first half became a scrappy affair with neither team able to keep the ball for
long spells. The second began in much the same fashion. Austria were unable to
get their key men into the game, with Alaba failing to get on the ball enough
and Arnautovic looking a frustrated figure up front. Hungary took the lead
against the run of play after a clever interchange between their forwards. Adam
Szalai slid in to finish past the rushing Austrian goalkeeper, giving his team
a surprise lead. The Austrians tried their best to get back into the game but a
mixture of stout defending and poor attacking foiled them. Late in the game, as
Austria pushed more and more players forward, Hungary broke with pace. Zoltan
Stieber got on the end of a good through pass from Priskin and deftly chipped
past the goalkeeper, securing victory.
My Prediction:
Austria 2-0 Hungary
Final Score:
Austria 0-2 Hungary
Portugal vs Iceland –
A night to remember for Iceland
Iceland are a nation of 330000 people! They were ranked in
the 130s just four years ago. Their meteoric rise has seen them jump a 100
places and secure an unlikely qualification into their first major tournament.
Portugal were riding on the crest of a good results in the friendlies leading
up to the Euros. Their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo would be making his much
anticipated entry into the tournament.
Portugal dominated much of the first half and should’ve been
ahead on a few occasions before they eventually were, Nani smartly slotting
past the Icelandic goalkeeper in the first half. They had chances to extend
their lead too but failed to capitalize. The Portuguese were the aggressors in
the second half too. However, they were pegged back to level after Birkir
Bjarnason made history, scoring
Iceland’s first ever goal in a major tournament. Defender Vierinha was at
fault, leaving Bjarnason free to volley home from a good cross. Try as they
might, Icleand somehow managed to keep Portugal at bay. There were a few dicey
moments as goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson looked nervous. However, he always
seemed to be getting the ball away from danger and Iceland rode their
resilience to hang on for the draw.
Having come up short in the match, Ronaldo let himself down
with some unnecessary words about Icleand’s performance and celebrations at the
end of the match.
My Prediction:
Portugal 1-1 Iceland
Final Score: Portugal
1-1 Iceland
Group A
Romania vs
Switzerland – Romania still in with a shot to qualify for the latter stages
Romania gave another good account of themselves against the
more fancied Swiss. They took the game to their opponents in the first half and
were rewarded with a penalty when Stephan Lichtsteiner pulled Alexandru
Chipciu's shirt in the area. Bogdan Stancu stepped up to convert his second
penalty of the finals. Both teams came close once more in the first half to
adding to the lead. Fabian Scharr almost scored with a spectacular drive, only
to have the ball tipped over. Cristian Sapunaru then poked a shot on to the
outside of the post.
The Swiss equalized early in the second half via a cracking
volley from Admir Mehmedi, following a corner. The rest of the second half
wasn’t very attractive but both teams did create a couple for opportunities.
Xherdan Shaqiri went for a spectacular overhead kick when he could have
controlled the ball. The teams settled for a draw.
My Prediction:
Romania 0-2 Switzerland
Final Score:
Romania 1-1 Switzerland
France vs Albania –
Cruel, cruel game for the minnows
The hosts were riding high following their late win over
Romania. Didier Deschamps made two notable changes, starting with Martial and
Coman in place of the benched Griezman and Pogba. France were on top but could
not seem to get the ball in the net. Olivier Giroud had a handful of headed
chances but failed to get most of them on target. He hit the bar with another
headed effort in the second half. Before the Giroud header off the bar,
Deschamps went back to having both Pogba and Griezman on the pitch, their
replacements not having had the hoped impact. Albania too hit the post in the
second half and were unlucky as the ball bounced out off a prone player after
coming back for the upright. It seemed like the match was heading towards a
draw. In the 90th minute, as France flooded the Albanian penalty
box, Adil Rami found time and space to cross. He found Griezman perfectly,
unmarked, who made no mistake in guiding the ball into the net. France had
stolen another win in the dying minutes. To add further injury, Dmitri Payet
curled another customary effort into the far corner to extend France’s lead in
the 6th minute of injury time. The country was jumping after this
result, as the hosts became the first country to qualify for the second round.
My Predictions: France
3-0 Albania
Final Score: France
2-0 Albania
Group B
Russia vs Slovakia –
Slovaks rises to the occasion
Their last gasp draw against England would’ve put the Russians
in a good mood. Off the field, their fans were letting them down. Under threat
of expulsion, the Russian team took to the field to take on a stronger
Slovakian team. Russia dominated the first half hour, having more passion and
taking more shots at the Slovak goal. Their inability to convert this into
goals was punished as Vladimir Weiss rose highest to meet a Hamsik cross and
head Slovakia into the lead. Their lead was soon doubled at the end of the
first half as Marek Hamsik curled a wicked shot from a tight angle which went
in off the post. With this match happening before the France game, the first of
the big guns had laid down the marker for the others in this tournament, before
Griezman’s heroics put him into that category too.
In the second half, the game was more evenly balance with
Russia not really able to threaten the Slovak goal too much. They finally broke
through after 80 minutes as Glushakov headed in at the far post. Slovakia
resorted to ling deep to hold on to their lead in the final ten minutes. Russia
pushed hard for an equalizer but came up short.
My Prediction:
Russia 1-2 Slovakia
Final Score:
Russia 1-2 Slovakia
England vs Wales –
The right players on the pitch bring the right results
It was a wonder how Roy Hodgson stuck to the same team that
drew with Russia. To be honest, England were the better team for most of the
first half. They attacked better and had more shots on goal. Raheem Sterling
missed a good opportunity within the first 10 minutes. The chance needed to
fall to a better finisher. England’s wastefulness was punished late in the
first half as Gareth Bale converted another free-kick. Joe Hart perhaps should’ve
done better.
Roy Hodgson finally ringed the changes in the second half,
bringing on both Vardy and Sturridge. Vardy’s influence was almost immediate as
he grabbed an opportunistic equalizer 10 minutes into the second half. England was
the team on top for most of the second half too but could not break through a
resolute Wales rearguard. Hodgson even brought on Rashford, so they were
playing with 3 out and out strikers for a long time. A minute into the 3 minute
injury time, Sturridge ran through the defense, exchanged passes with a team-mate
and found himself free of all defenders about 8 yards from goal. He toe poked
it past the goalkeeper and England had snatched a win from the crestfallen
Wales.
My Prediction:
England 0-1 Wales
Final Score:
England 2-1 Wales
Match Previews
Group C
Ukraine vs Northern
Ireland
Two teams who showed fight in defeat square off in this
match. Ukraine caused problems for World Champions Germany but came out second
best. Northern Ireland were beaten by the odd goal, scored in perhaps the only part
of the match when they went off the boil for a bit. Despite Ukraine’s better
pedigree in recent major tournaments, I’m going for a narrow Northern Ireland
win.
My Prediction:
Ukraine 0-1 Northern Ireland
Germany vs Poland
I was very tempted to go for a draw in this match. Germany
won easily in their first outing despite a shaky start. Poland weren’t at their
fluent best either. Things seem to be headed for a stalemate. But this is a
major tournament and Germany pull out their best performances when it matters
most. Their defense held firm in the last game and this should give them a lot
of confidence. Poland have not been able to use Lewandowski well, and a repeat
of the same will see him get isolated up front in this game. Just think the
German midfield will outclass their neighbours and historical rivals in this
one.
My Prediction:
Germany 2-1 Poland
Group D
Czech Republic vs
Croatia
The lack of outright match-winners will be Czech Republic’s
downfall in this game. Croatia were excellent against Turkey, not allowing
their opponents to get a foothold in the game. Captain Luka Modric seems up for
this tournament and there is a good feeling among the squad in general. The
Czechs were overrun for most of their match against Spain, succumbing to a late
winner from Pique. They’ll be looking to keep their challenge alive but it is
unlikely they’ll come out on top here.
My Prediction:
Czech Republic 1-2 Croatia
Spain vs Turkey
Turkey will have to pull out something really special if
they are to get something out of this game. Spain, as is their custom, had the
lion’s share of possession in their last game. They’ll do the same here. Turkey
lacked cutting edge in their outing against Croatia. They’ll have to pull
themselves into shape if they are to get even a point here. The game will
likely be decided by the odd goal.
My Prediction: Spain 1-0 Turkey
Group E
Belgium vs Republic
of Ireland
Belgium were well and truly out-maneuvered in their outing
against the wily Italians. They’ll have to be far more clinical here. The Irish
are never ones to go down without a fight. They were the better team against
Sweden and were unlucky not to get all 3 points. I expect both teams to score
in this game. Belgium will look to get their campaign running. A bad result here
for them will be cause for massive headaches. Wilmots needs to get the right
personnel on the pitch to encourage a more positive performance from his
Belgian team.
My Prediction:
Belgium 2-1 Republic of Ireland
Italy vs Sweden
Italy should be too strong for Sweden in this match. Sweden
are overly reliant on Ibrahimovich. If any team can neutralize particular
players, it is Italy. Antonio Conte received huge praise for his tactics
against Belgium. Italy will be looking for a repeat performance. Sweden need
more players to take the initiative going forward. Ibrahimovich was having to
drop deep or go wide to get on the ball. That is not where he is at his
deadliest. The Swedish midfield need to get the ball to Ibrahimovich in and
around the penalty area. Only then can they hope for a positive result.
My Prediction:
Italy 2-1 Sweden
That’s it for this post. Join me next time as I wrap up the
second set of matches and look ahead to the final set of group games. Till
then, enjoy the football.
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