We’re half-way through the Quarter Finals. Two contrasting matches with contrasting manner of victories. Safe to say my predictions held firm as far as the outcomes were concerned.
In this post I reflect on the first two Quarter Finals and
look ahead to the next two, including the tie of the round and perhaps the tournament
– Germany vs Italy.
Match Reviews
Poland vs Portugal
It was a question of which star man, Lewandowski or Ronaldo,
would step up to the plate to push their team over the line. At the start, it
was the Polish captain who got the upper hand, turning in a Grosicki cross
within 2 minutes. His first goal in the tournament and it came at an important
time. That’s inspirational for you. The game was end-to-end following Poland’s
goal, with Poland having the better chances despite Portugal having more
possession. Lewandowski and Milik both had shots at goal but could not hit the
target. At the half hour mark, Renato Sanches received a ball on the edge of
the area from the right wing, cut inside one defender and shot past Fabianski’s
near post. The goalkeeper had no chance. Sanches was living up to his huge price
tag. He had an excellent first half and is one for the future. There were more chances for both teams to increase
their tally in the first half, but none of the forwards could take advantage.
The pace of the game slowed down in the second half. Ronaldo
missed a one-on-one with the Polish goalkeeper. Played onside by the Polish
left-back, the high ball played beyond the defense reached, but he failed to
make contact with the swing of his left foot. The rest of the second half wasn’t
as exciting as the first as both teams tried shooting from range, failing to
break down the opposition’s defense. Extra time it was.
Ronaldo had another opportunity in the 6 yard box. A cross
from the left wing reached him but he stepped over the ball, which hit the back
of his leg and bounced away from goal. More goal attempts from both teams did
not beat either keeper and a penalty shootout was the outcome. Players from
both teams converted their first three spot-kicks. Nani converted the fourth
for Portugal. Blaszczykowski saw his effort well saved by Patricio. Ironically,
perhaps Poland’s player of the tournament had missed at this crucial juncture.
Quaresma stepped up for his country’s last kick. Although the goalkeeper
guessed the right way, he could not keep out the penalty and Portugal were
through. They were through to the Semi-Final without having won a single game
in 90 minutes!
My Prediction:
Poland 0-1 Portugal
Final Score:
Poland 1-1 Portugal, Portugal qualify after penalties
Wales vs Belgium
For all the expectation that accompanied Belgium’s campaign,
it was Wales who’ve been the more complete team in this tournament. They had also taken 4 points off Belgium in the qualifying campaign, despite finishing behind
them in that group. They were hoping for a repeat.
Belgium started off much better. In fact, it was ‘all hands
on deck’ kind of defending from Wales, epitomized by a stunning triple block
from a Belgian attack inside 10 minutes. Belgium kept possession well and
prevented Wales from getting the ball to Bale to a large extent. Belgium’s
efforts were justly rewarded in the 13th minute. Hazard squared to
Nainggolan from the left flank, who was almost 30 yards out. The midfielder
took aim, coiled and fired a sizzling drive, which Welsh goalkeeper Wayne
Hennessey could only get finger-tips to. The Welsh defense probably did not
expect a shot to come in from that distance. Belgium pressed to increase the
lead for the next 10 minutes or so. After this, Wales started keeping the ball
better. They started to dominate possession and were now taking advantage of
Belgium’s second tier defense. Veramelen’s suspension and Verthongen’s injury
meant that the younger Lukaku and Meunier had come in at the last minute in the
backline. Their rawness and lack of sharpness was evident. At the stroke of the
half-hour mark, Ramsey put in a perfect corner, which found Ashley Williams
unmarked in the center of the penalty box. The Welsh captain made no mistake
heading in. The teams were level and Wales now had the momentum. There weren’t
many more chances created in the last minutes of the first half, so the teams
went in all square with all to play for.
Belgium made a surprising substitution by bringing on
Fellaini at half-time to replace Carrasco. Wales continued where they left off.
They pressed for the lead and it finally came 10 minutes into the second half.
And what a goal it was. Aaron Ramsey, once again the supplier, found Hal Robson-Kanu
with a grounded cross. The Welsh forward made to go left and then turned
towards goal, with a silken touch which sent three defenders the wrong way
simultaneously. He fired past Courtois and Wales were in front. The goal is one
to see over and over again just for the incredible Cryuff turn! Belgium had no
choice but to press for the winner. Wales spent the better part of the next 30
minutes foiling Belgian attacks. Fellaini looked like he could get into trouble
for his antics. He got till the end on a just a yellow card. Sam Vokes replaced
the potential match-winner Robson-Kanu with 10 minutes to go. In a rare Welsh
counter-attack, Chris Gunter broke down the right. Vokes called for the cross
and Gunter delivered a beauty. Vokes powerfully headed the ball past Courtois.
Wales were two goals up and in dreamland. They were going to the semi-finals of
the European Championships. Belgium’s desperate late attempts were not
successful. The highest ranked team in Europe had just been outplayed and
outlasted.
My Prediction: Wales
1-1 Belgium, Wales to qualify
Final Score:
Wales 3-1 Belgium
Match Previews
Germany vs Italy
This is the match of the tournament so far. It’s being said
that the winner of this match will go on to lift the trophy. Whether that is
the case is a topic for another day. This match will the battle between ruthless
German attacking efficiency and clinical Italian defensive discipline. The
Germans put in an imperial display against the Slovaks, who were outplayed from
minute 1. They came out all guns blzaing and probably could’ve won by a bigger
margin. The Italians outfoxed the Spanish, playing to their own strengths and
hitting Spain with brilliant counter-attacks. They played with a similar tactic
against Belgium and it had worked perfectly then too. Will it be third time lucky
too for Conte and his tactically sound outfit, or will Low and his fluid German
unit take the plaudits? History says
Italy have the advantage. But on such an occasion, history stands for nothing.
I know I’ll be rooting for the Germans. I think whoever scores first will win
this match. If the Italians take the lead, they’ll be incredibly difficult to
break down afterwards. Going against my gut here and hoping for a German win.
My Prediction:
Germany 2-1 Italy
France vs Iceland
Who would’ve predicted this as a Quarter Final three weeks
back. Even when Iceland took a point past Portugal, people though it was a
one-off. Then they almost beat Hungary, beat Austria with a last gasp winner
and knocked over England in what has to be the greatest footballing moment in
their history. Their thunderclap salute has perhaps become the most striking
image of this tournament. The hosts will be wary of the wave of elation that
Iceland have been riding. They themselves haven’t been at their fluent best. A
couple of goals in the space of 3 minutes from Griezmann got them past the
Irish in the previous round. France will be hoping to dominate the game from
the start. It will be important for them to score early to silence the
Icelandic support. In Griezmann and Payet, they have two in-form players and
enough ammunition otherwise to get through. But football is a funny old game
and this is a potential banana-skin for the hosts. I’m still going to go with a
France win, but maybe not in normal time.
My Prediction:
France 1-1 Iceland, France to qualify for the Semi Final
That’s my review of the Quarter Final matches. I’ll be
back on Monday with the reviews. The Wales vs Belgium game was very enjoyable.
Let’s hope the weekend’s games are something similar. Till next time, enjoy the
football…
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