2024 Euro

England 1-2 Spain

Scoreless at halftime, I thought Spain was generally the more dangerous team but they seemed evenly match enough that the game felt like it was headed to OT. But then Spain grabbed the lead right out of halftime and suddenly it felt like they could make it stand up if they could control the possession. They more or less did, they still seemed more dangerous around the goal and certainly more likely to run out some clock. But England tied it up on a lovely rip just outside the box on a loose ball that got away from the crowd. Now it felt like we were back on the OT thing again, but both sides looked game for some action and I thought the 2nd half was good back and forth. Then Spain caught the English in a moment of not paying attention and took the lead back on a bang-bang finish off a swift low pass into the box (that actually didn't look all that dangerous). 

Both sides played hard and smart but I thought Spain was the better team throughout and the scoreline is accurate. All through this tourney, England had a knack for looking mostly confused on offense but then getting the last minute goal needed to move them forward; well, that got them all the way to the damn championship, but you just knew that wasn't really a proper strategy. And even though they did have some chances late (man, that triple header combo that led to back to back goal line saves was a pip!), Spain was not the team that was gonna let England steal one from them.

As I predicted earlier, the winner of the Germany-Spain quarterfinal went on to win the whole thing--I firmly believe it would've been Germany beating England in the final today if they had won. They really were the two best teams. Both teams had good talent and good depth all over the field. Spain got the head-to-head W and now they have the full on trophy. Great return to form for the Spanish. I wouldn't call them the runaway fave in the 2026 World Cup, though they'll definitely be in the mix. 

2024 Euro Soccer (Final)

France 1-2 Spain

Spain had a great look in the early minutes of the match but couldn't connect on the header in the box; France went right back down the field and did connect on their header in the box to snatch the early lead and it felt like we might have a match. The next 25 minutes or so was pretty exciting, with Spain managing to tie it up and then take the lead in successive possessions. But that was about it. After that the French just kept spinning their wheels and Spain just casually possessed the ball without worry until the game was over. The first 30 minutes were high octane excitement, but after Spain took the lead, they pretty well sucked the life out of the match. France is nice, a lot of nice players, but they don't do much as a team, there's no real center, no real identity, you'd think it would be Mbappe, but he disappears for long stretches and the overcompensates when he does finally get the ball. This team is listless and searching when it feels like they ought to be dominating right now with good depth all over the pitch and a good mix of youth and veterans. I dunno, maybe they'll figure it out by the next World Cup. 

Netherlands 1-2 England

The Dutch got it started with an unexpected rip from 30 yards out and at first it felt like Netherlands might dominate. But after that initial score, the English took over possession and were able to tie it before halftime on a PK; I was surprised the ref didn't call the penalty right away (actually I thought he did and was surprised to find that he didn't), it looked like a foul to me, but he waited for VAR and then re-watched the video multiple times....wtf? What was he looking for? It was pretty obviously a foul right away! Anyway, for the most part the English struck me as the better team in possession and I expected them to score again. And, in typical English fashion, they waited til the final minute to do it, but they did score the winning goal--what a rip it was! He turned and fired it quick from a poor angle, the defender didn't react and the keeper, I think, fell asleep--which calls attention to the fact that the Dutch played so low energy in the 2nd half that when it came time to make plays, they just didn't have it in them to do it. England was the better team, the more confident team on the ball and the better attacking team and they got the goals. The Dutch scored a delicious goal early on but they just never got after it from that point on, they were lackadaisical and didn't protect the ball. 

Final

Spain - England

Spain likes to get a lead then take the air out of the game by dominating possession; England likes to wait til the last minute to get the goal they need. Gotta go with Spain here. Their offense is the best defense in this tourney and unless England scores first (preferably before halftime), I don't think they'll get their chance late to keep it going. If Spain avoids giving up a PK, I think they're the better team and should pull through.

2024 Euro Soccer (semifinals)

Germany 1-2 (AET) Spain

Wow! What a match, what a finish. Both teams were good, I'd say the control of the game went back and forth, both teams had good chances, both teams endured some bad luck, but Spain got the extra goal and they're moving on. Thought Spain got away with a handball--not sure why that wasn't called, though Fullkrug looked to be offside, so it might not have stood up anyway--and there were some chippy moments both ways and I thought the ref had some questionable moments. But all that aside, Spain took the lead but I never gave up on Germany and, sure enough, they knotted it up in extra time. Both teams had their moments in AET, felt like it was going to PKs, but Spain got the goal (great finish!) they needed with just a few minutes left and made it stand (though Fullkrug just missed on a header in the final seconds). Great game, this was the real championship, I'd be kinda shocked if there's a game as good as this one left. 

Portugal 0-0 France (France advances on PKs)

Bit of a snooze of a game, no one took control, no single player had a bust out game, and frankly in the 2nd half I thought France kinda sucked. Portugal was more aggressive, had better chances, but couldn't finish and after an extra 30 minutes, France nailed all their PKs and Portugal didn't. I haven't completely given up on France--certainly possible that Mbappe comes back stronger in the next game--but I haven't seen much from them either. Spain is better than anyone they've played so far, so they'll need to really kick it up a notch to make the Final.

England 1-1 Switzerland (England advances on PK's)

Yeah, England did their thing: play like shit for 70-80 minutes, then turn it on, get lucky and snatch all momentum right at the last minute. It's been working in this tourney, Switzerland was the latest victim. I thought Switzerland was generally the better team, played sturdy defense, attacked well, but when England feels like there's no time left, they turn unbeatable. Tough break for the Swiss, another lucky W for the English. 

Netherlands 2-1 Turkey

Another one: I thought Turkey was the better side from beginning to end, but Netherlands had a 5-minute stretch where they were able to steal 2 goals and rode that to the victory. Turkey is a lumbering kinda team but they more or less controlled this game--save for a few minutes in the 2nd half. And I gotta say: the only player that jumped off the screen at me in this whole tourney was Arda Guller, that kid's gonna be Real Madrid's next star. As for the Netherlands, I thought their finesse would get them past Turkey, but I'm not sure that's what happened (and unless they get up by 2 goals on England, that finesse won't serve them going forward). 

Semifinals

Spain - France

Spain is better than France, they attack more consistently, possess more thoroughly and I even think their defense is better, too. France just takes too long to unwind, too plodding in the midfield, I think Spain will swarm them, this might be over by halftime.

England - Netherlands

Well, shit, man, who knows? I think Netherlands are the better team--but then again, I thought this would be Switzerland v Turkey, not sure I'm the man to ask. England likes to wait til the last minute and surely the day will come when that strategy just don't work no more, but I kinda think they can still sneak by Netherlands. Netherlands can put together some dangerous combinations but I don't think they'll control this game--in fact, I think I see this as the opposite of England's strategy. I can see England dominating and then losing to a late flurry by the Dutch. Yeah, I'll go ahead and pick against England one more time.

2024 Euro Soccer (Quarterfinals)

Switzerland 2-0 Italy

Man, Italy kinda sucked! Switzerland dominated the 1st half, then tacked on a second goal right out of halftime and hit cruise control from there. Italy was shaky in the back, not strong in the midfield, not dangerous around the goal, this is one of the crappier Italian I think I've ever seen. The Swiss were good in possession, sneaky in the box, crafty in the box, they played good team soccer. Not necessarily quarterfinal talent but they are a complete team and well-disciplined, they're gonna be a tough out. 

Germany 2-0 Denmark

Both teams had a lot of good looks, the score should've been more like 5-3 or something. Each team had a goal taken off for sketchy reasons: Germany for a foul I never did see and Denmark for the tightest offside call in the history of soccer. Germany was the better team, the better attack, more chances around the goal, so this is the right result. But Denmark played hard, they had some chances and their goalie was kinda great.

England 2-1 (ET) Slovakia

I like that Slovakia came out with a high pressing defense, that they didn't simply bunker into a shell in the face of all that English scoring potential. I think it threw the Brits off as they accumulated a ton of yellow cards right away and had trouble mounting a sustained attacked. Slovakia, on the other hand, put the ball in the box routinely and eventually scored on a breakaway (where the English defender seemed hesitant perhaps because he already had a yellow) and took command of the game before the half. I expected both teams to score, England had a few possessions where they were able to crunch down Slovakia's defense and exhibited good potential to either break through or connect on a corner. I didn't expect them to wait til the last damn minute of the game! But I wasn't surprised the game went into extra time. When England scored right away, it was kinda over for Slovakia because they'd spent the previous 60 minutes or so getting back on defense with the occasional flurry forward, but when the pressure to score smacked them hard in the face, they had nothing to go on because they hadn't built up any offensive muscle. England got lucky as hell--the two goals were legit, can't front on that--but the timing of it all lulled Slovakia to sleep and made them think they had the game won. Tough L for Slovakia, lucky W for England.

Spain 4-1 Georgia

Yeah, Georgia was able to stonewall Spain early on and then induce an own-goal to stun the crowd. But....come on, did you for a second think Georgia was gonna win 1-0? Me neither. Georgia bunkered nicely and for a long long long (long) time felt like they might have what it takes to keep Spain off the scoreboard, but no one can endure a 90 minute onslaught. Spain looks stacked, man, outside of that own goal, Spain pretty much controlled every second of this match. Good W for Spain, valiant effort by Georgia. 

France 1-0 Belgium

France was the better team though these two sides are basically mirrors of each other. Fun match, neither team ever really grabbed the upper hand. But Belgium is still so uninspiring in ball control; I think the problem is De Bruyne: he should be the leader of this team and yet so often it seems like he's stuck all by himself on the other side of the field, he's got to figure out how to get himself into the action. As for France, Mbappe stirs the drink but--I dunno--I'm not sure he's what makes them good, they ought to be a more cohesive team with Mbappe as the icing on top when it feels like they try to defer to him too much. 

Portugal 0-0 (Portugal wins on PKs) Slovenia

Strangely exciting game. Just kept waiting for Ronaldo to make a big play but he came up short every time--he even missed a PK, which I thought was nearly impossible! Slovenia hung nicely with them, this was an extremely even match, though Portugal had a few more scoring chances than Slovenia. Portugal had a few different chances to win, this really should not have gone to PKs, but hats off to Slovenia for giving them the what-for.

Romania 0-3 Netherlands

Romania put up a good effort, thought they had some nice moments on both ends. But Netherlands had more talent, more speed up front and though they had trouble finding the goal, they did find it early enough to really put the pressure on the Romanians and that was more than enough. The scoreline is misleading, Netherlands scored two late goals (and had one taken away for offside), as Romania had to gamble up front. Good match for about 80 minutes. then Romania completely ran out of gas. 

Austria 1-2 Turkey

I thought Austria was generally better but Turkey found the goal almost immediately (after Austria missed a pretty good chance in the 1st minute) and rode that high for the rest of the match. Austria was able to counter quickly after Turkey's second goal but it wasn't enough to regain the momentum. 

Quarters

Spain - Germany

Wow! This is a quarterfinal? Much too early for these two to be meeting, I'll go ahead and say now that the winner of this match will win it all. I think Germany is the most complete team I've seen in ages, they are good and deep all over the field. But Spain is probably the second most complete team in this tourney, good mix of youth and wily veterans, with a ball control offense that could possibly fustigate even the Germans. I gotta go with Germany but I wouldn't be shocked if Spain took this (and, again, this is the real championship game IMHO). 

Portugal - France

Portugal is still chugging along but, man, they seem old, don't they? Ronaldo is still good but he isn't the great Ronaldo and the rest of the squad is good enough to pummel the sorry group they were in but I can't see them going too deep in the knockout stage. France has tons of talent, too, but they, too, have been kinda lackluster so far, dispatching their weaker opponents but hardly looking all that dangerous. This should go to over time, but I do think France is the better side.

England - Switzerland

England has tons of talent that has yet to really gel into a full fledged attack. Switzerland, on the other hand, just keeps churning, they play stingy in the backfield and have shown capability of brilliance up ftont. I like Switzerland to get it done--and though everyone will then say it's a huge upset, it isn't really.

Netherlands - Turkey

Turkey is a scuffling, scrounging squad that can hang with tough teams. But I think the Netherlands will finally show off some of the silky smooth attack that they ought to have been showing all along. Turkey will make them work but I think Netherlands is the better team and will come out on top. 

2024 Euro Soccer (Round of 16)

Switzerland - Italy

You wanna say that Italy is the better team, but I dunno, Switzerland has some decent shot creators up front and while Italy is a nice team, they haven't blown me away. This one's a tossup, I'll go with Italy.

Germany - Denmark

Denmark is fine, Germany is my fave to win the whole tourney. I'm going Germany.

England - Slovakia

England has more talent and should be the better team side, but Slovakia is wily, sturdy in the back, this is a tossup.  I'll take England (in PKs).

Spain - Georgia

Spain is second only to Germany, Georgia is probably the 16th best team remaining. Gotta go with Spain.

France - Belgium

Interesting match. France strikes me as not as good as they should be, Belgium has felt that way to me for a while now. France is probably the better team and the more grounded team, but Belgium still has a ton of talent and can score goals. This feels like PKs, so I'll go with Belgium.

Portugal - Slovenia

Portugal looked so much better than everyone else in their group that it's actually hard to tell how good they are. Slovenia is fine but Portugal should take them.

Romania - Netherlands

Two pretty good teams, I feel like the Netherlands is bringing more goal scoring, gotta go Netherlands. 

Austria - Turkey

I kinda like Austria, whereas I thought Turkey got further on luck than on skill. Gotta go with Netherlands. 

2024 Euro Soccer (after 2 games)

Group A

Germany 2-0 Hungary

Hungary defended well, had some moments up front, but I'm still convinced Germany is the best team in this tourney. So far my only question mark is Sane: he just looks like he's not into it or something, I suppose he'll warm up. 2 wins for Germany means they're already through to the next round, 2 losses for Hungary means they're already done. 

Scotland 1-1 Switzerland

I thought Switzerland was the better team but Scotland sure looked better today than in their opening match (though they still only have own-goals on their stat sheet). Switzerland's goal was a beauty of a strike off a bad giveaway in the backfield. Switzerland should've scored more, should've sustained their attack better but just didn't on this day. Switzerland is in the driver's seat with 4 points and a match with an already disinterested Germany (which doesn't mean they'll suck, it just means their 2nd string will get a chance to shine out), while Scotland needs a W against Hungary (which I wouldn't count on). 

Which game to watch next? Scotland and Hungary are two of my least inspiring teams so far, so I guess I'll peak in on Switzerland-Germany, even though the Germans are already in just because I think Switzerland might have some magic and I'd like to see as much of Germany as I can since I know they're going deep.

Group B

Croatia 2-2 Albania

As they did against Italy, Albania scored an early goal that was more shocking than brilliant. This time they were able to sustain the lead a bit longer until the 74th minute, when Croatia went into overdrive and scored, flubbed another chance and then scored again all in less than 3 minutes. But Albania hung tough and stuck the equalizer deep into extra time to send the Croatians reeling. I like this Albania team: they play hard, they don't quit and their possession offense isn't bad. Croatia looked better than you think against Spain but they really needed a W here to have much hope of moving on. Since Albania got the draw, they've got a real chance to catch Spain napping. 

Spain 1-0 Italy

Spain was the better team in the 1st half, had better chances, more convincing possessions, even the better defense ultimately. Well, Spain got the winning goal, but I'm a little bummed that it was an own goal (total fluke, defender was stuck, not his fault) rather than Spain breaking through the Italian back line. It was the right result, though, Spain was clearly the better side on this day. Not that Italy is bad, they're not. But Spain is better. Spain is through to the next round, Italy needs a positive result against Croatia (who, also, isn't bad). 

Which game to watch next? Spain is already in and might not be at their best for Albania, which might make for a fun match. But Italy really needs the W and Croatia has got to have it, so that's the money game in this Group.

Group C

Slovenia 1-1 Serbia

Every time it felt like Serbia had truly established their possession offense, Slovenia kept coming up with stops and had a number of nifty breakouts, one of which eventually led to the goal that it didn't feel like Serbia would match. Realistically, though, these two teams were pretty similar, can't really call this an upset--And then as I'm writing these words Serbia get the equalizer in the 96th minute (the soccer equivalent of the buzzer beater)! And just like that I take back everything I just said. This was a well deserved draw, no matter how heartbreaking it was for the Slovenians and both teams are still in the mix

Denmark 1-1 England

I dunno, man, shouldn't England be better than this? I was never impressed with their attack and their one goal came from the Danish winger losing track of the guy behind him leading to a bad giveaway; some chaos in front of the goal and Kane finds the opening. Nice, but with Foden, Bellingham and Kane up front, they should be either causing more problems and/or holding longer possessions. As for Denmark, they pushed forward well enough and their goal was a beauty of a scorcher from 30 yards out (wow!) and they were strong enough to keep the draw intact. England has the W in this group, that alone looks like enough to push them through. Denmark needs a win against Serbia (could happen) to move on. 

Which game to watch next? England is in with a win or draw, everyone else needs a W. And as all the teams struck me as pretty similar....I dunno....I'll probably just watch whichever game is more convenient at the moment. 

Group D

Poland 1-3 Austria

Two even teams but Austria made more of their chances, especially in the 2nd half. Austria scored early on a nice header off an entry pass but Poland was able to level the score by halftime. In the 2nd half, though, Austria had the more sustained attack, took the lead and then piled on with a PK (tricky call: looked like an easy call at first but on the replay the keeper kinda gets kicked in the face by the attacker and that's all, so I didn't think it was quite as obvious on second look). Austria was the better team, the more dangerous team, I thought they looked a lot better this game than the previous game. (And why did Lewandowski only play 30 minutes? I never understand how soccer players are too hurt for 90 minutes but healthy enough for 30--that's such an un-American way of playing, I just can't wrap my head around it) Poland might be able to catch France snoozing, likewise Austria for Netherlands. 

Netherlands 0-0 France

Even match, France was maybe slightly better all in all. Netherlands had a nice goal that was waived off due to the other attacker being offsides, it was a 50/50 call, I guess I got no complaints. With Austria getting a W, both of these teams need a positive result in the third game, we'll see who is ready.  

Which game to watch next?  Poland and Netherlands both need W's, I think I'm more into seeing if France can put away Poland. This might be a 1st of half, 2nd half of the other kinda match day. 

Group E

Slovakia 1-2 Ukraine

(Don't have Fubo, didn't see. 2 games in and I still haven't seen Ukraine, but the media keeps telling m they're "winning", so.....)

Belgium 2-0 Romania

Romania played with spunk and I wouldn't say Belgium dominated the match, but Belgium had way more good looks at goal than Romania could muster. If Belgium plays like this (what's up with deBruyne? Is it me or does he look like his mind is elsewhere?), they'll be a tough out but I've become skeptical of them so I still can't put them too high on my board. Romania had a swagger to them and were pretty good on both ends, they just couldn't get near the goal. 

Which game to watch next? I dunno....All 4 teams have a W and an L, I guess Belgium is up on goals. I still haven't seen Ukraine at all, I suppose I ought to check them out, but Belgium should pummel them. I think I'd rather see Slovakia-Romania.

Group F

Georgia 1-1 Czechia

(Don't have Fubo, didn't see. I haven't seen either of these teams yet, are they really even countries?)

Turkey 0-3 Portugal

Well, Turkey played hard but didn't get lucky at all and were stung horribly by their mistakes. Portugal got the first goal about 25 minutes in, then were gifted an own-goal before halftime (not the goalie's fault!) and even though it felt like they were moving at half speed in the 2nd half, they still ended up collecting one of the easiest goals I've ever seen after a Turkish defender fell over. Just to add to the overall weirdness of this match, I thought the ref was kinda awful, making utterly random foul calls and even handing out yellow cards for the most minimal interactions. Obviously Portugal was the big winner and they looked fine, I guess, but they exerted so little effort that its hard to tell what kind of squad they are. As for Turkey, man, they just stepped in unlucky shit over and over, so, too, hard to tell how good they actually are.

Which game to watch next? I gotta go with Turkey and Czechia, since Portugal is already in and should probably beat Georgia anyway. 

Still feels like Germany is the team to beat, though Spain looks pretty damn game. I'm still not sold on France, Belgium, England, Netherlands or Italy, though Portugal looks pretty good. Nice pack of underdogs but I don't see anyone else making noise--though this is a low-scoring game and upsets happen all the time, I could wildly wrong. 

2021 Euro/Copa Finals

Peru 2-3 Colombia

Fun game! The danger here was that either Colombia would mail it in or that Peru just wouldn't be up to putting on a show. Neither of those scenarios came to pass, although it took Colombia a while to get going. Peru was up 1-0 at halftime because they were able to stretch Colombia's defense out of shape and took advantage with a sick strike the keeper couldn't get to. Colombia, on the other hand, could not find its way through Peru's defense in the 1st half, but stepped up their game after halftime. They tied it up early on a sweet free kick from about 25 yards out (just snuck through the wall, man) and took the lead after a brilliant kick out pass from goalie to forward. Peru snuck in a corner late, felt like PK's were coming. But Colombia connected on a brilliant rip from outside the box in extra time, to steal the W. Great finish to a really fun game. The 2nd half was non-stop action, lot of good rips on goal, some good saves, too.  

Argentina 1-0 Brazil

Compared to the 3rd place game, the Championship seemed rather subdued. Both teams played well but both defenses really kept the danger at bay. Except for one play, when the Brazilian defense got beat over the top by DiMaria, who had way too much time and space to leisurely float it over the keeper, neither team really came close to cracking the backline. Oh, a moment or two here and there (Brazil had a goal taken off for offside--the correct call--and Messi had a wide open look late that he just fell asleep on), but considering the sheer amount of hall of famers on the field, there was surprisingly little danger and it never really felt like anyone was gonna take control of the match. Not surprised that one goal is all it took, but the play itself was a weird brain fart of the Brazilian D, in an otherwise air-tight match. 

England 1-2 (PKs) Italy

Wow! What an opener for the English, barely even settled into their seats and they score on their first possession, while the Italian defense is still getting warmed up. The rest of the 1st half was a bit of a snooze, England kept trying to establish control, Italy had a coupla so-so chances. England scoring so quick, though, pushed Italy into hero ball much earlier than they had anticipated, which I thought made the 2nd half kinda exciting. England didn't attack much, Harry Kane, for example, I thought was mostly invisible. That could be because the Italian back line was outstanding (long a wall of Draymond Greens!) or it could be because England was just half-assing their way to OT. The PK's did not go well for England, but that's just how PK's go, man, the trick is to not be in the situation. Both teams played well throughout the tourney and the Final was a good one. Great win for Italy! 

2021 Euro/Copa Semifinals

Brazil 1-0 Peru

I thought Peru kinda sucked, a little surprised Brazil was only able to score once on them. And I thought the ref was favoring Brazil, too, so it was a strangely amazing performance for Peru to not get slaughtered. Brazil is better at every position, this was never really much of a match. 

Italy 2-1 (PKs) Spain

I thought Spain was generally the better team, more dangerous around the goal and seemed more comfortable in possession. Italy's goal was a nice one, caught the keeper in no man's land and punished him, but even then I figured Spain would still score and they did. Once it goes to PK's, it's anybody's game and Italy is moving on. 

Argentina 2-1 (PKs) Colombia

Fun match. I was impressed with Colombia, they did not shy away from the Argentines and really seemed to enjoy taking the physical game right at them, even though Argentina scored quick and seemed to secure the game right away. Both teams had good chances, though Argentina missed on a couple that would've really haunted them if they failed to move on. But Argentina is moving on, so no harm done. 

Denmark 1-2 (OT) England

I thought England was the better squad and this was the right result. But Denmark had their chances and that game-winning goal was a rebound off a saved PK--inches away from Denmark making it to penalty kicks. Good match, Denmark hung in there but I thought England was the stronger attacking side. 

Good weekend of soccer ahead--and the Gold Cup starts Saturday!

Peru v Colombia

I gotta take Colombia. This could be one of the classic trap games: Colombia left it all on the field against Argentina and doesn't care about 3rd place, while Peru feels like they underperformed against Brazil and wants to make the most of their remaining shot at a South America power. (You see that in college football all the time: a team thinks they've got a shot at a championship, suffers a bad loss late, then mails it against New Mexico State in the Car Care Bowl and everyone forgets that they actually had a good season)  But I don't see it here. I think Colombia is really much better than Peru, wouldn't be surprised to see a decisive scoreline in this one. 

Argentina v Brazil

(Man, who would've guessed...?) This is a classic Brazil side in that they are so wildly talented that they don't even seem all that interested in winning. This Argentina side, on the other hand, seems kinda old to me, like it's gonna take all they got to get past Brazil. This should be a good one simply because I think Argentina is gonna be fighting til the last second and Brazil is so casually awesome that they still might previal. I was gonna go with Brazil, but I think I just talked myself into Argentina. They don't do extra time in the Copa, would not be at all surprised to see this go to penalty kicks--and to be a super exciting shootout at that. 

Italy v England

The English are the home favorites and they have generally looked better than everyone they've played so far. Italy is the sneaky underdog--not a place the Italians often find themselves--that outplayed the #1 Belgium but then looked lackluster against a rather overrated Spain. I think Italy plays a good game, keeps it interesting throughout, but I'll stick with England to pull it out late. This'll be another good one!

2021 Euro/Copa Quarterfinals (Day 1)

 Good day of soccer watching! Three more to go!

Euro

Switzerland 1-2 (PK) Spain

Spain scored early (8th) on a 'hockey' goal: shot ricocheted off a defender behind the keeper and snuck in the goal. Obviously most every goal in a soccer match is a game changer, but for Spain to score so quick changed the whole shape of each team's attack. Spain was now allowed to play their ball control game and now Switzerland had to press forward. I thought the game was fairly even and when Switzerland tied it up (68th), it felt like we were back to the OT finish I figured we'd get all along. In OT, Spain straight dominated--dang, thought the Swiss keeper was a mad man, he made a ton of great saves. The shootout was weird, seems like neither team wanted to win. Switzerland wanted to win less, I guess, because Spain is moving on. 

Belgium 1-2 Italy

Italy balled out, I thought they were the better team from beginning to end. Their attack was more sustained, their possession in the midfield was better and their full court press defense (especially in the 2nd half) made it hard for Belgium to get across midfield. Belgium just never developed any cohesion on offense. When Italy got the 2nd goal, it felt like the game was over. Belgium was able to get a PK before halftime and made it interesting--fun game, but Italy was the better team and Belgium just couldn't get it going. 

Copa America

Peru 4-3 (PK) Paraguay

I thought Paraguay was generally the better team but it was a fun match, full court action up and down the field. I actually missed the shootout (oh well), but Peru is moving on and I guess that's fine. 

Brazil 1-0 Chile

I didn't bother to make predictions on the Copa because, well, the prediction is basically when/if Brazil is going to lose and I didn't think they would. But Chile is perhaps the team most likely to do it (I kinda feel like that Argentine squad is a little long in the tooth to get the job done). This match started out chippy and the 1st half was mostly a slog. It settled down a little before halftime then the chippiness reemerged right after the break as Brazil scored on their first possession and then got a red card almost immediately after. Generally I felt like this was a midfield battle, never really felt like there were many great chances around the goal for either team. But Brazil converted their one clear chance, Chile was declared offside on their one converted shot, and there you have it, Brazil is moving on.

2021 Euro Quarterfinals

I've watched a random smattering of the Euro and a lot of the Copa America. Enjoyed all of it but haven't been as locked in as I usually (sometimes) am. Might as well make predictions, I guess. 

Switzerland v Spain. I genuinely thought Switzerland was the better side in their PK thriller with France, indeed the match was there for Switzerland to dominate and they fell asleep and let France take over. But they recovered and got it done and they're the ones matching up against a Spain side that has been progressing in this tournament, but still seems kinda slow and awkward to me. The 2000s Spain side (one of the greatest sports team of all time, IMHO) dominated possession and regulated the pace of play to their precise demands; this team acts like they can play that way....but they can't. If Switzerland bunkers, then I don't think Spain gets anywhere near the goal and if the game is looser in the midfield, I don't think benefits Spain, either. I really feel like Switzerland is the scarier team--and they've even run the PK gauntlet already, too. I'll take Switzerland. 

Belgium v Italy. This is the quarterfinal-of-death (not sure anyone has used that phrase before, I'll go ahead and take credit for it), definitely the one you want to clear your calendar for. I think Belgium is the most talented team in the world right now, gotta go with them to keep winning. Italy is fun, a bit underappreciated these days, they've got talent and moxy, they can absolutely win this and that's why this is the game to watch. I think Belgium's got too much firepower up front, too much control in the midfield, I gotta go with Belgium.  

Czech Republic v Denmark. I've only watched a smidge of these two teams so I have no real feel for either of them. The fact that Czech snuck past mighty Netherlands (meh) and that Denmark stomped lowly Wales (double meh), doesn't really mean much to me. I think Netherlands is in a bad way right now (more like North Carolina basketball, which will be just fine in the long run, as opposed to Nebraska football, which ain't coming back) and Czech was the better team. But it wasn't some rousing upset. Likewise with Denmark's thorough thrashing of Wales: man, Wales is like the Vanderbilt of Europe, they were born to get thumped in competitions like this, so it's not as if Denmark showed off some amazing capability to get here. So...uh....I dunno, I'll take Denmark. 

Ukraine v England. Ukraine's late game comeback against Sweden was a thing of beauty, but I can't help thinking that Sweden was the better team and they let the match get away from them. England, on the other hand, I thought England thoroughly dominated Germany, especially in the 2nd half. (*) Great W for the English. Ukraine is the spunky underdog but this England team is really good. I gotta go with England. 

(*) In the 80th-ish minute, with England up 1-0, Thomas Muller got a wide open solo breakaway and a good look at a giant goal to tie up the match late....and he put it wide. My first thought was that may well be the last touch Muller ever has in German uniform. He got subbed out soon after and I think I was probably right because I doubt we'll see him in World Cup qualifying. Dang, man, what a tough way to go out. Germany has been in a weird funk for a while, normally they casually dominate but they haven't looked anything like dominant in a while now and I don't know why because they still have tons of talent.

You don't need to speak German, you'll understand it just fine. 

Euro Soccer

Ain't gonna lie: I was rooting against Portugal the entire tournament but they managed to squeak through again and again all the way to the Championship. They had only 1 win in 90 minutes in the entire tournament (1 W, 3 Draws, 2 OT Wins, 1 PK Win)...and still won it all. Kooky, man. Eder is the man, what a goal--did not see that coming!

I don't want to say Portugal was a better team without Christian Ronaldo but his absence befuddled France without diminishing the Portugal attack. Remember a coupla years back when the Clippers had a 3-2 lead on the Rockets and a ridiculously huge lead in Game Six, ready to wrap it up: then the Rockets benched James Harden, went on a run to steal the game and stunned the Clippers. Its not that the Rockets were better without Harden, its that the Clippers were so focused on Harden that they paid no attention to the rest of the team. I think that's what happened to France: once Ronaldo left the game with an injury (and come on, folks, he was hurt, he wasn't jaking it out there, if he could've played I guarantee he would have) France didn't make any adjustments. They could've realigned themselves to move the ball forward, instead they kept walking right into Portugal's sludge-y midfield and getting bogged down.

Also, I thought subbing Payet and Giroud near the end was kinda weird considering how dangerous they looked throughout the tournament (and especially considering overtime and PK's were in the offing). And, yes, I know Pogba is a defender but, man, don't you want him closer to the goal? His touch is amazing and he has a great offensive sense, just seems like putting him at defensive mid is kind of a waste.

Kind of a shame, I thought France was the best team (Germany 2nd, Italy 3rd, with some ordering of Wales, Poland, Iceland, Portugal next I guess) but you gotta win the big game to get the big trophy. (Hmmmm.....when Jurgen Klinnsman leaves Team USA for England, will Didier Deschamps be interested in the USA job?)

Euro Semifinals

Portugal (PKs) 1-1 Poland
Man, Portugal are so boring. Why? Seems like they'd be an exciting veteran side but instead they slow everything to a glacial pace. Can't deny I'm rooting against them for this reason alone. Thought Poland played well but outside of an early goal, they never looked decisive in the box.

Wales 3-1 Belgium
For all the talent Beligum possesses, they never look dangerous to me. I thought Lukaku had good chances in front of the goal, I expected Belgium to keep feeding him but it never happened. Wales controlled the ball well and played exciting soccer, made the most of their opportunities.

Germany (PKs) 1-1 Italy
A strangely dull game. Neither team wanted to push forward, both seemed happy to play for PKs, which is odd considering how badly both teams competed in the shoot out. I thought going in that the winner of this match would take the tourney but now I'm not so sure.

France 5-2 Iceland
Great game! Kinda felt bad for Iceland, they played so well despite the scoreline. France's 1st and 4th goals were well played balls over the top that left a forward alone with the goalies; France's 2nd and 5th goals were overpowering players on set plays; the 3rd goal really should've been saved (I think he just didn't see the initial shot, left him a step behind the play). Iceland played physical (thought the ref favored them for the most part) and seemed dangerous all through the match (way more than Portugal, Belgium, Germany or Italy, for example). (Looking back I wish Iceland had matched up against Portugal)

Semfinals
Wales-Portugal
Ain't gonna lie: Portugal is boring and I don't want them in the Final. Wales is exciting, frisky on the wings, relentless up the middle, fun to watch. Go Wales!

France-Germany
Germany seems young and tentative, surviving on pure athleticism rather than their usual guile and grace. France is playing really well right now, I think they're the team to beat.

Euro Quarterfinals

I've watched a lot of the Euro so far but I haven't been as obsessive as I might normally be over a big summer soccer tournament because of USA's run in the Copa America. Euro is still better soccer (shut up, you know its true) and there are still 8 solid contests left and I look forward to all of them. I wouldn't put money of any of these predictions, just wanted to get a sense of what I think I think.

Poland v Portugal
Poland has narrow wins over Northern Ireland and Ukraine, draws against Germany and Switzerland. They're not scoring a ton but the defense has been stout.  Portugal drew their way out of the group, tying up Iceland, Austria and Hungary before finally getting a goal against Croatia. Portugal is doing just enough to advance but I think that ends here. I'll take Poland to move on.

Wales v Belgium
Wales lost to Slovakia but got big wins against England and Russia before squeaking past Northern Ireland in the round of 16. Belgium lost to Italy before hanging wins on Ireland and Sweden and then dropping a bomb on Hungary. I'm still not as impressed with Belgium as I'm supposed to be but hard to pick against them here, I say Wales' historic run ends in the quarters.

Germany v Italy
Germany had wins over Ukraine and Northern Ireland and a draw against Poland before thumping Slovakia. Italy had convincing wins over Beligum, Sweden, Ireland and Spain. Germany is still Germany but they're younger than usual, shaky in the back and don't look as unbeatable as usual and while Italy was not high on anyone's list coming into this tournament, I'd say they're playing as well as anyone right now. I'll take Italy over Germany (I think I think the winner of this game wins it all).

France v Iceland
Iceland got through their group by drawing Portugal and Hungary and a win over Austria before shocking England. France cruised by Romania and Albania then had a draw with Switzerland and a nailbiter against Ireland. Iceland is obviously the big underdog but, man, they dig in and defend well. France is good but I feel like seeing an upset. I'll take Iceland to get to the semifinals.