Euro 2016 Thread

[harry]

Italians tiring and fading quite rapidly - picking up lots of bookings. Can see the phlegms getting back into this.

Can't believe how much I want Italy to win this

[wingnut]

LOL!!111!

[Ian Royal]

I'd normally have been desperate for the other team to beat Italy, but some reason I'm absolutely loving them doing a number on the Belgians. A brilliant string of cynical professional fouls in there to keep Belgium out. They had their chances and did nothing with them. Italy were ruthlessly determined.

Good stuff.

[Winston Smith]

Hazard really is a massive bottle job

[jd82]

Decent game that. Italians celebrating like they've won the thing already, and Belgium are rapidly moving towards stealing England's underachievers title.

Is it not a yellow card for subs entering the pitch like that after the goal??

[harry]

Decent game that. Italians celebrating like they've won the thing already, and Belgium are rapidly moving towards stealing England's underachievers title.

Is it not a yellow card for subs entering the pitch like that after the goal??

Yeah. Book the lot of 'em now. Ireland need all the help they can get next week. And expecting a thumping on Saturday now

The Italians tonight have opened my eyes to the joy of cynical fouls and time-wasting. But most of all, what cracking goals.

Shame Failani missed that chance to equalise.

[harry]

Tomorrow night - come on Gylfi !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kitsondinho]

Italy always seem much more dangerous when they are unfancied. They were brilliant tonight. What the hell is up with the Belgians at tournaments?! Is it because so many of them play here?!

[Maneki Neko]

Classy performance from Italy.

Apart from when they sat back on it for a bit.

oxf*rd h8 belgium and the media bumming they get. A couple of decent players and hazard. But a bang average team.

[Ian Royal]

Classy performance from Italy.

Apart from when they sat back on it for a bit.

oxf*rd h8 belgium and the media bumming they get. A couple of decent players and hazard. But a bang average team.

Yeah. That. Lots of over-rated and over hyped players in an over-hyped and over-rated team. I'd quite like to see them as this year's group stage major casualty.

[Four Of Clubs]

Classy performance from Italy.

oxf*rd h8 belgium and the media bumming they get. A couple of decent players and hazard. But a bang average team.

...think our Martin K hit the nail squarely on the thumb with his remark about the move for the Italians opener making one of the best defenders in the premier league look like a mug.

.. Mind you I also think the Beeb site is pushing it a bit claiming both goals were notched by Premier League players - My youngest tells me the Mackems are praying their lad Giaccherini (?) has a great EC so they can get shot of him. He's been out on loan to a Serie A side Bologna. He has had his unfair share of injuries since joining Sunderland though.

[stealthpapes]

Classy performance from Italy.

Apart from when they sat back on it for a bit.

oxf*rd h8 belgium and the media bumming they get. A couple of decent players and hazard. But a bang average team.

Yeah. That. Lots of over-rated and over hyped players in an over-hyped and over-rated team. I'd quite like to see them as this year's group stage major casualty.

I didn't even think they had too many big names this time around, especially in defense.

I've seen pretty much most of every game. Early thoughts are that the weaker teams are having a good crack but equally, with the third place teams going through, there's no panic at this stage. So teams are taking a 1-0 loss as a win later will almost certainly see them through.

[6ft Kerplunk]

Yep, does seem to be a lot of weaker teams thinking that a 1-0 loss against the stronger teams doesn't really damage their chances that much. Much better to take that and not damage the goal difference trying to go all out chasing the game.

Really enjoying it so far.

[Hoop Blah]

I've not seen as much as I'd like to so far and I'm gutted to have missed the Italy game last night. As much as I don't like watching Italian football I do love the way their national team plays and their dedication to proper defending.

If England could just adopt a bit more of that approach instead of the fascination with defenders being attackers who come from deep then the Premier League and the England side would be the stronger for it.

So, thoughts of the best performance so far?

Italy? Germany (I didn't think they were that great)? Or England (if only we'd taken a few more chances!)?

[NewCorkSeth]

I've not seen as much as I'd like to so far and I'm gutted to have missed the Italy game last night. As much as I don't like watching Italian football I do love the way their national team plays and their dedication to proper defending.

If England could just adopt a bit more of that approach instead of the fascination with defenders being attackers who come from deep then the Premier League and the England side would be the stronger for it.

So, thoughts of the best performance so far?

Italy? Germany (I didn't think they were that great)? Or England (if only we'd taken a few more chances!)?

Germany.. They never looked stressed and to me they looked like the champions. (I still think France played very well against a team not used to conceding goals)

[stealthpapes]

I think you'll not make any sense of it until the quarter finals. The second round has a certain random element to it, that coupled with tight-looking group stages, could see a bit of carnage.

I'm usually quite miserablist about England but I thought they bossed Russia and only a lack of sharpness up front and what looked like Roy experimenting with a slightly unusual line-up meant that they never quite put the game to bed.

[George_]

Russia have been given a suspended disqualification & a small fine for what happened Saturday. So nothing basically.

[Terminal Boardom]

But West Ham won the World Cup

[6ft Kerplunk]

No 2pm game today? SHAMBLES.

[Maguire]

No 2pm game today? SHAMBLES.

Good, 2pm games are bullshit.