EURO 2020 (2021 Edition)

I know sterling does some things well and brings qualities to that attack but i also think he kills as many attacks as he aids

it's crazy how predictable it is. sterling will run straight at the opposition like a maniac, the ball glued to his feet, he looks unstoppable. he IS unstoppable! but he's like a dog chasing a car. once he gets there he has absolutely no idea what to do next.

I was hoping England might lose, but in my mind's eye I kinda pictured Maguire and Kane missing penalties because I can't stand them. How it actually turned out was brutal.

(xp) Dive

"If im honest id agree with ken early today that southgate- for all the progress in results- is holding a remarkable squad back rather than bringing anything to the mix himself, and im aware that a semi and a final in succession make that a nonsense statement on the face of it"

It was v weird. Watching progress and yet be reminded of old failings.

Lol Tom, you would not give a shit if a Scot dived to get a pen that would take you into the final of the Euros.

At least I'd admit it was a dive though.

I'm perfectly prepared to admit that Tierney's a serial diver, who writhes around in agony if anyone so much as breathes on him. For instance.

IMO the purest spectacle in international football is not penalties but the insanely good match that spills over into an even more insanely good extra time a la Italy 2-0 Germany 2006, you can't be truncating that sort of thing

― hiroyoshi tins in (Sgt. Biscuits), Tuesday, 13 July 2021 bookmarkflaglink

And we've had some excellent periods of extra time in Euros too.

Ita Ger was a classic, the way they drove to get those goals, at the time I assumed they went for it because they'd lose on pens to Ger, after a couple of disappointments in shoot outs.

xp = Lee Dixon said he didn't carein the commentary.

Fans with microphones was one of the worst aspects of the TV coverage of the tournament.

why were they forever singing neil diamond songs? the only other thing i've seen using it was a betting advert on the tv and that feels like a reaction rather than a cause.

somehow it migrated from Boston. the Red Sox DJ plays it after a home win

They've been playing it after Oxford games for a few years

Not sure I could single out a particular goal as The Best from this tournament. If you eliminate what feels like 20 serendipitous screamers though (Insigne, Hazard, Pogba, Shaqiri, Modric etc.) for all crowding each other out then Morata's v Italy seems like a worthy one.

Chiesa’s against Austria was quite nice.

There has been a lot of bad coverage of ENG but this one article I find accurate:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/jul/12/englands-deep-lying-issue-resurfaced-as-control-turned-to-survival

Sweet Caroline has been a cricket staple of the last few years. Best goal of the tournament def Schick but Chiesa vs Austria, Shaw, couple of others up there too

it's Chiesa for me - although Schick's was one of the classier halfway line jobs you'll see

Thank you England. You cheered your heart out. Now eat your heart out. Get a free taco today. #iSeeaTaco @tacobelluk pic.twitter.com/9rJQAZGweA

— Harry Maguire (@HarryMaguire93) July 13, 2021

didn't American soccer have a system where it would be one player versus the keeper but they'd start from centre circle and dribble it in?

Yeah, it was from a line 35m out, and you had a five-second shot clock. I always thought this looked quite good when NASL popped up on World of Sport...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJEnwi7otu0

dear me, those were some terrible efforts

Serie a floated this also iirc

A couple of my DC pals may well have been at that game - I think they went to see the "Dips" in that last season before they disbanded. They had Cruyff!

I can't accept the Schick goal as goal of the tournament because I'm still furious that I went to get a drink for the 20 seconds it took to happen, and my brain's been cynically briefing me that those halfway line open goal ones don't count as properly brilliant goals ever since

(it was a bit like the ol Petrov vs Derby one though wasn't it, tremendous technique on the hit even allowing for the lax goalkeeping)

The Christensen one v Russia was still the one I went most nuts over tbh; there were also lots of those (comparatively) low-key elegant goals in this tournament that were up there, like the Chiesa Austria one and Spain finally unlocking Italy

Got a lot of time for Switzerland just repeatedly boshing in unsaveable headers against the world champions too

(If anyone wants to fall down a rabbit-hole of NASL videos, there's plenty btw. If only to be reminded of Chinaglia's Welsh-Italian accent.)

Well done England

I’m told that plans to have the England team to Downing Street for a reception this week have been shelved, with attention turning instead to the PM’s levelling up speech in a few days.

— Aubrey Allegretti (@breeallegretti) July 13, 2021

Re the dribble penalties, what happens if the taker goes past the keeper and gets brought down, do they get an actual penalty then? Any scholars of the art form, please let me know.

that NASL vid, why not just chip the keeper? Especially the yellow one, he just kept steaming out. J/K I'm sure it's harder than it looks.

does look a bit more interesting than pens though.

xp yeah i was wondering that too

thanks mike. 1980!

5 seconds didn't seem like enough time though

> I’m told that plans to have the England team to Downing Street for a reception this week have been shelved

was it the racism, the child poverty or wearing a football shirt over a shirt AND tie that made them cancel?

Apparently, MLS revived the practice for the first few seasons in the late '90s? And, yes, fouls by the keeper in the box = regular penalty. I don't know what happened with fouls outside the box, or if the keeper ran the risk of being sent off for repeated offences.

time to unleash the jedermann sein eigner fußball protocol, two goals, 22 players, 22 balls, at least 22 officials, let the mayhem begin

i admire your constraint at sticking with only 2 goals.

England would still only score once

my favourite goal was locatelli's volleyed pass wide right, sprint into the box and slotted finish from cut back. also schick and insigne's vs belgium. oh and pogba.

pogba’s passing was god-tier

Locatelli and Insigne's goals, even though they unfolded in each about 5-10 seconds, both possessed a building sense of tension that a wonderful goal was going to be scored, and the satisfaction felt when the ball hit the net is amplified when that sensation bears fruit.

With Insigne's goal, I literally shouted every manoeuvre he did just before he did it. And who doesn't love a lung-busting run from deep to collect a pass into the box? I think that if Spinazzola had scored in that early second half blitz against Belgium it may have topped them all.

Other than the most "holy shit!" goal moments had to be Schick against Scotland and the Gavranović equaliser against France.

re: Allegretti's tweet -

https://skwawkbox.org/2021/07/13/breaking-england-teams-downing-st-reception-was-cancelled-because-players-refused-to-meet-johnson/

just in case there was any doubt which way the traffic was going

"The so-called ‘msm’ reported earlier today that..."

opening sentence vmic! I was thinking yesterday that perhaps Boris might have cancelled it before they got a chance to snub him.

which players are the shy Tory voters that nodded along with this for the sake of group unity? Maguire looks like a dodgy fucker!

Idk where to put this but Jorginho had a pretty hilarious PK miss for Italy moments ago.

🚨🚨| Jorginho MISSES the penalty.

pic.twitter.com/SlFwOLYlWz

— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) November 17, 2023

That's one of the worst penalties I've ever seen a pro footballer take.

the English language broadcaster (not on this feed) was incredulous. then one of his teammates scored on a daisycutter minutes later so nobody cared but lord I don't think he'll ever be given a PK again after his history with them