Euros..2020 in ‘21

Apparently UEFA didn’t want to spend anymore marketing $$ and everything is still labeled Euro 2020.

On to the matches of a tournament that is fun to watch. Host Italy whopped up on Turkey 3-0. Definitely a combo of Italy being good and Turkey looking dismal.

 

I watched the 1st half of Wales and Switzerland and totally missed this.

 

Denmark’s Christian Eriksen (Spurs/Inter Milan) collapsed on the pitch and CPR had to be administered. From early reports he seems to be stabilized at the hospital. No words adequate enough for the medics that tendered aid.

 

Thankfully Eriksen is alive, read he had to be defibbed on the pitch. UEFA should’ve stepped in and instead of giving the teams the option to play should’ve rescheduled.

England looked good for the opener. No wonder Leeds had a solid campaign, Kalvin Phillips was a rock in the middle of the pitch and MOTM for me.

 

Kalvin Phillips was the player that stood out to me too @SoCalJoe.

 

Ditto on Kalvin Phillips. I don’t know how they figured out he was worthy of a call up, but it sure makes them look like geniuses right now. Clear MOTM fer tha’ Anglush today.

 

As someone of Czech/Scottish ancestry it was a win-win situation (was hoping for a draw) today. However, the goal of the tourney by the Czech Republic’s Patrick Schick who bent it from 54 yards away to leave Scottish GK Marshall red-faced and tangled up in the back of the net (amazing skill by Schick, but Marshall was a total idiot for being that far up the field). Schick’s brace gave the Czechs a smooth shave and all 3 points

 

I was gonna go there, but probably not this gracefully. Well done sir! (obviously not a Gillette man).

 

I know Hatter will vehemently disagree with me, but I like Ian Darke. There, I said it. He's not milk (milque?) toast like most of the other English speaking soccer announcers. When I first started watching soccer more, and particularly the Premiership, he and Steve McManaman were partnered on the main weekly match of the day on ESPN. A smart television executive (a contradiction in terms) would put them together somewhere on a long term, regular basis. They have that rare commodity in sports play-by-play announcing of being able to play off of one another effectively. Think Summerall-Madden, Caray-Buck, Enberg-Collins/McEnroe, Gifford/Cosell/Meredith. And (wait for it) they're both still working for ESPN. Call me crazy, but, why wouldn't you, oh, I don't know, PUT THEM TOGETHER IN THE BOOTH???

 

One of the interesting things about international football season is the emergence of heretofore lesser known young players. Before yesterday, if you'd asked me to name some Leeds United players, I would not have gotten much further than Patrick Bamford and Luke Ayling. Then 25 year old Kalvin Phillips puts in a MOTM shift to lead his country to a first ever first round Euro victory over the defending World Cup runners up. Today, 25 year old Patrik Schick nabbed a brace against the Scots at Hampden Park for the Czechs. On the second, he caught Tartan keeper David Marshall WAY out of his goal with a near perfect lob from the midfield line. And 26 year old Milan Skriniar of Slovenia, a CB who looked like a striker with his control and half volley to score the winner minutes after Grzegorz Krychowiak's foolish sending off to beat Bob Lewandowski's Poland. Sweden keeper Robin Olsen is 31, and Jordan Pickford's backup at Everton, but he kept Spain out of the net in an unlikely 0-0 draw. Despite the Spaniard's 85% possession and several quality chances, the Swedes fashioned a couple of excellent scoring chances and could easily have won the match.
Who will we discover tomorrow?

 

@jumpkutz - Patrick Schick I know about from following the Bundesliga but the rest are new to me too.

 

I watched a portion of that match and for all Spain’s possession it was Sweden that missed the beat opportunity that I saw.

 

I’ve got a feeling he won’t be in Germany much longer, unless Bayern Munchies want him badly enough to open the checkbook. And they just might. Lewandowski turns 33 in August.

 

^^^Speaking of Germany, who were the guys wearing the German kits today?? Can’t remember seeing them so toothless, listless, and any other less you can think off.

 

Umm, I have a question.
How is it that North Macedonia are in this thing and others, like Aleksandr Mitrovic’s Serbia, are not? Did they they surprise everyone in qualifying? Or did the Serbs crash out there?

 

Neither team managed to qualify directly during the group stage qualifications, but they made it to a playoff round. Serbia was grouped with Scotland, Norway, and Israel. I'm sure you remember Mitrovic's missed penalty during a shoot-out while on international duty and it was THAT miss that led to Scotland qualifying rather than Serbia.

Meanwhile, North Macedonia had the easier playoff group facing Kosovo, Belarus, and Georgia. North Macedonia beat Georgia to qualify.

 

Belgium beat an inspired Denmark 2-1, in a high level match. The Danes deserved a point, but DeBruyne appears healthy and when he came on as a sub it was all the difference.