Czech Republic
2 England, 1 Belgium, 2 Switzerland – Best XI from the round of 16
As the group stages came to a close, the knockout rounds of Euro 2020 begun, and the round of 16 certainly didn’t disappoint. We’ve had everything you could possibly want. Penalty shootouts, giant killings, last gasp winners, eight-goal thrillers, screamers, VAR drama – it’s what we live for as football fans. Here are our picks for the best XI from the round of 16. Jordan Pickford (GK) – England’s goalkeeper position has been the subject of debate for a while now, with many of the fans preferring the likes of Nick Pope and Dean Henderson over the Everton stopper. However, Gareth Southgate stuck with Pickford and has been rewarded for his faith. Against Germany, the 27-year-old was on top of his game, making crucial saves to deny Timo Werner and Kai Havertz at 0-0. Cesar Azpilicueta (R...
Euro 2020: Matthijs de Ligt takes blame for Netherlands elimination
Netherlands defender Matthijs de Ligt said he felt he was the player to blame for his team’s Euro 2020 last-16 exit after being sent off in Sunday’s 2-0 loss to the Czech Republic. The Juventus centre-back was dismissed 10 minutes into the second half in Budapest for a deliberate handball after he was forced into an error by Czech striker Patrik Schick. As De Ligt fell to the ground he pushed the ball away from Schick to deny his opponent a goalscoring opportunity. He initially escaped with just a booking, but received a red card following a VAR review. “I had it under control. The ball came and I let it bounce. I fell to the ground and got pushed, which made me use my hands,” De Ligt told Dutch public broadcaster NOS. “The moment changed the game and I feel responsible. I saw how the guys...
Bundesliga forward bags again, Juventus man’s nightmare – Netherlands 0-2 Czech Republic Player Ratings
Czech Republic pulled off a shock victory in the round of 16, knocking out Netherlands with a 2-0 win on Sunday. The Dutch began the game on the front foot, dominating possession in the middle of the park. They almost took the lead when Matthijs de Ligt’s back-post header missed the target, although replays showed that the Juventus man was offside anyway. Czech Republic worked their way back into the game, with Tomas Soucek glancing a header wide and Antonin Barak having a shot deflected over by De Ligt. The two sides went in goalless at the break, but it was an open half nonetheless. Early in the second half, Netherlands had a huge chance to take the lead. Donyell Malen skipped past two defenders and went through on goal but was tackled when he tried to round goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik....
Bundesliga forward bags again, Juventus man’s nightmare – Netherlands 0-2 Czech Republic Player Ratings
Czech Republic pulled off a shock victory in the round of 16, knocking out Netherlands with a 2-0 win on Sunday. The Dutch began the game on the front foot, dominating possession in the middle of the park. They almost took the lead when Matthijs de Ligt’s back-post header missed the target, although replays showed that the Juventus man was offside anyway. Czech Republic worked their way back into the game, with Tomas Soucek glancing a header wide and Antonin Barak having a shot deflected over by De Ligt. The two sides went in goalless at the break, but it was an open half nonetheless. Early in the second half, Netherlands had a huge chance to take the lead. Donyell Malen skipped past two defenders and went through on goal but was tackled when he tried to round goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik....
Euro 2020: Kieran Tierney ‘fit and available’ for England clash – Scotland boss
Scotland boss Steve Clarke has confirmed that Kieran Tierney is “fit and available” for their Euro 2020 clash with England. Tierney was forced to miss Scotland’s Group D opener against the Czech Republic after picking up a knock in training. The Arsenal defender saw his country suffer a damaging 2-0 loss in his absence, but Clarke is ready to welcome him back into the fold for their vital meeting with the Three Lions at Wembley on Friday. Asked for an update on Tierney’s condition at a pre-match press conference, the Scotland head coach told reporters: “Everybody fit and available, including Kieran. “It’s good news for Kieran, it’s good news for us, it’s good news for the Scottish supporters, so hopefully we can back all that up with a good result. “He’s trained fully the last two days, so...
Euro 2020: Spain boss rues missed chances but defends game plan
Spain coach Luis Enrique rued missed chances from his side in their 0-0 European Championship draw with Sweden on Monday, insisting he will not be changing his style of play despite getting off to a disappointing start in the tournament. It was a familiar story for Spain, who enjoyed 85 per cent possession in Seville, the highest figure for a team in a European Championship fixture since 1980 when Opta started recording the data. “We were by far the better team, the opposition tried to hang back, we completely controlled the game and tried to generate as many chances as possible,” Luis Enrique told a news conference. “We were up against a physically strong team. We did have the chances to win the game. What went wrong was that we did not take these chances.” The Spain coach was also keen t...
BBC garner bumper figures despite former Chelsea star’s annoying habit
The European Championships continued apace yesterday and thankfully passed without a repeat of the previous day’s drama. Denmark star Christian Eriksen appears to be making good progress – news which will be music to the ears of every football fan. England got their campaign underway with a victory over Croatia on Sunday, and they will have a keen eye on proceedings in Scotland this afternoon. Our latest Euro 2020 Diary takes a look at some of the talking points around England’s win. Phillips bosses moaning Modric Luka Modric is undoubtedly a great footballer. However, are we alone in thinking that he’s also a bit too whiny? The Croatian midfielder threw his toys out of the pram at the 2018 World Cup with a memorable tantrum about the ‘Three Lions’ song. Luka Modric has clarified his comme...
All Euro 2020 nation crests redesigned, for the modern era
National team crests are just different from their club counterparts. Both are an integral part of the team’s history, and both are definitely tattooed on many of the fans. However, in the past decade or so, most national team crests have already been updated and bought into the modern era of design. National team crests also seem to be simpler and have less elements than their club counterparts. That being said, I did find some ways to further simplify them. In some cases through minor changes without removing elements. It was also interesting to note how similar some of the crests can be to each other. For example Scotland, Netherlands & Wales all feature a roaring majestic lion or dragon. Or how Sweden and Finland, both nordic countries, feature their flags on a shield. I have tried...
West Brom release 18 players including Branislav Ivanovic, Kieran Gibbs, Hal Robson-Kanu
West Brom have released 18 players as they prepare for life in the Championship. The Baggies wave goodbye to senior stars Charlie Austin, Branislav Ivanovic, Kieran Gibbs and Hal Robson-Kanu. Sam Allardyce could not save the Midlands side from the drop – the first Premier League relegation in his managerial career – after taking over from Slaven Bilic. West Brom have since parted company with the Dudley native. The 19th placed Baggies ended up 13 points from safety as they dropped back down to the Championship at the first time of asking. And their relegation has seen nearly 20 players culled from their squad. Joining well known quartet Austin, Gibbs, Ivanovic and Robson-Kanu in departing the Hawthorns, are Zak Brown, Nicholas Clayton-Phillips, Chiekh Diaby, Tyrese Dyce and Samuel French. ...
West Ham and Tottenham stars in line to shine in tough Euro 2020 group
Of all the Euro 2020 groups, Group D is perhaps the one with the fieriest rivalries. England begin their campaign with a clash against Croatia. The Three Lions will still be hurting from the World Cup semi-final defeat back in 2018, and will be hungry for revenge. They follow this up with a fixture against neighbours Scotland, who qualified for their first major tournament since 1998. England vs Scotland at Wembley? Yes please! The final team in the group is Czech Republic. Despite being underdogs, they boast the best finish in European Championship history in their group, finishing second in 1996. It’s shaping up to be a group worth watching. Croatia – Mislav Orsic Orsic destroyed one English team – can he do it again? The man who gives Tottenham Hotspur fans nightmares. Mislav Orsic has ...
West Ham offer lucrative contract to Alex Kral
West Ham United have been heavily linked with a move for the Spartak Moscow midfielder Alex Kral. Meanwhile, Football Insider are claiming that the Premier League side have offered the 23-year-old defensive midfielder a double-your-money contract. The Czech Republic international is highly rated and he could prove to be a quality long term investment for the London club. The Hammers signed his compatriots Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal recently and both players have proven to be massive hits at the club. The Premier League side will be hoping that Kral can follow in their footsteps and succeed at West Ham. The chance to move to a Premier League club is already an attractive proposition and the fact that he will be earning double of what he is currently picking up at Spartak Moscow will o...
Euro 2020: Gareth Southgate invites Bukayo Saka, 24 others
Gareth Southgate hit back at the critics after selecting Trent Alexander-Arnold for England’s Euro 2020 squad as the Three Lions boss admitted Harry Maguire is a doubt for the opener against Croatia. Alexander-Arnold had to endure a nervous wait before learning he had made the cut after spending much of the season out of favour with Southgate. The 22-year-old was left out of Southgate’s England squad for their World Cup qualifiers in March. But Alexander-Arnold’s strong end to the season with Liverpool convinced Southgate to restore the right-back to his squad. Alexander-Arnold responded to his selection by tweeting: “Always believe in yourself. Silence the doubters.” Irritated by the inaccurate pre-announcement reports that he would drop Alexander-Arnold, Southgate insisted he never lost ...
