Euro 2020
‘It was goosebumps’ – England kitman shares what Harry Kane did right before Germany clash
England secured a 2-0 win over Germany in the round-of-16 of Euro 2020 this evening, with second-half goals from Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane sending the Three Lions through to the quarter-finals. The Tottenham Hotspur star finally broke the duck, and his strike put the game to bed. Kane’s lack of goals or assists in the group stages got a lot of people worried, but the Spurs hitman came good at last. England will face Sweden or Ukraine in the quarters, and everyone will be counting on the 27-year-old to deliver the goods. While not many gave the Three Lions a chance, England senior kitman Pat Frost was confident of their chances at Wembley after Kane’s pre-match speech. He revealed how the Tottenham star, who doubles as the Three Lions captain, spurred his teammates on right before the ...
‘Phenomenal’, ‘Truly deserves’: Some Chelsea fans praise international display of £145,000-a-week star
A selection of Chelsea fans on Twitter heaped praise on Cesar Azpilicueta following his sublime performance during Spain’s 5-3 win over Croatia at Euro 2020. The Blues captain started the second game running for La Roja. He produced a solid all-round play capped with a brilliant headed goal. Azpilicueta gave La Roja the lead (2-1) in the 57th minute of the round of 16 clash. It was his first-ever goal for the national team in what was his 27th cap. The experienced right-back also made a terrific goal-line clearance when Spain were leading 3-1, but Croatia quickly scored off the rebound. Croatia made a stunning comeback from two goals down to make it 3-3, but they were eventually beaten 5-3 after the game went to extra-time. Azpilicueta had an impressive performance as he won six of his 10 ...
‘He can give much more’ – former Arsenal star hammers 28-year-old
Well, that was fun, wasn’t it? Two games, 14 goals, a penalty shoot-out and France dumped out of the European Championships in hilarious circumstances. Spain kicked off proceedings by beating Croatia after extra time in a game where defending appeared to be a forgotten art. France then did what France do best by imploding against a Switzerland team that they had criminally underestimated. Over in the ITV studio, former Arsenal and France star Patrick Vieira was not a happy camper. Vieira hammers Pogba Paul Pogba. All the talent in the world, but frustrating beyond belief. Scores a great goal to put his side 3-1 up and celebrates with a one minute dance – a great way to wind up the opposition. Played lots of brilliant passes? Absolutely. Failed miserably to be defensively disciplined? Total...
Euro 2020: Spain eliminate Croatia in eight-goal thriller
Spain held off a remarkable Croatian fightback to win 5-3 in a pulsating Euro 2020 last 16 knockout match on Monday thanks to goals from Alvaro Morata and Mikel Oyarzabal in extra time. The three-times European champions will now face either France or Switzerland on July 2 in St. Petersburg Spain and Croatia were drawing 3-3 after normal time, with the goals starting when goalkeeper Unai Simon failed disastrously to control a simple back-pass to give Croatia a shock 1-0 lead. Spain looked like they had made amends with goals from Pablo Sarabia, Cesar Azpilicueta and Ferran Torres to go 3-1 up, until Mislav Orsic scored in the 85th minute and Mario Pasalic netted two minutes into stoppage time to level for Croatia. Spain’s goals in extra time came after Simon had made a point blank save to ...
La Liga duo and Man Utd man impress, but young superstar disappoints – France 3-3 Switzerland Player Ratings
Switzerland pulled off a huge upset as they defeated France in a thrilling round of 16 fixture on penalties. The World Cup champions squandered a glorious chance to take the lead in the second minute. Antoine Griezmann’s corner found the head of Raphael Varane, but he skied his effort over the crossbar. And he was made to pay for his miss not long afterwards when Switzerland took a shock lead. Steven Zuber lifted a cross into the box, and Haris Seferovic beat Clement Lenglet to the ball and planted his header into the bottom corner. Les Bleus were struggling to find a way through the Swiss defence in the first half, coming closest with a long distance strike from Adrien Rabiot that whistled just past the post. But they were unable to get a goal, and the half time whistle went with the scor...
Man City man stars, Barcelona and Juventus players also impress – Croatia 3-5 Spain Player Ratings
Spain progressed to the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 following an exhilarating clash with Croatia on Monday. Spain had the better of the opening stages, creating two excellent chances to take go ahead. The first came when Pedri slipped a ball through to Koke, but his finish was too close to Dominik Livakovic in goal. Soon afterwards, Ferran Torres swung in an inch-perfect cross for Alvaro Morata at the back post. However, the forward’s header was blocked by Domagoj Vida when he really ought to have scored. Spain were made to rue their missed chances in comical fashion just moments later. Pedri overhit a backpass to Unai Simon, who failed to control the ball and allowed it in for 1-0. It was the ninth own goal of the tournament – as many as every other European Championships combined. It was...
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....
Former Premier League men star, Ronaldo quiet – Belgium 1-0 Portugal Player Ratings
Belgium reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 after a tight 1-0 win over Portugal. The first chance of the game fell to Portugal, and they will have been disappointed with the end result. Renato Sanches embarked on a brilliant driving run before feeding Diogo Jota, but the Liverpool man dragged his shot well wide. For much of the first half, Belgium were struggling to create anything of note, finding themselves limited to an ambitious effort by Thomas Meunier. But they managed to take the lead shortly before half time in fine fashion. Thorgan Hazard picked up the ball from 25 yards out and unleashed a powerful strike into the far corner. Although the ball moved a lot in the air, Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Patricio will feel like he should have done better. There was an early blow in the s...
Real Madrid man highlights why he gets stick, dry your eyes Savage
The European Championships have reached the knockout stage, and the first two games on Saturday delivered plenty of entertainment. Denmark’s demolition job on Wales was fantastic viewing, particularly if you enjoy listening to Robbie Savage make a fool of himself on national television. Italy were pushed hard by Austria in their last-16 tie, but Roberto Mancini’s team eventually got over the line after extra time. Dry your eyes Savage Having suffered Robbie Savage’s biased commentary on the BBC as Wales beat Turkey in the group stage, it was great to listen to his efforts as his glory boys were humiliated by Denmark. With the Danes leading 3-0, there was a wondrous two or three minute period where the normally motor-mouthed Welshman was completely silent. Robbie Savage saying “Wales look t...
‘Who needs Declan Rice’: Some Chelsea fans react to ‘masterclass’ performance from 25-year-old
A selection of Chelsea fans hailed the performance of Andreas Christensen during Denmark’s stunning 4-0 win over Wales at Euro 2020. The Danes progressed to the last eight of the competition with a sublime showing in Amsterdam where Christensen excelled from his midfield role. The Blues star initially started on the right side of a back three for Denmark, but was shifted to midfield after a dominating 15 minutes for Wales. The 25-year-old produced a solid display from the centre of the park, and he did a brilliant job of man-marking and nullifying the threat of Aaron Ramsey. He dropped back into defence after the hour mark. Some Blues fans were delighted with his display and believe he could play a similar role at club level. Twitter reactions: Andreas Christensen is some player 👏 ...
Barcelona and Tottenham men impress, Serie A player MOTM – Wales 0-4 Denmark Player Ratings
Wales were eliminated from Euro 2020 after a ruthless Denmark performance in the round of 16 on Saturday. It was a bright start from Wales, who had the better of the opening 20 minutes. They twice came close to opening the scoring when Gareth Bale struck wide from distance. But Denmark managed to take control of the game and got themselves ahead in the 27th minute. Kasper Dolberg, who was standing in for the injured Yussuf Poulsen, curled one into the far corner from the edge of the box after being fed by Mikkel Damsgaard. Things went from bad to worse for Robert Page’s men when right-back Connor Roberts picked up a groin injury. He was substituted off and replaced by Liverpool’s Neco Williams. Denmark continued to dominate the first half and almost got themselves a second just before the ...
