Euro 2020
Euro 2020 Diary: Denmark delight, Germany must defy UEFA, Big Zuu knows
Day 11 of the European Championships delivered what every football fan craves – drama with a capital ‘D’. Netherlands and Austria booked their spots in the last-16 from Group C, but Group B was the place to be for the edge of your seat stuff. With Belgium already through to the next round, Finland, Russia and Denmark were battling to join them in the knockout phase. Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen Denmark dramatically snatched second place behind Belgium with a thumping 4-1 victory over Russia on an emotional night in Copenhagen. Just nine days after teammate Christian Eriksen collapsed on the same pitch against Finland, the Danes produced a power-packed display to blow the Russians away. A night we will never forget 🇩🇰 pic.twitter.com/Mul1GPv0X6 — Kasper Schmeichel (@kschm...
Real Madrid man MOTM, Man City player disappointing – Ukraine 0-1 Austria Player Ratings
Austria confirmed their place in the knockout stages of Euro 2020 with a 1-0 win over Ukraine. The first half was end-to-end, with both sides intent on getting a win – even though a point would probably take them both through to the round of 16. The deadlock was broken in the 21st minute, and it was Austria who took the lead. David Alaba’s cross was met by the studs of Christoph Baumgartner, who turned the ball into the net from close range. It wasn’t long before Ukraine came close to an equaliser when Mykola Shaparenko’s shot was palmed away by Daniel Bachmann, with Andriy Yarmolenko just inches away from getting on the end of the rebound. Austria responded with a couple of efforts of their own. Konrad Laimer had a curling shot beaten by Georgi Bushchan, and Marko Arnautovic skewed a glor...
Some Scotland and Chelsea fans react as Billy Gilmour tests positive for COVID-19
Some Scotland and Chelsea fans have expressed their disappointment on Twitter after Billy Gilmour tested positive for COVID-19. The 20-year-old made his full international debut against England last week, and he produced a standout display in midfield. Gilmour was adjudged the man of the match, but he won’t play any part in the final Euro 2020 group stage game against Croatia. He has tested positive for coronavirus following the goalless draw and is expected to stay in isolation for 10 days at least. This has led to disappointment among some Scotland and Chelsea fans. Here are a few reactions on Twitter. Are the team in a bubble during the tournament? Like.. in a hotel or something?Does Billy have a room mate?Have they been together in training recently?Could others in the team now be in d...
Italian premier calls for Euros final to be moved from Wembley
The prime minister of Italy has called for the Euro 2020 final to be moved from Wembley due to coronavirus concerns. Mario Draghi says the level of infection in the United Kingdom means alternative venues must be considered. “I will try to stop the final being held in a country where infections are rising quickly,” he said on Monday when asked if Rome could be considered a possible replacement. Wembley is due to host five knockout matches, including both semi-finals and then the final on July 11. Italy will also play their last-16 game in London against Austria on June 26. Cases of COVID-19 have been increasing in recent weeks in the UK, fuelled by the Delta variant first identified in India, with a further 10,633 confirmed on Monday. There are also still strict travel restrictions in plac...
Premier League and Serie A stars shine – Finland 0-2 Belgium Player Ratings
Belgium wrapped up top spot in Group B with a 2-0 win over Finland in their final group stage game. The first half was one-way traffic, with Finland evidently looking to stay in the game for as long as possible. Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku were seeing a lot of the ball, but couldn’t find a way through. Those same two players combined for the best chance of the opening 45. De Bruyne floated in a wonderful cross for Lukaku, but the Inter Milan forward’s finish was uncharacteristically poor, heading straight at Lukas Hradecky. Hradecky had to be at his best shortly before half time. Teenager Jeremy Doku drove into the box and struck a shot towards the far corner, but the goalkeeper threw out a strong left arm to turn it away. The two sides went in at the break level. Finland ended the h...
Euro 2020: Donyell Malen adds extra dimension to potent Dutch attack
The Netherlands had every reason to step down a couple of gears but instead upped their pace thanks to a fine display by speedy forward Donyell Malen in Monday’s 3-0 win over North Macedonia, advancing their claims to be genuine Euro 2020 contenders. Frank de Boer’s side had already qualified for the knockouts as group winners but whereas Italy’s Roberto Mancini made sweeping changes for his side’s 1-0 win over Wales, the Dutchman fielded his strongest team in their final Group C game. One of the two changes he did make was to bring in 22-year-old Malen in place of Wout Weghorst, making the Netherlands even more potent in attack as they became the top scorers in the tournament with eight goals. Malen, who provided an assist less than three minutes after coming on in the 2-0 win over Austri...
“I don’t like the system very much” – Klopp disagrees with 3-4-3, but wishes team success
Jurgen Klopp has weighed in on Germany’s back three system that Joachim Low has deployed at Euro 2020 so far. Germany have lined up in a 3-4-3 formation in their two group stage games against France and Portugal. Manuel Neuer is in goal, with Matthias Ginter, Mats Hummels, and Antonio Rudiger at centre-back. Robin Gosens and Joshua Kimmich line up as wing-backs, Toni Kroos and Ilkay Gundogan are in midfield, while the front three are Thomas Muller, Kai Havertz and Serge Gnabry. So far, it has achieved mixed success. They were defeated 1-0 by world champions France in the first game thanks to an own goal by Hummels but demolished Portugal 4-2 in their second outing. The wing-backs were crucial in the victory. Gosens directly contributed to three goals, while Kimmich assisted two. However, L...
No Uefa hammer for gay supporting German skipper
The German FA has said it will not be punished by UEFA for the rainbow-coloured captain’s armband Germany skipper Manuel Neuer has worn during Euro 2020 in solidarity with gay pride this month. The German Football Association (DFB) said it has received a letter from European football’s governing body stating that a review of the matter has been stopped. “The armband has been assessed as a team symbol for diversity and thus for a ‘good cause’”, the DFB said on Twitter. Normally, the captains of each team at the European Championship are obliged to wear a standard armband issued by UEFA. Former Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger, who came out as gay after retiring in 2013 and is now head of sport at VfB Stuttgart, was unimpressed that UEFA were even looking into the armband matter. “Come...
Borussia Dortmund star deserves better than being patronised by Southgate
Group A took centre stage at the European Championships on Sunday, with the final matches of the opening phase played simultaneously. Italy beat Wales 1-0 to confirm their place at the top of the group, while Switzerland triumphed 3-1 against Turkey. Despite being completely outplayed by Italy, the result was enough to send Wales through to the round of 16. Let’s have a look at some of the talking points from the Italy game and elsewhere. Don’t mess with Locatelli After being one of the stars of Euro 2020 during Italy’s first two games, Manuel Locatelli but was handed a well-earned rest against Wales. However, he was a little wound up on the bench during the game as teammate Nicolo Barella jokingly flung a water bottle at his head. what’s the Italian for banter pic.twitter.com/OKb4U1Qj0F —...
Why Gareth Southgate’s treatment of Jadon Sancho makes no sense
If England fail to advance to the latter stages of Euro 2020, Gareth Southgate’s ability to take the team forward will be the subject of scrutiny. Southgate has a talented group of players at his disposal which should be reaching nothing less than the semi-finals of major tournaments if not win them. One of the questionable stances taken by Southgate in the Euros so far is his decision not to hand starts to Jadon Sancho against Croatia and Scotland. Southgate has indicated that he needs to be realistic about the demands that he places on young players such as Sancho. “We’ve got some explosive options, and a lot of them are young players and experiencing a big tournament for the first time,” said Southgate as quoted by Sky Sports. “So, as a coaching staff, we are realistic about our expecta...
Man City star to make first Euro 2020 start while Inter Milan striker looks to boost Golden Boot hopes
Krestovsky Stadium is the venue as Finland hope to stage a miracle and beat Belgium on Monday to make it out of the group stage on their Euro debut. A victory over Belgium seems like sci-fi, but Finland head into the match knowing a triumph over odds-on favourites will guarantee them a place in the knock-out stages. On the other hand, the Belgians have already qualified for the round of 16, but they are keen to conclude their Euro group stage campaign with all three wins for the first time. Note: You can watch all Euro 2020 games via live streaming. Finland Preview Finland lost 1-0 to Russia in their second group stage match following a narrow 1-0 victory over Denmark in their Group B curtain-raiser but can still reach the knock-outs. If their encounter with Belgium produces a 1-0 sco...
UEFA backs down over Manuel Neuer’s rainbow armband
UEFA has dropped its investigation of Manuel Neuer’s rainbow captain’s armband after declaring that the Germany skipper’s decision to wear it is a ‘team symbol of diversity’. Neuer has worn the armband during Germany’s last two Euro 2020 fixtures to show support for the LGBT+ community during Pride Month, but UEFA launched an investigation to determine whether it could be viewed as a political statement. Had UEFA determined that the armband was a political statement, Neuer could have been prohibited from wearing it in future games and the German FA (DFB) could have faced a fine for the goalkeeper’s actions. The DFB announced on Sunday evening that UEFA had dropped its probe and now views the armband as a “good cause”, though European football’s governing body is facing criticism for its de...
