Euro 2016 Group B Wrapup

Matchday 1

Wales 2, Slovakia 1

Goals: Gareth Bale (WAL) (Free Kick) 10’, Ondrej Duda (SVK) 61’, Hal Robson-Kanu (WAL) 81’

General Thoughts:

• For those of you who are new to soccer, each of the British Home Nations (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) has their own soccer team, and that’s why Wales has its own team, and that’s why England has its own team.
• This was the first game at a Euro for both teams.
• This was Wales’ first major tournament since the 1958 World Cup, hosted by Sweden. They made it to the quarterfinals, where Brazil defeated them, 1-0, in Göteborg (Gothenburg).[1]
• Some great plays early on that occurred within a minute of each other:
  • Slovak midfielder Marek Hamšík looked like he would score an amazing goal in the 10th minute, but Welsh defender Ben Davies made an even more amazing block on the goal line.
  • One minute later, Gareth Bale scored a stunner on a 25-yard free kick to give Wales the lead.
  • What a turn of events that was. Is it safe to say that the game would have been very different had Davies not blocked that shot?
• Slovakia missed so many chances to score. They were set up nicely but just couldn’t finish the job.
• Both Hamšík and Vladimir Weiss played remarkably well for Slovakia but just couldn’t beat the Welsh defense.
• How brilliant did the two managers look? Slovakia’s goal and Wales’ second goal were both scored by substitutes, with Duda’s goal for Slovakia coming a minute after he entered the game.  Wow!
• I can’t say that Robson-Kanu’s goal was great since he mis-hit the shot, but it still counts just the same on the scoresheet.
• Both sets of fans were outstanding. Passionate…loud…this is what international tournaments are all about.
• Very very entertaining game. Lots of scoring chances and momentum swings…and Slovakia came within a shot ringing off the goalpost of scoring two equalizer goals.  Both of these teams will be tough to defeat as this tournament rolls on.

June 11, 2016, 11:16 am MST

 England 1, Russia 1

Goals: Eric Dier (ENG) 73’, Vasili Berezutski (RUS) 90+2’

General thoughts:

• England should have won this game at least 3-0, given the huge talent difference.
• England had several great scoring chances and dominated possession. The ball almost lived in the Russian defensive end.[2]  Why didn’t England score more?    All but one of England’s shots that were on target[3]went straight at Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev.  The only one that didn’t go straight at him was, obviously, the goal.  We can’t say whether Akinfeev played well because he was never tested.
• Dier’s goal was a sight to behold. Sheer power.
• I doubt that England manager Roy Hodgson will substitute for Rooney again, unless he’s injured. Once he left the game, England lost their poise.  Rooney’s veteran leadership seems to be the glue that holds this team together.
• Russia had only two scoring chances in the entire game.   And yet they tied England.
• I don’t want to take anything away from Berezutski – he did a great job to score that goal.
• Having said that, to give up a game-tying goal that late in a game that you’ve dominated…ugh. This was a stomach-punch tie – a last-minute tie that feels like a loss.[4]
• With Wales’ win over Slovakia and England’s slip-up, England now needs to defeat Wales to be in a good position to advance to the knockout phase.

June 11, 2016, 2:05 pm MST

Matchday 2

 Slovakia 2, Russia 1

Goals: Vladimír Weiss (SVK) 32’, Marek Hamšík (SVK) 45′, Denis Glushakov (RUS) 80’

General thoughts:

• Slovakia played far better than Russia did. After the first two games, I have to wonder how in the world Russia qualified for the tournament.  They have looked dreadfully bad.
• Once Glushakov scored the Russian goal in the 80th minute, things looked slightly more tense for Slovakia, but did anyone watching this game honestly think that Russia even had the slightest chance of tying, let alone winning?
• After UEFA read Russia the riot act following the hooliganism surrounding the England game, WHAT THE HECK WAS A RUSSIAN FAN DOING LIGHTING A FLARE AFTER THE RUSSIAN GOAL?!??? Furthermore, why didn’t UEFA expel Russia over that?  Didn’t they say “no more?”
• Russia cannot be sent home fast enough. Their team stinks.  Yes, Ukraine was the first one eliminated, but they played well in their first two games, only to some up short due to some bad luck.  Russia was lucky to tie England, and then looked horrible against Slovakia.

June 15, 2016, 8:31 am MST

England 2, Wales 1

Goals: Gareth Bale (WAL) 42’, Jamie Vardy (ENG) 56’, Daniel Sturridge (ENG) 90+2’

General thoughts:

• Gareth Bale continues to show why he’s the most expensive soccer player in the world after scoring two goals in as many games – on free kicks, no less.
• Weren’t the announcers a bit harsh on English goalkeeper Joe Hart for the Welsh goal? Hart parried the ball with his hand, but it spun off in a weird manner, hit the post, and caromed in.  How is that Hart’s fault?  He poked the ball away – it just spun weird.  Those things happen.
• Nice substitutions by English manager Roy Hodgson. If only England played this aggressively during the entire tournament….
• The electricity from the stadium after Sturridge’s goal gave me goosebumps.
• Wales’ next game is against hapless Russia, while England’s is against Slovakia. If both teams win, England will win the group and Wales will finish second.  If both tie, the same will occur.  If Wales wins and England ties, then Wales will win the group.  Winning this group will be very important, because the runner up may have to face Spain, Italy, or Germany in the Round of 16.

June 16, 2016, 8:17 am MST

 Matchday 3

 Wales 3, Russia 0

Goals: Aaron Ramsey (WAL) 11’, Neil Taylor (WAL) 20’, Gareth Bale (WAL) 67’

General thoughts:

• What a start by Wales! And both of their first half goals were fun to watch.  Wales keeps impressing me in every game that they play.
• The cameras zoomed in on a stern-looking Russian fan in the 31st minute. All I could think when I saw that was how much he looked like General Burkhalter from Hogan’s Heroes.
• How good has Gareth Bale been? He has scored in each Welsh game at the tournament thus far.
• This was a complete mismatch. Wales whipped the Russians up and down the field.
• Is Russia the worst team at this tournament? So far, yes.  Of course, Austria may match their futility in their third game.  At any rate, neither team has played well in ANY game.  I dare anyone to challenge this statement.

June 24, 2016, 3:54 pm MST

England 0, Slovakia 0

Goals: None

General thoughts:

• The last time England played a game in this stadium – Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne – was in the Round of 16 in the 1998 World Cup against Argentina. That was the memorable game where an 18-year-old Michael Owen scored his memorable goal, where David Beckham received his infamous red card for kicking Diego Simeone, and England lost in penalty kicks.[5]
• England’s offense was like someone who tells a great joke but then forgets the punch line.[6] But I don’t want to take anything away from the Slovak defense, who played well, and Slovak goalie Matúš Kozáčik, who was spectacular.
• Yet another game where England dominated, yet they could only manage a tie. They need better strikers.[7]

June 24, 2016, 3:54 pm MST

[1] The goalscorer in that game?  A 17-year-old Brazilian named Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known to the world as the immortal Pelé.  That was the first of his 12 World Cup goals.

[2] Seriously, for most of the game, English goalkeeper Joe Hart could have stayed in the locker room and it wouldn’t have mattered.

[3] For those of you who are new to soccer, a “shot on target” is a shot that would have entered the goal had the goalie not saved it.

[4] Another example of a stomach-punch tie?  USA vs. Portugal in the group stage of World Cup 2014 in Brazil.  Portugal scored to tie it up on the last play of the game.

[5] Wait…that last part doesn’t narrow it down much.  England almost always gets knocked of a tournament on penalty kicks: ’90 World Cup…’96 Euro…’98 World Cup…’04 Euro…’06 World Cup…’12 Euro.

[6] Either that or delivers the punchline badly.  Either way, that’s bad.

[7] For years, most of the English Premier League’s best strikers have not come from England.  I see a connection here.