Typical football. Started off cursing Southgate for the starting line up, especially in the first ten minutes. But we grew into it, and while the Germans looked better first half we had chances. Cagey stuff. The second half was similar - you couldn't get a rizla between the two, until the knackered Saka came off and we got Greslish. Great team effort but Grealish added a bit of extra zest we needed. Germany missed a great chance, and the rest is history. Can't tell you how great that final whistle felt. And hats off to Southgate. We are playing it tight, and I think we have players to do better, but we are progressing nicely. Carry on Gareth.
Despite their vaunted name, the Germany of this tournament are a shadow of the great sides of yesteryear. Granted, you can only beat who's in front of you. But it could well be that England won't play a really good team in this competition until they get to the Final. In one match, anything can happen. And to get to the Final itself will have to be acknowledged as progress by all except the most sceptical. I'm guessing it's going to be Spain or Belgium. And beating either of them in such a high pressure match will mean England have earned that trophy. Let's see if we can get there...
On paper the Belgium/Italy game should be a corker, but some of the best games have been the ones you wouldn't expect. I hope de Bruyne and Hazard are both fit after the brutal treatment handed out to them by Portugal.
Speaking of which, Belgium-Portugal was supposed to be a cracker but it was a very run if the mill match for the neutral. France-Switzerland which looked a write off pre match was a thriller.
Never been a fan of Sterling, but time for credit where credit is due. He was my MOM last night. Scared the Germans when he had the ball at his feet and drew defenders towards him whenever he ran at them, leaving space for others. He did his defensive duties brilliantly as well. Fair play young man. I might even change my mind about you if this carries on......
Today will be an easy day watching football without all the nerves we can look forward to tomorrow. A Spain - Switzerland starter, which like Switzerland's previous match, looks a foregone conclusion. I still expect to see Spain win, but hopefully the Swiss can manage another surprise as Spain look ominously good now they have worked out where the goal is. Followed by Italy against what's left of Belgium after the Portuguese gave them some rough treatment. I hope for a good game - either of these will be tough if we meet them later on. But for the moment, it's just neutral football. Tomorrow will be very different.
Neutral football is good for you. But you can start off neutral, but when a team plays the way Portugal did against Belgium neutrality goes for a burton.
When are yellow cards wiped? Article 52.05 Single cautions from matches in the final tournament expire on completion of the quarter-finals. They are not carried forward to the semi-finals. Does this mean a player cannot be banned for the final as a result of two yellow cards picked up during the course of the final tournament? Correct. The slate is wiped clean after the quarter-finals, meaning a player can only be suspended for the final if they receive a red card in the semi-finals. I’m tempted to rest all of them, playing Henderson and Bellingham as the 2 in the middle. Bring Mings in too.
It's a bit of a tricky one this. If those players are rested and the revised team comes unstuck against Ukraine, Southgate is going to look a right muppet. He'll be ripped to pieces. The top priority is to win this game. If that means risking a couple of suspensions for the following Semi-Final, then so be it. I know our squad should be strong enough to win the Ukraine match without those four players. But dropping them all just because they're on a yellow card would be a mistake in my view. Gaffer's call of course...
I really like the Italian team. They are a breath of fresh air, always attacking, unlike any previous Italian team.
Agreed. It would not be in our interests for this game to be 0-0 well beyond the hour mark. Even more so than in most matches.
ENGLAND 1-0 Harry Kane... that was easy! There shouldn't be any pressure now. Let's make it 3-0 or 4-0 before half time, then we can rest some players. ~ Not that it matters much, but I thought the England players looked a bit apologetic taking the knee. The fans in the stadium didn't like it, and the Ukraine team weren't impressed either. That's not surprising - Italy & Ukraine are not known as pioneers of racial equality. But I would expect a bit more conviction from the England players if it's something they really believe in. Protests are supposed to thrive on being controversial, not depend on popularity.
