Home Park on BBC national news last night...showing the fans reactions during the England v Germany match...plus the celebrations afterwards....a reasonably long report for a news program.
Switzerland...1-1...Spain. AET Spain win 3-1 on penalties. Poor game.....and poor penalty contest......The Swiss miss four on the trot. Spain dominate possession....but not unbeatable.
No they didn't. They scored their first and then missed the next 3. By Spain missing their first one they apparently had then missed their last 5 penalties on the trot. Think they both developed the English disease.
Belgium...1-2...Italy...F/T. I'm knackered watching that....total commitment from both teams.....Italy deserved to win......will take some beating if they get to the Final......so much passion.
Terrific game, a completely different Italy to the traditional cynical defensive mindset.......... until the last 15 anyway. Are England the new Itally? Hard to beat and grinding out results by an odd goal?
Pickford saved his defence a few times during this tounament with some excellent saves and sounds verbally in control of those in front of him. Maybe with a full season behind him Michael Cooper will start to show leadership over his defence.....atthough this year he will have some experienced defenders shielding him.
Ukraine...0-4...England...F/T. Kane...4 & 50 mins Maguire...46 mins Henderson 63 mins Have we peaked too early....I hope not. That was a comprehensive win....the best we've played for years.....and being able to take off most of our yellow carded players.....and to have so much quality coming off the bench to continue dominating the match.....is it Christmas already.
"Have we peaked too early, I hope not" There you have the Argyle supporters conditioning after years of almost but not quite only to fall apart when it looked easier to win. My son told me I should be more positive. I can't help wondering where the wheels will end up after falling off either.
Totally dominant performance from England. OK, Ukraine are 20 places below us in the EUFA rankings but when you can take off Sterling and bring on Rashford and Foden and Grealish don't get a look in, you know you're onto something. Sancho hadn't kicked a ball in the tournament until 8pm but was one of England's best players tonight. There are always banana skins waiting to be stepped on but Southgate seems to be able to tailor the formation and personnel to give any opposition problems. We've been let down too many times before but I can't help liking what I see.
I don't disagree with that notdistant. England have been very very professional in this tournament so far. Southgate does seem to have something even if you look at him and he doesn't look that motivating. None of the sides in this tournament are bad sides. They are not like teams in the qualifying bit where you play San Marino and Gibraltar and win 5 - 0 without breaking sweat. All of them now are winners in qualifying so none of the games are going to be a walk over. You have to find a way to win and Southgate has done that along with the players doing their thing as trained. The problem though is being let down so many times before. You just can't help worrying a bit can you.
We scored 4, made several good chances, dictated the play for most of the game, allowing them a couple of half chances at best. I'll take that. As the players and the manger said (so they all have the message), they've done nothing yet, celebrate for one night and then start again from scratch tomorrow (i.e. today). Yes, we could implode against Denmark but all the signs say we shouldn't. I think we could beat Spain. Italy would require something really special, but why not? It just takes 90 minutes of superhuman effort, unbroken concentration and sublime skill. I'm not saying we will do that but I believe if the stars align, we can. I'll take that too.
Everything points to us beating Denmark. We are a better side with better players and so on. But we all know football doesn't work that way and of course anything could happen. The leagues are littered with strange results every week. I think we can and will win the next game. It's only the years of watching football that stops me uncorking the bubbly now. It never pays to get too cocky and start shouting too soon.
You only had to look at the Ukrainians at the end. They were dejected. They knew they'd been given a thrashing. Past performance is never a guarantee of future results but England couldn't have done more to make you think it might just happen.
Italy are going to be a hard game for whoever gets through tomorrow. I am glad they won to be honest. I know Spain play a lot of one touch football and I know it looks good but for me it's only for a while. I then get bored to death and want to see at least a bit more in front of goal. They have been knocking on the door of going out pretty much all the way through and now it's happened. There was yet more play acting by both sides tonight which frankly becomes tedious. One Spanish player hitting the deck on the edge of the Italian box clutching his shin until the Ref gave nothing and he suddenly jumped to his feet and sprinted off. Not the first time we've seen that is it. I so want somebody to get a Red for doing it but that won't happen will it.
