EURO 2020 Final Open Thread
They've been double-posted too many times today.
Wait - - did we return to 2020? Or is the Eurozone frozen in time?
England wins the first half!
One half away from the party starting
All level 1-1. Have to think there’s a good chance England fully shits the bed here.
That's what happens when you get ahead early and decide to call it a day, great save by Pitchford but the Italians are just all over the place, I believe Italy has all the momentum and England was banking on the clean sheet, they have not had the most demanding path and have not been in a situation like this in the tournament.
totally agree - Italy slowly gained control of the midfield and was creating runs - they just couldn't get the shots. Once they scored England had no momentum but I thought their subs helped reduce the Italian's control of the flow of the game. But......you get to penalty kicks and it's a total toss up
theyre going to riot either way.
there is no greater divide between what the english think they are and what they actually are than george the 7 year old in a suit at a football match and the entire nation of drunk chavy knobs louting about public squares all over england right now.
So England is to soccer what Michigan is to college football?
Michigan has hooligans?
First Djoker makes history at Wimbledon, and now this epic match goes to extra time. This is one of those days where it’s good to be in the royal family.
are there days when it isn't good to be a member of that do nothing family?
I'm guessing Will and Harry can think of a few.
Too soon!!!!
I watched the Crown. I got the impression there are a lot of those days.
Because The Crown is history.
Exactly my man, exactly
England totally gassed.
England is crumbling with nerves....
The subs bit England in the ass there during the penalty kicks. Ouch. Started 2/2 on kicks and ended 2/5.
The Fightin’ Mussolinis win.
England being England.
EU WINS!!!!!!!!!
Vladdie and his food-tasting, open-car ridin’ double.
Would much rather go with ice-blooded veterans in those shootouts. Gareth Southgate put in the young talented kids but the moment was too big for those nerves. Send the older guys out there.
Shame, wasted a great last save by Pickford.
Forza Italia
FORZA AZZURRI
"FOOTBALL IS COMING TO ROME"
/I'm laughing MANICALLY at England. CHOKERS GONNA CHOKE! May England's international trophy drought continue into the next century.
LMAO at Southgate's subs missing both PKs. (LOL at Rashford and Sancho.)
Oh btw, F ManUnited and F Arsenal. (LOL @ Saka too.)
England didn't face any of the truly elite teams (France, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, etc.) leading up to the Final. Germany was already in decline and has been since 2016 Euro loss to France.
/The Sun Never Sets on People Who Root for England to Fail.
ETA: Yo EVERYONE, check out this BANGER of a prediction from 2013!!!
https://twitter.com/lawseyitfc/status/304920588131119104
England just lost the euro 2020 final against Italy on a penalty shoot out, nothing has changed then!
I was about to ask if an Englishman stole your house or wife given your vitriol.
Then thinking back on the history of English colonialism I thought...there is actually a decent chance that occurred somewhere in your familial lineage - depending on your origins of course.
Yep. I'm of mixed origin.
But I won't deny that my support of the French National Team (Les Bleus) is hypocritical considering France's colonialism and continued interference into Africa even up to now...
That said, I just find England's arrogance about football to be insufferable. At least the Germans have reasons to be cocky given their achievements.
Dans mes bras mon ami
This is one of my all time favorite mgoblog posts
Come on Southgate, you have 19 year old Saka taking a PK over Grealish or Sterling?!
Let's be real though...
Those guys would've probably missed too.
Choking is ingrained and perpetuated in England's DNA now. England are now like the late 20th century Boston Red Sox.
England had a ridiculously easy draw and were totally outplayed tonight.
Southgate's best attribute is being calm and optimistic - a most important quality given England's history in international tournaments, but he is clearly lacking from a tactical perspective.
Generally penalties are a coin flip or lottery and second guessing managers on a penalty shootout would be pointless Monday morning quarterbacking. However, Southgate managed the rare "achievement" of handicapping his team in the shootout.
Brought on two strikers very late that barely had a sweat going and let a 19 year old take the final kick. Just horrible.
Good post. +1
On a serious note, watching Italy dominate England in the midfield and in build-up reinforced my belief that Spain would've absolutely suffocated England.
Spain's possession-dominant approach had Italy in a stranglehold (though Italy's tried-and-true counterattacking brilliance showed up at an opportune time against Spain).
Also, I think Spain is a Fernando Torres and/or a David Villa away from being the best team. IMO, Spain was the best team in the tournament in terms of build-up and chances created. But the lack of clinical finishing hurt Spain.
France has the most talented roster top to bottom (plus absurd depth) but it's not the best team. France just feels like a collection of world-class talent that can turn it "on" for about 15-30 minute stretches. I don't like the philosophy Didier Deschamps implemented. I think he should mold France like Spain. France has the talent to do what Spain does (75+% possession with 1,000 quick passes) but France also has the world class finishers (Benzema, Mbappe) that Spain currently lacks.
Deschamps is not the most exciting manager but he’s climbed the mountaintop. That can’t be taken for granted. England fans learned that the hard way today.
Agree 100%. Spain is the best/most consistent team in the world because they can control the game through the midfield and only need a decent back line as their ball control is their best defense.
They are lacking right now in the final 30 yards and are indeed 1 finisher away from being the team to beat again.
France is lacking in ball control as you say, but I think you oversimplify how quickly they could change philosophy no matter the quality of players.
The Spanish model of possession football has been ingrained into their culture through Barca and then across La Liga over the past decades and is not easily replicable - specifically without 4-5 elite midfielders and half backs per squad.
Southgate is a nice guy and he is taking a lot blame for the PK selections and order….which leads me to conclude that Sterling declined to take one. That has to be the case, there’s no reason they would choose Saka otherwise.
If I were England’s manager I simply would not have told my team to stop trying to score long stretches of the game
Sound pregame tactics gave England an early lead, then they sat on it hoping it would be enough, then was outclassed tactically in the match making terrible coaching blunders that cost them the game
Sounds familiar…
Southgate lost that for England. Sancho is easily one of England’s 3-4 best players and he doesn’t see the field until he has to take a penalty cold. Absolutely crazy.
Italy best team in the tournament. Spain were close but they can’t put the ball in the net.
Spain played six matches and only won one of them in 90 minutes. They came to play against Italy, but overall didn’t have a great tournament.
Italy was the most consistent team in the Euro by a comfortable margin.
Yeah, hence the “can’t put the ball in the net” comment. Spain has been a great team since the mid aughts. Difference between their success from 2008-12 and now is that they used to have players with a killer instinct in the box. Now they waste all their possession.
I was not impressed with Spain’s back four. Being a Spanish defender is a pretty nice gig, given how much they keep possession, but they looked to be under major stress every time the opponent was in the final third.
Spain’s had a good midfield for a long time (and Pedri looks like a rising star) and that can mask a lot of deficiencies, but I don’t think they currently have either the defense or the attack to win it all.
Southgate totally lost that game and was fortunate that England was in the finals. Waited too long for subs, not taking advantage of Sterling's speed/skill ( did he or Kane do anything in the second half?), playing not to lose when only up by one goal early on, and then having three young PK takers ( at least two were subject to racial abuse during the EPL season) come in pretty cold with incredible pressure against a hot keeper, the new Gigi Buffon. .. loved watching Italy's Chiesa play too ( when he went out I figured Southgate couldn't screw it up but I was wrong...)
Rathford’s shootout try wouldn’t have scored on an empty net. Kane and McGuire were money, the next three had vapor lock. Experience counts for something.
Sancho is not one of England's most talented players, He is alright, but we will see when he rocks up at United, how overrated he is. I'd take Foden over him every day of the week. But, he should have never been one of the 5 to take pens. Graelish, Sterling, what was Southgate thinking. Not to mention, England has talent all over the field, yet Southgate's tactics were chicken shit.
Glad Italy spoiled the party. The Euro format this year was a joke with England playing six of seven matches in London while other teams had to travel all over the continent (and in some cases beyond it, to Baku). Then England was allowed 60,000 fans for the final while preventing foreigners from coming. For them to lift the trophy under those circumstances would have been lame.