⚽️ ⚽️ ⚽️
Okay, so there were more elimination games played since my last update for this Euro tournament.
The big match between France and Belgium, two of the heavyweights and sides to watch at this tournament, was played yesterday. I had predicted that this would be a low-scoring affair, and it surely was. In fact, the two teams were nodded up in a scoreless draw until the final minutes.
It was a fairly even match. France had more shots on goals by a decent margin, but otherwise, both teams played well, especially defensively.
However, things changed when Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen scored an Own Goal in the 85th minute, breaking that scoreless tie. That was all that was needed in this low-scoring affair. Belgium lost in a particularly heartbreaking manner, most likely ending their hopes of a major title with this "Golden Generation" of talent.
In the other elimination round match, Portugal and Slovenia played to a scoreless tie, forcing a penalty shootout. There, Slovenia experienced a disastrous chapter, not managing to convert an opportunity, and allowing Portugal to win the shootout, 3-0.
Prior to that, there were two games played also on Sunday. England seemed on the brink of an upset loss to Slovakia and an early exit, when they suddenly got on fire. Ivan Schranz had scored in the 25th minute to give Slovakia a 1-0 lead, and they held onto that lead almost to the end. But then, Jude Bellingham managed to score in the 5th minute of extra time right at the end to tie the game and force extra time. There, Henry Kane scored early, giving England the lead for the first time. They made it stand up, ultimately winning the contest, 2-1.
The other game was far different than any of those other three games. Each of those were tight. But Spain made very short work of Georgia, 4-1, to advance. No surprise there, really. However, it does bring a sobering end to Georgia's surprise, Cinderella run.
Portugal will next play France, while England will take on Switzerland. Meanwhile, Spain's dominant performance set up a very enticing showdown against the hosts, Germany.
No comments:
Post a Comment