Another dull international break finally over, Norwich City returned to action with a home game against Brighton & Hove Albion. There was hope in the air: the point and clean sheet gained at Burnley two weeks ago, the success our players had while away with their countries and a pleasingly short injury list combined to put a spring in the step of many City fans.
Five at the back. Dimitris Giannoulis and Max Aarons the full backs, with Ben Gibson, Grant Hanley and Ozan Kabak forming a wall in front of goalkeeper Tim Krul. This formation was first deployed at Burnley and it brought Norwich’s first Premier League clean sheet since February 2020. Ok, Brighton weren’t great. Certainly not the ‘top four challengers’ we’ve heard so much about. Credit where credit is due though. All of the defenders played well and worked together to keep them out.
Those five were aided by man-of-the-match Matthias Normann, who charged all over the pitch until cramp got the better of him. Pierre Lees-Melou also had his best game in a City shirt, demonstrating a handy ability to nick the ball off the opposition and move the ball away from danger.
Matthias Normann was excellent against Brighton
What does Farke see in Rupp?
I have to say I was rather surprised to see Lukas Rupp getting ready to come on in the second half, to replace the aforementioned Normann. What Norwich seemed to lack all afternoon was a bit of creativity, someone to play that pass or make that run that just opens things up. I thought this was a perfect time to bring on Billy Gilmour, confidence high after earning rave reviews in the Scotland team. I struggle to see what Rupp brings to the side to be honest, but Daniel Farke is clearly a big fan.
Wouldn’t Carrow Road be a better place without some of the Snake Pit?
The Snake Pit believes itself to be Norwich’s ‘ultras’ but so far this season that corner of the ground has come to represent exactly what I don’t want my football club to be. Some (and I stress, some) booed the taking of the knee (a simple anti-racism gesture), booed the team after a good performance, and in one particularly embarrassing moment booed the wrong black man until they could work out which one Yves Bissouma was, the unused Brighton substitute believed to be the one arrested earlier this month. Some of the Snake Pit crowd need to take a long look at themselves.
The best we’ve played this season
Despite the negativity I’ve seen on social media, I was actually proud of the performance of the Norwich team today and I applauded the players as they did a lap of the ground at full time. It was the best I’ve seen us play this season (a low bar, I am aware) and there have been real signs of improvement since the dreadful home defeat to Watford. There is also no sign of anyone not playing for the manager.
Four games into the Premier League season and with four defeats, the home game against Watford was as close to a must win as it is possible to be at this stage of the campaign. Sadly, Norwich didn’t have any answers on another dreadful day. Here are some thoughts on Norwich City 1-3 Watford.
Norwich had another bad day at the office against Watford
Running out of answers
It doesn’t seem to matter how much money Norwich spend, what team they put out, or what formation they play – the Premier League is a nut they just can’t crack. I was pleased with the team news before kick off today. New signings Ozan Kabak and Mathias Normann were given their debuts, and there were two recognised strikers in the eleven in Teemu Pukki and Josh Sargent – rare to say the least in a Daniel Farke side. Both of the new boys were brought in to try to strengthen our rather leaky defence, Kabak as part of the back four and Normann in a defensive midfielder role acting as an extra barrier. Kabak was good in places, read the game well and looked comfortable on the ball. Normann showed only a glimpse of his passing ability. There will be much more to come from both of them, but today it was the same old story for City.
Just as they had done against Leicester, the Canaries conceded an early goal. When you’re always having to chase the game, it’s really tough to get anything out of it. In the first half they actually looked quite bright going forward and Teemu Pukki’s lovely finish was a reminder of what the team are actually capable of – but it was all too fleeting as more needless mistakes at the back saw Watford run out pretty comfortable winners.
For the first time, Farke hears the boos
It’s been four years and four months since Daniel Farke was appointed Norwich City manager. Today may well have the been first time he’s ever received boos from the Carrow Road crowd. It was sad, but not unexpected, as the frustrated City fans told the boss exactly what they thought of the performance as he manfully acknowledged each side of the ground at full time. It really isn’t easy to turn the atmosphere in a football ground around once it’s turned toxic. Only goals and wins will get the boo boys back on his side.
Daniel Farke has work to do
Watford are nothing special
Towards the end of the game the Watford players were literally running rounds around their Norwich opponents. It was actually quite embarrassing. You can sort of take losing to the likes of Liverpool and Man City, but being taught a lesson at home by a team as ordinary as Watford? The Canaries have got serious problems. There really doesn’t seem much that sets Watford apart from Norwich, they just showed a bit more guts on the day. I can see it being a relegation battle for the Hornets, but given how easy it was for them in the end that really isn’t a good sign for Norwich.
A good cup result is important
With Norwich’s 38 game battle to stay in the Premier League now reduced to a 33 game one, some fans might think it right to put out a second string against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday so we can ‘concentrate on the league’. With confidence as low as it is, however, a decent performance and a good result against the Reds could do wonders ahead of our next league assignment at Everton next weekend.
In my younger days, I loved The Beano and The Dandy and my mum had both comics delivered to the house each week. I thought the smell of a fresh comic was one of the most intoxicating imaginable and was sold on their bright colours, gentle humour and simple charm.
I have a large, very heavy box under my bed right now containing pretty much every comic that ever came through the letterbox of my childhood home. When I feel like adult life is getting on top of me, which happens more often than it really should, I open the box and spend a while indulging myself in the innocence of youth.
It seems that my ‘golden’ period of receiving The Beano and The Dandy was between 1999 – the year I turned 7 – and 2003, when I was 11.
My box of comics
There’s a sort of running joke I have with a friend from when I was at university. We often talk about how we’re getting old and that our youth is well behind us. Well, we will both be 30 next birthday (him before me, I must add) which feels like something of a milestone but our chat about pipes, slippers and bowls of mashed up apple might be somewhat premature.
Still, looking back through my old comics, it’s hard not to smile at how dated these dear old things are. Here are a few examples.
This issue of The Beano, from December 2002, was giving away a free pack of stickers for your FA Premier League album. Collecting football stickers is still very much a thing, so nothing too bad so far, but look at the players used to advertise this brilliant giveaway! Dennis Bergkamp of Arsenal (retired in 2006), Paolo Di Canio of West Ham (now 53 years old) and Michael Owen of Liverpool (who left the Premier League to join Real Madrid two seasons later).
A 9-year-old can’t just fill his football sticker album up on an empty stomach, though. He’s got to have breakfast first. How about some Mornflake Oats? You can still buy them, though heaven knows when I last saw an advert for them. The bit that caught my eye was the statement that they are available at Somerfield. That particular chain of supermarkets was taken over by the Co-Op in 2009, and by 2012 all Somerfield stores had been rebranded to that of their new owners.
I’ve written before about how I’m not into films, but Disney’s Tarzan was one of the few that I have actually seen in the cinema. The film was released in October 1999, but by Christmas 2002 the character was back in an exciting new video game for… the GameBoy Advance. Released in the summer of 2001, the GameBoy Advance took games away from the bedroom and made them portable – for as long as the battery would last, that is. I never had one (I had the original GameBoy, which was in black and white).
I may not have had a GameBoy Advance but I did have a PlayStation 2. Pretty much everyone I knew who was my age between 2002 and 2006 had one, actually. There was one boy at school who had a GameCube – we all thought he was weird. The PS2 is still the best selling games console of all time (more than 155 million of them have been sold worldwide) but anyone who wasn’t lucky enough to own one in December 2002 had the chance to win one in this competition. Note how you can’t enter online, you’ve got to send your entry in by post.
Speaking of brilliant competitions, here’s another one. I don’t know if this still happens, but when I was a kid it seemed nearly everyone – boys especially – went through a stage where we’d spend that bit between getting home from school and going in for tea whizzing about on skateboards. I had one myself, but I was utterly useless at it and never did manage to pull off a single trick on it. Here the comic is giving away a skateboard. What could possibly make that prize better? By the skateboard having a photo of your favourite WWF wrestler on it, of course!
Yes, nowadays it’s the WWE that does wrestling, but until 2002 it was called the World Wrestling Federation. They were forced to change the name when they lost a court battle with the World Wildlife Fund. I swear I’m not making this up.
Those are just a few examples of how the last 20 years or so have changed the world, seen through the prism of British comics. Wow, does it make me wish I was 10 again. The comics still even have the little sticker on them that the newsagent would use to let the paper boy know where to deliver them. Simpler, happier times.
Some thoughts on Norwich City 1-2 Leicester City, as the Canaries go into the first international break of theseason winless and without a goal from open play in the Premier League.
Trouble getting a pre-match coffee should have been a warning
I met my mother and her significant other for a coffee and a muffin in the Morrisons café opposite Carrow Road before the match, only to have my dream of a refreshment break having raced down there from work thwarted by mum being told that ‘they had no cups left for hot drinks’. Excuse me? It’s 1.30pm on a Saturday, a matchday, and a big shop like that has run out of cups to have a hot drink in? Mum was furious, but thinking about it now it’s so hilariously rubbish. We left and found refreshment elsewhere but, Morrisons, you really have to plan ahead for when Norwich are at home. It shouldn’t be a surprise to you that you’re extra busy when there’s a match on. I guess it should have been a warning of what was to come on the pitch.
The Morrisons supermarket opposite Carrow Road, who had run out of cups for hot drinks by 1.30pm on a matchday. I didn’t call the police on them – this photo is from when the store was subject to a bomb threat.
VAR just isn’t worth it
The dreaded Video Assistant Referee (VAR) played its part in two major incidents in today’s game, having been virtually absent from Norwich’s first two Premier League matches. First, they were awarded a penalty in the first half when Leicester’s Turkish defender Çağlar Söyüncü went to ground clumsily near the byline with Pierre Lees-Melou. The referee gave only a corner, but after a lengthy delay with his hand to his ear was advised by the VAR to go and look at the screen next to the pitch. Teemu Pukki sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to get Norwich back into the match.
Having gone 2-1 down, the home side looked like they had equalised when Kenny McLean headed in from a corner. The whole of Carrow Road, barring those in blue and white at one end of the South Stand, jumped up in delight and it took some time for the crowd to notice the awful sight of the referee with his hand in the air, disallowing the goal, seemingly based on something seen by his assistant. After what felt like an age, VAR had decided it was indeed offside – 5ft 8in Todd Cantwell was standing in an offside position, apparently blocking the view of 6ft 2in goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. The mind boggles.
Both of these, as far as I’m concerned, are further proof that VAR has to go – I’m not just saying this because Norwich were on the rough end of it today. Supporting a football club is about those moments of joy, those roars of delight, that greet a goal. Especially an important equaliser like McLean’s would have been. The VAR took so long to look at it that it surely cannot have been a cut-and-shut decision. Is this really worth destroying the soul of the game for? VAR doesn’t solve an issue, it just creates a new one. Norwich fans are still haunted by the perfectly good goal Pukki had disallowed for offside by VAR against Spurs in 2019 – to this day I cannot fathom how anyone could think he was offside.
Teemu Pukki was apparently offside here against Spurs in December 2019
Lees-Melou and Söyüncü came together at the opposite end of the pitch to me in my Barclay seat, but it looked like one of those incidents where everyone shouts for a penalty but no one really expects to get one. If VAR hadn’t been there, and the referee had just given the corner, I would have been fine with it. As it is, the system is ruining the experience of being inside the ground. With each VAR decision cutting short scenes of joyous celebration, a small part of football dies. Get rid of it.
Williams looks a useful addition
Brandon Williams is on loan from Manchester United for the season
I was slightly surprised at the signing of Brandon Williams on loan from Manchester United when it was announced on Monday. I had been impressed with Dimitris Giannoulis at left back in the first game of the season against Liverpool, and thought that a club like United wouldn’t be sending one of their players to us if they didn’t think he’d be playing a lot. I saw him for the first time against Bournemouth in the cup on Tuesday night and he caused plenty of problems down the left, though I found a right-footed left back to be rather odd. On another difficult day for the Norwich defence, I thought he was really good against Leicester. He is able to think quickly, put in the perfect tackle, and has a knack of nipping in just when needed. He could be very handy for the Canaries this season and it shows that there’s quality out there if you look for it in the final days of the transfer window.
We might be too nice for the Premier League
It’s fair to say that the step up in class from the Championship to the Premier League is huge, but there’s more to it than pure ability on the pitch. Leicester finished 5th last season, and for all their talent, were still time wasting, diving and getting away with sneaky little fouls all over the pitch today. If Norwich are going to stay up they should think about taking a leaf out of Leicester’s book – they won’t be the only ones who play like that. We’ve got to show more of a nasty side.
Disappointing to hear the taking of the knee being booed
There were audible boos when the players took the knee before kick off, and it was incredibly disappointing to hear. I can’t speak for any Leicester fans but I definitely heard jeering coming from the home supporters. What is it about a simple anti-racism stance that gets some people so worked up? The more they boo it, the more it shows that a stance like the knee is needed. If you boo it, you’re not the sort of person we want supporting our club.
The last time I, and most of the others at the ground today, had been inside Carrow Road was on 27th February last year. Norwich beat Leicester 1-0 with a driven half-volley from left back Jamal Lewis. 534 days on, almost all coronavirus related restrictions have been lifted and Carrow Road was back to full capacity. Having swiftly got through a long queue outside the ground, I took the familiar route to my seat in the upper tier of the Barclay end, where I saw familiar faces all together once again. It was as if we’d never been away – the masks on those faces the only sign that the pandemic had ever happened.
Carrow Road, ten minutes before kick off against Liverpool
It was quite emotional when a video was played on the big screen with the message ‘Welcome home, Canaries fans’ and the welcome the players received as they came out onto the pitch was something to behold. It’s good to be back and hopefully we’ll never be forced away again.
We’re not as good as Liverpool
Really, the main thing we learned from this game is that Norwich are not as good as Liverpool. We knew that already, so there’s no reason to be too downbeat about the result. Champions League winners in 2019, Premier League champions in 2020, Liverpool can put their slump in form last season down to the injury crisis they suffered in defence. Jurgen Klopp has a settled side that he has spent several years building and with Virgil van Dijk back from ten months out they look good for another push for the title. They also have a spell over Norwich, having beaten us in 13 of our last 15 encounters, so anything other than a Liverpool win would have been a major shock.
Positives to take
If you’re a pessimist, you might point out that Norwich starting brightly, fading away and then conceding goals is very much what they did on a regular basis when they were last playing at this level two years ago. It was the first game of the season, though, so let’s be lenient. All of Daniel Farke’s new signings did well and look like they will fit in just fine – when Milot Rashica and Teemu Pukki have played a few games together and developed an understanding their link up play could prove very fruitful. Billy Gilmour can pick one hell of a pass and Josh Sargent looked threatening in his brief substitute appearance. After a disrupted pre-season due to Covid-19 (which forced two friendlies to be cancelled) and players away at Euro 2020, things will get a lot better in the weeks ahead for City.
No one is going to be the slightest bit interested in reading about the Euro 2020 final, so I’m not going to write about it. Here’s the BBC match report if you insist.
Italy, it’s been great having you back on the major tournament stage. You were missed when you didn’t qualify for the 2018 World Cup. There’s something about that rock solid defence, attacking flair and blue shirts that appeals to the casual football fan.
But you can’t read a script can you? This wasn’t meant to be your time. You’ve had your time, over and over, in the past. This was meant to be England’s day. England had a story to complete. It’s not your fault that Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bakayo Saka took three absolutely horrendous penalties, granted. But come on.
Euro 2020 has been a great tournament – but it had the wrong ending.
For some reason, I failed to write about the second week of Euro 2020. Having made this great declaration of rounding up each week of the tournament, skipping one when it only lasts for four is poor form. Apologies. Let’s get back on track.
England beat Germany in a knockout match for the first time since 1966
Here’s what happened in the second week
Since my last post, Scotland had their little moment with a heroic 0-0 draw with England (sarcasm is the lowest form of wit) before losing to Croatia and exiting the tournament. Their first major tournament in 23 years was over in eight days, and they’d scored just one goal.
Hungary held world champions France to a draw before Germany brought their campaign to life with a 4-2 dismantling of Euro 2016 winners Portugal. On Sunday 20th June the final round of group games began with Switzerland sending Turkey – who some of the pundits had picked as their ‘dark horses’ – home winless, while Italy kept up their 100% record with a narrow victory over Wales. The Welsh didn’t mind, though, as they went through to the last 16 along with the Azzurri.
In Group B, a stirring performance from Denmark saw them thrash Russia 4-1 in Copenhagen, marking a delightful fightback from the trauma of Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest and sending them through. At one point it looked like Teemu Pukki and Finland might sneak through but their defeat to Belgium coupled with the Danish result brough their first major tournament to an end at the group stage. On the same day in Group C, unfancied Austria found a way into the second round by beating Ukraine, while plucky North Macedonia bowed out to the flying Netherlands.
Denmark were superb in beating Russia 4-1 to make it into the second round
England secured their passage through the group without conceding a goal by beating the Czech Republic at Wembley. Having finished top, they knew they would face the runners up of the feared Group F. The final round of games in that group were thrilling, topsy-turvy affairs – at various stages all four teams occupied second place. Eventually, a pair of 2-2 draws meant that it would be the old enemy Germany who would face England. In the other group, disappointing Poland were knocked out after a 3-2 defeat to Sweden, while Euro 2008 champions Spain reminded everyone what they were capable of with a 5-0 thumping of Slovakia.
With a 24 team tournament moving into a knockout round of 16 sides, only 8 actually took their leave after the group stage. As well as the top two from each group, the four best third placed sides also got through – Finland and Slovakia were the unfortunate ones to miss out.
The Welsh are sent packing
Euro 2016 was the first time since the 1958 World Cup that Wales had appeared at a major tournament, and they memorably made it all the way to the semi-finals before being beaten by the eventual winners Portugal. Having got through the group stage the Welsh had hopes of emulating that achievement. Denmark, however, had other ideas and on a chastening evening in Amsterdam ran out 4-0 winners. The scoreline was a tad harsh (it was only 2-0 until the 88th minute, and Wales received a very dubious red card in stoppage time) but it was a sad end for a proud nation. Their captain and talisman Gareth Bale was rather rudely asked on the pitch immediately afterwards if he would be retiring from international football – the 31-year-old decided the question wasn’t worthy of an answer and simply walked away.
It took Italy extra time to finally overcome Austria. Former Stoke and West Ham striker Marko Arnautovic thought he had given the underdogs the lead, only for his headed goal to be disallowed by the VAR for offside. Eventually Italy’s quality found a way through and they scored twice in the extra time period, though they did concede their first goal of the tournament with six minutes to go. Austria couldn’t find an equaliser but left Euro 2020 with their heads held high.
It was a bad day for Gareth Bale and Wales as they were knocked out by Denmark
The Dutch despair and the champions bow out
The Netherlands were the favourites going into their last 16 tie with the Czech Republic. Having failed to qualify for both Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, the Oranje had been a welcome addition to the tournament. However, in a cagey game, it was the red card shown to centre half Matthijs de Ligt in the second half that gave the Czechs the impetus. The referee, with the help of VAR, decided that de Ligt’s handball had denied a clear goalscoring opportunity. The Juventus player was sent off, the Czechs scored twice and the Dutch were out.
Also on their way out were defending champions Portugal, who were beaten by Belgium in a game far more entertaining than the 1-0 scoreline suggests. Half time was approaching when Thorgan Hazard – brother of Eden – curled in from outside the box. Despite their best efforts in the second half, the Portugese couldn’t find a way back, and you have to wonder if Cristiano Ronaldo – who will be 39 by the time of the next one in 2024 – has played his last match at a Euros.
Manic Monday
If there is a more exciting day of this tournament than Monday 28th June it would have to be really special. The first game saw 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia take on Spain, and it looked like the Spaniards had sealed their place in the quarter finals with a 77th minute goal from Manchester City’s Ferran Torres putting them 3-1 up. The Croatians weren’t about to give up, however, and a 92nd minute equaliser from Mario Pasalic took it into extra time. You might have thought the momentum would be with Croatia after that but, alas, Spain scored twice in the first period of extra time to finally win 5-3.
The second match of the day, between France and Switzerland in Bucharest, had a lot to live up to – and it did. Haris Seferovic gave the Swiss a shock lead fifteen minutes in, and they were still leading into the second half when they were awarded a penalty. Defender Ricardo Rodriguez took it, but the chance to give his side an astonishing 2-0 lead went begging as Hugo Lloris of Spurs saved his spot kick. Within four minutes of that failure to convert the penalty, France were in the lead. Karim Benzema – not a nice man – scored twice as the world champions started to show why they were most people’s favourites for the tournament. With fifteen minutes remaining, a fantastic strike from Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba seemed to put the tie beyond doubt.
Switzerland pulled one back through Seferovic’s second headed goal of the game, and then in the 90th minute substitute Mario Gavranovic finished superbly to spark wild scenes of celebration. It was 3-3, and just like Croatia v Spain, the game was going into extra time. Unlike Croatia v Spain, neither side could find a goal in the additional 30 minutes and so the first penalty shootout of Euro 2020 was upon us. Switzerland scored all five of theirs. France scored their first four, but their superstar Kylian Mbappe had his saved by goalkeeper Yann Sommer to seal a remarkable victory for the Swiss. In the space of two days the defending European champions, the World Cup winners and the World Cup runners up had all been knocked out.
Yann Sommer saves Kylian Mbappe’s penalty to send France home
England finally beat Germany in a knockout match
The German football team is not what it once was. Having won the 2014 World Cup, they were eliminated at the semi-final stage of Euro 2016 by France and suffered an embarrassing group stage exit at the 2018 World Cup, losing to Mexico and South Korea. In the run up to this tournament they had been beaten at home by North Macedonia and thrashed 6-0 by Spain. But they are still Germany, and England hardly ever seem to beat Germany when it matters. The last time they had managed to do it in a knockout match was the 1966 World Cup final. England’s exits at Italia ’90, Euro ’96 and the 2010 World Cup had all come at the hands of the Germans. Despite possessing the best squad of players in years it just didn’t feel like it could possibly happen for England.
Well then. At a raucous Wembley containing 45,000 fans, the home side showed their opponents plenty of respect in the first half, being very cautious at the back and hardly venturing forward. On the stroke of half time, a tackle on Raheem Sterling saw the ball loop towards Harry Kane to the left of the German net. The England captain was presented with a golden opportunity to score his first goal of the tournament, but his attempt to take the ball past keeper Manuel Neuer gave defender Mats Hummels the time to put in a crucial tackle. With 75 minutes on the clock, thoughts were already drifting to the prospect of a penalty shootout. But the introduction of Jack Grealish as a substitute had made England more of a threat going forward, and the Aston Villa man laid the ball off for Luke Shaw to drill it across the box, where Sterling was waiting to tap in. Wembley has rarely been louder. England were in front and with less than a quarter of an hour to go.
Sterling very nearly went from hero to zero as a careless pass backwards allowed Chelsea’s Kai Havertz to put Thomas Muller through on goal. Muller has often been a thorn in the English side but on this occasion he rolled his shot just wide of Jordan Pickford’s right hand post. ‘That never happens!’ bellowed BBC commentator Guy Mowbray. Written in the stars? Maybe. Shortly afterwards, Grealish found himself in a crossing position and played the perfect ball onto the forehead of Kane, who expertly guided it into the ground. The ball bounced up, out of the reach of Neuer and into the net. After a few seconds where no one could believe what they were seeing, the celebrations reached another level as it dawned on us that, this time, it was happening. Germany had no time to make a comeback. England had beaten them in a knockout game for the first time in 55 years.
The fans inside Wembley marvel at England’s victory over Germany
England would play the winners of the game that kicked off later that evening between Sweden and Ukraine. Manchester City left back Oleksandr Zinchenko put Ukraine ahead with a thumping finish but Emil Forsberg equalised for Sweden before half time. There were no goals in the second half so extra time was needed – the fourth of the eight knockout matches to go to the additional half an hour. Sweden’s Marcus Danielson was sent off in the first period for a nasty tackle on striker Artem Besedin, a tackle which has since ruled the Ukrainian out for six months. Extra time was an awfully scrappy, stop-start affair which by the end of it saw Ukraine looking like the walking wounded. Just as penalties looked nailed on, Artem Dovbyk headed in an excellent Zinchenko cross to win it for Ukraine and break Swedish hearts.
The Italians look like the real deal
After a two day break, the quarter finals got underway with Switzerland taking on Spain in St Petersburg. Spain took an early lead when Jordi Alba’s half volley from a corner was deflected in by the unfortunate Swiss midfielder Denis Zakaria. The Spaniards created plenty of chances but couldn’t add to their advantage against a dogged Switzerland side. Liverpool’s Xherdan Shaqiri equalised in the 68th minute, and despite Remo Freuler being shown a straight red card for a bad tackle thirteen minutes from time, the Swiss held out to take the game all the way to penalties. Sergio Busquets hit the post with the first Spanish penalty, giving Switzerland hopes of repeating their epic victory over France four days earlier, but they missed three of their spot kicks to give Mikel Oyarzarbal the opportunity to put Spain into the semi-finals.
Later on, a pulsating first half saw Italy go in at the break 2-1 up against Belgium, ranked number one in the world. Nicolo Barella and Lorenzo Insigne scored excellent goals to give their side a two goal advantage, but a penalty in first half stoppage time from Romelu Lukaku kept the Belgians in it. To some surprise there were no goals in the second half but there was some superb football on display from both sides. Italy have been tight at the back, with elder statesmen Giorgio Chiellini (36) and Leonardo Bonucci (34) in the centre, and thrilling to watch going forward. Federico Chiesa seems to shoot every time he gets the merest glimpse of the goal, and this performance really set Italy out as the favourites to go on and win the tournament. As for Belgium, their much vaunted ‘golden generation’ are left trophyless once more, and with an ageing squad and manager Roberto Martinez leaving their chance to win something may have passed them by.
So there we have it – you are now up to date with Euro 2020. As I write this it’s Saturday afternoon and the other two quarter finals, Czech Republic v Denmark and England v Ukraine, are a few hours away. The next time I write one of these will (hopefully) be just before the final. It’s been a brilliant tournament. What has it got left in store for us?
We are now one week into Euro 2020 – and, yes, it is still called Euro 2020 despite being delayed a year by the pandemic. Probably because UEFA had spent millions on the branding for it. Anyway, with the intention of writing a weekly round up of what’s been going on at the summer festival of football, here we go.
Andrea Bocelli gets everyone in the mood on opening night
The tournament began on Friday night in Rome, where Italy played Turkey. The match was preceded by the opening ceremony, usually a dull and cringeworthy affair, but the tenor Andrea Bocelli superbly belted out ‘Nessun dorma’ while fireworks lit up the stadium around him and suddenly everyone was in the mood. Italy won 3-0, and backed it up with the same scoreline against Switzerland to mark their return to the major tournament stage having failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
Andrea Bocelli got Euro 2020 off to a bang in Rome
Christian Eriksen puts everything into perspective
On Saturday, Denmark played Finland in Copenhagen. I was mainly watching that match to see how Norwich’s Finnish striker Teemu Pukki was getting on, but surely before half time I saw things I will never forget. Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen, their most famous player and one of Tottenham’s best players before he left for Inter Milan last year, collapsed with no one near him. You can always tell when something bad has happened to a player on a football pitch, as the others on the field will react with shock and wave their arms towards the dugouts, pleading for the medical staff to hurry up.
Thanks to some rather insensitive camera work by the host broadcaster (that the BBC later had to apologise for, despite it not being their fault), I saw more of Eriksen’s plight than I wanted to. At one point I could see his face, eyes open but expressionless, and then the medics doing CPR on him. I was reminded of the time Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch at White Hart Lane, a game I was watching with my Saturday night tea in 2012. I had to turn the TV off as I found it too upsetting. I then couldn’t think straight until I’d heard that Eriksen was awake and stable in hospital.
I’m not sure how, but the players managed to come back onto the field and complete the game. Finland won 1-0. Eriksen remains in hospital and it’s hard to imagine him playing professional football again.
Denmark’s shocked players form a human shield around their stricken teammate Christian Eriksen
Good start for the home nations… unless you’re Scottish
Wales were the first of the home nations to play in the tournament, drawing 1-1 with Switzerland in Baku on Saturday afternoon. Had Euro 2020 taken place when it was originally scheduled, the Welsh would have been managed by Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs – but he has been charged with assaulting two women and Robert Page is filling in, temporarily for now. It will take a lot for Wales to match the fairytale run to the semi-finals of five years ago but they already have one foot in the knockout stages after beating Turkey 2-0 in their second game.
England got their campaign underway with a 1-0 win over Croatia at Wembley, who had beaten them in the World Cup semi-finals three years ago. There’s a fair amount of optimism around Gareth Southgate’s side but questions remain about their ability to handle the big games.
Raheem Sterling scored the only goal of the game as England beat Croatia
Scotland haven’t played at a major tournament since the 1998 World Cup and the excitement was palpable going into their opener against Czech Republic in Glasgow, but a 2-0 defeat – the second goal coming from the halfway line – brought them back down to earth. Their next game is on Friday night against England.
The Dutch entertain and Mbappe sends a warning
The most entertaining game of the first week was without a doubt the Netherlands beating Ukraine 3-2 in Amsterdam. The Dutch were 2-0 up and seemingly cruising, but a stunning strike by West Ham’s Andriy Yarmolenko sparked a Ukraine comback only for right back Denzel Dumfries to win it for the Netherlands late on. Similar to Italy, the Oranje have been absent from major tournaments for a while (in their case seven years) and are keen to make the most of being back on the big stage.
Group H is this tournament’s ‘group of death’, containing both the current world champions France and European champions Portugal alongside Germany and Hungary. France met Germany in the first heavyweight clash on Tuesday night. France won 1-0 thanks to a Mats Hummels own goal, but Kylian Mbappe had a goal disallowed for offside and was also denied an assist by VAR. The 22-year-old looks set to take on the title of ‘world’s best player’ once Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo retire and his performance was a warning to the opposition of what’s to come.
A few years ago I wrote a newspaper column in which I listed a few of the things that annoyed me about football and would lock away inside Room 101. Here are some more.
Transfer speculation
Sky Sports News goes into overdrive during the transfer window
Sky Sports News was practically unwatchable during January. The channel is famous for its ability to hype up the most mundane of sporting events but in what was a fairly quiet transfer window they outdid themselves. Constantly banging on about players I have never heard of going/not going to teams I don’t care about. Several times a day they would have round table discussions about transfers as if they were the most important thing on earth. I saw one bloke on there who seemed genuinely angry at a club for deciding that they were happy with their squad and that they wouldn’t buy anyone. Why wouldn’t you sign someone? It’s the transfer window! It is your duty!
Yes, Jim White, I do vaguely remember Nabil Bentaleb in his Spurs days. He was pretty average. Why are you getting so excited about him moving to Newcastle? Since its 2011 peak, deadline day has ceased to be even remotely interesting but that doesn’t stop Sky Sports News counting down to it like it was Christmas. The fact that the current system means this is all condensed into one month makes it even harder to stomach – my other passion is cricket, and even though the England team were in the middle of a fascinating tour of South Africa, news about it was pushed down the running order because Bruno Fernandes (who?) had been seen in a Homebase just outside Manchester. Or something like that.
Nabil Bentaleb in his Spurs days. I didn’t care then and I don’t care now
‘What do they need a break for? They earn millions!’
As I write this, the Premier League is embarking on its first winter break. It seems crazy that it has taken 27 years for the English top flight to take a leaf out of the books of nearly every other European league, but better late than never. Each of the 20 clubs will get a two week break in February, staggered over four weeks so the TV broadcasters still have some matches to show. Everyone’s happy, right?
Far from it. I’ve had several arguments this week with people who seem incredulous at this highly sensible intermission in a long season. Here’s a summary of the sort of comments I’ve seen online:
‘They earn millions. Why do they need a break?’ – I don’t know if I’ve missed something, but how does earning a lot of money stop you getting tired?
‘They didn’t need a winter break in the good old days’ – they didn’t play as many matches back in the ‘good old days’. Even so, I’m sure the players would have loved a bit of a break. Most other leagues in Europe have one and players have been calling for one here for years.
‘It’s not even cold, they should man up’ – the break has got nothing at all to do with the weather. This is simply the best time to have the break. It keeps the precious festive fixture calendar in tact and comes just before the return of the European competitions.
‘I play for the Dog & Duck right through the winter. I don’t need a break’ – well done, Barry. I’m sure your fellow regulars at the local boozer love a kickabout on a Sunday morning, after your fry up and before your roast beef. But we’re talking about Premier League footballers here. Elite athletes who are expected to perform at their best all the time. It’s usually around this time of year that performances dip and muscle injuries become more common – don’t you think this would be a good time for a little break?
The manager makes a joke about a journalist’s phone going off in a press conference
The Ghost of Arsenal Past with a textbook effort here
I have had it ratified by at least three other people that I have what you would call a ‘good’ sense of humour. I am, indeed, a laugh. But I fail to see what is amusing about a football manager making a joke when a journalist’s phone rings in a press conference. It might have raised a bit of a smile at first but it’s happened too many times now. Yet, the video of the ‘hilarious’ moment will be posted online and we are all supposed to watch it.
VAR
I don’t feel like I have to explain this one. Get rid of it and bring the fun back.
What winds you up about football that you’d happily see the back of? Let me know by leaving a comment at the bottom of this article or by tweeting me on @ncfclee.
LEE PAYNE 