UEFA Euro 2016

[Tamas]

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[FunkMonk]

Hungary cannot be beeten.

[Martinus]

[FunkMonk]

Final will be Hungary 6 England 3 

[Tamas]

 


Hungary is leading its group. I did NOT expect that.

[Josephus]

Aparantly even during the Austro-Hungarian Empire they actually were two separate national teams so there never actually was an Austria-Hungary team

Way to ruin a good meme

[Valmy]

Ok that Austria vs Hungary thing is awesome.

[Liep]

Ronaldo's post game comment is everything that is wrong with modern top footballers.

[Tamas]

Well, no. Ronaldo is a special kind of twat. Together with Pepe

[Duque de Bragança]

This square football post (pun intended!) is more for Mongers (very rugged region though).

Despite the tie I actually enjoyed the trip to Saint-Étienne. In smaller cities, in "Middle" France (173,00 in the centre 500,000 with suburbs), big tournament are a huge event. Can't escape from the EURO there, even grannies were talking about how it was the first time Iceland made it to the EURO tournament. Not the case in Paris.
Lots of polite volunteers, retired in majority I'd say, saying hello or bonjour all the time (stalkers?  ). UEFA is too poor to pay them I guess  For some reason, the volunteers keep talking to me in English first  Before, I switched to French bien sûr.
It's a city with an industrial culture if not past, so Tyr might enjoy it too were he not such a francophone.  :PAfter all, there's a COAL mine museum.
For the gun nuts and/or Yanks, FAMAS comes from there (Fusil d'Assaut MAnufacture Saint-Étienne). Once Capital of l'arme, du cycle et du ruban (weapons, cycles and ribbon i.e textile). Tries to be design capital now.

Saint-Étienne is also home of one of the biggest French clubs in the '70s, ASSE (Platini played there), still plays in a very nice stadium, in the city centre, more central than the Parc des Princes in Paris. Even up in the terraces one is not far from the pitch, like the Parc des Princes in Paris, unlike that abomination of Stade de France, much bigger yes but not so well designed.
Stadium is within walking distance of the central station, 30 min or so on foot (not obese-friendly I'll grant you that) but there's the tram too, the oldest in activity in France.
Cheap housing from what I could see, thanks to deindustrialisation.

Lots of Icelanders, many families, more than I suspected. More Icelanders than Portuguese in the fan zone. In the stadium, no surprise, more Portuguese as it could be heard during the anthems.

As for the game, well played by Iceland. Goalkeeper should have been booked for losing time but the referee (Bloody Turk was more like an Englishman) was not very good but he was not decisive. Portugal has no true number 9, as always. If Quaresma was not wounded, why wait so long (76th min) to make him play? 
Very good first 10 minutes for Iceland though with a great save by Rui Patricio. Then good counters. And Vieirinha left an unmarked Bjanarsson in the box.

On a last note, the Austria-Hungary game should have taken place there: Saint-Étienne = Sankt Stephan/Szent István. 

[Josephus]

I hate it when players say "the opposition was playing like it was a final." Well yeah.

I remember Steve Gerrard said the same thing about an England opponent, Tunisia or Algeria or something some two world cups ago when England was held to a draw and he said "They were playing like it was the World Cup final." Well, maybe if England did too, they would have won.

[Grey Fox]

As for the game, well played by Iceland. Goalkeeper should have been booked for losing time but the referee (Bloody Turk was more like an Englishman) was not very good but he was not decisive. Portugal has no true number 9, as always. If Quaresma was not wounded, why wait so long (76th min) to make him play? 
Very good first 10 minutes for Iceland though with a great save by Rui Patricio. Then good counters. And Vieirinha left an unmarked Bjanarsson in the box.

Not decisive? Dude saw thru ALL of the Portuguese flopping & decisively let play continue on each instances. Best Ref ever.

[Duque de Bragança]

As for the game, well played by Iceland. Goalkeeper should have been booked for losing time but the referee (Bloody Turk was more like an Englishman) was not very good but he was not decisive. Portugal has no true number 9, as always. If Quaresma was not wounded, why wait so long (76th min) to make him play? 
Very good first 10 minutes for Iceland though with a great save by Rui Patricio. Then good counters. And Vieirinha left an unmarked Bjanarsson in the box.

Not decisive? Dude saw thru ALL of the Portuguese flopping & decisively let play continue on each instances. Best Ref ever.

Not decisive like during France-Romania. 

[Liep]

As for the game, well played by Iceland. Goalkeeper should have been booked for losing time but the referee (Bloody Turk was more like an Englishman) was not very good but he was not decisive. Portugal has no true number 9, as always. If Quaresma was not wounded, why wait so long (76th min) to make him play? 
Very good first 10 minutes for Iceland though with a great save by Rui Patricio. Then good counters. And Vieirinha left an unmarked Bjanarsson in the box.

Not decisive? Dude saw thru ALL of the Portuguese flopping & decisively let play continue on each instances. Best Ref ever.

I know how you must feel, I used to be very ambivalent about the Danish team when we had the bulldogs Tøfting and Graversen playing it the midfield, two of the most unsympathetic people in football.

[PDH]

The Portuguese do drop like they've been hit by a freight train grabbing their shins and crying.  Heck, I think it even happened in the pre-game handshakes.