Good point. Although actually, there are some pretty random sides in third place in their groups at the moment - Albania? Estonia? - so you never know.swiftaw said:
Euro 2016 qualifying
- Thread starter OCST
- Start date
DennyDoyle'sBoil said:
You'll have a great time no matter what, but it is kind of a letdown. Maybe I'm spoiled - I'm comparing it to inner-city baseball parks like Fenway and AT&T or inner-city football grounds like you see all over England - but I ran my thoughts past some friends in Amsterdam and they aren't big fans of the place either.
It's way out of town by Amsterdam standards - I think it's technically in Duivendrecht, not Amsterdam - and it's located in a big box store/entertainment/business district, so there's nothing to eat and drink before the game (other than a snack bar, and a small cafe inside a cinema). There's very little Ajax branding anywhere and even the club shop is located on the other side of the stadium (it took me about 15 minutes to find the place). You go to Anfield or even the Emirates and the contrast is enormous.
It's also built on top of a two story car park (which is part of the reason why the playing surface is frequently subpar), which is off-putting.
BTW, when you're in Amsterdam, try and find as many locals cafes/bars as possible. When you're having a beer, see if you can find the Johan Cruyff* picture somewhere in the bar: there usually is one.
* if you're going to pick up an Ajax scarf or an Oranje shirt, go to Smit-Cruyff in Elandsgracht. It's a little sports shop that was/is part-owned by Cruyff.
Thanks SB. Sounds like the way to go is to hit a bar downtown before the game and then to take the train or metro to the grounds closer to gametime.
My favorite soccer grounds are the ones where you're in what seems like a regular neighborhood or something and then the park just sort of rises out of nowhere in the next block. I guess for national team stadiums they use the more generic, large suburban stadiums by and large.
My favorite soccer grounds are the ones where you're in what seems like a regular neighborhood or something and then the park just sort of rises out of nowhere in the next block. I guess for national team stadiums they use the more generic, large suburban stadiums by and large.
Scotland vs. Germany 2-2 at the half. Germany not finding the last pass for the finish, while Scotland made the best out of their few counterattacks. Emre Can with a dumb foul that brought the free-kick that led to Hummels´og (1-1). Özil invisible so far.
So with today´s results, Group I is almost done.
9th matchday:
Portugal-Denmark
Albania-Serbia
10th matchday:
Serbia-Portugal
Armenia-Albania
This seems like Portugal will win this group and Albania has a very big chance (more or less two) chances to overtake Denmark, who has one match left @Portugal. If Denmark doesn´t win against Portugal, a single win for Albania (@Armenia, possibly) would take them to 2nd spot and drop Denmark into the playoffs.
9th matchday:
Portugal-Denmark
Albania-Serbia
10th matchday:
Serbia-Portugal
Armenia-Albania
This seems like Portugal will win this group and Albania has a very big chance (more or less two) chances to overtake Denmark, who has one match left @Portugal. If Denmark doesn´t win against Portugal, a single win for Albania (@Armenia, possibly) would take them to 2nd spot and drop Denmark into the playoffs.
Looks like Austria dominated Sweden in Sweden, which is a bit of a surprising result and puts Sweden at risk. Another major tournament without the Zlatan?
Back in Group D, I did not realize or had forgotten that goal difference is not the first tie breaker within the group in this round of the tournament, but that head to head is. That makes the Scotland/Ireland battle much different than I had understood, since Scotland holds the head to head advantage. Scotland should have little trouble with Gibraltar and Ireland face an uphill battle against Germany even though the game is at home. At this point, it really feels like effectively a one point difference between the two, with Scotland holding the tie-breaker and Poland standing as king maker. Scotland have the advantage of playing Poland at home, while Ireland has to go to Poland on the last matchday. Even a draw to Poland could still potentially see Scotland through to a playoff spot.
If Scotland plays like they played against Georgia (by reports, I did not see it), it sounds as though a result even at home to Poland might be a difficult ask. And Ireland managing a draw at home to Germany isn't outside the realm of possibility. Scotland still are on the outside looking in, but this looks to be one of the more compelling groups going into the last match day. I would have liked to have seen both make it through, or at least one to a playoff, but the group turned out to be very difficult, which is a shame.
Back in Group D, I did not realize or had forgotten that goal difference is not the first tie breaker within the group in this round of the tournament, but that head to head is. That makes the Scotland/Ireland battle much different than I had understood, since Scotland holds the head to head advantage. Scotland should have little trouble with Gibraltar and Ireland face an uphill battle against Germany even though the game is at home. At this point, it really feels like effectively a one point difference between the two, with Scotland holding the tie-breaker and Poland standing as king maker. Scotland have the advantage of playing Poland at home, while Ireland has to go to Poland on the last matchday. Even a draw to Poland could still potentially see Scotland through to a playoff spot.
If Scotland plays like they played against Georgia (by reports, I did not see it), it sounds as though a result even at home to Poland might be a difficult ask. And Ireland managing a draw at home to Germany isn't outside the realm of possibility. Scotland still are on the outside looking in, but this looks to be one of the more compelling groups going into the last match day. I would have liked to have seen both make it through, or at least one to a playoff, but the group turned out to be very difficult, which is a shame.
Ireland clings to a 1-0 win over Germany. Wow. Secured at least a playoff spot with a chance to beat Poland next week to secure a true spot.
They ran a clinic on time killing basically keeping the ball in the German corner for the last 4 minutes of the game.
They ran a clinic on time killing basically keeping the ball in the German corner for the last 4 minutes of the game.
Holy Shit! I had completely written that match off for Ireland. If they advance into the tournament, are they still only cannon fodder? Is there any hope for them?Plantiers Wart said:
Bummer for Scotland. Would have been incredibly neat to see all four Home Nations make the finals.
That was an insane game. I have not watched nearly as much soccer as a lot of you, but I can't think of another game that I've ever seen that has had each half end on a goal.swiftaw said:
Former Royal Shane Long with the strike! Love the fact that the Irish can get in without the playoff if they can manage to keep Lewandowski quiet in Warsaw. Also that Northern Ireland mangled Greece to qualify. Good day all around for the green.
Group A:
Results
Kazakhstan - Netherlands 1-2
Iceland - Latvia 2-2
Czech Republic - Turkey 0-2
Table:
1 Iceland 20p +12
2 Czech Republic 19p +4
3 Turkey 15p +4
4 Netherlands 13p +4
5 Latvia 5p -12
6 Kazakhstan 2p -12
Last round:
Latvia - Kazakhstan
Turkey - Iceland
Netherlands - Czech Republic
So, Turkey got the tougher match and win out of the way. Netherlands could win against the Czech Republic and then force a points tie with Turkey, if they (TUR) draw with Iceland. In this case, the home/away legs between those two count (Turkey - Netherlands 3-0, Netherlands - Turkey 1-1) and Turkey is safe as the third team in the group, if they earn at least a draw with Iceland at home. And Netherlands would be out. That would be a huge surprise and a loss for the tournament, too, although i´m not saying i want them to go to the Euro instead of Turkey.
Results
Kazakhstan - Netherlands 1-2
Iceland - Latvia 2-2
Czech Republic - Turkey 0-2
Table:
1 Iceland 20p +12
2 Czech Republic 19p +4
3 Turkey 15p +4
4 Netherlands 13p +4
5 Latvia 5p -12
6 Kazakhstan 2p -12
Last round:
Latvia - Kazakhstan
Turkey - Iceland
Netherlands - Czech Republic
So, Turkey got the tougher match and win out of the way. Netherlands could win against the Czech Republic and then force a points tie with Turkey, if they (TUR) draw with Iceland. In this case, the home/away legs between those two count (Turkey - Netherlands 3-0, Netherlands - Turkey 1-1) and Turkey is safe as the third team in the group, if they earn at least a draw with Iceland at home. And Netherlands would be out. That would be a huge surprise and a loss for the tournament, too, although i´m not saying i want them to go to the Euro instead of Turkey.
Kyle Lafferty of Northern Ireland responds to the inevitable yet asinine question of who he'd like to face in France:
https://twitter.com/breathesport/status/652938337142079488
https://twitter.com/breathesport/status/652938337142079488
Germany-Georgia looks like 80% possession for Jogi´s boys after 30mins and it´s still 0-0.
Reus missed two very good chances (one wide, one saved) and a 1000% chance - he was 7m in front of the goal and shot above. I´m just waiting for him (Reus) to get tackled in the 2nd half and come of injured, he´s just not a great player when he wears the German shirt.
Additionally, the ref missed a clear handball from a Georgian and then Georgia almost doubled Ireland´s feat, when Neuer saved a great shot, which could have been the 0-1 for the outsider.
In other news, Albania made it to the Euros for the first time. Unbelievable.
Reus missed two very good chances (one wide, one saved) and a 1000% chance - he was 7m in front of the goal and shot above. I´m just waiting for him (Reus) to get tackled in the 2nd half and come of injured, he´s just not a great player when he wears the German shirt.
Additionally, the ref missed a clear handball from a Georgian and then Georgia almost doubled Ireland´s feat, when Neuer saved a great shot, which could have been the 0-1 for the outsider.
In other news, Albania made it to the Euros for the first time. Unbelievable.
Third place teams:
Bosnia(8), Turkey(9), Slovenia(10), Ireland(12), Denmark(12), Sweden(12), Ukraine(13), Croatia(14), Hungary(15)
Underlined teams are qualified(points in bracket). Italic teams play another match:
In Group A Turkey(15) plays at home vs. 1st place Iceland and could be overtaken by the Netherlands(13), if Turkey loses and Netherlands win against against 2nd place Czech Republic at home (Turkey has the tiebreaker, so if both have 16 points, Turkey advances into playoffs).
Group B is probably the craziest: Bosnia is 3rd with 14p, Israel is 4th with 13p and Cyprus is 5th with 12p. Bosnia visits Cyprus and Israel plays at 1st place Belgium. Good news: A tie on points is not possible. Most likely scenario: Israel loses or draws at Belgium, then the winner of Cyprus-Bosnia finishes as 3rd, with Bosnia ending there in case of a draw.
In Group C, the Ukraine and Slovakia are tied at 19p, while the Ukraine plays against 1st place Spain at home and Slovakia goes to Luxemburg. Slovakia won the tiebreaker on head-to-head, so if both get the same points, Ukraine goes into the playoffs, but have the chance (if they win!) to finish as the top team (see rankings above) and qualify without playoffs.
[Note that the normal standings include points against every team! The rankings for the playoff seedings include just matches against the top5 teams in each group, as in Group I, there are only 5 teams and in the other groups, the results against the last-place finisher aren´t calculated for this purpose.]
Bosnia(8), Turkey(9), Slovenia(10), Ireland(12), Denmark(12), Sweden(12), Ukraine(13), Croatia(14), Hungary(15)
Underlined teams are qualified(points in bracket). Italic teams play another match:
In Group A Turkey(15) plays at home vs. 1st place Iceland and could be overtaken by the Netherlands(13), if Turkey loses and Netherlands win against against 2nd place Czech Republic at home (Turkey has the tiebreaker, so if both have 16 points, Turkey advances into playoffs).
Group B is probably the craziest: Bosnia is 3rd with 14p, Israel is 4th with 13p and Cyprus is 5th with 12p. Bosnia visits Cyprus and Israel plays at 1st place Belgium. Good news: A tie on points is not possible. Most likely scenario: Israel loses or draws at Belgium, then the winner of Cyprus-Bosnia finishes as 3rd, with Bosnia ending there in case of a draw.
In Group C, the Ukraine and Slovakia are tied at 19p, while the Ukraine plays against 1st place Spain at home and Slovakia goes to Luxemburg. Slovakia won the tiebreaker on head-to-head, so if both get the same points, Ukraine goes into the playoffs, but have the chance (if they win!) to finish as the top team (see rankings above) and qualify without playoffs.
[Note that the normal standings include points against every team! The rankings for the playoff seedings include just matches against the top5 teams in each group, as in Group I, there are only 5 teams and in the other groups, the results against the last-place finisher aren´t calculated for this purpose.]
It's been a great Euro Qual. season. Albania, Northern Ireland, Iceland and Wales qualify. The Dutch won't. The Faroe Islands beat Greece (champions in 2004) twice.
Here's to Cyprus making it! And to the Andorra player that got onto the pitch against Belgium this week, a few hours after serving the Belgian players their breakfast in the hotel he works at.
Ha! :buddy:
Here's to Cyprus making it! And to the Andorra player that got onto the pitch against Belgium this week, a few hours after serving the Belgian players their breakfast in the hotel he works at.
Ha! :buddy:
I like having 24 teams, but I hate the format that makes the group stage almost a formality.Dummy Hoy said:
So you're a fan of the 24 teams...h34r:
Yeah, 4 groups of 6 works better than 6 groups of 4, but I understand why they went in that direction.Dummy Hoy said:So you're a fan of the 24 teams...
20 teams, 5 groups of 4, top 2 in each advance, 4 second place teams with fewest points have two playoff matches for the final 2 quarterfinal spots.
Winning the group becomes really important because you skip the playoff, get ~6 days off and might play a team that only had 3 days off.
Or they could do 24 but only take the 1st and 2nd place teams, and give the top 4 first place teams a bye.
Winning the group becomes really important because you skip the playoff, get ~6 days off and might play a team that only had 3 days off.
Or they could do 24 but only take the 1st and 2nd place teams, and give the top 4 first place teams a bye.
One day of qualification to go:
IN
Albania
Austria
Belgium
Czech Republic
England
France
Germany
Hungary/Turkey (best 3rd place team)(**)
Iceland
Italy
Northern Ireland
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Slovakia
Spain
Switzerland
Wales
Norway/Croatia (a)
Playoffs
Denmark
Republic of Ireland
Slovenia
Sweden
Ukraine
Croatia/Norway (a)
Turkey/Netherlands/Hungary (b)(**)
Bosnia/Israel/Cyprus ( c )
(a) Norway is 2 points ahead of Croatia going into the final matches, but Croatia holds the tie breaker. Thus, Norway will qualify automatically with a win against Italy, or if Croatia fails to win against Malta, else Croatia will take the automatic spot
(b) A win or draw for Turkey against Iceland will be enough to claim a playoff spot (at least). Netherlands will claim a playoff spot if they beat the Czech Republic and Turkey lose.
(**) If Turkey beats Iceland and Kazakhstan beats Latvia then Turkey will get the automatic spot for being the best 3rd place team, else Hungary qualifies automatically
( c ) Bosnia gets the playoff spot with a win against Cyprus. If Bosnia and Cyprus draw, then Bosnia gets the playoff spot unless Israel beat Belgium, in which case Israel gets the playoff spot. If Cyprus beats Bosnia, then they get the playoff spot if Israel loses, and Israel gets in if they win. If Cyprus wins and Israel and Belgium draw, it will depend on the exact scores as to who makes the payoff.
The playoff draw is this Friday, and is seeded. The top 4 teams based on UEFA national team coefficient will be in one pot, the bottom 4 in another.
The draw for the finals is on December 12, with the 24 teams divided into 4 pots based on coefficient with the stipulation that France (hosts) and Spain (defending champions) are guaranteed spots in pot 1.
IN
Albania
Austria
Belgium
Czech Republic
England
France
Germany
Hungary/Turkey (best 3rd place team)(**)
Iceland
Italy
Northern Ireland
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Slovakia
Spain
Switzerland
Wales
Norway/Croatia (a)
Playoffs
Denmark
Republic of Ireland
Slovenia
Sweden
Ukraine
Croatia/Norway (a)
Turkey/Netherlands/Hungary (b)(**)
Bosnia/Israel/Cyprus ( c )
(a) Norway is 2 points ahead of Croatia going into the final matches, but Croatia holds the tie breaker. Thus, Norway will qualify automatically with a win against Italy, or if Croatia fails to win against Malta, else Croatia will take the automatic spot
(b) A win or draw for Turkey against Iceland will be enough to claim a playoff spot (at least). Netherlands will claim a playoff spot if they beat the Czech Republic and Turkey lose.
(**) If Turkey beats Iceland and Kazakhstan beats Latvia then Turkey will get the automatic spot for being the best 3rd place team, else Hungary qualifies automatically
( c ) Bosnia gets the playoff spot with a win against Cyprus. If Bosnia and Cyprus draw, then Bosnia gets the playoff spot unless Israel beat Belgium, in which case Israel gets the playoff spot. If Cyprus beats Bosnia, then they get the playoff spot if Israel loses, and Israel gets in if they win. If Cyprus wins and Israel and Belgium draw, it will depend on the exact scores as to who makes the payoff.
The playoff draw is this Friday, and is seeded. The top 4 teams based on UEFA national team coefficient will be in one pot, the bottom 4 in another.
The draw for the finals is on December 12, with the 24 teams divided into 4 pots based on coefficient with the stipulation that France (hosts) and Spain (defending champions) are guaranteed spots in pot 1.
Following on from my previous post, 5 of the 6 Pot 1 teams for the finals draw are locked: France, Spain, England, Germany, Portugal.
The 6th Pot 1 team will either be Italy, Belgium, or the Netherlands (if they qualify) based on the results of tomorrow's matches.
Russia, Switzerland and Austria are guaranteed to be in Pot 2
The 6th Pot 1 team will either be Italy, Belgium, or the Netherlands (if they qualify) based on the results of tomorrow's matches.
Russia, Switzerland and Austria are guaranteed to be in Pot 2
Dutch losing 1-0, not that they had much chance of qualifying anyway.
The Czechs score through a run from their RB as Depay lazily trotted behind the play. Memphis is one of the more defensively negligent wingers you'll find, which also was evident in the Arsenal-United game ten days ago. Defense is beneath him.
Edit: Now 2-0. The Dutch clearly just want to go home.
The Czechs score through a run from their RB as Depay lazily trotted behind the play. Memphis is one of the more defensively negligent wingers you'll find, which also was evident in the Arsenal-United game ten days ago. Defense is beneath him.
Edit: Now 2-0. The Dutch clearly just want to go home.
A van Persie OG makes it 0-3, but Huntelaar gets one back in the 70th minute. Turkey-Iceland is still 0-0.
A late winner for Turkey and Kazakhstan's road win over Latvia mean that Turkey advances as the "best" 3rd place team over Hungary, who are consigned to the playoffs.
So:
IN
Albania
Austria
Belgium
Croatia
Czech Republic
England
France
Germany
Iceland
Italy
Northern Ireland
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Slovakia
Spain
Switzerland
Turkey (best 3rd place team)
Wales
Playoffs
Bosnia
Denmark
Hungary
Republic of Ireland
Slovenia
Sweden
Ukraine
Norway
IN
Albania
Austria
Belgium
Croatia
Czech Republic
England
France
Germany
Iceland
Italy
Northern Ireland
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Slovakia
Spain
Switzerland
Turkey (best 3rd place team)
Wales
Playoffs
Bosnia
Denmark
Hungary
Republic of Ireland
Slovenia
Sweden
Ukraine
Norway
Turkey scored, which would have killed the Dutch even if they had won. I think Turkey is in without a playoff as the highest ranked 3rd place team.
EDIT: Or what was said above.
EDIT: Or what was said above.
For the playoffs, I think the seeded teams will be: Ukraine, Sweden, Bosnia, Hungary
and the unseeded teams will be: Denmark, Republic of Ireland, Norway, Slovenia
Also, I believe Begium got the last spot in Pot 1 for the finals draw, meaning Italy will be in Pot 2. Wales will be in Pot 4 I believe.
Edit: More details. Here is a list of the 28 teams that are still alive ranked from top to bottom (playoff teams marked by *). After 4 of these teams are eliminated, the remaining 24 will be placed in the Pots from top to bottom (except France which is guaranteed pot 1).
Germany (Pot 1)
Spain (Pot 1)
England (Pot 1)
Portugal (Pot 1)
Belgium (Pot 1)
Italy (Pot 2)
France (Pot 1)
Russia (Pot 2)
Switzerland (Pot 2)
Austria (Pot 2)
Croatia (Pot 2)
*Bosnia (Pot 2)
*Ukraine (Pot 2 or 3)
Czech Republic (Pot 2 or 3)
*Sweden (Pot 3)
Poland (Pot 3)
Romania (Pot 3)
Slovakia (Pot 3)
*Hungary (Pot 3 or 4)
*Denmark (Pot 3 or 4)
Turkey (Pot 3 or 4)
*Republic of Ireland (Pot 3 or 4)
*Norway (Pot 4)
*Slovenia (Pot 4)
Iceland (Pot 4)
Wales (Pot 4)
Albania (Pot 4)
Northern Ireland (Pot 4)
and the unseeded teams will be: Denmark, Republic of Ireland, Norway, Slovenia
Also, I believe Begium got the last spot in Pot 1 for the finals draw, meaning Italy will be in Pot 2. Wales will be in Pot 4 I believe.
Edit: More details. Here is a list of the 28 teams that are still alive ranked from top to bottom (playoff teams marked by *). After 4 of these teams are eliminated, the remaining 24 will be placed in the Pots from top to bottom (except France which is guaranteed pot 1).
Germany (Pot 1)
Spain (Pot 1)
England (Pot 1)
Portugal (Pot 1)
Belgium (Pot 1)
Italy (Pot 2)
France (Pot 1)
Russia (Pot 2)
Switzerland (Pot 2)
Austria (Pot 2)
Croatia (Pot 2)
*Bosnia (Pot 2)
*Ukraine (Pot 2 or 3)
Czech Republic (Pot 2 or 3)
*Sweden (Pot 3)
Poland (Pot 3)
Romania (Pot 3)
Slovakia (Pot 3)
*Hungary (Pot 3 or 4)
*Denmark (Pot 3 or 4)
Turkey (Pot 3 or 4)
*Republic of Ireland (Pot 3 or 4)
*Norway (Pot 4)
*Slovenia (Pot 4)
Iceland (Pot 4)
Wales (Pot 4)
Albania (Pot 4)
Northern Ireland (Pot 4)
So the first time the tournament is expanded to make sure none of the big teams are left out, one of the big teams manages to somehow still not qualify.
NED's dead, baby. NED's dead.
Every two years UEFA announces around this time that the World Cup/Euros playoffs will be seeded, and someone in the British media goes, "Why do they wait until qualifying is over to announce they're seeding the playoffs???? DERPDERP." Watch for it.
Every two years UEFA announces around this time that the World Cup/Euros playoffs will be seeded, and someone in the British media goes, "Why do they wait until qualifying is over to announce they're seeding the playoffs???? DERPDERP." Watch for it.
If ever there were a year for UEFA to not seed the playoffs, this would be it - there are no big-name countries which need to be protected, are there?
DDB Jr. and I just returned from from a jaunt through Europe for matchdays 9 and 10 of Euro Qualification. While the games weren't always the best in terms of competition and importance, it was an amazing trip. 14 goals, 14,000 miles, pretty much every form of travel imaginable except boat I suppose, and lots of gross but memorable food. We met some amazing people along the way. Especially in Scotland, where the hospitality was first rate, despite their obvious disappointment in the results and their team's close-again-but-yet-so-far performance. The Austria game was amazing too, because they were already qualified and the game was essentially just a 90 minute party to celebrate.
Scotland v. Poland kick off:
Chicken Pie before England v. Estonia:
Austria v. Liechtenstein kick off:
Netherlands v. Czech Republic kick off:
Scotland v. Poland kick off:
Chicken Pie before England v. Estonia:
Austria v. Liechtenstein kick off:
Netherlands v. Czech Republic kick off:
I can't tell if my dad and I were sitting right next to you at Scotland-Poland or the exact opposite corner.DennyDoyle'sBoil said:DDB Jr. and I just returned from from a jaunt through Europe for matchdays 9 and 10 of Euro Qualification. While the games weren't always the best in terms of competition and importance, it was an amazing trip. 14 goals, 14,000 miles, pretty much every form of travel imaginable except boat I suppose, and lots of gross but memorable food. We met some amazing people along the way. Especially in Scotland, where the hospitality was first rate, despite their obvious disappointment in the results and their team's close-again-but-yet-so-far performance. The Austria game was amazing too, because they were already qualified and the game was essentially just a 90 minute party to celebrate.
Scotland v. Poland kick off:
Chicken Pie before England v. Estonia:
Austria v. Liechtenstein kick off:
Netherlands v. Czech Republic kick off:
jkempa said:
We were on the south side -- near the east corner. So, on the end where Scotland scored at the end of the first half and where Poland scored their second goal.
That was some game, wasn't it? The two Scotland goals were crackers. I was a bit amazed how well the supporters seemed to take the final goal, although I think by then word had filtered around that Ireland had beaten Germany anyway.
Edit: Also, I've been lucky enough to be at some pretty amazing sporting events -- a few super bowls, I've seen the Stanley Cup skate and the NCAA basketball championship, and even a WS game 7. Gotta say though that singing Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond before the game is up there pretty high on my list of memorable sports moments.
So we were really close then! I checked my ticket when I got home tonight - Area I3, Row L, Seat 42.DennyDoyle'sBoil said:
The Scotland goals were amazing, though I was among the 75% or so fans there supporting Poland. I did feel a bit guilty about that after I realized Scotland had been eliminated though. I wasn't expecting another Ireland win over Germany, and didn't know it until I tried to console the Scotland fans next to me (who were lovely about the whole game by the way).
It was my father's first ever soccer game, so it was a great introduction for him.
Here's my picture of the flares going in the Polish section prior to kickoff:
And I don't know if you visited the men's room in our section during halftime, but it was honestly the most entertaining toilet break I've ever had.
That was such a fun atmosphere and game. I was planning to write up a little blurb on this game and the EPL games I went to. Hopefully I'll get to it over the weekend.
Edit: totally agree that the singing before the game was really special.
Yeah, we were close -- we were in I-4. There seemed to be a Poland/Germany divide between I-3 and I-4. So, you were one of the ones we were singing, "you're not singing anymore" to after Scotland's second goal! I guess you got the last laugh.
We didn't hit the bathroom after the first half, but the train ride to the grounds was pretty entertaining. Our car filled up with some fairly hard looking men -- in kilts, mind you, but still fairly hard looking and obviously a few pints past moderation. We decided to look straight forward and mind our business, but were sort of drawn into conversation because I suppose we looked a bit out of place. When they found out we were from the states, had come just to see footie, and intended to support Scotland, you would have thought we were celebrities. They were kind of incredulous. Everyone on the train wanted to talk to us, talk about the Patriots and American football, give us advice about what to eat at Hampden, and where to buy a scarf the cheapest. I really loved Glasgow.
The other interesting part of the experience was the Central station crowd before the game -- you had the One Direction crowd headed over to see the concert at the arena, and the footie crowd getting on the trains, all navigating their way through with rush hour commuters. It was quite a scene.
We didn't hit the bathroom after the first half, but the train ride to the grounds was pretty entertaining. Our car filled up with some fairly hard looking men -- in kilts, mind you, but still fairly hard looking and obviously a few pints past moderation. We decided to look straight forward and mind our business, but were sort of drawn into conversation because I suppose we looked a bit out of place. When they found out we were from the states, had come just to see footie, and intended to support Scotland, you would have thought we were celebrities. They were kind of incredulous. Everyone on the train wanted to talk to us, talk about the Patriots and American football, give us advice about what to eat at Hampden, and where to buy a scarf the cheapest. I really loved Glasgow.
The other interesting part of the experience was the Central station crowd before the game -- you had the One Direction crowd headed over to see the concert at the arena, and the footie crowd getting on the trains, all navigating their way through with rush hour commuters. It was quite a scene.
DennyDoyle'sBoil said:
Here is part of what was going on in the men's room...this followed everyone singing, "if you hate the fucking English clap your hands". I got that part....what followed veered off into the bizarre.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/qR3eqoco5hc[/youtube]
1st Euro Playoff:
Norway - Hungary 0-1
Huge chance for Hungary to finally participate since a long time (WC86) in a tournament. I don´t know if that was the regular lineup for Hungary, but they played their goalie Gabor Kiraly, who was already playing (for Hertha BSC Berlin), when Kaiserslautern played them 1998, so he is 39 and turns 40 in April. Will he play next year? That will be pretty funny. Usually, he plays in long-legged jogging pants. Funny guy, but below-average keeper, just as probably most of their guys, as i don´t know any of them, besides Kiraly, Zoltan Stieber and (probably their best player) Adam Szalai, their big target man.
Norway needs to score two goals and get a result at Hungary to advance.
Norway - Hungary 0-1
Huge chance for Hungary to finally participate since a long time (WC86) in a tournament. I don´t know if that was the regular lineup for Hungary, but they played their goalie Gabor Kiraly, who was already playing (for Hertha BSC Berlin), when Kaiserslautern played them 1998, so he is 39 and turns 40 in April. Will he play next year? That will be pretty funny. Usually, he plays in long-legged jogging pants. Funny guy, but below-average keeper, just as probably most of their guys, as i don´t know any of them, besides Kiraly, Zoltan Stieber and (probably their best player) Adam Szalai, their big target man.
Norway needs to score two goals and get a result at Hungary to advance.