Euro Quarterfinals Game Thread

BelgianSoxFan

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I am heartbroken. This is 2003 all over for me. The injuries on defense did them in. Breaking in 2 really young defenders did not work. Losing Kompany, Vertongen, Vermaelen and Lombaerts did them in. It is not as much the drop in ability but lack of experience working together. Denaeyer, Lukaku and Meunier could become an excellent defensive core. But they are not there now.
They got robbed by the ref, but Wales took advantage and deserve credit. In the end I am not sure Belgium would have won even if they got the fouls.
New coach for the WC and a bit better luck on injuries and we will be back.
I am not aware of any language caused problems on the team regardless of what the announcers said.
 
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Cellar-Door

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I wonder if this is a first:
Wales had 3 different goal scorers
None of them were born in Wales.
 

cjdmadcow

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They got robbed by the ref, but Wales took advantage and deserve credit. In the end I am not sure Belgium would have won even if they got the fouls.
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Robbed by the ref? Really? I can give you the bad luck with the injuries prior to the game but if the #2 world ranked team resort to bringing Fellaini on at half-time and spending the rest of the second half lumping long balls into the penalty area, then you have to look more closely at the coach, not the referee. Wales were penalised much more and had three defenders on yellow cards after 30 minutes yet Hazard & Fellaini got away with everything.

Belgium were beaten by the better team on the day. Simple.

And I'm English, not Welsh, in case you were wondering.
 

Ale Xander

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Happy for Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta Jones and of course the late Princess.

Great execution today. Very deserving of the win
 

fletcherpost

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What a win for Wales. Got a few decisions, but that happens. They still scored three good goals and kept their shape pretty well. Belgium missed a few chances they might have taken on another night but that's football. They'll miss Ramsay but Portugal haven't been great. Wales are in the Semis. I never thought this would ever happen.
 

BelgianSoxFan

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Robbed by the ref? Really? I can give you the bad luck with the injuries prior to the game but if the #2 world ranked team resort to bringing Fellaini on at half-time and spending the rest of the second half lumping long balls into the penalty area, then you have to look more closely at the coach, not the referee. Wales were penalised much more and had three defenders on yellow cards after 30 minutes yet Hazard & Fellaini got away with everything.

Belgium were beaten by the better team on the day. Simple.

And I'm English, not Welsh, in case you were wondering.
The last 20 minutes there were several clear fouls which were no whistled at all. That hurts the team behind most of all. The yellow cards were all deserved as they stopped an attack from developing. The foul on Lukaku outside of the box was a bad miss by the ref. That is a second yellow. The foul on Nain was a penalty. They were robbed but it probably did not matter.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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Wales has handled Belgium pretty well in this competition. Three results in three attempts. I didn't see the first two, but there must be some sort of matchup issue or something.

Maybe they are easy to look past or Belguim didn't take them seriously, or maybe something is going on in world football that is making cohesion and tactics more of a leveler.
 

Time to Mo Vaughn

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Who's the favorite between Wales and Portugal? Portugal has played like crap all tournament. Wales has looked great in a number of games, but just lost the second best player. I'm really disappointed Ramsey won't be in there and really rooting for Wales to go through anyway.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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Portugal are significant favorites in the early lines. It's Portugal 11/10, Wales 29/10. (Draw is 2/1.) So, just shy of a 3-1 favorite.

That's the betting line, which may not reflect reality. But I think Portugal probably should be favorites.
 

teddykgb

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Looked pretty deliberate to me and broke up a promising attack.

The foul on Lukaku was a bad call but Belgium didn't create enough to claim they were robbed. Wales stood toe to toe with them
 
FYI, three players will miss the first semifinal through suspension: Ramsey and Ben Davies for Wales, and William Carvalho for Portugal. (Carvalho had played every minute of the tournament for Portugal until being subbed off in extra time of the Poland match, so not an insignificant loss there either, although I suspect Wales will still miss Ramsey more.)
 

Dummy Hoy

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Wales has handled Belgium pretty well in this competition. Three results in three attempts. I didn't see the first two, but there must be some sort of matchup issue or something.

Maybe they are easy to look past or Belguim didn't take them seriously, or maybe something is going on in world football that is making cohesion and tactics more of a leveler.
This game was far different than the first two. Wales played a super defensive counter attack both times and Belgium lacked the cohesion and tactical acumen (shocker) to break them down. Today Wales played a much different game.
 
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Looked pretty deliberate to me and broke up a promising attack.
Was it? I just spent 5 minutes and couldn't find video. In real time, my imperfect memory had it as the ball jumped up and got him. If it was clear and deliberate, well, nothing to argue then.
 

fletcherpost

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Italian Brothers,

Italy has awakened,

She has wreathed her head

With the helmet of Scipio.

Where is Victory?

She bows her head to you,

You, whom God created

As the slave of Rome.


Let us band together,

We are ready to die,

Let us band together,

We are ready to die,

Italy has called us.

Italy has called us.

Edit: That's a fuckin anthem.
 

SocrManiac

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I feel more at ease with this one than I have with many big Italian or Juventus games in years. Maybe it's that there are no expectations for a change. Italy are playin with house money, down a bunch of key players and sitting on more yellow than Scrooge McDuck.
 

fletcherpost

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they were too adventurous, they were passing the ball across the back brilliantly, the odd pass into midfield and back to defense, no problem, then the crowd booed them and they tried to rush a move. That's not how i like to See Italy play. When Italy mostly play boring but technically sound football, all is right in the world.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Low might be the most overrated manager in the world. This is a tactical disaster from Germany, playing 3-4-3 with two wingbacks that aren't very good forward and with a defense seemingly not all that used to this system.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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they were too adventurous, they were passing the ball across the back brilliantly, the odd pass into midfield and back to defense, no problem, then the crowd booed them and they tried to rush a move. That's not how i like to See Italy play. When Italy mostly play boring but technically sound football, all is right in the world.
Yeah, they really do seem affected by the crowd whistles and they've played forward in a rash way from the back at least three times because of it. You don't really imagine a Conte team being affected by the crowd.

I wonder if there are many "neutrals" in the crowd and if so who they are supporting. I imagine the French have some lingering annoyance with Italy for Marco Materazzi inducing Zizou into the head butt.
 

tbrep

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For all their possession in the opposition third, Germany have done very little. Very unimaginative play - a lot of crossing and hoping.
 

Bailey10

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How on earth is it possible that this is the same Giaccherini that stunk it up for almost an entire season with Jozy and co at Sunderland?
 

tbrep

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Italy look like the only team capable of scoring, especially on the counter. Look for this one to end 1-0 Italy.