Euro: Euro Qualifiers Part II

[Pouchkine]

Also something completely lost today : the games had a superb flow to them. Also a lot of in-form strikers and plenty of great players at their peak.

The Italy-Holland match is absolutely crazy, if Holland scored early the game could have ended 7-0 or something. The gap between the two teams was IMMENSE. It was all about Holland missing golden chances after golden chances. It was like Brazil-Germany... And that was with Nesta-Zambrotta-Cannavaro-Maldini defence.

But I almost can't recall one bad or even average game. There were so many open and interesting high quality games and the referees at the time were doing their best to let the game flow BUT give cards for professionnal fouls, the best of both worlds.

Portugal had their best team, France were World Champions, Holland had a fantastic team even with Van Nistelrooy injured, Romania had their best team ever, Turkey had most of the team who just won the UEFA CUP and would make the WC 1/2's. England was actually decent, Yugoslavia solid, Czech were strong as well. So many stunning goals.

You could watch 2 games in a row and still be hungry for a 3rd one while today it's tough to watch 1 game with all the bus parking, the gamesmanships and VAR, referee spray...

 

[PanniniClaus]

Euro 2000 was arguably the low point in Germany's post-war football history. That game vs Portugal was one of the biggest joke performances by a German team in a major tournament ever. Portugal were resting starters, Germany could still qualify with a win if the Romania-England result went their way..but they totally collapsed instead.

The worst part was the total hopelessness of it. The team was basically a bunch of guys in their late 20s and 30s with the guys in the 30s like Matthäus, Häßler and Kirsten basically there because even their decline version was better than the younger guys. The only younger player with some hope was Deisler, and we all know how that ended.

That said, it was overall a pretty fun tournament. The England-Portugal game was high entertainment, so was Spain - Yugoslavia. The Dutch failure vs Italy was utterly hilarious if you don't like Holland. The French K.O. games were all pure drama, especially the Portugal game.

Agreed on Germany...an impossibly bad team..may never see that again from a country of such quality.

 

[Evilo]

They were awful in 2004 too IIRC.

 

[QuietContrarian]

As a supporter of Denmark, I must admit, Euro 2000 was not that fun

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

They were awful in 2004 too IIRC.

2004 was not great, not terrible. Nowhere near as bad as 2000. For one, the team already had promising young guys in it like Schweinsteiger, Lahm and Podolski. It also had close to prime Ballack and Klose. Honestly, that team probably should have made the QF if they had been better managed. The bones of the team that took Italy to ET in the WC semifinal two years later were already in place.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Covid-hit sides will have to play Euro 2020 games with just 13 players

Euro 2020 teams hit by Covid outbreaks this summer will have to fulfil fixtures even if they have as few as 13 players available, including a goalkeeper.

Uefa has ruled that matches must go ahead as planned even if up to half of a squad’s 26 players are forced into quarantine or self-isolation following a Covid outbreak in the camp.

 

[robertmac43]

How has the vaccination of players been in Europe? Have they been given the opportunity to get poked?

 

[Jussi]

How has the vaccination of players been in Europe? Have they been given the opportunity to get poked?

US and UK have been hogging most of the vaccines and even they're not vaccinating athletes.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

How has the vaccination of players been in Europe? Have they been given the opportunity to get poked?

ONly one that matters got his vaccine expressed

 

[Jussi]

ONly one that matters got his vaccine expressed

Ronaldo?

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Ronaldo?

Nah he retired.

 

[Jussi]

Nah he retired.

Nah, still playing for Juventus.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Nah, still playing for Juventus.

Thhe Europa team?