Euro 2024

[Baloney]

Draw just made, Group B with Netherlands & France and Group C with Italy & England looking like the pick of the Groups.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/63191282

[Tom 1860]

Do-able group for the Welsh

[Pruitt3]

Look at Groups E & I - just awful teams abounding.

Group E: Poland, Czech Rep, Albania, Faroe Islands, Moldova

Group I: Switzerland. Israel, Romania, Kosovo, Belarus, Andorra

[degenerasian]

Looking forward to Luxembourg vs Liechtenstien.

And I think Gibralter are in tough.

[wlu_lax6]

North Macedonia up 1-0 on England

[mister d]

[fresh prince voice]

[sancarlos]

Timely post for Swampcrash.

[mister d]

I’m exceptionally biased towards Sané but you shouldn’t be allowed to be the aggressor right up until the other guy responds and then get victim treatment. Sané doesn’t throw down a guy who isn’t already over him and making contact.

[tennbengal]

Timely post for Swampcrash.

It sure is a relevant thread, yes!

[degenerasian]

what says you?

[Pruitt IV]

VAR is demonstrably useless. Wow.

[degenerasian]

VAR is demonstrably useless. Wow.

VAR did not even call down!

I think a few things they saw. Mudryk makes a heavy touch and Cristante is stupid to leave his foot in, but Mudryk actually avoids the contact, and then embellishes to try to draw the foul. In the end if Mudryk doesn't jump/fall to try to avoid the contact, and just lets his trailing leg plow right into Cristante then it's probably easily called a penalty. With how the play actually plays out though I think the ref thought he dove, which he did, but he dove to avoid the contact.

[degenerasian]

The draw is tomorrow. Croatia is in Pot 3, Italy is in Pot 4!

[sancarlos]

Admittedly, I don’t follow this stuff closely. But, aren’t the pots meant to group similar-rated teams, based on rankings? Or, based on past tournament performance? Or, something like that?

If so, how did Albania, Hungary, Romania, and Austria get into Pot 2? And why is Italy down so low?

[The Sybian]

Admittedly, I don’t follow this stuff closely. But, aren’t the pots meant to group similar-rated teams, based on rankings? Or, based on past tournament performance? Or, something like that?

If so, how did Albania, Hungary, Romania, and Austria get into Pot 2? And why is Italy down so low?

Yeah, Pot 2 seems way weaker than Pot 3.

[degenerasian]

Admittedly, I don’t follow this stuff closely. But, aren’t the pots meant to group similar-rated teams, based on rankings? Or, based on past tournament performance? Or, something like that?

If so, how did Albania, Hungary, Romania, and Austria get into Pot 2? And why is Italy down so low?

Because they ranked based on qualifying only. The 5 best group winners are in Pot 1 and the next best group winners are in Pot 2 and so on. Albania, Hungary, and Romania were group winners, Austria were the best of the runners up.

Italy, as you saw, barely squeaked in.

[Tom 1860]

Wales have to get through a playoff semi vs Finland and then either Poland or Estonia in the playoff final. If they win they go into a group with France, the Dutch and Austria.

As I have said before, the World Cup may be harder to win, but the Euros are far harder to qualify for and to progress out of the group phase.

[Baloney]

Euro 2024 draw: Uefa investigates after sex noises disrupt broadcast

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/67606049

Well it was Hamburg after all.