I missed last night's game as I was out so have yet to see the Italian totty.

>I missed last night's game as I was out so have yet to see the Italian totty.<

Has Totti not retired?

£1 in the dreadful pun box please...

The game is one thing. Getting surrounded in an office by 3 italians colleagues pulling my leg is another.
And none of these french traitors around moved one inch for me.
Too bad we couldn't go out and have a beer ;-)

Haha, the great and mighty CR7 achieved nothing but a draw against Iceland!

I predict 'plucky' to be tomorrows most used word on the back pages.

And he has tried so hard!

What?! A draw? Against Iceland?!

CR7's free kicks reminded me of a scene in the World Champions game against Germany when Germany made a wall of one (!) man (the short Philipp Lahm). And CR7 really managed to shoot his free kick into this wall!

I think we can agree that Portugal is not the force in european football that it used to be, but let's not diss Iceland - after all they managed to qualify, unlike the mighty Netherlands!

It is 56 minutes in Marseille - France against Albania - and still 0:0.

Can you believe?

Marseille is fast becoming a footballing graveyard.

meanwhile in Lille, the english fans in town for tomorrow's match in Lens were having a bit of fun with the riot police, chanting " where were you in Marseilles?"

I suspect that some of them may be laughing on the other sides of their faces by the end of the night.

in other news, Slovenia beat Russia 2 - 1 - hurray!!!

Who's ready for Germany-Poland tomorrow...or USA-Ecuador?? Fingers crossed...

Hurray! I missed the first half hour due to that pesky thing called work but saw the rest of it including Bale's brilliant free kick, and England's 2 goals. Much better in the second half especially the end.

what price both Wales and England qualifying from their group?

I saw most of it too thought infuriatingly my supervisor wanted to go through some data just as the match kicked off - you would think they were paying me or something :-p

I didn't think we played as well as in the first match but it was enough.

Both England and Wales will go through - I'm certain of that Ann. Restock the Pringles!

"in other news, Slovenia beat Russia 2 - 1 - hurray!!!"

Errr... Slovakia, actually. Much more emotive, since Slovakia's the bit of Czechoslovakia that used to have a frontier with the Soviet Union.

So they saw a great deal more of their fraternal leading partners in the global struggle against imperialism. And what they saw, they didn't like.

Odd how everyone once bordering the Soviets still loathes them. Whereas those bits of former Eastern Europe bordering Germany are all prepared to get on with the former Herrenvolk.

well Flanner, my brain knew it was Slovakia but my fingers decided otherwise.

Despite having to work I was able to keep half an eye on NI v Ukraine - superb result for NI. ! [just checking it was Ukraine and not some other country with a similar name and yes it was]. Great goals.

Germany - Poland 0:0.

Have you seen one convincing team so far?

USA 1:0 Ecuador HT

USA reaching the semifinals of a major soccer tournament...could it be?

Hello semis!! USA over Argentina??? One can dream...

'Odd how everyone once bordering the Soviets still loathes them. Whereas those bits of former Eastern Europe bordering Germany are all prepared to get on with the former Herrenvolk.'

Nothing odd there Flanner.
Germans had Nuremberg trials, and extirpated Nazism from teir brain much better than we did.
Soviets OTH never did - how much time did it take them to recognize that they were the ones who slaughtered Polish POW's in Katyn ? 50 years ?
And they did that in every country they 'liberated' - after raping all women (and grandmas and young girls). No wonder they are not loved.

I take opportunity to scream like an eagle for this 101st post !

Do eagles scream?

I would like to scream when watching a really good game at the EURO championship!

So far, this tournament is full of teams playing this boring, defensive style.

But what can you expect if 3 out of 4 teams will survive the group stage?

Let's wait for the knockout phase (when the penalties will decide the games).

82nd airborne division motto is 'All American' and they have a badge with the two letters 'AA' and 101st airborne divion are called the screaming eagles.
Every good US guy knows that and every good Belgian remembers that the 101st fought like hell in Bastogne repulsing the last offensive from Hitler on our soil.

how many more games are going to be decided in the last few minutes?

first Italy score in the 88th minute, and as for Croatia v Czech Republic, Croatia were winning comfortably at 2-0 until their own fans started to kick off and now it's 2-2!

you certainly can't pop off and make a cup of tea towards the end of a match thinking nothing much is going to happen!

Awesome to see the Red Devils come alive in the second half. And even better to see the camaraderie between the Belgian and Irish fans in the stands; they should earn a medal themselves.

yes, good for "plucky little Belgium".

Where is Whathello when you need him??? we want some crowing please.

CR7...disappointing...'nough said.

I will stay humble. All the more since I didn't play or did I ?
I learned of our victory in Cloyster Jeronimus, in Lisbon...

Yes, I love the fraternity between the supporters, but Irish are known for their fair-play.

Did anyone catch the Copa America quarterfinal between Mexico and Chile tonight? Mexico lost 0-7. I feel very bad for Mexico. :(

I will stay humble.>>

lol.

Yes the Irish are great supporters - other nations take note.

They still lost though.

"Mexico lost 0-7" Ouch!
But I suppose if it can happen to Brazil, it can happen to anyone.

True, willit. Last night definitely felt like a flashback to the Germany-Brazil game.

Is anyone like me suffering from soccer withdrawal today? I've became used to European soccer in the mornings and afternoons and American soccer in the evenings over the past couple of weekends.

"Is anyone like me suffering from soccer withdrawal today?"

yes - but only another 50 minutes before the games start tonight!

tp - I always feel like that at the end of a big tournament -rugby, football, cricket, even soccer - I listen to them all.

Wimbledon starts in a week's time and i can hardly wait. then it'll be the Tour, more cricket, the Olympics, cricket - oh, and did I mention the cricket?

Seriously [and only a true cricket nut would understand this] you can now listen to every match of the county championship via a BBC local radio broadcast.

Be still my beating heart.

Willit, yes, although seeing one game a day is just not the same. I had hoped to see France score as this was my first time to see them play this tournament. Hopefully in the next round...

Ann, agreed. Fortunately we have the NBA finals tonight. And yes, cannot wait for the Olympics. I suppose we also have the Republican and Democratic conventions the weeks before Rio, if you count politics as a contact sport that is. ;)

I suppose we also have the Republican and Democratic conventions the weeks before Rio, if you count politics as a contact sport that is.>>

I'm fed up enough with the referendum, thank you, though the murder of that MP has rather taken whatever fun there was out of it.

I'm hoping that it'll being some of the Brexit lot to their senses but given they must have lost them anyway, I'm not holding my breath.

Our news showed the Irish supporters singing a nursery rhyme to a baby on a train - that's about the extent of the champion ship news on general tv.

10 minutes to go. Wales winning 3-0, they could top the table. Unless England score in the dying moments again.

Big grin on this Welshwoman's face. :))