Group A
Napoli will travel to Amsterdam looking to maintain their perfect start against an Ajax side smarting from their late defeat against Liverpool. The Italians have arguably been the standout side in the competition so far and can take a giant leap towards qualification with a victory in the Dutch capital.
Elsewhere it will be a first ever meeting of Liverpool and Rangers at Anfield with both sides needing wins for different reasons. Liverpool will look to Europe to gain some form after stuttering in the league while Rangers are yet to get off the mark in their return to the top table.
Group B
Club Brugge have arguably been the biggest surprise package in the tournament so far and will look to claim another scalp when they host Atletico Madrid.
The Belgians have made a perfect start and another victory would open a big gap between themselves and third place in the group.
Porto will be aiming to get off the mark after two defeats in their first two games when they host Bayer Leverkusen. The Germans are struggling domestically but did defeat Atletico last time out so they’ll have some belief travelling to Portugal.
Group C
Bayern Munich have once more made an impressive start to a Champions League group stage and will get the action underway on Tuesday when they host Viktoria Plzen in the early kickoff.
The German champions defeated their two biggest group rivals in September and will be expecting to dispatch of their Czech visitors to maintain their lead in the group.
Inter Milan meanwhile will host Barcelona in what is the biggest game of the week.
Both sides came up short when facing Bayern and both defeated Plzen so they’ll view these two upcoming games as the key to deciding who will follow Julien Nagelsmann’s side into the last 16.
Group D
Sporting are another side who have impressed, taking six points in what looked the most open group on paper.
They travel to Marseille on Tuesday who desperately need a win if they are to stand any hope of reaching the next round. The French side have started well in the league but have struggled badly in Europe in recent years and will be desperate to give the home support something to cheer.
Tottenham will visit Eintracht Frankfurt in the other Group D clash looking to bounce back from their weekend defeat to bitter rivals Arsenal and take steps towards qualification. It will be far from easy against the Europa League winners who will also have their sights on the latter stages.
Group E
AC Milan head what has been a very tight and unpredictable Group E and will host Chelsea on Wednesday night with injuries to key players disrupting their preparation.
French pair Mike Maignan and Theo Hernandez will miss the clash against Graham Potter’s men who needs points themselves having stuttered in their opening two games.
Salzburg are unbeaten thus far but have also yet to win but a victory over Dinamo Zagreb at home would put them in good stead heading into the turn in the group. The Croatians will be aiming for another surprise victory having stunned Chelsea last month.
Group F
Holders Real Madrid have made a serene start to their title defence and host Shakhtar on Wednesday looking to maintain their 100% record.
The visitors have also made a good start to the group and look favourites to join their hosts in the next round.
Celtic will travel to Leipzig looking to build on their credible draw against Shakhtar last time out and will need to get something to keep their qualification hopes alive as will the bottom side from East Germany.
Group G
Erling Haaland has been in utterly sensational form this season with 17 goals so far and the visit of FC Copenhagen will offer the Norwegian another chance to add to his tally.
The Danes picked up a draw against Sevilla three weeks ago but will be up against a Manchester City side brimming with confidence after sticking six goals past their local rivals Manchester United.
Sevilla have made a terrible start in La Liga and need to get something at home to Borussia Dortmund to avoid being cut adrift in terms of qualification. Victory for the Germans will see them move five points clear of their hosts with just three games to play.
Group H
Benfica have been another surprise outfit this season, winning nine of ten games in all competitions and two 100% records will go head to head in this group when they host PSG.
The Lisbon side claimed a stunning victory away at Juventus last time out and even a point here at home to the French champions will boost their chances of repeating what they did last year when they knocked Barcelona out in the group stages.
Juventus will be looking to avoid the same fate as the Spaniards and nothing less than three points against Maccabi Haifa in Turin will do, with manager Max Allegri under all sorts of pressure.
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There was plenty at stake across all continents so it is time to dive straight in and see how the action unfolded on what is possibly international football’s greatest week, time after time.
Group A on the final stages in Asia had little left to be decided with Iran and South Korea having already booked their spot in the previous set of fixtures.
Instead it was all about the battle for third place and the play-off that comes with it. Iraq gave themselves a lifeline with a 1-0 victory over direct rivals the United Arab Emirates to leave the visitor’s hopes hanging in the balance.
However Rodolfo Arruabarrena’s side recovered to claim a huge 1-0 victory over South Korea in the final game while Iraq could only draw with Syria to seal their fate.
In Group B, Japan ensured they would be back for a seventh consecutive World Cup appearance after defeating Australia 2-0 in Sydney. This also meant that Saudi Arabia qualified without having to kick a ball.
The Saudis rubbed salt into the Aussie wounds by winning 1-0 in Jeddah in the final group game.
Australia will now have to settle for the play-offs. They will face the UAE in a single game shootout in Doha on June 7th with the winner facing Peru for a chance to reach the finals.
Africa had probably the most exciting games on paper with a host of big nations set to do battle. This also shows how the continent will benefit when the tournament expands in 2026. So many talented African footballers will miss out once more in Qatar.
Which brings us to Egypt and Mohamed Salah. The repeat of the AFCON final with Senegal was as tight as you might have expected with the Pharaohs winning 1-0 in Cairo before the African champions responded with a 1-0 victory of their own in Dakar.
Salah went on to miss in the penalty shootout with Sadio Mane once more scoring the winning kick to ensure it was double delight for the Lions of Teranga.
There was further late drama between Algeria and Cameroon. Once again both games finished 1-0 to either side therefore extra-time would be required. Ahmed Touba thought he had won it for Algeria only for Lyon’s Karl Toko Ekambi to score a crucial away goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time to send Cameroon through.
There were shocking scenes in Abuja as supporters stormed the pitch following Ghana’s away goal victory over bitter rivals Nigeria. Thomas Partey grabbed the all-important goal before William Troost-Ekong equalised with a penalty. But it was not to be for the Nigerians, who fail to qualify for the first time since 2006.
Morocco were the only side to really cut loose over the past week as they swept past DR Congo 5-2 on aggregate. It was honours even in Kinshasa for the first leg before the Atlas Lions stormed to victory in Casablanca, with Achraf Hakimi among the goalscorers.
Tunisia made it a North African double as they held their nerve to edge past Mali and deny Les Aiges a debut appearance. Moussa Sissako’s own goal was all that could separate the two sides over 180 minutes.
CONCACAF is the only federation yet to conclude at the time of writing but Canada rubber stamped a first appearance since 1986 with a 4-0 victory over Jamaica in Toronto to spark joyous scenes.
Mexico and the USA look set the join Les Rouges barring some incredibly unlikely results on the final day.
Costa Rica look likely to take the play-off spot and they will face New Zealand as Los Ticos look to qualify for a third straight tournament.
Ecuador will be back at the World Cup despite only taking one point from their final two games. La Tri have enjoyed a good campaign and can now look forward to returning to the world stage for the first time since 2014.
They will be joined by Uruguay after Giorgian de Arrascaeta’s goal clinched a 1-0 victory over Peru to ensure a positive end to a difficult campaign.
This meant that the Peruvians were in control of fifth place going into the final game but Colombia and Chile were ready and waiting to take advantage of any slip ups.
Unfortunately for Chile it was the end of an era as they fell 2-0 at home to Uruguay while Colombia defeated Venezuela 1-0 to do their part.
It would be Peru’s day however as goals from Gianluca Lapadula and Yoshimar Yotun sealed a play-off spot against either the UAE or Australia in June.
New Zealand will once more represent Oceania in the playoffs after coming through a mini tournament in Qatar.
Vanuatu and the Cook Islands had to cancel games due to Covid which meant Tahiti and the Soloman Islands progressed to the semi-finals.
New Zealand coasted through their group and were joined in the final four by Papua New Guinea.
A Liberato Cacace goal saw the All Whites edge past Tahiti in the semi-final while the Soloman Islands saw off Papua New Guinea by three goals to two.
There would be no fairytale in the final however as Chris Wood helped Danny Hay’s side to a 5-0 victory and set up a likely play-off with Costa Rica in June.
A brace from Gareth Bale inspired Wales to a 2-1 victory over Austria to leave Robert Page’s side just one game away from a first World Cup appearance since 1958.
They will host the winners of the Scotland and Ukraine match which will have to be rearranged for a later date.
Elsewhere Poland made the most of receiving a bye straight through to the final by defeating Sweden in Warsaw to make it back to back qualifications.
Robert Lewandowski and Piotr Zielinski scored to see off the Swedes, who edged out the Czech Republic in extra-time in Solna.
Arguably the biggest shock of the window saw North Macedonia stun European champions Italy 1-0 in Palermo to ensure the Italians missed a second consecutive World Cup.
The four times winner will have gone 20 years without a knockout match by the time the next tournament rolls around in 2026.
The reward for North Macedonia was a trip to Porto after Portugal defeated Turkey 3-1 in the semi-final.
The fairytale run would not have the ultimate conclusion however as Bruno Fernandes grabbed a brace to send the hosts through and ensure Cristiano Ronaldo will have the chance to play in a fifth World Cup.
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Gianluigi Donnarumma was the hero on the night and collected the ‘Player of the tournament’ award while Cristiano Ronaldo claimed the ‘Golden Boot’ by virtue of having more assists than Patrick Schick.
18-year-old Spanish midfielder Pedri had a breakout tournament in midfield, winning the award for best young player after a seismic performance against eventual champions Italy in the semi-final.
There is no official award for goal of the tournament but it feels extremely unfair that those breathtaking moments go unrewarded. Here’s a rundown of the top five goals from the festival of football, with a few honourable mentions for good measure.
Federico Chiesa (Italy vs Austria)
Andriy Yarmolenko (Ukraine vs Netherlands)
Karim Benzema (France vs Switzerland)
Luka Modric (Croatia vs Scotland)
Italy and Belgium went head to head in Munich in a battle of firepower as both sides swung punches looking to land the knockout blow. Step forward to smallest man on the pitch in Lorenzo Insigne to ensure Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’ went home empty handed once more.
At times certain footballers are very predictable. Think Arjen Robben cutting inside on to his left foot. What was particularly spectacular about the Dutchman was the opposition’s complete inability to stop it.
This was in a similar vein. Insigne picked up the ball in the inside left channel and headed towards goal. The whole world knew he would looking to bend it into the far corner with his right foot. Yet one of the best goalkeepers in the world in Thibaut Courtois was powerless to stop this magnificent curling effort. ‘Les Diables Rouges’ were sent packing.
Sometimes great goals are heavily boosted by virtue of being scored in front of a raucous crowd. Plenty of goals scored in the past year of empty, soulless stadia will fail to live long in the memory.
You get the sense Andreas Christensen’s strike will never be forgotten in Copenhagen. The Danes, needing a win to stand any chance of going through, were leading their Russian visitors yet had just conceded a goal to Artem Dzyuba and the tension was high in the Parken Stadium.
Denmark had received a lift following news of Belgium taking the lead against Finland and began peppering Matvei Safonov’s goal. The ‘keeper performed heroics and the danger looked to be averted as the ball was cleared towards goal shy defender Christensen. The Chelsea man had other ideas and strode forward to smash the ball venomously past Safonov. The stadium erupted and Denmark would progress.
The French were staring down the barrel as Ricardo Rodriguez stepped up to take a penalty that would hand the Swiss a two goal lead. Hugo Lloris saved brilliantly and France took the handbrake off.
A devastating spell turned the game completely on it’s head and the French were purring. This was epitomised by Paul Pogba. The midfielder was running the show in midfield and scored a simply stunning goal to seemingly send the world champions through.
Having controlled the ball while unbalanced, Pogba opened up his right foot and curled the ball beautifully into the top corner. Yann Sommer was one of the best goalkeepers in the tournament but when the ball is hit as cleanly as that, no ‘keeper in the world is saving it. It was a goal worthy of deciding any match but unfortunately for Didier Deschamps, not this one.
Long-range screamers and majestic volleys are what every football fan dreams of scoring growing up and are generally a stable of ‘best goal’ compilations.
Yet there is something very satisfying about seeing a well crafted team goal. So much more is required with the margin for error so thin.
Romelu Lukaku started the move off here, running into the channel and doing brilliantly to hold up the ball before finding Youri Tielemans. The Leicester midfielder fed the ball to the edge of the penalty area where brothers Eden and Thorgan Hazard linked up brilliantly to tee up De Bruyne. On his ‘weaker’ left foot, De Bruyne let fly. The ball flew past Kasper Schmeichel and most of the world stood up to applaud. This was Belgium at their scintillating best.
There could only really be one winner in this competition. For all of the quality of the goals mentioned above, there is just no beating Patrick Schick’s magnificent second goal against Scotland.
Schick had the tournament of his life and was buoyed by scoring the opener in this Group D clash. That was an excellent header to the bottom corner but nothing compared to what was to come.
Jack Hendry’s shot was charged down and the ball broke to Schick just inside the Scotland half. Having had a brief look up and spotted David Marshall off his line, the striker took it first time and lifted the ball over the goalkeeper, stunning the onlooking Hampden Park crowd. The angle from behind the goal showcases it even better, highlighting just how far out the ball had started before curling in.
Schick’s goal was an easy pick for goal of the tournament and will find itself up there in any conversations about the all-time winner.
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Czech Republic striker Patrik Schick, Austrians, defender, Aleksander Dragovic and, midfielder, Julian Baumgartlinger and Finns, goalkeeper, Lukas Hradecky and striker, Joel Pohjanpalo all featured for their nations at the European Championships.
Meanwhile, Tin Jedvaj (Croatia), Karim Bellarabi and Jonathan Tah (Both Germany) who have all made double figures of appearances for their national teams all missed the cut.
Of those who made the tournament, Dragovic will be leaving Leverkusen this summer having agreed to join Red Star Belgrade, while Pohjanpalo’s future looks uncertain having spent the last couple of seasons out on loan.
Away from looking at their futures however, this is how each got on at the Euros, split country by country with the five players representing just three nations between them.
Matchday 1 – Scotland 0-2 Czech Republic
In a game where Scotland applied a lot of pressure going forward and were rarely threatened defensively, Schick was one of the players who made the difference for the Czechs. Heading in a Vladimir Coufal cross just before half-time for the opening goal, before a stunning long range effort just after the break catching out David Marshall from the halfway line saw the forward complete a brace at Hampden Park.
Matchday 2 – Croatia 1-1 Czech Republic
Schick was again named in the starting line up, and again played his part for his side. After taking an elbow to the face on the half hour mark, and winning a penalty in the process, Schick picked himself up to take the spot kick and put the Czechs ahead, sending the keeper the wrong way.
The striker didn’t make much of an impact in the second half and was subbed off with 15 minutes to play.
Matchday 3 – Czech Republic 0-1 England
Schick started, and played 75 minutes, in the Czech’s defeat at Wembley. The striker was kept quiet throughout and failed to even get a shot away.
Round of 16 – Netherlands 0-2 Czech Republic
Patrik Schick started the game up front, and yet again made the difference for his nation. Schick was bearing down on goal when De Ligt lost his footing and handled the ball to receive his marching orders, and the tall forward scored his country’s second goal to wrap up the victory and secure a place in the last eight.
Quarter-Final – Czech Republic 1-2 Denmark
Schick continued his excellent tournament form as his nation faced Denmark in the last eight, but the Czechs fell short after Denmark bossed the first half and gained a two goal lead. The big forward pulled a goal back just after half time, and was generally a nuisance for the Danish defenders, but it wasn’t enough for a reunion with England in the semi-finals.
Matchday 1 – Austria 3-1 North Macedonia
Both Dragovic and Baumgartlinger featured for Austria in their opening game, but neither really made an impact with Dragovic being subbed off at half time, and Baumgartlinger being a substitute in time added on at the end of the game.
Matchday 2 – Netherlands 2-0 Austria
Baumgartlinger missed out on the squad completely as Austria lost 2-0 in Amsterdam. The outgoing Dragovic was again subbed off, but this time lasted until five minutes from time before being replaced.
Matchday 3 – Ukraine 0-1 Austria
Baumgartlinger again missed out on the matchday squad, but Dragovic this time did play for the full 90 minutes as Austria kept a clean sheet to win 1-0 against Ukraine and finish the group in second place, securing a Round of 16 tie against Italy at Wembley.
Round of 16 – Italy 2-1 Austria (AET, 0-0 at FT)
Baumgartlinger was restored to the bench for Austria’s game with Italy, while Dragovic was named from the start. The CB played a commanding role at the back, forming a formidable partnership with Martin Hinteregger and keeping the Italians at bay whenever they came forward in the 90 minutes.
There was little that could be done about either of Italy’s two goals, both of which were very well worked when they finally came about. Dragovic did get himself in the book for a foul in the last minute of extra time, but with Austria now out of the tournament the card means little.
Baumgartlinger didn’t come off the bench in the 120 minutes, meaning his tournament saw him make a disappointing two minutes for his national side, he was always unlikely to feature heavily due to having missed half of the season through a cruciate injury and having only recently returned, but given his lack of minutes his call up may have been to early in his recovery.
Matchday 1 – Denmark 0-1 Finland
The events of this game left people in shock, but the football was not the main talking point as Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch. Thankfully the Dane was resuscitated and pulled through, but the match continued in his absence after a short suspension.
There will be people who say the game should not have been played to a conclusion, but it was, and Leverkusen players Hradecky and Pohjanpalo both played their part in their country’s victory. It was striker Pohjanpalo who netted what proved to be the winning goal on the hour mark, while Hradecky kept a clean sheet, and saved a penalty from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg with 15 minutes left to play.
Matchday 2 – Finland 0-1 Russia
While Finland were listed as the home team this match was played in Russia. Hradecky and Pohjanpalo both started for the Finns, and within three minutes the latter thought he had added his second goal of the tournament, heading in a cross from the right-hand side, but VAR intervened with the striker a whisker offside.
The striker was lively throughout the first half but was largely wasteful when with the ball in the box. At the other end, Hradecky was largely unchallenged in the first half, but was beaten on the stroke of half time by an excellent Aleksei Miranchuk strike.
Finland struggled to make their mark on the game after the break, with Pohjanpalo a lot quieter than the first half. Hradecky remained largely untested with Russia managing just three shots on target all game.
Matchday 3 – Finland 0-2 Belgium
Pohjanpalo had his quietest game of the tournament, getting just two shots away which were both blocked. Hradecky on the other hand was far busier, and made seven saves, but that wasn’t enough to earn Finland a point as Belgium ran out 2-0 winners.
The Finland keeper was very unfortunate with the first goal, Thomas Vermaelen’s header from a corner came back off the crossbar and hit Hradecky and just crossed the line before the keeper could claw it away.
It was harsh on a keeper who had been largely excellent throughout the game, and the tournament, but it was an error of his own making having tried to catch the ball and knocked it in with his own hand.
There was nothing he could do about the second, however, with Romelu Lukaku finding the bottom corner to seal the game.
Finland had to wait to see if they could make it out of the group in third place, but it wasn’t to be for the Finns this time around.
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]]>The Bayer Leverkusen striker has flourished as the future of Czech football, and at Hampden Park on Monday he proved why, as he scored a brace to put his side in prime position to qualify for the knockout stages of EURO 2020.
Schick scored one of the greatest goals in the history of Hampden as the Czech Republic dealt a huge blow to Scotland’s hopes of qualifying for the Euro 2020 knockout stages.
His sensational effort from over 45 yards looped over a back-pedalling David Marshall early in the second half, earlier in the game the Czech striker scored a delightful header to put his side 1-0 up inside the first half.
Schick’s sensational second goal was against the run of play as Scotland sustained a period of intense pressure, Jack Hendry hit the crossbar while both Dykes and Stuart Armstrong came close, but ultimately they were made to rue their missed chances.
The Czech striker – who played for Roma in between 2017-2020 – could have scored more than just two as Marshall made several stunning save to keep the scoreline within reaching distance.
The 25-year-old’s stats speak for themselves as he is a proven goalscorer across Europe’s top-flight divisions, transitioning from Italy to Germany in recent years. You could tell he was used to the biggest of occasions, as he claimed Man of the Match, leading his side to a well-deserved victory.
He stacks up at 6ft 2 and it’s safe to say he made a nuisance of himself from the get-go. Within a matter of minutes, he could have had his first as he connected with a cut-back, his effort flew towards Marshall’s front post but the Scotsman was able to palm it away.
As the game progressed, Scotland started to flourish in wide areas before looking for Lyndon Dykes who was poised within the box. He came closest within the first 45 as he failed to divert Andy Robertson’s cross on target.
One man’s misfortune was another delight as Schick showed Dykes how to connect with a cross as he opened the scoring on the 42 minutes. Vladimir Coufal was the provider as he overlapped in a wide area before floating a cross into the box.
The Bayer Leverkusen forward beat Grant Hanley in the air before directing his header past an outstretched Marshall, who was hopeless due to the sheer quality of the finish.
Before Scotland had any real chance to mount some pressure in the second half, it became two, Jack Hendry tried his luck from long range before he perfectly teed up Schick from just inside the Scotland half.
He spotted Marshall off his line and launched a magnificent left-footed shot that spiralled over a flailing Scotsman and into the top corner, with Marshall helpless as he fell into the back of the net.
Scotland now needed a miracle. They threw caution to the wind as they went after any kind of result as a whole host of substitutes entered the field. Their best chance came from James Forrest down the right-hand side but he failed to beat a determined Tomas Vaclik.
The game petered to an end as everyone inside Hampden Park was left silenced after defeat upon the final whistle. Jaroslav Šilhavý’s men find themselves comfortably at the top of Group D after the opening fixtures.
Scotland now play England as they travel to Wembley on Friday, while Czech Republic face Croatia at Hampden Park. It already looks like a difficult task for Clarke’s side to qualify for the round of 16, as they must beat either England or Croatia out of their remaining two fixtures.
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]]>Jaroslav Šilhavý’s side are in Group D alongside England, Croatia and Scotland, and have been widely tipped to finish bottom of the group.
Low expectations from further afield are nothing new for the Czechs, who face the same story at every tournament they qualify for, but their own ambitions will far exceed what is generally expected from them.
This will be the seventh European Championships since the split of Czechoslovakia and Czech Republic have qualified for all seven.
Their previous six tournaments have been mixed, to say the least. Group stage exits have occurred in 2000, 2008 and 2016, but in 1996, 2004 and 2012 the Czechs have fared better.
Euro 1996 was their first tournament as a separate entity, and their best so far, finishing as runners up to Germany in a game decided by a golden goal.
Euro 2004 was another great tournament, up until they lost to Greece in the semi-finals, decided by a silver goal.
2012 did not manage to live up to either of those tournaments, but they still proved people wrong by topping their group and were only narrowly beaten by a single goal against Portugal in the quarter-finals.
The three tournaments where the Czechs went out in the group stages were not all complete failures either. In 2000 they finished third, behind the Netherlands and France in what was a tough group. In 2008, they were in a top two spot and set to qualify with five minutes to play before a late double from Turkey turned the game on it’s head and sent Czech Republic home.
2016, however, did not go to plan for the Czechs, who lost to Spain and Turkey to finish bottom of their group on one point, having drawn with Croatia. It was the worst performance from a Czech side yet and they will be hoping to right the wrongs this time around.
When it comes to opponents, Group D is a tricky task for everyone in it. England are one of the highest-rated nations in the world, Croatia have some world class talents in their team, albeit ageing talents, while Scotland will be wanting to make their mark on the tournament with international tournaments few and far between for the Tartan Army.
While the Czech squad no longer contains names such as Nedved, Rosicky, Koller, Cech, Poborsky, Berger, or even Baros, there are still plenty of talented players in the 26-man squad.
While there might not be many household names in the side, 18 months ago Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal would have been names not known to most followers of English football, and yet both are now stars for West Ham United in the Premier League.
Both those players joined West Ham from Slavia Prague, who have five representatives of their own in the squad in David Zima, Jan Boril, Tomas Holes, Lukas Masopust and Petr Sevcik. If any of those names ring a bell, it could be because they all played a role in Slavia’s Europa League run which saw them beat Leicester City and Rangers, and draw with Arsenal at the Emirates before a collapse at the Sinobo Stadium.
Jiri Pavlenka (Werder Bremen), Pavel Kaderabek (Hoffenheim), Vladimir Darida (Hertha Berlin) and Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen) all play in Germany, while there are also players based in Italy and Spain, showing that despite not being household names there is still plenty of talent in the Czech side.
If you still need convincing, a look back to October 2019 where they came from behind to beat England 2-1 in the last meeting between the sides should be all that you need. Although their last meeting with Scotland being a recent 1-0 defeat shows how inconsistent the side can be.
If the Czechs turn up and play to the best of their ability they will be confident of getting results against Croatia and Scotland, and perhaps even England given the result of the previous meeting, although their last visit to Wembley was a humiliating 5-0 defeat.
With three teams qualifying for the next round in most groups it would not take much to qualify for the next stage. Whoever makes it through will do well to make it any further than the next round however with the teams that lie ahead but if the Czechs do prove people wrong to qualify then they’ll fancy their chances of proving people wrong again in the round of 16.
Making the round of 16 should be the target for Czech Republic at this year’s tournament, and given how they did in 2016 it would mark an improvement, but whether they can manage to outperform expectations again remains to be seen.
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The previous tournament which is now five years old is far from the memories of the fans of countries that are set to take part. With that being said we’ll now take a trip down memory lane and look back on Portugal’s unexpected success in Paris.
With the tournament being expanded to 24 teams we saw some debutants such as Iceland and Albania. Hosts France, World champions Germany and the star-studded Belgians were among the favourites to lift the Henri Delauney trophy. Zara Larsson and David Guetta provided the soundtrack and the stage was set for an exciting month of football.
Group A
As is tradition the host nation got things underway as France took on Romania in the Stade de France. ‘Les Bleus’ got off to a winning start thanks to a stunning left-footed effort from Dmitri Payet that arrowed into the top corner. Olivier Giroud had given France the lead only for a Bogdan Stancu penalty to level things up for Romania.
Albania’s first ever match in a major tournament ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat to a steely, determined Switzerland side. Fabian Schar headed in the game’s only goal early on to ensure the Swiss joined the hosts on three points.
Didier Deschamps’ men sealed their place in the last 16 with a nervy 2-0 win over a brave Albanian team that was only settled by late goals from Antoine Griezmann and Payet.
A 1-1 draw between Switzerland and Romania put the Swiss in the driving seat for a place in the knockout stage with Admir Mehmedi scoring a fine equaliser.
History was made in Lyon in the final group game as Albania recorded their first ever major tournament win. Armando Sadiku was the hero in a 1-0 victory over Romania. It wasn’t enough to secure a place in the last 16 but it’s arguably the most famous goal in Albanian history.
France and Switzerland played out a scoreless draw to conclude the group.
Group B
Group B saw Wales make a return to a major finals for the first time since 1958 and they got off to the perfect start with a 2-1 victory over Slovakia. Gareth Bale’s free kick opened the scoring and Hal Robson-Kanu rolled in a winner either side of Ondrej Duda’s equaliser.
England got their campaign underway with a 1-1 draw against Russia. Eric Dier fired in a free kick to give Roy Hodgson’s men a deserved lead but they couldn’t hold on and Vasili Berezutski headed in a late leveller.
Slovakia bounced back from their opening defeat to put Russia aside with the aid of a wonderful strike from Marek Hamsik.
Meanwhile in Lens, it was a battle of Britain as England and Wales slugged it out. Bale scored once again from a free-kick but goals from Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge got the ‘Three Lions’ back on track.
Wales clinched top spot as they brushed aside a very poor Russian team 3-0 while England and Slovakia played out a dour scoreless draw to ensure both sides progressed to the next round.
Group C
Northern Ireland were also returning to the major stage after a long absence but began in disappointing fashion with a 1-0 defeat to Poland.
2014 World Cup winners Germany started out with a 2-0 win over Ukraine with Bastian Schweinsteiger clinching the win on the break.
While neighbours Poland and Germany drew 0-0 in Paris, Michael O’Neill’s men got a historic victory as Gareth McAuley and Niall McGinn scored to see off Ukraine in Lyon.
Michael McGovern was in defiant form as Germany tried to break down the Northern Ireland defence before Mario Gomez eventually grabbed the winner as the world champions won the group. The ‘Green and White Army’ made it through as one of the best third placed teams.
Poland finished off with a 1-0 win over a poor Ukrainian side that will go down officially as the worst team in the tournament.
Group D
Group D began with a long range Luka Modric volley helping Croatia to a narrow 1-0 win over Turkey while Gerard Pique’s late header helped Spain to a frustrating win over the Czech Republic.
One of the more extraordinary games of the tournament occurred when Croatia and the Czechs met in Saint Etienne. Croatia were cruising to victory with a 2-0 lead before a protest from their own fans led to the match being halted for a spell. This derailed Ante Cacic’s men and the Czechs came back to secure a point. Spain eased past Turkey 3-0.
Croatia snatched top spot with a come from behind victory over Spain while Turkey’s 2-0 win against the Czech Republic wasn’t enough to clinch one of the best third placed berths.
Group E
Ireland got their campaign off to a positive start with a 1-1 draw against Sweden. Wes Hoolahan put Martin O’Neill’s side in front before Ciaran Clark’s own goal.
Belgium’s quest to win a first major trophy could barely have began in worse fashion as Italy saw off the ‘Red Devils’ 2-0.
The Italians secured their place in the knockout stages with a late 1-0 win over the Swedes through Eder while Belgium got back on track with a 3-0 against Ireland.
Ireland needed a win against an understrength Italy side to make the last 16 and got what was required with a famous winner from Robbie Brady. It secured Ireland’s first knockout match in 22 years. Belgium ended Sweden’s hopes with a 1-0 win.
Group F
Hungary got the better of rivals Austria to start Group F after a 2-0 win in Bordeaux. Meanwhile Iceland began their first ever major tournament with a fine 1-1 draw with Portugal.
The Portuguese had similar struggles in their second game with Cristiano Ronaldo missing a penalty. Iceland were denied a first victory after a late Birkir Mar Saevarsson own goal gave Hungary a share of the spoils.
Iceland weren’t to be denied a second time as Arnor Truastason scored an injury time winner to send the tiny nation through and send Austria packing. Portugal squeezed through in third place after a 3-3 thriller with Hungary secured a third consecutive draw.
Round of 16
Poland were the first side to book a quarter-final place with a penalty shootout win over Switzerland. The game was lit up by Xherdan Shaqiri’s bicycle kick which won the goal of the tournament award.
Wales took on another near neighbour in Northern Ireland and came out on top thanks to an unfortunate own goal from Gareth McAuley.
Portugal and Croatia fought an intense, attritional battle in Lens with Ricardo Quarsema scoring the winner in the last minute of extra-time.
The hosts France survived a scare after going in 1-0 down at half time to the Republic of Ireland before Antoine Griezmann netted twice in the second half to secure passage to the next round.
Germany and Belgium eased into the quarter-finals, defeating Slovakia and Hungary respectively.
Giorgio Chiellini and Pelle got the goals as Italy secured a mightily impressive win over Spain while the most dramatic of last 16 ties was to be the last.
Wayne Rooney scored an early penalty to give England the lead over minnows Iceland and things appeared to be smooth sailing. However, goals from Ragnar Sigurdsson and Kolbein Sigthorsson secured a shock 2-1 win and ensured one of the biggest upsets in European Championship history.
Quarter Finals
Poland were on the wrong end of a penalty shootout this time as Portugal progressed to the semi final after a 1-1 draw in the previous 120 minutes.
Wales met Belgium in the second quarter final and produced a memorable performance to send the hotly fancied Belgians home. Hal Robson-Kanu bamboozled the Belgian defence and scored the second in a 3-1 win with a goal that will go down in Welsh folklore.
There was another penalty shootout, this time in Bordeaux as Germany knocked out Italy. Simone Zaza famously fluffed his lines to allow Jonas Hector to send the Germans through.
Iceland’s brave run came to a crushing end against France as the former World and European champions ran out 5-2 winners.
Semi Finals
Portugal picked an opportune time to pick up their first victory in 90 minutes by beating Wales 2-0. Ronaldo scored a thumping header to make it 1-0 before Nani deflected in the second. It was a disappointing end to an unbelievable tournament for Wales.
Griezmann was at the double again as France ensured they would be in the showpiece final in Paris by getting the better of Germany in a noisy Marseille.
Final
So to the final. France were at home and the clear favourites to win the tournament for the second time in 16 years. Portugal were taking part in a second final in four tournaments and were rocked during the game by losing the talismanic Ronaldo to injury.
Portugal needed a new hero and up stepped former Swansea striker Eder in extra time to score with a low shot from outside the area to give Portugal a first ever title.
Whilst they rarely played sparkling football, the Portuguese very much played as a team and Fernando Santos’ side will go down in history as the one that finally delivered some much coveted silverware.
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]]>Group A
While many of the groups look like they have the potential to go to the wire, Group A looks much more cut and dried with Portugal and Serbia set to do battle to determine who will qualify directly and who will go to the play-offs.
Aleksander Mitrovic was in fine form, scoring five goals as Serbia beat Azerbaijan and the Republic of Ireland while recovering from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Portugal.
Luxembourg were the other side to win, picking up a famous 1-0 win in Dublin. Stephen Kenny is still yet to win during his tenure as Ireland manager and the feeling among fans is that it will now become 20 years at least between World Cup appearances.
Group B
Spain may lead the way in Group B but it’s Sweden who hold a 100% record thanks to victories over Kosovo and Georgia. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is out of international retirement and will no doubt have the confidence that he can inspire his nation to overcome the Spanish.
Spain needed a last-gasp winner from Dani Olmo to overcome the ever-improving Georgia after stumbling to a 1-1 draw in their opener with Greece. This group already has the look of a two-horse race, similar to Group A.
Group C
Italy continued their impressive form under Roberto Mancini by recording a hat-trick of 2-0 wins to get their campaign off to the best possible start. Switzerland also have a 100% after wins against Bulgaria and Lithuania.
Northern Ireland suffered a disappointing start to qualifying. Defeat in Italy was no great surprise but a 0-0 draw at home to Bulgaria is two points dropped and Ian Baraclough’s men will now find it tough to bridge the gap to the top two, even at this early stage. Another group that looks set to be between the top two.
Group D
Now for the group of draws. France were the only team to pick up any victories over the period, beating Kazakhstan and Bosnia. It was stalemates galore for everyone else which means it’s pretty much as you were. France look like they’ll comfortably claim top spot but for now the play-off place is anyone’s.
Group E
Belgium started off as they always do in qualification these days with some resounding wins, although a draw with the Czech Republic was sandwiched in between. A 3-1 victory over Wales and an 8-0 mauling of Belarus has Roberto Martinez’s men atop of Group E where they will be difficult to shift.
Wales bounced back from their opening game defeat to the Belgians with a 1-0 win over the Czech Republic thanks to Daniel James. Belarus kept pace with a 4-2 win over Estonia.
Group F
Despite being the team from pot one that everyone wanted to draw, Denmark have got off to a flyer in Group F, claiming nine points, scoring 14 goals and not conceding any. This included two excellent away wins, beating Israel 2-0 and crushing Austria 4-0.
Scotland have made an unbeaten start and currently occupy the play-off spot. This group has the look of a three horse race for second even at this early stage with the games between Scotland, Israel and Austria appearing key.
Group G
This looked like an intriguing group when it was first drawn and it has proved to be the case. Turkey came roaring out of the blocks, beating the Netherlands and Norway before slipping up at home to Latvia.
The Norwegians and the Dutch have responded well and sit just behind Turkey on six points, level with Montenegro. It will be a while before we can work out what is going to happen here.
Group H
Another group that is looking difficult to call. Slovakia are the only unbeaten side but sit in third after an unexpected 2-2 draw at home to Malta.
Croatia and Russia lead the way with two wins from three. Cyprus and Slovenia are also well in the hunt after picking up a win each.
Group I
England have made a perfect start to their campaign, picking up three wins to sit on top of the group. The third win, a slender 2-1 win over Poland could prove crucial to the final standings.
Hungary are in second, picking up expected wins over Andorra and San Marino while drawing 3-3 with Poland.
This group is very much a four way battle with those sides expecting to take maximum points from their games with San Marino and Andorra. Albania are keeping in the hunt, currently third.
Group J
Armenia are the surprise leaders in Group J, picking up nine points from their three games.
This group contained one of the biggest shocks of the break as Germany lost at home to North Macedonia. It leaves the Germans in third at this stage and while they’ll still expect to win the group, it’s turning out to be much more difficult than many expected.
There were only a handful of games played in the Asian section of the qualifiers. In Group D, Saudi Arabia coasted to a 5-0 win over Palestine to move top of the group.
In Group F, Mongolia’s hopes of reaching the World Cup ended with a 1-0 defeat to Tajikistan. They then followed this up with a 14-0 home defeat to Japan with Werder Bremen forward Yuya Osako helping himself to a hat-trick.
The first round of CONCACAF’s qualifiers got under way with a group stage where each team will play each other once, with the top team going through.
Group A
It’s all to play for in Group A at the halfway stage with everyone still in with even a slight chance. Antigua and Barbuda currently lead the way from El Salvador on goal difference.
Group B
Canada and Suriname made strong starts to Group B, taking maximum points. Canada’s victories included an 11-0 win over the Cayman Islands. The clash between the pair in June looks likely to decide the winner though Bermuda will be hoping to crash the party.
Aruba and the Cayman Islands cannot now qualify.
Group C
It’s a similar story in Group C as Curacao and Guatemala lead the way on six points. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are hanging in there on three points while Cuba and the British Virgin Islands will not make it to Qatar.
Curacao are currently managed by Guus Hiddink and have Juninho and Leandro Bacuna among their ranks.
Group D
2018 participants Panama have begun their quest to make back to back World Cups with narrow wins over Barbados and Dominica. The Dominican Republic currently top the group on goal difference after beating now eliminated Dominica and Anguilla.
Group E
This is a four team group as Saint Lucia withdrew before qualifying began. Nicaragua, Belize and Haiti all lead on three points apiece while the Turks and Caicos Islands are out of contention. Belize are disadvantaged by having played a game more than their rivals.
Group F
2006 group stage participants Trinidad and Tobago face a fight to make the next stage as they sit two points behind leaders Saint Kitts and Nevis. It would be a remarkable achievement for the Sugar Boyz if they can clinch top spot although the games with the Soca Warriors and Guyana will be stiff tests.
The Bahamas are out having suffered 4-0 defeats to Saint Kitts and Nevis and Guyana.
The second round will conclude in the next international break in June, where Asian and African qualifiers will recommence.
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Wales began without Cardiff striker Kieffer Moore, manager Robert Page choosing to start with Gareth Bale and James up top. Harry Wilson added a Cardiff dimension in midfield while Connor Roberts hoped to produce his Swansea form at wing-back.
The Czech Republic included Ondrej Kudela, who some had expected to miss the clash over security concerns following a recent Rangers racism row.
This would be no easy task for the home side, the Czech outfit having taken four points from their opening two games.
Three longish throws into the box from Roberts came to nothing, which showed an early indication that Moore was sadly missed in the box with his height and strength.
At the other end, a shot from Jakub Jankto flashed wide. A slip from ex-Swansea star Joe Rodon almost let Jankto in again moments later.
In the 17th minute, James fell to a hefty challenge but Wilson’s cross failed to find a Welsh head. Bale danced his way to a corner but again the cross found no Welshman as a theme emerged in all of those chances.
Slavia Prague’s Lukas Provod was effective for the visitors as the Welsh failed to unpick a stubborn and composed defence.
In the 35th minute, we finally saw a Welsh threat. Bale’s close-range prod brought out a wonder save from Tomas Vaclik in the Czech goal.
The visitors ended the half on the front foot as you wondered if Page would make any interval changes. In the dying embers of the first-half, James tumbled in the box but the referee saw little in it of interest and waved appeals away as the half was ended.
Patrik Schick saw red early in the second-half for an innocuous-looking tangle with Roberts as the balance potentially shifted towards Wales.
Former Wrexham manager Dean Saunders had labelled Page a “Supply Teacher” but perhaps the Wales boss finally learned his lesson after 55 minutes, bringing on the Cardiff talisman Moore to replace Chris Mepham. Seconds later Wales were grateful to James Lawrence for a stunning last-ditch tackle to prevent a certain goal.
Moore’s inclusion had added some bite upfront as the game became almost end to end, Provod falling in the Welsh box as the 10 men continued to make a fight of it.
Inevitably Wales were more of a threat, with the pace of James and Bale an obvious outlet. Czech skipper Vladimir Darida blasted one over on the hour mark to remind Wales that they were still in a game.
One Bluebird replaced another as Jonny Williams took over from Wilson but the numbers game evened up almost immediately as Connor Roberts was sent off for an untidy but harmless bit of shoving.
With just nine minutes left, James found space to magnificently head home a cross from Bale. Wales had a chance to make it two as Moore curled an effort wide in the 84th minute.
Wales dug deep as the Czech invaders poured forward. An eye-watering block from Rodon brought cheers worthy of a goal.
The hosts clutched onto the three points and were able to hold on to an expertly converted victory against a pressing Czech side.
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All ten group winners will qualify automatically for the finals in the first ever winter World Cup while the ten runners-up will compete in the playoffs along with the two best performing Nations League teams that did not finish in the top two of their group. This will see the 12 teams go into three groups of four and play each other in a semi-final and final, similar to what we saw in the Euro 2020 playoffs.
With the technical stuff now out of the way, lets take a look at how the draw panned out and assess the chances of the participants.
Group A
Portugal, Serbia, Republic of Ireland, Luxembourg, Azerbaijan
When Ireland were first drawn out, the reaction among fans would have been negative. After all, they would have to come up against Cristiano Ronaldo and company while also dealing with the prospect of a difficult trip to Belgrade. But having saw the conclusion of the draw and letting the dust settle, manager Stephen Kenny should be quietly optimistic. Serbia very much blow hot and cold despite having the likes of Sergei Milinkovic-Savic in their ranks and are definitely beatable.
Luxembourg have done well in the past few years to make it into pot four but will be deemed as a kind draw while Azerbaijan is an awkward away day but have no World Cup pedigree.
Portugal should make relatively light work of this group and take the automatic spot while it looks like those two games in Belgrade and Dublin will almost be mini playoffs in themselves.
Group B
Spain, Sweden, Greece, Georgia, Kosovo.
Sometimes the phrase ‘there are no easy games in football’ can be easily debunked in the international game but this group should very much live up to that cliché.
Spain will fancy themselves to qualify quite comfortably in first place but the playoff spot is well and truly up for grabs. Sweden will be favourites with young prospects Dejan Kulusevski and Alexander Isak eager to make it to their first World Cup. Greece always provide stubborn opposition but have underperformed in recent years and are stuck in league C of the Nations League.
Georgia and Kosovo are two of the nightmare teams to draw from pots four and five. Georgia narrowly missed out on reaching Euro 2020 but have proven a tough but to crack recently while Kosovo have drawn attention for some wonderful attacking football despite only playing their first official match six years ago. Neither side will make it easy for the Swedes or the Greeks and it should prove a close race.
Group C
Italy, Switzerland, Northern Ireland, Bulgaria, Lithuania
This is what should be considered a terrible draw for Ian Baraclough’s Northern Ireland. Italy have enjoyed a resurgence under Roberto Mancini after missing out on Russia 2018 while Switzerland are perennial qualifiers for major tournaments, reaching the last four World Cups. The Swiss were the highest ranked team from pot two and Italy themselves will be annoyed to have drawn them as both now battle for the automatic spot.
Bulgaria are at a low ebb at the minute and may view this as a way to help build some confidence and set their sights on Euro 2024 while Lithuania will surely consider anything other than 5th place a success.
Group D
France, Ukraine, Finland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan
Another group which should see an extremely tight battle for the playoff berth. France will need to be wary as Ukraine and Bosnia are dangerous sides while Finland recently defeated Didier Deschamps’ men in a friendly. The talent in the French squad however is almost unparalleled and they could probably enter a second team into qualifying and still go through. The race for second should be exciting with Ukraine and Finland having both qualified for Euro 2020 while Bosnia are always a threat, even with Edin Dzeko firmly in the veteran stage of his career now.
The Finns are riding the quest of a wave right now and would love to emulate Iceland by following up a first ever major finals with a World Cup qualification. Kazakhstan should prop up the group but will be a dreaded away trip for the other teams with France facing an over 7,000 mile round trip.
Group E
Belgium, Wales, Czech Republic, Belarus, Estonia
This is quite a strange group as Wales and the Czechs go into it knowing their virtually guaranteed a playoff regardless of what happens due to their winning of their Nations League groups. Neither Ryan Giggs nor Jaroslav Silhavy will want their players using this as an excuse to slack off though as they chase automatic qualification ahead of the formidable Belgians.
Roberto Martinez’s side cruised through the Euro 2020 qualifiers with ten wins from ten and will be strongly fancied here to reach a third consecutive World Cup. There is a feeling that this may be the last World Cup for their golden generation to actually win the tournament itself so we should see no let up in this group.
Wales have been in the mix now for the last three major tournaments and similarly to Ireland’s group, should view their matches with the Czech Republic as playoffs among themselves as Belarus and Estonia are very unlikely to make any impact.
Group F
Denmark, Austria, Scotland, Israel, Faroe Islands, Moldova
Scotland will arguably consider themselves the happiest of the home nations as they have avoided the big hitters in pot one. Denmark however are one of the most underrated teams in international football at the moment having only lost in 2018 on penalties and booking their place at Euro 2020 by going unbeaten through their group. Austria are on a bit of an upward curve too after their disastrous showing during qualification for Russia. They comfortably qualified for Euro 2020 and won their Nations League group to give themselves the likely cushion of a playoff spot.
Scotland themselves will be buoyed after reaching a first major tournament in 22 years and the challenge now is to get back on the world stage. They’ll be very familiar with Israel, having played them five times since 2018. The Israeli’s themselves will look to regular goalscorer Eran Zahavi to give them some hope of troubling the top spots. The Faroe Islands will be hopeful of springing an upset to build on their recent good form while Moldova will take anything having just been relegated to the bottom tier of the Nations League.
Group G
Netherlands, Turkey, Norway, Montenegro, Latvia, Gibraltar
Group G is a very appetising group on paper as the top three seeds all eye top spot. The Dutch will go in as favourites although will be missing the talismanic Virgil Van Dijk for at least the opening two games which may allow Turkey or Norway to steal an early march. Turkey endured a rotten Nations League campaign and haven’t actually been back at a World Cup since their semi-final run in 2002. They’ll need to show massive improvement to have any hope of claiming top spot or even holding off Norway for second.
The Norwegians have some scintillating talent coming through and could give the Dutch a serious run for their money here. An attacking trio of Martin Odegaard, Jens Petter Hauge and Erling Haaland is enough to trouble any defence and it would be wonderful to see them fulfil their potential and reach the finals.
Montenegro will be confident off the back of a good Nations League campaign but a sustained run against better sides looks beyond them. Latvia are another team in a terrible spot at the minute while Gibraltar will be the likely whipping boys though they could cause an upset against the Latvians.
Group H
Croatia, Slovakia, Russia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta
An intriguing Group H will see a rematch of the 2018 World Cup quarter final between Croatia and Russia. Russian club football is in a fairly low place at the minute with largely terrible performances in European competition. With the Russian squad mostly home-based, this would suggest Croatia are rightful favourites for the group, even if their core players of the 2018 squad are now the wrong side of 30.
Slovakia progressed through the playoffs for Euro 2020 and will hope to get their again while Slovenia will be looking towards a first major tournament in 20 years should they manage to qualify. Cyprus will be looking to pick themselves up from poor recent form while Malta will be trying to overtake them and claim fifth place.
Group I
England, Poland, Hungary, Albania, Andorra, San Marino
England and Poland. It’s been a while but here we are again. Familiar rivals in the past will again do battle for a place in Qatar and while England will be firm favorites, write a team with Robert Lewandowski upfront off at your peril. Hungary are lurking as the third seed and will be waiting for any slip ups from the top two and aiming to take full advantage. In Dominik Szoboszlai they look to have a future star in the making.
Albania have failed to build upon their surprise appearance at Euro 2016 while Andorra vs San Marino could actually be one of the ties to look out for as both teams eye picking up a welcome victory.
Group J
Germany, Romania, Iceland, North Macedonia, Armenia, Liechtenstein
Oh Joachim Loew. Fresh off receiving backing from the German FA that he will continue as the German coach, he finds himself with the kindest draw of any of the top nations. Die Mannschaft should sail through this group and leave it up to Romania and Iceland to battle it out for the playoffs. The two sides met in the Euro 2020 playoffs with Iceland coming out on top. They’ll be hoping to make it back to back World Cups which would be exceptional for such a small nation. North Macedonia will be hoping to follow their lead by backing up a first major tournament by qualifying for a World Cup.
Armenia may fancy themselves to get in the mix too and will look to Henrikh Mkhitaryan to inspire them while Liechtenstein will be hoping to pick up some results and build towards the next Nations League campaign and a promotion push.
It will be strange to see the qualifiers start in March before the European Championships were played and the awkward situation may arise where a bad start could see a manager lose his job before next summer’s festival of football. As for now, every manager will be hoping to avoid injuries to key players as the quest to reach the first World Cup in the Arab world begins.
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