Results- QuarterFinals
Portugal def. Poland 1-1 (5-3 Pens)
Wales def. Belgium 3-1
Germany def. Italy 1-1 (6-5 Pens)
France def. Iceland 5-2
Poland v Portugal
Portugal has still not won a match, but they are through to the semifinals! They tied all 3 group stage matches against Iceland, Austria, and Hungary. Then they drew 0-0 against Croatia, but advanced in extra time. Then they drew against Poland, and advanced on penalties. And despite not winning yet, they only have to beat Wales to advance to the finals! Ronaldo and Portugal have not been playing the best soccer, but they always perform in the crucial moments of the match and make it out unscathed. As for Poland, they outperformed their expectations, but they will be disappointed to lose such a close match that was decided by a single missed penalty.
Wales v Belgium
Can they go all the way? They didn't even need a huge game out of Gareth Bale and they still got by Belgium relatively easily. And this is the same Belgium that had just won 3 consecutive shutouts. They were solid all around, and did a great job shutting down the powerful Belgian attack. The only goal was a long-range strike from Nainggolan early in the match that the defense could have done nothing about. But after that, Wales rebounded and scored 3 in a row to upset the Belgians and achieve a spot in the semis of this Euro 2016. As for Belgium, they were one of the best teams in the cup so far, and they will undoubtedly be upset at being knocked out so soon, by Wales of all teams. Regardless, they will bounce back and come back even stronger at the World Cup in Russia in 2018.
Germany v Italy
This match definitely lived up to the hype. Germany opened the scoring in the 65th minute and held most of the possession up until that point. But in the 77th minute, German defender Jerome Boateng blatantly handballed the ball in the penalty area, and Leonardo Bonucci put the penalty away to equalize the match. Then the match stayed level through the end of the match and extra time, and a shootout ensued. This shootout was among the most bizarre and dramatic of all the shootouts I have ever seen. Italy got to an early lead in the shootout, but could not seem to score afterwards, but Germany equalized following a series of bad penalties from Italy. Then in sudden death, with the pressure mounting at every kick, Matteo Darmian finally missed on Italy's 9th kick. Then Jonas Hector scored to send Germany through. Germany's victory means they must face France in the semis, in a rematch of the quarterfinals of the World Cup in 2014, which Germany won 1-0. As for Italy, they fought valiantly against the defending world champs, and should be very happy with the way they played in this tournament, once they get over being upset from being eliminated.
France v Iceland
Iceland finally got exposed, as we all had been waiting for. The French rolled through this match, scoring 4 in the first half, before easing off the gas pedal for the second half. They played an all-around great match, as we have become accustomed to seeing from this strong French side. But now they must face the Germans in the semis, who knocked them out of the World Cup 2 years ago. That should be another great match. As for Iceland, they got what was coming for them. Regardless, they still won the hearts of fans all over the world with their determination and passion. They should hold their heads high, as making the quarterfinals is a huge achievement for a nation of that size.
New Matches (SemiFinals)
Portugal v Wales (Wednesday, July 6 @ 3 PM ET)
Germany v France (Thursday, July 7 @ 3 PM ET)
New Bracket (image from wikipedia.org)
Also, take a look at my Copa America blog here: copa2016usa.blogspot.com
Portugal def. Poland 1-1 (5-3 Pens)
Wales def. Belgium 3-1
Germany def. Italy 1-1 (6-5 Pens)
France def. Iceland 5-2
Poland v Portugal
Portugal has still not won a match, but they are through to the semifinals! They tied all 3 group stage matches against Iceland, Austria, and Hungary. Then they drew 0-0 against Croatia, but advanced in extra time. Then they drew against Poland, and advanced on penalties. And despite not winning yet, they only have to beat Wales to advance to the finals! Ronaldo and Portugal have not been playing the best soccer, but they always perform in the crucial moments of the match and make it out unscathed. As for Poland, they outperformed their expectations, but they will be disappointed to lose such a close match that was decided by a single missed penalty.
Wales v Belgium
Can they go all the way? They didn't even need a huge game out of Gareth Bale and they still got by Belgium relatively easily. And this is the same Belgium that had just won 3 consecutive shutouts. They were solid all around, and did a great job shutting down the powerful Belgian attack. The only goal was a long-range strike from Nainggolan early in the match that the defense could have done nothing about. But after that, Wales rebounded and scored 3 in a row to upset the Belgians and achieve a spot in the semis of this Euro 2016. As for Belgium, they were one of the best teams in the cup so far, and they will undoubtedly be upset at being knocked out so soon, by Wales of all teams. Regardless, they will bounce back and come back even stronger at the World Cup in Russia in 2018.
Germany v Italy
This match definitely lived up to the hype. Germany opened the scoring in the 65th minute and held most of the possession up until that point. But in the 77th minute, German defender Jerome Boateng blatantly handballed the ball in the penalty area, and Leonardo Bonucci put the penalty away to equalize the match. Then the match stayed level through the end of the match and extra time, and a shootout ensued. This shootout was among the most bizarre and dramatic of all the shootouts I have ever seen. Italy got to an early lead in the shootout, but could not seem to score afterwards, but Germany equalized following a series of bad penalties from Italy. Then in sudden death, with the pressure mounting at every kick, Matteo Darmian finally missed on Italy's 9th kick. Then Jonas Hector scored to send Germany through. Germany's victory means they must face France in the semis, in a rematch of the quarterfinals of the World Cup in 2014, which Germany won 1-0. As for Italy, they fought valiantly against the defending world champs, and should be very happy with the way they played in this tournament, once they get over being upset from being eliminated.
France v Iceland
Iceland finally got exposed, as we all had been waiting for. The French rolled through this match, scoring 4 in the first half, before easing off the gas pedal for the second half. They played an all-around great match, as we have become accustomed to seeing from this strong French side. But now they must face the Germans in the semis, who knocked them out of the World Cup 2 years ago. That should be another great match. As for Iceland, they got what was coming for them. Regardless, they still won the hearts of fans all over the world with their determination and passion. They should hold their heads high, as making the quarterfinals is a huge achievement for a nation of that size.
New Matches (SemiFinals)
Portugal v Wales (Wednesday, July 6 @ 3 PM ET)
Germany v France (Thursday, July 7 @ 3 PM ET)
New Bracket (image from wikipedia.org)
Also, take a look at my Copa America blog here: copa2016usa.blogspot.com
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