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Fierce_LiNk

Football Season 2020-21

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I’ve tried to be calm up to now, but it’s getting tough. I’ve watched the game, the post match highlights, the news report at 10, and now the ITV highlights. Quite frankly, I’m in uncharted territory.

I’ve only ever related watching England to disappointment, deflation and depression. Sure you had the 5-1 Germany, but that was it. Otherwise it has only ever been pain. 

The turning point was Colombia in 2018. I remember being in a bar in Amsterdam, surrounded by strange countrymen, and hearing murmurs of agreement as I decried that I couldn’t endure another penalty exit.

That victory was a first for me, a whisper that things could be different. And tonight was another.

As the 70th minute approached, and we were comfortably winning - comfort! - I couldn’t quite comprehend it. It wasn’t just the score line - it was the composure, the cohesion, the camaraderie. Fuck me we looked like a functioning team. It feels too good to be true.

Denmark will be tough, really tough, but Southgate - and god bless him, he is the right man, if not the best - has got them in in the right head space.

But they’ve already done more in my eyes than any England team ever has. Love them. 

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Yeah I'm not sure how to feel either. 8 goals scored, 0 conceeded. Into the semifinal after a very convincing win.

Is this a different team in disguise? It's not England, that's for sure.

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Breaking news: Enrique declares Spain will aim to dominate possession in their semi-final against Italy. 

 

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35 minutes ago, LazyBoy said:

Anyone here think Spain will win this?

I want Italy to win and think they've been the better team this tournament, but it's possible.

I think the match will be won on the flanks, and I think Spinazzola's absence is going to have a huge impact on the game: do Italy give Emerson what is normally Spinazzola's responsibility - of roaming forwards and linking up with Insigne - and still revert to 3 at the back, leaving their flanks pretty open to the counter? Spain's high-pressing possession also leaves them open in a similar position. Do they sit a little deeper to invite them in? Probably not, it's Spain, but you never know :p Italy just need to not let Spain dictate the pace and momentum of the game. 

Will be an interesting one I'm sure! 

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This has been one hell of a 0-0 so far some 55 minutes in, would gladly see another 30 minutes with extra-time.

Real end-to-end stuff, you can see the teams on the pitch figuring each other out, repositioning themselves, and you're seeing both sides having to adapt to what's in front of them. Been one of the more cerebral games of football I've ever seen. 

Some great chances too, just missing some goals. 

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Brilliant goal from Chiesa!

This is a classic of a match already. Unbelievable stuff from both sides, Spain dinking it around and then Italy countering - and just in time too, because they started looking a bit tired there. 

I'm getting tired just watching this match. Love it. 

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Fantastic goal, Laporte thought he'd rescued Spain but Chiesa curled it in with a beautiful finish 

Morata on for Spain, will be redeem himself and be their saviour?

 

 

 

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Emerson coming off makes sense, he's become a bit tired in the last 15-20 minutes and hasn't gone forward as much as he was earlier in the game, inviting pressure. 

Taking Verratti off seems like it could be a decision which Mancini could end up regretting, though, if Spain do manage to nab an equaliser. 

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Oooooh yes! No preference, but I wanted this game to go on longer. What quality! Superb spectacle. Don’t take me home!

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Italy are going to be rocking now, need to try and calm it down over the next few minutes - they're in real trouble of losing it in normal time

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Game on! 

Happy for Morata, he always looks like he lacks confidence, but it's been coming. Italy are getting overrun in the middle of the park now Verratti is gone - we're seeing Chiellini have to come into that space to shut player down - and now all of the momentum has gone Spain's way. 

Cracking game, this will be ones coaches point to for a looooooong time, an instant classic. Give me that extra-time I asked for before and I'll be happy. 

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Oh man these Italy changes are making me very nervous for them. Barella has been getting less of the ball, so having Locatelli come in to help with the battle in the middle of the pitch makes sense...but unless Insigne is actually injured (seemed to have a bit of a niggle) I think his influence will be missed up front. Then again, his pace certainly dropped off in the last 10. 

Morata tearing the defence apart, might be a stroke of genius from Enrique. He's a very fast striker and can stretch two legendary - but importantly, aging - centre backs apart to make space in the middle. Bringing him immediately changed Spain's shape and Italy have been struggling to adapt - because they have no time to. 

Hope Italy can see the rest of this half out. 

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Couldn't be more excited by the prospect of extra-time for this match. Both teams have proven that they are more than worthy of making it through -- a real semi-final worthy of being the final itself. 

I think the longer this goes on the tougher it's going to get for Italy, purely because they've had to do a lot more chasing in normal time than Spain. They need to come out with pace and grab what they can as soon as they can; they can't afford to chase this another 30 minutes, because they need something in the tank to counter. 

This should be good :bouncy:

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Italy hanging on by a thread here, but they've been resolute. 

Doesn't deserve to end, but penalties would be a cruel way to resolve this match. 

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A shame that it ends like this. But since we’re here, I want some tears. If I was to guess - they’ll be Spanish tears 

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I think the right team won. Spain missed way too many shots on target, so I'm glad to see Italy (who seemed to be playing better overall, at least for me) go through.

And lads, forgive me, but I'll be rooting for Denmark. I'm a sucker for hopeful underdogs.

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Best match of international football I've watched in my lifetime. Both sides giving their all, that togetherness of each side, figuring each other out in front of our eyes and spilling their hearts out onto the pitch. 

Feel sorry for Morata, he's had a good tournament but his confidence will be shattered yet again. Fantastic penalties from Bernadeschi, Thiago (looking to his right until the last second and snapping it back to the left, wonderful), and of course Jorginho -- pretty sure Simón clapped once he picked himself back up, it seriously takes some doing to watch the goalkeeper the entire time. 

I'd love for England to beat Denmark, and I'd love for us to beat Italy...but I'm not going to get carried away, and if we do somehow win it, over the course of the tournament, it won't have been deserved. There's been one team head and shoulders above the rest since the opening night, and that's been Italy.

Got to take it 90 minutes at a time, but I pray that, whatever the result, the match against Denmark tomorrow is a firecracker. It would be an injustice to the quality of this tournament if we end up seeing a repeat of our 0-0 draw performance against Scotland in the group stage. 

The fans coming back in force have made all of the difference so far this tournament, I've loved it. This'll be a Euro's I think we'll all remember for a long, long time to come. 

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4 minutes ago, Jonnas said:

I think the right team won. Spain missed way too many shots on target, so I'm glad to see Italy (who seemed to be playing better overall, at least for me) go through.

And lads, forgive me, but I'll be rooting for Denmark. I'm a sucker for hopeful underdogs.

Agreed. Can we get a clip of Alan Hansen saying you'll win nothing with possession instead of you'll win nothing with kids? :p 

I'm with you for tomorrow, no matter how unpopular it is. After the second group matches a mate asked me how I thought it was shaping up and I said it'll be (and I quote myself) "the Great Danes versus the Italian Stallions in the final" (I'm still waiting for a headline somewhere to rip this off, link me if it's happened) because Denmark had bounced back after the first match and Italy looked like a team on a mission. I can't back down when it's one match away from happening. Football's home to Wembley now England so you can go now. That's enough. :hehe: 

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Here we go then. 

Optimistic about our chances but think the first goal will be vital in determining which way this goes. If we can get it, then I think we'll grow into the game with a bit more confidence and control the flow a bit better, but if Denmark get it, I can see us getting nervous. Got to imagine the crowd and home advantage will be immeasurably in our favour like it was in the Germany game. 

Fingers crossed for a good one! 

Edited by Julius

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I’ll be making my way through a 12 crate over the next couple hours, so apologies for anything I post later.

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