Euro 2020 Qualifiers and associated friendlies

[Wouter D]

Fucking 'ell, I go to hang up the laundry for ten minutes or so, and the game is done.

[Sporting]

Dan James has scored with another cracking finish for Wales in the friendly against Belarus, Jonny Williams did well to set up the goal too.

More important for Wales is Croatia only drawing.

[Ray de Galles]

Possibly, except we still have to play in Baku!

[Gangster Octopus]

Sat in the pub in a position to watch both the Scottish and Norn Irish games. Have given up on the Scots now...

[Lang Spoon]

Fuckin Prince Harry lookin de Bruyne fecker. Too fuckin good.

Steve Clarke is of course twice the coach Manager Mick is. But better lucky than good.

[Wouter D]

Okay, wow.

[Wouter D]

Halstenberg sinks the Northern Irish.

[Wouter D]

Fuckin Prince Harry lookin de Bruyne fecker.

That reminded me of this:

[Ray de Galles]

Slovakia back in the lead away to Hungary.

[Third rate Leszno]

Norn Iron game is entertaining - they really shouldn't be losing.

[Wouter D]

With Poland - Austria at 0-0, Slovenia - Israel at 2-2, and Latvia - Macedonia at 0-2, group G is bonkers mad. Standings if these would be the final scores:

1. Poland 13
2. Austria 10
3. Slovenia 9 +6
4. Israel 9 +1
5. Macedonia 8
6. Latvia 0

Clearly Latvia is out, but all other five countries still have a very decent chance of qualifying.

[Lang Spoon]

Prince Harry cunt right enuf.

[Wouter D]

Never change, LS.

Some lovely one touch football by Northern Ireland, there. They do deserve more than the 0-1 they currently face.

[Wouter D]

Oof...

[jameswba]

Slovakia lucky to be 1-0 up at HT in Hungary but were the better side in the second-half and won 2-1. Zilina teenager Robert Bozenik scored the winner. The Hungary captain somehow stayed on the pitch despite committing two fouls that arguably deserved a red card each.

[Ray de Galles]

Some lovely one touch football by Northern Ireland, there. They do deserve more than the 0-1 they currently face.

Really? That didn't seem to be the case for any of the passages of play I saw where Germany were all over them.

And I know stats don't tell you everything but they give some indication and were all very one sided ;

Possession : 25% - 75%

Shots : 5 - 20

Shots on target : 1 - 7

[Wouter D]

Really? That didn't seem to be the case for any of the passages of play I saw where Germany were all over them.

And I know stats don't tell you everything but they give some indication and were all very one sided ;

Possession : 25% - 75%

Shots : 5 - 20

Shots on target : 1 - 7

Stats like that are bullshit. I cannot count the number of times that the Dutch pundits lament at the end of yet another impotent national team showing that they "dominated the game" by passing the ball limply around their back four for forty fucking minutes while 0-1 down. You can rack up possession percentages and shots from the middle line on target without generating any real chances.

Yeah, the NI goalkeeper kept them in the game a couple of times. But they were far from chanceless, and Germany only have themselves to blame for not being more clinical in front of the NI goal. It could easily have fallen another way, and noone would have the right to complain.

[Ray de Galles]

I don't think stars are bullshit but neither are they the full conclusive picture. They give you some partial background information on a game, especially when the differences are as pronounced as they are above.

Ally that to the actual final score and, as I said, the passages of play I actually watched and I find it quite a stretch to say NI "deserved" anything other than what they got (and the whole concept that any teams "deserve" anything other than the result they get always seem like bullshit to me, frankly).

[Wouter D]

Well, that's fair enough. I do have a massive chip on my shoulder resulting from how some abominable Dutch results in the past were defended in the Dutch media through a "but we dominated the game" fortified with statistics that don't matter the tiniest bit.

Croatia had a commanding lead in both possession and total shots in the last world cup final. They were never winning it, though.

[anton pulisov]

"Blank eyed bastard" is the best description of Another Fan that I've seen in ages.

[Tony C]

Slovakia lucky to be 1-0 up at HT in Hungary but were the better side in the second-half and won 2-1. Zilina teenager Robert Bozenik scored the winner. The Hungary captain somehow stayed on the pitch despite committing two fouls that arguably deserved a red card each.

Despite that I'm still sick that Hungary lost and allowed Slovakia to go ahead of them in the group. My positive feelings towards Hungary are purely nostalgic but nevertheless sincere. Would love to see them qualify for another Euro or WC before I die - but quite frankly I'm getting no younger.

[Lang Spoon]

"Blank eyed bastard" is the best description of Another Fan that I've seen in ages.

He has eyes like black obsidian pebbles, drunk on free 'RA pub pints of shitey porter.

[Lang Spoon]

Liverpool should have sued him for the lack of effort and professionalism he put into training during his six months with the Rafatollah.

[Duncan Gardner]

As RdG says Germany dominated and Bailey's saves kept us in it. O'Neill's tactics seemed right: we pushed up and created a couple of good chances, but no cutting edge.

The Dutch were under real pressure going into this weekend and responded very well

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

If Cristiano Ronaldo gets a brace against Lithuania tonight he will equal the record for most goals scored in Euro qualifiers, 23. The current record holder? I'll let you guess