Euro 2020 Qualifiers and associated friendlies

[Ray de Galles]

Duda looked very good last night (and when I saw him for Hertha recently) but hopefully we'll be well aware of his threat as he scored against us in the Euro 2016 game. I did wonder about the multiple pints thrown at him and his team mates as they celebrated the opening goal (seemingly from the home sections) but maybe it was Hungarian fans given what you said above.

Romanian fans are another lot who love their black tops, when I saw them play Switzerland at Parc des Princes (again in Euro 2016. No, I'm never going to shut up about it) there was a solid mass of hundreds of them all in black pseudo-paramilitary gear right behind the goal.

[jameswba]

Yes, those were away fans. You had to register an ID number for tickets for the game, and ID's were checked on the way in. Was it just my imagination that the UK nationality on my EU citizen's permanent residence card raised a sympathetic smile from the guard who checked me? But Slovakia has a 500,000 strong Hungarian community, and these people, unlike those with addresses in Hungary itself would have had to be admitted to the home areas. I presume so anyway, and that it was a group of them who chucked their beer at Duda. There seemed to be three such small pockets of Hungary support in the home sections.

If there are banners from Stropkov, Trebisov or Snina in Cardiff, these are the sorts of faraway eastern Slovak towns where Slovakia's most loyal supporters are from. The night trains home from games in Trnava are always full of them. I get the impression some of them spend the entire journey - 7 hours or more - knocking back the slivovica or vodka. It's only 2 hours back to Zilina, and that feels like a long enough night for me.

[Satchmo Distel]

The name North Macedonia was chosen to end a dispute with Greece AFAIK (Greece has its own Macedonian territory to the south). Are there any precedents for a nation state changing its name between the qualifying draw and the qualifiers?

[Diable Rouge]

The name North Macedonia was chosen to end a dispute with Greece AFAIK (Greece has its own Macedonian territory to the south). Are there any precedents for a nation state changing its name between the qualifying draw and the qualifiers?

You've the RCS as the interim Czechoslovakia during the USA '94 qualifiers at any rate.

[Diable Rouge]

No start for Deaglán de Rís tonight.

[HORN]

Chilwell and Sancho? Never bloody heard of them.

[Diable Rouge]

Sancho's been one of Dortmund's players of the season (though more prominent before Christmas), and Chilwell's at Leicester.

[Gangster Octopus]

Was that really a penalty?

[Gangster Octopus]

Cracking own goal.

[Ray de Galles]

Ukraine get a 0-0 away to Portugal, despite Ronaldo's return to the national side.

[Diable Rouge]

Luxembourg beating Lithuania seems a turn-up.

[Nocturnal Submission]

England looked pretty good going forward but that's still a very average defence behind them.

My man CHO fitted straight in when he came on.

[Nocturnal Submission]

Argentina lost 3-1 to Venezuela in Madrid.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

It pains me to say it but Raheem Sterling really does look the finished article now. If things had worked out differently in 2014 he might have had another five years under Brendan at Anfield. Wonder what a difference that would have made.

[Ray de Galles]

He'd be a lesser player?

[Sporting]

Is there a thread on here about how many national teams people have seen in the flesh? With Norway today I'll be up to a paltry 10 or so and obviously some of you will be far beyond that figure. I'll start a thread if there's interest.

[ursus arctos]

I don't recall us having done that before, which is somewhat surprising.

I would guess that I am somewhere short of 20, but also have the issue of whether one counts oddities like this

[Gangster Octopus]

Why aren't Gibraltar cursed with the standard anthem? Are they not really British?

[Diable Rouge]

Memories of Eschen in 1995 are ringing alarm bells.

[Gerontophile]

Watching Sweden v Romania. Currently 2-0, and have just realised there is a woman commentator. Dunno if she is any good, as my Spanish is bad, but she does a nice line in the "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLL" thing. (It's on Univision.)

This game also reminds me of a playoff for the 1974 World Cup between these two. Something to do with the Panini sticker book mentioning it.

[elguapo4]

Every time I think of going back to watch Ireland games they shit on my doorstep again and remind me I made the right decision.

[anton pulisov]

Great save there from Randolph.

How long until we see Glenn Whelan I wonder

[anton pulisov]

Ireland score on the counter attack. Actually a nice goal.

McMick and young Mick Byrne looking chuffed

[Diable Rouge]

About the best one can say is that it'll be three points on the board - far from edifying football.

[Satchmo Distel]

Second place in England's group is up for grabs - maybe Kosovo or Montenegro?