Shall I pick up the Czech? Let's go Dutch.NED-CZE

[Sporting]

I'm not a fan of VAR offside rules, but have no problem with reviewing events missed on the field to help the referees.

Pretty much this. Obviously the technology is only available to the richer leagues, but this is the case in cricket or rugby too.

[Snake Plissken]

What I don't understand is why did the referee only give a yellow card in the first place? any kind of free kick given against deligt seems likely to result in a red card there, unless he has an unrealistic expectation of how fast Daley Blind can move?

My assumption is that the ref thought that it was accidental and issued a yellow (it was in real time and fairly obscured from his angle). When prompted to look at the replay from a different angle, it was clearly a deliberate act so the upgrade to a red. VAR working precisely as it should.

[anton pulisov]

Even without the handball, De Ligt is intentionally obstructing Schick. De Ligt loses balance and then tries to get up in the direction that Schick is running, to block his run with his arse. Schick has no choice but to run into the back of him. So I don't think Schick has done any foul there. The handball is the icing on the cake.

Van Hooijdonck and Van der Vaart in the studio both said it was a red card.

Van der Vaart was his usual lovely self, claiming the Czechs are rubbish and Holland should be beating them handily.

[imp]

I too thought this was a good example of when VAR works well. Instinctively, I thought 'red for denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity', but couldn't swear to it until I saw the replay and how far off the nearest Dutch defender was. Tough for a ref to take in all that was happening with the Schick/de Ligt tussle and the exact position of fast-running players close by in real time.

[Ray de Galles]

Pretty much this. Obviously the technology is only available to the richer leagues, but this is the case in cricket or rugby too.

Both cricket and rugby have a massive unbreachable (actually or effectively) chasm between the elite top tier and the entire rest of the game. It's historical and in-built in cricket but a relatively new and growing development in rugby.

I love both sports but one of football's huge advantages over them is the throughline from top to bottom of it's system. I don't think driving another wedge between the elite and everyone else in football can be waved away by saying "but that happens in cricket and rugby too".

That said, I still think the lack of VAR could prove to be a huge boon to the lower leagues but that's a different issue.

[ad hoc]

That said, I still think the lack of VAR could prove to be a huge boon to the lower leagues

Absolutely


Cricket is not a good comparison anyway, because the game works totally differently (see also tennis).

[San Bernardhinault]

It’s been said elsewhere, but if you’re going to have VAR, then the implementation in this tournament has been generally pretty good and largely not too obtrusive apart from the annoying phases of phantom play before the flag goes up. It was well used in this instance.

But, as has been said myriad times elsewhere you shouldn’t have VAR.

[ad hoc]

It’s been said elsewhere, but if you’re going to have VAR, then the implementation in this tournament has been generally pretty good and largely not too obtrusive apart from the annoying phases of phantom play before the flag goes up. It was well used in this instance.

But, as has been said myriad times elsewhere you shouldn’t have VAR.

All of this. This is the best VAR system I've so far seen. It's obviously still VAR and therefore still very much a solution in search of a problem, but at least this tournament doesn't suffer from that ridiculous "being in possession of arms is a penalty offence" law from previously. In the hierarchy then

No VAR
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Euro 2021 VAR
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Other VARs

[Nefertiti2]

czechs will win this

as I am so rarely successful with predictions I think I will pat myself on the back

anyone who says „reversion to the mean „ is probably correct , but also mean.

[Flynnie]

Maarten Stekelenburg didn't look very good on the corner. Almost like a 38 year old who hasn't been a number one keeper for a full season since 2012.

I'd say Tim Krul is well used to aerial type football in the Championship.

Or, you know, Jesper Cillessen, who is completely healthy and sitting on his arse at home.

[anton pulisov]

That as well. De Boer handled that situation completely bizarrely, especially as UEFA allowed flexible squad reporting deadlines precisely with such a situation in mind.

[The_Purple_Cow]

Predictably Frank De Boer has been sacked with immediate effect. About 3 months too late for Dutch football.

On De Ligt, he barged into professional football and into the national team at 17, largely due to his strength of personality. He’s a big man and a big personality. A “born leader of men” to drag up an old cliche. But that charisma and strength of personality disguised the fact that he had three mistakes a game in him. To be fair, he has cut that down to one significant mistake per game, he will be an excellent player one day, but he’s not yet close to being the finished article.

[Sheep]

De Ligt is 21. He still has time.

Most of this squad are still very young. They'll be better in the next few tournaments, if they qualify.

[ursus arctos]

And being shot of DeBoer can only help that process.

[Satchmo Distel]

I don't know if Netherlands have sufficient quality in this generation to challenge for trophies but they should be getting further than the Round of 16.