QF3: Oranje v Azzurri

[Janik]

Looking forward to an England - Netherlands final. The atmosphere with both those bands there will be AMAZING!!!

Battle of the bands. For the title of 'worst in the world'.

[Satchmo Distel]

Should the organizers not have scheduled these games later - say 7pm and 10pm KOs - given the temperatures?

Afternoon KO in the final too, which often makes it attritional in both men's and women's tournaments.

LM, I would be very surprised if England beat the US.

[Etienne]

I think it's difficult to reschedule at this late notice. In normal circumstances it would have been fine for kick off. Pauses for drinks seems a reasonable compromise.

[Satchmo Distel]

Sure, I was think about when the schedule was originally constructed, but maybe this truly is exceptional weather.

[Janik]

Impractical. Fans coming to games organise around the start time for transport, whether to get accommodation in the host city or father afield, etc. The media also sets their schedules. And you want some weekend matinees in the later stages so kids for whom 8/9pm is after bedtime can watch. These arrangements all need to be made weeks/months in advance, the weather forecast is only really accurate a few days prior.

This weather in June is a once in 500 years event. It's just unfortunate.

[Wouter D]

Lovely. 2-0, no bookings, no injuries. Bring on Germany.

[imp]

Fine Dutch second half. The Italians went all... Italian.

[ursus arctos]

It is the worst heatwave ever to have hit the country, and the more likely risk in Valenciennes is rain.

There are also significant television considerations at play, particularly in France, Germany and the Netherlands,

[Gerontophile]

Second full game I watched. I bounced around the room when that second one went in.

USA v England, and Germany v Holland.

(Sorry Sweden. x)

It could only have been funnier, if England played the USA on the 4th, for the aftershow party of the baseball in London.

Isn't Ms Aluko phenomenally talented? She puts every single Alexi Lalas utterance to shame.

[Gerontophile]

Oh, and (not been watching it too much) but are blue shirted Number-3's with big hair, a thing? Or did I only see France and Italy?

(I made the mistake of ... yep. 3-0 up, hold my Scottish beer.)

[Gerontophile]

father afield,

Sorry, I am such a bich.

[Doraemon]

Just caught up with this game. Simon Brotherton kept adding an extra syllable to the end of Miedema's name. (ie Miedem-I-a) I assume this is incorrect, but SImon will have had plenty of experience of Dutch pronunciation from his cycling work.

[ursus arctos]

You can hear her say it five to ten seconds in.

Brotherton has got it wrong.

[Logan Mountstuart]

En zij is een Feyenoorderrrrr!

[ursus arctos]

Very much so, it appears