Dreamland

Incredible. Amazing. Outstanding. All of this and so much more. Wales defeat Belgium's golden generation to seal a semi final against Portugal.

It is still sinking in. Wales have made it to the last four of a major international tournament for the first time ever. The squad's togetherness and teamwork has definitely got them where they are now but they have also shown great skill along the way.

From the start of the match Wales confounded expectations and refused to just let Belgium attack and seemed to surprise their opponents as much as everyone else with their inventive, creative play. But Eden Hazard had seemed to come good just at the right time for the Red Devils and his side were looking the more dangerous when Nainggolan struck an absolute screamer to put Belgium in the lead in the 13th minute.

At first it looked like Wayne Hennessey should have done better with the 25 yard shot but the pace that the Belgian midfielder thundered into his strike was just too much. Wales were not deterred though and simply composed themselves and came back into the match again.

Their efforts were rewarded on the half hour mark when a well worked corner routine was finished off by captain Ashley Williams directing his free header into the corner of the net. Once again we saw the togetherness of the entire squad as Williams ran to the bench to celebrate the goal.

This was turning into the match of the tournament with both sides playing some really attractive football, completely believing that they had the skill to get through the opposing defence. Incredibly it was Wales who succeeded.

Ten minutes into the second half Gareth Bale played a perfect pass to the feet of the irrepressible Ramsey who controlled the ball before crossing in towards Robson-Kanu. The Welsh striker's exquisitely elegant turn took out the entire Belgian defence and gave him the space to put his shot past Courtois to make to 2-1 to Wales.

The Welsh fans were delirious. Not only had their side gone into the lead in the quarter final of the European Championship against one of the favourites to win the trophy, they had just witnessed one of the best goals ever in a major tournament.

Belgium looked stunned but pushed forward again in an attempt to force an equaliser. Fellaini had come on at half time to add some muscle in the middle of the pitch and surprisingly took a whole 14 minutes to pick up a yellow card. Although Belgium were now enjoying more of the ball, Wales didn't just sit back and Bale, Allen and Ramsey tried everything they could to add to the goal tally.

Belgium were creating chances but Fellaini missed with a close range header before Nainggolan had a penalty appeal turned down as the minutes ticked away. With Belgium pushing forward that left even more space for the Welsh wing backs to attack. And it was from Chris Gunter's cross from the right that Sam Vokes perfectly glanced header floated into the net with five minutes to go and seal the victory.

Belgium could point to their reshuffled defence as a factor in their defeat but they know that they were beaten by the better side on the day. The team work and talent at Wales' disposal - added to passion for the shirt - propelled them into the semi final. A major blow for Wales is the suspension of Ramsey and Davies for the semi as they both picked up their second yellow cards of the tournament. But even taking that into consideration, Ronaldo and co will not be too confident of a victory.

A real mouth-watering fixture later as Germany take on Italy. The Italians have confounded expectations from the start of their campaign when they beat Belgium and will take comfort in the remarkable fact that they have never lost to Germany in a tournament match.

Joachim Low seems to have found his favoured starting eleven now (in between smelling various parts of his body on live television) and Gomez will be hoping he can add to his goal tally against Italy.

The Azzurri had been called the worst Italian squad ever before the tournament but now they will be full of confidence and believing that they are on the same trajectory as their 2006 World Cup winning counterparts.

Germany, without looking all-conquering, have done the job so far and I feel that this is where the Italian dream ends. I'm going for a tight German victory - possibly on penalties.

Together Stronger

No Ronaldo tears yet. Shocked into the game by an early Polish goal, Portugal eventually go through to the semi finals on penalties.

Ronaldo is still misfiring, slapping his thighs and shouting to the heavens but his side are through to their fourth semi final in five European Championships and will now think that they can go all the way.

Poland had the best possible start with Robert Lewandowski finally scoring within two minutes of the kick off. A long ball was hopelessly misjudged by Cedric Soares, allowing the very impressive Grosicki to put a low cross into the six yard box where the Bayern man was able to direct it past Rui Patricio and into the net.

Portugal looked stunned and for the next ten minutes or so Poland piled on the pressure having a few more good chances without adding to the score. Then it all calmed down a little bit and Portugal took control. Renato Sanches in particular orchestrated the play from the middle of the pitch and looked like he was worth every penny that Bayern Munich paid Benfica for him.

And it was no surprise that it was Sanches that drew Portugal level just after the half hour mark. Cutting in from the right, Sanches played a neat one two with Nani and curled a shot from the edge of the box - via a slight deflection - into the net. It was nothing more than Portugal deserved but both sides had looked good and pleasantly surprised most viewers expecting a dull game.

Those expectations, unfortunately, were to be met - and then exceeded - as the game went on. The second half was most notable for Ronaldo reverting to the way he performed in the first two games of the group stage - and another pitch invader.

Ronaldo made a mess of one through ball in particular when he missed the ball completely attempting to shoot - an action that perfectly summed up the second half of the match. Poland looked more confident of the tie going to penalties while everyone else sat through a turgid extra time period.

After three penalties each both sides hadn't missed but then Blaszczykowski - the hero in the match against Switzerland - had his effort saved at full stretch by Rui Patricio. Next up was Quaresma, who had come on for the woeful Joao Mario, and the rejuvenated forward swept the ball into the roof of the net to put Portugal through to the semis.

Poland didn't really look like winning the match even after their early goal and the incisive play from Sanches gave Portugal a distinct advantage. Ronaldo still isn't hitting top form though and he will need to do so if they are ultimately going to be victorious.

Tonight's match sees Wales face Belgium for what seems like about the hundredth time in the past few seasons. These sides faced each other in qualifying for this tournament where Wales took four points off the Belgian 'golden generation'. But not too much should be read into that. Belgium can be very arrogant in their play and not perform as well as they might if they believe that they have a right to beat a supposed smaller nation. I can't see them playing that way today.

From losing in their first group match, Belgium have clicked into gear and, led by an Eden Hazard showing the form of previous seasons, will be very confident of meeting Portugal in the semi final. But if this tournament has been encapsulated by one theme it has been teamwork and the 'Together Stronger' slogan of Wales is much more than a marketing gimmick.

Although they lost to England, Wales deservedly topped the group by playing to their strengths, teamwork and passion, backed up by some exemplary individual displays. Ramsey and Allen in particular have been outstanding, giving Bale the room to add his little bit of magic. The fact that Bale has not looked at his very best yet shows how well Wales as a whole have played - and how much Belgium should worry that he hits his stride tonight,

Although I obviously would love for Wales to reach the semi finals (even just typing that is incredible) Belgium seem to be back at their best and it will be very tough for Chris Coleman's men. Belgium are missing some vital players in defence so that could be where Wales might win this game. As much as it pains me to say it, I think Belgium will probably nick it but I'm hoping that my standard of predicting matches continues in its usual way tonight!

Day 17 in France

After three matches that were good for catching up on some sleep on Saturday, yesterday's games had a little bit more to be excited about.

France would have been very confident going into their game against the Republic of Ireland in Lyon but went behind after only two minutes. Robbie Brady scored from the penalty spot after Pogba had become entangled with Shane Long to give away the foul.

That was about it from Ireland who noticeably tired in the second half especially. France did have a couple more days rest between their group games and this match but they always looked in control after the early penalty wake up call and deservedly equalised just before the hour mark.

Bacary Sagna put in a good cross which Antoine Griezmann finished expertly. The strength he got into his header was incredible and too much for the Irish keeper. Giroud, who had played forcefully all game, muscled his way between two defenders to flick on a header for Griezmann to get his second a few minutes later.

As with most of the top sides in this tournament, France played well and were in complete control without ever looking outstanding. They now face either England or Iceland in the quarter finals.

Germany easily overcame Slovakia in the second game of the day in Lille. The Slovakians were always going to find it tough but were rocked by an early goal from defender Jerome Boateng. It came from a corner that was only cleared to the edge of the box where the Bayern Munich man met it perfectly on the volley. It was reminiscent of Modric's goal against Turkey - although this one did benefit from a slight deflection to make sure it got past the Slovakian keeper.

The early goal forced Slovakia not to wholly rely on parking the bus but they never had enough insight to break through Germany with Hamsik having a very quiet game when his side needed him most.

Some excellent play down the left hand side from Draxler gave Mario Gomez the opportunity to cement his place in the starting eleven and score Germany's second just before half time and - as a competition - it was all over.

Julian Draxler added a third himself in the second half, finding himself completely unmarked at the far post from a corner. He volleyed the ball into the roof of the net from about five yards out and completely deserved some personal glory after a fine display.

Shock group winners Hungary met Belgium in the last game of the day and were unlucky to find the golden generation - and Eden Hazard in particular - finally discovering their very best form.

Belgium were simply outstanding with Hazard orchestrating much of their many, many attacks. Kevin De Bruyne also found a lot of space to conduct the play and it was a surprise that it was only 1-0 at half time. De Bruyne had floated in a lovely free kick right onto the head of Alderweireld to head past Kiraly to open the scoring. Both the Spurs man and Lukaku had easily brushed aside the 'marking' of the Hungarian defenders to create far too much space for themseleves.

Although Belgium were well on top, Hungary did play a lot of very good football but their attacking play was never rewarded with a goal and their defending looked, at times, woeful.

Belgium finally made their superiority tell towards the end. Michy Batshuayi scored with his very first touch after coming on for Lukaku. Hazard had breezed past the defender to slide a very inviting cross for the Marseille striker to side foot into the net with no Hungarian defenders anywhere near him.

Hazard topped off a perfect performance by scoring a trademark goal a minute later as Hungarian players wilted. A fourth goal in injury time was probably cruel on Hungary but Yarrasco, another sub, finished well after being put through by Nainggolan.

Other things I noticed yesterday...

• There was bright sunshine for the France v Ireland game - exactly how it should be in a major international tournament. It took me back to Italy v Brazil in Spain in 1982
• Skrtel is a dick
• Although they have a lot to make up for by inflicting Sam Matterface and Clive Tyldesley on us, it was good to see an actual football journalist on ITV's pundit panel. A nice change from the usual ex-player 'insight' and 'analysis'
• How lovely is that Belgium kit?
• Ireland once again "defended heroically". This may be good at getting the crowd going but if that is what a team resort to it means that they are being bettered on the pitch. By the way, England do it a lot

The second round finishes today with two intriguing matches. Italy play Spain the early evening match. Hopefully both sides will stop grumbling about how unfair it is that they have to play each other so early and provide us with a treat of a game. Italy looked immense against Belgium in their first game but have looked a little shaky since so I think Spain will play their way to victory - 1-0.

David and Goliath in the second match of the day as Iceland face England. England, as usual, have looked far from convincing but surely Iceland can't repeat the heroics of the last few weeks? They do possess greater teamwork and do have a couple of players that could trouble the English defence but the talent should show in the end. I can see a nervy 1-0 England win (although I have consistently prematurely predicted the end of Iceland's involvement in this tournament so who knows!)

Day Thirteen in France

After 13 days and 36 games the group stage of Euro 2016 is over. We have said goodbye to a grand total of 8 countries from the original 24. Now the real football starts.

Most of the attention seemed to be on who was going to be the best third placed sides but there was a lot still to determine in both Groups E and F.

The early games saw Iceland play supposed dark horses Austria while Ronaldo battled to keep Portugal in the competition against surprise group leaders Hungary. The matches ended up being two of the best we have seen so far.

Hungary and Portugal traded goals like two over the hill heavyweight boxers slugging it out in the final round. Zoltan Gera struck first for Hungary before Nani brought Portugal back into the match just before half time.

Dzsudzsak twice put Hungary back in the lead only to be pegged back by Ronaldo who at last found some real form. One of the Portuguese captain's goals was a wonderful flick, the other a commanding glancing header. But the two sides couldn't be separated meaning that Hungary won the group they were expected to prop up. Portugal had to make do with scraping through as one of the best third place sides. And that was down to the amazing story that is Iceland.

Once again Iceland were not fancied to take anything from a match and once again they defied expectations. If Austria thought that their opponents would sit back and try to grind out the draw they needed they were sadly mistaken. It took Jon Dadi Bodvarsson under 20 minutes to open the scoring and Iceland had already hit the woodwork before then.

Dragovic missed a first half penalty for Austria befoe they finally drew level on the hour mark. Alessandro Schopf scored a great goal after a Ricky Villa-esque dribble but as much as they tried they couldn't get the second goal that would have put them through to the next round.

But Iceland were not finished. As the seconds ticked away in injury time they sprinted into one last counter attack culminating in Traustason sliding in at the far post to squeeze it past Almer in the Austrian goal to seal the win. Apart from a moment of intense drama it showed the spirit of the Iceland team that should act as a warning to England that they won't be a push over in the second round.

Group E was a little bit more straight forward but no less dramatic. Belgium finally overcame Sweden in a drab game with Chelsea target Radja Nainggolan benefiting from a wicked deflection to score past the Swedish keeper and cement their second place finish.

Italy had already won the group and knowing that they would be facing Spain in the next round rested a number of players. The Azzurri definitely looked a weakened side but Ireland, although performing much better than in their previous two matches, still didn't seem to have the quality that they needed to get the three points that would put them through.

In a last roll of the dice Martin O'Neill put on Wes Hoolahan with just over ten minutes to go. Ireland's most creative player had been dropped in a bid to muscle the Italians out of the match but almost as soon as he came on he was given the perfect chance to score. The pressure got to the Norwich midfielder who could only shoot straight at Sirigu - Buffon's woeful replacement in the Italy goal.

Everyone thought that the one chance Ireland had needed had been and gone but with just five minutes left Hoolahan crossed perfectly onto the head of the very impressive Robbie Brady who expertly found the net and gave Ireland a dramatic victory.

The result was tough on Turkey who would have squeaked into the second round if Ireland hadn't scored but for sheer guts and determination Ireland deserved their win. They now face France on Sunday where I'm sure the fans will remind Thierry Henry of the last time they played each other in an important match.

Other things I have noticed...

• I'm very jealous of Icelandic captain Aron Gunnarsson's beard but his long throws are not really that long (although they do seem to be effective)
• It was only a matter of time before Ronaldo started scoring and the two he got against Hungary were fantastic
• Some of the Ireland players look like they had stepped off the local park to play - although the extra levels of sweating were probably down to the closed roof in Lille
• Such a sad way for Zlatan to finish his international career but he was really left to carry the Swedish side - and he didn't really do that well anyway

Obviously no games today - an absolute outrage - and we will have to wait until Saturday to get back into the swing of things with three second round matches. But never fear, I will still serve you my Euro 2016 ramblings tomorrow with a look ahead to the weekend's games.

Day Nine in France

With all sides now having played two games there is still not a clear favourite and, thanks to the expanded format, not many teams confirming their return tickets home.

Belgium finally showed their killer instinct against a poor Republic of Ireland side. They must be poor because Lukaku scored twice in their 3-0 victory. Although the Belgian striker had a terrible end of season for Everton (as did his club) and looked out of sorts in Belgium's first match he is a very good striker and a couple of goals will really boost his confidence.

Ireland will complain that they should have had a penalty when it was still 0-0 but they were outplayed yesterday and keeping Belgium down to just the three goals is probably an achievement in itself.

Group F's surprise leaders Hungary met Iceland in the second match of the day knowing that a win would put them through to the second round with a game - against Portugal - to spare. They started really well so it was unlucky for the all new Magnificent Magyars when Iceland got a penalty just before half time. It was unclear whether the culprit was tracksuit trouser enthusiast Gabor Kiraly but Sigurdsson put away the spot kick to put Iceland one up going into the break.

It looked like Iceland was going to get all three points but once again we saw a goal in the last few minutes with Saevarsson turning the ball into his own net to give Hungary a point. Iceland are still unbeaten going into their last game and Hungary stayed top of the group thanks to the result of the last game of the day.

Portugal had 23 shots compared to just four from Austria but they just couldn't make any of them pay as Ronaldo's men drew another game they had been expected to win. Nothing went right for Ronaldo who even missed a penalty to raise his already peaking levels of frustration. Ricardo Quaresma started but for all their invention and skill, Portugal couldn't break the deadlock.

The draw leaves the group wide open going into the final matches so both games should be tight affairs.

Other things I noticed yesterday...

• There was a lot of police in front of the Hungarian fans for a majority of the match
• Given his levels of frustration during the match it was a surprise that Ronaldo seemed fine posing for a photo with the guy who ran onto the pitch. Anything to look good for the cameras I guess?
• Austria celebrated their draw against Portugal like they had won. They seem to think they will have no problem getting three points against Iceland to take them through

We're down to the wire in the groups now so just two games played at the same time today. A draw would put both France and Switzerland through to the next round but I think France will want to keep up their unbeaten form and go for all three points. Switzerland have been largely unimpressive in their two games so far and I can see current player of the tournament Dimitri Payet scoring again tonight. I'm going for 2-0 to France.

Romania should be able to beat Albania so (if my other prediction remarkably comes true) it will come down to goal difference as they drew with Switzerland last Wednesday. Romania have only scored penalties so far so it will be interesting to see if they have the attacking strength to get through the Albanian defence. I can't see that happening so a 1-0 win is on the cards.

Day Four in France

Well yesterday's predictions were spectacularly bad but, as the cliche goes, I'm glad to say that football was in the end the winner.

When will people stop writing Italy off? (At this point I must admit that I also wrote Italy off yesterday but that doesn't make my point any less valid!) Supposedly the worst Italian side in 50 years put on the performance of the tournament so far and beat Belgium's 'golden generation'.

I've mentioned before that I'm not entirely convinced by Belgium and see them as a team of individuals who don't always perform when expected. Last night was a brilliant example of that. Italy played a fast, flowing brand of football with their defenders making the type of 40 yard diagonal balls that Steven Gerrard could only dream about.

The first goal was a thing of beauty. An inch perfect pass from Bonucci, controlled perfectly by Sunderland reject (!) Giaccherini before he slotted it past Courtois in the Belgian goal. And it was nothing more than they deserved. An injury time second goal from Southampton's Graziano Pelle made the victory even sweeter.

Belgium should still qualify from a group that also contains the Republic of Ireland and Sweden but their limitations have been shown once again. This was the best match we've seen so far and with most of the sides having played now it is still completely up in the air as to who will probably win the trophy.

The day started off with Spain seeing off the Czech Republic thanks to a Gerard Pique headed goal three minutes from time. I didn't get to see this match live (I know! Someone should be paying me to watch these games...) but the highlights showed that Spain were well on top with the Czechs looking very lacklustre.

Ireland nearly pulled off what would definitely have been considered an upset but in the end had to be content with a point against Sweden. Zlatan didn't really turn up for the first half and only fine saves from the Swedish keeper and the woodwork (I know they're not made out of wood but I love the terminology) kept Ireland - and Derby's Jeff Kendrick in particular - from taking the lead.

Wes Hoolahan finally opened the scoring in the second half with a lovely finish after Seamus Coleman had done some really good work out on the right. But an own goal levelled the scores with 20 minutes to go and that is how it stayed. Ciaran Clark may have put the ball in the back of his own net but the goal was all down to Ibrahimovic's persistence and it looks like he will have to carry Sweden through the remaining two matches if they have are to have any chance of getting out of the group.

Other things I noticed...

• Loved how Czech defender Roman Hubnik went for the whole 'geography teacher who also takes PE' look (see below)
• What was Pique's goal celebration gesture all about? He looked like an over elaborate Bono
• I used to like Ireland's Jon Walters when he shaved his hair. Now he looks like a sales rep for a small drinks firm in the north west
• Big fan of Ireland's kit - although they stretched authenticity a bit far by using the 'fake Irish pub' font for the names on the back of their shirts
• Italian footballers give the best anthem
• Italy showed the same squad togtherness that Wales did the other day - it will take them far
• Romelu Lukaku is really bad at major tournaments
• Martin Keown is an earnestly appalling co-commentator

And so to today's games. Just the two - what fresh hell is this? - to enjoy. Austria take on Hungary in Bordeaux and will be looking for their own superstar, David Alaba to inspire the side to victory, And they should be too good for Hungary who should have tracksuit trouser wearing custodian Gabor Kiraly in goal. I'm going for a 2-0 victory for Austria.

It sounds like Ricardo Quaresma might miss the match tonight which is a massive shame considering he has had a brilliant season both for his club side Besiktas and the national team. Ronaldo has his own injury worries but should play. Expect Iceland to attempt to stifle the Portuguese creativity but I can't see them keeping them out for the entire match. Portugal are far more than just Ronaldo and I expect them to go far in this tournament. They'll start tonight by winning 2-0.

Almost There!

This time tomorrow it will have started, a month of top class football (hopefully). There is nothing like an international tournament and even with the ridiculous decision to extend the competition to 24 nations, the excitement is rising.

I'm going to share my thoughts on the tournament on a daily basis - you lucky people! - as well as predict the score of each game. Those of you who followed by crystal ball gazing during the World Cup in Brazil will know I probably won't be troubling the bookies too much.

So, here's to some memorable football and breathtaking displays. I'll share my thoughts after the France match tomorrow but in the mean time here's a couple of things I think could happen in the next month...

• England will actually be quite good (although not good enough)
• Albania will surprise a lot of people and qualify from Group A
• Spain, while nowhere near as bad as at the World Cup in Brazil, will not return to their glory days
• Belgium will, once again, not live up to their hype
• Portugal will prove that they are not a one man team (look out for the enigmatic Quaresma)