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!

We Go On...

After two horrible, soul-destroying days without football the European Championship is back as Poland face Portugal in the first of the quarter finals.

Most people would probably have predicted Poland getting out of their group but to qualify unbeaten and then follow that up with a win on penalties over Switzerland is a real achievement.

When you consider that their star man - Robert Lewandowski - has not had a very good tournament then it shows that the whole squad has really come through to get them this far. This togetherness has been a common theme in this competition and they will need it tonight against the more fancied Portugal.

Arkadiusz Milik has also been fairly woeful up front for Poland but he has at least been getting into good positions - he just needs to start putting some of his chances away.

Portugal limped through to the second round without a single victory against Iceland, Hungary or Austria. Although they have a good squad, much has been put on the shoulders of Ronaldo and his frustration in not being able to deliver has been there for all to see.

Ricardo Quaresma scored the late late winner against a much lauded Croatia team in the second round and it should be worrying for Poland that Portugal seem to be finally getting into gear. The introduction of Bayern Munich new boy Renato Sanches bolsters an already impressive midfield and the whole squad will be confident going into this game.

Although Poland have strength at the back and Kapustka back from suspension I think Portugal are starting to play just at the right time. If Ronaldo can stop getting so angry and play football instead of sulking his team should go through. It may well be a tight affair so I'm going for Portugal 1 Poland 0.

Day 16 in France

Back to business with three second round matches consisting of, well, not that much really.

Poland beat Switzerland on penalties in the first match with a tempo of play that dictated how the rest of the day went. The Poles started much brighter but both sides looked over cautious with some terrible finishing on show.

Poland took the lead just before half time through Blaszczykowski who finished off a swift counter attack. The midfielder had scored against Ukraine in their final group match and gave his side a deserved lead.

The two Polish forwards - Lewandowski and Milik - looked very poor once again and it was Switzerland who finally perked up in the second half and looked the more likely to score. And their equaliser was a thing of pure beauty.

A speculative cross from Lichsteiner was only half cleared by the Polish defence and, as the ball bobbled up, Xherdan Shaqiri executed a sublime scissor kick volley from the edge of the area that dropped perfectly into the Polish net.

It was a goal that deserved to send Switzerland through but with no more goals added in the ten minutes remaining - or the extra time period - it was penalties in the first knock out match of Euro 2016.

Both sides scored their first attempts before new Arsenal man Granit Xhaka hit his effort wide of the post. The rest of the spot kicks were all successful giving Grzegorz Krychowiak the honour of sending his side through to the quarter finals.

The second match of the day was another tense affair with both Wales and Northern Ireland looking nervous in what was a largely uneventful match. Northern Ireland got control of the game in the first half, nullifying Gareth Bale and looking the better side without really looking like they might score.

Aaron Ramsey was nowhere near as effective as he had been against Russia and Joe Allen looked frustrated at his limited chances to get things going in the middle of the pitch.

Northern Ireland's tactics stopped Gunter and Taylor being able to push forward for the Welsh so their was no chance to pull out the defence splitting diagonal balls that worked so well for them in their final group game.

The game finally opened up a little as time went on and Bale was able to get a few runs going but with little effect until the 75th minute. After beating his man, Bale whipped in a low cross into the six yard box and Gareth McAuley, a hero for Northern Ireland against Ukraine, could only poke it in to his own net in an attempt to stop Hal Robson-Kanu connecting.

Wales are now through to the quarter finals where they will play either Hungary or Belgium on Friday night.

The final match of the day pitted the skillful Croatian side against Ronaldo's Portugal. If we thought that the two previous games had lacked excitement we hadn't seen anything yet. For a match with Modric, Rakitic, Ronaldo and Sanches - plus all the other highly talented players on show - we were presented a turgid match with absolutely no spark or innovation.

Both sides were so desperate not to lose that they simply forgot about trying to win. As the match crept towards the end of extra time, with penalties seemingly on the cards, Croatia finally pushed forward. Unfortunately for them it was their undoing. Perisic hit the base of the post with a header and with the ensuing counter attack Portugal scored.

Nani ultimately crossed from the edge of the area to Ronaldo whose shot was only parried onto the head of the incoming Quaresma. The Croatian players were distraught as the final whistle blew just minutes later and it is a shame that a side that looked so good in their group matches (apart from the capitulation to the Czech Republic) are now on their way home.

Other things I noticed...

• Wolfsburg's Swiss defender Ricardo Rodriguez has been hyped up throughout the tournament but didn't impress in any of the games I saw. Does he play in a different role for his club?
• As much as I admire the unique kit of Croatia, chequered socks are a step too far
• Speaking of kits, the Portugal second strip is an insult to the eyes
• Perisic's hair. We will say no more

Sunday sees three more matches to enjoy/endure with France taking on Ireland in the early game. Although it would be nice to think that the football gods will wreak revenge for Thierry Henry's cheating hand, the hosts will be far too strong and I can see them getting a few goals against a creaky Irish defence. I'm going for 3-0.

Hopefully these games will have a little bit more excitement than Saturday's but Slovakia will be looking to stop Germany play and nick a win so it will be up to the World champions to break their opponents down. I think they eventually will but don't expect a classic. Germany to win 1-0.

Hungary v Belgium in the final game of the day. I fear this will be the last outing for Gabor Kiraly's tracksuit bottoms, as although Belgium have looked far from being the 'golden generation' they should win here. Hungary have showed that they are no pushovers though and kept on coming back against Portugal in the final group game. I think Belgium will win in extra time - 1-0.

Two Days Off in France

Another day off today before we get down to the important business of knock out international football tomorrow. Saturday sees Switzerland v Poland, Wales v Northern Ireland and Croatia v Portugal. The middle game of the three has obviously attracted most of the attention but each match up is intriguing and we could be in for a treat.

There is the prospect of defensive football taking over as sides try everything they can not to lose rather than win games but hopefully some of the real superstars in these teams will choose tomorrow to put on a show.

Switzerland looked out of sorts against Albania in their first match but still managed to get the crucial win before drawing against both Romania and France. Their star players are yet to perform and they may feel that attrition is the way to go against Poland.

The Poles are in a similar position having not played that well yet still going into the second round unbeaten. Robert Lewandowski has looked particularly out of sorts with Milik picking up the slack. The Ajax striker has found good positions in all three matches without actually finding his finishing form.

These two sides are pretty evenly matched but I fancy Switzerland to go through if their players can rise to the occasion. It might go to penalties though!

Wales and Northern Ireland both qualified much to the surprise to most neutrals. Northern Ireland have looked a very cohesive unit and it will be this team strength that they will be hoping will be too much for the Welsh. Unfortunately for them Wales have just about trademarked 'teamwork' - even their slogan is 'Together Stronger'.

Gareth Bale finally clicked into gear against a very poor Russian side but his presence alone puts fear into opponents. Joe Allen and Aaron Ramsey have been superb, running the show in the middle with the rest of the side playing as a team to see them qualify top of their group.

Wales should be too strong for Northern Ireland tomorrow and their superior class will show. Northern Ireland's fans will no doubt make it a great occasion but I see them going home after this one - 2-0 to Wales.

The final match of the day could be a real cracker. Croatia have come past the incidents of their second match with the Czech Republic to look like real contenders for the title. The speed and skill on show has been a delight to watch, even with Modric injured for the last game.

Portugal just about limped through to the second round thanks to Ronaldo finally scoring some goals. I've said before that they are more than a one man team but they really need the Real Madrid ace to perform if they are to beat Croatia tomorrow. I think they will play better than they have in the group stage - they couldn't get much worse - but to lose out to the better team in the end. Croatia to win 2-1.

Day Twelve in France

The shape of the second round is slowly - very slowly - starting to take shape with a few surprises served up along the way.

Two more groups were decided yesterday but because of the expanded format of the competition we don't know if some of the teams involved are through or not. What we do know is that Northern Ireland are through even after losing 1-0 to Germany.

Goalkeeper Michael McGovern was the star of the day as he stopped what could well have been a thrashing at the hands of a German side who still haven't clicked into gear yet. Mario Gomez started for the first time and it was he who scored the only goal of the match after about half an hour.

Northern Ireland will now go on to play either Wales or France in the next round although no-one seems to know how that will be worked out. Germany will play one of the other third place sides.

In the other Group C game Poland beat Ukraine (as expected) 1-0 to set up a second round match against Switzerland. Ukraine had already been eliminated from the tournament and this lack of pressure may have been the reason for their performance. They did have a majority of the ball and looked a better side than they had in their previous two matches but they lacked any real fire power and will be going home having failed to score a solitary goal.

Lewandowski once again looked out of sorts and although Milik was finding himself in some good positions it was left to the substitute Blaszczykowski to score the only goal of the game.

The top two teams in Group D met knowing that whoever lost would probably be facing Italy in the next round. Spain scored early through Morata but Croatia played some really nice football and it was no surprise when Kalinic equalised just before half time.

Spain continued to play their usual fluid, passing style but Croatia were more than a match for them - pressing and containing the skill and talent that is usually given free reign. It was always going to be interesting how Croatia reacted to their capitulation to the Czech Republic in the last match and the absence of Luka Modric, but Croatian fans had nothing to fear as they went on to record a famous victory.

Sergio Ramos had a penalty saved by a keeper who seemed closer to the spot than his goal by the time it was taken but it could be argued that this made up for the weak decision to give the penalty in the first place - David Silva falling over after the slightest of contacts with a Croatian defender.

Jimmy Somerville lookalike Ivan Perisic scored the deserved winner right at the end after another one of his frighteningly quick runs. A slight deflection was enough to put De Gea off balance and beat the Spanish keeper at his near post. Croatia now have a far easier route to the final leaving neutrals salivating at the prospect of Spain v Italy on Monday.

Turkey confounded expectations in the other Group D match and beat the Czechs to keep their faint hopes of going through alive. Young Turkish sensation Emre Mor put over the cross for Yilmaz to score the opener after only ten minutes. Emre Mor has been excitedly talked about during this tournament but hasn't really shown the flair that has persuaded Borussia Dortmund to take a chance on the Danish-born attacker.

Ozan Tufan scored the second to punish the Czech's ageing side and give Turkey a glimmer of hope about going through to the next round. Neither of these sides have impressed in any of the group matches and after less than stellar qualification campaigns to get to France both countries will be hoping that an influx of youth will change their fortunes going into the World Cup qualifiers.

Other things I noticed...

• I'm a big fan of Ukraine striker Roman Zozulya's denial of hair loss (see below)
• In further hair news, Turkish goal scorer was given a really hard time for seemingly fixing his hair rather than block Midric's wonder strike in the first game so it was nice to see him score yesterday
• I never really rated him that much when he played in England but Vedran Corluka has been outstanding in France - even with his many hat changes
• It pains me to say it but I really liked the Spain kit. Even if it was described by some as looking as if someone had dropped a paella on their shirts
• Spanish boss Vincente del Bosque was visibly sweating at the end of the match last night. It may well have been the Bordeaux humidity but the idea of facing Italy in the next round can't have helped

Today's matches finish off the group stage with a lot still to be decided. What will happen in Group F is anyone's guess but surely Ronaldo will be able to find his shooting boots at last to help Portugal beat Hungary. A victory could well put them top of the group where they might face Belgium. I'm going for 2-0.

Iceland play Austria knowing a win will put them through. An Austrian victory would see them progress, so it really is all to play for. I've really enjoyed watching Iceland but think the Austrians will finally live up to a fraction of their pre-tournament hype and get the result they need to qualify for the next round. Austria to squeeze a 2-1 win.

Italy should be far too good for what has been a very ordinary Republic of Ireland side. The Azzurri beat Sweden without looking anywhere near as good as they did in their opener against Belgium but I can't see Ireland troubling them - 2-0 Italy.

Zlatan will be hoping he can lead his side into the next round with a victory against Belgium in Nice. The Belgians have flattered to deceive once again but should take all three points here - 1-0.

Day Eleven in France

Oh, to be in Toulouse last night! Wales crushed Russia with a performance that must rank with the very best this tournament has seen so far. The victory meant Wales topped the group as England could not break down a Slovakian defence intent on getting a point that should take them through as well.

Everything went right for Wales against Russia. Gareth Bale had easily his best game so far thanks to a Russian team who offered little and didn't seem to be able to cope with him running at them. Alongside Bale, Aaron Ramsey - arguably Wales' best player so far - ran the show alongside Joe Allen and it was those two who linked up for the first goal after only ten minutes.

Allen spotted the early run by Ramsey and split the accommodating Russian defence with an inch perfect pass. Ramsey coolly lifted it over the advancing keeper and Welsh nerves began to abate.

Ten minutes later a powerful run from Bale was only stopped by a Russian boot inadvertently playing Neil Taylor through on the left hand side. The Swansea defender took two attempts to score his first ever goal for Wales and Russia looked dead on their feet.

As well as Wales played, Russia were awful. Their centre back pairing had a combined age of 70 but the way they played you wouldn't have been surprised if you were told that was their individual age. Wales could have been four or five up by half time and were playing some lovely football cheered on by a noisy and exuberant crowd.

Bale finally got the goal he deserved with just over 20 minutes to go when Ramsey once again split the Russian defence before the Real Madrid man stuck it past Akinfeev with the outside of his left boot.

Wales will now play one of the best third place sides and will be hoping that the tournament's top goal scorer - Gareth Bale - will continue his goal a game form to take them even further in the competition.

Roy Hodgson made a whole host of changes for the match against Slovakia and although some of them had been called for - Vardy and Sturridge playing from the start - it was a strange decision to upset the cohesion in the team however admirable the belief in his squad was.

Both full backs were replaced with Clyne and Bertrand starting. Clyne looked very good and he is only unlucky that Kyle Walker has had such as good tournament so far or he could well be expecting to play in the next game.

Obviously I can only judge the England performance from the highlights but their finishing really let them down - especially from Vardy and Sturridge. With Slovakia content to defend for the first half, England found it hard to get clear shots on goal but the chances that did come their way were wasted.

The second half saw Slovakia come out a little bit more but it was still largely one way traffic. Vardy seemed to disappear as the game went on and Slovakia could have picked up a very unlikely victory had Hamsik made more of Smalling's error when heading it back to his keeper.

A 0-0 draw was met with a few boos at the end of the match but England still go through to the next round unbeaten. This is a better squad than they have had in a while but Hodgson seems unsure who to play and where to play them. They now have a week's rest before their second round match so maybe he can work it out on the training ground between now and then.

Other things I noticed yesterday...

• Sam Vokes played really well, occupying the Russian defenders to give Bale space to run with the ball. He should probably start in front of Robson-Kanu or Johnny Williams in the next game
• Igor Akinfeev seemed to be the only one to go over to the Russian fans at the end of the game. By the look of it they were telling him exactly what they thought of the side's abject performance
• England have the expanded tournament format to thank for their next fixture. Although by finishing second they would have qualified even if there was only 16 teams, they would have previously faced a group winner. Now they get a fellow runner up (although it could well be Portugal)
• A plea to all English TV reporters: Please, please, please stop interviewing Eric Dier. He may well be having a pretty good tournament but he rivals Michael Owen for the mantle of most boring man ever

A plethora of matches today as both Group C and D come to a close. Poland have been disappointing so far but if Milik continues to get in the right positions he must find his shooting boots soon. It could be today and I'll go for 2-0 against Ukraine.

Northern Ireland could go through even if they lose today, which is good as they are playing Germany. The Germans failed to kick on from their opening match win but should be too good today - I'm going for 3-1.

Croatia will be thinking that they will need something from their game against Spain to make sure of at least second place in the group. They are both already through but it will be interesting to see how Croatia react to the crowd-related incidents of their last match. Spain, without being back to their world beating best have looked comfortable so far but I think it will finish 0-0.

Turkey have looked woeful in both matches with a real lack of invention or innovation. The Czech Republic will be buoyed by their comeback against Croatia and I can see them winning easily today - 2-0.

Day Seven in France

It was so close for Wales. They almost got the point that would have guaranteed qualification for the next round. But an injury time winner from Sturridge gave England the win they deserved.

Choosing to start with the same eleven, Roy Hodgson was made to pay for his conservatism with Harry Kane - and Raheem Sterling in particular - not performing and then Gareth Bale firing in a free kick from 36 yards to put Wales one up just before half time.

Wales had started nervously but had settled in to their game of stifling the English attack without showing too much of their own. Aaron Ramsey really shone in a side that looked like they were a little bit overawed by the occasion early on.

Joe Hart should have kept out Bale's free kick as he got across to the ball in time but only parried it into the inside of the net. Against the run of play maybe, but England had not really looked like capitalising on their dominance and that was mainly due to an insipid front line.

Vardy and Sturridge came on for the second half and instantly changed the look of the game. Wales were looking worried again and as the half went on offered less and less in the way of attack. Speaking as a Wales fan, the sight of Vardy and Sturridge - along with the later introduction of Rashford - was a far more worrying site than the eleven that started the game.

If any team was going to grab a winner it was going to be England and Sturridge broke Welsh hearts right at the death after waiting perfectly for the possibility of a one two on the edge of the box and then poking it past the prone Gunter and Hennessey.

A real kick in the teeth for Wales then, but they know that a result against Russia on Monday will put them through to the knockout stage and that is definitely possible given their displays so far. England looked much better with Roy's second choice strikers so it will be interesting to see what he does from now on. I think Vardy is still better used as an impact sub but Sturridge should start instead of the woeful Sterling.

After all that excitement Northern Ireland needed to change a lot of things from their first match if they wanted to get anything out of their game with Ukraine. I thought Ukraine got their tactics just right against Germany but were still not strong enough so I expected them to be able to power past Northern Ireland.

Michael O'Neill made five changes to the starting line up though and his spirit of adventure certainly paid off. In sometimes torrential rain Northern Ireland looked a million miles better than they had against Poland and deservedly took the lead just after half time. A beautifully weighted free kick from the left was met by West Brom's Gareth McAuley who steered his header past the Ukraine keeper.

Although Ukraine started to attack after going one down they showed that they didn't have much about them except the defensive tactics that almost worked against Germany. Northern Ireland looked very good on the attack and Jamie Ward in particular was really worrying the Ukraine defence down the right hand side.

But it was Ward's replacement, Niall McGinn who put the game beyond doubt in injury time, tapping it in after some good work down the right wing and a shot from captain Steven Davis was saved. Northern Ireland completely deserved the win and Ukraine find themselves with no chance of getting through to the next stage.

Germany v Poland was expected to be a really fiery encounter but both sides offered little and eventually played out a largely boring 0-0 draw. Poland will be the happiest with the result and it seemed like that they went out with the sole intention of grabbing a point.

I expected Germany to push on from their late victory against Ukraine and look to show their championship winning credentials, but they created little insight and Mario Gotze up front again failed to perform. Gomez was given his chance later on but never really looked like troubling the Polish defence.

Poland's Arkadiusz Milik missed the best opportunity of the night by electing to head from two yards out - and sending it past the post - when he could have simply tapped it in. But even with Toni Kroos bossing the midfield, Germany lacked a final ball that could open up the game.

Other things I noticed...

• Ukraine's lanky striker Yevhen Seleznyov looks like he has stepped right off the Amish settlement to play for his team (see below)
• The BBC provided us with Robbie Savage and Martin Keown as co-commentators for the England v Wales game. Thanks BBC, but you really shouldn't have
• Although it would have been unlucky for England, I thought for a second that Gareth Bale had met his last gasp header perfectly. Worrying for England that they gave him a free header much like the one that led to the Russian goal though
• Although he again got into a lot of good positions, Poland's Milik did make you wonder how good strikers in the Dutch Eredivisie really are
• Dan Walker's presentation skills consist of at least 87% statistics

Three good looking games today. Italy can show that they are a possible eventual winner when they take on Zlatan's Sweden in the early game. I don't expect Italy to be quite as dominant as they were against Belgium but still should come away with the victory. I reckon 2-1 (with Zlatan popping up for the Swedes).

Another one of the more impressive sides from the first round of matches, Croatia take on the Czech Republic in Saint-Etienne and should be too strong for them. This group is going more to the script than some of the others and although initially I thought that the Czechs might be able to do something at this tournament I'm not sure now that's the case. I'm going for Croatia 1 Czech Republic 0.

Spain take on Turkey in the evening match and even without looking like world beaters in their first match they should be too strong for a spirited but ultimately limited Turkey side. It will be interesting to see if Morata has a good game and lives up to his transfer rumour talk but overall Spain should come away winners 1-0.

Day Three in France

Three days in and we're getting through the games now. Although we have seen some impressive performances, no one side has really stood out yet so it will be interesting to see if that caginess continues, or whether one nation will really shine over the next few days.

Yesterday's games saw one of the favourites and one many people's dark horses ultimately both get their expected three points. Neither Germany nor Croatia were completely convincing in their victories but a win is a win and it will be very surprising if either side don't progress to the next round.

I was probably expecting too much from the Croatia v Turkey match although it was in no way an uninteresting game. Luka Modric's wonderful volleyed goal separated the sides in the end but if Rakitic had coolly slotted home instead of falling over after a mazey dribble that took him from the halfway line to the Turkish penalty box, then we really would have had one for the highlight package.

Northern Ireland were steamrolled by Poland but still only lost 1-0 which will give them a bit of confidence going into their second match against Ukraine. Ajax striker Arkadiusz Milik scored the goal but with 18 shots compared to Northern Ireland's two they will feel they should have boosted their goal difference a little more.

It was dress down Sunday for Joachim Low and his team as they watched Germany buck the trend of the day and win by two clear goals. But we had to wait until injury time for Schweinsteiger to add to Mustafi's first half header. Ukraine played well in patches, although it is fair to say that they will be looking at the other two games for points in this group.

Other things I noticed yesterday...

• Taking the practise to the extreme, Turkey's Arda Turan covered his mouth to talk to the Croatian captain as they walked out onto the pitch. Not exactly sure why footballers think they're minor Goodfellas characters but this is the first time I've witnessed it between opposing players
• Jerome Boateng's goal line clearance was even better than Ben Davies' for Wales the other day. The way he re-arranged his feet to get the ball away at the same time as falling backwards was simply outstanding
• Northern Ireland's Jonny Evans looks like an angry player and spent most of the match kicking the over-acting Robert Lewandowski. He plays like English players did abefore they worked out the nuances of the European game - and I'm all for it!
• I was surprised to see that Verdan Corluka is still playing for Croatia. And I was even more surprised when I checked and saw that he is only 30. Nice to see he is planning for life after football by introducing his new range of hats during yesterday's match though

We have some really interesting matches today. First up is Spain v Czech Republic. I don't think Spain are anywhere near where they were a few years ago, although the exclusion of Costa from the squad will benefit them. I fancy a 'shock' 1-0 win for the Czechs though.

Ireland kick off their campaign against Sweden in the early evening match and although I'm sure Paris will be a sea of green I think Zlatan will power Sweden to victory. I'm going for 2-0.

The final game of the day should be a feast of football with Belgium taking on Italy. Will the much vaunted Belgian side show why they are many people's favourites? Or will the Juventus Italy defence keep them out? I expect both of these sides to ultimately go through but Belgium to have too much for Italy today - 1-0.

As you will no doubt be aware yesterday saw my first correct score prediction come true with Germany winning 2-0 against Ukraine. I, of course, fully expect all today's predictions to follow suit.

European Championship Day Two

Where to begin? After 58 years Wales finally played again in a major international tournament and everything went just perfectly - kind of.

The level of nervous excitement in our house was off the scale but after Ben Davies had made a wondrous clearance to deny Hamsik, Gareth Bale benefited from some questionable goalkeeping to put Wales ahead. Bale actually didn't have the greatest of games but Wales proved that they are not a one man team but a side with amazing team spirit with the bonus of a football superstar who causes fear in opposing sides.

England, on the other hand, played well (athough nowhere near as well as ITV and Clive Tyldesley was making out) and were unlucky not to come away with three points. Obviously events off the field have dominated the news reports but on a purely football note, England should still get out of this group. I don't think Russia will.

The early game saw one of my dark horses fail to look anywhere near as good as I had predicted. Albania looked devoid of ideas apart from lumping it forward and although Switzerland hardly impressed either their early goal was enough for the win.

Here's some other things I noticed yesterday...

• Switzerland's Johan Djourou has a permanently haunted face (possibly from spending so much time at Arsenal?)
• Skrtel's elbow in Williams' face was disgusting. Have any of those extra officials ever made a decision in any game?
• Is Peter Crouch now part of a Bee Gees tribute act? Those teeth!
• Although it got lost in the events surrounding the match, Clive Tyldesley's "Justice for the England eleven" comment after the goal was amazingly crass - even for him and ITV

As for today's matches, I've got a feeling that Turkey v Croatia will be an absolute cracker. I'm not entirely convinced by Croatia but I think they will have just too much for Turkey. I'm going for a 2-1 Croatia win.

Northern Ireland qualifying was incredible in itself but I think they will have a really tough game against Poland today. Robert Lewandowski will be expecting to get some goals - and I think he will. I'm going for Poland 3 Northern Ireland 0.

The final match of the day is our first chance to see if Germany are going to live up to the pre-tournament hype. I don't expect Ukraine to put up much of a fight though. Germany to win 2-0.

It must be said that I have not got one of my score predictions right so far. Maybe today?