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 Ten in France

The final round of matches in the group stage have begun. France and Switzerland shared the points to safely put them both through while Albania beat Romania to give themselves a slim chance of progressing.

Unlike Lineker, Shearer and Henry I thought the France v Switzerland match was pretty good. Maybe they were disappointed with the lack of French flare on display but that was mainly down to the Swiss performance (their best so far) as well as Deschamps resting some key players, notably Dimitri Payet.

Switzerland also made a few changes and although there was a worry that both sides would grind out the draw that would take them both through this wasn't your typical no score bore draw. Xherdan Shaqiri was more involved than he had been in the previous two matches and the Swiss team as a whole looked much more up for it than they had against either Albania or Romania.

Payet did come on in the second half and almost scored what would have been the goal of the tournament. Moussa Sissoko took off deep in his own half and left the Swiss defence in his wake as he sprinted off down the right before floating in an inch perfect cross for Payet. The darling of the French fans met the ball on the volley but the crossbar denied him the perfect finish to the move.

The other game in the group saw Albania not only score their first ever goal at a major international tournament, but pick up their first points and win as well as they beat Romania 1-0. To the delight of their fans Armando Sadiku expertly headed past the Romanian keeper to make history just before half time.

Although Romania started quite positively and had a few chances, including one that cannoned off the crossbar, they could not make their possession tell and Albania deservedly took the three points.

The goal was met with jubilant scenes in the stadium, none more so than by the Albania team and officials themselves. The outpouring of emotion was a joy to see and showed exactly what it meant to everyone involved.

Albania will now have to wait to see how the other groups finish before they find out if their victory is enough to squeeze them into the second round as one of the best third place sides. Maybe my pre-tournament prediction of Albania qualifying will come true after all!

Other things I noticed yesterday...

• As poor as the pitch in Lille was for France and Switzerland, it is hard to be too sympathetic about the players not being able to perform on anything less than a carpet. Maybe they should look into wearing the right kind of boots?
• Switzerland need to have a word with Puma about their kit. If their shirts can't take a little bit of holding then they are not fit for purpose in today's football world
• I'm still not a fan of 24 teams but it does mean that we don't have many meaningless matches at the end of the group stage

And so to today's games. Wales take on Russia knowing that a point should be enough to put them through to the next round. The Russians have been their usual enigmatic selves, popping up to score right at the death against England while looking completely outclassed by Slovakia days later. I can see Russia frustrating Wales tonight but Bale only needs a free kick relatively near the box to carry on his run of goals - I'm going for a 1-1 draw.

After the 'crisis' of drawing against Russia in their first game England looked fairly comfortable against Wales - especially when they brought on Vardy, Sturridge and Rashford. It will be interesting to see which of those start against Slovakia tonight but whatever team Hodgson puts out should have too much for their opponents. England to win 2-0.

Day Six in France

With only eight nations leaving after the group stage there is a good chance that a side could lose its first two matches and still go on to qualify. So the desperation wasn't quite kicking in yet for teams like Slovakia but they knew that a win for them against Russia would really open up the group. And win they did.

Russia looked completely uninterested until the last 15 minutes and thoroughly deserved to lose against a Slovakian side led by their Napoli superstar Marek Hamsik. He made the most of some really lazy defending to score Slovakia's second with a beautiful shot that went in off the post (goals always look better if they go in off the woodwork). Earlier former Manchester City neck tattoo fan Vladimir Weiss had used the Russian defenders ability to turn as quick as an oil tanker to put Slovakia one up.

Russia came back into the match towards the end but it was far too late to get anything from this match. But even with just one point from two games, they still have a chance of qualifying for the knock out rounds so their match against Wales in Toulouse on Monday will be vital for them.

Romania, the only team to get a penalty in the first round of matches, got another one against Switzerland which Stancu put away to give them the lead. But this match was all about Switzerland. I didn't see all of the game but they certainly seemed to be on top for most of the match and were probably unlucky to only come away with a draw after Mehmedi scored just before he was about to be substituted. 

A win would have put the Swiss through to the last 16 but they will now play France at the weekend knowing that a draw will do the job. Even a defeat to the host nation may not mean an early departure depending on other results.

France left it very late once again to get their second win of the tournament and qualify for the next round. Griezmann and Pogba were both left on the bench by Deschamps as he tried Martial and Coman up front in the first half. To give the French boss some credit he soon realised that plan A wasn't working. Pogba replaced Martial at half tie and Griezmann came on for Coman with around 20 minutes to go.

And it was Griezmann who headed home in the final minute to deflate an Albanian side who, although looking very limited, did give it a go - especially in the second half. Dimitri Payet added a second in injury time and French nerves were eased. Payet is looking like the player of the tournament so far and although Kingsley Coman's skill was a treat to watch, there was a real buzz of excitement every time Payet got the ball. I really don't see him at West Ham next season.

Other things I noticed yesterday...

• I was able to watch the Russia v Slovakia match at the place I was working yesterday but when I heard that Mark Lawrenson was the co-commentator I decided not to use my headphones. Judging from comments from others I chose wisely
• By the look of the fans, body building is VERY popular in eastern Europe
• Russian coach Leonid Slutsky looked like he knew exactly what fate lies in store for him when he returns to Moscow. He doesn't look too happy (see below)
• The Velodrome ground in Marseille looks absolutely amazing
• Hoddle's expert knowledge really shone through once again. After the Albanians hit the post he offered "If it's inside the post, it's in". Thanks Glenn
• Although he was a late replacement, French central defender Adil Rami had another good game and was the one who put the cross in for the first goal last night
• I really don't know why Switzerland don't start with Breel Embolo. He looks really dangerous whenever he is given the chance

And so to today's matches. With the British media probably unhelpfully referring to the game as 'The Battle of Britain, Wales take on England knowing that a point will probably be enough to go through and that the pressure is really on Roy Hodgson's men. I'm torn to whether it will be a draw or a narrow English win. I'll go with head instead of heart and say 1-0 England (hoping that my predicting form continues and Wales actually win).

Ukraine v Northern Ireland is the early evening match and it is hard to see anything other than a Ukraine victory. I thought they got their tactics right against Germany and will be looking at this game as a must win. Northern Ireland need to change the way they play if they are to get anything from this and I think it might be just too much for them. I'm going for Ukraine 2 Northern Ireland 1.

Another local derby tonight with Germany taking on Poland. This could be a really good game with both sides knowing that a win will put them through. Lewandowski needs to be more involved in this match than he was against Northern Ireland if Poland are to win. Even though they didn't look flawless in the first match I was impressed by Germany's performance and a continuation of that form will be enough to get them the win - 2-0 again.

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?

And We're Off

Patrice Evra is 35. We know he is 35 because the commentator for the France v Romania match told us he was 35 repeatedly. This is important, as if you were to guess his age on last night's performance you would probably go for something a little nearer 135.

Evra was beaten time and time again by the right side of Romania's attack and looked a liability all night - including the moment when he forgot he wasn't playing for Juventus and gave away the penalty that Romania scored to draw level.

And it was the defence that looked the weak link last night for the ultimately victorious French. Pogba was doing his thing, splitting the Romanian side with his inch perfect passes, until he was taken off - and Payet showed once again why it would not be a surprise if he moved to a club playing in the Champions League next season.

Romania were unlucky to not come away with a point but Payet's moment of brilliance means that, with only eight nations not qualifying for the knockout phase, France are already as good as through.

A few other things to mention from last night's opening match:

• Slaven Bilic's hair kind of freaked me out but he was a great pundit - ITV need all the help they can get on that front
• The white strands in Emmanuel Petit's beard are the only signs that he has aged in the last 20 years
• I need to find out where you can buy a Romania tracksuit top

And now to today's matches...

Albania v Switzerland: Those of you who read my preview the other day will know that I think Albania could surprise a few people in this tournament. Switzerland are a good side but have been going through a bit of a bad patch so I'm going for a 1-1 draw

Wales v Slovakia: A moment I wasn't sure I would ever see - Wales playing in a major international tournament. Obviously Gareth Bale is the key here as the rest of the team always visibly raise their game when he is on form. As much as I would love a win for Wales I think this one may be a 1-1 draw as well.

England v Russia: England look worryingly good - although there is still plenty of time for them to implode spectacularly of course. The combination of Dele Alli and Harry Kane is a revelation for Roy Hodgson's side and if they play Vardy as an impact super sub, England should win this fairly comfortably. I'm going for 2-0.

So three games in a day - this is what international competitions are all about! Come back here tomorrow when I'll carry out the post-mortem on today's games.