Euro 2024 (football/soccer)

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Spain are pummelling Croatia right now but their backline is a sieve. Can't see them winning the tournament, but they have amazing talent. Lamine Yamal was involved in two of the goals, and he only turns 17 next month.

Copa America starts next week too, I can see it being very entertaining.

We should discuss the soccer player gay rumors in this thread. Sometimes I think the goalkeeper from Germany is gay. Who else? There is a lot of bearding and PR children going on here too. On LSA someone once said that in the NFL, only the guys who pretend to be married and have kids get the big brand deals. I don't think it's different with the soccer stars.

[quote]Albanian fans snapped spaghetti in front of Italian fans ahead of the Italy-Albania Euro 2024 match.

I like the Italian boy on his knees pleading for the pasta.

Someone I work with thinks Manuel Neuer (German goalkeeper) is gay. I can see it.

The Scots were just happy to qualify, they're pretty mid. They can take solace in the fact that they're much hotter than the German team.

I get zero gay vibes from Neuer.

Does anyone on Team Scotland need a hug? I'm willing to help out.

Scotland will rebound against Switzerland, never fear.

[quote]On LSA someone once said that in the NFL, only the guys who pretend to be married and have kids get the big brand deals. I don't think it's different with the soccer stars.

True, though it's also possible to be high profile and yet keep their relationships quiet for whatever reason. Mbappe for most part has managed this - though it'll be interesting to see how he does at Real Madrid - and Jules Kounde is another who comes to mind. Ronaldo didn't seem to care much until certain stories started emerging - see below - and he suddenly hooked up with his current girlfriend. By the way, he got a lot of homophobic abuse from the Spanish crowds about that time.

Dear Kieran Tierney: Please untuck your jersey, you big dork. I would be happy to help.

R9, Ronaldo has managed to avoid marriage. I think European footballers are allowed to be more like rockstars and less like “role models.”

CRISTINA Ronaldo was called gay by KOKE in 2016. Later he was accused of rape by a woman. It was later claimed to be a false accusation. I think this was a PR move because a false rape allegation from a woman implies he is hetero which is less career damaging than coming out as gay.

From the article I linked:

Spanish radio station Cadena COPE claims to have overheard a conversation between Ronaldo and his teammates in the locker room after the match. Cadena COPE is one of the most popular radio stations in Spain.

According do Cadena COPE, Ronaldo told teammates that Koke called him a “faggot” on the pitch, and that is what sparked the confrontation. He allegedly told his teammates that responded to Koke, “a faggot, yes. But a rich one.” You can see Cadena COPE’s full account of the conversation at The Sun.

To be clear, Ronaldo did not seem to be making these comments with any intention that they would be broadcast publicly. Rather, he was talking with his teammates in a manner that clearly wasn’t intended to be digested publicly. Cadena COPE decided to share the story publicly, so here we are.

No-one claimed that the rape accusation was false aside from Ronaldo's legal team. The accuser still maintains his guilt. However, that's all been discussed in other threads.

Scotland were worse than Wales in the World Cup which was saying something. Dreadful performance. What was worse was the Scottish nationalist politicians flocking over there and wearing the most hideous unflattering gear for election material. Except Humza Yousaf of course who missed the match so he could attend a Palestine rally.

Germany played really well and it's always nice to support nations with English players in the teams.

Thomas Müller is English? He has a long nose...

Albania the best-looking team? I didn't spot any uggos in the starting line-up.

[quote]Thomas Müller is English? He has a long nose...

Jamal Musiala, scorer of the second goal has English (British) citizenship on account of being born in Germany but growing up in London with a British Nigerian father and German mother. He played for England's youth teams and was part of the Chelsea Academy but switched to Germany at 17after he signed for Bayern Munich.

Just watching Christian Eriksen and thinking was it really 3 years ago he collapsed on the pitch and the match ended and then he scored.

A bigger comeback than either Jesus or Valerie Cherish.

Kaspar Schmeichel is one of the most attractive footballers in the tournament. Hard to believe he's now 37 and gets better with age.

R18 Strange, Eriksen already looks 42. Is he a drug lord?

As much as I want England to win I fucking hate the fans. Just shut the fuck up and let the other team enjoy their anthem.

R20 Oh yes, they are so rude.

R21 - The cunt who tweeted the above didn't bother to delete the false claim but added an "update" saying "UPDATE: The initial reports from the Guardian were that English fans attacked the Serb fans, but according to Sky Sports News now, German police stated that it was actually Albanian fans that attacked the Serbs and they don’t believe English fans were involved."

Everyone at home is celebrating our boys now because they didn't get curbstomped by those imposing Vikings. 😊

HEY JUDE!

Every time Jude scores I'm going to post the underwear video.

Joe Hart is pitchside for the BBC.

Bored now

R25 does he still have crust on his chest and around his navel?

Asking for a friend…

“Lance looked like the cat with the cream to be up close and personal with a hunk lusted after by the gay community.” The footballer recently became a father, although he raised eyebrows by opting to have the child, also named Cristiano, with a surrogate mother. The child is said to be in Portugal being cared for by Ronaldo’s family. Ronaldo’s love of fashion, accessories and grooming has made him the subject of gay rumours in the past and he has been voted a gay icon by several publications.

INTERESTING.

Doesn't look good for England if that's all they could manage against Serbia.

[quote] Doesn't look good for England if that's all they could manage against Serbia.

England weren’t as good as Germany but Serbia weren’t as awful as Scotland.

After the Denmark Slovenia draw England will be very happy with the result.

Serbia?!

I'm hoping Kaspar Schmeichel takes over his dad's commentary slot once he (Kaspar) retires. He's fiiiine... Looking forward to DK-GB on Thursday.

Mbappe might have a broken nose... looks nasty.

He nasteeé

Why the yellow card on the injured Mbappe after he stumbled back onto the pitch?

My, that was some match!

R31 Serbian football team are not as good as Novaxx. Not even closely.

I didn't see what happened but I think although the game was stopped when Mbappe was injured, the referee didn't allow France to make their substitutions. Mbappe went back on the field to force the issue, otherwise they would be playing with 10 men until the next break in play.

The referee is Gil Manzano, one of La Liga's finest.

Thanks, R37. So selfless captaining on Mbappe's part in the face of personal pain; team first.

R36 is… is! Not are….

In British English, words like "family" or "team" take a plural verb, R39.

Shame about Mbappe, he's breathtaking to watch on the field. Hopefully they'll be able to get back in shape for the knock-out phase.

R3 For me, the biggest closet cases right now at the Euros are Benjamin Pavard (France) and Rúben Dias (Portugal).

No shits—it were a joke.

I always forget how much I hate Portugal. How is that cunt Pepe still playing? He must be about 50 now, the dirty cheating cunt.

Could not agree more. Pepe is history's greatest monster.

Who the fuck is Czechia?????

Jesus, warn a fellow when you change your countrys’ name 🙄🙄🙄

There used to be Czechoslovakia up to 1992

Then there was Slovakia (not to be confused with Slovenia) and the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic became Czechia (not to be confused with Chechnya) in 2016.

I remember when Brazil won the world cup in 2002, one of the players danced naked in the shower and the penis went up and down and it was filmed on international tv. Does someone have the clip?

Offside, Analdo!

giggles

Yeah, still hate those Portuguese cunts.

Thanks, R46.

Suck it, Portugal haters.

Which cock is bigger? Czech or Polish?

R49 fuck off

R51 The Poles' pole, of course.

So, I am an American, big sports fan - football, basketball, baseball. I have only in the last couple decades followed soccer more closely. Yeah, decades blah blah... So you who were raised in the game and understand it technically.... why does England ALWAYS shit the bed, underperform, look bad. Is it just high expectations - all their players names in the EPL - and they really aren't that good. Teach me.

They’re English… duh

Yeah, all the huge stars that play in the Premier League and hence make those teams great are players from other countries.

The English are big on tradition, and shitting the bed in tournaments is one of them. Also, their manager is a numpty.

English managers historically aren't the greatest. There are reports that the FA may change direction and go for someone like Pep Guardiola to replace Southgate. Whether he'll want to or not remains to be seen.

I hope not, I'd hate for England to be in competent hands! #SouthgateIn

The English tend to be overly optimistic about sport with all the ‘It’s coming home’ and ‘Sweet Caroline’ shit. The English team are oversold, so they naturally always underdeliver with all the pressurised high expectations. It’s a self inflicted curse.

[quote] The English tend to be overly optimistic about sport with all the ‘It’s coming home’ and ‘Sweet Caroline’ shit. The English team are oversold, so they naturally always underdeliver with all the pressurised high expectations. It’s a self inflicted curse.

You don’t understand Three Lions do you?

R60 Explain it.

Yay, Germany. They're not looking terribly impressive, but they're through the group now and we'll see how they do when shit gets real.

I'm regretting not having bought a pink/purple away shirt. The long arm ones are sold out.

[quote][R60] Explain it.

Three Lions is about hope, not expectation. It's about the expectation of being disappointed.

[quote]Everyone seems to know the score, They've seen it all before, They just know, they're so sure That England's gonna throw it away, gonna blow it away

And when it was recorded and released in 1996 Football was literally coming home - England was hosting the Euros, the first major tournament in 30 years - remember the "30 years of hurt never stopped us dreaming" line?

TL;DR it’s the same issue as British tennis players at Wimbledon. Flop city 9/10 times.

1-0 to Scotland! An own goal, but we'll take it!

If our opponents want to be generous, it would be churlish to complain!

I wish Clarke would give Shankland more than four minutes.

Look who turned up.

There are thousands of people who have shared pics of Gadd at the match and influencers are still trying "Look who I saw at the match" with a pic clearly taken from the tv. Fucking idiots.

The Princess of Wales, to support the nation where she went to uni? She doesn’t look to well …

too*

It was a valid goal.

I'm concerned with the lack of pictures in this thread.

The England Denmark match is very cagey and therefore very dull but I can't remember the last time I saw such a dreadful pitch.

Dreadful match, I had to put the tv on mute as I couldn't stand Alan Shearer's moaning.

Horrible atmosphere, dreadful pitch, no energy. 4 points though.

England's performance looked even worse compared to what Spain did against Italy.

But it's a tournament, let's see how things look in the knock-out phase.

France are looking quite shaky without Mbappe.

OMG Scotland are shocking 🙈 When we get the ball, it's like we don't even know what to do with it.

Quite funny it was an Argentinian referee who ignored an obvious penalty for Scotland.

Looking for positives at least Scotland managed to score a goal. Many teams go to a major championship and never get to score.

R88 that’s why you’re still not independent

R78^^

Too many white players in Scotland’s team

BBC interviewing Scotland's goalkeeper who looks like he wants to cry. He played for England until last year.

No Copa America thread?

USA v Bolivia at 6pm ET

I think Thomas Müller is cute. He once called himself a unicorn because of his long nose. He looks like Macron. Macron secretly likes men... does that mean??? Müller has been married for ages to his equestrian wife but no children in sight. A smart vasectomy or other interests...? Does someone know more?

He seems to treat his animals as his children. Müller seems like a happy person, I don't get the desperation you feel from some possibly closeted sportsmen in the public eye. That said, I have no real idea if there's ever been any gossip or not.

USA vs Bolivia is dull.

R87 Pulisic's first goal was beautiful. Bolivia isn't very good, but it's not really "dull"...

Maybe "predictable" is more my meaning - all Bolivia are able to do is break up play and try to frustrate their opponents. I enjoyed the Ecuador/Venezuela game because it was closer and more chaotic.

[quote]Looking for positives at least Scotland managed to score a goal.

Did they? Or did they only get own goals?

Honestly, I don't want Germany to win the tournament. But not because they're the host nation, it's because I can't stand that miserable, hypocrite closet-case of Manuel Neuer.

Scottish nationalist twitter have gone absolutely mental today.

Most of the anger directed at the BBC coverage including targeting Gabby Logan for referring to the Scotland team as ‘they’ rather than ‘we’ - she is Welsh and married to Scottish rugby player Kenny Logan. Their son plays rugby for England.

And this Scottish politician has created a Palestine Scottish hybrid flag to wave on the boys.

A totally deranged nationalist movement, just like Orban’s Hungary.

The things people want to get upset about...

Btw I started a Copa America thread for anyone who wants to discuss those athletic latino men.

Ecuador's Antonio Valencia was always soooo fuckable. Now he looks like a roided muscle queen. I still would, obs.

International football star or TimTales exclusive?

The fans at the Euros have been trouble-free and generally just having fun. It's a nice change from the last time.

Just you wait …AfD

Apart from the Albanian and Serbian gangs fighting there hasn't been any fan violence.

Thomas Müller is good fun, a quirky guy. Since he's Bavarian through and through, it's surprising he hasn't procreated yet.

Final post on Scotland. The first team to leave they got a good send off from their hosts.

I like Calafiori.

Fucking Italians just as bad as those Portuguese cunts

Wow. Italy score at the death.

damn!!! did you see that guy's penis? it was hard or semi hard, lying on the ground lol

that was an awesome goal at the last min!!!

I was just about to text my Italian friend not to be too sad....then they scored and now through to next round

[quote]damn!!! did you see that guy's penis? it was hard or semi hard, lying on the ground lol

This guy?

^sorry, that tweet just got deleted

yes LOL.

there was a guy sobbing like a baby too...

that was wild~

R105 I was in the barber’s chair—we both noticed, and he’s a straight Orthodox Jew.

That does bring joy ;)

the camera actually lingered for a long time!

I think that was the cute Calafiori that I mentioned before at R102

[quote]I think that was the cute Calafiori that I mentioned before at

It was!

Bastoni is a very good defender for Italy!

Germany, Spain, France and Portugal all in the top half of the draw. Four of the top 5 favourites.

COME ON ENGERLAND - if they finish top they'll be in the bottom half with the underdogs.

The Dutch manage only third in their group. For shame.

They will make it to the knockout stage, we know—but yeesh!

The France/Poland game was great!

The two best from each team scored penalty kicks.

I just want to see England take the handbreak off and PLAY

Btw. has the DL's Grealish fraulein gone missing?

Grealish wasn’t selected for the team

But where is the freulein?

Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg. Munich…take your pick.

It was quite nice seeing Slovenia celebrating a dull no score draw as it meant they get to the knockout stages.

R124, as one commentator said, England dragged Slovenia down to their level. But it was good to see the Slovenians happy after the match. Someone got something out of it.

England is so incredibly boring.

No shit Sherlock

Yeah, the free kicks were awful

I was so bored watching England today

Every time Ronaldo rages, an angel gets its wings.

I felt so sad for Ukraine earlier. Belgium were worse than England.

The 8 QF matches don't look especially appealing and based on the group stages who knows what will happen when extra time and penalties will come in to play.

Spain v Georgia vs Germany v Denmark

Portugal vs Slovenia vs France v Belgium

Romania vs Holland vs Austria vs Turkey

England vs Slovakia vs Switzerland vs Italy

So sorry for Czechs, referee is an idiot.

Great Georgia.

wow, this is nuts. can't believe Portugal is so badddd

Georgia ? Not MY Georgia! Damned Commies…

Watching Italy and Switzerland.... the "champs" are choking. But Lord, the shirtless Swiss fans in the stands.... fat, man boobs bouncing, drooping skin.... Swiss diet must be something special.

That’s what you call a Xhaka Attack

Yay! Switzerland.

Good for them.

Hopp Schwyz! Well done.

Now back to TV. Germany vs. Denmark.

Germans played great!

Argentina played great!! They will beat the Germans .... oh, wait.

I can’t watch England. I just can’t watch them.

I very much regret being too hungover to drink at the moment. Least Southgates getting sacked

england soooo badddd

Slovakia with one shot on target - the one they scored from - and England with no shots on target. Ridiculous game.

Correction - Slovakia now have two shots on target.

Ah, knew it. The ghost scores and England win on penalties.

Ah so they were just trying to build a powerful feeling of suspense all this time.

Never doubt Southgate the mastermind!

Oh well I was wrong, looks like it'll be won in extra time.

r151 Careful. Never doubt England's ability to tear defeat from the jaws of victory

Too bad, looks like the waistcoat will be sticking around for a while longer.

If I had to some up England's performance in this match

I love crazy-ass Jordan Pickford!

I was the one who said I couldn't watch. I went for a walk at 70 minutes and turned off my phone. Was back home for the last 5 minutes.

When this tournament finishes, whoever replaces Southgate, Declan Rice should be made captain.

And as many people have pointed out the England men's team have only ever won an international tournament when there was a Labour government. That happens on Friday and England's next match is Saturday.

r155 Him humping the grass in celebration at the end was certainly unexpected

That's not really saying much, r156, considering England have only ever won one international tournament ever.

R155 he humped the grass because he is not circumcised. Foreskinned glans has so much sensitivity that the grass can stimulate it.

Wow. The obituaries were written, but now they will have to wait.

To be fair I'm pretty sure the Swiss will roll us.

Well done Georgia.

Meanwhile Spain dominates with beautiful football and goes behind to an own goal. That's the Euros for you.

This is why Declan Rice should be captain

What an anxiety-ridden weekend for football and politics!

R157 I can smell Pickford from here.

England very, very lucky.

Georgia?? I didn't know they allowed US states to participate on this tournament

It's called Georgia Montenegroe and it's deemed racist because of its black mountain.

Mexico... ja ja ja ja ja! Oh, wait... (O, espera...)

I didn't bother with France Belgium and won't bother with Portugal featuring That Cunt Pepe vs Slovenia

The “powerhouse” France is through to the quarterfinals without scoring a goal from open play.

Slovenians are lookers and play good.

The Portuguese keeper has such a bossy bottom vibe about him

Slovenia have done well but I can't see Portugal not winning on penalties despite how good Oblak is.

Hate that cunt Ronaldo hate that cunt Pepe hate all of those Portuguese cunts

Portugal won!!! GK was awesome!!! man of the match!

R174, why ? did you bet on game and lost money?

I just hate Portugal. One of the most unpleasant cheating teams in Europe.

So we were sent packing home, but our boys made Ronaldo cry, which means it's a public holiday over here today. 😊

Truthfully, the team has no offensive game to speak of, so it's a surprise we made it as far as we did.

Misstiano Penaldo LOL

No upsets so far.

Hope Austria continue the run and beat those awful Turks.

R180 The way this year is going, a Turkish team winning the Euros would be interesting. Europe pushing back against immigrants? Ha, who is your champion now? Come on, say it, who's your daddy?? The brackets are set up so a Germany/Turkey final is possible. That would be fun.

R181 It would be the foreskinners vs the dry stumps

R182 What you talking about, Willis?

Well shit I liked the Austrians this tournament they were playing well.

Pulling for Switzerland and Turkiye. I'm so sick of the Usual WInners winning. At least Italy is out.

Spain might take it

We'll see how Spain do against Germany but they're a joy to watch. They just need their back line to be a bit more secure. It's a pity Pau Cubarsi wasn't selected but he's still very inexperienced.

So one hour until Germany vs. Spain. Probably 25 millions are watching on TV. They are playing in my hometown, Stuttgart. Any bets?

Is Suttgart full of muslims?

I'm betting Germany to win

What are all your predictions for the semis?

I’ll go with

Spain v Portugal

Netherlands v England

r189. Not more than in other cities. And no, there is no reason for racism.

R192 true because the German-Turkish muslims are of the caucasoid race like the Germans just without foreskin.

30 plus years into the experiment - the anonymity of the internet does more than expose racism, it grows it.

Spain is clearly the favorite in this game and in the tournament. It would be amusing to see England continue to "fail" in three more games and play horribly, below capacity, and win the whole thing. The English would celebrate and complain at the same time.

When Thomas Müller loses I would love to comfort him and massage his feet.

r193. There exists no different human races. Humans are a race, called Homo sapiens.

Kroos took Pedri out of the game. It just so happens that Spain have lost a lot of control in midfield now. No way that wasn't deliberate and not even a yellow given.

Lamine Yamal is very skilled... his passing has put Spain ahead. But I always hear the announcers calling him La Nina Mal.... always makes me laugh. "Bad girl!"

That's it for Spain, I think. Understandable taking off Yamal and Williams given what happened to Pedri, but there's little threat otherwise.

r199. Ahem, no 😀

What don't you agree with, R200?

R196 I ain't so sho 'bout that...

Justice for Pedri! Spain beats Germany.

Stupid yellow for Morata for overcelebrating, now they're short of several players in the next round.

I mean, it was stupid of him to get it. Also, if Ferran Torres had scored that 1 v 1 near the end, Carvajal wouldn't have needed to get a second yellow.

Watched the match with my tiny Dachshund pal whose mastery of German profanity never fails to amaze me. Eight pounds of fury!

Well that's what Germany gets for only showing pride in their country during soccer matches. Every other day of the year they are ashamed of themselves. That's why their players didn't have much power and moral.

Said footballing Dachshund absolutely despises Ronaldo, so I'm bracing myself for her Portuguese assault. Ear plugs and mezcal should help.

Looking forward to Ronaldo's breakdown if France win

Tomorrow is the game Netherlands versus this year's host Turkey. I think Turkey will win because they look more muscular.

The foul in the very last minute of Spain vs Germany was brutal. It also instantly killed all desire in me to be happy for Spain. My problem isn’t that Germany lost but that a team who played like old Yugoslavia won. I hope their next opponent wipes the floor with them.

Were the Spaniards cheating?

Germans threaten the referee. Nasty behavior!

There was an offside in the run-up to the handball incident, not sure if Taylor took that into account or judged the incident not to be a handball.

Spanish players are well known cheaters and scumbags. That's why I don't like to watch la Liga

Players who deliberately cause injuries are cheats and scumbags.

Can Portugal and France both lose, please?

R217 Quite apparently, not.

I though Portugal was the better team today.... but that's how the ball bounces. The chicken as a symbol of France was always weird to me... yeah, yeah gallo/Gaul etc.

I wonder if Le Pen and her reactionary crackpots are happy about a team almost 100% made up of African immigrants or their children.

I'm so glad Germany lost since I can't stand that hypocrite closet-case of Manuel Neuer.

Neuer should fucking retire.

Kroos apologised to Pedri for the tackle, so good for him.

I'm guessing 2-1 to Switzerland.

I hope England doesn't let me down.

why didn't they pick Jack Garlish?

I'm guessing England loses in penalties. Because.... England.

I have no expectations for England to win but just hope they play well.

r226 I can promise you 85 minutes of boredom and about 3 minutes of good play nothing more

Seeing Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard doing their punditry sat next to each other made me think if they ever discuss the sex tape incident.

The dialogue was amazing.

"Stick the bottle up your fanny" "I ain't sticking a bottle up my fanny"

Super frank is a very nice guy. I've met him. So humble and down to earth

Christ its actually going to go down to penalties. #ArrestSouthgate is trending and I don't disagree.

England escapes...very lucky

SAKA >>>> XHAKA

I wish England would make it easier on themselves and the country. I hate hearing the fans jeering them but can understand why they're so frustrated.

R232, those were, at least, GREAT penalty kicks.

[quote]#ArrestSouthgate is trending and I don't disagree.

Southgate's record:

2018: semi final (first time England reach a WC semi final since 1990)

2020: finalists (first time England make Euro finals, first time in a final since 1966, beaten on penalties)

2022: quarter finals

2024: semi finals

England fans have never had it so good.

Turkey-yeh

When did the pronunciation change? I am assuming this is how it's pronounced in Turkish, but I've never heard this in English commentary until this tournament.

I think Turkey looks like the stronger team today. It'd be fun if they won, then beat England, and then play France - right after the rightwing white supremacists, anti-muslims win the election in France. Then France with a team of all African muslim immigrants play Turkey whose Turkish muslim players all look pretty "white"...

I think the Turkish government sent out a foreign office briefing either this year or last they want people to use Türkiye rather than Turkey. Must have been tired of all the bird jokes.

Fucking hell.

Every. Single. Team. I. Was. Rooting. For. Lost.

Fuck this shit. It’s the same god-damned teams every time.

[quote]What are all your predictions for the semis? I’ll go with Spain v Portugal and Netherlands v England

Three out of four ain't bad

R235 funny fact that black Muslims in French football team were not born in Muslim families, they are converts. They mostly come from Christian families and converted out of spite and a strange belief that Arabs care for them more than Europeans do. I never think of converts as real believers, because they lack the traditional, cultural and social side of religion that children absorb in family and community.

Unlike them, Turks are real Muslim nation for centuries.

Both the Turkish (Mert Günok) and the Dutch (Bart Verbruggen) goalkeepers are hot.

Good that the Turks lost. They would have burnt down Berlin otherwise.

Netherlands v England.... this is gonna be good

r241 They've decided to burn down the Hague instead.

Turkey had the youngest team players. Three under 21’s I believe. The other 2 twinks got lots of attention but I think Can Uzman is one to watch.

Where the dick at?

[quote]Fuck this shit. It’s the same god-damned teams every time.

Agreed, this is a sadly underwhelming tournament.

[quote]Fuck this shit. It’s the same god-damned teams every time.

Since 2000 there have been 15 different teams who filled 28 semi final spots,

Portugal 4, Spain 4, Germany 3, France 3, Italy 3, Netherlands 3, England 2

Greece, Czech Republic, Russia, Turkey, Wales, Denmark all 1.

R247 Right, but why is always teams from Europe? Oh, wait...

Anyone but spain

I'd probably prefer Spain to France. Guess we'll know by Tuesday though. Whether its England or the Netherlands through they'll be the underdog in the final.

If Spain wins it will be their 4th trophy, making the most successful team in the tournament's history.

If France wins it will be their 3rd trophy, joining Spain and Germany with the most wins.

If Netherlands win it will be their 2nd win.

If England win it will be their first win.

I laughed.

I, too, am tired of the Usual Winners winning. I like a Cinderella story so will be cheering on the Dutch.

Interesting to hear Landon Donovan during the ENG-SUI match on how he thinks so many of the Usual Winners have an attitude of (I'm paraphrasing here), play safe and just don't lose and take your chances on penalty kicks at the end. He's not wrong -- I believe France has yet to score a goal that wasn't an opponent's own goal or a PK in open play. It's so much more interesting/fun to watch teams like Croatia and Slovakia that pressed hard and played their guts out.

R23 Wait a minute, England has never won the Euro, right? Are they not (considering their historic shitting-of-the-bed) an underdog?

R234, I've thought the same for ages. I wouldn't consider any of the England line-ups from 2018 onwards exceptional, yet they've had a fantastic run. Southgate must be doing SOMETHING right.

Okay. 2.30 until Spain will hopefully kick out France out of the Stadium in Munich. Any bets?

R256 Spain 2-0

I'm guessing 2-1 to Spain

Yeah I'll go 2-1 Spain too. Though I also wouldn't be surprised if it goes down to penalties.

3:2 Spain. On the other hand, France has no goal in the regular game. So.....

Our cute silver daddy referee judging the semi today. 😊

Hell of a goal. The French fans are a rough looking lot this match.

Yamal's goal was amazing. This is already the best game of the tournament.

Banger!

I knew he was young but he's still got braces on his teeth!

Was that a streaker or JustStopOil? I made the mistake of looking away.

It's kind of a shame this isn't the final.

There's a picture which has made the rounds for several months of a young Messi holding a baby Yamal. Most assumed it's a hoax. It turns out it's genuine. It just so happened that Barcelona players took photos with members of the public chosen by lottery for a calendar as part of a charitable initiative.

How can we forget when Mbappe released this jam in 2000?

A moment of silence for the beautiful and ageless Olivier Giroud.

R269 I don’t get it?

That poor security guard, he was only trying to do his job. He’s going to get some hate online from the Spanish.

I'm rooting for the Netherlands

I'm thinking 2-1 to England in extra time.

Is it............ coming home?

Netherlands 1-0.

Yep. Netherlands hopefully win

Denzel Dumfries? Is he Scottish?

Which team were hard done by with a dodgy handball decision? Was it Denmark?

R279 Germany. It's why they were booing Cucurella every time he came within 20ft of the ball last night.

THREE LIONS ON THE SHIRT!

Obviously it wasn’t a penalty but England have been cheated in so many other tournaments I’m sure it evens itself out.

Ollie Ollie Ollie!

Has that idiot given Watkins any playing time till today?

I hate this. Love Villa, hate England.

Incoming Southgate revisionism!

Southgate's record:

2018: semi final (first time England reach a WC semi final since 1990)

2020: finalists (first time England make Euro finals, first time in a final since 1966, beaten on penalties)

2022: quarter finals

2024: FINALISTS BABY

They'll lose the final. He'll ride Kane's bad back all the way.

England doesn't have a snowball's chance of beating Spain, who will steamroll England's sludgy, overly cautious play. As they should.

How many of those cream pullovers did Southgate bring with him? He wears the same one every match.

r287 England wasn't sludgy and over-cautious in the first third of today's game. They looked really dangerous... for a minute. And on the other hand. as someone said, it's possible Netherlands isn't very good.

R287: I only saw the second half of today's match, and ENG looked like they have for the entire tournament -- "Let's just not lose and take our chances on penalty kicks." Kane looked like he wished he had an oxygen tank on the sideline. Spain for the win.

I am rooting for England

R289 well you missed the first half where England where absolutely relentless and proved that they have some worth in this competition after all.

*were. Sorry.

[quote]England doesn't have a snowball's chance of beating Spain, who will steamroll England's sludgy, overly cautious play. As they should.

Spain beat Croatia comfortably, beat Italy by an own goal and Albania 1-0.

They beat Georgia comfortably, Germany at extra time and then France.

They’re playing more fluent and attacking football than England but still conceding goals.

Spain are the favourites but England are in their second consecutive final for a reason.

The whole of Europe (minus Britain, of course) united behind Spain currently, it's funny but also heartwarming to see.

Viva Espana!

Mas grande pelotas

[quote]The whole of Europe (minus Britain, of course) united behind Spain currently, it's funny but also heartwarming to see.

Even Scotland and Wales, those famous England enthusiasts?

Ukraine are supporting England, a couple of journalists in Kiev say it’s home team atmosphere.

And what of the Portuguese? Are they backing Spain?

This sums up the Scottish mentality.

Ollie Ollie Ollie Oy Oy Oy

r294 I somehow doubt Germany is given the way they went out and the atmosphere in the stadium on Tuesday.

r297 Scotland on England must be the most one sided sporting rivalry in the world. I've never come across an England fan who gives 2 shits about the Scottish team.

Yeah that meme is England Scotland personified. As long as Scottish folk have more passion for England losing than they do Scotland winning they will do fuck all in football.

As long as I've supported England the main hostility was towards Germany (the war, 1990) and Argentina (the Falklands, Maradona's handball, Beckham's red card) but Germany hate the Dutch more and Argentina hate Brazil more.

[quote] Reporter: "Oliver Kahn said goalkeepers need an element of insanity - is he right?"

[quote] Jordan Pickford: "I don't know what insanity means."

He's a fascinating little creature is Pickford

All you posters moaning about Scotland being ABE should take a look at "Jock cunt" Twitter after Scotland and England play. English fans are plenty nasty.

[quote] after Scotland and England play

So? Shitting on each other after a match is fine. Making it your whole sporting personality for 90% of the year though comes across as whiny. I saw in Reddit there's a guy in Scotland whose been putting up the flag of whoever England is playing up on his house for the whole tournament meaning even while Scotland were still in he was more focused on being bitter on how well England were doing than Scotland crashing out.

[quote]there's a guy in Scotland whose been putting up the flag of whoever England is playing up on his house for the whole tournament

I actually love the dedication to this level of trolling.

[quote]there's a guy in Scotland whose been putting up the flag of whoever England is playing up on his house for the whole tournament

The superstitious will hope the embittered Caledonian continues his comical protest, as it's working so well for England.

[quote]I saw in Reddit there's a guy in Scotland whose been putting up the flag of whoever England is playing up on his house for the whole tournament

So what? It's funny.

Half of this stuff is tongue in cheek anyway.

Everything is personal for the English, they can't see the joke because of their toxic nationalism. They're just as bad as the Serbians in that regard.

The police have a list of soccer hooligans

r308 I'd hope so. That's kind of their job.

I'm Scottish and don't have anything against the England team. Some of my family members support them because they're our neighbours, and did the same with Wales in the years they qualified.

That being said, I think Spain will win. They're the best team of the tournament. Germany was the second-best - shame those two met each other in the quarters.

[quote]Everything is personal for the English, they can't see the joke because of their toxic nationalism. They're just as bad as the Serbians in that regard.

You're right - just over the last couple of weeks the French people have looked at their own country and thought "At least our nationalism isn't as bad as the toxic English".

And what of Spain's toxic nationalism where the racist abuse directed at black players is only just being dealt with. This story is from last month. And they're the country that torture and kill bulls in the street for fun.

No one is saying England is perfect but the idea their fans are any worse than other nations doesn't know a thing about football.

A woman on British TV who predicts the future by throwing asparagus - she’s an ‘Asparamancer’ - has predicted an England victory with a Spanish player sent off.

The asparagus spelt out E for England, not E for España.

I'm so ready for the final!

I think it'll be a goal-heavy final. 3-1 to Spain. Then again, I thought Italy would beat England comfortably in the last final and look how close it was in the end.

We're singing for England

EN GER LAND

We're singing this song

We're singing for England

EN GER LAND

Hasta la vista, it's one on one

2-1 to England. Just off to the pub now...

For the first time ever I'm watching ITV

Lineker is unbearable and the combination of Neville, Keane and in particular Ian Wright are far more preferable.

Keane is not there, it's Juan mata, who pings to me

Read my post again R318!

The lovely Jordan Henderson is in the crowd as a supporter.

It really does look like a home match for England with the number of England supporters in the stands. Hopefully it's harder to get cocaine in Berlin and we won't see similar scenes to the 2021 final.

It's so good to have something to focus on that is not guns and conspiracies and partisan hate. (Well the Scots feelings about England is a little partisan hate, eh?)

Spanish men are the most handsome. Astonishing.

Spain looking really good

halftime 0-0

COME ON ENGERLAND

Not saying the two things are connected by Cole Palmer scored at the exact time I finished my first glass of San Miguel.

I will make sure my second glass is finished in an appropriate manner.

[quote]Hopefully it's harder to get cocaine in Berlin

The English will manage to find it if it's there.

What about David Seaman. He pinged the way he fist pumped the air when they scored. Slay.

Spain, the better team the whole tournament. The better team today.

Oh well, not coming home for another 4 years.

Big day for Spanish sport with Carlos’s win at Wimbledon too.

Spain over England, just like the last Women's World Cup... now which player is getting kissed inappropriately on live TV?

Spain beat Italy, Croatia, Germany, France and England.

Let me see whether this works.

If I were still in Spain, I would be able to hear the car horns honking from my beloved (rented) top floor Andalucían terrace. I can just imagine it. Whenever they win a major futbol championship they honk their car horns late into the night.

R320 Lovely Jordan Henderson??

He's a hypocrite scumbag who was posing as a straight ally and ended up playing for a Saudi team.

R318 Gosh, I thought I was the only one who felt tons of closeted vibes from him. As far as I know, he's been married to some chick for years but never had children.

Who from the Spain NT ping to y'all?

Jordan Henderson has a few kids. pretty sure about this. He went to saudi for $$$. big surprise.

Spain has so many hotties on their team. I live Gavi in particular. I don't know why, but Spainish men are gorgeous. I must make another trip to Spain, lol.

This is cute.

[Quote]Who from the Spain NT ping to y'all?

Nobody, I don't think. Then again my gaydar is a mess. It doesn't really work on Spaniah guys.

UK here. I’m glad it’s all over. People will have to talk about other things.

Oh please R340, Wales and Scotland will be celebrating for a month.

It’s a brave politician to tweet this image a week after your party lost 80% of its members of parliament.

It’s already being photoshopped into pictures of his colleagues crying at their losses.

Shame to see Flynn take the Farage-Trump route into sneering juvenile mockery. But we've seen with the former two where that approach can eventually lead.

[Quote]Spanish men are the most handsome. Astonishing.

They really are. All the more reason to visit Spain. It's a great country. It has a wonderful climate, great beaches, nice food and gorgeous men. It's very gay friendly too.

R339 R344 There is something interesting about Spanish men (for the most part all of Spain, though Galician men are a different breed). Machismo, hyper-masculinity is obviously a thing, but there is also a "softness", a gentleness that can be mistaken as gay. Although, as a modern culture, Spain is one of the most gay-accepting countries. But mostly for "obvious or even fem gay men"... (lesbians are good to go). You can get mixed signals from some other straight men... or perhaps, the mixing up of signals is on my part. Friendly, smiling, affectionate, hugging, sloppy and funny loose-moraled drunk..."oh wait, you don't want me to fuck you? Oh, my bad!"

R336: "Little Bo Peep" said it best -

[quote]Leave them alone, and they'll come home, Bringing their tails behind them.

[quote]It’s a brave politician to tweet this image a week after your party lost 80% of its members of parliament.

While wearing the worst Scotland shirt in recent memory.