Euro: Group E Final Round

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Yeah this is a really difficult group table to read for the teams given how any non-draw result messes with the entire constellation, but Slovakia do know one thing for certain - draw and you're in. So if they have a draw, they really should work hard to preserve it.

 

[Karterthadon]

Belgium just let one guy walk into the box to kill this game but he whiffed his shot.

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

Ukraine showed a ton of heart. Tons to be proud of.

 

[JoVel]

I would've been happy to see this Belgian team out already.

 

[Power Man]

lol Ukraine

 

[Karterthadon]

France-Belgium will be absolutely horrible, two teams playing like straight up garbage.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Belgium playing to hold the draw in this match so they play France in the R of 16, rather than trying to win the group is kinda sad.

 

[Power Man]

France-Belgium will be absolutely horrible, two teams playing like straight up garbage.

it will be horrible for Belgium

Belgian fans booing their team lol

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

IMO Belgium are done as a serious team. Think about having the opportunity of winning this group and ending up in the easier part of the bracket just by beating Ukraine and then basically settling for a draw. They've settled right back in that comfortable 2nd tier where they were pre-KDB.

 

[hatterson]

it will be horrible for Belgium

Belgian fans booing their team lol

They should. The third ranked FIFA team looks like trash and was time wasting to hold onto a draw against the 24th ranked team.

 

[ThrowDemTongs]

IMO Belgium are done as a serious team. Think about having the opportunity of winning this group and ending up in the easier part of the bracket just by beating Ukraine and then basically settling for a draw. They've settled right back in that comfortable 2nd tier where they were pre-KDB.

Sadly you're right

 

[Moncherry]

This tournament started out great, but the last round of matches have been atrocious.

 

[Albatros]

The entire 3rd round has been some of the worst football at this level in a long time. The format has to change.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I'm ready for the knockouts. These games suck and 24 teams is too much. So many clunkers.

 

[Savi]

What the f*** was that, just completely embarrassing and that time wasting at the end was legit one of the saddest things I have seen from this team, f***ing hell

 

[Bounces R Way]

Congrats to Romania for winning their group, tons of Romanian fans there.

 

[Karterthadon]

IMO Belgium are done as a serious team. Think about having the opportunity of winning this group and ending up in the easier part of the bracket just by beating Ukraine and then basically settling for a draw.

The reality is, this is fanboy psychology, teams are not playing 3D-Chess like that they want to book qualification to the knockout stage first and foremost.

France too would have gone to the easy side of the bracket with a win yesterday yet Deschamps was subbing in Fofana at the end of the match when they need a goal lol.

 

[Mark Stones Spleen]

My bets on match day 3 have been terrible. Too many good teams doing f***ing nothing. I think I've lost every single wager.

 

[hatterson]

The entire 3rd round has been some of the worst football at this level in a long time. The format has to change.

It's tough to get a good format. If you have more than 3 group stage games it increases the length of the tournament in an already crowded summer and 3 group stage games leaves too much room for a bad game to threaten your knockout places so teams end up defaulting to play conservatively.

Ideally you'd have a longer tournament and have 4-5 or more group stage games with broader groups so you don't end up with a single bad game screwing your tourney, but in order to realistically do that you'd have to cut back on the club game to expand the available time during the summer to hold it.

 

[Moncherry]

It's tough to get a good format. If you have more than 3 group stage games it increases the length of the tournament in an already crowded summer and 3 group stage games leaves too much room for a bad game to threaten your knockout places so teams end up defaulting to play conservatively.

Ideally you'd have a longer tournament and have 4-5 or more group stage games with broader groups so you don't end up with a single bad game screwing your tourney, but in order to realistically do that you'd have to cut back on the club game to expand the available time during the summer to hold it.

16 teams was the perfect format for the Euro.

 

[robertmac43]

Belgium getting France is hilarious. Could very well be the end of this team as we know it.

 

[GKJ]

4 teams at 4 points lol

 

[ThrowDemTongs]

4 teams at 4 points lol

If "I just hope all teams have fun" was a group stage result (no team had fun)

 

[Suntouchable13]

This Belgium-Ukraine game was more boring than any random MLB regular season game in mid June. At least a baseball game you get to see at least a scoring play. There was nothing in this game.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

The reality is, this is fanboy psychology, teams are not playing 3D-Chess like that they want to book qualification to the knockout stage first and foremost.

France too would have gone to the easy side of the bracket with a win yesterday yet Deschamps was subbing in Fofana at the end of the match when they need a goal lol.

It's not 'fanboy psychology' at all if you're a top team. The German team was openly talking about wanting to win the group, and that should be the mentality for every top team in the tournament. Qualifying any possible way is how a Slovakia or Romania think, not a Germany or Spain. Imagine being in a group with Slovakia, Romania and Ukraine and going into Matchday 3 thinking you need the draw to qualify.