Euro: UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifying

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Pouchkine

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May 20, 2015
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Even the qualifying for Euro 2000 was good. Best tournament I've seen by far as well since I started watching "every" match of major finals since 1994.

Great games, great teams, great players, great atmosphere, superb offensive football.
 

AstrophysicalJet

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16 team Euro was hands down the best footy tournament in the world in terms of intensity and quality match in match out.

Euro 2000 was the best soccer tournament I ever witnessed as a kid...look at those squads..almost every team was top drawer and teams like France/Italy/Portugal/Holland/Spain/Czech Rep/Yugoslavia were full of legends
As someone who follows Denmark, that was a tourney id just like to forget:laugh:

In the midst of a generation change, and full of key player injuries = Denmark lost all 3 games in a tough group with 0-8 score:help:
 
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Islesfan22

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Even the qualifying for Euro 2000 was good. Best tournament I've seen by far as well since I started watching "every" match of major finals since 1994.

Great games, great teams, great players, great atmosphere, superb offensive football.
For me euro 96 and World Cup 1998 were the best tournaments I watched. So many good games.
 

Pouchkine

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Euro96 had some good games but lots of boring games going to penalties and a lot of empty stadiums. France98 was excellent my 2nd favorite.
 

Eye of Ra

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Even the qualifying for Euro 2000 was good. Best tournament I've seen by far as well since I started watching "every" match of major finals since 1994.

Great games, great teams, great players, great atmosphere, superb offensive football.

yes that sweden - turkey game was amazing
 

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If they ban Russia from international sport that includes Euro 2020 too and St. Petersburg loses the matches too.

It could be moved to Finland but more likely to Sweden since Finland doesn't have a stadium fit to stage matches of that level.
 

HajdukSplit

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Both Romania and Bosnia-Herzegovina have sacked their managers in the lead up to the playoffs. Romania have hired Mirel Radoi, promoted from the U21s who had a promising generation at the last U21 Euros. Prosinecki was sacked today by BiH (roughly two months after rejecting his resignation), the likely replacement is Safet Susic who took them to the 2014 World Cup but since he has bounced around managing random Turkish clubs

If they ban Russia from international sport that includes Euro 2020 too and St. Petersburg loses the matches too.

It could be moved to Finland but more likely to Sweden since Finland doesn't have a stadium fit to stage matches of that level.

I don't understand why Stockholm wasn't chosen in the first place but I read they lost the vote to Copenhagen despite being a newer stadium with a 50,000+ capacity. Most logical would have been a group pairing with Stockholm/Copenhagen as those countries will probably never host a major international tournament on their own or even a joint Scandinavian bid while Russia likely will in the next couple of decades. Outside of money/politics, don't get why Russia hosts a match at this tournament when they hosted a World Cup recently, especially considering that UEFA didn't even bother accepting bids from recent Euro hosts (France, Poland, Ukraine even as far back as Switzerland)

I know a lot goes into this and for example Brussels' stadium wouldn't have been complete but ideally it should have been something like this:
- Rome + one of Istanbul, Athens, Bucharest
- Stockholm/Copenhagen
- Amsterdam/Brussels
- London/Dublin (with respect to Hampden, I don't like those old fashioned oval-stadiums)
- Bilbao/Lisbon
- Munich/Budapest

You still get host cities in countries which will likely never host on their own and each group would have less than 2 hour flights
 
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HajdukSplit

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I haven't seen this reported anywhere outside of ex-YU sports news sites but Kosovo could face a suspension from FIFA as their government is getting involved in trying to change the FA president. The headlines are a bit bombastic with them claiming Kosovo would be banned for multiple years and of course miss out on the chance of playing in the Euro 2020 playoffs. In pretty much every other example (mostly in Africa, Asia and Central America) the suspension is lifted once the government stops interfering so if the Kosovo government continue to pursue this they are being stupid
 

HajdukSplit

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I know it may not be fair to use these results (teams playing in different leagues, bad timing, teams not playing their best lineups/not taking competition seriously) but here is how the playoff teams did in this recent international window

League A Playoffs
Iceland vs. Romania...Iceland apparently were missing five standard players (according to ESPN commentary), they almost held England to a draw parking the bus while they were hammered in Belgium, though they are completely out of their depth in the top league, also if they cannot play with fans that will hurt them very much. Romania had a mixed week, they had a disappointing home draw to Northern Ireland but did beat Austria away which will give them confidence

Bulgaria vs. Hungary...Bulgaria twice dropped points in the final minute, a 1:1 draw with Ireland and a 1:0 loss at Wales, very fortunate to even have a chance to still make Euros. Hungary had an impressive win in Turkey but followed that up with a 3:2 loss at home to Russia. Bit of a Jekyll and Hyde side, they have some good attacking players but shaky defensively

League B Playoffs
Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. N. Ireland...Bosnia got an impressive draw in Italy but lost at home to Poland, another team which will very much be effected should there be no fans. Northern Ireland got a last minute draw in Romania but were hammered 5:1 at home to Norway

Slovakia vs. Rep of Ireland....both teams had a poor week, Slovakia were crushed at home by the Czechs and only managed a draw in Israel, Ireland too lost their home match to Finland and grabbed a late point in Bulgaria, neither side I think are favorites in the final unless NIR win it

League C Playoffs
Scotland vs. Israel...interestingly these two played in Glasgow, match ended 1:1. Scotland got a a win against a Czech C team but apparently were outplayed, Israel followed up their draw in Glasgow with a point at home to Slovakia. These two teams also met in the last Nations League with both teams winning their home games, so expect a tight match

Norway vs. Serbia...Norway lost at home to Austria but made up for it with a impressive 5:1 win away to N. Ireland, Serbia were poor, losing to Russia and then playing a scoreless draw at home to Turkey where they were outplayed. Norway is probably actually the favorites in this, lets see if they can handle that pressure with an impressive core of young players coming through

League D Playoffs
Georgia vs. Belarus...Georgia won in Estonia but then played a draw at home to potential finals opponent Macedonia, Belarus won away to Kazakhstan but lost at home to Albania

Macedonia vs. Kosovo...Macedonia beat Armenia and drew at Georgia while Kosovo, who were riding some momentum pre-Covid, had a poor week only picking up a point in games against Moldova and Greece
 
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HajdukSplit

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So finally the Euro 2020/1 qualifying resumes with the semifinals of the playoffs but in not so ideal circumstances (some games will be played with no fans, some teams have Covid problems etc.)

First, fans will be allowed to attended (in limited capacity) though from what I've been able to find the home games in Macedonia, Slovakia and Scotland will be played in empty stadium. Only ones I know for sure which will have fans is in Bosnia and Norway

The most intriguing game is probably Norway-Serbia, but the Serbian coach had something of a defeatist attitude in the pre-game presser, Norway meanwhile are probably actually favorites and have expectations to make the tournament and lets see if they can handle that pressure. Scotland-Israel are playing for the 4th time in about a year and every game has been tight, both teams are affected by Covid absences.

In League A is tough to call, neither of the four teams have been consistent and in the case of Iceland they have been getting hammered at times (though their opposition is much stronger than the other three). Hungary will be missing Szoboszlai which is a blow, for Bulgaria it's incredible they even have a chance to qualify and the fact they would be the hosts of the final should they progress. Iceland are regressing since Euro 2016 but they have their best squad available after several players chose not to play in the previous window. Romania is without their captain Chiriches

In B the two Irish sides go away from home, don't give either many chances but I would say Rep of Ireland is the most capable. Bosnia had two positive Covid tests but none affecting the strongest team but they should be too strong for NIR; Slovakia are not in the best of form but Ireland really struggle away from home, could see this going to ET or penalties, probably the dullest of the ties

In D I would say the two home teams are favorites, especially Georgia. Macedonia-Kosovo is a bit more even but Macedonia have been on good form and a building a competent/young team while Kosovo are ravaged by injury to key players (Rashica, Muriqi, Rrahmani)
 

HajdukSplit

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Georgia win a penalty in the opening 5 minutes and score, clumsy challenge by the Belarus defender. Georgia also almost scored in the opening minutes but the Belarussian keeper got off his line quickly
 

HajdukSplit

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HT: Georgia lead 1:0 and they have been the better team, look more threatening and more possession but lacked composure the score the 2nd goal. Belarus have been poor, barely able to keep the ball and overly physical, don't have a shot on target and their one half-chance was when Georgia lost the ball about 25-30 yards from their own goal and it was a long range shot just over the bar
 

HajdukSplit

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Georgia win 1:0, pretty comfortable for them, they were the much better side and should have scored more, Belarus didn't even have a shot on target and only had a few half chances
 

HajdukSplit

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BiH strike first, totally deserved. I have 5 games going at once :laugh:

Iceland score too nice finish by Sigurdsson while Hungary score from a corner
 

robertmac43

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Mar 31, 2015
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BiH strike first, totally deserved. I have 5 games going at once :laugh:

Iceland score too nice finish by Sigurdsson while Hungary score from a corner
How are you managing that!? I have just Scotland on right now, when I'm home from work I'll add some other to the mix.
 

HajdukSplit

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ESPN3 has all the games if you have a cable provider (but there is a limit to how many you can watch so some games I am not paying attention to). And Norway-Serbia is on ESPN2
 

HajdukSplit

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Serbia really should be winning, Iceland very comfortable over Romania who look poor, time to change that game to Macedonia-Kosovo
 

HajdukSplit

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ESPN just showed the highlights of Macedonia-Kosovo and the Kosovo goal was quite comical, goalkeeper drops the ball because he was going to go outside the box and nobody on Macedonia bothers to clear it for him despite somebody literally next to him and Kosovo lobs the shot it :laugh:
 
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