Month: July 2024

Paris 2024: Fourteen To Watch

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment
Paris will join London as the only two cities to host the Summer Olympics three times.

On Friday, July 26th, the Games Off The XXXIIIrd Olympiad will open in Paris, France. This will be the third time Paris will have hosted the Summer Olympics, having hosted in 1900 and 1924.

One thing about these Olympics Games is these will now be back to full crowds. You may remember the Tokyo Games were delayed by a year and had to be held without spectators. You may also remember the Beijing Winter Olympics were also quite limited in spectators. Now that the pandemic has been mostly tamed down, Paris can be a free-for-all and the crowds are back. Also I got back my ambition to do pre-Olympic blogging. Something I haven’t done since the 2018 Winter Games.

With every Olympics comes many an athlete or team that will be heavy favorites or athletes of curiosity. Here’s my look at fourteen athletes at the Paris Games who you should keep an eye on.

-Noah Lyles/USA – Athletics: The American sprinters have been struggling to get themselves back to the top for almost 20 years. First there was the setback of Usain Bolt and other Jamaicans. Then there was Italy’s Marcell Jacobs winning in Tokyo and the men’s really team failing to qualify for the final. Seeking to put the US back on top is 27 year-old Noah Lyles. Back at the Tokyo Games, promise was noticed as he won a bronze in the 200 metres. At last year’s World Championships, he won the 100m, 200m and was part of the winning American relay team.

This season, Lyles is ranked World #1 in both the 100m and 200m and even recently ran a personal best in the 100m of 9.81. Lyles will have rivals in Paris. In the 100m, he will be up against Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson and Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala who have posted faster times this year. Expecting to challenge Lyles in the 200 is Tokyo silver medalist Kenneth Bednarek who finished second to him at the US Olympic trials. Also rivaling him is Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo who finished second to him at the 2023 Worlds in the 100 and third in the 200. If all goes well for Lyles, he could be one of the stars of Paris.

-Sha’Carri Richardson/USA – Athletics: Many will remember before the Tokyo Olympics, there was a lot of news of Richardson being disqualified from the Olympic team for testing positive for marijuana. It was a shock to many. Sha’Carri was undoubtedly disappointed. Unnoticed at the time was the then 21 year-old sprinter was still young and her best years were still to come. At last year’s World Championships, her talent arrived when she won the 100m, finished third in the 200m and was part of the US’s winning relay team.

For most of this year, Sha’Carri has kept it low-key. She hasn’t been to too many competitions and bypassed the Diamond League this year. She did prove herself to be a force in the 100m in Paris after winning the US Olympic trials in 10.71. Her main rival Sherlock’s Jackson of Jamaica is injured but that won’t stop her from having rivals in Paris like Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Talou-Smith, St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred and Jamaican legend Shelly-Anne Fraser-Price looking for one last Olympic gold. Paris could be Sha’Carri’s moment and the possible start.of a long legendary career.

-Yaroslava Mahuchikh/Ukraine – Athletics: Back at the Tokyo Olympics, Yaroslava was 19 years old and seen as a rising talent with her bronze medal in the high jump. Then the war started months later. Many Ukrainian athletes had to find new ways to train or even leave Ukraine to seek refuge in another country. Mahuchikh first traveled by car to Belgrade to compete at the World Indoor Championships. Shortly after, she found refuge in Germany to resume training. Since her move, her career skyrocketed with silver at the 2022 World Outdoor Championships and then gold last year. Just last month, Mahuchikh broke the 37 year-old world record in the women’s high jump!

She is a heavy favorite to win the high jump in Paris, but she will have competition. She will face rivalry from Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers who beat her at this year’s World Indoor Championships as well as another Australian: 2022 World Champion Eleanor Patterson. Whatever happens, Mahuchikh’s triumphs are not limited to inside the athletics arena.

-Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone/USA and Karsten Warholm/Norway – Athletics: The biggest action in athletics at the Tokyo Olympics came in both the men’s and the women’s 400m hurdles. In both events, the winner broke the world record by a huge margin, the second-place finisher finished in a time faster than the pre-Olympic world record and the third-place finisher’s time was a small fraction short of that pre-Olympic world record!

It’s interesting to see what has happened since to both men’s winner Karsten Warholm and women’s winner Sydney McLaughlin. Both won their hurdles event at a World Championship since. Walholm has still continued his consistency with major victories, and won the 2023 World championships but finished 7th at the 2022 Worlds. McLaughlin has also won the 2022 Worlds and has even knocked almost a full second off the world record since Tokyo. She missed the 2023 Worlds due to a knee injury. Both runners will face rivalry here in Paris. For Warholm, the two other medalists from Tokyo — US’s Rai Benjamin and Brazil’s Allison dos Santos — will rival him in Paris.  McLauglin’s top rivalry will come from 2023 World Champion Femke Bol of the Netherlands and her own teammate Shamier Little. Only time will tell if both repeat as Olympic champion here in Paris, and if they break the world record again.

-Eliud Kipchode/Kenya – Athletics: One thing about social media these past ten years is that there are so many athletes being promoted as GOATs. One of which is Eliud Kipchode who’s commonly seen as the GOAT of marathon running. Personally I still want to think of Abebe Bikila as the GOAT but Kipchode’s feat of eleven major marathon victories, four Olympic medals including two marathon gold’s, and breaking the world record twice, it’s very tempting to call him the GOAT. Even his time-trial marathon run under two hours sparked buzz.

The crazy thing about marathon races, especially at the Olympics, is that it is the hardest to predict. Many favorites have succumbed to the course or the weather conditions and unknowns have often ended up the winners. Despite his illustrious career spanning almost two decades, Kipchode will face rivalries from 2023 World Champion Victor Kiplangat of Uganda and from his own teammate Benson Kipruto who has won the fastest marathon time this year. Whatever the result, Kipchode will add to his greatness here in Paris.

-Simone Biles/USA – Gymnastics: Simone Biles is an athlete loved by many, shunned by others. For many years, she was dominant in gymnastics having won a stack of World Championships and at the 2016 Rio Olympics, she was the queen winning four golds and a bronze. In between Rio and Tokyo was the revelation of the predator doctor Larry Nassar. Biles was one of his former patients who testified against him. Then at the Tokyo Olympics, she had a mental lapse called the ‘twisties’ and needed to bypass most of the competition. She did leave Tokyo with a silver and a bronze, but many people, most of whom don’t understand the dangers of gymnastics, labeled her a quitter or a loser. She would come back at the 2023 Worlds winning four golds and a silver.

Despite being the queen, she will face challenges from Brazil’s Rebecca Andrade and from her own American teammates in Jordan Chiles and defending Olympic all-around champion Sunisa Lee. Whatever happens in Paris, it will add to Simone’s greatness.

-Carlos Alcaraz/Spain – Tennis: One thing about tennis is right while there are a lot of greats, there are also young guns looking to dethrone them. One of which is Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz. Right at a time that seems dominated by Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz appears poised to dethrone them.  The 21 year-old has already won singles titles in Wimbledon, the US Open and most recently his first French Open victory. The latter is an advantage as the Olympic tennis competition will also be in the Roland Garros arena.

One thing about Olympic tennis is that most favorites have not won the gold medal and many times, unknown players have become Olympic champion. In fact, Djokovic’s only Olympic medal is a silver from 2008. Djokovic is one of Alcaraz’s rivals here in Paris. Also in the tournament are challenges from Germany’s Alexander Zverev and Norway’s Casper Ruud. Paris should be another chance for Alcaraz to make a name for himself in the tennis world.

-Julien Alfred/St. Lucia – Athletics: One of the things I like to do each summer Olympics is keep an eye out for any athletes that just might win their nation’s first-ever medal. One with good chances is 23 year-old Julien Alfred from the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. Her talent was first noticed at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games when she won silver.in the 100m. When she enrolled at U of Texas and became part of the Longhorns track team, that’s when things improved. She won a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and at last year’s World Championships, she finished fifth in the 100m and fourth in the 200m.

In the 100, her rivals include Sha’Carri, Shelly-Anne Fraser-Price and Marie-Josee Talon-Smith. In the 200, she will face challenges from Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson, the US’s Gabrielle Thomas and the UK’s Daryll Neita. The Olympics are known for upsets and Julien Alfred could prove to be one of the top upsetters in Paris.

-Spain Women’s National Football Team: When it comes to a nation like Spain, you figure they would greatly support their men’s football team but greatly overlook their women’s team. Over the last five years, the RFEF started taking their women more seriously. After the 2019 Women’s World Cup, Spain’s women’s team made huge improvements in the sport and even won the Women’s Works Cup last year. Despite the growing success of the team, the sexism the team has been facing has been greatly exposed. Before the WWC, players boycotted the team because of a lack of a tactical preparation and a controlling environment. After they won the WWC, there was the incident at the trophy ceremony where RFEF president Luis Rubiales kissed player Jenni Hermoso on the lips, unconsentually. The controversy sparked outrage in Spain which led Rubiales to resign and paved the way for better equality with Spain’s women’s team.

One thing about the reigning WWC champion is that they’ve never won the Olympic gold medal. Spain aims to end that bad luck curse. They could face tight rivalry from the WWC fourth-place team Australia and from the US and Germany who hope to improve greatly after their WWC disappointments. Even host-nation France could be a threat. Anything is possible at the 2024 Olympics and Spain’s team could just achieve another victory here.

Four From The Host Nation

France’s athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic games except 1904 and have won a total of 751 medals: 223 of them gold. That medal haul puts them 5th in the all-time total of Summer Olympic medals. The sports where they’ve won their most gold medals are in fencing, cycling (which they have the most total medals), judo, equestrian and sailing. Here in Paris, the French team look to greatly add to their legacy. Here are four athletes representing France to look out for:

-Leon Marchand/France – Swimming: France’s swimmers have won a total of 43 medals. Eight of them gold. So far no French swimmer has won two individual event gold medals. The possibility looks great for Leon Marchand. Back at the Tokyo Olympics, he was 19 at the time and didn’t win a medal. Since then, he has become the fastest all-around swimmer in the world. He has won the World Championships of both 2022 and 2023 in both individual medley events: 200m and 400m. 2023 had added bonuses as he broke Michael Phelps’ world record in the 400 from the 2008 Olympics and he also won a bonus gold in the 200m butterfly.

He will face rivalry here in Paris from the UK’s Duncan Scott and the US’s Carson Foster in the IM races. In the 200 fly, he will face rivalry from defending Olympic champion Krisztok Milak of Hungary and Tokyo silver medalist Tomoru Honda of Japan. If all goes well, Marchand should be able to delight the home-nation crowd.

-Joris Daudet, Sylvain André and Romain Mahieu/France – BMX Cycling: Usually when you think of France and cycling, you think road racing like the Tour De France. Even though France is still big in road racing, it has recently developed as a force in BMX racing! Franch riders have won a medal at every World Championships since 2016 and they’ve won the last two: Romain Mahieu winning last year and veteran Joris Daudet Winning this year. The caliber of talent of France’s BMX racers is so jam-packed, last year’s Worlds silver medalist Arthur Pilard didn’t make the Olympic team. Instead this year’s Worlds bronze medalist Sylvain André will be competing in Paris.

The most interesting thing is all three were finalists at the Tokyo Olympics. Despite the big predictions, it will all boil down to the races. In fact, Daudet has won World Championship medals since 2011 but has never won an Olympic medal. The anticipated sweep of the medals will face a challenge from defending Olympic champion Noel Kimmann and 2022 World Champion Simon Marquardt from Switzerland. Anything can happen in Paris and the French BMXers can deliver a performance for the ages.

And there you have it. There’s my look at foreign athletes to look out for at the upcoming Paris Olympics. My blog of Canadians to look out forl is coming soon.

Copa America 2024: My Prediction For The Final

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment
Will this be Argentina’s record-setting sixteenth win?
Or Colombia’s second?

Back on my talk about the Euro final, I talked about how people shouldn’t see continental tournaments as joke tournaments. Same with the Copa America. Especially knowing that all the teams of the CONMEBOL are as capable of losing to each other as they are winning. Argentina may be the World Cup holder but that doesn’t guarantee they’ll win every game in their wake. Most likely, they’ll face defeat at the hands of a South American team. In fact, Argentina’s only loss since their World Cup win was to Uruguay this past November!

Here in the Copa America, the final is down to two teams from the CONMEBOL, as I feel it should be. One team is tied with Uruguay for fifteen previous wins while one won it only once back in 2001. So the big question is which team will win the Copa America on Sunday? Here’s my look:

Head-To-Head Stats: The two teams have played each other 42 times before. Argentina has won 25 times before, Colombia has won nine times before, and eight games were draws.

Team-By-Team Analysis:

ARGENTINA: Coming to this tournament as the reigning World Cup holders, it’s easy to assume they would become the favorites to win. Added to the fact they are the reigning Copa holders from their 2021 win. Very often, many World Cup winning teams start feeling immediate changes after their win. That hasn’t been the case for the Albiceleste. Lionel Scaloni is still the team’s head manager as he’s been since after the 2018 World Cup. Many anticipated Lionel Messi would retire after the win in Qatar 2022 but he’s still part of the team and still captain. Also remaining with the team are star players like Angel di Maria, Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez and goalkeeper Dibu Martinez. Their play in the US has been consistent with their reputation as they won all three of their Group Stage games and made it through both of their knockout matches.

Despite their great play, they have shown vulnerability. As anticipated, it’s come at the hands of South American teams. Recently it was in their quarterfinal against Ecuador that went to a 1-1 draw. It was after penalty kicks that they won. I know I talked about Argentina’s only loss since their World Cup win being to Uruguay. It’s possible Colombia could expose their vulnerability in the final. The last time they met back in February 2022, Argentina won 1-0. If Argentina is not overconfident and they take their rivalry against Colombia seriously, they can become repeat Copa winners.

COLOMBIA: It hasn’t been an easy time for Los Cafeteros. Right after they learned they would not qualify for the 2022 World Cup, they dropped their coach for Argentine coach Nestor Lorenzo. Since then, they have not lost a game. Actually their 1-0 loss to Argentina in February 2022 in a World Cup qualifier is their last loss. James Rodriguez is the captain with David Ospina being the head goalkeeper. Here at the Copa, Colombia delivered the best results in their group, delivered the only win in regulation time in their quarterfinal against Panama and delivered another win against Uruguay 1-0.

Other than Argentina, Colombia has delivered the best consistency in play. They’ve been scoring well and delivering strongly against their opponents. I know I talked about possible vulnerability of Argentina. Colombia can be just as vulnerable and Argentina could take full advantage of it. In the final, neither team can afford to give anything away. If Colombia want to upset the current World Cup Holder, they will have to be on the ball from the start and give nothing away.

My Final Verdict: We should remember that the Copa America and the World Cup are two different tournaments and both have their own challenges. Winning either trophy is not easy at all. My prediction is Argentina to take it 2-0.

And there you have it! That’s my look at the 2024 Copa America final and my prediction for the win. Interesting how both the Euro final and the Copa America final are happening on the same day! Aren’t you relieved of the time difference?

UEFA Euro 2024: My Prediction For The Final

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment
Will Spain win its record-setting fourth Euro?
Or will England win its first ever?

In the last while, I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about continental championships and some people going as far as saying some are jokes of tournaments. Continental or confederation championships are not jokes. I think it’s a good idea that the continent’s best play each other. Also they can be challenging competitions themselves. The opponents from your confederation know your team better than other teams in the world. You could win your continental championship one year but fail to qualify for the World Cup another year. They’re a tough competition all themselves.

The Euro has been one tough competition. The defending champions went out in the Round of 16, the bronze medalists from the World Cup went out in the Group Stage, the hosts went out in the quarterfinals and a finalist from the World Cup went out in the semifinals. 114 goals have been scored in the 50 matches, ten of them own-goals, seven red cards have been handed out as well as a total of over $1,000,000 in fines to national teams for bad fan behavior. Now it’s time for the dust to settle and for the final to be played. One team has won the Euro three times before and played in one additional previous final. The other team makes it their second consecutive Euro final which is also their second ever! So let’s have a look at the two Euro finalists. Spain and England: same two finalists as in the Women’s World Cup last year!

Head-To-Head Statistics:

They’ve met 27 times before in the past, including three past Euro games. Spain was won ten games, England won fourteen and three were ties.

Team Breakdown:

SPAIN:

We’ve seen a lot of teams who gave bad performances at the 2022 World Cup or teams that failed to qualify for Qatar continue to give a lackluster performance. On that same token, we also saw teams that did well in Qatar 2022 fall short here in Germany. There are also some teams that either did not qualify for the 2022 World Cup or did bad in Qatarthat have shown considerable improvement since. The most noticeable is Spain. La Furia Roja didn’t live up to their name at the 2022 World Cup as they were ousted in the Round Of 16 by eventual semifinalists Morocco. Immediately after, they hired a new coach: Luis de la Fuente. De la Fuente is a coach who likes to focus more on the young or on rising talents. A grassroots approach. It has paid off noticeably as last year, Spain won the UEFA Nations League final. Germany 2024 would show Spain had more to prove. Here in Germany, they’ve won every game without having to resort to a penalty shootout, scoring thirteen goals and only conceding three. Sure, their win over Germany in the quarterfinals came in added extra time but so far, Spain has had the best record of all teams at Euro 2024.

It’s obvious de la Fuente has assembled quite the tram for this Euro. We’ve seen excellent performances from defender Jesus Navas, midfielders Dani Olmo and Rodri, and the young gun of Lamine Yamal, who turns 17 the day before the Euro final! Judging by their play, Spain doesn’t appear to have any faults that would give notice of them losing the final. Mind you this is football and anything can happen. I’ve seen cases where the team with the more superior play before the final would end up losing. Basically Spain needs to play as consistently as they’ve been playing in Germany and not underestimate their opponent if they want to win their record-setting fourth Euro Cup. Besides I’ll bet Spaniards don’t want to hear any singing of “It’s Coming Home” at the end of the game!

ENGLAND: Before Euro 2024 started, the strength of the Three Lions were in question. It was here in his eight-year tenure as head manager of Team England that Gareth Southgate came under his biggest criticism. Even many of the veteran players like Harry Kane and Phil Foden were under question. Most critics would eventually be silenced as England did work its way to becoming finalists for the second Euro in a row. Despite topping Group C upon delivering the group’s only winning game, England has delivered by coming from behind each knockout game. First was the Round of 16 match against Slovakia that first appeared to end as a loss until Bellingham equalized near the end and Kane delivered the winner in added extra time. Then came the quarterfinal against Switzerland that ended as a 1-1 draw and England won on penalties. Then came the semifinal where what appeared to end as a 1-1 draw became a case of Ollie Watkins delivering the game winner in the 90th minute!

Southgate and Team England have done a lot to silence their critics and showcase a new English team. Over the eight years of Southgate, England has delivered a team with the most team unity in decades. Even their penalty kick results are a surprise. Before Southgate, England had only won a single penalty kick round in a major tournament. Since Southgate has taken over, they’ve won three. No doubt they want to win their first ever Euro. One thing Southgate, Kane, Bellingham and Bukayo Saka need to do is play better than they have in previous Euro games. In each of their knockout games, their opponent would score first. Their two winning games were a case of suddenly coming from behind. They can’t afford to do tricks like those in the Euro final. It’s too risky against a team like Spain. If they want to win, they need to be the most in control from the start. Also they can’t take the chance of drawing and going to penalty kicks. They may have won their quarterfinal but we all remember what happened in the last Euro final.

My Final Verdict: So many predictions from others. So many guesstimates. Yet nothing in football is guaranteed. I feel this will be a case where Spain will win 2-1.

And there you have it! That’s my prediction for the final of the 2024 European Championships. Expect it to be one intense evening!

2024 Copa America: My Semifinals Predictions

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment
Just four teams are left in the running for the Copa America.

Some of you may wonder why I didn’t do a Copa America blog for the groups with a game to go or a quarterfinals prediction blog. Firstly, blogs are too tiring. I like the Copa America but my hands can only take so much typing and I can only have so much inspiration. I’m not a professional blogger. Secondly, I was on vacation in my city of birth. So naturally, I will embrace my rest and relaxation while I have it.

Now that my vacation is near ending, it’s time to focus on the semifinals of Copa America 2024. The group play has been something. Argentina was great as expected, but Canada progressed even though they scored just a single goal in group play! Also Canada’s more lauded CONCACAF rivals of the USA and Mexico didn’t qualify for the quarterfinals! Even Panama qualified thanks to their 2-1 win over the USA! Venezuela, who has never won a Copa or even qualified for a World Cup, topped Group B with straight wins! The tight rivalry of Colombia and Brazil was expected to pour over into group play and it did!

Then the semifinals! Interesting that the CONMEBOL have it there’s no added extra time and goes straight to penalty kicks. It’s something because that was the case for three of the four quarterfinals! Only Colombia’s 5-0 win over Panama was a decisive game.

Now we have the semifinals. Like the Euro, they will also be contested on the Tuesday and Wednesday. Only one CONCACAF team still stands. Chances are it will again go to a CONMEBOL team. A CONMEBOL team has always won the Copa and that’s how it should be. In the meantime, here’s my look at the two semifinals:

SEMIFINAL #1: ARGENTINA vs. CANADA

Head-To-Head Stuff:

Aside from Argentina’s 2-0 win over Canada in the very first game of this Copa, their only other time meeting was in 2010 where Argentina again won, but the score was 5-0.

Team-By-Team Analysis

ARGENTINA: When you are the current World Cup Holder, a lot is expected from you. The Albiceleste did not disappoint in the Group Stage. They began the Copa with a 2-0 win over Canada, followed it with a 1-0 win over Chile and capped it off with a 2-0 win against Peru. All three games won, nothing conceded. It’s when they got into their quarterfinal against Ecuador that the challenge began. They conceded for the first time at this Copa and drew 1-1. It was after the penalty shootout that they won.

No doubt they intend to repeat as Copa champions. In the past few years, they built up a full top-notch team instead of relying on just Messi. Actually here at the Copa, the top scorer has been 26 year-old Lautaro Martinez! For their semifinal, I can’t really see them having much of a chance of losing. I think the only way they can is if they underestimate their opponent. It’s highly unlikely they will but I have seen big-name teams underestimate opponents and then lose.

CANADA: It’s easy to underestimate The Canucks. Most of the other teams here at this Copa have had bigger renown and are way more lauded. Canada came with something to prove and they did a good job of proving it. They may have opened with a 2-0 loss to Argentina but they came back with a 1-0 win over Peru and a scoreless draw against Chile. It is possible to qualify for the knockout round by scoring a single goal! That’s football for you!

Their quarterfinal win against Venezuela was a game where Canada showed both its strengths at the right time, but also their weaknesses. It’s obvious Canada intends to send a top team to the World Cup when they co-host two years from now. Their first time ever to a Copa America semifinal is a feat all its own. Nevertheless they will need to improve more if they want to go far. As for their upcoming semi, they should not let their group stage loss get to them. Argentina is a tough team but they’re beatable. It’s up to Canada to deliver well.

My Final Verdict: I thought tournaments organize themselves so that teams that play each other in group play don’t meet again until the final. I know the World Cup does it. Despite the two clashing again so soon, I think Argentina will take it 3-0.

SEMIFINAL #1: URUGUAY vs. COLOMBIA

Head-To-Head Stuff:

The two have dueled each other 45 times before. Uruguay won 20 times, Colombia won 14 times, there were 11 draws.

Team-By-Team Analysis:

URUGUAY: Here in the USA, La Céleste have put on quite a show. At a time when one wonders who the successors for Suarez and Cavani will become, in come new stars like Darwin Nunez, Maximiliano Araujo and Mathias Olivera who have dazzled during the Copa. Uruguay opened with a 3-1 win over Panama, followed it up with a 5-0 win over Bolivia and then delivered a 1-0 win over the hosting Americans.

Despite the stellar play in the Group Stage, they followed it with a scoreless draw against Brazil in the quarterfinals that was won on penalty kicks. Many complained it was lacklustre play from two top teams. A team like Uruguay will have to get itself together. Especially since Colombia had a big win in their quarterfinal.

COLOMBIA: Most people originally thought Group D was Brazil’s for topping, but Los Cafeteros had other plans. They began with a 2-1 win over Paraguay, followed it with a 3-0 win over Costa Rica and followed it with a 1-1 draw to Brazil. Their consistency took them to the top of Group D. They also followed it up in the quarterfinal with a 5-0 win over Panama. They were the only team to actually win their quarterfinal match!

The team have it together and they have what it takes to win. It’s a matter of them delivering at the moment. As they face Uruguay, they know it can go either way. They’ve been brilliant this whole tournament. They will have to continue their brilliance to get into the final.

My Final Verdict: They’ve had fierce rivalries before. The winning team is usually the one with the better World Cup chances. I think this will play to a 2-2 draw and Uruguay will win on penalty kicks.

And there you have it! Those are my predictions for the semifinals of the Copa America. Interesting this is while the Euro doesn’t have a third-place game, the Copa America does. I’m undecided if when I do my blog predictions for the final, I should predict the third-place match. Only time will tell.

2024 UEFA Euro: My Semifinals Predictions

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment
After more than three weeks and 48 games, only four teams remain in contention.

If you thought the group play had a lot of crazy moments, the Round of 16 matches and quarterfinals have their share of shockers too. Where do I start? Starting with the quarterfinals, first came Switzerland surprising Italy 2-0. Any hopes of a comeback for Team Italy will have to be put on development. Just when England appeared to lose to Slovakia, a goal from Bellingham in the 90+5th minute saved them and the goal from Kane in the 91st minute kept them alive. Then what seemed to be a scoreless draw for Belgium vs. France became a winner for France thanks to Kolo Muani’s strike bouncing off Ventonghen’s knee. A scoreless Portugal-Slovenia game saw a penalty kick from Cristiano Ronaldo stopped.

Then came the quarterfinals. In the very first match, Spain vs. Germany, lots of shockers as an 89th-minute goal from Germany’s Wirtz prevented Spain from winning in regulation. Then a 119th minute goal from Spain’s Merino stopped any hope for a penalty kicks round for the hosts. What would be Cristiano Ronaldo’s sixth Euro would become the first and only where he doesn’t score a goal. What would become yet another scoreless draw for Portugal, France beat them in penalties. England not only had the rare case of winning a game on penalty shootout in their match against Switzerland but they sank all five! To end it all, Netherlands arrived late but won it despite Turkey’s attempt for a big comeback.

Now that the first rounds of the knockout stage are done, it’s the semifinals. Three of the semifinalists have already won the Euro at least once before. The other was a finalist at the last Euro for their first time ever and missed winning its first Championship “by that much!” The quarterfinal winners from Friday’s games will play Tuesday’s match and the quarterfinal winners of Saturday’s matches will play Wednesday’s match. With that in mind, here’s my look at the two semifinals and my predictions:

SEMIFINAL #1: SPAIN vs. FRANCE

Head-To-Head Stuff: The two teams have squared off 36 times before. Spain have won 16 times, France has won 13 times and seven were draws.

Team-By-Team Analysis

SPAIN: La Furia Roja have won the Euro three times before. Here in Germany they came to this tournament in an unknown situation. They were out at the 2022 World Cup in the Round Of 16 but came back to win the UEFA Nations League this past year. Here in Germany, they appear to be the team that’s delivered best. Their group stage play was straight wins without even conceding a goal. Their Round Of 16 match against Georgia started with an own-goal but they made up for it by scoring four for themselves. They faced a tough challenge against Germany in the quarterfinal but hung in to win 2-1 in added extra time.

With five wins, eleven goals and two conceded, Spain looks to be in top form to win. It’s also something one should not rush into thinking. Even they can face stiff challenges from their highly-ranked opponents. Their win over Italy came on an own goal and was the only goal of the match. Their win over Germany was in added extra time. Even though France’s play has been lacklustre here in Germany, they should not underestimate them or they could be in trouble.

FRANCE: I honestly think Les Bleus are the luckiest team here at the Euro so far. Their first game was a 1-0 win over Austria due to an own-goal from Wober. Their game against the Netherlands was a scoreless draw and their game against Poland was a 1-1 draw. In the Round of 16, they again benefited from an own-goal as Kolo Muani’s strike bounced off Ventonghen’s knee. In their quarterfinal, their game against Portugal went scoreless but a perfect five-set of penalty kicks gave France the win.

It’s easy to label France’s success at this Euro as being “by fluke.” Two 1-0 wins won by an own-goal, having two of the six 0-0 draws of this Euro, only three goals for them and the only one that wasn’t an own-goal was a penalty by Mbappe against Poland. If France wants to win their third Euro ever, they will have to come alive in the semi because Spain will deliver a challenge where their luck could run out on Tuesday.

My Final Verdict: Will Spain continue its winning ways of play? Will France’s lucking out continue in the semis? I think Spain will take it 2-0. I have more faith that consistent play will pay off that night.

SEMIFINAL #2: THE NETHERLANDS vs. ENGLAND

Head-To-Head Stuff: They have met 22 times before including two Euro meetings; the last being in 1996 which England hosted. Past results are The Netherlands won seven games, England won six, and nine are draws.

Team-By-Team Analysis

THE NETHERLANDS: They’ve won one Euro before; back in 1988. No doubt they want to do it again. Oranje has the talent to do it again with the likes of Cody Gakpo and Memphis Depay. They also have the play to achieve their second Euro. Their 3-0 win over Romania shows they know how to dominate. Their 2-1 win over Turkey in the quarterfinals also shows they know how to come from behind.

They’ve also shown some vulnerability during this tournament. That was evident in their scoreless draw to France and their 3-2 loss to Austria caused by an own-goal by Donyell Malen near the start. Even their win over Turkey was a concern as they only came alive in the last 25 minutes. If they want to win the semifinal, they can’t afford to give anything away. Especially if they’re playing England.

ENGLAND: They’re the team many love to hate. They boast the best combined football talent in the world but they have the habit of falling short in major tournaments. Nevertheless The Three Lions are able to pull the unexpected. In group play, their 1-0 win over Serbia was the only game in Group C that wasn’t a draw. That sole win of the group put them in first of Group C. What appeared looming to be a 1-0 loss to Slovakia in the Round Of 16 was ended thanks to a last-minute goal from Jude Bellingham and an almost -immediate goal from Harry Kane to win. Then their quarterfinal against Switzerland ended in a 1-1. Usually penalty kicks are England’s biggest weakness but they sank all five of their openers en route to the win.

No question England is talented. They have a lot of talent. They also have one of their best coaches in decades. Nevertheless as we’ve seen in play here, England can underplay. They often deliver short of what they’re capable of and we’ve seen it in the past as well as at this very Euro. Holding back and not arriving until the last few minutes of the game can cost them in the semifinals. Additionally, coach Gareth Southgate has received criticism for some of his coaching decisions. Decision here will affect if he continues on as team manager or if his eight-year stint ends here.

My Final Verdict: I know this will be a tight match with it being against two of the toughest European teams. I predict the game will end as a 1-1 draw and The Netherlands will win on penalty kicks.

And there you have it. Those are my thoughts on the two semifinals and my predictions for the winners of the games. Hard to believe the final is just a week away!