La Roja

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 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!

2024 Copa America: Group A Focus

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

Some of you may be wondering why would I do a focus on the groups of Euro 2024 but not on the upcoming Copa America? Actually I will do a focus on the upcoming Copa America in the United States. Looking back, I find it weird that I only did one set of blogs for a Copa America all the way back in 2015, but none since. About time I fixed that.

Ever since I first focused on the Copa America, which would become my only focus until now, there seemed to be a change every tournament. When I first did it in 2015, it was a twelve-team quadrennial tournament. The first major change came in 2016 when the Copa America decided to have a tournament to celebrate its centennial. And in the United States: a nation that’s not part of the CONMEBOL! In addition, a tournament of 16 teams!

For 2019, it looked like it would get back to normal returning to its quadrennial occurrence, hosted by Brazil and back to being a twelve-team tournament. Then the COVID pandemic happened. A Copa America returned in 2021, held in Brazil. This time, it was only the ten CONMEBOL teams competing in two groups of five.

Now it looks like the Copa America is to be contested in leap years, just like the Euro. After this year, the next Copa will be in 2028. Hard to believe the Euro final and the Copa America final are both on the same day! For the tournament of the Copa America, it will be a sixteen-team tournament with all ten CONMEBOL nations and six guest nations all from the CONCACAF. Fourteen stadiums across the United States will have games contested. It’s possibly because it can prepare itself for the World Cup in two years.

In Group A, we have the defending Copa champions, two more CONMEBOL teams and a CONCACAF team. So without further ado, here’s my look at the teams of Group A. Numbers in brackets are the latest FIFA rankings:

-Argentina (1): At long last, Messi has his Copa America and his World Cup. Over the last ten years, it became apparent that Messi can be a one-man team for Argentina. It needs to have other top players to be the best team in the world, and they’ve done it before in the past. The first breakthrough came when they won the 2021 Copa America against Brazil 1-0. That would pave the way for the Albiceleste’s win in Qatar. They’re still strong and they show little sign of slowing down.

Lionel Scaloni continues to be the manager of the team he’s managed since the 2018 World Cup ended. The squad for the Copa has not been announced, but Messi will definitely be there. Also anticipated to be named to the team is defender Nicolas Olamendi, midfielder Rodrigo de Paul, forward Angel di Maria and goalkeeper Dibu Martinez. Since their World Cup wins, they’ve won all but one game. Their only loss came from Uruguay back in November 2023. Argentina could have what it takes to do it again as long as their success doesn’t spoil them.

FUN FACT: Argentina’s win of the World Cup must have rubbed over to the other American teams. Seven of the teams at this Copa have an Argentinean coach!

-Peru (32): La Bicolor or Los Incas are an on-again off-again team. The current team is a far cry from their Golden Generation in the 1970’s and delivered a legend with Teofilo Cubillas. Nevertheless, they’ve shown a recent surge in prowess with a 4th place at the last Copa, runners-up at the Copa in 2019 and qualified for the 2018 World Cup.

Peru has been managed by Uruguayan Jorge Fossati for less than a year. The squad consists of top players like defender Luis Advincula, midfielder Christian Cueva, forward Pablo Guerrera and goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. In the past year and a half, Peru’s wins have all been outside the CONMEBOL: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and South Korea. They’ve endured draws to Venezuela, Morocco and Paraguay and losses to six teams including Brazil, Germany and Argentina. This Copa America is another chance for Peru to prove itself and their team’s strength.

-Chile (42): It’s hard to describe how good La Roja are at any given time. When they’re on, they’re on. When they’re off, they’re off. They’ve been in nine World Cups and their best finish is third, but they always have the bad luck of meeting Brazil in the World Cup knockout rounds who would eventually end their run. Also they hit it big in the mid-2010’s when they won their first-ever Copa in 2015, repeated in 2016, but have finished out of the Top 3 since and last qualified for a World Cup in 2014.

Since the beginning of this year, Chile has been coached by Argentinean Ricardo Gareca. Top players include defender Mauricio Isla, forwards Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas, and goalkeeper Claudio Bravo. In the past year and a half, they’ve had wins against Cuba, Albania and Peru, a win and a draw against Paraguay, draws against Colombia and Bolivia, and losses to France, Ecuador, Venezuela and Uruguay. The Copa America is the arena for Chile to show how good they are and possibly chase another win.

-Canada (49): Les Rouges or the Canucks are one of the six CONCACAF teams here at the Copa America. Canada has struggled for a long time to be seen at a world level. In 2022, it qualified for its second-ever World Cup. The fun ended at the Cup as it lost all three of its matches and it finished second-last. Since then, Canada has been focused on getting serious as they will co-host the 2026 World Cup with the US and Mexico and want a team they can be proud of. Even here at the Copa, they will play the opening game against Argentina. You can bet they want to look good here too!

Since the beginning this year, the Canadian team has been coached by American Jesse Marsch. Canada’s squad for the Copa has not been named yet but it’s strongly believed the team will include defenders Alphonso Davies and Richie Laryea, midfielder Jonathan Osorio and forward Cyle Larin. Since Qatar 2022, Canada has achieved wins against Cuba and Panama, has had draws against France, a win and a loss to Jamaica, a draw and a loss to the United States, and losses to Japan and the Netherlands. Canada will get a good sense of where it’s at here at the Copa and just could surprise the Americas at all they can do.

My Predictions: While the 24-team Euro allows for the top two and third-placers based on a wild card system, the sixteen-team Copa America is strictly the top two. I think the two will be Argentina and Chile.

And there you have it. My introduction to Copa America 2024 and my look at Group A. Just when I thought my writing would take a break after my Euro 2024 group blogs ended, I was wrong!

UEFA Euro 2024: Group B Focus

Jon The Blogcentric2 Comments

It’s crazy how they arrange these groups. Sometimes you wonder how do they organize these draws? Especially if you look at Group B. Of all groups in this Euro, Group B is the one group that can best be called the “group of death.” Look at the roster of teams! Three of them are ranked in FIFA’s most recent Top 10! Not only that but three of those teams were also in Group C in Euro 2012! Coincidence? Hmmm.

For those curious about what happened in 2012, Euro 2012 was a case only the Top 2 qualified. Spain and Italy not only qualified, but they would go on to be the two finalists, which Spain won!

In the meantime, let’s see how the four teams of Group B stack up and which teams will be the qualifiers:

-Spain (8): La Furia Roja may often come across as the World Cup’s greatest underachievers but they do very little underachieving at the Euro. Just like Germany, Spain also has three Euro wins. They were also semi finalists in the previous Euro tournament. They continued their achievements last year as they won the UEFA Nations League. The two Nations League teams they played against last year, Spain will be facing again right here in group play! One thing to point out about Spain is they’ve had a habit of slacking off in the early stages of group play and they can’t afford to do it here!

Spain is currently managed by Luis de la Fuente who has managed the team since their Round Of 16 ouster at the 2022 World Cup. The team is a mix of young and old and most play in Spain’s La Liga. Since then, they’ve had impressive wins over Norway, Italy, and Georgia, drawn against Brazil and Croatia in the Nations League final (which they won on penalty kicks) , had a win and a loss to Scotland and lost to Colombia. Germany is another chance for Spain to excel and possibly win a record-setting fourth Euro trophy!

-Croatia (10): I don’t call Vatreni or The Blazers “the little nation that can” for nothing. A nation under 5 million people and they’ve finished in the Top 3 in three World Cups including third in the most recent World Cup of 2022! Euro play, however, tells a different story. Ever since their existence as their own nation, they’ve qualified for the Euro six out of seven times, they’ve progressed to the knockout round four times, but have never won a knockout match at the Euro. That’s something to take into account.

Croatia has been managed by Zlatko Dalic since 2017. The legendary Luka Modric is the team captain. He will be joined by greats like forward Ivan Perisic, midfielders Mateo Kovacic and Nikola Vlasic and defenders Domagoj Vida and Josko Gvardiol. Their play since the 2022 World Cup has included wins against Netherlands, Armenia, Portugal and Egypt, a win and a loss to Turkey and a draw and a loss to Wales. This Euro is a chance for Croatia to go further than they ever have at the tournament, and even possibly win. Don’t count them out.

-Italy (9): The Gli Azzurri have always been seen as a major powerhouse in football with their superb showings at the Euro and the World Cup. Now they’re an enigma. Ever since they won the World Cup in 2006, they followed it up with two straight outs in the Group Stage and they’ve failed to qualify for the last two World Cups. Their failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup was especially shocking since they won the Euro 2020 eight months earlier and they looked like they were on their way to redeeming themselves.

Since then, the Italian system had to reform itself and they hired Napoli’s Luciano Spalletti as the national coach back in September 2023. The lineup for Italy’s team for the Euro consists of all but three players who play for Italy’s Serie A, eight members who were part of Italy’s Euro-winning team from three years ago and only one from the last World Cup team Italy sent back in 2014! The focus as of late has been getting new talent to rise. Since World Cup 2022 ended, they’ve acquired wins against the Netherlands, Ukraine, Ecuador, Bosnia-Hercegovina and even got revenge against North Macedonia who ended their World Cup 2022 chances! They’ve also had a draw to Turkey and losses to England and Spain. Euro 2024 offers a chance for Italy to redeem itself and regain its reputation as a football great.

-Albania (66): It’s tempting to dismiss the Kuqezinjtë as the weakest link of this group. You shouldn’t jump to conclusions. They’ve won a Euro qualifying game against Portugal in 2014, a friendly against France in 2015, a friendly against Wales in 2018, and both World Cup 2022 qualifying match against Hungary in 2021. Even in their first Euro back in 2016, they achieved a win over Romania. Although they’ve always lost against Italy and Spain and has never played Croatia, history has proven Albania can deliver a shocker. Even their play in the last year helped them move from a C status in UFEA’s Nations League to a B status.

Maybe their recent success is because since the very beginning of 2023, they’ve been coached by a Brazilian: Sylvinho. His coaching has led the team to five wins in eleven games and qualifying for only their second Euro. None of Albania’s team play in teams in their own country and most play in teams for Italy’s Serie A. They’ve achieved wins against Bulgaria, Azerbaijan and the Faroe Islands, a win and a draw to Czechia and Moldova, a win and a loss to Poland, and a loss to Sweden. Germany 2024 is an opportunity for Albania to deliver a shocker of a result and even qualify. Never rule Albania out!

My Predictions: The crazy thing about a group called “Group Of Death” is that eventually predictors will still have to rank first from fourth. It will be a close one which I feel will have the most draws. In the end, I will have to go with recent Nation’s League action and I feel Spain will top, Croatia will be second. Italy will be third but will have enough points and stats to qualify.

And there you go. That’s my look at the four teams of Euro 2024’s Group B. It may be seen by most as the “group of death,” but don’t rule out the other groups. They could have tight rivals too.

2023 FIFA WWC: My Prediction For The FINAL And Third-Place Playoff

Jon The Blogcentric4 Comments

I know that sometimes my predictions can be quite off. I got all eight of the Round of 16 winners right, I got three of the four quarterfinalists right, but I got none of the semifinalists right! That’s why I tell people not to completely trust my predictions if you’re placing bets!

HOST NATION KUDOS

First off, I would like to say that both New Zealand and Australia did an excellent job of hosting the Women’s World Cup here. I know there was a lot of concern from FIFA and the New Zealand tourism industry in trying to get game tickets sold. The group stage saw a lot of near sell-outs of the games involving New Zealand or the USA, but low crowds for some of the other less lauded teams. As the rounds got bigger, New Zealand began to improve in their ticket sales and attendance has been great. As for overall, attendance has been excellent. It has set a Women’s World Cup record of 1.85 million! Per game, it’s just very short of the 30,000-per-game mark but it will have no problem passing it with the attendance of these last two matches. In the process, it ill become only the third Women’s World Cup with an average attendance of 30,000 per game or more!

Third-Place Playoff:

Yes, I’m one of those that’s willing to make a prediction for the third-place match. Besides I’m sure there will still be people betting on that match. The most intriguing thing about this match is that both teams are coached by a Swedish coach! So here are my thoughts:

Head-To-Head Stats:

Australia and Sweden have faced each other fifteen times before. Sweden won nine times and Australia have won twice. Worth noting is the most recent meet-up, in Melbourne in November 2022. Australia won 4-0!

Team-By-Team Analysis:

SWEDEN: It is always tempting to feel sorry for Sweden. They almost always seem to have a team that can contend for the top, but constantly falls short. They won the first-ever Women’s Euro, but have yet to win a second after eight more Top 3 finishes since. They two two Olympic silver medals, losing on penalty kicks to Canada in Tokyo 2020. And here in the Women’s World Cup, they find themselves in their fourth bronze-medal match! No doubt they would’ve wanted to be in their second Final, but Spain was the better team.

The Blagult have shown themselves to be top-notch players. They went through the Group Stage with straight wins and did very well in the knockout round until Spain beat them 2-1. Turns out Spain exposed their weak side as Spain had more ball control and better attack. If Sweden wants to win this match, they will have to have the ball control over Australia.

AUSTRALIA: Despite losing to England, the Matildas delivered a team that the host nation should be proud of. I know being a Canadian, I’m not happy they had our team eliminated, but I’m proud of what they’ve done. Making it to the semi-finals, they became the first host-nation team since the USA in 2003 to do so.

Australia have really proven themselves in the games they played and the opponents they faced. Nevertheless there have been times in this WWC where their weaknesses have been exposed. It was Nigeria in group play that first exposed their flaws and almost paved their way for elimination. The game against England also showed the team’s glitches. Some say England played dirty, but Australia were noticeably off. Even with Sam Kerr’s wonder-goal, England was the better team. Australia knows they will face a tough rivalry from Sweden and they know they need to be dead-on if they want to win.

My Final Verdict: Sometimes you wonder who wins the third-place match? Is it the team that’s the least disheartened? Or the team that feels they have one last thing to prove? Interesting fact: Sweden has won all three of their previous bronze-medal games. For this, I will go with Australia to win 2-1.

THE FINAL

Here it comes. After 31 days and 63 matches, it all boils down to the Final for the Cup. Sydney’s Stadium Australia which was the host venue for the 2000 Summer Olympics will be the arena to decide who wins the Cup. Since the semifinals, it was known the winner of the Women’s World Cup would be a first-time Cup winner. Another interesting fact is that for both finalists, this is their first-ever Women’s World Cup final!

Past Head-To-Head Results: Spain and England have played each other sixteen times before. England have won seven times while Spain have won three times. Their last meeting was in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Women’s Euro which England won 2-1 in added extra time.

SPAIN:

La Roja came to this Women’s World Cup with a lot to prove. A team competing in only their third Women’s World Cup and only entering into FIFA’s Top 10 two years ago. Can Spain be that good of a team? Decisive wins over Costa Rica and Zambia already proved them worthy of the knockout round. A 4-0 to Japan had people questioning their chances. Then the knockout round came. In each of their matches, Spain delivered in ball control and attack. The round of 16 was a 5-1 win over Switzerland, the quarterfinal against the Netherlands was a 2-1 victory in added extra time and the semifinal was a surprise 2-1 win over Sweden! Their first-ever win over Sweden couldn’t have come at a better time!

You can thank coach Jorge Vilda for their success. He not only coaches the Spanish women’s national team, but he’s also the sporting director of the RFEF’s women’s national team system and coaches at the National Coaching School. Spain have been brilliant through most of the tournament. They have shown dominance through most of their play. Nevertheless it was Japan that exposed their weaknesses. Despite Spain delivering dominant play in the Knockout games, their luck could run out in the final.

ENGLAND:

This is a case of a long time coming. Hard to believe this is England’s first-ever trip to the Women’s World Cup final, but it is. You can best give credit to their Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman. Wiegman already had made a name for herself in her home country by coaching the Dutch national team to a Women’s Euro win in 2017 and then finalists in France 2019. In September 2021, Wiegman signed on to coach England. The team showed a duplication of success as they won the 2022 Women’s Euro and delivered a 3-1 win over Australia to make it to the final.

Now before you start singing “It’s Coming Home,” we should not rush in and say England are going to take it. The Lionesses have delivered a lot of excellent play during this Women’s World Cup. They have a good record of scoring 13 goals here and only conceding three, but they have played too conservatively at times and possibly underestimated their opponents. Preliminary play saw them have 1-0 wins over Haiti and Denmark. The knockout round saw them open with a scoreless draw against Nigeria which they won on penalty kicks. They can’t afford to underestimate Spain. Not after the dominance they’ve been showing. Even though they really came alive during their 3-1 win over Australia, they’ve been accused of dirty play. It’s perfectly fine to want to win the Cup, but they need to watch it in the Final.

My Final Verdict: This is really hard to tell. Both teams pose a challenge to each other. England has a lot to prove being the reigning Women’s Euro holder, while Spain wants revenge for their early ouster. I predict the game to go to England 2-1.

And there you have it. Those are my predictions for the third-place match and the Grand Final of the Women’s World Cup. This will make for quite the Saturday and Sunday mornings for most of us. I’m sure the Europeans won’t mind having an early breakfast. I’m curious how many North Americans will wake up earlier than usual to watch it live! It starts at 3am Sunday morning for me! Nevertheless it’s worth it to watch history unfold!

2023 Women’s World Cup: My Semifinal Predictions

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

Just when you thought the group play was loaded with shockers, the shockers of the 2023 Women’s World Cup didn’t end there. Starting with the Round of 16, one of the first shockers was Spain humiliating Switzerland 5-1. Spain was the favorite but that big of a margin was a shock. Possibly the biggest shocker of all was the US playing a scoreless game to Sweden and losing on penalty kicks with the last kick being conceded by a fraction of an inch! USWNT Tobin Heath put it best when she said “It may seem that we lost this game by a millimeter, but we lost this tournament by a mile.” Then came another favorite England also getting a scoreless draw, to Nigeria, and their top player Lauren James getting an instant red card. England sis win on penalty kicks but James will be out until the final or the 3rd-place match, whatever England qualifies for.

The quarterfinals also delivered their own shockers. The first quarterfinal, Spain vs. Netherlands, was expected to be a tough game and ended 1-1 in regulation. However added extra time provided the surprise as 19 year-old Spaniard Salma Paralluelo delivered the tie-breaking goal! Sweden’s 2-1 win over Japan wasn’t that surprising since the two are top-ranked teams and this would be a tight match. The shocker was just the fact of the game that Japan, the last former Women’s World’s Cup winner standing, was out! The following day, England’s win over Colombia wasn’t a shock but Australia achieving a scoreless draw over France and then winning on penalty kicks was. A delight for the host nation.

SEMIFINALS PREVIEW

Now onto focusing on the semifinals. One thing is certain before the semis begin. It’s clear we will have a first-time Women’s World Cup winner. The last to do so was Japan in 2011. Also these will be the first-ever semifinals of the Women’s World Cup without the U.S.A. present. Another surprising fact! For two of these nations, this is their first-ever semifinals qualification. All four have achieved a big win of some kind during this tournament but Spain is the only team to not need a win on penalty kicks in this Knockout Round. All four have shown off brilliant play but they’ve also shown some weaknesses in their WWC play too. So here’s a look at the four teams and my prediction for each semifinal:

SemiFinal #1: Spain vs. Sweden

Head-To-Head Stats:

Spain and Sweden have played each other eleven times before. Sweden won seven games. Spain has never won. Their most recent meeting has been a friendly in October 2022 which both teams drew 1-1.

Team-By-Team Analysis:

SPAIN: Up until a few years ago, Spain was not considered to be a major contender in women’s football. The men are known to shine, but their women were substandard. Sure, they may have finished in the semifinals of the 1997 Women’s Euro, but they were lackluster for a very long time. The turning point came a little more than ten years ago when the RFEF started taking the women more seriously. Starting with the 2013 Women’s Euro, the team made it to the quarterfinals. In 2015, they qualified for their first-ever Women’s World Cup, but it didn’t go well. They were out in the Group Stage and were the only European team that didn’t advance. Even after they were out in the quarterfinals of Women’s Euro 2017, they showed signs of improvement with a Round of 16 finish at the 2019 WWC. In the fall of 2021, La Roja ranked in FIFA’s Top 10 for the first time ever. Here in this Women’s World Cup, they made it to their first-ever semifinal. A big improvement over the last ten years!

La Roja have shown a lot of impressive play in this Women’s World Cup. They opened their group play with a 3-0 win over Costa Rica and a 5-0 win over Zambia. They did have a setback with a 4-0 loss to Japan. During the Knockout phase, they’ve been showing excellent teamwork and ball control with a 5-1 win over Switzerland and also rivaling Netherlands in the quarterfinal which they won 2-1 in added extra time.

Spain has blown past many people’s expectations and have won the respect of the world. The women can no longer be underestimated. Many people were surprised to see Spain rank in FIFA’s Top 10 but their play in the Cup have them proving they deserve it. It’s not to say Spain can’t be stopped. Don’t forget they lost 4-0 to Japan. Spain did an excellent job against the Netherlands showing they can win against top contenders. Now they’re onto Sweden who have played without a loss this Cup. Spain have to be just as strong as they were against Switzerland and the Netherlands if they want to win.

SWEDEN: If you want to talk about certain small nations and how impressive they are at football, you should talk Sweden. At the inaugural Women’s World Cup in 1991, they finished third. The semifinals would become common to see Sweden qualify for. They’ve done it for the fifth time in this Women’s World Cup! Very impressive since Sweden has a population of less than 10 million and this is only the ninth Women’s World Cup to be held. The Blåguld also has an impressive record of winning the last two Olympic silver medals and making it as far as the semi finals in nine of the twelve Women’s Euros.

Throughout this Cup, the Blåguld have been showing some of the best team play of all teams. They won all three of their Group Stage games with eight goals and only conceding one against South Africa. Then came their Round Of 16 match against the United States; the seventh Women’s World’s Cup meeting of the two. Both teams played to a scoreless draw and then Sweden won the penalty kicks 5-4. The quarterfinals saw them play against Japan who, like Sweden, also won all three of their group play games. It started with a goal from Amanda Ilestedt in the 32nd minute and Sweden didn’t look back winning 1-2.

Sweden have done a very good job in showing itself as one of the top teams here. They’ve shown excellent play and knew how to handle both the Americans and Japanese. It’s easy to believe that they will be the team to win the Cup. I think the one thing that could stand in their way is if they misjudge Spain. Spain have done an excellent job in their play in this Cup of attacking and controlling the ball. Sweden could easily misjudge Spain and it could end up the Spaniards would end up winning the game. That’s something Sweden won’t want. Especially if they want to make it to their second Final ever.

My Prediction: This really gives me time to do a lot of thinking but I will have to predict Sweden to win 1-0 in added extra time.

SemiFinal #2: Australia vs. England

Head-to-Head Stats: The two teams have rivaled each other six times. England have won three, there was one draw, and Australia have won twice. Their most recent meeting is worth noting. It was a friendly in Brentford, England which Australia won 2-0!

Team-By-Team Analysis:

AUSTRALIA: Australia making it to the semifinals has been a slow and steady process. Hard to believe, but they weren’t in the inaugural Women’s World Cup in 1991. Australia have been in every Women’s World Cup since. Their breakthrough came in 2007 when they qualified for the knockout round for the first time and they’ve done so in every WWC since. In 2015, the Matildas won their first-ever knockout match. Here at this WWC, they took it one step further by achieving their first-ever semifinals berth! First host nation to do so since the USA did it in 2003. Australia have also excelled in other tournaments such as winning the last three OFC Women’s Nations Cups before Australia switched to the AFC. After the switch, Australia have made it to the finals four out of six times and winning in 2010.

The Matildas have delivered play at this Women’s World Cup with a lot of ups and downs. They started their trip to the Cup well with a 1-0 win over Ireland but soon feel into trouble with a 3-2 loss to Nigeria. They knew they needed to win their last game over Canada, which they did 4-0. In the Round of 16, they faced Denmark and won 2-0. In the quarterfinals, they were up against more favored France. The game went to a scoreless draw but Australia won on penalties 7-6. Of all teams, Australia has done the most to defy expectations. They’ve been playing really well here but their play has been inconsistent. Except for their big win over Canada, most of their play has been pretty close. They may have had a scoreless draw against France but they can’t afford to push their luck here if they want to go to the Final.

ENGLAND: You figure a nation as football mad as England would have their women excel quite far. It wasn’t always the case in the past. Until 1972, England was one of a multitude of nations that forbid women to play the sport. Even as national women’s teams were starting to be formed in the 70′ and 80’s and the first Women’s World Cup was started in 1991, England wasn’t there. 1995 showed promise as the team made it to the quarterfinals, but they wouldn’t return to qualifying for the Women’s World Cup until 2007. Since their return, it’s been all uphill from there. In 2007 and 2011, they made it to the quarterfinals. In 2015, the Lionesses made it to their first ever semi-final and have never missed a semifinal since. Their improvements have also shown at the Women’s Euro as they have not missed one since 2001, made the semifinals three out of the six times finalists in 2009 and winners in 2022!

The Lionesses have delivered play here that will make one convinced they’ll be singing “It’s Coming Home” for the first time in Women’s World Cup history. They started their group play with conservative 1-0 wins over Haiti and Denmark. When it came to their last group game against China, they went all out and won 6-1. Their first knockout game was against Nigeria which led to a scoreless draw and England winning on penalty kicks 4-2. Their quarterfinal match was against Colombia which they won 2-1.

Playing conservatively worked well for England at the beginning of the Cup. Now they can’t take any more chances. It was evident after their scoreless game against Nigeria that they have to play like the Lionesses that dazzled everybody during the Women’s Euro of 2022. Besides they’re playing against Australia in the semifinal. They can’t forget their defeat to them because if they don’t play like they’re supposed to, they may lose again, and this is the worst time to lose.

My Prediction: This is too tough to say. Both teams know how to play well, but both teams have made their errors obvious during the Cup. I think this game will be a 1-1 draw with Australia winning on penalty kicks.

And there you go. These are my predictions for the semifinals of this Women’s World Cup. Hard to believe the final is less than a week away! Will the semis provide shockers of their own beforehand?

Women’s World Cup 2023 Preview Links

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It’s a given. The year after we have the excitement of the men’s World Cup, we get the excitement of the Women’s World Cup the following year. While I had the unusual situation of watching the men’s games in coffee houses at 7am some days and during some unusually cold weather for a December in Vancouver, I will be watching most of the women’s games during hot summer nights! It always makes sense to watch either World Cup during the summer months. It just seems right. The main problem about trying to watch them live is the time-zone situation. There are a few evening games for us North Americans to watch live, but most will take place in the early mornings while we’re sleeping.

So far only two games have been played. None of the groups have completed their first matches, but both host nations played their first games on Day 1. Makes sense. Now the rest of the teams just have to start their games. I know I’ve been delivering previews to each of the Women’s World Cup groups. This is just simply a post with hyperlinks to all my group analyses. I will also post the two countries from each group I think will qualify for the knockout round. Here are the links:

Group A: New Zealand and Norway

Group B: Australia and Canada

Group C: Spain and Japan

Group D: England and China

Group E: United States and the Netherlands

Group F: France and Brazil

Group G: Sweden and Argentina

Group H: Germany and Colombia

Once again, my predictions are in group order instead of rankings. Anyways best of luck to all the teams and let’s all have a great time!

2023 Women’s World Cup: Group C Focus

Jon The Blogcentric2 Comments

It’s something how after eight years, the Women’s World Cup goes from a tournament of 24 teams to a tournament of 32 teams! So how exactly do they split the 32 berths among the continents? Here’s a breakdown:

  • AFC (Asia and Australia): 5 + host Australia
  • CAF (Africa): 4
  • CONCACAF (North America): 4
  • CONMEBOL (South America): 3
  • OFC (Oceania): 0+ host New Zealand
  • UEFA (Europe): 11
  • Inter-confederation playoff berths: 3

Now the inter-confederation play-offs are interesting. Most men’s inter-confederation playoffs consist of a single game between two teams. For the women, the three berths were to be decided between groups of three or four! it was a mix of teams from all six confederations. Teams were usually those who missed the direct qualifying berths but were given chances by their placing in tournaments or through a repechage tournament or in the OFC’s case, the tournament winners. Teams were divided into three groups and all played matches in February for the last team standing in each group. Here are the groups with qualifiers bolded:

  • Cameroon, Thailand, Portugal
  • Senegal, Haiti, Chile
  • Chinese Taipei, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, Panama

What can I say? Deciding the other 30 qualifiers wasn’t easy. And now it’s leading up to World Cup play which is already known to be crazy enough. My next Group of focus is Group C. Four nations from four continents:

-Spain (6): The men of Spain have often been referred to as “Football’s Greatest Underachievers.” Spain’s women have shown their prowess in recent years, even been in the World Top 10 for the first time ever in 2021, but they are looking for their first tournament performance to show the world what they’re capable of. This Women’s World Cup will actually only be the third-ever for La Roja. First in Canada 2015 and the second in France 2019 where they made the Round of 16. They’ve competed in the last three Women’s Euros but have only made it as far as the quarterfinals all three times. 2022 was a case where two of their best players were injured and out. They did finish second in this year’s Cup Of Nations.

In recent years, as Spain has improved, there have been troubles with the team. The most notable has been a labor dispute within the past twelve months. The last while has seen a lot of labor disputes involving Women’s football team which I will focus on in a later blog. In terms of Spain, the team wanted improvements after their disappointment at Euro 2022. The women brought up they wanted a higher level of training, less authoritarian manner from the head coach and took their concerns to the head of the President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). In September 2022, fifteen players who would come to be known as “Las 15” sent and email to the RFEF speaking their concerns and their withdrawal from the national team. The RFEF leaked the letters hoping the women would cave in and return, but all hell broke loose, including Coach Vilda playing innocent and English player Lucy Bronze showing support for Las 15 in a social media picture. The months continued with disputes but there would be talks with the team member by April 2023. As of now, not all of Las 15 have returned to the national team. It’s unclear how many exactly have returned.

Since 2022 Spain have won all but four of their games, drawing once and losing three times. Notable wins include China, Denmark, United States and Japan. Their one draw was 1-1 against Sweden and their losses came to England, Germany and Australia. This Women’s World Cup is a new chance for Spain to prove itself and the team’s ability to play well.

-Costa Rica (36): This is only the second time Las Ticas will perform at the Women’s World Cup. Nevertheless their previous appearance at Canada 2015 showed them delivering a brave performance of drawing against Spain and South Korea before losing to Brazil. The women’s team have delivered impressive results in the past such as twice bronze medalists at the Pan American Games, five-time semifinalists at the CONCACAF Women’s Championship and even runners-up in 2014, and twice medalists at the Central American and Caribbean Games.

The team is coached by Costa Rican Amelia Valverde. Most of the players play for teams in the Costa Rica Women’s Premier Division and three who play for the US’s NWSL. Since 2022, the team has more losses than wins and draws combined. They’ve won against the Philippines, Trinidad and Panama, drawn against Colombia and Mexico, and their losses have included USA, Canada, Netherland, Portugal and Nigeria. The Women’s World Cup is another chance for the team to prove how good they are. They could just surprise again.

-Zambia (77): Zambia comes as the low expectations team. Of all the 32 teams here in Australia/New Zealand 2023, they have the lowest FIFA ranking of all with 77th. This is the Copper Queens’ first-ever Women’s World Cup, but their talent has been starting to catch notice in the football world in the last four years with playing in the 2020 Summer Olympics and finishing third in last year’s Africa Cup. Their finish in the Cup is what made them qualify.

Most of the players play for teams in the division of the Zambia Premier League and most are under 25 years of age. Since 2022, Zambia has had notable losses to Colombia, South Korea and Ireland and draws to Senegal and Switzerland. Most of their wins have been to African teams, but they’ve also achieved wins against Uzbekistan and North Macedonia. Most recently, they achieved a surprise 3-2 victory over Germany, who are ranked second in the World! Pele always said football is a box of surprises. The 270 minutes of group play can be a chance for Zambia to deliver more big surprises. Especially for the world!

-Japan (11): Japan have been part of the Women’s World Cup since it all started in 1991. The Nadeshiko peaked in 2011 when they won the Cup against the US in a penalty shootout. They had continued success shortly after winning the 2012 Olympic silver medal and WWC finalists again in 2015. Since then, the team has had a bit of a struggle. They didn’t qualify for the 2016 Olympics, finished in the Round of 16 in France 2019 and only got as far as the quarterfinals during the 2020 Olympics. They even lost out in the 2022 semifinals of the Women’s Asian Cup after winning it the two previous times. They have shown improvement as they finished second in this year’s SheBelieves Cup.

The team is coached by Futoshi Ikeda who has coached two Japanese age-group national teams and named senior team coach in 2021. Most of the team plays for teams with Japan’s WE League. Since 2022, they’ve had wins against Serbia, South Korea, New Zealand, Canada and Portugal. They also had a draw against China and losses to the US, Brazil, England and Spain. The 2023 Women’s World Cup is an opportunity for Japan to make a comeback among the best in the World.

My Prediction: Here it comes again. Just when you think you know the two will qualify, there’s always the chance for surprises. I predict the two qualifiers to be Spain and Japan.

And there you go. That takes care of my review of Group C for Australia/New Zealand 2023. At first I didn’t think I’d find the time to do these blogs, but I’m getting more confident now!

UEFA EURO 2020: Semifinal Predictions

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Four teams left. Who will be the finalists for Sunday?

Hard to believe it took 135 goals in the 48 matches in 11 stadiums in 11 nations to decide the four semifinalists. Anyways the four semifinalists have all been decided: Denmark, England, Italy and Spain. All semifinals and the final for the Cup will be held in London’s Wembley Stadium. You can expect a lot of chants of ‘It’s Coming Home’ to echo. In the meantime, here’s my focus and predictions on the two Euro 2020 semi-finals:

SEMIFINAL #1: ITALY vs. SPAIN

Head-to-Head Stuff: Spain and Italy have played each other 33 times. Nine times they drew. The other 26 times, the results have been split! Their last head-to-head match was in September 2017 during World Cup qualifying which Spain won 3-0. Spain has won five of the last ten meetings including the 2012 Euro final for the Cup. Italy’s only won two of the last ten but their last win over Spain was a Euro 2016 rematch in the Round of 16 where they won 2-0!

Team By Team Analysis:

ITALY: Italy is a team that went from a national embarrassment to success in most recent years. We’re talking about a nation with one of the world’s biggest football legacies with three World Cup and winning Euro 1968. However recent years after their most recent World Cup win in 2006 would soon expose some of Italy’s weaknesses. They failed to win a game at the 2010 which they were defending World Cup champions and found themselves out in the Group Stage. Another out in the Group Stage happened at the 2014 World Cup. 2016 failed to redeem them as they were out in the quarterfinals of the Euro that year. And them World Cup qualifying. Italy was in Group G which was won by Spain. With Italy being second in the group, they were given a playoff chance where they were drawn against Sweden. The first game, that was played in Sweden, the Swedes won 1-0. The second game was to be in Italy, which seemed to assure they would take it. The whole game went scoreless and Sweden was the team going to the World Cup. World Cup 2018 was only the third World Cup without the Italian team present!

What happened after worked in their favor. There would be a new lead of the Italian Football Federation and the team would be managed under Roberto Mancini. The team also showed promise as they would finish third at the under-20 World Cup and fourth at the 2019 under-20 World Cup, showing a lot of potential for young talent to rise. The results turned out to be very winning. Italy’s last loss was to Portugal in September 2018. Italy went through straight wins in 2019. 2020 was a case where they won five of their eight matches and 2021 has been another case of nothing but wins so far. At Euro 2020, they won all three of their Group Stage matches without conceding a single goal. Italy would go on to win their Round of 16 match against Austria and their quarterfinal against Belgium.

Italy find themselves in the semifinal against Spain. Every Euro game, they’ve been showing their renewed strength and reminding people why Italy is a football superpower. However the Spaniards are an experienced team and they might lose out to them. Also if it becomes a case for penalty kicks, it can be a losing battle for Italy as penalty kicks are one of their weaknesses. It will all be decided Tuesday.

SPAIN: Spain is a team that for a long time has been commonly known as ‘football’s greatest underachievers.’ They have always been a team loaded with talent, but couldn’t seem to deliver during the biggest events. Then something changed around the late-2000’s. Spain won their second Euro in 2008. Could it be that Spain could win the World Cup in the near future? The World Cup in 2010 answered that with a big “Yes!” It started off with a loss on their first game, but game after game was win after win up to winning the Cup. Spain continued their success with a win of the 2012 Euro and runners-up at the 2013 Confederations Cup. Then the downfall. At the 2014 World Cup, Spain became the latest defending champion to be out in the Group Stage. Further humiliation came when Spain was out in the Round of 16 at Euro 2016 and the Round Of 16 at the 2018 World Cup.

Things have changed ever since Luis Enrique, who himself represent Spain at three World Cups and Euro 1996. The team began to regroup and reorganize itself better. Of the 35 matches Spain has played since the 2018 World Cup before Euro 2020, they have only lost three matches and won eighteen. Here at the Euro, they started out slowly with drawing the first two games, which is common for Spain, and then let out its best team traits by first winning 5-0 to Slovakia. This then led to a Round of 16 win against Croatia 5-3 in added extra time and a penalty kick win over Switzerland in the quarterfinals. Spain has what it takes to win the semifinal and even the Euro.

They know how to deliver. They just need to do all the right moves in order to make it happen. We should remember that Spain’s 3-3 tie against Croatia after regulation was because of an own-goal. They’re just as capable of losing to Italy as they are winning over Italy. They can’t afford any more bad mistakes or slack play as they’re getting closer to the final.

My Final Verdict:

Fourth straight Euro Italy and Spain cross paths. First was 2008 in the quarterfinals, then 2012 was group play and the final for the Cup, 2016 was the Round of 16, now this semifinal! This is a tough one considering both the head-to-head statistics and the way the two teams have played here in Euro 2020. I anticipate it will end up a 2-2 draw after added extra time that will go to penalty kicks, which Spain will win.

SEMIFINAL #2: ENGLAND vs. DENMARK

Head-To-Head Stuff: England and Denmark have faced each other 21 times. England won 12 of those games. Five have been draws. Denmark has won four. Three of those Denmark victories have been in the last six meet-ups. The most recent being a 1-0 victory over England in October 2020.

Team By Team Analysis:

ENGLAND: England has always been known to have a wealth of talent. And rightly so. Its Premier League showcases the best English football talent has to offer. However the difficulty always comes when trying to get a national team together. So many players who play great for their clubs, and they bring it to the national team. However the national team almost always falls short. Like the team players can’t function properly as a unified team unit. England did win one World Cup all the way back in 1966, but it’s been a struggle since with the most being two fourth-place finishes. England is the only team in the semifinals who never won a Euro; their best result being third-places in 1968 and 1996. However it was 2104 when England appeared to really hit rock bottom when they were out in the Group Stage of World Cup 2014 without a win. Being ousted in the Round of 16 at Euro 2016 didn’t help much either.

Then things changed when they introduced Gareth Southgate, a former Team England player himself, as head manager. Things really improved as the team started to show improvements in their play together. The 2018 World Cup was a case where they finished fourth, but they showed a remarkable improvement in their play and even won their first ever World Cup match on penalty kicks against Colombia! England has since shown impressive play since them. Before Euro 2020, they’ve only lost five of the 30 games they’ve played since and won 21 games. Since Euro began, they haven’t been like Italy and had straight wins, but they do have a tournament milestone that they have not conceded a single goal in the tournament so far. They appear to be getting better every game. For their Round of 16 match against Germany, they won on home soil: 2-0. And to think during Euro 1996, Southgate, who was a player for England at the time, was the one who delivered the missed penalty in the semifinal which got England out! Their 4-0 win over Ukraine was dazzling to watch.

England has the luxury of a talented team that performs better than ever as a team unit. Not to mention the home advantage with the semis and final in Wembley stadium. However it could fall apart right there. Plus that 1-0 loss to Denmark was back in October 2020, so not all that recent. England will have to keep on playing as well as they have in recent games if they want to reach the final for the Cup.

DENMARK: Normally you don’t think of Denmark as a football superpower. I mean they only competed in their first World Cup in 1986 and their best World Cup finish has been the quarterfinals all the way back in 1998. However Euro tells of bigger success. This is Denmark’s fourth time ever in the Top 4. Past success includes a third-place in 1984 and a win in 1992. Denmark did have a downturn in their success as they failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Euro. Things changed after they were taken on by Norwegian manager Age Hareide. In qualifying for the World Cup, Denmark finished second in their group against Poland, was pitted against the Republic of Ireland in their playoff matches and won 5-1. Denmark would then go on to finish in the Round of 16. After that was the switch to a Danish manager, Kasper Hjulmand, who has helped make the improvements in the team.

The Danes played their first game in Copenhagen expecting to show the world what they’re made of. Instead the first half of their first game against Finland had a shocker of a moment when midfielder Christian Eriksen suddenly collapsed. The whole stadium was in shock. The whole Danish team was distraught and his wife was heartbroken. The game was ordered to stop. Over time, it became apparent that Eriksen was alive and conscious. Eventually he was taken to a nearby hospital where his condition was diagnosed as cardiac arrest. A bombshell would come the following day that he was deceased for five minutes!

Once it was clear Eriksen was alive and being hospitalized UEFA gave the go-ahead to resume the game more than an hour after it stopped. Many did not like the idea. In the end, Finland won 1-0. Denmark has not fully recovered from the shock when they were to play Belgium. They lost 2-1. Over time, the Danish team overcame the shock. Eriksen recovered well enough to visit his team mates. For their last game against Russia, they really showed what they were made of by winning 4-1. Their Round of 16 match was against Wales which they won 4-0, and then their quarterfinal over the Czech Republic which they won 2-1. As has happened in the past, Denmark has delivered the unexpected. They can deliver the unexpected again in Wembley. However it could easily be the end for them if they don’t play as well as they have in recent games. It can be just as much Denmark’s as it can be England’s on Wednesday. It’s about which team delivers the most.

CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN Update: For those wondering what happened to Christian Eriksen since his cardiac arrest, he has been released from the hospital and has met with teammates in Helsingor, but more importantly, he did undergo a successful operation beforehand on June 18 and he’s since returned to be with is family. No word if he’ll play professional football again. Most leagues won’t allow a footballer to play again after they suffer cardiac arrest.

My Final Verdict: This is a tough prediction, especially since the last England vs. Denmark match was a Danish victory, but I think the win will be England 2-1.

And there you have it. My predictions for the two semifinals of Euro 2020. Hard to believe the final for the Cup is coming so soon. Hard to believe we all had to wait forever for it! Anyways, stay toond!