You're Unpredictable

Almost forgot how crazy having simultaneous matches is. Having to watch the replays was even trickier. Going about fifteen minutes at a time switching between games hoping you don't hear the score of the other match.  In a group where all four teams could not only qualify for the quarterfinals, but also win the group, the possibilities were numerous.  But who would've thought that both Greece AND Czech Republic would make it the Last 8.  In their first matches, GRE had to play down a man and a goal, missed the tourney's only PK attempt, and rallied to tie while CZE were routed by RUS 4-1.  How things change.

GRE were outshot
by RUS 25-5 but got a break in 1st half stoppage time to score first and put them in the driver's seat.  Since head-to-head was the first tiebreaker, goal differential didn't matter, and when GRE held on, they won their first match since winning EURO 2004 and advance as the runner-up in Group A.

The Group A winners were CZE who got a second half goal to beat co-host POL, 1-0.  Poland, for the third straight match came out on fire, but like the other two, could not put their opportunities away.  Late in the match, needing a win that wasn't coming, Poland could've spoiled CZE's quarterfinal hopes but the stoppage time shot into the goal was heroically headed out.  How upset should RUS, whose 16-match unbeaten streak was snapped, be that the team they beat by 3 goals wins the group while they go home.  CZE's negative goal differential in winning the group is rare but they also advanced with a negative goal differential in '96 and ultimately reached the final.

With a total of 14 points (2 per match plus 5 per qualified team) up for grabs, three got the max 14.  Bix Pix and Wampa were two of those and now top our group as 1-2.  V2 Wedding Bells!!! also did this and moved from 32nd to 3rd.  Four got both matches correct and four got both Quarterfinal teams correct.  Our leader forever, Walleye, fell from 1st to 8th.  The Mighty Mobelfakta was one of 12 to not get a qualified team correct (and 1 of 9 to get zero points today, including both my entries) and fell from 2nd to 26th.  Yup. Crazy day.