Georgia, Georgia (6/26)

18 YCs

Watching both Group E games

ANAHEIM, CA - F3-Portugal's Ronaldo wanted to score but instead F2-Georgia came up with the biggest Euro upset ever (topping earlier E2-Slovakia over E1-Belgium), stunning POR 2-0 to make the Round of 16 on their first try.  The #75 (okay, the June 20 rankings have them #74) ranked team knocked off #6.  POR, who already had won Group F, had 23 shots but only put 5 on goal.  In a game F4-Czechia needed to win, F1-Türkiye kept the tie until a stoppage time goal gave TUR the 2-1 win.  That game featured a record 18 yellow cards (at least, a coach or two may have gotten one as well, and 2 yellows that brought out a red which count as 1 yellow, so maybe 20?) and 2 red cards (one after the game) in a game the ref let out of control.  Two TUR players (TUR had 11 of the yellows plus maybe the coach) will be suspended for picking up their second yellow in the group stage and one backup GK picked one up.  Had CZE advanced, the ref carded a player on the bench, and that player would've have missed the Round of 16 match.  The 2 reds were the first since the opening match when A2-Scotland picked one up.

Group E started in a unique state (all teams 3 points) and stayed that way (all teams 4 points).  E4-Ukraine was the only one that needed to win if both games drew and outshot BEL 14-12 but couldn't score in the 0-0 draw.  The rain-soaked E2-Slovakia and E3-Romania match also drew (1-1) putting both teams in.  UKR becomes the first Euro team to ever bow out with 4 points (3C-Slovenia with 3 pts advanced) since the field expanded to 24 teams because they finished 4th, not 3rd.  The 4-way tiebreaker put #46 ROU first to play #7 3D-Netherlands of all teams, #3 BEL second (to play #2 2D-France), and #48 SVK third (to play #4 1C-England).  Because it was a 4-way tiebreaker, BEL's win over ROU didn't matter (nor the fact that SVK beat BEL).

Fresh roasted nuts!

24 picked the TUR win, 14 the SVKvROU draw, and 10 the URKvBEL draw.  No one imagined GEO winning.  13 went 2-2 while 23 went 0-4.  All 58 had BEL advancing (barely), 56 had POR, 43 TUR, 36 SVK, and 13 ROU.  Cool Guy, El Buenísimo, and Danglish (56th, 45) actually had GEO making the R16.  Alyonushka (4th-Tied, 56 pts) and Rutin4Putin (4th-T) (coincidentally, the same person) got 5 of the 6 teams.  Flying Elvi (40th-T, 50) only got 2 of the 6.  Alyonushka and Rutin4Putin picked up 17 of 22 possible points (no one else had more than 14) while Flying Elvi got just 6 of 22 points.

Toast still leads with 60 points with El Buenísimo second (59) and Germany Minus One third (58).  Lukakus Lost Brother fell into a tie for last with Cool Guy (44).  Overall, Toast had the most Round Robin wins (21) while Cool Guy had the least (11) (out of 36 possible points).  7 entries got 13 of the 16 teams in the Round of 16 while Lukakus Lost Brother got just 10.

The last 12 matches saw entries only get an average of 3.1 correct (total of 16.3) as 7 more ties reared its ugly head.  Entries got 11.9 teams in the R16.  Email update likely late tomorrow since I'll be traveling in four hours and no elimination runs (still haven't made it efficient), but likely after the R16 is over.  So there is still hope (for now).

Needed to get a local gift for my upcoming trip so went to a local place that actually roasts nuts in house (Fresh Nuts).  I wore my Bratislava, Slovakia t-shirt that I bought when I was there in October 2017.  Who knew SVK would advance?

Hand the Ball (6/27)

If I just grab it...

1C-Netherlands, which did not qualify for the 2016 Euros or the 2018 World Cup, disappointed yet again committing a bad handball on a breakaway for a red card as 2D-Czech Republic took full advantage in their 2-0 win.  NED had scored the most goals in the group stage (8) but had zero shots on goal today.  NED had just two shots and no corners in the second half while Patrik Schick put the nail in the coffin in the 80' with his 4th goal.  A panic move, the attempted scoop of the ball by NED's Matthijs de Ligt as he fell at the top of the penalty box with no other Dutch defender close by in the 52' was initially a yellow until VAR gave the red three minutes later.

We will have a new Euro champion as 1B-Belgium outlasted reigning champ 3F-Portugal, 1-0, on their only shot on goal on yet another golazo from outside the box... so many great goals outside the box (can't remember the last LA Galaxy match that had one).  In yet another heavyweight match (can you believe we have already seen FRA-POR, FRA-GER, GER-POR, and now BEL-POR already?  ENG-GER is next!), POR took 16 shots in the second half after falling behind with four of those on goal.  Ronaldo had just a couple of semi-dangerous free kicks (kind of weird we haven't had a direct free kick goal yet).

CZE, ranked #40 in the world, will now face 2B-Denmark and another big showdown will feature BEL and 1A-Italy in the Quarters.

I Kante Lose was the only one to pick CZE into the Quarters to move from a tie for 19th to a tie for 9th.  Two lost NED in their Final.  46 got BEL while 4 lost POR as their champ (14 had them in the Final).  I Kante Lose went 2-0 (but can't win the pool) while 3 went 0-2.  29 have 3 Quarterfinalists while 20 have two.  

7 more can't win money (leaving 40) while 13 more can't win the pool (leaving 26) and losing NED and POR hurt quite a few entries.  FrankfromSeattle has the best chance at winning the pool (14.4%) and money (36.9%) but Slyelf still leads by two (82 pts).  Wolverine1 is now alone in last (63) but can still win 2nd.  Rainman and Rocket Ronaldo are tied for 20th (72) but are eliminated.

54-Yard Bullseye (6/14)

A pair of teams ranked in the 40s played each other with D4-Czech Rep (#40) getting the better of home side D3-Scotland (#44) thanks to two great goals from Patrik Schick, including his 54-yard bending strike just over the running GK's head for the final score of 2-0.  Why SCO's GK was near the midfield circle is puzzling, but his desperate run backwards and falling and getting tangled into the net will be meme'd everywhere.

Schick's goal reminded me of USWMT's Carli Lloyd's midfield bomb in the WWC15 final or Zlatan's first goal with the Galaxy.  But Carli's had plenty of margin bouncing into the goal while Schick's strike just barely fit between the GK's hands and crossbar.  And to think we had golazos just yesterday from C3-Austria and C2-Ukraine.

More drama as E4-Slovakia got an own goal off the GK's back and after going up a man, the game-winner in the 69' to beat E3-Poland, 2-1.  POL's Robert Lewandowski had 5 shots but none on goal.  Each team had more than 10 shots (POL 17, SVK 11) but momentum changed when POL picked up a red card on a second yellow (unfortunately, the first yellow was very soft but the second was deserved) in the 62'.  

Like WC18, E1-Spain again dominated possession but lacked finishing as E2-Sweden held on with just 25% possession in the scoreless draw.  In WC18, three times ESP had 63% or more possession and came out it with just a 1-0 win (over Iran, no less), a draw, and another draw that led to a loss in the penalty shootout.  SWE was without an official shot on goal but had one chance that was cleared off the line by a Spanish defender, off the right post, and into the waiting arms of the GK.

ESP's draw meant home teams are just 3-3-1 with F1-Hungary and F4-Germany playing at home tomorrow.

In our closest pick of the pool, 18 picked CZE (15 SCO, 16 ties), no one picked SVK (43 had POL), and just 8 picked the ESP-SWE tie.  The unexpected results scrambled up the standings with Club Med now alone in first with 7 points after 10 matches. 11 others have 6 points while Isayoldchap remains at 2 pts.  3 went 2-1 while 26 went 0-3.

Issue # 6.2.1 "Best Four Teams In..."

It'll be nice to have a 2-day break.  Of course, why Portugal and Spain each get an extra two days rest seems illogical for UEFA.  We'll see how it plays out.  Very nice that 13 are still alive and 4 each have an equal chance of winning the pool.


EACH QUARTERFINAL FEATURED ONE DOMINANT TEAM
Flying Elvi leads by a point, but four can win title

With Ronaldo, Czech-Mate!

Don't awake the sleeping giant, but Cristiano Ronaldo is playing like a superstar and his third goal of the tourney, a 79' header where he just ran around a listless defender, sends a revived Portugal team into the Semis with a dominant 1-0 win over the Czech Republic.  If not for the woodwork, Ronaldo could have a half-dozen goals this tournament.  Portugal outshot CZE 20 to 2... 2!  And none of the two were on goal.

Only three picked POR to advance to the Semis with Flying Elvi jumping to a 7-point lead atop the standings, Sisyphus moving from 27th-Tied to 12th-Tied, and Blue Panther moving out of last place to 34th.  Although all 19 entries remain alive after today, three now have no chance for 1st, reducing the pool of pool winners to just six.  Walleye (3rd, 57), Absolutely Clueless (4th-T, 56), and BigRedMessi2 (4th-T, 56) can only win 2nd now.  As for possibilities, Flying Elvi has a 32.8% chance to win the pool and a whopping 93.8% chance to win money.

Issue # 5.1.3 "Familiar EURO Field..."

Wow, what a tourney thus far.  In the end, don't the 8 teams look like they should be there in the EURO knockout stage (except for Czech Republic)?  But now, who is still alive in the pool? 


FRANTIC FINISHES AS KNOCKOUT STAGE SETTuan and The Flying Elvi on top as 20 are still alive

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

Greek Tragedy

Finally, the baby is sleeping after several hours.  But then she got hungry again.  This has been a long night after another long day at work.

Greece GK Kostas Chalkias allowed two goals in the first six minutes and then had to leave in the 22' due to injury.  And after that, Czech Republic didn't score another goal.  Had he only left in the 2' instead.  So, CZE avoided being eliminated with the win although GK Petr Cech (who was incredible for Chelsea in the finals of the FA Cup and Champions League) had another shaky outing with a poor clear for GRE's only goal. Just 10 got this result correct in one of the more conflicted matches (16 GRE, 13 TIE).

A Russian march in Poland (doesn't sound wise on paper) on Russia's Indpendence Day was going fine until they met some Polish fans.  Despite the violence and 123 arrests, RUS and POL met for real on the pitch with RUS a chance to be the first team to clinch a spot in the quarters.  POL once again came out strong and once again failed to put away chances allowing RUS to strike first.  A golazo by Jakub Blaszczykowski evened it up ending in a 1-1 tie.  Just 13 picked the tie with Popozao, JP, Kona Coast Sliders, and Agenterob (the latter two on 3-game win streaks) going 2-0 today while 26 went 0-2.  But Walleye once again is alone in first with 14 points.  VZ Wedding Bells!!! is on a 6-game losing streak and is in a 4-way tie for last.

Both GRE and POL had goals disallowed by very close offisde calls.  This has been a great group to watch as all four teams have scored at least once in each of their matches, 12 goals total (3.0 per match).  All four teams are alive and all control their destiny... a win by any team will get them through to the Quarterfinals, even GRE (who'd advance if there were a 3-way tie at 4 pts each).

The Group of Death resumes in a few hours with DEN-POR and then with another big superpower matchup, NED-GER.

Wild First Day - Six tied for 1st

What a topsy-turvy first match.  Seemed like co-host Poland was going to blow out Greece, especially when the refs generously sent a Greek off with two soft yellows, giving 18 entries a first taste of victory to start the pool.  Then Greece tied it with super sub Dimitris Salpigidis equalized early in the second half putting 10 entries closer to the win column.  Then the Polish GK took down Salpigidis for a PK and 11 who picked Greece were getting ready to celebrate their two points.  But the backup GK saved it and in the end, 10 entries got it correct -- a tie.  The first tie of our soccer pools where you could earn points and it happened in the very first game.  So instead of 18 entries losing a chance for points in a wash (no points for anyone), 10 picked up two points.  Of course, I was one of those 18 who are now 2 points behind instead of tied with everyone.  How bizzare must it be for the Polish fans to hear a goal celebration song when Greece scored in their own stadium.

In the nightcap (in Poland at least), Russia showed they are the team to beat in Group A by thumping the Czech Republic 4-1.  Roman Pavlyuchenko's one-man effort (for the 4th goal) was so great it reminded me of someone like Kobe Bryant taking on the entire opposing team and still scoring.  So 27 of the 39 entries picked Russia and in the end, six are on top of the standings with 4 points while eight entries are still pointless.  You can now find the daily standings in the menu above (usually by the next morning, but hopefully always earlier).  We are unofficially at 39 entries which is more than the 20-25 I expected.  We should be official by Monday evening when I check the PO Box for any more mailed entries (we had 2).