Perfect 3-0 (6/20)

A2-Italy completed group play a perfect 3-0 with a comfortable 1-0 win over A3-Wales as both teams advanced to the Round of 16.  The Italian home cooking will end as they will go to London for their Round of 16 match.  A4-Switzerland scored early and often to beat A1-Turkey, 3-1, to sit in a good position with 4 points in 3rd place.  TUR was disappointing but did end their scoring drought with a great strike just over the GK's outstretched hands.  SUI's Steven Zuber became just the 2nd person to notch 3 assists in a Euro match (CZE '08) while Xherdan Shaqiri has now scored in 4 Euro tourneys.

28 got SUI right and 45 ITA while 48 got 3 points for ITA in the R16 and 18 WAL.  25 went 2-0 while DenMarkMyTerritory went 0-2.  17 got both ITA and WAL making the R16 while 32 got just one.  Eight got the full 8 points today (ITA, SUI wins x 1 = 2; ITA, WAL in R16 x 3 = 6) while DenMarkMyTerritory only got 3.  Footballsack is still in the lead with 23 pts with 4 tied for 2nd with 22.  DenMarkMyTerritory and Otsego1 are tied for last with 13 pts.

All six groups could produce a 3rd place team with 4 points (though there were just 2 in '16) but 4 should be enough.  SUI (who lost GD tiebreaker to WAL for 2nd) could advance as early as tomorrow if both 3rd place teams in Groups B & C have just three points.  In Group B, RUS and FIN each likely just need a draw but DEN beating RUS would mean they would own the head-to-head tiebreaker if tied for 3rd with 3 pts.  DEN, RUS, and FIN tied at 3 points will depend on additional tiebreakers.  In Group C, UKR and AUT play each other and are guaranteed at least 3rd place with MKD already eliminated, so a boring, defensive-minded draw between them likely will advance both.  

One Team In, One Nearly Out (6/16)

B2-Finland got more than one shot (albeit the game-winning goal) this time, getting 11 against B4-Russia, but had a goal overturned by VAR (offsides) as RUS prevailed 1-0 at home.  These two and B3-Belgium have 3 points with BEL playing tomorrow.

A1-Turkey's defense was no match against A3-Wales' Gareth Bale as he tore apart the defense with great needle and over the defense passes leading to two assists, a near goal pursing the GK, and drawing a penalty.  Alas, he missed the PK (teams are just 1/3) but WAL won 2-0, the last goal the last play of the match.  In the other Group A match, A2-Italy started fast and furious against A4-Switzerland in winning their second straight 3-0 match with two strikes outside the box.  ITA is now unbeaten in their last 29 matches and have not allowed a goal in their last 10 in being the first team to qualify for the Round of 16.  TUR is last with a horrible -5 GD.

After having just one VAR in the first 11 matches, there have now been 3 in the past 4.  ITA had their goal taken away with an inadvertent handball by the scorer.  Apparently, if the ball had dropped to another ITA player who scored, it would have counted - only the player with the handball can't score when it accidentally hits his arm/hand.

37 picked RUS, 14 WAL, and 39 ITA.  7 went 3-0 while DenMarkMyTerritory and Otsego1 went 0-3.  Club Med now leads by 2 with 12 points over 10 others tied for second.  Six are tied for last with 6 pts.  Also, note that in the Standings page, if your nickname has a pound symbol (#), you need to view your pick via the Picks page.  HTML doesn't work well with certain symbols like # (but I still allow it in the nickname) and the standings are automated.

Ronaldo on a roll

Ronaldo's 9th Euro goal (ties record)

Sometimes, things just line up.  A late stoppage time goal by 2F-Iceland knocked 3F-Portugal to third and put the Portuguese in the upper bracket with no giants (e.g., ENG, ESP, FRA, GER).  They even avoided BEL thanks to 1B-Wales.  After needing a late OT goal to beat 1D-Croatia and a PSO to beat 2C-Poland, POR could've settled for another regulation tie.  But after a listless first half, Ronaldo struck with a brilliant header off a corner kick and less than three minutes later, a Ronaldo shot was re-directed in by Nani and Portugal controlled the rest of the match winning 2-0 over the Welsh.  Will Ronaldo do what Messi couldn't do and win a title for home and country at the world stage?  Will Ronaldo quit the national team if he loses in the final like Messi?  Will Portugal finally go back to their traditional red and not the green glow/night shade jersey?  It was a nice run by Wales and with Iceland out, only traditional powers 1A-France, 1C-Germany, and Portugal remain.

Portugal's win was picked by 5 entries and this also meant we won't know who will win the pool until after the final on Sunday!  Travel Bug (who was 26th before the Round of 16 matches) moved into 1st (89 pts) while

Clearing the path for Ronaldo

Run little man, run

About the only exciting thing in the later stages of the 2C-Poland-3F-Portugal match was a wave of blue shirts chasing an un-shirted fan on the pitch.  Portugal tied the match in the 33' but both teams played it safe in overtime.  About the only thing that went right for Ronaldo was his PSO goal as he was blatantly taken down in the box early with no call and flubbed two settling chances, that for a mere man would be hard, but for elite players would be gimmes.  POR hit all five PSOs to POL's three.  But the Portuguese hopefully won't be looking to the final as they will get to play 1B-Wales and not 2E-Belgium in the semis.

After going up a goal, BEL took the foot off the pedal and the Welsh took full advantage,