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A follow up on Canadian soccer, I know that most of the world refer to it as football but they also have another sport called football.

"FIFA has deducted six points from Canada in Olympic women's soccer standings and banned three coaches for one year amid a drone-spying scandal at the 2024 Paris Olympics."
plus
". . . (FIFA) issued a fine of CHF $200,000 (about $312,700) against the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA)."

https://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/fifa-dedu ... -1.6980085

New season - same old Spurs. I hate football so much…… oh well, there’s always next year…….

This season was ruined almost as soon as it begun six months ago. Pretty much nothing worked and way to many points lost. But feels better now somehow. Six straight wins can have that effect.

Maybe, just maybe, we have a chance of getting a spot to the euros this year.

A retirement . . .
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/arti ... 24evjm9gno

The football season ended on a positive note.

The men had a strong finish of the season and managed to take third place, after an abysmal first half of the season.

The ladies won the final game of the season, and that secured a place in the top league for next season. Well done.

xxxxx

Not sure what I think of VAR. Why having it when a goal that is legit according to the offside rules gets disallowed by VAR for being offside. The VAR team took the offside on the wrong player. A saw a notice that that VAR team is now suspended. Anyway. What is the point of having these delays if they get it wrong anyway. Bah.

xxxx

Rumania vs Kosovo. Not sure what I think here. Doesn't feel right to award Rumania a 3-0 win for Kosovo 'forfeiting' the game when it was only one minute of stopping time remaining (approximately), and the score 0-0. On the other hand. Kosovo refusing to play because they do not like what they hear from the audience is not right either.

I probably think that the score when the match was broken should be the final score, and then the teams should get other punishments instead. I lean towards that matches should be settled on the field.

Going to watch the England-Sweden match this evening. Should be fun.

An impressive win by England. Congratulations.

England 2-2 Sweden (AET) England win on penalties.

A difficult game as expected. Sweden can perhaps consider themselves a little unlucky, and they looked in control and to be heading through until two goals in quick succession about 10 minutes from time, dragged England back into the game. The three lions should have won the game in the last minute of both normal and extra time, but couldn’t convert, and the game went to the dreaded penalty shootout.

The penalty shootout was a tough watch - England took immediate control - and then promptly lost it with some truely dire penalties/great saves from the Swedish keeper. But just when her great saves looked to be putting Sweden into the semi-final, she then failed to convert her own penalty to seal victory. Ultimately England pulled it back but it could have gone either way.

Italy now await England in the semi-final.

2025 European Championships - 1st semi-final
England 2-1 Italy (AET)

Wow - being an England fan is never an easy ride is it? It looked like Italy were in the final, having taking the lead with their first shot on target in the first half. But England came back - even later than the Sweden game - to take the game to extra time. A goal in the last two minutes of normal time saved the English bacon.

Both England and Italy missed glorious chances to score - a double save saving England and the cross bar saving the Italians - before a penalty at the death (scored at the second time of asking) sent England through without the need for the dreaded penalty shoot out.

Tough on Italy, but the right result given the balance of play.

It's Germany or Spain in the final....

So do you prefer Germany or Spain for England in the final?

My guess would be Germany as the Spanish team, according to "experts", is the bestest ever. And, I suspect, meeting the German team brings something extra.

Anyway. Congratulations on going to the final. Very well deserved.

Orm wrote: Wed Jul 23, 2025 12:26 pm So do you prefer Germany or Spain for England in the final?

My guess would be Germany as the Spanish team, according to "experts", is the bestest ever. And, I suspect, meeting the German team brings something extra.

Anyway. Congratulations on going to the final. Very well deserved.

warspite1

Thank-you

Yes, while I think both teams would be incredibly difficult for England to beat, I think Germany is, on balance, preferable. I say this because the Spanish totally outclassed us in the World Cup final and so I think we have less chance of beating them than the Germans - but of course one should NEVER write off the Germans (as France found out!!).

warspite1 wrote: Wed Jul 23, 2025 12:41 pm ...but of course one should NEVER write off the Germans (as France found out!!).

The irony of that statement on a wargame forum almost made me spit my drink out laughing.

Rebel Yell wrote: Wed Jul 23, 2025 5:43 pm
The irony of that statement on a wargame forum almost made me spit my drink out laughing.

warspite1

Irony is Chelsea win UEFA conference league (say 3rd league in competition) and then win in newly created Fifa club competitions against Paris Saint-Germain. Capitalism works in mysterious ways. Top 5 leagues needs a cup and motivation(money). Unfortunately rich becomes richer and it is not about football.

Rebel Yell wrote: Wed Jul 23, 2025 5:43 pm

warspite1 wrote: Wed Jul 23, 2025 12:41 pm ...but of course one should NEVER write off the Germans (as France found out!!).

The irony of that statement on a wargame forum almost made me spit my drink out laughing.

+1

That is so true!

Well İslanders have advantages here and there as well as Japan. Ottoman reforms more succesfull than Meiji reforms if you look at geography., about how they survived. But Jose Mourinho from Fenerbahçe telling how 4 Portugese trainer working in Premier League and proud about it. In the documentary Cruyff was saying don't lose focus even in government backed Madrid.

Germany 0-1 Spain (AET)

...and so its Spain... again. A repeat of the World Cup final. I thought the Germans played really well and certainly had their chances to win it.

All I know is, England will have to find a MUCH better performance than the one they put up in the World Cup (when frankly Spain outclassed us) - and will need to play a whole lot better than the performances provided so far in this tournament.

You said it.

Spain 1-1 England (AET) England win 3-1 on penalties

And England beat Spain to retain the European Championship title they first won in 2022 - and get some measure of revenge for the World Cup defeat of 2023.

Spain were the better team in the first half - although England had chances to score - and took a deserved 1-0 lead into the half time break. England were better in the second forty-five and levelled the match. Neither could find a winner and the game went to extra time. Spain dominated this part of the game but England defended well enough to take the match to penalties.

The Spanish were as just as bad - well actually worse ultimately - as England were in their shoot-out against Sweden in the quarter final! England recovered from missing their first penalty to win 3-1.

So, England's 2nd Euro title, 3rd major final in a row and, for the manager Serina Wiegman, its her 3rd Euro title in a row and 5th!! major final in a row - that is a record for any manager, male or female. Take a bow.

Congratulations, England, to the title. Well deserved. Very impressive.