Sid Lowe's match report
Righto, Sid Lowe’s match report is here. That means – with regret – we’re finished here, but what a blast it was. Do head over to join Scott for Portugal v Czechia if you’re not already there, but otherwise, peace and love.
I actually think “efficiency” is generous. I don’t think it’s possible for France to be very much less good than they are given the players they have, it’s just the players they have are very very good. A different manager could make them more fun and also better, in mine.
On whom, we learn this from Scott Murray’s blog:
Arda Güler of Turkey broke Cristiano Ronaldo’s 20-year-old record to become the youngest player to score on their Euro finals debut. The ‘Turkish Messi’ is 19 years and 114 days old; Ronaldo was a comparatively creaky 19 years and 128 days when he scored a late consolation against Greece in the opener of Euro 2004.
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That match was worth the wait and the same will be so of the next one, purely because there isn’t one. I can’t lie, I’ve invested a few pounds on Portugal with my local turf accountant, because I think they’re the hardest team to stop scoring – though I’d not be surprised were Little Bobby Martínez to hamstring himself by picking Ronaldo when he shouldn’t.
Thinking more about Turkey, their defence might be a problem, but they’re sharp in attack. There’s something, too, about a youngster turning up and immediately taking control of a situation – you don’t see it often, but when you do, you know about it.
I didn’t plan to start a US-coverage riff, but I’m getting lots of thoughts on Alexi Lalas. He is not, shall we say, universally appreciated.
“Obviously better pitch management ensures, on the whole, better football,” says Kári Tulinius. “However, I do miss seeing games turn into mud baths when it’s pelting down like now. One of my favourite football matches was between Guardiola’s Barcelona and Bielsa’s Athletic, and the players were aquaplaning into tackles. Modern drainage is too good for something like that.”
Yup, anything that makes the players uncomfortable is a winner in my churlish world.
“Well Daniel,” begins Dean Kinsella, “after the petit mort of that finish I just want to reflect on the quality, right through the teams, not just the excellent Turks and the wonderful Georgians but all the so-called second division teams in this competition so far. Skills and comfort on the ball in tight spaces runs through all the players now - not just 2 or 3 stars. The ‘big’ teams had better be ready.”
Again, agreed. Keepers have feet and defenders have feet; there’s no reason to think that is limited to rich countries. I loved Romania’s performance, and Ukraine also looked handy till they went behind. For a tournament to be great, it needs some knockout classics and ideally a great team or two – I don’t think we’ve got any – but a banging group stage is decent consolation.
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“Can I just say that I thought the referee was terrific,” writes Martin Gamage. “He got the mood of the game quickly – i.e. spirited rather than malicious tackles – and let it flow as much as he could. He really contributed to the spectacle.”
Agreed. And, I guess, he took into consideration the conditions – which, alongside what you say about the mood of the game, explains why we’ll never get consistency from game to game.
I know most of the post-match fuss will relate to Guler’s goal, but hold tight Georgia, who were superb. If they play like that against Czech Republic, they’ve every chance of forcing a result.
ANITDONTSTOP
I don’t know about youse (I know about youse, it’s a figure of speech) but i absolutely adored every single second of that. Teams can play the game however they want, but you only get that when both play with risk, aggression, passion and love. And I know international football is being slowly strangled by the club game, but only international football gives us atmospheres like this one.
FULL TIME: Turkey 3-1 Georgia
The ground is in absolute uproar, the Turkey fans feeling those feelings that only football can make you feel. What a sport! There is nothing, nothing like it.
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GOAL! Turkey 3-1 Georgia (Akturkoglu 90+7)
This is so harsh on Georgia, who’ve been fantastic, and properly pursued an equaliser. But when someone, I don’t see who, loses out in a 50:50, Akturkoglu brings the ball away, and passes into an empty net! What a game, mates; what a joy to enjoy it.
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90+7 min Georgia win another corner, Mamardashvili comes up again … but Turkey clear and have a counter, the net empty….
90+6 min Kvaratskhelia’s free-kick is superb, the keeper unable to come for it last someone get a touch, until he has to dive as it hits the far post! AND IT FALLS FOR DAVIDTASHVILI, who strikes it well enough … BUT KASHIA BLOCKS HEROICALLY! HE HAS WON THE GAME FOR HIS TEAM!
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90+5 min Ozcan blunders into zivivadze and Georgia have a free-kick 40 yards out; the big goalie’s coming up!
90+3 min When there’s a one-goal deficit, the team chasing usually makes a chance, and is this Georgia’s? Kvaratskheilia isolates Kadioglu,straps him to the absolute toast he carires in his pocket, feinting inside then darting outside, and hos cross to the near post is attacked by Zivivadze, the ball flying into the middle, and with Mikautadze poised to plant home his second finish of the evening, Kochorashvili takes it away from him, leaping into a finish that bounces into the ground and wide!
90+3 min “Because international football is played between teams representing nation states,” says Joshua Reynolds, “there is always the chance for intriguing geopolitical narratives. For that reason, I really enjoy the big tournaments and always look at it as a way to learn more about things such as “Well, what DO Turkiye and Georgia think about each other and why?”
I agree. I can’t tell you how much of the nothing I know and understand about the world is because of my sport addiction.
90+2 min Turkey send on Ozcan for Calhanoglu.
90 min We’ll have six additional minutes, which is more like it. As it goes, Turkey have largely kept Georgia at arms’ length since Kochorashvili hit the bar what seems like an epoch ago.
89 min Georgia send on Altunashvili for Mekvabishvili.
89 min Calhanoglu hacks someone down – I’m afraid I don’t see who – and is booked.
87 min Celik is immediately into the action, digging out a cross from the outside the box, right-hand side, that picks out Yazici, and he’s up alone! Finish him! But he can’t direct his header into the many spaces in the goal, Mamardashvili – who’s been good – claiming easily enough.
86 min “So Russell Eberts refuses to watch Fox’s coverage because of its
American commentators,” accuses Martin Cobb. “Well, too bad for him because he’s missing the excellent play-by-play commentary provided by Ian Darke and Derek Rae – two of the best British football commentators in the world, in my opinion – during two of each day’s games, and the analysis of Warren Barton in the third. As an expat I am also critical of soccer coverage in this country at times, but Fox’s is top-notch during the matches in this tournament, and their studio team of European former players is
pretty good too.”
I really like Derek Rae too, but I’ll never get used to Ian Darke not doing the boxing on the radio.
85 min Two more changes for Turkey, the excellent Yildiz replaced by Akturkoglu and Celik coming on for Muldur; Georgia do Zivivadze for Kverkvelia.
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83 min What were you doing when you were 19? My guess is not scoring a belter in front of an adoring crowd, but hit me up if I’m wrong. Full disclosure: I was on my gap yah, part of which involved my getting stabbed outside a discotheque, so.
82 min Mikautadze, who’s been superb, pulls left and skips past Kadioglu, but his cross finds no one.
81 min Decent.
Mert Muldur will not hit a better volley in his entire career! 🤩
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 18, 2024
A goal of the tournament contender?!#BBCEuros #Euro2024 #TURGEO pic.twitter.com/5bTegbuaXC
WOW! WOW! WOW!
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 18, 2024
What a goal for the "Turkish Messi" 🇹🇷#BBCEuros #Euro2024 #TURGEO pic.twitter.com/0QbOMynXNr
80 min Jermaine Jenas thinks Turkey might’ve gone to three at the back; I gues they’re looking to protect their lead without sitting back to invite pressure, because they’ve still got three up.
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79 min But events save me the stress of finding an apposite response, Guler taken off for Yazici and Deioral replacing Ayhan.
76 min “Have you ever seen an Arder Guler scored?” chortles Tim Pearson.
74 min Double change for Georgia, Davitashvili and Lochoshviki for Tsitaishvili and and a bewildered-looking Chavetadze.
72 min Kochorashvili, who’s been excellent, gets on the ball just inside the box, shoots … and i think a desperate lunge from Dvali is what sends it looping on to the bar and away from danger! Georgia have got such moxie – they might’ve folded after going behind, but instead they’ve found new conviction.
71 min “Just as Guler was lining up to strike that, I was saying ‘Why would you be doing that’,” admits Paul Fitzgerald.
I said “Don’t shoot, whatever you do don’t shoot” just before this goal. The lad behind me reminded me of it (once we’d peeled ourselves off the ground under the Selhurst seats).
70 min This is still a fantastic game, the crowd both loving and elevating it.
68 min Here come Turkey again, Yildiz racing down the left and finding Calhanoglu, who should shoot but instead cuts back … and Kokcu can’t quite find the finish, the ball slightly behind him.
OH MY DAYS WHAT A GOAL! Turkey 2-1 Georgia (Guler 65)
Georgia get the ball clear but Tsitaishvili overplays, caught in possession by Ayhan, the ball breaks to Guler, 25 yards out, and of course he curls a stunningly joyous finish that shaves the inside of the far post, seven-eighths of the way up! The ground goes wild, and it has every right to go wild! The youngster has announced himself!
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65 min Turkey are finding it harder to find the spaces this half – partly because Georgia have spooked them a little and partly because they’re just not playing as well BUT EXCUSE ME WHILE I INTERRUPT MYSELF!
64 min It’s absolutely hurling it down, by the way.
62 min Kvaratskhelia picks up possession in space, finds Tsitaishvili outside him, and when the cut-back comes, he slides at it … but can’t impart a strong enough touch to trouble the keeper, the ball skewing square not straight.
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62 min Something I wonder: both these teams look properly fit, and I wonder if those with players contesting titles in the toughest leagues and involved in the Champions League knockouts have already peaked. England, for example, looked leggy; N’Golo Kanté, for example, did not.
60 min “Association football fan from the US with my two cents, says Russell Eberts. “I think the expanded format is a wonderful opportunity to watch teams and players who usually aren’t anywhere near our football radar. Particularly in these trying times, it’s a wonderful reminder of the diversity of European countries and cultures.
Re: Fox coverage. I absolutely refuse to watch Fox coverage, particularly when it involves former USMNT players. Somehow they all sound exactly the same, and none of them have anything interesting to say (besides Tim Howard, but he’s over on Peacock for the Premier League). I usually try to find a Spanish telecast, even though my understanding of the language is very limited. Listening to American announcers on Fox makes my ears bleed.”
60 min Another Turkey break peters out, Kakabadze responding well after being caught to catch up with Guler and block him off.
58 min Georgia counter, Chakvejadze marching through centrefield and finding Mikautadze to his left. There are three defenders between him and goal so, in the circumstances, the corner he wins is the best he could’ve done; it comes to nowt.
57 mim And he lamps a flat shot that barely deviates, Mamardashvili – who’s looked solid – pranging clear.
55 min The game now looks more like it did prior to the disallowed goal, Turkey dominating the ball and looking dangerous. As I type, Guler takes possession just outside the box, ducking inside Dvali before Kochorashvili eases him to the ground; no penalty, though it’s tighter than our commentators think, and the ref brings play back for a foul on the edge. Calhanoglu will fancy this alright, 22 yards out, just left of centre.
53 min “Early shout for the most enjoyable game of the competition so far,” says Charles Anraki, “certainly in the most- like-a-basketball-game section, also the players-really-seem-to-care-about-it prize. The crowd also running away with the cacophony award. And wasn’t this supposed to be a duff game between mediocrities?”
I don’t know about that – Turkey are more the chin-stroker’s dark horse – but yup, a beauty of tournaments, all sports, is the surprise early-stage jazzers.
51 min Nice from Georgia, sweeping the ball from right to left and finding Kvaratskhelia, who checks then goes back and outside Kadioglu, crossing, and the ball drops for Mikautadze! He swivels into a shot, catching it well enough … but Ayhan and Akaydin hurl their bodies in the road to block. Great defending.
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49 min Georgia maraud down the right and Kcaratskheiklia is free in the middle. But the lofted ball in misses him out and finds Tsitaishvili, who chops inside and out then shoots wide.
48 min “Re Scott Carson, let it not be forgotten that he’s also got two CL medals at home, quite the career!”
47 min Yilmaz pops up on the right – I think he might’ve moved there – and when he crosses low, Yildiz is there! But rather than sweep right-footed, with the direction of the ball, he probs left-footed and the shot goes wide. That was a great chance.
46 min After a short delay, we go again. Georgia want more of the same, Turkey to get back to where they were.
“Delighted to confirm the Turkish on Blackstock Road called Yildiz is still going strong,” says Alex Fleetwood, “and is still absolutely sensational. Grilled onion salad is worth the pilgrimage on its own.”
Lovely stuff.
Half-time email: “When I lived just off Blackstock Road near Arsenal Tube about 15yrs ago,” says Ben Roberts, “the local Turkish BBQ spot was called Yildiz, and it was phenomenal. I’ve lived in Spain for the last 11 years, but my mouth is watering thinking about that place! Can anyone confirm if it is still going strong?”
I mean you’re so near Green Lanes there, from a consumer point of view it barely matters. What I do think about Turkish barbecue is that it’s hard to get wrong: meat + fire = joy.
HALF-TIME: Turkey 1-1 Georgia
A compelling half of (European Championship) football. I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.
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45 min We’ll have one added minute – I’m not sure how, given we’ve had two properly-celebrated goals, but what can you do.
45 min This has been one of the best halves of the tournament so far. As I intimated earlier, though, i don’t think we can expect the same level of freedom in the knockouts; think Brazil 14 when the groups were great but the rest was m’eh.
43 min Kvaratskheilia gets space down the left and runs at Kadioglu, looking to find his right foot, but the defender watches the ball well and crunches in when the time’s right – though he was shown plenty of it.
42 min “Copa América starts end of this week for Europeans jonesing for late night football, writes Gene Salorio. “6pm kickoff in USA means 11pm in Spain, so perfect for watching during dinner.”
In Spain? I think you mean breakfast.
41 min …and this time, Kochorashvili heads clear.
40 min Turkey win a free-kick well right of centre, 25 yards out, so of course Calhanoglu will shoot … directly into the wall. But Turkey soon win him another chance, way out on the left…
38 min “On the issue of the amount of teams, says Martin Wright, “that there are too many is usually a criticism one only hears from fans in ‘big countries’ whose teams are generally assured of qualifying anyway. For those in less successful countries (i.e. nearly all of Europe), the expanded opportunity to play at a tournament is welcomed, and all the benefits that flow from that. There’s more at stake than just the TV viewing pleasure of major nation fans.”
I sort of agree. The reason the richer countries know they’ll qualify is that the tournament is so big it’s impossible for them not to. But I agree it’s great for those now able to make it, and though it is mad to play 36 games to bin eight teams, we get the viewing pleasure you mention, Georgians, say, get to watch their team, and the money gets shared out a bit more than otherwise.
37 min Here come Georgia again, Kakabadze finding Kvaratskhelia, who weaves across the face of the box but can’t quite find a shooting lane.
34 min Oh man, Georgia are into this now, Chakvetadze flipping over the top from just outside the box for Kochorashvili to head back across … and here’s Mikautadze in the middle, falling left and sending his volley in the same direction … but just wide of the far post! This is a game!
33 min Test for Turkey now.
GOAL! Turkey 1-1 Georgia (Mikautadze 32)
WHAT A MOMENT! Lovely from Kochorashvili, isolating Yildiz down the right side of the box then tossing lollipops before dipping outside, crossing … and Mikautadze turns with the path of the ball inside the near post! I wonder if Gunok might’ve saved it but frankly, who cares? Georgia have their debut tournament goal and this is why we’re here! Incredible!
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NO GOAL! Turkey 1-0 Georgia
28 min I know we all love the drawing of lines on screens, but semi-automated offside tells us in seconds that the goal must be disallowed. Of course, this was technology available last season, which the Premier League rejected.
27 min But was Yildiz offside? I don’t think the ball gets to him if Kokcu leaves it, so we can’t blame him, but I do think he’s ahead of it.
GOAL! Turkey 2-0 Georgia (Yildiz 27)
Turkare ravaging Georgia now and a little loss of discipline offers them space in behind … and they don’t refuse it! Ayhan turns a pass into the outside-right channel, Guler crosses low, Kokcu turns it one more, and Yildiz taps home at the back stick with joyous zest!
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WHAT A GOAL! Turkey 1-0 Georgia (Muldur 25)
Turkey attack down the left – they’re so comfy on the ball – and Kadioglu, sent down the side of the box after a lovely triangle, crosses, the ball headed out to the edge … whereupon Muldur, the right-back, strikes across a beauty, his contact perfect and the ball howling into the top-right corner! That is the goal Pavard’s thinks it was.
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24 min “Like Justin Madson,” says Joe Pearson, “I am also disgusted with Fox Sports. It’s like the food is bad and the portions are small. But I can suggest an audio alternative. Talkpport (and 2) are available here in the USA, either via the internet or their app. Generally, if a game is not broadcast here, we can follow the coverage there.”
I bet Jamie O’Hara has some insights on Georgia’s OOP structure.
23 min Like the long winter evenings in the Ploppy household, the first half of this first half has just flown by.
21 min A ball in to Calhanoglu and his touch is poor but actually works out nicely, allowing him to spin and shoot … wide.
20 min What I’m enjoying is that even the teams sitting back – Romania, Slovakia and now Georgia – are, when they’ve the ball, looking to make stuff happen. in fact might it be only England who’ve deliberately stodged their way to victory?
18 min “Can we all admit that while we’re addicts and want more matches,” begins Zach Neeley, “24 teams is too many and things would be more fun back at 16? So far the group matches have felt more like the last few qualifiers than the real tournament.”
It is too many, I agree, and I was actually about to wonder if the attacking conviction with which most teams have played will dissipate by the knockouts. But I’m still enjoying it, so.
16 min Turkey play with tremendous tempo – they move it from side to side as I type, every pass is purposeful. I hope Roberto De Zerbi is watching – and Fabian Hürzeler for that matter.
14 min Back come Turkey, a short throw going to Ayhan, who finds Yildiz, and his shot from a narrow angle is parried clear by Mamardashvili.
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11 min Georgia, though, aren’t sitting back, and they work a shooting opportunity for Mekvabishvili, his effort from thee edge flicking off Kadioglu … and forcing Gunok to shovel away! That was good from the keeper because he’d already and understandably moved away from the ball by the time he had to field it.
10 min This is a terrific start from Turkey and after Ayhan holds up well, he moves forward in time to be teed-up by Yildiz, leathering low, hard … and against the near post! The ball the shoots away from goal and he must’ve thought he’d scored there – he caught his effort gorgeously.
10 min Another left-wing corner for Turkey and this time, Bardacki does impart brow to ball, but coming through three defenders, he can only direct his effort wide.
8 min “I live in Croatia,” brags Robert Jenkins who I hope is enjoying the splendid ice cream, “and have lost count of the number of times Croats have asked ‘what was that keeper called?’, to which I’ve said ‘I think it was Scott Carson’ and they have roared with laughter. The brolly and Wayne Bridge don’t get a mention.”
They’re missing out; it’s your duty to educate them.
6 min Turkey win a corner down the left, Guler swings it in … and Bardacki can’t get a head on it because someone else – Kokcu I think – bumps it over the bar.
6 min Is it just me who sees the name Georgia and thinks “I’m loyal?”
5 min Now here come Georgia down the left, Kvaratskhelia crossing … and Akaydin humping clear.
4 min Guler lofts a ball to the back post, but it’s slightly overhit and Kocku can’t extend his neck by sufficient measure to redirect it.
3 min Georgia are engaging high up the pitch – more Slovakia v Belgium than Romania v Ukraine; the Romanias won with the least possession ever recorded in victory, 20-something percent.
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2 min Already, Turkey dominate possession, and again, the camera angle is high; Hitchcock would love it.
1 min Georgia get us going! This is their debut tournament appearance, and what an atmosphere it’s in, the Turkey fans giving it everything.
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“Terrible debuts,” says Stuart Mackenzie. “Can I nominate Graeme Souness’ debut as player manager for Rangers in 1986, sent off after 30 minutes for trademark thuggery, as his team went down to Hibs. See here for some recollections from the opponent who caused the red mist to make an appearance. To be fair, Souness and Rangers did go on to win the title that year.”
I remember it well; a season also famed for one of the great Old Firm rows.
What’s yellow and red all over? The Yellow Wall! Or something.
As you might expect given Germany’s Turkish contingent, after jeering the Georgia anthem, they belt out their own.
Gosh, we see a kid crysinging and I’m gone. This is what it’s all about, people.
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I know I whinged in yesterday’s Daily about 36 games to eliminate eight of 24 teams, and it makes no sporting sense. But football is about more than sport, and when you see the Georgia fans and team having the moments and times of their lives, what on earth can you say? This anthem time is going to be special.
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…and here they come!
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Our players are tunnelled…
I know it’s not our game but Portugal are coming tonight, so: how on earth did Roberto Martínez get the coach’s job after not exactly killing it with Belgium? And is he really the man to tell Ronaldo he looks good in splinters?
“When I saw that pic of the flailing Georgian trying to punch the Turk,” writes Barry Foley, “the scene from Silicon Valley where Richard misses the wall when trying to punch it came to mind. (I really hope Gilfoyle was sitting just behind your man with a withering comment).
I wish I understood this; i don’t, but assume others might. On that photo, though, imagine having to explain that to work and home on your return. “If you look, you’ll see I didn’t actually punch him…”
And of course there’s a Simpson’s scene to illustrate it.
“As a Watford fan, I’m excited to see how Chakvetadze gets on today,” says Ross White. “He was a rare bright spot in an otherwise fairly dull season for us last year, so hoping he has a good tournament and comes back brimming with confidence and elite-level know-how. Whatever the case, he’s surely going to have a better opener than Watford’s other Euros person of interest, Ryan Porteous... Not sure it’s possible to have much worse?”
Yup, he’ll go down in history for the intensity of his shocker – please feel free to send in other examples, Jonathan Woodgate’s Madrid debut being one such. Other mares I enjoy: Tiemoué Bakayoko for Chelsea at Watford – you might mind that one – and Wayne Bridge for England v Croatia.
Georgia, meanwhile, are set up to smother. Five at the back, three in front, and leave it to Mikautadze and Kvaratskhelia in particular to do something.
Back to the teams, Turkey aren’t going to die wondering – Hakan Calhanoglu is at the base of midfield, and he’s no one’s idea of a defender, and in front of him, the trident of Guler, Kokcu and Yildiz looks nasty. Turkey have, though, been in miserable recent form after qualifying well – their most recent games have been a 1-0 defeat to Hungary, a 6-1 defeat to Austria, a 0-0 draw with Italy and a 2-1 defeat to Poland. It won’t take much to get them going again, but they’ve not actually played since March so might need time to get going.
I bet Gareth Southgate regrets leaving Marcus Rashford out now. He’d feel right at home here.
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I’m going to write these teams down, then hopefully we can move from grown men on to football.
“I know that, morally, it is a ludicrous carry-on,” says James Humphries, “but yer man swinging what appears to be a perfect air punch then giving the double bird is an unimpeachable two-act play.”
Tangentially, I always wondered if the lad in Mexico caught the other lad again on the backhand.
Email! “To compound the woes of ‘not enough daytime football,” says Justin Madson, “here in the US our excellent friends at the Fox network have determined that Turkey/Georgia doesn’t deserve air time, so we only get one match today. Instead, executives (our friends) at Fox have decided that *checks notes* entertainment daytime talk shows on one channel and sports talk shows on the other are more valuable. Priorities.”
People are strange.
Police moved into the Westfalenstadion after fighting broke out between Turkey and Georgia fans a little over an hour before their European Championship match in Dortmund. Supporters in the south stand supporting Georgia and in the east stands where some Turkish fans were in the bottom rows confronted each other, throwing missiles across the corner.
Mostly, it was only paper, although a small number of plastic bottles were also thrown. Stewards moved into the space between the two areas to prevent anyone crossing to the other side and prevent further skirmishes. Armed police wearing white helmets moved, creating a cordon along the edge of the east stand, occupying the space in the corner and vacating the bottom rows, Turkey supporters moving towards the middle. They did not appear to charge the supporters and there was no sign of any being removed or arrests made.
The confrontations came amidst a torrential downpour, with water cascading off the corners of the stadium roof and supporters soaked all around the stadium.
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OK, let's have some teams...
Turkey (4-2-3-1): Gunok; Muldur, Akaydin, Bardakci, Kadioglu; Ayhan, Calhanoglu; Guler, Kokcu, Yildiz; Yilmaz. Subs: Bayindir, Cakir, Celik, Demiral, Yokuslu, Akturkoglu, Tosun, Yazici, Kaplan, Ozcan, Yuksek, Kilicsoy, Akgun, Yildirim.
Georgia (5-3-2-): Mamardashvili; Kakabadze, Kverkvelia, Kashia, Dvali, Tsitaishvili; Kochorashvili, Mekvabishvili, Chakvetadze; Mikautadze, Kvaratskhelia. Subs: Gugeshashvili, Zivzivadze, Davitashvili, Kvilitaia, Gocholeishvili, Lochoshvili, Gveleisiani, Kvekveskiri, Altunashvili, Shengelia, Lobjanidze, Tabidze, Sigua.
Referee: Facundo Tello (Argentina)
Heavy Mexico 86 vibes about that last snap.
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Goodness me, it appears there’s already been some grown men action in the stands. What is wrong with people?
Preamble
We’re all friends here, so we can all be honest with each other. It’s eminently possible that, just before 10pm last evening, every single one of us found ourselves saying to ourselves a version of: “Oh man, I wish there was another game on now. Why isn’t there another game on now? It’s a disgrace! I am poorly and need help.”
And not only that; it has since transpired that Uefa also expect us to get through the whole early-afternoon period without football as though it’s totally normal to have a poxy two-match day this early in a competition. Why do bad things happen to good people?
This tussle, though, is our reward, and it’s a goodun – Turkey are at the start of what could be a legendary, er … cycle. Yes, their defence needs work, but in attack they’ve some serious talent, Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz in particular, and I can’t wait to see what they make of this competition.
Georgia, meanwhile, finished fourth in their group, behind Spain, Scotland and Norway, then beat Luxembourg 2-0 and Greece on penalties to book their tournament spot. They’re ranked 75 in the world, so don’t expect loads from them, but any side featuring Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is worth watching – and also look out for the goalie, Giorgi Mamardashvili of Valencia, and Watford’s Giorgi Chakvetadze.
Kick-off: 4pm local, 5pm BST
