Euro 2020+1 - And Final-ly...

ENGLAND are in the closing stages of preparations for their first major Final in 55 years after coming back to beat Denmark in extra time at Wembley on Wednesday.

An own goal and Harry Kane's quick reaction to his own missed penalty means the Three Lions will meet Italy tomorrow night at 8pm after the Azzurri beat Spain on penalties in the first semi final.

Taking the tournament as a whole, it genuinely feels as if the correct two teams will play for the chance to win the Henri Delaunay trophy. 

England made a fairly slow start to the competition with only two Raheem Sterling goals against Croatia and the Czech Republic to show for the Group Stage, either side of a disappointing stalemate against Scotland. 

Importantly, though, the defence - over which there had been legitimate concerns going into the tournament - held firm throughout as England made it through a first Group Stage without conceding for the first time since 1966. 

The only apparent issue was that the Group D winners were rewarded for their efforts by being pitched by the draw against one of the giants from Group F. 

Of course, that was no less than runners-up Germany - though, at least, England got to stay at Wembley, a sure advantage against the weakest German team in a generation in the death throes of Joachim Loew's period in charge. 

Nevertheless, the Last 16 match was as intense as expected for a tie between England and Germany. 

In an even first half, the consistently outstanding Sterling almost added to his tally with a curling shot which was well saved by Manuel Neuer - while, at the other end, Jordan Pickford had to be alert to smother an effort from Timo Werner.

England made a slow start to the second half but gradually regained a foothold in a contest which looked to be heading towards an extra 30 minutes - and the possibility of penalties. 

With a quarter of an hour left to play, though, the Three Lions made the breakthrough from a lovely passing move around the box. 

Started by a driving run from Sterling, it was finished off by the same man with the Manchester City forward in the perfect position to tap in Luke Shaw's low cross from the left. 

But Sterling nearly undid all of his good work almost immediately by next gifting the ball to Kai Havertz who played in Thomas Muller behind the England backline. 

Muller looked a certain scorer as he struck the ball beyond Pickford - but, to disbelieving eyes, the Bayern Munich man dragged his shot wide of the post.

England quickly made Germany pay as a four-on-four opportunity developed. Shaw fed Jack Grealish down the fruitful left side - and the Aston Villa man swung the ball perfectly onto the head of Harry Kane to make it 2-0.

Later that evening, Ukraine beat Sweden with a goal in the last minute of extra time to set up a quarter final fixture against England in Rome last Saturday. 

It would be the only time in the competition that England would be asked to play away from Wembley - and the ongoing restrictions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic prevented any England-based fans from making the trip to the Eternal City. 

Not that it mattered. Kane, having broken his duck against the Germans, took less than four minutes to make his mark against Ukraine from Sterling's delightful through-ball for only the second goal scored in a first half by England at these Euros. 

The Three Lions should have had more than one before the interval against Ukraine in a dominant display - but, within seconds of the restart, made up for it anyway. 

An early free-kick midway through the Ukraine half brought a second goal - swung in beautifully by the brilliant Shaw, fellow Manchester United defender Harry Maguire took his international tally to four with a trademark header. 

Within another four minutes of that, it was 3-0 and England could relax a little after Sterling, Shaw and Kane combined nicely to set up the main man with another simple header. 

This drought for Kane was not the first in his career - and it will not be his last - but it is well and truly over now, and he almost scored a glorious hat-trick goal on the volley soon afterwards. 

A poor Ukraine team were reeling and England completed the rout with still nearly half an hour left when Jordan Henderson nodded in a Mason Mount corner for his first international goal on his 62nd cap. 

It really could have been a banana skin - and, even though it was a quarter final, the build-up lacked the tension which was present ahead of the tie against Germany. 

By this stage, however, the England players clearly had their eyes on a bigger prize than a few boasts against the Germans. 

Indeed, against Ukraine, it could be said that the Three Lions produced probably their most complete performance so far in the reign of Gareth Southgate. 

England had waited 22 years for a semi final back in 2018 - but, just like London buses, two had arrived one after another (or three if the Nations League is included). 

Undoubtedly, though, Denmark would prove tougher opposition than either Ukraine or Germany following their own dramatic journey to the last four. 

The Danes had done magnificently to recover from the near-tragic incident of their star man Christian Eriksen collapsing on the field after suffering a cardiac arrest in their opening match against Finland. 

And, while it barely seemed really to matter, the two defeats from their first two games merely compounded Denmark's misery.

News of Eriksen's improvement seemed to galvanise the Danes, however - as they scored four goals twice in back-to-back games against Russia and Wales before beating the Czech Republic in the quarter finals. 

Denmark had made a series of quick starts during this good run - and, at Wembley on Wednesday, went ahead again through a direct free-kick which was sweetly struck by Mikkel Damsgaard from 30 yards. 

It was the first successful direct free-kick of Euro 2020+1 after 36 previous attempts - and, more pertinently for England, the first goal of the tournament conceded by Pickford. 

The Everton goalkeeper will feel he might have done better with the goal and he played throughout the night with a certain fragility which has previously blighted his game. 

Nevertheless, his form up to the semi final had been nothing short of excellent with his place as number one in the national team surely now firmly re-established. 

But, while there were a few more nerves around the England team during the semi final than in previous matches, the Three Lions did not panic - and, not long before half time, it was 1-1.

Teenager Bukayo Saka got round the back of the Danish defence and crossed towards Sterling who would have had a fourth goal of the tournament if skipper Simon Kjaer had not put through his own net in front of him.

England were better in the second half - but, as time ticked by, extra time for the first time this summer became something of an inevitability.

Normally a period racked with nerves, England instead played with fantastic attacking intent from the start. 

Leicester City's Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was forced into saves from Kane and Grealish before Sterling, on the right byline, attempted to weave around the Denmark defence, only to go down. 

Penalty given - a contentious decision, a soft one perhaps, but it is only the wilfully blind who deny there was contact between the right hip of Joakim Maehle and Sterling's left knee.

In any case, Kane had already been denied a far more obvious shout for a penalty inside the 90 minutes when he clearly had his legs hooked from him by Christian Norgaard.

While it is true that there were also two balls on the pitch when Saka crossed for the first goal, the Danes' complaints about wrong decisions come across as particularly salty when you consider that the free-kick given in the lead-up to the Damsgaard goal was also an incorrect call. 

In their quarter final against the Czech Republic too, Denmark had scored from a corner which should have been given as a goal kick. 

All of this indeed without even flicking the history pages of football back any further than the last couple of weeks.

For sure, England have suffered enough wretched decisions over the years, far worse than that penalty decision on Wednesday night - although the individual with the green laser pen personally lost any such moral debate with his (or her) singular action.

Simply put, though, England were the better team on Wednesday against a Danish outfit which could be forgiven for being emotionally exhausted at the end of this tournament - and which was out on their feet by the end of extra time.

The Three Lions ran the clock down with ease - and, at one stage, engaged a period of spell-binding keep-ball which produced 53 passes across more than two-and-a-half minutes of continuous possesion.

Italy, then, will be another step up again for this young England team who show a greater maturity under Southgate than his selection which reached the World Cup semi finals in 2018.

England have improved their ability to keep the ball, have a more varied attack, a better defence than for which they are given credit - and therefore, a greater ability to ensure matches are played at a tempo of their own dictation.

Just consider how different the semi finals against Croatia in 2018 and Denmark on Wednesday played out.

Three years ago, England made a fast start and took the lead - coincidentally from a direct free-kick - before defending deep and tiring badly in the second half and in extra time.

Against Denmark, there were no such issues - for England at least.

Of course, Italy also head into the Final on the back of a remarkable resurgence inspired by coach Roberto Mancini since his appointment in 2018.

In 2018, Italy were not at the World Cup hosted by Russia - the first time since 1958 that the Azzurri had failed to qualify - following a 1-0 aggregate defeat in the playoffs to Sweden.

Unsurprisingly, the failure caused a crisis in Italian football - but, under the calm and determined tutelage of Mancini, the Italians have rapidly become a force again.

After all, Italy head into the Final on the back of a sequence of 33 unbeaten matches, breaking the previous national record of 30 in their Last 16 tie against Austria. 

And, while starting centre-backs Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci may now have 70 years between them, they have seen and learned every trick in the trade and so still offer valuable protection to 22-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Not that the much younger age of Donnarumma should fool anyone, for this is a man who already has 32 Italian caps having made his debut in Serie A for Milan at the age of 16.

Unusually, though, Mancini's Italy is not solely based on a solid defence - both full-backs are encouraged to push forwards and goals come from all over the pitch, with six different players in the goals at Euro 2020+1 so far.

Realistically then, Italy - on the back of this tremendous run - should be considered to be the favourites, regardless of the odds which are actually being offered.

Nevertheless, it will be a close-run thing if England continue to play as they have been throughout this tournament - and are buoyed by a fanatical support at Wembley.

Already, England have achieved so much this summer with the improvement on their semi final showing in 2018 and the more convincing manner in which this run to the Final has been achieved. 

There is just one final step now to take for this team, which has thankfully ignored the hot air and obfuscation of politicians and other outsiders to represent truly all that is good about modern England. 

For certain, if they take it, no one shall sleep long on Sunday night for the celebrations which victory would bring. Nessun dorma, indeed.

➡️ SEMI FINAL • 07-July 20:00 ITV • London (ENG) - after extra time
DENMARK 1 Damsgaard 30
ENGLAND 2 Kjaer 39og, Kane 104

DENMARK Schmeichel, Christensen (Andersen 79), Kjaer (c), Vestergaard (Wind 105), Stryger Larsen (Wass 67), Hojberg, Delaney (Jensen 88), Maehle, Braithwaite, Dolberg (Norgaard 67), Damsgaard (Poulsen 67) Unused subs Skov, Skov Olsen, M. Jorgensen, Lossl, Cornelius, Ronnow Booked Wass
ENGLAND Pickford, Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw, Phillips, Rice (J. Henderson 95), Saka ((Grealish 69) Trippier 105), Mount (Foden 95), Sterling, Kane (c) Unused subs Rashford, Ramsdale, Mings, Coady, Sancho, Johnstone, James, Bellingham Booked Maguire
Referee Danny Makkelie (NED)

➡️ SEMI FINAL • 06-July 20:00 BBC • London (ENG) - after extra time
SPAIN 1  Morata 80
ITALY 1  Chiesa 60
• ITALY won 4-2 on penalties
Olmo - Moreno - Thiago - Morata
Locatelli - Belotti - Bonucci - Bernardeschia - Jorginho

SPAIN Simon, Azpilicueta (M. Llorente 85), Garcia (P. Torres 109), Laporte, Jordi Alba, Koke (Rodri 70), Busquets (c) (Thiago 105), Pedri, F. Torres (Morata 62), Oyarzabal (Moreno 70), Olmo Unused subs De Gea, D. Llorente, Sanchez, Gaya, Ruiz, Traore Booked Busquets
ITALY Donnarumma, Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Chiellini (c), Emerson (Toloi 74), Barella (Locatelli 85), Jorginho, Verratti (Pessina 74), Chiesa (Bernardeschia 107), Immobile (Beradi 61), Insigne (Belotti 85) Unused subs Sirigu, Acerbi, Cristante, Bastoni, Florenzi, Meret Booked Toloi, Bonucci
Referee Felix Brych (GER)

➡️ QUARTER FINALS

02-July	17:00	SWITZERLAND	1-1	SPAIN	St Petersburg (RUS)
ITV		Shaqiri 68	(1-3) aet	won on penalties Zakaria 8og
02-July	20:00	BELGIUM	1-2	ITALY	Munich (GER)
BBC		Lukaku 45+2pen		Barella 31, Insigne 44
03-July	17:00	CZECH REPUBLIC	1-2	DENMARK	Baku (AZE)
ITV		Schick 49		Delaney 5, Dolberg 42
03-July	20:00	UKRAINE	0-4	ENGLAND	Rome (ITA)
BBC				Kane 4, 50, Maguire 46 J. Henderson 63

➡️ LAST 16

26-June	17:00	WALES	0-4	DENMARK	Amsterdam (NED)
BBC				Dolberg 27, 48 Maehle 88 Braithwaite 90+6
26-June	20:00	ITALY	2-1	AUSTRIA	London (ENG)
BBC		Chiesa 95 Pessina 105	aet	Kalajdzic 114
27-June	17:00	NETHERLANDS	0-2	CZECH REPUBLIC	Budapest (HUN)
ITV				Holes 68, Schick 80
27-June	20:00	BELGIUM	1-0	PORTUGAL	Seville (ESP)
ITV		T. Hazard 42
28-June	17:00	CROATIA	3-5	SPAIN	Copenhagen (DEN)
ITV		Gonzalez 20og Orsic 85 Pasalic 90+2	aet	Sarabia 38 Azpilicueta 57 F. Torres 76 Morata 100 Oyarzabal 103
28-June	20:00	FRANCE	3-3	SWITZERLAND	Bucharest (ROM)
ITV		Benzema 57, 59 Pogba 75	(4-5) aet	won on penalties Seferovic 15, 81 Gavranovic 90
29-June	17:00	ENGLAND	2-0	GERMANY	London (ENG)
BBC		Sterling 75, Kane 86
29-June	20:00	SWEDEN	1-2	UKRAINE	Glasgow (SCO)
BBC		Forsberg 43	aet	Zinchenko 27 Dovbyk 120+1

➡️ SCORERS
5 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Patrick Schick (Czech Republic)
4 Karim Benzema (France), Emil Forsberg (Sweden), Romelu Lukaku (Belgium), Harry Kane (England)
3 Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands), Robert Lewandowski (Poland), Haris Seferovic (Switzerland), Raheem Sterling (England), Kasper Dolberg (Denmark), Federico Chiesa (Italy), Alvaro Morata (Spain)
2 Manuel Locatelli (Italy), Ciro Immobile (Italy), Andriy Yarmolenko (Ukraine), Roman Yaremchuk (Ukraine), Denzel Dumfries (Netherlands), Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland), Memphis Depay (Netherlands), Yussuf Poulsen (Denmark), Ivan Perisic (Croatia), Kai Havertz (Germany), Matteo Pessina (Italy), Thorgan Hazard (Belgium), Pablo Sarabia (Spain), Ferran Torres (Spain), Lorenzo Insigne (Italy), Mikkel Damsgaard (Denmark)
1 Breel Embolo (Switzerland), Kieffer Moore (Wales), Joel Pohnjanpalo (Finland), Thomas Meunier (Belgium), Stefan Lainer (Austria), Goran Pandev (North Macedonia), Michael Gregoritsch (Austria), Marko Arnautovic (Austria), Wout Weghorst (Netherlands), Karol Linetty (Poland), Milan Skriniar (Slovakia), Raphael Guerreiro (Portugal), Aleksei Miranchuk (Russia), Aaron Ramsey (Wales), Connor Roberts (Wales), Ezgjan Alioski (North Macedonia), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium), Attila Fiola (Hungary), Antoine Griezmann (France), Robin Gosens (Germany), Diogo Jota (Portugal), Irfan Kahveci (Turkey), Christoph Baumgartner (Austria), Andreas Christensen (Denmark), Joakim Maehle (Denmark), Nikola Vlasic (Croatia), Callum McGregor (Scotland), Luka Modric (Croatia), Aymeric Laporte (Spain), Viktor Claesson (Sweden), Adam Szalai (Hungary), Andras Schafer (Hungary), Leon Goretzka (Germany), Joakim Maehle (Denmark), Martin Braithwaite (Denmark), Sasa Kalajdzic (Austria), Tomas Holes (Czech Republic), Cesar Azpilicueta (Spain), Mislav Orsic (Croatia), Mario Palasic (Croatia), Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain), Paul Pogba (France), Mario Gavranovic (Switzerland), Oleksandr Zinchenko (Ukraine), Artem Dovbyk (Ukraine), Nicolo Barella (Italy), Thomas Delaney (Denmark), Harry Maguire (England), Jordan Henderson (England) 
11 own goals Merih Demiral (Turkey) v Italy, Wojciech Szczeny (Poland) v Slovakia, Mats Hummels (Germany) v France, Ruben Dias (Portugal) v Germany, Raphael Guerreiro (Portugal) v Germany, Lukas Hradecky (Finland) v Belgium, Martin Dubravka (Slovakia) v Spain, Juraj Kucka (Slovakia) v Spain, Pedri (Spain) v Croatia, Denis Zakaria (Switzerland) v Spain, Simon Kjaer (Denmark) v England

➡️ RED CARDS
Grzegorz Krychowiak (Poland) v Slovakia
Ethan Ampadu (Wales) v Italy
Harry Wilson (Wales) v Denmark
Matthijs De Ligt (Netherlands) v Czech Republic
Marcus Danielson (Sweden) v Ukraine

Remo Freuler (Switzerland) v Spain

Euro 2020+1 - Southgate seeks to banish the ghosts of Euro 96

➡️ ENGLAND lined up a Last 16 tie against old rivals Germany after progressing from the first Group Stage of a major tournament without conceding a goal for the first time since 1966.

Raheem Sterling scored the solitary goal in matches against Croatia and the Czech Republic either side of a 0-0 stalemate in the much-anticipated clash against Scotland.

It would be fair to say then that the Three Lions have been unspectacular at best so far - and will definitely need to step up a gear on Tuesday at 5pm against Joachim Loew's side.

For England boss Gareth Southgate, this fixture has its own back story, of course. 

Exactly 25 years ago today, on 26 June 1996, Southgate was the only player not to score in the shoot-out at Wembley which decided the Euro 96 semi final against Germany with his tame, side-footed effort saved easily by Andreas Koepke.

Now, Southgate has already gone some way to rectify the Three Lions' relationship with spot-kicks after his team beat Colombia on penalties on the way to the World Cup semi finals in 2018.

England also beat Switzerland on spot-kicks to claim third place in the inaugural Nations League competition. 

But, even though Southgate may deny its importance himself, the ghosts of 1996 still loom large ahead of this tie for the England supporters, at least. 

Unfortunately, the poverty of attacking play served up by Southgate's men, especially considering some of the talent available, has meant so far that Euro 2020+1 has not yet caused the same sort of buzz which swept the country in 1996 and 2018.

The under-capacity stands due to COVID-19 restrictions have not helped in this regard - and at least there will be a slightly increased total of 45,000 fans at Wembley on Tuesday. 

Hopefully then, Southgate will give them something to get excited about by taking the game to a Germany team which is a model of inconsistency, rather than the usual efficiency. 

Tournament favourites France beat the Nationalmannschaft via a Mat Hummels own goal but played in third gear throughout - and then Germany fell behind to defending champions Portugal in their second match. 

A pair of Portuguese own goals by Ruben Dias and Raphael Guerreiro in the space of four minutes turned the contest around in the Germans' favour - and, inspired by a fantastic performance by Robin Gosens, they used the momentum to go 4-1 up, and eventually won 4-2.

In the meantime, underdogs Hungary coped well against the Group F giants - and took a point against France after taking the lead in a 1-1 draw in front of a raucous fully-vaccinated full house in Budapest. 

The results set up a crazy final day of Group F in which all four teams were able to finish in any of the positions - and, even as the matches entered their last 10 minutes, England had no idea who they would be playing. 

If Portugal had scored, England would have played France; if France had scored, Hungary would have been the visitors to Wembley; and if no one had scored, the Three Lions would have taken on Portugal.

Instead, Germany scored a second equaliser against Hungary - and both ties, Portugal versus France and Hungary versus Germany, were 2-2 draws and the table remained exactly the same as it had started the day. 

Germany were Group F runners-up and will take on Group D winners England - but, before all of that, Wales kick off the knockout stages on Saturday at 5pm against Denmark.

➡️ WHATEVER happens from here, the Welsh will no doubt reflect positively on these European Championships after proving their superb run to the semi finals of Euro 2016 was no fluke. 

A cautious opening against Switzerland almost cost the Dragons as they fell behind early in the second half - but, with time starting to run out, Kieffer Moore nodded in an equaliser from Joe Morrell's delicately clipped cross.

Switzerland still had time to see a goal correctly ruled offside in the last five minutes - but Wales were able to hang on for a valuable point in Baku. 

It was important then that Wales started more positively in their second match against Turkey - even though the proximity of Turkey to the Azerbaijani capital made this feel like an away game. 

The Baku crowd was silenced, though, as the Welsh scored in the closing stages of both halves through Aaron Ramsey and Connor Roberts in a thoroughly deserved win. 

Gareth Bale was the provider for both goals which made up for his miss from the spot when he blazed a second half penalty well over the bar - so not even that wild effort could detract from the Dragons' overall performance. 

The third match against Italy was much tougher - and became especially tough after Ethan Ampadu became only the second player at Euro 2020+1 to be sent off following a nasty late tackle on Federico Bernardeschi. 

Matteo Pessina had already put the Italians 1-0 up in the first half as the Azzurri dominated without breaking Wales down any further.

But, while Welsh progress through to the Last 16 was pretty straightforward, opponents Denmark had a journey which veered from near-tragedy to a triumph of sorts.

➡️ CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN'S sudden collapse on the pitch in Copenhagen in the closing stages of the first half of the Danes' match against Finland sent shockwaves around the football world. 

Thankfully, Eriksen was surrounded by good people - his captain Simon Kjær acted quickly to ensure his star player did not swallow his tongue while English referee Anthony Taylor immediately halted the match. 

Then, of course, there were the heroic medical professionals who were able to resuscitate the Internazionale midfielder using a defibrillator before he left the pitch waving from a stretcher. 

If there is one extremely positive thing to come out of this horrific coronavirus pandemic, it is recognition of the wonder that is medical science. 

Here was yet another example - and, miraculously, Eriksen was later well enough to speak to his fellow Denmark players via video link from hospital that same evening. 

During the call, Eriksen urged his team-mates to complete the match which had been suspended - and, indeed, the contest resumed and was completed with Finland winning 1-0. 

Denmark, unsurprisingly, looked like a team whose minds were elsewhere - and, despite Eriksen's encouragement, something still does not feel quite right about Denmark having to complete the match on the same day. 

Certainly, Denmark head coach Kasper Hjulmand was not happy with the pressure put on his team by UEFA - and nor was Danish goalkeeping legend Peter Schmeichel, father of current number one Kasper. 

Undoubtedly, though, the most important thing was that Eriksen was safe - and this positive news clearly had a galvanising effect on the Danish squad.

The Danes started their second match against Belgium like a runaway train, scoring after two minutes through Yussuf Poulsen and coming close to adding another on several occasions. 

But the Belgians are not ranked number one in the world for nothing - and the introduction of Kevin De Bruyne as a half time substitute turned the match around completely.

It meant Denmark were without a point after two games - but the generous system, which allows four third-placed teams to qualify, continued to give Hjulmand's men hope.

In front of a cracking atmosphere at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, the Danes delivered as Russia were demolished by a rampant display of attacking football. 

Then, it got even better for Denmark. Two late Belgium goals against Finland lifted the Danes into second place and automatic qualification - a pretty remarkable outcome, considering the ordeal of the previous two weeks.

A fairytale end to the Group Stage which even Hans Christian Anderson would have struggled to write. 

➡️ AMONG the other six ties, the stand-out match is clearly world number one Belgium against defending champions Portugal. 

Cristiano Ronaldo has already inevitably made his impact on Euro 2020+1 - his five goals make him leading goalscorer at the end of the Group Stage of this tournament - and now, on 14 goals overall, the 36-year-old is the outright leading goalscorer in the history of the European Championships.

Ronaldo is level with retired Iranian striker Ali Daei on 109 international goals so his next personal milestone is pretty obvious - although he barely could have ended up with tougher opposition in the Last 16.

Belgium retained their 100% record from the qualifiers with a 3-0 thrashing of Russia, that comeback win against Denmark, and a hard-fought victory against Finland. 

Romelu Lukaku and De Bruyne have looked in particularly good form - and so this match from Seville at 8pm tomorrow is certainly not one to miss.

Italy and Netherlands have both impressed on their international return with three wins out of three, and will start as favourites against Austria and the Czech Republic - while France will also be expected to beat perennial Last 16 losers Switzerland. 

The other two ties look too close to call - Croatia and Spain both started slowly before finding form in their final group games - and it should not be a surprise to anyone if Sweden were bogged down by Ukraine. 

➡️ GOING HOME after the Group Stage are: Turkey (Group A), Finland (Group B), Russia (Group B), North Macedonia (Group C), Slovakia (Group E), Poland (Group E), Hungary (Group F) - and, of course, Scotland (Group D). 

There were high hopes among the Tartan Army north of the border that, although their team was in its first major finals for 23 years, this would become the first Scottish team to make it beyond the Group Stages.

Instead, Czech striker Patrik Schick extinguished the early optimism with a header late in the first half before then producing a moment of absolute magic to silence Hampden Park. 

A pot-shot by Jack Hendry from 30 yards was blocked and rebounded into the path of Schick who was waiting on the halfway line for the opportunity to counter. 

Without breaking stride or taking a touch, Schick swerved the ball brilliantly from 49.7 yards past panicked goalkeeper David Marshall. 

Scotland had their chances to reduce their arrears thereafter but were wasteful in front of goal - and also failed to make the breakthrough against England despite dominating the match at Wembley. 

It all came down to the third match against Croatia where the Scots knew that a win would be enough and Callum McGregor offered yet more hope when his low drive just before half time cancelled out Nikola Vlasic's opener.

But that was as good as it got for the Scots - and, following the interval, Croatia took firm control of proceedings and showed signs of the quality which took them all the way to the World Cup Final three years ago. 

First, Luka Modric launched a howitzer of a strike with the outside of his right foot to restore the Vatreni's lead just past the hour - then, with less than a quarter of an hour remaining, Ivan Perisic flicked home a header from a corner. 

In the end then, the Scots' hard-fought and deserved draw at Wembley against England counted for absolutely nothing - and, as had been widely predicted beforehand, their key result came against the Czechs.

Elsewhere, Turkey - with three straight defeats - and Russia - with two heavy losses to Belgium and Denmark - were the biggest disappointments, along with Poland, who are almost always underwhelming. 

The Poles finished on just a single point from their three matches after Viktor Claesson's late winner for Sweden - while Slovakia, in the same section, also head home early after a final day thrashing by Spain. 

La Roja's 5-0 win over the Slovakians equalled the record for the biggest win in the history of the Championship - and will not be a match on which goalkeeper Martin Dubravka will look back with any fondness. 

Despite saving a penalty in the first half, Newcastle United goalkeeper Dubravka scored a horrific own goal by palming a ball which rebounded high off the bar into his own net. 

Dubravka is not alone in making a howler - the eight own goals at Euro 2020+1 is already a record for the Euros - while, at the other end of the pitch, six of the 14 penalties awarded so far have been missed or saved. 

Nevertheless, the Dubravka mistake stands out as the worst of the lot and set the tone as Slovakia crumbled badly. 

As expected, debutants Finland and North Macedonia did not make it through the Group Stage - but nor were they overwhelmed.

Finland, in particular, gave it a good go - their 1-0 win over Denmark kept the Eagles-Owls in contention until late on in their third match when Belgium finally made the breakthrough via another horrible goalkeeping own goal. 

The lowest ranked team, North Macedonia, were not as close as Finland to making a big impact and, in fact, lost all three of their matches. 

Nonetheless, the Lynxes still generally competed reasonably well in Group C as national legend Goran Pandev made an emotional goodbye on an unexpectedly big stage. 

Finally, Hungary - as mentioned above - also coped well with far superior opponents, and were within minutes of going through at the expense of Germany. 

But, not writing off the Germans is something now so ingrained in football folklore that an equaliser felt almost inevitable. 

And so here we go again... 

➡️ GROUP A	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) ITALY	3	0	0	7	0	+7	9
(Q) WALES	1	1	1	3	2	+1	4
(Q) SWITZERLAND	1	1	1	4	5	-1	4
TURKEY	0	0	3	1	8	-7	0

11-June	20:00	TURKEY	0-3	ITALY	Rome
BBC				Demiral 53og, Immobile 66 Insigne 79
12-June	14:00	WALES	1-1	SWITZERLAND	Baku
BBC		Moore 74		Embolo 49
16-June	17:00	TURKEY	0-2	WALES	Baku
BBC				Ramsey 42, C. Roberts 90+5
16-June	20:00	ITALY	3-0	SWITZERLAND	Rome
ITV		Locatelli 26, 52, Immobile 89
20-June	17:00	SWITZERLAND	3-1	TURKEY	Baku
ITV		Seferovic 6, Shaqiri 26, 68		Kahveci 62
20-June	17:00	ITALY	1-0	WALES	Rome
ITV		Pessina 39

➡️ GROUP B	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) BELGIUM	3	0	0	7	1	+6	9
(Q) DENMARK	1	0	2	5	4	+1	3
FINLAND	1	0	2	1	3	-2	3
RUSSIA	1	0	2	2	7	-5	3

12-June	17:00	DENMARK	0-1	FINLAND	Copenhagen
BBC				Pohjanpalo 60
12-June	20:00	BELGIUM	3-0	RUSSIA	St Petersburg
ITV		Lukaku 10, 88, Meunier 34
16-June	14:00	FINLAND	0-1	RUSSIA	St Petersburg
BBC				Al. Miranchuk 45+2
17-June	17:00	DENMARK	1-2	BELGIUM	Copenhagen
ITV		Poulsen 2		T. Hazard 55, De Bruyne 70
21-June	20:00	RUSSIA	1-4	DENMARK	Copenhagen
BBC		Dzyuba 70pen		Damsgaard 38, Poulsen 59 Christensen 79, Maehle 82
21-June	20:00	FINLAND	0-2	BELGIUM	St Petersburg
BBC				Hrádecky 74og, Lukaku 81

➡️ GROUP C	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) NETHERLANDS	3	0	0	8	2	+6	9
(Q) AUSTRIA	2	0	1	4	3	+1	6
(Q) UKRAINE	1	0	2	4	5	-1	3
NORTH MACEDONIA	0	0	3	2	8	-6	0

13-June	17:00	AUSTRIA	3-1	NORTH MACEDONIA	Bucharest
ITV		Lainer 18, Gregoritsch 78 Arnautovic 89		Pandev 28
13-June	20:00	NETHERLANDS	3-2	UKRAINE	Amsterdam
ITV		Wijnaldum 52, Weghorst 58 Dumries 85		Yarmolenko 75 Yaremchuk 79
17-June	14:00	UKRAINE	2-1	NORTH MACEDONIA	Bucharest
ITV		Yarmolenko 29 Yaremchuk 34		Alioski 57
17-June	20:00	NETHERLANDS	2-0	AUSTRIA	Amsterdam
BBC		Depay 11pen, Dumfries 67
21-June	17:00	NORTH MACEDONIA	0-3	NETHERLANDS	Amsterdam
ITV				Depay 24, Wijnaldum 51, 58
21-June	17:00	UKRAINE	0-1	AUSTRIA	Bucharest
ITV				Baumgartner 21

➡️ GROUP D	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) ENGLAND	2	1	0	2	0	+2	7
(Q) CROATIA	1	1	1	4	3	+1	4
(Q) CZECH REPUBLIC	1	1	1	3	2	+1	4
SCOTLAND	0	1	2	1	5	-4	1

13-June	14:00	ENGLAND	1-0	CROATIA	London
BBC		Sterling 57
14-June	14:00	SCOTLAND	0-2	CZECH REPUBLIC	Glasgow
BBC				Schick 42, 52
18-June	17:00	CROATIA	1-1	CZECH REPUBLIC	Glasgow
BBC		Perisic 47		Schick 37pen
18-June	20:00	ENGLAND	0-0	SCOTLAND	London
ITV
22-June	20:00	CROATIA	3-1	SCOTLAND	Glasgow
ITV		Vlasic 17, Modric 62, Perisic 77		McGregor 42
22-June	20:00	CZECH REPUBLIC	0-1	ENGLAND	London
ITV				Sterling 12

➡️ GROUP E	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) SWEDEN	2	1	0	4	2	+2	7
(Q) SPAIN	1	2	0	6	1	+5	5
SLOVAKIA	1	0	2	2	7	-5	3
POLAND	0	1	2	4	6	-2	1

14-June	17:00	POLAND	1-2	SLOVAKIA	St Petersburg
ITV		Linetty 46		Szczesny 18og, Skriniar 69
14-June	20:00	SPAIN	0-0	SWEDEN	Seville
BBC
18-June	14:00	SWEDEN	1-0	SLOVAKIA	St Petersburg
BBC		Forsberg 77pen
19-June	20:00	SPAIN	1-1	POLAND	Seville
BBC		Morata 25		Lewandowski 54
23-June	17:00	SLOVAKIA	0-5	SPAIN	Seville
ITV				Dubravka 30og, Laporte 45+3 Sarabia 56, F. Torres 67, Kucka 71og
23-June	17:00	SWEDEN	3-2	POLAND	St Petersburg
ITV		Forsberg 2, 59 Claesson 90+4		Lewandowski 61, 84

➡️ GROUP F	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) FRANCE	1	2	0	4	3	+1	5
(Q) GERMANY	1	1	1	6	5	+1	4
(Q) PORTUGAL	1	1	1	7	6	+1	4
HUNGARY	0	2	1	3	6	-3	3

15-June	17:00	HUNGARY	0-3	PORTUGAL	Budapest
ITV				Guerreiro 84 Ronaldo 87pen, 90+2
15-June	20:00	FRANCE	1-0	GERMANY	Munich
ITV		Hummels 20og
19-June	14:00	HUNGARY	1-1	FRANCE	Budapest
BBC		Fiola 45+2		Griezmann 66
19-June	17:00	PORTUGAL	2-4	GERMANY	Munich
ITV		Ronaldo 15, Jota 67		Ruben Dias 35og, Guerreiro 39og Havertz 51, Gosens 60
23-June	20:00	PORTUGAL	2-2	FRANCE	Budapest
BBC		Ronaldo 31pen, 60pen		Benzema 45+2pen, 47
23-June	20:00	GERMANY	2-2	HUNGARY	Munich
BBC		Havertz 66, Goretzka 84		Ad. Szalai 11, Schafer 68

➡️ THIRD-PLACED TEAMS	Group	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) PORTUGAL	[F]	1	1	1	7	6	+1	4
(Q) CZECH REPUBLIC	[D]	1	1	1	3	2	+1	4
(Q) SWITZERLAND	[A]	1	1	1	4	5	-1	4
(Q) UKRAINE	[C]	1	0	2	4	5	-1	3
FINLAND	[B]	1	0	2	1	3	-2	3
SLOVAKIA	[E]	1	0	2	2	7	-5	3

➡️ LAST 16
26-June 17:00 BBC	WALES	v	DENMARK	Amsterdam (NED)
26-June 20:00 BBC	ITALY	v	AUSTRIA	London (ENG)
27-June 17:00 ITV	NETHERLANDS	v	CZECH REPUBLIC	Budapest (HUN)
27-June 20:00 ITV	BELGIUM	v	PORTUGAL	Seville (ESP)
28-June 17:00 ITV	CROATIA	v	SPAIN	Copenhagen (DEN)
28-June 20:00 ITV	FRANCE	v	SWITZERLAND	Bucharest (ROM)
29-June 17:00 BBC	ENGLAND	v	GERMANY	London (ENG)
29-June 20:00 BBC	SWEDEN	v	UKRAINE	Glasgow (SCO)

➡️ SCORERS
5 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
3 Patrik Schick (Czech Republic), Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands), Romelu Lukaku (Belgium), Emil Forsberg (Sweden), Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
2 Manuel Locatelli (Italy), Ciro Immobile (Italy), Andriy Yarmolenko (Ukraine), Roman Yaremchuk (Ukraine), Denzel Dumfries (Netherlands), Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland), Memphis Depay (Netherlands), Yussuf Poulsen (Denmark), Raheem Sterling (England), Ivan Perisic (Croatia), Karim Benzema (France), Kai Havertz (Germany)
1 Lorenzo Insigne (Italy), Breel Embolo (Switzerland), Kieffer Moore (Wales), Joel Pohnjanpalo (Finland), Thomas Meunier (Belgium), Stefan Lainer (Austria), Goran Pandev (North Macedonia), Michael Gregoritsch (Austria), Marko Arnautovic (Austria), Wout Weghorst (Netherlands), Karol Linetty (Poland), Milan Skriniar (Slovakia), Raphael Guerreiro (Portugal), Aleksei Miranchuk (Russia), Aaron Ramsey (Wales), Connor Roberts (Wales), Ezgjan Alioski (North Macedonia), Thorgan Hazard (Belgium), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium), Attila Fiola (Hungary), Antoine Griezmann (France), Robin Gosens (Germany), Diogo Jota (Portugal), Alvaro Morata (Spain), Haris Seferovic (Switzerland), Matteo Pessina (Italy), Irfan Kahveci (Turkey), Christoph Baumgartner (Austria), Mikkel Damsgaard (Denmark), Andreas Christensen (Denmark), Joakim Maehle (Denmark), Nikola Vlasic (Croatia), Callum McGregor (Scotland), Luka Modric (Croatia), Aymeric Laporte (Spain), Pablo Sarabia (Spain), Ferran Torres (Spain), Viktor Claesson (Sweden), Adam Szalai (Hungary), Andras Schafer (Hungary), Leon Goretzka (Germany)
8 own goals Merih Demiral (Turkey) v Italy, Wojciech Szczeny (Poland) v Slovakia, Mats Hummels (Germany) v France, Ruben Dias (Portugal) v Germany, Raphael Guerreiro (Portugal) v Germany, Lukas Hradecky (Finland) v Belgium, Martin Dubravka (Slovakia) v Spain, Juraj Kucka (Slovakia) v Spain

➡️ RED CARDS
Grzegorz Krychowiak (Poland) v Slovakia
Ethan Ampadu (Wales) v Italy

Euro 2020+1 - The Guide: Better late than never

EURO 2020(+1)
UNOFFICIAL PREVIEW GUIDE

GROUP A
▪️ Matches played in Rome (ITA) and Baku (AZE)
➡️ TURKEY
➡️ ITALY
➡️ WALES
➡️ SWITZERLAND

➡️ TURKEY • FIFA ranking 29 • Odds 50/1
Head coach Senol Gunes (since June 2019)  
Qualification Group H runners-up (W7 D2 L1 F18 A3)
Warm-up matches W2-1 v Azerbaijan, D0-0 v Guinea, W2-0 v Moldova
Best performance Semi finals (2008)
▪️ TURKEY put together an unexpectedly convincing qualifying performance, built on a solid defence, to make it through to a major finals for only the second time since their shock run to the semi finals in 2008. Four years ago at Euro 2016, the Crescent Stars were disappointing, going down to defeats without scoring against Croatia and Spain before salvaging some pride with a win against the Czech Republic. Since qualification, though, the Turks' performance level has dropped off again - and they were relegated from their Nations League group after finishing below Hungary, Russia, and Serbia in the second tier. That series of results has halted the momentum which Senol Gunes's men had built up and that will be something which is difficult to get back.
▪️ Prediction: Group Stage

➡️ ITALY • FIFA ranking 7 • Odds 8/1
Head coach Roberto Mancini (since May 2018)
Qualification Group J winners (W10 D0 L0 F37 A4)
Warm-up matches W7-0 v San Marino, W4-0 v Czech Republic
Best performance Winners (1968)
▪️ ITALY have had something of a whirlwind experience recently, going from the barely believable heartbreak of failing to qualify for a World Cup in 2018 for the first time since 1950 to the current day and a genuine hope now of competing again in the latter stages of a competition. A 100% qualifying campaign, with 37 goals scored, has perked things up - and, while there are still the old-timers 36-year-old Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, 34, at the back, the Italians have been spruced up by a sprinkling of youth. Add in the experience of coach Roberto Mancini - and an unbeaten run of 27 games - and it is all looking pretty good for the Azzurri to have a good run.
▪️ Prediction: Semi finals

➡️ WALES • FIFA ranking 17 • Odds 150/1
Head coach Robert Page (since November 2020)
Qualification Group E runners-up (W4 D2 L2 F10 A6)
Warm-up matches L0-3 v France, D0-0 v Albania
Best performance Semi finals (2016)
▪️ WALES bring with them a mix of youth and experience - usually a benefit to teams looking to go far in a competition. The problem for Wales is that the talisman Gareth Bale is not able to influence games in the same way as he was a few years ago - and the young pretenders like David Brooks and Harry Wilson are just that bit too young. Then, of course, there is the off-field distraction of Ryan Giggs's court case with the head coach due to stand trial at Manchester Crown Court for actual bodily harm and coercive and controlling behaviour; Manchester United legend Giggs denies the charges. Former assistant Rob Page has taken control since Giggs's suspension by the FA of Wales on last November - but Page had a largely binary set of results in the most recent Nations League - and so it would be no surprise if the Dragons lost out in a series of tight matches.
▪️ Prediction: Group Stage

➡️ SWITZERLAND • FIFA ranking 13 • Odds 75/1
Head coach Vladimir Petković (since August 2014)
Qualification Group D winners (W5 D2 L1 F19 A6)
Warm-up matches W2-1 v United States, W7-0 v Liechtenstein
Best performance Last 16 (2016)
▪️ SWITZERLAND have qualified for every World Cup and European Championships since 2004, except for Euro 2012 - but it would be fair to say that they have hit something of a glass ceiling. Despite several recent attempts now, it still remains the case that the Swiss last tasted success in a World Cup or Euro finals knockout match all the way back in 1938. Perhaps such a middling performance level is simply the natural level for a country which never really expects to be a powerhouse of the game. Nevertheless, a manageable group looks set to offer Vladimir Petković's men yet another chance of ending their wait for a win in the knockouts.
▪️ Prediction: Last 16


GROUP B
▪️ Matches played in Copenhagen (DEN) and St Petersburg (RUS)
➡️ DENMARK
➡️ FINLAND
➡️ BELGIUM
➡️ RUSSIA

➡️ DENMARK • FIFA ranking 10 • Odds 28/1
Head coach Kasper Hjulmand (since July 2020)
Qualification Group D runners-up (W4 D4 L0 F23 A6)
Warm-up matches D1-1 v Germany, W2-0 v Bosnia-Herzegovina
Best performance Winners (1992)
▪️ DENMARK come into these European Championships with their most capable team since the Danish Dynamite outfit which announced their presence by beating Uruguay 6-1 at the 1986 World Cup before winning Euro 92, apparently having "come off the beach" following the expulsion of Yugoslavia. That "on the beach" story is apocryphal, actually - the Danes had long expected the expulsion of the Yugoslavs due to the increasing tensions which eventually erupted into a full scale civil war. Rather than being on the beach, Richard Møller Nielsen's team had been training hard in a preparation camp - and the current generation under Kasper Hjulmand are just as well drilled and had an impressive 34-match unbeaten run between 2016 and 2019.
▪️ Prediction: Last 16

➡️ FINLAND • FIFA ranking 54 • Odds 500/1
Head coach Markku Kanerva (since December 2016)
Qualification Group J runners-up (W6 D0 L4 F16 A10)
Warm-up matches L0-2 v Sweden, L0-1 v Estonia
Best performance Never previously qualified
▪️ FINLAND have had a handful of decent players over the years - Jari Litmanen, Antti Niemi and Mikael Forssell spring to mind - but the team as a whole had always previously been too inconsistent or just not good enough. Now, spearheaded by Norwich City striker Teemu Pukki, the current Finnish vintage has made it to a finals for the first time in history after a topsy-turvy qualifying performance which brought six wins and four defeats. Pukki himself can blow rather hot-and-cold - and, with two top-10 ranked group opponents in Belgium and Denmark lying in wait, the Eagle-owls will probably find their best chance of a result will come against their bigger neighbours Russia on the short trip over the border to St Petersburg.
▪️ Prediction: Group Stage

➡️ BELGIUM • FIFA ranking 1 • Odds 6/1
Head coach Roberto Martinez (since August 2016)
Qualification Group I winners (W10 D0 L0 F40 A3)
Warm-up matches D1-1 v Greece, W1-0 v Croatia
Best performance Runners-up (1980)
▪️ BELGIUM must be getting close to wondering when their time will come with their golden generation starting to run out of tournaments to come up with the goods. It seems rather unfathomable that the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, and Romelu Lukaku might end up without honours at international level - their names are a roll-call which simply oozes class. But, to fulfil their promise, the Red Devils may need to slay the shadows of times passed with possible knockout stage meetings against Italy, who beat them in the Euro 2016 group stages, and France who knocked them out in the World Cup semi finals. Football is a strange beast at times, and knockout tournaments have the tendency not to simply follow the rankings.
▪️ Prediction: Semi finals

➡️ RUSSIA • FIFA ranking 38 • Odds 100/1
Head coach Stanislav Cherchesov (since August 2016)
Qualification Group I runners-up (W8 D0 L2 F33 A8)
Warm-up matches D1-1 v Poland, W1-0 v Bulgaria
Best performance Winners (1960, as Soviet Union); Semi finals (2008, as Russia)
▪️ RUSSIA hold home advantage again on the back of hosting the World Cup only three years ago with their own group matches taking place in St Petersburg. Three years ago at home, of course, the Russians reached the quarter finals but two heavy defeats in Euro 2020 qualifying against Belgium have brought them down to earth with a bump especially as they face the world number one-ranked Belgians again in their Group B opener. The second match against Finland provides an opportunity for Stanislav Cherchesov's men to make up any lost ground but a place in the Last 16 looks likely to be the height of this squad's ability.
▪️ Prediction: Last 16


GROUP C
▪️ Matches played in Amsterdam (NED) and Bucharest (ROM)
➡️ NETHERLANDS
➡️ UKRAINE
➡️ AUSTRIA
➡️ NORTH MACEDONIA

➡️ NETHERLANDS • FIFA ranking 16 • Odds 14/1
Head coach Frank de Boer (since September 2020)  
Qualification Group C runners-up (W6 D1 L1 F24 A7)
Warm-up matches D2-2 v Scotland, W3-0 v Georgia
Best performance Winners (1988)
▪️ NETHERLANDS have completely lost their way in recent years, becoming a shadow of the team which reached the 2010 World Cup Final and 2014 World Cup semis, after failing to qualify for either Euro 2016 or the World Cup in 2018. The pandemic has further delayed the Dutch return to the big stage - but, despite finishing runners-up to the Germans in qualifying, recent results have shown real promise with Frank de Boer's team finishing top of a Nations League group also featuring France and Germany. Moreover, a kindly draw in Group C has presented this fresh Oranje team with an excellent opportunity to make a bit of a bang on their long-awaited comeback.
▪️ Prediction: Quarter finals

➡️ UKRAINE • FIFA ranking 24 • Odds 100/1
Head coach Andriy Shevchenko (since July 2016)
Qualification Group B winners (W6 D2 L0 F17 A4)
Warm-up matches W1-0 v Northern Ireland, W4-0 v Cyprus
Best performance Group stage (2012, 2016)
▪️ UKRAINE have already made headlines before they have even kicked a ball with the front of their shirts previously adorned with a map showing Russian-annexed Crimea as part of Ukraine. The shirt also included the phrase "Glory to the heroes", and Uefa has backtracked on a previous decision, announcing it now considers the strip to be against its rules. Ukraine have duly removed both elements from their uniform - and will hope to do the rest of their talking on the pitch under the tutelage of legendary striker Andriy Shevchenko. Certainly, it should go better than Euro 2016 when the Ukrainians finished bottom of their group without as much as a point or even a goal.
▪️ Prediction: Last 16

➡️ AUSTRIA • FIFA ranking 23 • Odds 125/1
Head coach Franco Foda (since January 2018)  
Qualification Group G runners-up (W6 D1 L3 F19 A9)
Warm-up matches L0-1 v England, D0-0 v Slovakia
Best performance Group stage (2008, 2016)
▪️ AUSTRIA are exactly the sort of team who have benefited from the European Championships being extended to 24 teams, qualifying for a second Euros in a row after having previously only made it as hosts in 2008. Certainly, the current Austrian team have little to live up to - they are still without a major tournament finals win since 1990 so getting off the mark sharply against North Macedonia feels like a bare minimum. Nevertheless, a runners-up finish in a qualifying group - which included Poland, North Macedonia, Israel, Slovenia and Latvia otherwise - suggests Franco Foda's outfit are little more than Group Stage fodder.
▪️ Prediction: Last 16

➡️ NORTH MACEDONIA • FIFA ranking 62 • Odds 500/1
Head coach Igor Angelovski (since October 2015)
Qualification Path D playoff winners (won 1-0 v Georgia)
Warm-up matches D1-1 v Slovenia, W4-0 v Kazakhstan
Best performance Never previously qualified
▪️ NORTH MACEDONIA benefited from the quirky qualification process for Euro 2020 which ensured a team from the lowest division in the Nations League would make it to the finals via the playoffs, beating Georgia in a one-off match away in Tblisi via Goran Pandev's goal. It may have been something of a backdoor route for the debutants but the fans in Skopje will not care about that and will also be encouraged by recent results which have included an incredible World Cup qualifying win away to Germany in Duisburg. After all, that is the sort of result which, despite the Lynxes' lowly ranking of 62, suggests Igor Angelovski's men could make an impact against their Group C opponents, none of which can be considered exactly the strongest of opponents.
▪️ Prediction: Group Stage


GROUP D
▪️ Matches played in London (ENG) and Glasgow (SCO)
➡️ ENGLAND
➡️ CROATIA
➡️ SCOTLAND
➡️ CZECH REPUBLIC

➡️ ENGLAND • FIFA ranking 4 • Odds 5/1
Head coach Gareth Southgate (since September 2016)
Qualification Group A winners (W7 D0 L1 F37 A6)
Warm-up matches W1-0 v Austria, W1-0 v Romania
Best performance Semi finals (1968, 1996)
▪️ ENGLAND head into Euro 2020+1 with high hopes following their run to the World Cup semi finals in 2018. An array of young attacking talent is available to Gareth Southgate with support for main man Harry Kane provided by Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and Mason Mount, with other strong options - Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho - offering width. In the full-back positions, the Three Lions are also blessed, even in the absence through injury of Trent Alexander-Arnold. La Liga winner Kieran Trippier - scorer of that free-kick against Croatia - will fight it out for the right-back slot against Kyle Walker and Reece James with Ben Chilwell or Luke Shaw on the left. Centre-back is very much a problem position, however - John Stones has had a decent season but still looked lost at times without Portuguese partner Ruben Dias, Tyrone Mings remains erratic, and Harry Maguire has carried a bad ankle injury into the tournament. The selection of an extra centre-back, Ben White, for the squad place vacated by Alexander-Arnold, rather belies Southgate's lack of trust in his own centre-back selections, along with his favoured choice of starting two holding midfielders, Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson - who himself is only just returning from injury. That formation might be suitable against recent enemies Croatia but will look be looked upon far less kindly if England are struggling to break down Scotland or the Czech Republic. All in all, the Three Lions still should have no excuses not to progress to the knockout stages - and it is likely this group of players can produce a big performance to make it through to the quarter finals. Against the stronger teams, though, England's defensive weakness feels likely to be exposed so a last eight spot might be as good as it gets.
▪️ Prediction: Quarter finals

➡️ CROATIA • FIFA ranking 14 • Odds 33/1
Head coach Zlatko Dalić (since October 2017)
Qualification Group E winners (W5 D2 L1 F17 A7)
Warm-up matches D1-1 v Armenia, L0-1 v Belgium
Best performance Quarter finals (1996, 2008)
▪️ CROATIA have lost some experienced players since their own magnificent run three years ago all the way to a first World Cup Final with Ivan Rakitic, Mario Mandzukic and goalkeeper Danijel Subasic all having now departed the international stage. Nevertheless, Zlatko Dalic will still field a strong side orchestrated by Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic - and they can get off to an ideal start by repeating their World Cup win over England, although the 90 minutes finished in a 1-1 draw, of course. Croatia have also since been beaten by England in the Nations League in November 2018 - and, in fact, the Vatreni have won three and lost seven of their 11 matches since the end of the qualifiers. None of that will matter if Croatia turn up and trouble the latter stages, as they habitually do - but it would be no surprise if began their campaign simply scratching around for some form.
▪️ Prediction: Last 16

➡️ SCOTLAND • FIFA ranking 44 • Odds 250/1
Head coach Steve Clarke (since May 2019)  
Qualification Path C playoff winners (won 5-4 on pens v Serbia, after 1-1 aet)
Warm-up matches D2-2 v Netherlands, W1-0 v Luxembourg
Best performance Group stages (1992, 1996)
▪️ SCOTLAND are back on the big stage, the last of the four Home Nations to qualify for a major tournament finals in the 21st century - although, typically, they did it in a torturous manner, beating both Israel and Serbia in the playoffs on penalties. Still, the record books will show that Scotland were at these finals - and, after an absence of 22 years, the additional 12-month delay due to the coronavirus pandemic has only further heightened the excitement north of the border. The Tartan Army has been advised not to travel to London for the second group game at Wembley - but it is almost certain that some will fail to heed that advice - and, in fairness, the Scots will travel with hopes of causing an upset. For, it is easy to see how this Scotland outfit succeeded where so many others have failed over the last couple of decades - David Marshall is a fine custodian who is already a Scottish legend for his shootout heroics - while, at left-back Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney are both among the best Scottish talent from any generation. The midfield carries some goal threat from John McGinn, Ryan Christie and Scott McTominay - but, then they have to pitch in, since Scotland are far from prolific up front. That likely explains why Steve Clarke's charges end up being involved in so many tight matches - and, so to have any chance, a positive result against the Czech Republic in the first match at Hampden Park will be key.
▪️ Prediction: Group Stage

➡️ CZECH REPUBLIC • FIFA ranking 40 • Odds 125/1
Head coach Jaroslav Šilhavý (since September 2018)   
Qualification Group A runners-up (W5 D0 L3 F13 A11)
Warm-up matches L0-4 v Italy, W3-1 v Albania
Best performance Winners (1976, as Czechoslovakia); Runners-up (1996, as Czech Republic)
▪️ CZECH REPUBLIC historically save their better performances for the Euros, rather than World Cups - famous winners as Czechoslovakia in 1976, they have never missed out on the European Championships since the Velvet Divorce from Slovakia in 1993 - and yet have only made it to one World Cup when they failed at the Group Stage in 2006. The Czechs have largely happier memories of playing a major tournament finals in England with the delay to this edition making it 25 years since their Karel Poborsky-inspired run to the Euro 96 Final. Sadly, for Czech fans, this current team is nowhere near as talented as that one, and their last visit to Wembley in March 2019 finished in them taking a 5-0 tonking in the qualifiers. In fairness, Jaroslav Silhany's side enacted a semblance of revenge by winning the return match in Prague 1-0 - and Czech football appears to be slowly emerging from the doldrums with Matej Vydra, Tomas Soucek, Patrik Schick and Vladimir Coufal all now considered to be important figures for their clubs. Nevertheless, the Czechs sometimes struggle when away from the home comforts of a freshly-poured Pilsner Urquell - and that does not bode well for a team with group matches in Glasgow against Scotland and in London against England.
▪️ Prediction: Last 16


GROUP E
▪️ Matches played in Seville (ESP) and St Petersburg (RUS)
➡️ SPAIN
➡️ SWEDEN
➡️ POLAND
➡️ SLOVAKIA

➡️ SPAIN • FIFA ranking 6 • Odds 8/1
Head coach Luis Enrique (since November 2019)
Qualification Group F winners (W8 D2 L0 F31 A5)
Warm-up matches D0-0 v Portugal, W4-0 v Lithuania
Best performance Winners (1964, 2008, 2012)
▪️ SPAIN have selected no players from Real Madrid for a major tournament for the first time ever with veteran Sergio Ramos considered to be the biggest omission. But, then, Ramos is now 35 - and head coach Luis Enrique is looking to build a new Spanish generation after a slump in performance since their run of three consecutive trophies with a World Cup and two European Championships between 2008 and 2012. Manchester City talents Aymeric Laporte and Ferran Torres appear primed to impress on their major finals debut at both ends of the pitch - although a coronavirus scare forced La Roja into play a scratch team in their final warm-up against Lithuania. Nevertheless, this incident was still less disreputive than the build-up to the last World Cup when coach, Julen Lopetegui, was sacked on the eve of the tournament after his secret talks for a job at Real Madrid were leaked - and even then, the Spanish still made it past the Group Stage.
▪️ Prediction: Runners-up

➡️ SWEDEN • FIFA ranking 18 • Odds 100/1
Head coach Janne Andersson (since June 2016)  
Qualification Group F runners-up (W6 D3 L1 F23 A9)
Warm-up matches W2-0 v Finland, W3-1 v Armenia
Best performance Semi finals (1992)
▪️ SWEDEN and Zlatan Ibrahimovic appeared to be inseparable - even after a self-imposed five-year exile from international football after Euro 2016, the 39-year-old was set for a remarkable comeback until he picked up knee injury last month while playing for AC Milan. In his absence, Alexander Isak, who - at the age of 21 - is young enough to be Ibrahimovic's son, is the main hope but this current Swedish crop is still very much in development under coach Janne Andersson. As such, the Blågult's second and third matches on neutral territory against Slovakia and Poland in St Petersburg more vital to their fate than their opener against Spain in Seville.
▪️ Prediction: Last 16

➡️ POLAND • FIFA ranking 21 • Odds 80/1
Head coach Paulo Sousa (since January 2021)  
Qualification Group G winners (W8 D1 L1 F18 A5)
Warm-up matches D1-1 v Russia, D2-2 v Iceland
Best performance Quarter finals (2016)
▪️ POLAND should have done better in recent years considering the goal scoring talent of one of Europe's best forwards, Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, now aged 32. Instead, the Poles have disappointed regularly in the Lewandowski era with Group Stage exits in 2012 and 2018, and a failure even to qualify for the World Cups in 2010 and 2014. The appearance in the quarter finals in 2016 remains the only time that the Eagles have been close to getting it together, eliminated by losing on penalties to the eventual winners Portugal - and it would count as something of a surprise if this aging Polish outfit fared better than that.
▪️ Prediction: Group Stage

➡️ SLOVAKIA • FIFA ranking 36 • Odds 250/1
Head coach Štefan Tarkovič (since October 2020) 
Qualification Path B playoff winners (won 2-1 aet v Northern Ireland)
Warm-up matches D1-1 v Bulgaria, D1-1 v Austria
Best performance Last 16 (2016)
▪️ SLOVAKIA have made some progress in recent years, qualifying for back-to-back European Championships - but this current squad looks extremely limited when compared to their Group E opponents, having sneaked to the finals by beating Ireland and then Northern Ireland in the playoffs. Attacking play is a particular problem with likely starting striker Michal Duris having scored just twice in 22 appearances in the Cypriot league. Internazionale defender Milan Skriniar is a worthy successor to Martin Skrtl at the back while Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka is capable of pulling off an outstanding performance, though he can also be inconsistent and is strangely injury-prone for a goalkeeper.
▪️ Prediction: Group Stage

GROUP F
▪️ Matches played in Munich (GER) and Budapest (HUN)
➡️ HUNGARY
➡️ PORTUGAL
➡️ FRANCE
➡️ GERMANY

➡️ HUNGARY • FIFA ranking 37 • Odds 400/1
Head coach Marco Rossi (since June 2018)
Qualification Path A playoff winners (won 2-1 v Iceland)
Warm-up matches W1-0 v Cyprus, D0-0 v Ireland
Best performance Semi finals (1964)
▪️ HUNGARY have an unenviable task in Group F where even a remarkable repeat from Euro 2016 of their 3-3 draw against defending champions Portugal in their opening game will still leave the Magyars with only a slim chance to get through to knockout stage. Powerhouses France and Germany follow the match against the Portuguese - and it is difficult to make a case for Marco Rossi's men against any of their opponents. The instinct then might be to defend but the Hungarians' stronger hand is actually their attack - although they will badly miss RB Leipzig's young diamond Dominik Szoboszlai who misses out with a thigh injury.
▪️ Prediction: Group Stage

➡️ PORTUGAL • FIFA ranking 5 • Odds 8/1
Head coach Fernando Santos (since September 2014)
Qualification Group B runners-up (W5 D2 L1 F22 A6)
Warm-up matches D0-0 v Spain, W4-0 v Israel
Best performance Winners (2016)
▪️ PORTUGAL tasted senior international success for the first time at the European Championships five years ago - and they have since added the 2019 Nations League title for good measure. Of course, almost all of the Portuguese play runs through Cristiano Ronaldo who will be looking to become the competition's all-time leading scorer, a record which he currently shares with Michel Platini. Ronaldo is also only two assists away from Karel Poborsky's Euros record of eight so it might be worth him trying to set up a couple for talented team-mates such as Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Diogo Jota. At the back, Ruben Dias has been a rock for Manchester City but Joao Cancelo misses out following a positive test for COVID-19 - and, having used up considerable amounts of good fortune in triumphant run in 2016, the Seleção will face a tough title defence from the start, given their Group F opponents.
▪️ Prediction: Quarter finals

➡️ FRANCE • FIFA ranking 2 • Odds 9/2 fav
Head coach Didier Deschamps (since July 2012)
Qualification Group H winners (W8 D1 L1 F25 A6)
Warm-up matches W3-0 v Wales, W3-0 v Bulgaria
Best performance Winners (1984, 2000)
▪️ FRANCE remain favourites to add the European Championships to the World Cup for a second time in 21 years after having done the same by winning both trophies in the same order in 1998 and 2000. Back in 1998, Les Bleus were considered to have won the World Cup without a striker prior to the emergence of David Trezeguet and the redevelopment of Thierry Henry from an out-and-out winger - but current coach Didier Deschamps has no such issues. Kylian Mbappe - still aged just 22 - is joined by Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud, and now introduced to Karim Benzema whose period of international exile is over after he was implicated in a blackmail scandal in 2015. N'Golo Kante's man-of-the-match performances in both semi finals and the Final of the Champions League show how well the French defence will be protected - but, despite all of this, there is hope for the rest of Europe. France can be beaten - and were, in the qualifiers for Euro 2020+1, by Turkey who also drew the return match in Paris.
▪️ Prediction: Winners

➡️ GERMANY • FIFA ranking 12 • Odds 8/1
Head coach Joachim Löw (since July 2006) 
Qualification Group C winners (W7 D0 L1 F30 A7)
Warm-up matches D1-1 v Denmark, W7-1 v Latvia
Best performance Winners (1972, 1980, as West Germany); Winners (1996, as Germany)
▪️ GERMANY will look to bid a fond farewell to long-time head coach Joachim Loew after it was confirmed in March that the 61-year-old would leave his post at the end of these European Championships. Loew famously led the Nationalmannschaft to World Cup glory for the first time as a unified nation in 2014 following a series of near misses. But, although the Germans reached the semi finals of Euro 2016, Loew has undoubtedly overseen ever-decreasing returns since then, with a Group Stage exit at the 2018 World Cup and shock home defeat to North Macedonia in the qualifiers for the next World Cup. That result surely reassured the Deutscher Fußball-Bund that it has made the correct decision to bring an end to Loew's tenure of 15 years - and, with the current world champions France and European champions Portugal in their first two games of this tournament, dare we actually write off the Germans this time? It is probably still not wise just yet.
▪️ Prediction: Quarter finals