Euro 2012 Qualifiers

[minionofmidas]

We're not getting defeated by Belgium at home...

You don't need to be for Belgium to progress as long as Turkey loses or draws against Azerbaijan.   Let's remember that Azerbaijan did beat Turkey in this campaign. Unfortunately for those that want to see Belgium move on, I wouldn't be too hopeful that there will be a repeat even though Turkey has been less than impressive lately.

Azerbaijan will lose not only because they've been dreadful, but because they are not about to trip up Big Brother Turkey on their way to qualification

You mean, like they did in Baku?

Anyways, Germany are up 2-0 already, so the current 0-0 draw would actually be enough for Turkey.

[minionofmidas]

Also, Georgia up against Greece.

[minionofmidas]

I was going to make a post about "would be funny if Turkey got through with a 0-0 tonite", heard a big noise from the Turkish cafe cross the street and didn't. Found out that was offside, but before I came back here the ball was back in and this time it counts. Germany up 3-0, Turkey up 1-0.
Greece still down, Croatia now up (and would thus qualify as of right now), Ireland-Armenia still 0-0.

[minionofmidas]

Armenia's goalkeeper has himself sent away in a foolish foul - stopping a clear goalscoring opportunity with his hands. Outside the penalty area.

Yeah. Just came back to add that.

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No.

[minionofmidas]

And Croatia up 2-0, you forgot that one.

[minionofmidas]

And Croatia up 2-0, you forgot that one.

Just saw that. Looks like Croatia is taking the group.

Greece have just equalized. I think that's them back on top, right?

[minionofmidas]

Germany, Turkey, Croatia games over. My live ticker being a tease about the Greek game.

EDIT: Looked at another one, and of course that game is long over too. So Greece have it.

[minionofmidas]

Also, the Czechs went up in the 2nd minute and Spain in the 6th, so bad news for Scotland.

[minionofmidas]

2-0 Ireland. Armenian Fairytale is over. Of course, there's still Montenegro and maybe Estonia.

EDIT: 2-1.

[minionofmidas]

Italia -  1
Irlanda del Nord -  0

We were trying to keep discussion of today's friendlies out of this thread.

[minionofmidas]

That draw went horribly wrong. Basically two matches of Grade A teams vs Grade B teams and two matches of Grade B teams vs Grade C teams.
And bad luck for Bosnia again, who really deserve to qualify some of these days, missing out over the past decade while several weaker European sides got a qualification or even two in edgewise.

Croatia vs Turkey has entertainment potential. Though not with the way Turkey have been playing recently.

[minionofmidas]

Who would you want to get second in that group Phil? You hate the French team, but France is clearly more of an established power than Poland or Ireland.

I think it's ordered by seed pot.

[minionofmidas]

Ireland is up 4-0. Dublin must be exploding with joy. Tuesday's game might be the most pointless match they'll play during this qualifying campaign.

Or so they thought... until Estonia go up 4-0 with four obvious handgoals within the last four minutes.

[minionofmidas]

The Portugal-Bosnia game was insane. I didn't get to see it but following it on ESPN.com nearly gave me a heart attack.

I saw it all. Technically fine playing, loads of goals, loads of dodgy refereeing. Bosnia slightly stronger, and it would have been the neutral observer's Perfect Game.

I get a feeling that if either Postiga or Coentrao had been sent off at 3-2 (and it would have been a useless, stupid, non-compulsory second yellow for either... but no worse than Lulic's... and yeah, they both had a foul where the possibility must have occurred to the ref during that period), Bosnia would probably have pulled through. And it wouldn't have been deserved, looking at the whole 90 minutes. But it probably would have felt deserved.

[minionofmidas]

Most people who're a) leftish b) major fans of a major club don't particularly care about the German national team. It's not our team, basically. Club XY is our team.

[minionofmidas]

The attitude is not anti-nationalist (though that exists as well in regard to the German team... understandable if you grew up with their 80s and 90s incarnation) but rather anationalist. A lot of the people who share it still vaguely support them. They're just not nearly as important as any random league game.

[minionofmidas]

Gustaf, you're just proving Al's original point: You are not a real football fan. There's nothing wrong with that, and people like you are what we have the World Cup and the Euros for, but it's a fact.

[minionofmidas]

Yah, I know. The rule outlined really needs an exception for people from outside the big league countries.
Then again, do such people have a right to exist? Jury's still out...

[minionofmidas]

Even within the official 2 hour thingy the first 80 minutes will probably be all fluff.

[minionofmidas]

Let's try a prediction:

Austria will win at worst one fewer point than last time.

[minionofmidas]

Let's try a prediction:

Austria will win at worst one fewer point than last time.

Stop joking, because you guys will get obliterated by Austria next time when we meet for the 2014 World Cup qualification ...

Hopefully.

[minionofmidas]

They can't draw pot 1 last because the really suspenseful question (do we get an easy or a hard group) would be answered before the draw anyways.

[minionofmidas]

Ooh, nice negative vibes. Second match against the Cheeseheads.

Group D has bigger names than Group A, but is possibly even weaker in practice.

[minionofmidas]

O.K, so I want three of the four sides in Group D to lose all their games. Fyck.

What have you got against Sweden? (Or Ukraine?)

[minionofmidas]

So, predictions:

Group A:
Russia
Greece

Group B:
Germany
Netherlands

Group C:
Spain
Italy

Group D:
England
Sweden

That would give:

Russia v Netherlands

Germany v Greece

Spain v Sweden

England v Italy

Semi-finals:

Spain v Netherlands

Germany v Italy (because we do not beat Italy in such matches. Never will. I think it's in the FIFA constitution somewhere.)

Final:

Spain v Italy

Another boring prediction that probably won't be true.