We also choose our favourite pundit, best goal and biggest disappointment. By Paul Fennessy Sunday 11 Jul 2021, 8:00 AM 12 hours ago 26,434 Views 21 Comments The Euro 2020 trophy. Source: PA
IN GENERAL, it has not been a particularly good year for football.
Cynicism has been rife, from the quickly aborted European Super League plans to the ridiculously taxing schedule that top-level players are expected to conform to in these unprecedented times.
Yet over the past couple of weeks, the Euros have felt like a breath of fresh air.
Unlike club football often tends to be, it has been anything but predictable. If you were to ask an array of experts before the tournament to name the two finalists, few would have come with England and Italy, nor would many have envisaged a Round-of-16 exit for reigning world champions Fra
Dalglish doesn t expect England to wind up Marshall
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Battling Scots undone as Schick scores wonder goal
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Route to Euro 2020
England will be well familiar with the Czechs heading into this one. The two sides faced in qualifying for the Euros, and while England romped to a 5-0 win in the first clash at Wembley, they were turned over in Prague when Zdenek Ondrasek struck a late winner.
The Czech Republic eventually finished six points off England and qualified for the Euros automatically, though they were taken fairly close by a Kosovo team who defied all expectations with their performances over the eight games.
Their form since has been mixed however, and a recent defeat to Scotland doesn t exactly bode well for their hopes, considering they face Steve Clarke s side in the opening game on Monday. They will take great confidence from the rest of that Nations League campaign though - they won the group with four wins from six.