All About The Beautiful Game
In 2014, Russia invaded and annexed Crimea, a strategically located peninsula in neighboring Ukraine. While Russia widely disputed the characterization as an annexation, most of the world — and Ukraine — did not. As a result, Russia was banned from the Group of Eight — they have not been reinstated — and the UN rejected … Read more
Since the time my last article was written, a lot has changed. At the time, no real challenges had been made towards Russia or Russian teams concerning their eligibility in major tournaments. Only Poland and Ukraine had announced their intentions to not face Russia, whilst Path B rivals Czech Republic had not. Major European sponsor … Read more
When Path B of World Cup qualifying in Europe was drawn up, it had some intriguing matchups. A strong Sweden side were drawn up against Czech Republic, who reached the quarterfinals of the European Championship in 2020. The other matchup saw Robert Lewandowski’s Poland drawn up against a Russian side that were a penalty kick … Read more
The final four teams of the Euros have been decided. The big teams continued to drop, as Switzerland, Belgium, Czech Republic, and Ukraine were all eliminated. Belgium had been ranked as the top team in the world according to FIFA, and Switzerland was ranked thirteenth. But who eliminated these teams, and who could still win … Read more
Just when you think you have it all figured out, everything changes. After the Czech Republic beat the Netherlands (which you can read about here), everyone assumed that would be the biggest upset of the Round of 16. The impressive Dutch side that won Group C lost handily to the Czechs, and that was that … Read more
Twelve months after the Euro 2020 group stages were supposed to end, they finally have. The group stages had it all – trauma, heartbreak, relief, upsets, joy, heroics – and now it is time for the knockouts. Sixteen teams will be moving on, and eight teams have already gone home. But which sixteen, and did … Read more
Following the conclusion of round one of Euro fixtures, I wrote this article about players whose values could go up after good performances. Just a few days later, the second round of fixtures have been completed. Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands already have now clinched spots in the Round of 16. Some teams, however, will … Read more
International tournaments are, and have always been, a great opportunity for players to earn transfers. James Rodriguez is the best example of this, earning a high-profile move to Real Madrid following his performances at the 2014 World Cup. Ricardo Rodriguez is another, as he moved to AC Milan following an impressive 2016 Euro tournament with … Read more