Soccer

Eurozone 2020: France get a taste of their own medicine

Die Engländer gets lost in translation; Jordan Pickord’s new trim is working wonders

Yann Sommer saves Kylian Mbappe’s penalty to send Switzerland into the quarter-finals of Euro 2020. Photograph: Franck Fife/Getty/AFP

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Mary Hannigan
Sat Jul 3 2021 - 06:00

France get a taste of their own medicine

The Euro 2020 story that raised the loudest chuckle from supporters of the Republic of Ireland? We'll go with the one Spanish paper Marca reported on Friday: Over 270,000 people have signed an online petition demanding that Uefa order the France v Switzerland game to be replayed because Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer (allegedly) didn't have one foot on the goal-line when he saved Kylian Mbappe's penalty in the shoot-out.

Sadly, Marca told us, “Uefa do not seem willing to agree on repeating the game”.

Whether or not France now ask to be made the ninth team in the quarter-finals remains to be seen.

Quote of the day

"There was a lack of ambition, a lack of fighting spirit, a lack of movement. A fire could have broken out in the stadium and they would have stayed on the pitch." - German old boy Lukas Podolski suggesting that his compatriots were a touch static against England.

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Number of the day

55 - That's how many years it's been since England won a major tournament, prompting this headline in The Sun: "55 years of hurt never stopped us Raheeming". Ah lads.

Numpties of the Week

That’d be the folk who were very, very upset when Germany’s official Twitter account announced the England team for their game on Tuesday under the heading “Die Engländer”.

“Wow this is outrageous, have some class,” was one response, even after a helpful chap explained that “Die means the in German. They are not telling the English to die. They are saying The English.” This, though, was our favourite: “It’s just a football match mate, there’s no need to kill people.”

Word of mouth

"England's depth is unbelievable. These players can dominate the next World Cup and then the next Euros." - They haven't even won Euro 2020 yet and Ray Parlour is already planning ahead.

"Honestly, I love him. I would just love it if he was my child. I love him like that. I would love him to be my brother." - Luke Shaw on his affection for team-mate and son/brother Bukayo Saka.

"We have got six players who play either side of Harry Kane who could play for most clubs in the world - myself, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka. That's scary how good us six are. That's not being big-headed or nothing."- Jack 'oh Lord it's so hard to be humble' Grealish.

"I need to always walk cautiously around, he is small and can hide anywhere. I came back from lunch and when I entered the room he was inside the wardrobe and jumped me. One of these days I'll have a heart attack." - Italy's Ciro Immobile on Lorenzo Insigne and his rather peculiar habits.

Is Jordan Pickford’s new hairdo behind England’s journey to the Euros last-eight? Photograph: Justin Tallis/EPA

Pickford gets rid of his short back and stompin’

Considering his struggles with Everton last season, Jordan Pickford’s Euro 2020 form has come as a bit of a surprise, Gary Neville, for one, picking him as England’s player of the tournament so far.

Where has this impressive form come from? The Sun has come up with the answer: “It has coincided with his new long, luscious locks - and stats back it up.”

They do too. Since Pickford opted for a “1930s public school prefect hair-cut” he has “twice as many clean sheets to his name, conceded fewer goals, made more saves and committed a third of the errors leading to goals”. Indeed, they reckon his hair-do “could bring the World Cup home in 2022”.

Build-ups to games are just too long, aren’t they?

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