belgium are growing if they make the final they will be ready for anyone from the other side of the draw
Listen, that's why they play the games The teams are where they are because of results if it seems lopsided to you it's because you can't get it out of your head that the big teams somehow 'deserve' to play they smaller teams in the run up to the final
I would tend to agree. Poland was much better in the first half but we were the better side for the second half and extra time. Very bitter to again go out in penalties after being undefeated up until that point (like in 2006 against Ukraine). We just can't seem to take that extra step once in the knock-out rounds. Highly frustrating, compounded by the close Argentina match two years ago. Oh well, at least we scored the goal of the tournament. Nobody is going to top that. Good luck to Poland against Portugal.
Classy response. I thought Switzerland plays with a lot of heart - showed great character in stretching argentina in 2014... the Swiss is really missing quality up top - that was the difference
Hard to think of something to top it. The weaker side of the bracket seems to have just made some teams scared to attack, simply because the route to the final seems doable. I think that is what plagued these two teams, they both were more afraid to lose than to try to win. Poland I thought would coast on the strength of the early performance, but once the Swiss got the whiff of desperation they took over. Polish penalties were a thing of beauty too. Poland versus Portugal is an intriguing matchup, hoping both teams don't decide to bunker down, neither side will feel like a favourite so maybe they play with less fear.
It will be interesting Last time Poland played Portugal in major tournament... They won 1-0 in 86 They had some success against Portuguese in recent memory...
World Cup to forget if you are a fan of either Portugal or Poland. So let's just pretend it didn't happen.
Poland did get 4 points from Portugal in the 2008 Euro qualifiers in the last competitive games between the two nations
Yes they did, but you know as well as I do none of that means anything right now. Let's just hope for a clean match with no controversy and no injuries.
These two teams are light years apart from the 2002 versions of themselves. The Poles have a lot more talent and a much better system employed. I remember that team vaguely as a defensive side with very little going for them up top. The Portuguese in 2002 were a huge disappointment off the back of a spectacular Euro 2000 with that Zidane penalty in the semis condemning to miss out from a final with a great generation, recovered to make the final in Euro 2004. This version is a promising version but seem to have had little burden of expectation.