Semi Final 1: Spain vs France live from the Fußball Arena München. BBC1 8pm

[CFuller]

Looks like the two happiest Frenchmen in Munich tonight will be Aymeric Jean Louis Gérard Alphonse Laporte and Robin Aimé Robert Le Normand. 

[Darius1998]

I love how a couple of French fans straight away put their hands on their heads when the ball leaves Yamal's foot.

[GunmaN1905]

Too many Milan players on the pitch to win an important game.

[TalkSport]

Spain still controlling ball and probing attacks. So refreshing.

[georginho_juventusygr]

[GunmaN1905]

First team ever to win 6 matches at EURO.

Different system, but still.

[TalkSport]

Get to **** boring France. Attacking play wins  

[Redshift]

Well done Spain

[Orzelek]

So deserved that Spain goes through  

[Weezer]

Not just reactionary because of his recent performances but I don’t feel like Mbappe has an aura about him like other elite players of his level.

[Darius1998]

Spain

Thoroughly deserved based on how they have played in this tournament.

[GunmaN1905]

Just now, TalkSport said:

Get to **** boring France. Attacking play wins  

If Gareth sh*thouses Spain, football is dead. Just bin the sport.

[georginho_juventusygr]

Deschamps. 

[Lucas]

Second half a bit poor. Jenas just star struck to get a high profile game.  

Here’s to tomorrow. 

[Pukey]

Will go against the grain and say that wasn't a particularly good game. Better than I thought, good that Spain have won, but that was mostly a bit meh. France are so, so toothless. Fun period with the goals but outside that it was a pretty standard France game.

[TalkSport]

1 minute ago, GunmaN1905 said:

If Gareth sh*thouses Spain, football is dead. Just bin the sport.

We’ll get destroyed if we get to final. Poor rice needing to deal with Rodri and Ruiz on his own.

[Bootador]

1 minute ago, Lucas said:

Second half a bit poor. Jenas just star struck to get a high profile game.  

Here’s to tomorrow. 

A great game, but Jenas' Unbappe might still be the highlight.

[Lucas]

Rio talks absolute rubbish as well. 

[themadsheep2001]

3 minutes ago, Weezer said:

Not just reactionary because of his recent performances but I don’t feel like Mbappe has an aura about him like other elite players of his level.

I think he does at his best, but he's not looked it at all

[Gary_Parker]

Just now, Lucas said:

Rio talks absolute rubbish as well. 

Quite possibly one of the dumbest people to ever be allowed to hold a microphone. 

[GunmaN1905]

Just now, themadsheep2001 said:

I think he does at his best, but he's not looked it at all

PSG derailed his career somewhat. Unserious club.

Real has to get him back on track.

Can't mess around all year long and then turn it up at a big tournament...unless you're Messi, I guess.

[XuluBak]

Second half a bit lacking. France had chances to equalize, but decisions and execution in key moments were quite poor.

Spain deservedly in the final. 

[themadsheep2001]

Turns out attacking football IS tournament football. 

[Rob1981]

Rio still seems surprised that the best team are better than the side with the best individual player.

[Darren Moores Mum]

Cameraman crocking Morata.

[DJ]

That's one cattenaccio team out. Let's hope the other goes out tomorrow  

[The_jagster]

Glad France are out, feel like Spain were taking the safe option to keep the ball for most of that second half.

[Vynal Seven]

1 minute ago, DJ said:

That's one cattenaccio team out. Let's hope the other goes out tomorrow  

Let’s be honest, it doesn’t really matter who goes out tomorrow. 

[eenie]

3 minutes ago, themadsheep2001 said:

Turns out attacking football IS tournament football. 

And that you can get to a final by playing attacking football if you have quality players up front. Who knew?

[DJ]

2 minutes ago, Vynal Seven said:

Let’s be honest, it doesn’t really matter who goes out tomorrow. 

You are not wrong, I fear. 

[Pukey]

I'll be baffled if either England or Netherlands beat this Spain team

[Heartwork]

1 minute ago, Pukey said:

I'll be baffled if either England or Netherlands beat this Spain team

We've been very good at dragging teams down to our level.

[themadsheep2001]

3 minutes ago, eenie said:

And that you can get to a final by playing attacking football if you have quality players up front. Who knew?

Yep. Im not expecting England to play like Spain, but absolutely ****s me off people trying to defend how we've got about things. 

[Icy]

Morata injured by an steward who fell off over him 😂

[arenaross]

So what you're telling me is you can win all your group games and score a lot of goals and still make the final? 

What is this madness? 

[GunmaN1905]

24 minutes ago, Icy said:

Simón with the feet is probably the worst GK I have ever seen at pro level. It’s getting ridiculous in this competition.

Don't you worry, Josep Martinez has that La Masia passing and is going through rigorous Italian school goalkeeping training, he'll be ready for the World Cup.

[VamPook]

Hated Olmo at the last tournament but man he's been even more effective this one 

[XuluBak]

4 minutes ago, Pukey said:

I'll be baffled if either England or Netherlands beat this Spain team

They should be strong favorites, given what we’ve seen, but that back line is suspect. France had the chances, they just couldn’t be bothered to finish.

[VamPook]

Does Navas have to play again in the final?

[themadsheep2001]

2 minutes ago, XuluBak said:

They should be strong favorites, given what we’ve seen, but that back line is suspect. France had the chances, they just couldn’t be bothered to finish.

See, this would require England to mount pressured attacks. Not something we've been doing

[metal_guitarist]

Morata injury was caused by a security guard who was part of a group running in to deal with yet another pitch invader. Entitled pricks need dealing with far more harshly because it's clear the current deterrents do not work and now a player has been injured as a result. 

[ceefax the cat]

I guess there's a chance that if England get through, we'll be able to reduce the final to a dry, doughy pass completion bee and stop Spain, or anyone, from expressing themselves, but I think it's more likely that they'd nobble us without too much trouble

[Wavelberry]

51 minutes ago, arenaross said:

So what you're telling me is you can win all your group games and score a lot of goals and still make the final? 

What is this madness? 

Aye, but if they'd have gone out in the quarter finals then no-one would've been talking about attacking football etc etc

[Rob1981]

34 minutes ago, Wavelberry said:

If they'd have gone out in the quarter finals then no-one would've been talking about attacking football etc etc

I honestly can’t tell if some of these posts are sarcastic or not.

Nobody is saying they prefer defensive football to attacking football. But these big tournament games swing on odd moments either way.

Spain have played the best football by far. But they have still won four of their six games by only a one-goal margin. And they were still a fluffed German chance away from going out in the quarter final whether you like it or not. I’m not sure their fans would be taking much comfort from their xG if that had happened. 

[themadsheep2001]

Every side needs a bit of luck to get this far. Spain look ready to win a Euros - we do not. Thats the difference. And at no point have we looked ready, this is what is pissing people off. 

[Rob1981]

1 minute ago, themadsheep2001 said:

Every side needs a bit of luck to get this far. Spain look ready to win a Euros - we do not. Thats the difference. And at no point have we looked ready, this is what is pissing people off. 

No argument from me. You are the only one talking about England here.

[Divinity]

1 hour ago, Rob1981 said:

No argument from me. You are the only one talking about England here.

You've made multiple contradictory references in the last month though, mostly about how tournament football is about grinding out results blah blah blah. Spain have proven that's just not true if you play to your strengths.

[Rob1981]

2 minutes ago, Divinity said:

You've made multiple contradictory references in the last month though, mostly about how tournament football is about grinding out results blah blah blah. Spain have proven that's just not true if you play to your strengths.

Of course it’s true.

Spain only beat Germany with a goal in the last minute of extra time. They were inches away from going out at the other end. What’s that if it isn’t grinding out a result.

I’ve never said teams shouldn’t set up and try to attack ffs. But even if you do, you don’t generally win tournaments by playing seven perfect games and getting seven comfortable wins. You generally win tournaments by playing well three or four times. Then finding a way to drag yourselves over the line in the other games even though they’re really tight.

People are talking about this Spain team like they are the 1970 Brazil team or something. They are fun to watch but they aren’t steamrollering their way past everybody with ease and racking up massive scorelines. They are winning games by narrow margins just like the other teams that everybody is sick to death of.

[TalkSport]

Even if the ability of the sides are arguable, they’ve beaten the holders, the host nation and perceived ‘best’ nation, and probably only Germany the game that was most on edge, which you can say is fair since it’s the host nation trying everything to win. 

They’ve been in control for most games, creating chances, and having a say on where the ball is played. 

Just multiple levels above other sides. 

[Divinity]

6 hours ago, Rob1981 said:

Of course it’s true.

Spain only beat Germany with a goal in the last minute of extra time. They were inches away from going out at the other end. What’s that if it isn’t grinding out a result.

I’ve never said teams shouldn’t set up and try to attack ffs. But even if you do, you don’t generally win tournaments by playing seven perfect games and getting seven comfortable wins. You generally win tournaments by playing well three or four times. Then finding a way to drag yourselves over the line in the other games even though they’re really tight.

People are talking about this Spain team like they are the 1970 Brazil team or something. They are fun to watch but they aren’t steamrollering their way past everybody with ease and racking up massive scorelines. They are winning games by narrow margins just like the other teams that everybody is sick to death of.

I mean, they are though aren't they?

https://xgscore.io/xg-statistics/euro/2024

Four times as many goals scored as conceded, even xg is basically 2:1, whereas England's is not even at parity. Even ignoring the overperformance of XG and XGC, they're passing the eye test very comfortably.

And yet in terms of individual talent and depth, this England squad SHOULD be able to do so too, especially in light of the inferior opposition they've had comparatively. It's not some tactical master plan or slowplaying a 7 match tournament, it's just **** tactics.