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If you’re in need of a little catchup on last night’s big game in Group B, I will point you in the direction of Louise Taylor’s report from the Wankdorf Stadium, where she saw a fabulous game between Spain and Italy:
If that preamble felt a bit harsh on Poland and Denmark, who will play out the deadest of rubbers at the Swissporarena in Lucerne at the same time as the other Group C fixture tonight, I apologise. The downside of a 16-team tournament is that it can be brutal for teams who lose their opening two games to have to stick around knowing they have nothing to play for. That is all I really have to say about that, there’s a reason this game will only be on ITVX.
Preamble
To lean on a tired cliché: sometimes it is better to be lucky, than good. No would accuse England of having been good against France but that defeat and the subsequent win over the Netherlands mean that barring an utter disaster against the Welsh on Sunday the Lionesses will come out of Group D in second. Why is this lucky? Well it would certainly be advantageous to be on the opposite side of the draw to Spain, the team who have looked a class apart so far during the tournament, if your goal is to reach the final. But can that luck stretch further?
Knockout qualification is not on the line for Sweden or Germany after both teams earned the maximum six points from their opening two fixtures, but the prize of finishing top of Group C is. The winners of Group C will play the second-place team in Group D in the quarter-final, do you see where I am going with this? While perfectly illustrating the wonderful simplicity that is a 16-team international tournament, tonight’s meeting at the Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich is a real pick your poision, with a defeat meaning you will face France and a win bringing on England.
For the Lionesses, they would say that they do not care who they face next. They beat both of these potential opponents en route to winning the trophy four years ago. Germany are ranked third in the world and have looked good for it so far in Switzerland, while Sweden, who are yet to concede a goal, are one place below England in sixth. Either way, the tournament is shaping up nicely. Wouldn’t it be great if Uefa saw the error of their ways and reduced the men’s Euros back down to 16 too? Wishful thinking, I know.
