Italy Play Perfect Game to Dethrone Champions Spain

The king is dead.  Long live the king. Two-time defending European champion Spain have been eliminated from the 2016 UEFA European Championship by Italy, and in emphatic fashion.   The Azzurri played the perfect team game and came away with a deserved 2-0 victory and a date with Germany in the quarter-finals on Saturday. Both teams had come into the round of 16 having lost their group finale, although the circumstances of those defeats were different.   The Italians had locked in the top spot in Group E with a game to spare and had put out a reserve lineup against the Republic of... 

Spain’s Glorious Dynasty Toppled by the Very Team It All Started With: Italy

It ended the way all dynasties do: messy. The clock had just ticked into added time when Emanuele Giaccherini broke with the ball directly from a Spain corner. Joined by Lorenzo Insigne, the Italy midfielder surged beyond halfway, seemingly headed for the corner flag, where dreams of late comebacks so often die. But suddenly, he had team-mates flying forward across the pitch, and the Spain defence wasn’t really a defence at all: Juanfran, Pedro, Jordi Alba and Andres Iniesta.   So instead of heading for the corner, Insigne flashed the ball across the field to Matteo Darmian, who... 

Roy Hodgson Pays Price for Masterminding England’s Diabolical Euro 2016 Campaign

It has been a rough few days for England. The worrying post-referendum implications of the country’s decision to leave the European Union are only just beginning to be sorted out. Rather than provide a welcome source of unity during a tumultuous period, the national football team’s diabolical Euro 2016 campaign coming to an end at the hands of Iceland has only added to a gloomy sense of uncertainty. It was no surprise to see manager Roy Hodgson follow Prime Minister David Cameron as the country’s latest high-profile figure to step down. Football does not matter in the way many... 

Roy Hodgson Resigns as England Manager: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

Roy Hodgson immediately stepped down as England manager on Monday evening after Iceland knocked out the Three Lions in a shocking 2-1 upset during the round of 16 at Euro 2016. The former England boss addressed the media on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after stepping down from the national team’s helm, and he admitted responsibility for Monday’s defeat, per the Telegraph: The manager is always responsible. I feel very sad, along with my coaching staff. We have great sympathy with the fans who supported me here and throughout my tenure. We all wanted the same kind of results, but... 

Ronaldo Becomes 1st to Score in 4 Different European Championships

Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo became the first-ever footballer to record a goal in four different UEFA European Championships when he found the back of the net during Wednesday’s 3-3 draw with Hungary, per ESPN Stats & Info. One of the world’s greatest stars perhaps came into Wednesday’s game eager to reassert his dominance. His sustained success over the soccer landscape for the past decade apparently not enough, Ronaldo had endured some criticism for his seemingly absent performances in the early stages of group play.  But when his team needed... 

I Quit: Lionel Messi’s Retirement Turns Argentina Copa Dream into Nightmare

Lionel Messi pushed himself to the limits of his physical and mental endurance to deliver the Copa America for Argentina. But, ultimately, even his incomparable skills were not enough in the MetLife Arena, New Jersey, as Chile claimed the title on penalties. After such optimism, the nation finished the competition in a crisis that may take years to mend.  While the captain’s bombshell decision to retire from international duty was not exactly expected, a sign of his devastation was obvious from the moment the first penalty against Chile was launched into the stratosphere. Messi had fought... 

Despite Flat Finish, USMNT’s Copa America Run Was a Success

Perspective sometimes doesn’t come right away in a society with a “what have you done for me lately” mentality.  Now that we’ve had two days to detox from the ugly finish the United States men’s national team had at the Copa America Centenario against Colombia, it’s time to look back at how much the Yanks accomplished over the last three weeks.  Finishing fourth at a tournament in which almost all of the 16 sides had a fighting chance to advance to the knockout phase isn’t a bad thing. On top of that, the Americans earned the highest finish of... 

Kante Suspension Offers Solution to France’s Pogba and Matuidi Midfield Headache

France are into the quarter-finals of the 2016 UEFA European Championship after a 2-1 win over the Republic of Ireland at Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon, France, on Sunday. The tournament hosts fell behind to Robbie Brady’s penalty inside the opening two minutes, but after the half-time introduction of Kingsley Coman in place of the unimpressive N’Golo Kante, Didier Deschamps’ men fought back to win thanks to an Antoine Griezmann double. Shane Duffy’s straight red card after 66 minutes made things difficult for the Irish, and Les Bleus could have scored more, but the French... 

Lionel Messi Quits Argentina: Twitter Reacts to Star’s International Retirement

Barcelona star Lionel Messi shockingly decided to retire from international football in the wake of Argentina’s loss to Chile in the final of the Copa America Centenario on Sunday, per ESPN FC. It was the third straight loss in the final of a major tournament for La Albiceleste. The UEFA Champions League’s official Twitter account confirmed the news: Bleacher Report UK thanked the 29-year-old for his wonderful showings on the international stage: Messi entered the Copa America in fantastic form and finished the tournament with five goals, one less than top scorer Eduardo Vargas... 

Lionel Messi ‘Broken’ After Copa America Final Penalty Miss, Says Sergio Aguero

Argentina striker Sergio Aguero said captain Lionel Messi was “broken” after missing from the spot in his country’s Copa America Centenario final penalty-shootout defeat to Chile on Sunday evening. Plus, the forward hinted he could follow his team-mate into early international retirement. La Albiceleste lost a third major final in two years on Sunday, and Aguero emphasised just how badly five-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi took the defeat, per the Mirror‘s Hamish Mackay: We are all s—-y, we are trying to think about other things and continue on forward. But... 

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