Stopping Marek Hamsik Germany’s Top Priority in Round-of-16 Match vs. Slovakia

Germany advanced to the round of 16 of Euro 2016 as winners of Group C and will face Slovakia in Lille’s Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Sunday. Seeing as the world champions are in the tougher half of the Euros bracket—alongside teams such as Spain, Italy, hosts France and England—they would perhaps have preferred to come in second and face Switzerland in the round of 16, even though, on paper, that would have been the tougher draw. However, Germany know Slovakia, who qualified thanks to a win over Russia and a draw with the Three Lions, are no pushovers. At the end of May, the World... 

Following the Copa America, Is Brazil’s Current Malaise as Dire as Made Out?

With the Copa America Centenario reaching boiling point and Brazil nowhere to be seen for the second successive year, it may be tempting to reach for the panic button, especially with established rivals Argentina romping their way to the final. The 2007 South American champions have had, by their own high standards, a dreadful run of form in continental competitions. Quarter-final exits in 2011 and 2015, followed by the ignominy of falling at the first hurdle in the United States, have left a bitter taste in the collective mouth. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) had seen enough and parted... 

Raheem Sterling Confidence Level Reportedly Concerns England After Online Abuse

The England camp are reportedly growing concerned about the confidence level of Raheem Sterling due to the criticism the 21-year-old is receiving on social media.  That’s according to Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph, who has reported that Sterling is “aware of the abuse he has been getting” during the 2016 UEFA European Championship following two poor performances in the group stages. Sterling was dropped for England’s 0-0 draw with Slovakia. “Sterling is believed to be confused as why he has been particularly targeted and feels he has been made an online scapegoat,”... 

Ireland Defeat Exposes Italy’s Lack of Depth

The group stage of the 2016 UEFA European Championship came to a close on Wednesday.  The final games on the slate came from Group E, and they provided ample drama.  Both matches were decided by goals in the last 10 minutes, and the contest between Italy and the Republic of Ireland saw the latter qualify for the round of 16 in dramatic fashion with a 1-0 victory. The Italians came into the game having already won the group.  There were some who thought that may not have been the best of things.  If the Azzurri had come in as runners-up, they would have ended up playing the winner... 

Croatia Are Shining Bright in Spite of off-Field Controversies

In some ways, there’s nothing so extraordinary about Croatia beating Spain on Tuesday. The heart of Croatia’s midfield, after all, plays for the best two clubs in Spain—even if Luka Modric did miss the Spain game with a groin injury. They have the players. What’s remarkable is they’ve been able to play as they have despite having a manager nobody seems to respect and despite the related problems off the pitch. As the Croatian journalist Alex Holiga predicted in Issue 21 of the Blizzard, there are three broad groups of Croatian fans in France. There are, for want of... 

Lionel Messi Must Perform in Copa America Final After Driving Argentina to Brink

HOUSTON, Texas — Lionel Messi shifted his eyes to his right and saw Gonzalo Higuain talking to journalists further down the long mixed-zone line at the NRG Stadium. If he timed it right, he could leave the Argentinian television reporters he was speaking to, evade the ones speaking to Higuain and get onto the team coach. But the Napoli striker, whom he had set up for the final goal in Argentina’s 4-0 crushing of the United States, left, and Messi was the last Argentina player to make his way out. So he rushed past the written-press journalists, stopping only to sign one American reporter’s... 

Eric Dier Has Emerged as England’s Most Important Player at Euro 2016

When England manager Roy Hodgson surprisingly decided to make six changes for the final group game against Slovakia on Monday night there was one player who was off-limits: Eric Dier.  Hodgson’s changes might have been an ill-advised act of self-harm, but he isn’t foolish, and there was never any doubt the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder would be selected for his third consecutive start at Euro 2016. In the opening two games, Dier proved he was too good, and too important, for England to casually discard, even for one game. Despite having made his debut as recently as last November... 

Messi Becomes Argentina’s All-Time Leading Goalscorer

Argentina forward Lionel Messi scored the 55th international goal of his career during Tuesday’s 4-0 win over the United States in the Copa America semi-final, breaking a tie with Gabriel Batistuta as the all-time leading goalscorer in Argentina history, per ESPN Stats & Info. But first, La Albiceleste took a 1-0 lead in the third minute when Messi sent a perfect aerial through ball to forward Ezequiel Lavezzi, who knocked it home with his head for the early advantage. Argentina continued to dominate possession throughout the first half, eventually earning a free-kick from 30 yards... 

Bayern Munich Defenders Driving Germany’s Bid for Euro 2016 Glory

Heading into Euro 2016, defence seemed to be the greatest obstacle standing between Joachim Low’s Germany and victory in France. Die Mannschaft were hemorrhaging goals, with their 2-0 win over Hungary in their final pre-tournament warm-up friendly marking their first clean sheet in nearly a year. The last time they had held opponents scoreless had been in a June 13, 2015 match against Gibraltar, who only played their first recognised international match in late 2013 and are not yet FIFA members. Over the past year, Germany have had days in which their attack was on and days in which it stuttered.... 

Gerard Pique Responds to Claims He Stuck Middle Finger Up During Spain Anthem

Gerard Pique has hit back at claims that he stuck his middle finger up during Spain’s national anthem ahead of their defeat to Croatia at Euro 2016 on Tuesday, and he branded the accusations “stupid.” He explained on Twitter that television cameras had caught him in the act of crossing his fingers rather than making an obscene gesture, as translated by Sport: “I’m crossing my fingers during the anthem. Stop looking for controversy where there is none and let’s try and win the European Championships together.” AS supplied still images of the footage... 

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