SOCCER INTERNATIONAL ARTICLES

The bottom half of the bracket in Euro 2016 was always setup to be a disaster, and both France and Germany know all about it now. These two teams have had to fight through the bracket of doom, and now the only thing left standing between these teams and the Euro 2016 Final is a match against the other in Marseille on Thursday night.... 

We always knew that the top half of the draw at Euro 2016 was going to be the easier of the two sides. Wales has proven just that. The Welsh, who had never played in this tournament in the past, are now two wins away from being known as the European champions, but standing in their way is a Portugal side which is still looking for its first win in this tournament.... 

For all of the talk of just how brutal the bottom half of the bracket was in Euro 2016, France has ultimately ended up with one of the easiest roads imaginable to reach the semifinals. They still haven't had to play any of what are legitimately the best 20 teams in the world or so, and that won't change on Sunday against Iceland.... 

Italy has been the team of the tournament at Euro 2016 for our money. The team has already beaten Belgium and Spain, but the task isn't getting any easier in the quarterfinals against Germany, arguably the top team in the world and the World Cup holder.... 

Opportunity was always knocking for Wales and Belgium once they reached the knockout rounds of Euro 2016. Both teams cleared their first group stage hurdle, and all both could ask for was a matchup against another somewhat suspect foe in the last eight to have a legitimate shot to reach the semifinals of the European championships.... 

The first team will punch its ticket into the semifinals of Euro 2016 on Thursday night in Marseille. Both Poland and Portugal needed 30 extra minutes to get into the quarterfinals, and they'll hope their extra time victories propel them on a great run in the wide open top half of the bracket.... 

Even though the bottom half of the bracket in Euro 2016 is an absolute disaster, England can't feel too bad about the situation it finds itself in. The Three Lions do have a pending match with France likely hanging in the balance, but their opening fixture of the knockout rounds against Iceland should theoretically be a walkover.... 

The bottom half of the Euro 2016 bracket is an absolute nightmare, and Slovakia seems badly placed in it. About the only shot it has of taking out Germany is if Joachim Low and company are more concerned with the match to come against either Italy or Spain in the quarterfinals than this one in the Round of 16.... 

The top half of the bracket in Euro 2016 is absolutely wide open, and all of a sudden, Wales has gone from a cute team which might slot into the last 16 and pull off an upset to one which legitimately has a shot to go on a really deep run. The Welsh will take on familiar foes on Saturday in the second of the knockout matches against Northern Ireland.... 

The biggest upset in the opening round of Euro 2016 is the fact that Hungary was able to win Group F. The Magyars haven't had anything to cheer about for years and years on the pitch, but they're here in the last 16 in the Euros, and they theoretically should be favored over a lesser side. Except for one problem. Their "reward" for beating out Iceland, Portugal and Austria is a date with Belgium in the opening knockout round.... 

Italy couldn't have possibly seen this coming. A team which won its group and seemed destined for a relatively easy jaunt into the quarterfinals is all of a sudden a massive underdog and is very likely going to be heading home very quickly from France. It's not the Italians' fault, though. It's Spain who underachieved and lost its group, and now, La Roja and the Azzurri are meeting in a Round of 16 duel in Euro 2016 which feels a lot more like a final than anything else.... 

Portugal is probably the most fortunate team in all of Euro 2016. In spite of the fact that it finished third in its group without a single win to show for its work, it's in the knockout rounds of the tournament, and it's here in the top half of the bracket, one which it is amongst the favorites to win. This is a really tough draw for Croatia for sure, as the Croats were ridiculously good in the opening round and didn't deserve this fate of playing against one of the top sides in the tournament straightaway in the Round of 16.... 

The scene of the crime has been revisited.The last time Ireland stepped foot on French soil for a competitive match was in the second leg of a playoff to get into the 2010 World Cup. Thierry Henry, then a superstar for Les Bleus, clearly used his hand on a ball which setup the goal that put France in the World Cup and crushed Irish dreams.... 

Last season, Chile and Argentina battled it out for 120 minutes of scoreless soccer in the Copa America final before the Chileans won the tournament on penalties. Now, the holders of the Cup meet up with the ones which were always favored to win it all in a rematch of the 2015 championship match on Sunday in East Rutherford.... 

Three weeks ago, Copa America Centenario kicked off with the United States facing off with Colombia. The tournament started as a big disappointment for the Yanks, and the fear is there that they'll end with that same disappointment in the third place match in Glendale. There's a real question as to whether Colombia will be motivated for this fixture though, and opportunity could be striking for the Americans to at least end the tournament it was asked to host on a high.... 

The knockout rounds of Euro 2016 begin on Saturday morning with Switzerland and Poland fighting for the first spot in the quarterfinals of the tournament.... 

Time is running out on Sweden if it wants to get into the knockout rounds of Euro 2016. There's virtually no doubt that three points is the only route to get into the last 16 of this tournament, and that upset will have to come against Belgium, a team which needs a result to ensure avoiding a potentially epic disaster.... 

Many questioned whether Italy was still good enough to be considered a global power in soccer. Six points after two matches later, and the Italians are one of the few teams without any pressure whatsoever on their backs heading into the last match day.The Italians can wrap up the Group E title with a point against Ireland on Wednesday.... 

Group F has been a haven for draws over the course of these first two match days.Three of the four matches have ended with the teams splitting the spoils, and that leaves everything left to play for between Iceland and Austria with both teams still able to finish anywhere from first to last in the foursome.... 

We're really done with the excuses we've heard from Portugal over the course of Euro 2016. Cristiano Ronaldo and his mates have done complaining about just about everything, but the team has just one goal and two points to show for its work against a bad group which it should've mowed down.However, thanks to draws all over the rest of the group, A Seleccao still controls their own destiny. Not only will they advance into the knockout rounds if they do what they're supposed to do by beating Hungary, but they'll probably win the group as well.... 

No team was more impressive in the quarterfinals of Copa America than Chile. All of a sudden, the seemingly forgotten defending champs of this tournament are 180 minutes from successfully winning Copa America two years in a row. The Chileans have a tall task against Colombia in the semifinals in what should be a fantastic match between two South American powers.... 

The pressure is off of Jurgen Klinsmann for the time being. He and his United States team have made it to the semifinals of Copa America, and they've guaranteed themselves two more matches against elite South American teams. They're the lone invitees left to this CONMEBOL-based tournament, but the fun and games are officially over. Argentina has been the favorite to win Copa America Centenario every step of the way, and it's going to be the heavy favorite against the Yanks on Tuesday night in Houston.... 

Spain became the third team to punch a ticket into the knockout rounds for Euro 2016, but it will surely want to finish the group stage in style by getting at least a point from Croatia to wrap up the Group D title.



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The Czech Republic saved its bacon in Euro 2016 against Croatia on Friday night when it was able to come back from down 2-0 to pick up a crucial point. There's no doubt that both the Czechs and Turkey need three points from this last match in Group D to have any chance of going forward into the knockout rounds.... 

The last thing Russia wanted to do in Euro 2016 was get bounced out after playing just three matches, especially with the World Cup coming in its home country two years from now. Heading into the last match day in Group B though, the Russians are in last place of the four teams, and anything less than a win against Wales will leave them home....