Scott Murray's Blog, page 76

July 6, 2021

Italy 1-1 Spain (aet; 4-2 pens): Euro 2020 semi-final – as it happened

Álvaro Morata took the game to extra time but missed in the penalty shootout as Italy move on to Sunday’s final after a pulsating evening at Wembley

1.02am BST

11.00pm BST

But it’s Italy’s night! Federico Chiesa scored the best goal of the game, while the Italian defence does what Italian defences do. Spain spent the evening passing and probing, but could only find a way through once. Small margins, but Italy have now won 16 straight games in this Euro 2020 tournament, and are just one more win from glory. It’ll either be Italy-England or Italy-Denmark in the final of Euro 2020 on Sunday. Make sure you join Paul Doyle tomorrow night to find out how it all pans out. Jonathan Liew’s match report has landed; you know what to do. Congratulations to Italy, commiserations to Spain, and thanks for reading this MBM! Nighty night.

10.48pm BST

Saying that Italy deserve to reach the final doesn’t mean Spain didn’t as well. It was just one of those matches, that’s all. Both teams were immense. But in the end, and even though it was his goal that kept Spain in the game, it was Alvaro Morata’s desperate lack of confidence that did for his side. Such a shame anyone had to lose. Such a shame anyone had to miss. But after all the flak Morata’s taken, it’s awful that he’s the one who missed the crucial kick. Thiago, old and wise, gives young Pedri, in floods of tears, a cuddle and a calming word or two. When it all comes down, they’ll be proud of their efforts. Nobody expected too much of them at Euro 2020, and they’ve been exceptional.

10.45pm BST

Wembley goes wild as the Italian squad collapses in on itself, in a celebratory pile. An awful lot of cavorting going on. Lorenzo Insigne wears Leonardo Spinazzola’s shirt as he jigs about, smiles as wide as the Wembley arch. Roberto Mancini has already lost his natty sports jacket. Now they’re in a huddle, Mancini’s speech met with a united roar. Then the players race towards their fans as one. They deserve this party. They deserve to reach the final. It’s going to be a long night!

10.42pm BST

What a way to win a fantastic game of football! As cool as you like, Jorginho has sent Italy into Sunday’s final, where they’ll play either Denmark or ... England. Same again tomorrow night?

10.40pm BST

Penalties: Italy 4-2 Spain. All of a sudden, it’s match point! Jorginho sends Simon to the left, with a skip and a flick of the eyes, and rolls into the bottom right. Italy are in the final!

10.39pm BST

Penalties: Italy 3-2 Spain. Morata, so often the fall guy with fans and press alike, hits weakly towards the bottom right. Poor penalty. Saved by Donnarumma. The blood drains from Morata’s face.

10.39pm BST

Penalties: Italy 3-2 Spain. Bernardeschi hits the top-right postage stamp. What a spot kick!

10.38pm BST

Penalties: Italy 2-2 Spain. A skip, and Thiago whips insouciantly into the bottom left. That was ice-cool.

10.37pm BST

Penalties: Italy 2-1 Spain. Bonucci sends Simon the wrong way, passing into the bottom right. Calm as you like from a player who has missed one or two in the past.

10.37pm BST

Penalties: Italy 1-1 Spain. Moreno stutters but sweeps into the top right. Donnarumma wasn’t far away from that.

10.36pm BST

Penalties: Italy 1-0 Spain. Belotti lashes into the bottom left. Simon guessed correctly, but had no chance.

10.35pm BST

Penalties: Italy 0-0 Spain. Olmo looks more confident ... but in going for the top left, skies it. Oh dear.

10.34pm BST

Penalties: Italy 0-0 Spain. Locatelli, a look of fear in his eyes, goes first. His poor effort, dragged towards the bottom left, is parried easily by Simon. Immediate advantage Spain.

10.33pm BST

A fair bit of pow-wow between the two captains, Chiellini and Spain’s stand-in Alba. Chiellini laughs a lot, Alba less so as his Italian counterpart cheekily roughs up his jowls. Italy to go first.

10.32pm BST

Italy’s shoot-out record in major competition is four wins, seven losses. Spain have won six, and lost four. One of those Spanish wins was the scrappy affair against the Swiss in the last round, a fact that may buoy Italy, because no team has ever won two shoot-outs at a Euros final.

10.29pm BST

Penalties it is!

10.29pm BST

ET 30 min: There will be five seconds of added time ...

10.28pm BST

ET 29 min: Torres strides forward and slips a pass to Pedri, who looks to lay off the return on the edge of the box. Locatelli batters clear. There’s a lot of desperate praying, the parlaying of karma, going on in the stands right now.

10.27pm BST

ET 28 min: Bonucci goes into the book for hanging a high boot across Morata. The tension!

10.26pm BST

ET 27 min: Spain have completed 812 passes to Italy’s 299. Stats don’t always tell a story, but there’s a tale, right there. “It’s such a shame one side has to lose,” writes Paul Griffin. “They are so hard to separate. Perhaps Uefa should intervene and eliminate both, with a walkover for whoever’s in the other side of the draw. It’s only fair.” A generous offer.

10.24pm BST

ET 25 min: Belotti latches onto a loose ball and very nearly releases Berardi down the middle. The ball is crucially intercepted by Torres. The tension!

10.23pm BST

ET 24 min: Spain stroke it around at the back. Italy let them. It’s a bit like that right now. Can anyone suddenly spring into action and find what would surely be a winner? “Italian defence has run extra miles today, with Spain also playing two extra time. Denmark is sniffing something.” Yash Gupta also cheekily pushing a few buttons there.

10.21pm BST

ET 22 min: It’s getting really scrappy now, with both teams looking a little frazzled, mentally as much as physically I’ll be bound.

10.19pm BST

ET 20 min: Garcia is forced off with cramp, and on comes Torres. From the restart, Berardi is sprung clear down the left. He sticks out a telescopic leg, hooking across Simon and into the top right ... but the flag goes up for offside. The correct decision. He was a fair way off.

10.18pm BST

ET 18 min: Thiago gives Donnarumma the eyes and tries to Gary McAllister a free kick into the bottom left from the best part of 40 yards. Nope! The ball breaks off Berardi and is easily claimed by the keeper.

10.16pm BST

ET 17 min: Italy replace the spent Chiesa with Bernardeschi.

10.15pm BST

ET 16 min: The ball’s shuttled back to Donnarumma, and Morata is not far away from closing down his clearance. “Will Spain sub on penalty specialist De Gea if still 1-1 with a minute to go?” quips Simon Clarke, who let’s be honest, is deliberately pressing buttons.

10.14pm BST

Italy get the second half of extra time underway. Spain swap Busquets, who is on a yellow, for a determined-looking Thiago.

10.12pm BST

Italy, who are sitting deep and, by the looks of things, playing for penalties, are 15 minutes away from achieving their target.

10.10pm BST

ET 15 min: Rodri plays a clever ball down the right to release Llorente into space. The resulting low cross is no good, though.

10.09pm BST

ET 14 min: Olmo, prompting in the number ten role, slips a pass down the inside-right channel and nearly releases Morata. A bit too much juice on the ball, but what a game the young Leipzig winger is having.

10.08pm BST

ET 12 min: Moreno crosses from the right. Donnarumma beats Morata in the middle with a punch. The ball breaks to Llorente, who takes a snap shot from 12 yards. Chiellini sticks out a leg to block brilliantly. Italy clear. Just.

10.06pm BST

ET 10 min: Italy are running out of energy. They’re being given the runaround by Spain, who are turning the screw a little with their old possession game. On that subject, here’s Thomas Jaggers: “Surely now with Spain having the upper hand and, I would imagine, not wanting to settle for penalties, now would be the time to introduce Traore to run at the tired, ageing Italian defence.”

10.05pm BST

ET 8 min: Olmo whips the ball through the thicket and towards the bottom right. It nearly flies in! Donnarumma parries out to Morata, who starts a pinball game in the six-yard box. With other Italian hearts in mouths, Cheillini is the picture of calmness as he shepherds out a ball that clanks off Busquets and dribbles a couple of inches wide of the left-hand post. Blimey!

10.03pm BST

ET 7 min: Olmo has been Spain’s star turn this evening. He dances his way down the left and forces Toloi into a panicked rugby tackle. Booking, and free kick in a dangerous position.

10.01pm BST

ET 5 min: Belotti has landed on the old coccyx. Ooyah, oof. Play stops so he can take a quick breather.

9.59pm BST

ET 4 min: Spain stroke it around the back in the style of classic-era Italy. No rush.

9.57pm BST

ET 2 min: Olmo takes it himself, but there’s some hanky panky in the line-out, and it’s a free kick for Italy. The pressure off.

9.56pm BST

ET 1 min: The livewire Olmo turns Toloi out on the left and is brought down. Free kick. Everyone lines up on the edge of the Italian box.

9.55pm BST

Spain get the first half of extra time underway. No changes at the break.

9.50pm BST

It was always going to be this way! Thirty more dramatic minutes coming right up!

9.49pm BST

90 min +2: Toloi tries to spring Belotti clear down the right but overhits his pass and Simon is able to reach the edge of his box to gather.

9.49pm BST

90 min +1: The first of three added minutes sees the excellent Olmo win, then waste, a corner.

9.48pm BST

90 min: Olmo dribbles towards the Italy box and slips a pass down the middle, hoping to spring a white shirt free. Chiellini drops to intercept ... and the ball brushes his hand as he clears. There are screams for a penalty, but it’s not going to be awarded. To be fair, it hit his arm when he was facing the other way.

9.47pm BST

89 min: Toloi plays a clever first-time pass down the right channel that Berardi simply doesn’t expect. Shame for Italy, because that would have turned the Spanish back line inside out.

9.45pm BST

88 min: Space for Morata down the left. He’s got white shirts to look for in the middle, but clumsily runs the ball out for a goal kick. Both teams suddenly look a little skittish. Can you blame them?

9.44pm BST

87 min: Jorginho leaves a leg in on Pedri, and should probably be booked, but the ref’s been pretty laissez faire this evening.

9.43pm BST

86 min: Locatelli and Belotti come on for Insigne and Barella, while Azpilicueta makes way for Llorente.

9.43pm BST

84 min: Morata, all energy now, races down the right, checks and cuts back for Moreno, who looks for the top left from the edge of the box but sends his shot miles over the bar. “Can these two play again tomorrow?” quips Richard Hirst.

9.40pm BST

82 min: Olmo’s corner finds Busquets, eight yards out. The Spanish captain loops a header towards the top left, with Donnarumma on walkabout. The ball floats wide left of the goal. Morata wasn’t too far away from getting to that and steering home.

9.39pm BST

81 min: Wembley has been bubbling all evening. It’s positively cooking now! And Spain have their tails up, Rodri working hard down the right to win a corner. The Italian defence suddenly looks a little ragged.

9.38pm BST

Spain are level! Morata, so hesitant earlier, is so clinical here! He one-twos his way through the Italian defence, exchanging crisp passes with Olmo, and sidefoots confidently into the bottom left! Redemption!

9.37pm BST

79 min: Spain ship possession on the edge of their own box, not for the first time tonight. Berardi aims a curler for the bottom left, but takes his sweet time and telegraphs is slightly. Easy for Simon.

9.36pm BST

78 min: See also: Simon’s ever-erratic kicking. Now he races out of his area to blooter a clearance straight at Laporte and out for a throw. On another day, that was pinging back into his unguarded net, and that would have been even more farcical than the Croatia fiasco.

9.35pm BST

77 min: The corner is dealt with easily enough. Morata really should have taken his shot first time, when there was a realistic chance of beating Donnarumma. His lack of confidence writ large.

9.34pm BST

76 min: Busquets slips Morata into the box down the right. He’s facing a tight angle, but hovers and hovers before eventually shooting, when the angle is super-difficult. The ball is deflected out easily for a corner.

9.32pm BST

74 min: A double change for Italy, as Pessina and Toloi come on for Emerson and Verratti. Toloi will take Di Lorenzo’s place at right back; Di Lorenzo will switch to the other flank.

9.31pm BST

73 min: Italy ping it around the back. They look confident. Perhaps too confident, because Donnarumma clanks a woeful pass straight at Morata. Fortunately for the Italian keeper, the Spanish striker can’t control, and the ball pings out for an Italian throw.

9.29pm BST

71 min: Pedri chases a lost cause down the left and digs out a cross. It’s dropping at the far post. Donnarumma is flapping and spinning, but gets out of jail thanks to Azpilicueta’s clumsy - and needless - block. Free kick.

9.27pm BST

70 min: Oyarzabal, who has passed up Spain’s two biggest chances of the evening, makes way for Moreno, while Koke is replaced by Rodri.

9.26pm BST

68 min: Having come so close to equalising, Spain nearly go two down, Chiesa threading a ball through to Berardi, just inside the box on the right. Berardi aims for the near post, where Simon kicks clear. Good luck guessing which way this is going to go, because it’s balanced on the sharp proverbial.

9.24pm BST

67 min: Oyarzabal hasn’t given up the ghost, though. On the edge of the Italian box, with his back to goal, he cushions a long ball down for Olmo, who thrashes a vicious low drive inches wide right. On target, Donnarumma wasn’t getting that; he was rooted to the spot.

9.23pm BST

65 min: Spain should be level. Koke, 25 yards out and a little to the left of centre, chips a glorious ball over the Italian back line and down towards Oyarzabal on the penalty spot. Any contact, and he’s surely flashing that into the net. But he makes none! As the Wembley crowd coo, and the ball bounces harmlessly wide of the right-hand post, poor Oyarzabal wears the look of a man staring exactly 1,000 yards into the distance. Drained and pained.

9.21pm BST

63 min: Spain win a corner down the left, but don’t do much with it. They look collectively rattled. The blow of conceding such an excellent goal on the counter, having been probing dangerously down the other end, I guess.

9.20pm BST

62 min: Chiesa is one heck of a player ... and he clearly likes playing here at Wembley, having scored another cracker against Austria last week. That was some finish, too.

9.19pm BST

61 min: Before the restart, Immobile is replaced by Berardi, and Torres makes way for Morata.

9.18pm BST

What a finish! What a goal! Olmo causes all sorts of trouble on the edge of the Italian box, but Alba’s cross is picked off by Donnarumma and Italy counter immediately. Verratti makes good down the left and slips infield for Immobile on the edge of the box. Laporte slides in to block. The ball breaks left. Chiesa latches onto it, takes a touch, and curls a stunner into the top right! Unstoppable, and Wembley erupts!

9.16pm BST

58 min: Oyarzabal finds a little space, 25 yards out, and sends a rising shot towards the top right. Donnarumma is behind it all the way, but it needed a safe pair of hands nonetheless. A fine strike.

9.15pm BST

57 min: Olmo wins a ball out on the flank that he had no right to win. He scuttles away from a couple of blue shirts and feeds the ball infield. With Italy light at the back all of a sudden, Torres has options either side. He dallies far too long, and his shot is blocked. What a waste of a good opportunity.

9.12pm BST

55 min: Spain slow it down with some good old-fashioned sterile domination.

9.11pm BST

53 min: Italy respond by breaking quickly up the other end, Immobile’s attack-launching flick shuttled out right for Chiesa, who tries to catch Simon out at his near post. Simon drops to smother.

9.10pm BST

52 min: Olmo glides down the right and rolls a ball across the face of the Spanish box for Busquets, who creams a first-time shot towards the top-right corner. Just over, and had it been on target, it wasn’t clear that Donnarumma was getting there.

9.09pm BST

51 min: The first booking of the evening goes to Busquets, who hacks Immobile to the ground as the Italian striker was in the business of spinning him. It wasn’t the worst foul in isolation, and though you could make a case for it being just about worth a yellow, it’s almost certainly an accumulation thing,

9.08pm BST

50 min: Olmo crosses deep from the right. With Torres on his shoulder, Di Lorenzo does extremely well to volley out for a corner. Nothing comes of that.

9.07pm BST

49 min: Italy come back at Spain immediately, Immobile’s bustle earning a pocket of space just outside the box. He tries to scoop over Simon, stranded in no-man’s land off his line, but gets it all wrong and the ball bobbles harmlessly wide right.

9.06pm BST

48 min: Simon shanks a clearance under no pressure whatsoever, and it’s an Italian corner out of nothing. The crowd, perhaps mindful of his howler against Croatia, give him the bird. Nothing comes of the resulting set piece.

9.04pm BST

47 min: Oyarzabal and Olmo take turns to perform a couple of tricks down the right, and for a second nearly look like causing the Italian back line a bit of bother. But the gaps are quickly closed by the wily Azzurri.

9.02pm BST

OK, so we’re just 45 minutes away from extra time, and possible penalty kicks. Italy get the clock ticking on all that. Neither manager has made a change at the break. Meanwhile, would anyone like to live in the Simon McMahon multiverse? I only ask because I’m in. “In my alternate universe Euros,” he writes, “Scotland would have given both of these teams a good hiding. The final against North Macedonia is too close to call though.”

8.55pm BST

Half-time entertainment. Yes, it’s more hot national anthem action, courtesy of Paul Roche. “The Italian anthem was not always sung with such gusto,” he reports. “Check out the World Cup of 1994.”

8.47pm BST

The referee adds two extra seconds before blowing for the break. Olmo, who was about to break into some space in the middle of the park, is livid. Everyone else walks off. It’s been a half of nearly and not-quite. To be fair, the nearlies have been high quality, the not-quites top-drawer.

8.46pm BST

45 min: Insigne dribbles in from the left, drawing two white shirts and reverse-passing Emerson into space. Emerson, facing a tight angle, goes for the top left and clips the top of the bar! The ball twangs out for a goal kick.

8.44pm BST

43 min: Pedri tries to one-two his way through the Italian defence down the left, but the return from Olmo is overhit and Donnarumma claims.

8.42pm BST

41 min: Italy slow it down a little. Now it’s the turn of the Spain fans to whistle their dissatisfaction.

8.40pm BST

39 min: Busquets and Pedri combine smoothly down the inside-left channel. Pedri then slides a diagonal pass towards Oyarzabal, just to the right of the D. Oyarzabal opts to take a first-time shot, aiming for a spectacular curler into the top-left. He does indeed find the top left, but only of the stand behind the goal. Full marks for ambition, though, and it was a lovely sweeping move.

8.38pm BST

37 min: Emerson romps down the middle, into a lot of space with great passion. He’s got options on both sides, but takes one stride too many and is eventually robbed by Busquets. Spain looked very light at the back there, so that has to go down as a missed opportunity to bother Simon, one way or another.

8.36pm BST

35 min: Di Lorenzo leaves one on Torres, causing the referee to point and wag his finger. No booking though. On that subject, here’s Kári Tulinius: “I didn’t expect these teams to contest such a frantic match. Even Busquets seems a bit flustered. This game will probably be settled by a player who finds a pocket of calm in the midst of the storm. Or emotions will boil over in the old style. Felix Brych was in charge during Belgium-Portugal, which got fairly traditional, tackling-wise.”

8.35pm BST

34 min: Insigne has been fairly quiet, but now he one-twos with Immobile and nearly opens Spain up down the left. Azpilicueta shepherds him out of play for a goal kick.

8.34pm BST

33 min: Olmo is causing Italy all sorts of bother. Now he worries the thin blue back line with a purposeful skitter down the inside right. He reaches the edge of the D before, with options either side, sending a swerving shot over the bar. He’s now got Torres and Oyarzabal giving him trenchant advice in stereo.

8.31pm BST

31 min: Chiesa races down the right touchline at warp speed. For a second it looks like he’ll be sensationally breaking clear, but Laporte squeezes him out elegantly.

8.30pm BST

29 min: Di Lorenzo springs Immobile clear down the right wing, while Spain were pressing high. Too much on the pass, which Simon comes off his line to gather. A better ball, and Italy were in.

8.29pm BST

27 min: Donnarumma’s awful clearance falls straight to Garcia in the centre circle. Garcia returns it to Olmo on the edge of the Italian box. Chiellini clatters him inside the D, fairly according to the ref, unfairly according to the Spaniard. We play on as Olmo sits gesticulating.

8.27pm BST

25 min: Olmo tries to release Torres down the inside-left channel with a cute backheel, but Italy half clear. Spain come again, through Oyarzabal on the right. His cross breaks to Olmo, who barges through a Bonucci challenge and is clear on the penalty spot! He shoots low left, but Donnarumma gets down to parry and clear. Not sure how this is still goalless.

8.24pm BST

23 min: Chiesa is in a lot of space down the right. Chiellini tries to quarterback him free, but overcooks the pass. Both teams are going for this, and it’s making for a fine spectacle.

8.22pm BST

21 min: A huge chance for Italy goes begging! Emerson gets in ahead of Azplicueta down the left. Simon rushes towards the edge of his box, but loses the race. Emerson rolls across the face of the box, the goal unguarded, to Immobile. He’s got to shoot quickly to take advantage of Simon’s desertion, but he dallies, then hands off to Insigne who is swarmed. Spain sigh with relief.

8.20pm BST

19 min: Nothing comes of the set piece. This is good fun, both teams having already enjoyed a little share of the ascendency.

8.19pm BST

18 min: Insigne dinks it over the melee of players on the edge of the Spanish box, straight into the arms of Simon. One of those that looks a bit daft, but would have looked very clever had an Italian read Insigne’s intent and stuck out a leg to connect. The Spanish go straight up the other end, Olmo winning a corner on the left.

8.18pm BST

17 min: Barella snatches the ball of Busquets and is dragged back by the arm. Not enough for a yellow card, according to the referee, though you’ve seen them given. It’s a free kick to Italy, though, 35 yards out, just left of centre.

8.16pm BST

15 min: Torres latches onto a loose Barella ball in the centre circle, strides forward, tricks his way past Jorginho down the inside-left channel, and whistles a low drive wide left. Spain are bossing this now; Italy’s fast start already seems a long time ago.

8.14pm BST

13 min: Nope. Oyarzabal wasn’t offside. He’d timed his run perfectly, and Pedri’s pass was slide-rule perfection. What a let-off for Italy!

8.13pm BST

12 min: Spain are beginning to dominate possession. More pretty passes. Then the rapier thrust, as Pedri fires a pass down the middle for Oyarzabal, who is free on the penalty spot! Not sure whether he was offside or not, but we’ll never know because he can’t control and Italy clear.

8.11pm BST

10 min: Spain paint a few pretty triangles, slowly pushing Italy back. Then suddenly Busquets and Koke pick up the pace, and feed Azpilicueta down the right. The Chelsea captain takes too long over his cross - or was it an attempted curler towards the top left? - and whatever it is gets blocked.

8.08pm BST

8 min: Spain aren’t dealing particularly well with Italy’s high press at the moment. Busquets, Garcia and Azpilicueta take turns to hesitate over clearances, nearly allowing the livewire Verratti in on a couple of occasions. Verratti is snapping away at their heels like billy-o. It’s very impressive, though you already get the sense he’s one mistimed lunge away from trouble.

8.06pm BST

6 min: Spain get a foot on the ball for the first time in the match, and stroke it around the back awhile. Italy’s fans give them the bird. All good pantomime stuff.

8.05pm BST

5 min: Now it’s Immobile’s turn to be marginally offside, as he chases Jorginho’s pass down the right channel. Italy have flown out of the traps, just as they did against Belgium.

8.05pm BST

4 min: Wembley catches its breath as Emerson shovels a lovely pass down the let wing for Barella. He’s free! For a second it looks as though Barella will be able to round the outrushing Simon. He can’t quite do it, but checks, takes careful aim, and curls a gorgeous shot around Simon towards the top right. The ball twangs off the post and away, at which point the flag goes up - correctly - for offside. Wow.

8.03pm BST

2 min: Wembley is the old cauldron of cliche. Atmosphere’s a-bubblin’! Lovely. Major championship semi-final, going on right here.

8.02pm BST

Spain get the party started. The first foul is whistled after a mere 30 seconds, Verratti coming through the back of Olmo. The referee wanders across and tells him to calm it down a bit. We play on.

8.00pm BST

The look of sheer joy on Italy captain’s Giorgio Chiellini’s face as he completed the final bars of his anthem! A smile as wide as the Wembley arch. He then bounced off like Tigger. You have to feel sorry for his opposite number Sergio Busquets, who can’t compete with theatrical passion like that ... not least because the Spanish anthem has no words. Anyway, here we go.

7.57pm BST

The teams are out! A 60,000-strong Wembley crowd, making one hell of a racket, greet Italy in their azzurri shirts. Spain play in second-choice white, the only nod to Real Madrid in this squad. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes!

7.52pm BST

Pre-match postbag. “If you are feeling burnt out on anthem coverage, remember, it could always be worse. Ask anyone but the most patriotic Mexican national how they feel about standing at attention for all ten stanzas of the Mexican national anthem” -

Billy Connolly
Mary Waltz.

“Immobile’s penalty box shin-grabbing shenanigans were as operatic as this well-known aria with a name that bears a striking resemblance to his. Frankly, there should be Ciro tolerance for that kind of stuff” - Peter Oh.

7.37pm BST

Some more pre-match reading.

7.26pm BST

The national anthems. It’s been a long month, and we’ve been down this road many times before, so just to mix it up a bit, here are the anthems of Italy and Spain being played on the bagpipes. Listen closely and you may also hear the bottom of a barrel being scraped at Guardian Towers.

7.03pm BST

Italy make one enforced change to the XI sent out to blow Belgium away in the first half of that whirlwind quarter-final in Munich. The brilliant, unfortunate and much-missed Leonardo Spinazzola’s place is taken, as it was on the evening he pulled up with a ruptured Achilles, by Emerson of Chelsea.

Spain make three changes to the side named for their quarter-final scrape past Switzerland in Saint Petersburg. Dani Olmo, Mikel Oyarzabal and Eric Garcia step up; Pau Torres and Alvaro Morata are benched, while Pablo Sarabia is injured.

6.55pm BST

Italy: Donnarumma, Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Emerson Palmieri, Barella, Jorginho, Verratti, Chiesa, Immobile, Insigne.
Subs: Sirigu, Locatelli, Belotti, Berardi, Pessina, Acerbi, Cristante, Bernardeschi, Bastoni, Florenzi, Toloi, Meret.

Spain: Simon, Azpilicueta, Garcia, Laporte, Jordi Alba, Koke, Busquets, Pedri, Ferran Torres, Oyarzabal, Olmo.
Subs: de Gea, Diego Llorente, Pau Torres, Marcos Llorente, Morata, Gerard, Thiago, Sanchez, Gaya, Rodri, Fabian, Traore.

6.40pm BST

Spain have won all four of their semi-finals at the Euros. Three of the games went to extra time; two of them ended in penalty shootouts. Those results: 2-1 v Hungary (aet) in 1964, 1-1 v Denmark (aet, 5-4 pens) in 1984, 3-0 v Russia in 2008 and 0-0 v Portugal (aet, 4-2 pens) in 2012. The most comprehensive of those victories can be relived below, in the fashionable MBM format of the day.

6.30pm BST

Italy’s most exciting performance in a Euro semi? Almost certainly Mario Balotelli’s signature artistic achievement, the 2-1 win over Germany at Euro 2012. But their most quintessential? This catenaccio-infused Dutch fiasco at Euro 2000, rendered here in a very early MBM. You can read more about that, plus five other doozies, in this classic Joy of Six.

6.15pm BST

This might be better saved for the final, should England make it, but what the heck. Neither of these countries have particularly fond memories of playing on English soil in major championships. At Euro 96, Italy failed to make it through the groups, losing to eventual finalists Czech Republic and drawing with Germany, who went on to win the whole thing. Not great, but not as embarrassing as 1966, when losses to the USSR and North Korea – Pak Doo-ik, Ayresome Park, all that – sent them back home to be pelted with all manner of on-the-turn produce.

Spain meanwhile haven’t been much better in Blighty. Out at the group stage in 1966, then defeated on penalties in the Euros by England 30 years later, albeit after having two perfectly good goals disallowed for offside. Overall, both teams have lost more in England than they’ve won (8-11 and 5-9 respectively), pointless stats that will nevertheless give Gareth Southgate a little boost ahead of the final, should his team make it through tomorrow night.

6.06pm BST

This fixture can’t pass by without a mention of Luis Enrique getting his face repurposed in the Cubist style by Mauro Tassotti at the 1994 World Cup ...

5.30pm BST

If it’s Italy versus Spain, or Spain versus Italy, it must be the European Championships. And here we all are. Nice to see everyone again.

This is one of the great international rivalries. Spain won the very first major meeting between the two countries, at the 1920 Olympic Games … and then didn’t win another for 88 years. Italy thrashed Spain 7-1 at the 1928 Olympics, beat them in the semis of the 1934 World Cup, triumphed in the groups at Euro 88, then the quarters of USA 94. To tie this package up with a pretty bow, when lots were drawn to decide whether Spain or Turkey went to the 1954 World Cup, the small blindfolded boy who selected the Turks was Italian.

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Published on July 06, 2021 15:01

July 3, 2021

Ukraine 0-4 England: Euro 2020 quarter-final – as it happened

Harry Kane scored twice as England made the semi-finals in style with a comprehensive defeat of Ukraine

12.10am BST

10.32pm BST

So yes, it was only a quarter-final; yes, semi-final opponents Denmark won at Wembley just last October; and yes, possible finalists Italy and Spain are Italy and Spain. But if England fans aren’t allowed to get excited and dream dreamy dreams after that four-goal performance, there really is no point in watching sport. Congratulations to England, commiserations to Ukraine, and here’s to a couple of cracking semi-finals next week. David Hytner’s report is in, so get clicking. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!

10.30pm BST

The BBC talk to Gareth Southgate, who begins by thanking the fringe players in his squad. “I’m thinking about the lads we didn’t get on the pitch; the likes of Conor Coady, Ben Chilwell, Sam Johnstone, Aaron Ramsdale, they are the ones making this team successful, because the spirit of the group is phenomenal. Whoever comes in does the job, whoever I leave out, the mentality has been fantastic. So looking after those guys is uppermost in my mind. None of them deserve to be left out. But we have to make the right call for the right game and the system. We’re in another semi-final, three in three years. But we want to go a step further, two steps further. It’s lovely to send everyone out on a Saturday night, beer in hand or in the air, wherever it is! I’m chuffed the two performances we’ve put on have given so much enjoyment and happiness to people.”

10.18pm BST

Jordan Henderson, who finally scored for England after 62 appearances, speaks to the BBC: “It was a very good night. We’re so pleased with the performance level. We defended really well and scored some great goals. We have to be very pleased, but we can’t dwell on it too long. We need to prepare well and give it absolutely everything on Wednesday.” As for ending the longest wait for a first international goal an England goalscorer has ever endured? “It’s about time! It’s been a long time coming. Thankfully I’m on the scoresheet. I always felt a goal would come eventually but I always just try to contribute the best I can on the pitch. Of course I’d have liked to score more goals over the last few years, but I can’t complain! I’m here, and I’m contributing.”

10.09pm BST

Harry Kane’s turn for a chat with the Beeb. “What a great performance in a big game. Of course we were favourites to win this game, but there was a lot of pressure. So to perform like we did was top drawer. Another clean sheet, four goals, it was a perfect night for us. We have a great unit from front to back working for the team. We’ll keep working hard and recover well, and look forward to the semi-final. We’re knocking it off, step by step. The World Cup was great but we fell short. We had a good run in the Nations League, and now it’s about getting over the line, and that’s what we have got to do on Wednesday. A lot of us have been playing in big games, so we’re looking confident out there. Hopefully I can lead this team to a European final.”

10.02pm BST

Harry Maguire talks to the BBC. “It’s a great feeling. Back to back semi-finals at a major tournament is a great achievement, but, I don’t want to be a party pooper, but we don’t stop here. We’ve got a big game coming up and we want to go further this time than we did at the World Cup. It’s a great feeling to win here, and the way we’ve done it shows how we’ve progressed as a country. Long may the improvement continue! We have great belief in the dressing room. The first half was tough, we got the early goal but they caused us a few problems after changing it a few times. The second goal settled us down a lot and from then on we controlled the game. It was an impressive performance. It’s hard to soak it all in when you’ve got another big one coming up. The dressing room will be a great atmosphere tonight, but when we wake up we’ll be focused again. This group of players aren’t settling for a semi-final, we want to go further.”

9.58pm BST

A view from the England fans in Rome. “There’s a real buzz at the Olimpico seeing England turning on the style,” reports Colum Fordham. “The England fans near me are chanting Southgate is great and a version of Che sarà sarà, interspersed with Football’s Coming Home. Only the second time I’ve watched England live. Last England v Cameroon in 1990.”

9.57pm BST

A grim-faced Andriy Shevchenko, who knows a thing or two about leading the line, makes an immediate beeline for Harry Kane, embracing England’s two-goal hero. England celebrate, but not in any conspicuous manner; you suspect their minds are already on Wednesday’s semi-final with Denmark. Model professionals, you see. But the fans can party long into the night: that was England’s biggest victory at a European Championship finals, bettering their 4-1 thumping of the Netherlands at Euro 96. Ukraine depart the scene of their defeat, but only after thanking their fans with a poignant last performance of an Iceland-via-Motherwell-inspired HUH chant.

9.50pm BST

The referee Felix Brych blows the whistle after four seconds of extra time, and England have made the semi-finals of Euro 2020 in style!

9.50pm BST

90 min: There will be ... no added minutes.

9.49pm BST

88 min: It’s Ukraine’s turn to pass it around the back, but their mood is not quite so joyous. What they’d give to hear the final whistle now ... though we could have probably said that the best part of 40 minutes ago.

9.46pm BST

86 min: Henderson puts a stop to a Ukraine attack with a calm backheeled pass out of his own box. It’s been one of those evenings.

9.44pm BST

84 min: As their team pass the ball around the back in the clock-management style, England fans entertain themselves with a few olés. Any old excuse.

9.43pm BST

83 min: Sancho shows Mykolenko a clean pair of heels and barrels down the right. The Ukrainian defender recovers excellently to force him off the ball just as he enters the box. For a second, a fifth looked on the cards.

9.40pm BST

81 min: England are happy to sit back, keeping a clean sheet their main focus now.

9.39pm BST

79 min: Yarmolenko grooves his way down the right, enters the box, and earns a corner with a deflected shot. Calvert-Lewin heads the corner clear.

9.38pm BST

77 min: Pickford gets away with another loose clearance. His slightly skittish kicking is perhaps England’s only minus point this evening. It’s not the worst place to be.

9.34pm BST

75 min: Makarenko has a dig from 25 yards. He aims for the top right and gives it a good old belt, but Pickford punches it clear.

9.33pm BST

73 min: There’ll be no hat-trick for Kane this evening. He makes way for Calvert-Lewin, and goes off to be wrapped in cotton wool.

9.32pm BST

72 min: Yaremchuk comes through the back of Henderson in the frustrated style. He’s given a good ticking off by the referee, but no booking.

9.31pm BST

70 min: Some slapstick shenanigans as Pickford comes out of his goal to clear a long ball. He slices his kick, and the ball drops to Yaremchuk, who tries to find the empty net with a low drive from 40 yards. It’s easily blocked. A high looper would have been the better option, but no Patrik Schick he.

9.29pm BST

68 min: Of course, anyone who gets themselves sent off would also miss the game, but surely nobody will be that daft.

9.27pm BST

67 min: Rashford’s first act is to tear down the left and win a corner. It’s hit long for Maguire, who heads harmlessly wide right. Incidentally, with the departure of Phillips, Maguire is now the only England player left on the field in danger of missing the semi - I think we can safely say England are there - should he pick up a booking.

9.25pm BST

65 min: England make a triple change: Bellingham, Rashford and Trippier come on for Shaw, Sterling and Phillips.

9.24pm BST

64 min: Ukraine replace Sydorchuk with Makarenko.

9.23pm BST

Mount curls the resulting corner towards Henderson, who glances a header across the keeper and into the bottom left! His first ever goal for England, at long last!

9.22pm BST

62 min: Kane is denied a spectacular hat-trick goal by Bushchan. He latches onto a poor headed clearance by screeching a volley from 25 yards towards the top right. The keeper turns it away at full stretch! But it’s all in vain, because ...

9.20pm BST

60 min: On the touchline, Shevchenko is already in thousand-yard-stare mode. He’ll have delivered better half-time talks.

9.18pm BST

59 min: Mount is this close to releasing Kane through the middle with a forensic pass. Matviyenko intercepts in the nick of time.

9.16pm BST

57 min: England make their first change, Henderson coming on in place of Rice.

9.16pm BST

56 min: Ukraine look thoroughly shaken by that double whammy. They’ve not managed to summon any sort of response yet.

9.14pm BST

54 min: England have three players out there who are one booking away from missing any semi-final they might reach: Maguire, Phillips and Rice. A fair chance now that these lads won’t see the evening out.

9.12pm BST

52 min: Luke Shaw, huh? That’s two quickfire assists of the highest quality. Maguire and Kane couldn’t miss! Whisper it, but England are an extremely good side.

9.10pm BST

The semi-final is so close now! Mount drives down the inside left. He slips the ball to Sterling, who backflicks towards Shaw. The full back reaches the touchline, and stands one up into the centre. Kane is on point to head down and in, and England are in total control!

9.09pm BST

49 min: The timing of that goal will thoroughly sicken Ukraine, who will have felt good about the manner in which they’d finished the first half. Well, that’s quite the momentum shifter.

9.07pm BST

47 min: That was one heck of a delivery by Shaw. Maguire, having timed his run and leap to perfection, could hardly miss!

9.07pm BST

Yes they can! The free kick’s curled into the mixer by Shaw. Maguire rises highest, on the edge of the six-yard box. He steers a determined header into the left-hand side of the net with Bushchan rooted to the spot!

9.05pm BST

46 min: Within 10 seconds of the restart, Sydorchuk stands on Kane’s foot, and it’s a free kick 30 yards out on the right. Can England start the second half even faster than they did the first?

9.04pm BST

England get the second 45 underway. There have been no half-time changes.

8.57pm BST

Half-time entertainment. The winner of this tie will play Denmark at Wembley on Wednesday evening. Paul Doyle watched them bounce the Czechs out of the tournament, and you can read his report here. Meanwhile here’s Andy Hunter on a team who are on an emotional mission.

8.51pm BST

After some garden-variety shoving, a load of nonsensical yap between Maguire and Yaremchuk brings the half to an end. They’re still arguing with each other as everyone leaves for the dressing rooms. England the happier, obviously, though Ukraine will be buoyed by the way they’ve come back into the game.

8.49pm BST

45 min +1: Sancho excites the fans with a supersonic sashay down the left, jinking elegantly through the smallest of gaps. He’s clipped to a standstill, but Manchester United fans can be forgiven for getting quite excited over their new signing.

8.47pm BST

45 min: England are sitting very deep. They’ll be happy to hear the half-time whistle and regroup. There will be three added minutes.

8.45pm BST

43 min: After a brief game of head tennis in the England box, Shaparenko shoots from 25 yards. The ball curls well wide right. This is much better from Ukraine, who have switched to a 4-3-3 after the enforced substitution, and look a lot happier as a result.

8.43pm BST

41 min: Yaremchuk busies himself down the left and wins a corner. The set piece is a non-event, but Ukraine are at least asking England the odd question now.

8.42pm BST

39 min: Sterling slips Shaw clear down the left. Shaw is in acres, racing into the box. He pulls back for Sancho, who spins on the penalty spot and sends a slapshot goalwards. Bushchan shovels clear, then the flag goes up for offside. Not sure why Shaw didn’t go for that himself, one on one with the keeper as he was. Had either he or Sancho scored, VAR would have overturned that offside decision.

8.39pm BST

37 min: Ukraine play some lovely triangles down the left and open England up for the first time. Zinchenko then slips a pass down the channel for Yaremchuk, who cuts back for the Manchester City man. However Yarmolenko also goes for the cutback, and gets in Zinchenko’s way. Neither can get a shot off, and Mount steps in to clear.

8.36pm BST

35 min: Kryvtsov can’t continue. He’s limping badly. On comes Tsygankov.

8.36pm BST

34 min: Kryvtsov goes down and requires some treatment. He’s grimacing quite a lot. As the physio comes on, it’s a chance for his defence to regroup.

8.35pm BST

33 min: Sterling drives down the left and crosses low. It’s half cleared. Rice picks up possession on the edge of the box and creams a venomous shot straight at Bushchan. There’s a brief game of high-speed, high-stakes pinball, before Ukraine eventually clear. England can sense a second goal here.

8.33pm BST

31 min: Sancho gets his feet moving down the right and nearly tricks his way past Mykolenko. Not quite, but the Old Trafford bound winger is causing all sorts of problems.

8.30pm BST

29 min: Sterling is upended near the left touchline, and it’s a chance for England to line up just inside the Ukraine box. Shaw to deliver. Kane rises highest to meet the free kick, but can only head harmlessly over the bar.

8.29pm BST

27 min: England’s current confident state of mind is perfectly illustrated when Pickford comes sauntering out of his box to meet a loose ball, and rolls a careful pass to a team-mate between two encroaching Ukrainians. A risky move performed with no little panache.

8.26pm BST

25 min: Another neat little burst in from the right wing by Sancho. Ukraine aren’t dealing with his runs particularly well. When he’s on one, their nerves are palpable.

8.24pm BST

23 min: Sancho bursts infield from the right, beating a couple of men before slipping wide left for Sterling, who finds Shaw on the overlap. Shaw reaches the byline but his cutback goes to nobody in particular. Zinchenko intercepts and briefly worries his own defenders with a clumsy backpass, but Ukraine eventually clear their lines.

8.22pm BST

21 min: After the brief application of an icepack to his ankle, Matviyenko is good to go again.

8.20pm BST

19 min: Ukraine have recovered from their awful start and are now enjoying a fair bit of possession. Then a pause in play as Matviyenko goes down holding his ankle.

8.18pm BST

17 min: A loose Walker pass in the midfield is snaffled by Yaremchuk, who dribbles at pace down the left channel. He shoots for the bottom-left corner. Pickford turns the ball around the post. Nothing comes of the corner, but Pickford is beyond livid with his defenders for gifting Ukraine that half-chance.

8.17pm BST

15 min: A long ball nearly finds Yarmolenko down the middle. It flies over his head and the danger is gone, but for a split second England’s back line looked uncharacteristically ragged.

8.15pm BST

13 min: Walker romps into a lot of space down the right. His cross isn’t all that, but England are looking dangerous down this flank, with Sancho perhaps occupying one or two minds, allowing the full-back to make hay.

8.13pm BST

12 min: A little bit of space for Yarmolenko down the right. He reaches the byline only for his cross to be blocked by Maguire. Better from Ukraine, who will take heart from their first attacking sortie.

8.11pm BST

10 min: Now it’s England’s turn to sit back and wait to see what Ukraine can do. At the moment, not very much, though at least for the first time in the match, the Ukrainians are enjoying some time on the ball.

8.10pm BST

8 min: Ukraine load the box, but the free kick isn’t up to much, and England clear with ease. “As an Icelander it’s my duty to mention that we Icelanders got the “huh” chant from Motherwell,” admits Kári Tulinius. “Though if Ukraine want to invoke Iceland, going behind to an early English goal worked out alright for us at the last Euros.”

8.09pm BST

7 min: So much for Ukraine’s plan to sit back and soak things up. Nothing like an early goal to shake things up. Karavaev dribbles down the right and is clipped from behind by Sterling. Free kick, and a chance for Ukraine to strike back quickly.

8.07pm BST

6 min: A lovely finish there by Kane, who was almost totally drained of confidence during the groups, but looks to have been fully restored by that goal against Germany. But what an assist by Sterling, England’s player of the tournament. That threaded pass to release Kane was something else.

8.06pm BST

The perfect start for England! Ukraine have hardly touched the ball, but now they’re picking it out of their own net. Sterling dribbles down the left, glides inside, cuts back, and plays a sensational reverse pass down the channel, through a gap between four defenders, to find Kane. He’s clear in the box, and whips past Bushchan, into the bottom left!

8.04pm BST

3 min: It’s all England in terms of possession; Ukraine are more than happy to line five up across the front of their own box. Mount dribbles into that penalty area from the right, and slips over, but claims a penalty anyway. He’s not getting one.

8.03pm BST

2 min: There’s a fine atmosphere in the Stadio Olimpico, the 16,000 in attendance trying their best to make the noise of 72,000, and damn near achieving it. The Ukraine fans giving it plenty of HUH in the Icelandic style. Meanwhile on the pitch, England get a good feel of the ball.

8.01pm BST

Ukraine get the quarter-final underway ... but only after England take the knee. A smattering of boos, but plenty of cheers. We play on.

7.59pm BST

The teams are out! Ukraine wear their first-choice yellow shirts; England are in white. Pennants have been swapped, and fists bumped. We’ll be off in a minute!

7.58pm BST

7.57pm BST

Speaking of bringing nations together, here’s a lovely message of support, from Tinto Brass. “Hello my friend. Please forgive my english, I am from Estonia. I have a very large excite about tonight’s game, I have lived in UK for five year as care assistant and I am supporting England. I think England team are very splendid fellows and I think they will win. I read Guardian website every day, when I first come to UK it helped me improve my English, and it has same political principles that I have, and that we all have in Estonia.” Aitäh, Tinto. Nothing to forgive! In fact, given the Guardian’s long-standing reputation for making ... eh ... the occasional spelling error, may we apologise for any erroneous or misleading information we may given you over the years. Enjoy the game!

7.46pm BST

The national anthems. Whoever you’re supporting tonight, we’re all friends together here, in full agreement both that Ukraine’s glory should be born again, and also it’s for the best if the Queen is saved. No need to be banging out those anthems again, we’ve been there and done that during Euro 2020 already, so instead how about a ditty that embraces both cultures at once? A performance of Ukrainian folk classic Давні Часи by Leeds and England’s

Kalvin Phillips
finest bar-chord specialists The Wedding Present should do the trick.

7.36pm BST

Another dip into the pre-match postbag. “Well, this feels odd,” begins Guy Hornsby. “Germany was such a huge game for all sorts of reasons, but we can’t allow tonight to be a hangover. The Ukraine team are no mugs, we’re without the Wembley effect, so I’m hoping we’ll try and just press restart. Southgate will make us tough to beat and in tournament football it’s how it should be. We’re not France or Belgium, and we have such quality up front that we should be confident we can do it. Punditry over, where’s the whisky!”

7.24pm BST

As previously mentioned, there will be 16,000 spectators in the 72,000-seater Stadio Olimpico tonight. Those supporting England were heard groaning when it was announced that Jack Grealish has again been left on the bench. Ukraine fans are also taking their seats, alongside plenty of Italian representation. A lot of daydreaming about the possibility of an appearance in next Sunday’s final going on. Speaking of which, here’s Mary Waltz: “If football comes home, does it have to isolate for two weeks?” She’s here all week. Try the gelato.

7.16pm BST

Pre-match postbag. “Do we really think (per your preamble) that the England squad really have fond memories of Rome from Euro 68?” splutters Mike Wilner, who to be fair has a point. “None of the squad was born then, obviously. Neither was the manager - Gareth born in 1970. Now, if Roy Hodgson was still in charge, he might remember a trendy cafe or restaurant.” If Roy Hodgson was still in charge, he’d have spent the week taking in the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain and maybe taking Ray Lewington out to Cinecittà World for a ride on the rollercoasters.

7.14pm BST

Gareth Southgate talks to the BBC. “Jadon Sancho has been really bright in training. Having a right footer on that side will really stretch the game. It’s been a huge challenge for all our attacking players. We have so much depth, and you can’t keep everybody happy. We’re looking for those moments when they’re really fighting in training, and he’s shown that. And his profile for this game, we need one against one specialists in this sort of fixture, and he has that capability. It’s been good for us to come away from Wembley to have a different preparation and feel to things, but we’ll find out in the next 90 minutes as to whether it’ll be a deciding factor for us. It’s a lovely night for football. Ukraine have had a fantastic run, we know the threat of their dangerous players, and we have to move the ball quickly.”

7.00pm BST

The winner of this quarter-final will play Denmark in the semis at Wembley on Wednesday night. The Danes have just bounced the Czechs out of the tournament with a 2-1 win in Baku. Their second goal, set up by Joakim Maehle’s outstanding, outside-of-boot cross from the left, and crashed home by Kasper Dolberg at the far post, was a work of special wonder. Barry Glendenning has the details.

6.52pm BST

England have made two changes from the XI that started against Germany. Jadon Sancho, soon to be of Manchester United, is given his first start of the tournament. He replaces Bukayo Saka, who has picked up a knock and misses out altogether. The other change sees Mason Mount replace Kieran Trippier. That means Gareth Southgate is reverting to a back four, and that Jack Grealish stays on the bench.

Ukraine meanwhile are buoyed by the recovery of their captain Andriy Yarmolenko. He picked up a knock in the last round against Sweden, but has recovered just in time.

6.48pm BST

Ukraine: Bushchan, Zabarnyi, Kryvtsov, Matviyenko, Karavayev, Sydorchuk, Shaparenko, Zinchenko, Mykolenko, Yarmolenko, Yaremchuk.
Subs: Sobol, Sudakov, Stepanenko, Marlos, Pyatov, Makarenko, Tsygankov, Bezus, Zubkov, Trubin, Tymchyk, Dovbyk.

England: Pickford, Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw, Phillips, Rice, Sancho, Mount, Sterling, Kane.
Subs: Grealish, Henderson, Rashford, Trippier, Ramsdale, Mings, Coady, Calvert-Lewin, Foden, Chilwell, Johnstone, Bellingham.

6.47pm BST

Literary Corner. “I wrote this exactly three years ago, when England were about to play Colombia at the World Cup,” begins Nick Asbury. “It’s from a book called Realtime Notes, featured in the Guardian a while back. Still applies today – thought you might enjoy it.”

Three hours now,
give or take a minute,
until England go out
or England stay in it,
until England go home
or are nailed on to win it.
Either way in four hours
the pundits will spin it
as the obvious outcome.
Funny that innit.

6.41pm BST

With travelling to Rome a pipe dream, punters are instead milling around Trafalgar Square in London at the official fanzone. The atmosphere is reported to be relaxed, with fans enjoying the sun and a drop of The Drink, live footage of the Czech Republic v Denmark game playing on big screens. With ten minutes to go, Denmark are 2-1 up and will be heading to Wembley next Wednesday unless the Czechs can do something about it. Barry Glendenning has the latest.

6.31pm BST

There will be a crowd of 16,000 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome this evening. Chances are, there will be more Ukraine supporters than England fans, on account of differences in travel rules. However, here’s where the location of tonight’s match is in England’s favour: while Ukraine have only played at the Olimpico once, losing a Euro qualifier to Italy in 2006, England have some fond memories of their previous four visits. They beat the USSR in the third-place play-off at Euro 68, and ground out a fine goalless draw against Italy in 1997, a result that took Glenn Hoddle’s fine team to France 98. Overall, they’ve won two, drawn one, and lost one. It’s not a bad record on someone else’s patch.

6.00pm BST

Feeling nervous, England fans? Hey, it’s understandable. Thing is, there’s no point sitting there sweating, chewing your nails and manically drinking/smoking/vaping/eating/swearing until the match starts, so why not drift off into a nice relaxing daydream instead? Just imagine. In eight days time, Harry Kane lifts the Henri Delaunay Trophy at Wembley as England become champions of Europe for the very first time! There. That’s much better, isn’t it? Indulge yourself. Dreaming is free, and there’s not much point in sport if you’re not allowed to do it.

England are three steps away from bringing it all back home. The first looks, on paper, eminently negotiable. Gareth Southgate’s side are confident, competent and on a high after beating Germany in a knockout game for the first time since 1966. Raheem Sterling is in a rich vein of form, captain Kane might have just jump-started himself back into some, and the defence flatly refuses to concede. There’s real hope here, and their record against tonight’s opponents Ukraine is also promising: four wins in seven previous meetings, with only one defeat. They’re the favourites with your local turf accountant.

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Published on July 03, 2021 14:32

July 2, 2021

Belgium 1-2 Italy: Euro 2020 quarter-final – as it happened

A couple of beauties from Nicolo Barella and Lorenzo Insigne saw off Belgium’s golden generation

10.13pm BST

Jonathan Wilson was in Munich to witness this fine match in person. His report has just landed ... and here it is. Get clicking, people. Congratulations to Italy, commiserations to Belgium, and thanks to you all for reading this MBM. Hope to see you again tomorrow. Nighty night!

10.07pm BST

The one downer for Italy - and it’s a big one - is the loss to injury of the hamstrung Leonardo Spinazzola. The marauding left-back has been one of the sensations of the tournament, so entertaining to watch in full flight, and one of those nice late-blooming career stories to boot. His presence will be missed, though you’d still back these exciting Italians to see off unconvincing Spain at Wembley next week. But it’s tournament football, so, well, y’know.

10.03pm BST

Italy cavort with glee. Belgium look slightly stunned. Over the piece, Italy more than deserve to win: Nicolo Barella and Lorenzo Insigne scored two wonder goals, and the renowned defence held on staunchly as Belgium threw everything at them during the final exchanges. The Belgians had a couple of second-half opportunities that, on another day, would get forced into the net from close range, but Romelu Lukaku suffered an off day. Roberto Mancini embraces his players, while Roberto Martinez locates a spot roughly 1,000 yards into the distance, and looks at it quite a lot. Italy are a team on the up; Belgium’s golden generation is quickly running out of chances to convert all that potential into pots.

9.58pm BST

The whistle goes! The in-form Italians are in the semis, where they’ll face Spain! Belgium, the world number one team, are out. Their golden generation have come up short again.

9.57pm BST

90 min +7: Courtois comes forward, but no Alisson he. Vermaelen loops a harmless header over the bar, and that is surely that. Donnarumma celebrates knowing Italy are through.

9.56pm BST

90 min +6: Doku dribbles in from the left. The ball goes wide right for Witsel, whose cross is headed out by Chiellini. Corner. One last chance for Belgium!

9.55pm BST

90 min +5: Belotti takes the ball to the corner. Whistles from Italy’s fans, a fug of desperation over Belgium’s.

9.54pm BST

90 min +4: Donnarumma smothers an aimless long ball. Italy are seeing this out in very assured fashion.

9.54pm BST

90 min +3: Eventually the physios come on, then Donnarumma restarts the match. Vertonghen clumsily clatters into Di Lorenzo and concedes a foul. The clock ticks on. Vertonghen loses his cool a little, ranting and raving as Italy once again go about their business with clock-management very much in mind.

9.52pm BST

90 min +2: So this is the second of five added minutes, and now there will surely be more, because Donnarumma is still down, and the Italian physios haven’t even come on yet! This is old-school Italy.

9.51pm BST

90 min +1: Before De Bruyne can reload, Toloi replaces Chiesa. De Bruyne then floats the free kick into the mixer. Donnarumma comes to claim, but drops. The referee blows for a free kick, Witsel having clattered into him. It wasn’t much of a foul, but the keeper takes the opportunity to hit the deck and demand some treatment.

9.49pm BST

90 min: He blooters the free kick into Berardi’s back. But he’ll get a chance to retake, because Berardi was only a couple of yards away! The Italian is booked.

9.49pm BST

89 min: De Bruyne is clipped from behind by Berardi, 25 yards out, just to the left of centre. Big chance from the set piece coming up! Can De Bruyne conjure something up?

9.47pm BST

88 min: This won’t come as too much of a surprise, but Italy are now happy to sit back and keep their shape. Can Belgium break through the stingiest defence in world football?

9.46pm BST

86 min: Doku dribbles in from the left again, entering the box and almost demanding to be fouled. Jorginho rather cheekily whips the ball off his toe. A perfectly timed challenge, and one that required ice in the veins / rocks in the head. Imagine if he’d got that wrong! But, y’know, hats off.

9.44pm BST

84 min: Doku drops a shoulder to shift infield from the left touchline. Then another jink. Then another! It’s a wonderful dribble, and he nearly concludes it in memorable style, aiming for the top right. Just a bit too high, and an inch or two wide. That would have been some way to nudge this game towards extra time!

9.42pm BST

83 min: Lukaku eyebrows a headed pass down the right to release Witsel, but with options in the middle, the Belgium midfielder can’t get his cross past Bonucci.

9.41pm BST

82 min: Italy are taking their sweet time over every restart, much to the annoyance of Belgium and their fans.

9.40pm BST

81 min: The camera tracks Spinazzola’s journey around the perimeter. The stricken player covers his face as he continues to sob. A heartbreaking way for one of the players of the tournament to leave the stage. There will probably be a fair bit of time added on to this second half.

9.39pm BST

79 min: As Spinazzola departs on a stretcher, to be replaced by Emerson, Italy also swap Insigne for Berardi.

9.38pm BST

77 min: Spinazzola slips as he tries to sprint down the left, and he knows immediately that his hamstring is gone. He calmly gesticulates to the bench, then falls to the turf, breaking down in tears, suddenly realising his tournament is over. Such a shame for him, for Italy, for all of us; he’s been sensational this month.

9.35pm BST

75 min: Lukaku rolls a pass across the face of the Italian box to tee up De Bruyne. The resulting shot is blocked. Lukaku tries again. That’s blocked too, and the ball balloons softly into the arms of Donnarumma.

9.34pm BST

74 min: Italy make a double change. Off go Immobile and Verratti, on come Belotti and Cristante.

9.33pm BST

73 min: Poor old Chadli goes down with a muscle problem. He can’t continue. His evening has lasted three minutes. So close to an instant assist, but now this heartbreak. Praet comes on in the sub’s place.

9.32pm BST

71 min: Somewhere in a parallel universe, Lukaku has completed his hat-trick in the second half, bundling home twice from a couple of yards. But not in this one. The small margins.

9.30pm BST

70 min: Belgium make a double change, swapping Tielemans and Meunier for Mertens and Chadli. Both of the new men are immediately in the thick of the action. Mertens drives down the middle and slips Chadli into space on the left. Chadli loops into the centre, but Lukaku is ahead of the ball, and can’t head home from six yards. Instead, behind him, Hazard desperately tries to connect with a back-flick, but Italy escape again.

9.29pm BST

69 min: Insigne cuts in from the left and looks for the bottom right. His curler is on target, but palmed away strongly by Courtois.

9.27pm BST

68 min: Vermaelen slides into Insigne out on the left. Free kick coming up. It’s sent towards Chiesa on the right flank. Chiesa returns it to the left. Immobile shapes like Mark Hughes, going for the bicycle spectacular, but takes a very unHughesian fresh-air swipe. Belgium clear.

9.25pm BST

66 min: Now it’s Italy’s turn to miss a glorious chance. Insigne curls in from the left to find Spinazzola, romping into the box. He’s the left-back! Espen B wasn’t wrong. Spinazzola sends his first-time slapshot wide left from ten yards. This is staggeringly good fun!

9.24pm BST

64 min: De Bruyne thinks he’s robbed Bonucci legally in the centre circle. If he’s right, he and Doku are making off towards Italy’s goal. But the referee blows for a foul. There wasn’t much in it. De Bruyne tilts his head back and yelps, a Pez dispenser of despair.

9.23pm BST

62 min: Italy clear the resulting corner. The ball’s blootered miles upfield. A better touch from Insigne, and he’d be clear on goal! Good luck predicting the final score of this! Meanwhile here’s Espen B: “An Italian team leading by one goal at half time coming out in the second half attacking? The world has indeed gone mad. Next thing will be England winning an international tournament. Or is that one step too far?”

9.22pm BST

61 min: What a miss by Lukaku! Doku drives down the left, drifts infield, and slips De Bruyne free down the channel. He crosses towards Lukaku at the far post. He’s just got to trundle home from a couple of yards ... but can’t force the ball past Spinazzola, who deflects the ball out for a corner! Great defending, but the Italian should never have been allowed to make the block.

9.19pm BST

59 min: Italy are drawing some very pretty triangular patterns. Some of the crowd entertain themselves with a few olés. The move predictably breaks down. Meanwhile, any old excuse ...

9.17pm BST

57 min: Vermaelen gives away a corner with a poor backpass down the Italian left. The set piece leads to Jorginho going over in the box, in the near vicinity of De Bruyne. Some Italians claim for a penalty ... but not Jorginho. We play on.

9.15pm BST

56 min: The corner’s only half cleared. Doku goes at Di Lorenzo again down the left. Di Lorenzo, perhaps understandably, doesn’t fancy engaging too much. Doku fires low to the near post, in the hope of finding Lukaku, but Donnarumma gets down well to smother.

9.14pm BST

55 min: Tielemans works his way down the right and feeds Meunier, who crosses deep for Lukaku. Bonucci is forced to turn out for a corner.

9.13pm BST

53 min: Belgium string a few passes together for the first time since the restart. They don’t really go anywhere, but that’s not the point; they’ve calmed Italy down a bit, and are slowly working their way back into this.

9.11pm BST

51 min: De Bruyne and Jorginho chase a ball down the Belgian right. The former shoves the latter in the back, causing Jorginho to chest the ball out for a corner. But it’s a foul. De Bruyne complains in the theatrical style, though he’s got some nerve given that was twice the shove Di Lorenzo gave Doku for the penalty. Still, don’t ask, don’t get.

9.08pm BST

49 min: One corner leads to another, which leads to a goal kick. Courtois clears upfield, but the white shirts are soon in possession again. Belgium haven’t really got going in this second half yet, a marked difference to the manner in which they started the first.

9.07pm BST

48 min: Roberto Mancini has clearly told his players to get after Belgium and finish them off. They’ve come flying out of the blocks at the start of this second half. Insigne worms his way down the left and wins a corner.

9.06pm BST

47 min: Insigne tees up Chiesa, on the edge of the Belgium D. Chiesa, who operates a shoot-on-sight policy, whistles an effort wide right.

9.05pm BST

46 min: Insigne is immediately on the attack, scampering down the left. He’d be within his rights to go for another curler - he’s got plenty of moral credit after his first-half stunner - but opts to find Immobile on the opposite flank instead. Poor choice, poor pass.

9.04pm BST

Italy get the second half underway. Neither manager has blinked yet; no changes. Here’s Billy Graboso: “Expect the Italians to win a penalty in the second half. Belgium’s penalty was quite soft.” Christopher Burke adds: “I think the penalty was a penalty, but overall I find this referee too credulous when players hit the floor. I don’t trust him to keep a lid on things in the second half.”

8.59pm BST

A reminder that the winner of this high-octane in-play classic will face Spain in the semi-finals. Nick Ames was in St Petersburg to watch the Swiss lose a fairly low-quality penalty shootout.

8.53pm BST

Half-time entertainment ... for those of you who may have heard that there’s a match going on tomorrow night.

8.52pm BST

Not for the first time during Euro 2020, Mary Waltz speaks for us all. “Hot damn! Shit howdy! It’s crackin! It’s bumpin’! Oh my! Choose your favorite expression, this match has it all.”

8.50pm BST

That’s the last act of a frenetic, frantic, freestyle first half! What entertainment! Italy were well worth their two-goal lead, having scored a couple of absolute peaches. But that light shove on Doku - which Italy are still complaining about as the teams leave the pitch - has brought the world number one team back into it. You’re not going to go anywhere, are you? Thought not. See you for the second half!

8.48pm BST

Lukaku gives Donnarumma the eyes, sending the keeper to his right, then skelping the penalty down the middle!

8.47pm BST

45 min +1: VAR has a good look at the decision, but the penalty stands. A huge moment coming up! Lukaku to take.

8.46pm BST

45 min: Doku has been extremely quiet. But now look! He drives down the left and enters the Italian box. He gets just ahead of Di Lorenzo, who shoves him in the small of the back. Over he goes, and the referee points to the spot!

8.45pm BST

Insigne dribbles down the left. He cuts inside, past Tielemans with ease, then aims a power curler towards the top right. In it goes! Courtois was at full strength, but had no chance. What a goal! Another pearler!

8.44pm BST

43 min: Spinazzola burns down the left before finding Immobile at the near post with a low cross. Immobile is six yards out, but can’t find the space to shoot. He turns and eventually the chance is gone. No matter, though, because ...

8.41pm BST

41 min: Di Lorenzo’s right-wing cross earns another Italian corner. Insigne’s delivery is half-cleared to Chiesa, 20 yards out. He sets himself, checks his line, and curls a fine effort inches wide of the top right. Not entirely sure Courtois was getting to that, had it been on target.

8.40pm BST

39 min: Witsel slaps a hand across Verratti’s mouth as the pair tussle in midfield. He wants his opponent booked, but this time the referee doesn’t respond to the prompting. Witsel is slightly lucky to get away with that.

8.39pm BST

38 min: Now it’s Belgium’s turn to probe patiently in the opposition half. Italy aren’t minded to be pulled out of shape.

8.37pm BST

36 min: Italy’s high press is causing Belgium more than a few problems. They ship possession in their own half, allowing Barella the opportunity for another shot, this time from a great distance. It’s weak and wide right.

8.35pm BST

34 min: Belgium respond through Meunier, who romps down the right and whips in a low cross that deflects off Jorginho and nearly whistles into the bottom right of the Italy goal. Donnarumma probably had that covered, but even so. Sheesh. Nothing comes of the corner. This is breathless and brilliant.

8.34pm BST

33 min: That was a sensational goal! Barella turned on a sixpence and in one swift, elegant pirouette, saw off Vermaelen, Vertonghen and Hazard. The finish into the bottom left wasn’t half bad either.

8.32pm BST

Italy take the free kick quickly. Immobile goes down, wanting a penalty. He’s not getting one. Belgium only half clear. Verratti, to the right of the D, feeds Barella down the channel. Barella squeaks through a gap, past three at once, and buries a shot across Courtois and into the bottom left! This one counts!

8.31pm BST

31 min: Di Lorenzo makes good down the right and is crudely blocked by Hazard. Free kick. From which ...

8.30pm BST

30 min: Insigne whips the corner to the near post. Vermaelen clears.

8.30pm BST

29 min: Italy suddenly pick it up, Chiesa bustling on the edge of the Belgian box before feeding Spinazzola down the left. The exciting left-back wins Italy’s first corner of the game.

8.29pm BST

28 min: Italy slow it down again. It’s fair to say this match is ebbing and flowing, in a very pleasing fashion.

8.27pm BST

26 min: Belgium break at speed, Lukaku sashaying down the inside-right channel and going for the sidefooted curler into the bottom left. It’s heading in, but again Donnarumma refuses to be beaten. Nothing comes from the corner, and it’s Italy’s turn to break, Chiesa nearly forcing into the top-left corner from the middle of a penalty-box melee. Courtois claims. And breathe!

8.25pm BST

24 min: Italy respond with some of their slower, more meticulous probing up the other end. It’s great fun, this game, with both teams going about their business in their own signature styles.

8.24pm BST

22 min: A poorly directed Alderweireld pass deflects wide right to De Bruyne, who is suddenly, fortunately, in an awful lot of space. He glides infield and reaches the edge of the D, whereupon he launches what initially looks like an unstoppable curler towards the top left. But suddenly Donnarumma sticks out a strong arm and makes an outrageous stop. A top-drawer shot with a save to match. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.

8.21pm BST

21 min: Tielemans then clips Verratti from behind. A completely pointless challenge, with the Italian going nowhere. Verratti demands another yellow is shown, and he gets his wish.

8.20pm BST

20 min: The first yellow card of the evening is awarded to Verratti, who cynically tugs back an in-flight Tielemans.

8.19pm BST

19 min: This match is being played at a fair old lick. Both teams seem minded to go for it, that they’re not going to leave this competition wondering. Plenty of players thrown into attacks.

8.17pm BST

17 min: The corner leads to bedlam in the Italy box. The ball eventually breaks to De Bruyne, who thumps a shot goalwards from the edge of the box. Chiellini gets his head in the way to block.

8.16pm BST

16 min: Tielemans attempts to recreate his FA Cup final cracker, by taking a pop from a similar position to the one that did for Chelsea. His shot is deflected out for a corner.

8.15pm BST

14 min: VAR has a very quick look, and chalks the goal off. Chiellini was offside when the free kick was taken, as were both Di Lorenzo and Bonucci when the ball was flicked on.

8.14pm BST

Insigne swings it in low. Chiellini flicks it on, towards the far post. Di Lorenzo helps. Bonucci chests into the bottom left. Simple as that!

8.13pm BST

13 min: Hazard clumsily clanks into the back of Jorginho, who was going nowhere in particular down the right. Free kick, and a chance for Italy to line everyone up on the edge of the Belgian box. And from the free kick...

8.12pm BST

12 min: So having said that, Meunier drives down the right wing and wins Belgium another corner. De Bruyne takes, Jorginho clears.

8.11pm BST

10 min: Some more sterile possession for Italy, just inside the Belgian half. They’ve done a good job of quelling some of that early Belgian vim.

8.09pm BST

8 min: Italy spend their first prolonged spell in the Belgian half. They slow it down a bit, before throwing a few men forward. Insigne then flays an overly ambitious pass out for a goal kick and starts apologising to all and sundry.

8.08pm BST

6 min: The surprise replacement for Eden Hazard - the 19-year-old Rennes forward Jeremy Doku - dribbles down the left and rolls harmlessly infield, where Donnarumma gathers. But that’s given Di Lorenzo and Bonucci something to think about.

8.06pm BST

5 min: Insigne, deep on the left, finds Chiesa to the right of the Belgium goal with a raking diagonal pass. Chiesa does extremely well to keep it in play and hook into the centre, but can only waft into the arms of Courtois.

8.05pm BST

4 min: A long ball down the middle releases Lukaku, who sends a rising rasper over the bar from 25 yards. The flag then goes up, correctly, for offside. Belgium have flown out of the blocks here.

8.04pm BST

3 min: De Bruyne swings it in. Chiellini heads clear. A fine atmosphere in Munich. “Why does everyone love watching Italy sing their anthem?” wonders Mary Waltz. “Because they sing it with a spirit of loving their country, not hating another one.”

8.03pm BST

2 min: Belgium have started fast. They win the first corner of the game, down the left, Lukaku again making his presence felt.

8.02pm BST

And we’re off! Belgium get the ball rolling after both sets of players take the knee. They’re on the front foot immediately, De Bruyne finding Lukaku down the inside-left channel. Lukaku bursts into the box but can’t get a shot away. What a start that would have been!

8.01pm BST

Here, Belgium captain Jan Vertonghen gave his opposite number Giorgio Chiellini a pennant and a bag. Not sure what’s in the bag. Some other Belgian FA branded trinket, no doubt. A key fob? A coaster? A bag? Vertonghen just got the pennant. No bag for him. He doesn’t look particularly upset about it, to be fair.

7.57pm BST

The teams are out! Belgium sport their devilish red, while the Azzurri are wearing second-choice white. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes, once coins have been tossed and pennants exchanged.

7.49pm BST

Pre-match prediction. I’ll not be making one, so here’s Matt Burtz to plug that gap. “As an Everton fan, I’m quite familiar with the travails of having Roberto Martinez as your manager, and his all too frequent naivete at the time was his ultimate undoing at Goodison. But this is a different Martinez, a more pragmatic one, and he seems to have figured out the best plan for Belgium. One goal conceded over four games is nothing to sneeze at, and being able to put Romelu Lukaku on the field every game certainly enhances your chances of scoring at least one. Italy are formidable, there is no doubt about that, but I think Belgium continues to be undervalued in this tournament and will advance here.”

7.42pm BST

The winner of this tie will play Spain, who have just this minute beaten Switzerland on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw. Barry Glendenning has it all going on.

7.39pm BST

The national anthems. If the lyrics of La Brabançonne ...

Noble Belgium! O, mother dear / To you we stretch our hearts and arms / With blood to spill for you, O fatherland!

7.25pm BST

The two Robertos. Mancini and Martinez have also previously locked horns at a showpiece occasion. Martinez will remember this particular match more fondly, on account of it being his signature achievement to date; by contrast, it went some way to costing his opposite number their job. Ladies and gentlemen, the 2013 FA Cup final, between Martinez’s Wigan and Mancini’s Manchester City.

7.16pm BST

Italy and Belgium have met in the quarter finals of the European Championship before, back in 1972. The Italians were at the tail end of a productive era under Ferruccio Valcareggi, who led the Azzurri to victory at Euro 1968, then to the 1970 World Cup final in Mexico. The European champions were expected to get past Belgium two years later, but their meeting against Raymond Goethals’ side proved to be the end of the line.

The first leg in Milan is best remembered for Goethals storming the pitch in a fit of pique when the referee refused to stop the game so Maurice Martens could get treatment. The Carabinieri hauled Goethals off the field and locked him in the dressing room. Gigi Riva went close with a late shot, but that was as close as the reigning champs got, and the match ended goalless.

7.01pm BST

Belgium: Courtois, Alderweireld, Vermaelen, Vertonghen, Meunier, Tielemans, Witsel, Thorgan Hazard, Doku, De Bruyne, Lukaku.
Subs: Boyata, Carrasco, Sels, Mertens, Denayer, Dendoncker, Benteke, Chadli, Batshuayi, Trossard, Praet, Kaminski.

Italy: Donnarumma, Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Spinazzola, Barella, Jorginho, Verratti, Chiesa, Immobile, Insigne.
Subs: Sirigu, Locatelli, Belotti, Berardi, Pessina, Emerson Palmieri, Acerbi, Cristante, Bernardeschi, Bastoni, Toloi, Meret.

6.59pm BST

The big - and, for Belgium, very important - news is that Kevin De Bruyne has been passed fit. Eden Hazard doesn’t make it, though, and his place is taken by Jeremy Doku. That’s the only change made by Roberto Martinez from the XI sent out against Portugal.

Italy make two changes to the XI selected against Austria. Federico Chiesa is rewarded for his superb extra-time goal with a start this time, while captain Giorgio Chiellini returns from injury. Domenico Berardi and Francesco Acerbi drop to the bench.

6.30pm BST

It’s fair to say both of these sides are bang in form. Belgium’s record in this tournament, qualifiers included, is perfect: their deposing of Portugal was their 14th win out of 14, a run that’s seen Roberto Martinez’s side score 48 goals while conceding just four. Italy’s Euro 2020 record is almost exactly the same – 14 matches, 14 wins, 46 goals for, five against – though Roberto Mancini’s men can also boast a 31-game unbeaten sequence in all internationals, a record-breaking tear-up stretching back to September 2018.

Whoever wins this Munich quarter final will, by extending their winning sequence to 15, break an all-time record currently shared with Germany. History suggests Italy are the favourites – they’ve won 14 of the 22 matches previously played between the two countries, losing only four – but Belgium have form for annoying the Italians in the Euros, having ended their reign as champions in 1972, and reached the final at their expense at Euro 80. Oh, and they’re currently ranked number one in the world. Good luck calling this one.

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Published on July 02, 2021 14:13

June 29, 2021

Sweden 1-2 Ukraine (aet): Euro 2020 last 16 – as it happened

Artem Dovbyk’s last-minute winner in extra time set up a quarter-final meeting with England in Rome

10.54pm BST

Some way to end this absurdly entertaining Round of 16, eh? Jonathan Wilson’s report from Hampden Park has landed, so off you click. Congratulations to Ukraine, commiserations to Sweden, and thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!

10.39pm BST

Andriy Shevchenko raises both arms in triumph! His team, who looked dead on their feet during a particularly attritional extra time, are full of energy again as they cavort in celebration! Ukraine will play England in the quarter final in Rome on Saturday night. Swedish coach Jan Andersson wears the look of a man who has just been mugged, which is understandable given the brutal way his Euros have suddenly ended. A quite sensational cross from the left flank by Oleksandr Zinchenko found Arten Dovbyk six yards out. Dovbyk couldn’t miss. He stooped, he conquered. What a finish!

10.35pm BST

Not enough added time for Sweden, though! The whistle goes, and Artem Dovbyk has booked a date in Rome on Saturday night with England!

10.34pm BST

ET 30 min +4: There’s plenty of time to be added on, though, so long were the celebrations, followed by VAR check.

10.33pm BST

ET 30 min +3: Nope! The goal stands! Lindelof played Dovbyk on. Inches in it! Sweden are forced to kick off and launch a hail Mary!

10.32pm BST

ET 30 min +2: Dovbyk is booked for ripping his shirt off in celebration. Though is it all in vain, because there’s a VAR check for offside!

10.31pm BST

Zinchenko crosses from tight on the left touchline. It’s a hell of a cross! Dovbyk stoops to steer an unstoppable, unmissable header past Olsen and into the net! Hampden roars!

10.30pm BST

ET 30 min: Bezus is good to continue. There will be three added minutes. And in the first ...

10.30pm BST

ET 29 min: Bezus goes down in the Swedish box after being shoved lightly in the back by Helander. He looks to have hurt his shoulder. It’s been 30 extra minutes of complete carnage.

10.27pm BST

ET 28 min: Bezus comes on for Sydorchuk.

10.27pm BST

ET 27 min: Malinovskyi whistles a snapshot past Olsen’s left-hand post. The keeper always had it covered.

10.26pm BST

ET 26 min: A free kick for Ukraine out on the left. Everyone lines up on the edge of Sweden’s box. Malinovskyi goes direct for goal from the best part of 30 yards. His low drive deflects left to Zinchenko, who can’t get a shot away.

10.24pm BST

ET 25 min: Ukraine have upped the tempo, hoping to press home their numerical advantage and get this done without a shootout.

10.23pm BST

ET 23 min: Sydorchuk makes good down the inside right and backheels, in the hope of finding Karavaev, racing into the box. The ball’s loose. Karavaev clatters into Berg, who cops a knee in the face as the pair accidentally collide. On come the physios, for more ice-pack action.

10.21pm BST

ET 21 min: What a miss! Malinovskyi dinks down the middle to spring Dovbyk into the box. He’s one on one with Olsen ... and lifts clumsily over the bar! Dreadful stuff ... though his blushes are partially spared when the flag goes up correctly for offside.

10.19pm BST

ET 19 min: A simple ball down the middle nearly opens Sweden up. Helander should clear, but fresh-air swipes and slips on the edge of his own box, nearly letting Tsygankov in. Helander recovers just in time, but hearts were in Swedish mouths there.

10.16pm BST

ET 17 min: A slow and scrappy start to the second period of extra time, as we move inexorably towards a shootout. Here’s John Davis: “Would disagree slightly about the red. It’s clearly a sending off as he endangered his opponent, but I have some sympathy in that he won the ball which was a decent distance away and obviously wasn’t aiming at the man. However, definite red - ended the other lad’s tournament and was unwittingly reckless. You would have got hammered until a few years ago for NOT going in for that. Red cards for tackles like that should have been brought in years ago and saved a few careers. I’m sure I’ve contradicted myself there at least twice.”

10.15pm BST

Ukraine get the second half underway. Yarmolenko’s race is run, so on comes Dovbyk.

10.13pm BST

We’re just 15 minutes from penalty kicks. Can Ukraine press home their one-man advantage?

10.12pm BST

ET 15 min +5: Now Yarmolenko is down. This is brutal.

10.11pm BST

ET 15 min +4: Kryvtsov turns his ankle and is the latest player to require some attention. For various reasons, both of these teams are currently running on fumes. More good news for England, although on that subject, here’s Alex Amponsah: “Wasn’t England supposed to have an advantage in 2018 due to Croatia going to penalties in the previous game? That turned out well.”

10.10pm BST

ET 15 min +3: Forsberg skies an awful effort from the edge of the Ukraine box.

10.09pm BST

ET 15 min +1: The first of three added minutes is taken up by Krafth’s treatment. On the touchline, a poignant scene as poor Besedin, held up by two members of the backroom staff, head bowed and in pain, gets a hug from his manager Andriy Shevchenko.

10.07pm BST

ET 15 min: Zinchenko has a shot from a tight angle on the left. The ball pings off Krafth’s temple, knocking the poor chap into next week. He eventually sits up, but looks extremely groggy.

10.06pm BST

ET 13 min: As play goes on, Besedin is helped gingerly around the perimeter. A huge ice pack on his knee. He’ll not be playing against England if Ukraine get through.

10.04pm BST

ET 11 min: Danielson had some nerve complaining about that red card. Besedin’s knee hyperextended under the pressure and he can’t continue. Tsygankov comes on in his place. Meanwhile the Swedes react to Danielson’s dismissal by sacrificing Olsson for Helander.

10.02pm BST

ET 9 min: VAR runs a check. The referee goes over to the screen. It’s a horrible challenge, studs high on Besedin’s leg, bending it awkwardly. He seems affronted when he’s told to do one, but that’s the correct decision. A dreadful challenge.

10.00pm BST

ET 8 min: Danielson sticks out a clumsy boot and bends Besedin’s leg a little. Actually, quite a lot. That looks like a red-card offence, but Danielson only sees yellow.

9.59pm BST

ET 7 min: Quaison, Claesson and Berg come on for Kulusevski, Isak and Larsson.

9.58pm BST

ET 6 min: Sweden are preparing a triple substitution. This could take a while.

9.56pm BST

ET 4 min: Another change for Ukraine, as Stepanenko makes way for Makarenko.

9.54pm BST

ET 2 min: Ukraine pass the ball around in slow-motion. Sweden are happy to sit back in two banks of four.

9.52pm BST

Both teams have knocked back their energy bevvies; both have psyched themselves up with a huddle. Sweden get the first half of extra time underway. Ukraine have swapped Yaremchuk with Besedin.

9.47pm BST

Good news for England: whoever they play in Rome on Saturday night will have an extra 30 minutes of tournament football in their legs. Extra time, here we come.

9.45pm BST

90 min: Nothing comes of the set piece. We’re two minutes away from extra time!

9.45pm BST

89 min: Krafth wedges a first-time long ball down the inside-right channel. He’s released Kulusevski! He brings the ball down, and aims for the bottom right ... only for Zabarnyi to stick out a telescopic leg and deflect out for a corner!

9.42pm BST

87 min: Neither team seems willing to take a risk. Everyone’s settled for extra time, by the looks of it.

9.41pm BST

85 min: Forsberg is booked for accidentally brushing Kryvtsov in the face. He’s righteously piqued about that decision.

9.38pm BST

83 min: Augustinsson trudges off, to be replaced by Bengtsson ... and then Lustig makes way for Krafth.

9.37pm BST

82 min: Augustinsson goes down with cramp already. Lustig was struggling a couple of minutes ago, too. Extra time could be a journey.

9.35pm BST

80 min: Yarmolenko is booked for yammering away at the referee.

9.34pm BST

79 min: Sweden suddenly pick up the pace a little, Forsberg and Kulusevski very nearly one-twoing their way clear down the middle. The Ukraine back line refuses to yield.

9.33pm BST

77 min: The tempo drops considerably. Both teams are perhaps considering the looming prospect of extra time, and conserving energy accordingly.

9.31pm BST

75 min: Stepanenko has a belt from distance. Ekdal blocks. Ukraine go back to stroking it around the back, making Sweden do all the chasing.

9.29pm BST

74 min: Ukraine respond with some sterile possession, which is better than no possession.

9.28pm BST

72 min: Sweden are bossing this now. A lot of possession, a lot of passes. A long period of probing in Ukraine’s final third comes to an end when Lustig impatiently crosses from the right to nobody in particular.

9.25pm BST

70 min: Kulusevski is booked for a cynical tug on Zinchenko.

9.25pm BST

69 min: Lindelof makes down the middle like Beckenbauer in his prime, then feeds Forsberg down the left. Forsberg glides infield, evades a couple of blue shirts, and sends a power curler, meant for the top right, flush off the bar! So close to a stunner!

9.23pm BST

67 min: From Sweden’s corner, Ukraine break upfield, and Yarmolenko shoots from just inside the box. His sidefoot towards the bottom right is easily gathered by Olsen.

9.22pm BST

66 min: Forsberg forces a corner down the left. He takes it himself, and takes it long. The ball finds Kulusevski on the other flank. He enters the box, drops a shoulder, and aims powerfully for the top left. Bushchan tips brilliantly over for another corner. Fine save.

9.20pm BST

65 min: Malinovskyi clatters into the back of Olsson, and is fortunate to escape a booking.

9.19pm BST

63 min: Sydorchuk has time and space near the right-hand corner flag, having been found by a left-wing cross that evaded everyone in the box. He loops, hoping to find the head of Yarmolenko in the middle, but it’s an easy pick for Olsen. Good luck predicting which team will score the next goal. This is good fun.

9.17pm BST

61 min: Ukraine make the first change of the evening, replacing Shaparenko with Malinovskyi.

9.17pm BST

60 min: Sweden should be leading. Ekdal wedges a lovely defence-splitter down the middle to release Isak. The young star draws Bushchan but lifts his shot wide right. He might have been offside, but it would have been mighty close, and one for the old VAR.

9.15pm BST

59 min: Forsburg finds Augustinsson down the left. Augustinsson crosses low and hard. Larsson is waiting to tap home, only for Sydorchuk to hook clear, just in time. A good, open game, this!

9.13pm BST

56 min again: Now it’s Sweden’s turn to hit the woodwork! Isak counters down the right wing at speed and drifts infield. He’s got Forsberg to his left. He feeds him. Forsberg opens his body and shapes a shot around Bushchan, towards the bottom-right corner ... and off the base of the post! Goal kick. In a parallel universe, it’s now 2-2.

9.11pm BST

56 min: Yarmolenko dribbles down the right, causing havoc once more. He reaches the byline and cuts back for Sydorchuk, who curls powerfully towards the top-right corner. The ball twangs off the outside of the post. Goal kick. Had that been on target, Olsen wasn’t getting anywhere near it.

9.09pm BST

54 min: A bit of space for Larsson, 25 yards out. He drags a poor shot well wide of the bottom left.

9.09pm BST

53 min: Yarmolenko continues to cause Sweden problems, grooving his way down the right and crossing. Sweden only half clear. Shaparenko tries to return the ball with interest but shanks weakly wide left from 20 yards.

9.07pm BST

52 min: Then suddenly one long clearance nearly undoes Sweden. Yarmolenko threatens to latch onto it and bear down on goal, but his plan is scuppered by Olsen, who races from his box and blooters clear.

9.07pm BST

51 min: Sweden are throwing a lot of people forward. Forsberg is seeing a lot of the ball. Ukraine are holding their shape.

9.04pm BST

49 min: Yarmolenko whistles a low cross in from the right. Danielson does very well to clear with opponents lurking.

9.02pm BST

47 min: Sweden spend the first couple of minutes of the second half knocking the ball around at a notably higher tempo.

9.00pm BST

Sweden get the second half at Hampden underway. No changes yet.

8.49pm BST

Half-time advertisement. “This link between Will Ferrell and Sweden explains his antipathy towards Norway,” writes Bob O’Hara. “We’re still waiting for the pizza he said he ordered us.”

8.46pm BST

Mind you, that doesn’t stop the referee blowing for half time three seconds early.

8.45pm BST

44 min: This game took a while to get going, but the period since the opening goal has been good fun.

8.44pm BST

Out of nothing, the Swedes are level! Forsberg latches onto a loose ball, 30 yards out. He takes a stride down the inside-left channel and aims for the right-hand side of the goal. His shot takes a deflection off the heel of Zabarnyi, and flies into the top left!

8.42pm BST

41 min: Kulusevski drives into the Ukraine box from the right. He clatters straight into Matviyenko. He asks for a penalty, but neither referee nor VAR shows interest, and nor should they.

8.41pm BST

40 min: Sweden push Ukraine back. They ping a few passes together, but never look like breaking into the box. Suddenly Sydorchuk intercepts and zips up the park. A poor pass towards Yarmolenko, out to the right, saves a light-at-the-back Sweden.

8.39pm BST

38 min: “I think you understate the quality of Yarmolenko’s outside of the boot assist,” writes Kári Tulinius. “Zidane would’ve been proud. At first glance it looked like a defensive error by Sweden, but the absurdity of that pass would’ve caught anyone off guard. A piece of art.”

8.37pm BST

36 min: Olsson dribbles with purpose down the middle, but finds there’s no route into the box. He slips wide right to Larsson, who overhits a cross to nobody. Sweden come again, down the same flank. Larsson’s cross this time is weak and straight into the hands of Bushchan at the near post.

8.35pm BST

34 min: Yarmolenko is seeing an awful lot of the ball. He races down the right again, but there’s nobody in blue keeping pace with him and he’s forced to turn tail. After a slow start, Ukraine are now on top.

8.33pm BST

32 min: Yarmolenko is barged over as he makes good down the right. Free kick. It’s looped long and only half cleared by Ekdal. Yarmolenko - who has by now swapped flanks - tries to replicate Zinchenko’s volley, but sends his effort high over the bar.

8.31pm BST

30 min: The resulting corner comes to nothing, easily claimed by Bushchan. “Will Ferrell has been a football fan his whole life,” reports Mary Waltz. “He was a decent High School player, he is a part owner of the LAFC MLS side and he has promoted both the US men’s and women’s team so he is not just a parvenue looking for attention. The Swedish connection is through his wife as previously stated.”

8.30pm BST

29 min: A free kick for Sweden out on the right. Larsson shapes to loop it towards the gaggle of players on the edge of the box, but whips a trick shot towards the bottom right. Bushchan is wise to the grift, getting across to tip around the post. What an effort, and what on-point goalkeeping!

8.29pm BST

All of a sudden, Hampden erupts! Shaparenko sprays a lovely diagonal pass towards Yarmolenko on the right. Yarmolenko drops a shoulder and scoops a cross towards Zinchenko, romping in from the left. Zinchenko meets the dropping ball and creams a shot towards the bottom right. Olsen gets a hand to it, but is beaten by the pace. A lovely goal!

8.27pm BST

25 min: It’s not an energy piece, this. Yesterday suddenly seems a lifetime ago. “Jim Broadbent is a dead ringer for the king of Sweden in that video,” notes Johannes in Gothenburg. I am the Inadvertent Weaver.

8.24pm BST

23 min: Hampden is fairly quiet right now. No drama, no roar.

8.23pm BST

21 min: A little bit of sterile possession for Ukraine in the middle of the park. “Which match have you obliterated from your memory banks (20.00 reference to 43rd game)?” wonders Richard Hirst. “My guess would be England v Scotland.” I missed that one, I was on US Open golf duty. Did anything happen earlier today? Let’s say that.

8.20pm BST

19 min: Isak is sent scampering down the inside-left channel by the busy Karavaev. He takes a touch infield and lashes a low diagonal shot inches wide of the right-hand post. A fine effort by La Liga’s young player of the year.

8.19pm BST

18 min: Kulusevski sashays down the right and hooks deep for Forsberg, who can’t keep his header down or on target. The ball sails harmlessly out for a goal kick.

8.18pm BST

17 min: The referee accidentally barges into Olsson, so stops the match. Drop ball. It’s like that.

8.16pm BST

15 min: This game is open enough, yet nothing’s really happening. Yet. Plenty of time for it to turn into yet another instant classic.

8.15pm BST

13 min: Another Swedish corner out on the left. Forsberg takes and loops it straight down Bushchan’s throat. Very poor. Here’s Neil Shull: “Sweden may have a comedian who is a fan, but Ukraine have a president who is a comedian.” This isn’t some Boris-the-clown-style satire; Volodymyr Zelensky actually is a comic.

8.12pm BST

11 min: A neat one-two between Yaremchuk and Yarmolenko opens Sweden up down the right. The former batters a shot straight at Olsen from a tight angle. The keeper palms it away.

8.11pm BST

9 min: Shaparenko advances on the Swedish goal and nearly hits the right-hand corner flag with his shot. So in lieu of meaningful action, here’s Hakan Burden with a translation of Ferrell’s teamtalk. “You are so clever! You are so strong! You are so quick! You play really well! We are Swedish fans, all of us. We are Swedish fans, all of us. Come on [names different players by first or nick name].” Ferrell’s wife is Swedish, is the root of all this.

8.07pm BST

7 min: Augustinsson crosses dangerously from the left. The ball drops to Kulusevski, whose shot is deflected out for a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece.

8.05pm BST

5 min: A fairly nondescript start, it has to be said.

8.04pm BST

3 min: Lustig sends a long ball into the Ukraine box, hoping to find Forsberg. Bushchan comes off his line and punches clear, albeit in a slightly uncertain style.

8.03pm BST

2 min: Hampden is far from full, but there’s plenty of vocal support for Ukraine, who pass it around the back for the first couple of minutes. Everyone gets a feel.

8.00pm BST

Here we go, then! The 43rd match of Euro 2020, and the final Round of 16 tie. Who will England face in Rome on Saturday evening? Ukraine get the ball rolling as we set about finding out.

7.58pm BST

The teams are out! Sweden are in their storied yellow shirts, forcing Ukraine into second-choice blue. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes, once coins are tossed and pennants swapped. Incidentally, Sweden are being cheered on this evening by a well-known fan ...

En hälsning till herrlandslaget från Will Ferrell!

Är ni lika peppade på åttondelsfinal som @LAFC ägare!?

7.42pm BST

A bit more on Sweden, who are trying out a third strike partnership in four games. Dejan Kulusevksi was forced to isolate at the start of the tournament due to a positive Covid-19 test, but he came on against Poland and set up two goals, including Viktor Claesson’s late winner. He’ll team up this evening with Alexander Isak. Marcus Berg, who started the first two group games against Spain and Slovakia, joins Robin Quaison, selected against the Poles, on the bench.

7.29pm BST

The national anthems. Ukraine’s anthem, Shche ne Vmerla Ukrainy ni Slava, ni volia, is an avant-garde earworm waiting to happen.

Soul and body, yea, our all, offer we at freedom’s call
We, whose forebears, and ourselves, proud Cossacks are

That’s a nice suit, that’s a swanky suit

Yes, I want to live, I want to die in the North

7.07pm BST

Sweden make one change to the XI named for the victory over Poland. Dejan Kulusevski replaces Robin Quaison, who drops to the bench.

Ukraine make two changes to the team selected for the defeat to Austria. Serhiy Kryvtsov and Taras Stepanenko are in; Ruslan Malinovskyi and Vitaliy Mykolenko are benched.

6.55pm BST

Sweden: Olsen, Lustig, Lindelof, Danielson, Augustinsson, Sebastian Larsson, Ekdal, Olsson, Forsberg, Kulusevski, Isak.
Subs: Bengtsson, Berg, Johnsson, Svensson, Helander, Sema, Krafth, Claesson, Jansson, Quaison, Nordfeldt, Cajuste.

Ukraine: Bushchan, Karavayev, Kryvtsov, Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, Shaparenko, Stepanenko, Sydorchuk, Yarmolenko, Yaremchuk, Zinchenko.
Subs: Sobol, Malinovsky, Marlos, Pyatov, Makarenko, Tsygankov, Mykolenko, Bezus, Besyedin, Trubin, Tymchyk, Dovbyk.

6.51pm BST

You obviously heard there was another football match on tonight. Yep, the winners of this will face England in the quarter-finals in Rome this Saturday!

6.30pm BST

So did you enjoy the Lord Mayor’s Show? The latest Danish fairytale? Italy’s continued resurgence? The shock defeat of the Dutch? The end of Portugal’s reign? Manic Monday? Whatever’s happening in the England-Germany game that hasn’t finished yet? Yep, this straggler has a fair bit to live up to. Few are expecting.

Thing is, nobody was making any great claims for Italy-Austria, Croatia-Spain or France-Switzerland beforehand. And yet all of those matches, with incremental levels of magnificence and sheer jaw-dropping wonder, delivered. Why not this one? Both teams have already been involved in a 3-2, Ukraine coming back from two goals down against the Dutch only to lose, Sweden shipping a two-goal lead against Poland only to win. Perfection may be a pipe dream; fun and thrills are not. Also, this is being played at Hampden Park, where the most famous fixture involving two visiting teams from mainland Europe finished 7-3. It’s all part of the mix. Fingers crossed.

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Published on June 29, 2021 14:55

June 28, 2021

France 3-3 Switzerland (aet; pens 4-5): Euro 2020 last 16 – as it happened

Yann Sommer denied Kylian Mbappé in a penalty shoot-out, as the Swiss came back from two down to shock the world champions

12.22am BST

11.12pm BST

Nick Ames was the lucky guy who got to witness that historic night in the flesh. Here’s his report, straight from the National Arena Bucharest. Congratulations to Switzerland, who after this win for the ages face Spain in Saint Petersburg on Friday, and commiserations to the world champions, who’ll always have

Paris
Moscow. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!

11.09pm BST

There always has to be a fall guy in a penalty shoot-out, so here’s some sympathy for poor Kylian Mbappe. “It was cruel to give the fifth penalty kick to a very young player like Mbappé,” begins Elise Melaugh. “It was too much pressure on a young man who has not enough years to have a history of success behind him with which to comfort himself. I hope he doesn’t lose confidence in himself which could blight his future.”

Kári Tulinius adds: “It’s odd to feel sorry for a World Cup winner and a multi-millionaire, but watching Mbappé walk off the field I felt real pity for him. What an awful tournament he’s had. I hope he’ll have good people around him this summer.”

11.01pm BST

“That, ladies and gentlemen, is what world champions do.” Robert Heffernan there, thumbing a nose and flinging your poor old MBM hack’s earlier words back at him. Yep. Thing is, it’s now easy to forget the strut and swagger France had rediscovered during that passage of play, and it only goes to further illustrate how outrageous, how outstanding, Switzerland’s comeback was. To turn that around when all looked lost ... it’s not as though they’ve done this against Basingstoke Town. In conclusion: Pulitzer, please!

10.55pm BST

France walk off, bemused to a man. All the colour has drained from Didier Deschamps’ face. It may take them a while to process this one. “I’m glad they got punished for that,” says Roy Keane on ITV. “You can have all the quality in the world, but if you don’t turn up with the proper attitude, it’s hard to switch it back on. And Switzerland have been absolutely brilliant.”

10.54pm BST

Switzerland frolic across Bucharest’s National Arena in the grand style. Here’s to them enjoying every minute of this sensational victory. It’s one for the ages. An instant Euro classic. They went toe-to-toe with the world champions, and didn’t let up for a minute, even when all looked lost. The early blows of the second half - the penalty miss, then France’s imperious three-goal burst - would have killed off most teams. Not this one. What a response. What moxie!

10.51pm BST

Switzerland thoroughly deserve to go through. They performed to the best of their abilities from beginning to end. France were superb as well ... but only during the second half. After their three-goal salvo, they took their foot off the gas fatally, allowing the Swiss to force extra time with one of the great smash and grabs. Switzerland have been excellent to a man, with captain Granit Xhaka playing the match of his life.

10.48pm BST

As Sommer disappears under a pile of gleeful team-mates, Mbappe trudges off. It certainly wasn’t his tournament, and it’s ended in the most painful way possible. What a comeback by Switzerland, who have edged the world champions out of Euro 2020 after a classic encounter that ebbed and flowed from the get-go!

10.45pm BST

PENALTIES: Switzerland 5-4 France. Mbappe goes top left ... but doesn’t quite catch it. Sommer gets across to claw away, and Switzerland have shocked the world champions!

10.44pm BST

PENALTIES: Switzerland 5-4 France. Mehmedi sends Lloris the wrong way, tucking confidently into the bottom right. France have to score to stay in the Euros ... and it’s Mbappe!

10.44pm BST

PENALTIES: Switzerland 4-4 France. Kimpembe goes top right, and roofs it in style. Sommer guesses the right way, but was never getting to it. And so effectively it’s now sudden death!

10.43pm BST

PENALTIES: Switzerland 4-3 France. Vargas whips into the bottom left ... but Lloris got a big hand on it, and will be disappointed not to have kept it out. Just enough power to get past the keeper. But that was close.

10.42pm BST

PENALTIES: Switzerland 3-3 France. Thuram goes for the bottom left. Sommer guesses correctly, but can’t reach. Good penalty, tucked right in the corner.

10.41pm BST

PENALTIES: Switzerland 3-2 France. Akanji stutters, giving Lloris the eyes. He rolls into the bottom left, with the keeper having moved the other way. Calm as you like!

10.40pm BST

PENALTIES: Switzerland 2-2 France. Giroud takes a short run-up and ... sends Sommer the wrong way. Into the bottom right it goes.

10.39pm BST

PENALTIES: Switzerland 2-1 France. Schar goes top right, and calmly flips it in there! Lloris went the wrong way.

10.38pm BST

PENALTIES: Switzerland 1-1 France. Pogba goes for the top left ... and sends a missile in there. Unstoppable!

10.37pm BST

PENALTIES: Switzerland 1-0 France. Gavranovic whips into the top left. Lloris no chance.

10.36pm BST

Both teams get in their pre-shootout huddles. The Swiss look much happier to be here right now. Especially when Xhaka wins the coin toss, and opts for his team to go first. Here we go!

10.34pm BST

Pre-penalty postbag. “Are we ready to forgive Switzerland for this yet?” wonders Niall Mullen.

10.32pm BST

Nope. Xhaka balloons it harmlessly over the bar, and it’s to penalties we go!

10.31pm BST

ET 30 min: Switzerland launch it long. Rabiot and Gavranovic compete under it, the former shoving the latter in the back. Free kick, 25 yards out. One last chance. Can Switzerland land the killer blow?

10.31pm BST

ET 29 min: From the resulting free kick, Akanji aims a blooter goalwards from the best part of 30 yards. Nope. France go up the other end, Kimpembe curling in from the left. Giroud rises high, aiming a header towards the top left. It’s a soft looper, and easily claimed by Sommer.

10.29pm BST

ET 28 min: Pogba knocks Xhaka to the ground. Xkaha takes the opportunity to have a quick lie down.

10.29pm BST

ET 27 min: Rabiot’s poor backwards header nearly opens the door for Mehmedi, who latches onto the ball, 40 yards out. There’s nobody in attendance, though, and the chance to counter is gone. A lot of tired players out there.

10.27pm BST

ET 26 min: France hog the ball. They look the more likely to find a dramatic winner.

10.26pm BST

ET 24 min: Pogba, in the centre circle, plays a first-time volleyed pass with the outside of his right foot, creaming down the left for Thuram, who cuts back for Giroud. His shot twangs off Mbappe and out for a goal kick. What an absurd pass by Pogba! As good as you’ll see all month.

10.24pm BST

ET 22 min: Thuram wins a corner down the left. France take it quickly and nearly catch Switzerland napping with a short one, but Vargas is quickly across to blooter clear, just in time.

10.23pm BST

ET 21 min: Coman can’t continue. He’s replaced by Thuram.

10.23pm BST

ET 20 min: Coman spins infield from the left and shuttles the ball to Pogba, who slips a pass down the channel for Mbappe. He’s clear in the box! But he opts to take the shot with his left, from a tight angle, and the extra time required allows Sommer to close down the angle. Mbappe slices dismally wide left. What a chance!

10.21pm BST

ET 19 min: Kante battles through four or five separate challenges before feeding Coman down the left. Coman pulls back for Mbappe on the edge of the box. Mbappe drags his shot across Sommer and well wide right.

10.19pm BST

ET 18 min: Pogba strips Mehmedi in the centre circle and advances on the Swiss box. Akanji comes across to clean him out. A yellow card for the team.

10.17pm BST

ET 16 min: Mbappe advances on the Swiss box, but that man Xhaka steps in to intercept. The Swiss captain has been excellent.

10.17pm BST

Switzerland get the second half of extra time underway. “I thought the Swiss might roll over when they went behind. I did not bank in them getting back into this.” Sean Boiling there, saying it because somebody had to.

10.14pm BST

We’re 15 minutes away from the first penalty shoot-out of Euro 2020. “After watching the knockout matches so far, I think Scotland did the right thing by not qualifying,” writes Simon McMahon. “Tremendous achievement by Steve Clarke and the Scottish lads.”

10.13pm BST

ET 15 min: Vargas worms his way down the left, then cuts back for Xhaka, who thinks about shooting, but opts to scoop towards Mbabu on the right instead. For once, his radar is a little bit off. Much of Xhaka’s quarterbacking has been superb this evening.

10.11pm BST

ET 13 min: Vargas grooves down the left and wins a corner. He takes it himself. Some head tennis. France struggle to clear, and Mehmedi hoicks high and wide from the edge of the box.

10.09pm BST

ET 12 min: Coman is good to continue ... as is Xhaka, who takes an accidental whack on the ankle in a 50-50 with Pogba.

10.09pm BST

ET 11 min: Sissoko sends a shot, from 25 yards, 25 miles into orbit.

10.08pm BST

ET 10 min: Xhaka nearly releases Vargas with another raking pass from deep. Varane comes across to cover.

10.07pm BST

ET 9 min: The physio wants to hook Coman, but the player doesn’t seem to want to leave. He wags his finger at the doctor. A trenchant back and forth takes place.

10.07pm BST

ET 8 min: Coman cuts in from the left. He flashes a shot into the side netting. It looks like being his last act of the evening, because he’s hurt his knee ... or maybe tweaked a hamstring.

10.06pm BST

ET 7 min: Nah. How could we think such a thing? Mbabu works his way down the right and enters the box. His low fizzing cross is meant for Gavranovic at the far post, six yards out. Varane hooks clear, just in time.

10.04pm BST

ET 6 min: No hat-trick for Benzema, and there won’t be one for Seferovic either. He’s replaced by Schar. A sign that Switzerland might be playing for penalties?

10.03pm BST

ET 5 min: Nothing comes of the corner.

10.03pm BST

ET 4 min: Coman bursts down the left and scoops back from the byline. Pavard tries to control on the penalty spot, but the ball won’t come down. He steers it towards the top left. Sommer parries spectacularly. Corner.

10.02pm BST

ET 3 min: Benzema, France’s two-goal hero, picks up a knock and is replaced by Giroud.

10.01pm BST

ET 2 min: The heroic Gavranovic saunters down the right and wins the first corner of extra time. Mehmedi meets it at the near post, and flashes his header straight at Lloris. “Wilson is doing fine,” reports Kári Tulinius in double-quick time.

This might be the best day of football since the 1990 FA Cup semi-finals.

9.59pm BST

France get the first half of extra time underway. Not long after, Pavard is booked for attempting to rearrange the fruit in Mehmedi’s bowl. He’ll be out of the quarter final against Spain, should France make it.

9.58pm BST

Well, that flew by, huh? The Swiss should have gone two up. France, suddenly woken from their slumber, looked to have swatted them aside with some of the most fluent football of the entire tournament, suddenly every inch the world champions. And then the Swiss, refusing to accept their fate, came back at them with a jaw-dropping double whammy. Mehmedi and Coman then took turns to nearly win it for their team in the last minute of added time. More please! “Has anybody checked in on Jonathan Wilson?” worries Johan Sjöstedt. “Regarding levels of defending and the like.”

9.54pm BST

It had to end like that, didn’t it? What a game! And we’re going to get another 30 minutes of it. The French might not agree, but truly we are blessed. The football gods are on one today!

9.53pm BST

90 min +4: Xhaka hoicks forward for Mehmedi, who very nearly brings the pass under control. Not quite. He’d have been one on one! France go straight up the other end, Sissoko driving down the right and finding Coman, level with the left-hand post, 12 yards out. Coman chests down and creams a rising shot off the junction of bar and right-hand post!

9.51pm BST

90 min +3: For a second, it looks like Kante, shimmying down the left, will feed Mbappe in the middle for a simple tap-in. But he can’t sort his feet out, and Mbabu shepherds him away.

9.50pm BST

90 min +2: France look a wee bit stunned, as well they might!

9.50pm BST

90 min +1: The first of four added minutes is taken up with Swiss celebrations. There may well be some more extra time tacked on.

9.49pm BST

Pogba is dispossessed in the centre circle. Xhaka passes down the middle for Gavranovic, who turns Kimpembe on the edge of the box before firing into the bottom left! Lloris had no chance!

9.48pm BST

89 min: Xhaka quarterbacks from deep, finding Mehmedi to the right of the French six-yard box. Mehmedi’s header across goal is easily claimed by Lloris. But no matter, because ...

9.46pm BST

88 min: France shore it up by replacing Griezmann with Sissoko. Just after the restart, Coman is booked for clattering into Mbabu.

9.45pm BST

87 min: Mbabu tries to work his way down the right again. Rabiot slams the door shut and wins a free kick. The clock runs down. Before the game can restart, poor old Rodriguez is replaced by Mehmedi.

9.43pm BST

85 min: Switzerland put the ball in the net, but it’s immediately flagged offside. Rodriguez strides down the inside left and shoots low. The ball’s deflected towards Gavranovic, on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. He spins and pokes the ball across Lloris and into the bottom right ... but the French back line had pushed out just in time. Wow!

9.41pm BST

83 min: France respond by slowing it down a little over a throw. But the attacking instincts quickly kick in again, and the ball’s shuttled back to Rabiot, who skelps it goalwards from 25 yards. It’s always heading over the bar.

9.40pm BST

Hold on, though! Space for Mbabu down the right. He crosses. Seferovic gets ahead of Kimpembe and Varane, and flashes another unstoppable header past Lloris, this time into the top left!

9.38pm BST

80 min: Another double change for Switzerland. Off go Embolo - who was excellent in the first half - and Zuber; on come Vargas and Fassnacht.

9.36pm BST

78 min: Rabiot sends Coman into space down the left. Coman’s low cross is snaffled by Sommer, who you sense will be very busy for the next quarter of an hour.

9.35pm BST

77 min: Coman, in a similar position to Pogba a couple of minutes ago, tries to repeat the trick. A decent effort, but one claimed well by Sommer.

9.34pm BST

76 min: Xhaka is booked for incessant yammer.

9.34pm BST

God but this is a sensational goal. Benzema, on the edge of the Swiss D, aims a curler towards the top right. It’s blocked. The ball comes back to Pogba, a wee bit further out. He tries for the same corner ... and whips it into the postage stamp, gracefully and at speed. He strikes a pose. He deserves to vogue. That was superb, and he’s been fantastic.

9.32pm BST

74 min: Coman has a whack from distance. Straight at Sommer, who smothers.

9.31pm BST

73 min: Switzerland make a double change, replacing Shaqiri and Widmer with Gavranovic and Mbabu.

9.30pm BST

71 min: ... nothing occurs. Switzerland counter. Zuber drives into acres down the left, only to cross to nobody in particular. France mop up. “This match is turning into a real fondue-zy of a clash,” quips Grant Tenille, who is here all week. Try the Toblerone (but don’t dip it into the cheese).

9.28pm BST

70 min: France are beginning to flow now. Pogba has a speculative look from distance, the shot breaking wide right. A corner on the right leads to a corner from the left, from which ...

9.28pm BST

69 min: A simple long ball down the middle nearly undoes Switzerland. Widmer heads it back to his keeper, without realising Sommer had raced out of his box to clear! He’s so fortunate that the ball bounces wide right of the unguarded goal. So close to a farcical own goal. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.

9.26pm BST

68 min: Pogba sends a delicious ball down the inside-right channel for Mbappe, who very nearly controls and spins clear. Elvedi does extremely well to do just enough to fend France’s superstar off.

9.25pm BST

66 min: Shaqiri floats the free kick to the far post. Seferovic sidefoots the dropping ball wide left from six yards! The flag goes up for offside, though had Seferovic found the net, there’s a fair chance that decision would have been overruled. Therefore: what a miss!

9.24pm BST

65 min: Shaqiri dances in from the right wing and is sent crashing to the ground by Rabiot. A free kick and a chance to swing the ball into the French box, where plenty of bedlam has already occurred this evening. Can the Swiss find a way back?

9.22pm BST

64 min: The Swiss look a little deflated right now, and who can blame them after that triple whammy of misery? How quickly the rug can be pulled from under your feet in knockout football.

9.21pm BST

63 min: Mbappe wants some of this hot goal action. He drives into the box from the left, but tackles himself when trying to make space for a sidefoot curler.

9.20pm BST

62 min: Rodriguez, whose head must be swimming right now, comes through the back of Griezmann and goes into the book. He might have been working a few things out while making that challenge.

9.19pm BST

60 min: That, ladies and gentlemen, is what world champions do. For the record, there was one minute and 42 seconds between Benzema’s two goals.

9.18pm BST

What a turnaround! Griezmann and Mbappe one-two down the left, having been sent into a pocket of space after some good work by Pogba and Coman. Griezmann dinks a cross to the far post. Benzema rises to head home from a yard out! Penny for the thoughts of Ricardo Rodriguez, who missed that penalty for a 2-0 lead just two minutes and 19 seconds ago.

9.16pm BST

France sicken Switzerland now! They snaffle a loose ball in midfield. Griezmann works it infield from the right. Mbappe slips a ball down the inside right channel for Benzema, who somehow controls it with his heel, dragging it in front of him, over Sommer, and into the net!

9.14pm BST

56 min: France nearly sicken Switzerland with a rapier thrust. Pogba sashays across the face of the Swiss box, right to left, then lays off for Mbappe, who opens his body and curls towards the bottom right. Inches wide!

9.13pm BST

55 min: Rodriguez takes, with no conviction whatsoever. He aims for the bottom left. Lloris reads his intention, and parries the weak spot kick, before flopping on the ball, then springing up to celebrate wildly. The captain keeps France in Euro 2020!

9.12pm BST

53 min: The referee stops the play, and goes over to the VAR screen. Pavard clearly upended Zuber, and so the ref, who had shown no interest whatsoever, reverses his decision and points to the spot! The correct decision. A no-brainer. I have no idea why he didn’t give it in the first place.

9.11pm BST

52 min: Zuber tears down the left. He’s got the beating of Pavard! He enters the box. Pavard slides in, and looks to have taken him down. Zuber does his level best to stay on his feet. Play goes on. France go up the other end. Their move breaks down.

9.09pm BST

50 min: ... and here comes Embolo, dribbling with purpose into the French box from the right. His low cross looks to have found Shaqiri at the far post for a tap-in ... but Shaqiri’s fated to take a fresh-air swipe, because Varane manages to get a little deflection on the cross that foxes him. What sensational defending! That looked for all the world like a two-goal lead for the Swiss.

9.07pm BST

49 min: Switzerland take some time to ping it around themselves, a reminder that they’re not planning to spend the second half sitting deep.

9.06pm BST

47 min: Pogba diddles Xhaka and Rodriguez down the right, only to shank the ball out for a goal kick. But again, it’s an early sign that France have been ordered to pick it up a bit. Bof is not enough.

9.05pm BST

46 min: France are now playing four at the back again, by the looks of it. Griezmann has a pop from distance; it’s always heading wide right. But it’s a statement of intent, if nothing else.

9.03pm BST

France get the second half underway. Deschamps/Steptoe/Savage has made a change, hooking Lenglet and sending on Coman.

9.01pm BST

Half-time postbag. “The Swiss didn’t get a lucky goal and then just hang on. The Swiss are outplaying the French and France are lucky they are not further behind” - Mary Waltz.

“Does anyone else think Didier Deschamps bears more than a passing resemblance to Albert Steptoe, especially in his more anxious moments?” - Steve Dennis.

8.52pm BST

Half-time entertainment. Easy to forget, for those of us who live in the moment, and so intriguing has that first half been, that we’re coming off the back of an eight-goal thriller. Sid Lowe’s verdict is in; enjoy, enjoy.

8.49pm BST

The Swiss deservedly lead. They could have had more, as well. A lot of thinking for Didier Dechamps to do. Big half-time speech coming up. “Well that was the 45 minute representation of a single Gallic shrug,” writes Gary Naylor. Yep. Bof in human form.

8.48pm BST

45 min +2: Embolo takes a dreadful whack upside the head in an accidental 50-50 collision with Rabiot. He’s thankfully up again soon enough.

8.47pm BST

45 min +1: Embolo barges down the right wing with extreme prejudice. He enters the box and attempts a cross. It deflects off Lenglet and pinballs into the six-yard box at pace. The ball could have flown anywhere, but Varane is able to hack clear.

8.45pm BST

45 min: There will be two added minutes.

8.45pm BST

44 min: Griezmann is robbed by Embolo mid-feint. Embolo briefly threatens to break clear down the middle before being nudged off the ball. If either team are desperate to hear the half-time whistle in order to regroup, it’s the world champions.

8.43pm BST

43 min: Griezmann flicks a pass in from the right for Mbappe, who drives at the Swiss box before flaying a miserable effort miles over the bar.

8.42pm BST

41 min: Xhaka slips a cute pass down the inside left to feed Embolo, who can’t get a shot away, but earns a corner. Nothing comes of it.

8.41pm BST

40 min: France stroke it around the back. Suddenly Shaqiri intercepts and sends Embolo into space down the right. The ball’s sent wide left to Seferovic, who doesn’t back himself in a footrace with Pavard. The move breaks down, but France were exposed there.

8.38pm BST

38 min: Some punter is having a wee jog about the pitch. As they’re pursued by the polis, the players take the opportunity of an impromptu drinks break.

8.37pm BST

37 min: Griezmann’s corner is no good, failing to beat the first man. Switzerland are giving as good as they’re getting; the possession stats are 51-49 to France.

8.36pm BST

36 min: Griezmann, out on the left flank, crosses deep towards Pavard. Zuber is forced to head behind for a corner.

8.34pm BST

34 min: Pogba is fairly fortunate not to make it three bookings in four minutes as he clatters into the back of Embolo, who was in full flight down the left wing. Just a free kick, from which nothing comes.

8.33pm BST

33 min: Griezmann was upended by Elvedi as he played that ball to Rabiot, and the Swiss defender goes rightfully into the book.

8.32pm BST

32 min: ... and this could easily have been an equaliser for France. Griezmann turns a first-time ball around the corner down the left. Rabiot dribbles into the box but overruns the ball before he can shoot. Goal kick.

8.31pm BST

31 min: Shaqiri whips a stunner towards the far post. Embolo wins a wrestle with Kimpembe, only to flash a header wide right from six yards. That could very easily have been a second for the Swiss ...

8.30pm BST

30 min: Zuber drops a shoulder to gain a yard down the left. He’s about to tear free when Varane comes across to stop him with a cynical slide. Free kick, just to the side of the French box, and the first yellow card of the game.

8.29pm BST

28 min: France are dominating possession, but the Swiss don’t look particularly uncomfortable with that right now. So having typed all that out, Rabiot creams a low diagonal pearler inches wide of the right-hand post. Sommer probably had it covered, were it on target, though it’d have needed a strong hand to turn it out.

8.26pm BST

26 min: Mbappe drives the free kick straight into the wall. The ball comes back to him. He sends a first-time diagonal screamer well wide of the right-hand post.

8.26pm BST

25 min: France draw a few pretty triangles down the left. Robiot flicks into the stomach of Freuler. The referee ludicrously awards a free kick for handball. This is in a dangerous area, 25 yards out, just to the left of centre.

8.24pm BST

24 min: Shaqiri attempts a clever first-time reverse pass down the middle. Lenglet does well to read the danger and intercept, with Seferovic ready to zip clear.

8.23pm BST

22 min: France gather themselves and launch a couple of attacks. First Pogba nearly quarterbacks Mbappe clear, but Elvedi stays strong. Then Rabiot bustles down the left and chips across the face of goal for Benzema. Sommer gets a fingertip to the cross, diverting it away from danger.

8.21pm BST

20 min: On the touchline, Didier Deschamps has the good grace to look concerned. He’s hoping to become the first man to win both the Euros and the World Cup as both player and manager. His team are a little rattled all of a sudden.

8.19pm BST

18 min: Griezmann is bowled over by a full-of-vim Seferovic, out on the left. Free kick. France load the box. Griezmann floats it in, but Elvedi rises above Pogba aned Varane to head clear.

8.17pm BST

16 min: There’s a VAR check for bugger all. Switzerland, rather wonderfully, continue to celebrate the opening goal with great feeling, paying the pointless pause no heed. Eventually the game restarts ... and we do have a game. Oh we have a game.

8.16pm BST

Hello! What’s this? Some space for Zuber down the left. He digs out a wonderful cross. Seferovic rises highest in the centre, miles over Lenglet, and plants an unstoppable downwards header into the bottom left! Lloris had no chance!

8.15pm BST

14 min: Griezmann wedges a chip down the left and nearly releases Mbappe. The fear of Elvedi, sticking to him, just about, is palpable. The Jan Olsson to Mbappe’s Cruyff?

8.12pm BST

12 min: Mbappe and Benzema combine crisply down the left after a mistake from Embolo. The move breaks down, much to the Swiss forward’s relief, but the world crackles with electricity every time Mbappe touches the ball. “If we have to have national anthems then why can’t they all be the Marseillaise?” wonders David Wall. “Especially now that Russia are out, nothing else comes close. Special credit to Italy though, their anthem seems like enormous fun to sing.” Anthem envy is a thing, right? Certainly around these parts.

8.10pm BST

10 min: Zuber holds off Kante, 30 yards out. The ball’s fed down the right for Freuler, who whistles a dangerous cross across the face of the French goal. Fortunately for France, Seferovic is on the back foot and doesn’t attack the ball.

8.09pm BST

8 min: Embolo makes good down the Swiss left and earns a corner off Varane. Rodriguez swings it in. Varane clanks a header clear. Somewhere in the multiverse, four or five goals have already been scored.

8.07pm BST

7 min: Mbappe twists and turns down the left to win another corner. He’s not scored yet in this tournament, and clearly fancies a piece of the action tonight.

8.06pm BST

6 min: Griezmann crosses from the left. Rodriguez misses his header. Benzema chests down, eight yards out, with a view to shooting, but Zuber gets in the road, just in time. These are high-octane opening exchanges!

8.05pm BST

5 min: Mbappe burns down the right wing this time. He feeds Kante in the middle. Kante switches play to the left, where Benzema tricks Elvedi with a little jig, before pulling back from the byline to nobody in particular. Switzerland half clear.

8.04pm BST

4 min: It’s a bright start, this. Switzerland come back at France, Shaqiri busying himself down the right, his deep cross forcing Kimpembe into conceding a corner. Rodriguez loops it in, but France deal with it without too much fuss.

8.02pm BST

2 min: Griezmann whips the corner towards Varane, in a pocket of space on the edge of the six-yard box. He doesn’t get a firm header on the ball, which pings miles over the bar. He possibly should have scored; he certainly should have worked Sommer at the very least. That could have been a sensational start.

8.01pm BST

1 min: France are very quickly on the attack, Griezmann sending Mbappe scooting down the left. He can’t quite get past Elvedi, but soon enough the first corner of the game is won.

8.00pm BST

The Powercube starts us up. Xherdan Shaqiri kicks off for the Swiss.

7.57pm BST

The teams are out! France wear their famous bleu, while Switzerland are in second-choice weiss. Both teams only have about 1,500 dedicated followers egging them on, though they’ll make the noise of 15,000, I’ll be bound. There are coins to be tossed, pennants to be swapped, fists to be bumped. Once all that’s done, we’ll be under way. Off in a couple of minutes!

7.52pm BST

The national anthems. The French one is a banger, second only to As Time Goes By as the best song in Casablanca ...

To arms, citizens! / Form your battalions! / March, march! / Let an impure blood water our furrows

When the morning skies grow red / And o’er their radiance shed / Thou, O Lord, appeareth in their light / When the Alps glow bright with splendour!

7.46pm BST

France have won the European Championship twice, in 1984 and 2000. You can read about their Euro 2000 exploits ; then click below for Steven Pye’s analysis of Michel Platini’s imperial phase.

7.39pm BST

Pre-match entertainment. Nick Ames is our man in Bucharest; here’s his big-match preview.

7.33pm BST

The winners of this game will face Spain in the quarter-finals in Saint Petersburg on Friday. They’ve just beaten Croatia 5-3 after extra-time, the sort of scoreline that wouldn’t have looked out of place at that 1954 World Cup. In doing so, Spain have become the first team in Euros history to score five goals in consecutive matches. Here’s how a wild afternoon in Copenhagen unfolded; Niall McVeigh’s got blisters on his fingers.

7.22pm BST

Vladimir Petkovic has been in charge of Switzerland since 2014. This is his 77th game as boss, equalling the record of Karl Rappan, who had four spells in charge between 1937 and 1963. Rappan was the last man to take the Swiss to the quarter-finals of a tournament, at the aforementioned 1954 World Cup, only for his defensive system - the verrou, or Bolt - to shear clean off, his team losing 7-5 to Austria in the famous Heat Battle of Lausanne.

7.04pm BST

France make three changes to the team selected for the draw against Portugal. Clement Lenglet takes his place in a back three, while Benjamin Pavard and Adrien Rabiot are deployed as wing backs. Corentin Tolisso and Lucas Hernandez drop to the bench, while Jules Kounde misses out altogether. Switzerland name the same XI that started the Turkish romp.

6.55pm BST

France: Lloris, Varane, Lenglet, Kimpembe, Pavard, Pogba, Kante, Rabiot, Griezmann, Benzema, Mbappe.
Subs: Lemar, Giroud, Tolisso, Zouma, Mandanda, Sissoko, Coman, Lucas, Ben Yedder, Maignan, Dubois, Thuram.

Switzerland: Sommer, Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez, Widmer, Freuler, Xhaka, Zuber, Shaqiri, Seferovic, Embolo.
Subs: Mbabu, Zakaria, Vargas, Mvogo, Sow, Fassnacht, Benito, Mehmedi, Gavranovic, Fernandes, Kobel, Schar.

6.30pm BST

The world champions France have lost just one of their last 17 games at a major tournament; the Euro 2016 final against Portugal. They’re currently on a 19-match unbeaten run in competitive fixtures, since losing a Euro qualifier against Turkey in 2019. And, either least or most pertinently, depending on how you look at it, Les Bleus have never lost a competitive encounter against Switzerland, winning two and drawing the other four.

By comparison, the Round of 16 is the stage when the Swiss normally get a nosebleed; the last time Switzerland made it to the quarter-finals of a major championship was at the 1954 World Cup. A shoo-in for Didier Dechamps’ side, then ... except this is almost exactly what everyone was saying about Italy before they faced Austria on Saturday night, and look what a struggle that turned out to be. And while France breezed through Group F on cruise control, they haven’t touched the heights expected of them yet, while Switzerland, who qualified from Group A as one of the best third-placed sides, scored some very pretty goals against Turkey, and go into this game with their tails up.

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Published on June 28, 2021 15:12

June 27, 2021

Nelly Korda wins Women’s PGA Championship 2021: final round – as it happened

Nelly Korda sees off Lizette Salas to win maiden majorKorda becomes world number one

12.18am BST

Nelly Korda won her first major title by taking the Women’s PGA Championship by three shots at the Atlanta Athletic Club.

The American, whose victory will see her become world No 1, went into the final day tied for the lead with Lizette Salas but clinched the title with a four-under round of 68.

11.16pm BST

Two seemingly effortless eagles won the day for Nelly Korda. The first one, the result of an outrageous 250-yard fairway wood on 5 that nearly rolled in for albatross, coaxed a response out of Lizette Salas ... but Salas couldn’t respond a second time when Korda’s aggressive line at 12 paid a big dividend. Formerly the best player on Tour without a major to her name, Korda is now a PGA champion and world number one. Congratulations to her, commiserations to Salas, and thanks for reading this live blog. Nighty night!

-19: N Korda
-16: Salas
-10: HJ Kim, Molinaro
-8: Kang, Tavatanakit
-7: Ernst, Boutier
-6: Yang, Clanton, Lin
-5: SY Kim, Meechai, Ardina
-4: J Korda, Madsen, Maguire, Noh, Sagstrom, Henseleit

11.07pm BST

Nelly Korda, major champion, speaks. “I just played really well this week. I had a great week last week, and carried the momentum through to this week. I’ve put in a lot of work. To finally get three wins under my belt and to get a major, I don’t even have words, honestly. This is something I’ve worked for since I was 14. To finally get it done here in Atlanta with such an amazing crowd, it’s really special. I have an amazing caddy, so shout out to Jason. I tried to keep a level head, and keep it one shot at a time.”

11.03pm BST

That’s some performance by Nelly Korda, the 2021 Women’s PGA champion, and new world number one. It’s her first major, and her sixth career win. She’s the first American woman to land a major since Angela Stanford won the Evian in 2018. She’s also the first American woman to top the world rankings since Stacy Lewis in 2014. She lifts the trophy, waves it about, and pops it down on the plinth again. Interview ahoy!

10.57pm BST

Korda finishes in style, rolling a left-to-right slider into the cup for par. She raises both hands in triumph, quietly and modestly, before crumbling into tears of joy. She’s embraced by sister Jessica, her mum and partner, then sprayed with some tasty champagne. What a performance! A seize-the-day 68 featuring two of the finest eagles you’ll ever see. Her second into 5 - nearly holing out from 250 yards for albatross - will go down in legend.

-19: Korda (F)
-16: Salas (F)

10.54pm BST

Whoa Nelly! She sends an excitable putt 15 feet past the hole. It’s not going to matter, though. Salas takes two putts for a par and a final round of 71. Second place it is, and she smiles warmly. She’s done very little wrong today; she just came up against a force of nature on top of her game.

10.52pm BST

... but Salas doesn’t hole out. She finds the middle of the green, a strangely meek shot selection seeing she needed something absurdly dramatic to keep her faint hopes alive. So both women make their way to the green, receiving the ovation they deserve for putting on one hell of a show. They’ve both been magnificent in their own very different ways.

10.48pm BST

From 121 yards, Nelly Korda sends a big pitching wedge to the back of 18. Better long than short and wet. The right decision ... unless Salas holes out, of course ...

10.46pm BST

Salas and Korda both lay up, as expected. Up on the green, it’s a birdie for Molinaro, who salvages a share of third place. That’s by far her best finish at a major; in fact, it’s her career best finish. She’s -9. Par meanwhile for the ever-entertaining Tavatanakit, who hooked her drive into the water, dropped, bashed a 3-wood into the green, and nearly drained a long birdie putt. She ends the week at -8.

10.42pm BST

“A great way to end it.” Salas responds sarcastically as she sends her final drive into a bunker down the right. Korda plays it safe with hybrid off the tee. No point taking any chances down 18 with a three-shot lead. She sends her ball straight down the middle and gives the club a good twirl. The nerves will be jangling, but life will feel pretty fine right now.

10.38pm BST

Salas and Korda take turns to barely touch their putts, only to watch their balls keep rolling past the hole. They’re both missable; they’re both made. A pair of pars, and Nelly Korda is one hole away from her first major championship ... and becoming the number-one golfer in the world!

10.33pm BST

The sun’s out. Salas has to go for it at 17, the pin tucked away near the water. She sends a fine shot over the flag to 15 feet. She really needs to sink that birdie putt ... and hope that Korda sends her ball into the briny again. But not for the first time today, Korda takes dead aim, goes for the aggressive line, and comes up with the goods. She’ll have a look at birdie from similar distance, and her first major championship is well within her reach now!

10.29pm BST

Another hole, another three-putt bogey for Molinaro. She slips out of a share of third. She’s -9. Third place solo looked a shoo-in 30 minutes ago; now she needs a birdie up the last for a tie.

10.26pm BST

Salas makes her par putt. Korda’s birdie effort slips by, but the lead is still three. At which point the heavens briefly open, just to add a little windswept drama.

-19: N Korda (16)
-16: Salas (15)
-10: HJ Kim (F), Molinaro (16)
-8: Kang (F), Tavatanakit (16)

10.22pm BST

Salas’s second into 16 only just holds the back of the green. She’ll have a long look at birdie from the fringe. Korda ramps up the pressure by sticking her approach to 15 feet. Salas gets good pace on her putt, but it’s always staying out to the left. A testing par saver coming up. Meanwhile on 18, Kim Hyo-joo makes her birdie putt, and she ends the day with a 68, and the week at -10. She’s the new clubhouse leader.

10.19pm BST

It’s all going wrong for Giulia Molinaro at the wrong time. She follows her double at 15 with a three-putt bogey at 16. All of a sudden, the cushion protecting her third place is all but gone ... and Kim Hyo-joo has a birdie putt coming up on 18!

-19: N Korda (15)
-16: Salas (15)
-10: Molinaro (16)
-9: HJ Kim (17)

10.14pm BST

Austin Ernst is in with a 70. A round that promised more. She ends the week at -7. Back on 16, Salas and Korda take turns to split the fairway. Nelly’s drive has gone miles; it’s a fine response to that double, her caddy having done his bit with a paean to positivity just before the tee shot.

10.09pm BST

Korda doesn’t quite hit her bogey putt. It stays out on the right lip, and she wanders off quietly effing and jeffing. A double bogey, and her first dropped shots since her opening hole on Friday. A two-putt par for Salas, and there’s a spring in her step again, the lead now only - only! - three.

-19: N Korda (15)
-16: Salas (15)
-11: Molinaro (15)

10.05pm BST

Molinaro takes two putts for a double-bogey five, slipping to -11. She exits the green, allowing Korda to hit her third from the drop zone. And what a shot she hits! Grasping the nettle, she aims straight for the flag, taking on the water again. Fearless, and the lack of conservatism pays off when her ball lands six feet shy of the flag. She’ll have a great chance to escape with just a bogey. That’s one heck of a shot in the circumstances.

10.02pm BST

Before Molinaro putts out, Korda and Salas are invited to play up. An attempt to get things moving a little. The wait appears to have ruined Korda’s rhythm, as she makes a heavy contact, the ball slicing to the right and dunking in the water, well short of dry land! This isn’t over quite yet. Salas finds the centre of the green with her 7-wood. A big few minutes coming up!

9.58pm BST

A bit of a lull, the result of a logjam at the par-three 15th. Molinaro doesn’t help matters by sending her tee shot into the drink to the right. She sends her third from the dropzone into the heart of the green, but she’ll have a long two putts for double bogey.

9.50pm BST

In goes Nelly Korda’s birdie putt! She’s now six under for her round ... and 21 under par for the tournament. If she pars her way home, she’ll equal the record low score to par at a women’s major, set by Chun In-gee at the 2016 Evian Championship.

-21: N Korda (14)
-16: Salas (14)

9.44pm BST

Salas fires a 4-hybrid into the front of 14. A fine shot that leaves a long birdie putt. Only problem is, Korda is hitting 9-iron in from the bunker, and she twirls the club after sending her second pin high, leaving a ten-foot look at birdie.

9.40pm BST

Korda finds yet another bunker with her driver, this time at 14. Salas splits the fairway. Up on the green, Molinaro nearly sinks a 15-footer from the fringe at the back, but it stays on the left lip. Just a par, when birdie was necessary. She remains seven off the lead at -13.

9.37pm BST

She can’t make one here. Just a par, and she walks off the green shaking her head sadly. Two putts for Korda as well, and Nelly is one hole closer to her maiden major. Meanwhile a double bogey for Tavatanakit on 13. Plenty thought the ANA champ would launch an attack today, but she’s not got going at all. She’s -8.

-20: N Korda (13)
-16: Salas (13)
-13: Molinaro (13)
-8: Kang (F), HJ Kim (15), Boutier (14), Tavatanakit (13)
-7: Ernst (15)

9.33pm BST

Austin Ernst ended up with a triple-bogey six on the par-three 15th. That sends her crashing down the leader board to -7, and should serve Lizette Salas with a reminder that the jig isn’t necessarily up yet. She calms down quickly and finds the 13th green in regulation. Probably a good time to sink a big birdie putt.

9.29pm BST

The Chattahoochee River runs past the Highlands Course. En route to the 13th tee, the normally placid Lizette Salas whistled her ball into it. The sort of scenario Bobbie Gentry would write a song about.

9.23pm BST

Salas can’t make her putt, and while it’s only her second bogey of the week, it’s come at exactly the wrong time. Korda steers in her downhill eagle putt from six feet, her second of the day, and suddenly she’s in complete control of this championship!

-20: N Korda (12)
-16: Salas (12)
-13: Molinaro (12)

9.21pm BST

That approach only just squeaked over the water. The shot was pretty much perfectly judged, but it wouldn’t have required too much taken off it to get wet. A modicum of luck, but then you make your own. Salas can only splash out to 15 feet, and has a job on to salvage her par. A three-shot swing could be coming up here. Speaking of wet and splash, Ernst has just thinned one out of a bunker and into the drink at 15.

9.15pm BST

Molinaro is this close to draining a 50-foot eagle putt on 12. Birdie will do, and the Italian, who has previously made no impression in the majors, moves a little closer to the leaders. Back down the hole, Salas lays up with her second. Korda plans to seize the day, though, and cracks her approach, a 6-iron from 170 yards, over the water - just! - to six feet! That’s wonderful, and were she to make eagle here, it could potentially be the rapier thrust that secures this tournament. Especially as Salas sends her third into sand at the back.

9.04pm BST

Ernst does extremely well to get up and down for her par on 14. A sensational bump into the bank and up onto the green, rolling out to kick-in distance. So close to perfection. One of the shots of the week. She remains at -10. Meanwhile a fine two-putt par for Korda at 11, having pulled her 9-iron 40 feet wide of the hole. A near-perfect lag followed by a tap in. Par for Salas, too, after she leaves a 20-foot birdie effort four feet short, but steers in the missable left-to-right breaker she’d left herself.

-18: N Korda (11)
-17: Salas (11)

9.00pm BST

Tavatanakit misses another short par putt, this time at 11, and that’s pretty much her race run. She walks off steaming, the putter taking some more punishment. Par for Molinaro, who is still hanging about on the periphery. Austin Ernst is going along nicely, by the way: birdie at 12 and 13 take her up to -10, though she’s just hit a hot one over the back of 14, and she’s down the bottom of a swale, shortsided.

-18: N Korda (10)
-17: Salas (10)
-12: Molinaro (11)
-10: Ernst (13), Tavatanakit (11)
-9: HJ Kim (13)
-8: Kang (F), Boutier (11)

8.53pm BST

A huge break for Nelly on 11! She pulls her drive miles left. The ball looks like stopping on the side of a steep rough-covered bank, only to somehow whistle through before picking up speed again down a bare patch and into the first cut! To be fair, that outcome’s partly down to her power, but that’s still a lucky bounce. Salas is, as usual, on the short stuff, a good bit further back.

8.48pm BST

Two-putt pars for both Nelly Korda and Lizette Salas. Korda remains one in the lead. Meanwhile we have a new clubhouse leader: Danielle Kang, who won this title in 2017 at Olympia Fields, signs for her second 67 of the week. They go along with a pair of 73s, and she ends up at -8.

8.45pm BST

Salas, in the first cut down the left of 10, takes an age over her club selection. She finally plumps for the hybrid she wants, and it was worth the wait. She sweetly strikes to ten feet. Korda, who is a much quicker player, doesn’t hang about before whipcracking her iron to a similar distance. Meanwhile up on 18, sister Jessica signs for a 71, ending the week at -4.

8.40pm BST

Patty Tavatanakit pulls a short par putt wide on 10. She hammers the head of her putter into the ground in wild frustration, knowing full well that’s surely any outside chance of catching the leaders gone. She slips to -11.

8.34pm BST

Korda chips up the bank. She’s a little heavy handed again, the ball rolling six feet past. That’ll be a big one coming back. Salas walks off muttering after not quite hitting her ten-foot birdie effort. Korda rolls in her par saver, and having stared a two-shot swing in the face, only to get out of Dodge unscathed, she’ll be much the happier of the two after that.

-18: N Korda (9)
-17: Salas (9)

8.29pm BST

Now then. From the centre of the 9th fairway, Salas sends her second to 12 feet. Lovely shot. Nelly, having found yet another fairway bunker, flies a hot one over the back of the green. She’s at the bottom of a swale with not a great deal of green to play with. A two-shot swing is quite possible here.

8.27pm BST

Giulia Molinaro hits the turn in 34 after knocking in an eight-foot par saver at 9. Her playing partner Patty Tavatanakit also turns in 34, making birdie. Both are just about still in with a chance of winning, though they’ll probably need the leading duo to start flapping. There’s been no sign of that yet, though of course the tournament doesn’t start until the final pairing reach the back nine. Yep, that old saw.

-18: N Korda (8)
-17: Salas (8)
-12: Molinaro (9), Tavatanakit (9)

8.22pm BST

Kim Hyo-joo, who shot 61 en route to winning the Evian in 2014, is in the middle of a nice run. Having birdied 6, 7 and 8, she’s made another at 10 to move into fifth place. Meanwhile the leading duo both par 8 in fairly undramatic fashion.

-18: N Korda (8)
-17: Salas (8)
-12: Molinaro (8)
-11: Tavatanakit (8)
-9: HJ Kim (10)

8.16pm BST

Both women take aggressive lines at the 8th, showing no fear of the water on the left. Both find prime position on the fairway. Korda is way out in front, needless to say; she’s averaged 263 yards with the driver this week, while Salas only reaches 231. It’s a significant difference. Korda is often approaching with wedge while Salas takes hybrid. It illustrates how well Salas has been hitting that club this week. Her putter has been red hot too.

8.10pm BST

Salas finds the centre of the green at the par-three 7th. She’s left with a long birdie putt, and nearly drains it, but the 30-foot effort stops a dimple away on the left. Korda also pars, having anxiously followed her tee shot as it only just got over the water.

-18: N Korda (7)
-17: Salas (7)

8.04pm BST

Salas lobs up with Mickelsonian grace to a couple of feet. A fine birdie. Korda however is a bit heavy handed with her chip up, the ball scooting 12 feet past the flag. She can’t make the putt coming back, and all of a sudden the lead is just one. This is a wonderfully tenacious display by Salas, who could have been forgiven for letting her shoulders slump when Korda made that effortless eagle. A brilliant birdie-birdie response. This is shaping up to be a fine battle.

-18: N Korda (6)
-17: Salas (6)
-12: Molinaro (7)
-11: Tavatanakit (7)

7.52pm BST

Last year’s champion Kim Sei-young finishes her title defence with birdie and a highly respectable 68. She ends the week at -5. Meanwhile on the short par-four 6th, Patty Tavatanakit makes birdie to rise to -11, then when she vacates the hole, Nelly Korda bangs her drive through the green, and Lizette Salas sends her tee shot to the right of the putting surface. Both women will have delicate chip shots back onto the green.

7.49pm BST

This is such a staunch up and down by Lizette Salas. Having just seen her partner nearly hole out for albatross, tapping in for an eagle that takes her three clear at the top, she wedges from 75 yards to ten feet, then rolls in an unerring birdie putt. What moxie! She’s flatly refusing to buckle, despite Korda throwing everything at her.

-18: N Korda (5)
-16: Salas (5)
-12: Molinaro (6)

7.42pm BST

A stroke of luck for Salas on 6. She’s unable to reach the par-five in two, so lays up with a 7-wood. She slices into a tree on the right-hand edge of the fairway, but the ball manages to make it through the branches and out the other side. She’s still in the semi-rough, but at least no overhanging foliage will block her route to the green. And she’ll need to find something special, because Nelly hits her second, another 7-wood, straight at the flag. For a second, it looks as though the ball’s tracking in for an albatross, but it stops 12 inches short. She tidies up, the easiest eagle putt she’ll ever make, to move three clear of Salas, who is still 75 yards back up the hole. A huge moment. That was one hell of a shot!

-18: N Korda (5)
-15: Salas (4)

7.33pm BST

Another birdie for Austin Ernst! The 29-year-old from South Carolina - who finished a shot behind Angela Stanford at the 2018 Evian - drains a 40-footer on 8 to move to -9. Two-putt pars for both Korda and Salas at 4. And Molinaro rolls in her eagle putt on 5 without fuss, to move into third spot on her own.

-16: N Korda (4)
-15: Salas (4)
-12: Molinaro (5)
-10: Tavatanakit (5)

7.29pm BST

Korda fires her tee shot at 4 straight at the flag, only for her ball to topple off the back of the green. Just off the back; she’ll have a putt. Salas certainly will, sending her ball ten feet past the flag. Meanwhile up on 5, Molinaro, coming off that superb birdie at 4, hits one of the shots of the week at the par-five 5th. From the middle of the fairway, 250 yards out, she wallops her second arrow-straight towards the flag, the ball coming to a stop ten feet short. She’ll have a great look for an eagle that would bring the 30-year-old Italian - who doesn’t have any record to speak of at the majors - right into the mix!

7.24pm BST

Salas can’t make her 20-foot birdie effort. Korda steers her 12-footer in, though, and the first move is made by the best player on Tour yet to win a major. Meanwhile up on 4, Tavatanakit’s birdie putt doesn’t drop ... but her playing partner Molinaro tidies up from a couple of feet after a sensational tee shot nearly slam-dunks into the cup. She’s back to -10.

-16: N Korda (3)
-15: Salas (3)
-10: Molinaro (4), Tavatanakit (4)

7.21pm BST

Tavatanakit looks to have found her range now. She clips a 9-iron at the par-three 4th pin high, leaving herself a five-foot look at birdie. Back on 3, both Salas and Korda send their second shots pin high, left and right respectively. The crowd are definitely four-square behind Nelly, who is enjoying plenty of vocal support. Poor Salas has been in this position before, with the gallery at Woburn at the 2019 British Open cheering predominantly for Hinako Shibuno.

7.13pm BST

Tavatanakit repairs the damage of that bogey on 2. She sends her approach to 3 over the flag, spinning back to four feet. It’s not a long putt, but it’s a delicate downhill dribbler. She reads it perfectly, the ball serenely rolling towards the cup, a modicum of left-to-right movement, before disappearing into the centre. The birdie brings her back to -10. Meanwhile back on the tee, Salas splits the fairway while Korda finds another bunker.

-15: N Korda (2), Salas (2)
-10: Tavatanakit (3)

7.09pm BST

Salas sends a delicate wedge high into the air, landing her ball eight feet from the flag. Chance to escape with a par. Nelly meanwhile fluffs her chip, leaving a 12-foot birdie chance. Her putt always stays high on the left, so it’s just a par. Then Salas rattles in her par saver, arrow straight, at confident pace, and gives the air a small punch in celebration. That’s a super scramble, and she’ll be much the happier walking off the green.

-15: N Korda (2), Salas (2)

7.05pm BST

The difference in power between Nelly Korda and Lizette Salas is illustrated on the par-five 2nd. Korda can reach easily in two; in fact, she’s over the back of the green. Salas by contrast hits driver and fairway wood, both flush, yet still has 80 yards to the green. The first bit of serious matchplay-style pressure applied, Salas chunks her third into thick stuff 20 yards short of the dancefloor. Advantage Nelly.

7.01pm BST

Patty Tavatanakit makes an awful mess of the par-five 2nd. She sends a 3-wood off the tee into trees, then fails to punch back out. A second attempt finds a fairway bunker, from which she whistles her ball over the back of the green. She does well to get up and down to limit the damage to bogey, but this isn’t the start the ANA Inspiration champion was looking for. She slips to -9.

6.57pm BST

A word on the new US Open champion Yuka Saso. She ends a previously average week in style, with a five-under 67. She finishes -3, currently in the top 25 on her PGA debut. Meanwhile Austin Ernst, who started her round birdie-birdie, adds a third at 5, though not with any great pleasure, having seriously underhit a very makeable 15-foot eagle effort.

6.51pm BST

Salas sends a hybrid over the back of 1. She does extremely well to chip back up from the bottom of the swale to five feet, then strokes in the par saver. A par for Nelly, too, having found the centre of the green in regulation, and narrowly missing her long birdie effort. In differing ways, both women will take heart from the way that opening hole panned out.

-15: N Korda (1), Salas (1)

6.45pm BST

Up on the 1st green, Patty Tavatanakit grimaces slightly as a 15-foot birdie effort shaves the hole. No super-fast start for the ANA Inspiration champ, but it’s better than bogey, which is what Giulia Molinaro cards. Meanwhile Danielle Kang, who won this tournament back in 2017, hits the turn in 32 after birdie at 9. She’s -7 overall.

-15: N Korda, Salas
-10: Tavatanakit (1)
-9: Boutier (1), Molinaro (1)
-7: Kang (9), Ernst (4), Sagstrom (2), Ardina (1)
-6: Yang (F), Koerstz Madsen (8), Lin (3), Henseleit (2)

6.40pm BST

Here come the leaders! Lizette Salas sends her opening drive into the semi-rough down the right. Nelly Korda wallops hers into a bunker further down the hole to the left. Just before teeing off, sister Jessica came over for a hug, wishing Nelly good luck as she made her way from the 9th green to the 10th tee. Perfect timing.

6.36pm BST

Two members of the chasing pack have already started going backwards. Bogeys for Celine Boutier and Dottie Ardina at the opening hole, and they slip to -9 and -7 respectively. Meanwhile Amy Yang birdies the last, and she signs for a final round of 64 that’ll make a huge difference to her pay check. All of a sudden, she’s launched herself into the top ten. She’s the early clubhouse leader at -6.

6.34pm BST

Nelly Korda’s older sister is also involved today. Jessica is two under for her round today, having just drained a 25-footer for birdie at 9, and -4 overall. This is a big week for the Kordas, then, with their younger brother Sebastian preparing to make his debut at Wimbledon tomorrow. Dad is 1998 Australian Open champion Petr Korda, while mum Regina Rajchrtova reached the second round in SW17 back in 1990. A sporting dynasty, it’s fair to say.

6.23pm BST

If someone’s going to make ground on the leaders, they’ll need to get a wriggle on. Conditions are favourable: it’s warm and sunny now, but there were a few showers earlier on, softening the Highland Course a little, making the greens more receptive. Advantage has been taken, most notably by Amy Yang. The 31-year-old Korean has 17 top-ten finishes at the majors, though is yet to win one. She won’t be breaking her duck this week, but she played the front nine this morning in 30 strokes. She’s currently seven under for her round through 17, and -5 overall. Proof that it’s perfectly possible to close the gap, should Korda and Salas somehow drag each other down.

6.00pm BST

Chances are, the 67th Women’s PGA Championship will come down to a shootout between two of the biggest names in golf yet to win a major title. Nelly Korda and Lizette Salas have both come close before – respectively, at the 2020 ANA Inspiration and the 2019 British Open – and it looks likely that one of them will make the next step today. Because here’s what the top of the leader board looked like after three rounds:

-15: Nelly Korda, Lizette Salas
-10: Celine Boutier, Giulia Molinaro, Patty Tavatanakit
-8: Dottie Ardina
-7: Esther Henseleit, Madelene Sagstrom
-6: Kim Hyo-joo, Lin Xiyu

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Published on June 27, 2021 15:16

June 26, 2021

Italy 2-1 Austria: Euro 2020 last 16 – as it happened

Austria came close to a shock victory, Marko Arnautovic’s second-half header ruled marginally offside, but Italy eventually clicked in extra time

11.37pm BST

10.46pm BST

Barney Ronay was at Wembley to watch Italy scrape - albeit with some style - into the quarters. His report has landed, so off you click and enjoy that. Congratulations to Italy, commiserations to Austria, and thank you for reading this MBM. Nighty night!

10.39pm BST

That was a superb evening’s entertainment. Austria gave it everything, and were a couple of inches away from knocking out one of the tournament favourites. Sadly for them, Marko Arnautovic was just offside as he headed past Gianluigi Donnarumma. Italy put the pedal down in extra-time, Federico Chiesa opening the scoring with a wonderful finish, Matteo Pessina adding a second. Marcel Sabitzer should have pulled one back for Austria; Sasa Kalajdzic then did, but it was too little, too late. Austria go home with pride intact, having made a fine fist of their first knockout game in tournament football since 1954. Italy meanwhile weren’t at their best, but got the job done. They go to Munich to face either Belgium or Portugal, perhaps having come to the conclusion that this is their time!

10.34pm BST

The whistle goes, and Italy will play either Belgium or Portugal in the quarter-finals!

10.33pm BST

ET 30 min +1: Dragovic is booked for one final foul.

10.33pm BST

ET 30 min: A long ball down the inside-left channel. Chiesa lifts over the out-rushing Bachmann, but Trimmel covers and gets to the dropping ball before the striker can round the keeper and walk the ball home.

10.31pm BST

ET 29 min: Gregoritsch has been magnificent since coming on. From 25 yards, he drives through a thicket of players, but the ball sails harmlessly wide right. That could be Austria’s last chance.

10.30pm BST

ET 28 min: Belotti takes the ball to the corner. That it’s suddenly come to this. He tries to purchase a cheap foul that’ll run the clock down further, but the touchline official isn’t impressed. Plenty of nerves jangling around Wembley right now.

10.29pm BST

ET 26 min: That’s the end of Italy’s long defensive shutout. And it’s sent shockwaves through the Italian team. Donnarumma, the ball at his feet, nervously prods the ball forward and is nearly stripped of possession by Gregoritsch. He flops on the ball just in time.

10.27pm BST

The corner’s whipped low from the right by Gregoritsch to the near post. Kalajdzic stoops and steers into the bottom right from a couple of yards and a tight angle. What a header! Austria aren’t done yet!

10.26pm BST

ET 23 min: Gregoritsch causes more bother in the Italian box, winning a header that drops to Schaub, who aims for the top left. His volley is deflected over the bar. And from the corner ...

10.25pm BST

ET 22 min: Belotti is bundled over by Laimer, just to the right of the D. He takes the free kick himself, blootering it hopelessly into the wall.

10.24pm BST

ET 21 min: Austria should be back in this. Gregoritsch sashays down the right and scoops to Sabitzer at the far post. He’s six yards out, and gets two goes at forcing home. His first effort clanks off Di Lorenzo. His second - which should be nestling in the net - sails over the bar. Oh dear.

10.22pm BST

ET 19 min: Di Lorenzo embarks on a run from a deep position on the right. He makes it all the way to the edge of the Austria box, with Wembley simmering in anticipation of seeing something special. He sends an excitable drive miles over the bar. A disappointing end to a sensational run.

10.21pm BST

ET 18 min: Insigne makes way for Cristante.

10.20pm BST

ET 17 min: Belotti fluffs a chance when in space on the edge of the Austria box. He should have worked Bachmann at the very least; he probably should have scored a goal that would put this beyond all doubt.

10.19pm BST

ET 16 min: Schaub’s first act is to juggle the ball down the inside-right channel and send a dipping shot towards the bottom right! What an effort, and what a save by Donnarumma, who palms clear.

10.18pm BST

Austria start the second period of extra time. They’ve made two changes, sending on Gregoritsch and Schaub in place of Grillitsch and Schlager.

10.15pm BST

Italy have one foot and four toes in the quarter finals, after scoring their first-ever extra-time goals at a European Championship finals.

10.14pm BST

The corner’s a non-event, and half cleared. But the ball’s worked back into the box from the left by Insigne. Acerbi makes a nuisance of himself and Austria can’t clear. The ball breaks left to Pessina, who takes a touch and lashes it across Bachmann and into the bottom right!

10.12pm BST

ET 14 min: Insigne to take. He whips a vicious free kick towards the top left. It’s going in. Bachmann does well to get across and turn the ball out for a corner.

10.11pm BST

ET 13 min: Bellotti races into acres down the left. He cuts inside and is cynically brought down by Hinteregger, who goes into the book. One taken for the team there, with Austria extremely light at the back.

10.10pm BST

ET 12 min: Grillitsch loops a high cross in from the left. Easy meat for Donnarumma.

10.10pm BST

ET 11 min: Austria hog possession, to pantomime whistles from the predominantly Italy-supporting crowd. They don’t do much with it. Italy are not half bad at holding their shape.

10.08pm BST

ET 9 min: Now Spinazzola gets on with the day job of defending, intercepting a ball intended to free Sabitzer down the middle and into the box.

10.07pm BST

ET 8 min: That’s changed the mood entirely. A moment of individual brilliance, though it was a fine cross by Spinazzola, too.

10.05pm BST

ET 6 min: Austria respond by replacing Arnautovic with Kalajdzic.

10.04pm BST

Here comes another! Spinazzola curls from the left towards Chiesa at the far post. He chests down, takes a touch to see off Lainer, then whips a hard shot across Bachmann and into the bottom left! That’s a sensational finish by the substitute!

10.02pm BST

ET 4 min: Belotti holds the ball up on the edge of the Austria box, then feeds Chiesa to his right. Chiesa takes a step into the box and lashes low and hard from a tight angle. Easy for Bachmann, though that’s better from Italy, and their first shot in anger for quite a while.

10.00pm BST

ET 2 min: Alaba curls in dangerously towards the far post, but Hinteregger and Sabitzer are penalised for getting all over-excited in the middle of a melee.

9.59pm BST

ET 1 min: Schopf hugs the right touchline and is brough down by Locatelli. Free kick. Austria load the box.

9.58pm BST

Italy get the first period of extra time underway. There have been no changes during the break.

9.56pm BST

The Italian players look a little anxious, so Roberto Mancini arranges them in a huddle and performs the internationally recognised mime for Calm Down. Austria take on liquids in a more relaxed style, then cheer wildly after a huddle of their own. They’ll be very pleased with their performance so far. They’ve been as excellent as Italy have been disappointing.

9.54pm BST

Extra time is no more than the Austrians deserve. They were inches away from ending Italy’s long unbeaten record, but Marko Arnautovic was a couple of inches offside as he steered a clever header past Gianluigi Donnarumma. Thirty extra minutes coming up!

9.52pm BST

90 min +5: Insigne clips the free kick to the far post, where Laimer heads clear. In short, the answer is no.

9.52pm BST

90 min +4: But could they snatch it? Jorginho tries to burst into space down the right, and is shoved in the back by Arnautovic. A free kick, near the right-hand corner of the box. Can Insigne conjure up something very special and very dramatic?

9.51pm BST

90 min +3: Italy still can’t get anything going in the final third. This second-half display has been dismal.

9.50pm BST

90 min +2: Di Lorenzo faffs about at the back, allowing Arnautovic to make off with the ball. Italy’s defence regroups just in time. Austria aren’t sitting back and waiting for extra time.

9.48pm BST

90 min +1: A long ball down the middle. Insigne dallies when he should have torn clear. Lainer puts a stop to his gallop, and turns out Insigne was offside anyway.

9.47pm BST

90 min: Baumgartner can’t continue. He’s replaced by Schopf. There will be five minutes of added time.

9.47pm BST

89 min: Baumgartner goes down with cramp. Austria want Italy to put the ball out. They don’t. Sabitzer takes matters into his own hands and bowls Jorginho to the floor. Free kick, and a chance for the physio to come on.

9.45pm BST

88 min: Insigne and Belotti combine down the inside-left channel. Belotti reaches the byline and pulls back to ... nobody. Just for a spilt second, it looked as though Italy were about to perform a late smash and grab. Extra time looms.

9.44pm BST

86 min: Di Lorenzo mistimes a clearance and gifts the ball to Alaba down the left. He’s very fortunate that Alaba uncharacteristically dithers, allowing his teammates to shepherd the Austrian away from the danger zone.

9.42pm BST

84 min: Italy make another double change. On come Chiesa and Belotti, for Immobile and Berardi.

9.41pm BST

83 min: Spinazzola has been Italy’s highlight. He makes good down the left and crosses deep. Berardi shapes to scissor kick home, but completely mistimes it. To be fair, had he succeeded, it would have been sensational.

9.40pm BST

82 min: Wembley, filled mainly with Italy fans, is quiet right now, the tension palpable.

9.38pm BST

80 min: Italy are struggling to string passes together. Lainer and Arnautovic, out on the right, hassle their defence and force a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece, but right now, if anyone’s going to nick this late on, Austria look the more likely. Can Italy respond?

9.35pm BST

78 min: Italy have been poor, though Austria’s relentless press has made them that way. Will the underdogs flag as the clock ticks on? They’ve put in a lot of effort.

9.33pm BST

76 min: There’s a ludicrously long VAR check, but no, it’s not a penalty. “This match was supposed to be decided by now,” begins Mary Waltz. “The longer this goes on the greater the chance Austria nicks this contest and sends multiple pundits to the dog house.”

9.32pm BST

74 min: Free kick to Austria out on the left. Alaba swings it in. The ball’s helped on by Hinteregger towards Lainer at the far post. Lainer is bundled to the floor from behind by Pessina. Austria want a penalty, but it turns out Lainer was offside when Hinteregger flicked on. That would certainly have been a spot kick otherwise.

9.30pm BST

72 min: Italy have finally woken up, after the shock of that disallowed goal. Locatelli and Insigne take turns to curl shots wide right from the edge of the box. Better, though the bar has been set low.

9.29pm BST

71 min: Spinazzola drifts in from the left and sprays a delightful crossfield pass towards Berardi on the right wing. Berardi can’t sort his feet out to trap. Otherwise, he’d have been in acres of space.

9.28pm BST

69 min: Such a shame for Austria, because that was a fine cross by Lainer, and two stunning headers between Alaba and Arnautovic. Italy respond by replacing Verratti and Barella with Locatelli and Pessina.

9.26pm BST

68 min: Austria, perhaps piqued, come straight back at Italy, Sabitzer striding purposefully towards the box and dragging a low shot wide left. Italy are rocking a little, yet what relief they’ll feel.

9.25pm BST

Yep, Arnautovic was just off, his knee poking past the last man. Italy’s long defensive stand remains!

9.24pm BST

66 min: ... but there’s a VAR check for a possible offside. Arnautovic may be a couple of inches off as Alaba heads across, you know.

9.23pm BST

Italy’s defence is finally breached! Lainer crosses deep from the right. Alaba rises high over Di Lorenzo, across the face of goal. Arnautovic rises at the right-hand post, and dinks a header over Donnarumma and into the top left!

9.21pm BST

63 min: The corner finds Arnautovic just inside the box on the right. Falling backwards, he steers a shot towards the bottom right, but it’s an easy claim for Donnarumma.

9.20pm BST

62 min: Austria’s press is forcing Italy to rush. They ship possession, allowing Sabitzer to steal away with the ball and take a whack from distance. His effort twangs off Bonucci and deflects wide left. Austria’s first corner of the game coming up.

9.18pm BST

60 min: Sabitzer lands on Di Lorenzo’s foot, and becomes the latest Austrian to escape a caution. Anthony Taylor is in a fairly mellow mood this evening.

9.16pm BST

58 min: Laimer turns on the jets and makes spectacular ground down the right touchline. For a second, Italy look a bit light at the back, with Austrian options in the middle. But the resulting cross is appalling, nowhere near anybody in red, allowing Acerbi to intercept and clear.

9.14pm BST

56 min: Space for Insigne down the left. He’s got Immobile free in the middle, but the low cross isn’t too great, allowing Alaba to hack out for a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece.

9.13pm BST

55 min: Acerbi passes back to Donnarumma from the halfway line. He nearly sends the ball whistling past the keeper, who is forced to turn and race back to trap on the edge of the six-yard box, then clear. He acts nonchalantly, as though there was never any worry, but there were a few hearts in mouths just then.

9.11pm BST

53 min: Baumgartner slides in on Di Lorenzo, a little payback maybe. No booking, despite a lot of dramatic rolling around, the sort that often sways an official.

9.10pm BST

52 min: Alaba goes for a curler over the wall and towards the top right. It was always going over, though had it been on target, it wasn’t certain that Donnarumma was getting there.

9.09pm BST

51 min: Alaba looks like he fancies this. A long wait as the referee pushes the Italian wall back the full 10 yards. What a feat of engineering that requires.

9.08pm BST

50 min: Di Lorenzo is booked for a lunge on Baumgartner, just outside the Italian box. Barella is also booked for ludicrously protesting the decision. A free kick in a very dangerous position coming up.

9.07pm BST

49 min: A mistake by Bonucci allows Arnautovic to twist and turn down the left. He can’t get a shot away, but for a second, a route to goal threatened to open up. A fine run.

9.06pm BST

48 min: Berardi drops a shoulder to get a yard on Alaba down the right. His low cross is hacked clear by Austria, but Immobile comes again, only for his shot to be easily blocked on the edge of the box. Italy look to have raised their tempo.

9.05pm BST

47 min: Italy have started the second half on the front foot, albeit without achieving anything of note.

9.03pm BST

Italy get the second half started. No half-time changes by either side. On the subject of subs, here’s Kári Tulinius: “Arnautovic seems very likely to get sent off. Were I Franco Foda, I would consider how quickly I could substitute him off the field without him doing an impression of Giorgio Chinaglia in 1974. His probable replacement, Sasa Kalajdzic, has had a brilliant season for Stuttgart, and should present the Italian defence with a new set of problems.”

8.52pm BST

Half-time entertainment. Here’s a clip of Italy at Wembley in 1977, Marco Tardelli giving Kevin Keegan some of the old-fashioned defensive treatment.

8.48pm BST

The free kick’s floated towards Acerbi, near the right-hand post. He forces a corner, but there’s no time to take it. The players troop off, Austria surely a little bit happier than Italy.

8.46pm BST

45 min: Italy ping it around, 30 yards from goal, for what seems like an age. There’s no way through, despite probes launched down both flanks. Eventually Arnautovic, treading a fine line, gets fed up and bundles Spinazzola to the ground. Free kick, to the left of the D, 30 yards out.

8.44pm BST

43 min: Spinazzola dances in from the left and dribbles a shot towards the bottom left. Bachmann gets down late and is forced to push the weak effort around the post. Acerbi meets the resulting corner, but not with any conviction.

8.43pm BST

42 min: Spinazzola makes his way into the Austrian box from the left, then falls over as he flings a wild boot at the ball. He claims a penalty, brazenly so, because there was no challenge made. The referee waves play on.

8.41pm BST

40 min: Austria are enjoying their best spell of the match, Arnautovic causing problems down the right. Alaba probing on the opposite flank. There’s no way through this seemingly impregnable Italian defence, though.

8.39pm BST

38 min: Upon claiming the cross, Donnarumma accidentally clattered into Baumgartner, who took one full in his startled coupon. The physio comes on and gives him a good going-over with the magic sponge. He’s good to continue.

8.38pm BST

36 min: Arnautovic busies himself down the right, then performs a cute dragback that sends Verrati and Acerbi off to the shops for the paper and a pint of milk. He lays off to Schlager, whose high cross is claimed by Donnarumma.

8.36pm BST

34 min: That was such a good effort from Immobile. A touch of the Le Tissiers about it, a heady mix of power, bend and precision. A few inches to the right and it was nestling in the corner.

8.34pm BST

32 min: Italy nearly take the lead with a gorgeous effort from Immobile. He turns, 30 yards out, and sends a floater towards the top-left corner. It curls to the left, a little bit too much, as it clips the outside of the post. Bachmann was utterly stranded, feet planted. So close to a stunning opener.

8.32pm BST

31 min: So having said that, Austria spend the next couple of minutes camped in Italy’s half ... but nowhere near their box. All a bit sterile.

8.30pm BST

29 min: Spinazzola races down the left again, nearly opening up Austria with a quick combination with Insigne. Not quite. Italy come again down the same flank, Insigne finding a bit of space but overhitting his cross. Italy are beginning to push Austria back.

8.27pm BST

27 min: Austria have a three on two. Laimer has Baumgartner to his left, Arnautovic to his right. He clanks a hopeless ball straight through to Donnarumma. Both teams have had their opportunities to open the scoring.

8.26pm BST

26 min: Barella hoicks a long, high pass down the middle. Berardi can’t bring it down first time. He’d have been clear on goal had he managed to. Italy go on to win a corner that proves to be a non-event.

8.25pm BST

24 min: Berardi dribbles in from the right. For a second, the Austrian defence opens up and offers a route into the box, but he hesitates and the road is blocked. He drops a shoulder to move further infield and takes a shot despite no real opportunity presenting itself. Frustration at letting the first chance go, no doubt.

8.22pm BST

22 min: Spinazzola snakes his way down the left at speed before eventually running out of road. Goal kick this time, but Italy’s left back looks dangerous every single time he crosses the halfway line.

8.21pm BST

20 min: Hinteregger clatters into the back of Barella and is fortunate not to join Arnautovic in the book.

8.20pm BST

18 min: Schlager loops a ball down the middle. Arnautovic has a yard on Bonucci, but just as it looks like he’s going to tear clear into the box, a rush of blood to the noggin causes him to attempt the spectacular, lashing hysterically over the bar from distance. Full marks for ambition, if nothing else.

8.18pm BST

17 min: The volume rises quickly as Spinazzola makes ground down the left and cuts back for Barella, whose low drive from just inside the box is hacked clear by Bachmann. A decent effort with a save to match.

8.17pm BST

16 min: Austria spend some more time pinging it around in an aesthetically pleasing style. No way through the stubborn Italian defence yet, but they quieten the crowd.

8.15pm BST

14 min: Verratti sends Insigne romping down the left. He enters the Austrian box and opens his body for the curler across Bachmann and towards the top right. He doesn’t catch it properly, and it’s an easy gather for the keeper.

8.13pm BST

12 min: Berardi advances towards the Austrian box. He’s got Immobile to his left, but his pass down the channel is too strong, and pushes his team-mate away from the danger zone. A chance to release Immobile into the box is spurned.

8.12pm BST

11 min: A lot of room for Lainer down the right flank. The eventual cross is no good, but Austria are getting a fair bit of joy on this side of the pitch. Italy go up the other end and take the evening’s first shot in anger, Spinazzola working a little space to the left of the D and lashing miles over the bar.

8.10pm BST

9 min: Austria play it around the back for a bit. They’re rewarded with the bird, performed with pantomime perfection by the Italian masses.

8.09pm BST

8 min: Lainer tries to release the overlapping Arnautovic down the right, but Acerbi is on hand to intercept with calm style. A good open feel to these early exchanges.

8.08pm BST

6 min: Barella slides a pass down the inside-right channel. Bachmann comes out to smother. Immobile slides in, clattering him, though he was entitled to go for the ball, and clearly tries to pull out just before contact. That doesn’t stop Bachmann springing up in a wild rage, but the referee soon calms him down. A free kick, nothing more.

8.04pm BST

4 min: Austria have started confidently. They’re pressing hard, as is their wont, and Italy haven’t quite settled yet.

8.03pm BST

2 min: As Italy clear their lines, Arnautovic clips Barella. It’s late, and it’s a very early booking for the Austrian trouble-magnet.

8.03pm BST

1 min: A fast start by Austria, with Baumgartner making good down the left and crossing low. Sabitzer attempts a backflick but misses. Italy clear their lines. Austria so close to ending Italy’s long clean-sheet run in short order!

8.01pm BST

Austria get their very first knockout game at a Euros final underway. The tension and excitement at Wembley is palpable. Italy’s fans vastly outnumber their Austrian counterparts.

7.58pm BST

Here come the teams! Italy in azzurri blue, Austria wearing first-choice red. The Bundeshymne der Republik Österreich is played first. Altogether now: “Land of peaks, land of rivers / Land of fields, land of steeples / Land of labours, future-bound!” Then it’s Il Canto degli Italiani, with its cheery refrain: “Let us unite! We are ready to die! Italy called!” One of the classic anthems, catchy as hell. Tune, as the kids used to say about 25 years ago. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes.

7.41pm BST

A first dip into the electronic mailbag, and we pull out this letter from Justin Horton. “Am I right to recall that Italy had a similar clean-sheet record prior to the 1974 World Cup, shattered after 1,142 minutes - longer than the current run - by Haiti’s Emmanuel Sanon?” Time for me to yield the floor to our very own Simon Burnton ...

7.34pm BST

Much has been made of Italy coach Roberto Mancini’s effortless style. The other night, he performed his post-match interviews with his jacket draped insouciantly over one shoulder, like Frank Sinatra sauntering down the boulevard after a few ring-a-ding-drinks. This evening at Wembley, evidence of Mancini’s unparalleled panache continues to flood in.

7.07pm BST

Austria’s attacking quartet - Marko Arnautović, Marcel Sabitzer, Christoph Baumgartner and Konrad Laimer - certainly have quite the task ahead of them this evening. Italy haven’t conceded a goal for 17 hours and 35 minutes.

17 hours and 35 minutes!

6.50pm BST

Having rested their big names for the final group game against Wales, Italy name their strongest available line-up. Giorgino Chiellini is hamstrung, while Marco Varratti is selected ahead of Manuel Locatelli in the middle of the park. Austria named the same XI as the one sent out to beat Ukraine in their final group game.

6.46pm BST

Italy: Donnarumma, Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Acerbi, Spinazzola, Barella, Jorginho, Verratti, Berardi, Immobile, Insigne.
Subs: Sirigu, Locatelli, Belotti, Pessina, Emerson Palmieri, Chiesa, Cristante, Bernardeschi, Raspadori, Bastoni, Toloi, Meret.

Austria: Bachmann, Lainer, Dragovic, Hinteregger, Alaba, Xaver Schlager, Grillitsch, Laimer, Sabitzer, Baumgartner, Arnautovic.
Subs: Alexander Schlager, Ulmer, Posch, Ilsanker, Gregoritsch, Pervan, Baumgartlinger, Lienhart, Trimmel, Schaub, Schopf, Kalajdzic.

6.30pm BST

Great news for Austria! When Das Team play knockout football at a major tournament, they do pretty darn well. They reached the semi-finals of the 1934 World Cup, got to the semis again in 1954, and, well, that’s it. But a trend’s a trend’s a trend, and you’ve got to take the positives when you can.

Until last Monday, Austria hadn’t reached any knockout stage since. (They did get through the group stage at España 82, but that only qualified them for another group, with predictable consequences.) This, their first-ever appearance in the Euro knockouts, is uncharted territory for quite a few generations. A cause for celebration, were it not for the fact they’re facing Italy, who they haven’t beaten since 1960, losing ten of their subsequent 13 meetings with the Azzurri. Another trend, right there, and you can see why they might prefer to concentrate on the first one we mentioned.

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Published on June 26, 2021 15:37

June 24, 2021

The Euro 2020 Fiver: six days that will seem like six years

Say what you like about Robbie Savage – and for the record, The Fiver hears that over the years there have been murmurs – but when he parks the alpha-male patter and concentrates on the job in hand, he can be a great co-commentator. There was ample evidence of that on Wednesday night, when his sheer childlike glee and obvious love of the game poured out of the speaker as Hungary came within six minutes of avenging the 1954 World Cup final. Excited whoops and hollers that whisked the viewer along for the ride, old-school fun the top note, and tactical analysis is overrated anyway. A decent, workable facsimile of Ally McCoist. The Robert Fleck of co-coms.

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Published on June 24, 2021 04:09

June 22, 2021

Czech Republic 0-1 England: Euro 2020 – as it happened

Raheem Sterling’s early goal was enough for England to top Group D, as Bukayo Saka and Jack Grealish both impressed

1.04am BST

10.31pm BST

David Hytner was at Wembley to see England claim top spot in Group D. His report has landed, and here it is. Click and enjoy. Congratulations to England, commiserations to Scotland, and thanks for reading this MBM. Stay safe, and nighty night.

10.28pm BST

Gareth Southgate gives Independent TeleVision his verdict. “We started really well. We were stable with the ball. We changed what we were doing overnight because of the change to personnel, so great credit to the players. We’ve been super-impressed with Bukayo, his receiving under pressure was fantastic. I think there’s more to come from us. We haven’t scored from a set play yet. They’re crucial in big matches, so we’ve got to get those nailed. We’re not fluent, but we have moments when we look a good side. There’s a lot of good things that we are doing. We’ve got most of the squad into the games. Ninety minutes for Harry Maguire, which was important. Hendo 45, which was a real step forward. A lot of positives for us. It’s great to have more supporters. Who knows whether it’ll be a good draw or not, but we wanted to win the group, to stay at Wembley, and we’ll wait and see who we’ll play tomorrow.”

10.08pm BST

Bukayo Saka, who was superb tonight, is interviewed by ITV. “I think it was a really good performance. We played some really good football. Having already qualified, we played with a lot more freedom, time to express ourselves. I’m happy with my performance and the team. I was told to play my game and express myself, how I played for my club all season. Sometimes that means dropping in and driving at opponents. I did that, and it was a good cross from Jack, and Raheem was in the right place at the right time again to score us a goal. I was up there, but I’m not quite tall enough! It’s important for us to be here at Wembley, we win here a lot and the fans are an extra man.”

10.04pm BST

Raheem Sterling, the goalscoring hero once again, talks to ITV. “There’s positives from the game. We kept the ball better, we had more attacking options. We got in the gaps really well and played some good football. We got the goal we needed. I thought I’d put the first effort away, but am happy to get my goal in the end. Saka and Grealish got in the pockets really well, turned with the ball, they were positive. It’s brilliant to have these players around you, who can create goals. Different players are needed for different matches. If you don’t concede goals, you win football matches. We just need to score at the other end. Our objective from the beginning was to win the group. Things are going to be difficult at times. It’s tournament football, and at some point you’re going to have to face the best teams. That’s the whole point, to challenge yourself.”

10.00pm BST

It wasn’t the greatest performance by England, but then there’s no point peaking in the groups. Raheem Sterling scored his second goal of the tournament, after fine work by Bukayo Saka and Jack Grealish. Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson got some precious minutes, while Harry Kane finally got a shot on target. They’ll need to take it up a notch for the heavyweight opponents most likely coming up next, but they’ve topped their group, are yet to concede, will stay at Wembley, and have a week to prepare. Life’s not too bad, huh?

9.52pm BST

England top Group D! They’ve made it through without conceding a goal, and will welcome the runners-up of Group F to Wembley next Tuesday evening! France, Germany, Portugal or Hungary await. The Czechs finish third after Croatia’s 3-1 win over Scotland.

9.51pm BST

90 min +2: Kane romps after a long ball, but he’s never getting there. Another goalless match for the captain, but at least he got a shot on target this time.

9.50pm BST

90 min +1: Kral has a bash from distance. Nope.

9.50pm BST

90 min: There will be three added minutes. “Poor Scotland,” sighs Mary Waltz. “As the fog and rain gathers around Scottish hearts everywhere, at least they avoided the ignominy of being scoreless for the entire tourney. Weak gruel but it’s something.” Yes. Scotland have suffered more painful exits, too. And there’s always next year!

9.47pm BST

88 min: The home fans are in party mode. England are so close to winning Group D and staying at Wembley. The Czechs are offering nothing.

9.45pm BST

86 min: For a second, it looks as though Jordan Henderson has finally scored his first goal in an England shirt. He latches onto a Bellingham prod down the inside-right, stabbing home from six yards, but the flag goes up, correctly, for offside. He was miles off.

9.43pm BST

84 min: Pekhart swivels on the edge of the England box and rasps a low drive inches wide right. Then a couple of changes: Vydra comes on for Holes, while the excellent Saka makes way for Sancho.

9.42pm BST

83 min: The England fans are enjoying Scotland’s demise. A blast of Daydream Believer.

9.40pm BST

81 min: The same old story for Scotland, then. A third goal for Croatia. Ah bugger. Oh well. That’s got implications for the Czechs, too; as things stand, Croatia have leapfrogged them into second spot in the Group D table on goals scored.

9.38pm BST

79 min: Mings comes on for Stones.

9.37pm BST

78 min: Kane robs Kalas. He should break clear down the right, but opts for a swan dive over Kalas’s leg instead. The referee, quite rightly, is not interested.

9.34pm BST

76 min: Boril’s corner is bashed clear by Stones.

9.33pm BST

75 min: Kral romps down the left and wins a corner. Before it can be taken, Schick is replaced by Pekhart.

9.33pm BST

74 min: Bellingham makes good down the inside-left channel but as he shapes to shoot, is barged off the ball by Holes, who pokes out for a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece.

9.32pm BST

73 min: England play some keep-ball. Stones tries to raise the tempo with a leggy burst down the middle but he’s never totally in control and soon possession is shipped.

9.29pm BST

71 min: Phillips sprays a long ball down the middle, very nearly releasing Saka. Vaclik comes to the edge of his area to claim.

9.28pm BST

70 min: The tempo of this match has dropped. Everyone killing time.

9.27pm BST

68 min: Nothing much happens at the free kick, other than Maguire screaming for a penalty, claiming a shove in the back from Boril. Neither referee nor VAR is interested.

9.25pm BST

67 min: Before the free kick can be taken, Sterling is replaced by Rashford, while Grealish makes way for Bellingham.

9.25pm BST

66 min: Another fine burst by Saka sets England on the attack. Coufal puts an end to the move by clattering into Sterling out on the left. Free kick. Everyone lines up on the edge of the Czech box.

9.23pm BST

65 min: A double change by the Czechs. Hlozek and Kral come on for Darida and Masopust.

9.23pm BST

63 min: Another big cheer from the English fans, so you know what’s happened at Hampden. Luka Modric with a dagger through Scotland’s heart. Bah.

9.21pm BST

61 min: Boril climbs all over Saka, and goes into the book. He’ll miss the Czech Republic’s second-round match, which at the moment will be in Copenhagen against someone from Group E.

9.18pm BST

60 min: Coufal crosses from a deep position on the right. Under pressure from Schick, Pickford punches powerfully clear. That’s good proactive goalkeeping. “Coventry v Spurs was the Mensheviks,” argues Richard Hirst. “For the Bolsheviks you surely have to go to Wigan beating Man City.”

9.16pm BST

58 min: Sterling gives Phillips a hospital pass, and Darida nicks the ball away. Phillips hauls the Czech captain down, and is fortunate not to go into the book.

9.16pm BST

56 min: A lull, which both teams seem fairly happy with right now.

9.13pm BST

54 min: Pickford launches long. Kane flicks on. Sterling very nearly breaks free into the box, but Boril steps across just in time to intercept and clear. That was almost the perfect 1980s throwback. Beautiful in its own basic way.

9.11pm BST

53 min: Boril and Coufal work together down the right. The ball’s shuttled into the middle, where Saka buzzes around to clear. Saka is a class act at both ends of the pitch.

9.10pm BST

51 min: Henderson almost releases Kane with a prompt from deep. Not quite. Sterling then tries to release Shaw down the left with a back heel. Nearly. It’s that sort of game right now.

9.07pm BST

49 min: England are perhaps fortunate that the Czechs work a non-event of a short corner. Darida sidefoots harmlessly towards the near post, where Pickford gathers, the Czech captain then getting legally clattered by Saka for his trouble.

9.06pm BST

48 min: England faff about too much, Phillips overhitting a backpass, Walker unable to keep the ball from going out for a corner.

9.05pm BST

47 min: A slow start to the second half, England stroking it around the back awhile. “Surely Coventry’s win over Spurs in 1987 was the ultimate triumph of the proletariat over the reactionary bourgeoisie,” opines Brian ‘Trotsky’ Withington. George Curtis as Marx to John Sillett’s Engels?

9.03pm BST

England get the second half underway. Both teams have made a half-time change. Jankto is replaced by Sevcik, while Rice makes way for Henderson, who like Maguire is returning from injury and needs some minutes under his belt.

8.50pm BST

Half-time entertainment. As things stand, England will most likely meet Germany next Tuesday ...

8.47pm BST

No added time, and England are 45 minutes away from a second-round showdown with the runners-up of Group F.

8.46pm BST

45 min: More boos, presumably in reaction to this: Scotland have equalised against Croatia! Well, well. Now then. C’mon! Paul Doyle has all the details.

8.45pm BST

43 min: Kane sends a low, hard curler towards the bottom left. Vaclik sticks out a leg to block. The ball breaks to Sterling, though his back is turned and he doesn’t know. The England fans boo, thinking Sterling has downed tools, but he knows he’s well offside, and the flag goes up.

8.42pm BST

42 min: Walker works his way down the right and wins another England corner. They revive the old queue-up-and-scatter routine showcased at the 2018 World Cup. Celustka is wise to the grift and bangs clear.

8.41pm BST

40 min: A lull. “Anyone else wondering nervously what Germany might do to this England defence?” shudders Richard Hirst.

8.39pm BST

38 min: Nothing comes of the corner. “For some reason, your Marxist/Communist/post-structural philosophy discussion has reminded me of the classic Python sketch of a game show involving Marx, Lenin, Che and Mao,” writes Steve Buist. “ ‘The struggle of class against class is a what struggle, a what struggle?’ ‘A political struggle,’ Marx replied. But then he lost the beautiful new lounge suite when he couldn’t answer the final question: Who won the 1949 Cup final? It was Wolverhampton, not ‘The workers’ control of the means of production.’” A great sketch, albeit one fatally compromised by the 1987 final.

8.38pm BST

37 min: Now Shaw shows up the other end of the park, sent into a little space down the left by Grealish. His low shot-cum-cross nearly squeaks in at the near post, having taken a little deflection en route. Vaclik tips it around the post, just in time.

8.37pm BST

35 min: The Czechs really should be level now. A deep cross from the left. Jankto shapes to scissor home. Shaw bravely stoops to stop him. The ball breaks to Soucek, free on the penalty spot. He tries to steer a first-time shot into the left-hand side of the goal. Pickford wasn’t getting there, but the ball flies wide. What a chance!

8.33pm BST

33 min: Saka works his way down the right to earn an England corner. Phillips swings it in. Coufal heads clear, and seconds later the ball’s back at the feet of Pickford. A smattering of boos.

8.32pm BST

31 min: The Czechs continue to probe. They’ve quietened Wembley a little, as England struggle to get out of their own half.

8.30pm BST

29 min: A corner on the left leads to another on the right. The second one results in a scramble, the ball nearly breaking to Soucek on the penalty spot. One of the boots poking out of the comic-book cloud of dust clears. Very scrappy. The Czechs could easily have levelled there.

8.29pm BST

28 min: Holes seizes the means of production and belts it towards the top left of England’s goal. Pickford does extremely well to palm it away for a corner.

8.28pm BST

27 min: Nothing comes of the resulting corner. Here’s comrade Andrew Benton: “Saka’s non-foul? The ref’s a bourgeoise reactionary.”

8.27pm BST

26 min: Maguire steps up, channelling his inner Beckenbauer, and finds Kane down the inside-left with a gorgeous through ball. Kane drops a shoulder to make some space and time, and curls towards the bottom right. Vaclik sticks out a strong arm to block. Celustka hacks out for a corner. Kane was within his rights to shoot, one on one with the keeper, though Sterling was free to his right.

8.24pm BST

24 min: Some nice Czech triangulation, and Masopust is sent into space down the right. He loops towards the far post, where Walker bravely chests back to Pickford. That was super-calm defending under pressure from Schick.

8.23pm BST

22 min: The Czechs, after a torrid start, are beginning to work their way into this. Coufal draws another foul from Shaw, down the right, and takes the free kick quickly, his shovelled pass nearly finding Masopust free with England’s back line dozing. Pickford is alert, though, and he comes out to claim ahead of the Czech midfielder.

8.21pm BST

20 min: A cheer goes up around Wembley. Yep: Scotland 0-1 Croatia. Bugger it. Paul Doyle has the details.

8.20pm BST

19 min: Instead of sticking the ball into the mixer, the Czechs pull it back for Darida, who wants to shoot from distance, but is hounded by Saka. Great defending by the young man. What a waste of good field position, though, by a team renowned for their set-piece prowess.

8.19pm BST

18 min: The Czechs press high, Coufal latching onto a loose ball and breaking down the right. Shaw clanks him to the ground. Free kick in a dangerous position.

8.17pm BST

16 min: Grealish does what Grealish does, drawing a foul out wide on the left. Saka, who has also started brightly, swings it in low and earns a corner. Shaw hoicks it long. Saka is bundled over on the edge of the D by Boril, a clear foul, but he’s not getting the decision. Very strange.

8.15pm BST

14 min: The visitors try to strike back immediately, Celustka crossing deep from the right, looking for Schick. Not quite, but it’s a decent response to falling behind. “Have the Man City players made a bet to see who can hit the post the earliest in the tournament?” wonders Ian Webb. “Foden against Croatia, Stones against Scotland and now Sterling. Perhaps Walker in the second-round match is next up?” He might be onto something, you know. Lump on, people.

8.13pm BST

Sterling has already hit the post ... and now he finds the net! Saka burns down the right. He crosses. It’s not cleared. Then Grealish is sent dancing down the left by Kane. He dinks to the far post, where Sterling storms in to plant home a header from close range. Wembley erupts!

8.12pm BST

11 min: Kane meets a loose ball, 25 yards out, and sends a speculative effort towards the Hanger Lane gyratory system.

8.11pm BST

10 min: The resulting free kick is hooked into the Czech box. Stones eyebrows a harmless header out for a goal kick.

8.10pm BST

9 min: Kalas and Kane complete for a high ball. The England captain catches an arm across the jaw. He stays down for a bit, but eventually gets up, rubbing the old chin. Clearly a sore one. The referee has a quiet word with the Bristol City defender.

8.08pm BST

8 min: Kalas flings a throw down the right. Maguire improvises a backwards header to see off the threat of Masopust.

8.07pm BST

6 min: The Czechs ping the ball around, enjoying some pretty possession for the first time. Rice puts and end to it by clipping Darida from behind. Soon after the restart, Holes bundles the perpetually fouled Grealish to the ground. One reducer all.

8.05pm BST

4 min: That was a lovely ball down the flank by Shaw, and a delicate lob by Sterling. That’s got Wembley cooking early doors. A fine atmosphere. “You have unlocked the mystery of why Jordan Sancho is off the pitch,” writes Mary Waltz. “He is a Trotsky deviant and the Big Man, Kane, is plotting his demise!”

8.03pm BST

2 min: Shaw scoops a ball down the inside-left channel. Sterling tears clear, chasing after it. Easy as that. Vaclik rushes out to claim. Sterling gets there first, though, scooping over the keeper and into the empty ... ah. The ball clanks off the outside of the right-hand post and away. So close to a sensational start!

8.01pm BST

The Czechs kick off ... but only after England a knee. There’s no room for racism. Challenge it. Report it. Change it. Kick it out.

7.57pm BST

Here come the teams! England wear their famous white, the Czechs in first-choice red. Please stand, or stay sitting, whatever really, for the national drones. We’ll be off in a minute or two! “On ITV, Mark Pougatch just said it could be a ‘Sliding Doors’ moment for Grealish,” reports Ben Bennett. “It’s weird that a middling 90s film with John Hannah in it has made such an impact on the contemporary lexicon. I can’t help picture Roy Keane on the sofa with his Live, Laugh, Love mug cosying up on the sofa watching Paltrow’s multiverse romances, having a little cry.”

7.53pm BST

Deconstructing the knee. “In the face of the inevitable Czech (or Schick) puns that will be used tonight, a Czechia side featuring Darida/Derrida in midfield offers some variety,” begins Satya Gunput. “Given that some MPs are convinced that England players ‘taking the knee’ against racism are part of a Marxist plot to subvert the nation, it must be an exciting night for Harry Kane and his communist reading group. Coming up against the author of such hits as ‘The Spectres of Marx’ and ‘Whither Marxism’ is sure to bring the best out of the team.” Boo! Boo! Keep post-structural philosophy out of football!

7.38pm BST

Some correspondence from the official Gareth Southgate Fan Club. “Completely baffled at Southgate’s decision to leave Sterling on the pitch and Sancho off it, especially given his reasoning for allowing Grealish to ‘express himself’ in a game with lower stakes. What does Sancho have to do to get a look in?” - Rahul Vanamali.

“What on earth is Southgate thinking starting Maguire? No way any player should be expected to do a full 90 minutes straight after injury, so that means you have one less sub. If he wants him to get minutes then bring him on if you are leading and the other subs don’t matter” - Charlotte Casey.

7.31pm BST

A cheerful Harry Maguire talks to ITV. “It’s amazing to be selected in the squad in the first place. Then obviously to get my chance to play tonight and overcome the injury that’s set me back for over six weeks, which is quite strange in my career because it’s probably the longest one I’ve had. I’ve had some tough moments but I’m here and ready to play. There are always nerves before a game, especially for England, but they’re a good thing. In training you can only go so far, the game is what matters, and you get your fitness in a game, though I feel I’ve done everything right to prepare myself for this. The boys up to now have done a great job. We want to entertain the crowd and put big smiles on their faces. We want to score goals. We want to play with intensity and tempo, and try to control a lot better than we did against Scotland.”

7.18pm BST

Southgate also appears to rule out any possibility of Mount and Chilwell appearing in the round of 16. Should England win tonight and top Group D, Southgate’s team will play the runners up in Group F next Tuesday. That’s the first date the pair would be available for selection again, though it’d be a tight squeeze. “Even that will be very difficult given the training schedule and the need to isolate. We’ll have to look at that as we move forward.”

7.12pm BST

Then he moves on to this evening’s selection. First up, the dropping of Phil Foden: “He’s on a yellow card. Given we look like missing two players for the next round, I don’t want to take a risk on a third. It’s a shame for Phil, but I think it’s the sensible decision.” Then onto Jack Grealish: “It’s one of those nights, it’s a rarity in tournament football. There is a prize, we want to stay at Wembley, and it’s a great opportunity, we want to play winning football. But also the consequence of not doing so well is less fatal. So it’s a great night for our attacking players to go and express themselves.” Then Harry Maguire: “He’s been the outstanding English defender in the league this season, and has been a bedrock. It’s a difficult call because Tyrone Mings has been a colossus, but it’s a good opportunity for Harry to get 90 minutes. We were hoping he’d be available for this game, and he is.”

7.08pm BST

Gareth Southgate speaks to ITV about the loss to Covid protocols of Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell, after their contact in the tunnel last Friday with the stricken Billy Gilmour. “They are of course hugely disappointed to miss the games. We’ve just had to get on with it. It’s a bizarre situation really. They’ve spend 120 seconds too long in a fairly open space. It’s full of contradictions for me, but we have to get on with it. Frankly I don’t understand it at all. There are teams travelling around by plane, by coach, by bus, sitting in enclosed spaces for hours, and our two boys have been pinged for something which is ... y’know ... yeah, I don’t get it, I really don’t get it.” He also once again addresses the fact that England have two players self-isolating while Scotland have none. “I have no issue for Steve Clarke or for Scotland, I don’t want them to have any more issues than we’ve had. But it seems a bizarre situation.”

6.51pm BST

Four changes for England from the starting XI named against Scotland. Jack Grealish and Bukayo Saka start, while at the other end of the pitch, Harry Maguire and Kyle Walker return. Tyrone Mings and Reece James drop to the bench, Phil Foden is left out altogether, and Mason Mount is in self-isolation, having been in close contact with Billy Gilmour. The Czechs name the same side that drew 1-1 with Croatia last Friday.

6.43pm BST

Czech Republic: Vaclik, Coufal, Celustka, Kalas, Boril, Holes, Soucek, Masopust, Darida, Jankto, Schick.
Subs: Kaderabek, Brabec, Barak, Krmencik, Sevcik, Mandous, Hlozek, Vydra, Kral, Mateju, Koubek, Pekhart.

England: Pickford, Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw, Phillips, Rice, Saka, Grealish, Sterling, Kane.
Subs: Henderson, Rashford, Trippier, Ramsdale, Mings, Coady, Sancho, Calvert-Lewin, White, Johnstone, James, Bellingham.

6.41pm BST

Six members of the Czech squad have experience of playing in England. Tomáš Souček and Vladimír Coufal are currently impressing at West Ham, Matěj Vydra bustles for Burnley, and Tomáš Kalas is captain of Bristol City. Aleš Matějů spent a couple of years at Brighton & Hove Albion, while Ondřej Čelůstka had a brief spell on loan at Sunderland.

6.33pm BST

Stop Schick, stop Czechia? The Bayer Leverkusen striker has scored all three of the Czech Republic’s goals in the tournament so far, as Scotland will not need reminding. He also scored in the Czechs’ final warm-up game against Albania, so is currently on a blistering hot run of four goals in his last three international appearances. His overall tally for his country is none too shabby either: 14 in 28. Jordan Pickford is advised to keep the walkabouts to a minimum this evening.

6.17pm BST

Czechoslovakia won the Euros in 1976. You can read a bit about the greatest international tournament in history (yes it is) in the article below. Those in search of even more detail of Euro 76 can find some in this issue of the Blizzard, as well as a superb tome by Jonathan O’Brien called Euro Summits: The Story of the Uefa European Championship, which explores every nook and cranny of the finals from 1960 to 2016, and gets the official MBM stamp of approval. Highly recommended.

6.06pm BST

This is the first time the English and the Czechs have locked horns at a European Championship finals. England did meet Czechoslovakia twice at the World Cup, though. They scraped a victory in Guadalajara in 1970 thanks to an Allan Clarke penalty, and weren’t much more impressive when winning 2-0 in Bilbao in 1982, the Czechs the architects of their own downfall, Jozef Barmos scoring an own goal, keeper Zdenek Hruska dropping one at the feet of Trevor Francis.

5.56pm BST

England and the Czechs faced each other in qualifying for these finals. England won the match at Wembley, back in March 2019, with great ease. Raheem Sterling scored a hat-trick, Harry Kane netted a penalty, and a Tomáš Kalas own goal put the tin lid on the Czech Republic’s biggest defeat as an independent nation. Declan Rice made his debut that night.

It looked good for England in Prague a few months later, when Kane again scored from the spot after five minutes. But Jakub Brabec equalised five minutes later, and Zdeněk Ondrášek snatched victory with five minutes to go. That was the Czech Republic’s first win against England, though they’d also beaten them twice as part of the old Czechoslovakia.

5.45pm BST

England are already through, so can’t really lose tonight ... but they can’t really win, either. If they see off the Czech Republic this evening with confidence-building panache, they’ll finish top of Group D. Hooray! The only problem being, they’ll most likely go on to face Germany at Wembley in the second round, and Joachim Löw’s men have just rediscovered their mojo. A draw or defeat would leave Gareth Southgate’s men in second place, and most probably fated to play Spain in Copenhagen. That’d be a more palatable prospect against blunt opponents ... but anything other than a good win tonight will get everyone’s dander up, so, y’know. It’s possible that England could end up third, and in the lap of the gods, but only if they lose and Scotland run a few past Croatia, so let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.

Much better to forget about the permutations and accept that whatever will be, will be. It’ll be fine whatever happens. Knockout football’s a-comin’ one way or another. So pull up a chair. Pour yourself a glass of cordial. Stop and smell the roses. Enjoy the game. Kick off is at 8pm BST.

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Published on June 22, 2021 14:31

June 19, 2021

US Open golf 2021: third round – as it happened

Louis Oosthuizen co-leads after stunning eagle at 18Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau in chasing packCheck out the official US Open leaderboard

1.52am BST

Moving Day was fun ... and Sunday promises to be even better! Look at some of the names at the top of this leaderboard. Many a story to be told tomorrow. Hope you’ll join us. Thanks for reading this blog. Nighty night!

-5: Hughes, Oosthuizen, Henley
-3: McIlroy, DeChambeau
-2: Scheffler, Rahm, Wolff
-1: Johnson, Morikawa, Bezuidenhout, Schauffele, Streelman
E: Casey, Poulter, Molinari, Im, Koepka, Thomas, English
+1: Spieth, Kaymer, Baker, Griffin, Harman, Westwood, Migliozzi, Bland

1.49am BST

After all that’s happened, Bland, having dropped 85 yards away, whips a high wedge into the air, landing his ball 20 feet behind the pin, and screwing it back to five feet. What a shot! What moxie! So much pressure to get out of Dodge without any more damage. The crowd loved that. In goes the putt and that’s a 77. Ah well. He ends the day at +1. Henley meanwhile sends his long bunker shot to 12 feet, then makes the putt coming back to save his par. How much could that up and down be worth tomorrow? He shares the 54- hole lead with Hughes and Oosthuizen.

1.43am BST

“Get up! Get up!” A well-meaning punter tries to chivvy Bland’s third along. But it’s not getting over the water. It drops apologetically a couple of yards before land. For the first time today, despite all his previous travails, the English veteran’s head drops. Henley meanwhile squirts a very nervous wedge into the bunker on the right. The tension has been palpable over these closing holes this afternoon; imagine what it’ll be like this time tomorrow!

1.39am BST

Henley whips out of the sand ... and his lay-up disappears into the thick rough down the right. So clumsy. Potentially so costly. His partner Bland is navigating the thick stuff down the other side of the hole. He’ll also be hitting his third into the green from the cabbage, with little or no chance of generating the spin required to set up a birdie chance.

1.36am BST

Back on the tee, Henley opts to take an iron. He’s laying up whatever. He’s certainly doing that after finding sand to the right of the fairway.

1.34am BST

The dream’s far from over for Louis Oosthuizen! He taps his eagle effort down the 18th. It oscillates this way and that, before straightening up over the last few feet and rolling unerringly into the cup! The Torrey Pines gallery breaks into one of the roars of the day! That’s whisked him into a share of the lead! He signs for a 70, having turned things around dramatically over the closing three holes! No birdie for Wolff, though, who caresses a fine chip down the green from the filth to six feet, but watches his putt hop out. He cards 73.

-5: Hughes (F), Oosthuizen (F), Henley (17)
-3: McIlroy (F), DeChambeau (F)

1.30am BST

Henley is on the 17th in regulation. His putt is a snaky 15-foot downhill puzzle. He steers it to tap-in distance, though it never looked like dropping. No matter, par will do, and he remains in a share at -5. Bland’s nightmare continues; another bogey, and he’s level par for the tournament now. The dream, it’s fair to say, is over.

1.26am BST

Oosthuizen sends his second at 18 over the flag from 235 yards. He’ll have a 30-foot eagle putt coming back downhill. Wolff’s second bounces hard and disappears into the thick rough at the back.

1.24am BST

Rahm tidies up for his birdie. A very scrappy 72, but he’s only three off the lead as it stands right now. He’s -2. His partner Bubba has been to hell and back, though: he closes with two birdies, yet still cards a 77. He’s out of the picture at +3.

1.21am BST

Wolff can’t save himself at 17. Another bogey, and he’s been a bit ragged today. He slips to -2. Par for his partner Oosthuizen, who remains at -3. Back down the hole, the co-leader Henley sends his tee shot into sand down the right. And up on 18, Rahm sends his second to Streelman Country at the back of the green. Just like Streelman before him, he judges the 60-foot roll almost to perfection. He’ll have a three-footer for a closing birdie.

1.16am BST

Another bogey for Richard Bland, his fourth of the day, the result of failing to hit a fairly straight eight-footer at 16. He’s -1. Meanwhile up on 17, Wolff does extremely well to screech a wedge five feet past the flag. He’ll have a chance to salvage his par.

1.14am BST

More trouble for Wolff, this time at 17. He catches a heavy contact out of a fairway bunker, and his ball, well short of the green, ends up in a divot. Up on 18, Kevin Streelman nearly drains a monster for eagle, but birdie suffices and he signs for a 72 that keeps him in red figures at -1. Hughes then rolls in his birdie putt, and it’s a 68 that brings him a share of the lead ... because Henley can’t quite make his birdie putt on 16.

-5: Hughes (F), Henley (16)
-3: McIlroy (F), DeChambeau (F), Wolff (16), Oosthuizen (16)

1.10am BST

Hughes clips a cute bunker shot to six feet. A putt coming up to grab a share of the lead ... though on 16, Henley will have a birdie putt of his own, having swished his 5-iron into the heart of the green, 20 feet from the flag.

1.09am BST

Henley is unable to get up and down from the bunker at 15. Bogey, and his lead over Hughes is now just one. On 18, Hughes’s second only just gets over the water, ending up in the bunker to the left of the green. Morikawa made birdie from there earlier, so it’s not the worst place to be. And up on 16, birdie for Oosthuizen, and the leader board continues to evolve.

-5: Henley (15)
-4: Hughes (17)
-3: McIlroy (F), DeChambeau (F), Wolff (16), Oosthuizen (16)
-2: Scheffler (F), Bland (15)

1.05am BST

Scheffler, who had wedged his third to eight feet, is left with an uphill birdie putt. He hits it confidently, but it’s always drifting a little to the left, and horseshoes out. Just a par. He signs for a 70 and goes into Sunday at -2, currently four off Henley’s lead. Then it’s Schauffele’s turn ... and he misses as well. He leaves himself a tricky three footer coming back. In it goes for par, and that’s a disappointing 72. He’s still -1, though, after two disappointing days in a row, and in the mix at a major yet again.

1.01am BST

Scheffler finds a fairway bunker with his tee shot at 18, and is forced to lay up. No such problem for Schauffele, who crashes his second over the back of the green. He’s got a tricky chip from the thick stuff, though, downhill towards water. He lobs up carefully, landing his ball softly on the green and rolling it right-to-left down the hill towards the cup. It stops four feet short, a stunning effort from where he was.

12.58am BST

Hughes arrows his approach at 17 straight at the flag. Ten feet short. He’s one dimple’s width away from rolling the rock into the cup for birdie. He remains in second at -4. On 15, Henley cracks his drive down the right side of the fairway, then pulls a 5-iron into the sand to the left of the green. His partner Bland sends a 4-iron into the thick grass skirting the back of the putting surface. Big up-and-downs coming up.

12.49am BST

Birdie for Scottie Scheffler at 17 first. Then it’s Schauffele’s turn. In it goes, and they’re -2 and -1 respectively. Meanwhile on 14, Henley nearly drains a long birdie effort. One inch to the right, and he’d have a three-shot lead. But pars are always good at the US Open.

-6: Henley (14)
-4: Hughes (16)
-3: McIlroy (F), DeChambeau (F), Wolff (14)
-2: Scheffler (17), Oosthuizen (14), Bland (14)

12.46am BST

Henley isn’t making too many mistakes. His tee shot at 14 leaks into a bunker down the left, but he’s able to find the centre of the green with his second. Hughes is a couple of turns away from making a 15-foot birdie putt on 16. Up on 17, Schauffele whips his second to five feet. He’s level par right now, but if he makes that, and does something up 18, he’ll be in good nick going into tomorrow despite two bang-average days in a row.

12.42am BST

Two putts for Bryson DeChambeau at 18. He’s not far from making his eagle putt, but it stops six inches short, and par it is. Still, that’s an excellent 68, and the defending champion will be right in the thick of it again tomorrow! Matthew Wolff, last year’s runner-up, also fancies a re-run, and does extremely well to screech a wedge close at 14, limiting the damage to bogey. Meanwhile Louis Oosthuizen can’t get up and down from greenside sand at 14 and slips backwards.

-6: Henley (13)
-4: Hughes (15)
-3: McIlroy (F), DeChambeau (F), Wolff (14)
-2: Oosthuizen (14), Bland (13)
-1: D Johnson (F), Morikawa (F), Bezuidenhout (F), Scheffler (16)

12.36am BST

Yep, players make mistakes in the heat of battle at a US Open. Wolff sends his tee shot wide right at 14, then clips the branches of a tree with his second. The ball disappears into more thick rough. He then chunks the one coming out. Trouble here. On 13, Henley sends his second into greenside sand, and can’t get close with the splash out. No birdie at a popular par-five. And on 18, DeChambeau counts the cost of that loose lay-up, finding the green but unable to impart any spin. His ball stops 25 feet past the hole.

12.31am BST

Rahm, running hot, races his par saver four feet past. Then misses the one coming back. He effs and jeffs in lyrical fashion, before tapping in for a double-bogey six that crashes him back to -1. Bad luck, compounded by some slapdash putting. And on 18, an error for DeChambeau, who decides to lay up ... then misses the fairway with his chip out. His ball disappears into the thick stuff on the other side of the hole, and that’ll not help him to control his approach.

12.25am BST

Morikawa gets up and down from sand at 18 for a birdie and a total of 70. He goes into the final round in red figures: -1. Justin Thomas has to settle for a 71; he’s level par. A wild drive for Rahm at 14 forces him to take some medicine by chipping back out onto the fairway; his third hits the flag, taking the spin off the ball and sending it to the back of the green. And on 18, DeChambeau pulls his drive into a bunker on the left. Big decision coming up: does he go for the green in two from there?

12.22am BST

DeChambeau rolls carefully to tap-in distance, and he walks off 17 with a par. It’s back-to-back bogeys for Bland, though; he was always out of position on 12, and slips to -2. A two-putt birdie on the par-five 13th for Oosthuizen, who has been off his game for most of yesterday and today, but remains right in the mix at -3. And his playing partner Wolff makes birdie too, joining Hughes in second spot at -4.

12.19am BST

Henley and Hughes take turns to get up and down from their respective tricky positions. The leading duo are up there for a reason. As is DeChambeau, who wedges high into the heart of 17, taking no chances. He’ll most likely save his par with two putts from 30 feet.

12.17am BST

On 12, Henley can get his fairway wood to the ball, which is sitting up nicely in the filth. He whistles his second through the back of the green. He’s not far from the pin, but in more thick awfulness, so will have a tricky chip from there. On 14, Hughes can only find a greenside bunker with his second. And a huge stroke of fortune for DeChambeau on 17: his drive leaks left, takes one bounce in a penalty area, and bounds back out. He’ll still have a hard second from a thick lie, but that could have easily sailed off to the left and down a jungle-covered slope. The reigning champion allows himself a huge sigh of relief.

12.11am BST

Hughes follows up that monster eagle putt by sending a slice into the punters down the right of 14. Henley follows his hole-out from the bunker with a flay into deep grass down the right of 12. Up on 16, DeChambeau, having sent his tee shot 15 feet short of the flag, leaves his uphill birdie effort one turn short.

12.08am BST

Ah, here’s a better putt than that one! Mackenzie Hughes, from the fringe at the back of 13, rolls in a 60-footer for eagle! Shades of Tiger in 2008, and that’s catapulted the 30-year-old Canadian into second place! There are ten players under par at Torrey Pines. Here’s the chart rundown!

-6: Henley (11)
-4: Hughes (13)
-3: McIlroy (F), DeChambeau (15), Rahm (12), Wolff (12), Bland (11)
-2: Oosthuizen (12)
-1: Johnson (F), Scheffler (13)

12.05am BST

Par for Brooks Koepka on 18. It’s just a level-par 71 today for the 2017 and 2018 champion, coming back in 37, and while he’s not out of it, he’ll need something super-special tomorrow. Speaking of super-special, Bland tickles a 60-foot putt down the green from the back of 10. It nearly stops halfway along, but topples slowly over the ridge, picks up speed, and stops a couple of feet from the cup. You’ll not see many better putts this week. From the ridiculous to the sublime. He tidies up to limit the damage to bogey. He’ll not feel so bad about things after that. He slips to -3, though.

12.00am BST

Bland pulls his tee shot at 11 into the sand on the left ... then blades the bunker shot over the back of the green. Compare and contrast to Henley, who finds sand on the other side ... and bundles a two-bounce splash into the cup! In for birdie! What a stunning shot! Big response needed by Bland now to limit the damage. Meanwhile up on 15, DeChambeau lands his approach 12 feet from the flag, but the ball topples back down a ridge to leave a 35-foot birdie putt. That’s awful luck. He rolls up to a couple of feet and tidies up for par.

-6: Henley (11)
-4: Bland (10)

11.53pm BST

Henley wedges pin high to 15 feet at 10, but can’t make his par saver. Bland is able to get up and down from the back, though, and the gap at the top is now just one.

-5: Henley (10)
-4: Bland (10)
-3: McIlroy (F), DeChambeau (14), Rahm (11), Wolff (11)

11.47pm BST

DeChambeau rattles in his 15-foot par saver! He remains at -3, and good luck prising his fingers from the trophy. At 16, Thomas clips his 6-iron to tap-in distance, and the 2017 PGA champ will rise to level par after a period of bang-average action. Meanwhile some trouble for the leading pair at 10. Bland sends his second over the back into the thick stuff, while Henley, having found a bunker with his tee shot, catches his second heavy and ends up well short of the dancefloor. Some important short-game stuff coming right up!

11.43pm BST

Rory McIlroy trickles his monster eagle putt down the green at 18. He tidies up for birdie, and that’s a seize-the-day 67 that brings the 2011 champion into the thick of the action! The crowd reward the popular Irish star with a huge roar, and for the first time in a while, McIlroy will seriously compete at the business end of a major championship. He’s the new clubhouse leader at -3.

11.40pm BST

Another clumsy one from DeChambeau, who wedges carefully out from the greenside rough at 14. Too carefully, because his ball doesn’t get over a small ridge and begins rolling back down the green in the wrong direction. Big par putt coming up.

11.38pm BST

Bland finds the front of 9 in two. But he underhits his long eagle putt, which topples back down the slope in the middle of the green. He ends up with a three-putt par. Birdie for Henley, though, who gets up and down from sand to go two clear again. Meanwhile on 14, DeChambeau crashes a huge drive down the middle, only to pull his wedge into the thick rough surrounding the green. To be fair, he’d found his ball in a divot. And on the par-five 18th, McIlroy is on in two, albeit a long way from the flag.

-6: Henley (9)
-4: Bland (9)

11.33pm BST

DeChambeau chips up onto the 13th to eight feet, and in goes the birdie putt! At one point yesterday he was as low as +5, only to reboot and keep his title defence alive. Well, it really is alive now! He’s just two off. Meanwhile on 18, McIlroy, who could do with picking up a shot to finish Moving Day on a high, finds the fairway with a big boom off the tee. And a first birdie of the day for Rahm, who made his way straight down 10 in textbook style.

-5: Henley (8)
-4: Bland (8)
-3: DeChambeau (13), Rahm (10), Wolff (9), Oosthuizen (9)
-2: McIlroy (17), Hughes (11), Streelman (11)
-1: Johnson (F), Morikawa (14), Scheffler (11)

11.27pm BST

McIlroy steers his putt on 17 over the hump to kick-in distance. A decent par after that drive. A fairly miserable bogey for Wolff on 9, though. From the middle of the fairway, he sends his second behind a tree. He’s forced to hack out into a bunker and take his chances with an up and down. His splash out is weak, and his long par putt is a total misread. A catalogue of errors, and he’s getting a wee big agitated again. He’s -3.

11.21pm BST

McIlroy’s tee shot at 17 goes right this time. Only just off the fairway, but it disappears into the thick stuff. He whips his second onto the green, albeit nowhere near the flag, but he’d have probably taken that outcome. A tricky two putts over a hump coming up. Meanwhile on the par-five 13th, DeChambeau’s back foot slips as he drives, sending his ball into deep rough on the right. He powers his second into equally thick nonsense on the left, but he’s near the green and will be happy to work with that.

11.15pm BST

A word on Bubba Watson, who is having a shocker so far. Bogeys at 3, 6 and 7, and he’s tumbled down the standings to level par. He’s alongside Xander Schauffele, who has also been out of sorts: out in 36, and now bogey at 10. Schauffele’s playing partner Scottie Scheffler drops a shot there too, and he slips back to -1. US Opens are hard.

11.12pm BST

McIlroy fist-pumps the air again. This time it’s after splashing out from a greenside bunker at the tricky 16th, then nailing a very missable six-foot par putt. He remains in a tie for fifth.

-5: Henley (7)
-4: Wolff (8), Bland (7)
-3: Oosthuizen (8)
-2: McIlroy (16`), DeChambeau (12), Streelman (9), Rahm (8)

11.07pm BST

A birdie for Collin Morikawa at 13. He’s been quiet today, but now he’s under par for his round ... and for the championship. He’s -1. Meanwhile a huge roar by Matthew Wolff, who has calmed down considerably since his hot flush on 7. He steers in a delicate 20-foot right-to-left breaker on the par-three 8th, and the birdie brings him to within a shot at -4!

11.04pm BST

A stunning chip by McIlroy on 15. He sends his fourth shot from 44 yards to four feet, and tidies up for bogey. Not ideal, but when his ball disappeared down that ravine, forcing him to drop behind trees, he’d have grabbed this outcome with two greedy hands. He’s still only three behind the lead, and fist-bumps accordingly.

-5: Henley (6)
-4: Bland (6)
-3: Wolff (7), Oosthuizen (7)
-2: McIlroy (15), DeChambeau (11), Scheffler (9), Hughes (8), Streelman (8), Rahm (8)

11.02pm BST

A sad end to Bob MacIntyre’s round. Bogey at 18, and he’s signing for a one-over 72. Still, he’s +3 for the week, currently in a tie for 33rd, and this is yet another decent showing from the young man from Oban. He’s clocking up plenty of major-championship experience.

11.00pm BST

Birdies for Scheffler and Schauffele at 9. They’re -2 and -1 respectively. Bogey for Rahm at 8; he’s -2. And on 7, Wolff briefly threatens to boil over as his second topples unluckily down a swale to the left of the green. He then overhits his chip up, as well as the one coming back. On both occasions, he batters the earth with his club. Fortunately he manages to limit the damage by rolling in a staunch 12-foot bogey putt. He slips to -3.

10.57pm BST

Henley does well to lag his long par putt to 18 inches, and limits the damage to bogey. Par for Bland, who scrambles brilliantly from the front. Up on 11, DeChambeau creams his tee shot straight at the flag, leaving an eight-footer for birdie, but he fails to hit it. Par, and he remains at -2. And on 15, McIlroy hooks an iron around the trees, and finds the fairway, 50 yards from the green. A great outcome from where he was, but he’s hit three, and a double is the most likely outcome ... unless he can find a big up-and-down.

10.54pm BST

McIlroy’s ball has indeed disappeared down an embankment. It’s a penalty zone, and he’s forced to take a drop. This could get costly, because there are trees blocking the route to the green. Full punishment for what was an appalling tee shot. Back on 6, Henley is left with an uphill lie in the bunker and the face nearby. He splashes out, but gets nowhere close. He’ll be left with a 40-footer for par.

10.49pm BST

Bland misclubs coming into 6, and he’ll have to get up and down from off the front to save his par. Just a little stutter, coming after the dropped shot at 5. His partner Henley finds the rough down the right with his tee shot, then pulls his second into the bunker front left of the green. He might be up against a lip there. And up on 15, McIlroy flays a dreadful drive miles left, over the filth, past some trees, and down what appears to be a ditch. Let’s see where that’s ended up.

10.45pm BST

On 18, Dustin Johnson finds the back of the green with a big second shot, the ball briefly threatening to roll back down the slope towards the cup. It stubbornly stops, but he rolls from 30 feet to tap-in distance for birdie. That’s a 68, and at -1, the 2016 champion is the new clubhouse leader.

10.43pm BST

Russell Henley suddenly has a two-stroke lead at the top. He pars 5, but Bland had found a bunker to the right of the green, and his eight-foot attempt to save par dies off to the right. Par for McIlroy at 14, meanwhile.

-6: Henley (5)
-4: Wolff (6), Oosthuizen (6), Bland (5)
-3: McIlroy (14), Rahm (6)
-2: DeChambeau (9), Hughes (7), Streelman (7)

10.39pm BST

Im Sung-jae is in the house with a 69, as is Francesco Molinari. A 68 for Ian Poulter, and all three are currently sharing the early clubhouse lead alongside Paul Casey, at level par.

10.36pm BST

Just a par for DeChambeau on the par-five 9th. He’ll feel that, because he was in front of the green in two, but underhit his chip in, sending his ball toppling back down the ridge running across the green. He nearly makes the long birdie putt, but remains at -2.

10.32pm BST

Louis Oosthuizen gets back to -4 with birdie at 5. Meanwhile here comes McIlroy’s downhill 50-foot eagle attempt. It shaves the right-hand side of the hole and rolls four feet past. That’s a fine effort! In goes the one coming back, and that’s three birdies in four holes. He was a dimple away from making one at 11, too. This is the Rory we’ve missed at the majors for so long. Can he keep it going? Keep it going, please, Rory!

-6: Henley (4)
-5: Bland (4)
-4: Wolff (5), Oosthuizen (5)
-3: McIlroy (13), Rahm (6)

10.28pm BST

Bland very nearly drains a 20-footer from the fringe at 4 for birdie. He taps in for par. Henley however, having sent his second over the flag to six feet, makes his birdie effort and goes back into the lead on his own again. Meanwhile on the par-five 13th, McIlroy nearly slam-dunks his second from 260 yards straight into the cup! That would have been an absurd albatross! But it hits the flagstick and rolls towards the back of the green. He’ll have a long two putts for birdie. Much better luck for Rory than enjoyed by Sergio here earlier.

-6: Henley (4)
-5: Bland (4)

10.20pm BST

Looking back, it was never going to happen. Phil Mickelson winning back-to-back majors at 51, that is. He signs today for a 76 that crashes him down the leader board to a tie for 64th. Back in 40, with a double at 17. He’s +7, but he’ll always have Kiawah. Meanwhile the exciting young Italian, Guido Migliozzi, sends a tramliner into the cup at 7 to move to -1.

10.15pm BST

For the second time today, Rahm pulls a short birdie putt to the left. This one at 5 keeps him at level for his round and -3 for the tournament. Bland and Henley split the fairway at 4.

10.12pm BST

Henley can’t make his birdie putt on 3. A slightly nervous effort by a player who has been overachieving with his flat stick so far this week. Two steady putts for Bland, though, and the pair remain one clear of Wolff at -5.

10.10pm BST

Henley hits the flag at the par-three 3rd with his wedge! The ball takes one bounce, clanks against the stick, and bounds back, stopping six feet away. Meanwhile up on 10, Brooks has suddenly rediscovered his four-time major-winning mojo, raking in a 30-footer for another birdie at 10. And on 12, McIlroy, in thick nonsense to the right of 12, punches his chip into the cup! A huge smile, because all of a sudden, the 2011 champion is just three off the lead! Just look at the big names lurking here!

-5: Bland (2), Henley (2)
-4: Wolff (3)
-3: Rahm (4), Oosthuizen (3)
-2: McIlroy (12), Koepka (10), DeChambeau (7), Hughes (5), Streelman (5), Watson (4)

10.04pm BST

Henley leaves himself a 25-foot uphill putt at 2 for par. He doesn’t hit it, and hands back the shot he picked up on the opening hole. Bland opts to Todd Hamilton a fairway wood from the fringe, and taps it a hot six feet past. No matter, in goes the par saver, and he’s back in a share of the lead. And up on 7, DeChambeau makes his par putt. What an escape! He remains at -2.

-5: Bland (2), Henley (2)
-4: Wolff (3)
-3: Rahm (4), Oosthuizen (3)
-2: DeChambeau (7), Streelman (4), Watson (4)

9.59pm BST

Trouble for Bryson at 7, as he sends his drive down a bank to the side of 7. He’ll need a big break of luck there ... and he doesn’t get it. He’s in a penalty area, and has to drop. But he’ll have a chance of escaping with par nevertheless, because he wedges to six feet. This’ll be one hell of a boost if he can get out of Dodge unscathed. Meanwhile up on the hardest hole on the course, the par-three 11th, McIlroy nearly steals a march on the entire field by sending his tee shot over the flag to six feet. But the putt he’s left with is still hellishly difficult, a downhill tickler with a huge right-to-left break. He nearly curls it in, but par will have to do.

9.56pm BST

Henley pulls his drive at 2 into thick oomska down the right. A terrible lie. He powers it out as best he can, but there’s no way he’s reaching the green. He gets it as far as the semi-rough, which doesn’t sound great, but is quite the result from where he was. US Open, you see. He’ll need to get up and down from distance if he’s to stay in the lead ... unless his partner Bland bogeys, of course, and his second has leaked into the fringe at the back.

9.53pm BST

Some high jinks with Justin Thomas on 8. He loses his balance and falls over as he splashes out of a bunker at the front of the par-three. His ball lands 15 feet past the cup, then threatens to spin back all the way. He beckons the ball towards him by waving his club, then mimes a fishing reel. The gallery enjoyed that one. He tidies up for his par, and, as students of the previous entry will have already ascertained, remains at -1.

9.50pm BST

McIlroy is this close to holing out for eagle at 10 from 140 yards. His ball rolls an inch wide of the cup, and five feet past. He’s left with the sort of putt he so often misses, but his work with Brad Faxon is slowly bearing fruit, and he tidies up to move to -1. He’s still five off the lead, though, because on 1, Henley rolls a putt from the fringe at the back to the edge of the cup. It waits a beat before topping in, and he takes sole ownership of the lead. Birdie for Bryson at 6, too, and after a slow hour or so, plates are beginning to shift.

-6: Henley (1)
-5: Bland (1)
-4: Wolff (1)
-3: Rahm (3), Oosthuizen (1)
-2: DeChambeau (6), Hughes (3), Streelman (3), Watson (3)
-1: McIlroy (10), Thomas (8), Bezuidenhout (6), Scheffler (4), Schauffele (4)

9.44pm BST

A timely burst by Im Sung-jae. The 23-year-old Korean, who already has a tie for second at Augusta on his CV, birdies 13 and 14 to spring up to level par for the tournament. He’s been steady rather than spectacular so far this week, with a couple of 72s, but suddenly he’s tied for 13th place. A strong finish from here, and he’ll be well placed for tomorrow.

9.41pm BST

Oosthuizen can’t make his par save at 1, and drops back to -3. Par for his partner Wolff. Nobody’s making much of a move in the right direction yet.

-5: Bland, Henley
-4: Wolff (1)
-3: Watson (2), Rahm (2), Oosthuizen (1)
-2: Streelman (3), Hughes (3)
-1: Thomas (6), DeChambeau (5), Schauffele (3)

9.37pm BST

Here come the leaders! The surprise leaders. The final group takes to the course. Russell Henley sends his tee shot down the left side of the fairway, then Richard Bland - the Rocco Mediate de nos jours? - follows him down the same side. He looks after it anxiously, but that’s on the short stuff, and hopefully will settle a few of the old nerves.

9.35pm BST

Bryson’s old pal Brooks three-putts 8 and drops back to level par. He doesn’t look totally happy with his game this week, his putter especially misbehaving in uncharacteristic fashion. Back on 1, Oosthuizen bashes his third to six feet, a fine outcome from a dreadful position, and he’s left with a great chance of escaping with par.

9.34pm BST

Oosthuizen doesn’t get good contact in the bunker, and dumps his second further up the hole into the thick rough. Wolff manages to power his second onto the green, though, taking advantage of his not being snookered by the trees. That’s a fine recovery. Meanwhile up on 5, DeChambeau powers a monster drive down the middle, wedges to six feet, then pulls the birdie putt. He walks off in frustration.

9.29pm BST

It’s good to see last year’s runner-up Matthew Wolff back in the mix and enjoying his golf again, the young Californian having struggled with his mental health recently. In that sense, how he scores today is a secondary issue. Godspeed, Matthew. Still, going one better than last year would be quite nice, too. He sends his opening drive into deep trouble down the right; his route to the green may be obscured by trees. No need to panic; he started slowly yesterday before rallying to a 68. He’s going round with Louis Oosthuizen, who drives into a bunker. Off they go.

9.24pm BST

Would there be a more popular winner than Bubba Watson this week? Well, Phil, obviously, but that’s not going to happen. He pulls his opening drive into thick filth down the right of 1, but gouges a wedge onto the green nonetheless, and nearly drains the long birdie putt. An opening par to remain at -3. His partner Jon Rahm knocks his second to 12 feet, but pulls his putt slightly, and it’s par for the big Spaniard too.

9.18pm BST

Bryson muscles his second from the right of 4 to eight feet, a marvellous recovery. But he seriously underhits his birdie effort, and has to settle for par. The defending champ remains at -1. Birdie for Christiaan Bezuidenhout at 4; the 27-year-old South African, slowly establishing himself as a major-tournament fixture, moves to -1.

9.14pm BST

A 74 for Tommy Fleetwood, who ends the day at +6; a one-over 72 for Matt Fitzpatrick, which is not bad going after finding himself four over for his round after five holes. He’s +4.

9.11pm BST

Those errant drives cost both Scheffler and Schauffele at 1. A pair of bogeys, and they slip to level par and -1 respectively. Birdie for Mickelson up on 13, a hole that’s caused him some grief in the past - a quadruple-bogey nine on Saturday in 2008 - and he’s +4. And on 4, DeChambeau watches his tee shot career off down a cart path to the right. No shout of fore, despite his ball flying towards the gallery. A slim chance he could go round tomorrow with Bob MacIntyre, currently at +2; I’d like to see how that sort of thing would pan out then.

9.02pm BST

Birdie to finish for the 2014 champion Martin Kaymer. He signs for another excellent round, a 69 to go alongside yesterday’s 68. Shame, shame, shame about that opening 77. Here’s to a sustained run of form now for a player who has always been a tad streaky. Birdie too for his partner, the 2019 winner Gary Woodland. He’s +5 after a 73.

8.59pm BST

Just as people like to say salsa, they also like to say Scheffler and Schauffele. Scottie and Xander - who both miss the fairway with their opening drive - will be Schuffling their way around Torrey Pines together today. Perhaps they should both perform this soft-shoe shuffle. I’ll stop now.

8.52pm BST

The greens get firmer and bumpier as the day goes on, so the good front-nine scores of earlier seem a little more elusive now. Nobody’s making any sort of significant move out of the pack and towards the leaders ... yet. Birdie for Mr 62, Branden Grace, at 2; he’s -1.

8.47pm BST

Some more US Open style shenanigans at the par-three 3rd. Collin Morikawa’s tee shot isn’t too far away from the pin, tucked away to the left of the green. But he misses by a couple of feet, and takes two to chip out from the thick rough. He does very well to make the awkward six-footer he leaves himself, but that’s still a bogey and he’s +1.

8.45pm BST

Brian Harman has just taken four putts from three feet at 6. It costs him a triple-bogey seven, and he crashes down the standings to +2. The bumpy, inconsistent, difficult-to-read poa-annua greens of Torrey Pines, ladies and gentlemen.

8.42pm BST

Ian Poulter nearly chips in from a greenside bunker at 18. It’s his second birdie in the last three holes, and he’s signing for a 68 that brings him to level par for the week. Meanwhile up on 1, Bryson DeChambeau makes an opening birdie to move to -1. He’s alongside Brooks Koepka on the leader board, and yes of course everyone’s already dreaming of a Super Sunday Showdown tomorrow.

8.36pm BST

Nobody does golfing misfortune quite like Sergio Garcia, and this effort is special, even by his own lofty standards. At the bottom of the big false front at 13, he wedges up delightfully, straight at the flag. Nine-hundred-and-ninety-nine times out of a thousand, the ball’s pitching just past the cup, and spinning back real close. This time, however, it takes one bounce, clatters flush into the flagstick, spins back, rolls slowly down the false front, and stops with serene grace on the exact spot from whence it came. Sergio, having not moved an inch, remains stock still, staring down at the ball’s reappearance in stunned disbelief. The whole thing, needless to say, was played out with perfect comic timing as the ball, like an obedient old dog, made its inevitable journey back to the feet of its master. Sergio ends up with a double-bogey seven, because that’s how these things pan out for him. He’s +7.

8.25pm BST

Birdie for Brooks Koepka at 2; birdie for Justin Thomas at 1. Both are -1 for the tournament. DJ nearly makes another birdie at the par-three 8th, but his ten-foot putt lips out, much to his knee-buckling frustration. News of the Open champion Shane Lowry, meanwhile: he shot his second 72 of the week today, and will go into the final round at +5.

8.21pm BST

The 2016 champion Dustin Johnson made it to the weekend. Which, as world number one, you’d expect him to, until you remember he missed the cut when defending his Masters title, then at the PGA. A little major-championship confidence rebuilt, he’s picked up shots at 1 and now 7 this morning. Those birdies sandwiched a fine two-putt par save from 80 feet, with a dramatic right-to-left break over a ridge, on 4. He’s level par for the tournament.

8.16pm BST

Birdie for Rory McIlroy at 2. He’s back to level par for the tournament. This front nine is giving up quite a few shots today. How the 2011 champion would love to put a Moving Day run together. Speaking of tenth anniversaries, this delicious cultural artefact debuted ahead of that year’s tournament at Congressional. It still stands up. Some fashions never go out of style.

8.12pm BST

No great drama for Koepka on 1. He finds the green from that aforementioned fairway bunker, then takes two putts for an opening par. Up on 9, Phil Mickelson sends his second to six feet, but then pulls his short eagle putt. He’s disgusted with himself, as the chance to wipe out his earlier bogeys at 4 and 6 is spurned. Just the birdie, and he’s +3.

8.10pm BST

Jordan Spieth nearly drains a monster eagle putt from the back of 18. It stops one dimple short. The 2015 champion has been this close to finishing his round with back-to-back eagles; that would really have shaken the field. As it is, it’s just - just! - back-to-back birdies, and he taps in for a 68. He’s +1 overall, and it’s such a shame about that opening round of 77. You gotta love watching Jordan Spieth. Birdie too for his playing partner Paul Casey, who signs for an excellent 67, and the pair are all smiles as they depart the scene. Casey’s level par for the tournament.

8.07pm BST

Back-to-back birdies for Brian Harman! The diminutive lefty shared second place with Hideki Matsuyama behind Brooks Koepka at Erin Hills in 2017, having led after 54 holes. He’s birdied 3 and 4 to move into red figures for the tournament at -1. Time for your daily reminder that no left-handed golfer has ever won the US Open ... and there’s more on that subject, with Scotland’s great young hope Bob MacIntyre making birdie at 5 to move to +1.

8.03pm BST

Here comes Brooks! The 2017 and 2018 champion sends his opening drive into a bunker down the left of 1. Not sure he’ll have the best stance, but the lie is fine. Meanwhile up on 17, Casey sends his second into a deep greenside bunker and it’s back-to-back bogeys for the 43-year-old from Cheltenham. He’s +1.

7.58pm BST

Wilco Nienaber hits the ball so far he makes Bryson DeChambeau look like Calvin Peete. Length isn’t everything, however, and the 21-year-old South African, playing in his first major this week, has shot an 80 today. He props up the entire field at +13. A learning process, and one that will surely stand the young man in good stead, but not an experience that he’ll have particularly appreciated today.

7.52pm BST

It’s not been Jordan Spieth’s week. He’s never quite managed to keep any momentum going. His round today is a case in point: out in 32, then bogeys at 14 and 15. On 17, left with 117 to the flag, he deliberates for an age with his caddy Michael Greller, switching clubs back and forth, before landing a wedge over the flag and spinning it back to a couple of inches. So close to a sensational eagle, but the birdie will do, bringing him up to +2.

7.45pm BST

Having just made it into red figures, Casey slips back out of them. He finds a bunker at the par-three 16th, and the bogey brings him down to level par. He’s alongside Daniel Berger, who sent his approach at 1 to kick-in distance for birdie; he’s level for the week through 3. Back on 1, McIlroy whistles his second to 12 feet, but his left-to-right-breaking birdie effort is always staying out on the high side, and by some margin. Bit of a misread, and not quite the busy start he was looking for.

7.42pm BST

Rory McIlroy needs something similar if he’s to break a major drought that stretches back to 2014. He sends his opening drive into the bunker down the right of 1, though he’s got a nice flat lie and should still reach the green from there. Also barren since 2014 - without a title at all, never mind just the majors - is that year’s US Open champion Martin Kaymer. He’s been woefully out of form for yonks, but found a little something yesterday when he crashed a fairway wood onto the 18th, from 255 yards to ten feet, and made eagle. A 68 that put right a lot of the damage caused by his opening round of 77. He continued that form this morning, turning in 32 after birdies at 2, 4 and 9, reaching level par for the tournament. He’s since faltered with bogeys at 11 and 12, slipping back to +2; nevertheless, the return of the two-time major-winning German, who also has a Players title and a winning Ryder Cup putt on his CV, is most welcome.

7.35pm BST

One of the morning starters has made a proper run at this. Paul Casey’s best showing at a US Open was way back in 2007 at Oakmont. He tied for tenth in a good year for the English: Nick Dougherty led after 18 holes and finished tied for seventh, while Justin Rose finished alongside Casey. Rose has missed the cut this week while Dougherty is in the Sky Sports booth, but Casey is putting together the round of the day, and possibly the week. He’s just birdied 15, his sixth of the day, having torn up the front nine in 31 strokes. Just the one bogey at 12. He’s five under for his round, and into red figures for the tournament.

-5: Bland, Henley
-4: Oosthuizen, Wolff
-3: Watson, Rahm
-2: Streelman, Hughes, Schauffele
-1: Casey (15), Scheffler, Rodgers, Migliozzi

7.30pm BST

It’s Moving Day! Here’s the 36-hole leader board, topped by English veteran Richard Bland, at 48 years and four months, the oldest man to lead the US Open at the halfway stage …

-5: Bland, Henley
-4: Oosthuizen, Wolff
-3: Watson, Rahm
-2: Streelman, Hughes, Schauffele
-1: Scheffler, Rodgers, Migliozzi
E: Bezuidenhout, DeChambeau, English, Grace, Hadwin, Koepka, Morikawa, Thomas
+1: Berger, Harman, Hoffman, Hoge, Hoshino, Jones, McIlroy, Westwood, Wu

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Published on June 19, 2021 17:52

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