Rob Smyth's Blog, page 173

The Fiver | Find out once and for all whether laughter is the best medicine

In today’s Fiver: Gylfi Sigurdsson’s dreams, Leo Messi’s salty tears, and more

Those who say Uncle Roy never wins anything are bang out of order. Exhibit A: Sweden’s Division 2 North with Örebro SK in 1984. But on this day – 27 June 2016, a day he hopes will not go down in English football history – it’s probably fair to say he can’t win. If England beat Iceland on Monday night, not even The Fiver’s English cousin, Racist B’stard, will be getting excited. But if they lose, the only person with any sympathy for Hodgson will be Jeremy Corbyn.

Related: Where England can exploit Iceland’s weaknesses at Euro 2016 | Michael Cox

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England v Sri Lanka: third one-day international – as it happened

England were 16 for one chasing 249 when rain forced the match to be abandoned in Bristol

5.28pm BST

The game has been put out of its misery by the umpires. It was an inevitable decision. So England lead 1-0 with two matches to play, the next of which is on Wednesday. Thanks for your company and emails; I’ll leave you with this summary of the last seven days.

5.02pm BST

There must be some play by 18:11 or the match will be declared no result #ENGvSL pic.twitter.com/Wloj9TlFqO

4.56pm BST

It’s still raining. The ground is almost empty now, and we should soon get confirmation that the match has been abandoned.

4.29pm BST

The big covers are on, with some malevolent clouds above the ground. It’s not going to happen. They need to be back on the pitch by 6.11pm or it will be abandoned.

4.21pm BST

This doesn’t look entirely promising. Sky are showing highlights of the first ODI and there’s no immediate prospect of an inspection, never mind a restart.

4.05pm BST

“Did rain stop play in the quiz too?” says John Beaven. “Or have I missed the answer? Was it Jayasuriya who hit the first-ball six to win a Test against England?”

Rain didn’t, though apathy may have done. But yes, it was indeed Jayasuriya.

3.57pm BST

RAIN STOPS PLAY: 4 overs: England 16-1 (target: 249; Roy 5, Root 11) The rain is getting a little heavier, and I suspect they are going to go off here. Yep, the players are leaving the field at the behest of the umpires.

3.52pm BST

3rd over: England 11-1 (target: 249; Roy 3, Root 8) Root has started busily and gets the first boundary with a flashing cut stroke off Lakmal.

3.48pm BST

2nd over: England 4-1 (target: 249; Roy 2, Root 2) Angelo Mathews will bowl his wicket-to-wicket wobblers from the other end. His first over is an affront to a culture of instant gratification, though Root does get off the mark with a flick into the leg side for a couple.

3.44pm BST

1st over: England 1-1 (target: 249; Roy 1, Root 0) The out-of-form Root almost falls as well, clunking a pull just short of midwicket.

“By my reckoning he has conceded only two boundaries in his last two ODIs,” says Gareth Fitzgerald. “Parsimonious effort.”

3.41pm BST

They are going to start, even though it’s still spitting in Bristol – and Hales has fallen to Suranga Lakmal for a golden duck! He tried to force a very wide short ball outside off stump with an angled bat and snicked it straight through to the keeper.

3.36pm BST

“Afternoon Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “They’re all watching the football, aren’t they?”

Not any more, they are out in the middle. Even the rain has given up on Ireland’s chances.

Related: France v Republic of Ireland: Euro 2016 – live!

3.26pm BST

Play will hopefully restart at 3.40pm. And, yep, it’s still 50 overs a side.

3.21pm BST

It’s raining again. Yes, it’s going to be one of those days.

3.05pm BST

Play will restart at 3.25pm, and it’s still 50 overs a side.

3.01pm BST

F.U.N. quiz part 2

Which Sri Lanka won a Test against England by hitting his first ball for six?

2.59pm BST

The umpires are still looking at the square, with the outer covers yet to be removed. As soon as there’s any news, you’ll read it here fourth.

2.55pm BST

Some news is good news The covers are coming off, so we might have a game after all.

2.53pm BST

“Aw put me out of my misery, Rob,” says William Hargreaves. “That one’s a tease-and-a-half. Eighty-four on daibooo and not called up again? But why?”

There were no ODIs for nine months because the India tour was cancelled, and at the start of the 1989 summer they had a lot of the big-hitters back: Gower, Gatting, Botham. That meant Barnett missed out, though he stayed in the Test team for a bit because of injuries to Botham and Gatting between the ODIs and the Tests.

2.48pm BST

“Kim Barnett,” says Josh Robinson, correctly answering the below question. I’ve just realised he didn’t hit a single boundary in that 84!

2.42pm BST

A quiz to pass the time

I was Man of the Match on my ODI debut for England after scoring 84 in a victory over Sri Lanka. It was my first and last ODI. Who am I?

2.39pm BST

On the plus side, you can watch France v Ireland, where something brilliant might be happening.

Related: France v Republic of Ireland: Euro 2016 – live!

2.37pm BST

Hello. The good news is that England are in control of the match. The bad news is that the rain is probably going to win. The covers are on and it’s still raining, so I have no idea when England might start their run-chase. They need to face at least 20 overs to bring Duckworth/Lewis into play, so their innings would need to start by around 5.30pm. The ground is already on the damp side, so don’t be surprised if the game is abandoned.

2.14pm BST

Without wanting to sound harsh, that was deeply uninspiring* from the Sri Lankan. Three got half-centuries but by the time Mathews became the third to do it felt inevitable he wouldn’t get many more. Eight of the nine wickets to fall did so to poor shots and the other one was a feeble run out. Sri Lanka hit three sixes and 15 fours – shared between just four batsmen – on one of England’s smallest international grounds.

Rob Smyth will guide you through the rest of this annihilation. I’ll be back for the fourth game on Wednesday, by which time England, weather permitting, should be dormie two. Bye!

2.10pm BST

50th over: Sri Lanka 248-9 (Pradeep 2, Lakmal 3) David Willey with the last over. Can this pair survive six balls? He begins with a dot, then Pradeep scuffs a chip back down the ground for one. Lakmal slaps the third to mid-on for another, the fourth is a full-toss that squirts off the bat to extra-cover for – you guessed it – a single, the fifth barely misses off stump and finally a slice out to mid-off for two.

2.07pm BST

49th over: Sri Lanka 242-9 (Pradeep 0, Lakmal 0) Two to Tharanga first ball, whipped through midwicket but the opening pair of Roy and Hales combine nicely for some relay fielding. A leg-bye and a few singles, before Maharoof becomes the sixth man to go caught off a big shot, before Woakes bowls Tharanga next ball to finish with 10-1-35-3. Very well bowled.

2.06pm BST

Big slog, misses, and Woakes hits middle.

2.04pm BST

Another high catch. Back of a length from Woakes, Maharoof slogs it into the air and Bairstow jogs in from midwicket to hold the catch.

1.59pm BST

48th over: Sri Lanka 237-7 (Tharanga 37, Maharoof 8) Jordan’s last over then and he nearly gets a wicket first ball: Tharanga goes on to the back foot and lifts a drive up and over Root at extra-cover, who can’t quite get to the ball turning and running back. He still doesn’t look entirely comfortable with his knee does Root. There’s an appeal for lbw against Maharoof and given not out; the umpire gives it as a run so Morgan, who didn’t hear an edge, reviews. It’s missing leg though I think and snicko suggests a tiny edge. Not out it remains. Seven runs, all run from the over. Jordan finishes with one for 49.

1.53pm BST

47th over: Sri Lanka 230-7 (Tharanga 32, Maharoof 6) Woakes comes back to bowl this and, presumably, the 49th over. He’s taking an age between deliveries to the point where the umpire has to ask Eoin Morgan to hurry his side up a bit. A wide on height and five singles come from the first five balls before Tharanga rifles the last one straight back past the bowler for two.

1.46pm BST

46th over: Sri Lanka 224-7 (Tharanga 30, Maharoof 3) Short from Jordan and Tharanga crunches him through midwicket for four. It is ludicrous that he’s batting at seven. Looking back at that run out, Tharanga was never interested in the run – Sri Lanka have been decidedly mediocre between the wickets in this series. Rain coming down more steadily now and Jordan is having to dry it between deliveries. Maharoof gets a well-run two from the last, punched off the back foot through mid-off.

1.43pm BST

45th over: Sri Lanka 215-7 (Tharanga 24, Maharoof 0) The single Shanaka took off the final ball of Jordan’s over means he’s on strike against Rashid, who is bowling his final over. He gets a full toss second ball and clunks it out to long-on for one. Then, after Tharanga runs a short single, they get a couple of overthrows as no one was backing up Root’s throw from square leg. Better from Root final ball though, as he steals Dasun from Sri Lanka’s hearts.

1.41pm BST

Shanaka was millimetres short of his ground when the bail left its groove! Root was the sharp fielder.

1.40pm BST

Run down to point and he set off for the single before turning back. This is really, really tight.

1.35pm BST

44th over: Sri Lanka 211-6 (Tharanga 21, Shanaka 1) Jordan returns and removes Mathews straight away. Another settled partnership that now needs resetting after the captain falls for 56 from 67 – so many similar innings in this series from Sri Lanka. Dasun Shanaka comes in as the drizzle continues to fall. Apparently it’s going to get heavier in the next half an hour or so.

1.32pm BST

Mathews follows a short one down the leg side and top-edges a woolly pull. Up it goes and Buttler runs round to get underneath yet another high catch.

1.30pm BST

43rd over: Sri Lanka 209-5 (Tharanga 20, Mathews 56) No, Eoin Morgan hasn’t forgotten about Rashid’s remaining two overs because here he is! His first eight were less impressive than the 20 in the previous two matches, leaking as they did 50 runs without recompense in the form of wickets. Mathews turns one round the corner to the fielder at short leg and sets off; the throw comes in but hits Buttler on the foot before the keeper breaks the stumps with his gloves, meaning Tharanga is safe. Tharanga tries to go big over midwicket but doesn’t hold of it and finds the fielder on the bounce. He tries again, inside out over mid-off but essentially the same thing happens.

1.26pm BST

42nd over: Sri Lanka 203-5 (Tharanga 16, Mathews 54) In the slot from Willey and it’s dropped in the crowd after Tharanga launches a six over cow corner. That’s pretty damn shoddy from the bloke beyond the boundary, if I’m honest, straight in then out again and to compound his misery he fell over too. The total moves past 200 in even more ignominious fashion: a waist-high full-toss, slapped inelegantly by Mathews in the air and just past the tumbling Morgan at mid-off with one hand off the bat.

Plunkett took 10 years, 199 days to take 50 wickets in ODIs. Swann took 10 years, 230 days for the same. #ENGvSL

1.21pm BST

41st over: Sri Lanka 191-5 (Tharanga 8, Mathews 50) Singles from Plunkett’s first two balls and two down to fine leg from the third. That takes Mathews to 49 and a flick through mid-on takes him to 50 with three fours and a six, from 61 balls. He’s the third player to make a half-century in this innings and, if the pattern in the series so far is to be followed, he’ll be out pretty soon. Plunkett finishes with an excellent three for 46 from his 10.

1.17pm BST

40th over: Sri Lanka 186-5 (Tharanga 7, Mathews 46) Still no sign of Rashid returning, which you assume has to happen at some point. There is a return for Willey though. Mathews drives one back at him and the bowler uses his football skills to stop it with his boot, only to discover that a cricket ball driven by Angelo Mathews is a fair bit harder than a football. Well done, David. He sends a wide down the leg side, Mathews takes a single then Tharanga swishes nicely through mid-on for four.

It’s raining a bit heavier now.

1.12pm BST

39th over: Sri Lanka 178-5 (Tharanga 2, Mathews 44) “David, David that’s awesome mate!” shouts someone close to the stump mic, as Willey sends in a regulation return throw from Tharanga’s single. It’s raining now a tiny bit, too. Mathews gets the wedge out and knocks an excellent bumper out to the gap at midwicket for two.

1.08pm BST

38th over: Sri Lanka 174-5 (Tharanga 1, Mathews 41) England can scent blood now, even if Sri Lanka’s two best batsmen are at the crease. It does seems a bit ludicrous to have Tharanga, who has 13 ODI centuries as an opener, shielded from the new ball down at seven. He gets off the mark with a thick inside edge square on the leg side. Just two from the over.

1.04pm BST

37th over: Sri Lanka 172-5 (Tharanga 0, Mathews 40) Prasanna swings and misses at a bouncer and looks rather indignant about it. In fairness to the batsman, it did pass well above his head and could easily have been called wide. Out in the, er, outfield, Joe Root is hobbling a bit. Another short one and this time it is a wide, flying as it does down the leg side. Short once again and Prasanna top edges miles up in the air ... but it lands safely inside the fine-leg boundary where Rashid does very well to field it on the bounce and keep them to two. Prasanna chances his arm again next ball and his luck runs out.

1.03pm BST

Good length from Plunkett and Prasanna slogs it straight to Bairstow in the deep at cow corner. That’s a third wicket for the Yorkshire bowler.

12.59pm BST

36th over: Sri Lanka 168-4 (Prasanna 0, Mathews 39) Chandimal looks to smash it down the ground, fails and bottom edges into his own pad. He gets hold of the next one, smearing it through midwicket but only to the sweeper in the deep. That’s a lot of effort put into those two balls for just one run. Mathews gets a single of his own and then the stat below becomes a jinx as Chandimal goes for 62 from 77. The big hitting Prasanna replaces him in the middle.

This is interesting and, as Rob to my left points out, a good job for Sri Lanka given how [bad word] everybody else is.

@guerillacricket 5th consecutive 50+ partnership between Chandimal and Mathews in ODIs

12.57pm BST

Chandimal attempts a lazy swish into the leg-side but instead gets a leading edge that sends it looping down towards Jordan at third man. A fielder that good isn’t going to drop that.

12.51pm BST

35th over: Sri Lanka 165-3 (Chandimal 61, Mathews 37) Thanks Rob. I feel much better now, refreshed. As should Liam Plunkett, who is back on after a short rest. He drifts down the leg side with his third ball – an attempted off-cutter, Sir Iron Bottom reckons – and Chandimal just tickles him away for four. He’s a lucky boy from the final ball though is Chandimal, pulling with no great control into the deep where the ball just bounces into the sprawling Bairstow’s palm and out again. That’s technically a drop but he was at full stretch.

Also that’s drinks, so it turns out I could have waited. Sorry, Rob.

12.45pm BST

34th over: Sri Lanka 157-3 (Chandimal 54, Mathews 36) Hello, Rob here. Chris Woakes replaces David Willey, bowls six balls, concedes three runs. Dan’s back. Bye!

12.41pm BST

33rd over: Sri Lanka 154-3 (Chandimal 51, Mathews 36) Mathews goes on the charge again and looks to smear it over extra-cover, but doesn’t time it and his shot is only worth one. That gives Chandimal the strike and the wicketkeeper moves to 50 with a flick into the leg-side. That’s come from 65 balls with four fours.

Rob Smyth is going to take you through the next over because, er, I need a comfort break.

12.37pm BST

32nd over: Sri Lanka 148-3 (Chandimal 49, Mathews 32) Chandimal gives it the charge and looks to smear it to the long-off boundary, but doesn’t time it and only gets the one. Just two off the over.

“Is is me or is it getting a bit tiring that every time James Taylor takes the mic in the TMS box Dagnall et al have to comment on his size?” asks Dave Brown (not Keith). I would imagine so, yes, although as I’ve been doing this entire series off the TV I can’t say I’ve heard any of the radio coverage.

12.33pm BST

31st over: Sri Lanka 146-3 (Chandimal 48, Mathews 31) For the first time in this series, Rashid is taken off. Jordan replaces him. A wide down the leg-side and a couple of quick singles, to cover and mid-off respectively, all that he offers up here.

12.28pm BST

30th over: Sri Lanka 143-3 (Chandimal 47, Mathews 30) Four more to Chandimal: Willey trying the slow cutter and drifting on to the thigh, whence Chandimal turns it round the corner to fine-leg. That’s the 53 partnership from 49 balls and as such exactly what Sri Lanka needed.

“I’ve never watched cricket in Bristol, but I’m disappointed by Gary Naylor’s assessment,” writes Matt Dony. “The city itself has a great atmosphere, both football grounds are enjoyably ramshackle and raucous; it’s a shame that spirit doesn’t translate to the cricket. There’s not much worse than a big sporting event without the big sporting atmosphere. Being from the far-flung reaches of West Wales, Bristol is one of the closest links we have to, yknow, things actually happening. Swansea barely counts, Cardiff is first choice, Bristol a close second. Newport? Don’t make me laugh.”

12.25pm BST

29th over: Sri Lanka 135-3 (Chandimal 41, Mathews 28) Another outside edge from Mathews but this pitch has so little pace it doesn’t even come close to carrying to Root at slip before dribbling down to third man for four. Out goes slip. A single, then Chandimal brushes a paddle-sweep round the corner for four more to fine-leg. Finally, Morgan brings a fielder in to stop the runs from leaking down there: Rashid is very unlucky to go for 10 from the over.

12.21pm BST

28th over: Sri Lanka 125-3 (Chandimal 36, Mathews 23) Willey is back on for Plunkett, perhaps a bit earlier than Eoin Morgan had hoped. As for Plunkett, he misfields at mid-off, allowing the ball to squirt beneath him and give the batsmen a second run.

12.17pm BST

27th over: Sri Lanka 121-3 (Chandimal 35, Mathews 20) Rashid into his seventh. He conceded just one fewer in his first six overs than he did in 10 at Edgbaston. And he goes past that tally when Chandimal works him away for a wristy two. He adds four to that with a slog-sweep over mid-on, which bounces just inches inside the rope. The batsman is struck on the pad when missing a lap-sweep, but the half-hearted appeal is turned down. One more from the last.

12.14pm BST

26th over: Sri Lanka 114-3 (Chandimal 28, Mathews 20) It doesn’t look to me like Mathews has too many problems with his mobility: he steps down the track to the second ball of the over and drives Plunkett cleanly over long-on for six. That’s a lovely shot. After a single, Chandimal works it through midwicket for a well-run couple.

If it’s your thing – and it should be – do give a listen to the latest Freelance Cricket Club podcast with yer men Vish and Will.

Related: Freelance Cricket Club podcast: in conversation with Jade Dernbach

12.10pm BST

25th over: Sri Lanka 104-3 (Chandimal 25, Mathews 13) The thinnest of inside edges sends the ball trickling round the corner and down to fine-leg for the boundary that brings up the Sri Lankan hundred. Then an outside edge sends it along the floor and down to third man for two. That and a couple of singles make for a whopping eight off the over.

12.07pm BST

24th over: Sri Lanka 96-3 (Chandimal 24, Mathews 6) Down the ground comes Mathews and he slashes it up and over long-off for a one-bounce four. Not brilliantly timed but effective enough. Morgan though refuses to be cowed and keeps the field up, presumably with Mathews’ dodgy hamstring in mind. After a single and a leg-bye, Plunkett nibbles one away from the Sri Lankan captain’s nervous prod.

12.03pm BST

23rd over: Sri Lanka 90-3 (Chandimal 24, Mathews 1) Rashid continues to build the pressure on the semi-crocked pair: just a couple of singles on offer here, the second of which gets Cap’n Mathews off a blob.

12.00pm BST

22nd over: Sri Lanka 88-3 (Chandimal 23, Mathews 0) A change of bowling as Plunkett returns in place of Jordan. This partnership went past 50 in Jordan’s last over, to little fanfare. The sun’s out now so it should get easier for these two to continue the recov- Mendis is out. Mathews is the new batsman.

“Dear old Dan,” begins Robert Wilson. “Paris calling. Last night, I went out on the lash after the game in a very punishing display of bonhomie. At four in the morning, I remembered I had to go on French breakfast telly. Couldn’t remember if it was about Brexit or the footie (thank God Basile Boli was there as the biggest of big hints). I wish I could repeat the unprintable – and deeply wounding – exclamation of the make-up lady when I sat down. All I could think about was that I miss the cricket so much I could actually cry.”

11.57am BST

Short and pulled straight down the throat of midwicket.

11.55am BST

21st over: Sri Lanka 87-2 (Chandimal 22, Mendis 53) Chandimal brings out the lap sweep for a single before Mendis pulls one that’s far too full for the shot, just wide of Morgan at mid-on. Another sweep from Chandimal – maybe get a leg-slip in for him, if only to deny him that easy release shot. Mendis hammers another sweep out to midwicket for one more.

Bristol is fine re transport (this morning), but there's no sense of place here at all. Grass + seats isn't enough really @DanLucas86

11.52am BST

20th over: Sri Lanka 82-2 (Chandimal 19, Mendis 51) Apparently, on account of planning permission regulations, we can’t use the floodlights today. It’s pretty gloomy already so we can fully expect this to be a curtailed match. Four runs milked from this over.

11.49am BST

19th over: Sri Lanka 78-2 (Chandimal 16, Mendis 50) Mendis sweeps firmly and flat out through midwicket to the sweeper for the single that brings up his half-century from 61 balls, with five fours and a six. It’s been a decent effort from one of Sri Lanka’s more promising young batsmen.

11.46am BST

18th over: Sri Lanka 76-2 (Chandimal 15, Mendis 49) We’re back and Jordan to continue. There’s a chance of a run-out from the first ball as Chandimal looks to dash through, but Woakes is off balance when throwing from mid-on and misses the stumps. Chandimal was short too. A couple of balls later he raps Mendis on the pad but I reckon that’s going down leg and the umpire is similarly unconvinced by the appeal. Mendis larrups the fifth ball wide of mid-on for four runs uglier than your OBOer when he got up at 7.30 this morning. He does much better with the last ball, lifting a shorter ball sweetly over midwicket for six.

11.39am BST

17th over: Sri Lanka 65-2 (Chandimal 14, Mendis 39) A first boundary for Chandimal, who slog-sweeps flat into the breeze and just inches over the leaping Jordan at mid-off. It looks like they’re not going to let Rashid, whose 20 overs in the first two matches went for just 70, settle. That’s drinks.

11.37am BST

16th over: Sri Lanka 58-2 (Chandimal 8, Mendis 38) After a couple of singles, Mendis calls for a change of bat. He’s going to have to wait though, it seems. One more ball, in fact, from which Chandimal works a single to long-leg.

More on Bristol from John Starbuck: “Bristol isn’t so much hard to get to by road, as difficult to get into. I found driving via motorways, from the north, east or south, was direct enough, just clogged with traffic. When you manage to get into the city, the directions to the ground have a habit of running out at crucial points, and the sat-nav option is often misleading too. What they need, as most cities do these days, is a widespread smart-city service of transport information - public transport real-time data plus adequate notice of congestion spots. This is just a general grumble though. My niece lives there and has shown us round the nightlife which is not bad at all.”

11.32am BST

15th over: Sri Lanka 55-2 (Chandimal 6, Mendis 37) Time for some spin, Adil Rashid replacing Plunkett. Sri Lanka aren’t going to be able to get after him as there’s a very strong breeze coming in from behind the bowler’s arm according to Ian Ward on Sky. Mendis waits and muscles one out through midwicket but there’s a sweeper out there to cut it off; that brings up the team 50. A couple of balls later he repeats the trick but this time clubs it through mid-off and past Jordan, to the boundary for four.

11.29am BST

14th over: Sri Lanka 47-2 (Chandimal 4, Mendis 31) A single each and a leg-side wide against Jordan.

Andrew Benton has a question: “How is it that Bristol has never really hit he spot as a venue for International cricket? With the WG Grace legacy, you’d have thought it’d be the home of, well, something of international cricket importance, but seems not to be. Why not a test venue ... must be better than Durham - at least closer to more potential spectators in the SW region.”

11.24am BST

13th over: Sri Lanka 44-2 (Chandimal 3, Mendis 30) Two singles and a couple driven through extra-cover off the final ball. Whoop.

In more exciting news, the OBO’s own Will Macpherson is lucky enough to actually go to the cricket today. Bad news for him is he actually has to do some work and write for the County Cricket Live Blog.

Related: County cricket: Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire and more – live!

11.20am BST

12th over: Sri Lanka 40-2 (Chandimal 2, Mendis 27) Chris Jordan is on and Chandimal gets his second run straight away, nudging it into the on-side for a single. Mendis has a wild swish at the next, looking to go through extra-cover but doesn’t connect as the ball – not for the first time – grubbers through to the keeper. Two singles in total from another enthralling over.

11.17am BST

11th over: Sri Lanka 38-2 (Chandimal 1, Mendis 26) One of the England physios is doing a bit of work with Bairstow on his elbow. Back in the middle this is excellent stuff from Plunkett, beating Mendis with a couple of short balls and bowling four dots on the spin. The batsman does get hold of the fifth, pulling it through wide mid-on and beating Bairstow’s despairing chase to the rope.

11.13am BST

10th over: Sri Lanka 34-2 (Chandimal 1, Mendis 22) Chandimal cuts his first ball in the air just wide of the flying Jason Roy at backward point for one. The Surrey man went after the ball to his left with his right hand – had he gone with his left at full stretch then he might have got there but it really is an instinctive thing in that position; he is probably England’s best fielder. No Collingwood, mind. Mendis gets a single via the outside edge, completing a powerplay that was most definitely England’s.

11.09am BST

9th over: Sri Lanka 32-2 (Chandimal 0, Mendis 21) If you’re interested, Woake’s reaction time on that drop was 0.449 seconds. Anyway, David Willey is getting a rest and Liam Plunkett a bowl now. He strikes second ball, ending Perera’s frustrated innings on nine from 24 balls and giving Jos Buttler his 100th dismissal behind the stumps. Chandimal, one of the few Sri Lankan batsman in anything resembling form but carrying a hamstring strain, is the new batsman.

11.06am BST

Full and straight from Plunkett. Perera looks to lift him over square leg but can only send it miles up in the air. Buttler holds the catch.

11.03am BST

8th over: Sri Lanka 31-1 (Perera 9, Mendis 20) Short from Woakes and Perera top-edges the pull; it bounces a couple of yards in front of Bairstow, who slips on the wet outfield and they get a bonus second run. A couple of balls later the left-hander absolutely smashes one back at Woakes, who technically drops it above his left shoulder in his follow-through but you’d have to be Spiderman to hold that one.

“Hello from Shanghai Dan,” writes Alex Butler. “With David Willey now opening bowler for the ODI team and a fairly regular wicket taker from my sporadic watching, how far can he be from a bowl in the Test team?”

10.59am BST

7th over: Sri Lanka 29-1 (Perera 7, Mendis 20) Again Perera plays the Jayasuria-like short-arm-jab through midwicket but again he can only pick out Jordan, gaining just one for his efforts. One, one, one, one, one, four goes the over: the final ball too wide and cut hard through point by Mendis to the fence.

10.56am BST

6th over: Sri Lanka 20-1 (Perera 4, Mendis 14) Mendis drives the first ball straight back down the ground and Woakes gets a hand on it, but perhaps too much as it slows the ball down on its journey towards the non-striker’s stumps, allowing Perera to comfortably regain his ground. Two singles from the first five balls before Mendis gets tired of this and tries to go aerial, slicing it a yard or two over Bairstow at cover for two runs luckier than a 1997 War Child single by Radiohead.

10.51am BST

5th over: Sri Lanka 16-1 (Perera 3, Mendis 11) Chance! Mendis drives to Hales at extra-cover and the fielder makes an excellent diving stop. With both batsmen stranded mid-crease he has a shy at the striker’s end, but misses with his throw. Either end would have done had he hit. Two balls later Willey swings one past the right-hander’s outside edge. We go up to 11 successive dot balls before the final ball is turned to midwicket for a single. Four runs from the past three overs for Sri Lanka.

10.47am BST

4th over: Sri Lanka 15-1 (Perera 3, Mendis 10) Just the one slip for Woakes. He has Perera in a bit of discomfort with a bouncer first up. A couple of balls later they go up for an appeal when Woakes fires one into the knee-roll, but it’s too high and probably pitched just outside leg too. Maiden.

10.43am BST

3rd over: Sri Lanka 15-1 (Perera 3, Mendis 10) There’s a touch of movement for Willey out there, getting one past Perera’s outside edge. The opener pulls through midwicket aggressively but just for a single, then Mendis gets a quick one to mid-on. One more from the final ball, punched to mid-off.

“You know that thing where you mentioned the weather prospects for the late afternoon?” begins Ian Copestake, wise to my ploy for getting to the pub by lunchtime. “Top trolling for ensuring this thing ends in about 20 minutes. I was going to ask you if you thought Sri Lanka had improved their batting under English “summer” conditions, but Willey then provided a fairly succinct answer.”

10.39am BST

2nd over: Sri Lanka 12-1 (Perera 1, Mendis 9) The in-form Chris Woakes from the other end. Mendis defends the first two balls then punches the third past backward point for a couple. He whips a fuller ball beautifully off his ankles and through midwicket, where Willey dives and makes an excellent stop to keep them to two – that should have been three. He gets four next ball though, with a back-foot drive through cover point.

10.34am BST

1st over: Sri Lanka 4-1 (Perera 1, Mendis 1) David Willey, as at Edgbaston, to open the bowling with a couple of slips in place for the left-handers. He raps Perera on the pads with his first ball but it’s not swinging back enough and they take a leg-bye. There’s no real pace in this pitch either – it’s not going to be a high-scoring one, this. The batsmen exchange singles into the leg-side before Gunathilaka goes to a nothing ball. Mendis is off the mark first ball, edging wide of second slip for a single.

10.33am BST

Full and outside off, Gunathilaka shapes to drive then thinks better of it and tries to pull his bat out the way. Alas, it’s too late and the ball flicks the inside edge and caroms into off stump.

10.27am BST

The players are out. The clouds have rolled over and there’s a bit of a breeze, so it could be pretty tricky batting out there.

10.16am BST

Another emailer! Tom van der Gucht has been around on the OBO long enough to know better than to actually talk about cricket – novice mistake, Tom – but let’s indulge him.

“With Anderson possibly injured; Woakes on the rise; Ali dropped from the ODI team today; Stokes maybe returning from injury; Rashid’s stock going up; and Finn’s going down - who will line up for the first test against Pakistan?”

10.12am BST

JJ Roy, AD Hales, JE Root, EJG Morgan*, JM Bairstow, JC Buttler†, CR Woakes, CJ Jordan, DJ Willey, LE Plunkett,AU Rashid

10.11am BST

Dear Ian Copestake, welcome to my inbox. Population: you.

“My perceived early birdness is actually night-owl related as it is 2am in Los Angeles. At the UCLA campus today I watched an impromtu cricket match being played by Indian guys on a paved square flanked by various libraries, one of which featured as the backdrop to where Eddie Murphy’s Nutty Professor taught. I heard this fact announced as part of a UCLA campus tour for prospective students. The US like the UK is in safe hands.

10.03am BST

England win the toss and will, huh, bowl first. There’s been a bit of rain around so they reckon they can chase on a small ground. Moeen Ali is out, Chris Jordan in.

Angelo Mathews would also have bowled first, showing what how much know. One change for them, Shanaka comes in for the spinning all-rounder Randiv. They’re still unsure whether or not Chandimal will keep or whether Mathews can bowl.

9.56am BST

An email! Blimey, didn’t think anyone would be up and reading this early on a Sunday morning. But Ian Copestake is! “Morning, Dan. Did Guardian style also tell you it was acceptable to wear those jodhpurs with that Blur t-shirt? I think not.”

Having just googled jodhpurs, I can confirm I’m not wearing them. And I have a Radiohead t-shirt on, not Blur.

9.47am BST

There’s rain due late afternoon/early evening. Bristol looks pretty clear at the moment though so surely you’d bat first.

Related: Adil Rashid ignores the armchair ‘experts’ to give England confidence | Vic Marks

9.51pm BST

Morning/afternoon/whatever it is where you are, folks. Hark back, if you will, to the heady days of last Tuesday. A side riding high on the back of their Test form against one belatedly gaining confidence and starting to look handy. It was a thrilling draw, with both sides rescuing dire situations and playing out the tightest of thrillers. What a series this promised to be! The two sides couldn’t be closer... oh.

Yes the second ODI on Friday was as pulverising a win as any England fan can surely remember against a Test-playing nation. It saw the biggest partnership in English ODI history and the highest ever successful run chase without losing a wicket. As contests go, it was akin to the fight between John Matrix and Bennett at the end of Commando.

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Didier Deschamps faces tyranny of choice against Republic of Ireland

The France coach is under close scrutiny after their slow start to Euro 2016 and his team selection remains unsettled with options open for their last-16 match

The problem with opening your mind is that it can become hard to shut. The France coach, Didier Deschamps, has tried so many variations before and during Euro 2016 that many suspect he is incapable of deciding on a preferred team. That is not a problem in itself; rotation and smarter use of substitutes means that the concept of a best XI will soon be antiquated. But the modesty of France’s performances in the group stage, coupled with the eye-catching decision to omit Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann from the second match against Albania, mean that Deschamps is under unprecedented scrutiny for a coach at a European Championship.

The last time the hosts had realistic ambitions of winning the tournament, Portugal in 2004, there was no social media and a football match began with the kick-off. Now it begins an hour before, with team news scrutinised like never before. Most coaches are damned whatever they do and with international football more of a squad game than ever before, the tyranny of choice is far greater.

Related: Euro 2016: France into last 16 after late show against Albania

Related: Republic of Ireland unhappy with France’s Euro 2016 advantages

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Wales 1-0 Northern Ireland: Euro 2016 – as it happened

A scruffy but engaging game was decided by Gareth McAuley’s unavoidable own-goal after a sensational cross from Gareth Bale

7.01pm BST

And here is David Hytner’s match report:

Related: Gareth McAuley’s own goal takes Wales past Northern Ireland at Euro 2016

7.01pm BST

Related: Gareth McAuley’s own goal takes Wales past Northern Ireland at Euro 2016

6.58pm BST

Wales are in the quarter-finals of the European Championship, where they will play Hungary or Belgium on Friday night. It was a poor game, yet constantly engaging because of what it meant to both teams. Northern Ireland were probably the better team, and showed again that they are wonderfully coached by Michael O’Neill. But this time the individual trumped the team: Gareth Bale created the decisive own-goal from Gareth McAuley with a sensational cross.

Ashley Williams summed up Wales’ defiance by finishing the match with a limp shoulder. He must be a doubt for Friday, but that’s something to worry about later. Wales are in the quarter-finals of the European Championship, and all of them will be starring in documentaries in 2041 and 2066. Commiserations to an admirable Northern Ireland side and congratulations to Wales, whose fans are going to stir tomorrow with the happiest hangover of their lives. Thanks for your company, night!

6.51pm BST

Davis swings it in, Allen clears; McGinn crosses, it’s deflected behind for a corner. The keeper comes up, but Bale heads the corner clear and the final whistle is blown!

6.50pm BST

90+3 min McGinn tries to run Neil Taylor, who blocks the cross. It’ll be another long theow from McGinnis, right into the six-yard box. Hennessey punches it away excellently, but then Ramsey fouls Davis and is booked for kicking the ball away. This is it, a free-kick on the right-wing, and Northern Ireland’s last chance.

6.48pm BST

90+2 min Corry Evans fouls Robson-Kanu 40 yards from goal, which wastes around 40 seconds for Wales. This is it for Northern Ireland.

6.47pm BST

90 min Hennessey charges out to calmly claim a long throw. There will be four minutes of added time.

6.46pm BST

89 min Lafferty’s clever flick finds Davis just inside the box, but Allen tracks his run superbly and clears with the aid of Ashley Williams.

6.45pm BST

87 min I always said Ashley Williams was the new Beckenbauer. (Beckenbauer played extra-time of the 1970 World Cup semi-final in a sling because of a shoulder injury.)

6.44pm BST

86 min Robson-Kanu beats the outrushing McGovern to a bouncing ball just inside the area, but he can only head the ball out of play. Ashley Williams is struggling after the collision with Jonny Williams. He has done some serious damage to his left shoulder.

James Collins is ready but Williams wants to continue, even though he is holding his left shoulder by his side. This is incredible courage, and possibly foolish.

6.42pm BST

85 min “I don’t want to descend into empty cliches,” says Matt Dony, “but, (clears throat) It’s a results business, Rob. They might not be playing with the skill and panache of other teams, but if Wales go through, 3 million of us will not care in the slightest. I do get the point, but I don’t care if neutrals enjoy the game, as long as Wales get through. None of us enjoyed watching Greece grind and fluke their way to Euro 2004, but the records show they were champions. And that’s what matters.”

Oh I completely agree. You have to take each case on its merits but generally the underdogs should be cut a lot more slack when it comes to entertainment. Folk who support, say, Manchester United and England can’t really understand.

6.40pm BST

83 min Northern Ireland make their last change, with the huge centre-forward Josh Magennis replacing the centre-back and own-goalscorer McAuley.

6.40pm BST

82 min Pundits often get quite smug when the team trumps the individual, as with Italy’s win over Belgium, so it’s only fair to point out when the opposite happens. Northern Ireland have played excellently here, but a moment of brilliance from Gareth Bale seems to have decided the game.

6.39pm BST

81 min A nasty collision between Ashley and Jonny Williams prompts Martin Atkinson to stop play even though Northern Ireland are on the attack. It was the right decision. It didn’t look great at first, with Jonny Williams lying face down, but he seems to be okay now.

6.36pm BST

79 min Oliver Norwood is replaced by Niall McGinn for Northern Ireland.

6.35pm BST

78 min Poor Gareth McAuley. Thing is, he took the right option. The alternative was to leave it and let Robson-Kanu score; had he done that he would have rightly been slaughtered. It was an instinctive decision, and he was right to stretch for the ball in the hope it was deflect over the bar.

6.34pm BST

77 min GET WILL GRIGG ON.

6.32pm BST

Ramsey played the ball left to Bale, who smashed a devastating low cross into the six-yard box. The stretching McAuley had to go for it, with Robson-Kanu behind him, and he could only stab it into his own net from four yards. It was a stunning cross from Bale, and I’m not sure McAuley could have done anything differently.

6.31pm BST

74 min Bale has been livelier in the last five minutes, and there is an increasing sense that Wales are going to nick this. And they’ve scored!

6.30pm BST

73 min “Can we just vote for both these teams to LEAVE and have both Italy and Spain go through to the last eight?” says Gary Naylor. “I mean, it is a week for bonkers decisions after all.”

6.29pm BST

72 min “To answer Matt Dony’s pithy question, no I don’t work for Barcelona,” says Jonathan Francis. “And in fact, one of my favorite matches was Jose’s ten-man Inter defending like savants at the Camp Nou in 2010. So Matt is absolutely right that there is more than one ideal way to play football; I just disagree that “poorly” should be included in that list.”

6.28pm BST

71 min Norwood drills an excellent long pass to Lafferty, who tries to go round the outside of Chester on the left of the box. Chester does brilliantly to get between Lafferty and the ball before turning calmly to run the ball away.

6.25pm BST

69 min Northern Ireland’s first substitution is a straight swap, Conor Washington for Jamie Ward.

6.25pm BST

69 min “Hello again,” says Phil West. “I’d like to point out that I am delighted to see teams like Albania, N. Ireland,

Scotland,
Iceland, and Wales playing at the Euros. There will be so many stars of the future from these countries who will look back and say they were inspired by this tournament. I just think this game is total merde, as the locals say.”

6.24pm BST

68 min

Dear everyone...

6.23pm BST

67 min Davis is booked for clumping Bale.

6.22pm BST

65 min “I enjoyed the 2003 Champions League Final,” says John Davis. “It was a pound a pint in the students’ union bar. Can’t remember the game.” I wish that I too could expunge that game from my memory for a tenner.

6.20pm BST

64 min Ramsey has been the best player on the pitch since half-time, really asserting himself both with and without the ball.

6.20pm BST

63 min Imagine if Will Grigg scored the winner. What a story that would be – especially as he’s not even on the pitch. Honk.

6.19pm BST

62 min Another Wales substitution: the lively Jonny Williams replaces Joe Ledley. Ramsey will drop into Ledley’s place.

6.17pm BST

In tribute to Northern Ireland, I quickly wrote this in the half-time break.

Related: The Joy of Six: Training-ground set-piece goals

6.17pm BST

60 min “Does Jonathan Francis work for Barcelona?” says Matt Dony. “I’m sorry this game isn’t being played to his liking. But, yknow, there’s more than one way to play football. I mean, some of us even enjoyed the 2003 Champions League final.”

You’ve taken the joke too far with that last sentence. That’s out of order.

6.16pm BST

59 min Norwood drills a very deep corner towards Dallas, who has the run on Gunter but misjudges the flight of the ball. The imagination and variety of Northern Ireland’s set pieces is exceptional.

6.15pm BST

58 min Bale crunches the ball over the wall, and McGovern springs to his left to make a good save. It wasn’t in the corner but it was dipping sharply. Northern Ireland break, and Taylor is booked for clattering Ward.

6.14pm BST

57 min Ramsey is starting to influence the game. A crossfield pass to the right finds Gunter, who plays it back to Bale. He comes infield, waits for the challenge of Norwood and goes over 25 yards from goal. It was a foul, even if Bale was looking for it, and it’s in a perfect position for him.

6.12pm BST

57 min “The discussion about quality reminds me of Eddie the Eagle,” says Bjorn Arvidsson. “I always found it wonderful that he was competing; in the true spirit of human competition. We are seeing, right now, the 16 best teams in Europe (at this moment) competing for the Crown of Europe. What could possibly be wrong with that?”

6.12pm BST

56 min Norwood’s long-range shot is comfortably saved by Hennessey.

6.11pm BST

55 min That was Vokes’s last touch, and he’s replaced by Hal Robson-Kanu.

6.10pm BST

53 min Vokes, who will presumably be coming off for Robson-Kanu, heads wide after a stunning outswinging cross from Ramsey on the right. It wasn’t an easy header – he was 15 yards from goal – but he was clear of the last defender and had a running jump.

6.08pm BST

53 min Northern Ireland have undoubtedly been the better side, and Wales are about to bring on Hal Robson-Kanu in an attempt to change that.

6.07pm BST

51 min “Hello Rob!” says Phil West. “Normally about this time someone says ‘all this game needs is a goal’. IMHO all this game needs is the final whistle.”

6.07pm BST

50 min Northern Ireland have made a very fast start to the second half, and Lafferty wins a free-kick 30 yards from goal on the left. It’s another cute, training-ground set piece, with the ball zig-zagging to the other side of the field before Evans stands up a fine cross that is bravely headed away by Davies.

6.06pm BST

49 min Dallas, who has already been booked, is penalised near the halfway line. Martin Atkinson does not issue a second yellow, because Martin Atkinson is all-powerful. I think it was the right decision, though you could make a case both ways.

6.04pm BST

49 min “Yes, football is about more than quality on the pitch, but the knockout rounds of the Euros are not,” writes Jonathan Francis. “No neutral wants to watch Sunderland v. West Brom in the Champions League round of 16, and no neutral wants to watch their national equivalents play 120 minutes in the Euros. It was never the expansion to 24 in the group stages that was going to be the problem, but allowing 16 advance to the knockout, regardless of how passionate the support in the stands is.”

I can understand that argument, but I completely disagree.

6.03pm BST

48 min “Bing Bong?” says Andrew Benton. “Has the ref got a glockenspiel? More European than a whistle, I suppose. Why not equip refs with bagpipes instead, would make for much more interesting games.”

Anyone who is booked should have a recorder played in their ear for 30 seconds.

6.02pm BST

47 min “Are you lenient on Ramsey because you like him too much?” says Gaurav Pandit. “His offside was a stupid thing to do - the ball may have gone in, the goalkeeper was scrambling and not entirely in control of the ball at that time.”

Full disclosure: Aaron Ramsey is my lover.

6.02pm BST

46 min Bing bong! Northern Ireland begin the second half, kicking from left to right.

5.59pm BST

Related:

5.48pm BST

Alan Shearer’s verdict on BBC One.

“The standard of football has been terrible.”

5.47pm BST

Bing bong! That’s half time. There haven’t been many chances, partly because both teams want to play on the counter-attack. But it’s been tactically interesting – no, honestly – and Northern Ireland will be really pleased with how it’s gone. See you in 10 minutes.

5.45pm BST

44 min Dallas is booked for a bad sliding foul on Bale, and will miss the quarter-final if Northern Ireland get there. Have a word with him.

5.44pm BST

42 min “This feels like warching Stoke play WBA at the end of August,” says James Pavitt. “Low quality, mildly diverting, but hardly what you’d expect from the last 16 of the Euros.”

I know what you mean, but football is about so much more than quality. At some point in the last decade, British football fans became fearful snobs. (I’ve been as guilty of this as anyone, so I’m not finger-pointing.) Northern Ireland in particular have played exceptionally well in the circumstances.

5.42pm BST

40 min Northern Ireland do so much set-piece work on the training ground. This corner is hit low towards the near post, where Ward runs away from goal and helps it on its way across the box. It’s cleared by a Wales defender, but it was neatly done. Ward had more time than he realised because nobody had followed him.

5.40pm BST

40 min Gunter concedes a needless free-kick just outside the area on the left wing. Northern Ireland are dangerous from set-pieces, and Norwood’s excellent inswinger is headed behind by Davies under considerable pressure. Desperate but excellent defending.

5.39pm BST

39 min “Dear Rob,” says Robert Wilson. “I was behind the goal in Lyon and cracked a rib during the celebrations for the 2nd goal against Ukraine (better than the bloke in front of me who lost it so badly he actually started biting his mates). Consequently, I’m rather anxious about the health and welfare of the unaccustomed-to-success Norn Iron fans. I can’t lose tonight anyway. If Wales win, I will immediately become Welsh. Celtic identity is so lovely and flexible that way.”

5.38pm BST

37 min Hughes cracks an excellent cross to the far post, where Gunter does very well to head away with Dallas lumbering towards him like a slasher-movie villain.

5.36pm BST

36 min Here’s Hubert O’Hearn. “This game shows there’s a big difference in quality resulting from an attitude of ‘This is our chance! Let’s take it!’ as opposed to here, where we have ‘This is our chance! Nobody screw it up!’.”

I know what you mean, though I think that’s a bit harsh. That was certainly evident for most of the extra-time between Poland and Switzerland, though, and it’ll be the same here if the game goes that far.

5.35pm BST

35 min “Very good pressing by Norn Iron,” says Colin Livingstone. “Sorry.”

5.35pm BST

34 min Ledley plays a nice through pass to Vokes, who is jockeyed and then dispossessed by Jonny Evans. Terrific defending.

5.32pm BST

31 min Lafferty tries to run Chester, who calmly wins the ball and launches a Welsh counter-attack. After a good pass from Bale, Gunter’s cross is headed clear to Taylor, whose low shot is blocked. Both teams look far more comfortable playing on the break.

5.28pm BST

27 min “Re: 14 minutes, Wales’s qualifying record confirms that impression, their worst performances were against Andorra and, I think, Cyprus,” says David Wall. “I wonder if that shows that Coleman’s greatest achievement isn’t finding an effective formation and style (Wales have some pretty decent players in most positions, and better than those available to many other countries even if not all household names), but rather creating a collective self-deception so they can still think of themselves as underdogs when they’re not. After all, for many of those matches during qualifying FIFA were ranking them in or around the best 10 teams in the world (which they didn’t hesitate to talk about when it suited them, of course).”

It’s certainly happened in the past, most recently with Leicester. Same with the contrived siege mentality, a popular tactic of some of the greatest managers of all time.

5.27pm BST

26 min To the considerable delight of the Northern Ireland fans, Bale drags a shot well wide of the far post from 25 yards.

5.26pm BST

25 min Wales have had 64 per cent possession, yet Northern Ireland will be happier with the first 25 minutes. Jonny Evans’ Unsworth-style reacher is met by the head of Lafferty, who towers over Davies and lobs a header over the bar from 15 yards.

5.23pm BST

22 min That’s a fine effort from Jamie Ward, a rising drive from 25 yards that is tipped over by the leaping Hennessey. It was central, and therefore relatively comfortable for the keeper, but it was very well struck. Northern Ireland have been excellent so far, really calm and purposeful.

5.22pm BST

21 min Wales are just starting to impose themselves. Ramsey nutmegs Jonny Evans cleverly and then falls over; Martin Atkinson ignores him, because Martin Atkinson can.

5.21pm BST

20 min Here’s Simon McMahon, running with the happy mood of this unique occasion: “I hope Kyle Lafferty is made to watch the footage of the time he got Charlie Mulgrew sent off at Ibrox for a ‘head butt’ before every game he plays.”

5.20pm BST

19 min Aaron Ramsey has a goal disallowed for offside. Vokes rose superbly at the far post to head a left-wing cross whence it came, and Ramsey lobbed it over McGovertn from a couple of yards. He was comfortably offside. Vokes’ header was on target anyway, though I suspect McGovern had it covered.

5.15pm BST

Robbie Savage definitely has a photo of Gareth Bale in every room of his house.

5.15pm BST

14 min Wales look like a team who aren’t used to being favourites. They aren’t playing terribly, just a little scruffily.

5.13pm BST

Out of interest ... Is Will Grigg any good at football ??

5.13pm BST

12 min Northern Ireland have started really well, with some confident passing. The game is starting to open up: Bale’s inswinging cross from the right just evades Ramsey, who tried a kind of scorpion flick at the near post.

5.11pm BST

10 min The first chance of the match goes to Northern Ireland. Ledley loses the ball high up the pitch and Ireland break well, with a series of short passes culminating in a left-footed shot from the edge of the box by Dallas that is palmed round by Henneessey at the near post.

5.07pm BST

6 min Northern Ireland appear to be playing two up, with Jamie Ward partnering Lafferty. Ward gets to a loose ball a split-second before Ashley Williams and visits the turf as punishment for his impudence. Nothing comes from the resulting free-kick.

5.04pm BST

4 min “Rob, mate...” begins Michael Witheford. “I’ve found a stream somehow so won’t need you tonight. All the best though. Like I care now....bahahaha. Your good friend.”

No dramas blud.

5.03pm BST

3 min You’d expect Wales to dominate possession, and that’s been the case so far. The last man Jonny Evans, under pressure from both Gareth Bale and Gareth Bale’s aura, heads calmly back to McGovern.

5.01pm BST

2 min “If Wales haven’t qualified for a major tournament since ‘58,” says Mark Lannen, “how were they in the quarterfinals of the Euros in ‘76?”

There were only four teams in the finals of Euro 76. Wales reached the last eight before losing to Yugoslavia. But Uefa still calls it the quarter-finals, and Uefa’s word is gospel in my house.

5.01pm BST

1 min Peep peep! Wales, in red, kick off from left to right. Northern Ireland are in their white change strip. This is the first meeting between two British sides in the knockout stage of a major championship.

4.59pm BST

Bing bong! It’s time for kick-off.

4.59pm BST

“Anthems,” says Simon McMahon. “1-0 to Wales already.”

More like 10-9. They were both magnificent, but Wales’ was off the scale.

4.53pm BST

“Will Grigg’s on ... the bench,” says Andy Gordon. “Again. If he doesn’t get to play, he could help by painting a George Best mural on the gable end of McGovern’s goal netting.”

4.33pm BST

Thirty-four years ago today, Mal Donaghy was sent off.

4.31pm BST

Gareth Bale on the "red wall", why #euro2016 is no personal crusade, & a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with #wal: https://t.co/gSXuyukjsR

4.24pm BST

In other news

Poland are hanging on for penalties in Saint-Etienne, where Xherdan Shaqiri scored one of the all-time-great scissor-kicks for Switzerland. Gregg Bakowski has the latest.

Related: Switzerland v Poland: Euro 2016 – live!

4.15pm BST

24 June 2016 was a great day for Europe. Eric made this video.

4.04pm BST

This won’t detain you for long. Wales are unchanged; Northern Ireland bring in Kyle Lafferty for Conor Washington.

Wales (3-4-1-2) Hennessey; Chester, A Williams, Davies; Gunter, Allen, Ledley, Taylor; Ramsey; Bale, Vokes.

1.05am BST

Hello. There are many ways to judge the quality of a tournament – goals per game, number of great matches, your own experience and so on – but one of the most underappreciated is the quality and charm of the stories. That’s why Italia 90 was so great, and why Euro 2016 has been much more enjoyable than a miserable average of 1.92 goals per game would suggest. The joy of the underdog has defined the tournament so far, with the success of Wales, the two Irelands, Slovakia, Albania, Iceland and Hungary, Poland and Switzerland redeeming an otherwise modest group stage.

The 24-team-Eurosceptics were only partially right. It is probably a bad thing in the long run – elite competitions should be just that – but the novelty of so many new teams in this tournament has been a beautiful, beautiful thing. There is little of the grouchy entitlement of the established teams, just innocent enthusiasm and infectious charm. Thousands of supporters – and hundreds of players – will look back on this as the time of their ‘kin lives.

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Football transfer rumours: Arsenal’s Alexis Sánchez to Juventus?

Today’s gossip is in no mood

The Mill is too depressed for the banter, so let’s proceed straight to the news that Juventus want Alexis Sánchez to replace Álvaro Morata, who is leaving for Real Madrid, or Chelsea, or Arsenal, or somewhere.

Related: Tottenham complete signing of Victor Wanyama from Southampton

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Have two teams with the same national anthem ever played each other?

Plus: politicans embarrassing themselves at the football, and managers and players who are always improving. Mail your questions to knowledge@theguardian.com or tweet @TheKnowledge_GU

“Given that England and Northern Ireland have the same national anthem, do any other national sides share one?” tweets Dylan Mitchell. “And have they played each other?”

Before we go on to actually answering the question, first, let’s remember that while the lyrics might be different, Liechtenstein have snaffled the melody from “God Save the Queen” for their “Oben am Jungen Rhein” anthem. England last met Liechtenstein during qualifying for Euro 2004, when Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney popped up with the goals in a 2-0 win. The first line of the text roughly translates as “on the upper reaches of the young Rhine, Liechtenstein leans against the Alpine heights,” according to Andy Shackleton, who has himself a GCSE in German. It’s pretty special. Andrew Cosgrove points out that New Zealand’s official national anthem is also God Save the Queen.

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Switzerland 0-0 France: Euro 2016 – as it happened

France hit the bar three times yet did not play well and were happy to top the group after a scruffy goalless draw

9.49pm BST

Peep peep! After a promising start it developed into a mediocre game, though the substitute Payet almost scored an incredible goal. The result suits both sides: France top the group, and get an easier draw, and Switzerland are through to the knockout stages of the European Championship for the first time. Thanks for your company; goodnight!

9.48pm BST

90+1 min That could easily have been a penalty for Switzerland. Lang’s deep cross was aimed towards Dzemalli, who was almost disrobed by Sagna as he tried to reach it. The referee either did not see it, or ignored it.

9.46pm BST

90 min There will be two added minutes.

9.44pm BST

88 min Payet’s free-kick hits his own man, the crouching Matuidi, and goes wide for a goalkick. I’m not sure whether it was going in or not.

9.44pm BST

87 min Schar handles just outside the Switzerland area. We’re into late-goal time, and the free-kick is perfectly positioned for Payet: 22 yards out, left of centre...

9.42pm BST

86 min Switzerland’s final substitution, with Michael Lang replacing Mehmedi.

9.41pm BST

85 min Xhaka’s shirt has been torn in half again. Imagine how much damage Claudio Gnetile could have done to the fabric of these Swiss shirts.

9.40pm BST

84 min “Agreed, Power Cube is a great one,” says Mark Turner, “but the tradition of good nicks lives on in Argentina, to the point where players without one feel they haven’t made it. Though they never translate well, “Cosmic Barrel” for Maradona shines brightly in any language.”

9.39pm BST

83 min Koscielny is booked for clattering Lichtsteiner 35 yards from goal. The ensuing free-kick is cleared by Koscielny and Pogba.

9.37pm BST

81 min You usually say this about cricket rather than football, but Payet looks like he’s playing on a different pitch. His confidence is stratospheric at the moment.

9.36pm BST

80 min “Hi Rob,” says Jörg Michner. “Kari Tulinius wondered if there is a better nickname for a contemporary player than “Power Cube” - I think there is: Roma’s Kevin Strootman is called “Er Lavatrice” by his teammates: The Washing Machine. It’s due to his ability to turn even the “dirtiest” (as in bad) passes he receives into “clean” (good) ones.”

9.35pm BST

79 min Another Swiss substitution, with Gelson Fernandes replacing Shaqiri.

9.33pm BST

75 min Payet so nearly scores the goal of the tournament! Sissoko charged 70 yards down the right, a magnificent run, before lifting a deliberate, very deep cross to Payet, arriving from out of shot on the left of the box. He was 12 yards out, running at full speed, and opened his body to sidefoot a wonderful right-footed volley that beat Sommer and rattled the underside of the bar!

9.30pm BST

74 min Haris Seferovic replaces the lively Embolo up front for Switzerland.

9.30pm BST

74 min “Switzerland,” says Simon McMahon, “are the Mike Atherton to France’s Allan Donald.” With the number of chances, they are more like the Roger Binny to France’s Chris Tavare.

9.28pm BST

73 min “I do enjoy listening to Danny Murphy as a pundit and commentator,” says Matt Dony. “He’s knowledgeable without being patronising, enthusiastic but not over-excitable, and pretty funny at times. Go on, Rob, we’re all friends here. Was he the Secret Footballer?” No. But I agree, he’s terrific. While punditry has improved beyond recognition, there aren’t many good co-commentators around. Murphy is excellent at both.

9.26pm BST

71 min France are playing a dangerous game here, sitting on their 0-0 lead. One goal from Switzerland and they could face Germany in the last 16, and will almost certainly face Spain in the last eight if they get that far.

9.24pm BST

69 min Albania still lead Romania 1-0, and are on course to finish third. Get the latest here.

Related: Romania v Albania: Euro 2016 – live!

9.23pm BST

68 min “Is there a better nickname for a contemporary footballer than “Power Cube”?” asks Kari Tulinius. “It’s inventive and encapsulates Shaqiri as a player. Reading about football history, there are tons of great nicknames, “The Paper Man”, “The Galloping Major”, “Chopper Harris” and “The Poet of the Left Foot”. These have largely disappeared from the modern game, another fine tradition lost to our cynical age.”

There have been a few amusing ones, though, like ‘One Size’ Fitz Hall, Kiki ‘Chris’ Musampa, and, er, that’s it.

9.20pm BST

65 min Another corner for Switzerland, who have been excellent since they moved Shaqiri to No10 at the break. Shaqiri takes the corner, and whips it straight onto the roof of the net.

9.19pm BST

63 min Dimitri Payet comes on for France, replacing the slightly disappointing Kingsley Coman. Somebody get a camera on Slaven Bilic.

9.18pm BST

62 min Sagna plays Sissoko into space on the right of the box ... and he slips over. The pitches are pretty poor in this tournament.

9.16pm BST

60 min France have stirred after a very sluggish start to the second half. As in 1998, their potential route to the final is so much easier if they avoid defeat in the final group match.

9.15pm BST

58 min Shaqiri goes flying after a tackle on the edge of the France box, but the referee ignores him and waves play on. He was definitely caught by Cabaye, even if he did exaggerate the fall.

9.14pm BST

57 min Pogba brilliantly resists a four-pronged challenge to maintain possession and find Griezmann. He plays a one-two with Gignac and then, from 20 yards, lifts a right-footed shot that is pushed over by Sommer. It was a lovely attack, though a pretty comfortable save for Sommer in the end.

9.12pm BST

54 min Djourou’s poor pass allows Griezmann to break beyond Schar, and the last man Behrami has to get round to make a crucial block tackle. As he does so, the ball bursts and there’s a delay while they wait for a replacement. You don’t see that too often.

9.09pm BST

53 min Gignac’s firm low shot from 20 yards is comfortably held by Sommer.

9.07pm BST

51 min Switzerland are technically the home side in this game, and they are playing like it: they have had more of the ball, particularly since the break, and here’s another corner on the left. Rodriguez swings it out and it’s headed clear.

9.04pm BST

48 min Pogba tries one trick too many on the halfway line and is robbed, with a Swiss corner the eventual result. It’s headed away by Cabaye. Switzerland have started this half superbly.

9.03pm BST

47 min A fast start from the Swiss. Shaqiri plays a brilliant lofted reverse pass to find Embolo on the right wing, and his dangerous low cross is backheeled away from trouble by Koscielny in the six-yard box.

9.01pm BST

46 min Peep peep! Switzerland begin the second half.

8.46pm BST

Some half-time reading

Related: Euro 2016: why England and Germany could still go out in the group stage

Related: Why Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo is no longer a universe beater

8.46pm BST

A half of two halves comes to an end. France need to be careful, because Switzerland have been useful and they are one goal away from winning the group. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.

8.44pm BST

44 min A fine long pass from Xhaka is miscontrolled by Shaqiri on the right side of the box, allowing Pogba to clear. The game is meandering towards half-time.

8.43pm BST

43 min I think this might be the best email we have ever received in an MBM, and the worst. “I really hope Germany get knocked out by Switzerland in the first knockout rounds following a heroic rearguard effort, costing the German coach his job,” says Kielan Thompson. “Switzerland’s lauded centre-back partnership could then be asked by a controversy-seeking journo in a press conference about these consequences and Germany’s future prospects, a question fielded with a chuckle by one, who nervously defers the question to the other. The headline could be: ‘Schär: Djourou believe in life after Löw?’ A long shot but I’m hopeful.”

8.40pm BST

40 min Since I said this was a good game, it’s been rubbish. I sincerely believe this is not a coincidence.

8.38pm BST

38 min Xhaka needs a new shirt after half of it is ripped off by a French player. That’s the second or third player who has had a ripped shirt in this half. They’ll have the dentist’s chair out next!

8.36pm BST

37 min The longer this stays level, the more nervous France will get. They really don’t want to finish second in the group, because if they do they will probably play Germany or Poland in the last 16, and then Spain in the quarters.

8.35pm BST

36 min Yet another corner for France, this time on the left. Griezmann’s outswinger bounces around the box before Xhaka welts it clear.

8.34pm BST

35 min Coman is sent flying by a combination of Rodriguez and Dzemalli, and implores the referee to do something about it. He settles for a free-kick.

8.32pm BST

33 min “Ahoy hoy,” says James Crane. “To David Wall’s point - the logic (ahem) behind the decision can be found at this link, but basically the instruction is that it should now always be dark and light. Hence, like tonight, you wont see Blue vs Red. FIFA, of course, are trying to take it one step further and persuade teams to move towards monochrome (e.g. Spain & Germany kits in 2014). ‘FIFA believe lights vs darks help the referee clarify tussles, lunges and tackles...’. Modern football, etc etc

8.31pm BST

31 min This is a really good game. Dzemalli beats Sagna on the left wing with a clever drag, but his cross is cleared.

8.29pm BST

29 min A cute backheel from Dzemalli on the right of the box sets Embolo up for a rising shot that hits Koscielny in the chest and goes behind for a corner.

8.28pm BST

27 min Lichtsteiner breaks forward, loses the ball to Coman and then pulls him back to stop a France break. That would definitely have been a yellow card two months ago. I like this new refereeing leniency, though the worry is that cynical defences will soon start to manipulate it for their evil purposes.

8.26pm BST

24 min A superb inswinging corner from Griezmann is headed over his own bar by the excellent Schar, who clears the follow-up corner as well. That leads to a third, which is swung deep to Koscielny. He heads it whence it came, and Schar again heads it clear. I think Koscielny’s header was going wide but it was still a good defensive header. A second later, Rami is booked for a high foot on Mehmedi.

8.23pm BST

23 min Embolo’s directness is giving France a few problems at the back, although he has also messed up breaks with a couple of poor touches.

8.21pm BST

21 min Mehmedi picks up the ball on the left wing. Rodriguez makes the overlapping run, and Mehmedi uses him by not using him: he comes infield, away from Griezmann, but strikes well over the bar from the edge of the box.

8.19pm BST

20 min “I have been watching far too many episodes of The Walking Dead recently,” says Ian Copestake, “so it is actually unnerving to see people running at pace.” You had a United season-ticket last season? Honk!

8.18pm BST

17 min Pogba hits the bar for the second time! He marauded forward from inside the centre circle, and got to within 25 yards before raking a majestic left-footed shot that swooshed away from the motionless Sommer and pinged off the top of the bar. With the Sommer save and the near own-goal at the other end, the score in this could easily be Pogba 3-1 Pogba.

8.17pm BST

17 min France are pressing strongly. Griezmann’s excellent square pass finds Gignac, 15 yards out, and his first-time shot is very well blocked by Schar.

8.16pm BST

16 min “I understand that the Swiss are technically at home, and that is why they are in red tonight, but given that there is no clash why aren’t France in blue?” says David Wall. “This seems to have been introduced in recent tournaments, that the ‘away’ side have to play in their change kit regardless of clashes with the ‘home’ side’s colours (with the exception of where the away strip clashes with the home strip, as presumably was the case in the game between England and Russia). Is that a rule introduced by UEFA/FIFA or is it something that national federations choose to do so they can flog more change strips?”

No idea I’m afraid, but I agree, it’s an egregious development to use away kits when there’s no clash.

8.14pm BST

13 min That’s a brilliant save from Sommer to deny Pogba! Coman mishit a volley inside the box, and Pogba, who had run around the outside of him from centre to left, whistled the loose ball towards the far corner with his left foot. It was going in but Sommer showed superb reflexes to plunge to his left and tip it round.

8.12pm BST

12 min A lovely effort from Pogba. He was found by Gignac, 25 yards out, and made space before hitting a curler towards the far top corner. Sommer got across but spilled it, and it looped up before hitting the top of the bar.

8.11pm BST

10 min I’ve seen players clear off the opposition line before, like Tore-Andre Flo for Chelsea, but never to deny an own-goal.

8.10pm BST

8 min What a bizarre near miss! Embolo has cleared off the line from Pogba - at the French end! A corner from the right was flicked across the box by the head of Schar, who might actually have done better. Pogba, in trying to clear, miskicked it towards his own goal and Embolo, who had fallen over and was on the line, unwittingly cleared. It may not have gone in anyway, as Lloris had scrambled across his line, but it’s hard to be sure either way.

8.07pm BST

7 min Lichtsteiner galumphs into the box onto Embolo’s overhit pass, and Rami gets across to make an excellent clearance.

8.06pm BST

6 min It’s been a fairly leisurely start to the game, a reflection of the fact France are already through.

8.04pm BST

4 min “Doc Sportello’s lifestyle is absolutely not what you would expect of a modern footballer,” says Charles Antaki. “Drugs, paranoia, individualism, occasional infantilism and an abiding failure to deal with authority. Actually…”

8.02pm BST

3 min Griezmann waves an insouciant pass down the right to Sissoko, whose cross is blocked at the expense of a throw-in. From which, Pogba’s 25-yard shot deflects wide for the first corner of the match. It leads to a very promising Swiss break, four on three, but Dzemalli picks the wrong pass.

8.00pm BST

2 min “How do members of the bald community change their life?” says Marie Meyer. “Have you seen ‘Breaking Bad’? Grow a goatee, get a pork pie hat.”

Who said this was about me?

8.00pm BST

1 min Peep peep! France, in white, kick off from right to left. Switzerland are in red.

7.57pm BST

Time for the national anthems. Patrice Evra, in particular, is belting it out.

7.46pm BST

An email!

“Paul Pogba has obviously fully absorbed a reading suggestion from Joe Allen, whose own transformation of form (for Liverpool anyway) came about on perusing Thomas Pynchon’s novel Inherent Vice, in which Doc Sportello follows his new age, hippy friend’s advice to ‘change your hair, change your life’.”

7.25pm BST

Meanwhile!

Related: Romania v Albania: Euro 2016 – live!

7.22pm BST

The weight of all those permutations

France will top the group if they get at least a draw. If they achieve that, they will play a third-placed team in the second round rather than the runner-up in Group C (probably Germany or Poland). It would also mean they play the runner-up from Group F in the quarters, rather than the winner of Group D (probably Spain).

7.22pm BST

Switzerland (4-2-3-1) Sommer; Lichtsteiner, Schar, Djourou, Rodriguez; Behrami, Xhaka; Shaqiri, Dzemalli, Mehmedi; Embolo.

France (4-3-3) Lloris; Sagna, Rami, Koscielny, Evra; Sissoko, Cabaye, Pogba; Coman, Gignac, Griezmann.

5.38pm BST

Hello. Kumar Sangakkara’s jaunty sledging of the South African captain Shaun Pollock at the 2003 cricket World Cup neatly highlighted the pressure of being hosts. The weight of all those expectations! Even if you go on to win the tournament, as France’s football team did in 1984 and 1998, it’s hard to enjoy it until afterwards.

Tonight, at least, France can relax. They have already qualified for the last 16 and, although they’d like to finish top of the group and get in the easier half of the draw, it’s not the end of the world if they don’t. For the first and last time in the tournament, they should be able to enjoy themselves.

10.55am BST

Rob will be here soon enough. In the meantime, read how that man Paul Pogba, fit with a new patriotic hairdo, is going into battle with the French press:

When Karim Benzema was left out of the France squad for Euro 2016 by Didier Deschamps, following questioning by police in November over an alleged blackmail attempt against his team-mate Mathieu Valbuena,Eric Cantona suggested there was an element of discrimination against the player of Algerian origin.

Deschamps has categorically denied this and is taking legal action against his former team-mate but further concerns have been raised this week towards the French media, particularly the sports daily L’Equipe, which faced criticism on social media from France supporters who accused journalists of unfairly criticising the team and looking to create drama around particular players.

Related: Paul Pogba v L’Equipe typifies the rift between France and its media

Continue reading...

Euro 2016’s late, late goals show: how and why the records are tumbling

Almost 30% of the goals at Euro 2016 have been scored after the 85th minute and substitutes are often at the heart of the drama. We look at how previous tournaments compare and what is behind the trend

The goals-per-game average at Euro 2016 is a miserable 1.96. Lower than any World Cup in history; lower than any European Championship since 1980; lower even than Serie A in the 1980s. Yet the tournament has not felt remotely boring, because of the charming underdog stories and particularly the overload of late drama. Thirteen of the 47 goals scored so far have come after the 85th minute, easily the highest percentage in a European Championship and almost three times the equivalent figure at Euro 2012.

Related: Euro 2016 power rankings: Spain set the tone as competitors stutter

Continue reading...

Euro 2016: why England and Germany could still go out in the group stage

The third-place system allows teams to squeeze into the last 16 through the Euro 2016 cat flap, never mind the back door

If you’re a casual football fan, there’s a chance you won’t be familiar with the 1983-84 season in Romania’s Divizia C, Serie VIII. It was so tight that in a 16-team league, with two points for a win, only two points separated second and 15th. Some teams avoided relegation on goal difference – and finished in the top half of the division. On the final day, the as-it-stands table probably exploded after 10 minutes.

Related: Euro 2016: who qualifies from third place?

Related: Euro 2016: what do England, Wales, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland need?

Continue reading...

Italy 1-0 Sweden: Euro 2016 – as it happened

Italy qualified for the last 16 with a game to spare after Eder’s brilliant late goal settled a forgettable match

4.24pm BST

Sid Lowe was our man in Toulouse. Read his match report:

Related: Italy into last 16 after Éder’s dazzling late goal sees off Sweden

3.52pm BST

In David Winner’s Brilliant Orange, the art director Rudi Fuchs said of Italian football: “They seduce you into their soft embrace, and score a goal like the thrust of a dagger.” This game was a perfect example of that. It was fifty shades of stinker, with hardly any chances, and then Eder exploded into life to score a brilliant goal after a great assist from Zaza. Italy are through, Sweden probably need to beat Belgium if they are to qualify. Thanks for your company and emails, bye! Next up:

Related: Euro 2016 interactive wallchart: tables, results, fixtures and more

3.51pm BST

90+5 min Sweden have a big appeal for a penalty when Granqvist goes down in the box. It was a climsy tackle by Bonucci, who also had a grip on Granqvist’s shirt. That said, there wasn’t actually much contact. You can see why it wasn’t given, and why it could have been given. And that’s it!

3.49pm BST

90+2 min Buffon is booked for timewasting.

3.48pm BST

90+1 min Three minutes of added time.

3.47pm BST

90 min Candreva’s stinging near-post shot from a tight angle is pushed wide by Isaksson.

3.46pm BST

It came out of nothing. Chiellini took a quick throw near the halfway line on the left, launching it long to Zaza. He leapt majestically to guide a header to Eder, who was running from left to centre. Eder vroomed infield, away from Lewicki and then between Granqvist and Kallstrom before cracking a fierce low shot into the far corner from the edge of the box.

3.44pm BST

Eder wins the match with a brilliant goal!

3.42pm BST

87 min This is the brightest period of the game. Maybe the players are delirious because they know the match is almost over.

3.41pm BST

86 min Marcus Berg replaces John Guidetti for Sweden.

3.40pm BST

85 min A corner to Sweden, taken by Kallstrom, is headed over by Granqvist. He had been penalised anyway.

3.39pm BST

84 min This this this from Niall Mullen. “Tournament has been ok but where it has been poor I don’t think you can blame the structure. Mostly there’s just a general lack of quality players particularly forwards. Davor Suker apart I don’t remember being that thrilled by Euro 96 despite its superior structure. Euro 2000 on the other hand...”

Euro 2000 was incredible, easily the best major tournament since the 1980s.

3.39pm BST

82 min Parolo hits the bar! Giaccherini, loitering just outside the box on the left, curled in a beautiful ball to the far post - very similar to Iniesta against the Czech Republic - and Parolo planted a close-range header against the top of the bar. He should probably have scored.

3.36pm BST

80 min “Afternoon Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “Major football tournaments need to wake up. I suggest ‘guest teams’, say Scotland, to replace those already qualified, based on phone votes. Or an IPL style auction to include, say Messi or Grant Hanley, in your team. You read it here first.”

3.35pm BST

78 min Who will blink first? Who will fall asleep first? Sweden are making a double change, with Durmaz replacing Forsberg and Lewicki replacing Ekdal.

3.34pm BST

77 min “Conte’s plan of boring everyone to death and winning the Euros by default is pure genius,” says Evan Haas. “He’s a match made in heaven for Chelsea.”

3.30pm BST

74 min Thiago Motta comes on for Italy, replacing De Rossi.

3.29pm BST

72 min Ibrahimovic misses an open goal! Turns out he was offside, when he stretched to stab Olsson’s superb low cross over the bar from two years. Larsson almost reached it before Ibrahimovic, and he was onside so it would have counted.

3.27pm BST

71 min “This game,” says Neill Brown, “is as uninspiring as Italy’s kit is beautiful.”

3.25pm BST

69 min De Rossi is booked for a late tackle on Kallstrom.

3.25pm BST

3.23pm BST

67 min Cook us up a shot, Zlatan. We need a hit.

3.22pm BST

66 min Lindelof goes on a wander down the right and wins a corner for Sweden. Kallstrom’s inswinger is flapped to safety by Buffon.

3.20pm BST

64 min Florenzi’s chipped cross finds his fellow wing-back Candreva, who volleys it low back into the area. There are no strikers there, however, and Isaksson dives to claim it.

3.19pm BST

63 min Italy may be limited going forward but they do know how to defend: Belgium and Sweden have had only two shots on goal against them in 150 minutes.

3.17pm BST

61 min Kallstrom denies Giaccherini the chance of a first-time shot with a brilliant tackle after a cutback from Parolo.

3.16pm BST

59 min An Italy change, with Simone Zaza replacing Pelle.

3.15pm BST

58 min Ibrahimovic flattens Eder with a naughty tackle, scraping his studs over the ball. The referee gave the free-kick to Sweden for holding by Chiellini a fraction earlier.

3.13pm BST

57 min “Long-retired from international football admittedly,” begins Christopher Dale, “but by how much would 39 year old Francesco Totti be an upgrade on any of Italy’s current forwards?”

Never mind Totti, I suspect Sandro Mazzola is regretting his retirement.

3.12pm BST

55 min Both sides would like to win this match, but the fact they don’t need to is evident in the relatively cautious approach of both. A bird in the hand is worth three in the bush.

3.09pm BST

53 min The ITV commentator reminds us that Sweden are yet to have a shot on target - in the entire tournament. Uefa has just granted them special dispensation to bring on Ciaran Clark as a sub in this game.

3.08pm BST

52 min “I reckon if Platini had still been in his job, the next Euros would have been the culmination of his fiendish plan,” says Adam Hirst. “Every team in Europe would have qualified for Euro 2020, and then the finals would have been played in every country. Every country would then qualify from the Group Phase for the Second Group Phase, and so on into perpetuity. Every country both qualifies and hosts the Euros, and who wouldn’t want that? They would have all continued to vote for Platini. He would have guaranteed his job for life. Meanwhile we’re stuck in the halfway house with this tournament and tedious matches like this that don’t particularly mean anything one way or the other.”

3.07pm BST

51 min Italy win three corners in quick succession. The second might have produced a chance for Eder, but his first touch was poor.

3.05pm BST

49 min That’s a bit better from Italy. A lovely pass from Parolo down the inside-right channel finds Eder, who cuts it back to Pelle on the edge of the box. He stabs it up in the air but then volleys over the bar.

3.04pm BST

48 min Guidetti has just visited the turf after a clash with Chiellini. It was a bodycheck, no more or less, as Guidetti made an off-the-ball run. The referee missed it anyway.

3.03pm BST

48 min “Tournament has been poor so far,” says Victor Valkov. “Weaker teams know 3 points is enough, 2nd placers will play other 2nd placers in the RO16... terrible format.” Yeah, I’m not a fan of having third-placed teams qualify when the competition is already open to too many teams.

3.01pm BST

47 min “The 1.89 goals per game is one of the reasons it’s been a good tournament so far,” says Mark O’Neil. “There’s a lack of filler, with pretty much every goal having had an effect on the game. No late consolations or teams running up the score. Hard earned, in competitive games.”

3.01pm BST

46 min Italy, whose players have emerged with bone-dry hair, begin the second half. They are kicking from right to left. Antonio Conte, their manager, is dressed like Martin Blank: black shirt, black trousers, black shoes, black blazer, black tie.

2.47pm BST

“That little jig of annoyance by three Swedes at the exact same time just now was pure gold,” says Mac Millings. “It was like three frustrated little foot-stamping, cliche-busting Vikings, or me dancing my tiny heart out in front of two mirrors.”

2.45pm BST

Half-time reading

Related: The Joy of Six: great European Championship performances

2.45pm BST

Sweden will be the happier team, having dominated possession in a largely boring half. See you in 15 minutes for more tedium!

2.43pm BST

43 min “With regards to your point on the low goal rate, at 20 min, I think the potentially disappointing/tedious narrative is the lack of quality strikers in Europe,” says Ben Lake. “Like you mentioned, most games have been interesting if not high scoring, there’s been plenty of games with excellent chances spurned. Then there was Germany again in their first game and Spain in their first two games. Scoring but usually leaving it late. Lacking the strong direct presence up front means these teams tend to dominate possession against less technically capable opposition but not do anything with it. Until the opposition collectively give up from exhaustion.

“The answer is obviously the England method. Bring loads of strikers to the tournament then slowly build them into your team over the course of a game until half your outfield players are strikers. I look forward to a future when most, if not all, of a team are strikers with a sweeper keeper.”

2.42pm BST

42 min A good spell for Sweden. A loose ball almost breaks to Ibrahimovic, with Chiellini booting it away for a corner. Kallstrom curls it very deep, and the stretching Ibrahimovic heads wide after an impromptu wrestle with Chiellini. That could have been a penalty, though they are rarely given.

2.40pm BST

40 min A bit of excitement! Ibrahimovic’s superb long pass is chested back neatly by Larsson for Guidetti, 25 yards out. He blooters it into orbit.

2.39pm BST

39 min A few minutes of possession for Sweden, albeit to no effect whatsoever. This first half has been one for the tacticians.

2.36pm BST

35 min “This half has been like England v Wales with added Ibrahimovic,” says Charles Antaki. “Actually, without added Ibrahimovic.” Yes, it’s funny how tension can turn lead into gold. That England game, Rashford and Walker aside, was objectively dreadful.

2.33pm BST

33 min Sweden can’t afford to lose; Italy don’t need to win. We should have known it would be like this.

2.32pm BST

32 min “When Italy spawn a 1-0 lead, just watch their cynical fouling to prevent any chance of a Swedish counter attack, like they did against Belgium, with no punishment other than a yellow card, which is at that point meaningless,” says Andy Bradshaw. “A better punishment, like a 10 minute sin bin must be investigated, surely? Unless blatant cheating is actually condoned.”

2.30pm BST

30 min There has been one shot at goal all game.

2.28pm BST

27 min De Rossi is late on Ibrahimovic, the type of sliding foul that used to warrant a yellow card in the bad old days before this tournament. Kallstrom’s inswinging free-kick from a narrow position is headed over by the leaping Ibrahimovic, who was offside anyway.

2.26pm BST

26 min Forsberg tries to run Candreva, who defends excellently and draws the foul. Forsberg looked terrific in the pre-tournament friendly against Wales, but has done the square root of bugger all so far.

2.24pm BST

23 min “Wouldn’t Sweden (and Wales and Portugal) be well advised to try using their big name players as a decoy?” says David Hopkins. “I’d love to see Zlatan/Bale/Ronaldo running off to one side of the pitch, followed by three defenders, while the ball is moved to the other side with a teammate clear on goal. Obviously the egos of the three of them wouldn’t allow it, but the confusion on the faces of the defenders would be worth it.”

2.22pm BST

22 min A corner for Sweden on the right. Kallstrom swings it in, Pelle heads clear.

2.22pm BST

20 min It hasn’t been a great game so far. The intensity has been good, the quality less so. So far this tournament has an average of 1.89 goals per game, which is odd as most of the games have been enjoyable. Maybe that’s because of the stories rather than the football.

2.18pm BST

18 min Olsson charges into space down the left but then mishits a cross over the bar. Ibrahimovic has started to play a bit, with a couple of nice passes in the final third.

2.15pm BST

14 min A clever dummy from Zlatan allows the ball to run through to Guidetti. After five seconds of huffing and puffing and scrambling, Guidetti is penalised for fouling Barzagli a fraction before Barzagli fouls Ibrahimovic in the box. It was a clumsy, zestful challenge from Guidetti, though I’m not certain it was a foul.

2.12pm BST

12 min Zlatan watch: nothing. Nowt.

2.12pm BST

11 min “Rob,” says David Knowles, “you stole that prediction from Liam Brady and the lads on RTE!” Crime pays.

2.11pm BST

10 min Italy are starting to come into the game now. Parolo plays a good ball to Florenzi, whose right-footed shot has the sting taken out of it by Lindelof on its way through to Isaksson. Florenzi is actually playing left wing-back and Candreva right, not the other way round as advertised on Guardian.co.uk.

2.09pm BST

8 min “Lots of Irish interest in the outcome of today’s ITA v SWE game,” writes Ger McCarthy. “Best case scenario for Martin O’Neill and his squad is an Italian victory plus lots of yellow cards leading to a weakened line-up in the Azzurri’s final group game.”

2.07pm BST

7 min “Come on,” says Andrew Hurley. “That flick by Ibrahimovic was just that - a flick. A good one, yes, but best goal ever scored?! Not even in the top 1000 or probably 10000 goals. One suspects if the name of the scorer was different the goal would be long forgotten!”

Well, I see what you mean. But. If he calculated it all in a split second, and meant to lob the defender on the line, and did so with such deft precision while facing the other way, while being bumped by Buffon, while in mid-air, and while twisting his leg in such a ligament-busting way, I think it’s an astonishing goal. Whether he did, only Zlatan knows.

2.07pm BST

2.07pm BST

6 min Sweden have started well. Italy know from modern tournament experience - 1996, 2002, 2014 - that a win in the first game isn’t the end-all, never mind the be-all.

2.04pm BST

4 min Candreva moseys from right to left and finds Florenzi, who curls an inswinging cross straight out of play for a goalkick.

2.03pm BST

3 min “I just cannot look past a comfortable Italian win in this game,” says Jacob Burton. “Sweden are one of the worst teams I have seen at this tournament so far, which is saying something! Much like Portugal with Ronaldo and Wales with Bale, the MO for the entire squad is to get the ball to Zlatan. Stop that and you stop the threat, and if there is one thing this Italian team can do better than most others it is stifle out any attacks before they cause any problems. Also a quick shout out to Dr Jacob S who will no doubt be reading this whilst working!”

I hope he’s not a brain surgeon.

2.03pm BST

2 min Kallstrom floats a dangerous cross towards Zlatan at the far post, and Chiellini produces a wonderful defensive header under considerable pressure from Zlatan’s elbow.

2.00pm BST

2 min “Hello Rob,” says Tim Woods. “Re that quip from Sir Alex. Where exactly does it sit along the Casual Racism–Mind Games–Bantz continuum? Personally I find it quite funny, but would it be trotted out quite so often if a less popular/successful manager had said it?”

Oh, it was the 1990s; racism didn’t count then.

2.00pm BST

1 min Sweden kick off from right to left. They are in yellow; Italy are in blue.

1.55pm BST

“‘Remember when’ is the lowest form of conversation”

Twenty four years ago today, Sweden did something pretty spectacular

1.54pm BST

Prediction Italy 2-0 Sweden

1.53pm BST

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere’s the Fiver

Related: The Fiver | Jam and jingoism

1.37pm BST

How good is this.

Legendarisk tegning i dagens udgave af La Gazzetta dello Sport #em2016 pic.twitter.com/6kYwrmIOTJ

1.10pm BST

Italy (3-5-2) Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Florenzi, Parolo, De Rossi, Giaccherini, Candreva; Pelle, Eder.

Sweden (4-4-2) Isaksson; E Johansson, Lindelof, Granqvist, M Olsson; S Larsson, Ekdal, Kallstrom, Forsberg; Guidetti, Ibrahimovic.

11.35am BST

“When the Italians tell me it’s pasta,” began Alex Ferguson in March 1999, “I always check under the sauce.” That quote came to mind on Monday night, when Italy emphatic reminded Belgium that football is played on grass, not paper. This was supposed to be the worst Italy side for decades, maybe ever, yet they were hugely impressive and scored two fine goals. Typical Italians, right?

Well, only up to a point. The world may have nodded knowingly on Monday, as if being crap for the best part of a decade had been a Machiavellian plot, but essentially the pre-tournament doubts about Italy were right. They were poor in qualification, going forward anyway, and had a modest warm-up. With Italy, that never seems to matter: most of their best moments in international football have come after terrible build-ups or even a terrible start to the competition. They are a tournament team, the opposite of England. Don’t believe the lack of hype.

Related: The Joy of Six: great European Championship goals | Rob Smyth and Scott Murray

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