Key events
Are we seeing the stratification of international football? Spain, France, England and Argentina now seem a fair bit better than Brazil, Germany and Holland with the rate at which they’re developing quality young players likely to maintain that hegemony for the foreseeable.
A ball over the top and Johnson chases, chesting down and, almost from the by-line, lifting over Costa … and on to the top of the bar. But Koumas is there for the rebound, he shoots low … and Dias blocks! That should’ve been 1-1.
ShareGOAL! Serbia 1-1 Greece (Tzolis 74)
It’s been coming for well over an hour and finally, it’s arrived, Pavlidis holding up before feeding Tzolis, who measures a low finish across Milinkovic-Savis and into the far corner.
Christos Tzolis equalises for Greece in Belgrade. Photograph: Pedja Milosavljevic/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 16.25 EDT
GOAL! Norway 3-2 Denmark (Haaland 74)
A short corner, then a low pass to the near post – think Anderton for Sheringham, early-to-mid-90s – and Haaland turns in powerfully. He is rrrridiculous.
Photograph: Ulrik Pedersen/ZUMA Press Wire/ShutterstockShare
Updated at 16.26 EDT
Eeesh, Dumfries nudges the ball away from Amiri – whose nickname, I trust, is Del – but, already committed to the slide, he tanks in to knock plough through the Inter man, knocking him off his feet. The challenge, though, is with thigh not stud, which is, I imagine, why there’s no red card.
Oh my complete and utter days! Summerville slides Dumfries in behind, he crosses low, missing out the keeper, and Meerdink slides in to finish into the empty net from almost under the bar … and somehow sends the ball wide! That is remarkable, a miss that defies the laws of physics and makes Adeyemi’s from earlier look like a composed tuck-away.
In Belgrade, Greece are dominating, but still can’t score – Milinkovic-Savic has just saved from Ionnidis, but he oughtn’t to have smelled it.
“I wonder does ex-dentist and current Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson pack a bit of novocaine in his kitbag when fulfilling his professional duties these days,” asks Justin Kavanagh. “Watching the current squad for 90 minutes must be painful. Especially when you’ve three appointments scheduled within a week.”
Heimir Hallgrímsson gets ready for training. Possibly. Photograph: Allstar Picture Library Ltd/AlamyShare
Updated at 16.18 EDT
Back in Dam, Netherlands are chasing an equaliser, Van Dijk having a header deflected over before the ref ruins an almighty scramble from the ensuing second corner, blowing up before Meerdink fires home.
ShareGOAL! Norway 2-2 Denmark (Hojlund 60)
Dorgu swings a decent corner in and, though Hjulmand’s header is saved by Nyland, Hojlund pounces from close range. From 2-0 up and cruising, Norway have been pegged back.
Rasmus Hojlund levels it up for Denmark in Oslo. Photograph: NTB/ReutersShare
Updated at 16.13 EDT
NO GOAL! Portugal 1-0 Wales
Yup, you could see that with the naked eye, and Ronaldo can barely believe the effrontery of the system.
No. Photograph: Pedro Nunes/ReutersShare
Updated at 16.07 EDT
But was he offside? I think he was, you know…
ShareGOAL! Portugal 2-0 Wales (Ronaldo 59)
Bruno disguises a lush ball in behind, striking across it and threading it through the near side of the defence, and Ronaldo slides across Ward and low into the far corner.
Timber powers through midfield and finds Gakpo … whose square-pass is poor. Holland’s lack of attacking class is remarkable – in 2004, say, they had Van Hooijdonk, Van Nistelrooy, Makaay, Overmars, Robben and Kluivert.
Updated at 16.00 EDT
“What could go wrong under Jesus?” returns Nelson Calvinho. “Exactly what you said, Daniel: he won’t get to develop players in international football. There’s also his hubris and stubbornness. At times his football is too attacking and leaves his teams exposed. He famously didn’t rate Bernardo Silva either, and played him at left-back at Benfica…
On the flip side, one thing that stopped him doing even better in his career is his combustible personality (Mourinho on steroids), which tends to grate on players after a while. That shouldn’t be much of a problem with the national side, as he won’t be with them day in, day out.
I still have high hopes for him as Portugal’s manager, purely because his tactical acumen is up there with the best in the world. All his teams, from Benfica and Sporting to Flamengo, have played incredibly exciting football. And yes, I was hoping Jesus would be the one with big enough cojones to leave Ronaldo out. Sigh…”
Is there a clamour in Portugal to get him gone? In England he’d have been hounded into retirement tiiiiime ago.
Jorge ‘Jorge’ Jesus Photograph: Joao Gregorio/ZUMA Press Wire/ShutterstockShare
Updated at 16.04 EDT
Footballers I’d rather not ruck (but obviously could take if I had to): Uncle Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
Photograph: Andrej Čukić/EPAShare
“Portugal v Wales, and a painful reminder that one of the greatest month of my life was 10 (TEN!!!) years ago,” says Matt Dony. “The inexorable creep of time. Portugal looked so damn beatable in Euro 2016, but you can’t legislate for Ronaldo scoring that header. Of course he’s not the same player now, but the scars remain. Every time he touches the ball, I expect him to suddenly become the CR7 again. He’ll definitely score. Theres not a doubt in This Sullen Welsh Heart. (Thanks, Nicky Wire).”
Well, he’s just made a mess of a diving header for 2-0 but, on the plus side, it gave us a decent look at his yellow highlights.
Updated at 15.55 EDT
We’re away again in Lisbon and Oslo; Belgrade and Dam soon come.
Half-time email: “Not a lot happening in Lisbon,” reports Gareth Rogers. “My personal highlight was the ‘You’re just a shit Gareth Bale!!’ chant from the traveling fans after Ronaldo spurned an easy chance to further pad his goal scoring stats against weak teams, threw his arms dramatically in the air and pointed at the imaginary divot. I will so miss him when he’s gone.”
An international level, that song is true of almost everyone. At club level, brilliant though he was, in the company he kept I felt Bale lacked a bit of guile and finesse. But I can’t think of many better international footballers than him.
ShareHALF-TIME: Netherlands 0-1 Germany
There’s a pleasing tetch to this one and a growing sense of injustice in the Dutch ranks. The second half should be decent.
Updated at 15.46 EDT
“First half report from Kosovo is that Kosovo are all over Ireland like a duck on a junebug,” says JR in Illinois. “That they’re not up at least 3-0 is bordering on the miraculous.”
Ireland are drawing 0-0 in Kosovo at the break.
ShareHALF-TIME: Norway 2-1 Denmark
Since Denmark halved the deficit, they’ve been the better team – this is another really fun contest.
ShareHALF-TIME: Serbia 1-0 Greece
Greece has been excellent since going behind, but Serbia had a great chance to make it 2-0 in what is really enjoyable game.
ShareHALF-TIME: Portugal 1-0 Wales
Portugal are much too good for Wales, but only have a one-goal lead to show for their superiority.
Back to Nelson’s email, you don’t really get to develop players in international football – it’s more about picking a team that works. I’d like a bit more pace up front, though I suppose not many teams squeeze high, and I’d definitely like Joao Neves in the team – I’d put Neto up front instead of Ronaldo and work it out that way.
Amiri lifts a fine ball over the top for the marauding Brown and, rousting into the box, he might shoot himself, but instead makes sure, squaring for Adeyemi … who somehow shoots over the top! Klopp can only laugh, before applauding the approach-work. That was some miss.
“As much as I dislike Jorge Jesus as a person,” writes Nelson Calvinho, “the truth is he’s an elite ‘teacher’ manager, whose attacking, demanding, micromanaging style dramatically raises the tactical awareness and technical quality of his players. He’s absolutely obsessed about details. UK media just don’t rate him highly enough, or completely ignore him, because he’s never managed in one of your so-called big five leagues.
But when you think of the players he developed or revitalised into elite footballers (Di Maria, David Luiz, Matic, Ramires, Rafael Leão, Fábio Coentrão, Oblak, Bruno Fernandes, Enzo Perez, Axel Witsel and more, many of whom have publicly called him the best coach they ever had), it’s hard not to dream about what he’ll make of this Portugal side. If we can’t do it with Jorge Jesus, we probably never will.”
You never know how international football will work, but as long as he’s picking Ronaldo, I can’t see Portugal winning anything.
PSA: earlier today, Eoin Morgan said that Sri Lanka’s total was “in and around par”. It’s such a buzz to see groundbreaking stuff like that.
Brobbey is replaced by Mexx Meerdink who, if nothing else, has a tremendous name. Which of us wouldn’t love a dub-X?
Mexx power. Photograph: ANP/ShutterstockShare
Updated at 15.37 EDT
GOAL! Netherlands 0-1 Germany (Nmecha 32)
With Brobbey down and wanting treatment, having done his hammy running, Germany play on, Kimmich lifts a cross-kick over to the right, Treu crosses low, and though Adeyemi can’t turn in at the near post, Nmecha arrives on the scene to punch in the opener. As youj might imagine, Van Dijk is now even less dignant than previously, and there’s minor argy-bargy before we get going again.
Felix Nmecha scores for Germany! Photograph: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 15.28 EDT
Back in Belgrade, Jovic has just blasted over from close range – that should’ve been 2-0. And, in Amsterdam, Ebnoutalib hammers a rising shot from a tight angle that Verbruggen has to beat away.
Havertz walks off without much limping, but goes straight down the tunnel; Younes Ebnoutalib replaces him.
Timber accidentally treads on Havertz, who doesn’t enjoy it all; I fear that may be his evening done. On the plus side, I also enjoy Germany’s kit.
Photograph: ANP/ShutterstockShare
As promised, those Netherlands tops.
Photograph: Marcel van Dorst/DeFodi Images/ShutterstockShareGOAL! Norway 2-1 Denmark (Damsgaard 25)
A free-kick 22 yards out goes over the wall and in, but it wasn’t even close to the corner; Nyland doesn’t move never mind dive, and I’ve no idea why.
ShareGOAL! Portugal 1-0 Wales (Joao Felix 22)
It’s been one-way traffic until now and Mendes moves forward with the ball, finding Felix 25 yards from goal and unmarked. He advances, Davies opting not to close him down, and when the shot flicks off him, Ward is slow to dive, perhaps because of the deflection, but really, he should be stopping that.
Joao Felix puts Portugal in front against Wales. Photograph: Patrícia de Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 15.16 EDT