Croatia became one of the darlings of the tournament, Spain approached peak form and Ireland raised questions as to whether they even belonged on the field during an explosive day seven.
Croatia 1 — Italy 1
Spain 4 — Ireland 0
– If you’re a
neutral looking for a team to support, you could do a lot worse than Croatia.
I feel ashamed of myself for overlooking the Croatians in the build up to the
tournament, as they have been a joy to watch. The side attacks relentlessly,
has a commitment to creative passing and somehow find a way to celebrate every
goal as a team. Add in their underdog appeal, Slaven Bilic’s euphoric runs down
the touch line and their fans’ college-basketball-like jumping chants, and
you’ve got a team that is almost impossible to root against.
– Mario
Mandžukić earned himself a payday. The big man
has been toiling away in relative obscurity at VfL Wolfsburg in Germany and
wasn’t even Croatia’s first choice striker heading into Euro 2012. But after
joining Germany’s seasoned veteran Mario Gomez and Russia’s budding star Alan
Dzagoev in the three-goal club, Mandžukić is due to draw some attention
from the world’s biggest clubs. And after lifting his side from the brink of
elimination to within touching distance of the quarterfinals, it is no less
than he deserves.
– Italy is showing
a rare lack of killer instinct. The Azzurri has always shared with the
Germans an innate ability to put teams away and earn the points when they need
them. Italy has surrendered leads in both of their games, however, displaying vulnerability
at the back rarely seen from their teams. Giving up an equalizer to Spain was
one thing; allowing a Croatian team on the ropes to snatch a draw is quite
another.
– Ireland is
outclassed. The popular theory is that the European Championship is a
better watch than the World Cup because all of the teams are within the same
range of skill level. Ireland, for all of their work ethic and grit, showed
that this isn’t always true, getting hammered by the Spaniards. The Irish weren’t
in the match for even a second against the defending champs and it was the odd
blowout where a 4-0 scoreline seems generous to the losers.
– Spain looked
nearly back to form, but need to prove it against a better side.
Spain’s quick passing style tore Ireland to pieces, and it must have been a
huge relief to Vicente del Bosque to see his team turn chances into goals for
the first time in a long time. The Irish are clearly a class below, however,
and Croatia is looming as a real test. If La Furie Roja can replicate this
performance on Monday, they will regain equal footing with Germany as a title
favorite.
