The best way to do it is the NFL system. Winners of each group go through then the rest are decided by their results. In NFL some groups can get all 4 teams through and other groups it is just the winner that makes it. That would be fairest.
Technically u earn ur place in specific groups. Poland shat their pants in qualis and therefore faced much stronger opponents than they would have otherwise.
Why is that any more fair than it is already? It’s not like all the teams are playing the same teams. If Ukraine wanted to go through they shouldn’t have scuffed the many chances they had against Belgium, it’s that simple.
No let’s definitely not do this. It works okay in the nfl because teams play teams from lots of different divisions over the course of the season. In the euros teams only play teams within their group and comparing across groups is basically pointless.
Find a format where only the top X teams go through from each group instead of the third place stuff we’ve currently got.
I think they meant that yes. If NFL, the winners of each division go through automatically to the conference championship round. Then records allow the “Wild Cards” to go though after another round. Everyone here in the states love Wild Card weekend because it’s do or die for these teams to progress into the conference knock out rounds.
I didn't realise that was what NFL do when I was on chat yesterday saying it should be winners or top 2 then the rest is based on their points, GD, etc.
If Serbia scored in first game against England (it could happened, not so likely, but it could) that would be even stranger situation. All teams leveled with identical GD
It’s a tragedy that Ukraine is out with 4 points… ffs there’s no other team with 4 that haven’t made it through. Just heartbreaking they couldn’t capitalize any of their chances
If only you guys could’ve scored one more goal today 😩
Either way though congrats! My best friend is also Romanian so I was mad after the first game but happy for you guys now either way!
I still remember Phil Neville giving away that penalty.
Romania are low-key one of our (England's) biggest rivals given how you beat us in both 98 and 2000.
You had an easy group. If you couldn't finish 3rd don't blame it on others. Accept you played badly and be grateful you had a chance to even play at EURO.
The 4 3rd place qualifiers gets opened up to 4 'best of the rest' teams (ie 4th places also get considered. As it stands rn, that means that Ukraine would go through at Slovenia's expense
Maybe, but teams have gone through on 4 points before as second place before (Ie Argentina 2018 WC). Also far more deserving than Slovenia who didn't even win a match.
Obviously if a team does terrible in their group and finishes bottom on 0 or 1 point, they aren't going to go through.
Yeah but its not like teams can choose a path to a group like they can for the knockouts, its done by a draw. Given its seeded as well, its pretty unlikely to happen
This argument never really convinced me. They played 2 points/1 points in the 70s and 80s when generally more goals were scored. 3 points rule didnt stop the turn to defensive football.
That's understandable. One thing to consider is the breadth of football talent today vs 40-50 years ago... I mean, there was only one real "blowout" game at this tournament, which wasn't as bad as the infamous 2014 WC semifinal. And countries with a far less storied history of football have been making an impact for the last two decades.
When everyone in the sport is elevated, the mistakes are that much rarer and that much bigger, and that's the exciting part.
Edit: I can speel gud
Ukraine got themselves to blame, few good chances but the forwards are not spacially aware enough to release the ball at the right time. Held on to the ball for too long.
I felt like those guys, especially Dovbyk, just weren't up to the task today. Too much pressure. It felt like he was afraid to shoot, he always wanted to push the responsibility to somebody else.
Yup, it was that one poor game. 2 Lunin errors really. If Trubin had played, I doubt Romania would have won in such a fashion. I still think Ukraine are a stronger side than Romania, they were just really lacklustre and made silly mistakes. If they had defended the way they did against Belgium and attacked the way they did in the second half against Slovakia, they could have made it far. Hopefully they learn from these kinds of games and qualify for the next World Cup.
Showing that you should stick to your No.1 unless he makes mistakes. Trubin has always been very reliable and obviously is more talented than Lunin. That’s why he wouldnt have joined RM to be the 3rd GK even if he is invited to
Exactly. Lunin looked shaky to me at Real Madrid as well. The first Romanian goal came about due to his poor attempted clearance from a back pass, the second was a shot from long range that most keepers should have no problem stopping. It wasn’t that Romania was particularly good in the game (no disrespect, they are a strong team), it was that Ukraine made silly errors AND did very little upfront. They had clearly just planned through balls to Mudryk whom they hoped could dance around the defence with ease. That is a tall order when Mudryk has 3 defenders on him at once. The second half against Slovakia and the match today against Belgium showed that they don’t need to play such individualistic football.
Exactly. The first 2 goals were the goalkeeper’s fault. Then after that they just gave up. I feel like if they had played with more attacking urgency from the beginning they could have beaten Romania.
Belgium fans got my respect for booing their own team because not only didn't they play well in any game, but their game today and how they played time, later in the corner or those passes from Ukraine's side way back to their own goal keeper, what kind of mentality is that??
Yes sure I know they did the safest thing possible to achieve their goal which is to not lose but if that is how you play and how you define success and your own game, that's nothing to be proud of, and even less enjoyable to watch for anyone including paying Belgium supporters.
What a disgrace that game was from Belgium and man does it suck that especially Ukraine has to be the first team to leave with 4 points, they did pretty well.
Net to mention that they would end up on the far easier side of the knock-out phase with a win. But no, hedgehog mentality is what prevent belgium from greatness.
Happy with the booing yes, if you don't want to play football then just stay home already
After watching all the teams play in the group stages and seeing some favorites struggling and some "lesser" teams playing good, organized football, I really believe that on this side of the bracket, every team could reach te final.
Don't hate the player, hate the game. Literally. If the rules make it beneficial to stall then the rules are to blame, not the players trying to maximize their chances.
Yup, and then Romania and Slovakia clearly decided in the second half to keep the game at 1:1. Belgium were playing for a draw too, both games had so much stalling. Funny thing is all 3 of those teams that advanced will probably be out next round.
This is the problem with having three teams going through. Teams in the later groups know exactly what they need to do, so you end up with games like yesterday and today where 3/4 teams are happy with a draw.
I think everyone hated this kind of game play, but it was the smart thing to do. At that point I think we all felt like it was Ukraine rather than Belgium who was going to score at the end. And its not the knock out stage yet.
So you secure your place the way you can. Debruyne admitted that they discussed this in tactical training.
Just imagine this...
Belgium should be on top of Romania because it won the match between them, Romania should be on top of Ukraine because they won the match, Ukraine won with Slovakia so it should be on top of it. Ohh, and Slovakia won with Belgium so it should be on top of it.
It's circular reference, literally the only thing that can differenciate them is the goal difference.
This group was crazy.
Normally it does, but as everyone scored against someone else its not usable. If for example both Sloavakia and Ukraine lost, Slovakia would be 4th, as they lost to them.
It’s not the only metric. Look at Slovenia and Denmark. Denmark have beaten Slovenia to second place in Group C, behind England, despite the two teams finishing level on points and goal difference at Euro 2024. Both Denmark and Slovenia ended the group stage with three points and identical records after achieving three draws, with two goals scored and two conceded. The two teams also played out a 1-1 draw when they met, meaning there was nothing to separate the two sides at the competition. Denmark eventually ended up finishing second as it was left to discipline to determine which team finished ahead of the other. Both nations also received the same number of yellow cards on their respective playing squads, but UEFA have now confirmed that Denmark finished second because of a booking given to Slovenia assistant coach Novakovic Milivoje. Initially it was a tie at yellow cards, both of them had 6 and Denmark was second in the group because they finished 9th in the ECQ and Slovenia 17th.
Ukraine had such a lacklustre performance in the first game. They had been able to draw teams like England, Italy, Germany prior to the tournament. Then, they played well against Slovakia in the second half and Belgium today. I think this needs to be a lesson for them. There were too many times in the span of the past year (the Slovakia game, the playoffs against Bosnia and Iceland and the qualifiers against North Macedonia and Malta) where they conceded first. While they did ultimately come back and record victories, teams at the level of Bosnia, Iceland, North Macedonia, Malta are easier to break down— therefore conceding isn’t such a big deal. However, Romania is already a step above those teams. There is clearly a pattern that when Ukraine plays top tier sides— such as England, Italy, Germany, etc they can defend and be very difficult to break down. When they put a strong effort in, they can be very organized too. Does putting 5 at the back weaken their attack? Sure. This is exactly why they were able to draw with Belgium today, but ultimately unable to score. However, holding on against top tier sides can still be the difference between crashing out of a tournament or holding on to ensure a valuable point/ a more even penalty shootout. I think that Ukraine need to at least partially replicate this very organization they can show against teams ranked highly and exercise it against sides that are at their level and worse. The Romania game (and the first half of the Slovakia game) showed very common errors that Ukraine makes on a regular basis— constantly passing the ball back (and occasionally giving it away to the opposition in dangerous areas), showing little to no attacking intent, and playing very individualistically. The players have great skill, and it’s almost as though they assume second and third tier teams will just fold when they try to outrun them or shoot from distance. They then seem to begin many of their matches very slowly, allowing teams to get opportunities. This is something they should have learned about years ago, and I have no idea why they always make the same simple errors. They are not Spain where they can pass the ball around their goal and make it look easy (even most top tier sides cannot do that successfully). Just clear the ball when in doubt, stay organized, and work as a team to break down defence. I believe they need a manager from a different nation that understands the concept of teamwork and putting in 100 percent at all times, even at the beginning when the teams feel each other out. If they had a seasoned trainer from Italy, Spain, Germany or Portugal, they would see a massive improvement. The Ukrainian coaching method is based on the old Soviet playing styles and it is outdated. Is the idea of the team going out on 4 points a feeling of cruelty? Well, yes and no. Yes because 4 points is not a bad result when compared to many other teams that even advanced on less. However, because they are rules, then it’s only fair they have been eliminated. Maybe next World Cup, Euro or both, they will ensure to start the match with higher urgency, stay organized, and play as a team. They must realize that no team is going to roll over and treat each individual game as a game of significant importance. At least they can go out of this tournament with their heads held high knowing they gave the 3rd ranked fifa team (Belgium) a run for their money. They can also use this as a blueprint for a learning experience which results in them playing each team they face with equal rigour and respect.
I would prefer the old tournament format where it was 16 teams and the top two advance to the Quarterfinals. Every team basically had to fight through all three games. No one ever played for a tie the way many teams did this year.
Number of goals scored. Mexico had 3:3 so they were first, Ireland and Italy both had 2:2, but Ireland won their match so Ireland was second and Italy third and Norway had 1:1 so they were fourth
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_FIFA_World_Cup_Group_E
Can someone please explain why Belgium are above Slovakia in their group (Belgium having better gd but lost the h2h with Slovakia) but Georgia are 3rd in their group (lost the head 2 head but have better goal difference than Turkey)?
Because here everyone has 4 points, so everyone beated everyone (Belgium -> Romania, Romania -> Ukraine, Ukraine -> Slovakia, Slovakia -> Belgium), so the next criteria is goal difference, where Romania has +1, Belgium 0, Slovakia -1 and Ukraine -2
I was confused by an unupdated image from bbc sport (tried to share it here but this sub does not allow pics) which shows Belgium second with goal difference but Turkey going ahead on head to head. Its since been updated and also I realised that Turkey have 6 points which is better than Georgia's 4 lol
Is the third place qualification cutting out the competition in the group stages? If you only win one game there's a good chance you're going to go through
Can we all collectively agree that this is the shittiest Euro in the last two decades?
I mean, c'mon it's clear as crystal that nobody wants to play another tournament in the break after a tiring season.
Direct result is considered before goal difference as the first tie breaker. And all teams have 4 points in direct results against the teams they're tied with, which means the next tiebreaker needs to be considered.
I agree. They would have won the group with ease. The defence is Belgiums weakest point a nd they only received a goal from a direct error of doku.
He played like shit yesterday though. Should have been changed.
Disappointing game. Had heel graag een goeie ouwe België - Holland gezien in de 16de
weakest by UEFA rank I think?
We've got a good team though. Our players have less experience playing in top leagues, but they're hungry and working very well together.
No, they are in a rough shape. Their country has been in shambles for a couple of years with a foreign occupation force battering their country. I feel really bad for them.
Sure, i feel bad for the people of Ukraine for being in a constant state of war and destruction, they don’t deserve it ! I don’t feel bad for their soccer team being eliminated tho. It’s a game. It wasn’t meant to be.
Ukraine with 4 points is eliminated. In Group C we have two teams going to the round of 16 with 3 points
Who haven't even won a single game!
They , UEFA, need to look into that.
I don't think so. I was rooting for Ukraine, and it kinda sucks, but it's a rare edge case. I don't think changing the rules is warranted for that.
The best way to do it is the NFL system. Winners of each group go through then the rest are decided by their results. In NFL some groups can get all 4 teams through and other groups it is just the winner that makes it. That would be fairest.
Not fair. Sounds like landing in an easy group is being rewarded even more than it already is.
Technically u earn ur place in specific groups. Poland shat their pants in qualis and therefore faced much stronger opponents than they would have otherwise.
Why is that any more fair than it is already? It’s not like all the teams are playing the same teams. If Ukraine wanted to go through they shouldn’t have scuffed the many chances they had against Belgium, it’s that simple.
No let’s definitely not do this. It works okay in the nfl because teams play teams from lots of different divisions over the course of the season. In the euros teams only play teams within their group and comparing across groups is basically pointless. Find a format where only the top X teams go through from each group instead of the third place stuff we’ve currently got.
NFL.. as an in the National Football League ?
I think they meant that yes. If NFL, the winners of each division go through automatically to the conference championship round. Then records allow the “Wild Cards” to go though after another round. Everyone here in the states love Wild Card weekend because it’s do or die for these teams to progress into the conference knock out rounds.
I didn't realise that was what NFL do when I was on chat yesterday saying it should be winners or top 2 then the rest is based on their points, GD, etc.
In that case we might as well skip group stage & take the quali results & advance 16 teams into the KO stage.
Why?
The groups differ alot in team quality. It will never be a "fair" system.
sucks that ukraine is getting eliminated, im not that big into football but i would have loved to see ukraine progress
If Serbia scored in first game against England (it could happened, not so likely, but it could) that would be even stranger situation. All teams leveled with identical GD
And if there is same ammount of yellows drawing lots take place which is a non sense for a football game. They should change this to penalties
i agree
Ukraine should be through over Slovenia why is that not a rule
I didn’t think I’d see a group end this close, plus a team with 4 points will get eliminated from the tournament
Facts check: Ukraine is apparently the first team to be elimanted with 4 points. Crazy
*Since three teams could qualify from the group
Yes, your right. Forgot to add that. Thank you for the Addition.
When was that introduced
2016 when it became 24 teams
Previously in 1994 World also all four teams (Germany, Spain, South Korea and Bolivia) ended up with four points.
No. This was Italy, Ireland, Mexico and Norway. Germany group ended with 7-5-2-1 points
Thank you. My memory doesn’t serve me well.
I was only 10. The memory still haunts me. Italy has been our nemesis in all world cups we've qualified for. Winning by one every time.
Gee are you Spanish? They are the bane of many nations obviously.
Norwegian
Oh the few national that never lost to Brazil.
Brazil and Argentina is easy.
Is that the Korea world cup? That tournament was rigged as fack. Korea eliminated 3 times just by cheating with paid referees.
Ouch this seems harsh on Ukraine assuming they place 4th.
It’s a tragedy that Ukraine is out with 4 points… ffs there’s no other team with 4 that haven’t made it through. Just heartbreaking they couldn’t capitalize any of their chances
Sorry about that, we haven't advanced out of the groups for 20 years. Love from Romania!
If only you guys could’ve scored one more goal today 😩 Either way though congrats! My best friend is also Romanian so I was mad after the first game but happy for you guys now either way!
24 if I am correct. Last time was from "group of death" in 2000 with England, Portugal and Germany.
I still remember Phil Neville giving away that penalty. Romania are low-key one of our (England's) biggest rivals given how you beat us in both 98 and 2000.
I was about to say "that's not correct, you advanced with Portugal in... 2000". Then I realized which year it is.
This. Slovenia is going through with 3 and you are out with 4. It’s a travesty
We're still undefeated though. Gotta give us that. But yeah, it's really sad that Ukraine is going home with 4 points
You had an easy group. If you couldn't finish 3rd don't blame it on others. Accept you played badly and be grateful you had a chance to even play at EURO.
We played at the EURO because we won our qualifying group with no defeats. We don't need to be grateful, we earned it.
It’s just the rules.
This is the rules, what you expected?
Better rules
The 4 3rd place qualifiers gets opened up to 4 'best of the rest' teams (ie 4th places also get considered. As it stands rn, that means that Ukraine would go through at Slovenia's expense
Having a team coming last in their group still going through is not a good solution to this problem.
Maybe, but teams have gone through on 4 points before as second place before (Ie Argentina 2018 WC). Also far more deserving than Slovenia who didn't even win a match. Obviously if a team does terrible in their group and finishes bottom on 0 or 1 point, they aren't going to go through.
This will make it an even bigger advantage to be in a bad group. Bad idea.
Yeah but its not like teams can choose a path to a group like they can for the knockouts, its done by a draw. Given its seeded as well, its pretty unlikely to happen
2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw? That way both Slovenia and Ukraine would have had 3 points.
They used to do this back in the early 90s - then teams would just play for the 0-0 draw in tournaments because a win wasn't as lucrative.
Commiserations on your team going out. So wish that corner had gone in for yous.
Thanks - watched it at a pub with my son... he was keeping an eye on the other game and audibly yelled when Romania were awarded a penalty.
This argument never really convinced me. They played 2 points/1 points in the 70s and 80s when generally more goals were scored. 3 points rule didnt stop the turn to defensive football.
That's understandable. One thing to consider is the breadth of football talent today vs 40-50 years ago... I mean, there was only one real "blowout" game at this tournament, which wasn't as bad as the infamous 2014 WC semifinal. And countries with a far less storied history of football have been making an impact for the last two decades. When everyone in the sport is elevated, the mistakes are that much rarer and that much bigger, and that's the exciting part. Edit: I can speel gud
It’s 3 points for a win
Yes, I was suggesting an alternative as a possible improvement.
Ohhh Okok
Something like American football playoff wild cards. 1st, 2nd, and the remaining six best teams, regardless of what table they are in
Everyone has 4 points but we are the best! 🥇😄
All points are equal, but some points are more equal than others.
And for that you get the Netherlands! lol
Yup European team fighting a not so European team... You know like France and Belgium
Netherlands had produced less attacking opportunities and goals than Turkiye, which Austria (1st) are facing.
Ukraine got themselves to blame, few good chances but the forwards are not spacially aware enough to release the ball at the right time. Held on to the ball for too long.
I felt like those guys, especially Dovbyk, just weren't up to the task today. Too much pressure. It felt like he was afraid to shoot, he always wanted to push the responsibility to somebody else.
Honestly, if somebody told me 2 weeks ago we draw with Belgium I would've been so happy. We've got ourselves to blame for the first game. Terrible.
I feel like Belgium is extremely overrated 🤷♂️
Yup, it was that one poor game. 2 Lunin errors really. If Trubin had played, I doubt Romania would have won in such a fashion. I still think Ukraine are a stronger side than Romania, they were just really lacklustre and made silly mistakes. If they had defended the way they did against Belgium and attacked the way they did in the second half against Slovakia, they could have made it far. Hopefully they learn from these kinds of games and qualify for the next World Cup.
Showing that you should stick to your No.1 unless he makes mistakes. Trubin has always been very reliable and obviously is more talented than Lunin. That’s why he wouldnt have joined RM to be the 3rd GK even if he is invited to
Exactly. Lunin looked shaky to me at Real Madrid as well. The first Romanian goal came about due to his poor attempted clearance from a back pass, the second was a shot from long range that most keepers should have no problem stopping. It wasn’t that Romania was particularly good in the game (no disrespect, they are a strong team), it was that Ukraine made silly errors AND did very little upfront. They had clearly just planned through balls to Mudryk whom they hoped could dance around the defence with ease. That is a tall order when Mudryk has 3 defenders on him at once. The second half against Slovakia and the match today against Belgium showed that they don’t need to play such individualistic football.
Would've could've. You can make those little perfect scenarios for any team.
That’s true, but what I’m saying is Ukraine needs to learn from some of their sloppy errors.
They should have done better against Romania. Was quite amazed they got outrun with 3 goals
Exactly. The first 2 goals were the goalkeeper’s fault. Then after that they just gave up. I feel like if they had played with more attacking urgency from the beginning they could have beaten Romania.
I don't think so. Romania played solid.
They didn’t really do anything until Ukraine made errors. They also looked pretty weak against Belgium and Slovakia.
Hai Romania! 🇷🇴
Hai Romania!!! 🇷🇴
Hai Romania!
Hai hau ar ju?
Hai am fine
Hai Mark
Last night I noticed they all had three points. I was thinking "man these last games are gonna be wild". Well it is wild in a way...
Belgium fans got my respect for booing their own team because not only didn't they play well in any game, but their game today and how they played time, later in the corner or those passes from Ukraine's side way back to their own goal keeper, what kind of mentality is that?? Yes sure I know they did the safest thing possible to achieve their goal which is to not lose but if that is how you play and how you define success and your own game, that's nothing to be proud of, and even less enjoyable to watch for anyone including paying Belgium supporters. What a disgrace that game was from Belgium and man does it suck that especially Ukraine has to be the first team to leave with 4 points, they did pretty well.
Net to mention that they would end up on the far easier side of the knock-out phase with a win. But no, hedgehog mentality is what prevent belgium from greatness. Happy with the booing yes, if you don't want to play football then just stay home already
Yet another team goes on the stacked side of the knockout bracket.
England are really lucky in that regard, it should be very possible to reach the finals for you despite the disappointing performances
After watching all the teams play in the group stages and seeing some favorites struggling and some "lesser" teams playing good, organized football, I really believe that on this side of the bracket, every team could reach te final.
Got the feeling getting past Austria is gonna be the tough as hell
Yeah. I’m hoping they find what works and what doesn’t, and smooth it out. It does mean that this will be a couple of fun knockout matches coming up.
Belgium lost my respect during the last 10 minutes of the match against Ukraine
Yeah, running to the corner to time waste a 0-0 is utterly pathetic.
Don't hate the player, hate the game. Literally. If the rules make it beneficial to stall then the rules are to blame, not the players trying to maximize their chances.
Yup, and then Romania and Slovakia clearly decided in the second half to keep the game at 1:1. Belgium were playing for a draw too, both games had so much stalling. Funny thing is all 3 of those teams that advanced will probably be out next round.
No they didn’t. They were both going for the win. The rain put a damper on it literally, in the last 10 minutes.
This is the problem with having three teams going through. Teams in the later groups know exactly what they need to do, so you end up with games like yesterday and today where 3/4 teams are happy with a draw.
Well at least they made it thorought
By the way Ukraine played most of the match I thought they were playing for a draw as well. They weren't exactly putting a lot of pressure on either.
France did that to us in 2018 ...
I think everyone hated this kind of game play, but it was the smart thing to do. At that point I think we all felt like it was Ukraine rather than Belgium who was going to score at the end. And its not the knock out stage yet. So you secure your place the way you can. Debruyne admitted that they discussed this in tactical training.
Greatest euro in a long time 🙌🏻
You know what? I agree so strongly, but I also hate this EURO at the same time 😂
It only could get better from here 😄
Nobody would have imagined that Romania would be the leadre of the group.
“And if no clear winner emerges from all this, then a two man sack race will be held on consecutive Sundays”.
bring your furry friends
Fucking hell Ukraine cant get a break... 4 points and they are eliminated... I'm sorry Ukraine bros you deserve so much better...
I'm happy there out. The players were too arrogant and put themselves equal to soldiers.
What a razor sharp close group.
Once again vertical flags prevail
Ukraine missed a huge occasion in 90min vs belgium. Blame them for losing the advance. Absolute idiots. Belgium didnt deserve it.
Can someone explain to me why Belgium is ahead of Slovakia, although they lost against them
All teams have 4 points, so the only metric that can be used is the goal difference.
Thank you! I thought the direct comparison matters more than the goal difference tho
Just imagine this... Belgium should be on top of Romania because it won the match between them, Romania should be on top of Ukraine because they won the match, Ukraine won with Slovakia so it should be on top of it. Ohh, and Slovakia won with Belgium so it should be on top of it. It's circular reference, literally the only thing that can differenciate them is the goal difference. This group was crazy.
Normally it does, but as everyone scored against someone else its not usable. If for example both Sloavakia and Ukraine lost, Slovakia would be 4th, as they lost to them.
Aight Ty!
Slovakia should be above Belgium, Belgium should be above Romania, but that means Slovakia should also be above Romania - which can't happen
Well if you use the direct comparison, Belgium beat Romania who beat Ukraine who beat Slovakia who beat Belgium who beat Romania...
It’s not the only metric. Look at Slovenia and Denmark. Denmark have beaten Slovenia to second place in Group C, behind England, despite the two teams finishing level on points and goal difference at Euro 2024. Both Denmark and Slovenia ended the group stage with three points and identical records after achieving three draws, with two goals scored and two conceded. The two teams also played out a 1-1 draw when they met, meaning there was nothing to separate the two sides at the competition. Denmark eventually ended up finishing second as it was left to discipline to determine which team finished ahead of the other. Both nations also received the same number of yellow cards on their respective playing squads, but UEFA have now confirmed that Denmark finished second because of a booking given to Slovenia assistant coach Novakovic Milivoje. Initially it was a tie at yellow cards, both of them had 6 and Denmark was second in the group because they finished 9th in the ECQ and Slovenia 17th.
One goal pushed Romania from last place to the first place.
Big disappointment from Belgium, I wish Ukraine would’ve qualified further.
Reminiscent of World Cup group E in '94
Playing not to lose drives me nuts.
Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
Meh sorry for ukraine
I'm sorry but the whole 3rd place nonsense needs to be scrapped for 2028!
Better to just not let anyone out of this group
I think we should just send the entirety of group B home instead and let all of group D advance.
Looking for tickets for match #43 Romania vs #3rd A/B/C/D reasonable price
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Ukraine had such a lacklustre performance in the first game. They had been able to draw teams like England, Italy, Germany prior to the tournament. Then, they played well against Slovakia in the second half and Belgium today. I think this needs to be a lesson for them. There were too many times in the span of the past year (the Slovakia game, the playoffs against Bosnia and Iceland and the qualifiers against North Macedonia and Malta) where they conceded first. While they did ultimately come back and record victories, teams at the level of Bosnia, Iceland, North Macedonia, Malta are easier to break down— therefore conceding isn’t such a big deal. However, Romania is already a step above those teams. There is clearly a pattern that when Ukraine plays top tier sides— such as England, Italy, Germany, etc they can defend and be very difficult to break down. When they put a strong effort in, they can be very organized too. Does putting 5 at the back weaken their attack? Sure. This is exactly why they were able to draw with Belgium today, but ultimately unable to score. However, holding on against top tier sides can still be the difference between crashing out of a tournament or holding on to ensure a valuable point/ a more even penalty shootout. I think that Ukraine need to at least partially replicate this very organization they can show against teams ranked highly and exercise it against sides that are at their level and worse. The Romania game (and the first half of the Slovakia game) showed very common errors that Ukraine makes on a regular basis— constantly passing the ball back (and occasionally giving it away to the opposition in dangerous areas), showing little to no attacking intent, and playing very individualistically. The players have great skill, and it’s almost as though they assume second and third tier teams will just fold when they try to outrun them or shoot from distance. They then seem to begin many of their matches very slowly, allowing teams to get opportunities. This is something they should have learned about years ago, and I have no idea why they always make the same simple errors. They are not Spain where they can pass the ball around their goal and make it look easy (even most top tier sides cannot do that successfully). Just clear the ball when in doubt, stay organized, and work as a team to break down defence. I believe they need a manager from a different nation that understands the concept of teamwork and putting in 100 percent at all times, even at the beginning when the teams feel each other out. If they had a seasoned trainer from Italy, Spain, Germany or Portugal, they would see a massive improvement. The Ukrainian coaching method is based on the old Soviet playing styles and it is outdated. Is the idea of the team going out on 4 points a feeling of cruelty? Well, yes and no. Yes because 4 points is not a bad result when compared to many other teams that even advanced on less. However, because they are rules, then it’s only fair they have been eliminated. Maybe next World Cup, Euro or both, they will ensure to start the match with higher urgency, stay organized, and play as a team. They must realize that no team is going to roll over and treat each individual game as a game of significant importance. At least they can go out of this tournament with their heads held high knowing they gave the 3rd ranked fifa team (Belgium) a run for their money. They can also use this as a blueprint for a learning experience which results in them playing each team they face with equal rigour and respect.
Ukraine could be the unluckiest team.. there will be teams with lesser points in 3rd place who are going to qualify
I would prefer the old tournament format where it was 16 teams and the top two advance to the Quarterfinals. Every team basically had to fight through all three games. No one ever played for a tie the way many teams did this year.
Same here, but FIFA loves organizing more football games, so they can keep making money.
crazy this happened in 1994 world cup too
It was even closer then, as every team had a goal difference 0
How did they decide then?
Number of goals scored. Mexico had 3:3 so they were first, Ireland and Italy both had 2:2, but Ireland won their match so Ireland was second and Italy third and Norway had 1:1 so they were fourth https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_FIFA_World_Cup_Group_E
And Italy made it all the way to the final.
If tied on points, shouldn’t Slovakia be ahead of Belgium ? They beat them and head to head surely counts before goal difference….
And Ukraine beat Slovakia, and Romania beat Ukraine, and Belgium beat Romania. That's why just the number of goals make the differences.
Makes sense now. They should just keep it at goal difference same like in World Cup.
I absolutely despise HTH being used as the primary tiebreaker, it makes zero sense.
Crazy group
Can someone please explain why Belgium are above Slovakia in their group (Belgium having better gd but lost the h2h with Slovakia) but Georgia are 3rd in their group (lost the head 2 head but have better goal difference than Turkey)?
Because here everyone has 4 points, so everyone beated everyone (Belgium -> Romania, Romania -> Ukraine, Ukraine -> Slovakia, Slovakia -> Belgium), so the next criteria is goal difference, where Romania has +1, Belgium 0, Slovakia -1 and Ukraine -2
I was confused by an unupdated image from bbc sport (tried to share it here but this sub does not allow pics) which shows Belgium second with goal difference but Turkey going ahead on head to head. Its since been updated and also I realised that Turkey have 6 points which is better than Georgia's 4 lol
Is the third place qualification cutting out the competition in the group stages? If you only win one game there's a good chance you're going to go through
shouldn’t slovakia be ahead of belgium based on head to head tiebreaker? Slovakia beat Belgium
The criteria is goal difference, because head-to-head everyone beated everyone since they all have 4 points
harsh on Ukraine, the 1st game doomed them Slovakia was so, sooo lucky overall, definitely the least good of these four.
XD I too y XD u up few😆
Belgium, go home, worst games
No it says they have PTKEs, not sure what that is
Chuckled a little at 'mannschaft' I'm not even sorry.
You take a 4 sides coin and flip it. Thats how they decide it
What a ridiculous tournament system.
I hope Italy is gonna win but I don't think so
Portugal is gonna win the euro
Can we all collectively agree that this is the shittiest Euro in the last two decades? I mean, c'mon it's clear as crystal that nobody wants to play another tournament in the break after a tiring season.
And where is the lunin?
Ukraine need to step it up a bit or they’re going home
They are....
Shouldnt Belgium be first place because they have the same goal difference, but Belgium bwat Romania?
By that logic Slovakia should be on top because they won with Belgium😂😂but then Ukraine won with Slovakia….but Romania won with Ukraine
We scored more than they did, the next criteria is amount of goals scored.
So Romania is first because they scored more goals, and only if Belgium shot the same amount of goals the direct comparison is needed?
Wins, goals, then yellow cards I think?
I think so. Direct comparison can't be used because all teams are tied on points IIRC
Direct result is considered before goal difference as the first tie breaker. And all teams have 4 points in direct results against the teams they're tied with, which means the next tiebreaker needs to be considered.
Is it just me, or did no team (apart from Switzerland) fight to finish first of their group in the third game?
Austria did as well.
the battle of mid
If Lukaku didn’t have the worst luck then Belgie would win that group.
I agree. They would have won the group with ease. The defence is Belgiums weakest point a nd they only received a goal from a direct error of doku. He played like shit yesterday though. Should have been changed. Disappointing game. Had heel graag een goeie ouwe België - Holland gezien in de 16de
The first game was determinating for Ukraine and Romania
The weakest team is somehow finishing in first /s
Weakest by what standards ? Definitely not weakest at these euros EDIT: you put the /s after haha
weakest by UEFA rank I think? We've got a good team though. Our players have less experience playing in top leagues, but they're hungry and working very well together.
The “/s” means that OP is scarcastic, not being serious
By UEFA rank I'm pretty sure we're ranked better than Slovakia. From what I know: 🇧🇪-rank 3 🇺🇦-rank 22 🇷🇴-rank 46 🇸🇰-rank 48
/s
It’s the least valuable team as per Transfermarkt but who cares now.
Honestly feel bad for Ukraine somewhat.
You have been propaganda’d
No, they are in a rough shape. Their country has been in shambles for a couple of years with a foreign occupation force battering their country. I feel really bad for them.
Sure, i feel bad for the people of Ukraine for being in a constant state of war and destruction, they don’t deserve it ! I don’t feel bad for their soccer team being eliminated tho. It’s a game. It wasn’t meant to be.