Review of British teams’ performance in the group stage

England:

The Three Lions aren’t meeting the expectations, even though they proceeded to the Round of 16 (being quite lucky). They failed to top their group, winning only one of 3 matches. England struggle to score its chances and logically found the net on only 3 occasions in the first 3 games of the Euro 2016.

Roy Hodgson made everything possible to knock his team out of the tournament, not picking Vardy, letting Kane to take the corners, using defensive tactics against weaker opponents and so on. However, somehow England found their place in the knockout stage of the competition. The Three Lions will play against Iceland, but if England underestimate the Icelanders, Hodgson’s players will fly early for home.

Wales:

The Dragons were one of the most impressive performers from the beginning of the competition. Gareth Bale scored in every single game of the group stage, helping his teammates win their tough group. But, the most important thing is that Wales showed a team spirit, proving they don’t rely only on their world class forward Bale. The Dragons showed their best performance against Russia in the third match of the group stage and won 3-0. They gave the Russians no chance, creating lots of goal-scoring chances and defending on world class level. Wales are now lucky to be in the flow with the weaker teams. The Dragons managed to avoid all the strong teams like Germany, France, Italy and Spain, so they can even dream of something bigger!

Northern Ireland:

Surprisingly, Northern Ireland found their place in the Round of 16. The Norn Iron won 3 points, recording a magnificent 2-0 victory against Ukraine. In addition, Northern Ireland played very well against the world champions Germany and lost 0-1, but the team showed its qualities and deservedly qualified for the knockout stage. So, we can say Northern Ireland fans can be happy with the performance, even if the team doesn’t reach the quarter finals of the tournament. It seems

Rep. of Ireland:

A late Robbie Brady’s goal against Italy qualified The Green Army to the Round of 16. The game against The Azzurri was very impressive for Martin O’Neill’s players. They played perfectly in defence and outsmarted the Italians. The Green Army looked very disciplined on the pitch and deserved their place in the knockout round. Now, they will have very difficult task in the Round of 16 against the host nation France. However, The Green Army will be looking for a revenge for Henry’s handball in the playoffs for the World Cup 2010.

Round of 16:

England vs. Iceland

France vs. Rep. of Ireland

Wales vs. Northern Ireland