National Teams

SEVILLE - Spain's Euro 2020 had been turbulent before it began due to COVID-19 complications, but now the crisis is on the pitch where players lack spark, confidence or cutting edge — and are in serious danger of a shock group stage exit.

Saturday's 1-1 draw with Poland was a step back performance-wise from the opening 0-0 draw with Sweden and left Spain in the unexpected position of third in an unimposing Group E and needing to beat Slovakia in their last game to go through.

Álvaro Morata is always in the right areas as a striker. He just can’t quite figure out the finishing when his team needs it most. 

Morata, who misses more chances than most players ever create, will rue a missed opportunity on a rebound off the post as Spain huffed and puffed to a second straight draw at Euro 2020, this a 1-1 with Poland on Saturday. Not even a first-half goal from Morata will help us forget this latest miss. 

This is the Germany we’ve grown to expect. This was not the Germany Portugal wanted to run into at Euro 2020. Robin Gosens — not Cristiano Ronaldo — was the star man in Saturday’s critical Group F clash, setting up two goals and scoring once to help Germany thrash Portugal 4-2 in Munich. 

Few in the history of the game have had the desire to score possessed by Cristiano Ronaldo. Unfortunately for the Portugal captain, his defense his currently scoring more than him against Germany.

Ronaldo’s early goal was erased by a pair of own goals as Germany led 2-1 at the half of their enthralling Group F match on Saturday. Germany went on to win 4-2.

Hungary played damn well for about 80 minutes against Portugal on Tuesday only to give up three goals late. On Saturday, the once-mighty Magyars put a full 100 minutes in and held world champion France to a 1-1 draw in one of the most impressive upsets of the tournament thus far. But forget the match for a moment, because the biggest story of the game was a pitch-side reporter’s reaction to Hungary’s goal. The Hungary desk woman is our new favorite meme of Euro 2020. 

Before Euro 2020 kicked off, one of the most highly anticipated matches of the competition was Friday’s Group D match between the original soccer rivals England and Scotland. The 115th edition of the oldest international football rivalry was about as bland as food from the two nations. The teams played to a 0-0 draw in what was by far the most boring match at Euro 2020 thus far.

ASUNCION — Bolivia striker Marcelo Martins has been banned for one game and fined $20,000 by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) after criticising the organisation for hosting the Copa America in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic.

Martins was one of three Bolivia players who tested positive for COVID-19 on the eve of their 3-1 opening loss to Paraguay.

He missed the game and posted some sharp words on social media about CONMEBOL’s last-minute decision to host the tournament in Brazil, a nation that has seen almost 500,000 people die from the virus.