European Championship Qualifying 2024

[BorjeSpurs]

Two people wearing Sweden football shirts shot dead in Brussels ahead of Euro 2024 qualifier against Belgium | Goal.com UK

Fans have been locked-in the stadium and the match abandoned after two Swedish people shot dead in suspected terrorist attack in Brussels.

www.goal.com

Belgian police have launched a manhunt after two people wearing Sweden football shirts were shot dead ahead of Monday's Euro qualifier.


The shooting reportedly took place near Boulevard d'Ypres, north of the city centre and three miles from King Baudouin Stadium, where the match is taking place. The victims are two people wearing Sweden football shirts, per local Dutch-language newspaper Het Laatste.

Game abandoned as the Swedish players refused to enter the pitch for the second half.

 

[tototoner]

Game abandoned as the Swedish players refused to enter the pitch for the second half.

Terrible news that, shocking

 

[coysjod]

According to Swedish news it was a terror attack from a self acclaimed IS member who claimed in a video on Facebook (been removed) that he has revenged Allah by killing three swedes (two dead and one in the hospital). Swedish fans were removing their shirts and didn’t know where to go in Brussels.

 

[Marty]

The suspected terrorist was shot dead in a cafe this morning.

Sweden have packed up and gone home, the game won't be finished. It's a pointless fixture for both teams, Belguim have qualified and Sweden are out regardless, so that feels like the right thing to do. Of course UEFA rules stipulate that a new date has to be found but really, what's the fucking point?

Focussing on the wrong thing for a second, it's mad that Sweden won't be in a 24 team Euros. They won't be in the Nations League playoffs either as they finished bottom of their group and got relegated last year, they're really going through a bit of a wilderness period.

 

[SwedishSpurs]

The suspected terrorist was shot dead in a cafe this morning.

Sweden have packed up and gone home, the game won't be finished. It's a pointless fixture for both teams, Belguim have qualified and Sweden are out regardless, so that feels like the right thing to do. Of course UEFA rules stipulate that a new date has to be found but really, what's the fucking point?

Focussing on the wrong thing for a second, it's mad that Sweden won't be in a 24 team Euros. They won't be in the Nations League playoffs either as they finished bottom of their group and got relegated last year, they're really going through a bit of a wilderness period.

As you say, it does feel very insignifcant a day like this, but basically we have held on to our manager for way too long. He did very well taking us to the quarter finals 2018 with very limited quality in the squad playing a primitive but effective football. Since then some talented players (Kulusevski and Isak for example) have come through but our manager has not been able to adapt. The warning signs were there already at the Euros 2021 when we got ok results but by playing very dull football. Since then everything has gone downhill with awful results where the manager has continued to use an outdated 442 formation that doesn't suit our players whatsoever. He will step down after the qualifiers are over but a change should've happened way earlier.

 

[cwy21]

Nailbiter in Paris today.

 

[Col_M]

Nailbiter in Paris today.

View attachment 134574

10 different scorers.
Mbappe hattrick.
poor old Santos Own Goa and then red carded.
That’s how you beat a minnow Gareth.

 

[taidgh]

10 different scorers.
Mbappe hattrick.
poor old Santos Own Goa and then red carded.
That’s how you beat a minnow Gareth.

Red carded for roughing in some sort of strange Football-Hockey mashup move apparently.

 

[cwy21]

Is Haaland ever going to play in a major tournament for Norway?

 

[RickyVilla]

Is Haaland ever going to play in a major tournament for Norway?

The blokes 23 years old. He has time on his side.

 

[Col_M]

The blokes 23 years old. He has time on his side.

he’s Norwegian. Should change nationality to Albanian and give himself a chance.

 

[Marty]

Is Haaland ever going to play in a major tournament for Norway?

He won't if they can't bring through some good defenders and especially keepers.

Even so, this Norway side should never be so bad they don't even get a playoff chance. They should be a top 15 nation in Europe based on the talent they have and I feel the manager has made some for me unforgivable errors in this campaign, persisting especially with defenders who aren't good enough and a system that exposes them.

 

[Marty]

Scotland and Norway played a very fun 3-3 just now. Meaningless game of course and both sides were missing a lot of players but it was a good watch.

 

[easley91]

Is Haaland ever going to play in a major tournament for Norway?

Plenty said the same re Bale and Wales then he got finally got there.

 

[Marty]

Plenty said the same re Bale and Wales then he got finally got there.

I don't think Norway will be at the next World Cup, to do so they'll need a very favourable draw, but for Euro 2028 you'll have Haaland and Ødegaard in prime age (28 and 30), we've got some more great talent in their early 20s or even late teens (Nusa at Brugge) who will have developed further, but most crucially is to find a manager who can do what Steve Clarke has done at Scotland, what Chris Coleman and Rob Page did with Wales, and make the team better than the sum of their parts.

Right now I complain about the lack of defenders and keepers coming through here, but a different manager might do better with the ones we have all the same. It should be Østigård at Napoli and Ajer at Brentford, they're not a bad first choice but the system coach Solbakken uses now exposes them so badly. And he persisted with an old, slow and outdated CB in Strandberg for too long because of his leadership skills even though he just wasn't good enough.

I really feel the need to rant about Norway these days and it becomes a bit of a broken record but it's because I really feel they should be better. Simple as.

 

[tobi]

Another ACL injury this time for Gavi.

 

[Marty]

Another ACL injury this time for Gavi.

"Football is a risky activity. Uncontrollable. I am very sorry for the player. Really. I understand everyone's disgust, of Barcelona, of the player, of the Federation. We feel it in the soul." (Marca)

Rubiales had the wrong end of the stick here with his comments. The problem is how massively the young stars are flogged by both club and national side until they quite literally break and tear. For England's sake I fear what will, not might but will, happen to Belligham, Saka and others if their managers continue to flog them the way they are now.

It is avoidable, but nobody seems willing to do anything about it because it might impact results in the short term. And that's sad.

 

[TheChosenOne]

Tonight's game Ukraine v Italy is the one for me to watch.

Although the loser get's another chance in the play offs (I think)

 

[Marty]

San Marino have of course not won a game but they've scored for the third game in a row tonight. Fair to say their fan account is taking it well.

 

[Tucker]

San Marino have of course not won a game but they've scored for the third game in a row tonight. Fair to say their fan account is taking it well.

Good for them.