Lakenheath Old Boys

We are all former students at Lakenheath High School and other public schools in East Anglia. We were in school in the 70s and 80s and drank deeply from the well of British culture of those decades - the pints, the telly, and of course the footie!

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Round of 16 - Germany v. Slovakia

Well, that was an exciting start to the morning. Here's hoping for more of the same in our second offering of the day - Germany v. Slovakia. Like many of the other big teams, the Germans haven't convinced in their professional wins in the group stage. Slovakia have been erratic but have shown flashes of brilliance, mainly from Hamsik. Stop by for lunch and a match here on the LOB, won't you?

118 Comments:

Blogger manunitedrules said...

Hello mate. I will be around for this match. For some reason, I don't expect the same entertainment value as we did earlier, but I'm around just in case. Slovakia can make it difficult for the Germans and other than the match vs Wales, have had a decent tournament. I still expect the Germans to prevail

11:39 AM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Welcome back, mate. I'm back from a refreshing shower and am having a Braunschweiger sandwich (courtesy of Red Devil) in honor of the German side. I agree with you - there are few things that we can rely on these days in the hurly burly world of modern international football, but the German team is one of those things.

11:49 AM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Here is the team news out of the Stade Pierre Mauroy this afternoon:

Germany (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Kimmich, Hummels, Boateng, Hector; Khedira, Kroos; Müller, Özil, Draxler; Gomez.

Slovakia (4-3-3): Kozacik; Pekarik, Skrtel, Durica, Gyomber; Hrosovsky, Skriniar, Hamsik; Kucka, Duris, Weiss.

11:51 AM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Some interesting changes from Jurgi Loew today. Boateng slips over to his preferred position as center back with Himmich coming in as right back. Hector keeps his place on the opposite side. So too Draxler, who has edged out several players. And most dramatically Goetze is dropped in favor of Super Mario Gomez up front.

Slovakia meanwhile go with an attacking looking lineup with Kucka, Duris and Weiss all up front; however, I suspect that they'll revert to a 10-1 formation fairly quickly.

11:54 AM  
Blogger manunitedrules said...

Wow! A great lunch.Generous of the Red Devil.

11:54 AM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Teams in the tunnel - Hamsik seems to have a fresh Mohawk going.

11:56 AM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Well, the Slovaks aren't going to win any singing competitions. Some fairly tuneless work going on there.

11:57 AM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

I've always been a big fan of pates and chopped liver. What about you, MUR? Can you murder a chopped liver sandwich at a good New York deli? Or are you more a pastrami man?

11:58 AM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

We're just about set for the second match of the day - let's hope it's a good 'un.

12:00 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

The retractible roof is casting a huge shadow over the pitch with just one strip of sunshine on the far side of the pitch. And we're away - Germany wearing their traditional white and black while Slovakia reverts to all blue.

12:02 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

I don't know about all of this countdown to kickoff nonsense that has crept into this tournament.

12:03 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Martin Skrtel clears early on - he'll be a busy man this afternoon.

12:04 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

I'm still not sure why Thomas Muller is playing so far off the frontline. Perhaps its something to do with his role at Bayern, but he would seem the best attacking option for the Mannschaft, no?

12:05 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

Afternoon boys, what did I miss in the first five minutes
Took a 3 mile walk in 37 minutes and then jumped in the pool... couldn't drag myself out!!

12:07 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Slovakia are putting Germany under pressure when they have the ball in their own half, which augurs well for us - we might see a fast, attacking game. Or we might not.

12:08 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Welcome, UWS - well, that header from Sami Khedira tipped over is really the first goalmouth action.

12:08 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

ONE NIL!!!

A Prince of a goal!!!

12:09 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

GOAL!!!!!

And from a very unlikely source - Boateng with a meaty volley that flies straight in!

1-0!

12:09 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

It was deflected

12:09 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Poor defending there. The Slovak defenders seemed to almost move out of the way of the shot, only putting toes in the danger zone.

12:10 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

England...that's how you score agains the Slovaks

12:10 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Nice one, MUR. But Jerome isn't the prince of the family Boateng. Perhaps a duke?

12:10 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Come on, UWS - that volley could just as easily have been blocked out as countless England shots on goal against Slovakia were. I don't know why they stepped out of the way of that one.

12:11 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Let's hope the Germans don't sit on that lead now - go for more goals!

12:12 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Now the Germans have a penalty!! This is all going tits up for the Slovaks.

Definite push by Skrtel.

12:14 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

PENALTY FOR THE GERMANS!

Was it a flop... why did the Pool man push an England man

Def pen... stupid two handed push

12:14 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

Ozil...saved

12:14 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Now then, the Germans never miss a penalty. Ozil steps up and...oh my word!

I'll get my coat....

12:15 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Not a great pen there from Beaker. Good height for the keeper - easily saved.

12:15 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

Not a good pen... very savable if the keeper doesn't just dive.
React like you do for every other shot!!
If it is a good enough pen, it will be a goal. If it isn't a good pen, you could save it

12:16 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Gomez tries to bundle his way through the crowd - nothing doing there.

12:17 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

The question that that begs UWS is whether a goalkeeper who guesses right can get across and save even a good penalty. I don't know.

12:18 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

So far, group winners France and Wales are thru, Second place Poland are thru and third place Portugal are thru

12:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

As if I was not nervous enough, I dropped my computer before the game. MacBook pro is tough, my flashdrive? less so.

Ok, Germany in control so far, but they really could have been up 2-0.

12:19 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Sheer German dominance so far.

12:19 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

I think if it is side netting the keeper doesn't have a shot of saving it anyway. These keepers react so well to shots all game long... just try and save it!!! It is a shot on goal.. try and save it
Not good, you save it... they chip it down the middle, you catch it

12:19 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Welcome back, Red Devil. Sorry to hear about your flash drive. At least you've got a 1-0 lead to cheer you up?

12:20 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Well, I do love it when a player tries a Panenka and the keeper catches it.

12:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

pretty robust challenge from Skrtl. Guess he knows he won't get two pens called on him.

12:24 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Oh - Ozil should have scored there - the goal was gaping.

12:25 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks Blue Devil.

plus, I found that I have another flashdrive with me, so I am in the process of converting it to my primary back-up.

12:25 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Yes - but Skrtel has to worry about getting two yellows. He picked up one in the penalty incident. If he gets sent off, it's definitely curtains for Slovakia.

12:26 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Excellent Plan B, Red Devil.

12:26 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

How's the research and writing going, RD? You should have plenty of grist for the mill with that shocking Brexit vote.

12:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It sounds strange, but playing a classic center forward like Gomez makes Germany more variable than when they have all these skilled players buzzing around. It opens up the opportunity for an early cross and a knockdown.

12:28 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So far there has been no child-care option here, so I am pretty much the only one taking care of the kids as Chiara takes care of business, etc. I limit myself to about one hour a day of coding German newspaper stories (the work I have my students do in the other languages). I really never get much work done here, so that's cool. Plus, I am watching a truckload of football.

12:32 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Kimmich has been a real find. He gives Germany a much more attacking option on the wing that Howedes or Mustafi.

12:34 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

I definitely like the look of Kimmich - he broke through at Bayern this year, right?

12:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's interesting to have heard Italian commentators the last two competitions. Their admiration for Germany's attacking philosophy is a painful reflection for the catenacio they see here.

12:36 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

I'm sure. What's the Italian reaction been to their progress so far? It'll be fascinating to see how Conte turns out the side tomorrow. And of course their prize for getting through against Spain would only be a quarter final against this lot. Ouch!

12:37 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Great take and turn from Draxler. I like the cut of his jib. He'd of course never deign to cross the threshold at Eland Road, but if he did, we'd lay out the black pudding for him.

12:41 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

that was too close

12:42 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

Slovakia have a chance for a free kick... doesn't beat the first man

cross comes in again... header... nice save

12:42 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Oh - great save from Neuer from a head-shoulder effort. Best chance yet for Slovakia. Just a reminder that this game isn't over yet.

12:42 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Germans sleeping a bit toward the end of this half.

12:43 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Italians were very happy with the Belgium game, but admitted that the Sweden result was fortunate.

12:43 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

There's your boy Draxler - the Moonraker!

12:44 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

GOAL! Oh - sublime skill from Draxler beating his man and then laying it on a plate for Gomez.

2-0!

12:44 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

Two nil

Great wing play, great cross... super mario scores


There's a novel idea how to attack

12:44 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

That's got to be over and out for Slovakia. I could see them nicking a random goal from a set piece if the Germans fell asleep.

12:45 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

I hate the talk of how difficult it is to break down teams that sit back
Germany are doing it

12:47 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

Half time
Off to walkie the doggies

12:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Apparently, that goal puts Gomez pretty high on the all-time list of German European Championship goalscorers, perhaps above Klinsman and near Voeller. Let me research that.

12:48 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

To be fair to England again, UWS, if you wind the tape back on the Slovakia game, you'll find that Raheem Sterling did that several times and fizzed crosses over the six yard box. The difference is that Harry Kane hasn't been at the races while Gomez was reliably standing where he should be. Honestly, a mailbox would have scored that goal.

12:49 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

And that's the first half, then. As I said before, the Germans are the most reliable thing in world football. Although, I still haven't gotten used to the idea of a German player missing a penalty.

12:50 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

- "It is possible to keep fiscal discipline" - German Minister of Finance
- "It is possible to accept migrants" - German Chancellor
- "It is possible to break down park-the-bus teams" - Die Mannschaft

12:51 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Podolski missed one in the 2010 game they lost to Serbia.

If Italy wins, that will certainly mean the end of Germany's run, while I think they will struggle against Spain's ability to possess the ball. However, I am glad to see them regain a bit of offensive mojo these last two games.

12:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Agreed, Blue Devil. There is something reassuring about knowing you have a center forward lurking around the 6-yard box.

12:54 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ok. Family is back. Posts will be sketchy from now on.

12:54 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Kate and I are enjoying the watermelon that Red Devil donated to us; perfect for an exceedingly hot afternoon here in Fredonia.

12:56 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Say hi to everyone!

12:57 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

Too hot for Shadow and walk so I just had some refreshing watermelon

You two want to come over for a swim?
No wait a minute, when you are here it's like it is March!

1:01 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

second half underway

1:03 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

First German pen miss since 1976 Final

1:05 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

We're back on for the second half after a really quick half-time.

1:06 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

Decent effort but straight at Neuer

1:07 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Actually, I think that Bastian Schweinsteiger missed one at an earlier tournament. And I was shocked then!

1:07 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

Maybe it was at the WC not Euros

Commentator is the one that brought it up

1:12 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

Nice look there by the Slovak

1:13 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

A couple of free kick chances in quick succession for Slovakia. Both wasted. But that will encourage them to come forward.

1:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

sweet move by Draxler.

1:17 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

This really is cynical from Germany. They're clearly taking the foot off the gas.

1:19 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

Three nil

They will be favorites going into the Quarters

1:20 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

GOAL! Drawler gets the goal that he deserved. 3-0. Over and out.

1:20 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

Why can't England do this!

1:20 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Well, I wonder that, too. They certainly create the same chances but somehow the ball doesn't quite bounce in the same direction.

1:23 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Draxler has arrived! I must admit I find him a bit too convoluted in his dribbling. Not enough bang for the buck, but he has been the deal-breaker this game.

1:23 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Slovakia are showing exactly how mediocre they are today.

1:23 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Hummel gets an unnecessary booking. That might be trouble further down the road. What's the rule with the yellow cards this time? Do they get wiped off at a certain point?

1:25 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

I agree, Red Devil. Julian - Leeds awaits you!

1:25 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Derek Rae is being really irritating today with his overly particular pronunciations of players names. Alejandro needs to give him a slap.

1:27 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

I said earlier in the first post
I think that the yellow cards used to wiped out after the group stages but not any more
They get wiped out at the semi final stage. So, players can't be ruled out of the Final with a yellow in the semi... It changed when so many players were missing the showcase event

1:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

WOw. That was a bit of a harsh yellow. Hummels got to the ball two feet before the opponent. HOpe that does not come back to haunt them.

1:28 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Boateng gets a rest now. Howedes on for him. And Draxler is replaced by Podolski.

1:29 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

Someone needs to slap Alejandro for his comment when you were here

That's a one-time in match chance and he's had three of them

1:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

MUR That's a good rule.

1:29 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Thanks for the repost, UWS.

1:30 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Yeah - that was classic Moreno commentary.

1:32 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

One last change for Germany - Pigstick on for Khedira.

1:33 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

a few years ago, I would say that pulling out Sami would mean losing too much speed and aggressiveness in the midfield. Sadly, even the aging Schweinsteiger is not really much of a step down for a Khedira who looks tired and imprecise.

1:35 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Except for the US versus Argentina, when was the last time you saw the team that was chasing a result pinned back into their half so much? Slovakia had a brief moment of steam prior to the 3rd goal, but since then, they have been rightfully disheartened.

1:39 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

How hot is it in Fredonia, Blue Devil?

1:39 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

87F right now, which I know that MUR would scoff at as merely "balmy." But for us it's hot. We'll be over at your place watering this evening.

1:41 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks so much, Blue Devil. That IS hot for Fredonia.

1:43 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

We haven't seen much of Kroos today - he's been the only German player missing.

1:44 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

We're supposed to get thundershowers rolling in tomorrow night - we desperately need it!

1:44 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

It's 90 in ENY

1:45 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Cor!

1:45 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Are you going to hit the pool between the matches?

1:45 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

Probably

1:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Indeed, with such a deep-lying opponent, Germany was playing a lot more horizontal balls, so he was just swinging the ball left to right, but nothing very incisive.

BTW, hello from Chiara.

1:47 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Could easily have been four there. Kroos coming in on that cross.

1:48 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Ciao from us, too.

1:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Over and out, though I may be back for some of the third game.

A fantastic quarterfinal match awaits the Germans.

1:49 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

Final whistle blow - the most commanding performance from Germany in this tournament - and perhaps the best showing for any of the teams. Italy or Spain awaits them next Saturday for the marquee match up of the quarters. And then England in the semis? Be still my heart!

1:50 PM  
Blogger United We Stand said...

Germany have to favorites now

1:50 PM  
Blogger The Blue Devil said...

I'm off to the store now and will be back for the late one.

1:51 PM  
Blogger manunitedrules said...

Sorry I wasn't around to chat. I was on the phone, but watched the entire match. The German performance was the most dominant of the tournament . Congratulations, Red Devil.

1:56 PM  

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