Euro 2012 was a disaster but qualified without any problems and then bronze at WC 2014. Wouldn't say they went to shit after WC 2010 but after WC 2014.
Very stupid to rate a group's difficulty on the top two teams. It's much harder to play in a group with a couple of average sides than in a group with one good team and bad ones as the rest.
Serbia group? Really? You guys are confusing balanced groups with 2nd tier teams with actual tough groups with one top team and then another team that can actually put up a challenge.
Spain/Italy was no doubt the toughest, i mean, 1 of those teams actually had to go to a play-off from the start. That's crazy.
Then there's Portugal who had Switzerland, a team that grew a lot in the last few years.
And finally group A who had an obviously favorite, France and what? A shadow of Netherlands from 4 years ago and Sweden who doesn't even have Zlatan anymore? Come on...
Portugal's group also had Hungary who is a tough bone, only made 13 points only because Portugal and Switzerland were unstoppable. Hungary in the same group of the Netherlands and Sweden would give them both a run for their money.
But whatever, i guess i can at least say that, that group was not far from the Portugal one.
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I meant WC 2014, my bad.
Hungary? Okay!
11-10-2013 WK-kwal. 7 Nederland-Hongarije 8-1
Very tough team. Also I am pretty certain that Portugal would have had huge issues with Holland instead of Switzerland. I am also certain if Holland would have been in that group instead of Switzerland they would have easily made it to best #2.
Last edited by Cairhiin; 2017-10-10 at 09:41 PM.
Have you seen them play recently? Messi is still brilliant but they look utterly bereft of ideas unless he does something. They're everything detractors accused Portugal of being at the Euros only it's actually true and I'd honestly rather see Chile/Colombia/Peru at the finals. That said, Ecuador are on a shitty run, Chile have to play Brazil and Colombia/Peru play each other so things are in their favour.
Bad luck? Did you see the disallowed goal from Bas Dost? Did you see Lloris fuck up at fourth minute in overtime? You realize right that Sweden played 1-1 and lost 2-0 against Holland and only gets second spot because that 8-0 win against Luxemburg which started from a penalty that wasn't even a penalty. Still, Holland doesn't deserve it but Holland also had uber bad luck.
Well, they did it, but you also 5-0 Luxembourg... I guess the key was Sweden somehow beating France 2-1. Those 3 points were precious to them. I know it sucks to be out of the play-offs because of goal difference but... Oh well, I would have preferred the Netherlands in the play-off instead Sweden too but it's done now.
Yeah, the key was that Lloris' blunder and the disallowed goal from Dost against Sweden. But in my opinion Holland really lost it when losing 2-0 against Bulgaria. That game should never been lost and that was really the worst game Holland played in qualifications where they threw it away themselves. You can't influence bad referee decisions or blunders from competitors but you are fully responsible for losing in Bulgaria against a mediocre counter team.