Euro 2016 Day 4: Conte’s Men Shock Belgians
By Tobi Nifesi
The day began with Spain, the reigning champions springing off their Euro campaign, against a decent Czech Republic side. The Czech put off a good fight and pulled all the stops to get at least a point from the game. For 86 minutes, the match was a stalemate under a Gerald Pique header decided things. The La Rojas will want to build on their win as they take on Turkey on Friday.
The match of the day, however, was Belgium vs Italy. The Belgians have been showing so much potentials and promise, especially since their impressive run to the quarter finals at the 2014 Fifa World Cup. On other hand, the Italians has not been as their best in the last couple years, but with this being Conte’s last competition with the Azzurris before he take the rein at Chelsea, many expect the Italian side to put on a better show this summer.
That being said, a game that was supposed to be a convenient win for the promising Belgians ended up being a convincing for the Azzurris – thanks to goals from Bologna’s Emanuele Giaccherini and Southampton’s Granziano Pelle.
To round off a good day of football, Ibrahimovic’s Sweden squared off against Robbie Keane’s Ireland in a game that struggled to entertain many. Both side weren’t near their best and produced a boring draw that leaves Belgium at the bottom of Group E after the first round of games.
