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An air of stop-start nervousness around football’s summer spectacle, Euro 2016.

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And Also
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Tournament Review
Euro 2016
Rating:
***

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There has been an air of stop-start nervousness around football’s summer spectacle. France was alr­eady on high terror alert and the thuggishness of fans in Marseilles added unnecessary drama. The usual suspects look increasingly likely to sneak through to the knockout stages but it’s not been drab. The Welsh, and their sup­erstar Gareth Bale, have topped a confused England side in Group B. Speaking of superstars carrying teams, Slovakia’s Marek Hamsik has made his mark, scalding the Russian keeper’s nose in the process, courtesy a rifle of a winner. And while we’re on the topic, the Portuguese man-o’war, Cristiano Ronaldo, has been in the headlines for only the wrong reasons and the western press has written obituaries aplenty on CR7’s career. In the news too are the Germans, the Spanish and the Italians, all making low-key starts, but who would count them out come the 11th of July? Croatian midfield-maestro Luka Modric sco­red a goal-of-the-tournament contender against the Czechs. Other upstarts, like Hungary and Iceland, have made life difficult for the biggies. Meanwhile, the French media, the fans and coach Didier Des­­champs are all doing a lot of talking. It’s time Pogba and Co. gave up ripping Swiss jerseys and aim at the bigger prize.

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