Have I already said that I wish for the Dutch to win the European Championship? Just in case I haven't I'll just say it once more.
Again they won easily, this time against a French team that played so very much better than in their first game against the Romanians. But they did show some weaknesses too: they tried to hold on to the lead after they scored their first goal, which is a game the Italians and Germans can play to perfection - but the Dutch can't, it's not their game. Fortunately they found out soon enough that the only game of football they could play successfully was attacking football, and again - as against the Italians - they scored heavily. They're through to the quarters now, of course.
In the second game of this group Italy and Romania drew with one goal each, and the Italians - even though playing rather good (but still way below what they could play) - looked rather helpless against Romanians who finally realised that they just will have to put in some effort if they want to reach the quarter finals. I really can't see this Italian team reaching the final; they might not even reach the quarters, same as could happen with Germany.
The situation in this group is now, as Italy will have to play France, and Romania the Netherlands, that Romania seems to have an advantage as they've already achieved two draws (with only one for the other two teams), and they will have to play the Dutch in their last game for whom the outcome will make no difference at all (the Dutch of course already have won the group); nevertheless I just can't imagine that the Dutch might draw or loose against Romania 'just for fun'. Rather I would expect that Italy and France will decide head-on who is to go through to the quarter finals: but there must not be a draw as both of them drew against Romania - in that case Romania would go through except if they would loose with a very high goal difference against the Dutch (which, however, would be entirely possible). So nothing decided here yet, except for the glorious Dutch.
Oh, I almost forgot: the turtle did watch the Oranjes win against France in the public viewing area of Lobau, Kreuzgrund - on one of my favourite 'Hot Lands' (Heisslände); if you care to look closely, she's hidden in the grass just in front of the bush left hand side in the background.
