Euro 2016 Group F: UAE Fans Preview

Sport360 staff 18:10 12/06/2016
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Who do you think will win Group F?

    Euro 2016 begins on Friday and Sport360 will be bringing you a fans’-eye view of the tournament thanks to our collection of 24 UAE-based supporters, who will be following their nations every step of the way.

    Group F features Austria, Hungary, Iceland and a Portugal side hoping to get the best out of talisman Cristiano Ronaldo.

    Here, our fan pundits have their say on their nations’ chances in France.

    PORTUGAL – Francisco Alves (Dubai)

    MOST MEMORABLE PORTUGAL GAME EVER AT THE EUROS?

    It has to be Portugal’s epic 3-2 comeback victory over England at Euro 2000. We conceded two in the first 20 minutes of the match, which was the first of the tournament for both teams. Our classy captain Luis Figo scored an unforgettable long-range goal, turning our pessimistic prospects into a great performance.

    WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR COACH?

    Fernando Santos belongs to an older generation of Portuguese managers and is known for his pragmatic style of play. Therefore, one should not expect exhibitions packed with attacking excitement, but more of a focus on obtaining results, even if it means winning matches 1-0. 

    PORTUGAL PLAYER WHO MIGHT SURPRISE US?

    Renato Sanches has enjoyed a fairytale season at Benfica and this will be a chance for the 18-year-old wonderkid to show off all the strength, energy and talent that made Bayern Munich spend €35M on him. Even though he may not be part of the starting XI, he will be used as an impact substitute for sure.

    GROUP GAME YOU ARE MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?

    Portugal vs Iceland on June 14. Starting the tournament with a win would be a big boost and facing a debutants Iceland in the first match of the group stage could be the ideal way to kick-off our challenge. There is of course the risk over-confidence but hopefully Portugal can begin with win.

    HOW FAR WILL PORTUGAL GET AT EURO 2016?

    Quarter-finals. I don’t think that we have enough quality overall or the right balance in the squad to get further, particularly as we will cross with the Group of Death. But I hope they prove me wrong…! 

    INTERESTING FACT ABOUT PORTUGAL

    Between Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Figo, Portugal holds four Ballon d’Ors which for a small country like ours constitutes a pretty impressive per capita ratio!

    WHAT DO PORTUGUESE FANS EAT DURING A GAME?

    Bifana (grilled pork meat in a bun) or sardines (also grilled). Portugal has several ‘national dishes’ but these two are the most appreciated come summer time. Best served with hops or red grape!

    HOW DO YOU SAY ‘GOAL’ IN PORTUGUESE? GOOOLOOO!

    WHERE WILL YOU WATCH EURO 2016?

    I’ve often joined fellow Benfica fans at Barrels Pub (Majestic Hotel Tower – Bur Dubai) so am sure some Portuguese expats may also watch the national team. If not, then Barasti is the place to be.

    Austria – Thomas Lattacher (Assistant Product Manager, Dubai)

    MOST MEMORABLE AUSTRIA GAME EVER AT THE EUROS?

    Unfortunately our only Euro qualification so far was as co-hosts in 2008 and it wasn’t a very good appearance. The game with our only goal was the one against Poland in Vienna, Ivica Vastic scored a 93rd minute penalty to earn us a 1-1 draw.

    AUSTRIA GROUP GAME YOU ARE MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?

    Definitely Austria vs Portugal! I believe it will be the biggest challenge in the group stage and certainly determine who’s going to be top of the group. After that game I think we will have a good idea of how good the Austrian team really is.

    WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR MANAGER?

    I think every Austrian football fan will agree with me in saying Marcel Koller has brought us back to where we belong. He did such a great job in qualification and certainly won all the hearts of the Austrian fans by extending his contract and declining an offer from his home country Switzerland.

    AUSTRIA PLAYER WHO MIGHT SURPRISE US?

    Since everyone already knows how good David Alaba is, I will go for Julian Baumgartlinger. Few people outside of Austria and Germany know Julian and I bet you they’ll be surprised to see his qualities in central midfield. He’s smart in attack and hard in defence.

    PREDICTION – HOW FAR WILL AUSTRIA GO AT EURO 2016?

    As much as I love to see them bringing home the title I have to say I think they will go out in the quarter-finals as they might meet France or England there.

    INTERESTING FACT ABOUT AUSTRIA

    The first game for Austria in Euro 2016 against Hungary, will be the 137th time these two teams have met. In fact no two other countries across Europe have met more often.

    WHAT DO AUSTRIAN FANS EAT DURING A GAME?

    There may be more typical Austrian dishes around but in most stadiums you’ll find brezel (pretzels).

    HOW DO YOU SAY ‘GOAL’ IN AUSTRIAN?

    The word is tor, but proper Austrians will shout “TOOOOOOOR, I WEA NARRISCH!” which means ‘Gooooooooal, I’m going bonkers!’. The words were made famous by Edi Finger Junior, the commentator during Austria’s win over Germany in Cordoba 1978, who used this phrase to celebrate the game’s winning goal.

    WHERE WILL YOU BE WATCHING EURO 2016? Barasti or McGettigans JLT – two amazing locations for watching football.

    HUNGARY – Viktor Jemeljanov

    MOST MEMORABLE HUNGARY GAME EVER AT THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP?

    It was a long time ago! Hungary haven’t competed at the European Championship since 1972 (44 years!) but our best ever game would be when we came third in 1964 when the tournament was still called the European Nations’ Cup. We beat Denmark 3-1 in the third-placed play-off.

    HUNGARY GROUP GAME YOU ARE MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?

    The match against Portugal; it will be a great test coming up against Cristiano Ronaldo and Co – though I actually think Austria may win the group. Hungary have never beaten Portugal in an international so it would be great to change that record.

    WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR COACH?

    Bernd Storck has done a brilliant job, culminating in qualification for the Euros. The former head coach of Hungary was Pal Dardai, who built the base of the team, before Storck helped the team over the line. He is an excellent coach, representing the German-style of strong discipline and team co-operation.

    HUNGARY PLAYER WHO MIGHT SURPRISE US?

    Young Ferencvaros midfielder Adam Nagy is an outstandingly talented player, even though he is only 20-years-old. He plays skillfully, intelligently and also has leadership ability. He has a high potential to stand out from the crowd and attract the attention of some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

    PREDICTION – HOW FAR WILL HUNGARY GO AT EURO 2016?

    If we can make it through to the last-16 it will be a great achievement. Then who knows, remember Greece?!

    INTERESTING FACT ABOUT HUNGARY?

    Goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly will be the oldest player at the tournament. He is 40.

    WHAT DO HUNGARIAN FANS EAT/DRINK DURING A GAME?

    People eat roasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds at live matches, but not so much at home. Drinking beer is far more popular, though toasting has been prohibited since 1848 as Austrian generals reportedly did so with their beers after killing the last 13 Hungarian generals when repressing the revolution.

    HOW DO YOU SAY ‘GOAL’ IN HUNGARIAN?

    It is written as gól but pronounced like English, so ‘gooooooooooooooal’.

    ​WHERE WILL YOU BE WATCHING EURO 2016?

    Barasti and Media One are always two of the best places to watch football in Dubai.

    ICELAND – Sæmundur St. Magnusson (Private Client Advisor, Dubai)

    MOST MEMORABLE ICELAND GAME EVER AT THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP?

    As this is our debut I’ll pick one of our qualifiers, probably the away victory over Netherlands. We actually won 2-0 at home and 1-0 away, with Gylfi Sigurdsson scoring all three of those goals!

    ICELAND GROUP GAME YOU ARE MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?

    The match against Portugal – it will be interesting to see how the Icelandic team will deal with a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.

    WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR COACH?

    Lars Lagerbäck has done amazing job for the Icelandic team, getting us to the Championships. The Icelandic nation also wants him as president, although he is Swedish.

    ICELAND PLAYER WHO MIGHT SURPRISE US? 

    Gylfi Sigurdsson has been playing very well for Swansea and the national team, his creativity and long range shooting might surprise some.

    PREDICTION – HOW FAR WILL ICELAND GO AT EURO 2016?

    Semi-finals, I know that it is bold but if we play as we did in the qualifying campaign, why not!

    INTERESTING FACT ABOUT ICELAND?

    Our population is 317,000 – meaning we are the smallest nation to ever play at a European Championship finals.

    WHAT DO ICELANDIC FANS EAT/DRINK DURING A GAME?

    Svið is a traditional Icelandic dish consisting of a sheep’s head cut in half, singled out to remove the fur, and boiled with the brain removed, sometimes cured in lactic acid.

    HOW DO YOU SAY ‘GOAL’ IN ICELANDIC?

    Markmið!

    ​WHERE WILL YOU BE WATCHING EURO 2016?

    We will probably be watching the games at Barasti Beach Bar.

    Recommended