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Peripheral underdogs advance into knockout stage in Euro 2016

Peripheral underdogs advance into knockout stage in Euro 2016

Posted June. 24, 2016 07:21,   

Updated June. 24, 2016 08:36

한국어

Among the five teams participating in the UEFA Euro 2016, four of them survived the group competition to advance into the tournament stage. While some of them were ranked third in their group and enjoyed the luck of making it to the next round thanks to the entry expansion from 16 to 24, others cruised to the knockout stage as the first or second runners of the group league.

There are five teams who debuted in the Euro this time, and four of them except Albania, namely, Iceland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Slovakia, made it to the top 16. Albania was ranked the lowest in the FIFA ranking among the teams participating in the European competition.

Wales finished the group race first, outperforming England in Group B. Wales has been overshadowed by England, the same British neighbor long dubbed the "Home of Football." In their first tournament round, Wales will face another Commonwealth neighbor Northern Ireland. One of them will enjoy the privilege of reaching the quarter-finals in their first very challenge to UEFA Euro championship. Northern Ireland passed the group league as third.

In FIFA ranking, Northern Ireland is higher at 25th than Wales, who are 26th, but Wales is showing particularly strong performance against Northern Ireland with 44 wins, 24 draws, and 27 losses. Including England, who finished the preliminary league in Group B as second runners, the three British teams have all made it to the best 16. The one remaining Commonwealth nation Scotland failed to pass the preliminary round this time.

Iceland, the team with the smallest population among the participants, secured the second standing in Group F with 1 win and 2 draws. While Iceland posted the same point of six along with Hungary, who finished the group league first, Iceland had to concede for lagging behind Hungary by one point in goal difference. The population of Iceland stands at about 330,000, close to that of the city of Wonju in Gangwon Province, Korea. Iceland will go head to head with England in the knockout stage. The record between the two teams is in favor of England, who have won and drawn twice with Iceland.



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