More football talk from those great British commentators. This entry features some examples of the crisp and concise school, taken from that very interesting game between England and Iceland that ended the round of sixteen at this year’s Euro 2016 tournament. (With the English national team involved, the commentators sort of had a dog in the fight. They were impeccably unbiased, but some of the feeling definitely seeped through as the game progressed.)
- When a player kicks a ball and partially misses, sending it in an unwanted direction: “He rather scuffed it.”
- A definition: “Dodgy at the back” = poor play in goal.
- “He couldn’t catch that. He’d need to be a greyhound.”
- “Almost like a bearded wonder in that midfield, isn’t he.”
And as England folded like origami and Iceland held the score at 2-1:
- “England has all they can do to save themselves from a mighty humiliation.”
- Frustrated commentator, in very thick accent: “They’re not doing anythink!”
- “To be honest, England has gone to pieces, rather.”
And so they had. Iceland, an epic Cinderella team making a volcanic success of their first appearance in a major tournament, held on to beat England 2-1. They will meet host team France on Sunday in the last of the quarterfinals.
