According to CCTV5 program list (February 26, 2024), the European Cup group match has entered the final round, and the number of qualification places for each group has not been determined. The fate of some strong teams is still pending, among which the most interesting ones are England and Croatia in Group D, which were the semi finalists of the last World Cup
According to CCTV5 program list (February 26, 2024), the European Cup group match has entered the final round, and the number of qualification places for each group has not been determined. The fate of some strong teams is still pending, among which the most interesting ones are England and Croatia in Group D. The two teams met in the semi-finals of the last World Cup, and Croatia reversed England 2-1 to reach the final, And England stopped in the last four. This time, they were in the same group, and their confrontation was also regarded as one of the focuses of this European Cup.
However, the performance of England and Croatia in the first two rounds was not satisfactory. They only got three points, ranking second and third respectively in the group. Their qualification situation is not clear, and their opponents in the last round are not to be underestimated. England will face Czech Republic, while Croatia will face Scotland, The results of these two games will directly affect their qualification fate. They will also pay close attention to the other side's game, because their points are the same. If their scores are the same, their ranking will be determined by other factors.
According to the regulations of UEFA, if two or more teams have the same points after the group game, their rankings will be compared in the following order: (1) the points against each other in the group game; (2) The goal difference in the group match; (3) The number of goals against each other in the group match; (4) The goal difference of all matches in the group match; (5) The number of goals scored in all matches in the group match; (6) Number of red and yellow cards for all matches in the group match; (7) Fair competition ranking of all competitions in the group match; (8) UEFA national team ranking.
In these comparison items, the first item of England and Croatia is the same. They won a 0-0 draw in the first round of the group game. Their points are all 1 point, so they need to compare the second item, that is, the goal difference in the group game. This item is also the same. Their goal difference is 0, so they need to compare the third item, That is, the number of goals scored against each other in the group match is the same. Their number of goals is 0, so they need to compare the fourth item, that is, the net goal of all matches in the group match. This item is different at present. England's net goal is 1, while Croatia's net goal is - 1, so at present, England is dominant in this item, If their goal difference is still different due to the result of their last round of competition, their ranking is determined by this one. If their goal difference is the same, they need to compare the fifth item, namely, the number of goals in all competitions in the group match. This item is also different at present. The number of goals in England is 1, while the number of goals in Croatia is 2, So at present, Croatia is dominant in this item. If their scores are still different due to the results of their last round of competition, their ranking is determined by this item. If their scores are the same, they need to compare the number of red and yellow cards in the sixth item, that is, the number of red and yellow cards in all matches in the group match. This item is also different at present. The number of red and yellow cards in England is 1, Croatia's number of red and yellow cards is 3, so at present England is dominant in this event. If their last round of competition results in their different number of red and yellow cards, then their ranking is determined by this one. If their number of red and yellow cards is the same, then they need to compare the seventh event, that is, the fair competition ranking of all matches in the group match, This item is given different scores according to the number of red and yellow cards. The red card is - 3 points, the yellow card is - 1 points, and the two yellow cards become red cards to - 4 points. This item is also different at present. England's fair competition ranking is - 1 points, while Croatia's fair competition ranking is - 3 points. So at present, England is dominant in this item, If their fair competition rankings are still different due to the results of their last round of competition, then their rankings will be determined by this one. If their fair competition rankings are the same, then they need to compare the eighth item, the UEFA national team ranking, which is determined according to the UEFA national team ranking published every month. This item is also different at present, England's UEFA national team is ranked fourth, while Croatia's is ranked tenth. So at present, England is dominant in this item. If their last round of competition results in their UEFA national team ranking still different, then their ranking will be determined by this item. If their UEFA national team ranking is the same, Then their ranking will be determined by drawing lots.
It can be seen that the fate of England and Croatia's qualification depends not only on their own competition results, but also on the other side's competition results, and even on some details. Their ranking may change greatly, and their pressure is also great. They need to go all out in the last round of competition to achieve the best results, At the same time, we should also pray for the defeat of the other side to ensure our qualification. This is also the charm of the European Cup. Every game is full of suspense and uncertainty. Every team may become a dark horse or be out. Let's wait and see what the fate of England and Croatia is like.
