Match of the Day Magazine Issue 631

HALFWAY LINE LOB LIKE SCHICK! If you get the ball around the halfway line, have a look up at the keeper and if you catch him napping, try a shot from range like Czech Republic’s Patrik Schick! A TEAM GOAL LIKE PORTUGAL! The Selecao put together 33 passes before scoring against Hungary. Your challenge? Keep possession for more than 30 passes and then stick it in the back of the net! AWESOME ASSIST LIKE BALE! Keep on the lookout for forward runners and then, like Wales ace Gareth Bale, whip that through-ball behind the defenders and set your forward through on goal. Assist king, unlocked! FIRST-TIME FINISH LIKE KDB! If your team-mate lays you off nicely, have the confidence to hit it first time like Belgium’s Kevin De Bruyne, using the power from the moving ball. Tick…

LEFT FOOT ASHLEY COLE Gareth says: “The trouble here is, I’m going to upset Stuart Pearce, and if you knew Stuart Pearce, you wouldn’t want to upset him! But Ashley Cole was the best left-back in the world, probably for a long time!” RIGHT FOOT PAUL SCHOLES Gareth says: “He had an amazing touch with his passing. If he was playing you in for a shot, he would pass it at the perfect rate so you could run onto it, not break your stride, and slam it into the net!” DRIBBLING STEVE McMANAMAN Gareth says: “He could kind of glide past people, and he could run all day. He was a really good player!” PACE RIO FERDINAND Gareth says: “We always think about speedy forwards – but Rio was quick!” VISION TEDDY SHERINGHAM Gareth says: “Teddy wasn’t really quick,…

1 RIGHT ON! YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT… Gareth Bale wasn’t allowed to use his left foot at school. To give other kids a chance, Bale’s headteacher introduced a rule where he could only use his right peg! 2 CHIN UP! YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT… Thibaut Courtois always touches his chin during the Belgium national anthem – because he believes it brings the team good luck. Look closely and you’ll spot it next time he plays! 3 ON THE MIC! YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT… Holland's Memphis Depay loves music so much, he’s released his own hip-hop album called Heavy Stepper. One of the songs takes a swipe at the mega-rich owners of Man. United. Cheeky! 4 REAL HERO! YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT… Martin Braithwaite suffered from a hip disorder and spent some of his childhood in a wheelchair. Now he’s a Barcelona…

1 Which one of these ballers is NOT wearing the No.7 for their country during this tournament? 2 Which of these three epic stadiums is being used for Euro 2020? 3 Which nation at Euro 2020 currently has the highest FIFA ranking? 4 Which one of these three dudes is the Germany boss? 5 Which one of these three Prem stars is Scotland’s skipper at Euro 2020? 6 Which one of these Euro 2020 kits, below, is made by Adidas? 7 Which country did Goran Pandev ball for at the Euros? 8 Which English referee is officiating at the tournament? 9 Which France star is back in the squad for the first time since 2015? 10 Which one of these three pure-fire ballers is the oldest? HOW’D YOU GET ON, READER? 1-3 points Woah, you really messed that up! 4-7 points Not…

JOSH DENZEL Age 26 Job Presenter for England national team Fave player in the squad Jack Grealish Best mate in the squad Declan Rice Top tip for presenting Do your research on the player beforehand – and take risks! WHO ARE THE BEST MATES IN THE SQUAD, JOSH? JOSH SAYS: “The nicest budding relationship I’ve seen is between Bukayo Saka and Jack Grealish. Two players who you might not put together but I feel like Jack has really taken Bukayo under his wing. Those two are always together – they play basketball, ping-pong, darts and are just super-close!” WHO ARE THE LEADERS IN THE ENGLAND GROUP? JOSH SAYS: “It has to be Jordan Henderson and Harry Kane. Also, lads like Conor Coady and Tyrone Mings – these guys hold weight in the group when they…

LAST TIME OUT… Germany and Italy competed in the most recent shootout at Euro 2016. Both teams missed THREE of their first FIVE before the Germans clinched victory with their NINTH attempt. Mad! CZECH CHIP! This is Antonin Panenka of Czechoslovakia Of the teams at this tournament, Croatia, Sweden and Switzerland are the only teams to have taken part in a Euros penalty shootout without ever winning! No player has ever scored more than two pens in Euro shootouts. Four are at this tournament – three are Polish! THREE KEY RULES! 1 Keepers must have one foot on the line as the kick is taken! 2 The bar must stop shaking before the ref blows his whistle! 3 Takers can stall their approach – but they must never stop moving! ENGLAND ON THE SPOT! Scored 16 Missed 5 Saved 1…