WooHoo! That was one hell of an entertaining game! 6 Goals, lots of chances, big stops, and my team (England) came out on top to qualify for the Quarter-Finals with a 4-2 victory over Croatia. I was a little ambivalent at the start of the game, with memories of Englands sloppy performance against the Swiss. Croatia didn't help things by scoring only 5 minutes into the game. England played well though, good passing and a strong attack helped to banish fears that the game would be anything like the previous matches (Yes I'm aware the last game was a 3-0 victory - but they just played sloppy, and that's what I'm referring to). Proving me right, Scholes tied it up, and then Rooney gave England the lead as the half was ending. The second half saw more of the same, with Rooney netting a tournament high 4th goal to put his side up by 2. There was a period of slight uncertainty though, as Croatia pushed hard and was able to put a ball in the top corner to bring their team within 1. But it was not to be, as Lampard put the final nail in the Croat coffin with a fine move and an even finer finish to put the ending out of question. (In other news, France beat Switzerland 3-1. No one ever doubted that would happen though, so there's really not much to say on it other than the Swiss put up a decent fight.)

Congrats to the boys from England for a match well played. Tougher challenges lie in wait though: They'll face the hosts Portugal in the first Quarter-Final match. That game will undoubtedly prove to be by far the biggest challenge the English have faced since the World Cup. I'm confident that the boys will play a strong game, but I'm also confident that Portugal will play just as strong. It's pretty tough to predict the outcome of this one, with both teams at the top of their games it could really swing both ways. But hey, we know the future holds some great soccer, and Cheers to that!