The Euros entered the scene yesterday with a fairly entertaining 2-1 between hosts France and lowly Romania, Dimitri Payet winning it late.
In return, the Copa stepped up its game, too, with a hat-trick from BEARDED Messi against sad and poor 10-man Panama and some veritable insanity between Chile and Bolivia, which was decided by an Arturo Vidal penalty kick (a bit of a soft call) in the 100th minute. The match was delayed due a head injury after a Bolivian defender was knocked out cold (and then allowed to continue WTF?!?!).
Will today live up to Friday's insanity? Five matches on tap, including England.
ALBANIA vs. SWITZERLAND
When: 14:00 BST; 9am EDT
Where: Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens
On TV: BBC One (UK); ESPN, ESPN Deportes (USA); elsewhere
Streaming online: BBC iPlayer (UK); ESPN3 (USA)
Who/what to watch: Brother vs. brother as Taulant Xhaka, representing Albania, will face recent Arsenal acquisition Granit Xhaka, representing Switzerland. Their parents emigrated from Kosovo to Switzerland during the Yugoslav Wars. Switzerland are tipped to finish second in a rather weak Group A, and will rely on the talents of Xherdan Shaquiri to get there. Chelsea-linked youngster Breel Embolo should see minutes as well.
WALES vs. SLOVAKIA
When: 17:00 BST; 12pm EDT
Where: Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
On TV: BBC One (UK); ESPN, ESPN Deportes (USA); elsewhere
Streaming online: BBC iPlayer (UK); ESPN3 (USA)
Who/what to watch: My homies from Slovakia, led by the awesome Marek Hamšík, hopefully operating at 100% of his powers, face Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and nine other Welsh dudes. England are favored in this Group B, but it's anybody's game for second place. Slovakia made the Round of 16 at World Cup 2010, their only other international appearance; meanwhile Wales haven't been to a big event since 1958.
ENGLAND vs. RUSSIA
When: 20:00 BST; 3pm EDT
Where: Stade Vélodrome, Marseille
On TV: ITV 1 (UK); ESPN, ESPN Deportes (USA); elsewhere
Streaming online: ITV Live (UK); ESPN3 (USA)
Who/what to watch: England's Brave Gary Cahill will hope for some adventurous team selection from Roy Hodgson as they take on a surprisingly poor Russia. So far, England's contributions to the tournament have been nothing but bar fights, so let's hope the team will give us something positive to talk about.
USA vs. PARAGUAY
When: 7pm EDT; 00:00 BST (next day)
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
On TV: Premier Sports (UK); Fox Sports 1, Univision (USA); elsewhere
Streaming online: Fox Soccer 2Go
Who/what to watch: Final matchday in Group A, yet, in a rather old-school move, with matches not being played at the same time. USA thumped Costa Rica in their last match (and earned head coach Jurgen Klinsmann a bit of good vibes) while Paraguay are desperate for a win to stay alive.
COLOMBIA vs. COSTA RICA
When: 9pm EDT; 02:00 BST (next day)
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
On TV: Premier Sports (UK); Fox Sports 2, Univision (USA); elsewhere
Streaming online: Fox Soccer 2Go
Who/what to watch: With two wins from two, Colombia have already clinched a spot in the knockout rounds. But winning the group should mean Peru or Ecuador instead of Brazil, so they still have something to play for. Chelsea loanee Juan Cuadrado has had one pretty good game and one pretty bad one.