18/06/2016 MOTD Kickabout

Hello and good morning, everyone.

What a week it's been!

Euro 2016 has been unbelievable, hasn't it?

I've been glued to every single match.

The best thing is, there is still so much more to come.

Coming up today, we look back at Thursday's battle

between England and Wales, from a school right on the border

between the two countries.

Thor and Hari give us a guide to tournament minnows Iceland,

who have already secured a famous draw against Portugal.

Plus, I take a close look at some of the best goals scored so far

and the many different ways in which these

top players strike a football.

But first, here are some finer details which have really

caught my eye so far.

In fact, it will come down to hairstyles!

We all know that footballers love doing their hair, as do I -

you've got to take care of your barnet and all that!

But there is a time and place.

Maybe not when you should be closing down Luke Modric.

Check out Turkey midfielder Turfan, messing with his hair at a crucial

moment in their opening game.

At least these two sorted their new style out before

taking to the pitch.

Fellaini and Ramsey have both gone blonde.

I suppose their team-mates won't struggle to pick them

out for a pass, though.

Meanwhile, Ivan Perisic is letting everyone know where he's from

by getting a map of Croatia shaved into his head.

It was a much simpler cut for Alvaro Morata -

no fancy barbers for the Spanish striker, he just got team-mate

Sergio Ramos to give him a trim.

But my haircut of the week goes to Graziano Pelle.

Look at that, perfection!

And not only did he score this beauty for Italy, he did it without

getting a single hair out of place.

And what about that for a finish?

Kept it down nicely, made it look easy.

Anyone know what hair product he uses?

I'll get some of that after.

Right, let's get back to the action.

And there was no big matchup this week than in Lens on Thursday,

England versus Wales.

What a corker!

I hope you all managed to persuade your teachers

to show it in class.

Just like what happened at St David's High School,

where the support was split right down the middle.

The big day has finally arrived.

And I'm here in a very interesting place -

this is Boundary Lane in Chester, and as the name suggests,

it's the boundary between England and Wales.

On this side, we've got houses in England and on this side,

we've got houses in Wales.

Millions of kids in both countries are so excited about the game

and I know a school just down the road

where they are ready for kick-off.

Let's go.

COMMENTATOR: Both sides will gather in their pre-match huddle,

to rev one another up one last time before it all begins.

We are here at St David's High School,

just inside the Welsh border.

We've got Ben here, who is supporting Wales, and Aaron,

who is supporting England.

They are brothers.

The teams are coming out, it's time for kick-off.

Three lions, one dragon.

It sounds like the stuff of legend!

Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale on the ball.

And away we go!

Kane finds Lallana.

Sterling hares into the box for him.

And Sterling can't get it...

Golden opportunity for England.

It comes from Rooney.

Smalling!

Just past the post.

Bale, only one option for him.

One back, step to the right, chest puffed out, and strike.

And strike brilliantly!

Gareth Bale!

A moment of absolute magic!

Two games, two free kicks.

How good is Gareth Bale?

He is our star man.

What a free kick.

What a goal!

Wales, 1-0.

The pressure is really on for England now.

Harry Kane taken off for Jamie Vardy and Raheem taken off

for Daniel Sturridge.

Come on, England!

Rooney has gone to try and bend it into the corner.

But he's seen it and got down to it smartly.

Here now is Sturridge.

Cahill couldn't get off the floor.

Vardy is there!

The Jamie Vardy story goes on for another chapter.

Stokes.

Alli comes towards him.

In the area, Dele Alli.

Daniel Sturridge...

Sturridge scores!

Talk about passion, talk about drive.

This England team have it in bucketloads.

That's it, England have won, Gareth Bale's brilliant first-half

free kick put Wales 1-0 up.

But goals from Vardy and Sturridge, and look at what it means

for the England fans.

Heartbreak for the Welsh, but what a game.

What an unbelievable match that was.

Wales defended their lead like warriors, England never

gave up, and the best bit of all, great sportsmanship at the end.

So, that last-gasp win for England leaves them top of Group B,

with Wales still well in it in second place.

This group is so tight, anyone can still qualify,

but I'm confident that England and Wales will both make

the knockout stages.

Come on!

Things are also looking very promising for the third home nation

in this tournament, Northern Ireland.

Gareth McAuley's unbelievable header set them on their way to a brilliant

2-0 win against Ukraine on Thursday.

They sit third in Group C and another win in their next game

would be enough to see them qualify.

The only slight problem is that they are playing

the world champions, Germany.

But it has been such an amazing achievement for the squad

just to get this far, and their young fans have been

loving every minute.

They have even been making their French lessons

football themed.

Welcome to our Northern Irish Euro 2016 phrase book.

Green and White Army!

Time now for some special goals.

Something that I've noticed so far this tournament is the different

ways in which top players are striking this ball.

There has been such a variation in the goals that we've been seeing.

I want to start with what I think is the best goal of

the tournament so far.

Dimitri Payet's thunderbolt in France's opening

game against Romania.

Now, this technique was just incredible.

Payet drives through the ball with his laces, and watch his

standing leg as well, it comes off the ground,

generating a huge amount of momentum and power.

When you strike the ball this sweetly with the laces,

there is very little spin put on the ball,

meaning it flies through the air a lot quicker.

Let's have a look at Gareth Bale's stunning free kick, as Wales

kicked off their tournament with a win against Slovakia.

If you look carefully, you can see Bale strike the ball

with the inside of his foot, and he almost goes over

the top of the ball.

This creates heavy topspin and it is that spin which causes

it to dip down fast and fool the keeper.

Another great free kick with another different technique.

Tottenham's Eric Dier scoring for England against Russia.

Like Bale, he also hits it with the inside of his foot.

But as you can see, the spin on the ball here is more sideways,

causing it to curl away from the goalkeeper.

That's because Dier's follow-through is more to the side

around his standing leg.

And finally, a touch of class from Real Madrid's Luka Modric,

a long range dipping volley with a celebration to match.

Just look at how Modric keeps his eye on the ball

the entire time.

He connects right at the top of his boot, with both feet

coming off the ground.

This means it goes as straight as an arrow, with added control

and topspin to dip in front of the keeper as well.

Brilliant goal.

So, that's four different techniques you can go and try down the park,

or in your garden right now.

And whilst you're at it, why don't you get a parent

or guardian to film you, and then use a simple video upload

on the Kickabout website and you never know, you could be

right there on that big screen next week!

It's not just goals we want, we want to see your

silky skills as well.

And luckily, this tournament has been

jam-packed with them, too.

Lallana.

Playing brilliantly.

Good feet in the box.

Good play.

Payet, brilliant stuff.

Whilst you are on the website, there is loads more

to keep you entertained.

Quizzes, predictions, my dream five-a-side team,

plus updates from our man in France, commentator Conor McNamara.

It's fair to say Conor has had a busy old week hanging out

with his new bezzie, Thierry Henry, plus getting very excited

commentating on a hatful of goals.

Payet!

Oh!

Here he comes.

He scores!

Headed in!

Mustafi!

It's a goal!

He scores one of the surprise goals!

How does he even keep his voice?!

He certainly works up an appetite, too.

Hi there, Match of the Day Kickabout,

this is Conor at Euro 2016.

Just wanted to give you a little flavour of what life

is like in France, away from this football tournament.

If there's one thing the French love even more

than football, it's food.

OK, well, this restaurant is called L'Escargot,

which is the French for snails.

There is the big snail up the top there.

Golden fella.

I'm going to give that a miss.

Right, so, I've gone for a crepe, which, trust me, is so much better

than your humble pancake you get at home.

The French really know how to do this.

Part of the fun, I always think, in France, is that so much

eating is done outdoors, there is just something about being

outside in the decent weather, it just makes everything

taste a lot nicer.

I'm starving!

Not even had my breakfast yet.

Anyone got a chocolate and banana crepe handy?

No?

All right.

All right, let's take a look at today's three matches,

and a huge one in Group E, Belgium, with all their

Premier League superstars, have to bounce back from a defeat

against Italy, but it won't be easy against a strong Ireland team.

Cristiano Ronaldo will be hoping to inspire Portugal

against Austria, but the team which stands out is Iceland.

They are the country with the smallest population

in the whole tournament, and they've already had a major

scalp, holding Portugal to a draw in their first match.

Here's Thor and Hari to tell us more.

Hello, Kickabout.

THEY SPEAK ICELANDIC

We were really shocked when we found out that

Iceland were going to the Euros.

Everybody in Iceland just screamed at that moment!

Iceland is so small.

We are the smallest populated country to ever reach

a major tournament.

We've got colourful buildings, snowy topped mountains,

crystal clear air, one motorway and big volcanoes.

In Iceland, everyone really likes healthy food.

One disgusting food which people don't really try in Iceland

is the sheep's brain with the eyeballs still inside it.

Lars Lagerback is one of the most experienced coaches in the Euros.

Heimir Hallgrimsson is also a dentist in his spare time.

Eidur Gudjohnsen is a legend.

He has played for Chelsea and Barcelona and is still

going strong at the age of 37.

Hammes Thor Halldorsson, our best goalkeeper.

He used to be a part-time film director.

Our star player is Gylfi Sigurdsson.

He had an excellent, excellent season

in the Premier League.

I think he's going to score 15 goals in France.

Make sure you keep giving us your score predictions

via the Kickabout area of the CBBC website.

It can be any game, like tomorrow, I fancy France to make it three wins

out of three by beating Switzerland 2-0.

And I predict another Payet masterclass.

Come on, you Hammers!

As for the tournament winners, I've got to say it, come on,

England, we can do it!

Let's have Three Lions for once, please!

That's all we've got time for, I'm afraid.

If you've missed any of the action so far at Euro 2016,

we'll try to cram everything into the last 30 seconds.

See you soon.