Euro 2016 Daily Digest: Belgium v Ireland is today's main course

BELGIUM versus Ireland is the main attraction for day nine of the Euros when they meet in Bordeaux this afternoon.

Then attention switches to Group F as Iceland and Hungary aim for another surprise as they face each other in Marseille and then Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal look for their first win against Austria in Paris.

Is there a legend in waiting in the Irish ranks?

STUTTGART 1988. Genoa 1990. New York 1994. Ibaraki 2002. Any Irish fan will recognise these as seminal moments in their football history. Think of the exploits of Ray Houghton, Packie Bonner, David O’Leary and Robbie Keane. They shone as the underdog Irish upset the form book and produced results or moments that have gone down in folklore.

This afternoon in Bordeaux, the current crop of Irish players have the chance to do something similar when they take on Belgium. All the pressure is on the Belgians – ranked No.2 in the world – having lost their opening game to Italy, and no one expects anything from the Irish, which is just the way they like it. But Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane won’t think like that as they are born winners and they will be instilling into their squad what needs to be done. So Shane Long, Wes Hoolahan, Jeff Hendrick and others – do something special in this game and you will be remembered for ever.

Player of the Day: Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard of Belgium (Julian Finney/Getty Images)

DURING the 2014/15 season, Eden Hazard swept all before him. Chelsea won the Premier League and the League Cup, and he was both PFA Player of the Year and Footballer of the Year. All the while, Jose Mourinho was saying that Hazard was on the right track to reaching the standards of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

This last season, Hazard was atrocious. He only scored a Premier League goal in April, long after the damage had been done on Chelsea’s season and Mourinho’s job. The cynics wondered if a quiet domestic campaign might mean Hazard would be ready to spring into life at Euro 2016. Well, he certainly didn’t on Monday against Italy. Captain in the absence of the injured Vincent Kompany, the playmaker must take it upon himself to produce something against Ireland as another shocking result and the much fancied Belgians will be close to the exit door. So if Hazard really is a great player, it’s in pressure situations like this that the best players come to the fore.

Will Austria be obliging opponents for Ronaldo?

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) — Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

CRISTIANO RONALDO certainly made his feelings known about Iceland after Tuesday’s surprise draw against them in St Etienne. He derided their ‘small mentality’ and decision to defend with ten-men behind the ball. The subtext was clear – you shouldn’t be in France and you shouldn’t dare stop me from being the star of the show. As it was, Ronaldo couldn’t weave enough of his magic to take care of the smallest country ever to play in the Euros and nor could his Portuguese team-mates.

Will Austria have been watching what the Icelanders did and will they adopt the same methods? They suffered a shock loss to Hungary in the opener so they can’t really afford another defeat. But does that mean they will push out and try to engage Ronaldo and Co. in a more open game – something the Real Madrid star would prefer? Ronaldo not scoring in a game feels like a surprise. Not scoring in consecutive games against supposedly inferior opponents seems unthinkable, so expect a reaction at the Parc des Princes.

French of the Day: Les Diables Rouges (The Red Devils aka Belgium)

Euro 2016 Daily Digest: Battle of Britain to commence today!