By David Owen
June 19 – Puma were the big winners in the second round of Euro 2016’s battle of brands. Austria’s fortuitous goalless draw with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in Paris on Saturday night ensured that the cat brand’s five teams all avoided defeat in their respective second matches at the tournament.
Wins by Slovakia and Italy and draws involving Switzerland and the Czech Republic as well as Austria pushed Puma to second place in the table, still behind Nike but above rivals Adidas.
Four of Adidas’s nine teams in the competition – Russia, Wales, Ukraine and Sweden – suffered second-round defeats, sending the brand’s cumulative points tally plunging below 50% of the theoretical maximum (which cannot in fact be attained, owing to occasional clashes between two Adidas teams).
In spite of this, big wins by Spain and Belgium, becoming the first teams at Euro 2016 to notch three in a single match, helped to keep the brand of the three stripes well ahead in the goal-scoring stakes. Adidas teams have now scored 20 times – eight more than their less numerous Nike counterparts.
The US brand again suffered only one defeat (Turkey) in the second round of Euro 2016 games. With Croatia, Poland and Portugal held to draws, however, Nike teams have now picked up 55.6% of theoretically possible points, down from 61.1% after the first round of games.
Remarkably, Iceland’s Italian kit supplier Erreà came within five minutes of surging to the top of the table. Had Hungary not contrived a late equaliser in Marseille, the comparatively little-known brand would have been left with four points out of six, for a percentage score of 66.7%.
It is hard to imagine that any of Iceland’s meagre 350,000 population who want one have not acquired a blue shirt by now. Perhaps, though, the still undefeated team’s French exploits will stimulate demand from football hipsters elsewhere in Europe – especially if they can upset still goalless Austria in their final group match.
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