Josh's Musings

Spain seals Euro triumph

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 02:04:00 +0000

A first-half goal to Fernando Torres has ended 44 years of Spanish heartache, as Spain clinched the Euro 2008 title with a 1-0 win over Germany in Vienna.

The best side of the tournament, Spain could have easily won by more than the solitary goal, as they thoroughly outplayed the Germans for much of the encounter. But in the end, Torres' goal was enough to send the long-suffering Spanish fans into raptures at the Ernst Happel Stadion.

The success marks Spain's first major championship victory since winning this tournament in 1964 on home soil, and it also ends years of being judged as perennial chokers.

Missing the tournament's top goalscorer David Villa, the striking responsibilities were left to Torres, who did not disappoint with his typically predatory and classy finish to separate the sides.

Many pundits felt that this German side did not contain the elegance and confidence of the teams that have won the tournament in the past, and after practically limping into the final after an unconvincing win over Turkey in the semi-finals, they were found out by a technically gifted Spanish outfit.

The result also marks vindication for the often under-fire Spanish manager Luis Aragones, who was publicly lambasted for leaving out seasoned international Raul and Guti. But the team he assembled was strong all over the park, and the football his side produced was a joy to watch from the very beginning of the tournament, and given the squad's youth it will enter the upcoming World Cup qualifiers as one of the favourites.

Aragones expectedly replaced the unlucky David Villa with Cesc Fabregas, who deputised so superbly against Russia, whilst for Germany, manager Joachim Low included Torsten Frings in place of Simon Rolfes, and Michael Ballack passed a late fitness test on his troublesome calf.

The Germans started the game reasonably well, and they were nearly released after just three minutes when Ramos gave possession away cheaply, but Klose couldn’t capitalise. Hitzlsperger then had his tame effort picked up by Casillas, but the Germans looked to have settled better early on.

As seen in previous games, the Spaniards were prepared to simply keep control with their passing in an effort to gain a foothold in the game, and their slick movement nearly forced an own goal on the quarter-hour. After Iniesta picked up the ball on the left, his low cross was diverted goal-bound by Christoph Metzelder, but Jens Lehmann acrobatically averted the danger.

The chance sparked Spain into life, and they nearly went ahead shortly after as a dinked cross from Sergio Ramos was headed onto the post by Fernando Torres. Joan Capdevila's speculative effort from the German clearance also sailed wide, but the threat of Torres was becoming apparent for the Germans, as he continually found space in the channels, and 10 minutes later, he fired the Spaniards into the lead.

Torres latched onto a swift through-ball from Xavi, and after outpacing and outmuscling the German left-back Philipp Lahm, he flicked the ball past the on-rushing Lehmann and into the far corner.

The German defence has been much criticised throughout the tournament, and again Mertesacker and Lahm were too easily brushed aside by the in-form Torres.

It was thought that Germany's best opportunities throughout the game would come from set pieces, given the massive height advantage the Germans have over a comparably small Spanish defence. But despite winning a number of corners and free kicks, the Germans failed to craft any clear opportunities due to their wastefulness.

At the break, Marcell Jansen replaced the disappointing Lahm in an effort to stiffen the defence. But Spain remained on the offensive as Xavi and David Silva both shot wide, before Xavi slipped Torres through again in almost a carbon copy of the goal, but this time Lehmann was out sharply to dive on the ball.

One of Germany's best chances came on the hour as Carles Puyol was caught in possession near the corner flag, but despite Jansen's subsequent cross being nicely teed up to Ballack by Miroslav Klose's cushioned header, his volley only hit the side-netting.

The chance represented Germany's best in arguably their best spell of the match, as even though the Germans for a fleeting period enjoyed good possession, they still failed to really test Iker Casillas.

The game threatened to boil over on 64 minutes, as Silva appeared to head-butt Lukas Podolski after a brief scuffle off the ball. German players furiously protested, but the Italian referee Roberto Rosetti defused the situation without cautioning Silva much to their dismay.

Even though they were in the lead and looking comfortable, the Spaniards enjoyed the better of the last 25 minutes, particularly through their polished movement with the ball.

Lehmann was forced into a number of saves in quick succession as the German defence was run ragged. First, terrible marking from a free-kick nearly proved costly, but Sergio Ramos' free header was well tipped over. From the subsequent corner, Iniesta's shot was cleared off the line by Frings, before moments later Iniesta again shot at Lehmann, bringing about another save.

Germany couldn't really gain decent control of the ball, such was the Spaniards' constant harassing, and on 81 minutes, the Spaniards almost made the game safe once again. Two substitutes Santi Cazorla and Dani Guiza combined to set up Senna, but he couldn’t latch onto the ball despite his despairing lunge and the goal gaping.

The Germans inevitably hoofed the ball forward in a desperate bid to gain an undeserved equaliser, but the Spanish defence stood resolute, and the final whistle ended decades of Spanish disappointment.

Ratings

Germany
1 - Lehmann - 7 - Kept the margin respectable.
3 - Friedrich - 5 - Never comfortable.
6 - Schweinsteiger - 6 - In and out.
8 - Frings - 6 - Fine.
11 - Klose - 5 - Didn't influence the game enough.
13 - Ballack - 5 - Quiet.
15 - Hitzlsperger - 4 - Anonymous.
16 - Lahm - 5 - Disappointing.
17 - Mertesacker - 5 - Torres' pace worried him.
20 - Podolski - 5 - Not involved enough.
21 - Metzelder - 4 - Poor.

(SUB) 2 - Jansen - 5 - Okay.
(SUB) 9 - Gomez - 6 - No impact.
(SUB) 22 - Kuranyi - 6 - His introduction didn't have desired impact.

Spain
1 - Casillas - 7 - Little to do.
4 - Marchena - 7 - Untroubled.
5 - Puyol - 6 - One or two anxious moments.
6 - Iniesta - 8 - Extremely lively.
8 - Xavi - 7 - Solid.
9 - Torres - 9 - A constant menace and classy goal.
10 - Fabregas - 7 - Worked hard.
11 - Capdevila - 7 - Assured.
15 - Sergio Ramos - 7 - Got forward well.
19 - Senna - 8 - Broke up play superbly.
21 - Silva - 6 - In and out.

(SUB) 12 - Santi Cazorla - 6 - Lively off the bench.
(SUB) 14 - X. Alonso - 6 - Fine.
(SUB) 17 - Guiza - 6 - Not enough time.

Scintillating Spain too strong for Russia

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 01:42:00 +0000

Spain will play Germany in the Euro 2008 final after a majestic second-half display secured a 3-0 victory over Russia in Vienna.

After an even first half, Spain turned on the style after the break, and played with all of the fluidity expected of such a technically gifted team, at the expense of a Russian team which looked a shadow of the side that bundled the Netherlands out of the competition.

Xavi broke the deadlock on 50 minutes, before Dani Guiza and David Silva each netted in the last 20 minutes to inflict Spain's second three-goal defeat on Russia for the tournament.

Much of the talk pre-game surrounded whether Russian manager Guus Hiddink could lead Russia to its first major success since the break-up of the Soviet Union. But again, Hiddink has failed at the semi-final stage, but the Russians certainly made significant progress at the tournament, and will most certainly be in the reckoning during the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

The only negative for Spain on the night was the early injury to Euro 2008 top goalscorer David Villa, with early reports suggesting he will miss the final as a result. It would be a blow for Spain, but his substitute on the night, Cesc Fabregas, was absolutely superb in giving Spain the ascendancy after the interval, and he will be hard to leave out of the starting XI for the final.

Hiddink made just one change to his side that defeated the Netherlands, albeit an enforced one, as the suspended Denis Kolodin was replaced by Vasili Berezutski, whilst Spanish counterpart Luis Aragones opted for the same XI that has served him well for much of the tournament.

The first half was certainly entertaining despite the lack of goals, as both sides enjoyed good spells of possession and decent opportunities.

Fernando Torres was the first to test either goalkeeper, as clever buildup play from Valencia pair Villa and Silva created space, but Torres' shot was saved smartly by Igor Akinfeev. Villa then tried his luck from range, but again Akinfeev was well positioned to palm the ball away.

The Russians were certainly not overawed in the early stages, and were quite prepared to pass the ball around. Roman Pavlyuchenko had Russia's first sight of goal, but he blasted a free kick over after Carles Puyol had felled Andrei Arshavin.

Considered by many to be the star of the tournament, Arshavin failed to make an impression on the game, and his influence was sorely missed by a Russian side which lacked craft when it was most needed.

The Spaniards consistently attempted lofted diagonal balls over the lumbering Russian centre-backs towards the quicker Villa and Torres, but despite finding good positions, Berezutski and Sergei Ignashevich were equal to the attacks.

Villa's night ended just after the half hour when he seemingly strained a muscle after striking a free-kick straight at Akinfeev. A hat-trick hero against Russia in the group stage, this time he cut a forlorn figure as he trudged to the sideline to be replaced by Fabregas.

Pavlyuchenko represented Russia's clearest threat on the Spanish goal, and he had Casillas at full stretch as he curled an effort just past the post. Shortly after this attempt, a clever diagonal ball from Konstantin Zyryanov picked out Pavlyuchenko, who found space between the Spanish centre-backs, but after a great first touch he scuffed his left-foot shot wide.

With the teams level at the break, it was a question of which team would find its real rhythm first, and Spanish nerves were calmed as they took the lead after 50 minutes.

After neat interplay on the left flank, Iniesta cut inside before unleashing what appeared to be a cross-cum-shot, and his Barcelona teammate Xavi arrived late to slide the ball home after ghosting into the penalty area unmarked between Berezutski and Ignashevich.

The goal settled the Spaniards, and they nearly went two up moments later, but the ever-menacing Fernando Torres curled his shot over the bar.

The Russians never really found their rhythm after falling behind, with Arshavin often invisible as the Spanish midfield took control. Fabregas was having an immense influence on proceedings, as he pushed and probed around the Russian penalty area.

Torres then had two half-chances from two separate Sergio Ramos crosses, but he wasted both, shooting wide on the first occasion, before failing to react in time after finding space in behind Ignashevich on the second.

Fabregas and substitute Xabi Alonso then both tested Akinfeev from distance, as Spain began turning the screw, and moments later they deservedly got the second goal they craved.

Another sumptuous move, this time from the right flank, ended with Fabregas dinking the ball over the Russian defence from the edge of the box, and substitute Dani Guiza broke the offside trap before lifting the ball over Akinfeev.

The Spaniards were comfortable well before the second goal, but with the Russians now forced to attack in search of a way back into the contest, they made the game even safer 10 minutes later, with Fabregas again involved.

Iniesta released Fabregas down the left side, and he again played a delightful cross to Silva, who slotted the ball past Akinfeev despite late pressure from the Russian defence.

Russia only forced Casillas into his real save on 88 minutes, as substitute Dmitri Sychev had his effort well kept out, but the Russians had by now run out of ideas, and the teams were merely playing out time.

The Spaniards greeted the final whistle with jubilation, and they will now face Germany in the final on Sunday, whilst the Russian fans need not be too disheartened, having far exceeded their own expectations at the tournament.

Ratings

Russia
1 - Akinfeev - 6 - Nothing he could do about goals.
2 - V. Berezutski - 6 - Defended well against Torres.
4 - Ignashevich - 5 - Struggled.
9 - Saenko - 6 - No real influence.
10 - Arshavin - 5 - Invisible when needed.
11 - Semak - 6 - Outnumbered.
17 - Zyryanov - 6 - Down on his form.
18 - Zhirkov - 6 - Ran himself to exhaustion, but failed to create.
19 - Pavlyuchenko - 7 - Represented Russia's biggest threat.
20 - Semshov - 5 - Anonymous.
22 - Anyukov - 6 - Didn't get forward enough.

(SUB) 15 - Bilyaletdinov - 6 - No impact.
(SUB) 21 - Sychev - 6 - No impact.

Spain
1 - Casillas - 7 - Not much to do.
4 - Marchena - 7 - Assured.
5 - Puyol - 8 - A rock at the back.
6 - Iniesta - 7 - His best game for the tournament.
7 - Villa - 6 - Off early.
8 - Xavi - 7 - Scored important goal.
9 - Torres - 7 - A constant menace.
11 - Capdevila - 7 - Safe.
15 - Sergio Ramos - 7 - Got forward well.
19 - Senna - 8 - Broke up Russian play superbly.
21 - Silva - 7 - Always threatening.

(SUB) 10 - Fabregas - 8 - Outstanding.
(SUB) 14 - X. Alonso - 6 - No significant impact.
(SUB) 17 - Guiza - 7 - Scored a nice goal.

Last-minute Lahm sinks Turkey

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:45:00 +0000

A 90th-minute goal from Philipp Lahm has given Germany an undeserved 3-2 victory over Turkey in the first Euro 2008 semi-final.

Despite being outplayed for much of the encounter, the Germans battled, and have Lahm to thank for progressing to the final. It was rough justice for the determined Turks, who played superbly throughout the contest despite missing many of its stars through injury and suspension.

Ugur Boral gave Turkey the lead on 22 minutes, but Bastian Schweinsteiger restored parity four minutes later with a neat finish. Miroslav Klose headed Germany ahead with 10 minutes to play after Turkish goalkeeper Rustu Recber misjudged a high ball, but Semih Senturk equalised on 86 minutes after equally suspect goalkeeping from Jens Lehmann. But it was Lahm who scored the goal of the match in the last minute of normal time to send Germany into the final.

The result ends Turkey's fairytale run, which saw the side get out of jail twice earlier in the tournament, even in the face of mounting squad absentees. Veteran manager Fatih Terim certainly instilled self-belief in the Turks, and if not for missing a number of chances against the Germans, he and his team may well have found themselves in the final.

For the Germans, their performance was poor, particularly in defence. The back four never looked comfortable, as they failed to close down the lively Turkish attack often enough. The midfield was also ordinary defensively, but they still somehow managed to craft enough chances required to score three goals. It was this ruthlessness that the Turkish display lacked, perhaps understandably given the youth in the side.

Missing the suspended Arda Turan, Tuncay Sanli and Emre Asik, as well as injured captain Nihat, Terim joked in the press that reserve goalkeeper Tolga Zengin may be required as an outfield player. This expectedly didn't transpire, and replacements came in the form of Ugur Boral, Ayhan Akman, Semih Senturk and Mehmet Aurelio.

German manager Joachim Low opted for the same XI that impressively defeated Portugal, resisting the temptation to rush back Torsten Frings, who is still recovering from a fractured rib.

Unexpectedly, it was Turkey which began the game brighter, and in an entertaining first-half, the Turks crafted a number of early opportunities.

An early Lahm mistake nearly let in Hamit Altintop, but Lehmann was sharply off his line to avert the danger. Sloppiness in the German defence became a hallmark of the contest, and they were nearly made to pay five minutes later.

After a neat buildup down the right, more pedestrian defending allowed Colin Kazim-Richards to lash a shot against the crossbar, and a follow-up cross from the left forced a smart clearance with Semih ready to pounce.

But the Germans did not heed the warnings, and after 22 minutes they found themselves a goal behind. Altintop's cross from the right was flicked onto the crossbar by Kazim-Richards, but the rebound was met by Boral, who scrambled the ball over the line despite Lehmann's best efforts.

The goal was well deserved, but the economical Germans were sparked into action, and they pulled level less than five minutes later. Thomas Hitzlsperger released Lukas Podolski on the left flank, and his low cross was deftly flicked inside the far post by Schweinsteiger.

Germany's goal was against the run of play, but rather than lose concentration, the Turks continued to press forward. A deep Altintop free kick forced Lehmann to tip over, before another free kick out wide from Mehmet Topal needed to be double-fisted away.

Frings was brought on by Low at half-time in place of the injured Simon Rolfes, but his input was minimal, and he too failed to trigger Germany into action after the interval.

The game's first controversy came after 51 minutes, when Lahm appeared to be bundled over by Sabri Sarioglu on the edge of the penalty area. There appeared to be enough contact to give a foul, let alone a penalty, but Swiss referee Massimo Busacca waved play on. The entire German bench furiously protested the decision, and the Turks could consider themselves somewhat lucky from this incident.

There were fewer chances throughout the second half, with Hitzlsperger firing high and wide from two separate long-range efforts. Germany's play was marginally better in the second half as the Turks began to sit back, but the team still lacked a cutting edge, and it took a howler from Rustu to produce the game's third goal.

After cutting in from the left, Lahm floated in a high cross. Rustu charged off his line to try and claim it, but he was beaten to it by Klose, who headed into the unguarded net.

Again, the Turks could have conceded defeat, but instead they raced up the other end and equalised. Lahm, who defended poorly for the entire game despite his attacking abilities, was made to look poor by Sabri, and Sabri's low cross to the near post was poked home by Semih. Lehmann should never have been beaten inside his near post, but his defence was equally to blame after more lax marking.

But with the game seemingly headed to extra-time, Germany ended Turkey's fairytale in the last minute of normal time. After again cutting inside from the left, Lahm played a clever one-two with Hitzlsperger, before lashing the ball past Rustu with all the prowess of a striker.

There was to be no late Turkish heroics tonight, as Tumer Metin wasted their final opportunity with a disappointing free kick deep into stoppage time.

Relief was the common feeling for the Germans, who in typical style had gained the result through sheer efficiency. They now await the winner of the other semi-final between Spain and Russia before Sunday's final in Vienna.

Ratings

Germany
1 - Lehmann - 5 - Looked suspect on both goals. A potential weak link in the final.
3 - Friedrich - 6 - Fine.
6 - Rolfes - 5 - Struggled before being replaced at half time.
7 - Schweinsteiger - 7 - Classy goal. Otherwise in and out.
11 - Klose - 7 - Worked hard.
13 - Ballack - 6 - Quiet.
15 - Hitzlsperger - 7 - Drove Germany forward in the second half.
16 - Lahm - 7 - Defended poorly, but attacked superbly.
17 - Mertesacker - 5 - Appalling distribution from defence. Uncomfortable.
20 - Podolski - 7 - Dangerous as always.
21 - Metzelder - 6 - Okay.

(SUB) 2 - Jansen - 6 - No time.
(SUB) 8 - Frings - 6 - Failed to impose himself.

Turkey
1 - Recber Rustu - 5 - Made critical error with scores level.
3 - Hakan Balta - 6 - Defended well.
4 - Gokhan Zan - 6 - Handled Klose well for the most part.
6 - Mehmet Topal - 5 - Out of position, and at fault for first goal.
7 - Mehmet Aurelio - 6 - Didn't get forward as often as he could've.
9 - Semih Senturk - 8 - Worked hard, and was rewarded with goal.
16 - Ugur Boral - 7 - Tireless on left side.
18 - Kazim Kazim - 7 - Excellent first half, but faded.
19 - Ayhan Akman - 6 - Industrious.
20 - Sabri Sarioglu - 6 - Poor in defence, more dangerous going forward.
22 - Hamit Altintop - 6 - Didn't influence the game enough.

(SUB) 10 - Gokdeniz Karadeniz - 6 - Little time.
(SUB) 11 - Tumer Metin - 6 - No time.
(SUB) 21 - Mehmet Erdinc - 6 - Little time.

Casillas the hero as Spain wins shootout

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 01:08:00 +0000

Spain will face Russia in the Euro 2008 semi-finals after defeating world champions Italy 4-2 on penalties after a 0-0 draw in Vienna tonight.

After a dreadful 120 minutes of few chances, Iker Casillas was Spain's hero, saving spot-kicks from Daniele De Rossi and Antonio Di Natale, before Cesc Fabregas sent Buffon the wrong way, clinching a deserved victory for Spain.

It appeared as though the Italians were prepared to play for penalties throughout much of the game, as they continually sat back and rarely ventured forward in search of a goal. Meanwhile, the Spaniards pushed and probed around the Italian penalty area, but were often crowded out by Italian defenders, creating a lacklustre game.

Despite creating little themselves, the Spaniards certainly were value for their win, and many purists will describe Spain's triumph as a win for football, such was Italy's negativity. Spain also went some way to rectifying their terrible penalty-shootout record, against a side that has a better history than most in the feared shootout.

Spanish manager Luis Aragones started the same XI that defeated Russia and Sweden, whilst his Italian counterpart drafted in Alberto Aquilani and Massimo Ambrosini in place of suspended Milan pair Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso.

Pirlo's absence was extremely noticeable, as the four central midfielders selected by Donadoni all lacked the craft and guile required to feed the isolated Luca Toni, and only later in the game when Mauro Camoranesi and Antonio Di Natale were brought on did Italy look like finding a goal.

From the kick-off, Spain dominated the lion's share of possession, but were limited to shots from distance as the Italians camped on their own penalty area. David Silva showed a constant proclivity for cutting in from the right flank onto his favoured left foot, but his subsequent shots failed to adequately test Gianluigi Buffon.

Euro 2008 top goalscorer David Villa had Spain's best chance of the first half, but his drilled free-kick from the edge of the box was comfortably dived on by Buffon.

For the Italians, only Simone Perrotta managed a shot on target, as he met Ambrosini's early cross, but he failed to get enough purchase on his header and Casillas claimed safely.

Toni was the target of many long balls from midfield, but despite possessing a distinct height advantage over Spain's central defenders Carlos Marchena and Carles Puyol, he failed to meaningfully impose himself on the game, and was often crowded out as a result.

The second half brought more of the same, with again Spain's midfield passing around looking for the elusive opening. Fernando Torres nearly created the chance after shrugging off Christian Panucci on the left, but his square ball was cut out by Giorgio Chiellini with Villa ready to pounce.

However, as is so often the case, Italy manufactured the best chance of the match on the hour, and only Casillas' leg kept Italy from surging ahead. After Toni made a nuisance of himself following another long ball, a goalmouth scramble ensued, and substitute Camoranesi's subsequent effort was blocked by Casillas despite appearing to be wrong-footed.

Sensing Spain's problems, Aragones replaced Barcelona pair Xavi and Andres Iniesta with Fabregas and Santi Cazorla, and the introduction of Fabregas proved inspired as Spain immediately became more creative in attack.

Nevertheless, clear opportunities were still few and far between, but Spain nearly broke the deadlock from a rare Buffon error.

Moments after Buffon had punched clear a dangerous free kick from Marcos Senna, Senna tried his luck again from distance, and despite seemingly travelling straight at Buffon, the ball squirmed from his grasp, but Buffon gratefully dived on the ball after it rolled back off the post.

Italy then raced up the other end on the break and almost fashioned a winner, but an inviting ball from Di Natale was wasted by Toni, despite Grosso charging onto the ball in a better position.

With no goal to separate the sides, the game went into extra-time, and Silva again shot wide from the edge of the area moments after the restart.

But as was the case in normal time, Italy had the best chance to win it in extra-time as well. Only seconds after Marchena had nicked the ball away from Toni after Grosso's dangerous cross, Zambrotta's cross from the right was met by Di Natale, but Casillas expertly tipped his header over the bar.

Both teams half-heartedly searched for a winning goal, but the game seemed destined for penalties throughout much of the extra-time period, and such was the outcome.

After Villa, Grosso and Cazorla all scored, Casillas pulled off a miraculous save to his right to keep out De Rossi's effort. After Senna and Camoranesi converted, things nearly went pear-shaped for Spain as Buffon saved the substitute Dani Guiza's shot. But Casillas wouldn't be denied, as he claimed Di Natale's penalty low to his left. It was then left to Fabregas, who self-assuredly stepped up and dispatched his penalty into the bottom corner, sending Spanish players and fans into delirium.

Spain now faces Russia in the semi-finals, a team they beat 4-1 in the group stage. But as has been shown throughout the tournament, anything can happen, and the confident Russians will surely give a better account of themselves this time around.

Ratings

Spain
1 - Casillas - 9 - The hero for Spain. Pulled off important save during game too.
4 - Marchena - 7 - Kept Toni in check for much of the game.
5 - Puyol - 6 - Reliable as always, but struggled a bit with his injury.
6 - Iniesta - 6 - No real influence.
7 - Villa - 7 - Worked tirelessly without reward.
8 - Xavi - 6 - Struggled for creativity.
9 - Torres - 6 - Never managed to meaningfully involve himself.
11 - Capdevila - 6 - Assured.
15 - Ramos - 6 - Didn't venture forward enough.
19 - Senna - 7 - Tenacious.
21 - Silva - 7 - Wasteful, but lively.

(SUB) 10 - Fabregas - 7 - Looked the man most likely to create opening.
(SUB) 12 - Cazorla - 6 - No real impact.
(SUB) 17 - Guiza - 6 - A handful for the defence.

Italy
1 - Buffon - 7 - Made a couple of important saves.
2 - Panucci - 7 - Defended well.
3 - Grosso - 7 - Did his job.
4 - Chiellini - 8 - Grew in confidence with each game.
9 - Toni - 5 - Never got into it. Poor tournament with no goals.
10 - De Rossi - 6 - Didn't create enough.
13 - Ambrosini - 6 - Battled.
18 - Cassano - 6 - No decent service.
19 - Zambrotta - 6 - Fine.
20 - Perrotta - 5 - Peripheral.
22 - Aquilani - 4 - Quiet.

(SUB) 7 - Del Piero - 6 - No time.
(SUB) 11 - Di Natale - 6 - Looked lively.
(SUB) 16 - Camoranesi - 7 - Helped Toni out in attack.

Inspired Russians stun Netherlands

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 08:07:00 +0000

An Andrei Arshavin-inspired Russia has booked a spot in the Euro 2008 semi-finals after upsetting the Netherlands 3-1 in Basle.

Despite being many people's favourites to win the tournament after their scintillating performances in the group stage, the flat Dutch were comprehensively outplayed by the Russians, who were unlucky not to win the game in normal time such was their domination.

Roman Pavlyuchenko put Russia ahead just before the hour, but Ruud van Nistelrooy finished a Wesley Sneijder free-kick with five minutes to play to draw the Dutch level. But in extra time, the Russians again dictated play, and second-period goals to substitute Dmitri Torbinsky and the superb Arshavin sealed a famous win for Russia.

It was a sweet victory for Russia's Dutch manager Guus Hiddink, who has built a strong reputation of getting the best out of unfancied teams. In the build-up he suggested that he'd like nothing better than to be considered the biggest traitor in the Netherlands, and he has now fulfilled this prediction.

Hiddink made just one change to his side that destroyed Sweden, with Ivan Saenko replacing Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, whilst Dutch counterpart Marco van Basten opted not to start Arjen Robben or Robin van Persie, instead preferring the same XI that defeated Italy and France so comprehensively.

From the start, it was the Russians who somewhat unexpectedly took the game to the Dutch, and Pavlyuchenko had the best early chance, but he headed over despite finding himself in space.

The Dutch failed to find any rhythm comparable to their earlier performances during the group stage, as the flair that had been a hallmark of their play was absent throughout the entire 120 minutes. Sneijder had the Dutch's first opportunity, but his shot was well blocked by Sergei Ignashevich.

Russia looked extremely vulnerable defending set-pieces for the whole match, and on the half-hour the Dutch nearly exploited the weakness, but Rafael van der Vaart's whipped free-kick travelled just beyond the lunging Nigel de Jong and van Nistelrooy.

Arshavin proved a constant menace for the Dutch, who often failed to double-team him despite his immense influence. Just after the half-hour he forced Dutch custodian Edwin van der Sar into a smart save after he tried to curl an effort into the bottom corner.

Throughout the first half, young Russian centre-back Denis Kolodin wowed the crowd with his blistering right boot. After a corner was cleared to the edge of the box, Kolodin unleashed a rocket from no less than 40 yards which forced van der Sar to tip over, and again from the next corner he tried his luck again, but this time his shot whistled inches over the bar from even further out.

But he still looked vulnerable in defence, and after giving the ball away cheaply on the edge of his own box just before half time, he was relieved to see van der Vaart's shot comfortably saved by Akinfeev.

The Dutch introduced Robin van Persie at half time for Dirk Kuyt to try to spark some life into the side, and his impact was almost immediate as he flashed a volley wide less than a minute into the second half.

But van der Sar was still the busier goalkeeper throughout the second half, and ten minutes later, the Russians deservedly made the breakthrough. Moments after Arshavin had sent a wicked free kick just wide from wide on the left, veteran Sergei Semak made a good run down the same flank, before crossing the ball to Pavlyuchenko, who finished first-time with his left foot, leaving van der Sar rooted to the spot.

Despite the goal, the Dutch were still disappointing in attack, and they were restricted to audacious efforts from long range, with van der Vaart trying his luck with a dinky chip.

As they pushed numbers forward, they were nearly caught at the back as Russian right-back Alexsandr Anyukov found space in the penalty area, but an extended hand from van der Sar kept the margin to one goal.

After more Dutch shots from range failed to find their mark, poor Dutch defending nearly gifted substitute Torbinsky an opening, but Joris Mathijsen averted the danger.

It proved an important intervention, as after 86 minutes, the Dutch restored parity through van Nistelrooy.

Russia's defensive frailties were to blame, as van Nistelrooy stole in ahead of Ignashevich to bundle in Sneijder's inviting free kick from close range. It was an unmerited equaliser, but you can never allow van Nistelrooy to find space goal-side from a set-piece.

As the game edged into stoppage time, an unusual situation transpired as Kolodin was shown a second yellow card, only to have it rescinded by the linesman. Slovakian referee Lubos Michel gave Kolodin a second yellow card, but because the ball had gone out for a goal-kick before his challenge, Michel reversed his decision, much to the astonishment of the Dutch players.

In extra time, despite conceding the late goal, Russia again took the ascendancy, and Pavlyuchenko was unlucky not to score his second after his long range effort cannoned back off the crossbar.

Torbinsky had Russia's next chance two minutes later after clever play by Arshavin, but his shot had no power and was picked up by van der Sar.

Left-back Yuri Zhirkov then had a penalty appeal turned down at the beginning of the second period of extra time, despite appearing to be shoved by substitute John Heitinga. But the Russians finally gained what turned out to be the winner after 112 minutes, and again it was Arshavin at the centre of it.

After another brilliant run down the right by Arshavin, his cross, perhaps more by luck than design, floated over van der Sar's head and onto the boot of the gleeful Torbinsky, who poked the ball into the unguarded net to the delight of the entire Russian squad, which proceeded to pile on top of him in celebration.

The Dutch looked a beaten side after falling behind again, and they conceded again five minutes later. The Dutch defence lost concentration as Anyukov's long throw allowed Arshavin to get goal-side of the tiring defence, and he then slid the ball through van der Sar's legs via a slight deflection off Heitinga.

It was a deserved goal for Arshavin, who was once again Russia's talisman. The full-time whistle was met by stunned disbelief by the Dutch players and fans, but they can have no complaints after their collectively poor performance.

For the Russians, they find themselves in the semi-finals of a major tournament for the first time since the Soviet Union's break-up, and they now await the winner of Spain and Italy in tomorrow's quarter-final.

Ratings

Netherlands
1 - Van der Sar - 7 - Nothing he could do about goals. Kept the margin respectable.
2 - Ooijer - 6 - Often outpaced by nippy Arshavin.
4 - Mathijsen - 7 - The Dutch's best defender.
5 - Van Bronckhorst - 6 - Not his best performance.
8 - Engelaar - 6 - Fine.
9 - Van Nistelrooy - 7 - A constant threat.
10 - Sneijder - 8 - Never stopped working.
17 - De Jong - 6 - Worked hard.
18 - Kuyt - 5 - No impact.
21 - Boulahrouz - 6 - Battled hard in trying circumstances.
23 - Van der Vaart - 6 - Quiet game.

(SUB) 3 - Heitinga - 5 - Poor and clumsy after coming on.
(SUB) 7 - Van Persie - 6 - Didn't have desired effect.
(SUB) 20 - Afellay - 6 - Minimal impact.

Russia
1 - Akinfeev - 7 - Not much to do.
4 - Ignashevich - 6 - Marking at set-pieces average, otherwise fine.
8 - Kolodin - 7 - Growing in confidence.
9 - Saenko - 6 - Limited impact.
10 - Arshavin - 9 - Outstanding player on the pitch.
11 - Semak - 7 - Experienced head in midfield.
17 - Zyrianov - 7 - Continued his impressive form.
18 - Zhirkov - 7 - Quieter than he has been, but still solid.
19 - Pavlyuchenko - 8 - Unlucky to have not scored more than once.
20 - Semshov - 7 - Tireless worker.
22 - Anyukov - 6 - Worked hard.

(SUB) 7 - Torbinsky - 7 - Scored decisive goal, could've scored more.
(SUB) 15 - Bilyaletdinov - 6 - Not bad.
(SUB) 21 - Sychev - No time.

Turks spot on as Croatia crashes out

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 02:37:00 +0000

Turkey will face Germany in the Euro 2008 semi-finals after overcoming Croatia in a penalty shootout in Vienna.

After a largely forgettable 120 minutes, nearly all of the drama was reserved for the closing stages of extra time, as first Ivan Klasnic put Croatia in front, only for Turkish substitute Semih Senturk to equalise with the last kick of extra-time.

The Turks then dominated the shootout, as after Ivan Rakitic and Luka Modric both missed their kicks wide, veteran goalkeeper Rustu Recber saved from Mladen Petric to seal a 3-1 shootout victory.

In a game devoid of many clear opportunities, the likelihood of the game going to penalties grew as both teams failed to seize the initiative. But even more remarkable was the fact that two goals came in the space of 90 seconds to force this outcome.

Turkey came into the game with an injury and suspension-depleted line-up, highlighted by the recall of Rustu, who replaced suspended goalkeeper Volkan Demirel. Of the Turkish starting XI, no less than eight players were also on yellow cards, giving manager Fatih Terim even more headaches.

Croatia's team selection was more straight-forward, as manager Slaven Bilic opted for the same line-up that defeated Germany during the group stage.

The game began at a quick tempo, belying what would follow over the next 120 minutes. The Turks were pedestrian in defence at times, and they nearly came unstuck after just six minutes as Rakitic found space on the left, but Hakan Balta brilliantly cut out his square ball with Darijo Srna poised to finish.

Turkey enjoyed good possession early on, but as would be a hallmark for much of the game, they failed to find the incisiveness required to unlock Croatia's defence.

The best chance of the match fell to Croatia after 19 minutes, and it was set up by the ever-influential Luka Modric. After a mazy run down the right, he sent a dangerous low cross beyond the Turkish defence, but somehow the sliding Ivica Olic contrived to smash his effort against the cross-bar with the goal gaping, and Kranjcar's follow-up header sailed over.

The Croatians were momentarily sparked into life by this chance, as they attacked often down the left in an attempt to exploit Turkey's inexperienced right-back Sabri Sarioglu. Meanwhile, whilst Turkey's midfield passing may have looked stylish, their best chance came from the boot of Mehmet Topal, whose 35-yard shot whistled past Pletikosa's post.

So the teams went in level at the break, but the second half still failed to bring the game to the boil. Olic had another half-chance after more sloppy Turkish defending moments after the break, but Rustu did just enough to put him off after Emre Asik's back-header sold him short.

Modric was at the forefront of many Croatian attacks, and he slipped Kranjcar through just before the hour, but he was crowded out and his subsequent shot was comfortably saved by Rustu.

But Croatia did dominated the second half, and as it wore on, Croatia did get closer to the elusive goal. On 70 minutes, Rakitic played a clever one-two with Olic, before blazing his effort over despite being in a good position.

Darijo Srna then forced an outstanding save from Rustu from a trademark free-kick on the edge of the penalty area, as the Turks were content to send the game into extra time.

Croatia had one final chance before the final whistle, but after another good run down the right and cross by Modric, Olic couldn’t get enough purchase on his effort to trouble Rustu.

During extra-time, it was the Turks who made most of the running, but they again failed to significantly test Croatian goalkeeper Pletikosa, as substitute Semih Senturk shot high, and then Tuncay shot wide from two separate opportunities despite finding space.

But with the game seemingly destined for dreaded shootout, the game was turned on its head as Croatia took the lead, despite being second best for much of the extra-time period.

After strong play on the right by Srna and Modric, Rustu was caught in no man's land after racing out off his line to tackle Modric, leaving Klasnic with the easiest of headers from Modric's subsequent cross.

It was a horror mistake by Rustu, who up until then had kept reasonably well despite having not played for some time. But amazingly, the drama was not finished there, as Turkey equalized at the death.

After Rustu desperately punted downfield into the Croatian penalty area, Semih blasted the ball into the top corner after a goalmouth scramble, stunning the Croatian players and fans alike.

After Arda Turan, Semih and Hamit Altintop scored for Turkey in the shootout, Rustu became the hero, saving the decisive kick from Petric to send the Turkish fans wild.

Turkey's fairytale run will now continue against Germany, but they will lose Arda Turan, Tuncay Sanli and Emre Asik to suspensions as they all picked up second bookings, in what will add to Fatih Terim's big selection headaches.

Ratings

Croatia
1 - Pletikosa - 6 - Nothing to do until being beaten. Failed in shootout.
3 - Simunic - 6 - Fine.
4 - R. Kovac - 6 - Defended well.
5 - Corluka - 7 - Kept Arda Turan well in check.
7 - Rakitic - 6 - Wasted his chances.
10 - N. Kovac - 6 - Did his job.
11 - Srna - 6 - Did well.
14 - Modric - 8 - Always creative.
18 - Olic - 6 - Wasteful, but worked hard.
19 - Kranjcar - 5 - Peripheral.
22 - Pranjic - 6 - Decent game.

(SUB) 17 - Klasnic - 7 - Scored what looked like the winner.
(SUB) 21 - Petric - 6 - Little impact.

Turkey
1 - Rustu - 6 - Went from villain to hero in the shootout.
3 - Hakan Balta - 7 - Defended well.
4 - Gokhan Zan - 6 - Looked shaky at times.
6 - Mehmet Topal - 7 - Tenacious in midfield.
8 - Nihat - 6 - No real influence.
14 - Arda Turan - 6 - Only showed glimpses.
15 - Emre Asik - Looked uncomfortable at times.
17 - Tuncay Sanli - 6 - In and out.
18 - Kazim Kazim - 5 - No impact.
20 - Sabri Sarioglu - 6 - Tried hard, but out of position.
22 - Hamit Altintop - 6 - Looked good early, but faded.

(SUB) 9 - Semih Senturk - 7 - Scored priceless goal.
(SUB) 10 - Gokdeniz Karadeniz - 6 - No time.
(SUB) 16 - Ugur Boral - 6 - No impact.

Opportunistic Germany overcome Portugal

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 02:04:00 +0000

Germany has become the first team to book its place in the Euro 2008 semi-finals, defeating Portugal 3-2 in an absorbing encounter in Basle.

Despite only showing glimpses of its best football in the group stage, pre-tournament favourites Germany took full advantage of Portugal's defensive frailties, with two goals coming from simple set-pieces. Whilst Portugal will be bitterly disappointed to be going home after such a promising start to its campaign.

Bastian Schweinsteiger got the ball rolling for the Germans after 22 minutes, before Miroslav Klose doubled the advantage five minutes later with his first goal of the tournament. Nuno Gomes gave Portugal a lifeline just before half time, but Michael Ballack made the game safe on the hour as he headed home. Substitute Helder Postiga set up a grandstand finish as he headed past Jens Lehmann with the clock winding down, but the Germans held on.

With manager Joachim Low watching from the stands after his dismissal against Austria, German managerial duties were left to the inexperienced Hans-Dieter Flick to pit his wits against Chelsea-bound Luis Felipe Scolari.

There were three changes to the German side that tackled Austria, with Simon Rolfes and Thomas Hitzlsperger coming in to midfield in place of Clemens Fritz and Torsten Frings, and with Mario Gomez left out, Podolski was switched to partner Klose up front, allowing Schweinsteiger to take his midfield position.

After playing mostly reserves in Portugal's defeat to Switzerland, Scolari unsurprisingly reverted back to his starting XI from the first two group games.

The opening stages were devoid of any clear-cut chances despite some nice passing movement from both sides. The first real chance came on the quarter-hour, as the ever-creative Deco slipped in Simao, but his shot was saved at the near-post by Lehmann.

Portugal made their intentions clear early, attempting to exploit the towering Per Mertesacker and Christian Metzelder for pace by playing around their feet or playing lofted passes over the top. Cristiano Ronaldo was on the end of a clever ball from Nuno Gomes after 20 minutes, but a last-ditch tackle from Arne Friedrich averted the danger.

Jose Bosingwa was a constant threat on the right flank, and his dangerous cross should have reaped rewards after 20 minutes, but Joao Moutinho's indecision cost him, as the ball bounced off his knee and over.

These early misses proved costly as Germany surged ahead after 24 minutes from a wonderfully crafted move.

Philipp Lahm, Michael Ballack and Podolski combined sumptuously down the left flank, and Podolski's low cross was met by the sliding Schweinsteiger who poked the ball past goalkeeper Ricardo.

It was a goal one would expect Portugal to score, such was the fluency of the passing movement and interplay. The goal stunned the Portuguese, and five minutes later they found themselves in a bigger hole as Germany doubled the advantage, this time from the simplest of set-pieces.

After winning a free-kick out wide on the left, Schweinsteiger floated the curled the ball into the centre, where the completely unmarked Miroslav Klose was on hand to nod the ball home.

In the lead-up to the game, Scolari was concerned about the distinct height advantage the Germans have over the Portuguese, but that fails to justify the woeful Portuguese marking, as Klose beat the offside trap to score.

With a two-goal buffer, the Germans sat back for the remainder of the half and invited Portuguese possession. Ronaldo was stung into action, and after a great team move his attempted cross was well cut out by Mertesacker with Nuno Gomes ready to pounce.

But five minutes before the break, Portugal got themselves back into the game, and again, the influential Ronaldo was involved.

After a brilliant first-touch took him past Friedrich, he had his initial shot saved by Lehmann, but the rebound fell to Nuno Gomes, who slid the ball inside the post despite the best efforts of Metzelder on the line.

Portugal enjoyed the better of the play either side of half time, but the side failed to find the incisive pass required to unlock the resolute German defence. Pepe missed the best of the opportunities, as he headed over from close range after Nuno Gomes flicked on a corner at the near post, and the Portuguese were duly punished on the counter-attack as more poor marking led to a third German goal.

On the hour, Schweinsteiger whipped in another free-kick from the left, and this time it was captain Michael Ballack who rose to head the ball past the on-rushing Ricardo, who was caught hopelessly out of position.

Ballack did appear to shove Paulo Ferreira in the build-up, but that doesn't explain Ricardo's positioning. Ricardo looked vulnerable defending set-pieces throughout the entire tournament, and the Germans exploited his weakness to the full.

The Portuguese became desperate after this goal, and Petit, Raul Meireles and the substitute Nani all tried their luck from distance without any luck.

Germany were more than prepared to defend for the last half-hour, but they nearly surged three ahead after a corner was cleared to Podolski, who unleashed a first-time rocket that whistled only inches wide of the post with Ricardo helpless.

But after absorbing much of the Portuguese pressure, the Germans came unstuck again as Portugal gained a lifeline.

After clever footwork on the left side by the lively Nani, he sent in a cross that was headed beyond Lehmann by fellow substitute Helder Postiga.

But time ran out on the Portuguese, despite mounting wave after wave of attack in the closing stages. The Germans now await the winner of the quarter-final between Turkey and Croatia.

Ratings

Portugal
1 - Ricardo - 5 - Poor. Couldn't cope with set-pieces.
2 - Ferreira - 5 - Struggled with Schweinsteiger.
4 - Bosingwa - 7 - Ran tirelessly up and down right flank.
7 - Ronaldo - 7 - Involved in all of Portugal's attacks, but at times wasteful.
8 - Petit - 6 - No significant impact.
10 - Moutinho - 6 - Off injured early.
11 - Simao - 6 - In and out.
15 - Pepe - 6 - Uncomfortable at set-pieces.
16 - Carvalho - 6 - Not at his best.
20 - Deco - 8 - Creative as usual.
21 - Nuno Gomes - 7 - Scored, but otherwise quiet.

(SUB) 6 - Raul Meireles - 6 - Okay.
(SUB) 19 - Nani - 7 - Lively after coming on.
(SUB) 23 - Postiga - 6 - Late goal.

Germany
1 - Lehmann - 6 - Kept well for the most part.
3 - Friedrich - 6 - Tried hard to cope with Ronaldo.
6 - Rolfes - 7 - Tenacious.
7 - Schweinsteiger - 8 - Involved in all 3 goals.
11 - Klose - 7 - Finally scored. Worked hard.
13 - Ballack - 8 - Influential.
15 - Hitzlsperger - 7 - Worked hard.
16 - Lahm - 7 - Defended well.
17 - Mertesacker - 7 - Imperious in the air.
20 - Podolski - 7 - Continued his great form.
21 - Metzelder - 6 - Looked a bit shaky.

(SUB) 2 - Jansen - 6 - No time.
(SUB) 4 - Fritz - 6 - Little time.
(SUB) 18 - Borowski - 6 - Little time.

Elegant Russia dump Sweden

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 07:40:00 +0000

Russia has booked its place in the Euro 2008 quarter-finals after downing Sweden 2-0 in Innsbruck.

The scoreline flattered Sweden, as the Russians thoroughly outclassed their more experienced opponents. Goals from Roman Pavlyuchenko and returning playmaker Andrei Arshavin secured the win, and Russia can now look forward to a final-eight showdown with manager Guus Hiddink's native Netherlands.

With Spain already having qualified from Group D, Sweden and Russia were fighting it out for second spot. Sweden only required a draw from the fixture, while the Russians needed to win due to an inferior goal difference.

Hiddink rushed back talisman Arshavin from suspension in place of Dmitri Torbinsky, but Swedish counterpart Lars Lagerback opted for an unchanged line-up from the team that lost 2-1 to Spain in stoppage-time.

Right from the kick-off Russia seized the initiative, with impressive full-backs Alexsandr Anyukov and Yuri Zhirkov prepared to get forward at every opportunity. But it was Arshavin who led many Russian attacking thrusts, and Russia's first two chances fell to him.

First, he headed a dangerous Anyukov cross wide despite being in yards of space, and then his out-stretched boot failed to control a low cross after another neat build-up down the right flank.

Much of Sweden's early play was directed through the enigmatic Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and he saw an early header comfortably collected by Igor Akinfeev.

However, with each passing foray forward Russia edged closer to the breakthrough. A fortuitous cross-shot by Arshavin forced a tip-over by Andreas Isaksson and from the resulting corner, a floated ball from Konstantin Zyryanov found Zhirkov, but his beautifully struck first-time volley swerved just wide of the far post.

But the dominance finally told after 24 minutes as Russia surged ahead. Another wonderful team move down the right ended with Anyukov, whose run was not picked up by the Swedish defence. He slid the ball inside to Pavlyuchenko, who slotted the ball into the bottom corner.

It was a just reward for the Russians, whose work-rate and pressure constantly harassed the Swedes into coughing up possession in dangerous areas. Left midfielder Diniyar Bilyaletdinov had a half-chance to extend the advantage within two minutes, but he shot wide.

Sweden's best chance of the game came almost immediately after this miss. Totally against the run of play, a lofted cross from Mikael Nilsson picked out Henrik Larsson, whose clever flicked header grazed the top of the crossbar with Akinfeev stranded.

This opening proved to be the exception rather than the norm, however, as the Russians regained control, and went agonisingly close to doubling their lead.

After Ibrahimovic was robbed of possession inside his own half, neat footwork down the right played in Bilyaletdinov. He opted to leave the ball for Pavlyuchenko, but his curling effort cannoned back off the upright, and Zyryanov's follow-up was clawed away by Isaksson.

But Sweden's best spell of the match came in the five minutes before half time. Freddie Ljungberg and Mikael Nilsson both tested Akinfeev after some sloppy Russian defending, and they would have been hoping to continue with their enterprising play after the interval.

But instead, Sweden never took control, and moments after Elmander had a goal chalked off for off-side, Russia raced down the other end and deservedly doubled their lead.

Zhirkov set in motion another sumptuous flowing chain of passes, and after having the ball returned to him by Bilyaletdinov, he squared the ball to Arshavin, who powered the ball past Isaksson.

But even at two goals behind, Sweden still failed to create any clear-cut chances, as only an ambitious overhead kick from Henrik Larsson brought about a save from Akinfeev, albeit a comfortable one.

Arshavin was proving a constant menace, and he nearly brought about another goal as he was sent through on goal. This time, he nearly pressured right-back Fredrik Stoor into an own-goal, but Isaksson alertly diverted the ball out for a corner.

But with the Swedes pouring forward in search of a goal, they inevitably left huge gaps in defence, instigating an astonishing sequence of glorious chances for Russia to finally seal victory.

First, Zyryanov hit the post with a deflected effort, before Pavlyuchenko headed straight at Isaksson despite being in acres of space after a delightful cross from Anyukov.

Arshavin then released the substitute Ivan Saenko, but his cross from the right was played behind the onrushing Pavlyuchenko, before Isaksson brilliantly saved moments later after Arshavin was through one-on-one.

The final whistle was greeted with jubilant scenes from the Russians, whilst the Swedes are on the plane home despite starting their campaign with a win over Greece.

Ratings

Russia
1 - Akinfeev - 7 - Little to do.
4 - Ignashevich - 8 - Assured in defence.
8 - Kolodin - 7 - Getting better with each game.
10 - Arshavin - 9 - Influential in most of Russia's play.
11 - Semak (c) - 7 - Workhorse.
15 - Bilyaletdinov - 7 - In and out.
17 - Zyryanov - 7 - Always involved.
18 - Zhirkov - 8 - Outstanding down left side.
19 - Pavlyuchenko - 7 - Could've scored more than one goal.
20 - Semshov - 7 - Played his role well in midfield.
22 - Anyukov - 7 - Another solid game.

(SUB) 9 - Saenko - 6 - Ran hard in cameo appearance.
(SUB) 23 - Bystrov - 6 - No time.

Sweden
1 - Isaksson - 7 - Helped keep scoreline respectable.
2 - Nilsson - 6 - Under constant pressure.
3 - Mellberg - 7 - Tried hard.
4 - Hansson - 6 - Struggled at times.
5 - Stoor - 5 - Terrorised by Zhirkov and Bilyaletdinov.
8 - Svensson - 5 - No impact.
9 - Ljungberg - 6 - Not involved enough.
10 - Ibrahimovic - 6 - Faded.
11 - Elmander - 5 - Wasteful.
17 - H. Larsson - 6 - In and out.
19 - Andersson - 5 - Peripheral.

(SUB) 16 - Kallstrom - 6 - Little impact.
(SUB) 20 - Allback - 6 - No time.

Azzurri eliminate sorry French

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:03:00 +0000

France has become the first big-name casualty of Euro 2008 after going down 2-0 to Italy in its final Group C game at Euro 2008 in Zurich.

The Italians, meanwhile, secured passage to the knockout stage, despite largely indifferent form over their group matches, after Romania succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to the in-form Netherlands.

It was a night of misery for the French, who lost midfield talisman Franck Ribery to what looked a serious leg injury less than ten minutes into the game, before having defender Eric Abidal sent off on the half hour for a last-man tackle on Luca Toni.

Andrea Pirlo dispatched the subsequent penalty beyond Gregory Coupet, and a deflected Daniele De Rossi free kick on the hour sealed France's fate.
The French depart the tournament after amassing just one goal and one point from its three encounters, and a changing of the guard looks imminent, with some of its experienced players expected to retire from international football.

The game between the World Cup finalists could have proved inconsequential if Romania had upset the Netherlands. But barring that result, France went into the game needing a win to progress, whilst the Italians only required a draw.

Accordingly, French manager Raymond Domenech paired Theirry Henry with Karim Benzema for the first time in the tournament, whilst his Italian counterpart Roberto Donadoni again tinkered with his line-up, making two changes to the side that faced Romania.

The first clear-cut chance of the match fell to Luca Toni, after Giorgio Chiellini lofted a through-ball over the defence. But he wastefully fired wide after despite being free of France's defence

This was to be a common theme for the match, as many long balls were played to Toni, and on another night he may well have scored at least a hat-trick.

France was dealt a body blow after less than 10 minutes when Ribery was stretchered off. After a seemingly innocuous challenge, he collapsed in agony, forcing Domenech to replace him with Marseille midfielder Samir Nasri.

France's early rhythm was disrupted by Ribery's withdrawal, and the Italians seized the initiative. First, Panucci connected with a powerful header from Italy's first corner, but Claude Makelele was on the line to hoof it clear. Shortly after, a whipped Pirlo free kick from out wide was punched clear by Coupet with Luca Toni lurking.

But on 25 minutes, France's problems were compounded when the Italians were awarded a penalty, after another long ball over the top found Toni. His sublime control took the ball away from Abidal, who then hauled him down from behind.

Slovakian referee Lubos Michel was left with little alternative but to distribute the first red card of the tournament to Abidal, despite the protests of the French players.

The ever-reliable Pirlo stepped up and powered the ball beyond Coupet to send Italy into the lead, as France was forced into another reshuffle, with Nasri, who replaced Ribery just 15 minutes early, unluckily sacrificed in order to bring on centre-back Jean-Alain Boumsong.

By now, Italy had well and truly taken control of the match, and Toni then wasted a remarkable succession of opportunities as Italy looked to extend its advantage.

The lively Antonio Cassano produced the best of Toni's chances as he picked him out from the right, but Toni's clever flick sailed just beyond the far-post. As Toni saw another two chances wastefully come and go, the French looked as if they were about to collapse under the barrage of pressure.

But amazingly, he was nearly made to pay for these misses, as France carved out its first decent opportunity just after the half-hour. The impressive Jeremy Toulalan released Theirry Henry, who found space inside Chiellini. But Henry, who has not been at his best at Euro 2008, scuffed the chance by firing wide.

Italy nearly made the game safe just before half-time, as a free-kick from Fabio Grosso was brilliantly tipped onto the post by Coupet at full-stretch.

The second half began with France enjoying a good spell of possession. But despite pinning the Italians on the edge of their own penalty area, France failed to severely test Buffon. Benzema volleyed over, before two Henry shots left Buffon untroubled.

But as has been historically customary for the Azzurri, they hit the French on the break with a sucker punch. De Rossi blasted a 30-yard free kick, and it sailed into the net after a fortuitous deflection off Henry's extended boot wrong-footed Coupet.

The goal ended France's hopes of qualifying, and it was evident in the last half hour of play. Whilst Benzema did force an outstanding save from Buffon with a curling effort with a quarter-hour left on the clock, the Italians enjoyed a relatively stable period to end the game.

Toni could have again etched his name on the score-sheet in the final minute of injury time, but this time his shot cannoned off the outside of the upright.

The final whistle was greeted with ecstasy by the Italians, which now faces Spain in the quarter-finals on Sunday. However, they will be without Milan duo Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso after they picked up second bookings.

Ratings

France
23 - Coupet - 7 - Some good saves.
3 - Abidal - 4 - Sent off early.
5 - Gallas - 5 - Troubled all day.
6 - Makelele - 5 - Lost midfield battle.
9 - Benzema - 7 - Worked hard, would've scored if not for Buffon brilliance.
10 - Govou - 6 - In and out.
12 - Henry - 6 - Looks a spent force.
13 - Evra - 6 - Often double-teamed on Italian right-wing.
14 - Clerc - 5 - Wasteful in possession
20 - Toulalan - 7 - A rare shining light.
22 - Ribery - 5 - Forced off early.

(SUB) 2 - Boumsong - 5 - Never comfortable.
(SUB) 8 - Anelka - 6 - No impact.
(SUB) 11 - Nasri - 6 - Only lasted 15 minutes. Unlucky.

Italy
1 - Buffon - 8 - Did what he needed to do, with one outstanding save.
2 - Panucci - 6 - Little to do.
3 - Grosso - 7 - Worked hard up and down the left side.
4 - Chiellini - 6 - Looked better today.
8 - Gattuso - 6 - Typical performance.
9 - Toni - 5 - Terribly wasteful.
10 - De Rossi - 7 - Solid game.
18 - Cassano - 7 - Justified his selection.
19 - Zambrotta - 6 - Untroubled.
20 - Perrotta - 6 - Worked well in midfield.
21 - Pirlo - 6 - Creative as always.

(SUB) 13 - Ambrosini - 6 - Slotted into Perrotta's place well.
(SUB) 16 - Camoranesi - 6 - Little impact.
(SUB) 22 - Aquilani - 6 - No time.

Spirited Swiss upset Portugal

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 02:36:00 +0000

Host-nation Switzerland has bowed out of Euro 2008 with a flourish, defeating a second-string Portugal 2-0 in Basel tonight in the tournament's first dead-rubber.

Roared on by a vocal home crowd, the Swiss took full advantage of the weakened Portuguese outfit, and two second-half goals from veteran Hakan Yakin were enough to seal an impressive win in manager Kobi Kuhn's last game in charge.

The Portuguese performance will concern their manager Luis Felipe Scolari to some extent, as nearly all of their second-stringers failed to do enough to fight their way into Scolari's plans for the knockout stage.

As flagged by Scolari, eight changes were made to the side that defeated Turkey and the Czech Republic, with only the goalkeeper Ricardo, and defenders Paulo Ferreira and Pepe making their third starts.

This gave an opportunity for young starlets Miguel Veloso and Nani, along with the enigmatic Ricardo Quaresma, Helder Postiga and Miguel to press their claims for a berth in the team for their quarter-final clash.

The Portuguese did begin the game brightly, as Quaresma's full bag of tricks was on show after his stupendous cross was headed over by the constantly offside Postiga.

Portugal's best early chance came just after the quarter-hour, as a drilled free-kick by Miguel was deflected goal-bound by Pepe, but Swiss keeper Pascal Zuberbuhler's touch was enough to divert it onto the crossbar and over.

Early on, the Swiss were restricted to shots from distance, as the impressive Gokhan Inler's speculative effort was smartly tipped over by the anxious Ricardo.

Ricardo once again looked shaky defending set-pieces, and this will certainly be an area that teams will look to exploit later in the tournament.

The Swiss were getting well into the game by the half-hour, and a deep free-kick by Yakin only just evaded Philippe Senderos at the back post. Two minutes later, Ricardo was forced into a diving save to his left by a Yakin header from a corner, as the game by now had well and truly opened up.

The game's first moment of controversy game 10 minutes before half-time, as Helder Postiga was played in on goal by Quaresma. He finished past Zuberbuhler, only for the linesman to flag for offside, but replays suggested that he was at least level with the edgy Swiss full-back Stephan Lichtsteiner.

So the first half finished goalless despite both teams enjoying opportunities, but the Portuguese should have surged ahead just after the interval, as another mistake by Lichtsteiner allowed Nani to race in on goal, but his near-post shot struck the outside of the upright and went wide.

Another mistake in the Swiss defence, this time by Senderos, gave Quaresma space on the edge of the penalty area five minutes later, but Zuberbuhler was equal to his subsequent effort as he palmed it clear.

The Portuguese would rue these errors, as the introduction of Tranquillo Barnetta for the ineffectual Johan Vonlanthen reinvigorated the Swiss, as the side settled into a nice rhythm, creating a host of chances.

Barnetta almost got his name on the score-sheet with his first touch. After clever play by Inler down the left, his drilled cross found Barnetta, whose poor effort was nearly deflected into the net by Pepe.

Inler again tried his luck from distance, and this time he was even closer, as his shot cannoned off the outside of the upright.

The Swiss were well and truly on top now, and their pressure finally told on 71 minutes as Hakan Yakin put them ahead.

After neat play down the right flank, the ball fell to the tireless Eren Derdiyok, whose deft first-time flick sent Yakin through, and he slotted the ball through Ricardo's legs to give Switzerland the lead.

It was a just reward for some sustained pressure around the Portuguese penalty area, but the Swiss nearly came undone only five minutes later as Quaresma had a wonderful chance to equalise.

After Nani dispossessed Gelson Fernandes in midfield, he released Ricardo Quaresma. But instead of shooting with only Zuberbuhler to beat, he instead tried to play the ball sideways to substitute Hugo Almeida, but Zuberbuhler dived on the ball and the chance was gone.

Portugal were to rue this miss as the Swiss made the game safe with 10 minutes to go from the penalty spot.

The influential Barnetta was brought down by Fernando Meira after flicking the ball beyond him, allowing Yakin to step up and complete his brace with a shot to Ricardo's right.

With the home fans by now in raptures, the Swiss held on for an uplifting 2-0 victory, and the Portuguese will now lick their wounds before facing a likely quarter-final against Germany, unless Austria or Poland can pull off a miracle.

Ratings

Switzerland
18 - Zuberbuhler - 7 - Did well to keep a clean sheet.
3 - Magnin - 7 - Solid performance.
4 - Senderos - 6 - Looked shaky at times.
5 - Lichtsteiner - 5 - Incredibly uncomfortable, too many mistakes.
8 - Inler - 8 - Very impressive.
10 - Yakin - 8 - Well-earned brace.
12 - Derdiyok - 7 - Some nice touches, worked tirelessly.
15 - Fernandes - 7 - Industrious game.
19 - Behrami - 7 - Looked lively before picking up early knock.
20 - Muller - 6 - Assured for the most part.
22 - Vonlanthen - 5 - Ineffectual.

(SUB) 7 - Cabanas - 6 - No time.
(SUB) 13 - Grichting - 6 - No time.
(SUB) 16 - Barnetta - 7 - Invigorated Swiss attack.

Portugal
1 - Ricardo - 5 - Didn't look comfortable at set-pieces.
2 - Ferreira - 6 - Brought off early after early booking.
3 - Bruno Alves - 6 - Decent.
5 - Meira - 5 - Clumsily gave away penalty. Looked slow.
6 - Raul Meireles - 6 - Not enough impact.
13 - Miguel - 6 - Didn't do enough to suggest he could displace Bosingwa.
15 - Pepe - 7 - Led the defensive line well.
17 - Quaresma - 6 - Frustratingly inconsistent.
18 - Veloso - 6 - Some nice touches.
19 - Nani - 6 - Should've scored.
23 - Postiga - 6 - Wasteful.

(SUB) 9 - Almeida - 6 - Not enough time.
(SUB) 10 - Moutinho - 6 - Not enough time.
(SUB) 14 - Jorge Ribeiro - 6 - Average.

Euro 2008 - Observations - 2

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 11:09:00 +0000

It's time for some more observations, with every team having played two games.

1) Goodbye, Greece!

The seemingly inevitable has happened. Greece will not be defending their 2004 crown, having been unceremoniously dumped out of Euro 2008 after just two games, in which they haven't scored a goal, let alone gained any points.

As said earlier, the Greeks' biggest mistake was not to introduce enough new blood into the side. There is a distinct sameness between the 2004 and 2008 line-ups, and really, the best European nations were not going to fall for the Greeks' ultra-defensive, counter-attacking, set-piece oriented style of play this time around.

Changes are needed, right from the very top. Manager Otto Rehhagel may be a national hero in Greece, and rightfully so, but the Greek side is in need of a rejuvenation before it kicks off its 2010 qualification campaign.

2) Double Dutch!

Amazingly, the Netherlands took their sparkling form against Italy into its second game against France, and has now put a combined total of seven goals past the two reigning World Cup finalists.

There is a lot to like about this Dutch team. Marco van Basten appears to have finally got the balance right in his team, after tinkering since taking over four years ago. The midfield combination of two screeners (Engelaar and de Jong), as well as two creative midfielders in Sneijder and van der Vaart, as well as the workhorse Dirk Kuyt on the right-flank, the Dutch are scoring goals at will. And so far, the defence has held firm, despite some nervy moments against the French.

The defence is still the biggest issue, and I'm sure nations will attempt to exploit this later in the tournament. But when players of the ilk of Arjen Robben, Robin van Persie, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and John Heitinga are left warming the bench, there will be many furrowed brows on the faces of opposing managers.

3) Unsung Heroes

There have been many unsung heroes during this tournament, especially from the pre-tournament unfancied teams. By unsung heroes, I refer to players who quietly go about playing their role for their side, often without the plaudits that are gained by strikers and midfielders.

Orlando Engelaar and Nigel de Jong fit this category for the Netherlands, Marcos Senna for Spain, Tomas Galasek for the Czech Republic, Paul Codrea for the surprise-packets Romania, and even Konstantin Zyrianov for Russia.

These are just a number of players who play pivotal roles for their respective sides, and yet they hardly draw any acclaim in the wash-up. Zyrianov is an exception, given his priceless, match-winning goal that has kept Russia's qualification hopes alive. But many holding midfielders have been instrumental in their teams' successes thus far, and all power to them, as their sides would have an awful balance without their presence and industriousness.

4) Will the real Spain please stand up (permanently)?

It only took two games for Spanish problems to resurface. After destroying Russia in its opening game, Spain laboured to its lucky 2-1 victory over an admittedly better-organised Swedish outfit. The starting XI was identical, and two of Luis Aragones' substitutes made second appearances against the Swedes (Fabregas and Santi Cazorla).

Their midfield was stifled against Sweden, with Barcelona duo Xavi and Andres Iniesta struggling to impose themselves on the game, before they were both withdrawn simultaneously before the hour mark. Both had significant impact against the Russians, and their partnership will be critical in determining how far Spain advance through the tournament.

Fernando Torres and David Villa seem to be striking up a more potent partnership with each game, as against Sweden it was Torres who looked the more threatening. Both got their names on the scoresheet, which will no doubt please Spanish supporters, but problems still remain.

Aragones will be hoping that the injury to defensive stalwart Carles Puyol is not serious. Puyol endured an interrupted past season at the Camp Nou, but his presence at the heart of the Spanish backline is necessary, as his replacement against Sweden, Valencia's Raul Albiol, never really looked comfortable. If anything, it was a blight on Sweden that he wasn't tested more significantly than he was.

Nevertheless, Spain will avoid the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, but a potential meeting with France, Italy or Romania awaits. And as the Spaniards well know, anything can happen in a knockout tournament.

5) Biggest Surprises

1. Croatia

Well, I was certainly made to eat humble pie after Croatia surprisingly knocked off tournament favourites Germany!

But really, the Croatia that played Germany was a different outfit to the one that played Austria, surely?!

Croatian manager Slaven Bilic is a canny character. In my previous blog I flagged that the Croatians were in need of some more attacking flair, after never testing the Austrian goal after going 1-0 up in their opening game. So what does he do in team selection? Why, drop a striker of course?!

In came young left-winger Ivan Rakitic at the expense of Mladen Petric, and all of a sudden, Croatia looked more threatening. Niko Kranjcar looked more dangerous in a slightly more central role, Luka Modric continued his sublime form, and Ivica Olic once again ran himself into the ground, but this time with the reward of securing Croatia's priceless second goal.

More performances like that, and Croatia would certainly pose a threat to any side in the tournament. But, in its first two games, we have seen the best and worst of Croatia, and there is no doubt that a performance like the one against Austria in the knockout stages would result in certain elimination against high quality opposition.

2. Romania

The Romanians appeared in this section of my last blog, but they are worthy of their place again. Romania has taken two points off both World Cup finalists, and against Italy, it could have easily been all three.

Mutu's penalty has been a key talking point, inevitably. Buffon's save was stupendous, and Mutu was understandably distraught for the rest of the game before being substituted. But outside the penalty miss, Romania certainly had its chances against the makeshift Italian backline.

Inspirational captain Christian Chivu was unlucky to have his blasted free-kick cannon back off the post after a deflection, whilst Gabriel Tamas and Razvan Rat both had Buffon sprawling to cover their efforts from distance. Mutu was a constant thorn in the Italians' side, and he could've added to his predatory strike, as well.

Don't discount a possible Romanian win against the Dutch on Tuesday. The Dutch are already through, and moreover, Romania beat the Netherlands en route to Euro 2008 in Bucharest, and achieved a credibtable 0-0 draw in Amsterdam.

6) Biggest Disappointments

1. Poland

The Poles have been their own worst enemies in this tournament. Certainly, nobody really expected them to beat Germany in the opening game, but a 1-1 draw with Austria? For a team that topped Portugal in qualifying, achieving an impressive 2-1 victory over the Portuguese in Warsaw, it has been a disappointing campaign for the Poles.

Sure, it was a last-minute penalty conceded against a team which had a vocal home support behind it. But Austria had chances to even win the game earlier on, as Polish goalkeeper Artur Boruc kept Poland's slim ascendancy in tact.

Poland now faces almost certain elimination, having to defeat already-qualified Croatia while hoping that Austria pulls off a monumental upset by defeating Germany. It has been a bel0w-par campaign for the Poles, which will now focus on qualifying for the World Cup in 2010, with or without journeyman Dutch manager Leo Beenhakker.

2. Italy

There was definitely more to like about Italy's second performance than the first. For starters, the inclusion of veteran Alessandro Del Piero brought target man Luca Toni into the game more regularly, and on another day he may have bagged one or two goals.

Daniele De Rossi also proved to be a better option than Massimo Ambrosini in an attacking sense, but the Italians still have problems, and remarkably some of them are in defence.

Long renowned for its stingy defence, the inexperienced pairing of Cristian Panucci and Giorgio Chiellini looked vulnerable at times, whilst seasoned right-back Gianluca Zambrotta is having an indifferent time of things, and it was his uncharacteristic error that allowed Mutu to steal in and put Romania in front.

At least under-fire manager Roberto Donadoni changed things up from the Dutch game, but after failing again to secure all three points, they now face a World Cup final rematch with the French, and even a win might see them eliminated if the Dutch fall to Romania. It promises to be an intriguing morning on Wednesday.

7) Predictions

Unfortunately, I am not Nostradamus, as my measly three out of eight correct result predictions (let alone margins) will testify! Nonetheless, here is how I think the final group games will pan out.

Switzerland 1-1 Portugal

It has been a terribly dissatisfying performance by both the host nations, especially from the more-fancied Swiss. Losing Alexander Frei in the tournament's first game was a massive body-blow, from which the Swiss never really recovered. Notwithstanding this disappointment, I expect them to go out with a flourish, and at least take a point off Portugal in what is the first of the tournament's dead-rubbers.

Turkey 1-2 Czech Republic

I am really hoping that this game doesn't end in a draw. Neither team should have the indignity of bowing out of such a high-standard tournament at the group stage due to a penalty shootout. So without any logic, I'm backing the Czechs, purely because on the balance of the first two games, they have performed marginally better than the Turks. Turkey were much improved against Switzerland, though, so I wouldn't be surprised if they edge it.

Austria 0-3 Germany

Expect the Germans to bounce back strongly after being comprehensively beaten by Croatia. The strike partnership of Mario Gomez and Miroslav Klose hasn't really clicked yet in this tournament, and time is surely running out for them to gel before one is sacrificed. Bastian Schweinsteiger's needless sending off against Croatia will probably jeopardise his desire for further game-time should Germany make the knockout phase, as well. For Austria, a competitive performance will be considered a success. So far, the one point from six could be considered somewhat of an achievement given all the negative predictions pre-tournament.

Poland 2-1 Croatia

I'm tipping an upset here. It's not that I don't rate Croatia, but Poland will surely be up for this one knowing that miracles can happen elsewhere. Slaven Bilic has already said that he plans to omit anybody on a yellow card, meaning Robert Kovac, Darijo Srna, Josip Simunic and Luka Modric will be rested, and this may be the opportunity for Poland to at least keep their end of the bargain, and hope that Austria can somehow pull off the impossible against Germany.

Netherlands 2-0 Romania

It's hard to tip against the Netherlands at the moment. Van Basten will surely look to get more time in the legs of Robben and van Persie, and even if he chooses to rest players, the Dutch have incredible depth and can surely cover for a few stars in what for them is essentially a dead-rubber. For Romania, I expect their run to come to a close here. They have certainly not been out of place in the "Group of Death", and I'm sure the French aren't looking forward to playing them again (twice) in World Cup Qualifying for 2010.

France 1-2 Italy

The most intriguing match-up without a doubt. The French will still have revenge on their minds from the World Cup final, but I'm still backing the Italians to once again defeat them. Italy goes into the game in slightly better form despite being level on points, and there was enough improvement to suggest that they'll be up for this challenge. France will look to Henry and Ribery to provide the magic, but Ribery looks tired after a long season, and Henry isn't the same player of a few years ago. It's time for some rebuilding at Clairefontaine.

Spain 2-0 Greece

Another dead-rubber. Footballing purists won't be too upset at Greece's elimination, as they once again exhibited an ultra-defensive game style. The Spanish will surely use this game as a confidence booster for the knockout round. Confidence is important for Spain, with many players in the line-up relying on a positive attitude to get the job done. They should have little trouble against the Greeks.

Russia 1-0 Sweden

I think the Swedes' last-gasp loss to Spain will really sting the side. Sweden was good value for its point against Spain, but to have it stolen away at the very end will have knocked the stuffing out of them. Russia, meanwhile, will have grown in confidence after a narrow win over Greece. After its poor display against Spain, Guus Hiddink will undoubtedly be happier with his side's effort against Greece, and I think they'll carry this confidence into its last game, and give Hiddink yet another chance at European glory.

Villa breaks Swedish hearts

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 02:25:00 +0000

A stoppage-time goal from David Villa has lifted an unconvincing Spain to a 2-1 victory over Sweden this afternoon in Innsbruck.

Despite performing well below expectations after impressing against Russia, the Spaniards sealed passage to the final eight thanks to Villa, while the unfortunate Swedes now face a must-win game against Russia.

Fernando Torres fired Spain ahead on the quarter-hour, only for his goal to be cancelled out 20 minutes later by Zlatan Ibrahimovic. But with the game seemingly petering out, Villa took full advantage of a slight lapse in concentration in the Swedish defence to steal all three points.

Spain's manager Luis Aragones will have cause for concern, however, as for much of the game, the Spaniards failed to find their best form, as evidenced in their opening game against Russia.

Aragones sent out an unchanged line-up, whilst Swedish boss Lars Lagerback replaced Niclas Alexandersson with Fredrik Stoor at right-back, and Johan Elmander came in for Christian Wilhelmsson.

The game began as expected, with the well-organised Swedes prepared to sit back and allow Spain possession. But after a quiet opening 15 minutes, the deadlock was broken by the predatory instincts of Fernando Torres.

A short-corner routine found Silva on the edge of the penalty area. His neat chip was met by Torres, whose outstretched boot diverted the ball beyond the helpless Isaksson.

Sweden's response was immediate, as Henrik Larsson released Elmander after clever footwork, but his shot could only hit the side-netting.

Spain were forced into an early substitution, with Raul Albiol replacing the injured Carles Puyol in the centre of defence, and he never really looked comfortable as Sweden pressed on for an equaliser.

It finally came on 34 minutes, as Stoor picked out Ibrahimovic in the area from a centering ball from deep. After digging the ball out from under his feet and fending off the attentions of Sergio Ramos, his low shot squirmed in under Iker Casillas' left hand.

The goal was a just reward for Sweden's enterprising play, as Spain's sloppiness came back to haunt them.

Spain reclaimed the initiative after being stung into action by the goal, and they should have had a penalty in first half injury-time.

After a cross came into the penalty area, Elmander appeared to clumsily barge into the back of David Silva, but the Dutch referee Peter Vink waved play on. At the half time whistle, the Spanish players surrounded Vink, to voice their complaints, but the sides went in level at the interval.

The second half was punctuated by few chances, as the Swedes retreated into their shell. Much of the play took place in the middle third of the pitch, as Spain struggled to find any significant rhythm.

Sweden also withdrew Ibrahimovic at half-time due to a knee complaint, further signalling intentions to play on the break.

Spain's best chance of restoring its lead came just after the hour, as the ball somehow stayed out of the Swedish net after a goalmouth scramble.

First, Silva had his effort saved down low by Isaksson, then Villa's follow-up was blocked, and somehow Daniel Andersson was able to scurry across to clear Torres' effort off the line and out for a corner.

The Swedes were desperate in defence, with centre-backs Olof Mellberg and Petter Hansson performing well and largely keeping Villa and Torres in check.

After another lull in play, Sweden conjured up a chance in a rare venture forward with ten minutes on the clock. Hansson found space in behind Ramos and latched on to a deep free kick from Anders Svensson, but his square ball across the six-yard box only just eluded Henrik Larsson when only a touch was needed.

With time running out, Torres hit a shot in anger that was comfortably claimed by Isaksson, but Sweden's hearts were broken in the second minute of stoppage-time by Villa.

Villa chased down a speculative long ball down the left by Joan Capdevila, and after cutting inside Hansson a little too easily, he calmly slotted the ball inside Isaksson's far post.

All the Spanish players, including the goalkeeper Casillas, converged on Villa, as they knew that they'd gotten out of jail and undeservedly snatched all three points.

Spain will now progress as Group D winners, avoiding the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, whilst Sweden have it all to play for against Russia on in Innsbruck on June 18.

Ratings

Sweden
1 - Isaksson - 7 - Kept well overall, little he could do about goals.
2 - Nilsson - 6 - Not bad.
3 - Mellberg - 8 - Marshalled his defence well.
4 - Hansson - 7 - Crucial slip at the end, otherwise solid.
5 - Stoor - 6 - Got forward well early on, defensively shaky.
8 - Svensson - 6 - Peripheral.
9 - Ljungberg - 6 - In and out.
10 - Ibrahimovic - 7 - A constant threat before going off early.
11 - Elmander - 5 - Wasteful.
17 - H. Larsson - 7 - Always buzzing around.
19 - Andersson - 7 - Screened his back four well.

(SUB) 16 - Kallstrom - 6 - No time.
(SUB) 18 - S. Larsson - 6 - Not enough time.
(SUB) 22 - Rosenberg - 6 - Couldn't get into the game.

Spain
1 - Casillas - 6 - Little to do, but might've done better with goal.
4 - Marchena - 6 - Assured for the most part.
5 - Puyol - 6 - Off early.
6 - Iniesta - 6 - Peripheral.
7 - Villa - 8 - A constant threat around the box.
8 - Xavi - 6 - No significant impact.
9 - Torres - 7 - Always dangerous.
11 - Capdevila - 6 - Not really in the game.
15 - Sergio Ramos - 6 - Looked extremely shaky in defence.
19 - Senna - 7 - Battled well in midfield.
21 - D. Silva - 7 - Worked hard.

(SUB) 2 - Albiol - 5 - Never looked comfortable.
(SUB) 10 - Fabregas - 6 - Struggled to get into the game.
(SUB) 12 - Cazorla - 6 - Not much impact.

Buffon saves Azzurri from Euro elimination

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 05:36:00 +0000

A sensational late penalty save from Gianluigi Buffon has kept Italy's Euro 2008 hopes alive with the Azzurri securing a 1-1 draw against Romania in Zurich today.

In a pulsating contest, Buffon saved from Adrian Mutu's penalty with ten minutes to go to keep Italy on level terms, ensuring that Italy goes into its third game against France with a chance of qualification.

Mutu had earlier put the Romanians ahead after a horrible error by Italian defender Gianluca Zambrotta on 55 minutes. But his goal was cancelled out less than 90 seconds later as Christian Panucci bundled home Daniele De Rossi's corner.

The result leaves Romania in second place, but the Romanians could have all but locked up qualification with a win, and Mutu was understandably distraught after the game.

As promised, Italian manager Roberto Donadoni wielded the axe after Italy's 3-0 capitulation to the Netherlands, making no fewer than five changes to his starting line-up. Giorgio Chiellini and Fabio Grosso replaced Andrea Barzagli and Marco Materazzi at the back, Roma pair De Rossi and Simone Perrotta came in for Milan's Gennaro Gattuso and Massimo Ambrosini, whilst Luca Toni was given more support up front, with Alessandro Del Piero being preferred to Antonio Di Natale.

Meanwhile, the Romanians were more settled, with manager Victor Piturca opting for just two changes. Paul Codrea replaced Razvan Cocis in midfield, while veteran winger Florentin Petre was given a chance in place of the more youthful Banel Nicolita.

It was an entertaining first half punctuated by many opportunities, and despite Italy dominating possession for much of the half, it was the Romanians who went closest to scoring on a number of occasions.

The Azzurri made their attacking intentions clear early, with full-backs Grosso and Zambrotta overlapping the wingers at every opportunity, and the first chance of the game fell to Del Piero, whose close-range header was blocked by Romania's giant centre-back Dorin Goian.

Many attacks came from the flanks, with Toni the target of many crosses. But the ball never really fell for him early on. Instead, it was Romania who forced Buffon into a number of early saves.

First, Mutu brought about a good save from Buffon after being released in behind Italy's hesitant defence, and then centre-back Gabriel Tamas tried a speculative shot from way out that tested Buffon.

Romania almost surged ahead on 20 minutes, after captain Christian Chivu's blasted free-kick took a deflection off Daniel Niculae, but the cross-bar came to Italy's rescue with Buffon rooted to his spot.

Romania's purpose to shoot from distance was becoming clear, as shortly after left-back Razvan Rat fired just wide with Buffon sprawling to his left.

However, it was Italy which ended the half stronger, as Toni began causing havoc in the Romanian penalty area.

Toni first set up Perrotta after 40 minutes, only for Codrea to execute a well-timed last-ditch lunge to avert the danger. Toni also met the subsequent corner from the right, but keeper Bogdan Lobont palmed his first effort away, and after the ball was played back into the penalty area, Lobont scurried across to punch clear again.

But the game's first moment of controversay came in first-half stoppage time, as Toni finally beat Lobont with a header only for the linesman to flag for offside.

A short-corner routine found Zambrotta, whose cross was nodded home by Toni, who appeared to be level with the last defender, but the Italian celebrations were cut short by both the referee and the linesman.

The second half started much in the same vein as the first ended, with Italy bossing possession. But again, it was Romania who created the better openings, and they were rewarded on 55 minutes after a horrible mix-up at the back.

Mutu nipped in on Zambrotta's blind-side as he attempted to deal with a high cross-field ball, intercepting his back backheader and finishing past a helpless Buffon with aplomb.

But with the Romanian supporters still celebrating, Italy charged down the other end and forged level less than two minutes later.

A hanging corner from De Rossi found Chiellini at the far post, and his header across goal was tapped home by Panucci.

A comparative lull in play ensued after those two minutes of high drama, as both teams made a number of substitutions.

Italy's Antonio Cassano almost had an immediate impact after replacing the ineffective Perrotta, as his centering ball was chested down by Toni to De Rossi, whose diving header forced a brilliant save by Lobont down to his right.
However, the game took another twist with 10 minutes to go as Romania was awarded a penalty after Panucci held back Niculae on the edge of the six-yard box.

Vehement Italian protests were waved away by Norwegian referee Tom Ovrebo, but Buffon proved to be the hero after he magnificently palmed Mutu's penalty away with a strong right hand.

Italy ventured forward in search of a winner after this let-off, but both teams settled for a draw. Italy now faces France on Tuesday evening, whilst Romania faces the Netherlands simultaneously.

Ratings

Italy
1 - Buffon - 8 - Outstanding penalty stop among other great saves.
2 - Panucci - 7 - Safe game, priceless goal.
3 - Grosso - 7 - Tirelessly got forward at every chance.
4 - Chiellini - 6 - Looked hesitant in his unfavoured centre-back position.
7 - Del Piero (c) - 7 - Supported Toni well before tiring.
9 - Toni - 7 - Better game today. Went to ground a bit easily though.
10 - De Rossi - 6 - Ran from box-to-box all game.
14 - Zambrotta - 5 - Terrible error for the goal. Gave ball away often.
16 - Camoranesi - 6 - Tried hard, but couldn't get into the game much.
20 - Perrotta - 5 - No impact.
21 - Pirlo - 6 - Pushed and probed without reward.

(SUB) 13 - Ambrosini - 6 - Little time.
(SUB) 15 - Quagliarella - 6 - Little time.
(SUB) 18 - Cassano - 6 - Pushed his case for starting XI berth.

Romania
1 - Lobont - 8 - Made some excellent saves.
2 - Contra - 6 - Safe for the most part.
3 - Rat - 7 - Didn't mind getting forward.
4 - Tamas - 7 - Led the defensive line well.
5 - Chivu - 7 - Some nice touches in the middle of the park.
6 - Radoi - 6 - Replaced early on after head-clash.
7 - Petre - 6 - In and out.
8 - Codrea - 7 - Screened his back four well. Some important blocks.
10 - Mutu - 8 - Played superbly apart from the penalty miss.
15 - Goian - 7 - Played well, but needless booking means he'll miss Netherlands game.
21 - Niculae - 6 - Workhorse performance.

(SUB) 12 - Cocis - 6 - No time.
(SUB) 16 - Nicolita - 6 - Lively.
(SUB) 20 - Dica - 6 - Decent game.

Portugal too strong for Czechs

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:10:00 +0000

Portugal has become the first nation to book passage into the quarter finals of Euro 2008 after securing a 3-1 victory over the Czech Republic in Geneva today.

The Portuguese were good value for their win, dominating possession for much of the game, and goals from Deco, Cristiano Ronaldo and substitute Ricardo Quaresma were enough to see off a battling Czech side.

The Czechs fought hard for the entire game, and were in the contest until the very end, but their lack of cutting edge against the more classy Portuguese proved their undoing, despite an early goal from the impressive Libor Sionko.

Portuguese manager Luis Felipe Scolari named an unchanged side from Portugal's win over Turkey, whilst his Czech counterpart Karol Bruckner made two changes to his side that unconvincingly defeated Switzerland, replacing David Jarolim with Reading midfielder Marek Matejovsky, and veteran striker Jan Koller with Milan Baros as the lone striker.

The Portuguese dominated the early exchanges, with Deco in particular looking lively, and in fact he got his name on the scoresheet after just eight minutes.

A clever build-up initiated by Deco ended with Ronaldo via Nuno Gomes just inside the penalty area. Cech saved Ronaldo's effort, but the ball fell back to Deco, who bundled the ball over the line despite the best efforts of Czech defender Marek Jankulovski to keep the ball out.

The goal served to settle the Portuguese players into a nice rhythm, so it came as somewhat of a surprise when the Czechs equalise less than 10 minutes later against the run of play.

Sionko forced the often-shaky Portuguese defence into conceding a corner after stealing in behind Paulo Ferreira, and he was duly rewarded for his efforts as the resulting corner from Jaroslav Plasil landed invitingly for him to rifle a diving header past goalkeeper Ricardo.

Portugal immediately set about restoring their advantage, but the combative Czech backline forced Petit, Deco and Ronaldo into shots from distance, which either sailed over the bar or were easily picked up by Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech.

Matejovsky, Jan Polak and Tomas Galasek were making life difficult for the Portuguese, as they hassled their opposing midfield into loose passes and sloppy turnovers. Up front, Milan Baros tirelessly chased lost causes, keeping Pepe and Ricardo Carvalho on their toes.

Ronaldo seemed inclined to test Cech at every opportunity, and he brought about three smart saves before the interval.

So the teams went in level at half time, and just when it looked as if the Portuguese were settling into a similar rhythm after the break, they were nearly caught out by another raid down the right.

Sionko again found space in behind the nervy Paulo Ferreira, and after being played in by Matejovsky, Bosingwa was hurried into a clearance to avert the danger. The subsequent corner was also only dealt with at the second attempt, and it became clear that the Czechs' best chance of going in front would come from a set-piece, as Ricardo in particular looked increasingly uncomfortable.

Shortly after, however, the Czech defence repeatedly allowed Ronaldo, Simao and Nuno Gomes too much freedom, and the latter nearly punished them after a mistake by David Rozehnal, but Rozehnal scurried back to block his effort. Simao was the next to next test Cech, but his shot was disappointingly too close to the giant keeper.

Immediately, the Czechs raced down the other end, and from another corner, they nearly went ahead. Captain Tomas Ujfalusi rose highest to meet Plasil's hanging cross, and his near-post flick only just evaded the lunging Baros and Sionko when only a touch was needed.

They were made to pay for the miss, however, as Ronaldo restored Portugal's lead just over a minute later.

After Moutinho appeared to be fouled by Matejovsky, the Greek referee Kyros Vassaras played a good advantage as the ball fall to Deco on the right flank. His square cross was met by Ronaldo, who first-time slid the ball past Cech's right-hand from 18 yards.

It was a deserved goal for Portugal, as their lion's share of possession finally brought them joy.

The Czechs did not lie down, though. Paulo Ferreira made a timely intervention from Zdenek Grygera's deep cross as substitute Tomas Vlcek was ready to pounce, and Milan Baros had a golden opportunity as Plasil found him with a dangerous cross, but he headed wide.

But it was Libor Sionko who had the Czech's best chance to equalise. With less than 10 minutes on the clock, Sionko found space between Bosingwa and Pepe, but his header from Vlcek's delightful cross was wonderfully tipped over by Ricardo. A yard either side and the keeper would have been struggling.

But inevitably, as the Czechs poured forward in search of an equalizer, gaping holes were being left in defence, and the Portuguese substitute Quaresma made the game safe in stoppage time.

After spurning a chance only minutes earlier, he wasn't going to waste his second. A quick, lofted Deco free kick from deep inside his own half sprang the offside trap as Ronaldo raced through on goal. Quaresma joined in, and after Cech committed, Ronaldo rolled the ball sideways for Quaresma to tap the ball into the empty net.

The result was perhaps slightly harsh on the Czechs, which now faces a must-win game against Turkey to qualify from Group A. Portugal await Switzerland in its final group game in Basel.

Ratings

Portugal
1 - Ricardo - 6 - Little to do. Looked uncomfortable with set-pieces.
2 - Paulo Ferreira - 6 - Shaky.
4 - Bosingwa - 7 - Got forward well.
7 - Ronaldo - 7 - Didn't dominate, but earned his goal in good performance.
8 - Petit - 7 - Combative.
10 - Moutinho - 6 - Struggled to impose himself.
11 - Simao - 6 - Quiet game.
15 - Pepe - 6 - Looked vulnerable defending set-pieces.
16 - Carvalho - 7 - Stable.
20 - Deco - 8 - Excellent game. Started many Portuguese attacks. Hand in all 3 goals.
21 - Nuno Gomes (c) - 6 - Didn't see much of the ball.

(SUB) 5 - Meira - 6 - Little time.
(SUB) 9 - Almeida - 6 - Little time.
(SUB) 17 - Quaresma - 7 - Managed to get himself on the scoresheet in limited time.

Czech Republic
1 - Cech - 7 - Made a lot of saves. Little he could do about goals.
2 - Grygera - 6 - Defended Ronaldo quite well. Didn't get forward enough.
3 - Polak - 7 - Worked extremely hard.
4 - Galasek - 7 - Unsung performance screening the back four.
6 - Jankulovski - 6 - Mixed bag.
7 - Sionko - 8 - The Czech's brightest player.
15 - Baros - 6 - Didn't stop running, but little reward for effort.
17 - Matejovsky - 7 - Toiled well, made some nice passes.
20 - Plasil - 6 - Dangerous over set-pieces, not much impact otherwise.
21 - Ujfalusi (c) - 7 - Assured for most of the game.
22 - Rozehnal - 7 - Some important interventions, but a bit inconsistent.

(SUB) 9 - Koller - 6 - A handful in his limited minutes.
(SUB) 11 - Vlcek - 6 - Some dangerous passes after coming on.
(SUB) 14 - Jarolim - 6 - No time.

Euro 2008 - Observations - 1

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:04:00 +0000

Well, with every team having played their opening games at Euro 2008, it is time for some preliminary observations.

1) The death of defensive football?

In the first eight games, fans have been wowed by the attacking performances of Germany, Portugal, Netherlands and Spain. Each played expansive, exciting football, with a particular focus on quick movement. It is no surprise, then, that many goals have come on the counter-attack.

Meanwhile, perennial defensive teams, with Italy leading the way, have been found wanting in the early stages of the tournament. Even teams who went ahead early in their games, such as Croatia, were nearly caught out as they went back into their shells and attempted to preserve a single-goal lead.

Hopefully there is more attacking football to come, and the 16 goals scored so far is added to at a rapid rate.

2) Don't write off the Italians

It's true. Italy was comprehensively beaten by a super-impressive Dutch team in their opening game. In fact, the Azzurri was beaten at its own game, with two sweeping counter-attacks bringing two outstanding goals, as the Italian defence was unable to withstand the onslaught.

Now, bottom of Group D, Italy faces must-win games against stubborn Romania and losing World Cup finalists France. But in this writer's opinion, write them off at your peril.

Italy very seldom puts two ordinary performances together, and will surely come out (if only slightly) more attack-minded against Romania.

Manager Roberto Donadoni lost the Netherlands game with his team selection in my view. Starting Milan veteran Massimo Ambrosini ahead of Daniele De Rossi was strange, as was the decision to wait until after the hour mark to introduce the in-form Alessandro Del Piero. Even Antonio Cassano looked lively when he was (eventually) brought on.

The form of Luca Toni was worrying. The jury's out on his major international tournament form, and with a giant Romanian defence to contend with on Friday, he would certainly be better served with a strike partner capable of unlocking the defence.

Nevertheless, Italy are by no means out of contention, and should be able to go one better than their French rivals and get past Romania.

3) Biggest Surprises

1. The Netherlands

I don't think too many Dutch supporters could have anticipated their comprehensive display against Italy. Everything went right. Van Basten was spot on with his team selection, the defence held firm, a still-hotly debated goal has since been ruled legitimate, and they even showed signs of the "Total Football" of years gone past.

There is still a long way to go, but van Basten appears to have found a very promising mix with his Starting XI and extraordinarily deep bench. To be able to cover for Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben, and leave out classy players like Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and the ever-improving Ibrahim Afellay, many people I'm sure will be sitting up and taking notice.

Unheralded players like Orlando Engelaar and Nigel de Jong fulfilled their jobs manfully, Giovanni van Bronckhorst played probably his best game for years, Khalid Boulahrouz teased Chelsea supporters by playing an outstanding game, and Ruud van Nistelrooy was predatory as usual.

Throw in the guile and creativity of Wes Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart, and the Netherlands make for a formidable line-up. If they can put in a similar performance against the desperate French, who knows how far they could go.

2. Romania

Staying in Group B, it looks as if everyone but the French heeded the warnings about Romania not just participating in Group B "to make up the numbers."

Judging by the listless French performance, they were either expecting an easier time of things against the unheralded Romanians, or they were just extremely poor.

Notwithstanding, Romania were full credit for their draw. Star player and captain Cristian Chivu led the team magnificently, and Adrian Mutu represetned a constant thorn in the French's side.

What they lack in star quality, the Romanians certainly make up for in work ethic and constant box-to-box running. Keep in mind, that Romania actually finished above the Netherlands in qualification, scoring 26 goals and conceding just 7 en route to Austria and Switzerland.

4. Biggest Disappointments

1. Croatia

It might seem silly to label one of the first round winners as "disappointing", but really, Croatia were lucky to escape with a 1-0 win against touted whipping-boys Austria.

After going ahead to a Luka Modric penalty in the 4th minute, Croatia failed to test Austrian keeper Jurgen Macho even once more, and had to soak up long periods of pressure as the Austrians, roared on by the parochial Viennese crowd, went in search of an equaliser.

The absence of Eduardo is still causing significant issues for Croatia, which lack a cutting edge in attack. Both Ivica Olic and Mladen Petric are workhorses (when Olic was substituted he looked on the verge of collapse), but they lack the killer instinct oft-required at these major tournaments.

At the back, the central pairing of Josip Simunic and Robert Kovac looked slow and vulnerable at times, whilst Portsmouth midfielder Niko Kranjcar was completely anonymous until he was substituted on the hour.

Luke Modric represents Croatia's best chance of progressing through the tournament. All attacking moves went through him, and he possesses the class his teammates seem to be lacking at present.

Smart money had Croatia at least reaching the semi-finals after an impressive qualification campaign. But the Croats face Germany next, and they will need to substantially improve on their first performance if they are to win anything out of this fixture.

2. France

Obviously Italy were the biggest disappointments in Group B's opening fixtures in terms of results, but the French certainly weren't too far behind.

France's performance lacked creativity, believe it or not. Despite having some of the best attacking players in Europe, namely Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema, Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda, the French were only able to fashion one shot on target in 90 minutes.

This is a fairly old French team, with Gregory Coupet between the sticks, the evergreen Lilian Thuram and Willy Sagnol still in defence and Claude Makelele patrolling in midfield. French fans were given a glimpse into the future when selection bolter Batefimbi Gomis and the seemingly Arsenal-bound Samir Nasri were brought on late in the game, but really, it was too late by then.

This is the last chance for the current French side to lift silverware, and the match against the Netherlands on Friday represents a golden opportunity for the side to fend off the milling doom-sayers.

3. Russia

Has Guus Hiddink's magical touch at major tournaments run out?

Russia's performance against Spain was nothing short of terrible. Hiddink gambled on two central defenders who had a combined total of 16 caps, in a move that spectacularly backfired, as both Roman Shirokov and Denis Kolodin looked spectacularly out of their depth, and were run ragged by David Villa and Fernando Torres. Surely the more experienced Berezutsky twins will come into consideration for the Greece game.

The isolation of Roman Pavlyuchenko up front didn't work, either. Despite getting his name on the scoresheet late on, he was constantly facing two or three defenders, and as the Spanish midfield gained the ascendancy, he drifted out of the game.

The Spanish defence looked vulnerable at times, and Russia could indeed have scored more than the one goal they totalled. But the defensive-minded formation didn't allow for much in attack, as the wet pitch, coupled with some lazy passing, made life extremely difficult.

Vladimir Bystrov played a decent cameo after coming off the bench at half time, but he was subsequently withdrawn himself just 25 minutes later. Dmitri Sychev, the so-called "Russian Michael Owen", was completely anonymous in the first half, whilst the central midfield trio of Sergei Semak, Igor Semshov and Konstantin Zyrianov were too often forced to lie deep in midfield as Iniesta and Xavi dictated play.

Semak in particular, brought in to replace the suspended midfield talisman Andrei Arshavin, didn't influence the game as much as Hiddink would've liked, and he will need to be at his creative best if Russia are to triumph in its must-win game against Greece.

Russia were tipped by many to emerge from what, on paper, seems a relatively even group with the exception of Spain. It now finds itself on the back-foot, but with winnable games against Greece and Sweden to come, they are not out of the mix for the second round yet.

5. Predictions

Here are my predictions for the next 8 games:

Czech Republic 0-2 Portugal

The Portuguese should have enough to get past the Czechs. The Czechs only squeaked past host-nation Switzerland, whilst Portugal were impressive against Turkey.

Switzerland 2-1 Turkey

Switzerland will still be reeling from the news that inspirational captain and leading striker Alexander Frei will miss the rest of the tournament, but they should still have enough in this must-win encounter to get past Turkey. There is a lot of bad blood between the nations following a spiteful World Cup qualifier playoff in 2005, but on home soil, Switzerland should edge this one. Turkey were disappointing against Portugal, and manager Fatih Terim will surely make changes to his side ahead of this match.

Croatia 1-3 Germany

Germany are like a well-oiled machine at the moment, getting the results they need, and even playing impressive football along the way. Croatia, as aforementioned, were disappointing against Austria, and unless they can produce a better display, the Germans should win this one.

Austria 0-2 Poland

Must-win game for Poland. It seems likely that Poland and Croatia will fight it out in their pivotal match on June 16 for the final qualifying spot after Germany, so the Poles, who weren't disgraced against Germany, should have enough to get past Austria.

Italy 2-0 Romania

Italy always seem to get results when they need them, and as said before, they very rarely put two poor performances together. The Romanians will give them a tough time, but Italy will surely win this one. I'd like to see Donadoni change things up, though. Del Piero should start, as well as De Rossi.

Netherlands 1-1 France

The French must get a result from this game to have any chance of progressing. If the Netherlands put in another display like the one against Italy, they could beat anybody. But look for the French to press forward more in attack, and they should be able to at least nick one goal against the Dutch. Certainly the pick of the second round of matches.

Sweden 1-2 Spain

Spain will have a tougher time of things against an experienced Swedish outfit. Sweden in fact defeated Spain during the qualifying tournament 2-0 in Stockholm, and so will certainly go into the game with confidence. But Spain's performance, especially the form of David Villa and Fernando Torres, who look to have finally struck up a deadly partnership, should be enough to get a win and book a place in Round 2.

Greece 0-1 Russia

It's strange. The Greeks are (figuratively) not the same side they were four years ago, but (in reality) it is the same side. Many of the 2004 squad are present in Austria & Switzerland, but really, they are among the weaker sides of the tournament. Russia entered the competition in better form, and I'm backing Guus Hiddink to get his side up for a narrow win here.

Virtuoso Villa Sinks Russians

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:50:00 +0000

A superb hat-trick from David Villa has lifted Spain to an emphatic 4-1 victory over Russia in the opening game of Group D at Euro 2008 in Innsbruck.

Despite only showing indifferent form in the lead-up to the tournament, the Spaniards put in an assured performance, outclassing a Russian side lacking any real creativity, and the margin could have been more had they not wasted a number of chances.

Villa's hat-trick, the first of the tournament, a late goal from Cesc Fabregas, and a comprehensive midfield performance all round will certainly please under-fire manager Luis Aragones.

For the Russians, manager Guus Hiddink will be immensely disappointed with his side's performance, which allowed the Spanish midfield, boasting the creative flair of Barcelona pair Xavi and Andres Iniesta too much space too often.

His defence will give him further headaches, as the inexperienced central pairing of Roman Shirokov and Denis Kolodin were run ragged by Villa and Liverpool striker Fernando Torres.

Aragones sprang no real surprises in team selection, opting for the recently-ill Iniesta and Villarreal midfielder Marcos Senna over Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas, and partnering Villa and Torres up front. Whilst Hiddink handed a recall to veteran Sergei Semak, who had not played for the national side for two years, in place of suspended midfield talisman Andrei Arshavin. Hiddink also isolated Roman Pavlyuchenko alone up-front, in place of the injured Pavel Pogrebnyak.

Spain began the game looking sprightly, with Torres and Villa posing immediate problems for the Russian defence with their quick movement and interplay. They each had chances early on, but their shots were easily gathered by Russian keeper Igor Akinfeev.

Russia seemed content to play on the break from the beginning, but with wide players Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and Dmitri Sychev struggling to impose themselves, the counter-attacks broke down quickly, and after twenty minutes they found themselves a goal behind after giving away possession cheaply.

Shirokov's loose pass was picked up by impressive Spanish left-back Joan Capdevila, who released Torres through the centre. After getting past Kolodin, he squared the ball to Villa, who needed to simply tap the ball home as Akinfeev had already committed.

The Russian response was swift, however, and after Sychev and right-back Alexander Anyukov combined well down the right, the latter's cross fell to Konstantin Zyrianov, but his low shot cannoned back off the upright and was cleared.

By now, the game was opening up, and almost immediately Torres could've been on the scoresheet at the other end, but his low shot was well saved by Akinfeev.

The greasy pitch made life difficult for the players, with the Russians in particular over-hitting passes as the ball skidded off the turf. But Russia's defensive frailties were evident once again a minute before half time, as Villa secured his brace.

On another swift counter-attack, the scheming Iniesta played a sumptuous through-ball to Villa, who slid the ball under Akinfeev first-time with the Russian defence completely flat-footed.

It was a pivotal goal just before the break, and it seemed to give Spain some sense of security, as their play immediately after the interval was somewhat sloppy, as the Russians enjoyed a good spell of possession.

Hiddink replaced Sychev with the lightning-quick Spartak Moscow winger Vladimir Bystrov, and he had an immediate impact, heading straight at Casillas after a well-worked corner routine. He perhaps should have done better, but the Russians were growing in confidence.

Torres was withdrawn in favour of Fabregas shortly after the interval in a tactical switch, and he nearly killed the game off after once again springing a poor Russian offside trap, but this time Akinfeev raced off his line to clear the danger.

But with a quarter hour to play, Villa completed his hat-trick and effectively killed the game off.

Fabregas played a well-weighted pass to Villa, who once again tormented Shirokov, going one way then the other, before wrong-footing Akinfeev with a near-post finish.

It was a just reward for a tireless performance, and he ran straight to the withdrawn Torres after scoring, in what was surely a sign of their ever-growing confidence in each other.

Once again, however, Spain's defending became casual after the goal, and Russia duly punished them this time from a corner.

A Zyrianov corner was flicked on at the near-post by Shirokov, before being met with a powerful header by Roman Pavlyuchenko, who solely led the Russian line for much of the game.

The Russians nearly gave Spain another fright only minutes later, but Semak, who found too much space, shot weakly at Casillas. Jolted into action by this near-miss, Spain raced down the other end and restored their three-goal advantage.

The industrious Villa led another swift counter before sliding the ball to Xavi. His shot was well blocked by Akinfeev, but Fabregas, who was in an offside position when Xavi took his shot, was on hand to knock in the rebound with a diving header.

It was an accomplished performance from Spain, which now faces Sweden in Innsbruck on Saturday, whilst Russia faces a must-win clash with defending champions Greece in Salzburg.

Ratings

Spain
1 - Casillas (c) - 7 - Will be disappointed to have not kept a clean sheet.
4 - Marchena - 7 - Defended well.
5 - Puyol - 7 - Reliable as always.
6 - Iniesta - 7 - Played some delightful passes.
7 - Villa - 10 - Hat-trick. Worked hard for the full 90 minutes.
8 - Xavi - 8 - Linked up well with Iniesta and Senna, as well as the strikers.
9 - Torres - 8 - Unlucky not to score himself before being substituted early.
11 - Capdevila - 8 - Very impressive.
15 - Sergio Ramos - 6 - Not himself, but neutralised Bilyaletdinov.
19 - Senna - 8 - Turned defence into attack at will.
21 - D. Silva - 8 - Tirelessly worked up and down the left flank.

(SUB) 10 - Fabregas - 7 - Slotted in nicely with Xavi and Senna.
(SUB) 12 - Santi Cazorla - 7 - Lively.
(SUB) 14 - Xabi Alonso - 6 - Little time.

Russia
1 - Akinfeev - 6 - Little he could do about goals. Kept well otherwise.
8 - Kolodin - 5 - Had a nightmare. Couldn't handle Torres or Villa.
11 - Semak - 6 - Was forced to drop too deep. Wasn't creative enough.
14 - Shirokov - 5 - Didn't fare much better than Kolodin.
15 - Bilyaletdinov - 7 - Tried to create, but was largely neutralised.
17 - Zyrianov - 7 - Battled hard for the full 90 minutes.
18 - Zhirkov - 6 - Decent game. Set piece delivery not good enough.
19 - Pavlyuchenko - 7 - Consolation goal. Faced three or four defenders often, but fought hard.
20 - Semshov - 6 - Battled. Lost midfield battle.
21 - Sychev - 6 - Not involved enough.
22 - Anyukov - 7 - Got forward at every opportunity.

(SUB) 6 - Adamov - 6 - Little time.
(SUB) 7 - Torbinsky - 7 - Added some creativity off the bench.
(SUB) 23 - Bystrov - 6 - Only lasted on pitch 25 minutes before being subbed himself.

Delightful Dutch Trounce Azzurri

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:05:00 +0000

The Netherlands have put on a masterclass in their opening game of Euro 2008, seizing the initiative in Group C with an imperious 3-0 victory over world champions Italy.

The Dutch dominated from the off, and thanks to goals from Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wesley Sneijder and Giovanni van Bronckhorst, they put in a performance reminiscent of the great Dutch teams of the past, in what was clearly the match of the tournament so far.

After France were held to a goalless draw earlier in the day by Romania, both the Netherlands and Italy had the chance to take control of Group C, which many consider to be the 'Group of Death'.

Dutch boss Marco van Basten was left with selection headaches before kick-off, with Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie both struggling with injuries. For the Azzurri, manager Roberto Donadoni opted for a largely conservative formation, isolating Luca Toni up-front, and preferring Massimo Ambrosini to Daniele De Rossi, completing an AC Milan trio with Andrew Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso in the middle of the park.

The game began with the Italians sitting back in their customary counter-attacking style, whilst the Dutch settled into a nice passing rhythm with Sneijder and Hamburg's Rafael van der Vaart seeing plenty of the ball early.

Italy's rearguard was breached on the quarter hour when Dirk Kuyt slipped van Nistelrooy through, but pressure from Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon forced him wide, and his subsequent cross was cleared.

Buffon actually clipped Van Nistelrooy as the striker tried to round the keeper, but van Nistelrooy chose to stay on his feet, stifling the chance.

But the game sprang to life after 26 minutes, as the Dutch went ahead after a highly controversial goal.

After Buffon failed to punch a van der Vaart cross clear, van Bronckhorst flashed the ball back across the box, where van Nistelrooy, in a seemingly offside position, was on hand to divert it home.

Italian defender Christian Panucci was injured in the build-up, but he was lying off the pitch over the byline when van Bronckhorst sent the ball back across goal. Nevertheless, the goal stood, despite vehement protests from the Italians.

The goal clearly stunned the Azzurri, and seven minutes later they were two behind, but this time, nobody could question what was truly a sumptuous Dutch move.

Having just cleared a dangerous Italian corner, van Bronckhorst energetically raced down the left in a sweeping counter-attacking move. After being released by Sneijder, he played a delightful cross-field ball onto the head of the tireless Dirk Kuyt.

Despite back-pedalling, Kuyt headed it square to Sneijder, who poked the ball beyond the on-rushing Buffon.

The game could have been all but over at half time, as van Nistelrooy was once again put through on goal by van der Vaart just before the interval, but his shot was brilliantly saved by Buffon's outstretched boot.

Despite being two goals in arrears, the Azzurri were hardly outclassed, and they made their intentions clear after half-time, enjoying better possession as Pirlo probed around the Dutch penalty area.

The introduction on the hour of veteran Alessandro Del Piero gave the Italians further attacking impetus, and he tested Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar just moments after coming on with a curling effort.

He was joined on the pitch by perennial bad-boy Antonio Cassano shortly after, and he nearly unlocked the Dutch defence with a lofted through ball for the quiet Toni.

Toni, not realising how much space he had after the Dutch backline was caught square, blazed the ball over the bar in what was Italy's best chance of the match.

Van der Sar then came to the Netherlands' rescue twice in the space of five minutes to preserve the Dutch lead. Substitute Fabio Grosso found space in behind the Dutch defence, but his shot was saved smartly by van der Sar. Then, Andrea Pirlo hit a delightful free kick that was spectacularly saved by the veteran keeper, and Italy were made to pay as the Dutch once again hit the Italians on the break.

Once again van Bronckhorst raced forward, and after being played in by Sneijder, he cut the ball back to Kuyt. Kuyt had his initial effort saved, but he regained possession, and from out wide, crossed for an unmarked van Bronckhorst, whose goal-bound header couldn’t be kept out by Italian defender Gianluca Zambrotta.

Italy were perhaps undeservedly three goals behind, but it was nearly four moments later, as lively Dutch substitute Ibrahim Afellay blasted a shot from outside the area that skimmed the top of the crossbar.

It clearly wasn’t Italy's night, and the final whistle ended their misery. The result matched Italy's worst ever result in major tournament history, and they will have to regroup quickly before facing Romania on Friday in Zurich.

The Dutch, meanwhile, certainly proved that on their day, they could beat anybody and possibly go all the way at Euro 2008. But they will have to be in similar form if they are to clinch qualification by beating France in Berne on the same day.

Ratings

Netherlands
1 - Van Der Sar (c) - 8 - Couple of outstanding saves.
2 - Ooijer - 7 - Comfortable overall.
4 - Mathijsen - 7 - Didn't put a foot wrong.
5 - Van Bronckhorst - 9 - Outstanding. Had a hand in all three goals.
8 - Engelaar - 7 - Played his role in midfield.
9 - Van Nistelrooy - 7 - Could've scored a hat-trick.
10 - Sneijder - 8 - Along with van der Vaar, pulled the strings in midfield.
17 - De Jong - 7 - Did well.
18 - Kuyt - 7 - Worked tirelessly down the right flank.
21 - Boulahrouz - 8 - Exceeded expectations. Tidy game at right back.
23 - Van der Vaart - 8 - Incisive passing for a solid game.

(SUB) 3 - Heitinga - 6 - Cagey at times.
(SUB) 7 - Van Persie - 7 - Run-out will aid his fitness.
(SUB) 20 - Afellay - 7 - Lively.

Italy
1 - Buffon - 6 - Little he could do about the goals.
2 - Panucci - 6 - Didn't get forward enough.
6 - Barzagli - 5 - Caught square too often.
8 - Gattuso - 6 - Nuggety as usual, didn't offer much in attack though.
9 - Toni - 5 - Quiet, fluffed his only real chance.
11 - Di Natale - 6 - Didn't see much of the ball.
13 - Ambrosini - 6 - Defensively sound.
16 - Camoranesi - 7 - Most lively attacking player of the Starting XI.
19 - Zambrotta - 6 - Average.
21 - Pirlo - 7 - Distribution solid, nearly scored with great free kick.
23 - Materazzi - 6 - Looked slow against nippy Dutch midfielders.

(SUB) 3 - Grosso - 7 - Energetic down left, unlucky not to score.
(SUB) 7 - Del Piero - 7 - Added new dimension to Italian attack.
(SUB) 18 - Cassano - 6 - Nearly set up goal, otherwise quiet.

Cagey Croats Squeak Past Austria

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 06:04:00 +0000

Croatia has opened its Euro 2008 campaign with an unconvincing 1-0 victory over host nation Austria in Vienna today.

The Austrians put in a spirited performance after going behind to a Luka Modric penalty early on, and will consider themselves unlucky to have not gained a draw, as they dominated significant parts of the game especially in the second half.

Croatia failed to test the Austrian goal after going ahead, and the overall performance will worry manager Slaven Bilic with tricky matches against Poland and tournament favourites Germany to come.

Bilic will also be concerned that Croatia's indifferent form leading up to the tournament was evident throughout much of this match, with the side lacking a cutting edge in the absence of injured striker Eduardo.

Neither team sprang any selection surprises, with Borussia Dortmund striker Mladen Petric continuing alongside Ivica Olic in place of Eduardo up front.

Croatia's intent to score an early goal was clear from the outset, and its efforts were helped invaluably after being awarded a penalty in the 4th minute.

Clever footwork from Modric played in Olic, who was needlessly, but clumsily brought down in the penalty area by Rene Aufhauser.

Modric stepped up and coolly sent the ball down the middle to hand Croatia the early lead.

The goal settled Croatian nerves, as the midfield, with the diminutive Modric pulling the strings, settled into a comfortable rhythm which stifled Austrian efforts to gain a foothold in the game.

The full-backs Vedran Corluka and Daniel Pranjic also caused Austria grief down the flanks in the early stages, as their overlapping runs troubled Austria's three central defenders as they found space behind the wing backs.

Croatia nearly went two up inside the first quarter hour, as a dangerous whipped free kick from Darijo Srna flashed across the box, but despairing dives from Olic and Petric failed to turn the ball home.

Austrian initial chances were limited to speculative shots from distance, with Jurgen Saumel, Sebastien Prodl and Aufhauser all trying their luck, but all failed to test the comfortable Stipe Pletikosa in Croatia's goal.

But as the half wore on, Croatia's rhythm was curbed, as captain Niko Kovac and Modric were driven further back as Austria enjoyed good spells of possession, and it was the Austrians who finished the half looking the better team.

Austria's best chance of the opening half came in the 40th minute, after inspirational captain Andreas Ivanschitz slipped in winger Martin Harnik, but towering defender Josip Simunic blocked his square ball out for a corner with the largely unsighted striker Roland Linz ready to pounce.

The second half brought more of the same, with Croatia content to soak up possession and play on the counter attack.

After trading long shots that sailed harmlessly over, the Austrians seized the initiative as Croatia began unnecessarily giving the ball away in midfield.

When Modric drifted out of the game as he became crowded out, Austria, led by the tricky Harnik down the right and plucky substitute Korkmaz Umit on the left flank made life extremely difficult for the Croatian full-backs, which until then were mostly untested.

All 3 of Austria's substitutes, including the 38-year-old Ivica Vastic, had a significant impact on the game, as Croatia's defence became pegged on the edge of its own 18-yard-box.

Pletikosa was forced into a number of saves, especially from hanging crosses played into the area for the third substitute Roman Kienast, as the central defensive pairing of Simunic and Robert Kovac grew increasingly anxious.

The introduction of target man Igor Budan for the tireless Petric late in the game failed to ease Croatian nerves, as Korkmaz forced a full-stretch save from Pletikosa in the 86th minute, whilst Kienast's stoppage time header from Ivanschitz's free kick drifted only just wide, with Pletikosa spectating.

The final whistle was greeted by sighs of relief from the Croatian players and fans, as the team failed to test Austrian keeper Jurgen Macho once after the 4th minute goal.

Ratings

Austria
21 - Macho - 7 - Little to do after penalty.
2 - Standfest - 6 - Inconsistent with crosses.
3 - Stranzl - 6 - Decent.
4 - Pogatetz - 6 - Lucky to still be on the pitch at half time.
6 - Aufhauser - 5 - Clumsy tackle for penalty.
9 - Linz - 5 - Anonymous.
10 - Ivanschitz (c) - 6 - Drifted in and out.
12 - Gercaliu - 6 - Worked hard.
15 - Prodl - 7 - Solid at the back.
19 - Saumel - 6 - Worked hard.
20 - Harnik - 7 - Excellent second half.

(SUB) 7 - Vastic - 6 - Decent cameo.
(SUB) 11 - Korkmaz - 7 - Lively.
(SUB) 18 - Kienast - 7 - A handful.

Croatia
1 - Pletikosa - 8 - Safe when called upon.
3 - Simunic - 6 - Couple of important interventions, but looked shaky.
4 - R. Kovac - 6 - Austrian pace worried him.
5 - Corluka - 7 - Excellent first half, quiet second half.
10 - N. Kovac (c) - 6 - Decent game.
11 - Srna - 6 - Free kicks were disappointing, but worked hard.
14 - Modric - 8 - Class act, if a little in and out.
18 - Olic - 7 - Tireless, but lacked finishing product.
19 - Kranjcar - 5 - Anonymous.
21 - Petric - 7 - Tireless, but too in and out.
22 - Pranjic - 6 - Harnik ran him ragged in the second half.

(SUB) 8 - Vukojevic - 5 - Little impact.
(SUB) 15 - Knezevic - 5 - Struggled with Kienast after coming on.
(SUB) 20 - Budan - 5 - Little impact.

Sluggish Socceroos edge Ghana

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Fri, 23 May 2008 13:07:00 +0000

The Socceroos have warmed up for their big month of World Cup qualifiers with an unconvincing 1-0 win over Ghana in Sydney tonight.

Despite Ghana dominating possession for large parts of the often unexciting match, it was Mile Sterjovski who scored the decisive goal with arguably the only piece of individual brilliance for the night.

Sterjovski, however, went from hero to villain as he was sent off for two bookable offences late in the match, forcing the inexperienced Australian defence to withstand a late barrage from the Ghanaians.

Whilst the scoreline will please Socceroos manager Pim Verbeek, he will still be left with selection headaches for the upcoming qualifiers, as the depleted Australians struggled to find their rhythm for much of the game.

Despite giving valuable starts to inexperienced players, including four A-League players, Verbeek would have been largely unimpressed with the performance. The Socceroos surrendered possession too cheaply, too often, and lacked imagination in attack.

Controversy reigned before kick-off, as the Ghanaian national anthem was embarrassingly skipped due to a technical glitch. Unusually, It was eventually played after the half-time break in an attempt to placate the Ghanaians, provoking a raucous reaction from the disappointing crowd of just 29,914.

Neither team settled into the game early on, as both defences resorted to hitting long balls to lone strikers. Ghanaian target man Junior Agogo proved a handful all night for the Socceroos' central defensive pairing of Michael Beauchamp and Jade North, but his final product lacked polish.

The Ghanaian midfield, however, took hold as the half wore on, with the experienced Kingston Laryea driving Ghana forward. But chances were at a premium, with Ghana limited to shots from distance that either sailed harmlessly over the bar, or were hit straight at goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.

For the Australians, many eyes were on acting captain Harry Kewell, but he failed to impose himself on the match, and looked to be lacking match fitness and pace before he was substituted in the second half.

A-League top goalscorer Joel Griffiths was also crowded out by a swarming Ghanaian defence on most occasions, whilst the inexperienced central midfield of Mile Jedinak and Jacob Burns were often forced to defend as Ghana's midfield enjoyed greater possession.

Australia's best chances of the first-half were also long-range efforts, with Sterjovski volleying straight at Ghana's keeper, and Jacob Burns also flashing a shot over the crossbar.

Neither keeper was seriously tested before the break, so it came as a surprise when Australia broke the deadlock less than a minute after the interval.

Ghanaian captain John Mensah was caught in possession on the halfway line by Sterjovski, who capitalised on Ghana's dozing defence by racing to the edge of the box before coolly drilling the ball across the keeper into the bottom corner.

The goal unsurprisingly rattled Ghana, which for the next 20 minutes attempted to regain its lost rhythm. The Socceroos, meanwhile, began passing the ball with more confidence, but they failed to create any further clear-cut chances.

Another lull in play ensued, with one highlight being the introduction of young defender Matthew Spiranovic, who is now tied to the Socceroos after a drawn-out battle with Croatia for his allegiance.

His introduction, along with Australia's other substitutions, further disjointed the Socceroos play, and handed Ghana the impetus once again. But their opportunities were still mainly limited to speculative efforts from long-range, despite gaining reasonable shooting positions.

In the 86th minute, the game took a twist when Sterjovski was sent off after collecting two yellow cards. Whilst he faces suspension from the upcoming game against Iraq in Brisbane on June 1, he was already likely to miss anyway due to his impending fatherhood.

Now with an extra man, the Ghanaians poured forward in search of an equaliser, and were denied by a brilliant save from Schwarzer deep into injury time.

Largely untroubled for much of the game, Schwarzer pulled off a brilliant save to deny a point-blank flick from Ghanaian substitute Asamoah, preserving Australia's fifth consecutive clean sheet.

2020 Summit: Health Agenda (Published in Farrago)

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Fri, 23 May 2008 13:06:00 +0000

Health has been ubiquitous on federal and state government agendas recently, and it was no different at the 2020 Summit. Of particular concern for summitteers were alarming obesity statistics and the gaping disparity between urban and rural Australian health standards. Perhaps the most noteworthy suggestion was to focus on "community preventative programs", possibly including after-school programs to stimulate child and teenage exercise, tax incentives and levies on junk food.

Creating preventive health policy was discussed, with the key goal to create a national preventative health agency. This would be funded by taxes on products with a 'high social cost' - namely alcohol, cigarettes and junk food - and would commission research, devise interventions and market public health campaigns.

Focusing on preventative health strategies is prudent, as reducing the incidence of disease and allowing individuals to control their own health outcomes would make for a healthier Australian living standard.

The establishment of a Health Equalities Commission was arguably the most rational suggestion on the health agenda. It would focus on health, long-ignored and underfunded, in Indigenous and other disadvantaged communities. This might involve overhauling the Howard Government's Indigenous Intervention policy or drafting a new one altogether. Either way, increasing health standards in these communities to a level comparable with urban-dwellers is vital.

Unsurprisingly, the health agenda was extremely ambitious, but good and bad health does not discriminate between rich and poor, so the emphasis on preventative health strategies is wise, as is the strong stress placed on childhood ill-health and closing the gap between urban and rural Australia.

Resilient Lions pip Pies

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:19:00 +0000

A late snap from Jed Adcock has given the fast-finishing Brisbane Lions a thrilling two-point victory over Collingwood at the Gabba tonight.

Despite trailing by 16 points at three quarter time and looking a beaten side, the Lions persisted during the last quarter, and were rewarded for their efforts when Adcock goaled with minutes remaining, handing the Lions their first win of the season 13.18 (96) to 13.16 (94).

It was a particularly satisfying win for Brisbane, who had to contend with a six-day break after their gruelling match against West Coast last week, and their gritty last quarter performance will have greatly pleased coach Leigh Matthews.

The momentum shifted throughout the contest, with Collingwood enjoying a superb third term, booting five goals to one, setting up what looked to be a match-winning lead. But a combination of missed chances, and a gutsy last quarter from star midfielders Simon Black, Luke Power and Travis Johnstone saw Brisbane emerge victorious.

The match began in muddy conditions after a day of heavy rain in Brisbane, resulting in a physical struggle from the outset. A goal from Jamie Charman on the quarter time siren saw Brisbane edge the first term by two points. But the Magpies enjoyed much of the play, especially around the stoppages, with Dane Swan continuing his impressive early season form with another strong performance.

Early goals in the second quarter to Bradshaw and Jonathan Brown, who was matched up against second-gamer Nathan Brown, saw Brisbane reclaim the momentum, and when Josh Drummond goaled from 55 metres late in the term, Brisbane led by 14 points and were threatening to break the game open.

But as we've seen so often before, Collingwood fought back tenaciously. Didak snapped an opportunistic goal right on half-time, and the goal seemed to spark the Pies into action after the long break.

Simon Black kicked the first for the half, but goals to Rocca and Egan brought the Magpies within a goal, and when Swan sent one home from 50, the Pies were back in front and began looking comfortable. The Lions struggled to clear Collingwood's stubborn half-back line, starving the quiet Jonathan Brown from opportunities against his inexperienced opponent.

Collingwood's forward pressure during the second half was tremendous, with Didak, Dale Thomas and Paul Medhurst not allowing the Lions easy passage off half back. Medhurst in particular was solid all night, but his 1.4 return was costly in the finish.

The fourth quarter was bruising, with Simon Black in particular fighting hard for every possession. He had a terrific second half after being held to five touches in the first, and was pivotal in wresting back the impetus for Brisbane along with Luke Power and Travis Johnstone.

After the teams traded goals early, Brown won a questionable free kick against his namesake before kicking truly. Pies coach Mick Malthouse threw down the challenge to young Brown, who toiled bravely last week on Matthew Pavlich. And whilst Jonathan Brown ended the game with 2.3 from 10 possessions, his young opponent won't be too displeased with his display.

Rocca, Thomas and Medhurst all had the chance to secure more breathing space for the Pies, but they all hooked their shots, and it was to prove costly, as minutes later, a long kick to Brown fell off hands, allowing Adcock to snap home and win the game for Brisbane.

Despite the narrow loss, Collingwood can still take positives from the game. New captain Scott Burns was tremendous in his first game as captain, picking up 28 possessions, while Josh Fraser and Alan Didak were both solid in the difficult conditions.

Villa stunner gives Spain victory

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:08:00 +0000

A spectacular volley from David Villa has handed Spain a confidence-boosting 1-0 victory over Italy in their friendly this evening in Elche.

The evenly matched contest looked to be heading for a scoreless result, before Villa pounced on a poor headed clearance from Italian captain Fabio Cannavaro to rifle home a left-footed volley that left keeper Buffon with no chance.

Spain will be well pleased with the result, whilst Italy won't be too disappointed with their showing. They may consider themselves quite unfortunate to lose the match, having defended strongly throughout the game, and spurned a number of chances to score themselves.

The friendly was played with Euro 2008 in mind, as both teams tinkered with their formations and made full use of the substitutes bench, and with no more matches for Spain before manager Luis Aragones announces his squad, players were eager to impress.

Italy was more than happy to play on the counter attack early on, and they were unlucky not to be leading on 12 minutes. Andrea Pirlo whipped in a dangerous free kick, Luca Toni rose highest to head home, but the goal was ruled out for an infringement. The replays showed little wrong with the goal, and the Italians may well feel aggrieved.

The Azzurri were fortunate not to be caught out at the other end straight away, as Fernando Torres led a swift counter-attack that ended with David Silva wasting a decent chance as he shot wide.

Carles Puyol was forced off the pitch with an injury shortly after, with Aragones taking a safety-first approach with the experienced defender, in a move that will please his Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard.

Chances were scarce in the first half, with Spain's best coming in the 37th minute, as Xavi chipped it to Silva, who teed up Torres, but his shot was saved smartly by Buffon, who also stopped the follow-up from Fabregas.

The second-half saw the tempo slow as each team made an array of substitutions. But Italy nearly broke the stalemate on 51 minutes, as great play on the left from the impressive Fabio Grosso set up Camoranesi, whose first-time shot cannoned back off the crossbar and was cleared.

Neither team found their rhythm after the substitutions, and chances remained at a premium. The restless Spanish crowd chanted frozen-out striker Raul's name throughout the second half, in another obvious message to manager Aragones that they think his form merits a recall to the squad.

But Spain enjoyed much of the possession, and Fabregas forced a block from Buffon in the 66th minute. They were also unlucky not to be awarded a penalty minutes later, as Gattuso appeared to trip substitute Luis Garcia in the box without making contact with the ball. But the Austrian referee Fritz Stuchlik waved away the Spanish appeals.

The deadlock was finally broken, however, in the 78th minute. Cannavaro failed to clear a long ball effectively, and Villa, who had struggled to get into the game to this point and had even been booked for diving, struck a brilliantly-timed volley into the top corner.

The goal failed to trigger a reaction from the Italians, who failed for much of the match to supply target man Luca Toni with many opportunities. And it was Spain who nearly made it a two-goal lead, as Villa had a shot saved by Buffon after a long pass from debutant Arbeloa.

Socceroos Earn Hard-Fought Point

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:07:00 +0000

A late penalty save from Mark Schwarzer has preserved a much-merited 0-0 draw for undermanned Australia against China in their World Cup Qualifier in Kunming.

In a dour match of few chances, Schwarzer brought down striker Qu Bo with just minutes left on the spot, but redeemed himself as he stopped Shao Jiayi's penalty with his legs, before diving on the ball.

The Socceroos could have even won the game in stoppage time, as Marco Bresciano put David Carney through on goal, but his lack of killer instinct allowed a superb challenge from China's left back to avert the danger.

Australia, which was missing stars Tim Cahill, Scott McDonald, Josh Kennedy, Brett Emerton and Harry Kewell, will be extremely pleased with the result, as it lifts them to top spot in Group 1. China now has just two points.

The late drama contrasted with the remainder of the match, which surprisingly saw a disappointing China sit back and allow Australia to control possession in midfield.

Coach Pim Verbeek's already interrupted plans were dealt a blow just before kick-off as Kewell succumbed to a groin complaint, and his worries were compounded after just ten minutes, as lone striker Archie Thompson was forced off injured after a tackle by Feng Xiaoting.

His replacement, Brett Holman, was impressive throughout the game, as he along with the tireless Marco Bresciano and Jason Culina harassed the Chinese defence into hurried passes and mistakes.

Chances were limited in the opening half, with players struggling to produce long passes due to the thinner air in Kunming's high altitude. Many long balls, particularly those of the Chinese, drifted harmlessly out of play, allowing the Socceroos to rebuild through their shorter passing game.

Australia's best chance of the opening half resulted in the 25^th minute from Holman winning possession just outside the penalty area. He slipped a pass through to Bresciano, but his shot was saved by Chinese keeper Zong Lei's legs.

The opportunity rattled China, whose only decent chances of the first half were a blocked shot and poor volley, both from midfielder Zhu Ting.

The second half yielded more of the same from the Socceroos, who were extremely content to maintain possession and probe for gaps around the Chinese penalty area.

China showed little more enterprise during the second half, and their performance was typified when their ineffectual captain Zheng Zhi was substituted after 70 minutes.

The Chinese persisted with long passes to lone striker Han Peng and his replacement Qu Bo into the second half, but the Socceroos defence, led by captain Lucas Neill, repelled each attack with composure.

But the tactic nearly brought the Socceroos unstuck with minutes on the clock as China was awarded a dubious penalty.

Schwarzer chose to charge off his line after a long ball forward landed just inside the penalty area. Schwarzer blocked Qu's initial effort, but in attempting to dive on the ball, he marginally caught Qu's legs despite knocking the ball away, and UAE referee Al Saeedi pointed to the spot.

Al Saeedi had minutes earlier infuriated the Socceroos by failing to even caution Manchester City and China defender Sun Jihai for his horrific, two-footed lunge on Luke Wilkshire, and the spot-kick decision further incensed the Socceroos, who surrounded the referee in protest. The Chinese players, led by Qu, celebrated as if the game was won.

Schwarzer, however, was not to be denied. Zheng Zhi's replacement Shao Jiayi blasted the penalty down the middle, but the shot lacked height, and Schwarzer was able to save with his legs.

The miss unnerved China once again, and the contest nearly took another dramatic twist as Carney had the chance to win it for the Socceroos.

With China lamenting its penalty miss, the Socceroos attempted to exploit China on the break. Valeri chipped the ball into the box for Bresciano, who cut the ball back for Carney, but he failed to attack the ball with conviction, and an excellent tackle from left-back Sun Xiang spared China's potential blushes.

Angela Merkel: All That Meets The Eye?

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 04:43:00 +0000

On the surface, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has just completed a highly successful state visit to Israel. She enjoyed cordial relations with her Israeli counterpart Ehud Olmert, completed customary activities including a highly symbolic visit to the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem, and became the first German Chancellor to address the Knesset.

Without doubt Merkel supports the existence of a Jewish state, and she has played a particularly significant role in attempting to re-ignite peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian leadership.

Indeed, Olmert describes Germany as a "strategic ally", praising Merkel's "unflinching support" for the state of Israel.

Israel and Germany already enjoy harmonious relations. Germany is Israel's largest trading partner in Europe, and this visit marked Merkel's third to Israel since taking office in 2005 (her predecessor Gerhard Schroder never visited), and in 2000, former German President Johannes Rau became the first German head of state to address the Knesset since the Holocaust.

'Strategic' is particularly apt in describing German-Israeli relations, as Iran became the hot topic of debate during Merkel's visit. Merkel has vowed before that she would support sanctions against Iran if it fails to come clean on its suspected nuclear program, and Olmert and Merkel plan to organise an international summit to properly deal with the situation.

With so much progress then, you may ask what more could have been expected from this important visit.

The concern lies not in what was discussed, but what wasn't. Not least the fact that anti-Semitism in Germany is rising once again, and has been for a number of years.

A much-publicised racial attack occurred in 2007 in Frankfurt, where an offender screaming racial expletives repeatedly stabbed a rabbi. But more disturbingly, well over 150 right-wing groups and organisations were functioning in Germany during 2006, a year after Merkel took office.

Similarly, and perhaps more ominously, in a recently published article, German Holocaust teacher Susanne Urban says that today in schools, one can hear teenagers 'cursing…'"You Jew!" or "You victim!"'

It would be grossly unmerited, however, to liken current German right-wing tendencies to those of the Nazis. But while anti-Semitism may not be as prevalent in Germany as in other parts of Europe or the world, any growth of German anti-Semitism inescapably carries the stigma of being linked to Nazism and the Holocaust.

Olmert drew on this historical aspect, as he articulated that German-Israeli relations "carry the weight of historical memory to which we are obligated. But this is why they contain power, sensitivity and substance that are unparalleled…in the international arena."

In her momentous speech to the Knesset, Merkel did pledge to clamp down on anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia in Germany, and spoke of Germany's great shame and guilt concerning the Holocaust. These sentiments, however, are not widely shared among Germans today. Many Germans try to suppress memories of the Holocaust, and some even liken Israel's current treatment of Palestinians as being tantamount to Holocaust atrocities.

Whilst the majority roundly applauded the speech, some right-wing parliamentarians boycotted it. One Likud member said: "I do not intend to forgive or forget. I do not take part in any ceremony that includes the participation of a German figure." Predictably, many Israelis will everlastingly carry antipathy towards the Germans, and they have every right to do so.

But as Olmert has rightly indicated, Germany is, and will remain, a "strategic ally" for Israel. But even as Merkel's three-day visit has certainly consolidated the already stable relations between the two states, much remains to be done in Germany to prevent further anti-Semitism from regenerating.

Pakistani Cricket in Crisis

noreply@blogger.com (dascman) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:29:00 +0000

The Australian cricket team will certainly be breathing easier today.

World cricket's worst kept secret was revealed yesterday when Cricket Australia (CA) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) resolved to postpone Australia's scheduled tour to Pakistan this month.

The decision was inevitable, particularly following a recent wave of suicide bombings, which culminated last week in the deaths of five Pakistani naval officers in the major city of Lahore.

The health and safety of the Australian team is obviously paramount, and CA was left with little alternative but to indefinitely postpone the tour. It now faces the difficult task of attempting to squeeze it in later in the calendar, provided the security situation improves.

Ultimately however, for Australia the conclusion was a no-brainer, and it has paved the way for the Australian players to reap their inflated financial rewards in the lucrative Indian Premier League.

But the consequences for their opponents are potentially devastating. As in India, cricket is Pakistan's national sport, and it invokes a parochialism often reserved for political and religious arenas. Depriving these fans of the chance to see their national heroes mix it with the world's best could have the negative effect of turning them away from cricket.

This is just the latest in a string of major setbacks to Pakistan's once-proud national side. Even before the much-publicised and still somewhat suspicious death of Bob Woolmer at the 2007 World Cup was Pakistani cricket in a state of flux.

Former world-class fast bowlers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis departed without ready-made, reliable replacements, and the retirement of Inzamam-ul-Haq has left Pakistan's batting order looking particularly thin, save for the outstanding Mohammad Yousuf.

The outcome has been a series of middling results, as Pakistan has struggled to match rivals India in their Test and one-day encounters, surrendering sub-continental supremacy to their neighbours. And despite finishing a gallant runner-up to India in last year's Twenty20 World Cup, the team has been primarily unable to recapture the glory days of the 1990s.

Rather, since the departure of such players, on and off-field controversies have instead dominated Pakistani cricket.

In 2006, Pakistan was embroiled in ball-tampering accusations at The Oval whilst playing England. The fallout saw umpire Darrell Hair suspended by the International Cricket Council from officiating international matches, and a four-match ban meted out to then-captain Inzamam.

Later that year, two of Pakistan's most talented fast bowlers Mohammad Sami and Shoaib Akhtar tested positive for the banned substance nandrolone, despite winning their eventual appeals. Then on the eve of the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup, Akhtar again fell foul of Pakistan's authorities, and was sent home from the Twenty20 World Cup after allegedly striking teammate Mohammad Asif with a cricket bat.

These incidents all occurred against a backdrop of relative political stability back in Pakistan. The now-deceased Benazir Bhutto was then in exile, and President Pervez Musharraf had not yet faced the challenges he faces today.

Now however, the PCB faces its biggest challenge yet. It is highly likely that the explosive political machinations taking place at home will affect their on-field performances. The inability to even perform in front of their home fans could potentially even drive future players away from representing their country.

Some current Pakistani cricketers, along with recent retirees such as Inzamam, have already walked away from potential PCB commitments to join the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) Twenty20 competition, despite threats of life-bans from Pakistan's governing body.

The Twenty20 leagues in India are becoming evermore enticing for cricketers, perhaps even more so for Pakistanis, given the nation's close proximity to India coupled with the political and social uncertainty in their homeland.

It would, however, be a stretch to say that Pakistan could go the way of Zimbabwe and disappear into the cricketing wilderness. The infrastructure in place is too strong, and there should always be a steady stream of promising cricketers coming through the ranks, as evidenced just last week when Pakistan reached the semi-finals of the under-20 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia, thumping Australia along the way.

But should the political predicament intensify, Pakistan will be forced to shift future home fixtures to neutral venues, depriving their voracious fans of international cricket, and prospectively further sapping the desire of Pakistani youths from taking up the game.

We can only hope that stability is restored to the strife-torn nation quickly. Otherwise, the PCB may be powerless to stop future opponents from following CA's lead and cancelling tours, further damaging Pakistan's stricken national team.