France 1-1 England: Lescott earns Hodgson's side deserved draw

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

England opened up their Euro 2012 campaign with a cagey 1-1 draw against France at the Donbass Arena in Donetsk.

Laurent Blanc's team controlled much of the Group D fixture but Joleon Lescott headed the Three Lions into the lead after 30 minutes.


Les Bleus were level before half-time thanks to Samir Nasri's strike in the 39th minute but could not unlock England's defence after the break.

France looked to generate their first attacks down the left flank, with Franck Ribery finding space behind Glen Johnson early on and Nasri, drifting across the edge of the penalty area, shooting just wide of Joe Hart's right post.

It was Roy Hodgson's men, though, who created the best chance of the opening quarter of an hour. Ashley Young found enough space to turn and pick out the slanted run of James Milner, who rounded Hugo Lloris with his first touch but could only hit the side netting with his second.


In the next 15 minutes the Three Lions were to carve out very little more but just as France seemed to be tightening their grip on proceedings, England jumped into the lead.


Gerrard brought back memories of David Beckham with a sublime delivery from the right-hand side that Lescott powered past Lloris from close range.

Alou Diarra was beaten in the air in that instance but the Marseille midfielder very nearly made amends when he forced Hart into an excellent save from a free kick before nodding a second attempt inches wide after Ribery had returned the ball to the danger zone.

Ribery was at the centre of all things positive for Les Bleus and as Laurent Blanc's team cranked up the pressure towards the end of the half, he played a part in their deserved equaliser. The Bayern Munich star teed the ball up for Nasri, who rattled a 20-yard shot inside Hart's near post.

England had more of a say early in the second half, with both teams trading blows without creating too much in the way of clear-cut chances. Gerrard was denied a clear free kick in a good position on the edge of the France penalty area before the Liverpool captain cut out Patrice Evra's threatening cross at the other end.

With Scott Parker seemingly struggling with either an injury or fatigue, France began to exploit more space in front of the England defence and Karim Benzema, hitherto a subdued presence, found enough room to unleash a powerful shot that Hart matched. Parker's situation was not helped when he felt the full force of Florent Malouda's attempted shot with a brave block.

Yohan Cabaye might have hit the back of the net with a neat volley if Danny Welbeck had not stuck out a leg to register an important block before Gerrard diverted Benzema's curling shot to safety as France continued to search for a decisive goal.

England added Jermain Defoe and Theo Walcott to their attack while France looked to Hatem Ben Arfa and Marvin Martin for inspiration but while Les Bleus remained well on top, Hodgson's team defended bravely to secure a valuable point.






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Russia 4-1 Czech Republic: Deadly Dzagoev inspires late blitz

Saturday, June 9, 2012

An outstanding attacking display from Russia had as its highlight two wonderfully-taken goals from Alan Dzagoev, as they cruised to a 4-1 win over the Czech Republic in Group A to kick off their Euro 2012 campaign in impressive fashion.

Dzagoev and Roman Shirokov netted before half time to put the eastern Europeans in a commanding position, although they could have led by more if not for wasteful finishing. 


Vaclav Pilar then gave the Czechs a shout of getting something from the game with his strike, but Russia saved the best for last as Dzagoev and Roman Pavlyuchenko both scored in the last 15 minutes to seal an emphatic opening victory. 

The game started in a scrappy, hectic fashion, with both sides conceding numerous fouls in the first 10 minutes. It was the Czechs, however, who appeared to be in control in the first phase, controlling the ball albeit with very little action in front of goal. Tomas Rosicky fired from long range, but the Arsenal man put his speculative shot high and wide. 

Russia were content to sit back at the beginning, but they had demonstrated their ability in front of goal with last week's destruction of Italy. Apparently the Czech defence had not learnt the lesson; a fluid counterattack spearheaded by Alan Dzagoev led to Aleksandr Kerzhakov hitting the post, but Dzagoev was on hand to fire home the rebound and give Dick Advocaat's men the lead with just 15 minutes played.


The goal was the cue for Russia to take a stranglehold on proceedings. Dzagoev was played in one on one with Peter Cech following a neat pass from Kerzhakov, but the CSKA Moscow star snatched at his effort and could only find the side-netting.

Andrei Arshavin was the inspiration for the second of the evening. The Arsenal star split open the defence with a brilliant pass across the area, which was met by Roman Shirokov to chip over the prostrate Cech and double the advantage. 

Czech Republic continued to try and build from deep with the ball at feet, but any mistake was punished by a Russia team that attacked continually with purpose and numbers. 

Kerzhakov would have been extremely disappointed not to have registered on the scoresheet during a one-sided first half. The Zenit man had another golden chance to hit the net having been played in from the left-hand side but, stretching and off balance, blazed over the bar.

The Czechs, meanwhile, barely tested Vyacheslav Malafeev at the other end, and would have been relieved to hear the half-time whistle and go into the dressing room just two behind. 

Michal Bilek's team came out after the break looking to reduce the deficit, but they were frustrated by a Russian outfit determined to deny their opponents the slightest glimpse on goal.

At the other end they remained the side looking most likely to add to the scoreline; Kerzhakov was given another chance on the right hand side, but once again fired wide. 

Seven minutes into the half, however, the Czech side finally found the breakthrough. A wonderful pass from Jaroslav Plasil opened the Russian defence for the first time, andVaclav Pilar was the beneficiary as he controlled the ball instantly, took it round Malafeev and slotted into the empty net for a much-needed lifeline. 

Wroclaw's Municipal Stadium suddenly burst into life with the strike, as the sizeable Czech contingent in the crowd finally found something to cheer after an opening period that had provided little and they made themselves heard.

On the pitch as well, the effect of Pilar's effort began to make itself felt. The Czechs were playing with more calm and authority, while the previously flawless passing game from Russia began to look rather more ragged as passes were falling astray.

Advocaat's side, however, remained dangerous and should really have sewn up the game with 20 minutes gone of the second half. Kerzhakov broke the offside trap perfectly to go clean through, but his torrid evening in front of goal continued as he dragged his shot well wide to blow a golden opportunity. 

It just was not to be the Zenit hitman's day. Another decent effort blazed to the left of Cech's post, followed by an attempt on his weaker left foot moments marked the sixth and seventh shots on goal of the evening for Aleksandr, without once forcing a save from the Chelsea goalkeeper.

His profligacy meant that Russian hearts were in mouths for the last 15 minutes; a wonderfully-hit volley from Theodor Gebre Selassie from wide on the right momentarily looked like flying in, before ultimately finishing in the side netting.

Rosicky's vicious long-range shot also gave Malafeev trouble, but the keeper did brilliantly to first parry before instantly recovering to smother the loose ball. The game was wrapped up shortly after, however; more fluid Russian passing sent Dzagoev away in the area, and the CSKA man proved he had no problem converting as he blasted home to give Cech no chance.

And minutes after come off the bench for Kherzakov, Roman Pavlyuchenko added a fourth with a high shot into the roof of the net, having bamboozled an exhausted Czech backline. 

The victory means Russia go straight to the top of Group A, overtaking Greece and hosts Poland after the pair drew 1-1 in the tournament's opening clash.








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Poland 1-1 Greece: Szczesny sent off as sub Salpingidis grabs thrilling draw

Poland and Greece played out a thrilling 1-1 draw that included two red cards and a penalty in the opening game of Euro 2012 at the National Stadium in Warsaw.

Franciszek Smuda's men dominated proceedings in the first half and deservedly took the lead through Robert Lewandowski. Just before half-time, Sokratis Papastathopoulos was sent off for a second bookable offence, leaving Greece with an uphill task to overturn their deficit.


Fernando Santos introduced Dimitris Salpingidis after the break and the PAOK man made an instant impact, netting the equaliser shortly after the restart. The substitute later won a penalty after he was fouled by Wojciech Szczesny, who was sent off for the offence, but captain Giorgos Karagounis missed from the spot.

Ultimately, the two sides had to settle for a draw in game which offered plenty of excitement from start to finish.

Both teams employed a cautious approach in the beginning of the match, but it was Poland, spurred on by their vocal fans, who created the first chance. A cross from the right by Lukasz Piszczek caught the Greek defence by surprise, but Lewandowski failed to connect with pass.

The ball ended up in the path of Rafal Murawski, who powered a shot at goal from outside the box, but his finish was palmed over the bar by goalkeeper Kostas Chalkias. Greece's reply came in the 12th minute when Theofanis Gekas sent a header wide of the left post from inside the box with the Polish defence beaten.

Smuda's men soon regained the initiative, and were looking particularly dangerous down the right flank as Borussia Dortmund duo Jakub 'Kuba' Blaszczykowski and Piszczek were causing the visitors plenty of trouble.


Their persistence paid off the 17th minute as they combined well on the wing before the former Wisla Krakow midfielder delivered a perfect cross for Lewandowski, who powered an unstoppable header past the onrushing Chalkias, making amends for missing with a volley moments earlier.

The opener calmed the nerves of Poland, who took their foot off the gas after their period of dominance. Greece adjusted their approach as well, and looked more committed in attack, but were struggling to create chances as the home side's pressing game was proving difficult to handle for the visitors.

Things went from bad to worse for Santos' men as in the 37th minute Avraam Papadopoulos was forced to leave the pitch after picking up an injury. His replacement, Kyriakos Papadopoulos nearly made an instant gaffe as his poor clearance on a free kick allowed Damien Perquis to fire a shot from inside the box, but to the relief of the Schalke man the finish missed the target.

The turning point of the half arrived in the 44th minute when Sokratis Papastathopoulos picked up his second caution of the game for foul on Murawski, leaving Greece with 10 men for the remainder of the match.

Sotiris Ninis was replaced by Salpingidis after the restart, and Santos' decision paid instant dividends. A mix-up by Szczesny and defender Marcin Wasilewski gifted Salpingidis a golden chance to level the proceedings, and the attacker took it with both hands, finishing in the left corner.

Smuda's men looked shell-shocked by the equaliser and were lacking ideas in the final third. Greece, on the other hand, were defending superbly, easily soaking up the pressure, waiting for their chance on the counter.

Just after the hour mark Georgios Samaras had a superb opportunity to put the Greeks ahead, but sent a volley from just outside the six-yard box way over the bar.

Poland received another blow as in the 69th minute as Szczesny was shown a straight red after fouling Salpingidis in the box, conceding a penalty in the process. Karagounis, however, saw his spot-kick saved by substitute goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton, wasting a chance to give Greece the lead.

The visitors had a goal disallowed in the 75th minute, and despite their best efforts were unable to score again as the game ended in a draw.






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Denmark can surprise Netherlands, says Heitinga

Thursday, June 7, 2012

John Heitinga says that Netherlands cannot afford to underestimate Denmark when the two sides get their European Championship campaigns underway on Saturday.

Bert van Marwijk's men are heavy favourites to get off to a winning start at Euro 2012 when they line-up against the Danes on Saturday night.

And, although Heitinga is confident that his side will collect the three points, he insists that Oranje must be careful not to fall victim to complacency.  

"Denmark could surprise us," the 28-year-old told NUSport. "Although their expectations are a lot lower in this difficult group.

"Nobody really expects them to proceed. We owe it to our fans to beat Denmark."

The Everton centre-back expects Nicklas Bendtner to start up front for the Euro 1992 winners and is confident that he can handle the 24-year-old, whom he has come up against before in the Premier League.

"They are likely to play with Bendtner in the first-team," he added. "I've played against him many times and it has always gone well.

"I have won all the battles and have never conceded against him. The statistics look good, but this is a totally different game."

The Netherlands meet Denmark on Saturday at 20.45 CET.

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Rooney: England can win Euro 2012

However, he says Roy Hodgson's squad should go into the tournament in Poland and Ukraine with the belief that they can go all the way.

“I think you go into a tournament hoping you can win it,” he told BBC's Football Focus.

“That’s the main thing. In the past two tournaments [World Cup 2006 and 2010], they’ve ended in disappointment. Now is the time to put that right.” 


The Manchester United forward also describd England's recent failures at major tournaments as an underachievement.

And the Croxteth-born star insists the current crop will do their utmost to ensure there is not a repeat at this edition of the European Championships.

“We know as players that we’ve been expected to do better than we have done in recent years,” he added. 

“ We understand that when you play for England you’re there to be shot at. We need to be sure we give our all and that when the tournament comes we try to win. If we do that and we’re not good enough, then we’ll hold our hands up.

“I don’t see why we can’t win it. We’ve certainly got the players and the quality. The new manager coming in has lifted everybody. As players, we know there’s been a lot of changes to the squad and a lot of younger players given the opportunity.

“We expect big things of ourselves, to come out here and do well. If people don’t expect that, it’s down to them. As long as we expect it of ourselves, we know we’re good enough to get to the semi-finals or the final, so that’s the aim.”






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