USA: Major League Soccer
01:00 -- Toronto FC - New York Red Bulls 1-1 (1-1)
01:30 -- New England Revolution - Seattle Sounders 2-2 (1-2)
01:30 -- DC United - Montreal Impact 3-0 (1-0)
02:30 -- Houston Dynamo - Philadelphia Union 2-1 (1-0)
03:00 -- Colorado Rapids - Portland Timbers 3-0 (2-0)
03:00 -- Columbus Crew - Real Salt Lake 2-0
16' Tony Tchani
44' Eddie Gaven
04:00 -- San Jose Earthquakes - Los Angeles Galaxy 4-3
[1-0] 7' Steven Lenhart
[1-1] 31' David Beckham
[1-2] 36' Jason Hernandez (o.-g.)
[1-3] 41' Landon Donovan
[2-3] 44' Victor Bernardez
[3-3] 47' Sam Cronin
[4-3] 61' Chris Wondolowski
Current standings:
Eastern Conference:
1 DC United 18 10 3 5 34-22 +12 33p
2 New York 17 9 4 4 32-25 +7 31p
3 Sporting KC 16 9 2 5 20-16 +4 29p
4 Chicago Fire 16 8 3 5 21-19 +2 27p
5 Houston 16 6 5 5 22-24 -2 23p
6 Columbus 15 6 4 5 16-15 +1 22p
Western Conference:
1 San Jose 17 11 3 3 35-22 +13 36p
2 Real Salt Lake 18 10 2 6 28-21 +7 32p
3 Seattle 17 7 5 5 21-18 +3 26p
4 Vancouver 16 7 5 4 18-19 -1 26p
5 Colorado 16 7 1 8 24-21 +3 22p
6 LA Galaxy 17 6 2 9 25-27 -2 20p
Saturday 30 June 2012
Friday 29 June 2012
2012.06.29 - The Result
USA: Major League Soccer
02:00 -- Sporting Kansas City - Chicago Fire 0-1
58' Marco Pappa
Current standings:
Eastern Conference:
1 DC United 17 9 3 5 31-22 +9 30p
2 New York 18 9 3 4 31-24 +7 30p
3 Sporting KC 16 9 2 5 20-16 +4 29p
4 Chicago Fire 16 8 3 5 21-19 +2 27p
5 Houston 15 5 5 5 20-23 -3 20p
6 Columbus 14 5 4 5 14-15 -1 19p
Western Conference:
1 San Jose 16 10 3 3 31-19 +12 33p
2 Real Salt Lake 17 10 2 5 28-19 +9 32p
3 Vancouver 16 7 5 4 18-19 -1 26p
4 Seattle 16 7 4 5 19-16 +3 25p
5 LA Galaxy 16 6 2 8 22-23 -1 20p
6 Colorado 15 6 1 8 21-21 0 19p
02:00 -- Sporting Kansas City - Chicago Fire 0-1
58' Marco Pappa
Current standings:
Eastern Conference:
1 DC United 17 9 3 5 31-22 +9 30p
2 New York 18 9 3 4 31-24 +7 30p
3 Sporting KC 16 9 2 5 20-16 +4 29p
4 Chicago Fire 16 8 3 5 21-19 +2 27p
5 Houston 15 5 5 5 20-23 -3 20p
6 Columbus 14 5 4 5 14-15 -1 19p
Western Conference:
1 San Jose 16 10 3 3 31-19 +12 33p
2 Real Salt Lake 17 10 2 5 28-19 +9 32p
3 Vancouver 16 7 5 4 18-19 -1 26p
4 Seattle 16 7 4 5 19-16 +3 25p
5 LA Galaxy 16 6 2 8 22-23 -1 20p
6 Colorado 15 6 1 8 21-21 0 19p
Thursday 28 June 2012
Italy Surprises Germany
What is wrong with Germany?
They were better off when they were West Germany, honestly.
All but one lucky European title (in 1996), in their trophy case, were won before the re-unification of the two Germanies.
I can't explain it, but they lost some of their strength, some of the spirit of football combat that made Lineker say "Football is a game for 22 people that run around, play the ball, and one referee who makes a slew of mistakes, and in the end Germany always wins", after there was no longer an East Germany.
Go figure...
But Italy played masterfully in this semifinal, too.
Except at the end, when they conceded a stupid penalty, that is.
Balotelli played the game of his career, probably.
There's not much more to say, except that Germany could not break down the Italian defensive force, and made a bunch of errors of their own, after Italy scored a first goal that came almost out of nothing.
And, after this match, and also considering how close Spain was to elimination at the hands of Portugal, I'm sure most people would say that Italy is now the favourite to win the trophy.
Highlights:
They were better off when they were West Germany, honestly.
All but one lucky European title (in 1996), in their trophy case, were won before the re-unification of the two Germanies.
I can't explain it, but they lost some of their strength, some of the spirit of football combat that made Lineker say "Football is a game for 22 people that run around, play the ball, and one referee who makes a slew of mistakes, and in the end Germany always wins", after there was no longer an East Germany.
Go figure...
But Italy played masterfully in this semifinal, too.
Except at the end, when they conceded a stupid penalty, that is.
Balotelli played the game of his career, probably.
There's not much more to say, except that Germany could not break down the Italian defensive force, and made a bunch of errors of their own, after Italy scored a first goal that came almost out of nothing.
And, after this match, and also considering how close Spain was to elimination at the hands of Portugal, I'm sure most people would say that Italy is now the favourite to win the trophy.
Highlights:
2012.06.28 - The Result
EURO 2012: Semifinal 2
20:45 -- Germany - Italy 1-2
[0-1] 20' Mario Balotelli
[0-2] 36' Mario Balotelli
[1-2] 90' + 2' Mesut Ozil (pen.)
20:45 -- Germany - Italy 1-2
[0-1] 20' Mario Balotelli
[0-2] 36' Mario Balotelli
[1-2] 90' + 2' Mesut Ozil (pen.)
Wednesday 27 June 2012
2012.06.27 - The Results
EURO 2012: Semifinal 1
20:45 -- Portugal - Spain 0-0, 0-0 after extra time, 2-4 on penalties
USA: Major League Soccer
01:30 -- Montreal Impact - Toronto FC 0-3 (0-0)
Current standings:
Eastern Conference:
1 DC United 17 9 3 5 31-22 +9 30p
2 New York 18 9 3 4 31-24 +7 30p
3 Sporting KC 15 9 2 4 20-15 +5 29p
4 Chicago Fire 15 7 3 5 20-19 +1 24p
5 Houston 15 5 5 5 20-23 -3 20p
6 Columbus 14 5 4 5 14-15 -1 19p
Western Conference:
1 San Jose 16 10 3 3 31-19 +12 33p
2 Real Salt Lake 17 10 2 5 28-19 +9 32p
3 Vancouver 16 7 5 4 18-19 -1 26p
4 Seattle 16 7 4 5 19-16 +3 25p
5 LA Galaxy 16 6 2 8 22-23 -1 20p
6 Colorado 15 6 1 8 21-21 0 19p
20:45 -- Portugal - Spain 0-0, 0-0 after extra time, 2-4 on penalties
USA: Major League Soccer
01:30 -- Montreal Impact - Toronto FC 0-3 (0-0)
Current standings:
Eastern Conference:
1 DC United 17 9 3 5 31-22 +9 30p
2 New York 18 9 3 4 31-24 +7 30p
3 Sporting KC 15 9 2 4 20-15 +5 29p
4 Chicago Fire 15 7 3 5 20-19 +1 24p
5 Houston 15 5 5 5 20-23 -3 20p
6 Columbus 14 5 4 5 14-15 -1 19p
Western Conference:
1 San Jose 16 10 3 3 31-19 +12 33p
2 Real Salt Lake 17 10 2 5 28-19 +9 32p
3 Vancouver 16 7 5 4 18-19 -1 26p
4 Seattle 16 7 4 5 19-16 +3 25p
5 LA Galaxy 16 6 2 8 22-23 -1 20p
6 Colorado 15 6 1 8 21-21 0 19p
Ronaldo's Demon Within
For the previous two matches leading to this encounter, the Portugal team was able to rely on Ronaldo to make its overall effort even better.
But Ronaldo played for the team in both the game against Netherlands and the game against the Czech Republic.
He clearly played for himself, unfortunately for Portugal, in this match.
When that chance came, when Portugal was going forward on the counter-attack and had about two extra attackers than Spain, Ronaldo would have been well-advised to not go for glory right away, but to pick his head up and look for the best option.
Even if he had to shoot, where was that composure from the match against Netherlands, when he tricked the defender? Where was the finesse?
Ronaldo wanted that fourth goal, I'm sure, and that's why he was shooting whenever the opportunity presented itself. (Free kicks, too, which were all wasted because Ronaldo could not even shoot it low enough to keep it on target.)
And yet Portugal played very well. They would have been the more deserving side to win the match, after the 90 minutes.
In extra time, Spain played better, and had 3-4 chances to finish off the Portuguese, but Portugal showed good defending skills, too.
Iniesta, probably, should have scored in extra time, but Patricio did very well to block the experienced Spanish midfielder.
It was all decided on penalties, again, for the second consecutive match.
And there was an even better story, in this one.
Spain won the coin toss, and they decided to take the spot kicks on that side of the field where many Spanish supporters were sitting, behind the goal.
But Xabi Alonso, the first penalty taker, could not beat Patricio. It was looking good for Portugal, much like it had been looking good for England, three days prior.
And then it swung the other way.
Joao Moutinho did even more poorly, and Casillas saved. Still 0-0 between the two sides, after 120 minutes and two penalties.
Iniesta, Pepe and Pique all scored. And, then, Bruno Alves was walking to take his penalty kick. But Nani sprints to catch up to Alves, sends him back, and Nani takes the kick. He scores, but, still, what was that all about?
Sergio Ramos has the next kick, and he decides to do it much like Pirlo. He succeeds.
And now Alves is coming back to take his penalty. (Apparently, Ronaldo is the last taker of the five for Portugal.) He hits the ball with a lot of power, but, just like Ashley Young, the ball comes back out off the crossbar.
This all means, of course, that Fabregas, the next spot-kick taker, just had to score and Spain would win the match.
He does, but not without some emotions. The ball hits the post to the right of Patricio, and then trickles into goal way on the other side, behind the goalkeeper and the goal line, before hitting the net on Patricio's left-hand side to make it clear to the spectators, too, that Spain had won.
Here's how the shootout went:
-- Spain - Alonso - miss - 0-0
-- Portugal - Moutinho - miss - 0-0
-- Spain - Iniesta - goal - 1-0
-- Portugal - Pepe - goal - 1-1
-- Spain - Pique - goal - 2-1
-- Portugal - Nani - goal - 2-2
-- Spain - Ramos - goal - 3-2
-- Portugal - Alves - miss - 3-2
-- Spain - Fabregas - goal - 4-2 (and Portugal's last penalty kick becomes irrelevant)
But Ronaldo played for the team in both the game against Netherlands and the game against the Czech Republic.
He clearly played for himself, unfortunately for Portugal, in this match.
When that chance came, when Portugal was going forward on the counter-attack and had about two extra attackers than Spain, Ronaldo would have been well-advised to not go for glory right away, but to pick his head up and look for the best option.
Even if he had to shoot, where was that composure from the match against Netherlands, when he tricked the defender? Where was the finesse?
Ronaldo wanted that fourth goal, I'm sure, and that's why he was shooting whenever the opportunity presented itself. (Free kicks, too, which were all wasted because Ronaldo could not even shoot it low enough to keep it on target.)
And yet Portugal played very well. They would have been the more deserving side to win the match, after the 90 minutes.
In extra time, Spain played better, and had 3-4 chances to finish off the Portuguese, but Portugal showed good defending skills, too.
Iniesta, probably, should have scored in extra time, but Patricio did very well to block the experienced Spanish midfielder.
It was all decided on penalties, again, for the second consecutive match.
And there was an even better story, in this one.
Spain won the coin toss, and they decided to take the spot kicks on that side of the field where many Spanish supporters were sitting, behind the goal.
But Xabi Alonso, the first penalty taker, could not beat Patricio. It was looking good for Portugal, much like it had been looking good for England, three days prior.
And then it swung the other way.
Joao Moutinho did even more poorly, and Casillas saved. Still 0-0 between the two sides, after 120 minutes and two penalties.
Iniesta, Pepe and Pique all scored. And, then, Bruno Alves was walking to take his penalty kick. But Nani sprints to catch up to Alves, sends him back, and Nani takes the kick. He scores, but, still, what was that all about?
Sergio Ramos has the next kick, and he decides to do it much like Pirlo. He succeeds.
And now Alves is coming back to take his penalty. (Apparently, Ronaldo is the last taker of the five for Portugal.) He hits the ball with a lot of power, but, just like Ashley Young, the ball comes back out off the crossbar.
This all means, of course, that Fabregas, the next spot-kick taker, just had to score and Spain would win the match.
He does, but not without some emotions. The ball hits the post to the right of Patricio, and then trickles into goal way on the other side, behind the goalkeeper and the goal line, before hitting the net on Patricio's left-hand side to make it clear to the spectators, too, that Spain had won.
Here's how the shootout went:
-- Spain - Alonso - miss - 0-0
-- Portugal - Moutinho - miss - 0-0
-- Spain - Iniesta - goal - 1-0
-- Portugal - Pepe - goal - 1-1
-- Spain - Pique - goal - 2-1
-- Portugal - Nani - goal - 2-2
-- Spain - Ramos - goal - 3-2
-- Portugal - Alves - miss - 3-2
-- Spain - Fabregas - goal - 4-2 (and Portugal's last penalty kick becomes irrelevant)
Sunday 24 June 2012
2012.06.24 - The Results
EURO 2012: Quarter-Final 4
20:45 -- England - Italy 0-0, 0-0 after extra time, 2-4 on penalties highlights
USA: Major League Soccer
23:00 -- Portland Timbers - Seattle Sounders 2-1 (2-0)
01:00 -- New York Red Bulls - DC United 3-2 highlights
[0-1] 1' Chris Pontius
[1-1] 20' Barklage B.
[2-1] 45' + 2' Barklage B.
[3-1] 55' Jan Gunnar Solli
[3-2] 66' Chris Pontius
Current standings:
Eastern Conference:
1 DC United 17 9 3 5 31-22 +9 30p
2 New York 18 9 3 4 31-24 +7 30p
3 Sporting KC 15 9 2 4 20-15 +5 29p
4 Chicago Fire 15 7 3 5 20-19 +1 24p
5 Houston 15 5 5 5 20-23 -3 20p
6 Columbus 14 5 4 5 14-15 -1 19p
Western Conference:
1 San Jose 16 10 3 3 31-19 +12 33p
2 Real Salt Lake 17 10 2 5 28-19 +9 32p
3 Vancouver 16 7 5 4 18-19 -1 26p
4 Seattle 16 7 4 5 19-16 +3 25p
5 LA Galaxy 16 6 2 8 22-23 -1 20p
6 Colorado 15 6 1 8 21-21 0 19p
20:45 -- England - Italy 0-0, 0-0 after extra time, 2-4 on penalties highlights
USA: Major League Soccer
23:00 -- Portland Timbers - Seattle Sounders 2-1 (2-0)
01:00 -- New York Red Bulls - DC United 3-2 highlights
[0-1] 1' Chris Pontius
[1-1] 20' Barklage B.
[2-1] 45' + 2' Barklage B.
[3-1] 55' Jan Gunnar Solli
[3-2] 66' Chris Pontius
Current standings:
Eastern Conference:
1 DC United 17 9 3 5 31-22 +9 30p
2 New York 18 9 3 4 31-24 +7 30p
3 Sporting KC 15 9 2 4 20-15 +5 29p
4 Chicago Fire 15 7 3 5 20-19 +1 24p
5 Houston 15 5 5 5 20-23 -3 20p
6 Columbus 14 5 4 5 14-15 -1 19p
Western Conference:
1 San Jose 16 10 3 3 31-19 +12 33p
2 Real Salt Lake 17 10 2 5 28-19 +9 32p
3 Vancouver 16 7 5 4 18-19 -1 26p
4 Seattle 16 7 4 5 19-16 +3 25p
5 LA Galaxy 16 6 2 8 22-23 -1 20p
6 Colorado 15 6 1 8 21-21 0 19p
When England Played Like Italy
This was the only quarter-final match-up that pitted against each other two unbeaten sides. England had two wins and a draw, and Italy had one win and two draws.
That, plus Hodgson's style of coaching his England squad, made the experts declare that, if there was a match that could get to penalties, this would be it.
And it was!
It was also the first match to end 0-0 at this Euro tournament.
But it did not happen because of a lack of scoring chances.
The first half, especially, was full of them.
Only 3 minutes in, for example, Daniele De Rossi had a great shot from about 25-30 metres out, which hit the post to Joe Hart's right.
Then Glen Johnson could not beat Buffon with a sitter from eight meters away, ten minutes into the game.
I should also mention Balotelli's weak run, after Pirlo's great pass allowed the striker a tremendous opportunity to advance through on goal, only to be blocked at the last moment. (Again!... Remember the Spain-Italy match, if you will.)
In the second half, there was another excellent opportunity missed by De Rossi, alone with the goalkeeper, but he probably hurried to kick the ball (and it did not even hit the target), because he thought he was offside.
There were many other scoring chances by the Italians, all squandered. (Italian efficiency was at its worst on this day, and many former Italian coaches were probably stupefied to see all these misses from Squadra Azzurra.)
England, on the other hand, played very much like Italy, defending very effectively and trying to hit on the break. But they also could not finish, as Rooney was not at his goal-scoring best, either. His attempt at a scissor kick proved that beyond any doubt.
Italy, on the other hand, did score once, with five minutes left in the second half of extra time, but it was offside.
So, the two teams remained unbeaten, and had to play penalties to determine who would advance to face Germany in the semifinals. The score, of course, stayed the same, 0-0, after 120+ minutes of game play.
The penalty shootout also seemed to have two different halves to it. There was the pre-Pirlo part, which contained the Italian miss and confident English penalty takers, and the post-Pirlo part, where the English completely lost their concentration. Andrea Pirlo scored a very gutsy, cheeky penalty, a la Panenka (from the Euro '76 final), which apparently suddenly made the Italians feel very confident, and had the opposite effect on the English. If Pirlo had missed, Italy very probably would have had to hope for a miracle to get the win, then.ww
And Pirlo's strike, of course, could have backfired on him, and it could have made him look really silly if Joe Hart hadn't dived too early. But it went in because the goalkeeper never anticipated something like that.
Here's how the shootout went:
-- Italy - Balotelli - goal - 1-0
-- England - Gerrard - goal - 1-1
-- Italy - Montolivo - miss - 1-1
-- England - Rooney - goal - 1-2
-- Italy - Pirlo - goal - 2-2
-- England - Young - miss - 2-2
-- Italy - Nocerino - goal - 3-2
-- England - Cole - miss - 3-2
-- Italy - Diamanti - goal - 4-2 (and England's last penalty kick becomes irrelevant)
Highlights:
That, plus Hodgson's style of coaching his England squad, made the experts declare that, if there was a match that could get to penalties, this would be it.
And it was!
It was also the first match to end 0-0 at this Euro tournament.
But it did not happen because of a lack of scoring chances.
The first half, especially, was full of them.
Only 3 minutes in, for example, Daniele De Rossi had a great shot from about 25-30 metres out, which hit the post to Joe Hart's right.
Then Glen Johnson could not beat Buffon with a sitter from eight meters away, ten minutes into the game.
I should also mention Balotelli's weak run, after Pirlo's great pass allowed the striker a tremendous opportunity to advance through on goal, only to be blocked at the last moment. (Again!... Remember the Spain-Italy match, if you will.)
In the second half, there was another excellent opportunity missed by De Rossi, alone with the goalkeeper, but he probably hurried to kick the ball (and it did not even hit the target), because he thought he was offside.
There were many other scoring chances by the Italians, all squandered. (Italian efficiency was at its worst on this day, and many former Italian coaches were probably stupefied to see all these misses from Squadra Azzurra.)
England, on the other hand, played very much like Italy, defending very effectively and trying to hit on the break. But they also could not finish, as Rooney was not at his goal-scoring best, either. His attempt at a scissor kick proved that beyond any doubt.
Italy, on the other hand, did score once, with five minutes left in the second half of extra time, but it was offside.
So, the two teams remained unbeaten, and had to play penalties to determine who would advance to face Germany in the semifinals. The score, of course, stayed the same, 0-0, after 120+ minutes of game play.
The penalty shootout also seemed to have two different halves to it. There was the pre-Pirlo part, which contained the Italian miss and confident English penalty takers, and the post-Pirlo part, where the English completely lost their concentration. Andrea Pirlo scored a very gutsy, cheeky penalty, a la Panenka (from the Euro '76 final), which apparently suddenly made the Italians feel very confident, and had the opposite effect on the English. If Pirlo had missed, Italy very probably would have had to hope for a miracle to get the win, then.ww
And Pirlo's strike, of course, could have backfired on him, and it could have made him look really silly if Joe Hart hadn't dived too early. But it went in because the goalkeeper never anticipated something like that.
Here's how the shootout went:
-- Italy - Balotelli - goal - 1-0
-- England - Gerrard - goal - 1-1
-- Italy - Montolivo - miss - 1-1
-- England - Rooney - goal - 1-2
-- Italy - Pirlo - goal - 2-2
-- England - Young - miss - 2-2
-- Italy - Nocerino - goal - 3-2
-- England - Cole - miss - 3-2
-- Italy - Diamanti - goal - 4-2 (and England's last penalty kick becomes irrelevant)
Highlights:
Saturday 23 June 2012
2012.06.23 - The Results
EURO 2012: Quarter-Final 3
20:45 -- Spain - France 2-0 highlights
19' Xabi Alonso
90' + 1' Xabi Alonso (pen.)
USA: Major League Soccer
22:30 -- Toronto FC - New England Revolution 2-2 (2-0)
01:00 -- Philadelphia Union - Sporting Kansas City 4-0 (2-0)
01:30 -- Montreal Impact - Houston Dynamo 4-2 (2-2)
02:30 -- Chicago Fire - Columbus Crew 2-1 (2-1)
03:00 -- Dallas - CD Chivas USA 0-0
03:00 -- Real Salt Lake - San Jose Earthquakes 1-2 highlights
[0-1] 75' Alan Gordon
[1-1] 79' Javier Morales
[1-2] 84' Chris Wondolowski
04:30 -- Los Angeles Galaxy - Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0 (3-0)
Current standings:
Eastern Conference:
1 DC United 16 9 3 4 29-19 +10 30p
2 Sporting KC 15 9 2 4 20-15 +5 29p
3 New York 15 8 3 4 28-22 +6 27p
4 Chicago Fire 15 7 3 5 20-19 +1 24p
5 Houston 15 5 5 5 20-23 -3 20p
6 Columbus 14 5 4 5 14-15 -1 19p
Western Conference:
1 San Jose 16 10 3 3 31-19 +12 33p
2 Real Salt Lake 17 10 2 5 28-19 +9 32p
3 Vancouver 16 7 5 4 18-19 -1 26p
4 Seattle 15 7 4 4 18-14 +4 25p
5 LA Galaxy 16 6 2 8 22-23 -1 20p
6 Colorado 15 6 1 8 21-21 0 19p
20:45 -- Spain - France 2-0 highlights
19' Xabi Alonso
90' + 1' Xabi Alonso (pen.)
USA: Major League Soccer
22:30 -- Toronto FC - New England Revolution 2-2 (2-0)
01:00 -- Philadelphia Union - Sporting Kansas City 4-0 (2-0)
01:30 -- Montreal Impact - Houston Dynamo 4-2 (2-2)
02:30 -- Chicago Fire - Columbus Crew 2-1 (2-1)
03:00 -- Dallas - CD Chivas USA 0-0
03:00 -- Real Salt Lake - San Jose Earthquakes 1-2 highlights
[0-1] 75' Alan Gordon
[1-1] 79' Javier Morales
[1-2] 84' Chris Wondolowski
04:30 -- Los Angeles Galaxy - Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0 (3-0)
Current standings:
Eastern Conference:
1 DC United 16 9 3 4 29-19 +10 30p
2 Sporting KC 15 9 2 4 20-15 +5 29p
3 New York 15 8 3 4 28-22 +6 27p
4 Chicago Fire 15 7 3 5 20-19 +1 24p
5 Houston 15 5 5 5 20-23 -3 20p
6 Columbus 14 5 4 5 14-15 -1 19p
Western Conference:
1 San Jose 16 10 3 3 31-19 +12 33p
2 Real Salt Lake 17 10 2 5 28-19 +9 32p
3 Vancouver 16 7 5 4 18-19 -1 26p
4 Seattle 15 7 4 4 18-14 +4 25p
5 LA Galaxy 16 6 2 8 22-23 -1 20p
6 Colorado 15 6 1 8 21-21 0 19p
History Does Not Always Repeat Itself
Before this Euro 2012 quarter-final, Spain had never beaten France in a competitive match.
But France made more of the errors that plagued their performance in the match against Sweden. And Spain, naturally, punished the French.
Only 19 minutes passed before Malouda stopped paying attention, and Iniesta found Alba on the left-hand side, the latter crossed the ball perfectly, and Xabi Alonso headed an unstoppable strike past Lloris.
And then Spain did very well to control the ball, thereby limiting the French attacks to whatever could come from flashes of individual brilliance.
But Benzema, the attacker that the French were hoping could unsettle the Spanish, was extremely weak in this match. He was never able to wrong-foot the opposing defense.
Ribery was slightly better, but he only got about one or two half-chances in the entire match.
The best French occasions came from Cabaye, following a long-distance free kick, in the first half, and Debuchy, with a header, early in the second half.
(And none of these two guys are forwards.)
Nasri came on late in the game, but he was as good as absent.
The best substitution in this match was performed by Vicente del Bosque.
He put in Pedro Rodriguez, and the Barcelona player succeeded in getting a penalty kick, in injury time, after being fouled by Reveillere.
On his 100th appearance for Spain, Alonso was allowed to take the spot kick, and he scored his fifteenth for the national team. 2-0 for Spain, in the 91st, and everybody watching knew that there was no way back for the French, with 3 minutes left.
Spain will meet Portugal, on Wednesday, in the first semifinal. And the Spanish will be playing in Donetsk, again.
Highlights:
But France made more of the errors that plagued their performance in the match against Sweden. And Spain, naturally, punished the French.
Only 19 minutes passed before Malouda stopped paying attention, and Iniesta found Alba on the left-hand side, the latter crossed the ball perfectly, and Xabi Alonso headed an unstoppable strike past Lloris.
And then Spain did very well to control the ball, thereby limiting the French attacks to whatever could come from flashes of individual brilliance.
But Benzema, the attacker that the French were hoping could unsettle the Spanish, was extremely weak in this match. He was never able to wrong-foot the opposing defense.
Ribery was slightly better, but he only got about one or two half-chances in the entire match.
The best French occasions came from Cabaye, following a long-distance free kick, in the first half, and Debuchy, with a header, early in the second half.
(And none of these two guys are forwards.)
Nasri came on late in the game, but he was as good as absent.
The best substitution in this match was performed by Vicente del Bosque.
He put in Pedro Rodriguez, and the Barcelona player succeeded in getting a penalty kick, in injury time, after being fouled by Reveillere.
On his 100th appearance for Spain, Alonso was allowed to take the spot kick, and he scored his fifteenth for the national team. 2-0 for Spain, in the 91st, and everybody watching knew that there was no way back for the French, with 3 minutes left.
Spain will meet Portugal, on Wednesday, in the first semifinal. And the Spanish will be playing in Donetsk, again.
Highlights:
Friday 22 June 2012
(Uninspired Coach + Sucky Goalkeeper) x Lack of Attention in Defense = Disaster Against Germany's B-Side
Greece's coach Fernando Santos could just as well have prepared this match while drunk.
This approach, that he decided to go with, might be worth studying in coaching schools when discussing what not to do in a quarter-final of a major tournament.
One of the two biggest mistakes, for sure, was allowing that pathetic excuse for a footballer, Sifakis, to play as goalkeeper. What, were both Chalkias and Tzorvas severely injured? I'm sure Chalkias would have made fewer wrong moves, even if he had been on crutches!
Sifakis has probably 30%-50% of the blame for the first two goals, and 80%-100% of the blame for the last two goals, by the Germans.
He has no idea where to place himself for long shots, and he's just a complete disaster when he's trying to anticipate moving forward from the goal-line.
(This is one goal-keeper who does not have a bright future. And he's already 27.)
Then, where the hell was the resolute defense from the matches against Russia and even the Czech Republic (excluding the first ten minutes of that second match)?
Sure, Germany is better than Russia and the Czech Republic put together, but not that good as to make the Greek players fall down like dominoes.
I mean, exactly when they needed to step it up a notch, the Greeks were losing the ball and then falling over themselves. Of course the Germans would take advantage, when the Greek defenders could not even stand up properly.
Thirdly, the one thing Santos cannot seem to understand, despite the fact that he has a pretty impressive coaching resume (Porto, AEK, Panathinaikos, Sporting CP, Benfica, PAOK... but, notice(!), no other national squad), is that the Germans like to shoot from far out. The Portuguese got that, the Danes got it, too, and even the Dutch seemed to be aware of it. Only the Greeks had no idea that Germany has players who can shoot well from outside the penalty box if given the chance.
Under these conditions, no wonder Germany scored four goals in this one encounter.
And lastly, I also must say, it takes a really weak coach to not be able to take advantage of what seemed like very good luck for the Greeks. They had some very lucky bounces in the first half, and, despite the goal by Lahm, the Greeks were still in it. What better example, than the way they tied it, through Samaras, in the 55th minute?
At 1-1 against Germany, a score that you certainly don't deserve, what do you tell your players? Do you tell them to keep it up, think they're all that, and to continue to leave large gaps at the back, or do you do something to tighten up the defense, first and foremost, so that the Germans would suffer for their relaxation?
Eventually, luck is going to desert you, of course, if you're stupid.
Germany played not so well, even though they went 4-1 up, from 1-1, in 19 minutes.
Joachim Low opted to introduce his second-string forwards. And he made some other weird substitutions, too. (A good, inspired team would have punished Germany on this day.)
But the Greeks should consider themselves lucky just to have scored the two goals; that's how dull they were in this game.
Really, though, when you score two goals against Germany, at a major tournament, you should go through to the next phase. Most of the time, you don't get to score two in such a match... The Greek team eliminated itself, through its own ignorance.
And most of this is Santos' fault.
(Oh, and Sifakis', too, of course. He would have been selected man of the match, if he had been in a German jersey.)
Highlights:
This approach, that he decided to go with, might be worth studying in coaching schools when discussing what not to do in a quarter-final of a major tournament.
One of the two biggest mistakes, for sure, was allowing that pathetic excuse for a footballer, Sifakis, to play as goalkeeper. What, were both Chalkias and Tzorvas severely injured? I'm sure Chalkias would have made fewer wrong moves, even if he had been on crutches!
Sifakis has probably 30%-50% of the blame for the first two goals, and 80%-100% of the blame for the last two goals, by the Germans.
He has no idea where to place himself for long shots, and he's just a complete disaster when he's trying to anticipate moving forward from the goal-line.
(This is one goal-keeper who does not have a bright future. And he's already 27.)
Then, where the hell was the resolute defense from the matches against Russia and even the Czech Republic (excluding the first ten minutes of that second match)?
Sure, Germany is better than Russia and the Czech Republic put together, but not that good as to make the Greek players fall down like dominoes.
I mean, exactly when they needed to step it up a notch, the Greeks were losing the ball and then falling over themselves. Of course the Germans would take advantage, when the Greek defenders could not even stand up properly.
Thirdly, the one thing Santos cannot seem to understand, despite the fact that he has a pretty impressive coaching resume (Porto, AEK, Panathinaikos, Sporting CP, Benfica, PAOK... but, notice(!), no other national squad), is that the Germans like to shoot from far out. The Portuguese got that, the Danes got it, too, and even the Dutch seemed to be aware of it. Only the Greeks had no idea that Germany has players who can shoot well from outside the penalty box if given the chance.
Under these conditions, no wonder Germany scored four goals in this one encounter.
And lastly, I also must say, it takes a really weak coach to not be able to take advantage of what seemed like very good luck for the Greeks. They had some very lucky bounces in the first half, and, despite the goal by Lahm, the Greeks were still in it. What better example, than the way they tied it, through Samaras, in the 55th minute?
At 1-1 against Germany, a score that you certainly don't deserve, what do you tell your players? Do you tell them to keep it up, think they're all that, and to continue to leave large gaps at the back, or do you do something to tighten up the defense, first and foremost, so that the Germans would suffer for their relaxation?
Eventually, luck is going to desert you, of course, if you're stupid.
Germany played not so well, even though they went 4-1 up, from 1-1, in 19 minutes.
Joachim Low opted to introduce his second-string forwards. And he made some other weird substitutions, too. (A good, inspired team would have punished Germany on this day.)
But the Greeks should consider themselves lucky just to have scored the two goals; that's how dull they were in this game.
Really, though, when you score two goals against Germany, at a major tournament, you should go through to the next phase. Most of the time, you don't get to score two in such a match... The Greek team eliminated itself, through its own ignorance.
And most of this is Santos' fault.
(Oh, and Sifakis', too, of course. He would have been selected man of the match, if he had been in a German jersey.)
Highlights:
2012.06.22 - The Result
EURO 2012: Quarter-Final 2
20:45 -- Germany - Greece 4-2 highlights
[1-0] 39' Philipp Lahm
[1-1] 55' Georgios Samaras
[2-1] 61' Sami Khedira
[3-1] 68' Miroslav Klose
[4-1] 74' Marco Reus
[4-2] 89' Dimitris Salpigidis (pen.)
20:45 -- Germany - Greece 4-2 highlights
[1-0] 39' Philipp Lahm
[1-1] 55' Georgios Samaras
[2-1] 61' Sami Khedira
[3-1] 68' Miroslav Klose
[4-1] 74' Marco Reus
[4-2] 89' Dimitris Salpigidis (pen.)
Thursday 21 June 2012
0 Shots on Goal
Looking back at this match quarter-final match, you could see why the Czech Republic players were thumped 1-4 in their opening fixture.
They were very lucky not to concede quickly against Portugal, here.
Portugal was always pressing harder, and the Czech response was very weak by comparison.
Before scoring (in the 80th minute), Ronaldo hit the post twice. (I'm sure he's the player who hit the woodwork the most times at this tournament.) First, he did it in first-half injury time, when he made a couple of Czech defenders look like amateurs with his turn and then fired past Cech, and the second time was with a free-kick shot, early in the second half.
The goal was somehow unexpected, though, because the defender who was initially in front of Ronaldo, at the start of the cross by Moutinho, seemed to just stop and allow the striker to re-position himself in front, to be able to head the ball towards goal. It was truly that difference of class that separates winners from losers.
And, just like in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich, Petr Cech again allows a goal from a headed effort that bounces in off the turf. But this one was a much more powerful header, and one can't really blame Cech.
But, unfortunately for him, it seemed impossible to even imagine the Czechs coming back from a deficit, because they always played for the draw. And, indeed, they could not do anything to tie the score after falling behind.
Even Jiracek was incapable of coming up with something worthy of praise, before or after.
Not even one shot on goal by the Czech Republic. There's no way you can expect to advance with that kind of low attack productivity.
Portugal is the deserving first semifinalist.
Highlights:
They were very lucky not to concede quickly against Portugal, here.
Portugal was always pressing harder, and the Czech response was very weak by comparison.
Before scoring (in the 80th minute), Ronaldo hit the post twice. (I'm sure he's the player who hit the woodwork the most times at this tournament.) First, he did it in first-half injury time, when he made a couple of Czech defenders look like amateurs with his turn and then fired past Cech, and the second time was with a free-kick shot, early in the second half.
The goal was somehow unexpected, though, because the defender who was initially in front of Ronaldo, at the start of the cross by Moutinho, seemed to just stop and allow the striker to re-position himself in front, to be able to head the ball towards goal. It was truly that difference of class that separates winners from losers.
And, just like in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich, Petr Cech again allows a goal from a headed effort that bounces in off the turf. But this one was a much more powerful header, and one can't really blame Cech.
But, unfortunately for him, it seemed impossible to even imagine the Czechs coming back from a deficit, because they always played for the draw. And, indeed, they could not do anything to tie the score after falling behind.
Even Jiracek was incapable of coming up with something worthy of praise, before or after.
Not even one shot on goal by the Czech Republic. There's no way you can expect to advance with that kind of low attack productivity.
Portugal is the deserving first semifinalist.
Highlights:
Wednesday 20 June 2012
2012.06.20 - The Results
USA: Major League Soccer
03:00 -- Houston Dynamo - Toronto FC 3-3 (1-3)
03:00 -- Real Salt Lake - Los Angeles Galaxy 2-3 (2-1)
03:30 -- Colorado Rapids - San Jose Earthquakes 1-2 (1-0)
04:00 -- Seattle Sounders - Sporting Kansas City 1-1 (1-1)
04:30 -- CD Chivas USA - Montreal Impact 2-1 (1-1)
05:00 -- Vancouver Whitecaps - New York Red Bulls 1-1 highlights
[1-0] 75' Martin Bonjour
[1-1] 86' Heath Pearce
Current standings:
Eastern Conference:
1 DC United 16 9 3 4 29-19 +10 30p
2 Sporting KC 14 9 2 3 20-11 +9 29p
3 New York 15 8 3 4 28-22 +6 27p
4 Chicago Fire 14 6 3 5 18-18 0 21p
5 Houston 14 5 5 4 18-19 -1 20p
6 Columbus 13 5 4 4 13-13 0 19p
Western Conference:
1 Real Salt Lake 16 10 2 4 27-17 +10 32p
2 San Jose 15 9 3 3 29-18 +11 30p
3 Vancouver 15 7 5 3 18-16 +2 26p
4 Seattle 15 7 4 4 18-14 +4 25p
5 Colorado 15 6 1 8 21-21 0 19p
6 Chivas USA 15 5 3 7 11-18 -7 18p
03:00 -- Houston Dynamo - Toronto FC 3-3 (1-3)
03:00 -- Real Salt Lake - Los Angeles Galaxy 2-3 (2-1)
03:30 -- Colorado Rapids - San Jose Earthquakes 1-2 (1-0)
04:00 -- Seattle Sounders - Sporting Kansas City 1-1 (1-1)
04:30 -- CD Chivas USA - Montreal Impact 2-1 (1-1)
05:00 -- Vancouver Whitecaps - New York Red Bulls 1-1 highlights
[1-0] 75' Martin Bonjour
[1-1] 86' Heath Pearce
Current standings:
Eastern Conference:
1 DC United 16 9 3 4 29-19 +10 30p
2 Sporting KC 14 9 2 3 20-11 +9 29p
3 New York 15 8 3 4 28-22 +6 27p
4 Chicago Fire 14 6 3 5 18-18 0 21p
5 Houston 14 5 5 4 18-19 -1 20p
6 Columbus 13 5 4 4 13-13 0 19p
Western Conference:
1 Real Salt Lake 16 10 2 4 27-17 +10 32p
2 San Jose 15 9 3 3 29-18 +11 30p
3 Vancouver 15 7 5 3 18-16 +2 26p
4 Seattle 15 7 4 4 18-14 +4 25p
5 Colorado 15 6 1 8 21-21 0 19p
6 Chivas USA 15 5 3 7 11-18 -7 18p
Tuesday 19 June 2012
How the Mighty Have Fallen
France looked very good, after beating the hosts, Ukraine, in a very decisive manner on the second matchday. And, knowing that they looked better than the English, on the first matchday, too, most people would have probably bet on Blanc's team to win the group.
But Ibrahimovic and his Swedes begged to differ.
In the other match, England was assured of going through with a draw or better. Ukraine needed a win.
All France had to do to advance was not lose by more than one goal. So, they were assured of progressing even with a loss by just one goal, no matter what happened anywhere else!
Sweden, of course, could not finish higher than fourth!
But Sweden really did show up to play for pride, and I guess that's their best incentive.
The best chance of the first half belonged to the Swedes, and came after roughly ten minutes. Toivonen rounded Lloris, after escaping on goal, and sent the ball towards the empty net from an acute angle, but his shot hit the post.
In the other match, Ukraine was pressing England. In the first 15 minutes, or so, Ukraine had 7 goal-scoring opportunities, England had zero.
There were no goals before half-time, in either of the two matches.
And then, 3 minutes after kick-off in the second half, one large defensive error by the Ukrainians, especially goalkeeper Pyatov, allowed the ball to bounce perfectly towards the far post where an unmarked Rooney had only to nudge the ball into the empty net, in characteristic Manchester-United fashion. (Let's admit it, we see quite a few Man.-U. goals like that.)
England was winning the group. And the Ukraine players were seeing their dream slip away.
Roughly ten minutes into the second half, Sweden scored, too. Ibrahimovic was the goalscorer, naturally. And this one was, and probably will be, the goal of the tournament. The Milan striker put the ball past Lloris with a wonderful volley, side-scissor-kick-like, from the edge of the French penalty area.
It wasn't as spectacular as some of the goals Marco van Basten used to score, but it certainly reminded older viewers of those amazing efforts by the Dutch forward.
France was still guaranteed a place in the quarter-finals at this score, though.
Going back to the match in Donetsk, Ukraine should have had their equalizer right after the hour-mark. Ukraine substitute Devic managed to kick the ball strongly enough to make it still go in even after Joe Hart's intervention, but Terry ran after it and saved right on the line.
Or did he?
Replays would show that the ball was actually inside the goal by a (small but reasonable) distance.
The goal was not awarded to Ukraine, though, for reasons unknown. (Maybe it was to compensate England for the refereeing error that helped eliminate them from World Cup 2010, because otherwise it's ridiculous that the entire stadium sees the goal but the referees and it's the referees' dumb decision that stands.)
What we do know is that these organizations, FIFA and UEFA, continue to defend their inability to guarantee 100%-correct refereeing, and continue to protect these inept referees too much.
I, for one, believe the referees who make a bad decision that influence a match that much should be punished by not being able to be a referee again (and make money from such a job) for a very long period of time, such as five years. And that should be for the first offense, mind you. Doing it a second time should be automatic lifetime ban from ever being an official referee again. That would teach them for playing God (or devil) with decisions that could hurt millions of people when they go wrong.
Anyway, though, despite the late introduction of injured Shevchenko, and despite playing better than England, Ukraine could not even get one point in Donetsk.
What a bad stadium and a bad city for Ukraine! Maybe they should have continued to play in the Ukrainian-speaking part of their country.
England, on the other hand, said "thank you very much" and won the group.
Yes, they won the group, because France lost.
But Sweden ended up winning 2-0, not just 1-0.
They had many chances of making it 2-0, but only in minute 90' + 1' did they finally succeed. Larsson was the one who thundered the ball into the French net after Holmen made the French defensive line dizzy with an effort that rebounded off the bar to Larsson.
Thus, the French were humbled.
In these conditions, it's interesting to note that, even if Ukraine had managed to turn around the result to 2-1, from 0-1, in injury time, considering the French loss by two goals, England would have still stayed in the competition. If the scores were 2-1 for Ukraine and 2-0 for Sweden, France would have gone home.
But, with the English win, despite the hard defeat, France still advances. They will have to play Spain now, though.
And England is going to play Italy, on Sunday, in Kyiv.
If they had finished second, hmm, the English would have stayed in Donetsk, for their quarter-final match, too. (But yeah, their team base-camp is in Krakow, so I guess it wouldn't have really helped them that much. And, speaking of team base-camps, another interesting fact is that the French will now play their quarter-final match in Donetsk, and their base-camp just happens to be in... Donetsk! Yes, where they won against Ukraine, their best match of the tournament. Hmm, again, one might say. Could that be a good sign for them?)
Highlights from England - Ukraine 1-0:
England Ukraine by anastasio7
Highlights from Sweden - France 2-0:
Sweden France by anastasio7
Oh, and, by the way, by "the Mighty" (that "Have Fallen"), I do mean the French, of course.
The English themselves admitted to having low expectations.
But Ibrahimovic and his Swedes begged to differ.
In the other match, England was assured of going through with a draw or better. Ukraine needed a win.
All France had to do to advance was not lose by more than one goal. So, they were assured of progressing even with a loss by just one goal, no matter what happened anywhere else!
Sweden, of course, could not finish higher than fourth!
But Sweden really did show up to play for pride, and I guess that's their best incentive.
The best chance of the first half belonged to the Swedes, and came after roughly ten minutes. Toivonen rounded Lloris, after escaping on goal, and sent the ball towards the empty net from an acute angle, but his shot hit the post.
In the other match, Ukraine was pressing England. In the first 15 minutes, or so, Ukraine had 7 goal-scoring opportunities, England had zero.
There were no goals before half-time, in either of the two matches.
And then, 3 minutes after kick-off in the second half, one large defensive error by the Ukrainians, especially goalkeeper Pyatov, allowed the ball to bounce perfectly towards the far post where an unmarked Rooney had only to nudge the ball into the empty net, in characteristic Manchester-United fashion. (Let's admit it, we see quite a few Man.-U. goals like that.)
England was winning the group. And the Ukraine players were seeing their dream slip away.
Roughly ten minutes into the second half, Sweden scored, too. Ibrahimovic was the goalscorer, naturally. And this one was, and probably will be, the goal of the tournament. The Milan striker put the ball past Lloris with a wonderful volley, side-scissor-kick-like, from the edge of the French penalty area.
It wasn't as spectacular as some of the goals Marco van Basten used to score, but it certainly reminded older viewers of those amazing efforts by the Dutch forward.
France was still guaranteed a place in the quarter-finals at this score, though.
Going back to the match in Donetsk, Ukraine should have had their equalizer right after the hour-mark. Ukraine substitute Devic managed to kick the ball strongly enough to make it still go in even after Joe Hart's intervention, but Terry ran after it and saved right on the line.
Or did he?
Replays would show that the ball was actually inside the goal by a (small but reasonable) distance.
The goal was not awarded to Ukraine, though, for reasons unknown. (Maybe it was to compensate England for the refereeing error that helped eliminate them from World Cup 2010, because otherwise it's ridiculous that the entire stadium sees the goal but the referees and it's the referees' dumb decision that stands.)
What we do know is that these organizations, FIFA and UEFA, continue to defend their inability to guarantee 100%-correct refereeing, and continue to protect these inept referees too much.
I, for one, believe the referees who make a bad decision that influence a match that much should be punished by not being able to be a referee again (and make money from such a job) for a very long period of time, such as five years. And that should be for the first offense, mind you. Doing it a second time should be automatic lifetime ban from ever being an official referee again. That would teach them for playing God (or devil) with decisions that could hurt millions of people when they go wrong.
Anyway, though, despite the late introduction of injured Shevchenko, and despite playing better than England, Ukraine could not even get one point in Donetsk.
What a bad stadium and a bad city for Ukraine! Maybe they should have continued to play in the Ukrainian-speaking part of their country.
England, on the other hand, said "thank you very much" and won the group.
Yes, they won the group, because France lost.
But Sweden ended up winning 2-0, not just 1-0.
They had many chances of making it 2-0, but only in minute 90' + 1' did they finally succeed. Larsson was the one who thundered the ball into the French net after Holmen made the French defensive line dizzy with an effort that rebounded off the bar to Larsson.
Thus, the French were humbled.
In these conditions, it's interesting to note that, even if Ukraine had managed to turn around the result to 2-1, from 0-1, in injury time, considering the French loss by two goals, England would have still stayed in the competition. If the scores were 2-1 for Ukraine and 2-0 for Sweden, France would have gone home.
But, with the English win, despite the hard defeat, France still advances. They will have to play Spain now, though.
And England is going to play Italy, on Sunday, in Kyiv.
If they had finished second, hmm, the English would have stayed in Donetsk, for their quarter-final match, too. (But yeah, their team base-camp is in Krakow, so I guess it wouldn't have really helped them that much. And, speaking of team base-camps, another interesting fact is that the French will now play their quarter-final match in Donetsk, and their base-camp just happens to be in... Donetsk! Yes, where they won against Ukraine, their best match of the tournament. Hmm, again, one might say. Could that be a good sign for them?)
Highlights from England - Ukraine 1-0:
England Ukraine by anastasio7
Highlights from Sweden - France 2-0:
Sweden France by anastasio7
Oh, and, by the way, by "the Mighty" (that "Have Fallen"), I do mean the French, of course.
The English themselves admitted to having low expectations.
2012.06.19 - The Results
EURO 2012: Group D
20:45 -- England - Ukraine 1-0 highlights
48' Wayne Rooney
20:45 -- Sweden - France 2-0 highlights
54' Zlatan Ibrahimovic
90' + 1' Sebastian Larsson
Final standings:
1 England 3 2 1 0 5-3 +2 7p
2 France 3 1 1 1 3-3 0 4p
3 Ukraine 3 1 0 2 2-4 -2 3p {2-1 versus Sweden}
4 Sweden 3 1 0 2 5-5 0 3p {1-2 versus Ukraine}
20:45 -- England - Ukraine 1-0 highlights
48' Wayne Rooney
20:45 -- Sweden - France 2-0 highlights
54' Zlatan Ibrahimovic
90' + 1' Sebastian Larsson
Final standings:
1 England 3 2 1 0 5-3 +2 7p
2 France 3 1 1 1 3-3 0 4p
3 Ukraine 3 1 0 2 2-4 -2 3p {2-1 versus Sweden}
4 Sweden 3 1 0 2 5-5 0 3p {1-2 versus Ukraine}
Monday 18 June 2012
Honour, Luck and Costly Misses
2-2. That was the score that would have qualified both Croatia and Spain, had they reached it in their direct match, and that would have taken Italy out of contention.
... Again, that is.
In 2004, Italy had drawn against Denmark, 0-0, and Sweden, 1-1, and the two nordic countries made it such that their direct match ended 2-2. ("2-2 = nordic victory" was a famous slogan used by Scandinavian fans, at that time, in Portugal.)
And I'm sure so many Italians feared an arrangement like that one very, very much.
But history did not repeat itself.
Spanish coach Vicente del Bosque clearly said that Spain will play to win. And they did just that.
As a matter of fact, Spain could lose, too, because they made some errors in defense in the second half, but they were somewhat lucky, first, because the Croatians were not able to score from some great opportunities, and secondly because they scored after an attack which was very close to being offside (on two counts).
At 0-0 in Gdansk, if Italy was to win against Ireland, which was the most probable outcome in Poznan, the Italians would have won the group (even with the weakest victory, 1-0).
Yes, the direct-encounter tie-breaking criteria can be quite unfair sometimes on teams that play the better football overall.
But Italy needed to win, to have any chances of advancing. A draw would not do. And, unlike in their first two matches, Ireland did not concede any goals in the first 3-4 minutes. Italy had to work for it hard. Trapattoni was not handing the Italian team any gifts.
Italy was not playing great, but the goal did come. Somewhat like Shevchenko's second goal against Sweden, and Pepe's goal against Denmark, Cassano's effort sneaked past the goalkeeper, too.
Duff tried to clear it, but the ball had already crossed the goal line, and the referees got a good view of it.
Italy was up 1-0.
It was what the Croatians feared. At this point, they were still tied on points with the Spanish, but had a worse goal difference. So, Croatia would have been out, while Italy would have won the group.
Assuming Italy would not lose points against Ireland, especially as they were already leading, Croatia desperately needed a goal to advance.
Bilic's team really did play for that, against the world and European champion, much to their credit.
15 minutes before the end, Rakitic could, and maybe should, have scored after being left alone with Casillas, in a position to head the ball on goal.
But the Spanish goalkeeper made himself big that time, and the Croatians were to regret that big opportunity.
Meanwhile, Italy was living dangerously, too, as the Irish players were beginning to try powerful strikes from distance. Buffon had to save a dangerous-looking strike from Andrews.
The game in Gdansk was nearing completion, and it was still 0-0. Croatia was looking more dangerous.
But then the Croatian back line decided (or perhaps was instructed, and stupidly so) to play the offside trap against the Spanish midfield. It was the 88th minute.
Fabregas chipped the ball over the Croatians, to find Iniesta on-side, alone with Pletikosa. And having Jesus Navas right to his right, too. A perfect pass sideways, and the Croatian goalkeeper had absolutely no chance. Navas walked the ball into the net, practically.
This did not change much for Croatia, because they still needed to score, anyway. (Italy was still leading.)
But it did not help their morale. Why would you play the offside trap against Spain???
In the other match, as if knowing that Italy was still not yet assured of a spot in the quarter-finals (- and, as a matter of fact, the Spanish goal meant Italy was only one Croatian or Irish goal away from elimination, whereas at 0-0 in Gdansk the situation was looking better for the Italians -) Balotelli scored a spectacular goal with his back towards the goalkeeper, which helped ensure the Italian victory.
Italy, though, could have been eliminated if Croatia had tied the match against Spain. (They would have gone out because of scoring fewer goals than Croatia in their three matches.)
Luckily for Italy, Spain hung on, and Croatia had to admit defeat.
Well, Bilic was furious, but what could he do?
At 2-0, in injury time, Italy was going for the third goal. (That would have ensured their progress, even with a 1-1 draw in the Croatia-Spain match.) They did not want to leave anything to chance.
The Italians could not score that third goal, but they did not need to. One minute after their match was over, so was the game between Spain and Croatia.
It was very bad luck for Croatia, a team that posed a lot of problems to both Spain and Italy, and would not have advanced undeservingly if they had taken their chances better.
Ireland had the best fans, and Croatia perhaps the best coach, considering what he had to work with and the results he achieved, and they deserve to be praised for this. But, in the end, most people will feel that the best teams advanced from this group.
Highlights from Croatia - Spain 0-1:
See highlights from Italy - Ireland 2-0 here.
... Again, that is.
In 2004, Italy had drawn against Denmark, 0-0, and Sweden, 1-1, and the two nordic countries made it such that their direct match ended 2-2. ("2-2 = nordic victory" was a famous slogan used by Scandinavian fans, at that time, in Portugal.)
And I'm sure so many Italians feared an arrangement like that one very, very much.
But history did not repeat itself.
Spanish coach Vicente del Bosque clearly said that Spain will play to win. And they did just that.
As a matter of fact, Spain could lose, too, because they made some errors in defense in the second half, but they were somewhat lucky, first, because the Croatians were not able to score from some great opportunities, and secondly because they scored after an attack which was very close to being offside (on two counts).
At 0-0 in Gdansk, if Italy was to win against Ireland, which was the most probable outcome in Poznan, the Italians would have won the group (even with the weakest victory, 1-0).
Yes, the direct-encounter tie-breaking criteria can be quite unfair sometimes on teams that play the better football overall.
But Italy needed to win, to have any chances of advancing. A draw would not do. And, unlike in their first two matches, Ireland did not concede any goals in the first 3-4 minutes. Italy had to work for it hard. Trapattoni was not handing the Italian team any gifts.
Italy was not playing great, but the goal did come. Somewhat like Shevchenko's second goal against Sweden, and Pepe's goal against Denmark, Cassano's effort sneaked past the goalkeeper, too.
Duff tried to clear it, but the ball had already crossed the goal line, and the referees got a good view of it.
Italy was up 1-0.
It was what the Croatians feared. At this point, they were still tied on points with the Spanish, but had a worse goal difference. So, Croatia would have been out, while Italy would have won the group.
Assuming Italy would not lose points against Ireland, especially as they were already leading, Croatia desperately needed a goal to advance.
Bilic's team really did play for that, against the world and European champion, much to their credit.
15 minutes before the end, Rakitic could, and maybe should, have scored after being left alone with Casillas, in a position to head the ball on goal.
But the Spanish goalkeeper made himself big that time, and the Croatians were to regret that big opportunity.
Meanwhile, Italy was living dangerously, too, as the Irish players were beginning to try powerful strikes from distance. Buffon had to save a dangerous-looking strike from Andrews.
The game in Gdansk was nearing completion, and it was still 0-0. Croatia was looking more dangerous.
But then the Croatian back line decided (or perhaps was instructed, and stupidly so) to play the offside trap against the Spanish midfield. It was the 88th minute.
Fabregas chipped the ball over the Croatians, to find Iniesta on-side, alone with Pletikosa. And having Jesus Navas right to his right, too. A perfect pass sideways, and the Croatian goalkeeper had absolutely no chance. Navas walked the ball into the net, practically.
This did not change much for Croatia, because they still needed to score, anyway. (Italy was still leading.)
But it did not help their morale. Why would you play the offside trap against Spain???
In the other match, as if knowing that Italy was still not yet assured of a spot in the quarter-finals (- and, as a matter of fact, the Spanish goal meant Italy was only one Croatian or Irish goal away from elimination, whereas at 0-0 in Gdansk the situation was looking better for the Italians -) Balotelli scored a spectacular goal with his back towards the goalkeeper, which helped ensure the Italian victory.
Italy, though, could have been eliminated if Croatia had tied the match against Spain. (They would have gone out because of scoring fewer goals than Croatia in their three matches.)
Luckily for Italy, Spain hung on, and Croatia had to admit defeat.
Well, Bilic was furious, but what could he do?
At 2-0, in injury time, Italy was going for the third goal. (That would have ensured their progress, even with a 1-1 draw in the Croatia-Spain match.) They did not want to leave anything to chance.
The Italians could not score that third goal, but they did not need to. One minute after their match was over, so was the game between Spain and Croatia.
It was very bad luck for Croatia, a team that posed a lot of problems to both Spain and Italy, and would not have advanced undeservingly if they had taken their chances better.
Ireland had the best fans, and Croatia perhaps the best coach, considering what he had to work with and the results he achieved, and they deserve to be praised for this. But, in the end, most people will feel that the best teams advanced from this group.
Highlights from Croatia - Spain 0-1:
See highlights from Italy - Ireland 2-0 here.
2012.06.18 - The Results
EURO 2012: Group C
20:45 -- Croatia - Spain 0-1 highlights
88' Jesus Navas
20:45 -- Italy - Ireland 2-0 highlights
35' Antonio Cassano
90' Mario Balotelli
Final standings:
1 Spain 3 2 1 0 6-1 +5 7p
2 Italy 3 1 2 0 3-2 +1 5p
3 Croatia 3 1 1 1 4-3 +1 4p
4 Ireland 3 0 0 3 1-8 -7 0p
20:45 -- Croatia - Spain 0-1 highlights
88' Jesus Navas
20:45 -- Italy - Ireland 2-0 highlights
35' Antonio Cassano
90' Mario Balotelli
Final standings:
1 Spain 3 2 1 0 6-1 +5 7p
2 Italy 3 1 2 0 3-2 +1 5p
3 Croatia 3 1 1 1 4-3 +1 4p
4 Ireland 3 0 0 3 1-8 -7 0p
Group D - Possible Scenarios
Here's what could happen on the final matchday of Group D:
1) England wins & Sweden wins:
England 7p, France 4p, Ukraine 3p, Sweden 3p
(Ukraine would finish third because of the win against Sweden.)
2) England wins & draw in the other match:
England 7p, France 5p, Ukraine 3p, Sweden 1p
3) England wins & France wins
3-1. France wins by a larger margin than England or wins by the same margin as England or wins by a margin of one goal less than England's margin but scores at least two more goals than England in doing so:
France 7p, England 7p, Ukraine 3p, Sweden 0p
(France would win the group thanks to better goal difference and/or more goals scored.)
3-2. England wins by a margin larger by two goals or more than France's margin or wins by a margin larger by one goal than France's margin but France does not score more than the number of goals England scores plus one:
England 7p, France 7p, Ukraine 3p, Sweden 0p
(England would win the group thanks to better goal difference and/or more goals scored and/or higher UEFA national team coefficient.)
4) draw in the first match & Sweden wins:
England 5p, France 4p, Ukraine 4p, Sweden 3p
(France would advance because of the win against Ukraine.)
5) draws in both matches:
France 5p, England 5p, Ukraine 4p, Sweden 1p
(France would win the group thanks to better goal difference.)
6) draw in the first match & France wins:
France 7p, England 5p, Ukraine 4p, Sweden 0p
7) Ukraine wins & Sweden wins
7-1. France loses by a smaller margin than England or loses by the same margin as England or loses by a margin larger by one goal than England's margin but scores at least two more goals than England in doing so:
Ukraine 6p, France 4p, England 4p, Sweden 3p
(France would advance because of better goal difference and/or more goals scored.)
7-2. England loses by a margin smaller by two goals or more than France's margin or loses by a margin smaller by one goal than France's margin but France does not score more than the number of goals England scores plus one:
Ukraine 6p, England 4p, France 4p, Sweden 3p
(England would advance because of better goal difference and/or more goals scored and/or higher UEFA national team coefficient.)
8) Ukraine wins & draw in the other match:
Ukraine 6p, France 5p, England 4p, Sweden 1p
9) Ukraine wins & France wins:
France 7p, Ukraine 6p, England 4p, Sweden 0p
1) England wins & Sweden wins:
England 7p, France 4p, Ukraine 3p, Sweden 3p
(Ukraine would finish third because of the win against Sweden.)
2) England wins & draw in the other match:
England 7p, France 5p, Ukraine 3p, Sweden 1p
3) England wins & France wins
3-1. France wins by a larger margin than England or wins by the same margin as England or wins by a margin of one goal less than England's margin but scores at least two more goals than England in doing so:
France 7p, England 7p, Ukraine 3p, Sweden 0p
(France would win the group thanks to better goal difference and/or more goals scored.)
3-2. England wins by a margin larger by two goals or more than France's margin or wins by a margin larger by one goal than France's margin but France does not score more than the number of goals England scores plus one:
England 7p, France 7p, Ukraine 3p, Sweden 0p
(England would win the group thanks to better goal difference and/or more goals scored and/or higher UEFA national team coefficient.)
4) draw in the first match & Sweden wins:
England 5p, France 4p, Ukraine 4p, Sweden 3p
(France would advance because of the win against Ukraine.)
5) draws in both matches:
France 5p, England 5p, Ukraine 4p, Sweden 1p
(France would win the group thanks to better goal difference.)
6) draw in the first match & France wins:
France 7p, England 5p, Ukraine 4p, Sweden 0p
7) Ukraine wins & Sweden wins
7-1. France loses by a smaller margin than England or loses by the same margin as England or loses by a margin larger by one goal than England's margin but scores at least two more goals than England in doing so:
Ukraine 6p, France 4p, England 4p, Sweden 3p
(France would advance because of better goal difference and/or more goals scored.)
7-2. England loses by a margin smaller by two goals or more than France's margin or loses by a margin smaller by one goal than France's margin but France does not score more than the number of goals England scores plus one:
Ukraine 6p, England 4p, France 4p, Sweden 3p
(England would advance because of better goal difference and/or more goals scored and/or higher UEFA national team coefficient.)
8) Ukraine wins & draw in the other match:
Ukraine 6p, France 5p, England 4p, Sweden 1p
9) Ukraine wins & France wins:
France 7p, Ukraine 6p, England 4p, Sweden 0p
Sunday 17 June 2012
2012.06.17 - The Results
EURO 2012: Group B
20:45 -- Denmark - Germany 1-2 highlights
[0-1] 19' Lukas Podolski
[1-1] 24' Michael Krohn-Dehli
[1-2] 80' Lars Bender
20:45 -- Portugal - Netherlands 2-1 highlights
[0-1] 11' Rafael van der Vaart
[1-1] 28' Cristiano Ronaldo
[2-1] 74' Cristiano Ronaldo
Final standings:
1 Germany 3 3 0 0 5-2 +3 9p
2 Portugal 3 2 0 1 5-4 +1 6p
3 Denmark 3 1 0 2 4-5 -1 3p
4 Netherlands 3 0 0 3 2-5 -3 0p
USA: Major League Soccer
23:00 -- Chicago Fire - New York Red Bulls 3-1
[1-0] 4' Patrick Nyarko
[1-1] 55' Dax McCarty
[2-1] 68' Gonzalo Segares
[3-1] 81' Chris Rolfe
01:00 -- Los Angeles Galaxy - Portland Timbers 1-0 (0-0)
Current standings:
Eastern Conference:
1 DC United 16 9 3 4 29-19 +10 30p
2 Sporting KC 13 9 1 3 19-10 +9 28p
3 New York 14 8 2 4 27-21 +6 26p
4 Chicago Fire 14 6 3 5 18-18 0 21p
5 Columbus 13 5 4 4 13-13 0 19p
6 Houston 13 5 4 4 15-16 -1 19p
Western Conference:
1 Real Salt Lake 15 10 2 3 25-14 +11 32p
2 San Jose 14 8 3 3 27-17 +10 27p
3 Vancouver 14 7 4 3 17-15 +2 25p
4 Seattle 14 7 3 4 17-13 +4 24p
5 Colorado 14 6 1 7 20-19 +1 19p
6 Chivas USA 14 4 3 7 9-17 -8 15p
20:45 -- Denmark - Germany 1-2 highlights
[0-1] 19' Lukas Podolski
[1-1] 24' Michael Krohn-Dehli
[1-2] 80' Lars Bender
20:45 -- Portugal - Netherlands 2-1 highlights
[0-1] 11' Rafael van der Vaart
[1-1] 28' Cristiano Ronaldo
[2-1] 74' Cristiano Ronaldo
Final standings:
1 Germany 3 3 0 0 5-2 +3 9p
2 Portugal 3 2 0 1 5-4 +1 6p
3 Denmark 3 1 0 2 4-5 -1 3p
4 Netherlands 3 0 0 3 2-5 -3 0p
USA: Major League Soccer
23:00 -- Chicago Fire - New York Red Bulls 3-1
[1-0] 4' Patrick Nyarko
[1-1] 55' Dax McCarty
[2-1] 68' Gonzalo Segares
[3-1] 81' Chris Rolfe
01:00 -- Los Angeles Galaxy - Portland Timbers 1-0 (0-0)
Current standings:
Eastern Conference:
1 DC United 16 9 3 4 29-19 +10 30p
2 Sporting KC 13 9 1 3 19-10 +9 28p
3 New York 14 8 2 4 27-21 +6 26p
4 Chicago Fire 14 6 3 5 18-18 0 21p
5 Columbus 13 5 4 4 13-13 0 19p
6 Houston 13 5 4 4 15-16 -1 19p
Western Conference:
1 Real Salt Lake 15 10 2 3 25-14 +11 32p
2 San Jose 14 8 3 3 27-17 +10 27p
3 Vancouver 14 7 4 3 17-15 +2 25p
4 Seattle 14 7 3 4 17-13 +4 24p
5 Colorado 14 6 1 7 20-19 +1 19p
6 Chivas USA 14 4 3 7 9-17 -8 15p
The Last Matchday in Group B or How Ronaldo Humiliated Netherlands
Supposedly, Cristiano Ronaldo promised that he would score three in his next game, after playing so badly against Denmark.
Well, he didn't score three, but he came damn close.
If Ronaldo played every game like this one, maybe he would be the best player in the world. (In my humble opinion, Messi is still the best.)
He scored two goals, hit the post twice, and played a perfect pass to Nani, at 1-1, that should have resulted in another Portuguese goal (- not even to mention that every time he got the ball in the Dutch half there was danger).
But let's start from the start.
Van der Vaart. Why was van Bommel inserted in the Dutch starting eleven instead of van der Vaart, in the matches against Denmark and Germany?
Rafael van der Vaart scored the first of the six goals on this day. And he would almost equalize at 2 for Netherlands, in the second half, with a similar effort that hit the post.
But, getting back to the first goal, it was a great shot from outside the box. And the Dutch began hoping. (This was just eleven minutes after kick-off.)
They needed a second one, and a German victory in the other match, to go through.
The Germans seemed on track for that scenario, too. On his 100th appearance in a Germany jersey, Lukas Podolski (in minute 19) took advantage of bad Danish defending to slot the ball into the top of the net from a few meters out. All three bottom teams, Portugal, Denmark and Netherlands were on three points at that stage, but the Portuguese and the Danes had identical best head-to-head records, 3-3, against Netherlands, leaving Holland, with 1-1, at the bottom of the group. Portugal would have advanced, because of better UEFA national team coefficient, the next tie-breaking criterion that could have been applied to separate them from Denmark's team.
But Denmark hit back. Only five minutes after Podolski's strike, the Danes showed great aerial agility in the German penalty box, and Krohn-Dehli used his head to deflect another header from a team-mate past the helpless Neuer. At this point, Denmark was through to the quarter-finals.
However, Portugal was pressing. And, in the 28th minute, Ronaldo finally got in behind the Dutch defense. He defeated Stekelenburg with a cool strike. Portugal was back in second place, again, just like at the start of the match.
Portugal continued to press, because they knew a Danish goal could eliminate them. And, obviously, the Denmark players could score on Germany.
But a 2-1 victory for Denmark could also eliminate the Germans, on the other hand, if Portugal also happened to win.
And, what do you know, after a few huge chances missed for Portugal, they did finally take the lead. In the 74th minute, Ronaldo again was found in the Dutch penalty area, with room to maneuver, and he had no problem scoring.
Now, at 2-1 for Portugal, and the Danes pressing in the other match, just one goal could have seen the Germans forced to pack their bags.
One goal did come, but it was scored by the Germans, though.
It was heartbreak for Denmark, as they were caught too advanced, and Lars Bender (80) obtained the victory for Germany. So, Denmark was the team that was going to go home.
2-1 in both matches. But not for the teams that desperately needed to win.
And these results clearly divided the four teams into four separate classes: the team that beat everybody else (on 9 points), the team that only lost to the best team but beat the other two (with 6), the team that could only beat the bottom team (with 3), and, of course, the team that lost to everybody (on 0 points). Or Germany, Portugal, Denmark, Netherlands, in that order.
Netherlands: what a disappointment!
Highlights from Denmark - Germany 1-2:
Дания - Германия 1:2(1) by landsgraaf
Highlights from Portugal - Netherlands 2-1:
Well, he didn't score three, but he came damn close.
If Ronaldo played every game like this one, maybe he would be the best player in the world. (In my humble opinion, Messi is still the best.)
He scored two goals, hit the post twice, and played a perfect pass to Nani, at 1-1, that should have resulted in another Portuguese goal (- not even to mention that every time he got the ball in the Dutch half there was danger).
But let's start from the start.
Van der Vaart. Why was van Bommel inserted in the Dutch starting eleven instead of van der Vaart, in the matches against Denmark and Germany?
Rafael van der Vaart scored the first of the six goals on this day. And he would almost equalize at 2 for Netherlands, in the second half, with a similar effort that hit the post.
But, getting back to the first goal, it was a great shot from outside the box. And the Dutch began hoping. (This was just eleven minutes after kick-off.)
They needed a second one, and a German victory in the other match, to go through.
The Germans seemed on track for that scenario, too. On his 100th appearance in a Germany jersey, Lukas Podolski (in minute 19) took advantage of bad Danish defending to slot the ball into the top of the net from a few meters out. All three bottom teams, Portugal, Denmark and Netherlands were on three points at that stage, but the Portuguese and the Danes had identical best head-to-head records, 3-3, against Netherlands, leaving Holland, with 1-1, at the bottom of the group. Portugal would have advanced, because of better UEFA national team coefficient, the next tie-breaking criterion that could have been applied to separate them from Denmark's team.
But Denmark hit back. Only five minutes after Podolski's strike, the Danes showed great aerial agility in the German penalty box, and Krohn-Dehli used his head to deflect another header from a team-mate past the helpless Neuer. At this point, Denmark was through to the quarter-finals.
However, Portugal was pressing. And, in the 28th minute, Ronaldo finally got in behind the Dutch defense. He defeated Stekelenburg with a cool strike. Portugal was back in second place, again, just like at the start of the match.
Portugal continued to press, because they knew a Danish goal could eliminate them. And, obviously, the Denmark players could score on Germany.
But a 2-1 victory for Denmark could also eliminate the Germans, on the other hand, if Portugal also happened to win.
And, what do you know, after a few huge chances missed for Portugal, they did finally take the lead. In the 74th minute, Ronaldo again was found in the Dutch penalty area, with room to maneuver, and he had no problem scoring.
Now, at 2-1 for Portugal, and the Danes pressing in the other match, just one goal could have seen the Germans forced to pack their bags.
One goal did come, but it was scored by the Germans, though.
It was heartbreak for Denmark, as they were caught too advanced, and Lars Bender (80) obtained the victory for Germany. So, Denmark was the team that was going to go home.
2-1 in both matches. But not for the teams that desperately needed to win.
And these results clearly divided the four teams into four separate classes: the team that beat everybody else (on 9 points), the team that only lost to the best team but beat the other two (with 6), the team that could only beat the bottom team (with 3), and, of course, the team that lost to everybody (on 0 points). Or Germany, Portugal, Denmark, Netherlands, in that order.
Netherlands: what a disappointment!
Highlights from Denmark - Germany 1-2:
Дания - Германия 1:2(1) by landsgraaf
Highlights from Portugal - Netherlands 2-1:
Group C - Possible Scenarios
Here's what could happen on the final matchday of Group C:
1) Croatia wins & Italy wins:
Croatia 7p, Italy 5p, Spain 4p, Ireland 0p
2) Croatia wins & draw in the other match:
Croatia 7p, Spain 4p, Italy 3p, Ireland 1p
3) Croatia wins & Ireland wins:
Croatia 7p, Spain 4p, Ireland 3p, Italy 2p
4) draw in the first match & Italy wins
4-1. Croatia-Spain finishes 0-0:
Italy 5p, Spain 5p, Croatia 5p, Ireland 0p
(Italy would win the group because of having the most goals scored in the head-to-head records against Spain and Croatia, while Spain would advance because of having a better goal difference than Croatia.)
4-2. Croatia-Spain finishes 1-1 and Italy wins by one goal or 2-0:
Spain 5p, Croatia 5p, Italy 5p, Ireland 0p
(Spain would win the group because of having the best goal difference, while Croatia would advance because of having a better goal difference and/or more goals scored than Italy.)
4-3. Croatia-Spain finishes 1-1 and Italy wins by two goals but not 2-0 or by three goals or 4-0:
Spain 5p, Italy 5p, Croatia 5p, Ireland 0p
(Spain would win the group because of having the best goal difference or a higher UEFA national team coefficient than Italy, while Italy would advance because of having a better goal difference than Croatia and/or more goals scored than Croatia and/or having a higher UEFA national team coefficient than Croatia.)
4-4. Croatia-Spain finishes 1-1 and Italy wins by four goals but not 4-0 or by more goals:
Italy 5p, Spain 5p, Croatia 5p, Ireland 0p
(Italy would win the group because of having the best goal difference or more goals scored than Spain, while Spain would advance because of having a better goal difference than Croatia.)
4-5. Croatia-Spain finishes in a higher-scoring draw:
Spain 5p, Croatia 5p, Italy 5p, Ireland 0p
(Spain would win the group because of having a better goal difference than Croatia, while Croatia would advance because of having, just like Spain, more goals scored than Italy in the head-to-head records between the three teams.)
5) draws in both matches:
Spain 5p, Croatia 5p, Italy 3p, Ireland 1p
(Spain would win the group because of having a better goal difference than Croatia.)
6) draw in the first match & Ireland wins:
Spain 5p, Croatia 5p, Ireland 3p, Italy 2p
(Spain would win the group because of having a better goal difference than Croatia.)
7) Spain wins & Italy wins:
Spain 7p, Italy 5p, Croatia 4p, Ireland 0p
8) Spain wins & draw in the other match:
Spain 7p, Croatia 4p, Italy 3p, Ireland 1p
9) Spain wins & Ireland wins:
Spain 7p, Croatia 4p, Ireland 3p, Italy 2p
1) Croatia wins & Italy wins:
Croatia 7p, Italy 5p, Spain 4p, Ireland 0p
2) Croatia wins & draw in the other match:
Croatia 7p, Spain 4p, Italy 3p, Ireland 1p
3) Croatia wins & Ireland wins:
Croatia 7p, Spain 4p, Ireland 3p, Italy 2p
4) draw in the first match & Italy wins
4-1. Croatia-Spain finishes 0-0:
Italy 5p, Spain 5p, Croatia 5p, Ireland 0p
(Italy would win the group because of having the most goals scored in the head-to-head records against Spain and Croatia, while Spain would advance because of having a better goal difference than Croatia.)
4-2. Croatia-Spain finishes 1-1 and Italy wins by one goal or 2-0:
Spain 5p, Croatia 5p, Italy 5p, Ireland 0p
(Spain would win the group because of having the best goal difference, while Croatia would advance because of having a better goal difference and/or more goals scored than Italy.)
4-3. Croatia-Spain finishes 1-1 and Italy wins by two goals but not 2-0 or by three goals or 4-0:
Spain 5p, Italy 5p, Croatia 5p, Ireland 0p
(Spain would win the group because of having the best goal difference or a higher UEFA national team coefficient than Italy, while Italy would advance because of having a better goal difference than Croatia and/or more goals scored than Croatia and/or having a higher UEFA national team coefficient than Croatia.)
4-4. Croatia-Spain finishes 1-1 and Italy wins by four goals but not 4-0 or by more goals:
Italy 5p, Spain 5p, Croatia 5p, Ireland 0p
(Italy would win the group because of having the best goal difference or more goals scored than Spain, while Spain would advance because of having a better goal difference than Croatia.)
4-5. Croatia-Spain finishes in a higher-scoring draw:
Spain 5p, Croatia 5p, Italy 5p, Ireland 0p
(Spain would win the group because of having a better goal difference than Croatia, while Croatia would advance because of having, just like Spain, more goals scored than Italy in the head-to-head records between the three teams.)
5) draws in both matches:
Spain 5p, Croatia 5p, Italy 3p, Ireland 1p
(Spain would win the group because of having a better goal difference than Croatia.)
6) draw in the first match & Ireland wins:
Spain 5p, Croatia 5p, Ireland 3p, Italy 2p
(Spain would win the group because of having a better goal difference than Croatia.)
7) Spain wins & Italy wins:
Spain 7p, Italy 5p, Croatia 4p, Ireland 0p
8) Spain wins & draw in the other match:
Spain 7p, Croatia 4p, Italy 3p, Ireland 1p
9) Spain wins & Ireland wins:
Spain 7p, Croatia 4p, Ireland 3p, Italy 2p
Saturday 16 June 2012
2012.06.16 - The Results
EURO 2012: Group A
20:45 -- Czech Republic - Poland 1-0 highlights
72' Petr Jiracek
20:45 -- Greece - Russia 1-0 highlights
45' + 2' Giorgios Karagounis
Final standings:
1 Czech Republic 3 2 0 1 4-5 -1 6p
2 Greece 3 1 1 1 3-3 0 4p {1-0 versus Russia}
3 Russia 3 1 1 1 5-3 +2 4p {0-1 versus Greece}
4 Poland 3 0 2 1 2-3 -1 2p
USA: Major League Soccer
23:00 -- Houston Dynamo - Dallas 2-1 (1-0)
01:00 -- Philadelphia Union - D.C. United 0-1 (0-0)
01:00 -- Vancouver Whitecaps - Colorado Rapids 1-0 (0-0)
01:30 -- Montreal Impact - Seattle Sounders 4-1 (1-0)
01:30 -- New England Revolution - Columbus Crew 0-0
02:30 -- Sporting Kansas City - Toronto FC 2-0 (2-0)
04:30 -- CD Chivas USA - Real Salt Lake 0-3 (0-1)
Current standings:
Eastern Conference:
1 D.C United 16 9 3 4 29-19 +10 30p
3 New York 13 8 2 3 26-18 +8 26p
2 Sporting KC 13 9 1 3 19-10 +9 28p
4 Columbus 13 5 4 4 13-13 0 19p
5 Houston 13 5 4 4 15-16 -1 19p
6 Chicago Fire 13 5 3 5 15-17 -2 18p
Western Conference:
1 Real Salt Lake 15 10 2 3 25-14 +11 32p
2 San Jose 14 8 3 3 27-17 +10 27p
3 Vancouver 14 7 4 3 17-15 +2 25p
4 Seattle 14 7 3 4 17-13 +4 24p
5 Colorado 14 6 1 7 20-19 +1 19p
6 Chivas USA 14 4 3 7 9-17 -8 15p
20:45 -- Czech Republic - Poland 1-0 highlights
72' Petr Jiracek
20:45 -- Greece - Russia 1-0 highlights
45' + 2' Giorgios Karagounis
Final standings:
1 Czech Republic 3 2 0 1 4-5 -1 6p
2 Greece 3 1 1 1 3-3 0 4p {1-0 versus Russia}
3 Russia 3 1 1 1 5-3 +2 4p {0-1 versus Greece}
4 Poland 3 0 2 1 2-3 -1 2p
USA: Major League Soccer
23:00 -- Houston Dynamo - Dallas 2-1 (1-0)
01:00 -- Philadelphia Union - D.C. United 0-1 (0-0)
01:00 -- Vancouver Whitecaps - Colorado Rapids 1-0 (0-0)
01:30 -- Montreal Impact - Seattle Sounders 4-1 (1-0)
01:30 -- New England Revolution - Columbus Crew 0-0
02:30 -- Sporting Kansas City - Toronto FC 2-0 (2-0)
04:30 -- CD Chivas USA - Real Salt Lake 0-3 (0-1)
Current standings:
Eastern Conference:
1 D.C United 16 9 3 4 29-19 +10 30p
3 New York 13 8 2 3 26-18 +8 26p
2 Sporting KC 13 9 1 3 19-10 +9 28p
4 Columbus 13 5 4 4 13-13 0 19p
5 Houston 13 5 4 4 15-16 -1 19p
6 Chicago Fire 13 5 3 5 15-17 -2 18p
Western Conference:
1 Real Salt Lake 15 10 2 3 25-14 +11 32p
2 San Jose 14 8 3 3 27-17 +10 27p
3 Vancouver 14 7 4 3 17-15 +2 25p
4 Seattle 14 7 3 4 17-13 +4 24p
5 Colorado 14 6 1 7 20-19 +1 19p
6 Chivas USA 14 4 3 7 9-17 -8 15p
What a Fantastic, Amazing, Unbelievable Turn-Around!
Group A. What a crazy group!
After Russia's win over the Czech Republic, everybody thought the former would win the group. I personally thought the Czechs were going to be eliminated.
But no! The Czechs won the group, and Russia went out!
After the first two matches, Greece was sitting bottom of the group, with only one point from their matches with the lowest-ranked from the other teams, and facing supposedly the best team in the group in a do-or-die encounter.
Not only that, but history was not on the Greeks' side, either, as they had previously fallen to defeats against Russia in 2008 and 2004.
But, in the end, the only win Greece got so far at these Euros came, yes, against Russia.
Czech Republic - Poland 1-0 (0-0)
Greece - Russia 1-0 (1-0)
Poland and Russia were the more persistent in the early going, in their respective matches, too, ironically, on top of everything else.
The hosts kept going forward but their attacks had little incisiveness.
The Russians had fewer chances against Greece in the first half than the Poles had against the Czech Republic, but theirs were more dangerous.
Both Greece and Czech Republic defended very carefully, though.
The first breakthrough came in first-half injury time, in Warsaw, very late, at a time when the Czechs and Poles had already retired from the field of play in Wroclaw.
There was a throw-in from the right attacking side, the Russian defenders underestimated it, and Karagounis suddenly found himself with the ball at his feet and in a good position to shoot on goal. He took the shot excellently, and Malafeev could not prevent it from sliding past him.
What's interesting is that, at this score, the Russians were still going to advance to the quarter-final stage. Sure, the Greeks were in, but the Russians were also still in, unless either Poland or the Czech Republic managed to add two more points to their total, with a win, thereby bypassing Russia in the standings.
With three teams tied on 4 points, the Russians still would have advanced, as long as they didn't concede five more goals.
The Greek team played a perfect game, though, and they weren't without a small share of good luck, also. Even though Russia could not convert some good chances, perhaps Greece should have had a penalty in the second half that might have settled the outcome of this game for good. Unfortunately for Greece, though, Karagounis got a yellow card for simulation and will now miss the quarter-final match, which could potentially be against any team from Group B, with the exception of Netherlands, most likely Germany.
Greece also hit the post in the second half, following a free kick from just outside the Russian penalty area.
As the second half progressed, I'm sure the Russian fans, and maybe even the squad, became equally interested in what was happening in Wroclaw. And they did not like what happened in the 72nd minute of the Czech Republic - Poland match, which was at about the same time as minute 70 in the Warsaw game.
One team had scored. One team was leading. Petr Jiracek had scored for the Czechs.
Jiracek did really well to end a very good counter-attack by the Czechs, by scoring under Tyton, the Polish goalkeeper, and he achieved that from between two Polish defenders who tried to slide in to stop the goal.
Polish fans expected better, and maybe deserved better.
Probably Poland was the biggest disappointment at this tournament, considering all of the results they got. (But there are other strong contenders, too, that could qualify for the same dishonourable title, also, soon.)
In the last minute, in Wroclaw, the Poles could have eliminated the Czechs, though, and they could have allowed Russia to win the group, if only Blaszczykowski's shot had not been blocked by Kadlec. The ball had gone past the goalkeeper, and would have gone in, but the Czech defender did extremely well to head the ball off its goal-bound trajectory.
Had that gone in, it would not have helped Poland. It would have helped only Russia. (It was minute 90' + 3', and the Poles surely couldn't have gotten a second goal in the remaining minute of injury time.)
Seconds after Kadlec's save, the game was over, indeed, and the Czechs were through to the second phase.
The Greeks and the Russians still had to play for about two more minutes, but the score stayed the same there, too, and all Greek fans were able to celebrate.
And so, the teams that everybody expected to advance were eliminated, after an incredible turn of events in the first group to wrap proceedings at Euro 2012.
(I can barely believe that the team that lost 1-4 in the first match ended up winning the group!... Wow!)
By the way, I wonder if Dick Advocaat, Russia's coach, would have been sacked if he was not leaving anyway, to go back to PSV Eindhoven...
As for the Polish coach, yes, he is quitting.
Highlight from Czech Republic - Poland 1-0:
Highlights from Greece - Russia 1-0:
After Russia's win over the Czech Republic, everybody thought the former would win the group. I personally thought the Czechs were going to be eliminated.
But no! The Czechs won the group, and Russia went out!
After the first two matches, Greece was sitting bottom of the group, with only one point from their matches with the lowest-ranked from the other teams, and facing supposedly the best team in the group in a do-or-die encounter.
Not only that, but history was not on the Greeks' side, either, as they had previously fallen to defeats against Russia in 2008 and 2004.
But, in the end, the only win Greece got so far at these Euros came, yes, against Russia.
Czech Republic - Poland 1-0 (0-0)
Greece - Russia 1-0 (1-0)
Poland and Russia were the more persistent in the early going, in their respective matches, too, ironically, on top of everything else.
The hosts kept going forward but their attacks had little incisiveness.
The Russians had fewer chances against Greece in the first half than the Poles had against the Czech Republic, but theirs were more dangerous.
Both Greece and Czech Republic defended very carefully, though.
The first breakthrough came in first-half injury time, in Warsaw, very late, at a time when the Czechs and Poles had already retired from the field of play in Wroclaw.
There was a throw-in from the right attacking side, the Russian defenders underestimated it, and Karagounis suddenly found himself with the ball at his feet and in a good position to shoot on goal. He took the shot excellently, and Malafeev could not prevent it from sliding past him.
What's interesting is that, at this score, the Russians were still going to advance to the quarter-final stage. Sure, the Greeks were in, but the Russians were also still in, unless either Poland or the Czech Republic managed to add two more points to their total, with a win, thereby bypassing Russia in the standings.
With three teams tied on 4 points, the Russians still would have advanced, as long as they didn't concede five more goals.
The Greek team played a perfect game, though, and they weren't without a small share of good luck, also. Even though Russia could not convert some good chances, perhaps Greece should have had a penalty in the second half that might have settled the outcome of this game for good. Unfortunately for Greece, though, Karagounis got a yellow card for simulation and will now miss the quarter-final match, which could potentially be against any team from Group B, with the exception of Netherlands, most likely Germany.
Greece also hit the post in the second half, following a free kick from just outside the Russian penalty area.
As the second half progressed, I'm sure the Russian fans, and maybe even the squad, became equally interested in what was happening in Wroclaw. And they did not like what happened in the 72nd minute of the Czech Republic - Poland match, which was at about the same time as minute 70 in the Warsaw game.
One team had scored. One team was leading. Petr Jiracek had scored for the Czechs.
Jiracek did really well to end a very good counter-attack by the Czechs, by scoring under Tyton, the Polish goalkeeper, and he achieved that from between two Polish defenders who tried to slide in to stop the goal.
Polish fans expected better, and maybe deserved better.
Probably Poland was the biggest disappointment at this tournament, considering all of the results they got. (But there are other strong contenders, too, that could qualify for the same dishonourable title, also, soon.)
In the last minute, in Wroclaw, the Poles could have eliminated the Czechs, though, and they could have allowed Russia to win the group, if only Blaszczykowski's shot had not been blocked by Kadlec. The ball had gone past the goalkeeper, and would have gone in, but the Czech defender did extremely well to head the ball off its goal-bound trajectory.
Had that gone in, it would not have helped Poland. It would have helped only Russia. (It was minute 90' + 3', and the Poles surely couldn't have gotten a second goal in the remaining minute of injury time.)
Seconds after Kadlec's save, the game was over, indeed, and the Czechs were through to the second phase.
The Greeks and the Russians still had to play for about two more minutes, but the score stayed the same there, too, and all Greek fans were able to celebrate.
And so, the teams that everybody expected to advance were eliminated, after an incredible turn of events in the first group to wrap proceedings at Euro 2012.
(I can barely believe that the team that lost 1-4 in the first match ended up winning the group!... Wow!)
By the way, I wonder if Dick Advocaat, Russia's coach, would have been sacked if he was not leaving anyway, to go back to PSV Eindhoven...
As for the Polish coach, yes, he is quitting.
Highlight from Czech Republic - Poland 1-0:
Highlights from Greece - Russia 1-0:
Group B - Possible Scenarios
Here's what could happen on the final matchday of Group B:
1) Portugal wins & Denmark wins
1-1. Denmark wins 1-0:
Portugal 6p, Denmark 6p, Germany 6 p, Netherlands 0p
(Portugal and Denmark would have identical best head-to-head records in the three-way tie against Germany, eliminating the Germans, but Portugal would win the group thanks to better goal difference or more goals scored or higher UEFA national team coefficient.)
1-2. Denmark wins 3-2 and Portugal wins 1-0 or 2-1:
Denmark 6p, Germany 6p, Portugal 6p, Netherlands 0p
(Portugal and Germany would have identical worst head-to-head records in the three-way tie against Denmark, but Germany would advance thanks to having scored one more goal or a higher UEFA national team coefficient.)
1-3. Denmark wins by any score other than 1-0 and 3-2 or wins 3-2 and Portugal wins by any score other than 1-0 or 2-1:
Denmark 6p, Portugal 6p, Germany 6p, Netherlands 0p
(Denmark and Portugal would advance because Germany would have the worst head-to-head record against Denmark and Portugal or worse goal difference than Portugal or fewer goals scored than Portugal)
2) Portugal wins & draw in the other match:
Germany 7p, Portugal 6p, Denmark 4p, Netherlands 0p
3) Portugal wins & Germany wins:
Germany 9p, Portugal 6p, Denmark 3p, Netherlands 0p
4) draw in the first match & Denmark wins
Denmark 6p, Germany 6p, Portugal 4p, Netherlands 1p
(Denmark would win the group because of the head-to-head record.)
5) draws in both matches:
Germany 7p, Portugal 4p, Denmark 4p, Netherlands 1p
(Portugal would advance because of the head-to-head record.)
6) draw in the first match & Germany wins:
Germany 9p, Portugal 4p, Denmark 3p, Netherlands 1p
7) Netherlands wins & Denmark wins:
Denmark 6p, Germany 6p, Netherlands 3p, Portugal 3p
(Denmark would win the group because of the head-to-head record, and Portugal would finish bottom because of the head-to-head record.)
8) Netherlands wins & draw in the other match
Germany 7p, Denmark 4p, Netherlands 3p, Portugal 3p
(Netherlands would finish third because of the head-to-head record.)
9) Netherlands wins & Germany wins
9-1. Netherlands wins 1-0 and Germany wins 1-0 or by two or more goals:
Germany 9p, Portugal 3p, Denmark 3p, Netherlands 3p
(Portugal and Denmark would have identical best head-to-head records against Netherlands, but Portugal would advance thanks to superior goal difference or being ranked higher in the UEFA national team coefficient rankings.)
9-2. Netherlands wins 1-0 and Germany wins by one goal but not 1-0:
Germany 9p, Denmark 3p, Portugal 3p, Netherlands 3p
(Portugal and Denmark would have identical best head-to-head records against Netherlands, but Denmark would advance thanks to scoring more goals than Portugal in the tournament.)
9-3. Netherlands wins by one goal but not 1-0:
Germany 9p, Portugal 3p, Netherlands or Denmark 3p, Denmark or Netherlands 3p
(Portugal would advance because of scoring more goals in the head-to-head records against Netherlands and Denmark, while Netherlands and Denmark would be separated depending on how many goals Netherlands scores against Portugal and/or the severity of Denmark's defeat, but this is not extremely important since both teams would be out and very few might care who finished third and who finished fourth.)
9-4. Netherlands wins by two goals or more:
Germany 9p, Netherlands 3p, Denmark 3p, Portugal 3p
(Netherlands would advance because of better goal difference in the head-to-head records against Denmark and Portugal, leaving Portugal with the worst goal difference.)
1) Portugal wins & Denmark wins
1-1. Denmark wins 1-0:
Portugal 6p, Denmark 6p, Germany 6 p, Netherlands 0p
(Portugal and Denmark would have identical best head-to-head records in the three-way tie against Germany, eliminating the Germans, but Portugal would win the group thanks to better goal difference or more goals scored or higher UEFA national team coefficient.)
1-2. Denmark wins 3-2 and Portugal wins 1-0 or 2-1:
Denmark 6p, Germany 6p, Portugal 6p, Netherlands 0p
(Portugal and Germany would have identical worst head-to-head records in the three-way tie against Denmark, but Germany would advance thanks to having scored one more goal or a higher UEFA national team coefficient.)
1-3. Denmark wins by any score other than 1-0 and 3-2 or wins 3-2 and Portugal wins by any score other than 1-0 or 2-1:
Denmark 6p, Portugal 6p, Germany 6p, Netherlands 0p
(Denmark and Portugal would advance because Germany would have the worst head-to-head record against Denmark and Portugal or worse goal difference than Portugal or fewer goals scored than Portugal)
2) Portugal wins & draw in the other match:
Germany 7p, Portugal 6p, Denmark 4p, Netherlands 0p
3) Portugal wins & Germany wins:
Germany 9p, Portugal 6p, Denmark 3p, Netherlands 0p
4) draw in the first match & Denmark wins
Denmark 6p, Germany 6p, Portugal 4p, Netherlands 1p
(Denmark would win the group because of the head-to-head record.)
5) draws in both matches:
Germany 7p, Portugal 4p, Denmark 4p, Netherlands 1p
(Portugal would advance because of the head-to-head record.)
6) draw in the first match & Germany wins:
Germany 9p, Portugal 4p, Denmark 3p, Netherlands 1p
7) Netherlands wins & Denmark wins:
Denmark 6p, Germany 6p, Netherlands 3p, Portugal 3p
(Denmark would win the group because of the head-to-head record, and Portugal would finish bottom because of the head-to-head record.)
8) Netherlands wins & draw in the other match
Germany 7p, Denmark 4p, Netherlands 3p, Portugal 3p
(Netherlands would finish third because of the head-to-head record.)
9) Netherlands wins & Germany wins
9-1. Netherlands wins 1-0 and Germany wins 1-0 or by two or more goals:
Germany 9p, Portugal 3p, Denmark 3p, Netherlands 3p
(Portugal and Denmark would have identical best head-to-head records against Netherlands, but Portugal would advance thanks to superior goal difference or being ranked higher in the UEFA national team coefficient rankings.)
9-2. Netherlands wins 1-0 and Germany wins by one goal but not 1-0:
Germany 9p, Denmark 3p, Portugal 3p, Netherlands 3p
(Portugal and Denmark would have identical best head-to-head records against Netherlands, but Denmark would advance thanks to scoring more goals than Portugal in the tournament.)
9-3. Netherlands wins by one goal but not 1-0:
Germany 9p, Portugal 3p, Netherlands or Denmark 3p, Denmark or Netherlands 3p
(Portugal would advance because of scoring more goals in the head-to-head records against Netherlands and Denmark, while Netherlands and Denmark would be separated depending on how many goals Netherlands scores against Portugal and/or the severity of Denmark's defeat, but this is not extremely important since both teams would be out and very few might care who finished third and who finished fourth.)
9-4. Netherlands wins by two goals or more:
Germany 9p, Netherlands 3p, Denmark 3p, Portugal 3p
(Netherlands would advance because of better goal difference in the head-to-head records against Denmark and Portugal, leaving Portugal with the worst goal difference.)
Friday 15 June 2012
Second Elimination
Sweden is out, too.
But are they even worse than the Irish?
Yes and no.
On the one hand, Sweden cannot even finish in third place anymore. The only team they could still reach, in terms of points gained, has the direct-result tie-breaker over the Swedes. This must really stick in their craw.
(At least, Ireland could theoretically beat Italy and still finish third in their group.)
But, on the other hand, Sweden left the competition much more honourably, playing two great matches, in both of which they led at some point but were unfortunate enough to lose all points in the end.
After England led, at half-time, through Carroll's cool header strike (in minute 24), Sweden did wonderfully to gain the lead. Four minutes after the re-start, Mellberg sort of forced Glen Johnson to put the ball into his own net, and it was again he, ten minutes later, who made it 2-1 for Sweden.
At this point, Roy Hodgson was very inspired to introduce Theo Walcott. The youngster scored just minutes after coming on (64), and helped set up Wellbeck's cheeky winner (78).
The Swedes had 12 minutes plus extra injury time to conjure up an equalizer but fell short. Not even Ibrahimovic could inspire them on this day.
England's looking good, knowing they will have a quarter-final spot assured with a draw in their last match, while Ukraine now must beat the British team to advance (which will not be an easy task, as the Swedish players have already seen).
Highlights:
Швеция 2-3 Англия footyroom.com by Futbol2101
But are they even worse than the Irish?
Yes and no.
On the one hand, Sweden cannot even finish in third place anymore. The only team they could still reach, in terms of points gained, has the direct-result tie-breaker over the Swedes. This must really stick in their craw.
(At least, Ireland could theoretically beat Italy and still finish third in their group.)
But, on the other hand, Sweden left the competition much more honourably, playing two great matches, in both of which they led at some point but were unfortunate enough to lose all points in the end.
After England led, at half-time, through Carroll's cool header strike (in minute 24), Sweden did wonderfully to gain the lead. Four minutes after the re-start, Mellberg sort of forced Glen Johnson to put the ball into his own net, and it was again he, ten minutes later, who made it 2-1 for Sweden.
At this point, Roy Hodgson was very inspired to introduce Theo Walcott. The youngster scored just minutes after coming on (64), and helped set up Wellbeck's cheeky winner (78).
The Swedes had 12 minutes plus extra injury time to conjure up an equalizer but fell short. Not even Ibrahimovic could inspire them on this day.
England's looking good, knowing they will have a quarter-final spot assured with a draw in their last match, while Ukraine now must beat the British team to advance (which will not be an easy task, as the Swedish players have already seen).
Highlights:
Швеция 2-3 Англия footyroom.com by Futbol2101
2012.06.15 - The Results
EURO 2012: Group D
18:00 -- Ukraine - France 0-2 (match delayed after five minutes in the first half due to rain, ended 55 minutes later than initially planned) highlights
53' Jeremy Menez
56' Yohan Cabaye
21:00 -- Sweden - England 2-3 (start of match delayed due to end time of previous match) highlights
[0-1] 24' Andrew Carroll
[1-1] 49' Glen Johnson (o.-g.)
[2-1] 59' Olof Mellberg
[2-2] 64' Theo Walcott
[2-3] 78' Danny Welbeck
Current standings:
1 France 2 1 1 0 3-1 +2 4p
2 England 2 1 1 0 4-3 +1 4p
3 Ukraine 2 1 0 1 2-3 -1 3p
4 Sweden 2 0 0 2 3-5 -2 0p
18:00 -- Ukraine - France 0-2 (match delayed after five minutes in the first half due to rain, ended 55 minutes later than initially planned) highlights
53' Jeremy Menez
56' Yohan Cabaye
21:00 -- Sweden - England 2-3 (start of match delayed due to end time of previous match) highlights
[0-1] 24' Andrew Carroll
[1-1] 49' Glen Johnson (o.-g.)
[2-1] 59' Olof Mellberg
[2-2] 64' Theo Walcott
[2-3] 78' Danny Welbeck
Current standings:
1 France 2 1 1 0 3-1 +2 4p
2 England 2 1 1 0 4-3 +1 4p
3 Ukraine 2 1 0 1 2-3 -1 3p
4 Sweden 2 0 0 2 3-5 -2 0p
La pluie a Donetsk
... Or "The Rain at Donetsk"
The one thing I really don't understand about the organization of this tournament is why the host countries, Poland and Ukraine, haven't been scheduled to play all of their matches in their own capitals, Warsaw and Kyiv, respectively.
It can't possibly be because they were warned playing all matches in the same city would create an unfair advantage, because the Czechs are playing all of their matches in Wroclaw and the Swedes are playing all of their matches in Kyiv (and Netherlands and Spain also have all of their matches in only one city, too).
Switching from Kyiv to Donetsk certainly was not a good omen for the hosts, and it started with a thunder storm that prompted the referee to postpone the match by 55 minutes after only 4-5 minutes played in the first half.
Thus, a two-hour first half ended scoreless, but the French were looking slightly better even during the first 45 minutes of play.
And, after the interval, within just three minutes (53-56), Menez and Cabaye scored with some very precise shots to extend France's unbeaten streak as a national football team to 22 matches.
The Ukrainians tried to threaten Lloris' goal, but the final result was never in doubt. (If anything, the French were closer to score a third, as they hit the post, too, at 2-0.)
Highlights:
Uktaine 0 2 France hoofoot.com highlights & All... by hoofoot
The one thing I really don't understand about the organization of this tournament is why the host countries, Poland and Ukraine, haven't been scheduled to play all of their matches in their own capitals, Warsaw and Kyiv, respectively.
It can't possibly be because they were warned playing all matches in the same city would create an unfair advantage, because the Czechs are playing all of their matches in Wroclaw and the Swedes are playing all of their matches in Kyiv (and Netherlands and Spain also have all of their matches in only one city, too).
Switching from Kyiv to Donetsk certainly was not a good omen for the hosts, and it started with a thunder storm that prompted the referee to postpone the match by 55 minutes after only 4-5 minutes played in the first half.
Thus, a two-hour first half ended scoreless, but the French were looking slightly better even during the first 45 minutes of play.
And, after the interval, within just three minutes (53-56), Menez and Cabaye scored with some very precise shots to extend France's unbeaten streak as a national football team to 22 matches.
The Ukrainians tried to threaten Lloris' goal, but the final result was never in doubt. (If anything, the French were closer to score a third, as they hit the post, too, at 2-0.)
Highlights:
Uktaine 0 2 France hoofoot.com highlights & All... by hoofoot
Group A - Possible Scenarios
Here's what could happen on the final matchday of Group A:
1) Czech Republic wins & Greece wins:
Czech Republic 6p, Greece 4p, Russia 4p, Poland 2p
(Greece would advance because of the head-to-head record.)
2) Czech Republic wins & draw in the other match:
Czech Republic 6p, Russia 5p, Greece or Poland 2p, Poland or Greece 2p
(Poland and Greece would be separated depending on the severity of the defeat and/or on goals scored. This is not extremely important, since both teams would be out and very few might care who finished third and who finished fourth.)
3) Czech Republic wins & russia wins:
Russia 7p, Czech Republic 6p, Poland 2p, Greece 1p
4) draw in the first match & Greece wins
4-1. Greece wins by one or two goals:
Russia 4p, Greece 4p, Czech Republic 4p, Poland 3p
4-2. Greece wins by three, four or five goals:
Greece 4p, Russia 4p, Czech Republic 4p, Poland 3p
4-3. Greece wins by six or more goals:
Greece 4p, Czech Republic 4p, Russia 4p, Poland 3p
(The respective teams would advance because of goal difference in the head-to-head table and/or goals scored in the head-to-head matches in some cases.)
5) draws in both matches:
Russia 5p, Czech Republic 4p, Poland 3p, Greece 2p
6) draw in the first match & Russia wins:
russia 7p, Czech Republic 4p, Poland 3p, Greece 1p
7) Poland wins & Greece wins:
Poland 5p, Greece 4p, Russia 4p, Czech Republic 3p
(Greece would advance because of the head-to-head record.)
8) Poland wins & draw in the other match
8-1. Poland wins by less than three goals or wins by three goals but Russia matches or betters Poland's goal total minus 3 goals:
Russia 5p, Poland 5p, Czech Republic 3p, Greece 2p
(Russia would win the group because of goal difference and/or goals scored and/or UEFA national team coefficient.)
8-2. Poland wins by three goals but scores four more goals or more than Russia on the last matchday or wins by more than four goals:
Poland 5p, Russia 5p, Czech Republic 3p, Greece 2p
(Poland would win the group because of goal difference and/or goals scored.)
9) Poland wins & Russia wins:
Russia 7p, Poland 5p, Czech Republic 3p, Greece 1p
1) Czech Republic wins & Greece wins:
Czech Republic 6p, Greece 4p, Russia 4p, Poland 2p
(Greece would advance because of the head-to-head record.)
2) Czech Republic wins & draw in the other match:
Czech Republic 6p, Russia 5p, Greece or Poland 2p, Poland or Greece 2p
(Poland and Greece would be separated depending on the severity of the defeat and/or on goals scored. This is not extremely important, since both teams would be out and very few might care who finished third and who finished fourth.)
3) Czech Republic wins & russia wins:
Russia 7p, Czech Republic 6p, Poland 2p, Greece 1p
4) draw in the first match & Greece wins
4-1. Greece wins by one or two goals:
Russia 4p, Greece 4p, Czech Republic 4p, Poland 3p
4-2. Greece wins by three, four or five goals:
Greece 4p, Russia 4p, Czech Republic 4p, Poland 3p
4-3. Greece wins by six or more goals:
Greece 4p, Czech Republic 4p, Russia 4p, Poland 3p
(The respective teams would advance because of goal difference in the head-to-head table and/or goals scored in the head-to-head matches in some cases.)
5) draws in both matches:
Russia 5p, Czech Republic 4p, Poland 3p, Greece 2p
6) draw in the first match & Russia wins:
russia 7p, Czech Republic 4p, Poland 3p, Greece 1p
7) Poland wins & Greece wins:
Poland 5p, Greece 4p, Russia 4p, Czech Republic 3p
(Greece would advance because of the head-to-head record.)
8) Poland wins & draw in the other match
8-1. Poland wins by less than three goals or wins by three goals but Russia matches or betters Poland's goal total minus 3 goals:
Russia 5p, Poland 5p, Czech Republic 3p, Greece 2p
(Russia would win the group because of goal difference and/or goals scored and/or UEFA national team coefficient.)
8-2. Poland wins by three goals but scores four more goals or more than Russia on the last matchday or wins by more than four goals:
Poland 5p, Russia 5p, Czech Republic 3p, Greece 2p
(Poland would win the group because of goal difference and/or goals scored.)
9) Poland wins & Russia wins:
Russia 7p, Poland 5p, Czech Republic 3p, Greece 1p
Thursday 14 June 2012
Bye-Bye, Ireland!
Just like in the first match, Ireland conceded goals within the first five minutes, in both halves.
Only this time, they could not score even once.
Spain won 4-0, with Torres netting two (in minutes 4 and 70), and Silva (49) and Fabregas (83) scoring the other two.
You cannot have any hopes of advancing when you cannot allow any fewer than three goals in either of your matches played.
Too bad for the Irish fans.
The Irish players tried, but they just are not good enough to do well at a European Championship.
Could Estonia have done any better?
Fifteen teams left now.
See highlights here.
Only this time, they could not score even once.
Spain won 4-0, with Torres netting two (in minutes 4 and 70), and Silva (49) and Fabregas (83) scoring the other two.
You cannot have any hopes of advancing when you cannot allow any fewer than three goals in either of your matches played.
Too bad for the Irish fans.
The Irish players tried, but they just are not good enough to do well at a European Championship.
Could Estonia have done any better?
Fifteen teams left now.
See highlights here.
2012.06.14 - The Results
EURO 2012: Group C
18:00 -- Italy - Croatia 1-1 highlights
[1-0] 39' Andrea Pirlo
[1-1] 72' Mario Mandzukic
20:45 -- Spain - Ireland 4-0 highlights
4' Fernando Torres
49' David Silva
70' Fernando Torres
83' Cesc Fabregas
Current standings:
1 Spain 2 1 1 0 5-1 +4 4p
2 Croatia 2 1 1 0 4-2 +2 4p
3 Italy 2 0 2 0 2-2 0 2p
4 Ireland 2 0 0 2 1-7 -6 0p
18:00 -- Italy - Croatia 1-1 highlights
[1-0] 39' Andrea Pirlo
[1-1] 72' Mario Mandzukic
20:45 -- Spain - Ireland 4-0 highlights
4' Fernando Torres
49' David Silva
70' Fernando Torres
83' Cesc Fabregas
Current standings:
1 Spain 2 1 1 0 5-1 +4 4p
2 Croatia 2 1 1 0 4-2 +2 4p
3 Italy 2 0 2 0 2-2 0 2p
4 Ireland 2 0 0 2 1-7 -6 0p
The Croatian Curse
Italy cannot beat Croatia. This is the sixth game since the separation of the former Yugoslav country, and the Italians have still to register a win in these encounters.
Prandelli's team was clearly the best team in the first half, and they were 1-0 up at half-time.
After a few good chances were missed, Pirlo finally scored from a free kick just outside of the penalty box. It was the first goal from a free kick, in this tournament.
And Italy, apparently, became content with defending and only trying to counter-attack, after that goal.
But, just like in the Spain game, their defense let the Italians down, just enough for them to surrender the lead again.
Chiellini, who still does not seem like a world-class player (just like a few other Italian players in Prandelli's starting formation), totally misjudged the trajectory of a menacing cross, in minute 72. The ball passed him and went straight to the foot of Mandzukic, who cannot do anything wrong at the moment.
Probably Buffon was kind of ball-watching, too, instead of trying to capture the ball. The ball was certainly in the air for a long time, enough for an experienced goalkeeper to try to get it. But I guess maybe he thought Chiellini had it. (Juventus collaboration gone bad, there...)
Croatia did very well, but they still have probably the toughest test still to come. If they end up tying the match with Spain, too, most people are going to be drawing parallels to Italy's Euro 2004 group (when Sweden and Denmark very probably had an understanding to eliminate Italy with that 2-2 draw).
As for Italy, they lack good strikers. Balotelli, Di Natale and Cassano, who are the best-known strikers on the team, seem more like second-class strikers than first-class. (Also, where the hell is Matri? Why wasn't he picked for the squad?) And they lack really solid defenders, too. Giaccherini, especially, and Chiellini cannot really be praised for much so far in the tournament. Italy really is lacking a lot of things. In my opinion, Prandelli has done really well with what he has. But, if they don't beat Ireland, next, all his work will mean nothing.
Highlights:
Italy v Croatia by verduno45
Prandelli's team was clearly the best team in the first half, and they were 1-0 up at half-time.
After a few good chances were missed, Pirlo finally scored from a free kick just outside of the penalty box. It was the first goal from a free kick, in this tournament.
And Italy, apparently, became content with defending and only trying to counter-attack, after that goal.
But, just like in the Spain game, their defense let the Italians down, just enough for them to surrender the lead again.
Chiellini, who still does not seem like a world-class player (just like a few other Italian players in Prandelli's starting formation), totally misjudged the trajectory of a menacing cross, in minute 72. The ball passed him and went straight to the foot of Mandzukic, who cannot do anything wrong at the moment.
Probably Buffon was kind of ball-watching, too, instead of trying to capture the ball. The ball was certainly in the air for a long time, enough for an experienced goalkeeper to try to get it. But I guess maybe he thought Chiellini had it. (Juventus collaboration gone bad, there...)
Croatia did very well, but they still have probably the toughest test still to come. If they end up tying the match with Spain, too, most people are going to be drawing parallels to Italy's Euro 2004 group (when Sweden and Denmark very probably had an understanding to eliminate Italy with that 2-2 draw).
As for Italy, they lack good strikers. Balotelli, Di Natale and Cassano, who are the best-known strikers on the team, seem more like second-class strikers than first-class. (Also, where the hell is Matri? Why wasn't he picked for the squad?) And they lack really solid defenders, too. Giaccherini, especially, and Chiellini cannot really be praised for much so far in the tournament. Italy really is lacking a lot of things. In my opinion, Prandelli has done really well with what he has. But, if they don't beat Ireland, next, all his work will mean nothing.
Highlights:
Italy v Croatia by verduno45
Wednesday 13 June 2012
Dutch Dreams Destroyed Due to Disappointing Defeat
Even though they're not out mathematically, yet, I don't think the Dutch fans have great expectations of van Marwijk's squad anymore.
Netherlands just does not seem to have a very good defense.
Maybe there are problems among the players, but they don't seem cohesive enough.
Both of Gomez's goals (in the 24th and 38th minutes) could have been prevented, if the Dutch had exercised more caution or paid more attention.
The second one, the shot from long distance, was less the fault of the defenders than the first one, of course. To set up Gomez's first goal, Schweinsteiger just fooled the entire Dutch defense and split it open with one good pass.
The goals do not come easily, either.
But what should be really disappointing for the Dutch is that Netherlands had no great chances after that. There was no team spirit. Their goal (73) came thanks to a very inspired shot by van Persie.
And that was it.
Now, Holland must beat Portugal by at least a couple of goals and hope Germany defeats Denmark, too, to progress from this group.
Highlights:
Germany - Holland footyroom.com by footyroom
Netherlands just does not seem to have a very good defense.
Maybe there are problems among the players, but they don't seem cohesive enough.
Both of Gomez's goals (in the 24th and 38th minutes) could have been prevented, if the Dutch had exercised more caution or paid more attention.
The second one, the shot from long distance, was less the fault of the defenders than the first one, of course. To set up Gomez's first goal, Schweinsteiger just fooled the entire Dutch defense and split it open with one good pass.
The goals do not come easily, either.
But what should be really disappointing for the Dutch is that Netherlands had no great chances after that. There was no team spirit. Their goal (73) came thanks to a very inspired shot by van Persie.
And that was it.
Now, Holland must beat Portugal by at least a couple of goals and hope Germany defeats Denmark, too, to progress from this group.
Highlights:
Germany - Holland footyroom.com by footyroom
2012.06.13 - The Results
EURO 2012: Group B
18:00 -- Denmark - Portugal 2-3 highlights
[0-1] 24' Pepe
[0-2] 36' Helder Postiga
[1-2] 41' Nicklas Bendtner
[2-2] 80' Nicklas Bendtner
[2-3] 87' Silvestre Varela
20:45 -- Netherlands - Germany 1-2 highlights
[0-1] 24' Mario Gomez
[0-2] 38' Mario Gomez
[1-2] 73' Robin Van Persie
Current standings:
1 Germany 2 2 0 0 3-1 +2 6p
2 Portugal 2 1 0 1 3-3 0 3p {3-2 versus Denmark}
3 Denmark 2 1 0 1 3-3 0 3p {2-3 versus Portugal}
4 Netherlands 2 0 0 2 1-3 -2 0p
18:00 -- Denmark - Portugal 2-3 highlights
[0-1] 24' Pepe
[0-2] 36' Helder Postiga
[1-2] 41' Nicklas Bendtner
[2-2] 80' Nicklas Bendtner
[2-3] 87' Silvestre Varela
20:45 -- Netherlands - Germany 1-2 highlights
[0-1] 24' Mario Gomez
[0-2] 38' Mario Gomez
[1-2] 73' Robin Van Persie
Current standings:
1 Germany 2 2 0 0 3-1 +2 6p
2 Portugal 2 1 0 1 3-3 0 3p {3-2 versus Denmark}
3 Denmark 2 1 0 1 3-3 0 3p {2-3 versus Portugal}
4 Netherlands 2 0 0 2 1-3 -2 0p
Strong Nerves
... Not from Cristiano Ronaldo, that's for sure.
But the Portuguese team had their mettle tested quite hardly in the game against Denmark.
Pepe (in minute 24) scored a goal quite similar to Shevchenko's second against Sweden. And when Postiga (36) put the ball in the net for the second time, with a perfect volley, it seemed like the contest was over.
However, only 5 minutes after Postiga's goal, badly-played offside trap made another victim again, when Bendtner only had to head the ball into the empty net from a few meters, after Krohn-Dehli's smart moves destroyed the Portuguese maneuver.
It stayed like that for almost forty minutes, excluding the half-time break.
And then the Danish's persistence paid off. Jacobsen's long cross was missed by Pepe, and Bendtner again scored.
It was 2-2, with ten minutes left, but to their credit the Portuguese were not discouraged.
Silvestre Varela, the attacker who missed a very good chance against Germany, came on again as a substitute, but this time he scored. After missing the volley shot, Varela took advantage that the ball was still at his feet, and managed an unstoppable shot to the left of Andersen.
All nice and good for Portugal, even though they gave up a two-goal lead, but they just have to be worried about Ronaldo missing three chances to score, including a huge one, alone with the Danish goalkeeper, at 2-1. (That would have probably settled the tie, and Ronaldo would not have heard the end of it from the Portuguese press if the game had ended 2-2.)
Highlights:
But the Portuguese team had their mettle tested quite hardly in the game against Denmark.
Pepe (in minute 24) scored a goal quite similar to Shevchenko's second against Sweden. And when Postiga (36) put the ball in the net for the second time, with a perfect volley, it seemed like the contest was over.
However, only 5 minutes after Postiga's goal, badly-played offside trap made another victim again, when Bendtner only had to head the ball into the empty net from a few meters, after Krohn-Dehli's smart moves destroyed the Portuguese maneuver.
It stayed like that for almost forty minutes, excluding the half-time break.
And then the Danish's persistence paid off. Jacobsen's long cross was missed by Pepe, and Bendtner again scored.
It was 2-2, with ten minutes left, but to their credit the Portuguese were not discouraged.
Silvestre Varela, the attacker who missed a very good chance against Germany, came on again as a substitute, but this time he scored. After missing the volley shot, Varela took advantage that the ball was still at his feet, and managed an unstoppable shot to the left of Andersen.
All nice and good for Portugal, even though they gave up a two-goal lead, but they just have to be worried about Ronaldo missing three chances to score, including a huge one, alone with the Danish goalkeeper, at 2-1. (That would have probably settled the tie, and Ronaldo would not have heard the end of it from the Portuguese press if the game had ended 2-2.)
Highlights:
Tuesday 12 June 2012
4... 3... 2... 1
Although the games in this group are still kind of disappointing, at least the nice thing is that all teams still have a decent chance of making it to the quarter-finals. Russia did not run away with it.
... Although I'm sure most people expect they would beat the Greeks in the last match to easily win the group in the end.
With a little bit of luck, the Polish could have beaten them, on the other hand.
Within the first ten minutes, Poland had a big chance to go ahead.
And, soon afterwards, Lewandowski scored from an offside position, which the referees promptly spotted.
But the Polish were looking good at that time.
Then, there was a stupid goal to concede, headed in by Dzagoev (who's now on three goals), in minute 37, and Russia looked poised to win again.
But, luckily for the hosts, Blaszczykowski had a flash of brilliance (57) which fooled two Russian defenders and saw the ball follow an unstoppable trajectory. Probably the goal of the tournament, thus far.
I must say, though, Poland did indeed improve after the match against Greece, even though they still did not get a win.
And, of course, all four teams are separated by one point from one another; as the standings go: Russia, Czech Republic, Poland, Greece. No team has assured progress to the next phase, although Russia is assured it could not finish bottom of the group.
Highlights:
Poland v Russia by greetop
... Although I'm sure most people expect they would beat the Greeks in the last match to easily win the group in the end.
With a little bit of luck, the Polish could have beaten them, on the other hand.
Within the first ten minutes, Poland had a big chance to go ahead.
And, soon afterwards, Lewandowski scored from an offside position, which the referees promptly spotted.
But the Polish were looking good at that time.
Then, there was a stupid goal to concede, headed in by Dzagoev (who's now on three goals), in minute 37, and Russia looked poised to win again.
But, luckily for the hosts, Blaszczykowski had a flash of brilliance (57) which fooled two Russian defenders and saw the ball follow an unstoppable trajectory. Probably the goal of the tournament, thus far.
I must say, though, Poland did indeed improve after the match against Greece, even though they still did not get a win.
And, of course, all four teams are separated by one point from one another; as the standings go: Russia, Czech Republic, Poland, Greece. No team has assured progress to the next phase, although Russia is assured it could not finish bottom of the group.
Highlights:
Poland v Russia by greetop
2012.06.12 - The Results
EURO 2012: Group A
18:00 -- Greece - Czech Republic 1-2 highlights
[0-1] 3' Petr Jiracek
[0-2] 6' Vaclav Pilar
[1-2] 53' Theofanis Gekas
20:45 -- Poland - Russia 1-1 highlights
[0-1] 37' Alan Dzagoev
[1-1] 57' Jakub Blaszczykowski
Current standings:
1 Russia 2 1 1 0 5-2 +3 4p
2 Czech Republic 2 1 0 1 3-5 -2 3p
3 Poland 2 0 2 0 2-2 0 2p
4 Greece 2 0 1 1 2-3 -1 1p
18:00 -- Greece - Czech Republic 1-2 highlights
[0-1] 3' Petr Jiracek
[0-2] 6' Vaclav Pilar
[1-2] 53' Theofanis Gekas
20:45 -- Poland - Russia 1-1 highlights
[0-1] 37' Alan Dzagoev
[1-1] 57' Jakub Blaszczykowski
Current standings:
1 Russia 2 1 1 0 5-2 +3 4p
2 Czech Republic 2 1 0 1 3-5 -2 3p
3 Poland 2 0 2 0 2-2 0 2p
4 Greece 2 0 1 1 2-3 -1 1p
Czech Resurrection
Finally, the Czechs showed up!
Why couldn't they have played like that against russia?
Oh, well, it's too late now, anyway.
The two Czech goals, in minutes 3 (scored by Jiracek) and 6 (Pilar), were catastrophic for the Greek team. Although the squad from the Balkans kept pressing, it was extremely hard for them to break down the Czech defense.
And Greece was also unlucky to have a good goal waved off for offside right before the break.
It took a horrendous miss by goalkeeper Petr Cech to allow the Greeks to pull one goal back.
The Champions League champion made an error many amateurs wouldn't do.
Luckily for him, though, the slip-up in the 51st minute did not cost the Czech Republic team anything.
Greece now must beat Russia to advance.
One could say that's tough for them, but the wonderful thing for the Greeks is that, due to the Czechs' big defeat to Advocaat's team, Greece is assured to go through to the quarter-finals if they win that game, by any score. (They could even win the group, if they win by a margin of three goals or more, and the Czechs end up tied with Poland in the other match.)
But can Greece even muster a win?
Highlights:
Greece v Czech Republic by greetop
Why couldn't they have played like that against russia?
Oh, well, it's too late now, anyway.
The two Czech goals, in minutes 3 (scored by Jiracek) and 6 (Pilar), were catastrophic for the Greek team. Although the squad from the Balkans kept pressing, it was extremely hard for them to break down the Czech defense.
And Greece was also unlucky to have a good goal waved off for offside right before the break.
It took a horrendous miss by goalkeeper Petr Cech to allow the Greeks to pull one goal back.
The Champions League champion made an error many amateurs wouldn't do.
Luckily for him, though, the slip-up in the 51st minute did not cost the Czech Republic team anything.
Greece now must beat Russia to advance.
One could say that's tough for them, but the wonderful thing for the Greeks is that, due to the Czechs' big defeat to Advocaat's team, Greece is assured to go through to the quarter-finals if they win that game, by any score. (They could even win the group, if they win by a margin of three goals or more, and the Czechs end up tied with Poland in the other match.)
But can Greece even muster a win?
Highlights:
Greece v Czech Republic by greetop
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