June 2012 Archives

Head on down to Who Ate All The Pies for a collection of Mario Balotelli inspired memorabilia. The City striker also dedicated his goals to his mother in a touching gesture. Well, he's kind of a sweet pushover behind that snarly exterior, isn't he?

Balotelli has also promised he's going to score four goals in the Panenka Masters classic this Sunday featuring Sergio Ramos vs Andrea Pirlo.

Funny and spot on. Here is the most recent Italy vs Germany match report. Tim's got a bunch more including England vs Italy and Germany vs Greece.

Mesut Oezil has been a shadow, Andrea Pirlo a giant

Mesut Oezil is no Andrea Pirlo: This Euro is all about how Andrea Pirlo got his groove back on. The 2010 World Cup was all about how Pirlo was finished and Oezil was the superstar of the new generation. Forward two years, Pirlo made himself critical to Juve's success and in this Euro showed his mesmerizing mastery over the ball as he fed Italy's attack with laser like precision and executed a panenka as a perfect coda. Oezil was not able to capitalize on his Real Madrid form as he failed to impose his undoubted talent on this team, at times looking very peripheral and disconnected. He was suitably laconic.

The battle of the Mario's was an unequal contest: Balotelli was a force of nature when it counted as Gomez faded. Jogi Low brought back the Bayern Munich striker for this match with every probability he would add to his tally of three goals. Before the England match, the debate was whether Balotelli would even begin as Cesare Prandelli sought to bring his volatile striker to book. It did not happen and Balotelli made a right nuisance of himself in front of goal and only wayward shooting and some excellent defending kept England from harm. He was on target against the Germans helped by some inept defending. At the other end a Juve led defense yielded no quarter and Gomez was subbed off for Klose.

Mat Hummels is no John Terry: Antonio Cassano casting aside Hummels like a used dishrag for Balotelli's first goal. Philipp Lahm pumping his legs in a futile chase to get to Balotelli before the City striker unleashed his shot. It was abject defending. The previous match saw Terry turning in a phenomenal performance when he became the LeBron James of blocked shots hurling his body in front of Cassano and Balotelli to bring off some spectacular saves as England kept their flag flying for 120 minutes through sheer defensive will. The Germans would have been well served channeling some of Terry's spirit.

This German side has talent, but its vanilla: Where is that famous never say die attitude? We used to hate the Germans before because they would play the same boring football for 90 minutes and refuse to lose. Andreas Brehme, Lothar Mattheus, and Rudi Voller, all part of the 1990 World Cup winning team. Voller and Frank Rijkaard ejected for spitting at each other. Then seeing England off on penalties in the semi-finals before beating Argentina in the in one of the most degrading finals. Now we love them to death because they are the antithesis of Spain, the old Germany. Except they seem to be the old Spain; the bottlers of yore, a bunch of Morientes's bound in scotch tape. It's all tied to austerity somehow and Angela Merkel is to blame.

Germany chose a dynasty, Italy chose experience: Italy dismissed as old in the 2010 World Cup did not exactly jettison age when it came to picking this Euro squad. Andrea Pirlo: 33 years of age, Antonio De Natale: 34 years of age, Gianluigi Buffon: 34 years of age. The priority was clear. To wipe out the bitter memories of the World Cup. An average age of 28 years, fully five years older than the German squad. The youngest in this competition, a team with an eye to the future, giddy in its multiculturalism. The Germans can put winning on hold because of their youth but for a number of Italians this was the last out. They looked hungrier, more engaged, and scrapped hard as the underdogs.

500,000 fans are left bereft at the Brandenberg Gate as their beloved Mannschaft come crashing down against the Italians.

szólj hozzá: www.dailygoalz.com - 1st h GER - ITA

Four years ago, Fernando Torres blew by Philipp Lahm for Spain's winning goal in the Euro final. Today, Lahm was caught in a similar futile foot race this time against a powerful Mario Balotelli.

The City striker sneaked behind the lines as Riccardo Montolivo with all the time in the world caught the Germans in their offside trap to find Balotelli with a long diagonal pass. The target of so much racist furore thundered in a powerful shot that left Lahm and Manuel Neuer in the dust. For Lahm this was deja vu as it turned out to be the winning goal. Balo pulled off his jersey, a subdued celebration given his history.

The Italians were far too clever for the Germans. For Balotelli's first goal, Antonio Cassano turned Mat Hummels and Jerome Boateng inside out to send in a perfect cross and Balo gliding behind Holger Badstuber was able to head the ball past Neuer.

With Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio, and Montolivo pulling the midfield strings, the Germans with Oezil, Toni Kroos, and Bastain Schweinsteiger were made to look ordinary. Arsenal fans would be terribly disappointed in Lukas Podolksi's below par ministrations. He was replaced in the second half by Marco Reus as was Mario Gomez with Miroslav Klose.

Things improved for the Germans with the new introductions but it was the Italians enjoying the more threatening opportunities as Marchisio and Antoni De Natale missed out on making this an utter humiliation. Daniele De Rossi had his goal ruled offside to give the Germans some breathing room and in the 90th minute Federico Balzaretti's handball resurrected a spectre of a German comeback. This is Germany, they've engineered some last minute miracles.

Oezil executed a cool as cucumber spot kick and then Neuer was pulled from the goalie position in a Hail Mary situation as the Germans grew increasingly desperate to get the equalizer in the waning minutes. But the Juve led defense held rock solid. Germany's 15 game winning streak comes to a close with Italy still holding their winning edge over the Mannschaft.

Italy meet Spain in the final in a now familiar series of encounters. The thing is Italy look entirely convincing as they ride the momentum with each player clicking and each aspect of the game seemingly covered perfectly. Spain on the other hand lived precariously at times with their attack subject to some baffling changes to the line up.

The first thing that leaps out is that he's another left footed striker. Now we already have RVP and Lukas Podolski, so the attack is heavily weighted on that foot and on that flank.

We've seen RVP lose precious seconds and opportunities instinctually switch the ball to his stronger left foot. He's good at it but with inches to operate and a fast reacting defense closing him down, there have been numerous times when one wishes RVP had a stronger right foot. Scoring 30 goals is testimony to his incredible ball skills.

In the Euros, Poldi in his Portugal match came up against Joao Pereira who forced him to go inside and take shots with his weaker right foot. So far, he's been ineffective compared to how he usually fares in these big competitions.

Giroud also has that same strong instinct when we see the video clip but on balance he appears to be more comfortable with his right foot when forced as compared to RVP. He's also pacier, has an unmistakable aerial presence, and shows signs of developing back to goal skills, which are in line with a true centreforward. Wenger would be advised to make him more two footed which would be a desirable attribute since Giroud scores so many close to goal. The good thing is that he appears to be open to developing his arsenal.

This Arsenal side also has Thomas Vermaelen with probably the most wicked left foot in the Premier League. Does that make for predictability? Not necessarily so, because a very good midfield can find space and create service that allows RVP or Giroud to maximize scoring with their stronger foot. A lot of Giroud's chances at Montpellier were created by Younes Belhanda after Rene Girard switched him from the wings to a more central attacking midfielder position. Arsenal had some degree of success with Song to RVP and later on Walcott to RVP to keep the scoreboard ticking. Once Arsenal get back Jack Wilshere, the midfield should not be that spotty, with more settled service coming to the front.

Becks has worked hard and run more with the Olympic torch than at the LA Galaxy

Stuart Pearce drops David Beckham from the English Olympic squad instead picking Micah Richards in quite a shocker. After seeing his old AC Milan team mate, Andrea Pirlo having quite a Euro, this is hard to take. Ryan Giggs and Craig Bellamy are on that squad as the overage players. The mystery is who else is in team GB. Probably Aaron Ramsey, Gareth Bale, Tom Cleverly, and Chris Smalling.

Finally, England sees a post Becks world but before patting ourselves on the back, the man is a marketing miracle so never fear. He's still got sponsors lined up and will have a huge part to play including most likely lighting the Olympic Flame.

The event co-ordinator should work out a sequence where Becks takes a trademark bend reality free kick and the ball curves to the Olympic Flame breaking a circuit and setting it on fire. Now that would be pure Goldenballs.

How about this for one of the most enduring images of the 2012 Euro? In the Germany vs Greece quarter-finals, Giorgios Samaras and Kyriakos Papadopoulos enact a manic Swan Lake pas de deux.

Samaras: Kyri, I have to confess, I'm actually Turkish and my name is Nestir Burcicoglu.

Papadapoulos: AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

That didn't take too long although Van Marwijk had till 2016 for his contract to run out and by the looks of if the Netherlands association didn't do anything to force his hand. Well, this should please legend Johan Cruyff who has been critical of Van Marwijk's penchant for resorting to industrial tactics.

Looks like no one brought their shooting boots to this match. It was a bunch of John Arne Riise's outdoing each other in blasting the ball into the stratosphere after doing a nice bit of spadework to get into good shooting positions. Portugal were the much better side in the first half really pushing Spain back as Cristiano Ronaldo applied his pace and ball skills. But no goal.

The second half really underscored the haphazard shooting as Hugo Almeida the biggest culprit showed he couldn't hit a barn door. On a 4 on three breakaway, Almeida with plenty of options, elected to send the ball crashing into an event horizon.

There was plenty of Real Madrid on Real Madrid crime with Sergio Ramos and Ronaldo barging into each other and Xabi Alonso bringing him down.

Portugal could have ended it in the 90th minute when Ronaldo on 4 on three tearaway blazed a ridiculous shot over the crossbar. Expending all that energy in regulation seemed to have drained Portugal because they played extra time with heavy legs. Spain had succeeded in wearing them down and increasingly began knocking on the door through Jesus Navas and Pedro, both second half introductions. Iniesta had a great chance after Jordi Alba found him but Rui Patricio managed to stop his shot.

It was onto penalties. Four years ago, in another penalty shootout Spain managed to discard their perennial loser status by winning against Italy, 4-2 to reach the 2006 Euro semi-finals, kick starting their interrupted reign at the top.

This time it was Portugal, turned back through the same margin, Cesc Fabregas knocking in the winning penalty and thereafter revealing he implored the ball to make history. It was Fabregas who struck the winning penalty against the Italians in the 2008 Euro.

Cristiano Ronaldo didn't even figure seemingly designated to take the fifth (pun intended) and for all purposes, the winning penalty. But Iker Casillas saved Moutinho's effort and then Bruno Alves shot crashed off the bar ensuring there would be no glory for the Real Madrid record breaker. Ramos, his club team mate executed a perfect Pirlo panenka. Nice touch for a hard man.

Spain enters the Euro finals again but it is with an absence of momentum. Perhaps that is their greatest strength. They all seem to have understood Sun Tzu's Art of War.

" For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill."

In the 2010 World Cup second round, Spain went with a 4-4-2 with Fernando Torres paired up with David Villa followed later by Fernando Llorente giving the Barca striker company. Villa scored the winner in the 63rd minute but it was Llorente who caught the eye with his physical and almost manic presence. Llorente has all but dropped out of sight in the Euro with Torres, Pedro, and Alvaro Negredo higher up in the pecking order.

Will Vincent Del Bosque go with Cesc Fabregas as false no 9 as he did against Italy and then France? He brought Pedro and Torres from the bench against France and the move paid immediate dividends when Anthony Revelliere brought Pedro down for Xabi Alonso's spot kick.

Del Bosque might go for the first option only to wear Portugal down as they push and probe with their suffocating possession and wait for Andres Iniesta or Xavi to crack one open. If Spain goes down hit on the counterattack which surely favours Portugal with Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo speeding down those wings, then Del Bosque can go to Pedro and Torres in the second half.

Spain will like nothing better than cat and mouse possession whereas Portugal will obviously prefer an open ended game built on their speed and lightning thrusts. It sort of mirrors Real Madrid vs Barcelona. If there is a team that can solve Spain, it is Portugal, and they have to be ambitious on attack. Watch for Joao Moutinho who's been having an incredible competition. This should be a good one.

Not as bad as the 2010 World Cup when England returned from a dismal campaign

Fabio Capello said something that was absolutely true. There is so much of a disconnect between the Wayne Rooney who makes himself central to Man Utd's fortunes and the player who consistently underwhelms in his national appearances in the big competitions.

Rooney had to wait eight years between goals when he scored against Ukraine in the final group stage match. His last contribution was a brace against Croatia in the 2004 Euro as also another brace against Sweden and ending just behind Milan Baros as top goalscorer (5). England went out to Portugal on penalty shootout in the quarter-finals, a fate familiar to them.

We harp about Leo Messi not showing up for the Albiceleste but Rooney has to rank there in futility. This so far has been his definitive contribution to international folklore.

Roy Hodgson may call it a cheap shot but Capello is calling it as he sees it.

This is in such incredibly poor taste. Although the Gazzetta Dello Sport cartoonist explains this as a clumsy attempt at humour, it reveals on a subconscious level how conflicted Italians are towards Mario Balotelli. Besides how does a cartoon referencing a beleaguered King Kong sitting atop the Empire State Building subsequently falling to his death make any connection to the Italian domination of the English? He's an object of pity. Although he did get the girl in the end.

Balotelli has faced racism from the stands in the Serie and so the reaction is not confined to just Croatian and Spanish fans in this Euro. This is not unique to Italy. You see parallels in the many examples of racist imagery lampooning Barack Obama in the USA.

These are methods of delegitimization whether its the first African American president in US history or in Italy's case the first black player to represent that country. Whatever you do or become, you will never be one of us.

Update: The Gazetta issued a statement: "if certain readers found the cartoon offensive, we apologise." But they reject accusations that the cartoon was racially motivated. Okaay!

The Montpellier striker who scored 21 goals in the Ligue last season to lead his club to their first ever Championnat is now officially a Gunner having passed his medical. This is good news because the Gunners obviously need someone who is excellent in the air because RVP and Theo Walcott aren't exactly aerial sharpshooters. Nicklas Bendtner was supposed to be one but he inexplicably got pushed out out to the wing. Marouane Chamakh after an impressive start, turned out to be a pushover.

The obvious source of tension amongst fans with Lukas Podolski joining too, is this a signal Arsenal are resigned to a RVP departure? Here is the rub. They're asking two untested players in the Premier League to step into the shoes of a 30 goal scorer and deliver on impact in association with a midfield that has looked less and less incisive and controlling in years.

Giroud and Poldi are not exactly Sergio Aguero or Mario Balotelli who have consistently been top goalscorers at clubs like Atletico and Inter before joining City for record fees. The Montpellier striker had a great year in the Ligue and Poldi came good after years of underachievement at Bayern in his Koln return.

We have seen phenomenal debuts in Chicharito, Nikica Jelavic, and Papiss Cisse, hitherto unknown, now obviously firmly established in their sides for their impressive goal scoring exploits. But those are exceptions. Within the Arsenal ranks we have a long line of players who have disappointed with their production and have been loaned out or are sitting on the bench without playing any substantial minutes.

The more pertinent question is whether Arsenal wants to challenge for another fourth placed finish or whether it seriously wants to cover the yawning 19 point deficit that separated them from City and Utd. Arsenal scored 74 goals compared to Utd's eighty nine and City's ninety three. Good enough for third, nowhere near good enough to be ever considered serious challengers for last season's title. When you consider the number of goals Arsenal concede, goal production becomes even more critical to a winning equation.

If Giroud and Poldi can pull 20 + goals between them that would be phenomenal production for their first season. But that is again an X factor. The midfield (Arteta should be good for a half dozen) and defense (Vermaelen mitigates his defensive errors with regular goals) with about 25 more should bring up the total to about 50 goals. They need at least 40 more goals to vie for honours.

The pressure on RVP was compounded by the fact that Walcott and Gervinho were so disappointing in their goal output with just twelve scored despite numerous scoring opportunities. They should with Alex Oxlade Chamberlain be able to add more to their total this season but we're talking yet another X factor. Which if we add all up leads to a shortfall of 20- 25 goals.

In conclusion, RVP is as yet irreplaceable because when healthy, he is Arsenal's assured supplier of goals. The club obviously cannot pay RVP the sort of Yaya Toure type of wages but a combination of a reasonable raise and new blood could be enough to persuade him that this might be the season that Arsenal finally, finally break their silveware drought. If he leaves, the most optimistic prediction is a dogfight for a fourth placed finish. Not terrible but just not good enough.

Giroud does have an unusual way of celebrating. A bit of an acquired taste for the recipient >>

Marco Reus, the Borussia M'gladbach striker, who had such a breakout game against Greece was singled out by Arsene Wenger for some lofty praise. Wenger is at the 2012 Euro in the capacity of TV analyst for French station TF1. The French manager when asked if he was "on the case" with Reus, reportedly replied, "Yes."

Before we fall into an easy trap, lets say straight off, Wenger has been an admirer of many players. In January he said the same thing about Karim Benzema and everyone jumped on the story about the disgruntled Real Madrid striker finding a new home in the Emirates.

Wenger regularly salivates over strikers and wingers. It's not new. But they are all not going to come to the Emirates. Besides Reus just signed for Borussia Dortmund this January on a five year contract with the club losing Shinji Kagawa who is Man Utd bound. There is no way Reus will be available to come to the Emirates. Case closed.

Andrea Pirlo's delectable panenka against Joe Hart to level Italy on penalties is one of the definitive highlights of the 2012 Euro. But he knew what a risk he was taking because two years ago, he tried the same against Barca and failed miserably. Milan were playing Barca for the Joan Gamper trophy as both teams tied, 1-1 in regulation and extra time. Barca won, 3-1 on penalties.

Arsenal Football Club or better known as Arsenal De Sarandi in the Argentinian league won their first Premier Division title yesterday beating Belgrano, 1-0 through a Lisandro Lopez goal and then had to wait about 5 nerve wracking minutes as Independiente held second placed Tigre to a 2-2 draw.

Arsenal came into existence in 1957, inspired by the English club of the same name and it's founder is Julio Grondona, also better known as the hugely influential president of the AFA. Grondona is one of Sepp Blatter's main henchmen and a right arse.

Good to know one of the Arsenal's is winning titles. Tongue firmly in cheek.

Andrea Pirlo stood out like a colossus as Steven Gerrard all but disappeared. The Italians worked their way to the top through the defense and midfield while in England's case the far fewer touches were distributed mostly amongst the attack which reflects the reliance on the sporadic counterattacking threats.

szólj hozzá: England vs Italy FULL HIGHLIGHTS + PENALTIES

Two observations. How on earth did England survive for 120 + minutes? And Andrea Pirlo has more creativity in the nail of his right foot's little toe than the entire England squad. That was the nail he used to execute that breath taking panenka to level the penalties, 2-2 en route to Alessandro Diamanti's game winning spot kick. As an Arsenal fan it brought back memories of his penalty with which West Ham drew level after the Gunners took a two nothing lead a few seasons ago, yet another painful example of the club's fragility.

The debate before the match was whether Mario Balotelli would start which was rather ridiculous to begin with because like Pirlo, there is no one in this England squad who could hold a candle to his talent. He was a force of nature in front of goal and only some wayward shooting and an excellent Joe Hart saved England from being embarrassed.

There was the matter of 4 minutes in the second half when Italy churned out 4 opportunities with Daniele De Rossi, Pirlo, Balotelli, and Riccardo Montolivo all coming close but ultimately their finishing, Hart, and the upright all conspired against them. Diamanti also hit the upright and in extra time England also survived a very close call when Antonio Nocerino was judged offside after his header beat Hart. In all Italy churned out 35 attempts on goal, 20 on target while hogging the ball 63% of the time. England had nine attempts of which 4 were on target.

Here is a stat that should impress those less impressed by the English defense. Twelve of those attempts were blocked. LeBron James could have done no better. At the other end, Glen Johnson looked more threatening than any of the forward men including Ashley Young and Wayne Rooney. For Rooney, this represents failure in three straight international competitions. Young so deadly down that left flank for Utd had a miserable campaign underscored by that penalty attempt where he used up all his power without paying heed to location.

One would love England to do well. It gave us this sport as we know it but it seems what it takes to succeed has largely escaped them but for a few instances since 1966. The last year England surprised the world with Sir Alf Ramsey's innovation of wingless wonders. Spain was a hard luck case too about 6 years ago but they figured out a way to win and one has to respect their tiki-taka even as it gets panned as a surefire way of curing insomnia. It's innovation that wins and England have not had one single creative idea in this sport since those days almost half a century ago.

Anyways, it is now Group B vs Group C, as Germany take on Italy and Portugal meet Spain in the semi-finals. Germany vs Italy is going to be a classic with the Italians dominating head to head in wins, 14-7, whereas Spain has the measure of their Iberian neighbours with a 16-6 margin in victories.

After France's disastrous 2008 Euro outing followed in quick succession by the 2010 World Cup debacle which saw France go through a self existential paroxysm as the country re-examined what constitutes being French (see Alain Finkelkraut), getting out of the group stage in the 2012 Euro might constitute improvement. But has it changed that much?

The 2010 World Cup French squad were a splintered group of demoralized individuals divided by dislike for Raymond Domenech and the racial tensions within the team. Moliere could not have written better farce with the French crashing out after making it to the World Cup on a grave miscarriage of justice through Thierry Henry's sleight of hand.

The FFF hung onto Domenech like a juicy bone for years as each succeeding squad expressed their diminishing belief in him, finally showing him the door. His replacement Laurent Blanc, the successful Bordeaux coach, and a deeply admired figure survived controversy when he green lighted what appeared to be a quota system based on racial lines. He expressed his philosophy through this quote, "The Spanish, they say 'we don't have a problem. We have no blacks'".

This was never a problem before; a team the French had dominated in big competitions before and whose 2006 World Cup coach, Luis Aragones was mocked as racist by Henry after he scored the equalizer in their quarter-final. As if to counter, Aragones turned to Marcos Senna, who became the fulcrum of the 2008 Euro winning team, a naturalized Brazilian, in an all white team. The larger message was Spain had successfully utilized a two holding midfielder system which was evident against France yesterday. Which proves you can't pigeonhole performances to racism although one can't dispute its expediency as an explanation.

Blanc got plenty of support from players like Patrick Viera and Marcel Desailly. The troublemakers were gone through retirement and non-selection. The overt racial tones were tamped down as France got back into the business of playing football for football's sake and not as a metonymy for the country's polarization. Except this time the "me first" culture hit them as a roadblock. Samir Nasri, showed chauvinism is not just related to sexual, national, or racial borders. The talent shown by him at Marseilles that saw comparisions to Zidane has not materialized in his further adventures at Arsenal and City, dictated it appears by base economics and a self serving attitude.

There was a flash when England met France under Blanc in a friendly last year when Nasri completely took over in the first half painfully underscoring the similar lack of talent in the opposition. But then he disappeared and England crept back in. The same was repeated in this Euro as Nasri scored the equalizer against England and then proceeded to celebrate against the real opposition, a critical French media. He didn't show up against Ukraine and Sweden, and was brought off the bench against Spain after becoming the centre of attention as a different kind of dysfunctionality divided the team. Nasri in his remaining minutes did not do anything of note as the French increasingly played without conviction or anything approaching urgency.

Tactically too, there were shortcomings, as Blanc opted to pair Phillipe Mexes with Adil Rami, a mismatch which was exploited by England and the Swedes, with Laurent Koscielny as a second option in a frail defense. He explained bolstering the right with two full backs as his reaction to stopping Andres Iniesta and Jordi Alba's overlapping runs which as events proved failed spectacularly while shutting down any attacking options down that flank.

France's ouster has been criticized by the press but they have stopped short of calling for Blanc's head. The players are also cautiously optimistic. There is none of the doomsday forebodings after the World Cup which in retrospect might be the most tangible improvement. But France's Euro campaign can only be tarnished by this outburst between Nasri and the AFP reporter. Blanc's toughest decision might be whether to keep Nasri on that French squad. The media may have already made up their minds and Blanc might become a target in their crosshairs depending on that decision.

szólj hozzá: Spain 2 0 France hoofoot.com

Samir Nasri gets the vote for the most disappointing footballer of this Euro. At least Franck Ribery can look back and say he put in the mileage albeit all in futility. But Nasri introduced in the second half to up the tempo and connect Karim Benzema to the centre showed no desire to impose his undoubted talent. He disappeared similarly against Ukraine and Sweden.

With Blanc opting to pair two right backs with Mathieu Debuchy joining Adil Rami because of Phillipe Mexes's suspension and Anthony Reveillere positioned to his right, there was serious lack of quality down that flank. Leaving Ribery down the left as the one consistent attacking option, Spain showed no problems corralling the Bayern Munich winger through two former Liverpool men in Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso.

Alonso in particular stamped his authority on both ends scoring a double in his 100th international appearance. Spain laid a familiar chokehold in the first half through their republic of Catatonia distribution of the ball. Just when it looked like the familiar theme of a Spanish late goal would play out, Iniesta broke down the left and dinked a pass between two French defenders to an overlapping Jordi Alba, who burst through leaving a stumbling Mathieu Debuchy on the turf and then hung an inviting cross across the face of goal leaving a completely unmarked Alonso to bury a header to Hugo Lloris's right. It was the 19th minute. In the 85th minute, Anthony Reveillere bundled Pedro off the ball as the striker entered the box and Alonso padded his resume by sending Lloris the wrong way with the resulting spot kick.

Spain had over an hour to fill the game between those two goals with its sterile domination and France had to abandon its Chelsea lite plan and start attacking. But apart from Yoann Cabaye's free kick which Casillas took care off and a Debuchy header which sailed marginally over the bar, France at no instance looked threatening enough even as Spain tailed off its midfield precision. Blanc's decision to introduce Nasri and Jeremy Menez did not provide the necessary lift. Vincent Del Bosque subbed off David Silva for Pedro and then Fabregas for Fernando Torres to revert to a more conventional and direct 4-4-2 from his starting 4-6-0 formation. The move materialized in the Alonso penalty.

There is plenty of criticism of Spain's sterile version of tiki taka which is at odds with Barca's tiki taka with its trademark eye pleasing forward urgency. But before we introduce another club vs country wrinkle, remember Barca have Leo Messi to provide all those delightful exclamation marks. Del Bosque's perambulations with his attacking force is a result of having to choose between a misfiring striker and largely untested ones.

A note to Arsenal fans: Laurent Koscielny continues to impress. Olivier Giroud strongly rumoured to make an Emirates move so far has seen few minutes but didn't really look impressive. Yann M'Vila, another projected Arsenal target was invisible and was subbed off to make for Giroud. M'Vila was one of the big reasons why there was no central presence with Benzema drifting deeper and deeper. A pair off Arsenal alums were also on display. Gael Clichy failed to make his bombing runs while Cesc Fabregas continues to remind us why we miss him.

szólj hozzá: Germany vs Greece 4:2 FULL MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

The Germans at this point are a bit spoiled for talent. Jogi Low went to Miroslav Klose, Andre Schurrle, and Marko Reus in place of Mario Gomez, Lukas Podolski, and Thomas Mueller. Wouldn't you like to have such a quandary? The Greeks were overachievers getting out of Group A but against the Germans, as did the Czechs against Portugal, they were simply outclassed.

In fact, both semi-finals have been one way streets and one sort of half wishes Russia and Poland would have made it because Russia vs Portugal would have been more compelling as would have Poland vs Germany, simply because both teams had more attacking talent to match up with the countries in Group B.

The Germans were wasteful in the first 15-20 minutes with at least three chances going waste. Oezil was guilty on a couple of chances. He really is the David Gower of football. Just a pleasure to watch as he effortlessly puts together a stunning sequence of moves but all done with a insouciance where he couldn't be bothered to exert himself when needed or when presented with an opportunity. We know how well that went down with Geoffrey Boycott. We got a gander at Reus who was impressive. Pacy and skillful on the ball with a nose for goal. Philipp Lahm got the scoreboard ticking with his swerving shot fooling Sifakis. A very relieved Jogi Low nearly relieved himself on the pitch.

The second half saw Greece equalizing through Giorgios Samaras to some hyperbolic venting by commentators at how the goal had wiped out the Greek debt. Samaras is now being sought out by Roberto Mancini for a glorious City return.

Jogi Low looked like he had eaten a moth eaten drapery for lunch. But Sami Khedira summoning the winds from the Maghreb sallied forth with a magnificent shinned volley from a cross by Jerome Boateng. All was good. It was golden a few minutes later as Klose was on target with his header. Reus also got into the act with his volley as a galvanized Germany put Greece in a headlock. The handball by Boateng and the subsequent penalty converted by Dimitris Salpingidis restored some Greek pride.

Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou aka Vangelis (Chariots of Fire) collaborated with Jon Anderson of Yes, he of the seraphic voice (Owner of a Lonely Heart) in the early 80s recording four albums. "I'll Find My Home" reached #6 in the UK top hits in 1981. Vangelis is one of the pioneers of electronica and Chariots of Fire is an anthem.

In 1970, Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider formed Kraftwerk, defining techno pop for the next generation. "Das Model" released in 1980 reached #1 in the UK charts. Their looks and highly stylized music is an art form celebrated recently at the MOMA where Kraftwerk played for a week in a series of sold out shows.

The Lazio striker is apparently Jogi Low's first choice over Mario Gomez because of his big match production. He ranks second only to Gerd Muller's 68 goals with 63 scored in 119 national appearances. In Klose, Mesut Oezil will have a partner who can feed off those one-two's. However, the real weapon against the Greece may not be who the Germans have on the pitch or their football tactics.

"Here's a secret tactical tip," one user suggested. "Every German player takes a few euro coins onto the field and lets one fall when things get tough. The Greeks will be so busy picking them up that the players can continue to kick the ball unobstructed."

It all comes back to the Euro crisis. And Germany is the big dog in the fight policing Greece for scraps and bones. But if we're talking history, the Greece are not to be taken lightly. The Greeks fierce resistance to the Axis in World War II was a thorn in Adolf Hitler's side throughout their occupation. In footballing terms, allow the inevitability of occupation but then make life uncomfortable enough for the possibility of a spectacular heist. See the Kidnapping of General Kriepe.

szólj hozzá: CZE 0 - POR 1

Joao Moutinho's 79th minute cross was met emphatically by Cristiano Ronaldo as he rifled a header past Petr Cech, an old foe from his Premiership days. Moutinho and Nani were the pick of the players as the Portugese midfield dominated the second half proceedings with the Czechs increasingly hemmed in their own half. The 1-0 scoreline flatters as the Portugese could have scored at least on three other occasions with the woodwork denying Ronaldo twice.

The first half saw Ronaldo at his petulant best as he came close but couldn't quite deliver.

At the half he had the look and demeanour of a disgruntled seal beaten to a school of fish by a more aggressive rival. His already prominent shoulder blades flared out in resignation, his greased hair looked even more beaten down; he exited the pitch barking at his team mates for better service.

The first half highlights here >>

Ronaldo is easy to caricature but in this competition he's come through when Portugal needed him. He's on course to becoming the Euro's top scorer with Mario Gomez his main competition. We will see the Bayern Munich striker in action tomorrow against Greece.

Portugal will be without Helder Postiga in the semi-final against Spain or France suffering a hamstring injury that saw him stretchered off in the first half and subbed by Hugo Almeida.

The Czechs had a lot of the ball in the first half in the opening 15-20 minutes but were unable to create many chances. Only one attempt on target compared in to Portugal's eight. They have some bright sparks. Attacking talent in Vaclav Pilar and Petr Jiracek while David Limbersky and Michal Kadlec shone in defense.

Looks like Samir Nasri is showing his true colours again. After that one England performance, he seems to have reverted to his usual "I am in it for myself" routine.

He's getting plenty of censure from his team mates for being peripheral to the Sweden game which resulted in an embarrassing loss and setting themselves on a collision course with defending Euro and World Cup champions, Spain.

One person who is talking is Florent Malouda. The veteran Chelsea winger admits Nasri's performance at the Euros have sparked this edition of French divisive locker room politics.

"Balance is fragile and when you start thinking you're at the Euro to shine individually then the wheels can start to come off. You pay very dearly for every error at a Euro. There's personal objectives and then there are collective objectives."

"He scored an important goal against England. But as an experienced player I can say that there is a balance to be found between the team and your personal objectives."

Alain Boghossian, the assistant coach also indicates that Nasri is being shunned by his team mates for being what we saw at an Arsenal and now at City. A self centered player who quickly abandons teams for personal gain.

This is nothing new. France has always been the repository of dysfunctional talent.

Their 2010 World Cup campaign came unglued as the team became embroiled in a scandal that reflected France's uneasy alliance between its many different ethnic and cultural indentities. In 2006, Vikash Dhorasoo's personal grouse at being left out from the starting squad by Raymond Domenech was captured on video by the player and released as a film to the huge embarrassment of the former national manager. France was somehow able to right the ship and entered the finals against Italy. In the 2008 Euro, France collapsed in the group stage, after Domenech brought back Claude Makelele and Lilian Thuram from retirement to bolster an aging squad amidst accusations of being a slave driver.

Great technical ability shown by the Czech's all time appearance leader to execute a perfect lob over the head of Vitor Baia in the Euro 1996 quarterfinals. The Czechs went all the way to the finals where they lost to Germany. The Czechs and the Germans were flawless in their penalty shootouts in the semi-finals against France and England respectively, winning 6-5.

Portugal was led by Rui Costa, the team's attacking force with Oceano managing the center and Figo, on top. Part of their golden generation. Their attractive style was termed "sexy football" by Ruud Gullit. The Czechs had Poborsky, Juve legend Pavel Nedved and Liverpool's 2005 Champions League hero Vladmir Smicer.

The Czechs are not the same force today but in Petr Jiracek and Vaclav Pilar they see potential building blocks. The duo will hope to bisect an unsung but tough Portugese defense led by Bruno Alves and the excellent Joao Pereira. Their challenge at the other end will be to stop Cristiano Ronaldo, already playing dangerous, and a selfless Nani, shining with his assists. Petr Cech will have to be at the top of his game.

There is historical precedence. Michal Kadlac will be hoping he can do what his father did 16 years ago. Miroslav Kadlac led the Czechs in that 1996 quarter-final fending off Figo, Costa, and Joao Pinto before Poborsky's goal sealed victory for them.

This Portugese team is remarkably good. They gave Germany a run for their money, won a heart stopper against Denmark, and totally outplayed the Netherlands, in the toughest group. With the way they are playing it would be foolhardy to bet against them.

Sweetly struck by the AC Milan striker. Sweden won against France, 2-0 but they weren't able to progress out of their group.

As foreseen Didier Drogba makes the move to the Chinese League joining Shanghai Shenhua for a cool $15 million per year on a two year contract. He joins former Chelsea compatriot Nicholas Anelka and the club's new coach Sergio "Checho" Batista, last seen as Argentina's manager in their 2011 Copa America misadventure.

What makes it more interesting is that Zhu Jun, the owner of Shenhua, is the CEO of online gaming company The9 Limited which trades on NASDAQ, which lost $150m in the last three years with 2008 the only year they made a profit. An amount which barely covered Nicholas Anelka's annual salary. From 2008 to 2011, their annual sales have plunged from of $264.73m to $16.9m. Most gurus have given the stock a fail. So how is Shenhua remaining afloat?

Shanghaied: shang·hai (shng-h, shngh)
tr.v. shang·haied, shang·hai·ing, shang·hais
1. To kidnap (a man) for compulsory service aboard a ship, especially after drugging him.
2. To induce or compel (someone) to do something, especially by fraud or force: We were shanghaied into buying worthless securities.

Germany pulls rank over the Euro zone with its GDP

Germany ranks 14th in external debt and will meet Greece which ranks one place below them in the list of world's biggest debtor nations on July 22nd. Angela Merkel who has been talking down to Greece about their debt crisis will attend the match.

Merkel has steadfastly refused to renegotiate terms of the Greek bailout which imposes a punishing repayment schedule. This puts the hurt in the yogurt.

Andre Villas Boas may get his second shot at managing a Premier League team as Daniel Levy is reportedly negotiating with the former Porto and Chelsea boss to bring him to White Hart Lane. There are other names in consideration including Laurent Blanc and David Moyes, both long shots.

Villas Boas fell afoul of Chelsea's player activists who mounted a mutiny over his micro-managing ways. He might find a more receptive environment at White Hart where Harry Redknapp went AWOL after his head turned in over the prospect of the England job. Levy has promised him transfer funds which could swell with the sale of Luka Modric whose departure maybe difficult to stop this time.

There will be serious consideration paid to obtaining a marquee striker because Emmanuel Adebayor (surprise, surprise) is demanding much more money to make his loan move permanent from City. What will be Levy's minimum threshold for success? For starts, AVB should succeed in taking Spurs to the Champions League, this time for real.

Gerrard's gaudy stats against Oleg Blokhin's blokes

Stevie G's all round performance against Ukraine earn universal plaudits. He's been the forgotten man in the build up to the Euro but this should remind us he can turn a game on its head when he's in top form. And who misses Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry now?

Overt racism: £65,000 Covert marketing: £80,000

Observers more perspicacious have commented on how differently UEFA have treated Nicklas Bendtner's transgression over the more systemic and intolerable cruelty of racism.

If one reads UEFA correctly, unwanted player product placement is a far more serious offense than denigrating a player because of his skin colour. Zero tolerance means zero tolerance and the punishment for fans engaging in racist activities on the pitch should remind their country or its association these things are not meant to be taken lightly and to take appropriate action.

This is simply baffling. The fifth official standing right over the goal line with a clear field of vision misses the ball crossing the goal line before John Terry clears the ball. The score should have been 1-1 and Ukraine was in the ascendancy. England's progress out of Group D might not have been so clear cut.

Wayne Rooney had the simplest of tasks left after Steven Gerrard's cross broke free with no Ukrainian defender dealing with it sufficiently. Roy Hodgson's decision to start him paid off just as it did with Andy Carroll against Sweden. In fact, the former Fulham manager's choices of starters and subs have been flawless.

The first ghost goal controversy bedeviled Ukraine as Marko Devic's shot which Joe Hart managed to deflect was cleared by John Terry after it crossed the line. Replays show the ball broke the plane completely. Ukraine was also the better team in large spells with England looking wobbly.

The results mean that both co-hosts are out and England top Group D with Italy as their next opponents in the quarter-finals.

Grant Wahl has a nice post about how UEFA and FIFA should get their act together and save mass confusion and heart break over the different tie breaking rules followed in the Euro and the World Cup.

If the World Cup format had been adhered to then Russia would have advanced not Greece from Group A, in the most glaring misuse of the head to head tie breaker. Similarly, all this talk about Spain and Croatia conspiring to keep Italy out would have been avoided if goal differential was the criteria chosen to decide who advanced out of Group C.

With John O'Shea draped all over him, Mario Balotelli showed his strength and sublime timing to side volley the ball past Shay Given with his back to goal. Following which Leonardo Bonucci shushed him up as the volatile Italian looked like he was going to go through a stream of consciousness. Italy went ahead through Antonio Cassano which means the bad boys delivered.

Italy advance to the quarterfinals and later Cesare Prandelli praised Spain for playing to win. There was overwhelming relief the events of eight years ago were not repeated.

Irish fans won the hearts of this Euro electing to chant rather than hurl racial abuse, throw offensive objects, and unfurl far right symbols. But their team faces many questions and many are unimpressed by Giovanni Trapattoni. They scored just one goal and gave away nine in three consecutive losses. They played better against Italy which seems to have assuaged the Irish somewhat and Trapattoni appears to be in no danger of losing his job.

The 88th minute Jesus Navas goal was legitimate. The key is Iniesta receiving Cesc Fabregas's perfectly measured chip in an onside position, chesting it and side-footing it to Navas who was free to move because he was not the primary target. The Croatians played a high line and were caught in a pincer. By the way, it would have been interesting if Fabregas had chosen Navas because he looked marginally offside. That would have been controversial.

We had picked Croatia to advance with Spain and everything they did today reinforces lady luck dealt them a bad hand. Wolfgang Stark should have called a penalty when Sergio Ramos brought down Mario Mandzukic with a studs up tackle as he entered the box (Check 4:39 in the video clip of the 1st half highlights).

Croatia's tactics were perfect and they looked dangerous when they attacked. Ivan Rakitic had two great looks at goal which were oh so very close all through the ministrations of Luka Modric who was every bit as equal as Xavi and Iniesta till that bit of Fabregas magic. It was a tight, cagey affair, very absorbing, with Spain remorselessly dominating the ball with the end product missing. They call it sterile domination.

Fernando Torres again showed why one match cannot be like the other. Every time he looks like he's solved the puzzle, another piece shows up. It's time to dust off Fernando Llorente or the Basques are going to take this personally.

The fix was not in as Italy feared. The 2004 Euro was traumatic when Denmark and Sweden forged a Scandinavian pact to keep Italy out with their 2-2 draw.

Well played Croatia and Slaven Bilic. Here are his thoughts on his team's performance:

"But I've said before that we were here to win the Euros, and tonight we failed. The fact that we performed admirably is not much of a consolation. We didn't come here to make a good impression, but to get a result."

This was Bilic's last managerial appearance for the national team. He moves to Lokomotiv Moscow later this summer with Igor Stimac, his 1998 World Cup partner in the backfield taking over.

szólj hozzá: www.dailygoalz.com - DEN 1 - GER 2

This move began deep in Danish territory after Simon Poulsen was dispossessed of the ball with Sami Khedira pushing up before finding Mesut Oezil on the left. The Real Madrid midfielder lays a slide rule pass to Lars Bender. The goal ended the intriguing possibility of the Germans finding themselves out of the Euro with a Danish win as Portugal beat Netherlands, 2-1 in the other match.

Arsenal fans will be happy to note that Lukas Podolksi finally came good scoring Germany's opening goal. It was a stroke of luck because Mario Gomez actually mishit Thomas Mueller's cross at the near post and the ball traveled straight to Poldi who made no mistake.

Denmark's equalizer came from a stunning relay of headers as Nicklas Bendtner and Michael Krohn- Delhi reprised their roles this time in reverse.

What is with Nicklas Bendtner and underwear? He can't seem to keep his pants on and off the pitch. UEFA fines him €100,000 for his guerrilla marketing during the Portugal match. Can we say product placement gone horribly bad. And for those cursory observers, Paddy Power is not stuffed socks or Irish nationalism. Nope, it's one of those soccer betting sites we don't advertise on Soccerblog.com.

Bad karma chameleons

The remarkable thing about yesterday's match was the Dutch's utter lack of self belief. After that great start by Rafael Van Der Vaart, they faded away and the Portugese started bossing the ball around. Only in the last 10 minutes when the result was moot did they perk up and play with some assurance with Van Der Vaart providing one more spark. But this was a collection of beaten down individuals who did not even play for the pride of winning one last match.

The question is did the Dutch internalize some of the struggles facing the clubs they play for? The afterglow of self belief coming from a successful club season can be extremely potent.

It's no mystery Wesley Sneijder is a shadow of the player he was two years ago. At the 2010 World Cup he scored five goals and set up numerous others. He was the catalyst behind Inter's triple crown, the jewel, the Champions League victory. But Inter unraveled as Jose Mourinho departed for Real Madrid and the club saw a parade of coaches who entered and exited in double quick time. Their ragged performances continued this season as they slid down the table and out of Champions League contention with Andrea Stramaccioni's arrival reviving their fortunes enough for a Europa Cup spot.

Robin Van Persie plays for Arsenal, where re-defining success has become rote. Coming in third is the new first. Or getting to the Champions League is as good as winning it. There are rationalizations for everything and anything under Arsene Wenger in their seven years without a title. The Gunners on the last day against West Brom almost conspired to give away their Champions League spot but for replacement goalie Martin Fulop's lack of self belief and match practice. There is a sense of inevitability in the Ides of March when Arsenal's wheels come off as there is an inevitability to the off season struggles to keep their top players with RVP strongly rumoured to lead the way.

Arjen Robben, the consummate ball hog, came to the Champions League final expecting to be crowned a champion in his own home. Chelsea had been virtually written off as the banners read "not in our house". Bayern went on the offense but Chelsea's defense refused to come unglued till Thomas Mueller's goal. Then came Didier Drogba's heroics and thereafter a penalty shootout which an English club actually won. How's that for inducing a streak of fatalism? FC Hollywood had previously been upended by Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga and the German Cup. The biggest club in the Bundesliga is not top dog anymore being shown up by sides with tighter budgets in an already spendthrift Bundesliga.

Rafael Van Der Vaart plays for a club where fatalism is a considered virtue. Just when one talks up the chances of Spurs winning their first Premiership title they go down skid row. Or overtaking Arsenal. How about May 19th being the day Spurs fans and Van Der Vaart learned their fourth place finish was not going to be enough. No matter who you bring to the club in transfers and in coaching there appears to be a ceiling effect at White Hart Lane.

These are the Dutch lynchpins, the fulcrum of the attack. They had to win by at least two goals to pad any defensive giveaways but they played like they believed no matter what they did bad karma was going to doom them. Maybe they had seen too much in their own clubs to make them think otherwise. The results against the Danes probably reinforced that perception. One can point to the Germans and say a number of their players should also suffer from this fatalism but in their midst there are examples of the buoyancy and self confidence that comes from club success.

How does the Netherlands Football Federation justify giving Bert Van Marwijk a contract till 2016? How? This was a beaten down Dutch team, a team full of passengers, a collection of individuals, no matter how talented with no connection to the other except to their self. This was a colossal failure on so many levels and it should start from the top when Van Marwijk abdicated the intrinsically selfless nature of Dutch football for some imagined self serving pedestal.

Anybody who loves good football loves the Dutch. It's a sad, sad day when you reflect on a great footballing legacy brought down to its knees like it did this Euro. This team will be forever known as the great pretenders. Two years ago, Wesley Sneijder was the benchmark, a player who scored goals blindfolded and helped others pad their goalscoring resume. Today, he could not lay one correct pass or a pass that mattered. In fact, the Dutch rendered ball possession a meaningless statistic as Spain does its best to venerate it. The key is meaningful ball possession. That was the statistic Portugal realized to the fullest as it played second best in that department while its midfield ran over a non-existent one when it mattered. Nani looked like he could have bisected the Dutch defense in his sleep.

Is Van Marwijk the problem? Or is the Ajax assembly line that churns out players for the top leagues purely for mercenary gain the problem? The Dutch players do their best for the clubs they play for. As an Arsenal fan, Van Persie's performance has been nothing short of life saving. If he had been injured one shudders to think where Arsenal would have been this season. Pick any place from 15 to 20. But a hard club season spanning months leaves you with little to nothing in the tank for such abbreviated competitions especially when you've made central to your club's fortunes. Ditto Arjen Robben. Ditto Wesley Sneijder. Ditto Rafael Van Der Vaart.

There was no chemistry, no love for the sport, no cognizance of the fact that they had been given a lifeline to possibly the annals of history if they had succeeded in beating the Portugese by the requisite margin. Yes, it would be rendered moot because the Germans beat the Danes. But an old adage says, you take care of business at your end. It all looked so good when Van Der Vaart gave that perfect start but it was a facade. Eh?

The highlights speak for themselves. There will be post mortems. And hopefully those post mortems will guide the right way to look past those mortems and start the Dutch anew. Physician, heal thyself! Sack Van Marwijk.

The Dutch have been the poorest shooting team in the Euros averaging almost 14 attempts off target per match. They managed to beat Russia and Aleksandr Kherzakov to second best by about 3 attempts. Against Denmark, the Dutch sprayed the ball all over the place like drunks taking a wiz.

Most of this scoring futility has been the result of leaving the ball at the feet of Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie. So much of this Dutch side is about the scoring prowess of its wingers and strikers which also includes Ibrahim Affelay and Klaas Jan Huntelaar one forgets they have decent set piece scorers in Johnny Hietinga and Joris Mathijsen. Mark Van Bommel who used to score fairly regularly till about two years from free kicks has faded with fewer opportunities since Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, and RVP took over that area.

The Portugese could have fallen into the same trap relying on Cristiano Ronaldo who has had chances a plenty in front of goal but against Denmark they won because of goals from other sources like Pepe and Silvestre Varela. Nani, the other big consumer of oxygen found his utility by providing an assist to set up Helder Postiga's goal. Despite their low possession rates (~ 43%) which should be no different against the Netherlands they have been more effective on the counterattack. They have far more midfielders willing to be via points in scoring with Nani, Coentrao, and Moutinho assisting in the end product.

The Dutch in the 2010 World Cup were effective because they had Wesley Sneijder playing behind RVP in that playmaker role which saw them create high percentage scoring opportunities. Sneijder himself scored five goals in that World Cup including two against Brazil. Now, it's a Wild, Wild West with Robben trying to jink his way from right to left and RVP in an un- Arsenal like manner trying to blaze the ball over. Sneijder is the forgotten man in this equation.

The keys to a Dutch win:

1. Less individualism, more team work: Wesley Sneijder has to be more authoritative in imposing a team like presence towards crafting goals.
2. Unconventional goalscoring sources: Seek out Johnny Heitinga and Joris Mathijsen during corners and free kicks.
3. Jettison the extra holding midfielder: Go with a two striker set with a 4-4-2 leaving out Nigel De Jong. The number of goals scored is of extreme importance.

All this depends on Germany doing its job and winning against Denmark and not playing to draw and ensuring both get through. Robben has appealed to his Bayern Munich team mates to give them the result they desire. It's desperation time for the Dutch and they will have to come out smoking from the gates.

All about bananas and nuts who throw them

Mario Balotelli has been a virtually anonymous figure in this Euro when you focus on his contribution. Instead its his skin colour stoking all the negative attention. Croatia faces racism charges from UEFA when its fans made monkey chants, displayed far right symbols, and threw a banana at Balotelli during the Italy match. There is fertile soil for Ustase wannabes in those stands.

Andy Carroll gets his groove back on

Jonathan Wilson explains why England won. A 4-4-2 formation is chicken soup for the English soul. There is nothing wrong in a perfectly laid long ball when you have a target man who can exploit the opposition's weakness. Roy Hodgson is a visionary.

Petr Jiracek's 72nd minute winner leaves Poland as hosts uninvited to their own party. Who are they going to support now? An educated guess will be Germany with a number of players of Polish origin including Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose.

It all happened when Tomas Hubschmann robbed the ball from the Poles well beyond midfield before sending Milan Baros showing the legs of a 22 year old racing ahead. The former Liverpool striker then laid off for the arriving Jiracek to his left and with one side step to his right, Jiracek sent the Czechs ahead for good.

Jiracek was an obvious hero but nothing gets better than this superhuman effort by Michael Kadlec clearing the ball leaving nothing to chance. It might have been going out but Kadlec did not know at that time. A + for effort and execution.

Poland who had looked so good against Russia with the Borussia Dortmund trio shining in that match must have fancied their chances. But they were disappointing in their circumspection. The match will also be remembered for its record number of fouls, 42 of them with both teams sharing equal honours.

Group A is the classic rope a dope leaving the sucker punch for the last as both Russia and Poland crash out.

szólj hozzá: Greece vs Russia 1:0 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

This was a day talent took a backseat and words like "heart", "courage", "bottle" were used as descriptives. In the end Russia flattered to deceive having won the statistical battle in every department except in the one that really matters as one's mouth runs dry saying it. 62% possession to 38%, 25 attempts to 5, 12 corners to 5. They started their campaign on fire reducing the Czechs to a 4-1 byline and then throwing Poland on the ropes to enter their final match hands down favourites to progress all the while playing some of the competition's best football. But it was unheralded Greece that pulled the rug from under.

Greece's hero was Giorgios Karagounis, the most capped player for his country and a veteran of the victorious 2004 Euro squad. Few know better than 1-0 giant killing margins like Greece and Karagounis. They were helped by a Russian team that seemed to think the last day was all about collecting towels. Except for some nice flourishes by Andrey Arshavin which led to a few close encounters on goals with his attempt and Alan Dzagoev's header amongst them, the Russians tried to solve the doughty Greek defense long range.

Karagounis's goal came after Sergei Ignashevich misdirected a header off a thrown in straight into the path of the scampering captain who thrust forward and then smashed the ball past Malafeev. The same Ignashevich then blatantly fouled Karagounis while in the box but referee Jonas Eriksson inexplicably booked the Greek for diving when it should have been a red card to Ignashevich and a penalty. Karagounis will miss his next match because of that booking.

This bit of injustice was a reprieve for Russia for they could still progress as long as the Czechs did not score a goal against Poland. It all came to an end in the 72nd minute as Petr Jiracek put the Czechs through leaving Russia scrambling to find a goal in the next 20 minutes. Dick Advocaat threw the kitchen sink introducing Roman Pavlyuchenko and Pavel Pobregnyak but with four strikers on the pitch only Dzagoev came tantalizingly close to the elusive equalizer. At the other end Greece through Giorgos Tzavellas were denied a second goal when his free kick struck the upright after having beaten Malafeev. It seemed just that sort of evening. Every time Russia came close to the answer, the Greeks showed they were ready with more questions.

Afterwards, Karagounis talked about the match:

"We played with heart and soul which are the characteristics of this team," he said. "We displayed those qualities throughout, showing our character. We were only playing for one result and we got it. The supporters were splendid and we managed to get a result which will bring joy to Greeks around the world. Sometimes it's not just about qualifying but about the performance, and that was all important for us."

Soccerblog was amongst the many who did not pick the plucky Greeks but let us say that this deserved victory will bring a bit of sunshine to a country wracked by a failing economy, massive debt, record unemployment, and looking at the wrecking ball of austerity.

szólj hozzá: England vs Sweden 3:2 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Score all three points for Roy Hodgson. He started Andy Caroll, and the big man delivered with a towering (Michael Jordan would have been proud of that hang time) header for England's first goal. With England falling behind, he went to Theo Walcott, who with his first touch restored parity through a rasping open field volley. The Arsenal winger then played a seminal part in the winning goal slipping in his cross for a spinning Danny Welbeck to flick the ball with his back to goal amidst a thicket of Swedish defenders. That was a finish. Continuing in the same mode, Walcott then served Stevie Gerrard but the Liverpool man was stopped by Andreas Isaksson.

Sweden made a match out of it with a comical own goal off Glen Johnson and an Olof Mellberg header but their defense let them down at critical junctures. In the match up between the two pony tailed, stony faced assassins, Carroll came off better against Zlatan Ibrahimovic because he actually delivered although the Swede was the more constant threat.

This group would be decided on who made the least mistakes and so far England have able to dig themselves out. They have also found bonuses as Walcott proved but the Arsenal winger in a note of caution does this from time to time interspersed with longer spells of frustrating anonymity and indecisiveness. Hodgson gets back Wayne Rooney for the Ukraine match from which England only need a draw to advance to the last eight. An ideal situation for the Man Utd frontman to get stuck in. Walcott, one suspects will be brought off the bench in a super sub sort of way. He seems to be more decisive in his 20 minutes than an entire match.

Sweden turned in another disappointing Euro foray. They had their moments, more specifically Kim Kallstrom had a chance to score Sweden its third goal but his poor finishing let him and his country down.

szólj hozzá: France vs Ukraine 2:0 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Jeremy Menez, the former AS Roma winger is one talented player with dizzying bursts of acceleration, great ball skills, and perfect crosses. He was a menace all evening. France who were all over Ukraine went ahead with the trident of Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema, and Menez, with the winger left footing the ball past goalie, Andriy Pyatov near post for a perfect finish. A few minutes later Yohan Cabaye finished off a move begun by Karim Benzema, who played less directly than he normally does for Real Madrid. Cabaye could have had a third but his well struck half volley came off the upright. Ribery, down the left channel provided the cut and thrust as all the big names stepped it up a notch.

Ukraine were quite disappointing after their scintillating start against Sweden with Andriy Shevchenko having the best chance latching onto a long ball motoring past Adil Rami down the inside left but his shot was well covered by Hugo Lloris. There were opportunities as England demonstrated to exploit the pairing of Rami and Phillipe Mexes but Sheva was cut off from a decidedly unambitious midfield.

The match was delayed by about an hour due to an electrical storm that threw down dangerous bolts of lightning amidst the downpour. The Donbass Arena soon emptied out. Good work by the groundstaff to get the game going again.

It's time for Roy Hodgson to go all Shining on the pundits

Not one match over and the knives are out. Richard Williams screams Roy Hodgson is not a visionary waking up from a nightmare bathed in cold sweat. Stop press!

Kekule still gets the prize for dreaming up the serpent seizing its tail to unlock the cyclical structure of benzene. Now that was revelatory.

Much of this piling on has to do with Hodgson's woebegone demeanour. Most of the time he looks like he swallowed a gherkin dipped in turpentine and then decided to go back for seconds. Which is a self destructive habit because people think you like it and then call you names or for your head whether you succeed or not. It's not a Vincent Del Bosque type of phlegmatic because that man is actually murdering the opposition in his head whereas Hodgson seems to be in acute pain and discomfiture. He needs an image makeover, a snarly one, where he looks like he's going to stick a fork in your liver and masticate on it with gusto, all the while washing it down with a nice Reisling. Or entering an eating contest with Hannibal Lecter.

He's been dealt a bad hand. Injuries all around and a racism charge that was eating up the airwaves before England even set foot in Ukraine. A draw against France exceeded most expectations. Today, England faces Sweden and big man Andy Carroll is expected to punish a side that has problems defending against set pieces with one lash of his pony tail. It's looking hopeful.

Visionary enters the vocabulary when you have two years to play around with. Not one month where you have essentially run out of square pegs to bash with a mallet to fill all those round holes. Hodgson was of course run out of Liverpool before given a fair shake because the media took over the small time narrative. Being England manager is by and large setting up yourself for failure and Hodgson deserves some kudos for being courageous enough to take the job with next to no time for preparation. His remit is not chalking out some sort of Socratic philosophy that guides England to a promised land.

Barcelona and Real Madrid legend Michael Laudrup becomes the Swans newest coach. Laudrup's appointment should continue the attacking style favoured by Brendan Rodgers with the Danish attacking midfielder steeped in Johan Cruyff's philosophy while at Barcelona. As a player he was renowned for his precision passing and sporting conduct on the pitch never receiving a red card.

Johan Cruyff: "When Michael plays like a dream, a magic illusion, determined to show his new team his extreme abilities, no one in the world comes anywhere near his level."

Here is current legend Andres Iniesta on Laudrup: "Who is the best player in history? Laudrup."

Laudrup had considerable success coaching Danish club Brondby and thereafter the Liga's Getafe. He will be seeking to reverse some of the tarnish that came off in his tenure with Spartak Moscow.

Great choice. If one were new to the Premiership and looking for a team to follow or support, the Swans should be on that list.

szólj hozzá: kroesia 14/06

Italy was excellent in the first half, orchestrated by the peerless Andrea Pirlo. All that stood between Italy scoring more goals was Stipe Pletikosa. In one sequence he stopped Claudio Marchisio, not once but twice in succession. It took Pirlo's artful curling kick with a homing device attached on the ball to beat Pletikosa near post for Italy to grab the lead.

The Croats were allowed back into the game as Italy went into protection mode which has proven not to work well specially with one goal leads. Ivan Strinic's cross in the 70th minute which Giorgio Chiellini whiffed at was brought under control by Mario Mandzukic with a nice touch before he blasted the ball past Buffon. It was his third goal and he shares the billing of top scorer with Alan Dagoev and Mario Gomez.

Mario Balotelli played incident free and rather well. The draw sets up Italy in good position for the final match against Ireland which they should win. On the other hand, the Croatians have their work cut out for them meeting the defending champion.

In the waning minutes of the Ireland vs Spain match, the Irish fans as their team stared at elimination fill the stadium with their rousing chant of "The Fields of Athenry". No one was hurt. It was moving, beautiful and poignant giving us a peek into an antiquated vision of the "beautiful game", gleaming for an ephemeral moment under a rubble of cynicism, calumny, and rank jingoism.

Here is Dropkick Murphy's version of "The Fields of Athenry"

szólj hozzá: Spain vs Ireland 4:0 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Spain at their ridiculous best. Fernando Torres looking like the old Torres, eating up real estate with each huge gallop and flourishing a trenchant finish. Can we anoint Andres Iniesta? And did David Silva's eye popping goal bring a tear to your peepers? Fabregas spurning his plaintive side made a killer move to seal a 4-0 washout. As a commentator on the Guardian thread said, " The football made me want to be Spanish. The singing made me want to be Irish."

The Irish are out but they will leave the Euros with their fans having earned a place in our hearts. What does it all mean for Irish football? Very few have the answers. Roy Keane doesn't have any, he just sounds bitter. Spain was always an underachiever despite all that sophistication but they found that much needed metal in Euro 2008 in the form of Marcos Senna. Now there is a generation of tough minded footballers. Maybe the Irish need to flip it around. Add some flair and creativity to all that heart and soul.

It came down to an almost botched volley attempt by Silvestre Varela in the 87th minute but the winger was able to collar the ball as it bounced off his legs and then drove it on the up past Stephan Andersen for the winning goal.

Portugal shot into the lead when Pepe who about two minutes before went down theatrically clutching his ankle like it had been shot fifty thousand eight hundred and seventy nine times fronted the Danish defense a la Shevchenko against the Swedes from a corner to divert the ball home. Pepe's usual contribution is either to get someone red carded or stretchered off, so this was actually refreshing. It got worse for the Danes who had to sub Niki Zimling because of injury when Helder Postiga arrived on the ball before any one of them could twitch a muscle to make it two to nothing. Nani had his best game with his unselfish service as he decided to play Boswell to Cristiano Ronaldo.

That was before the best striker in the world got his act together. Nicklas Bendtner took advantage of Michael Krohn- Delhi's brilliantly executed header across the face off the goal (see him weight the ball perfectly with his head) to use his noggin to cut the margin. Bendtner again rose above Pepe and unmolested swung the ball past Rui Patrico to draw Denmark level. By the way, the Danish striker dropped his pants once again this time using his body for some ambush advertising. Cheesy! He faces the wrath of UEFA who are giving the NYPD a run for their money for creative ways to come up with fines.

Cristiano Ronaldo's trial and tribulations with the ball continued as he semaphored his frustrations hands on his hips, eyes rolling heavenwards, and kicked imaginary divots. Real Madrid's all time scoring leader in a single season, the fastest in Liga history towards a century of goals, finds his scoring touch has deserted him. He's had eight attempts on goal and three off, so he can't complain about lacking opportunities.

Portugal's defense is nothing to write home about but the Danish defense was abysmal. They almost made the Irish look good. This Euro has been about bad defending, really shocking abdication of the fundamentals. Which if you look at it in context makes Patrice Evra's grouse that England played like Chelsea against Barca seem like a compliment.

Robin Van Persie finally scored after his 11th attempt (Six on target, 5 off). But so did Mario Gomez, twice in fact. The German striker showed a wonderful touch, a sort of Bergkampesque pirouette to score his first goal after receiving the ball from Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Schweini was on point again slipping in Gomez as the Dutch criminally went to sleep for Germany's second goal. Gomez is tied with Alan Dzagoev as top scorer with three goals a piece. One doesn't see Bert Van Marwijk holding onto his job if the Dutch don't progress. They were actually given a lifeline as Denmark lost to Portugal otherwise it would have been all over for them.

They meet Portugal in the last match and will have to beat them by a considerable margin as they are -2 in goal differential compared to the even record of the Portugese. This assuming Germany does its job off seeing of Denmark. If all three teams are tied on points and goal differential (with identical goals for/ goals against), UEFA goes to its country co-efficients which favours Portugal over Netherlands and Denmark. A horrible way to end it all.

szólj hozzá: Cristiano Ronaldo kihagyja a ziccert

Nani sends in a great outlet, CR7 does everything right including being onside and then proceeds to royally eff up the finish. The cold, calculated, scoring machine for Real comes unglued during his country's campaign. This was his second point blank miss.

szólj hozzá: Löw esete a labdaszedővel

Joachim Low pokes a bit of fun at a unsuspecting ball boy. The German coach was a You Tube sensation in S.Africa, two years ago. Apparently, he's snacking again.

Antonio Cassano is a bit of an exhibitionist actually

Can anyone who does what Antonio Cassano did as the picture above shows be taken seriously? On the face of it, Cassano was baited by a TV personality who apparently had an encounter with a football player in the national team who in turn "outed" another player to him.

This was Cassano's fumbling response to whether there might be undeclared gay players " That's their problem, but I hope not. ... But I don't know," he said, then added that he hoped his answer sufficed. "Because if not, you know I'll be attacked from every direction."

Bigoted? Not really. These are actual bigots here and here and here. Inartful? Yes.

Lets give Cassano a break. He's always been outspoken and unscripted. A number of football managers including Fabio Capello can vouch for him getting into trouble with what he said about them or the management. He was after all a kid growing up in the tough streets of Bari and playing football was a way out. But one can't find a record of bigotry or malice in his statements. In any case, Cassano apologized. The matter should be put to rest. As for the larger issue, sports continues to be homophobic. It has been 14 years since Justin Fashanu killed himself after coming out and not much seems to have changed. Football focuses on racism but lags woefully behind when it comes to the uncomfortable question of sexual orientation.

'Arry goes after four years as Spurs manager

On top of the world a bare four months ago having been cleared of tax evasion charges that dragged on for months, in the drivers seat for the England job, Spurs challenging for the Premiership title with a Champions League spot in the bag.

It was Arsenal who did him in. That 5-2 roasting at the Emirates sent Spurs into a spiral which saw them fall out of contention for the title, dipping past Arsenal to fourth, leaving their Champions League aspirations in the hands of Chelsea. By that time the FA had turned to Roy Hodgson to lead England. In the cruelest of strokes, Chelsea won the final leaving Redknapp's fate in the hands of Daniel Levy, a tyrant of an owner. He did not survive.

The last day of the Premiership was also St Totteringham's Day and for that we have to thank Martin Fulop. In retrospect it sealed the fate of Redknapp.

The Warsaw police department deployed 6,000 officers, in one of their most intensive security operations, and it proved crucial in tamping down the violence that ensued before the Russia vs Poland match. Even so there were 184 arrests as fans from both countries fought pitched battles in which 10 police officers along with 10 fans were treated for injuries. Afterwards, Poland's PM, Donald Tusk reacted:

"It really wasn't any historic Polish-Russian battle, but rather involved several hundred idiots from both sides," he said Wednesday.

"We'll teach them all a lesson, whether they're Polish or Russian or someone else," he warned.

The violence was instigated by Polish hooligans who attacked Russian supporters numbering 5,000 moving through Warsaw to the National Stadium commemorating their national day prior to the match. The sagacity of permitting such a march has been questioned.

UEFA also fined Russia $150,000 for their fans attacking four Polish stewards after the Czech Republic match and threatened an additional penalty of deducting six points in the next Euro Championship if their fans turned violent again.

Guatemala, always tough competitors on the road did no damage to that reputation as the USA could not hold onto their lead and had to settle for a draw when Marco Pappa lasered his free kick past Timmy Howard. The USA maintained an 18 match unbeaten streak against Guatemala while Deuce scored his 27th international goal leading him past Joe Max Moore to fourth all time in US history in points scored.

Fabian Johnson's return proved crucial, assisting in Dempsey's goal when he fed the ball square to the Fulham striker who eluded two defenders to score the opener. However, Johnson also fouled Carlos Ruiz, Guatemala's captain and the resulting free kick was converted by Marco Pappa, one of the hardest working MLS players and a Chicago Fire standout.

"I think we saw quite an exciting game," said U.S. Men's National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. "I think the game was open for most of the stretch of it. Obviously, with the lead one-nil, you want to win it, you want to bring the three points home. We came for three points but I think at the end of the day, the tie, based on all the chances on both sides, is OK."

Klinsi obviously felt the team could have done better but he was sanguine enough with the result. The USA maintained top position in Group A, in good shape to resume World Cup qualifying in September against Jamaica.

szólj hozzá: chek 12/06

Vaclav Pilar and Petr Jiracek drive the Czech Republic past Greece who narrow the margin through substitute Theofanis Gekas.

szólj hozzá: polish 12/6

Poland was the better team for large spells including the first 10-15 minutes when Robert Lewandowski and Ludovic Obraniak kept Vyacheslav Malefeev very busy. This was an end to end affair with plenty of attacking football. Poland had a goal disallowed after a beautiful build up saw Eugen Polanski scoring from a marginally offside position. Russia went ahead through Alan Dzagoev's flick off his head through a free kick. It was Dzagoev's third goal.

The spectre of an early exit put an extra step into the home side but they had to wait for Jakub "Kuba" Błaszczykowski's piledriver to equalize. The collective sigh of relief from a nation rippled throughout the diaspora.

The Poles ended the match on a high note dominating possession and creating many more chances as Russia faded towards the end. On the strength of yesterday's display they have to fancy their chances against the Czech Republic in their last match. They will also get back Wojciech Szczesny in goal serving out his one match suspension.

UEFA has launched an investigation into Spanish fans racially abusing Mario Balotelli

So far in the first round of the group stage there has been no team nor an individual player setting this Euro on afire. The closest has been Russia and Alan Dzagoev with Andrey Arshavin recapturing his 2008 Euro form. Spain and Italy were intriguing tactical battles. Germany and Netherlands disappointed given all that talent and firepower. Ukraine showed they would not be pushovers.

We can debate the merits of each team and their players performances but the real headline is the racism and the hooliganism that have permeated this Euro. From the Dutch training camp, to the chants against the Czech Republic's Theodor Gebre Selassie, and now to Mario Balotelli in the Italy vs Spain match. In addition to the racism, Russian fans attacked four Polish stewards beating them up after their match against the Czech Republic. They are still to be identified. Fourteen supporters were arrested before the Ireland vs Croatia game after they hurled chairs and beer bottles in Poznan Square. In all, 72 arrests have been made in the first three days with supporters charged with disorderly conduct.

In today's Russia vs Poland match, police are gearing up for more potential violence. Both countries share a bloody history with Russia now admitting to the 1940 Katyn massacre which killed 22,000 Polish army men. The situation could exacerbate as Russian fans have been permitted to march to the National Stadium in Warsaw as part of their country's national day. The 2010 Smolensk air disaster that virtually wiped out the entire Polish political establishment sparked off conspiracy theories of a Russian cover up which have undermined any warming up relations between the two countries. Those suspicions could translate to some pitched battles between the two groups of supporters, amongst the world's most volatile fans.

If this happens then Arsenal will have captured the women's vote. The Montpellier striker scored 25 buts to lead the Ligue and helped his club win their maiden title. If they can hold onto RVP, Arsenal with Poldi and Giroud should feature in Kickette for a long time to come, and as a bonus, score many goals.

Ukraine went to veteran Andrey Shevchenko who showed he still has a plethora of goals in him. Or is it cornucopia? Or maybe multitude works better? Or myriad?

The Iraqi commentator celebrated Shevchenko's goals by yammering about "Chernobyl" which if one Googles up the connection is a reference to how Sheva at age 9 and his family were uprooted from their village following the 1985 Chernobyl nuclear disaster and forced to relocate to the coast. He also said "tornado" which is what struck the Swedish defense.

Sweden scored first from Ibracadabra after which the TV had trouble fitting his head. But their defense was pretty dire defending Sheva and their talented midfield looked quite unambitious. Right on cue, coach Erik Hamren blasted his players for playing like "cowards."

The buzz is all about James Milner missing what should have been an easy as pie goal. Add Joe Hart's bumbling attempt to stop Samir Nasri's shot which had pace but could have been easily saved near post. England could have pulled it off despite the soft centre where France won the possession game and looked extremely threatening especially just before half time.

Roy Hodgson deserves kudos for starting Alex Oxlade - Chamberlain and with Ashley Young, giving pace down both flanks. The Arsenal winger showed he has it in him but needs to work on his decision making. Young, the cleverest English player on display, exposed the weakness of the French defense with Phillipe Mexes and Adil Rami reading the game poorly. Steven Gerrard laid in a perfect set piece for Joleon Lescott to give England the lead. Nasri's equalizer came after the French established a beach head deep in England territory. The half could not have come any sooner as France threatened to do further damage.

Nasri celebrated by giving a finger to the French press who had been pounding on him before the match. The man takes things personally, doesn't he? The first half was all about promise; the second half, somnolence. Still, one point is welcome and now England can hope to beat up on Sweden, to seal their advance out of Group D. On the other hand, the French were probably hoping for more than a draw but despite enjoying a majority of possession could not create too many scoring chances with only Alou Diarra coming close when his header was saved by Hart and his follow up went awry. Laurent Blanc has to be concerned with his centre backs who could be torn apart by both Sweden and Ukraine.

Ashley Young sliced the entire French defense with a pinpoint pass with James Milner correctly latched onto moving away from goal as Danny Welbeck tracked to the centre. Everything was done right. Milner could have opted to cross or to shoot himself which he did except he did a Fernando Torres. It was just terribly anti-climactic. And to think England could have actually won after being outplayed in the midfield.

Wayne Rooney was overheard whispering to Stewart Downing if duck season had begun.

Alex Oxlade Chamberlain may get his start under Roy Hodgson

In a few hours, Roy Hodgson's England squad will be facing Les Bleus, in one of the most anticipated matches in this Euro.

The key to an England victory will be to take expose the potential vulnerabilities at the heart of the French defense in either centre pairing of Adil Rami and Phillipe Mexes or Laurent Koscielny.

Steven Gerrard slipping a ball through to Danny Welbeck or Alex Oxlade Chamberlain using their speed to get behind Rami and Mexes could spell trouble for the French. At the other end, the John Terry led back line will have to turn back Franck Ribery and the class of '87 Clairefontaine graduates who won the 2004 U-17 Euro.

" I'll drink to that"

The interim coach who led Chelsea to their first ever Champions League title is moving closer to signing a more permanent deal. It is actually a short term contract for a year extendable to two. An announcement is expected sometime this week. This is Roman Abramovich's way of showing gratitude while he keeps looking elsewhere.

Four Euro 2012 stewards were attacked and beaten up by Russian fans after the Czech Republic match.

Some way of celebrating their victory. One doesn't want to know how they would have reacted if Russia had lost. In the same match, some fans were heard racially abusing Theodor Gebre Selassie, the Czech right back, who is half Ethiopian in origin.

Russia's Sports Minister denied these racism allegations saying fans were booing those who did not join the Mexican wave. No, he wasn't being ironical. By the way, this head in the sand attitude by Russian authorities towards racism in their country is nothing new. Their cynicism is sure to make the 2018 World Cup, the grand daddy of racism. Every neo- Nazi group will be allowed to operate with impunity.

szólj hozzá: Croatia vs Ireland 3:1 HIGHLIGHTS

Set pieces ruled in this match. The Croatians were far better at it with Mario Mandžukić scoring from a brace of headers and Le Homme Nikica pouncing on a ball the Ireland defenders failed to clear. Terrible defending all around by the men in green.

Ireland were able to narrow the deficit with a set piece goal of their own when Aidan McGeady's free kick was diverted into goal by Sean St Ledger after the defender lost his marker Vedran Corluka. It was a Spurs mini re-union as former players Corluka and Robbie Keane faced off against each other. The present day team was represented by Luka Modric and later Niko Kranjcar who came on for Jelavic.

All the clever players were Croatians with Modric a cut above the rest. The result was some nice flowing football. The Irish are nimble wordsmiths but their feet don't keep up with their mouths or their pens. Maybe someday.

The result puts the Croatians on top of Group C after Italy and Spain deadlocked. For Ireland the climb became nigh impossible with two World Cup champions to face in their remaining matches.

szólj hozzá: Spain vs Italy 1:1 HIGHLIGHTS

Just a marvelous exposition of football. Like a very good spy novel with tons of characters and sub plots which don't make sense but keep you intrigued until the very end when you realize you're sitting at the edge of the sofa with your ass cheeks tightly clenched. And oh, that Andres Iniesta and Andrea Pirlo are the reasons why you watch football.

I would rather see Giuseppe Rossi on the pitch than see him as a commentator on ESPN. A zombie would have more animation. ESPN put out a panel of Michael Ballack, Alexei Lalas, Giuseppe Rossi with Bob Ley moderating to discuss the Italy vs Spain match.

Rossi as a US citizen, a NJ native, whose national ambitions saw him switching allegiance to Italy became a polarizing figure. His demeanour in the studio was that off someone who expected US fans to gang tackle him from behind any moment and then do unspeakable things to his pubes. He spoke when he was spoken to, his responses were pithy, and his face wore a deer in the headlights look. Asked about Fernando Torres, Rossi came up with the stunning revelation that "he lacked confidence." Good money was plonked on that one.

Rossi's dead pan monotone was no mitigation to Lalas's unhinged ramblings which included Spain "withering away", something about his 6 year old daughter blah blah blah, and then after Spain had dominated ball possession with something like 60% and played exactly like Spain was to inform the viewers Spain had played differently. Michael Ballack was a bit better except one got the uncomfortable feeling he was using Google Translator but at least he came up with the intriguing notion that the state of the pitch did not support the type of passing game expected from Spain.

The discussion predictably drifted to Mario Balotelli and Fernando Torres, two players who will always be in the spotlight, one who will not a raise an eyebrow if he's found behind bars and the other who plays as if he's trying to get out of them. But that was an easy route to follow. There should have been more discussion of the tactics, the unconventional formations used by both teams, and players not named Balotelli or Torres.

Was Vincent Del Bosque's reverting to a more conventional set served by his selection of Torres after relying on no striker in the first half and only midfielders? It would appear that no material advantage was achieved after the striker squandered three golden opportunities created especially by the midfield.

The only goal came from David Silva's brilliant outlet that unlocked the Italian defense for Cesc Fabregas to slip through for the equalizer. Should Del Bosque have given Fernando Llorente or Alvaro Negredo a chance? On the other hand Cesare Prandelli's bold move to use Daniele De Rossi in the unfamiliar role of sweeper paid off and the Roma midfielder was magnificent keeping Italy alive after some very timely tackles and blocks. There could have been a discussion of Antonio De Natale, so vastly underrated as a striker whose lack of national appearances has never been commensurate with his domestic output. There was no acknowledgment of Andrea Pirlo or Andres Iniesta (absolutely stone cold magnificent) in driving their respective attacks. Did Jordi Alba and Emanuele Giaccherini, respective greenhorns acquit themselves well on this huge international stage?

There is so much scope for improvement and one hungers for some semblance of informed analysis that is not forthcoming because who ESPN puts out there seems to be dictated by expediency and image. Get some writers who do this for a living, even if they have not played one single league game or look like they've never bathed for a year.

szólj hozzá: Balotelli belassul

This has to be the most bizarre incident in the 2012 Euro so far. Sergio Ramos serving Mario Balotelli on a platter and then the Man City striker dawdling for an eternity as the world went through World War I, II, Vietnam, Watergate, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the Arab Spring, for Ramos to catch up with him and knock the ball off him.

szólj hozzá: Brazília-Argentína 3-4

Lets put this in the friendliest of terms, there is no amistoso when it comes to these two countries, on the pitch. At the MetLife Stadium, 80,000 + fans many of them who had lubed up with plenty of beer and bbq in the hundreds of tailgating parties dotting the parking lots were treated to a brilliant exposition of attacking football. The match billed as the two titans of S.American football lived up to expectation.

A slow start, a thunderous middle, and an absolutely scintillating end provided by Messi as Argentina overcame Brazil.

What is impressive about Messi is his patience. He did not impose himself on the game and there seems to be an increasing confidence in his team mates to provide him with the opportunities to score. Gonzalo Higuain set him up with a pass that split the defense open sending Messi haring down to finish past Rafael. Then it was Angel Di Maria doing the same as Higuain cleverly unsighted the Brazilians with his body and once again it was Messi bursting his way through and finishing with his left foot.

We have seen this legendary acceleration, to see it live, inspires awe. That third goal was Messi envisioning the whole thing in his mind from start to finish. Collecting the ball on the left sideline at the half, shrugging off Marcelo contemptuously, to arrow down for the next 25 yards and before the Brazilians had gathered their wits sending a perfectly placed curling shot to the right of Rafael. There were far fewer neutrals when the match ended as chants of M-essi, M-essi, M-essi broke out through all parts of the stadium. Even the Brazilians and believe you me they were the dominant force interspersed with a sparser and mostly quieter powder blue and white, paid homage to the little maestro.

The Seleccao were no slouches as Romulo, Oscar, and Hulk gave the Brazilians the scoring lift they needed but the Albiceleste had all the answers. Messi scored a hat trick including the match winner but the only non-Messi goal for the Argentinians came from Federico Fernandez scoring from a Sergio Aguero corner making the difference.

The goalkeeping on both sides left a lot to be desired. Sergio Romero should have done better with Romulo's shot which trickled past him into goal and then he failed to collect Neymar's corner cleanly and Hulk picked his pocket. At the other end Rafael needlessly charged out to try and force Messi off course and his over commitment was punished. Both teams have to tighten up that department considerably.

In the clash of Messi vs Neymar there seems to be a interesting dynamic unfolding. The Brazilian is fast becoming the set up man for his team while Messi in the last few matches has benefited from others providing him his pickings. Neymar was provided a similar opportunity to burst through but he dallied his shot till the last and the Argentinian defense was able to scramble him off the ball. He's a goalscorer so it is worrying sign under Mano Menezes he's becoming more involved in midfield machinations which should be taken over by Oscar, Lucas Moura, or Kaka.

szólj hozzá: Nie - Por 1-0

Group B should see on paper an outpouring of goals. But the Germans were no less profligate than their Dutch counterparts when it came to missing out on scoring opportunities.

They had eleven of them but just when it looked like this would be a long evening for the Germans, Mario Gomez was able to majestically elevate himself at the right time to put away Sami Khedira's deflected cross past Rui Patricio. Excellent goal and with that Joachim Low who was readying Miroslav Klose sat him down.

Cristiano Ronaldo continued his frustratingly underwhelming performances for his country. In some ways he is unique in building up this self created expectancy when he gets the ball that there is a overwhelming sense of deflation when nothing materializes out of it. It maybe because of the body language that follows, hand on his hips, eyes beseeching the heavens above: a conspiracy taking away his ability to score.

The Euro dodged a ghost goal controversy when Pepe's shot hit the crossbar and then appeared to fall on the goal line. The Portugese appealed but replays showed the ball did not break the plane. Germany were also fortunate when Nani's shot clanged off the crossbar in the second half and Manuel Neuer quickly closed down Silvestre Varela after Philipp Lahm's mistake gave the Portugese winger a tantalizing glimpse of an open goal.

Arsenal fans were no doubt checking out Lukas Podolski. The winger had plenty of pace and movement down the left channel. He also had two scoring chances - one was an improvised shot with his left foot which Patricio had no problems dealing with and the other was a skied shot off Mesut Oezil. Even if RVP does not go this summer, Arsenal will be well advised to invest in a frontline striker. Poldi is not what you would call a clinical finisher.

szólj hozzá: Hol - Dan 0-1

A moving sea of orange ceaselessly breaking on the doorstep waiting it to fall. But it did not happen as the Netherlands just could not put the ball into goal. Robin Van Persie was particularly egregious, his touch unsure, his finish woeful.

How did Paul Wilson come up with the analysis the Dutch did not win because RVP was stranded alone with the midfield not effectively linking up with him.

A more pertinent question would be how many chances do you need to score? This was finishing that let them down, not wrong tactics or a lack of them. The Dutch had 16 shots on goal, RVP had three of those. There were 20 off target. They also poured in 15 corners. This was no mean offensive output. The Dutch were also ill served by Arjen Robben's worst ball hog proclivities.

The Danes weathered the storm with a compact defense and in a rope a dope sequence came back through Michael Krohn- Dehli's stunning nutmeg off an out of position Maarten Stekelenberg.

The Dutch have dug themselves a hole. They can obviously still advance but their road now goes through Germany and Portugal. The Game of Thrones just began.

The Czech right back with Ethiopian origins is subjected to racial taunts and monkey chants during the match against Russia. This follows similar incidents at the Dutch training grounds a day earlier. A number of fans also attacked the stewards injuring four of them after the Russia vs Czech Republic match was over.

Mexico started like a house on fire as Carlos Salcido smashed in a volley from 25 yards out and then Chicharito Hernandez linked up with Gio Dos Santos for a goal within minutes of the first one. It looked like it was going to rain goals on the Golden Jaguars.

El Tri had to wait till after the second half to add another entirely through the mistakes of the dithering Guyana defense as John Rodriguez scored an own goal. El Tri then took a hit of their own as Hector Moreno scored an own goal to narrow the margin.

Three points on the board as USA starts its 2014 qualifying. How those three points were achieved is debatable. For those who see the cup as half full, the USA created chances at a phenomenal rate. For those more pessimistic, they just could not score and the scoreline should have been doubled.

Hercules Gomez played his socks off and his header from Donovan's corner set up Carlos Bocanegra's strike. The USA added to that tally when Donovan was brought down in the box and Clint Dempsey executed perfectly from the spot. Antigua ranked 105th in FIFA then reminded the USA of its fragility at the back when Oguchi Onyewu was taken to the cleaners by Peter Byers whose shot was deflected into goal past Tim Howard. If looks could incinerate, Gooch would have been charred to a crisp. It's been a rough return to the hurly burly of the sport for the one time AC Milan prospect. The USA managed to put away the game after a melee saw the ball break to Gomez in front of an empty net.

Antigua's goalie Molvin James had a phenomenal game stopping pretty much everything. The USA really had to earn those goals. Antigua's most famous sportsman is cricketer Vivian Richards, in his prime, the most ruthless batsman in the world. But they are earning plaudits for their football team, many of them who play for the Championship and division II in the English league.

The USA now face a much tougher test away to Guatemala on Tuesday. They have to be more clinical in their finishing, make less mistakes at the back, and figure out how to separate out Maurice Edu, Michael Bradley, and Jermaine Jones to maximize their roles. There were a number of times Donovan just dallied and was closed down by the defense or came up with a weak effort that was saved easily by James.

The heart of defense poses problems as Klinsi with an injury to Fabian Johnson was forced to start Jose Francisco Torres at left back. Torres had to himself leave with an ankle injury necessitating a shift by Bocanegra to his position with Gooch coming onto partner Clarence Goodson which is when it fell apart. With Gooch proving to be a liability, Klinsi will have to give a relatively untested Geoff Cameron his chance, if Johnson is not declared fit by Tuesday.

szólj hozzá: omgsport.ru Russia - Czech rep. Full Highligh

Andriy Arshavin is busy thumbing his nose at Wenger and going n-yah n-yah. The little Russian was as incisive as one can remember and Alan Dzagoev showed why he will be a superstar. Maybe Arsene Wenger can chalk him up as a possible replacement to Robin Van Persie should he leave? As for Arshavin he clearly bested his Arsenal compatriot Tomas Rosicky, in the battle of creative cogs.

Dzagoev's brace was timely because his compatriot Aleksandr Kherzhakov had left behind his shooting boots. Russia also got goals from Roman Shirakov and Roman Pavlyuchenko. The Czechs got their consolation from Vaclav Pilar as Jaroslav Plaisil split the defense with a nice outlet.

The Russians are clearly the class of Group A and on this performance there should be no problems topping the group. On the other hand, the Czechs now face an uphill climb with such an adverse goal differential.

szólj hozzá: omgsport.ru Poland - Greece Full Highlights

Remember the name Carlos Velasco Carballo. The referee responsible for ending Sokratis Papastathopoulos's further participation for two ridiculous called fouls as Greece went a man down in the first half. Caraballo is obviously not a disciple of the Socratic method; more likely shock and erratic, best describes his style of officiating.

A Dimitris Salpigidis goal which was clearly legitimate was adjudged offside. However, Salpigidis also capitalized as Wojciech Szczesny gambled and lost on a cross which fell invitingly for the striker to score Greece's equalizer. The Arsenal goalie's evening unraveled further as he fouled Salpigidis and was sent off without complaint. He was exultant when Giorgios Karagounis could not climb the greasy pole with the subsequent penalty when his weak effort was saved by stand in Pzremyslaw Tyton.

It was all Poland in the first half as Robert Lewandowski took advantage of his Borussia Dortmund connections with Lukasz Piszczek and Jakub "Kuba" Blaszczykowski combining to send a sizzling cross his way which the striker was able to put away. Greece fought back and made the second half their own.

Maybe football can make Greece forget its existential crisis for a little while because they came off as moral if not actual winners. Poland failed to milk their home court advantage. No players or fans were harmed, at least not visibly on TV, because they were overwhelmingly white.

The Borussia Dortmund striker might find himself at Old Trafford next season

Franciszek Smuda, the Polish coach lets slip Robert Lewandowski's next destination. No information out of Man Utd yet and one doesn't know if Smuda is just putting spit and polish on Lewandowski's resume or if this is for real? But if this is true then the dismantling of Borussia Dortmund player by player has begun in earnest.

The price one pays for all that success under Juergen Klopp, who in turn is being courted by some very big time clubs. The Euro is always a big shopping ground for talent and in the 2008 edition, Arsene Wenger picked up Andrey Arshavin. Wonder who he's got his eyes on. Yann M'Vila, Marvin Martin, Mario Gotze, or Olivier Giroud?

Really sad news out of Spain. A day after being appointed Villareal coach, Manuel Preciado passes away. He was just 54 years of age.

The longest serving La Liga manager, a man with the most beautiful mustache in the sport is no more. Here is Sid Lowe's post on Preciado that gives a flavour of the man, his outsized personality, and his love for the game and its players. He was a survivor beaten down again and again and again but somehow he always managed to keep Sporting Gijon in the first division of the Liga. Always embellished with an unforgettable quote.

"I would," he says, "understand any decision the club takes. Football has seen hairs grow on my balls and I know how things are."

Uplifting lyrics. Oceana is a big star in Poland and Ukraine which sort of skims over the underbelly of ugly racism seen in the stadium terraces. We like your music, we may not necessarily like your type.

This is the extent of their love for the "beautiful game" for these Polish deadbeats

Being behind the Iron Curtain infinitely beats the sort of crap that regularly infects the Polish and Ukrainian leagues. The void left by Communism and increasing exposure to multi-culturalism has been filled over the years with even more racism and anti-semitism. The Dutch team are their latest target even before the tournament gets underway.

UEFA is waffling of course. If any fan or player is racially abused or set upon by these neo-nazi goons, then the country should pay the price. No more hosting of such competitions. If you can't be hospitable to your guests then we can take our business elsewhere.

Like the self destructive, self abusive character Edie Falco plays in the eponymous Nurse Jackie, Group D sports a fragile look. Substance abuse is a day at a time, a minute at best. The Euro begins today but England has already run the gamut with a number of key injuries to a racism row with its potentially damaging aftermath consuming the narrative. Wayne Rooney their front line name is serving a two match suspension. It is par for a team that manages to shoot itself in the foot even before kickoff. The last World Cup was all about John Terry (that name should make anyone wince) pulling the strings as England limped out of the group stage after the Robert Green fiasco only to be shamelessly exposed by the Germans.

France imploded in the 2010 World Cup with a player revolt, a number of their marquee names were involved in underage prostitution, and Laurent Blanc held onto his job after being cleared of charges for allegedly pushing a plan that would restrict entry to football on racial lines. Hopefully they can get their act together and wipe out those unforgettable scenes of a French team that refused to ride the bus to a training session and an unhinged Nicholas Anelka sent home after screaming, "You f**king son of a wh**e" at Raymond Domenech.

Sweden might not quite be pushing the envelope but their talent has never translated onto actual success on the pitch with a number of hard luck losses. They failed to advance out of the group stages in Euro 2008 when David Villa struck in the 92nd minute and their 2010 World Cup qualifying ended tragically as Portugal swept aside Malta, 4-0, in their last match to clinch a spot.

Not much is known about Ukraine. This is the first time in the Euro for them and they qualify on the dint of being co-hosts. But they do have a penchant for playing some of the dreariest football which was borne out in the 2006 World Cup when their only tactic was to serve up a ceaseless supply of long balls to Andriy Shevchenko. It was Oleg Blokhin then and it is Oleg Blokhin now and they still have Anatoli Tymoschuk, Andrey Shevchenko, and Andrey Voronin to engage in a mouth watering display of scintillating firepower. Tongue firmly planted, nay, thrusting into cheek.

Qualifying out of this group might depend on the team that makes the fewest mistakes. The player who doesn't react badly to having his private parts handled or to stamping on the prostrate opposition. Or to a botched goalkeeper save.

France has the most talent. A potentially excellent midfield in which every player has been associated with Arsenal at some point in their career either through fantasy football or Goal.com. Samir Nasri doesn't count. The attack looks good with Olivier Giroud, the Ligue's top scorer finding a place and Karim Benzema, providing more direct firepower. The defense is where France lies exposed and it could look a whole lot like Arsenal finding itself in sixes and sevens on the counterattack or on set pieces. Hugo Lloris will be a busy person between the sticks. This team could score plenty of goals but it could also leave the door wide open.

England's chances lie with Joe Hart, the re-jiggered back line, and Andy Carroll. Hart's a top notch talent as custodian. If he and the Terry led newly constructed back four can weather the flow and use Ashley Young and Theo Walcott to mount a counter then the Three Lions stand a chance. That is a tall order because they face France and then Sweden without Rooney as finisher. The two countries that directly benefit from his absence. Which means Carroll will have to impose himself like he did in the last few weeks of the Premiership. Hopefully the pony tailed striker can get above ground to knock some of those balls home.

Sweden has Zlatan Ibrahimovic who does best in these situations. A goal every two matches or so is an impressive national record. The flow will be controlled by the veteran Kim Kallstrom in his seventh year at Lyon. The defense lies in the hands of Jonas Olsson, a tough customer at Blackburn and veteran Olof Mellberg, every Villa fan pays homage to for those years at the club.

Ukraine will look to Andrey Voronin and Andrey Shevcehnko to score with their midfield controlled by Anatoli Tymoschuk. But there could be another Andrey who could prove influential and that is 22 year old Andrey Yarmalenko, a left footed winger out of Dynamp Kyiv ready to make the move to the bigger European leagues. The Ukrainian team is dominated by Dynamo Kyiv and their success is tied to their familiarity with each other.

France vs England should set the tone for this group but the biggest match will be Sweden vs England. These two countries have had some pivotal encounters in past international competitions.

Advance to round two: France, Sweden
Players to watch for: Joe Hart, Ashley Young, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, Danny Welbeck, Yohann Cabaye, Olivier Giroud, Jeremy Menez, Yann M'Vila, Marvin Martin, Hatem Ben Arfa, Jonas Olsson, Martin Olsson, Sebastian Larsson, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Rasmus Elm, Anatoli Tymoschuk, Andrey Yarmalenko

England

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), Robert Green (West Ham), Jack Butland (Birmingham City)

Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Martin Kelly (Liverpool), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Joleon Lescott (Manchester City), John Terry (Chelsea), Phil Jagielka (Everton)

Midfielders: Stewart Downing (Liverpool), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Manchester City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Scott Parker (Tottenham), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Ashley Young (Manchester United)

Forwards: Andy Carroll (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Danny Welbeck (Manchester United)

Coach: Roy Hodgson

France

Goalkeepers: Cedric Carrasso (Bordeaux), Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille)

Defenders: Gael Clichy (Manchester City), Mathieu Debuchy (Lille), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Philippe Mexes (Milan), Adil Rami (Valencia), Anthony Reveillere (Lyon)

Midfielders: Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle), Alou Diarra (Marseille), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Marvin Martin (Sochaux), Blaise Matuidi (Paris St Germain), Yann M'vila (Rennes), Samir Nasri (Manchester City)

Forwards: Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Olivier Giroud (Montpellier), Jeremy Menez (Paris St Germain), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille)

Coach: Laurent Blanc

Sweden

Goalkeepers: Par Hansson (Helsingborgs), Andreas Isaksson (PSV Eindhoven), Johan Wiland (Copenhagen)

Defenders: Mikael Antonsson (Bologna), Andreas Granqvist (Genoa), Mikael Lustig (Celtic), Olof Mellberg (Olympiacos), Jonas Olsson (West Bromwich), Martin Olsson (Blackburn), Behrang Safari (Anderlecht)

Midfielders: Emir Bajrami (Twente), Rasmus Elm (Alkmaar), Samuel Holmen (Istanbul BB), Kim Kallstrom (Lyon), Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland), Anders Svensson (Elfsborg), Pontus Wernbloom (CSKA Moscow), Christian Wilhelmsson (Al Hilal)

Forwards: Johan Elmander (Galatasaray), Tobias Hysen (IFK Gothenburg), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Milan), Markus Rosenberg (Werder Bremen), Ola Toivonen (PSV Eindhoven)

Coach: Erik Hamren

Ukraine

Goalkeepers: Andriy Pyatov (Shakhtar Donetsk), Oleksandr Horyainov (Metalist Kharkiv), Maxym Koval (Dynamo Kyiv)

Defenders: Oleksandr Kucher (Shakhtar Donetsk), Yaroslav Rakitskiy (Shakhtar Donetsk), Vyacheslav Shevchuk (Shakhtar Donetsk), Evhen Khacheridi (Dynamo Kyiv), Taras Mykhalyk (Dynamo Kyiv), Evhen Selin (Vorskla), Bogdan Butko (Illichivets)

Midfielders: Oleksandr Aliev (Dynamo Kyiv), Denys Garmash (Dynamo Kyiv), Oleh Gusiev (Dynamo Kyiv), Andriy Yarmolenko (Dynamo Kyiv), Evhen Konoplyanka (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Ruslan Rotan (Dnipro), Serhiy Nazarenko (Tavriya), Anatoliy Tymoshchuk (Bayern Munich)

Forwards: Artem Milevskiy (Dynamo Kyiv), Andriy Shevchenko (Dynamo Kyiv), Marco Devic (FC Metalist Kharkiv), Andriy Voronin (Dynamo Moscow), Evhen Seleznyov (Shakhtar Donetsk)

Coach: Oleg Blokhin

Spain is still the team to beat. The defending Euro and World Cup champions have their Barcelona core intact and will once again treat the world to their metronomic passing. They won in South Africa with the fewest goals scored in World Cup history. Seven to be exact. That is because as Jonathan Wilson pointed out ball possession can be seen as a form of exalted defense. The midfield still have Xavi and Iniesta, the torchbearers adding more invention with Cesc Fabregas coming into his own after his Barca return. David Silva, such a delightful presence in the City offense ready to scam the opposition with his trickery. Juan Mata out on the wings will pose problems with his delivery and set pieces.

El Rioja will be without Carles Puyol which is almost unthinkable but yes, players get old and injured. The heart of defense looks a bit shaky with Raul Albiol as an unfamiliar partner to Gerard Pique who has had his problems with form and focus. The wingbacks are talented but green, however, Vincent Del Bosque is convinced that Juanfran Torres and Jordi Alba are ready to kick it up a notch. The excellent Santi Cazorla has also made his comeback after so much injury. There are of course additional buffers in Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets, so the back four are not left completely exposed.

Chelsea's stonewalling tactics of Barca which proved successful point to a similar template for Spain's rivals in the group. The rope a dope can be exhausting and a breakdown in intensity and concentration can lead to fruitful counterattacks as Chelsea were able to do. Which is why Spain need to show ability to score more. Four years ago we saw Fernando Torres blister Philipp Lahm for Spain's winning goal but he comes back with all sorts of questions. Del Bosque can turn to Llorente, the other Fernando who has been in great form for Athletic Bilbao.

Italy has been beset with another match fixing scandal that continues to unravel and burgeon beyond its borders. Domenico Criscito lost his place on the Azzurri for taking money to produce favourable results for Lazio. Andrea Barzagli is out of the group stages with a calf strain. Even Gianluigi Buffon is being investigated in illegal sporting bets. Cesare Prandelli was ready to pull out and Mario Monti, the Italian PM, said it would be fitting if Italy abstained from any competition while they cleaned house. Four years ago, they also conceded their edge to Spain, losing in the Euro 2008 semi-final, 2-4 on penalty shootout.

With all the distractions off the pitch yet again tarnishing the "beautiful game" (quotation marks need to be put around this term permanently), the Italians can turn to their team for redemption. Think again. We have a house of cards here with Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano, two volatile personalities who have the propensity to both embarrass and delight. Balotelli has already caused a sensation saying he'll kill any fan who engages in racial abuse and Michel Platini firing back putting him on notice. The veteran midfield led by Andrea Pirlo and Daniele De Rossi, will be called on to steady the ship. The psychological edge will be provided by Thiago Motta who can get inside anyone's head. Inter lost a gem when PSG stole him away.

Italy's problems could benefit Croatia who have Slaven Bilic as coach. The always colourful Bilic is an absolute slave driver who can get the best out of any team. The Croatians have lots of talent. Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic, and Darijo Srna are the creative cogs. Srna is a master blaster of set pieces with Modric only a shade behind. Then there is Nikica Jelavic who has been on fire ever since his Everton transfer. Bilic is expecting Jelavic to deliver and if his present form is any indication, Croatia should not have problems scoring goals. Eduardo will be followed by Arsenal fans for sentimental reasons. The defense is very experienced with Josip Simunic leading with 95 caps. Goalie Stipe Pletikosa has 91 caps but that is not a patch on Shay Given's 121 appearances for the ROI.

The Aston Villa goalie also has a booming long ball which should see Roy Keane, Shane Long, Kevin Doyle or Simon Cox trying to take advantage off to go behind the lines. Giovanni Trappatoni has his work cut out but he does have some patches of brilliance in this hard working Irish team with Damien Duff providing instances of cutting edge for Fulham. There is Man Utd reject Darron Gibson who can smash the ball from long distance and Stephen Hunt who can sweat a small country motoring up and down incessantly. But if the Irish can get out of this group it will be nothing short of a miracle.

Advance to round two: Spain, Croatia
Players to watch for: Fernando Torres, Jordi Alba, Cesc Fabregas, David Silva, Nikica Jelavic, Eduardo, Luka Modric, Milan Badelj, Mario Balotelli, Antonio Cassano, Claudio Marchisio, Leonardo Bonucci, Thiago Motta, Shane Long, Darron Gibson, James McClean.

Croatia

Goalkeepers: Stipe Pletikosa (FC Rostov), Danijel Subasic (Monaco), Ivan Kelava (Dinamo Zagreb)

Defenders: Vedran Corluka (Tottenham), Josip Simunic (Dinamo Zagreb), Ivan Strinic (Dnipro), Gordon Schildenfeld (Eintracht Frankfurt), Domagoj Vida (Dinamo Zagreb), Jurica Buljat (Maccabi Haifa)

Midfielders: Danijel Pranjic (Bayern Munich), Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Ognjen Vukojevic (Dynamo Kiev), Ivan Rakitic (Sevilla), Tomislav Dujmovic (Zaragoza), Luka Modric (Tottenham), Milan Badelj (Dinamo Zagreb), Niko Kranjcar (Tottenham), Ivan Perisic (Borussia Dortmund), Ivo Ilicevic (Hamburg)

Forwards: Mario Mandzukic (Wolfsburg), Eduardo Da Silva (Shakhtar Donetsk), Nikica Jelavic (Everton), Nikola Kalinic (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk)

Coach: Slaven Bilic

Italy

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Morgan De Sanctis (Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Paris St Germain)

Defenders: Ignazio Abate (AC Milan), Federico Balzaretti (Palermo), Andrea Barzagli (Juventus), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Christian Maggio (Napoli), Angelo Ogbonna (Torino)

Midfielders: Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Diamanti (Bologna), Emanuele Giaccherini (Juventus), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Thiago Motta (Paris St Germain), Antonio Nocerino (AC Milan), Andrea Pirlo (Juventus)

Forwards: Mario Balotelli (Manchester City), Fabio Borini (Roma), Antonio Cassano (Milan), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Sebastian Giovinco (Parma)

Coach: Cesare Prandelli

Republic of Ireland

Goalkeepers: Shay Given (Aston Villa), Keiren Westwood (Sunderland), David Forde (Millwall).

Defenders: John O'Shea (Sunderland), Richard Dunne (Aston Villa), Stephen Ward (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Sean St Ledger (Leicester City), Darren O'Dea (Celtic), Stephen Kelly (Fulham), Paul McShane (Hull City)

Midfielders: Glenn Whelan (Stoke City), Keith Andrews (West Bromwich Albion), Aiden McGeady (Spartak Moscow), Darron Gibson (Everton), Paul Green (unattached), Damien Duff (Fulham), Stephen Hunt (Wolverhampton Wanderers), James McClean (Sunderland)

Forwards: Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy), Kevin Doyle (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Shane Long (West Bromwich Albion), Jonathan Walters (Stoke City), Simon Cox (West Bromwich Albion)

Coach: Giovanni Trappatoni

Spain

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Pepe Reina, (Liverpool), Victor Valdes (Barcelona)

Defenders: Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Juanfran (Atletico Madrid), Jordi Alba (Valencia), Raul Albiol (Real Madrid), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Javi Martinez (Athletic Bilbao)

Midfielders: Xavi (Barcelona), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), David Silva (Manchester City), Santi Cazorla (Malaga), Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona), Juan Mata (Chelsea)

Forwards: Jesus Navas (Sevilla), Pedro (Barcelona), Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao), Fernando Torres (Chelsea), Alvaro Negredo (Sevilla)

Coach: Vincent Del Bosque

Also formerly known as the Group of Death. But Game of Thrones is way cooler and more relevant if you think of each team as a plotting kingdom trying to muscle out the other in taking over King's Landing in a heavyweight fight that is all blood, gore, and strange beauty.

Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, and Denmark between them have 30 appearances in the Euros. They have won five titles with Germany winning three of those. Each one of them has a legitimate shot at advancing to round two. There are no pretenders here. On historical strength Germany and Netherlands should be overwhelming favourites but Portugal has its share of superstars and Denmark is renowned for its compact, attacking football exemplified by Martin Laudrup, Brian Laudrup, Jesper Olsen, Morten Per Olsen, and Jan Molby. They also won the 1992 Euro replacing Yugoslavia who had to withdraw under sanctions.

The House of Baratheon: Germany's transformation into a freewheeling attacking power continues under Jogi Low. What we saw at the 2010 World Cup was just the precursor to the Euro qualifiers as the Mannschaft swept the opposition unbeaten piling 34 goals and conceding just seven in the process. Those teams included Turkey, Belgium, and Austria who cannot by any stretch be considered pushovers. In that interim the Germans uncovered so much more talent that Mesut Oezil feels positively dated with the likes of Marko Reus, Mario Gotze, Lars Bender and Ilkay Gundogan now tantalizing the palate of fans across the globe.

The youth of this German team is astounding. Eleven of the 23 are 23 years or under. This is a dynasty waiting to happen. The oldest is Miroslav Klose, still productive at 33 years of age. The midfield looks classy and the attack remains potent with Mario Gomez regaining his best form. Thomas Mueller has faded somewhat but there is no doubt about his quality and if he fails there is always André Schürrle. In Manuel Neuer you have a superstar goalie who can stroke a penalty easy as you like. Phillip Lahm is still one of the world's best wingbacks and anchors an excellent back line. Arsenal fans will keep an eye on Lukas Podolksi whose stellar national career dwarfs his club performances.

The House of Lannister: Their redoubtable opponents, the Netherlands, in contrast have a well worn look with Wesley Sneijder, Nigel De Jong, Rafael Van Der Vaart, Arjen Robben, and Mark Van Bommel all hardened veterans of many an international campaign. The Dutch under Bert Marwijk have given up on the illusion of the Johann Cruyff - Dennis Bergkamp stylistic axis going instead for industrial grade bitumen. Nothing in the squad suggests that there will be anything different from what we saw at the World Cup. The bright spots are Robin Van Persie and Klaas Jan Huntelaar who has reinvented himself at Schalke after those dismal years at Real Madrid and AC Milan. The Dutch had a somewhat flattering qualifying campaign knocking in 37 goals which is a substantial number. A massive caveat, 16 of those came against doormats San Marino. But any side boasting Robben can score goals out of the ether. Which is what makes Netherlands so potent.

The House of Greyjoy: Cristiano Ronaldo is Portugese but Portugal is not Cristiano Ronaldo and this maxim has been upheld time and time again. CR7's past problems stem from the fact that he always seems to take on too much with his team mates as willing accomplices. Much of the success will be predicated on whether CR7 can trust Joao Moutinho and Hugo Viana to deliver for him. The Portugese have pace down the flanks in Fabio Coentrao and Nani and they will be entrusted to deliver the ball to veteran striker Helder Postiga for an alternative scoring source. However Portugal's defense looks suspect. They barely held off Norway in the qualifying conceding 12 goals.

The House of Stark: Denmark has Nicklas Bendtner, the best striker in the world. A legend in his own mind. However, they do have Christian Ericksen who broke Michael Laudrup's record of youngest Danish goalscorer by nine days. He is 21 years of age and he's been linked with Arsenal many times mostly by Goal.com and other reputable media outlets. Denmark's defense is quite water proof led by Daniel Agger and given further sealant by Christian Poulsen who Mickey Rourke modeled his looks on for the role in The Wrestler. The team is therefore a nice mix of the artistic and the industrial which should give it an edge. Will it be enough?

Advance to round two: Germany, Netherlands
Players to watch for: The entire German team, Arjen Robben, Robin Van Persie, Klaas Jan Huntelaar, Luciano Narsingh, Luuk De Jong, Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Moutinho, Pepe (for possible cannibalism), Christian Ericksen, Simon Kjaer, Anders Lindegaard

Denmark

Goalkeepers: Stephan Andersen (Evian Thonon Gaillard), Anders Lindegaard (Manchester United), Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City)

Defenders: Lars Jacobsen (FC Kobenhavn), Daniel Wass (Evian Thonon Gaillard), Daniel Agger (Liverpool), Simon Kjaer (Roma), Andreas Bjelland (Nordsjaelland), Simon Poulsen (AZ Alkmaar), Jores Okore (Nordsjaelland)

Midfielders: Christian Poulsen (Evian Thonon Gaillard), Jakob Poulsen (Midtjylland), William Kvist (FC Nurnberg), Niki Zimling (Club Brugge), Thomas Kahlenberg (Evian Thonon Gaillard), Christian Eriksen (Ajax), Michael Silberbauer (Young Boys), Lasse Schone (NEC Nijmegen)

Forwards: Dennis Rommedahl (Brondby), Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal), Michael Krohn-Dehli (Brondby), Tobias Mikkelsen (Nordsjaelland), Nicklas Pedersen (Groningen)

Coach: Morten Olsen

Germany

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover)

Defenders: Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich), Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Benedikt Howedes (Schalke), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal)

Midfielders : Lars Bender (Bayer Leverkusen), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Thomas Mueller (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Marco Reus (Borussia Monchengladbach), Andre Schurrle (Bayer Leverkusen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Mario Gotze (Borussia Dortmund), Ilkay Gundogan (Borussia Dortmund)

Forwards: Miroslav Klose (Lazio), Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich), Lukas Podolski (Cologne)

Coach: Joachim Low

Netherlands

Goalkeepers: Maarten Stekelenburg (Roma), Michel Vorm (Swansea), Tim Krul (Newcastle)

Defenders: Khalid Boulahrouz (Stuttgart), John Heitinga (Everton), Joris Mathijsen (Malaga), Ron Vlaar (Feyenoord), Wilfred Bouma (PSV Eindhoven), Gregory van der Wiel (Ajax), Jetro Willems (PSV Eindhoven)

Midfielders: Ibrahim Afellay (Barcelona), Mark van Bommel (AC Milan), Nigel de Jong (Manchester City), Stijn Schaars (Sporting Lisbon), Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan), Kevin Strootman (PSV Eindhoven), Rafael van der Vaart (Tottenham)

Forwards: Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke), Luuk de Jong (FC Twente), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Luciano Narsingh (Heerenveen), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich)

Coach: Bert Van Marwijk

Portugal

Goalkeepers: Eduardo (Benfica), Rui Patricio (Sporting), Beto (CFR Cluj)

Defenders: Joao Pereira (Sporting), Fabio Coentrao (Real Madrid), Bruno Alves (Zenit St Petersburg), Rolando (Porto), Ricardo Costa (Valencia), Pepe (Real Madrid), Miguel Lopes (Braga)

Midfielders: Raul Meireles (Chelsea), Miguel Veloso (Genoa), Joao Moutinho (Porto), Ruben Micael (Real Zaragoza), Hugo Viana (Braga), Custodio (Braga)

Forwards: Nani (Manchester United), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Hugo Almeida (Besiktas), Ricardo Quaresma (Besiktas), Silvestre Varela (Porto), Helder Postiga (Real Zaragoza), Nelson Oliveira (Benfica)

Coach: Paulo Bento

The former Iron Curtain countries and a country on the brink of bankruptcy vie for Group A honours.

In Greece, we have one of the unlikeliest Euro winners when a dour, no name squad under Otto Rehhagel won the 2004 final against Portugal in a defensive snoozefest. There are three survivors from that squad in captain Giorgios Karagounis, midfielder Kostas Katsouranis, and goalie Kostas Chalkias. It is a veteran squad with few exceptions like the versatile 22 year old Sotiris Ninis who is expected to shine in the role of creative midfielder. EPL followers will be familiar with Giorgios Samaras, the former City striker. The Greeks predictably did it on defense while qualifying for the 2012 Euros. It would be a feel good story, a country undergoing massive societal and economic upheaval, advancing to the next round but one can't see them bettering their 2008 group exit.

The battle will be between Russia, co-hosts Poland, and the Czech Republic.

The Russians are heavily favoured to advance with Andrey Arshavin showing flashes of his 2008 brilliance in his loan to Zenit St Petersburg from Arsenal. This Euro could also anoint 21 year old Alan Dzagoev as Arshavin's successor. He will be on the radar of some of the top clubs. The attack also includes the powerful Pavel Pogrebnyak shining in his January loan to Fulham where he scored six goals in 12 appearances. In Igor Aknifeev they have a fine goalkeeper and their defense is rock solid.

Along with them should be co-host Poland, whose only other appearance was the 2008 Euros in which they failed to win a single match in the group stage. This year a trio of Borussia Dortmund players will be critical to their success: striker Robert Lewandowski scoring at will for his club, veteran Jakub "Kuba" Błaszczykowski, considered one of Poland's best midfielders, and right back Łukasz Piszczek. At goal, Arsenal's Wojciech Szczęsny, who can bring off some spectacular saves.

The Czechs will be no pushovers. They are a veteran group with Tomas Rosicky, the captain enjoying a rejuvenation of sorts at Arsenal. Petr Cech was magnificent in the Champions League finals showing no signs of age. They have some decent strikers in Tomas Pekhart and Tomas Necid while Milan Baros is back in the squad. Those Liverpool days feel like a different era. However they have a porous back line that leaked goals and the fact of the matter is they were competing with Lichenstein, Scotland, and Lithuania for qualifying in Group I where everyone was spanked by a flawless Spain.

Advance to round two: Russia, Poland.
Players to watch for: Andrey Arshavin, Alan Dzagoev, Robert Lewandowski, Sotiris Ninis, Yuri Zhirkov, Marek Suchy, Wojciech Szczęsny

Czech Republic

Goalkeepers: Petr Cech (Chelsea), Jaroslav Drobny (Hamburg), Jan Lastuvka (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk)

Defenders: Theodor Gebre Selassie (FC Slovan Liberec), Roman Hubnik (Hertha Berlin), Michal Kadlec (Bayer Leverkusen), David Limbersky (Viktoria Plzen), Tomas Sivok (Besiktas), Marek Suchy (Spartak Moskow)

Midfielders: Vladimir Darida (Viktoria Plzen), Tomas Hubschman (Shakhtar Donetsk), Petr Jiracek (Wolfsburg), Daniel Kolar (FC Viktoria Plzen), Milan Petrzela (Viktoria Plzen), Vaclav Pilar (Wolfsburg), Jaroslav Plasil (Bordeaux), Frantisek Rajtoral (Viktoria Plzen), Tomas Rosicky (Arsenal)

Forwards: Milan Baros (Galatasaray), David Lafata (FK Jablonec), Tomas Necid (CSKA Moskow), Tomas Pekhart (Nurnberg), Jan Rezek (Anorthosis
Famagusta)

Coach: Michal Bilak

Poland

Goalkeepers: Grzegorz Sandomierski (Jagiellonia Bialystok), Wojciech Szczesny (Arsenal), Przemyslaw Tyton (PSV Eindhoven)

Defenders: Sebastian Boenisch (Werder Bremen), Marcin Kaminski (Lech Poznan), Damien Perquis (Sochaux), Lukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund), Marcin Wasilewski (Anderlecht), Jakub Wawrzyniak (Legia Warsaw), Grzegorz Wojtkowiak (Lech Poznan)

Midfielders : Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund), Dariusz Dudka (Auxerre), Kamil Grosicki (Sivasspor), Adam Matuszczyk (Fortuna Dusseldorf), Adrian Mierzejewski (Trabzonspor), Rafal Murawski (Lech Poznan), Ludovic Obraniak (Bordeaux), Eugen Polanski (FSV Mainz), Maciej Rybus (Terek Grozny), Rafal Wolski (Legia Warsaw)

Forwards: Pawel Brozek (Celtic), Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund), Artur Sobiech (Hannover)

Coach: Franciszek Smuda

Greece

Goalkeepers: Kostas Chalkias (PAOK), Michalis Sifakis (Aris), Alexandros Tzorvas (Palermo)

Defenders: Vassilis Torosidis (Olympiakos), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Werder Bremen), Avraam Papadopoulos (Olympiakos), Jose Holebas (Olympiakos), Stelios Malezas (PAOK), Giorgos Tzavelas (Monaco), Yiannis Maniatis (Olympiakos), Kyriakos Papadopoulos (Schalke)

Midfielders: Giorgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Kostas Katsouranis (Panathinaikos), Giorgos Fotakis (PAOK), Kostas Fortounis (Kaiserslautern), Yiannis Fetfatzidis (Olympiakos), Sotiris Ninis (Panathinaikos), Grigoris Makos (AEK Athens)

Forwards: Georgios Samaras (Celtic), Dimitris Salpigidis (PAOK), Kostas Mitroglou (Atromitos), Nikos Lymberopoulos (AEK Athens), Fanis Gekas (Samsunspor)

Coach: Fernando Santos

Russia

Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeyev (CSKA Moscow), Vyacheslav Malafeyev (Zenit St Petersburg), Anton Shunin (Dynamo Moscow)

Defenders: Alexander Anyukov (Zenit St Petersburg), Alexei Berezutsky (CSKA Moscow), Sergei Ignashevich (CSKA Moscow), Roman Sharonov (Rubin Kazan), Vladimir Granat (Dynamo Moscow), Kirill Nababkin (CSKA Moscow)

Midfielders: Igor Denisov (Zenit St Petersburg), Roman Shirokov (Zenit St Petersburg), Konstantin Zyryanov (Zenit St Petersburg), Yuri Zhirkov (Anzhi Makhachkala), Alan Dzagoyev (CSKA Moscow), Igor Semshov (Dynamo Moscow), Denis Glushakov (Lokomotiv Moscow), Marat Izmailov (Sporting), Dmitry Kombarov (Spartak Moscow)

Forwards: Andrei Arshavin (Arsenal), Alexander Kerzhakov (Zenit St Petersburg), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Lokomotiv Moscow), Alexander Kokorin (Dynamo Moscow), Pavel Pogrebnyak (Fulham)

Coach: Dick Advocaat

The deal is done. The exciting Borussia Dortmund midfielder who can play centrally, down the wings, and as second striker, is a Red Devil. He scored 17 goals and set up 13 others in Dortmund's march to their second Bundesliga title in succession. Kagawa's imprint dwarfed that of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, his league peers. A stunning record for a J-league second division unknown two seasons ago.

Ralph Honigstein weighs in on the signing. Kagawa is the real deal. He doesn't come with any bio-hazard warnings. Selling T-shirts to the Japanese market cannot hurt but that is not Utd's primary consideration in opting for Kagawa.

He may arguably be the best Japanese player out there although Keisuke Honda might have something to say about that. Whether he can excel in the EPL remains to be seen.

Hidetoshi Nakata, the iconic face of Japanese imports, spent his last season on loan to Bolton before retirement. Junichi Inamoto, came to England directly and impressed in his two seasons at Fulham but injuries cut his career short before being traded to Cardiff City via West Brom, and there onto the Bundesliga. The skillful Shunsuke Nakamura spent his stellar career at Celtic and a generation of EPL viewers never got to see him except for tantalizing glimpses through the European competitions. Kagawa has one of the best mentors in Sir Alex Ferguson and the right demeanour to go with that talent to succeed in the EPL. You can bet Japan will be tuning into every Utd match.

The offending hamburger(s) that caused Ukrainian players to fall sick

Anatoli Tymoschuk and nine other players come down with the stomach bug. Tymoschuk, seen recently in the Champions League final against Chelsea had to be put on an IV drip. Was it the Chicken Kiev? And in other food related puns, the stricken team lost to Turkey, 0-2, in their last warm up before their opener with Sweden this coming Monday.

Well, at least it wasn't the lasagna? Or was it? In other news there was a Andriy Shevchenko sighting. Another reminder of Roman Abramovich's infallible taste in players.

Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Leo Messi, and Angel Di Maria make it look easy against Ecuador. Argentina sit on top of the CONMEBOL table with their fifth win in football's most arduous and fiercely contested campaigns for qualification to the World Cup.

The Juventus defender suffered a serious strain to his left calf muscle that will keep him out of the group stage of Italy's 2012 Euro campaign. Italy start their campaign against defending champions on Sunday. Barzagli hurt himself in the friendly against Russia, a 3-0 loss which exposed the Italian defense. Giorgio Chiellini also has injury issues making a recent comeback from a similar calf strain.

Apart from injuries, the defense has also lost left back Domenico Criscito under investigation for match fixing in the Calciopoli2 edition. The scandal has also cast a cloud over Leonardo Bonucci although Cesare Prandelli has kept him in the squad. In addition, Gianluigi Buffon is being questioned over alleged football bets that amount to more than €1.5m.

The FA chases its own tail while it cries no racism

Steven Gerrard is feeling angry at the number of injury absences sweeping this England squad just before the start of the Euro. The list now includes Gary Cahill ruled out with his double jaw fracture sustained in the Belgium friendly. He joins Glen Johnson, Frank Lampard, Gareth Barry, and John Ruddy who will miss out on this year's competition. However, Cahill's absence has far more implications than a gaping hole in the heart of defense.

Ferdinand who was already miffed at being left out in the first 23 by Roy Hodgson must have felt this was his chance of a call up. Instead Cahill's spot was given to Martin Kelly, the 22 year Liverpool player who is more comfortable playing right back. Ferdinand's reaction predictably was that of outrage. Sources close to the player say he called the decision "disgraceful and morally very suspect". This is surely the end of a stellar international career. Hodgson defended his decision to omit Ferdinand on "footballing reasons." Far more is being read into it and for good reason.

At the core of this unseemly imbroglio is the FA's kicking the can down the road which presumes Terry is innocent until proven guilty of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, Rio's brother in February when they played QPR. He will get his hearing in court after the Euros are over.

The one concession the FA made was to strip Terry of the England captaincy while they used Fabio Capello's characteristically blunt reaction to that decision to strip him off his managerial position. There was much concern at the time of Hodgson's initial squad selection as to whether Terry's presence in the squad could have opened up the potential of a player revolt on racial lines with Ferdinand as the instigator acting out of concern for his brother.

There was almost a sigh of relief when Ferdinand was not picked thus heading off what could have been a repeat of the same bitter divisiveness that doomed France's 2010 World Cup chances. This despite Ferdinand making statements that he was willing to work alongside Terry. What Kelly's selection shows here is a dog chasing its own tail.

The FA could have put this to bed by holding the trial before the Euros by which time John Terry could have either been found guilty or innocent of racism charges. Either way, Hodgson's justification for leaving out Ferdinand would have been far more water tight. Now, he and the FA, have left themselves open to whether there lies any footballing merit behind not unifying Ferdinand with Terry. Or in their falling over themselves to avoid any racial infection, in fact, they are digging a deeper hole. A recent BBC Panorama series exposes rampant anti-semitism and racism blighting Ukrainian and Polish leagues but Terry's case shows England is being facetious when it takes such a higher ground.

El Tri have been one of Brazil's bogey teams, always managing to give them a hard time. Giovani Dos Santos, of Brazilian origin through his father, Zizinho who played for Mexican club Club America opened the account with a beautiful goal. He latched onto a diagonal wide on the left and then runs towards the goal as the Brazilians back off, stops abruptly to change direction and then with his left foot chips the ball sweetly across the face of the goal and over Rafael nestling at the far post. Dos Santos then said it was never meant to be a cross. We'll take him at his word because he's scored some spectacular goals in the past.

Juan Jesus then clips Dos Santos in the ankle after the winger gathers a loose ball in the box, a clear penalty. No problems for Chicharito Hernandez who strokes the ball past Rafael.

The match had two very controversial moments when Hulk looked like he was pushed down early in the first half by Javier Rodriguez for could have been a penalty. A more clear cut infraction was committed by goalie Jose Corona when he upended Oscar as the midfielder latched onto the ball in a promising area of the box. It should have been a penalty and a red card for Corona.

The match was anything but a friendly as Neymar reacted to a late challenge by Severo Mezo by going after him after which the defender reacted by shoving him in the chest. That should have been a red there and then. But incredulously the referee Silviu Petrescu did nothing off the sort fishing out two yellows for both players.

The outstanding theme of the USA vs Canada match was how many US players were non-factors for the 90 + minutes. Some by design, some by their own performance. The midfield did not establish a passing game and consequently looked disjointed and rushed. It was low percentage stuff with too much hope, very little reality.

The match should have been Canada's to win with Nik Ledgerwood's legitimate score in the 33rd minute turned down as the linesman whistled for a phantom foul by Dwayne De Rosario, easily the best player from both sides. De Rosario had marginal contact as the linesman delayed raising his flag with Ledgerwood collecting the ball wide on the right and drilling his shot from a tight angle past Tim Howard. The Canadians looked rightly bewildered by the call.

This was the Canadian Soccer Association's centennial match with the USA vs Canada encounters going back to 1925 when the two countries met for the first time at Montreal with the home country winning, 1-0. A win would have halted a 14 match losing streak and gone some ways in eradicating the second best label but this draw was equally creditable.

The match saw two of the USA's best attacking talents drop deep with Michael Bradley permanently anchored in his own third and Clint Dempsey patrolling centrally much further behind Hercules Gomez to be effective. Dempsey is best when he's running off the ball confusing defenses with his movement. He is the X -factor in the US side and his effectiveness comes from his unpredictability usually down the flanks. Pigeonholing him in a circumscribed space is not good use of his talent. With Dempsey so far back the chances of his connecting with Landon Donovan dropped dramatically but for one instance which led to an almost goal.

This should have been the link up that should have open up the doors but with such a huge space between Bradley and the attacking third ineffectively filled by Jose Francisco Torres and Jermaine Jones, the Fulham striker had to drop deeper and deeper sometimes into his own half for ball retrieval. Credit should go to the Canadians with De Rosario and to a lesser extent Julian De Guzman and Will Johnson for winning the midfield battle. Their back four also impressed with their resolute defending and impressive tackling with veteran Ante Jazic and Andrew Hainault for nullifying the threat of Donovan and Gomez. The Santos Laguna striker who made such an impression against Brazil was a non-entity in this match.

The attacking highlights were actually provided by the defense with last minute inclusion Edgar Castillo at left back lashing a spectacular looping volley from 35 yards out that almost beat Lars Hirschfeld. In the last minute Clarence Goodson's goalbound header was saved spectacularly by Hirschfeld. The USA were also let off when Simeon Jackson missed an absolute sitter after De Rosario had done all the spadework down the left.

Such matches carry little meaning ordinarily even though there was an undoubtedly historical context to this particular encounter. However, the USA is beginning its World Cup qualifying campaign this Friday against Antigua and Barbuda. There is little to be taken for granted as the U-23 men USA squad found out when they failed to qualify for the Olympics. The result also proves that the USA is very much a team in transition. For the midfield to have the right balance and give the support it needs to give the strikers, Michael Bradley should be on top of that diamond with Jones to one side and Maurice Edu at the bottom. Torres has shown patches of improvisation but he lacks assertiveness in that playmaking role. During the match he disappeared for long stretches completely and had to be subbed off for Jozy Altidore. Klinsmann also went to Goodson to partner Carlos Bocanegra and he looked the best out of the three center backs tried so far.

Paul Lambert is now the new manager of Aston Villa in a widely anticipated move. The Villans can now hope to return to the free flowing, attacking football of the Martin O'Neill and Gerard Houllier days. Under Alex McLeish, Villa was a one note defensive grinding machine playing anti-football. They barely dodged relegation.

Randy Lerner, the owner had also sought out Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, Man Utd's "baby faced assassin" but the Norwegian opted out for family reasons. Similarly, Roberto Martinez turned down overtures deciding to stay put at Wigan.

This has been a bad week all around for Italian football with mass arrests of players implicated in the burgeoning Calciopoli2 scandal. Against Russia, the attack rarely threatened and in another worrying sign defensive lapses accounted for all three goals. Aleksandr Kherzakhov opened Russia's account and Roman Shirakov followed with his brace.

Update: Cesare Prandelli has gone on record stating he would have no problem with Italy withdrawing from the 2012 Euro. Meanwhile, Italian PM Mario Monti called for taking a break from football to clean house.

The Juve legend might be moving to Canada and becoming a Quebecois. If that happens he will join Marco Di Vaio, the former Bologna and Juve striker who became the Impact's first designated player. The Gazzetto Dello Sport is reporting Del Piero is vacationing with Joey Saputo, the Impact owner in Florida.

What do the Impact get if they land Del Piero? Someone who keeps redefining peak, time and time again. He's always at the summit. Giving a 110%. Juve's top scorer and Bianconeri to the core. This will be a signing that will impact the MLS big time.

This does not look good for Roberto Di Matteo's chances of staying on at Chelsea, at least as manager. Days after winning the most coveted prize a European club can hope to get and adding the oldest football trophy in the world to that bag, the club owner and the technical director are the ones calling the shots on the transfers.

Di Matteo has had no word on whether he will be made permanent and has been completely out of the picture with owner Roman Abramovich and technical director Michael Emenalo, spending £32m to reel Eden Hazard in, ready to splash another £38m to bring Hulk to Chelsea. Emenalo has picked who he thinks will help Chelsea win back the Premiership title while Abramovich has been working the phones. Meanwhile, influential players like John Terry and Ashley Cole have been notably silent on keeping Di Matteo at Stamford Bridge. The Italian's contract runs out end of June.

There are enough tea leaves here to show that Di Matteo is not in the forefront of the oligarch's consideration for the manager's job. Pep Guardiola appears to his first choice, Fabio Capello could be another. Abramovich had also cast his eye at Juergen Klopp and Brendan Rodgers as replacements for Andre Villas -Boas, an indication that he favours younger managers with reputations of building successful teams who playing attacking football in charge of a new generation of Chelsea players.

With both Klopp and Rodgers involved in their present commitments someone like Rudy Garcia in charge of Lille could fit the bill. Garcia developed Eden Hazard and it is not far fetched to think a reunion of manager and player at Stamford Bridge would be beneficial to Chelsea's future success.