EURO 2012 Unbiased Match Reports Sunday 10th June – Group C
Spain 1 Italy 1
Gdansk
This was the match that brought Euro 2012 alive for me. Earlier matches had their moments but nothing beats watching 22 players who know what they are at, going at each other for (almost) 90 minutes. This was a fine game of football between the last two World Cup winners and one which included a number of tactical surprises.
Despite the fuss made on ITV, it is not unknown for Spain to play without a central striker. Last summer I watched them beat Scotland in Alicante with Villa wide left and Silva through the middle. Perhaps they too had heard the rumours that Italy would be playing a sweeper and wanted to give the Italian defence no-one to mark.
There was indeed a sweeper in the Italian line up with De Rossi sitting in behind Chiellini and Bonucci and the wings backs bombing on. Italy had 3 central midfielders and a brace of strikers. It was an interesting match-up.
Teams :
Spain
Casillas, Arbeloa, Pique, Ramos, Alba, Xavi, Busquets, Alonso, Silva, Fabregas and Iniesta. Subs: Navas (for Silva – 65) and Torres (for Fabregas – 74).
Italy
Buffon, Chiellini, De Rossi, Bonucci, Giaccherni, Marchisio, Pirlo, Motta, Maggio, Cassano and Balotelli. Subs: Di Natale (for Balotelli – 56), Giovinco (for Cassano – 65) and Nocerino (for Motta 89).
Match Report :
Spain’s early chances fell to Silva but nothing came of them and it was Italy who looked the more purposeful. The Azzurri settled into a 3-5-2 and chased and harried the champions all over the park. Italy had the first serious strike and Casillas was required to make a diving save from Pirlo’s free kick.
Cassano, on the left side of the park, was looking very lively and his runs into the centre gave Spain’s defenders plenty of problems. Cassano got a clear sight of goal inside the box but dragged his shot wide of the far post. Marchisio then fired in a fierce shot that Casillas could only beat away. Moments later the Juventus midfielder hit an even better shot on the volley but this was straight at the keeper and he held onto it.
At the other end it was Iniesta who looked most likely to break the deadlock. His intelligent runs and willingness to carry the ball, not lay it off first time, posed problems for Italy. But wherever Spain probed they found the Italian back three had become a back 5 as the full backs tucked in to form a blue wall. Iniesta finally got his chance, running onto a lofted pass from Xavi, but the #6 fired over.
Italy had the last word of the half though. Balotelli outrageously back-heeled a ball drifting out of play over his marker and played the ball inside. It was worked wide to the tireless Cassano whose lovely cross found Motta steaming into the box and Casillas did well to parry his header away.
The second half saw Spain start quickest and they soon worked an opening for Fabregas on the left. His fierce cross shot was tipped away for a corner by Buffon.
On 55 minutes we saw the best, and worst, of Mario Balotelli. He robbed Ramos near the right hand touchline and carried the ball into the box with the Real defender trailing in his wake. In the centre Cassano was screaming for a pass but Balotelli delayed so long that Ramos gleefully caught and robbed him of the ball. Already booked for some niggley fouls, Balotelli was soon withdrawn and Prandelli brought on Udinese’s Di Natale (due at SMS in August!)
Pirlo was having a solid game in the middle of the park. His move to Juventus last summer brought him yet another league title and he showed he has not forgotten how to deliver a killer pass. His beautiful through ball found Di Natale breaking through Spain’s defence and the striker unerringly tucked his shot inside the far post. 0-1.
Parity was restored within minutes as Spain responded by piling forward. Iniesta was again involved and his pass to Silva was turned into the path of Fabregas who buried his shot past the diving Buffon. 1-1.
More substitutions followed. For Italy the diminutive Giovinco set up a decent chance for Di Natale that was spurned. Torres came on for Spain and he too had chances but was unable to finish. Marchisio ended a terrific run with a one-two with Di Natale but then fired straight at Casillas.
In the final moments Italy looked like they’d settled for the draw. They sat a little deeper and countered less frequently but they’d rightly assessed the job was done.
The final whistle probably found the Italians rather more pleased with the point but both sides proved they have it in them to go further in this competition.
MOM: Iniesta (Spain)
Ireland 1 Croatia 3
Poznan
It is always nice to see another team from the British Isles at major tournaments but, these days, international football is so competitive and squads are so well coached that spirit and hard work no longer bring the rewards they once did. Croatia demonstrated perfectly how their willingness to match Ireland’s work rate enabled their superior technical ability to deliver a comfortable victory.
It was a rainy night in Poznan and the playing surface was slippery. These conditions played a significant part in how the story of the match unfolded.
Teams :
Ireland
Given, O'Shea, St. Ledger, Dunne, Ward, McGeady, Whelan, Andrews, Duff, Doyle and Keane. Subs: Walters (for Doyle – 53), Cox (for McGeady – 53) and Long (for Keane – 75).
Croatia
Pletikosa, Srna, Corluka, Schildenfeld, Strinic, Vukojevic, Rakitic, Modric, Perisic, Mandzukic and Jelavic. Subs: Kranjcar (for Jelavic – 72), Eduardo (for Perisic – 89) and Dujmovic (for Rakitic – 90).
Match Report :
Things could hardly have got worse sooner for Ireland who went behind following the first corner of the game. Ireland failed to clear their lines and a cross looped up off Ward’s back and fell to Mandzukic. The big striker had slipped and was on his knees as the ball came to him but he used the motion of getting up to help loft a header goalwards. Given was going the other way and he too lost his footing and was unable to keep the ball out. 0-1.
Whatever Ireland had planned was binned as they went in search of an equaliser. We didn’t see much of Keane but Doyle looked very mobile and his willingness to run and chase gave Corluka some uncomfortable moments.
A bloody idiot in the crowd kept blowing a whistle and clearly unsettled the players. If UEFA had any sense they’d make sure this bloke had his whistle driven up his rectum with a lump hammer.
McGeady saw some of the ball wide left and the Spartak Moscow player showed flashes of why he got that move. It was his cross an 20 minutes that brought Ireland level. His free kick curled to the back stick where Sean St Leger got behind Corluka to bundle the ball home. 1-1. (I gracelessly remarked that he’d failed to do that against West Ham when he had the chance!)
The green end of the ground responded with a “full Poznan” which was curtailed as the Croats bore down on Given’s goal.
It became a fascinating contest as both sides probed for another opening. Ireland were working very hard and Duff was often found in the right back position helping clear their lines. McGeady was less effective on the other flank where Croatian captain Srna constantly got forward and provided a string of dangerous crosses.
Doyle continued to worry Croatia but as the half progressed Modric began to wrest control of midfield. Perisic struck two very sweet volleys forcing good saves before Modric himself blasted a long-range shot into Given’s chest. Another McGeady free-kick gave Keane a chance but the defenders smuggled the ball away.
With half time looming, Croatia went in front again. Jelavic was stood in an offside position as Croatia stormed forward. Had the ball arrived directly the Everton striker would surely have been flagged but the move broke down. Ward tried to clear but inexplicably played the ball across his own box enabling Jelavic to lift the ball over Given. 1-2.
Whatever was said in the Irish dressing room at halftime became irrelevant when Croatia went further ahead shortly after the restart. Modric worked the ball left where Perisic crossed and Mandzukic rose highest. The Wolfsburg striker’s downwards headed clattered off the base of the post and the prone goalkeeper into the net. 1-3.
Ireland surged forward but were not helped when the referee ignored Schildenfeld’s obvious foul on Keane inside the box. Yet they continued to pile forwards and left gaps that the Croats eagerly exploited. Srna was a constant threat on the right and Modric found room to set up counter attacks. The finest move of the game ended with Rakitic blazing wide of Ireland’s goal.
Ireland fielded all their substitutes but did not bring on the lively McLean who may have better occupied Srna. Keith Andrews typified Ireland’s battling spirit. Three times he burst forwards but neither of his shots nor his header found their intended mark.
Time ran out for the Irish and the Croats celebrated their win. With Italy and Spain up next, 3 points in this game was vital. Croatia have them and can move on in hope. For Ireland however, things look bleak.
MOM: Srna (Croatia)
EURO 2012 Unbiased Match Reports Thursday 14th June – Group C
Italy 1 Croatia 1
Poznan
Situated on the River Warta in western Poland, the city of Poznan has a long and turbulent history. The proximity of Germany means it was often controlled by the neighbours and has been settled by people from all across Europe.
Construction of Poznan’s ancient cathedral began in 966 when the city was regarded as Poland’s first capital. The building of a royal castle in the 13th century saw the first influx of Germanic settlers and by the 16th century Poznan had a university and was getting rich from the fur trade.
Central Europe spent much of the 17th and 18th centuries at war and Poznan suffered. Then in 1736 a catastrophic flood hit the city and people left in droves. The city was resettled but in 1793 Poland was partitioned and Poznan became Prussian. Poland used the wars of Napoleon to oust the Prussians but following the 1815 Congress of Vienna they returned.
Prussian Poznan thrived and the city remained in German hands till Polish independence in 1919. However, the large number of ethnic Germans living there gave Hitler the perfect excuse to invade Poland in 1939 and under the 3rd Reich many Poles and pretty much all Poznan’s Jews met grisly fates. In February 1945 Poznan was the site of a major battle as the Wehrmacht tried to halt the Soviet advance towards Germany.
Pretty much all Poznan’s German population fled before the Red Army leaving a largely Polish population to rebuild after the war. Unsurprisingly Poznan became a centre of Polish resistance during Communist rule.
Modern Poznan is Poland’s 5th city with a population of 550K. Good transport links to Western Europe and the Baltic has seen much investment here and today only Warsaw is more prosperous. Poznan attracts plenty of cultural events and trade fairs and hosted the UN Conference on Climate Change in 2008.
The municipal stadium was built in 1980 but underwent major renovations during 2010. It is now home to Warta and Lech Poznan and has a capacity of 43,000. Croatia played their first match here but now, wearing their super checkerboard shirts, faced a somewhat sterner test from the Azzurri.
Teams :
Italy
Buffon, Chiellini, De Rossi, Bonucci, Giaccherni, Marchisio, Pirlo, Motta, Maggio, Cassano and Balotelli. Subs: Montolivo (for Motta -62), Di Natale (for Balotelli – 69) and Giovinco (for Cassano – 83).
Croatia
Pletikosa, Srna, Corluka, Schildenfeld, Strinic, Vukojevic, Rakitic, Modric, Perisic, Mandzukic and Jelavic. Subs: Pranjic (for Perisic – 68), Eduardo (for Jelavic – 83) and Kranjcar (for Mandzukic – 90).
Match Report :
Neither side found it necessary to make changes and set off at a cracking pace. Balotelli shrugged off his under-par performance against Spain and looked lively as Italy sought an opening. His first effort whizzed just wide. Shortly after, Perisic took a wild hack at a ball played across his goal and must have been delighted to see it sail over the bar to safety.
The Azzurri dominated play and Pirlo effectively ran the game for much of the first half. On 11 minutes Marchisio hit a mighty strike that flew just over the bar and Italy created further chances for Balotelli but the striker failed to convert any. Croatia hung on doggedly.
They had a penalty shout when Chiellini and Jelavic rolled on the ground but Howard Webb decided the Everton man had started it. Indeed, this game was becoming a proper battle and Webb was challenged by much dirty play from both sets of players. It was certainly no place for softies.
Srna then delivered a lovely cross which Buffon needed two attempts to gather. After a brief period of Croat dominance the game transferred back down the park where Cassano skinned two defenders before being robbed by Strinic’s fine tackle. The Milan forward then engineered a couple of strikes on goal as Italy regained their stranglehold on midfield and with half time approaching the red and white wall was finally breached.
I’ve always loved tournament football. One reason is that you get to see top class players execute wonderful free kicks. I feel robbed of this joy in recent years as the dodgy footballs used of late flew anywhere but where they were hit. Fortunately the Euro 2012 Tango football seems a vast improvement and when Pirlo lined up a free kick on 39 minutes I was cautiously optimistic.
Oh yes! What a peach of a strike! The Juventus man curled his right footed shot up over the wall and then down to beat Pletikosa at his near post and send all right thinking football people into raptures. 1-0.
Then shortly before the break Cassano got his head to a Pirlo corner but the ball flew over the top.
Slaven Bilic is an excellent coach – and if he hadn’t just signed a contract with Locomotiv Moscow he’d have a very decent chance of replacing Harry at Spurs. He’d watched the first half in discomfort, realising his main man Modric hadn’t had a kick so for the second period he pushed him much further forward and the game was transformed.
From the off Modric began to get ball time and rarely wasted it. With him getting space in the centre and fullbacks Strinic and Srna bombing on down each flank, Croatia began to trouble the Italians. Given the feisty nature of this match I was rather surprised there were still 22 men on the park at the end of it.
Italy mounted the odd foray forward and Perisic blocked Bonnuci’s speculative effort before Giaccherni blasted over. Back down the other end Rakitic created a lovely chance that his forwards fail to convert, at which point some imbeciles among the Croat fans decide flares on the pitch will help. They don’t.
On 60 minutes Srna’s clattering challenge into the back of Motta went unpunished but saw the Italian replaced by Montolivo. The next Italian attack resulted in Balotelli lashing over the bar but Croatia continued to press for an equaliser.
Italy were defending well at this point, no more so than when the ball dropped into their goal area but was calmly headed back to Buffon by Bonucci after Chiellini had missed his header. On 72 minutes the centre back got under another cross but this time the punishment was severe.
Pranjic, on for Perisic, whipped a left wing cross to the back stick. Mandzukic was lurking and reacted swiftly when the ball cleared all the defenders. He crashed his shot in off Buffon’s left hand post. 1-1: cue more flares!
In an effort to get a late winner both sides made attacking substitutions with Eduardo and Giovinco joining the fray. The game became end to end and Italy might have scored again if they’d played with a degree more calmness. During the extensive period of injury Mandzukic was stretchered from the field but didn’t seem seriously hurt. Howard Webb’s whistle brought matters to a close.
Four points for Croatia and two for Italy looks significant but with Italy playing Ireland when Croatia play Spain, nothing is settled yet.
MOM: Pirlo (Italy)
Spain 4 Ireland 0
Gdansk
Unlike World Cups, you rarely see a mismatch in the Euros but this was about as close as you’ll come. Indeed, as the wags on Twitter were tweeting, it was “Murder on the Gdansk floor”. If Trapattoni had any sympathy for his adopted nation he would surely have thrown in the towel well before 90 minutes had passed.
Teams :
Spain
Casillas, Arbeloa, Pique, Ramos, Alba, Xavi, Busquets, Alonso, Silva, Iniesta and Torres. Subs: Martinez (for Alonso – 65), Fabregas (for Torres – 74) and Cazorla (for Iniesta – 79).
Ireland
Given, O'Shea, St. Ledger, Dunne, Ward, McGeady, Whelan, Andrews, Duff, Cox and Keane. Subs: Walters (for Cox – 46), McLean (for Duff – 76) and Green (for Whelan – 80).
Match Report :
Both coaches made one change. Trapattoni resisted calls to play Mclean and replaced Doyle with Cox instead. This looked odd as Doyle had seemed Ireland’s best forward against Croatia but when the game began it became clear Cox was going to sit deep and let Keane lead their attack.
Del Bosque on the other hand bowed to pressure from home and stuck Torres up front. His reward was not long coming.
Iniesta created the game’s first serious action playing in Silva. He was stopped in his tracks by Dunne but, as the ponderous defender struggled to clear, the ball was whipped away by Torres, taken past Ward and fired home over the bewildered Given. 1-0.
I’m not interested in possession stats but you’ll understand Spain had the ball most of the time. On those rare occasions Ireland got it, they found 10 men back and only Keane downfield and their hapless long balls were greedily consumed by the men in red.
The Spanish have a cruel streak. At a bullfight, the means to finish their opponent is constantly available but the spectacle demands toying with the doomed beast. Spain toyed with Ireland. Silva and Torres both failed to inflict further wounds when opportunities arose. Alonso then fired a spectacular shot just over the bar.
Spain even allowed Ireland to venture near their goal. The lively Andrews had a shot blocked and Dunne headed over. Cox even set up Keane in a dangerous area but Pique didn’t allow him to shoot. Even the referee joined in, cruelly upending Andrews and setting up another Spanish attack!
Half time came and went. Soon after the restart Spain scored a second. Iniesta was again involved firing a firm shot at Given. The keeper merely blocked it out to Silva on the penalty spot. With seemingly half the Irish team surrounding him, the City forward calmly rolled the ball into the corner past Given’s late dive. 2-0.
The game then settled into the earlier pattern although Arbeloa had clearly been told he was no longer required to defend. The right back stationed himself on Spain’s right wing and was always available to receive and move the ball on.
Cox had been replaced by Walters at half time and the Stoke man was brought down by Alonso. The Madrid player was yellow carded and soon replaced by Martinez.
On 56 minutes Given made the save of the tournament to date, diving left to turn away a fabulous Iniesta strike. Ireland then mounted a couple of attacks but nothing to frighten Casillas.
On 70 minutes sloppy play by McGeady saw Spain recover the ball deep in Ireland’s half. The ball was rolled to Torres who strode on and fired a shot beyond Given. 3-0.
The Chelsea striker was awarded with an early bath, replaced by Fabregas. Shortly afterwards Robbie Keane finally got a clear sight of goal but Casillas was equal to his shot. James McLean finally got on the park for the closing minutes but nothing much changed.
Xavi fired a central free-kick over and Iniesta was replaced by Carzola. Then Spain added to their score when Fabregas fired between Irish defenders from a narrow angle. 4-0.
That was it. Ireland must now face Italy in their final game with the Italians needing to score heavily if they are to get out of the group. Spain face Croatia in the knowledge that a draw will see them through but a win will ensure they top Group C.
MOM: Torres (Spain)
EURO 2012 Unbiased Match Reports Tuesday 19th June – Group D
Sweden 2 France 0
Kiev
It was a hot, sultry night in Kiev and there was an “end of term” feel at the Olympic Stadium. The vagaries of last December’s Euro draw saw Sweden play all 3 of their matches here and their fans flocked to Kiev in their tens of thousands. Many had stayed for a week and a half and at one end of the ground a Swedish flag with the message “Thank You Kiev” suggested a decent time had been enjoyed here.
Sweden’s footballers were less likely to have enjoyed themselves. First against Ukraine and then against England they had established a lead yet lost both matches. Whilst the huge numbers of yellow clad supporters were intent on enjoying a farewell party against France, the Swedish team still believed they had a point to prove.
It was also a poignant night for two elder statesmen of Swedish football. Olof Mellberg and Anders Svensson were starting for Sweden for what was almost certainly the last time. They were earning their 117th and 130th caps respectively.
France with a win and a draw were on the brink of qualifying. It would take a sizeable win by Croatia against England to see France eliminated and the news of Rooney’s goal soon after half time made that result unlikely. However that raised another problem for Les Bleus. Should England get a better result than them, they’d end up second in Group D and facing Spain on Saturday.
Teams :
Sweden
Isaksson, Granqvist, Mellberg, Olsson J, Olsson M, Larsson, Svensson, Kallstrom, Bajrami, Ibrahimovic and Toivonen. Subs: Wilhelmsson (for Bajrami – 46), Holmen (for Svensson – 78) and Wernbloom for Toivonen.
France
Lloris, Debuchy, Rami, Mexes, Clichy, Nasri, Diarra, M’Vila, Ribery, Benzema and Ben Arfa. Subs: Malouda (for Ben Arfa – 59), Menez (for Nasri – 77) and Giroud (for M’Vila – 83).
Match Report :
Sweden dropped the disappointing Elm and Elmander bringing in Bajrami wide left and Toivonen upfront. France put Ben Arfa wide left bringing Nasri and M’Vila into midfield dropping Menez and Cabaye to the bench. Sweden wore their yellow and blue while France lined up all in white.
Sweden immediately took the game to France with both Toivonen and Larsson getting early headed chances. Ben Arfa got Frances’s first opening but his angled shot went wide.
It was already an end-to-end match and Ribery might have opened the scoring on 8 minutes but Isaksson made a fine save. The game continued in this fashion with attempts at either end – neither keeper was tested though as the shots were coming from distance and were either wide of target or blocked by defenders.
It wasn’t the greatest football but with two well-matched teams going at it there was plenty to keep the punters entertained. Both sides were prepared to stick a leg out too and the middle period of the half saw a string of free kicks awarded. One of these was awarded when Larsson fouled Ribery some 40 yards from goal. Rami took a shot at goal but it was still rising as it soared over the bar.
France enjoyed more of the ball and mounted more attacks but Sweden defended stoutly. Then with half time approaching Sweden took over. They finished the half on top but most attacks were ended by the linesman’s flag as the wily French back line stepped up catching Toivonen offside.
Christian Wilhelmsson had looked decent coming off the bench in previous games but now he was given a whole 45 minutes, replacing the largely anonymous Bajrami. Sweden are quick off the blocks once more, driven forward by Wilhelmsson, immediately involved. Then it was France attacking again. Benzema fired wide and Diarra forces Isaksson to save.
It was already an exciting match but on 53 minutes it was blessed by the most fantastic goal. Wilhelmsson did well to chase and control the ball near the left corner flag. He turned, beat his man and played the ball inside. Sweden worked the ball right and found Larsson out on the other wing. His driven cross was slightly behind Ibrahimovic, lurking just inside the box, but the Swedish captain executed the perfect scissor-kick, smashing the ball past Lloris’ despairing save. Quite brilliant. 1-0.
The massed ranks of yellow-clad Swedes celebrated noisily. Their team responded with a period of pressure that had France penned back defending a string of corners. Only determined defending by Rami and Mexes and a couple of Lloris saves kept them at bay.
France recovered their composure and mounted more attacks of their own. Benzema and Nasri shot wide. Olssen and Mellberg headed crosses away. Sweden mounted counter attacks but France were still setting that offside trap and now it was catching Wilhelmsson as well as Toivonen.
Then Toivonen was fouled by Mexes, earning a yellow card that means he won’t face Spain. Moments later Anders also collected another card – the TV said “misses next match” but that looked somewhat academic.
With 15 minutes left, among a flurry of substitutions, Anders was replaced by Holmen. A mighty roar tumbled down from the stands as Sweden recognised the importance of the occasion. Svensson clapped them as he left the field. Within 2 minutes Holmen had also seen yellow.
With 10 minutes left France took off M’Vila and brought on Giroud. The Arsenal target ran into Sweden’s box, rose to meet Malouda’s corner and powered a header inches wide of Isaksson’s post. The game still swung from one end to the other. Both Olssens made significant clearances before Lloris was called on to field Larsson’s free kick. Then Holmen shoots wide from Kallstrom’s cross.
Deep into injury time Wilhelmsson turned up on the right wing and his dinked cross found Holman unmarked. The striker tried to volley it, caught it awkwardly, and his shot looped up over Lloris. Any relief the keeper may have felt seeing the ball come back off the bar was short lived. It fell perfectly for Seb Larsson who took great pleasure in smashing it home. 2-0.
France certainly didn’t play well but had taken part in a splendid game. They waited to hear that Ukraine had not pulled off an unlikely victory before quietly leaving the field to Sweden and their joyful fans.
MOM: Ibrahimovic (Sweden)
England 1 Ukraine 0
Donetsk
Teams :
England
Hart, Johnson, Terry, Lescott, Cole, Milner, Gerrard, Parker, Young, Rooney and Welbeck. Subs: Walcott (for Milner – 70), Carroll (for Welbeck – 82) and Chamberlain (for Rooney – 87).
Ukraine
Pyatov, Selin, Khacheridi, Rakitski, Tymoshchuk, Gusev, Yarmalenko, Garmash, Konoplienka, Milevskiy and Devic. Subs: Shevchenko (for Devic – 70), Butko (for Milevskiy – 77) and Nazarenko (for Garmash – 78).
Match Report :
Technically England were the home team so wore white. Roy had toyed with starting Theo but, of course, chose Milner on the right. The only other change was the much-vaunted return of Wayne Rooney – or England’s Pele as he shall now be known.
Simon the QPR fan was watching the game the game with us and took umbrage at this comparison. He ranted about how few International goals Rooney had bagged. “Well how many goals did Pele ever score for England?” I asked. That shut him up.
Ukraine, in smart blue kit, made lots of changes - effectively replacing the old guard with the young guns. Schevchenko was on the bench, just in case.
Ukraine set off at a gallop and, roared on by the Donetsk crowd, took the game to England. Their first chance fell to Konoplienka who, true to form, cut inside and shot over. They made other chances and won a series of free kicks as England’s midfielders fought to stop them. Yarmalenko on the right and Garmash through the middle both went close.
But Ukraine did not have everything their own way. England’s forays forward carried a threat and Pyatov in goal looked uncomfortable with crosses. One well directed Gerrard free kick found Rooney in space but he failed to get his head on it. Young then sent over a cross from which Rooney should have scored but sent his header wide. For all their effort, Ukraine were seeing the better chances created in their box.
The game reached half time goal-less and with no goals in Kiev either everything was still up for grabs. Ukraine came out reinvigorated but were soon behind.
Gerrard, who’d been manning the midfield barricades with Parker and Co, made a break on the right. He went past Yarmalenko and hit a firm cross towards goal. When your luck is out these things hit the thigh of the first defender and fly to safety. But this night, fortune smiled on the English – Gerrard’s cross missed the first man, bounced under the leg of Selin, off the toe of Khacheridi and continued on its way. Pyatov may still have saved the day but fumbled his attempt to grab the ball which bounced up to head height - for Rooney to score the simplest of goals. 1-0.
Back came Ukraine but England stood firm. News of France losing gave England another boost and they were able to keep counter-attacking.
Then on the hour Ukraine scored – or rather they didn’t. Platini’s long standing hatred of goal-line technology has delayed it being introduced. Instead we have 2 more blokes, dressed as referees who stand by the goals and do – well, nothing really.
Milevskiy received the ball - clearly offside - but was allowed to pass to Devic. His shot looped off Hart and was dropping in when Terry hoofed it clear. Ukraine claimed it had crossed the line and TV confirmed it had. The 5th (or 6th) official didn’t have a clue. Blokhin looked as though he was about to explode with anger as the 4th official fed him platitudes. So, still 1-0. Play on, now.
Discussions of Fat Frank’s “goal” against The Hun 2 summers ago ensued. It may balance England’s books but how is that fair on Ukraine? They suffer so the Germans can prosper: sounds like 1942 all over again.
Off we went and England now looked buoyant. They carved a super chance for Cole whose fine volley was well saved by Pyatov. Young then tested the keeper’s resolve with a couple of dangerous crosses.
Theo came on for Milner and the stadium erupted – the locals had seen Schevchenko waiting behind him to replace Devic. This gave Ukraine a lift but despite much grafting England kept them at bay. Even Konoplienka hit the target at this stage but Hart saved well and Lescott cleared as forwards closed in.
More substitutions followed but nobody, not even “Sheva” could get another goal. With England fans dancing and singing “We’re not going home”, Ref brought the game to a close. England had won Group D.
Ukraine slipped out of Euro 2012, joining Poland the other host nation who’d gone out 3 nights earlier. Neither side had realistic expectations of going much further but with the hopes of their nations spurring them on, both had given a good account of themselves on the pitch.
England had come to the Euros without the usual fanfares and none of the hype. Indeed, Harry’s mates in the press were certain Roy would have them coming home today. Not so.
Roy is a manager who makes silk purses from sow’s ears for a living. He maximises performance with meagre resources and gets all his staff, players and backroom boys, pulling for the cause.
Rooney’s post match interview was telling. There was no “I” or “me” – it was all “us” and “we”. There is a strong team ethic developing and England will take some beating.
We’re not going to outplay Europe’s top sides but we may knock more out. Resolute defending and hard work alone can’t win matches but coupled with pacey counter attackers and passers like Gerrard and Young, England carry a goal threat that others will fear.
This isn’t over yet!
MOM: Gerrard (England)
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 7 |
| Italy | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 5 |
| Croatia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | -1 | 4 |
| Republic of Ireland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | -8 | 0 |
