Group D's final matches take place tonight. At the Donbass Arena, England will test their metal against co-hosts Ukraine in front of an expected full house. In Kiev, Laurent Blanc will guide France against Sweden. The latter have nothing but pride to play for. The outcome of these games will be crucial.
Group D currently has France seating on top with 4 points, England follow behind with the same number of points and Ukraine are in third position with 3 points from a possible 6.
We look into what the three teams in contention must do to avoid joining Sweden out of UEFA Euro 2012.
• Ukraine must win or exit Euro 2012. They lose on head-to-head against France so if both teams finish the group phase with 4 points, Ukraine will be out.
• England need only a point to qualify. However, England have a better coefficient than France. That said, even if England lose, they will qualify only if France lose by a result that will at least put both teams level on goal difference.
• France need only a point to qualify. If France lose, and England avoid defeat against Ukraine, France will qualify.
How Group D looks like ahead of its final round of matches
| EURO: GROUP D 2012 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
France | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 4 |
| 2 | England | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 4 | |
| 3 |  |
Ukraine | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 3 |
| 4 | Sweden | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 0 | |
How to separate England and France if the need arises
Chances are that France and England will both draw or win on Tuesday night. Should this happen, Ukraine will be out while England and France will be joint leaders with either 5 points or 7 points at the top of Group D. So which of these two teams will qualify on top of the other? UEFA’s tie-breaking rules from criteria a) to e) explain the following:
a) Higher number of points obtained in the matches played between the teams in question;
b) Superior goal difference resulting from the matches played between the teams in question;
c) Higher number of goals scored in the matches played between the teams in question;
d) If, after having applied criteria a) to c), two teams still have an equal ranking, criteria a) to c) are reapplied exclusively to the matches between the two teams in question to determine the final rankings of the two teams. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria e) to i) apply in the order given;
e) Superior goal difference in all group matches;
England and France drew 1-1 when they met earlier in the UEFA Euro 2012 campaign, so each have 1 point according to criteria a). In addition, they each have a (+0) goal difference according to criteria b) and criteria c) puts them on 1 goal each.
Scenario 1: France and England finish on 5 points
If France and England finish on 5 points, France will automatically qualify as Group D winners based on criteria e). This is because Les Bleus will then maintain their (+2) goal difference advantage over England’s (+1).
Scenario 2: France and England finish on 7 points
If France and England finish on 7 points, the team with the highest goal difference at the end of the day will top the other. Should France and England finish equal on goal difference, criteria f) of UEFA’s tie-breaking rules will apply. In that case, the team with the highest number of goals scored in all group matches will claim the top spot in Group D.
If criteria f) cannot separate England and France, criteria g) will apply. In that case, England will automatically win Group D as they have a higher coefficient than the French. The Three Lions are first in the ranking whereas Les Blues are sixth.
Scenario 3: France and England finish on 4 points
The same procedures as for scenario 2 will be used. The only difference, if France and England finish on 4 points, is that both will not compete for the top spot in Group D but for the second and last spot remaining. This is because scenario 3 will see Ukraine win the group with 6 points.
Scenario 4: France lose to Sweden, England and Ukraine draw
This scenario will put England on top of Group D with 5 points. Ukraine and France will be on 4 points. Sweden will have 3 meaningless points. Based on criteria a) France will qualify as runners-up ahead of the Ukrainians whom they defeated.
In other words, France can afford to lose if Ukraine fail to defeat England.
Group D rewards
The runners-up in Group D will book a date with UEFA European Championship titleholders Spain. However, as much as everyone wants to avoid the Spaniards, expect England, France and Ukraine to fiercely vie for the top spot in Group D tonight.
