RSSEuro 2012 Qualifying Related Content
Cristiano Ronaldo & Lionel Messi at their best: Big Week Recap
It has been a great week for Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. While Ronaldo ensured Portugal qualified for the Euro 2012 finals with ease, Messi netted a goal for Argentina at last.
Earlier this week…
Cristiano Ronaldo proves himself against Bosnia
Before the international session this month, Cristiano Ronaldo had netted four goals in four games for Portugal since August - eventually averaging a goal per game for his country. This was enough for the superstar to be proud of his performance at international level; but it was his achievement on November 15 that sent him to another level under his national team’s jersey.
In an UEFA Euro 2012 play-off match where a non-goalless draw would have been insufficient on aggregate, the playmaker made sure his responsibilities were totally assumed. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a thunderous free-kick after only eight minutes against Bosnia-Herzegovina, before netting an easier goal that bagged him a double.
UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifying: 10 things to know ahead of the last games
The UEFA Euro 2012 qualification stage has brought a lot of thrills, from Group A to Group I. In this article, we bring you interesting facts that have emerged, thus far.
1) As at now, Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar leads the goal scorers’ chart. The Schalke 04 forward has netted 11 goals for his country in 594 minutes - imposing himself over Germany’s Miroslav Klose, who is 2 goals behind, having played 89 minutes less.2) Sweden’s Kim Källström is presently the top assist maker. The left-footed midfielder has assisted 7 goals in 718 minutes, but he could lose his spot in no time - being followed by 4 players, including his country mate Sebastian Larsson, who all have 6 assists to their names.
3) AC Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Schalke’s Huntelaar are hitherto the most accurate frontmen in the UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifying, with 18 attempts on target each. Barcelona’s David Villa has also showed great energy, but his strikes have somewhat had less effects on goalies, with 17 attempts off target.
Spain vs Scotland Preview
Spain will only look to preserve their perfect home record in the UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifiers. Scotland, however, will be aiming for a place in the play-offs.
The Scots took advantage of Czech Republic’s failure to accomplish their mission against La Roja, on October 7. The Czech were humbled 2-0 at the Stadion Letná in Prague following goals from Juan Mata and Xabi Alonso. That came as pleasant news to Scotland though, who narrowly edged past Liechtenstein at the Rheinpark in Vaduz, the day after.Thanks to the profitable scenario that enfolded at the end of last week, the Scots now occupy the second position in Group I. What they are required to do now is match the Czech’s result so as to end what would be the first phase of their qualification campaign as runners-up. Should they succeed, then they will be participating in the play-offs later in November alongside other teams to determine if they are worthy of tickets for the finals in the summer of 2012.
Germany vs Belgium: Confident Germans eying perfection ahead of UEFA Euro 2012
Podolski and Neuer are eying another victory against second-placed Belgium on Tuesday as clinching the UEFA Euro 2012 trophy remains a must for the DFB Eleven.
Germany came second behind Spain at the 2008 European Championship and Podolski is now thinking about burying the past by achieving glory at the continental level in 2012. Speaking to Sport1, the striker was quoted as saying: “Our aim is to win the European Championship title next year, and we have the quality to do that. We really want to do it after coming so close in recent tournaments.”
On Tuesday, Germany will close their UEFA Euro 2012 qualification campaign with a match against Belgium at the LTU Arena in Dusseldorf. Even a cricket score line in favor of the Belgians won’t hurt the Germans’ position in Group A.
Georgia vs Greece Preview
Unbeaten Group F leaders Greece will know their fate in Tbilisi when they’ll affront Georgia on Tuesday night in the very last Matchday of the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.
Greece made the most of their penultimate game against Croatia last Friday. Thanks to a solid performance, the Euro 2004 champions downed their opponents with 2 goals from Samaras and Fanis Gekas during the final moments of the encounter. It was vital for the Greeks to enter the 10th Matchday of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier with a 2-point advantage over second-placed Croatia. They won’t need to depend on the result of Croatia’s game against Latvia. Tickets for an automatic spot in Poland-Ukraine are theirs for the taking.
France vs Bosnia-Herzegovina Preview
Romania and Albania will have absolutely nothing to play for but pride in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers come Tuesday night. All the focus in Group D will go to the France vs Bosnia and Herzegovina match.
The distance between the French and the Bosnians is extremely small. Bosnia and Herzegovina have the edge in terms of goal scored but France can boast of possessing the group’s best defense having conceded only thrice in 810 minutes of football. One more thing which differentiates the French from the Bosnians is each team’s away record. Thanks to an unbeaten run away from home, Les Bleus have a 1-point lead over their upcoming counterparts.
France looked pretty well prepared for Tuesday’s battle in their penultimate game. Likewise, Bosnia and Herzegovina took a handful of their chances against minnows Luxembourg. Their 5-0 triumph last Friday currently stands as the biggest win in Group D.
Netherlands vs Moldova Report
The Netherlands secured their number one spot in Group E, but the players, the coach and the home crowd could not be satisfied with the 1-0 victory over Moldova in Rotterdam on Friday.
The Dutch crowd sat down to watch another display of superior skills from their goal scoring orange machine, but the team were not able to match the performance they put up against San Marino in September, let alone the 11-0 score line. “Compared to the San Marino match this was a poor display”, captain Mark van Bommel said. “In the first half we did not play that bad, but after the break we could not keep up the pace.”
Coach Bert van Marwijk was pleased to see that his players were far from happy with their own performance against Moldova. “It’s good to see that they’re a bit frustrated about the fact that we only scored once. This was not one of our better games, but at least we won.”
France vs Albania Report
Laurent Blanc led France to a deserved win against Albania on Friday night at the Stade de France.
News about Bosnia & Herzegovina’s trouncing of Luxembourg put Les Bleus under pressure early on. Thankfully for the home crowd, the French responded quite well to their demands. The inclusion of Gomis, Patrice Evra, Florent Malouda and Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri in Laurent Blanc’s lineup increased France’s chances of beating the Albanians who eventually were second-best throughout the match.
Cabaye was unlucky enough to see his 25-yard strike fly just wide. It was Florent Malouda who broke the deadlock. He opened the scoring with a deflected shot of which the cross came through the efforts of Remy.
Liverpool’s Downing thinking about Man United clash during international break
Whereas England are preparing to face Montenegro in another UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier, some have their mind set on what will happen at Anfield in nine days.
Club football will only resume next weekend across the best-ranked European countries. In England, Liverpool’s lunch time kick-off against Manchester United is expected to capture the most followers on match-day 8 of the season. Stewart Downing is already looking at his side’s chances ahead of the encounter. On Thursday, he told the press in England:
“We've been creating chances and I think there will be a day soon when we put all of them away and we'll have a big win over somebody.
“But it's good to see the fans are enjoying the way we're trying to play. Fans want to be entertained, see goals and forward players attacking. It's nice when you can do that.
Czech Republic vs Spain Preview
The Czech Republic vs Spain match is visibly more important for the Czech than for the Group I leaders, who have already secured their place for the UEFA Euro 2012 finals.
The rule for the UEFA Euro 2012 qualification is quite clear: only the hosts, the qualifying group leaders, the best runner-up and the play-off victors can participate in the final competition. Knowing this, it is obvious that the Czech cannot afford to give away their great chance to profit from Europe’s most prestigious tournament at international level.Looking at Group I, it is hard to predict who will occupy the second position of the table in the long run. While Spain are safe with 18 points and a goal difference of +16, 10 points holders Czech have reasons to keep a close eye on third place Scotland, who sit just 2 points behind.
Germany takes on Turkey in Istanbul Looking to Finish the Euro 2012 Qualifying Campaign Perfectly
There will be no love lost when Germany takes on Turkey. Germany leads the group and will continue to do so regardless of other results.
Mesut Özil is already preparing himself for the Turkish crowd. Oezil knows he will be jeered as he turned down the chance to play for Turkey in order to star for the German Mannschaft. He has been absolutely phenomenal for the Germans. He picked up a knock in Real Madrid’s 4-0 demolition of Espanyol. He is expected to recover soon though.Turkey is second in the group, a full ten points behind Germany, and is looking to secure a play-off berth to make the Euros. Turkey is only two behinds ahead of third placed Belgium. Guus Hiddink called up Bayer Leverkusen defender Ömer Toprak. The young Toprak has been highly impressive and knows all about German football.
France vs Albania Preview
Group D leaders Les Bleus will entertain Albania at the Stade de France in Paris on Friday night.
The French are poised to edge past Albania to remain in the lead in the table. After opening their UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying campaign with a shocking home defeat to Belarus, Les Bleus bounced back with 2 wins in Paris. Laurent Blanc’s men are expected to record their third consecutive victory on home soil against Albania. But they will have to do so without the likes of Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema who netted an 11th minute goal in Tirana back in September. Benzema has been out of action since picking up a hamstring injury against Ajax in the UEFA Champions League.
Serbia vs Italy Preview
Football fans will be hoping for a safe and sound encounter between Italy and Serbia this time round.
When both teams clashed against each other in the first leg of this UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier, ugly scenes robbed the headlines. The match had to be abandoned after only 6 minutes of play because of rioting by Serbian hooligans. Eventually, the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body awarded Italy with a 3-0 forfeit victory. But Cesare Prandelli can now consider Friday’s qualifier to be more or less like a friendly despite the rivalry that stands between Italy and Serbia.
The Azzurri have absolutely nothing to lose since they have already qualified for the 2012 European Championship. The pressure is strictly on the Serbians to achieve a positive result on Friday night.
Greece vs Croatia Preview
It will be a battle for an automatic berth when Greece will welcome rivals Croatia on home soil this Friday.
A year ago, when Croatia and Greece met in Zagreb, neither side managed to kill the other. The match ended in a goalless draw and a repeat of such a result will be more beneficial to Group F leaders Croatia this time out. However, it will emphasize the importance of each team’s very last Euro 2012 qualifier. On October 11, Croatia will host Latvia whereas Greece will end their campaign away to Georgia.
In fact, next Tuesday’s matches will lose the “thriller factor” if Croatia beat Greece on Friday. A 4-point gap will seal the Croatians’ UEFA Euro 2012 qualification as group winners.
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying: From Group A to Group I—teams through & on the brink
Among the many teams involved in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifyiers, only 4 are certain of featuring in next summer’s tournament as of September 6. They are Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Germany.
Group A
Talking about the DFB Eleven, striker Miroslav Klose stated at a press conference this week that “this has to be the strongest team Germany has had if you look at the available players and talents.” Having scored 28 goals and conceded only 5 in 8 matches, it may be hard for anybody to contradict Klose’s statement.
The Germans have secured the top spot in Group A with 24 points. Turkey and Belgium, who occupy the second and third spot respectively, have been left to vie for the group’s unique play-off finish.
Lithuania vs Spain Report
Xavi, Fernando Llorente and Juan Mata gave Spain a well deserved victory at the Steponas Darius stadium.
Without Andres Iniesta, Sergio Ramos and Sergio Busquests, Spain managed to maintain a perfect scoring after five matches. The hosts could hardly keep up with Vicente del Bosque's fury, but their excellent defensive work could have granted Lithuania an important point thanks to Marius Stankevicius' leveller. Spain leads the group for the Euro 2012 with fifteen points after five games, six points above Czech Republic.
The game was clearly dominated by the Spaniards, who had nevertheless trouble keeping the ball in Lithuanian ground. David Villa was almost a shadow, isolated on the attack unlike Fernando Llorente, who assisted the midfielders with relative success.
Vicente del Bosque introduced fresh legs for the second half, as David Silva and Juan Mata took over David Villa and Santiago Cazorla's place respectively. The modifications paid off, and Spain celebrated another important victory to defend the European title once again.
Lithuania vs Spain Preview
Due to weather conditions, Vicente del Bosque's Spain might not be able to lock horns with Lithuania this Tuesday.
David Villa gave Spain an important victory last week against Czech Republic for the Champions League, scoring a double to become Fury's historic top striker. Both squads took on each other less than a year ago, back in October, and it took about an hour for the Spaniards to unlock the game and score the opener.
"They won't let you breath. Their defense is deep, just like many other squads nowadays. We'll be playing far from home, in less than favorable conditions, it'll be a tough game" said Barcelona's midfielder Andres Iniesta.
Lithuania's coach relies on Valencia's defender Marius Stankevicius to neutralize Fury's massive firepower. Raimondas Zutautas wants to demonstrate Lithuania is ready to fight among Europe's best, will he have what it takes to defeat the World Champion?
Euro 2012 Qualifying: Injury-Hit Austria In Danger Ahead Of Turkey Match
Austria are not favourites ahead of Tuesday’s Euro 2012 qualifying match against Turkey. The Austrians have injuries to worry about.
The battle in Group A’s middle section is tight with Austria sandwiched between second-placed Belgium who have 7 points and fourth-placed Turkey who have 6 points. Last weekend, the Euro 2008 co-hosts lost 3 crucial points in a home defeat to Belgium. They now need to bounce back against Turkey, but their mission to do so has become even more difficult. Midfielder Zlatko Junuzovic, defender Franz Schiemer and striker Marc Janko have all been sidelined only to add put Austria’s Euro 2012 qualifying hopes in further doubts.
Austria’s best player of the year Junuzovic has an ankle injury to treat and will subsequently have to watch his team take on Turkey on a TV screen. On Monday, the midfielder told UEFA.com:
Spain vs Czech Republic Report
David Villa's double granted Spain a suffered victory against Czech Republic.
Vicente del Bosque's Spain dominated the first half of the game, pushing Czech Republic against its own goal, but Peter Cech denied Fury's every attempt to open the score.Andres Iniesta warned first at the third minute, but Chelsea's goalkeeper responded accordingly, deflecting the ball. Wingers Alvaro Arbeloa and Joan Capdevilla played a major role in the development of the game, feeding David Villa with numerous goal-scoring opportunities.
The most dangerous one came at the 26th minute, when Arbeloa found David Villa, who connected a powerful volley from inside the area, but it was not enough to beat Cech's goal. The game was about to take a radical twist as Jaroslav Plasil shot against Iker Casillas' goal for the first time in the game.
Arbeloa and Villa kept Czech defenders under a constant threat, dominating the aerial game and keeping Cech busy.
Girondins' gunner Plasil caught Roja's goalkeeper by surprise with a nearly-unstoppable mid-distance shot at the lower right angle at the 29th minute of the game. The goal froze the hosts.
Euro 2012 Qualifying: Czech Republic Aiming To Upset Spain
Most predictions have gone in favour of La Furia Roja ahead of Spain vs Czech Republic. However, Friday's visitors are hoping for something different to happen.
The Czechs occupy the second spot in Group I but a win on Friday will put them level on points with Spain. The Spanish, meanwhile, defend a perfect record in the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign so far and it may take something special for Czech Republic to claim victory away from home.“It’s a huge game for us and for the whole team,” Rosicky told Reuters.
“Spain are the favourites and there’s no doubt about that. However, we didn’t come [to Spain] to lose, so we will fight throughout.”
In the latest international fixture, Czech Republic lost 4-2 to Croatia only to raise more concerns about their defence. But for Coach Michal Bilek, there’s no reason why his team should be afraid of 3.33 goals-per-match record holders Spain.