It seems that attacking football's the in thing again and in fact, it's so popular at the moment
that even the Italians are joining in on the fun. It's actually becoming hard to stereotype
footballing nations these days because of all the changes in playing style. Germany is no longer
robotic and it seems England and Italy have reversed roles.
A Wayne Rooney goal helped England beat Ukraine 1-0, which combined with a surprising 2-0 win
for Sweden over France, means that for the first time since 1996, England have won their group at a
European Championship.
It is all coming up roses for Roy Hodgson at these European Championships.
We've nearly reached the end of the Group Stage. Two matches to go in Group D today:
Sweden-France and England-Ukraine, which will determine the final two quarterfinalists. Already in
the final eight: Czech Republic, Greece, Germany, Portugal, Spain, and Italy.
The latter two claimed first and second in Group C with tense victories yesterday.
England v Ukraine: Rooney returns to boost England's Euro Odds - originally posted on
Soccerlens.com
Group C's winners and losers were decided on Monday night, as Spain and Italy won their fixtures
against Croatia and Republic of Ireland respectively to make the Euro 2012 quarter-finals. The
holders topped the pool, whilst the Azzurri make the next round as runners up.
England vs Ukraine
Group D Matchday 3
Donetsk | 20:45
There's no name we've heard more in the last 24 hours than "Wayne Rooney",
partly because lovely English friends are getting overexcited at the prospect of
WonderWayne's return for England tonight and also because everybody seems
to have an opinion about Wayne Rooney.
France 2 Ukraine 0 Les Bleus had to wait nearly an hour for a thunderstorm to stop, then they had
to wait nearly an hour for home keeper Pyatov's saves to stop. And finally, France had won a major
tourney game since World Cup 2006. NSC Man of the Match: Karim Benzema (France) England 3 Sweden 2
A late pair of goals (including the coolest Euro-play ever made by a dude sporting a highish-top
I wanted to watch Poland again last night: unfortunately I've caught the flu. To be sick and in
need of sleep / rest while a tournament whose matches take place at 12 midnight and 2:45 am is a
horrible experience. I thus chose sleep last night in favor of tonight's tasty match offerings from
the Group of Death.
Now that everyone has dipped their toes into the Euro 2012 waters, what can we say about the
tournament so far? Meh? Too harsh? Let's look at the evidence.
Ukraine. Obviously, the hosts saved the best for last with a thriller of a 2-1 bashing
of Sweden starring ancient (?) Andriy Shevchenko.
England and France played to a 1-1 draw in the opening match of Group D. It was not a
particularly entertaining match as England did play a very attacking style and sat back after
taking a first half lead.
The English took a 1-0 lead when Steven Gerrard sent a great cross into the box from a free kick
to which Joleon Lescott headed into goal.
France vs England Euro 2012 Highlights 1-1 Lescott Nasri June 11 Goals Video is a post from
Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter
France vs England Euro 2012 Highlights 1-1 Lescott Nasri June 11 Goals Video is a post from Soccer
Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter France vs England Euro 2012 ( France England VIDEO BELOW)
Final score and result:- France vs England 1-1 ( Nasri/ Lescott) Donbass Arena, Donetsk- Group D-
Euro 2012- 11 June, 2012- [.
England captain Steven Gerrard insists the whole squad are itching to get started ahead of Monday's
Euro 2012 opener with France.
England kick off their campaign in Donetsk on Monday looking to get off to winning start in Group
D.
Roy Hodgson's men flew into Donetsk on Sunday from their training camp on Krakow and Gerrard is
adamant they are ready for the challenge of taking on in-form France.
Steven Gerrard key in England v France and Euro 2012 Odds - originally posted on
Soccerlens.com
A lot of the pre-match buildup for France v England has centered on Steven Gerrard and his
importance to the England side. With Lampard missing through injury, Rooney out through suspension
and John Terry the center of one too many controversies, the England and Liverpool captain has
quietly taken center stage and the mantle to guide England through Group D.
Saturday Euro 2012 on ESPN: Holland - Denmark at 11:45am and Germany - Portugal at 2:30pm. GolTV
has the Brazil - Argentina friendly at 3pm. All Times Eastern Sunday Euro 2012 on ESPN: Spain -
Italy at 11:45am and Ireland - Croatia at 2:30pm ET. Monday Euro 2012 on ESPN: France - England at
11:45am and Ukraine - Sweden at 2:30pm ET.
In the interest of trying to attract divine intervention, intimidating the French and getting
some free publicity, bookmaker Paddy Power has constructed a 100-foot tall statue of England
manager Roy Hodgson on the white cliffs of Dover. The construction is visible from the shores of
France -- England's formidable first opponent in the Euro 12 group stage and is based on the
Christ the Redeemer statue that sits high above Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Can Spain repeat? Will Germany break through Spain's dominance? Who is the darkhorse team? Which
favorites will fall? Who will win Euro 2012?
Here's my take on the title taker! First, however, a look back at my group predictions in order of
finish:
Group A: Poland, Greece, Russia, Czech Republic
Group B: Germany, Portugal, Netherlands, Denmark
Group C: Spain, Italy, Ireland, Croatia
Group D: France, England, Sweden, Ukraine
Euro 2012 Fixtures - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
The 2012 European Championship kicks off tomorrow in Poland as Group A's teams face off against
each other. If you're looking for a quick update on the key facts and figures (not to mention the
history of the Euros), make sure you look at our Euro 2012 infographic.
Euro 2012 Shirts - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Euro 2012 the 14th European Championship for teams sanctioned by the UEFA is scheduled to be
played between 8th June and 1st July 2012 in Poland and Ukraine.
Spain are the current holders of the cup they defeated Germany in the 2008 final when the
tournament was co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland.
In the final blog looking ahead to the 2012 UEFA European Championship, which begins on Friday
June 8th, we preview Group D which contains co-hosts Ukraine as well as two-time winners France,
England and Sweden.
ENGLAND: Best Performance = Semi-Finals 1968, 1996
Despite their status in the international game England still remains one of football's great
underachievers.
England's seemingly slim hopes of claiming Euro 2012 glory have been reduced further in recent
days due to injuries to the likes of Gareth Barry and Frank Lampard. Yet, there are some who dare
to dream and wonder 'what if' it finally happens.
The journey for Roy Hodgson's men begins against France in Donetsk on June 11, with a positive
result needed to set the tone for merely progression from group stages.
The Germans weren't the only ones to preen and pose for their squad's Euro 2012 Official
Portrait yesterday the Frenchies also gathered themselves at their training ground in Le
Touquet, northern France, for a wonderful family picture. French fans have been trying to get into
the grounds for a glimpse of their local heroes but only the ingenious ones were
smart enough to stake out in the bushes!
The 2012 EURO's are slowly approaching, and just yesterday the groups for the initial stages of the
tournament were drawn. Below are the resulting groups of the draw:
Group A
Poland, Greece, Russia, Czech Republic
Group B
Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Portugal
Group C
Spain, Italy, Republic of Ireland, Croatia
Group D
Ukraine, Sweden, France, England
As for just about every international tournament, a group of death naturally formed.
If you watched the Euro 2012 this evening you can't have failed to notice the new Adidas Tango 12,
the official Euro 2012 matchball (if you did, it's above). And you probably also saw the miniature
replicas that were used as the draw balls. We've teamed up with Adidas to give you the chance to
[...]
Snore Is it possible to put four more unlikeable, non-descript teams in one group than what we have
here in Group D? England. Ugh. France. Double ugh. Ukraine and Sweden. Wake me when that classic is
over.
It's almost impossible to get burned out from football, Euro especially. But I'll be glad for Group
D playdates; hopefully it will be nice out and I can emerge from my bunker and go outside, get some
sun and drink a few beverages.
Patrick Vieira is writing about les Bleus for the English-speaking world in a column in the
Telegraph.
In his article this morning, he leads with the highly optimistic premise that France's front
three of Nasri, Benzema, and Ribery will be the key to the France-England match because they're so
awesome.
It was a thrilling night of International football yesterday with the sport's top nations taking
to the pitch in international friendlies. However, the results that have got people talking are the
home defeats to England and Germany. The Three Lions lost 3-2 to the Netherlands while Germany
were 2-1 losers to France.
Hello, and happy last day of the working week. Today finds me in fettle less than fine, but
that's a story for another day, or better yet, never. Let's just say it was late when I got to bed
last night, and I could do with more sleep. Yes, that's it. Sleep is what I need most. And possibly
a drip.
Hello, and happy last day of the working week. Today finds me in fettle less than fine, but
that's a story for another day, or better yet, never. Let's just say it was late when I got to bed
last night, and I could do with more sleep. Yes, that's it. Sleep is what I need most. And possibly
a drip.
The official Reign roster is now available and set ahead of their season opener against the Chicago Red Stars this Sunday. The expected absent stars of Hope Solo, Amy Rodriguez and Megan Rapinoe are spotted, along with locals Kate Deines (Issaquah), Lyndsey Patterson (Kent), and Emily Zurrer (Crofton BC).
