German newspaper getting ahead of themselves

Everyone was expecting a Germany-Spain final for Euro 2012. Even the German newspapers seemed sure that their team would make it to the final. Didn’t Germany learn from England? The English press had also thought Italy would be an easy team to beat and they lost to them in the QFs in a penalty shoot-out. Like the English press, the German press saw Italy as an easy way to get to the final. Mario Balotelli wasn’t going to let that happen though.

Although I was rooting for Italy, I had watched Germany’s last few matches and thought it was going to be very tough for them.  People who were watching this match were hoping there would be more goals than in yesterday’s SF. Lucky for them, there was an early goal.

But it wasn’t Germany who scored first. It was Italy. More specifically, Mario Balotelli, also known as “Super Mario” to his fans. He scored off a header in the 20th minute and gave Italy the lead. Ten minutes before HT, Super Mario struck again and doubled Italy’s lead over Germany. There was nothing Germany’s keeper, Manuel Neuer, could do about it, except just stand and watch the ball as it went past him and into the net. It was 2-0 Italy at HT.

The German coach knew he had to make some changes. So he took out Mario Gomez and Lukas Podolski and replaced them with Marco Reus and Miroslav Klose. Adding these two players was a good move on Germany’s part. Germany started to get more chances, even Mats Hummels came close to scoring for Germany.

Their best chance came when they were given a free kick. Reus’ free kick was inches from the goal, but Italy’s Gianluigi Buffon, made a great save.  In extra time, there was a handball called against Italy and Germany was awarded a penalty. Real Madrid’s Mesut Ozil stepped up to take it and scored, making the score to 2-1 Italy. Unfortunately, this was too little, too late for Germany and their supporters. The ref blew the whistle a few minutes later and Italy won 2-1.

Germany had a great tournament, but they were the favorites to make it to the final, so many German supporters and the players will be disappointed after this match. Sunday’s final will be between Spain and Italy, the winners of the last two World Cups.

No matter who wins Sunday, the trophy will be carried by a great captain/keeper. Personally, I will be rooting for Spain, but if Italy wins, I will congratulate them on making it to the final after being underestimated by most people.

The last quarter final match of the Euros between England and Italy was only one thing. Absolutely exhausting.

It was incredibly exhausting to watch, so I can’t even imagine what it was like to play. A lot of people thought this game would go into penalty kicks and while I really, really hoped it wouldn’t go that far, I had to admit – there was a feeling that’s exactly what would happen between these two teams.

The first half started off very exciting. Italy’s Daniele De Rossi had a laser shot toward goal within the opening minutes, but it bounced right off the wood work. Moments later, Glen Johnson would have a chance from a scramble in Italy’s box, but again, nothing. And that was about how exciting it got, kids. Italy pushed and pushed and pushed against the “parked bus” of the England defense. The ball just wouldn’t go into the back of the net.

England – for their part – weren’t exactly pretty in their play, but you could see they were playing for all they were worth. And they weren’t without their chances as well. But it was just very clear to anyone watching that Italy were playing better and the fact they couldn’t get on goal was more often their fault.

Don’t get me wrong, I was rooting for England! And I thought they did far better than what most were expecting. But when you look at stats from the game, you’ll have to wonder – what in the hell was up with Italy? They held 64 percent of the possession and out of 35 shots (35!), 20 of them were on goal. England only had nine shots. That speaks volumes.

Wasted chances, over and over again, came from Italy. England could not hold on to the ball even though their tournament lives were dependent on it. And when the whistle came at the end of the 90th minute, the game was deadlocked at 0-0.

In the second period of extra time, Antonio Nocerin had what fans and players for Italy thought was the winning goal in the 115th minute, but it was ruled off side and the game remained 0-0. England or Italy’s fate would be decided on penalty kicks.

Early on, it looked England might get their miracle. They had a 2-1 advantage on Italy, but when Ashley Young stepped up to the spot, he ringed it off the cross bar, allowing Italy to tie up. Nocerin would slam his in the back following for Italy and when Ashley Cole followed for England, legendary keeper Gianluigi Buffon would calmly save it. Alessandro Diamanti was the next penalty taker and his solid hit slipped past Joe Hart and Italy was on to the next round.

So, going off stats and play, the right team won. Italy were stronger on the field, stronger with their possession, and hell they had a ton of shots on goal. But I wouldn’t write off England just yet. Most fans and critics will say this is the same old dance for the Three Lions, but I don’t think that’s true.

The FA brought in a brand new manager – Roy Hodgson – and he did something in six months time that Fabio Capello could never do. He got the English to play like a team, not 11 super stars on the pitch who happened to be wearing the same kit. They played with some heart and while it wasn’t pretty (simple was the term Taylor Twellman used and I think it was accurate), it was effective for them. And helped them greatly.

For Italy, the challenge now becomes resting up. Not only did they play into the wee hours of the morning today, they have little time to rest up. Their next foes, Germany, will have two whole days more to rest up for the semi final match up. I think UEFA should be ashamed that this is happening because it’s hardly fair to Italy.

Some will say Italy will switch up their play against Germany and are already calling a Spain and Germany final, but I’m not that quick to make that assumption. Italy may not have been barreling through this tournament like the Germans, but they aren’t ones to be counted out. Just when you think you know what they’re going to do, they surprise you.

While Balotelli is … well unpredictable, he’s still a force to be reckoned with for a back line. And I don’t care who you are, you have to recognize the brilliance that Pirlo brings to the Italians. Just check out his penalty shot, which was absolutely cheeky.

In the end, England will go home and should hold their heads high for their effort. Italy will prepare for their next battle and I’m sure they will not play by the script some have already written. They will definitely make sure the Germans have to fight hard if they want to move on.

Image courtesy of sportinglife.com

Germany won all three of their group matches for the first time in their history. This helped them win their group and they were expected to play Czech Republic in the QFs. However, Greece had other ideas. Greece notched their spot in the quarter finals by upsetting Russia, who was on their way to winning Group A before they lost to the Greeks 1-0.

The German coach surprised a lot of people by benching Lukas Podolski,  Mario Gomez and Thomas Muller in favor of starting Miroslav Klose, Andre Schurrle and Marco Reus. Many were wondering if he was making a mistake and underestimating the Greek team. However, it seemed to pay off as Germany almost got off to a good start when they scored early on. Unfortunately for them, the goal was offside. In the next 30 minutes, Germany had more chances than Greece did, and came close to scoring a few times, but they wouldn’t get on the scoreboard until the 39th minute, when the German captain Philipp Lahm scored after some messy defending from Greece. It was 1-0 Germany at HT.

After the first half, when Greece had very little possession and not many chances, most didn’t expect them to score anytime soon. Greece proved them wrong by equalizing in the 55th minute. Georgios Samaras was the Greek who equalized.  Manuel Neuer, the German keeper was upset about conceding, and tugged on Samaras’ leg for some reason, but that was where the altercation ended.

It was now even in this QF, but the Greeks wouldn’t be celebrating for long. Real Madrid player, Sami Khedira, scored a great volley and put Germany ahead once more in the 61st minute. Germany would score two more goals in the 68th minute (Klose) and 74th minute (Reus). The Germans were leading 4-1, when there was a German handball called (Jerome Boateng) and Greece were awarded a penalty. Dimitris Salpingidis sent Neuer the wrong way and scored a consolation goal for Greece.

But in the end, it wouldn’t be enough. Germany defeated Greece 4-2 and the juggernaut rolls on, as they say.  They will face either Italy or England in the semi finals.

All France needed to do was get a draw and they would go through to the QFs. Sweden was already out, Ukraine was on the borderline and England had the same number of points as they did. In their previous matches, France had a 1-1 draw with England and beat Ukraine 2-0.

Even though Sweden was out, this wasn’t going to be an easy match for France. I was hoping France would win, because as winners of group D, they’d avoid Spain in the QFs and instead play Italy. And, even though I was rooting for France, I wanted Zlatan Ibrahimovic to score and do well.

Just like I had predicted, Sweden was not going to be an easy game for France. Early on in the game,  both teams had many chances to score. France managed to keep Sweden from scoring thanks to Hugo Lloris, the French goalkeeper. He made many Iker-esque saves that kept France in the game. If it weren’t for him, Sweden could’ve been up 2-0 by HT. Luckily for France, it was 0-0 at HT.

Once second half started, it didn’t take long for Sweden to get on the board. The first person to score was none other than the Swedish captain, Ibrahimovic, who scored what I would call a golazo. France would get more chances to score later on in the game, but weren’t able to get on the board. Sweden scored their second and final goal in extra time. This time, the goal scorer was Sebastian Larsson.

Sweden defeated France 2-0 and restored their pride, as they wouldn’t be going home with 0 points. Group D ends like this 1. England 2.France 3. Ukraine 4. Sweden.  France will to move on to the QFs and will meet Spain, which is something I was hoping to avoid. By winning this game, Sweden broke France’s 23-match undefeated streak. This was just a bad performance from France and they will need to step it up when they meet Spain.

After a disappointing 1-1 draw with England, France was looking to pick up 3 points against the Euro 2012 co-host, Ukraine. While France disappointed, Ukraine surprised everyone by beating Sweden 2-1. Both national teams had a good chance of winning this game. Of course, I was rooting for France, my Euro 2012 team (after Spain)

It got off to a pretty crazy start. Both teams came out on to the field and started playing. It had been raining a little bit before the game started, but after less than 10 minutes of play, the officials decided the field was no longer safe to play on. There was just too much thunder and lightning above the stadium.

So both teams left the field, while the officials debated on what they’d do. They’d decided to wait it out and see if the rain would clear up. Almost an hour later, the match finally resumed. And immediately, France was in control of the game. It looked like a goal was coming soon from the French, and when it finally did, it was called offside. The game was 0-0 at HT.

The 2nd half started off with both teams attacking. Finally in the 53rd minute, France scored and it counted. Jeremy Menez was the goal scorer, and Karim Benzema assisted the shot. Three minutes later Yohan Cabaye doubled the lead from France, scoring his first goal for his national team. Guess who assisted this goal? Yup, the Real Madrid player, Benzema, with his 2nd of the match.

France continued to have more chances and dominate the game, but the weren’t able to score any more goals. The game ended 2-0 in favor of France.

This shouldn’t be a  surprise to anyone, but the man of the match was Karim Benzema. France’s next and final group game will be against Sweden. Sweden, who were knocked out of the tournament by England later in the day, will have nothing to lose, which will make them a very tough team to play against. France is currently leading Group D on goal difference. If they win their group, they will play either Italy or Czech Republic in the QFs.

Wow. Just … Wow. No, really. Did anyone expect this? Anyone?! For days, weeks, months leading up to the Euros, we’ve seen this three-ring circus act from the English. We’ve wondered who would be their captain, who would be their manager even. Then the injuries, the roster changes… Everyone I’m sure was wondering what in the hell England was doing and how in the hell they would make it out of the group.

They’re doing it in style, that’s how, and only as England can.

Going up against Sweden today was not going to be easy. Zlatan on the front line is scary and while I’m sure a lot of people aren’t too familiar with the Swedes, trust me when I say you don’t want to be caught napping around them. They are lethal when gunning for a win. Naturally, this match would be interesting. But who would have thought it would be like this?

First off, as I saw many comment on Twitter, England manager Roy Hodgson seemed to be thinking “Welp, if it worked for the Spanish, it’ll work for us,” when he put Andy Carroll up front. Many English fans and others believe Carroll – like Fernando Torres – cost a lot of money and didn’t put anything up to show for it. But, like Torres, Andy decided he was going to show up and get a little confidence back. His first goal, which came off a gorgeous assist from his club and team captain Steven Gerrard, was a damn powerful header and shocked everyone. From the Sweden-dominated stands to all of us at home, I think the general feeling was “Holy. Crap.”

Side note – Can everyone please admit that Steven Gerrard has not only stepped up to the plate as England’s captain, but he’s done a hell of a job of it? I have a friend who’s a Liverpool fan and will get joy from this from me, but after seeing Gerrard’s performance in the last two England games, I think it is worth stating. Gerrard is a hell of a captain, a damn good player and he’s proving it here. Forget if you like Liverpool or not – admit it when you see a great player making a difference in a game, because that’s exactly what Gerrard is doing.

The third and final goal from England which gave them the 3-2 win over Sweden was nothing short of spectacular. It came from Danny Welbeck and how he did it, I’m still not sure. I’ve watched the clip a dozen times, I promise. It’s pure class between him and Theo Walcott. It should also be said that Walcott came on as a sub in the second half and then quickly scored a goal before setting up this amazing bit of play. He definitely changed the game in England’s favor in the second half.

Back to the Welbeck goal: it was a back heel goal. Yes, you read that right. I’m not sure how he pulled it off, but it was a stunner and I think summarized the game for the English; being strong, maybe getting a little scary in the middle, but having a solid statement in the finish.

http://youtu.be/mG9flrp3I5w

While a lot of us – myself included – didn’t really expect much from the Three Lions on this campaign, I think we can admit, they are coming to life here. It’s not pretty or perfect yet – looking at you Glen Johnson – and there’s a lot to be scared of and to work on. But hopefully they’ve shaken the headlines and gotten past their differences. Seeing all the players from several different clubs – Carroll from Liverpool, Welbeck from United and Walcott from Arsenal – celebrate together, as a team, is something I think is very encouraging.

I know the Group of Death is interesting to all, but man, after today’s performance from England, I have to say Group D is getting interesting. And England can claim a lot of credit for that.

After eight games in four days, the first round of group matches have finally concluded. There was some drama, most notably in the first game, but it was generally a sluggish start, with all teams trying to adjust to conditions and determined not to lose.

The results of group A was of no shock to me, although Russia’s emphatic 4-1 win result against the Czechs was more impressive than I had anticipated. Greece capitalized on a sloppy and failed clearance attempt from Poland with the game ending 1-1. It looks like it will be Russia and one other to-be-determined team who will advance to the quarter finals, but it’s hard to imagine that the ‘other’ will be in the tournament for any longer than the quarter final game.
The Group of Death surprisingly was the only group that boasted two winning results. The Dutch were left dumb-founded after a 1-0 defeat to Denmark. The Netherlands looked increasingly desperate and predictable as the match wore on, with the team never looking truly in unison, and they were kept out of their rhythm by the hard working Danes. Although the Oranje did have a couple of threatening shots, including Robben’s strike that hit the side post, they have some serious issues to fix before they take on Germany Wednesday. Their backline was slow, easily exposed and way worse than what I thought. It will be severely tested by Germany’s youthful and skilful front line.

Germany downed Portugal 1-0, with both teams playing rather conservatively throughout the entire game. In the first half, the only real chance came from Pepe’s shot which hit the cross-bar and kept the match at 0-0. In the second half Germany finally found the back of the net through a late Mario Gomez header. Even though Portugal would go on to have a couple more opportunities to score, they never converted and the Germans took the 3 points. Ronaldo got off to a slow start even though Boateng gave him more space than NASA.

The only thing I will say about Group C is this: Balotelli, what are you doing? You have a breakaway in Spain’s box but you are running like you would if you were chasing your 4-year-old son in the yard! Spaint tied 1-1 with current Euro cup holders Spain, whilst Croatia beat the unlucky Irish 3-1.

Group D is wide open and surprisingly the hosts are sitting at the top of the pack with a brilliant performance against Sweden. Sheva led the Ukraine with a 2-1 victory in their opening game. I must say that this was the best game hands down so far! It was fast tempo, high energy, aggressive and well-matched. It went back and forth but in front of a passionate home crowd, the Ukraine just looked possessed out of the gate and just wanted it more. The result is a testament to their hard work. My radar is on them to see if they can duplicate another result like that.

If you would have told me two years ago that the English could even consider a draw with the French a good result, I would thought you were crazy (or French). But that’s exactly what happened when the English got a point out of a very tough French team, who are on a 21 game unbeaten run. Considering all of the mayhem going on with the England squad, the 1-1 tie is a good result for them. The Three Lions got on the board first with a Gerrard free kick that found Lescott’s face head. France controlled most of the game and Nasiri’s netted a 25 yarder not long after England’s opener, but France couldn’t find the back of the net after that. Strangely, for periods in the game it seemed as though both teams were happy with a tie and that’s all they were playing for. Some of England’s players looked lethargic but overall the team played well defensively and Oxlade-Chamberlin and Welbeck looked promising. More to come from both teams.

All this week, I’ve been preview the groups and national teams of this year’s Euros. We’re now down to the final group!

Group D: Ukraine, Sweden, France, England

The stakes are higher than ever for these teams. There are so many unanswered questions and uncertainty swarming them. Will the Ukraine disappoint on their home turf? Can France move on from the absurd episode that took place in South Africa just two years ago? Will England pack their bags early once again? And will Sweden quietly exit the way they entered?

Unlike their co-host, Poland, the Ukraine did not draw the easiest group, but they did draw two countries they played and lost to last year in friendlies, Sweden (1-0) and France (4-0). With those games fresh in Coach Oleh Blokhin’s mind, he will know areas of weaknesses to work on. The health of the team is questionable with a reported 10 players suffering from food poisoning just days before their first game. Ukraine’s key player is Captain Andriy Shevchenko. He is a legend and fantastic leader for the team. Sheva is past his prime and his physical condition is not 100 percent, but he is fearless and will take on any defender. Youngster Andriy Yarmolenko is talented, young and expected to have a good campaign. They are a long-shot to get out of the group and will need A LOT of luck on their side.

Sweden is overall well-organized and well-formed. This team will keep their fingers crossed that England slips with all of the distractions surrounding them. Key players for Sweden are Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sebastian Larsson and Kim Kallstrom. Ibrahimovic is a world-class player, but his style of play is much different than his teammates and may ruin the chemistry or enhance it. Sweden could definitely get out of this group; it all depends on which English and French team shows up this year.

Are the images of the 2010 World Cup just distant memories for France? It looks as though the French have moved on past their embarrassing display and relinquished the title to England. Les Bleus have been unbeaten in their last 21 matches and even upset a very good German squad in Germany. France should win the group with the likes of Karim Benzema up top and a dynamic midfield backing him. Yann M’Vila, Franck Ribéry and Samir Nasri are technical and skillful. M’Vila is nursing an ankle injury and may miss the England game, but other than that, France is at the top of their game and should go far.

Two words, train wreck. All eyes are on England this year with the array of problems they are bringing in: suspensions, snubs, law suits, injuries, egos and questionable call-ups to name a few. Brand new coach Roy Hodgson came in to reign merely weeks before the tournament, so the question of how prepared this team is, is uncertain. The Three Lions will be without Cahill, Lampard and Barry. Waza (Rooney) will miss the first two matches to suspensions. With all the bad press, the English still have a talented roster. Goalkeeper Joe Hart was fantastic for Manchester City this past season and is one of the best keepers in the world. Familiar faces, Terry, Gerrard and Cole will provide leadership and newer faces Wellbeck and Oxlade-Chamberlin will be wild cards and perhaps provide a fresh spark. England will either arise to the occasion or be the laughing stock of the tournament.

Predictions: 1. France 2. England 3. Sweden 4. Ukraine

This weekend most of our favorite club teams are taking a break, so we’re focusing on the national teams, where we’re in the midst of a slew of international friendlies. The U.S. Men look to shake off Wednesday’s loss to Brazil when they take on Canada tomorrow in preparation for the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers. Maybe taking a look at some highlights from their win over Scotland will help. We also have news about England’s and Spain’s national teams as they prepare for the Euro 2012 starting next week.

U.S. Men’s National Team

Landon Donovan garnered considerable attention with his return to the national stage last weekend, leading the U.S. with a hat trick in a 5-1 win over Scotland. But it wasn’t one of Donovan’s 3 goals that has been getting the most attention in the last week:

Michael Bradley’s goal from the game against Scotland on May 26th was pretty fantastic. It made it into the Top 10 on SportsCenter and has quickly made its way onto the list of most-watched U.S. Soccer videos on YouTube with 394,238 views. That got us thinking… what are the top three most-viewed videos in U.S. Soccer history?  Bradley’s goal has already taken the #3 spot – and it has only been online for a week!

The ussoccer.com YouTube channel hosts over 2,000 videos, dating back to March 2006, and its videos have totaled over 24 million views. Not too shabby, Bradley.

SB Nation previews USA vs Canada, talking about the progress the U.S. has made since Klinsmann has taken over, but emphasizes that “Progress, building and the ‘process’ won’t do them much good after Sunday… when World Cup qualifying starts then everything is about getting results.”

SI’s Grant Wahl discusses three ways the U.S. can take care of business against Canada.

Spain National Team

Twitter has proven to be a great method for athletes to interact with fans and media in a raw and open way, giving them an inside look into their thoughts, emotions and reactions on and off the field. Unfortunately, not everyone feels that way. The reigning world champions, Spain, will not be tweeting during the Euros and several players have already said their goodbyes to fans on their Twitter feed for the next month.

Spain will take on China tomorrow in their final friendly before they kick off Euros against Italy next Sunday. Look for a recap and reaction from our own Spanish NT supporter, Tamara Rinehart, after the match.

England National Team

England defeated Belgium 1-0 in a Euro warmup today, with Danny Welbeck scoring his first goal for the national side, but news isn’t all jolly in old England. Gary Cahill collided with keeper Joe Hart and suffered what may be a broken jaw. Let’s hope this isn’t the case and that he’ll still be able to participate in Euros. According to @ESPNSoccernet, we won’t find out his status until Sunday at the earliest.

More International Scores

Netherlands 6 – 0 N. Ireland

Turkey 3 – 1 Portugal

Denmark 2 – 0 Australia

Norway 1 – 1 Croatia

Malta 2 – 0 Luxembourg

Poland 4 – 0 Andorra

Keep up with @AerysSoccer on Twitter for more news from this weekend’s international friendlies!

Okay, I hope you guys are feeling great today. After a crazy race to the airport in Baltimore, I’m back after the USMNT game yesterday and there are tons of headlines to report! The English National Team have bad news, Liverpool get their man and Barcelona and Real Madrid might actually agree to share something.

And after you read the headlines, don’t forget to head over and check out this week’s Midweek Muscles post featuring David Luiz!

Here’s the Thursday Daily Kick Around!

USMNT

Fed Ex Stadium was rocking last night as the USMNT took on Brazil. Being there in person was crazy and I have to say I enjoyed pretty much all of it – except the U.S.’ loss to the Brazilians, 4-1. U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann basically said after the game that from a learning stand point, it was a great game for the U.S. And I agree . Look for a post from me soon on what I saw not only in the game, but in the open U.S. practice I attended two days before the match.

Euros 2012

As if the England National team didn’t have enough on their plates, today they were hit with the news they would have to head into the tournament without Frank Lampard. Apparently the Chelsea man picked up a thigh injury in practice and is out for the June competition. Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson is coming in as his replacement.

English Premier League

Speaking of Liverpool, seems like a new manager has been pulled into the Reds. A deal has been reached between Liverpool and Swansea City for manager Brendan Rodgers. ESPN is reporting Rodgers will be “paraded around Friday” during an official announcement.

I don’t think anyone thinks EPL teams don’t spend beyond their means and provide players massive ego boosts in the way of pounds. That was confirmed when reports were released to show that EPL wages have gone up £201 million in the 2010-11 season! That’s crazy!

La Liga

Here’s something that might surprise you. Real Madrid and Barcelona are thinking about sharing something – TV rights that is. In hopes to make La Liga more competitive, Barca and Mardid have said they are open to negotiating TV rights. They own the most of any other clubs in the league, which means more of their games are broadcasted and they get more money. More money means bigger players, etc, etc. The hope is that if the wealth is shared, other teams will use the money to get better and the league will grow.

Everyone is trying to sign Porto player Hulk, and it seems Real Madrid are adding their hat to the pile, competing with the likes of EPL side Chelsea. Not only that, but free agent Didier Drogba is showing interest is hooking up with Madrid. Summer transfers are going to be interesting guys! UPDATE – ESPN is now reporting Chelsea will sign Hulk for an estimated 38 million!!

Major League Soccer

Yikes, eight – EIGHT- MLS clubs were knocked out this week in U.S. Open Cup play. Sporting Kansas City, DC United, San Jose, Philly, New York, Chivas USA and Colorado remain standing after the carnage Tuesday night, and Seattle joined them Wednesday. Congrats to all the winning teams though! Makes the US Open Cup interesting this year!