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.

I want to take a few minutes to talk about the eastern European teams competing in Euro 2012, not least because two of them are the hosts.  I have a special affinity for Eastern Europe—I am ¼ Polish, lived in Russia for a few years and have several Russian and Ukrainian friends.

As you can imagine, I have been at times quite torn during this tournament.  I said in my last post that I would be pulling for Russia in their match against Poland.  When it came down to it, however, I couldn’t decide.  Each up and down for either team left me more and more indecisive.  In the end, I was glad it was a draw!

The draw did not prevent Russian and Polish fans from clashing after (and for that matter, before) the match.  I have been around Russian fans after a football match—I can speak from experience, it is a little scary.  Additionally, there is much history between these two countries, most of it unfriendly.  Making matters worse were the copious amounts of alcohol no doubt imbibed and extremely inflammatory tifo.  Russian fans unfurled a banner stating “This is Russia” below an illustration of a soldier wielding a sword.  Outside the stadium Polish fans held a banner that read “Polish President Murdered in Russia 10.IV 2010,” referencing the plane crash that killed President Lech Kaczynski while he was on a visit to Russia.

Despite these unfortunate events, the countries of Eastern Europe have also experienced some very high points early on in the tournament.  Who did not feel a thrill as Ukrainian captain/hero Andriy Shevchenko (pictured above) scored a brace to lead his country to victory in their first ever Euro match?  Who would deny the hosts their joy, expressed in chants of “Sheva!  Sheva!”?  Who does not feel at least a tiny bit of the excitement of these Polish fans as they watched their captain Jakub Blaszczykowski pull them even with Russia?

As it stands right now, Russia and the Czech Republic top Group A, with Poland sitting in 3^rd and one more match for each in the group stage.  Since only 2 of these teams can advance, at least one set of eastern European fans will be heartbroken early on (I can’t lie, I hope it’s the Czechs!).  Ukraine sits atop Group D with 2 matches remaining, the next of which will see them face a strong French side.  However, with the start they have had and the home advantage they enjoy, I would not bet against the Ukrainians.

Despite the drama involved in the lead-up to the Euros, with warnings of a hostile police force and fears of racism (none of which are completely unfounded, I must say), it is a joy to see the players set all that aside and just go out and play some of the most entertaining and heart-felt football of the tournament.  You can tell this means a lot to them; none of these countries will go down without a fight.  I, for one, hope to see 3 eastern European teams emerge from the group stage.  This is their tournament.

Image courtesy of skysports.com

Okay, we don’t know about you guys, but the Euro 2012 have not only fired us, but our computers decided it would be cool to just, you know, not work too. But now we’re back! And we’re pretty excited because there has been SO much going on in the footy world. Mangers are coming and going in the EPL, Euro 2012 is battling racism unfortunately and tons more. Here’s your Thursday Daily Kick Around!

Grygoriy Surkis, president of the Ukraine soccer body, said the racism threat was overblown in Ukraine and urged everyone to turn their attention from politics to sports.
“There can be individual cases of racism in Ukraine stadiums and that needs to be stopped,” Surkis said Tuesday. “But it is important we focus on the most important thing – football … We should not keep talking about racism in Ukrainian football. The tournament is about football, not politics.” 

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.

Wow, what a hell of a day for soccer in the Euros, huh?!? First, we had that weird, chippy game between England and France. England surprised everyone I think and held their own against a goal-hungry France. The game would end in a 1-1 draw, but it wasn’t without it’s moments.

However, it would be the second game between second host-nation Ukraine and Sweden that would bring the drama to the day. At the end of the 90 minutes, Urkaine would be the victors with a 2-1 score line and leaders of Group D!

What you really need to know, however, is that Andriy Shevchenko was the man of the hour. The 35-year-old notched both goals for Ukraine and they were spectacular. Check it out!

http://youtu.be/BJceLt-BRNw

The Euros never disappoint in excitement and I got to say, if these opening games are any indication, I can’t wait to see what happens!

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

Toronto, Toronto, Toronto, what are we going to do with you? First your own player labels you the worst team in the world and now you go and actually win something? We’ve got that story, plus lots more before you kick off your weekend. Here’s your Daily Kick Around Friday edition!

MLS

Toronto FC has won the Canadian Championship after defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps in a 1-0 win. Toronto is currently 0-9-0 in league and it’s a miracle that they’ve actually won something. Toronto will be representing Canada in the CONCACAF Champions League this years with the win.

The Timbers played Valencia CF on Wednesday in a friendly, losing 1-0. The lone goal was scored by Aduriz in the 41st minute. Spencer, coach of the Portland Timbers, called it a tremendous learning experience.

Today, MLS salaries were released. Though, even though taken with a grain of salt, it’s not surprising to see superstars from New York and LA topping the list. Toronto also makes a surprise appearance with of it’s players making the top ten most paid players in the league.

La Liga

Pep elaborates that he’s taking a break and says he could be coaching again after next season.

International

Sepp Blatter has called for an alternative to penalty shoot outs. Not that he hasn’t before. Not that anyone else hasn’t before. But is there really any better way to decide a match that has gone 120 minutes? Making the athletes go any longer would be dangerous. And penalty kicks are the only part of the game that can be used in such a manner.

Euro 2012

The Russia and Uruguay game ended in a 1-1 tie today. Keeper John Ruddy has been ruled out of the English team after breaking his finger. And Ukraine’s president says that people will come to Ukraine’s home games despite the other leaders boycotting the country.