UEFA EUROCUP 2012: The drama and surprises of the Final Draw

UEFA EUROCUP 2012: The drama and surprises of the Final Draw.

EURO finals schedule confirmed

Published: Friday 2 December 2011

The finals schedule has been confirmed with Poland starting the tournament against Greece and other opening games including Germany v Portugal, Spain v Italy and England v France.

The schedule for UEFA EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine has been confirmed following the draw in Kyiv.
Poland will launch the tournament on Friday 8 June at 18.00CET against Greece in Warsaw followed by the other Group A opener between Russia and the Czech Republic at 20.45CET.  The next day the Netherlands face Denmark in Kharkiv and Germany take on Portugal in Lviv to begin Group B, and on 10 June Group C starts as holders Spain play Italy and the Republic of Ireland are matched with Croatia.
Ukraine are involved in the last of the opening set of fixtures, meeting Sweden in Group D in Kyiv after England tackle France in Donetsk. The group stage runs until 19 June, then, after a rest day, the quarter-finals take place over four consecutive nights. The semi-finals are on 29 June in Donetsk and the following evening in Warsaw, before Kyiv stages the 1 July decider.

Match scheduleAll kick-offs CET, Ukrainian time is one hour ahead

Friday 8 June 2012
#1: POL v GRE, 18.00CET, Warsaw
#2: RUS v CZE, 20.45CET, Wroclaw
Saturday 9 June 2012
#3: NED v DEN, 18.00CET, Kharkiv
#4: GER v POR, 20.45CET, Lviv
Sunday 10 June 2012
#5: ESP v ITA, 18.00CET, Gdansk
#6: IRL v CRO, 20.45CET, Poznan
Monday 11 June 2012
#7: FRA v ENG, 18.00CET, Donetsk
#8: UKR v SWE, 20.45CET, Kyiv
Tuesday 12 June 2012
#9: GRE v CZE, 18.00CET, Wroclaw
#10: POL v RUS, 20.45CET, Warsaw
Wednesday 13 June 2012
#11: DEN v POR, 18.00CET, Lviv
#12: NED v GER, 20.45CET, Kharkiv
Thursday 14 June 2012
#13: ITA v CRO, 18.00CET, Poznan
#14: ESP v IRL, 20.45CET, Gdansk
Friday 15 June 2012
#15: SWE v ENG, 20.45CET, Kyiv
#16: UKR v FRA, 18.00CET, Donetsk
Saturday 16 June 2012
#17: CZE v POL, 20.45CET, Wroclaw
#18: GRE v RUS, 20.45CET, Warsaw
Sunday 17 June 2012
#19: POR v NED, 20.45CET, Kharkiv
#20: DEN v GER, 20.45CET, Lviv
Monday 18 June 2012
#21: CRO v ESP, 20.45CET, Gdansk
#22: ITA v IRL, 20.45CET, Poznan
Tuesday 19 June 2012
#23: ENG v UKR, 20.45CET, Donetsk
#24: SWE v FRA, 20.45CET, Kyiv
Wednesday 20 June 2012
No matches
Thursday 21 June 2012
#25: 1A v 2B, 20.45CET, Warsaw
Friday 22 June 2012
#26: 1B v 2A, 20.45CET, Gdansk
Saturday 23 June 2012
#27: 1C v 2D, 20.45CET, Donetsk
Sunday 24 June 2012
#28: 1D v 2C, 20.45CET, Kyiv
Monday 25 June 2012
No matches
Tuesday 26 June 2012
No matches
Wednesday 27 June 2012
#29: W#25 v W#27, 20.45CET, Donetsk
Thursday 28 June 2012
#30: W#26 v W#28, 20.45CET, Warsaw
Friday 29 June 2012
No matches
Saturday 30 June 2012
No matches
Sunday 1 July 2012
#31: W#29 v W#30, 20.45CET, Kyiv

Group A coaches quietly confident

Published: Friday 2 December 2011, 19.11CET

After being drawn in perhaps the most even of the UEFA EURO 2012 groups, the consensus among the coaches of Poland, Greece, Russia and the Czech Republic was one of satisfaction.

A sense of contentment prevailed among the four coaches after co-hosts Poland were drawn with Greece, Russia and the Czech Republic in UEFA EURO 2012 Group A.
Poland's Franciszek Smuda described the section as being "very even", while Russia boss Dick Advocaat said everyone would be happy with their lot following the draw in Kyiv. Like Czech Republic coach Michal Bílek, Greece's Fernando Santos was also satisfied and evoked the 2004 champions' shock success, when they also faced the home nation in their opener and concluded the group with a game against Russia.
Franciszek Smuda, Poland coach
It's not the 'group of death', for sure, but we shouldn't be too excited about it either because it's sometimes more difficult to qualify from such a group.
Fans, coaches and players will be dreaming about the opening match against Greece and they will follow this group closely. We'll do everything possible to be ready for the opening game. I'm sure the media will say the favourites are Greece and Russia, but I believe this is a very even group.
Fernando Santos, Greece coach
It's a very open group and each team has a 25% chance of progress. In theory it's a good draw for us, but we need to prove that on the pitch. Such a draw is like a double-edged sword, because you focus more on the stronger teams.
I'm sure many of you are thinking back to 2004, when Greece also played the hosts in the opening match and the last group game was against Russia. That surely brings back good memories and could be considered an omen. However, the most important thing now is preparation. I believe in my players and I know they will be ready for the tournament.
Dick Advocaat, Russia coach
I think all four coaches are happy with the group, because everybody can beat everyone else. So, with that in mind, we're looking forward to the first game. It's the third consecutive time that Russia have been drawn with Greece in the group stage of the EURO, so we're familiar rivals. Plus we also played a friendly against them last month [drawing 1-1], so we know each other well.
Michal Bílek, Czech Republic coach
I wanted Poland and Greece in our group so I can be satisfied, but this draw will not decide anything – we still had the task of advancing from whatever group we got. The good news is that we will play all our group games in one city [Wroclaw] and, moreover, at the stadium which is closest to the Czech Republic. I'm looking forward to our fans being there.
I remember that I won my first cap against Poland and I scored after only two minutes on the pitch. We had a friendly planned against Greece but we'll change it for the Republic of Ireland.
Group A schedule
Friday 8 June
POL v GRE, 18.00CET, Warsaw
RUS v CZE, 20.45CET, Wroclaw
Tuesday 12 June
GRE v CZE, 18.00CET, Wroclaw
POL v RUS, 20.45CET, Warsaw
Saturday 16 June
CZE v POL, 20.45CET, Wroclaw
GRE v RUS, 20.45CET, Warsaw

Group B 'the toughest', opponents agree

Published: Friday 2 December 2011, 20.28CET

"It's the toughest group, everyone agrees on that," Netherlands coach Bert van Maarwijk told UEFA.com, and his colleagues from Denmark, Germany and Portugal duly concurred on Group B.

Former champions the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany have been pitted against 2004 runners-up Portugal in UEFA EURO 2012 Group B, and unsurprisingly all four coaches agree that it is probably the toughest of the four sections.
Bert van Marwijk, Netherlands coach
It's the toughest group, everyone agrees on that. I have met all the coaches and none of them looked happy. There's a lot of respect for each other, I think. All the countries know each other well – quite recently we lost against Germany. It's a huge challenge, this group. There will be beautiful matches, and the advantage is that you actually already want to play now, because you're already sharp now, the players as well.
I don't think about [the Germany match] at all. I only look at the first match – for me the first match is the most important. At the World Cup, it was similar: we also played the first match against Denmark, and now we will again. So that will be exactly the same. We just have to win it; I mean, if you want to play a role of importance, you need to win the first match. Everything should be focused on that from now on.
Morten Olsen, Denmark coach
It doesn't only look it, I think it IS a very difficult group. I mean, from my point of view, I think two of the favourites, the Netherlands and Germany, are in our group. And we have played Portugal in our qualifying group – we beat them, but we know they are a very good team too.
Obviously, we will have to be at our best and we need to have all of our key players fit for the ten days. On top of that, we will need a good deal of luck in order to succeed. That said, it is not an easy group for the other teams, and I did not really see any happy faces on any of my colleagues from those countries.
Joachim Löw, Germany coach
It was an exciting draw, as usual. I think this is possibly the strongest group. When I look at it, it is the most exciting, maybe the most even group. The EURO is always a great tournament where there are no easy opponents.
All teams are good in a EURO, no matter who you play. They all have their strengths. Portugal, the Netherlands – they are the most technical teams in the world, and Denmark are strong as a team. So we need to take it as it is. [Playing the Netherlands] is always something special and we're looking forward to it.
Paulo Bento, Portugal coach
The draw is like this. We don't set priorities. We have to accept it as it is. It's a very difficult group, the strongest one of the four. But it's a very balanced group taking into count the quality of the teams and their record.
Denmark finished above us in the last two qualification campaigns, the Netherlands were almost perfect in qualifying and they were World Cup finalists. Germany are the team with the most European titles. It's going to be tough. There will be hard work ahead of us as we try to reach our goal of going through the knockout stages.
Group B schedule
Saturday 9 JuneNED v DEN, 18.00CET, Kharkiv
GER v POR, 20.45CET, Lviv
Wednesday 13 June
DEN v POR, 18.00CET, Lviv
NED v GER, 20.45CET, Kharkiv
Sunday 17 June 2012
POR v NED, 20.45CET, Kharkiv
DEN v GER, 20.45CET, Lviv

Holders Spain respectful of Group C rivals

Published: Friday 2 December 2011, 21.17CET

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque expects a "difficult" test in Group C while Giovanni Trapattoni is wary of facing his native Italy and Slaven Bilić "can't wait" to get started.

He may have guided UEFA EURO 2008 winners Spain to 2010 FIFA World Cup glory but Vicente del Bosque will be taking nothing for granted in Group C where Republic of Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni will be reunited with his native Italy and Croatia's Slaven Bilić "can't wait" for the action to begin.
Vicente del Bosque, Spain coach
It's always difficult. Croatia and Ireland qualified via the play-offs but they won by very big margins. And then there'll be a classic match against Italy. So I think we'll have to prepare well, get there in our best form, and focus more on ourselves than our opponents.
I think that there aren't any major differences between sides in modern football. Every team is basically pretty well balanced and set up. And most of the players play in Europe at big European clubs, so [Croatia and Ireland] are teams we're familiar with. Each team has its own style but what's important in the end is to win the matches.
Cesare Prandelli, Italy coach
It's a very difficult group. We have the current European and world champions as well as two other very important teams, and of course we know Trapattoni very well. Spain aren't the only team to beat – every team has to be beaten, especially the teams you think could it make into the next round, starting with Spain.
I don't know [if Spain and Italy are favourites], but we shouldn't single out Italy as a favourite because then something will go wrong. Let's just hope we play to a high standard.
Giovanni Trapattoni, Republic of Ireland coach
We knew that, due to our ranking, we'd be facing the strongest teams at the EURO. There was Germany, England, the Netherlands and Spain, and we were drawn with Spain. We'll face them in our second match. I hope we'll be playing for a place in the next round when we face Italy, because that would give us a big psychological boost. I think it will be Ireland, Italy and Croatia fighting for second spot.
I didn't want to play Italy because of technical reasons and also because of the psychological aspect. We know each other very well and one of us has to leave the tournament but I don't know who. We'll play with our enthusiasm, willingness and identity, then we'll see what happens.
Slaven Bilić, Croatia coachIt's a great group. We have the European and world champions, a recent world champion and Ireland, who are playing great football and have great fans. We're looking forward to it big time. It's a very tough group, like the others are, and we have not only hope but a chance to go through. We're going to prepare well. We have three great games in front of us and we are delighted.
There is a sensational spirit in the Croatia squad. The best seem to get the best out of you – it's an exciting prospect. It's unbelievable so we can't wait for it. I'm so happy. I have the biggest respect for those three teams. We're definitely not the favourites but we can give them a good game.
Group C schedule
Sunday 10 June
ESP v ITA, 18.00CET, Gdansk
IRL v CRO, 20.45CET, Poznan
Thursday 14 June
ITA v CRO, 18.00CET, Poznan
ESP v IRL, 20.45CET, Gdansk
Monday 18 June
CRO v ESP, 20.45CET, Gdansk
ITA v IRL, 20.45CET, Poznan

He may have guided UEFA EURO 2008 winners Spain to 2010 FIFA World Cup glory but Vicente del Bosque will be taking nothing for granted in Group C where Republic of Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni will be reunited with his native Italy and Croatia's Slaven Bilić "can't wait" for the action to begin.
Vicente del Bosque, Spain coach
It's always difficult. Croatia and Ireland qualified via the play-offs but they won by very big margins. And then there'll be a classic match against Italy. So I think we'll have to prepare well, get there in our best form, and focus more on ourselves than our opponents.
I think that there aren't any major differences between sides in modern football. Every team is basically pretty well balanced and set up. And most of the players play in Europe at big European clubs, so [Croatia and Ireland] are teams we're familiar with. Each team has its own style but what's important in the end is to win the matches.
Cesare Prandelli, Italy coach
It's a very difficult group. We have the current European and world champions as well as two other very important teams, and of course we know Trapattoni very well. Spain aren't the only team to beat – every team has to be beaten, especially the teams you think could it make into the next round, starting with Spain.
I don't know [if Spain and Italy are favourites], but we shouldn't single out Italy as a favourite because then something will go wrong. Let's just hope we play to a high standard.
Giovanni Trapattoni, Republic of Ireland coach
We knew that, due to our ranking, we'd be facing the strongest teams at the EURO. There was Germany, England, the Netherlands and Spain, and we were drawn with Spain. We'll face them in our second match. I hope we'll be playing for a place in the next round when we face Italy, because that would give us a big psychological boost. I think it will be Ireland, Italy and Croatia fighting for second spot.
I didn't want to play Italy because of technical reasons and also because of the psychological aspect. We know each other very well and one of us has to leave the tournament but I don't know who. We'll play with our enthusiasm, willingness and identity, then we'll see what happens.
Slaven Bilić, Croatia coachIt's a great group. We have the European and world champions, a recent world champion and Ireland, who are playing great football and have great fans. We're looking forward to it big time. It's a very tough group, like the others are, and we have not only hope but a chance to go through. We're going to prepare well. We have three great games in front of us and we are delighted.
There is a sensational spirit in the Croatia squad. The best seem to get the best out of you – it's an exciting prospect. It's unbelievable so we can't wait for it. I'm so happy. I have the biggest respect for those three teams. We're definitely not the favourites but we can give them a good game.
Group C schedule
Sunday 10 June
ESP v ITA, 18.00CET, Gdansk
IRL v CRO, 20.45CET, Poznan
Thursday 14 June
ITA v CRO, 18.00CET, Poznan
ESP v IRL, 20.45CET, Gdansk
Monday 18 June
CRO v ESP, 20.45CET, Gdansk
ITA v IRL, 20.45CET, Poznan

UEFA EURO 2012 Group D is far from easy but the coaches of Ukraine, Sweden, France and England agreed the draw could have been even tougher.
Oleh Blokhin, Ukraine coach
My reaction is quite normal – I believe we got good teams, there are no bad teams here. This is one of the best European Championships, where the best European teams are represented. Therefore I feel fine about it. It could have been better, it could have been worse. The games will show everything.
It's positive [playing Sweden and France after recent losses to them], because the team wants a return match. When I spoke to the guys, and from what they said, I think they want that return match. The England team is the England team, although recently the English national team haven't been achieving top results in the European Championship or the World Cup. But English football is among the best in Europe. They are a good strong team.
Erik Hamrén, Sweden coach
I'm satisfied. It's going to be a tough group with three good teams – England, France, two big nations, and as a home team Ukraine will have a lot of energy. So we are the underdogs, of course. But I'm really satisfied that we have three games here in Kyiv, a fantastic city, and we can have three games here. It's going to be really good for our supporters to have the camp in Kyiv.
At the last EURO we won the first game and lost the second two. So [the opening game against Ukraine is] not so important any more. You have to win them all if you are going to go further. But of course the first game is always important.
Laurent Blanc, France coachWhat groups are not difficult tonight? All the groups are tough and an even harder one is Group B. Let's not forget that we could have been in Denmark's position. In a draw you are never satisfied, but I think it could have been more dangerous and more difficult for France. We are in an even group, with favourites England and three others that have their chances to qualify for the second round.
We've played [England] recently but it will be different as it will be a competitive game in an official competition. They will certainly have a player less, as Rooney will be suspended for that game as it is the first game. France v England is always tough, it's always hotly contested with a lot at stake. These are games we enjoy playing and I hope that will be the case for this one.
Fabio Capello, England coach
It will be difficult as we face France in our first game but we will be looking to win. We know that if we get through we will have the possible chance of playing against Spain or Italy in the next round – that is tremendous.
All the teams are very good, because they have got to this tournament because they are really very good. We have found a good place [for our base], we are happy with the facilities and we will stay in the same place in Krakow. I hoped we would get the chance to play Spain or Italy in the quarter-finals.
Group B is a very, very difficult – with Portugal, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands, that is very tough. The best group was probably Group A but we are happy to be in Group D. It is a tough group but it is better than Group B.
Group D schedule
Monday 11 June
FRA v ENG, 18.00CET, Donetsk
UKR v SWE, 20.45CET, Kyiv
Friday 15 June UKR v FRA, 18.00CET, Donetsk
SWE v ENG, 20.45CET, Kyiv
Tuesday 19 June
ENG v UKR, 20.45CET, Donetsk
SWE v FRA, 20.45CET, Kyiv

“

It could have been better, it could have been worse. The games will show everything

Oleh Blokhin

”

“

I'm really satisfied that we have three games here in Kyiv, a fantastic city, and we can have three games here

Erik Hamrén

”

“

We are in an even group, with favourites England and three others that have their chances to qualify for the second round

Laurent Blanc

”

“

We know that if we get through we will have the possible chance of playing against Spain or Italy in the next round – that is tremendous

Fabio Capello

”

EURO pathway plotted in Kyiv

Published: Friday 2 December 2011, 21.21CET

The final draw for UEFA EURO 2012 has thrown up some fascinating fixtures.

With 187 days to go until the start of UEFA EURO 2012, we now know it will be Poland and Greece raising the curtain on the tournament in Warsaw.
In part three of our video magazine, we get up close and personal with the famous trophy that 16 national coaches dream of lifting on Sunday 1 July 2012, plus we hear the reactions of the key men on the final draw. Germany boss Joachim Löw gives his opinion on playing the Netherlands, Portugal and Denmark in Group B, England's Fabio Capello looks forward to a trio of games in Ukraine, Giovanni Trapattoni steels himself to take on his country of birth, and Dick Advocaat fills us in on Russia's preparations for facing familiar rivals.
Presenter Mark Scott takes you through the best of the reaction from the Palace of Arts in Kyiv.

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• Finals draw made in Kyiv
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• adidas Tango ball for EURO
• Qualifying by numbers
• Ukraine's message of thanks
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Holanda y Alemania integran "grupo de la muerte" en Euro 2012

Ambos países están en el grupo B, junto a Portugal y Dinamarca. España y Italia se toparán en el C.

02/12/2011

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Hoy se realizó en Kiev el sorteo oficial de la Eurocopa de 2012, el que arrojó un "grupo de la muerte" que integrarán Holanda, Dinamarca, Alemania y Portugal.
Los dos organizadores, Polonia y Ucrania, ocuparon los lugares de los cabezas de serie junto a España y Holanda, lo que provocó que el resto de los países grandes fuera sorteado en las tómbolas siguientes.
Otros duelos destacados se vivirán en el grupo C, donde están España e Italia, y en el D, donde están Inglaterra y Francia.
Los grupos de la Eurocopa 2012 son los siguientes:
GRUPO A
Polonia
Grecia
Rusia
República Checa

GRUPO B
Holanda
Dinamarca
Alemania
Portugal

GRUPO C
España
Italia
República de Irlanda
Croacia

GRUPO D
Ucrania
Suecia
Francia
Inglaterra

• sorteo
• eurocopa
• polinia
• ucrania
• 2012

Bárbara Riveros obtiene el Premio Nacional de Deportes 2011

La triatleta cierra de esta forma una notable temporada, en la que ganó el Mundial de Lausana y medalla de plata en los Panamericanos

01/12/2011 

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La triatleta Bárbara Riveros, actual número 5 del ranking mundial, se quedó con el Premio Nacional de Deportes 2011.
El 5 de diciembre, el Presidente de la República Sebastián Piñera entregará a Agustín Riveros, padre de la deportista, el premio que la condecora como la mejor del año.
La decisión fue tomada por un jurado encabezado por el Subsecretario de Deportes, Gabriel Ruiz Tagle, ministros, parlamentarios y el Círculo de Periodistas Deportivos.
En esta temporada, Riveros ganó el Mundial de Lausana y obtuvo medalla de plata en los Panamericanos de Guadalajara.

• Bárbara Riveros

UEFA EURO 2012, Spain right on Germany’s heels

Monday 5 September 2011

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Spain are odds-on to follow Germany as the second team to qualify for UEFA EURO 2012 next Tuesday, while Groups B, F and H remain in the balance. Russia, France, the Netherlands and England can all make a big step towards automatic qualification, with the play-off scramble still undecided.

Match of the day
Italy - Slovenia, Group C, Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence

Despite enjoying an eight-point cushion over their nearest rivals, Italy still require two more from their remaining three matches to be mathematically assured of qualifying. Slovenia’s visit could be enough, although victory is anything but assured judging by the Italians’ last outing, a laboured 1-0 win away to Faroe Islands. This recent rustiness could have something to do with the delayed start to the Serie A season, which is yet to get underway.

Fortunately Cesare Prandelli can rely on a rock-solid defence that has so far shipped just one goal, fewer than any other side in the campaign. Although he would welcome another match-winning contribution from flair players Andrea Pirlo and Antonio Cassano, the Azzurri supremo is banking on Italian realism to make the difference. "We are Italy and not Barcelona," insisted Prandelli. “I’ve never claimed that we have to take inspiration from Barcelona or model ourselves on them."

The other matches
Group A
Turkey travel to Austria with a golden opportunity to make virtually certain of a play-off berth. A win would hand the Turks a four-point lead over third-placed Belgium, with two matches remaining for both sides. Even so, Dietmar Constantini’s men can still target second spot, aided by their favourable fixture list.

Group B
Held 0-0 at home by Slovakia, Republic of Ireland visit Moscow on a mission to make up the two-point deficit with Russia, who have taken over top spot following their hard-fought 1-0 home victory over FYR Macedonia. With the top three still separated by just two points, Slovakia remain well in contention as they look to gain revenge against a plucky Armenia side that stunned them 3-1 in the away meeting.

Group C
Serbia entertain Faroe Islands with the wind back in their sails following their 1-0 victory in Northern Ireland. Despite a tough run-in, at home to Italy and away to Slovenia, the Serbs have every chance of pipping their rivals to a play-off berth. In order to make amends for that home reverse, Northern Ireland will have to win a double-header against Estonia prior to a daunting away trip to Italy.

Group D
France, currently three points clear at the top ahead of their trip to Romania, are unbeaten in 12 matches. Even so they are failing to fire, despite an array of attacking talent that includes the likes of Karim Benzema, Franck Ribery, Florent Malouda and Samir Nasri. Les Bleus have netted 11 goals in seven outings, an average of just 1.57 per match, and are yet to settle on a one or two-striker formation. Victory in Romania would nevertheless put France well on the way to qualification, given that their two closest rivals, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Belarus, will be going head-to-head in Zenica.

Group E
The Netherlands take their free-scoring forward line to Finland, who caused them the most problems in the first half of the campaign, narrowly losing 2-1 in Rotterdam. A win would keep the Dutch six points ahead of Sweden, who visit San Marino. The Scandinavians’ 2-1 defeat in Hungary has left them needing a miracle to bridge the six-point gap in their remaining three matches, even if they beat the Oranje at home on the final matchday.

Group F
A 1-0 home reverse by Greece means that Israel require nothing less than a victory in Croatia to keep alive their qualification hopes. Should they fail, the top two places will be decided by Greece’s home meeting with the Croatians on 7 October. Before that encounter, however, the 2004 European champions must bring three points back from Latvia to retain a chance of making their third consecutive EURO finals.

Group G
Although Wales did group leaders England a favour by sinking second-placed Montenegro in a 2-1 home win, there will be no love lost between the neighbours when they met at Wembley on Tuesday. The Three Lions will be going in search of three points to build a six-point lead over the Montenegrins, before the two meet on 7 October. A win over the Welsh would leave Fabio Capello’s men requiring just a draw in Podgorica.

Group H
Portugal, Norway and Denmark are all in contention for a top-two finish. With the Lusitanians not in action, a Norwegian win away in Denmark would move Egil Olsen’s men top and put them in pole position to qualify, given their favourable schedule. Three points behind Norway but with a match in hand, the Danish Dynamite face home matches against their two rivals either side of a trip to Cyprus, as the race for qualification looks set to go down to the wire.

Group I
Reigning world and European champions Spain should make sure of qualification without too many problems against visitors Liechtenstein. With second-placed Czech Republic not playing on Tuesday, a win would see La Roja extend their lead to eight points with two matchdays remaining.

Player to watch
Turkey’s fleet-footed winger Arda Turan has been busy making a name for himself with a flurry of decisive strikes for his country. The most expensive player in the history of Turkish football, Turan has fired in four goals since the start of the qualifying campaign, against Kazakhstan, Belgium and Austria. The Atletico Madrid wide-man’s most recent effort came on Friday, a last-minute winner in a 2-1 victory over Kazakhstan. With 12 goals from 46 appearances, the 24-year-old has become key to the Turks’ qualification push.

The stat
19 - 8 + 11: Any match featuring Dutch striker Robin van Persie is bound to produce goals, but not always at the right end. After losing 8-2 away to Manchester United the previous weekend, the Arsenal striker made amends at home to San Marino on Friday, netting four times in a 11-0 drubbing. This salvo takes the striker up to fourth in the goalscorers’ standings with six, trailing team-mate Klaas-Jan Huntelaar on ten, Miroslav Klose on nine and Mikael Forssell with seven.

What they said
"There’s no problem in the Spanish national team. The players know the difference between the league and La Selección, they know that they are representing Spain," Spain coach Vicente del Bosque on the rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Have your say
In the nine groups, which team will not qualify for the play-offs even if they finish in second place?

Germany book place, giants edge closer

 

 Saturday 3 September 2011

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The UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying competition is nearing its conclusion, and in time-honoured fashion Germany have already secured their place at the continental finals. Joachim Low’s side made it eight wins out of eight in Group A on Friday, breezing to a 6-2 defeat of neighbours Austria to book a trip to Poland and Ukraine next year.

The Netherlands also enjoyed a profitable evening, slamming 11 goals past San Marino to maintain their own 100 per cent record after seven games. The Dutch are now six points clear of the chasing pack in Group E following Hungary’s 2-1 defeat of Sweden.

Also well placed are the quartet of Italy, France, England and Portugal, who all won and are in position to clinch their tickets to the finals this coming Tuesday.

Game of the day
Germany 6-2 Austria
Goals: Mesut Ozil 8, 24, 47, Lukas Podolski 28, Andre Schurrle 84, Mario Gotze 89 (Germany); Marko Arnautovic 42, Martin Harnik 51 (Austria)

Germany’s eighth consecutive group win was earned with a minimum of fuss, Joachim Low’s side surging into a three-goal lead in the opening half-hour, with Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski rounding off a trio of polished team moves. Striking up a telepathic understanding with Miroslav Klose, the Real Madrid midfielder went on to complete a hat-trick.

While coach Low was visibly irritated by some uncharacteristic defensive lapses, he can have few complaints about his side’s sparkling display up front, which was capped by substitute Mario Gotze’s second international goal, scored just two minutes after he came on.

Elsewhere
With the Germans now out of sight, Turkey moved into pole position in the play-off race in Group A thanks to a nervy 2-1 defeat of Kazakhstan, Arda Turan scoring the winner in the last minute. Having played one game fewer, Guus Hiddink’s men are now a point clear of Belgium, who drew 1-1 with Azerbaijan.

Russia’s 1-0 victory at home to a battling FYR Macedonia side allowed them to take full advantage of Slovakia’s 0-0 draw with Republic of Ireland and move two points clear in Group B. Further down the table, Armenia kept their play-off hopes flickering with a 3-0 win away to Andorra.

Italy stretched their lead in Group C to eight points courtesy of a narrow 1-0 victory away to the Faroe Islands and a surprise 2-1 reverse for second-placed Slovenia at the hands of Estonia. Serbia moved into third following a 1-0 victory over Northern Ireland in Belfast.

A disastrous two-minute spell midway through the first half consigned Belarus to a damaging 2-0 loss at home to Bosnia-Herzegovina, one that seriously jeopardises their chances of advancing from Group D. Section leaders France had no such problems in Albania, easing to a 2-1 win through goals from Karim Benzema and Yann M’Vila, with the Bosnians now their only realistic challengers for the automatic qualifying spot.

Robin van Persie helped himself to four goals as the Netherlands put 11 past San Marino to all but secure their safe passage from Group E. Sweden slipped six points behind the Dutch when they succumbed to a 2-1 reverse at the hands of Hungary, Gergely Rudolf scoring the winner in the final minute.

Sotiris Ninis’ solo effort gave Greece three valuable points against Israel, whose chances of progressing from Group F have now surely gone. The Greeks lead the section by one point from Croatia, who coasted to a 3-1 win away to Malta, with the top two facing off in Athens on 7 October in a potentially decisive game.

Wayne Rooney turned in a barnstorming display against Bulgaria in Sofia, scoring twice as England tightened their grip on proceedings in Group G. Bottom-placed Wales did their neighbours a favour by downing Montenegro 2-1 at home, a result that will only increase English confidence ahead of their all-important meeting with the Montenegrins on 7 October.

Cristiano Ronaldo was on target twice as Portugal struck four without reply against Cyprus in Group H, three of the goals coming in the final eight minutes. Norway remained level on points with the Portuguese thanks to Mohammed Abdellaoue’s winner two minutes from time against Iceland. Denmark, who were not in action on Friday, are three points adrift of the leading duo with a game in hand.

Goal of the day
Russia 1-0 Macedonia, Igor Semshov 41
Collecting possession on the edge of his own penalty box, Andrey Arshavin galloped almost the entire length of the pitch before laying the ball off to Aleksandr Kerzhakov on the left side of the Macedonian box. Kerzhakov in turn picked out the advancing Semshov, who took one touch and fired a low shot beneath Martin Bogatinov.

What they said
“I’ve scored a lot of goals since the start of the season because I’m less stressed and I feel more relaxed since I had my hair transplant,” England striker Wayne Rooney, the scorer of a brace against Bulgaria.

The stat
60 - The number of goals scored by Germany and the Netherlands in 15 EURO 2012 qualifying matches between them. The Dutch have racked up 32 in seven outings, while the Germans have scored 28 in one game more.

Have your say
Will Portugal, Norway or Denmark take the honours in Group H?

Rooney double deals Bulgaria a blow

2 September 2011

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Wayne Rooney hit the goal trail once more as England took a significant stride towards UEFA EURO 2012 with an impressive 3-0 hammering of Bulgaria in Sofia.

A decade after a memorable 5-1 win over Germany in Munich, Fabio Capello's men could not quite come up with a repeat performance. Nevertheless, their hosts had no answer to a three-goal first-half that means four points from their final two games will book England a ticket to next summer's finals in Poland and Ukraine.

Rooney will approach Tuesday's Wembley meeting with Wales in fine fettle as he bagged a brace after Gary Cahill scored the opener to end a barren run that had brought him just one goal in his previous 15 appearances prior to kick-off.

Frank Lampard, on the other hand, was left digesting the news of being omitted from a competitive England starting line-up for the first time since he spent all but ten minutes of a sickening defeat in Russia on the bench nearly four years ago.

Capello rarely has a fully fit group of players to select from. However, with Jack Wilshere and Steven Gerrard missing, the obvious conclusion from the Italian's starting line-up, which paired Gareth Barry with Scott Parker in central midfield, is that Lampard's place in the squad can no longer be guaranteed.

After a tricky start, Cahill put in an excellent performance. And the manner of his first international goal, chesting down Barry's astute chip over a static home defence before nudging the ball past on-rushing keeper Nikolay Mihaylov, justified his selection ahead of Manchester United rookie Phil Jones.

Even though it was only Cahill's fourth cap - and his first competitive start - Chris Smalling's shaky debut display at full-back showed why Capello was not willing to start the match with two players of such inexperience in his defence. After that it turned into the Rooney show.

Twelve months ago, the brilliant striker was in the middle of a 12-month dip in form which it seemed he would never get out of. Now it is as though the drought never happened.

The striker first rose above John Terry at the far post to power home Stewart Downing's 21st-minute corner. Then, offered a rare chance to burst forward, Theo Walcott tore into a huge empty space, rolled a pass to Ashley Young, whose low cross presented Rooney with a tap-in.

Five days after scoring a hat-trick against Arsenal, Rooney had moved up to joint eighth on the all-time England scorers list, amongst those just above, Nat Lofthouse, the last Bolton player to score for the Three Lions, until Cahill, way back in 1959.

It was the eighth time Rooney had scored twice in a game, yet he still awaits his first hat-trick from a 28-goal haul. The goal turned the second half into an extended training session ahead of Tuesday's Wembley showdown with Wales, when victory would take England to the brink of qualification without actually being able to book a place in next summer's finals.

Downing almost bagged a fourth when he floated Walcott's cross against the far post. Walcott then fired wide after being set free by Rooney. It was a minor quibble on a night when nearly everything went right for Capello, even to the extent of Craig Bellamy getting himself booked in Cardiff, thereby ensuring he will not be playing in Tuesday's match.

Last-gasp Turan seals Turkey win

 

Friday 2 September 2011

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Atletico Madrid's Arda Turan scored a dramatic 95th-minute free-kick to send Turkey into second place in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying Group A as they eventually got the better of Kazakhstan in a 2-1 win.

Knowing a win would see them overtake Belgium, who had earlier floundered against Azerbaijan, Guus Hiddink's men looked to be headed for a night of frustration as Ulan Konysbayev cancelled out Burak Yilmaz's opener, with Yilmaz also missing a penalty.

Having wasted a number of chances, Turkey lost their cool and Selcuk Inan was sent off late on, just seconds before Turan turned the situation on its head with his 12th international goal.

Turkey were the quicker of the sides to settle and had the first chance when Turan warmed the palms of Alexandr Mokin from just inside the box.

Hakan Kadir Balta then tried to make something happen from distance, his shot blocked by Yuri Logvinenko, while Serdar Kesimal was a little too ambitious when he took aim from 35 yards.

The traffic was all one way, even if Turkey were unable to get into the Kazakhstan six-yard box, and Emre highlighted their lack of final-third spark when he twice tried his luck from outside the box, with his first shot superbly tipped over by Mokin, and his second blocked by the obdurate Logvinenko.

Turan, who made a fleeting Atletico debut last weekend, also put a header wide, before Turkey finally got the goal their play had deserved. It came just after Kazakhstan had registered their first effort through a Sergei Gridin header.

The goal was simple in its creation, with Inan's pass finding Yilmaz in space, and the Trabzonspor man netted his second international goal with a crisp finish from 12 yards. Buoyed by his goal, Yilmaz tested Mokin before the break as he went in search of a double, while Logvinenko's header almost saw him make a telling contribution at the other end of the pitch.

Despite that late flourish, Kazakhstan had contributed little, and it looked set to continue that way in the second half as Colin Kazim-Richards worked Mokin and Selcuk Inan blazed over.

But then, in the 55th minute, Kazakhstan equalised against the run of play, when FC Shakhter Karagandy midfielder Konysbayev picked up possession 20 yards out and let fly, leaving the previously quiet Volkan Demirel helpless.

The home side were stunned, but had the chance to regain the lead inside eight minutes - an opportunity they squandered. Turan sent a ball in that hit the hand of Mukhtar Mukhtarov, prompting the referee to point to the spot, only for Yilmaz to blaze high and wide.

Undeterred, Egeman Korkmaz led the charge for a winner with a header that flashed wide, but Kazakhstan now had some confidence and Sergei Gridin worked Demirel with a volley.

Home tempers began to rise and Turkey ended the night a man down after Inan was dismissed for a foul on Heinrich Schmidtgal, but spirits were soon lifted when Turan bent in a free-kick from the left wing that evaded everyone and went in.

Semshov strike sinks Macedonia

 

Friday 2 September 2011

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Igor Semshov solitary strike before half-time clinched a hard-fought 1-0 win for Russia over FYR Macedonia, moving his side into top spot in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying Group B.

The result lifts Dick Advocaat's side onto 16 points from seven matches and into top spot before the Republic of Ireland play Slovakia later.

Disappointing results such as a home defeat by Slovakia and a draw in Armenia had put Russia in a situation where they could ill-afford to drop more points in the race for automatic qualification, but they started confidently, pinning Macedonia back from the kick-off.

The visitors defended well and looked like going in at the interval on level terms until Semshov found the breakthrough in the 41st minute when his shot from the edge of the area beat Macedonian goalkeeper Martin Bogatinov with the help of a slight deflection.

Macedonia pushed forward in search of an equaliser, but could find no way past keeper Vyacheslav Malafeev.

Tottenham Hotspur forward Roman Pavlyuchenko, who replaced Semshov at half-time, missed a great chance to double Russia's lead just after the hour.

Lokomotiv Moscow's Dmitri Torbinsky then saw a header from point-blank range well-saved by Bogatinov, and the same player missed another chance with nine minutes to go, sending the ball inches wide of the right-hand post from just inside the box.

Macedonia defender Goran Popov had a chance to save the day for his team in injury-time, but his attempt was turned behind by Malafeev.

The result leaves Macedonia, playing their first match under new coach John Toshack, second-bottom on four points after seven games, while Russia on the other hand, can now go into Tuesday's crunch match with Ireland in confident mood.

Greece edge Israel to stay unbeaten

 

 

Friday 2 September 2011

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Greece maintained their unbeaten Group F record in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying as Sotiris Ninis scored the only goal to secure a narrow 1-0 victory over Israel in Tel Aviv.

The visitors went into the game without having lost under coach Fernando Santos and maintained that streak as they made it five wins and two draws from their seven games so far.

Greece had the better of the first half, however, misfired on several chances. Dimitris Salpingidis' 24th-minute strike was at least on target, but Dudu Aouate held on, while the majority of the visitors' efforts went wayward.

Eran Zahavi had a rare chance for Israel with a free-kick in the 35th minute, but sent his strike over the bar, while Giorgos Karagounis did likewise at the other end.

Itay Shechter fired over for Israel before Greece wasted a pair of chances in first-half stoppage-time. Ioannis Zaradoukas' effort from the edge of the box presented Aouate with a comfortable save, before Karagounis fired over the crossbar moments later.

The visitors continued to have the better of things after the restart and came close when a header from Georgios Samaras was blocked by Rami Gershon.

Greece finally got the goal they deserved on the hour mark as Ninis fired home from 20 yards. The goal sparked a response from Israel, with Lior Rafaelov's volley from a Bebras Natkho corner going over.

Greece goalkeeper Michail Sifakis was called into action to save a 25-yard free-kick in the 72nd minute after Kostas Katsouranis had fouled Rafaelov, who himself sent an effort over the bar as the game went into the last ten minutes. Samaras sent a late chance wide for Greece as the challenge from Israel sputtered out.

Irish cruise past Faroes in EURO test

 

Wednesday 10 August 2011

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An irresistible performance from Pat McCourt inspired Northern Ireland to a comfortable 4-0 win over the Faroe Islands in their UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier at Windsor Park.

McCourt had been been likened to Lionel Messi by captain Aaron Hughes in the build-up to this match and produced two goals the Barcelona ace would be proud of as Nigel Worthington's side reignited their Group C campaign in some style.

Hughes got the ball rolling after five minutes with his first international goal after 77 caps, before Steven Davis powered home a second from 25 yards. But this was a night that will be remembered for a scintillating showing from Celtic's McCourt - remarkably starting his first competitive fixture at the age of 27.

With no goals in their two previous home qualifiers, an early breakthrough was necessary to ease some of the tension, and Hughes obliged from the first corner of the match. Sammy Clingan's delivery found Gareth McAuley at the far post and the defender was able to hook the ball across the six-yard box at full stretch. Hughes was first to react and poked it over the line via the the post.

The Faroes' first attack came in the 12th minute through Christian Holst, who scored when the sides drew in the reverse fixture in Toftir, but Hughes was on hand to shepherd him away from the danger area.

McCourt, looking lively in possession, created a half-chance for David Healy after 15 minutes, but the Rangers man could only force a corner. A slightly scrappy period began to unfold, with the Faroes still trying to find their feet in the game and Northern Ireland guilty of rushing their final ball at times.

Johan Simun Edmundsson of Newcastle threatened midway through the half with a skidding drive that Lee Camp was only able to push back in front of him on a greasy surface. Luckily for the hosts, there were no attackers following up the loose ball.

Healy provided 40-year-old Faroes' goalkeeper Jakup Mikkelsen with a straightforward save after a good cross from Grant McCann and the pair linked up again after half an hour. This time a neat pass from Healy sent McCann charging into the area but saw a penalty appeal rightly rejected after minimal contact from Jonas Tor Naes.

McCourt proved the home side's creator again just before the break when he surged towards the Faroes goal before laying off for Healy. His first-time effort rattled the base of the post after a goal-saving touch from Mikkelsen.

McAuley did not emerge for the second half, replaced by Craig Cathcart due to a virus he had carried into the match. It looked like Worthington would need to send on a second replacement when Clingan went down under a heavy challenge just after the resumption, but the midfielder was able to continue.

Daniel Udsen had a glorious chance to level matters in the 58th minute after good work by Hjalgrim Elttor but he sent his shot sailing over the upright. McCourt drifted into the area with some wonderful close control moments later only to lose the ball under his feet before getting his shot away.

There was another warning that Worthington's side might need to score again when Camp was almost caught in possession lining up a clearance. Davis was the man to answer the call, substitute Niall McGinn speeding down the right flank before cutting back for the Rangers midfielder. He struck the ball sweetly from 25 yards, leaving Mikkelsen to pick it out of the net.

By now, and in no small part down to McGinn's injection of energy, Northern Ireland were playing with some swagger. No one more so than McCourt, who added a wonderful third five minutes later. Once again he ghosted into the box from the left wing before Evans' deft back-heel allowed him to curl home from close-range.

By now McCourt was tormenting the away defence, beating men at ease and teeing up Healy with a thrilling run only for the striker to miscue his kick with the goal at his mercy.

There was expectation in the air every time McCourt picked up the ball now and he had one more glorious trick up his sleeve in the 88th minute. Once more he turned his marker inside and out before bearing down on goal and producing the most sublime of chips that left Mikkelsen clawing at the air and Windsor Park hailing a new hero.

Hamalainen brace boosts Finland

 

Friday 2 September 2011

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Kasper Hamalainen scored twice as Finland cruised to a 4-1 UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying Group E victory over Moldova.

The Djurgarden midfielder put the hosts two goals ahead in a one-sided first half and went close to a hat-trick in the second period. Mikael Forssell's penalty and Igor Armas' own goal put the result beyond doubt long before Serghei Alexeev scored a late consolation.

Moldova looked to catch their hosts cold, but Gheorghe Ovseanicov's first-minute header was saved by Lukas Hradecky and that was the extent of their attacking threat in the first half.

Perparim Hetemaj's 30-yard effort drew a routine save from Nicolae Calancea, but the opening goal arrived in the 11th minute when Roman Eremenko's corner was kept alive by Forssell and Hamalainen headed home from six yards.

Forssell's 20-yard drive crashed back off the post as Finland sought to quickly build on their lead. Hetemaj and Forssell both threatened in quick succession, the midfielder's 30-yard drive held by Calancea before the former Chelsea striker shot wide from the left of the penalty area.

However, Hamalainen netted the second shortly before half-time, finishing from the edge of the box after being teed up by Daniel Sjolund. The third goal came early in the second half, with Anatolie Doros' foul on Kari Arkivuo allowing Forssell to drill home a 52nd-minute penalty. Doros was booked for the foul.

Hamalainen was denied a treble by the upright before a rare Moldovan foray saw Ovseanicov head Denis Zmeu's cross wide. The fourth goal came with 20 minutes remaining when, from another corner, Eremenko's delivery was headed into his own net by Armas.

Substitute Timo Furuholm almost made an immediate impact after replacing Hamalainen, but Calancea saved well.

Moldova salvaged a measure of pride as Alexeev converted Anatolie Cheptene's through-ball, but it was to little avail and Furuholm, Eremenko and Teemu Pukki threatened further embarrassment.

Norway leave it late against Iceland

Friday 2 September 2011

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Norway kept their UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying hopes on track in Oslo tonight, claiming a 1-0 victory over Iceland with a late penalty in Group H qualifying.

The home side dominated their Nordic neighbours, but appeared to be heading for an evening of disappointment until Mohamed Abdellaoui scored from the spot after a challenge on substitute John Carew. The win takes Norway above another regional rival Denmark, with the two teams set to meet in Copenhagen on Tuesday.

Iceland came into the contest with just a single point to their name in the group, but almost shocked their hosts within the opening two minutes as Rurik Gislason's 20-yard strike had to be parried away by Rune Almenning Jarstein. They soon came even closer to scoring minutes later with a close-range header from Solvi Jonsson which fell just past the left post.

Norway took their time to settle before Kjetil Waehler threatened after 18 minutes with a header from Jonathan Parr's corner which the defender put wide. That sparked the home side to life and Henning Hauger, Tom Hogli and Alexander Tettey all had chances that narrowly missed the mark.

Hogli's cross-shot had to be tipped around the post by Stefan Magnusson, with the Icelandic goalkeeper getting his hands to another effort from Hauger soon after. Norway continued to pile on the pressure after the interval and Magnusson made another excellent stop to push away Parr's left-footed strike from a few yards out.

It was proving to be a frustrating night for Egil Olsen's men and luck was once more against them after 68 minutes when Tettey hit a powerful shot which cannoned back off the post. 

West Ham United striker Carew replaced Christian Grindheim after 80 minutes as Olsen tried to boost his misfiring front line. And the move paid dividends two minutes from time when Carew won a penalty for his side after he received a push in the back during a tussle with Magnusson.

Abdellaoui took the kick and added to the goalkeeper's misery with a cool left-footed strike into the top-right corner.

Ronaldo leads Portugal charge in Cyprus

Friday 2 September 2011, 23.45CET

Cyprus 0-4 PortugalCristiano Ronaldo scored twice and set up a third as his team maintained their position as joint leaders in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying Group H.

by John Leonidou

from GSP Stadium

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Cristiano Ronaldo receives congratulations after burying his penalty in Cyprus ©Getty Images

Match statistics

CyprusPortugal

Goals scored	0		4
Attempts on target	1		13
Attempts off target	0		7
Corners	3		8
Fouls committed	10		10
Yellow cards	3		2
Red cards	1		0

More

Standings

Group H

		P	Pts
1	Portugal	6	13
2	Norway	6	13
3	Denmark	5	10
4	Cyprus	5	2
5	Iceland	6	1

Last updated: 03/09/2011 10:34 CET

Legend:

P: Played   

Pts: Points   

Full standingsAll groups

Matches

2 September 2011

F	Israel		0-1		Greece
I	Lithuania		0-0		Liechtenstein
E	Finland		4-1		Moldova
A	Azerbaijan		1-1		Belgium
B	Andorra		0-3		Armenia
B	Russia		1-0		FYROM
F	Georgia		0-1		Latvia
F	Malta		1-3		Croatia
A	Turkey		2-1		Kazakhstan
D	Belarus		0-2		Bosnia and Herzegovina
D	Luxembourg		0-2		Romania
E	Hungary		2-1		Sweden
H	Norway		1-0		Iceland
G	Bulgaria		0-3		England
E	Netherlands		11-0		San Marino
C	Northern Ireland		0-1		Serbia
C	Faroe Islands		0-1		Italy
B	Republic of Ireland		0-0		Slovakia
G	Wales		2-1		Montenegro
H	Cyprus		0-4		Portugal
A	Germany		6-2		Austria
C	Slovenia		1-2		Estonia
D	Albania		1-2		France

3 September 2011

6 September 2011

All matches

 

Portugal remain joint leaders in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying Group H after putting four goals past ten-man Cyprus without reply in Nicosia.
The hosts held Portugal to a spectacular 4-4 draw in Guimaraes at the start of their campaign last September, but there was to be no repeat after they lost Sinisa Dobrasinovic to a red card for handball in the area after 34 minutes. Cristiano Ronaldo converted the resultant penalty and, although Cyprus then held out for much of the game, Ronaldo added a second eight minutes from time before substitutes Hugo Almeida and Danny also struck.
The win was by no means undeserved, with Portugal on top from the start and Antonis Giorgallides needing to race off his line to block a shot from João Pereira after 13 minutes. The home side's rearguard then failed to deal with a cross and it was left to Giorgallides to save the day again from a Pepe header, before the Cyprus No1 smothered the danger on the half-hour as Hélder Postiga looked ready to pounce following a João Moutinho corner.
Cyprus's respite did not last long as Dobrasinovic was dismissed moments later for handling Postiga's attempt on goal, which left Ronaldo to break the deadlock from the spot. The Real Madrid CF forward was not done there either, burying the ball beyond Giorgallides after playing a neat one-two with Nani, and crossing for Hugo Almeida to pass into an empty net after sprinting past Georgos Merkis.
Danny rounded off the scoring in added time after latching on to a long ball from Moutinho, and the win kept Portugal level on 13 points with Norway at the summit and three ahead of Denmark, who have a game in hand. In fourth, Cyprus will look to bounce back in Iceland on Tuesday, while Portugal face the same team next on 7 October.

Italy take slender edge over Faroes

 

Friday 2 September 2011

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Antonio Cassano scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory for Italy at the Faroe Islands as they moved a step closer to qualifying for UEFA EURO 2012. Cassano struck in the 11th minute in Torshavn as the Azzurri remained unbeaten in qualifying Group C.
The hosts were unlucky not to equalise in the 71st minute when Christian Holst's effort rebounded off the crossbar with Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon beaten. The result has placed Cesare Prandelli's side eight points clear of nearest rivals Slovenia in the pool with three games remaining. Slovenia lost 2-1 at home to Estonia and will travel to Florence on Tuesday to take on Italy.

"Everyone expected an easy game against the Faroe Islands, but it wasn't," Prandelli said. "We managed to put some good moves together early on but we didn't create many goalscoring chances.
Prandelli had called on his players to focus ahead of this game, with most of them lacking match practice, and his cause for concern was evident with Italy failing to produce much excitement The Serie A start was postponed last weekend due to the failure of the players and Serie A to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement.
Prandelli fielded Giuseppe Rossi and Cassano in attack and his selection paid dividends. Italy were first to threaten in the sixth minute, when Riccardo Montolivo set up Cassano inside the area and the AC Milan striker's right-footed shot went wide.

Everyone expected an easy game against the Faroe Islands, but it wasn't.

Cesare Prandelli, Italy coach

Italy continued to press forward and went in front soon afterwards. Andrea Pirlo found Cassano inside the six-yard box and he fired past Faroe Islands goalkeeper Rene Torgard.

The hosts' first attempt saw Joan Edmundsson's right-footed strike deflected away by a defender, but they almost pulled level in the 24th minute with Suni Olsen's 30-yard effort hitting the post.
In the 34th minute, Daniele De Rossi's powerful strike from 30 yards was punched away by Torgard. Shortly after, Rossi wasted a good chance with his effort going wide. Italy almost doubled their lead before the break, though, but Domenico Criscito's left-footed strike from the edge of the area was saved by Torgard.
Prandelli made his first substitution on the hour mark, with Pazzini replacing Rossi. The Inter Milan forward almost made an immediate impact, but his header from Christian Maggio's cross was easy for Edmundsson to gather.
The hosts were unlucky again not to equalise when a fast counter-attack saw Hjalgrim Elttor feed Holst in the heart of the area and his right-footed shot struck the crossbar. Shortly after, Pol Johannes Justinussen's header was saved by Buffon.
With five minutes remaining, Manchester City forward Mario Balotelli replaced Cassano and his strike from the edge of the area was cleared by a defender.

Hungary snatch late win over Sweden

 

Friday 2 September 2011

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Hungary drew level on points with second-placed Sweden in Group E after snatching a late winner over the Scandinavian side to seal a 2-1 win in their UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier in Budapest.

The match had looked set to finish in a draw after Christian Wilhelmsson's 60th-minute goal cancelled out Imre Szabics' opener for Hungary just before half-time. However, there was to be a late twist in the tale as Hungary, who missed an early penalty through Tamas Hajnal, claimed the points when Gergely Rudolf netted a 90th-minute clincher.

Hungary and Sweden now both have 15 points in Group E, although the latter have played a game less. Holland lead the way with a 100 per cent record in the group.

Sweden had netted nine times in their previous two qualifiers against Finland and Moldova and they came closest to breaking the deadlock first tonight when Zlatan Ibrahimovic tried his luck in the sixth minute, though his effort went wide.

Andreas Granqvist then sent a header wide from Kim Kallstrom's free-kick before Hungary earned themselves a great chance to take the lead after being awarded a 19th-minute penalty. Oscar Wendt was penalised for a handball inside the area, but the visitors were let off the hook as Hajnal's resulting spot-kick hit the crossbar.

Sweden looked determined to make the most of that escape and they came within a whisker of taking the lead in the 26th minute when Johan Elmander's shot hit the post. Elmander saw another effort go over before Kallstrom's 25-yard kick was tipped around the post by Hungary goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly.

It would be Hungary celebrating a half-time lead, however, as Szabics got on the end of Rudolf's pass to slot past Andreas Isaksson. That 44th-minute goal was the perfect way for Hungary to head in at half-time, and they looked set to build on that momentum at the start of the second period with Isaksson being called on to deny Rudolf and Hajnal in quick succession.

Sweden were creating chances of their own soon enough, though, and after Ibrahimovic had brought a save from Kiraly, the visitors equalised when Wilhelmsson tucked home Elmander's pass.

Sweden pushed for a winner but they would end up empty-handed after Rudolf struck for Hungary in the 90th minute, the striker firing into the roof of the net from close range following a cross from Tamas Priskin.

Germany down Austria to qualify

Friday 2 September 2011

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Germany qualified in style for UEFA EURO 2012 with an emphatic 6-2 win over Austria, initially racing into a three-goal lead within 28 minutes with Miroslav Klose, Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski all on target. Marko Arnautovic pulled a goal back for Austria just before the break, but Ozil made it four just after the interval.

Martin Harnik again reduced the arrears, but further goals from Andre Schurrle and Mario Gotze completed the rout to book Germany's place in Poland and Ukraine.

Germany cruised to an eighth-minute lead with Klose claiming the goal after getting the slightest of touches to Ozil's shot from 16 yards out. The Lazio striker's deflection was not decisive as Ozil's shot was going to beat Christian Gratzei in the Austria goal anyway, but he was nevertheless glad to claim his 62nd international goal, now only six short of equalling Gerd Muller's German record.

He missed the chance to edge even closer to Muller in the 17th minute when he lifted his shot high over the crossbar from a tight angle. There was no doubt about who would claim Germany's second goal, though, as Ozil took the ball off Klose on the edge of the penalty area, nudged it past Gratzei and then swept it into the unguarded goal.

Five minutes later, Podolski made it three. Holger Badstuber ventured forward from the centre of the defence and exchanged passes with Podolski before feeding the Cologne striker, whose venomous shot beat Gratzei's feeble attempt to save with his foot.

Badstuber was then at fault at the other end as he lost Arnautovic, who pulled a goal back for Austria with a determined header from Florian Klein's cross.

Not even two minutes were on the clock in the second half when Ozil added his second and Germany's fourth. A long kick out of the Germany defence following an Austria free-kick was headed on by Thomas Muller into the path of the Real Madrid midfielder, who held off Christian Fuchs and then got lucky with his shot deflecting off the toe of the Schalke defender to curl past the Austrian goalkeeper.

Stuttgart forward Harnik scored another consolation for Austria in the 51st minute when he found a hole in the Germany defence to latch onto Arnautivoc's overhead pass and volley past Neuer from just inside the penalty area.

However, Schurrle ended any thoughts Austria had of a recovery in the 84th minute when he pounced on a loose ball inside the area to side-foot it in from near the penalty spot. There was even time for Gotze to complete a comprehensive victory for Germany with practically his only touch of the game after coming on as a late substitute to turn Muller's pass in off the post.

11 August 2010

Group C Full time »
Estonia		2-1		Faroe Islands
Referee: Ante Vučemilović-Šimunović Jr. (CRO) – Stadium: A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn (EST)

2 September 2010

Group F Full time »
Israel		3-1		Malta
Referee: Said Ennjimi (FRA) – Stadium: Ramat-Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan (ISR)

3 September 2010

Group A Full time »
Kazakhstan		0-3		Turkey
Referee: István Vad (HUN) – Stadium: Astana Arena, Astana (KAZ)
Group A Full time »
Belgium		0-1		Germany
Referee: Terje Hauge (NOR) – Stadium: Roi Baudouin, Brussels (BEL)
Group B Full time »
Armenia		0-1		Republic of Ireland
Referee: Zsolt Szabó (HUN) – Stadium: Yerevan Republican Stadium after Vazgen Sargsyan, Yerevan (ARM)
Group B Full time »
Andorra		0-2		Russia
Referee: Marco Borg (MLT) – Stadium: Estadi Comunal, Andorra la Vella (AND)
Group B Full time »
Slovakia		1-0		FYROM
Referee: Claudio Circhetta (SUI) – Stadium: Štadión Pasienky, Bratislava (SVK)
Group C Full time »
Faroe Islands		0-3		Serbia
Referee: Albert Toussaint (LUX) – Stadium: Tórsvøllur, Torshavn (FRO)
Group C Full time »
Estonia		1-2		Italy
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP) – Stadium: A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn (EST)
Group C Full time »
Slovenia		0-1		Northern Ireland
Referee: Cristian Balaj (ROU) – Stadium: Stadion Ljudski vrt, Maribor (SVN)
Group D Full time »
Romania		1-1		Albania
Referee: Robert Schörgenhofer (AUT) – Stadium: Stadionul Ceahlăul, Piatra Neamt (ROU)
Group D Full time »
Luxembourg		0-3		Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee: Veaceslav Banari (MDA) – Stadium: Josy Barthel, Luxembourg (LUX)
Group D Full time »
France		0-1		Belarus
Referee: William Collum (SCO) – Stadium: Stade de France, Paris (FRA)
Group E Full time »
Moldova		2-0		Finland
Referee: Robert Malek (POL) – Stadium: Zimbru, Chisinau (MDA)
Group E Full time »
Sweden		2-0		Hungary
Referee: Martin Atkinson (ENG) – Stadium: Råsundastadion, Solna (SWE)
Group E Full time »
San Marino		0-5		Netherlands
Referee: Simon Lee Evans (WAL) – Stadium: Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle (SMR)
Group F Full time »
Latvia		0-3		Croatia
Referee: Björn Kuipers (NED) – Stadium: Skonto Stadions, Riga (LVA)
Group F Full time »
Greece		1-1		Georgia
Referee: Carlos Clos Gómez (ESP) – Stadium: Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus (GRE)
Group G Full time »
Montenegro		1-0		Wales
Referee: Anastassios Kakos (GRE) – Stadium: Stadion Podgorica, Podgorica (MNE)
Group G Full time »
England		4-0		Bulgaria
Referee: Viktor Kassai (HUN) – Stadium: Wembley Stadium, London (ENG)
Group H Full time »
Iceland		1-2		Norway
Referee: Luca Banti (ITA) – Stadium: Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavik (ISL)
Group H Full time »
Portugal		4-4		Cyprus
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (ENG) – Stadium: Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, Guimaraes (POR)
Group I Full time »
Lithuania		0-0		Scotland
Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (TUR) – Stadium: Dariaus ir Girėno stadionas, Kaunas (LTU)
Group I Full time »
Liechtenstein		0-4		Spain
Referee: Bülent Yıldırım (TUR) – Stadium: Rheinpark, Vaduz (LIE)

7 September 2010

Group A Full time »
Turkey		3-2		Belgium
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN) – Stadium: Şükrü Saracoğlu, Istanbul (TUR)
Group A Full time »
Austria		2-0		Kazakhstan
Referee: Marijo Strahonja (CRO) – Stadium: Stadion Salzburg, Salzburg (AUT)
Group A Full time »
Germany		6-1		Azerbaijan
Referee: Markus Strömbergsson (SWE) – Stadium: Müngersdorfer Stadion, Cologne (GER)
Group B Full time »
Russia		0-1		Slovakia
Referee: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL) – Stadium: Lokomotiv Stadion, Moscow (RUS)
Group B Full time »
FYROM		2-2		Armenia
Referee: Espen Berntsen (NOR) – Stadium: National Arena Filip II Macedonian, Skopje (MKD)
Group B Full time »
Republic of Ireland		3-1		Andorra
Referee: Leontios Trattou (CYP) – Stadium: Dublin Arena, Dublin (IRL)
Group C Full time »
Serbia		1-1		Slovenia
Referee: Olegário Benquerença (POR) – Stadium: Stadion FK Crvena zvezda, Belgrade (SRB)
Group C Full time »
Italy		5-0		Faroe Islands
Referee: Aleksei Kulbakov (BLR) – Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence (ITA)
Group D Full time »
Belarus		0-0		Romania
Referee: Pavel Kralovec (CZE) – Stadium: Dinamo Stadion, Minsk (BLR)
Group D Full time »
Albania		1-0		Luxembourg
Referee: Richard Trutz (SVK) – Stadium: Stadiumi Kombëtar Qemal Stafa, Tirana (ALB)
Group D Full time »
Bosnia and Herzegovina		0-2		France
Referee: Felix Brych (GER) – Stadium: Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadion, Sarajevo (BIH)
Group E Full time »
Sweden		6-0		San Marino
Referee: David Mckeon (IRL) – Stadium: Swedbank Stadium, Malmo (SWE)
Group E Full time »
Netherlands		2-1		Finland
Referee: Aleksei Nikolaev (RUS) – Stadium: Feijenoord Stadion, Rotterdam (NED)
Group E Full time »
Hungary		2-1		Moldova
Referee: Libor Kovařik (CZE) – Stadium: Ferenc Szusza Stadion, Budapest (HUN)
Group F Full time »
Georgia		0-0		Israel
Referee: Sascha Kever (SUI) – Stadium: Boris Paichadze National Stadium, Tbilisi (GEO)
Group F Full time »
Malta		0-2		Latvia
Referee: Tony Asumaa (FIN) – Stadium: Ta' Qali National Stadium, Ta' Qali (MLT)
Group F Full time »
Croatia		0-0		Greece
Referee: Claus Bo Larsen (DEN) – Stadium: Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb (CRO)
Group G Full time »
Bulgaria		0-1		Montenegro
Referee: Vladislav Bezborodov (RUS) – Stadium: Natsionalen Stadion Vasil Levski, Sofia (BUL)
Group G Full time »
Switzerland		1-3		England
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA) – Stadium: St. Jakob-Park, Basel (SUI)
Group H Full time »
Denmark		1-0		Iceland
Referee: Douglas McDonald (SCO) – Stadium: Parken Stadion, Copenhagen (DEN)
Group H Full time »
Norway		1-0		Portugal
Referee: Laurent Duhamel (FRA) – Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo (NOR)
Group I Full time »
Czech Republic		0-1		Lithuania
Referee: Alon Yefet (ISR) – Stadium: Andruv Stadión, Olomouc (CZE)
Group I Full time »
Scotland		2-1		Liechtenstein
Referee: Viktor Shvetsov (UKR) – Stadium: Hampden Park, Glasgow (SCO)

8 October 2010

Group A Full time »
Kazakhstan		0-2		Belgium
Referee: Marcin Borski (POL) – Stadium: Astana Arena, Astana (KAZ)
Group A Full time »
Austria		3-0		Azerbaijan
Referee: Nicolai Vollquartz (DEN) – Stadium: Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna (AUT)
Group A Full time »
Germany		3-0		Turkey
Referee: Howard Webb (ENG) – Stadium: Olympiastadion, Berlin (GER)
Group B Full time »
Armenia		3-1		Slovakia
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA) – Stadium: Yerevan Republican Stadium after Vazgen Sargsyan, Yerevan (ARM)
Group B Full time »
Andorra		0-2		FYROM
Referee: Gediminas Mažeika (LTU) – Stadium: Estadi Comunal, Andorra la Vella (AND)
Group B Full time »
Republic of Ireland		2-3		Russia
Referee: Kevin Blom (NED) – Stadium: Dublin Arena, Dublin (IRL)
Group C Full time »
Serbia		1-3		Estonia
Referee: Maksim Layushkin (RUS) – Stadium: FK Partizan, Belgrade (SRB)
Group C Full time »
Northern Ireland		0-0		Italy
Referee: Tony Chapron (FRA) – Stadium: Windsor Park, Belfast (NIR)
Group C Full time »
Slovenia		5-1		Faroe Islands
Referee: Stanislav Todorov (BUL) – Stadium: ŠRC Stožice, Ljubljana (SVN)
Group D Full time »
Luxembourg		0-0		Belarus
Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (MKD) – Stadium: Josy Barthel, Luxembourg (LUX)
Group D Full time »
Albania		1-1		Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee: Kristinn Jakobsson (ISL) – Stadium: Stadiumi Kombëtar Qemal Stafa, Tirana (ALB)
Group E Full time »
Hungary		8-0		San Marino
Referee: Hannes Kaasik (EST) – Stadium: Ferenc Puskás, Budapest (HUN)
Group E Full time »
Moldova		0-1		Netherlands
Referee: Florian Meyer (GER) – Stadium: Zimbru, Chisinau (MDA)
Group F Full time »
Georgia		1-0		Malta
Referee: Alan Black (NIR) – Stadium: Boris Paichadze National Stadium, Tbilisi (GEO)
Group F Full time »
Greece		1-0		Latvia
Referee: Antonio Damato (ITA) – Stadium: Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus (GRE)
Group G Full time »
Wales		0-1		Bulgaria
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE) – Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff (WAL)
Group G Full time »
Montenegro		1-0		Switzerland
Referee: Eduardo Iturralde González (ESP) – Stadium: Stadion Podgorica, Podgorica (MNE)
Group H Full time »
Cyprus		1-2		Norway
Referee: Serge Gumienny (BEL) – Stadium: Antonis Papadopoulos, Larnaca (CYP)
Group H Full time »
Portugal		3-1		Denmark
Referee: Eric Braamhaar (NED) – Stadium: Estádio do Dragão, Porto (POR)
Group I Full time »
Czech Republic		1-0		Scotland
Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO) – Stadium: Eden, Prague (CZE)
Group I Full time »
Spain		3-1		Lithuania
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA) – Stadium: Helmántico, Salamanca (ESP)

9 October 2010

Group D Full time »
France		2-0		Romania
Referee: Pedro Proença (POR) – Stadium: Stade de France, Paris (FRA)
Group F Full time »
Israel		1-2		Croatia
Referee: Wolfgang Stark (GER) – Stadium: Ramat-Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan (ISR)

12 October 2010

Group A Full time »
Azerbaijan		1-0		Turkey
Referee: Alexandru Deaconu (ROU) – Stadium: Tofig Bahramov Republican stadium, Baku (AZE)
Group A Full time »
Kazakhstan		0-3		Germany
Referee: Alexandru Dan Tudor (ROU) – Stadium: Astana Arena, Astana (KAZ)
Group A Full time »
Belgium		4-4		Austria
Referee: Mike Dean (ENG) – Stadium: Roi Baudouin, Brussels (BEL)
Group B Full time »
Armenia		4-0		Andorra
Referee: Tomasz Mikulski (POL) – Stadium: Yerevan Republican Stadium after Vazgen Sargsyan, Yerevan (ARM)
Group B Full time »
Slovakia		1-1		Republic of Ireland
Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (ESP) – Stadium: Štadión MŠK Žilina, Zilina (SVK)
Group B Full time »
FYROM		0-1		Russia
Referee: Stefan Johannesson (SWE) – Stadium: National Arena Filip II Macedonian, Skopje (MKD)
Group C Full time »
Faroe Islands		1-1		Northern Ireland
Referee: Cyril Zimmermann (SUI) – Stadium: Svangaskard Stadion, Toftir (FRO)
Group C Full time »
Estonia		0-1		Slovenia
Referee: Tommy Skjerven (NOR) – Stadium: A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn (EST)
Group C Match forfeited »
Italy		3-0 (f)		Serbia
Match forfeited
Referee: Craig Thomson (SCO) – Stadium: Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa (ITA)
Group D Full time »
Belarus		2-0		Albania
Referee: Peter Rasmussen (DEN) – Stadium: Dinamo Stadion, Minsk (BLR)
Group D Full time »
France		2-0		Luxembourg
Referee: Matej Jug (SVN) – Stadium: Stade Municipal Saint-Symphorien, Metz (FRA)
Group E Full time »
Finland		1-2		Hungary
Referee: Alan Kelly (IRL) – Stadium: Olympic Stadium, Helsinki (FIN)
Group E Full time »
Netherlands		4-1		Sweden
Referee: Stéphane Lannoy (FRA) – Stadium: Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam (NED)
Group E Full time »
San Marino		0-2		Moldova
Referee: Mark Courtney (NIR) – Stadium: Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle (SMR)
Group F Full time »
Latvia		1-1		Georgia
Referee: Manuel De Sousa (POR) – Stadium: Skonto Stadions, Riga (LVA)
Group F Full time »
Greece		2-1		Israel
Referee: Martin Hansson (SWE) – Stadium: Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus (GRE)
Group G Full time »
Switzerland		4-1		Wales
Referee: Alain Hamer (LUX) – Stadium: St. Jakob-Park, Basel (SUI)
Group G Full time »
England		0-0		Montenegro
Referee: Manuel Gräfe (GER) – Stadium: Wembley Stadium, London (ENG)
Group H Full time »
Denmark		2-0		Cyprus
Referee: César Muñiz Fernández (ESP) – Stadium: Parken Stadion, Copenhagen (DEN)
Group H Full time »
Iceland		1-3		Portugal
Referee: Thomas Einwaller (AUT) – Stadium: Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavik (ISL)
Group I Full time »
Liechtenstein		0-2		Czech Republic
Referee: Stanislav Sukhina (RUS) – Stadium: Rheinpark, Vaduz (LIE)
Group I Full time »
Scotland		2-3		Spain
Referee: Massimo Busacca (SUI) – Stadium: Hampden Park, Glasgow (SCO)

17 November 2010

Group E Full time »
Finland		8-0		San Marino
Referee: Radek Matějek (CZE) – Stadium: Olympic Stadium, Helsinki (FIN)
Group F Full time »
Croatia		3-0		Malta
Referee: Duarte Gomes (POR) – Stadium: Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb (CRO)

25 March 2011

Group A Full time »
Austria		0-2		Belgium
Referee: Vladislav Bezborodov (RUS) – Stadium: Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna (AUT)
Group C Full time »
Serbia		2-1		Northern Ireland
Referee: Serge Gumienny (BEL) – Stadium: Stadion FK Crvena zvezda, Belgrade (SRB)
Group C Full time »
Slovenia		0-1		Italy
Referee: Felix Brych (GER) – Stadium: ŠRC Stožice, Ljubljana (SVN)
Group D Full time »
Luxembourg		0-2		France
Referee: Tom Harald Hagen (NOR) – Stadium: Josy Barthel, Luxembourg (LUX)
Group E Full time »
Hungary		0-4		Netherlands
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP) – Stadium: Ferenc Puskás, Budapest (HUN)
Group I Full time »
Spain		2-1		Czech Republic
Referee: Viktor Kassai (HUN) – Stadium: Los Cármenes, Granada (ESP)

26 March 2011

Group A Full time »
Germany		4-0		Kazakhstan
Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (MKD) – Stadium: Fritz-Walter, Kaiserslautern (GER)
Group B Full time »
Armenia		0-0		Russia
Referee: Craig Thomson (SCO) – Stadium: Yerevan Republican Stadium after Vazgen Sargsyan, Yerevan (ARM)
Group B Full time »
Andorra		0-1		Slovakia
Referee: Menashe Masiah (ISR) – Stadium: Estadi Comunal, Andorra la Vella (AND)
Group B Full time »
Republic of Ireland		2-1		FYROM
Referee: István Vad (HUN) – Stadium: Dublin Arena, Dublin (IRL)
Group D Full time »
Bosnia and Herzegovina		2-1		Romania
Referee: Fernando Teixeira Vitienes (ESP) – Stadium: Bilino Polje, Zenica (BIH)
Group D Full time »
Albania		1-0		Belarus
Referee: Markus Strömbergsson (SWE) – Stadium: Stadiumi Kombëtar Qemal Stafa, Tirana (ALB)
Group F Full time »
Georgia		1-0		Croatia
Referee: Paolo Tagliavento (ITA) – Stadium: Boris Paichadze National Stadium, Tbilisi (GEO)
Group F Full time »
Israel		2-1		Latvia
Referee: Milorad Mažić (SRB) – Stadium: Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv (ISR)
Group F Full time »
Malta		0-1		Greece
Referee: Michael Weiner (GER) – Stadium: Ta' Qali National Stadium, Ta' Qali (MLT)
Group G Full time »
Wales		0-2		England
Referee: Olegário Benquerença (POR) – Stadium: Millennium, Cardiff (WAL)
Group G Full time »
Bulgaria		0-0		Switzerland
Referee: William Collum (SCO) – Stadium: Natsionalen Stadion Vasil Levski, Sofia (BUL)
Group H Full time »
Cyprus		0-0		Iceland
Referee: Darko Čeferin (SVN) – Stadium: GSP Stadium, Nicosia (CYP)
Group H Full time »
Norway		1-1		Denmark
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA) – Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo (NOR)

29 March 2011

Group A Full time »
Turkey		2-0		Austria
Referee: Pavel Kralovec (CZE) – Stadium: Şükrü Saracoğlu, Istanbul (TUR)
Group A Full time »
Belgium		4-1		Azerbaijan
Referee: Daniel Stålhammar (SWE) – Stadium: Roi Baudouin, Brussels (BEL)
Group C Full time »
Estonia		1-1		Serbia
Referee: Bas Nijhuis (NED) – Stadium: A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn (EST)
Group C Full time »
Northern Ireland		0-0		Slovenia
Referee: Björn Kuipers (NED) – Stadium: Windsor Park, Belfast (NIR)
Group D Full time »
Romania		3-1		Luxembourg
Referee: Hüseyin Göçek (TUR) – Stadium: Stadionul Ceahlăul, Piatra Neamt (ROU)
Group E Full time »
Sweden		2-1		Moldova
Referee: Knut Kircher (GER) – Stadium: Råsundastadion, Solna (SWE)
Group E Full time »
Netherlands		5-3		Hungary
Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR) – Stadium: Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam (NED)
Group F Full time »
Israel		1-0		Georgia
Referee: Fredy Fautrel (FRA) – Stadium: Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv (ISR)
Group I Full time »
Czech Republic		2-0		Liechtenstein
Referee: Ovidiu Alin Hategan (ROU) – Stadium: Strelecky Ostrov, Ceske Budejovice (CZE)
Group I Full time »
Lithuania		1-3		Spain
Referee: Laurent Duhamel (FRA) – Stadium: Dariaus ir Girėno stadionas, Kaunas (LTU)

3 June 2011

Group A Full time »
Kazakhstan		2-1		Azerbaijan
Referee: Euan Norris (SCO) – Stadium: Astana Arena, Astana (KAZ)
Group A Full time »
Austria		1-2		Germany
Referee: Massimo Busacca (SUI) – Stadium: Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna (AUT)
Group A Full time »
Belgium		1-1		Turkey
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA) – Stadium: Roi Baudouin, Brussels (BEL)
Group C Full time »
Faroe Islands		0-2		Slovenia
Referee: Oliver Drachta (AUT) – Stadium: Svangaskard Stadion, Toftir (FRO)
Group C Full time »
Italy		3-0		Estonia
Referee: Alexandru Dan Tudor (ROU) – Stadium: Alberto Braglia, Modena (ITA)
Group D Full time »
Romania		3-0		Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE) – Stadium: Giulesti - Valentin Stanescu, Bucharest (ROU)
Group D Full time »
Belarus		1-1		France
Referee: David Fernández Borbalán (ESP) – Stadium: Dinamo Stadion, Minsk (BLR)
Group E Full time »
Moldova		1-4		Sweden
Referee: Andre Marriner (ENG) – Stadium: Zimbru, Chisinau (MDA)
Group E Full time »
San Marino		0-1		Finland
Referee: Andrejs Sipailo (LVA) – Stadium: Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle (SMR)
Group F Full time »
Croatia		2-1		Georgia
Referee: Stefan Johannesson (SWE) – Stadium: Stadion Poljud, Split (CRO)
Group I Full time »
Liechtenstein		2-0		Lithuania
Referee: Artyom Kuchin (KAZ) – Stadium: Rheinpark, Vaduz (LIE)

4 June 2011

Group B Full time »
Russia		3-1		Armenia
Referee: Stéphane Lannoy (FRA) – Stadium: Petrovski Stadion, St Petersburg (RUS)
Group B Full time »
Slovakia		1-0		Andorra
Referee: Lorenc Jemini (ALB) – Stadium: Štadión Pasienky, Bratislava (SVK)
Group B Full time »
FYROM		0-2		Republic of Ireland
Referee: Florian Meyer (GER) – Stadium: National Arena Filip II Macedonian, Skopje (MKD)
Group F Full time »
Latvia		1-2		Israel
Referee: Alan Kelly (IRL) – Stadium: Skonto Stadions, Riga (LVA)
Group F Full time »
Greece		3-1		Malta
Referee: Pawel Gil (POL) – Stadium: Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus (GRE)
Group G Full time »
England		2-2		Switzerland
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN) – Stadium: Wembley Stadium, London (ENG)
Group G Full time »
Montenegro		1-1		Bulgaria
Referee: Alon Yefet (ISR) – Stadium: Stadion Podgorica, Podgorica (MNE)
Group H Full time »
Iceland		0-2		Denmark
Referee: Fırat Aydınus (TUR) – Stadium: Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavik (ISL)
Group H Full time »
Portugal		1-0		Norway
Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (TUR) – Stadium: Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Lisbon (POR)

7 June 2011

Group A Full time »
Azerbaijan		1-3		Germany
Referee: Michael Koukoulakis (GRE) – Stadium: Tofig Bahramov Republican stadium, Baku (AZE)
Group C Full time »
Faroe Islands		2-0		Estonia
Referee: Antti Munukka (FIN) – Stadium: Svangaskard Stadion, Toftir (FRO)
Group D Full time »
Belarus		2-0		Luxembourg
Referee: Anar Salmanov (AZE) – Stadium: Dinamo Stadion, Minsk (BLR)
Group D Full time »
Bosnia and Herzegovina		2-0		Albania
Referee: Kevin Blom (NED) – Stadium: Bilino Polje, Zenica (BIH)
Group E Full time »
Sweden		5-0		Finland
Referee: Antony Gautier (FRA) – Stadium: Råsundastadion, Solna (SWE)
Group E Full time »
San Marino		0-3		Hungary
Referee: Pavle Radovanović (MNE) – Stadium: Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle (SMR)

10 August 2011

Group C Full time »
Northern Ireland		4-0		Faroe Islands
Referee: Emir Alecković (BIH) – Stadium: Windsor Park, Belfast (NIR)

2 September 2011

Group A Full time »
Azerbaijan		1-1		Belgium
Referee: Lee Probert (ENG) – Stadium: Tofig Bahramov Republican stadium, Baku (AZE)
Group A Full time »
Turkey		2-1		Kazakhstan
Referee: Clément Turpin (FRA) – Stadium: Turk Telekom Arena, Istanbul (TUR)
Group A Full time »
Germany		6-2		Austria
Referee: Paolo Tagliavento (ITA) – Stadium: Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen (GER)
Group B Full time »
Russia		1-0		FYROM
Referee: Bülent Yıldırım (TUR) – Stadium: Luzhniki Stadion, Moscow (RUS)
Group B Full time »
Andorra		0-3		Armenia
Referee: Alexander Kostadinov (BUL) – Stadium: Estadi Comunal, Andorra la Vella (AND)
Group B Full time »
Republic of Ireland		0-0		Slovakia
Referee: Pedro Proença (POR) – Stadium: Dublin Arena, Dublin (IRL)
Group C Full time »
Northern Ireland		0-1		Serbia
Referee: Thomas Einwaller (AUT) – Stadium: Windsor Park, Belfast (NIR)
Group C Full time »
Slovenia		1-2		Estonia
Referee: Stephan Studer (SUI) – Stadium: ŠRC Stožice, Ljubljana (SVN)
Group C Full time »
Faroe Islands		0-1		Italy
Referee: Tamás Bognar (HUN) – Stadium: Tórsvøllur, Torshavn (FRO)
Group D Full time »
Belarus		0-2		Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee: Viktor Kassai (HUN) – Stadium: Dinamo Stadion, Minsk (BLR)
Group D Full time »
Luxembourg		0-2		Romania
Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS) – Stadium: Josy Barthel, Luxembourg (LUX)
Group D Full time »
Albania		1-2		France
Referee: Aleksei Nikolaev (RUS) – Stadium: Stadiumi Kombëtar Qemal Stafa, Tirana (ALB)
Group E Full time »
Finland		4-1		Moldova
Referee: Anastassios Kakos (GRE) – Stadium: Olympic Stadium, Helsinki (FIN)
Group E Full time »
Hungary		2-1		Sweden
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN) – Stadium: Ferenc Puskás, Budapest (HUN)
Group E Full time »
Netherlands		11-0		San Marino
Referee: Liran Liany (ISR) – Stadium: PSV Stadion, Eindhoven (NED)
Group F Full time »
Israel		0-1		Greece
Referee: Craig Thomson (SCO) – Stadium: Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv (ISR)
Group F Full time »
Georgia		0-1		Latvia
Referee: Leontios Trattou (CYP) – Stadium: Mikheil Meskhi, Tbilisi (GEO)
Group F Full time »
Malta		1-3		Croatia
Referee: Tony Chapron (FRA) – Stadium: Ta' Qali National Stadium, Ta' Qali (MLT)
Group G Full time »
Bulgaria		0-3		England
Referee: Frank De Bleeckere (BEL) – Stadium: Natsionalen Stadion Vasil Levski, Sofia (BUL)
Group G Full time »
Wales		2-1		Montenegro
Referee: Luca Banti (ITA) – Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff (WAL)
Group H Full time »
Norway		1-0		Iceland
Referee: Ovidiu Alin Hategan (ROU) – Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo (NOR)
Group H Full time »
Cyprus		0-4		Portugal
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA) – Stadium: GSP Stadium, Nicosia (CYP)
Group I Full time »
Lithuania		0-0		Liechtenstein
Referee: Ken Henry Johnsen (NOR) – Stadium: Dariaus ir Girėno stadionas, Kaunas (LTU)

3 September 2011

Group I Full time »
Scotland		2-2		Czech Republic
Referee: Kevin Blom (NED) – Stadium: Hampden Park, Glasgow (SCO)

6 September 2011

Group A More »
Azerbaijan		17:00		Kazakhstan
Referee: Anders Hermansen (DEN) – Stadium: Tofig Bahramov Republican stadium, Baku (AZE)
Group A More »
Austria		20:30		Turkey
Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (ESP) – Stadium: Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna (AUT)
Group B More »
Russia		17:00		Republic of Ireland
Referee: Felix Brych (GER) – Stadium: Luzhniki Stadion, Moscow (RUS)
Group B More »
FYROM		20:00		Andorra
Referee: Mark Steven Whitby (WAL) – Stadium: National Arena Filip II Macedonian, Skopje (MKD)
Group B More »
Slovakia		20:15		Armenia
Referee: Marcin Borski (POL) – Stadium: Štadión MŠK Žilina, Zilina (SVK)
Group C More »
Serbia		20:30		Faroe Islands
Referee: Arman Amirkhanyan (ARM) – Stadium: FK Partizan, Belgrade (SRB)
Group C More »
Estonia		20:30		Northern Ireland
Referee: Daniel Stålhammar (SWE) – Stadium: A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn (EST)
Group C More »
Italy		20:45		Slovenia
Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (NOR) – Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence (ITA)
Group D More »
Bosnia and Herzegovina		20:15		Belarus
Referee: Martin Atkinson (ENG) – Stadium: Bilino Polje, Zenica (BIH)
Group D More »
Luxembourg		20:15		Albania
Referee: Petteri Kari (FIN) – Stadium: Josy Barthel, Luxembourg (LUX)
Group D More »
Romania		20:30		France
Referee: Howard Webb (ENG) – Stadium: National Arena, Bucharest (ROU)
Group E More »
Finland		19:00		Netherlands
Referee: Manuel Gräfe (GER) – Stadium: Olympic Stadium, Helsinki (FIN)
Group E More »
Moldova		19:45		Hungary
Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO) – Stadium: Zimbru, Chisinau (MDA)
Group E More »
San Marino		20:30		Sweden
Referee: Steven McLean (SCO) – Stadium: Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle (SMR)
Group F More »
Croatia		20:00		Israel
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP) – Stadium: Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb (CRO)
Group F More »
Latvia		20:30		Greece
Referee: Stanislav Todorov (BUL) – Stadium: Skonto Stadions, Riga (LVA)
Group F More »
Malta		20:30		Georgia
Referee: Pol van Boekel (NED) – Stadium: Ta' Qali National Stadium, Ta' Qali (MLT)
Group G More »
Switzerland		20:30		Bulgaria
Referee: Pavel Kralovec (CZE) – Stadium: St. Jakob-Park, Basel (SUI)
Group G More »
England		20:45		Wales
Referee: Robert Schörgenhofer (AUT) – Stadium: Wembley Stadium, London (ENG)
Group H More »
Denmark		20:15		Norway
Referee: Stéphane Lannoy (FRA) – Stadium: Parken Stadion, Copenhagen (DEN)
Group H More »
Iceland		20:45		Cyprus
Referee: Boško Jovanetić (SRB) – Stadium: Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavik (ISL)
Group I More »
Scotland		21:00		Lithuania
Referee: Kristinn Jakobsson (ISL) – Stadium: Hampden Park, Glasgow (SCO)
Group I More »
Spain		22:00		Liechtenstein
Referee: Harald Lechner (AUT) – Stadium: Las Gaunas, Logrono (ESP)

7 October 2011

Group A More »
Azerbaijan		18:00		Austria
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Dalga Stadium, Baku (AZE)
Group A More »
Turkey		20:30		Germany
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Turk Telekom Arena, Istanbul (TUR)
Group A More »
Belgium		20:45		Kazakhstan
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Roi Baudouin, Brussels (BEL)
Group B More »
Armenia		17:00		FYROM
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Yerevan Republican Stadium after Vazgen Sargsyan, Yerevan (ARM)
Group B More »
Slovakia		20:15		Russia
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Štadión MŠK Žilina, Zilina (SVK)
Group B More »
Andorra		21:30		Republic of Ireland
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Estadi Comunal, Andorra la Vella (AND)
Group C More »
Serbia		20:45		Italy
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Stadion FK Crvena zvezda, Belgrade (SRB)
Group C More »
Northern Ireland		20:45		Estonia
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Windsor Park, Belfast (NIR)
Group D More »
Romania		20:00		Belarus
Referee: TBD – Stadium: National Arena, Bucharest (ROU)
Group D More »
Bosnia and Herzegovina		20:00		Luxembourg
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Bilino Polje, Zenica (BIH)
Group D More »
France		21:00		Albania
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Stade de France, Paris (FRA)
Group E More »
Finland		18:15		Sweden
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Olympic Stadium, Helsinki (FIN)
Group E More »
Netherlands		20:30		Moldova
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Feijenoord Stadion, Rotterdam (NED)
Group F More »
Latvia		19:00		Malta
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Skonto Stadions, Riga (LVA)
Group F More »
Greece		20:30		Croatia
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus (GRE)
Group G More »
Wales		20:45		Switzerland
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Liberty Stadium, Swansea (WAL)
Group G More »
Montenegro		21:00		England
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Stadion Podgorica, Podgorica (MNE)
Group H More »
Cyprus		20:30		Denmark
Referee: TBD – Stadium: GSP Stadium, Nicosia (CYP)
Group H More »
Portugal		22:00		Iceland
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Estádio do Dragão, Porto (POR)
Group I More »
Czech Republic		20:45		Spain
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Stadion Letná, Prague (CZE)

8 October 2011

Group I More »
Liechtenstein		19:30		Scotland
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Rheinpark, Vaduz (LIE)

11 October 2011

Group A More »
Germany		19:00		Belgium
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Düsseldorf, Dusseldorf (GER)
Group A More »
Turkey		19:00		Azerbaijan
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Turk Telekom Arena, Istanbul (TUR)
Group A More »
Kazakhstan		19:00		Austria
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Astana Arena, Astana (KAZ)
Group B More »
Russia		19:45		Andorra
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Luzhniki Stadion, Moscow (RUS)
Group B More »
Republic of Ireland		19:45		Armenia
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Dublin Arena, Dublin (IRL)
Group B More »
FYROM		19:45		Slovakia
Referee: TBD – Stadium: National Arena Filip II Macedonian, Skopje (MKD)
Group C More »
Italy		20:45		Northern Ireland
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Adriatico, Pescara (ITA)
Group C More »
Slovenia		20:45		Serbia
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Stadion Ljudski vrt, Maribor (SVN)
Group D More »
Albania		20:00		Romania
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Stadiumi Kombëtar Qemal Stafa, Tirana (ALB)
Group D More »
France		21:00		Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Stade de France, Paris (FRA)
Group E More »
Sweden		20:00		Netherlands
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Råsundastadion, Solna (SWE)
Group E More »
Hungary		20:00		Finland
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Ferenc Puskás, Budapest (HUN)
Group E More »
Moldova		20:00		San Marino
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Zimbru, Chisinau (MDA)
Group F More »
Croatia		19:00		Latvia
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Kantrida, Rijeka (CRO)
Group F More »
Georgia		19:00		Greece
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Mikheil Meskhi, Tbilisi (GEO)
Group F More »
Malta		19:00		Israel
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Ta' Qali National Stadium, Ta' Qali (MLT)
Group G More »
Switzerland		20:05		Montenegro
Referee: TBD – Stadium: St. Jakob-Park, Basel (SUI)
Group G More »
Bulgaria		20:05		Wales
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Natsionalen Stadion Vasil Levski, Sofia (BUL)
Group H More »
Denmark		20:15		Portugal
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Parken Stadion, Copenhagen (DEN)
Group H More »
Norway		20:15		Cyprus
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo (NOR)
Group I More »
Spain		20:45		Scotland
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Rico Perez, Alicante (ESP)
Group I More »
Lithuania		20:45		Czech Republic
Referee: TBD – Stadium: Dariaus ir Girėno stadionas, Kaunas (LTU)

Last updated: 05/09/2011 10:16 CET

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