Review of England's Euro 2012 Campaign

On Sunday night, England's nemesis came to haunt them once again in a major tournament as they were knocked out at the quarter-final stage from a penalty shoot-out against Italy. To be fair, it would have been a complete injustice if England progressed as the Italians outclassed Roy Hodgson's men in all areas for the majority of the match creating tonnes of pressure however they couldn't get past the resilient England defence. It was astonishing how England didn't lose in normal or extra-time however the determination from the team on the night was incredible. England can now head back home from Poland and Ukraine with their heads held high after most of the general public weren't backing them to even get out of their own group.

England fans reflect on their Euro 2012 exit

As I've already mentioned above, the expectations were as low as ever before as England flew out to Eastern Europe to take on France in their first group match. Along with Les Bleus, England were placed in Group D with co-hosts Ukraine and old foes Sweden. The first game was always going to be crucial as the task was to avoid defeat against the former World and European champions. It was a fantastic start to the tournament when Joleon Lescott headed in from Steven Gerrard's cross however his goal was cancelled out Samir Nasri's equaliser before half-time. As all England fans know, it was Roy Hodgson's first competitive match since he was appointed England manager only last month and what we saw was a disciplined display which is what previous England teams haven't had. Their determination to deny the French from scoring again and defending really impressed me as I feel that is one of our weak areas despite that we have some terrific defenders.


Then England moved onto Kiev to face Sweden where we saw an incredible match, possibly one of the games of the whole tournament. Andy Carroll gave England a half-time lead before a Sweden double from former Aston Villa defender Olof Mellberg. England had a bit of a mountain to climb at that point however Hodgson made the decision to bring on Theo Walcott for James Milner and the Arsenal man made a huge impact as he got England back on level terms before delivering the cross for Danny Welbeck to flick the ball into the net to give the Three Lions an all-important win.

Danny Welbeck celebrates his winning goal v Sweden

To the final group match against co-hosts Ukraine in Donetsk where England knew that they would progress to the quarter-finals if they avoided defeat. It wasn't the best of games to watch however it did have its moments. Wayne Rooney was welcomed back into the starting line-up after his two-match suspension and he scored one of the easiest goals in his career to put England ahead. Ukraine had their opportunities and the main controversial topic of the match was when John Terry cleared Marko Devic's shot off the line however replays showed that the ball did in fact go over the line. It was amazingly good fortune for England as Ukraine created chances galore and were the better team for periods of the match. With the match finishing 1-0 to England and France's 2-0 defeat to Sweden, Roy Hodgson's men finished top of Group D facing a quarter-final against Italy.


It seemed that the public's low expectations were working in England's favour before the meeting with the Italians in Kiev. The two teams have very rarely played against each other with the previous outing ending in a 2-1 victory for Italy in a 2002 friendly at Elland Road. This time around, the match had the prize of playing one of the pre-tournament favourites Germany in Warsaw. England struggled to get into the game at first especially as the Italians came very close to scoring early on when Danielle De Rossi's long-range strike effort came back off the post. Gradually, the Three Lions began to cause the Italians some problems especially on the right hand side where Glen Johnson in particular had a glorious chance to put England in front however he was unable to lift the ball over Gianluigi Buffon.


De Rossi had another terrific chance where he beat the offside trap however he scrambled his effort wide from five yards. After surviving more Italian pressure for the remainder of normal and extra-time, it went down to penalties. England were given a massive advantage when Montelivo missed his spot-kick however the two Ashleys, Young and Cole, missed their penalties as well and they ultimately paid the price as former West Ham flop Alessandro Diamanti to send the Italians through.

SPOTTING HELL!: England show their despair after
their penalty shoot-out loss 

In my opinion, England should leave Euro 2012 with their heads held high after putting some pride back in the team and getting the fans back alongside them again after a turbulent few months for The FA. After the resignation of Fabio Capello, The FA did the correct thing in taking their time with of a possible replacement for Capello and Roy Hodgson is the perfect man for the job. Why you ask? Just look at Hodgson's international record! He has managed in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Italy and even took Switzerland to the 1994 World Cup. Where else can you get that sort of experience and is an Englishman? He is a well-spoken man who has improved England as each has match has gone by. The Italy match was his first defeat since he took over as England boss and for me, the future looks bright for the Three Lions. Hodgson has turned England into a disciplined and well-organised force especially in defence where we've seen so many blocks and tackles flying in which gives the impression that they have put some pride when wearing the famous white shirt. 

GIVING ORDERS: Roy Hodgson

Onto the players, there were a few moans and groans with regards to a few of players being called up to the squad however for those who did take some part in Ukraine, there were a few mixed performances. I speak on behalf of all England fans that captain Steven Gerrard was by outright, our best player at Euro 2012. A terrific decision by Hodgson to give him the captaincy after the John Terry racism debacle which has paid off as he always gives 100% for his country like he does at club level. He made some superb tackles and more importantly, assisted for three of England's five goals at Euro 2012. After all that was expected of him, Wayne Rooney had a more than disappointing tournament especially against Italy where he barely made an influence. It was a shame for England as he didn't look match-fit at all and unlike Gerrard, he didn't produce for his country like he does for his club. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain started against France who looked very frightening on the wing and is definitely one for the future whereas his club team-mate Theo Walcott produced a marvellous display especially against Sweden. 

LEADING BY EXAMPLE: Steven Gerrard

Germany Cruise Past Greece To The Semi-Finals

Germany secured their semi-final berth at Euro 2012 with a more than comfortable win over deprived Greece in Gdansk. The Germans had countless amounts of chances before captain Phillip Lahm's spectacular effort put his side ahead before half-time. Giogios Samaras scored an unlikely equaliser for Greece ten minutes into the second half however goals from Sami Khedira, Miroslav Klose and Marco Reus settled the match for Joachim Loew's men. Despite Salpingidis' late penalty for Greece, Germany will now face either England or Italy in the semi-finals.


The build-up to the match had a very political significance with most people calling the match as the 'Battle of the Bailouts' as Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel was criticised for sticking to the austerity plan as Greece look for payments to save their economy. Germany boss Joachim Loew made four changes to the side that beat the Netherlands with Miroslav Klose, Andre Schürrle, Marco Reus and Jerome Boateng replacing Mario Gomez, Thomas Müller, Lukas Podolski and Lars Bender respectively. The changes were a surprise to many however the gamble from Loew would see his side begin with a flourish with their wayward attacking style. After only four minutes, the Germans were denied the opening goal of the match as Sami Kherdira’s 20 yard effort was saved by Greece ‘keeper Sifakis and Miroslav Klose tapped the ball home however he was narrowly offside. 


Greece had their first opportunity of the game from Gregoris Makos whose 20-yard tame attempt caused no problems for Manuel Neuer in the Germany goal. Youngster Marco Reus had a terrific opportunity to put his side after Khedira put him through on goal however Reus squandered his attempt wide. Reus was involved in Germany's next attack as he and Khedira combined passes to set up Mesut Ozil who had his low shot saved by Sifakis. Despite there wasn't an end product from the resulting corner, Ozil found Reus on the edge of the area and Sifakis had to tip Reus' strike away for another corner. The 23-year-old was in acres of space after he was found by Khedira but once again, Reus couldn't capitilise by shooting wide of the goal. The Greeks had a rare attempt on goal mid-way through the half from Sotiris Ninis' 20-yard effort which was spilled by Neuer however he held the ball soon after. 


Mesut Ozil was ripping the Greek defence apart running past two players and finding Khedira on the edge of the box who forced another save out of Sifakis. On 39 minutes, the Greece defence would soon be breached as captain Phillip Lahm controlled the ball with his chest to take it away from the defender and unleashed a terrific right-footed outswinging strike to give Germany a well-deserved lead. It could have been 2-0 in first-half stoppage-time as Andre Schürrle's strike hit the side netting from long range. 


Half-Time: Germany 1-0 Greece

Greece made a double substitution at half-time bringing on Fanis Gekas and Fotakis for Ninis and Tzavellas and Gekas was involved in a counter-attack moments into the second-half however it came to no ovail. Ten minutes later, the Greeks went on the attack again when Fotakis played a superb through ball for Salpingidis who strided towards the German area and slided the ball across for Celtic striker Giorgios Samaras to give Greece an unlikely equaliser despite Neuer's attempt to keep it out. 

Germany had to respond and they did just that after 61 minutes where patient build-up from the left wing to the right landed right-back Jerome Boateng to deliver the cross for Sami Khedira to volley the ball into the roof of the net from eight yards. Greece then replied with an attack of their own with some good passing towards the left wing and the ball was played for Gekas who turned away from two German defenders on the edge of the box however he blazed his shot into the stands. On 68 minutes, Mesut Ozil won a free-kick for Germany after he was tripped on the right wing by Sokratis Papastathopoulous which Ozil took himself whose left-footed inswinging delivery was met by the head of Miroslav Klose as he scored Germany's third to give them some breathing space. Klose's header was his 64th international goal in 120 caps and is now only four goals behind the all-time German goal-scorer Gerd Müller. 

If Greece felt that they had a big task ahead of them to get back into the match, they soon saw the match beyond them as Germany added a fourth after 74 minutes when Marco Reus latched onto the rebound from Klose's blocked effort to thump the ball into the empty net to score his second goal for his country. Knowing that their stay at Euro 2012 was coming to an end, Greece attempted to increase their goal tally with Fokatis' long-range effort which was comfortable for Neuer to handle after a deflection from Bastian Schweinsteiger. The Greeks were awarded a penalty two minutes from time when Torosidis' side-footed attempt was blocked by the arm of Boateng even though replays show that it was a harsh decision against the former Manchester City defender. Salpingidis took the penalty and slotted the ball home to the bottom right corner of the goal sending Neuer the wrong way giving Greece some consolation. It was an emphatic win for Germany overall who qualify for their second consecutive European Championship semi-final where they will face either England or Italy in Warsaw on Thursday.

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Preview of England v Ukraine

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In Group D, England face co-hosts Ukraine tonight as they look to qualify for the quarter-finals of Euro 2012. The Three Lions need only a point from the match to achieve the feat however it will be another stern test at the Donbass Arena in Donetsk. Ukraine come into the game on the back of a 2-0 defeat by France which means that Oleg Blokhin's men will have to beat England in order to progress to the last eight.


It looks to be an intriguing match in prospect tonight as England welcome back their star player Wayne Rooney from suspension. The Manchester United striker missed the first two group matches as a punishment for his red card in Montenegro where he kicked out at Miodrag Dzukovic. He is more than likely to start however England boss Roy Hodgson has the difficult decision of choosing Rooney's striking partner between Andy Carroll and Danny Welbeck who scored in the dramatic 3-2 win over Sweden in Kiev. The pair played very well on Friday evening especially Andy Carroll after his criticisms of his form since signing for Liverpool in January 2011.

LOOK WHO'S BACK: Wayne Rooney

Roy Hodgson received the news that Theo Walcott is fit for the match in Donetsk after the Arsenal man suffered a slight hamstring strain in training. His instant impact was the key in England's win over Sweden after equalising at 2-2 and crossed for Danny Welbeck to flick home the winner. Despite the news of Walcott's fitness, Hodgson is rumoured to keep him on the bench tonight as James Milner looks to keep his place on the right of midfield. The re-introduction of Rooney is looking to be the only change to the England side with the knowledge of that their fate is in their own hands. 


Over the weekend, The FA Chairman Sir Dave Richards stated that: "Roy [Hodgson] seems to have that little bit of a Midas touch." It would be a remarkable appointment if Roy Hodgson was to guide England over the rainbow to find their treasure which is Euro 2012 however there is the more important matter of progressing to the quarter-finals. England will have to learn from the Sweden win in terms of keeping the ball for longer periods as they seemed to give possession very cheaply. Hodgson may have turned the Three Lions into an organised force however they cannot give the opposition the chance to catch them out especially against a determined Ukraine. 

The co-hosts must win in Donetsk to qualify for their first ever European Championship quarter-final which will be a tough task however they will have the advantage of the home crowd outnumbering the travelling England fans. They couldn't capitalise on their opening win over Sweden as they fell to a 2-0 defeat to one of the favourites France as the same stadium which they will look to record their first win in it tonight. Ukraine have played four times at the Donbass Arena and are still yet to win as they have drawn one and lost the remaining three of those matches. Coach Oleg Blokhin has admitted that he is short of attacking options as he was told that former Chelsea and AC Milan striker, Andriy Shevchenko is rated as a '50-50 chance' by the team doctor to be involved against England as he is struggling with a knee problem. Shevchenko's striking partner Andriy Voronin said, "It is the biggest game in the country's history. For us it's a very important game, not just the whole team but for the whole country." 

Will Shevchenko feature against England?

Probable line-ups:

                                        England                                                                                                Ukraine

Preview of Netherlands v Germany

V

Venue: Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv. Kick-off: 7:45pm.

It is arguably the most anticipated match of Euro 2012 so far as the Netherlands take on Germany tonight knowing that defeat will send the Oranje home earlier than expected. The Dutch lost their opening Group B game to Denmark despite creating numerous amounts of chances. Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk has announced that his team are feeling the pressure ahead of the game in Kharkiv. He will have to make the decision of whether to start in-form striker Klaas-Jan Hunterlaar as the Schalke man came on in the closing stages against Denmark. 

The defeat was big shock to the system for the Netherlands however they know that tonight's game is make or break in terms of their stay in the tournament. It is astonishing to believe that the Dutch didn't get themselves on the score-sheet against Denmark having an incredible 29 shots with 9 of those on target. They will have to make their chances count against a Germany side who began their Euro 2012 campaign with a narrow victory over Portugal in Lviv. Both the Netherlands and Germany are considered to be two of the favourites to win the tournament however there is the prospect of the Oranje going out after two matches is a concern for van Marwijk however he feels his side can cope with the pressure. "Of course there is tension here, but positive tension - we are looking forward to the game. This is part of the job. I don't feel pressure too much." 

KEEPING CALM: Bert van Marwijk

Meanwhile for Germany, they come into the match knowing a victory would send them through to the quarter-finals. Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez scored the only goal against Portugal and coach Joachim Loew insists Gomez can only get better. "Gomez has lots of different qualities - one chance, one goal. The important thing was to win. The European Championship is like a Formula One race but without a warm-up." Loew was about to replace Gomez with Miroslav Klose before he headed home the winner 18 minutes from time to give the Germans a winning start in their search to win their fourth European title. There will be a number of key battles on the pitch at the Metalist Stadium which has the makings of a fantastic contest. Ranked fourth and third respectively, both teams have a big rivalry which has been going on for many a year. They met in many key matches including the 1974 World Cup Final where then West Germany beat the Dutch by two goals to one in Munich however the Oranje revenged for that defeat by beating the Germans by the same scoreline in the 1988 European Championship semi-final which they went on to win. Interestingly, the teams have met each other at the group stage of the tournament back in 2004 in Portugal where they played out a 1-1 draw in Porto. At the end of the group stage, the Netherlands went through to the knockout stages whereas Germany made an early exit. The opposite could happen tonight which would be a massive blow for the Oranje. 

Netherlands' Giovanni van Bronckhorst (R) beating
Germany's Kevin Kuranyi to the ball

In terms of team news, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar could start the game for the Netherlands however Ibrahim Affelay or Robin Van Persie, who had a inadequate impact against Denmark, could be forced to make way for the Schalke striker. For Germany, Bastian Schweinsteiger came through the Portugal game unscathed after suffering a calf injury before the tournament began otherwise Joachim Loew has a full fit squad to choose from. 

Probable line-ups: 

                     Netherlands                                                                                      Germany

Fabregas Rescues A Point for the Champions

Cesc Fabregas saved reigning European Champions Spain from defeat after he equalised to deny Italy a shock win in Gdansk. After an intriguing first half, substitute Antonio Di Natale gave the Azzurri a well-deserved lead after the hour mark from Andrea Pirlo's exquisite pass. Fabregas levelled for La Roja almost immediately after he was played in from David Silva's disguised ball. Fernando Torres came on in the closing stages and created a few opportunities to win the game however a draw was a fair result.


Before the match commenced, there was a shock announcement that Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque had declined the option to field an outright striker who instead chose Fabregas to play the role. A well-contested match began with the Spanish dominating the early stages who also had the first chance of the match when David Silva blazed his 20 yard effort over the crossbar after nine minutes. The Manchester City playmaker was in the midst of the action moments later when his Eastlands team-mate Mario Balotelli needlessly gave away possession to Silva whose tame attempt caused no problems for Gianluigi Buffon in the Italy goal. Sergio Ramos conceded a free-kick to the Italians to the right of the D. Pirlo took the set piece which forced a good save out of Iker Casillas diving low to his right. Veteran Antonio Cassano was involved in the couple of chances for Italy in the space of minutes where he firstly dragged his effort wide after taking on Gerard Piqué and he crossed in from the left to find Claudio Marchisio whose first time left-footed volley went straight at Casillas.


Two-time European winners Spain weren't going to lose patience in their passing game however they did have a couple of opportunities a few minutes before half-time where Buffon tipped Fabregas' shot wide of the post and Xavi feeded the pass for his Barcelona team-mate Andrés Iniesta whose attempted lob went just over the crossbar. It was the men in blue who almost took the lead into the half-time interval where Cassano's cross from the right was met by an unmarked Thiago Motta whose thumping header from close range forced Casillas into making a terrific right-handed save.

Thiago Motta's header forcing Iker Casillas
into action

After the interval, the opportunities continued where Fabregas set Iniesta free down the left where his acute-angled effort was tipped away by Buffon. Minutes later, Sergio Ramos was saved from his blushes as he mistakenly gave the ball to Balotelli on the right which set the former Inter man with a one-on-one with Casillas however he was too hesitant to test the Real Madrid goalkeeper as Ramos made up for his error by intercepting the ball. It wasn't long until Balotelli had to make way as Antonio Di Natale replaced the 21-year-old and the Udinese striker would make an instant impact on the match. On the hour mark, Pirlo picked the ball up in the middle, running past Xavi and played a delightful through pass, in between two defenders, for Di Natale who had time to position himself to curl the ball past Casillas to put the Italians ahead.

Antonio Di Natale guides his effort
past Casillas to put Italy ahead

Spain seeked for an immediate response which they would get as three minutes later, Iniesta found Silva who disguised his pass for the on-running Fabregas to slide the ball home underneath Buffon. Both teams created chances to try and get the winner starting with substitute Fernando Torres who beat the Italian offside trap and tried to round Buffon however the Juventus 'keeper intercepted the ball at the vital moment. Italy had a glorious chance to win the match as substitute Giovinco crossed from the left to find unmarked Di Natale however he could only steer his effort wide of the left post. Then it was Torres again who had a wonderful chance of getting a late goal when Xavi played him in, Buffon came out of his goal, the Chelsea striker tried to lob the veteran 'keeper however it had too much pace and lift to find the net.

Cesc Fábregas equalises for Spain

Overall, a draw was a fair result in Gdansk even though both teams had some decent chances when they came about. It wasn't pretty to watch at times however Italy will be the more happier with the point. The next question for Spain is whether Del Bosque will decide to play a striker for their next match against the Republic of Ireland on Thursday which I think is essential if they want to score more goals. Italy will be very pleased with their performance who play group leaders Croatia in Poznan which looks to be a very interesting match after their 3-1 success over the Irish on Sunday evening.


1-1

Review of Days 1 and 2

It has been an eventful first two days at the 2012 European Championships in Poland and Ukraine. The first games from Groups A and B have already taken place and already there has been some interesting outcomes.

Poland 1-1 Greece

Starting with co-hosts Poland who kicked of their campaign at the National Stadium in Warsaw against 2004 champions Greece. With all of the pre-tournament controversies out of the way, it was a chance for Poland to give a decent account of themselves in front of a worldwide audience. Both teams looked pretty nervous which was to be expected in the first game of the Championships. Poland improved creating a fair amount of chances before taking the lead on 17 minutes where an unmarked Robert Lewandowski headed in from Jakub Blaszczykowski's superb cross from the right. If going a goal down was a set-back for the Greeks, their task was made even trickier when they had centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos sent off for two very harsh bookings. Greece were very poor in the first half however nobody expected what was to occur after half-time.

Lewandowski gives Poland the lead

Dimitris Salpingidis came on for the Greeks after the break and made an instant impact as Fernando Santos' team aimed to get themselves back into the match. Five minutes into the second half, Salpingidis equalised for the Greeks as he was able to pounce on a loose ball after a lack of communication between Polish 'keeper Wojciech Szczesny and defender Marcin Wasilewski. Salpingidis was in the midst of the action once more after he was brought down in the box by Szczesny where Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo brandished his second red card of the match. It was left to substitute goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton to try and keep his team in the match as he faced the penalty kick from Giorgos Karagounis. Astonishingly, Tyton saved the penalty to his left and the stadium celebrated as if a goal had been scored.  The match finished 1-1 which was probably a fair result given that what had happened.

INSTANT HERO: Tyton saves Karagounis' penalty

Russia 4-1 Czech Republic

The second match in Group A saw Russia take on the Czech Republic in Wroclaw where an impressive Russian performance swept pass the Czechs. Russia, the favourites to finish as group winners, took the lead after 15 minutes as Alan Dzagoev smashed the ball home from ten yards after Aleksandr Kerzhakov's header came back off the post. Dzagoev should have scored his and Russia's second moments later when he was found in acres of space to the right of the box and struck his effort into the stand. The Russians were on a mission which wasn't a surprise as they soon doubled their advantage when Andrei Arshavin threaded a clever pass through for Roman Shirokov to chip the ball over Petr Cech from close range. Kerzhakov should have put the Czech Republic out of sight before half-time after the ball was squared to him in the area however, he haplessly blazed his effort over the crossbar.

Dzagoev smashes in his first of
two goals past Petr Cech

The Czech's had to get themselves back in the match and on 52 minutes, they did just that when Plasil played an excellent through ball to Pilar who rounded the Russia 'keeper Malafeev and slotted the ball into the empty net. Russia, who were semi-finalists at Euro 2008, sent on Roman Pavlyuchenko to increase their attacking options and the Tottenham striker assisted for Russia's third as his pass set up Dzagoev who allowed himself to take a touch to blast home for his second goal of the match on 79 minutes. The rout was completed three minutes later when Pavlyuchenko wriggled his way into the Czech penalty area taking on the defender and finally unleashing a terrific strike into the top left-hand corner of the goal leaving Cech with no chance at all. An excellent all-round performance from Russia who will provide to cause a shock or two in the tournament.

Roman Pavlyuchenko's thunderous strike
finishes off the Czechs

Netherlands 0-1 Denmark

On Saturday, it was the turn of Group B to kick off their first matches where to begin with, the Netherlands met Denmark in Kharkiv in Ukraine. The Dutch started the tournament as one of the favourites however Denmark would provide a stern test for the Oranje. Bert van Marwijk's team started very brightly creating chances from the off including Robin Van Persie placing his tame effort wide of the left post. Arjen Robben was carving up the Danish defence with his crafting runs and decent deliveries however the Dutch couldn't break the deadlock. Then the soccer-punch came to hit the Dutch on 24 minutes when Michael Krohn-Dehli received the ball from a deflection from Poulsen, ran into the box, cleverly disgusing his route and stuck the ball through Maarten Stekelenburg's legs as Denmark took a shock lead against the run of play. Robben had a terrific opportunity to draw the Dutch level as Denmark 'keeper Andersen's pass went straight to the Bayern Munich playmaker and his curling effort came back off the post.

Krohn-Dehli puts Denmark ahead

In the second half, the Oranje continued their mission in searching for an equaliser with Robben sending his curling effort high and wide of the goal however for Van Persie, he was having a day to forget after a poor first touch let him down in the first half and a complete mis-kick when he was a good position in the box. Mark Van Bommel had his fizzing 25-yard drive terrifically saved by Stefan Andersen while Johnny Heitinga headed over from a corner. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was sent on to rescue a point for his team and he almost did when he was sent one-on-one with Andersen however the Danish 'keeper made a brave block to deny the Schalke striker. Despite claims for a penalty waved away, Denmark survived the Dutch onslaught to record a famous win.

Germany 1-0 Portugal

Later in the day was one of the most anticipated matches of Euro 2012 to date between 3-time champions Germany and 2004 runners-up Portugal in Lviv. The Germans didn't take long to make themselves known as Jerome Boateng delivered a cross from the right flank for Mario Gomez whose header was saved by Portugal 'keeper Rui Patricio diving to his right. On the half hour mark, Mesut Özil delivered a low cross for Arsenal-bound Lukas Podolski who blasted his effort in row Z. Thomas Muller had his first opportunity of the match however he dragged his effort wide of the left post. Portugal barely threatened the Germans in the first half however before the interval, Pepe of Real Madrid took the time to take a touch and his side-footed effort came back off the underside of the crossbar with the ball bouncing off the goal-line where TV replays confirmed the ball didn't cross the line.

Pepe sees his effort come off
the underside of the bar

In the second half, Portugal continued to frustrate the Germans with their defensive tactics however their back line was to be breached 18 minutes from time. Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez was soon to be replaced by team-mate Miroslav Klose however his header from Boateng's deflected cross put the Germans  in front to continue his prolific scoring record. Gomez eventually made way for Klose with ten minutes left and soon after, Portugal suddenly came to life where Cristiano Ronaldo's fierce strike was saved by Manuel Neuer in the German goal. Portugal almost drew level when substitute Nelson Oliviera played the ball across the six-yard box for Valera whose effort produced a marvellous block from Neuer. It was the most entertaining of games however the Germans got the all-important win in their first group game.

SUPER MARIO: Mario Gomez heads Germany's winner

Low Expectations From Public as England Arrive in Poland

England arrived in Krakow in Poland yesterday with the realistic general public back home suggesting that they will not have a successful tournament at Euro 2012. The 23-man squad will begin training at FC Hutnik Krakow’s stadium on Friday after the team’s visit to Auschwitz where many concentration camps were based during World War II. The FA helped to improve their temporary training base which brings a drastic change to when they first visited the site after qualifying for the tournament. Prior to England's arrival, there have been numerous events that have caught the eye of the media and fans alike. 

TRANSITION: England's training camp in Krakow

To begin with was the appointment of former West Bromwich Albion boss Roy Hodgson as the new manager replacing Fabio Capello after the Italian resigned in February. For me, Hodgson was the correct choice for England with the amount of experience in international football including taking Switzerland to the 1994 World Cup in the USA. His CV also states that he has managed in Sweden, Finland, Italy, Denmark, Norway and the United Arab Emirates where the FA felt he was the only candidate for the job. When the squad announcement came along, there were some criticisms from fans suggesting that a few of the players that were selected shouldn't have been in the squad at all. Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson and Martin Kelly have got every England fan's mind boggling of their selection however the biggest omission from the England squad was Manchester City right-back Micah Richards. It is a questionable decision from Hodgson as Richards wasn't a popular choice during Capello's reign either. Hodgson has also had to deal with injuries to key players such as Frank Lampard, Jack Wilshire, Kyle Walker, Gareth Barry and most recently Gary Cahill. They are all big blows however the England squad must believe in themselves if they can get through to the latter stages of Euro 2012. 

PRIMING FOR SUCCESS: The England squad

In terms of the opposition that England will be facing in Group D, they have been placed alongside former World and European champions France, Sweden and co-hosts Ukraine. The Three Lions play France in Donetsk on Monday knowing that avoiding defeat will increase England's chances of qualifying for the quarter-finals. It will be a very tough game against 'Les Bleus' as they have been in a remarkable run of form being unbeaten in the last 21 matches. Despite Hodgson being in charge for two games, both of them wins, he has made England into an organised unit and looking difficult to beat however when it comes to tournament games, it's a whole different ball game. The staff and players will be looking to win the tournament however the main priority is to get out of the group and by taking one game at a time. It will be interesting to see how England fare in the tournament with the general public having low expectations on the squad. Despite having one of the youngest squads at Euro 2012, they are determined to do the best that they can, but then again, when have we all heard of that before? 


As mentioned earlier, some additions did cause a few stirs however there has been praise for Hodgson for his selection of players who have fully deserved their place in the 23-man squad. The main man who headlines that is 18-year-old Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain of Arsenal. After moving to the Emirates for an estimated £15m last August from Southampton, the teenager found it hard to get into the Arsenal first team however after a few appearances in the Carling Cup and Champions League, Arsene Wenger gave him the opportunity to play in the Premier League where he has put in some outstanding performances. His pace and skill are the key factors to his play which will give any defender a living nightmare. If given the opportunity at Euro 2012, he will definitely be one of the players to watch at this year's championships. 

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

For me, I feel that England will have to keep as an organised unit to stand any chance of qualifying for the latter stages of the European Championships. It is no surprise to anyone that they go into tournament with most of the public feeling that they will have a hard time in Ukraine. I have asked England fans on Twitter on their views: 

@Fuller_Saints: "Better than expected, will be efficient but not flashy, could work very well." 

@petersaint76: "If we get to the quarter-finals with the injuries and missing players, it will be an impressive performance." 

@MaryWillis28: "Must keep moving the ball forward. Working an opening is ok but got to lead somewhere." 

@Saint_dabbsie: "I genuinely think that we'll struggle to get out of a really tough group. Hope I'm wrong but think we're severely lacking up front." 

@BenCoupe: "Draw with France. Beat Sweden and Ukraine. Will win the quarter-final if we avoid Spain but will be out in the semis." 

@MrAlexWard: "If we're lucky, we'll get to the quarter-finals." 

@BradleyBakerMFC: "We will win, mainly cause I'm patriotic and always say this. Greece did it (in 2004), so why can't we? We have more heart than anyone else." 

@markbisping: "S***! But it's good we finally have a major tournament with no scandal building up to it and no expectations." 

@Ryan_House_94: "We won't make it through the group stage, lose to France and Ukraine, beat Sweden. Ukraine and France to go through."