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