Euro 2012 Preview: Ukraine vs Sweden

Kiev: Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin has confirmed that the number of his players that were taken ill with food poisoning, before their warm-up loss to Turkey, have made a full recovery in time to face their Swedish opponents. Anatoliy Tymoshchuk and Andriy Voronin are thus likely to return to the starting line-up, while the Ukraine boss will also make several other changes all over the pitch. Star striker Andriy Shevchenko could be forced to start on the bench as he has struggled to find full fitness of late. Sweden have a clean bill of health after Johan Elmander recovered from a foot injury to take part in training during the week. As such, Erik Hamren will have to make a decision on who to partner big-name striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic with. Ola Toivonen scored and impressed against Serbia in their final warm-up game so expect him to get the nod over Elmander and play just behind the AC Milan forward, with Markus Rosenberg as another option on the bench, meaning the visitors would be unchanged from that 2-1 victory.

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Russia beat Czech Republic 4-1 in Euro 2012

Russia’s Roman Pavlyuchenko scores past Czech Republic’s Petr Cech (L) during their Group A Euro 2012 soccer match at the city stadium in Wroclaw. Russia’s Roman Pavlyuchenko scores past Czech Republic’s Petr Cech (L) during their Group A Euro 2012 soccer match at the city stadium in Wroclaw.

Wroclaw (Poland): Two goals from Alan Dzagoev and a late stunner from Roman Pavlyuchenko helped Russia throw down a marker at Euro 2012 Friday with a 4-1 dismantling of the Czech Republic.

With co-hosts Poland drawing 1-1 with Greece in the tournament curtain-raiser earlier Friday, the Russians shoot to the top of Group A and become the team to beat.

CSKA Moscow midfielder Dzagoev, 21, put the Russians ahead on 15 minutes, smashing home a rebound off the post from an Alexander Kerzhakov header.

The second came less than 10 minutes later as midfielder Roman Shirokov chipped deftly over Petr Cech after a through ball from Andrei Arshavin.

The Czechs pulled one back early in the second half through Wolfsburg striker Vaclav Pilar, who calmly rounded Vyacheslav Malafeev and slot home from a tight angle.

Roman Pavlyuchenko came on for Alexander Kerzhakov on 75 minutes, and the former Tottenham man immediately set up Dzagoev for his second before firing in a stunning fourth for his team a minute later.

It was a performance on a parallel with Russia's victory over the Netherlands at Euro 2008, and hails the arrival on the international scene of CSKA Moscow's Dzagoev, who has for years been mooted as a star of the future.

Russia takes on Poland in Warsaw for the next game Tuesday while the Czechs will face Greece.

Russia: Vyacheslav Malafeev, Alexander Anyukov, Sergei Ignashevich, Alexei Berezutsky, Yuri Zhirkov, Igor Denisov, Konstantin Zyryanov, Roman Shirokov, Alan Dzagoev (Alexander Kokorin, 85), Andrei Arshavin, Alexander Kerzhakov.

Czech Republic: Peter Cech; Theodor Gebre Selassie, Michal Kadlec, Roman Hubnik, Tomas Sivok; Jan Rezek (Tomas Hubschman, 46), Jaroslav Plasil, Tomas Rosicky, Petr Jiracek (Milan Petrzela, 75), Vaclav Pilar; Milan Baros (David Lafata, 87).

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Euro 2012: Croatia beat Ireland 3-1

Poznan (Poland): Two headers by Mario Mandzukic made the difference as Croatia took the lead in Euro 2012's Group C after a 3-1 win over Ireland.

Mandzukic scored the fastest goal of the tournament so far when he opened the scoring in the third minute, with a header from Darijo Srna's deflected ball.

Ireland responded fifteen minutes later with a close-range header from defender Sean St Ledger, who used his strength to beat Vedran Corluka to Aiden McGeady's free kick.

Everton forward Nikica Jelavic restored Croatia's lead on 43 minutes, flicking the ball over the onrushing Shay Given from Luka Modric's pass.

The Irish claimed the strike was offside, but the referee dismissed their appeals. The match was then stopped for around a minute as Croatian fans celebrated by throwing pyrotechnics.

Mandzukic scored three minutes into the second half as well, with a header from Ivan Perisic's cross that ricocheted in off the post and Given's head.

Earlier Sunday two goals in three minutes saw Spain and Italy share the points with a 1-1 draw in their Euro 2012 opener, as Cesc Fabregas canceled out Antonio Di Natale's strike with a goal of his own.

Ireland: Shay Given, John O'Shea, Sean St Ledger, Stephen Ward, Richard Dunne, Damien Duff, Keith Andrews, Glenn Whelan, Robbie Keane (Shane Long, 75'), Kevin Doyle (Jon Walters, 53'), Aiden McGeady (Simon Cox, 54').

Croatia: Stipe Pletikosa, Gordon Schildenfeld, Vedran Corluka, Ivan Strinic, Darijo Srna, Ivan Rakitic, Luka Modric, Ognjen Vukojevic, Nikica Jelavic (Niko Kranjcar, 72'), Mario Mandzukic, Ivan Perisic.

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UEFA Euro 2012: Portugal must copy Euro 2004 spirit, says Ronaldo

Lviv, Ukraine: Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has insisted his team must turn back the clock if they want to go on to reach the final of Euro 2012 despite losing their opening Euro 2012 game 1-0 to Germany.
A second-half header from German striker Mario Gomez was enough to give Joachim Loew's team the three points in Group B at the Lviv Arena on Saturday.

After Denmark's shock 1-0 win over World Cup finalists Holland earlier on Saturday, Ronaldo's Portugal are now under pressure to win their next Group B game against the Danes back in Lviv on Wednesday.

But Ronaldo, who once again failed to transfer his club form onto the international stage, is calling for his team to emulate the spirit of the Euro 2004 team which lost their opening game 2-1 to eventual-winners Greece, but still went onto reach the final, where they lost 1-0 to the Greeks in Lisbon.

The Portuguese had their chances against the Germans with Real Madrid's Pepe rattling the crossbar just before the half-time break.

Then replacement Silvestre Varela of Porto was only denied a late equaliser following a fine save from Manuel Neuer and some desperate German defending, but Portugal are yet to taste victory in 2012 after four winless games.

"We were better than Germany," Real star Ronaldo told uefa.com.

"Now we have to pick ourselves up and continue.

"We have to take as an example the team of 2004, when we also started with a defeat, but then reached the final."

"In the second half, the Germans had virtually one chance, while we hit the bar twice and had some big opportunities."

"There was a lot of bad luck and a lot of frustration because we knew we deserved more - a win or a draw."

"We have been playing well for several games and just haven't had the luck with our finishing."

"Anyone who watched the match will have seen that we were better than Germany, and the chances speak for themselves."

Team-mate Pepe said Portugal have the class to qualify from the pool - which has been dubbed "The Group of Death".

"We created a lot more chances," said the Madrid star.

"I thought we played at a high level but the ball just did not want to go in.

"We're sad about the result but still believe we can go through.

"There are four high-quality teams in our group (and) we have showed we're capable of getting through if we continue to play as we did today - we just need the luck.

"In the first half, Germany didn't cause us many problems, but they came into it in the second half and scored.

"Unfortunately it's not always the best team that wins."

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Euro 2012: Ukraine feeling the pressure in opener vs Sweden

Kiev, Ukraine: The Olympic Stadium will turn into a raucous sea of blue and yellow on Monday when Ukraine takes on Sweden at the European Championship.
Euro 2012 | About event | 
While both teams sport the same colors, there's no doubt who'll be feeling the most support from the crowd. Whether that will be a help or a hindrance, though, remains to be seen.

Ukraine is feeling the immense pressure that comes with hosting its first major tournament, and knows that the home fans will accept nothing less than a win. Sweden coach Erik Hamren believes the host usually does well in its opening game, with home-field advantage potentially offsetting whatever edge the Swedes may have when it comes to skill.

Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin has called on the national press "not to raise expectations too high" despite being fully aware of the meaning this tournament has for the 45 million fans in the country.

"As Ukraine is the host, then you are expected to win," Blokhin said through a translator. "I understand my full responsibility. I know what the country expects from us ... So I am telling the players that they have to defend the honor of the nation."

Veteran Sweden defender Olof Mellberg still remembers playing co-host Belgium in Sweden's opening game at Euro 2000, which resulted in a 2-1 loss. Mellberg, who is now entering his sixth major tournament, said taking the crowd out of the game quickly could be decisive.

"There's a lot of pressure on everyone, us too," Mellberg said. "But of course, if the home nation gets a good start and gets support from the crowd, that's often an extra benefit. We'll try to make sure they don't get that."

Adding to the pressure is the fact that this is a game that both teams need to win to have a realistic chance of advancing from Group D, which also includes France and England. Even a draw will be seen as a setback for both teams, as they will then likely have to win at least one of the games against the two group favorites.

Get a win on Monday, though, and two draws in the remaining games could be enough to go through.

Blokhin went so far as to say that the team that loses Monday's match is virtually out of the competition. That could prove extra costly for Ukraine, as the home fans' interest in the event could decline if their team was left without a chance just four days into the tournament. The other co-host, Poland, drew 1-1 with Greece on Friday in Group A.

"The fans expect us to win every match," Ukraine striker Andriy Voronin said. "But our main task will be to survive the group stage. Then everything can happen."

On paper, Sweden has the better team. Led by AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Swedes have a superstar that is in his prime, having scored a career-high 28 goals in Serie A this past season. Ukraine's biggest star, on the other hand, is well past his best scoring days. Still, captain Andriy Shevchenko enjoys a healthy respect among his opponents, and his leadership could help inspire the Ukrainian team as it looks for an upset.

"It's hard to look past a player like Shevchenko," Sweden winger Sebastian Larsson said when asked about who posed the biggest threat among the Ukrainians. "And also their wingers. They play a lot on the wings and they're very skillful and quick players."

Ukraine's preparations were far from impressive, with back-to-back losses against Austria and Turkey in friendlies, and with 10 players falling ill after allegedly eating a bad salad in a German hotel.

All the players recovered within two days, but it's still hard to predict what the starting XI will be against Sweden.

If Blokhin and his team had any doubt about what the game means to the country, President Viktor Yanukovych gave them a reminder when he visited the training camp on Friday.

"We really want you to succeed. We will be present at all your matches," the president said. "You must show fighting spirit."

So, no pressure then.

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Euro 2012: Croatia thrash Ireland in stirring start

Poznan: Croatia piled on the misery for Ireland, beating them 3-1 in their Euro 2012 opener here on Sunday, with Mario Mandzukic scoring two in a stirring meeting that saw both teams battle hard from start to finish.
Euro 2012 | Standings

Keenly aware that on the road ahead lie heavyweights Italy and defending European champions Spain, both Ireland and Croatia had been clear that they needed a convincing start to the tournament.

Just three minutes in, Wolfsburg striker Mandzukic moved into position for a cross from captain Darijo Srna, stumbling briefly before steadying himself to beat Irish goalkeeper Shay Given with a powerful header.

Veteran Given - Ireland's most capped player with 122 - appeared uncomfortable as he was caught off guard, conceding his country's first first half goal in 15 matches.

The 36-year-old Aston Villa keeper had been a doubt because of a knee injury but after being able to train fully on Friday suffered no reaction and was cleared to play in Sunday's match giving coach Giovanni Trapattoni a boost.

Croatia's ecstatic fans let off flares to celebrate Mandzukic's goal, and did so again to mark the ensuing strikes despite appeals from the announcer, meaning the team looks set to be the latest to be fined by UEFA for the behaviour of its supporters at Euro 2012.

Ireland, roared on by their fans, battled back.

They had a chance to equalise after winning a free kick on the edge of the area in the 11th minute when Gordon Schildenfeld fouled Kevin Doyle, but Keith Andrews's shot was blocked.

Eight minutes later, however, came a repeat performance, as Doyle was brought down by Vedran Corluka.

Aiden McGeady stepped up to take the shot, firing the arching free kick to Sean St Ledger, who nodded past Croatian keeper Stipe Pletikosa.

That put a smile on the face of the Leicester City player, who did not score for his club this season.

Ireland's green, white and orange-clad supporters responded by doing "the Poznan", a backs-to-the-pitch jumping dance made famous by fans of the city's top-flight club Lech.

The two teams continued to parry and thrust into the dying minutes of the half, until Croatia packed into the Irish area, with Ivan Perisic crossing to Ivan Rakitic.

A touch by Stephen Ward put Nikica Jelavic onside, and he beat Given in the 43rd minute.

Three minutes after returning from the dressing room, Croatia made it 3-1 when Mandzukic fired towards the far corner of the net.

The shot hit the post, but bounced off the lunging Given and into the back of the net.

Ireland and their supporters were irate in the 62nd minute when talismanic captain Robbie Keane - their 31-year-old record goalscorer who like Given is at what is likely to be his last international tournament - was brought down by Schildenfeld in what the video replay showed was the Croatian box.

But Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers refused to award a penalty.

Ireland came achingly close to an honour-saving goal in the 86th minute as they packed around the Croatian net, but failed to make good on the pressure they applied.

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Netherlands side 1-0 in their opening Group B match at Metalist Stadium here on Saturday.

Kharkiv: Denmark claimed the first upset of Euro 2012 by overcoming a badly misfiring Netherlands side 1-0 in their opening Group B match at Metalist Stadium here on Saturday.
Euro 2012 | Standings | Matchcentre
Brondby forward Michael Krohn-Dehli claimed the game's only goal mid-way through the first half, as Denmark avenged their opening-game loss at the 2010 World Cup and recorded a first win over the Dutch since 1967.

Defeat already compromises the Netherlands' chances of progressing to the knockout phase, with games against Germany and Portugal still to come in the competition's most unforgiving group.

Beaten finalists at the World Cup and top scorers in qualifying, the Dutch entered the tournament among the favourites but their hopes of success in Poland and Ukraine may now hinge on Wednesday's encounter with Germany.

"This is the game," rued Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk.

"We were really determined and I thought that we played even better than our opponents, but you have to score that goal."

Denmark, meanwhile, will advance with renewed belief that they can emulate their shock Euro triumph from 1992, particularly as they finished above forthcoming opponents Portugal in qualifying.

At the age of 18 years and 71 days, Jetro Willems became the youngest ever player to grace a European Championship but the Dutch left-back showed no early nerves and saw a shot from 20 yards narrowly clear the crossbar.

Maarten Stekelenburg was the first goalkeeper called into action, as he comfortably claimed a header from Danish captain Daniel Agger, but gradually the Danes were forced deeper and deeper into their own territory.

Ibrahim Afellay, Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben all threatened on multiple occasions, while the latter saw a low cross cut out by Lars Jacobsen after electing not to reward van Persie's through ball with a shot.

It was therefore against the run of play that Denmark broke the deadlock, in the 24th minute, as Krohn-Dehli sold John Heitinga a dummy inside the box before tucking the ball between Stekelenburg's legs.

The goal brought Holland coach Bert van Marwijk to the edge of his technical area and it was from there that he saw Robben strike the base of Denmark's right-hand post after pouncing on goalkeeper Stephan Andersen's loose pass as the 1988 champions roused themselves.

Wesley Sneijder set up van Persie for what looked certain to be the equaliser shortly before the interval, but for once the Arsenal man's touch let him down and his shot was blocked by the advancing Andersen.

The Netherlands had 12 shots off target in the first half and their struggle for precision continued in the second, with van Persie tripping over his own feet after being put through in the early stages.

Spurned chances continued to come and go at an alarming rate for the Dutch, while Krohn-Dehli had Stekelenburg scrambling with a low shot at the other end.

Van Marwijk chose to act by introducing Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Rafael van der Vaart from the bench, and the Schalke striker almost made an immediate impact, collecting Sneijder's fine pass but being bravely denied by Andersen.

A strong handball appeal against Jacobsen brought the Dutch substitutes charging from the dug-out, arms aloft, in the 89th minute but there was to be no late reprieve for van Marwijk's men.

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