Italy 2, France 0
Holland 2, Romania 0
What was expected to be one of the tournament's signature matches was a bit of a letdown, but you won't hear Italian fans complaining. The Azurri earned a spot in the quarterfinals with a 2-0 win over France, combined with Romania's 2-0 loss to Holland. Despite the convincing win, their first of the tournament, the news wasn't all positive for Italy. Midfielders Andrea Pirlo, who scored the first goal, and Gennaro Gattuso, both picked up their second yellow cards of the tournament and will miss Italy's quarterfinal against Spain.
The game was essentially decided in the 25th minute when France's Eric Abidal earned a red card for a professional foul on Luca Toni and Pirlo converted the ensuing penalty kick. France followed with a few offensive spurts, but no sustained pressure, and when Daniele De Rossi's 62nd minute free kick deflected off the foot of Thierry Henry into the net, Italy were through.
By the time the Italians tacked on their second goal, Romania already trailed Holland 1-0. Needing a win to advance, Romania could manage only eight shots for the game, and fell 2-0 to settle for third. While Holland were the story of Group C, the key moment over the past nine days came in the Romania-Italy match when Gigi Buffon's PK save on Adrian Mutu denied Romania three points and kept Italy in position to advance.
For the French, the only highlight on the evening was coach Raymond Domenech proposing to his lady friend during the post game press conference. Interesting timing on Domench's part and no word on if she said "oui."
Italy will face Spain in the quarters Sunday in Vienna, a task that becomes even tougher for Italy without the AC Milan duo of Pirlo and Gatusso. Holland have a Saturday date in Basel with either Sweden or Russia.
Showing posts with label Romania. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Romania. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
UEFA Euro 2008: Day 11 Previews
Romania, France and Italy are in a three-way battle for second in Group C, while Holland can enjoy the show.
France vs. Italy
The venue: Letzigrund Stadion, Zurich, Switzerland
The broadcast: ESPN, 2:45 pm ET
The storyline: It's the fourth big meeting between these countries in less than two years, following the '06 World Cup Final and two Euro qualifiers. Neither side has a win in the tournament, with each getting thumped by Holland and drawing with Romania. If Romania fail to beat Holland, the winner here gets a Sunday date with Spain in the quarters.
The prediction: Henry? Ribery? Toni? Who's gonna be the hero? Here's guessing a tense affair falls 1-0 to Italy.
Holland vs. Romania
The venue: Stade de Suisse Wankdorf, Berne, Switzerland
The broadcast: ESPN Classic, 2:45 pm ET
The storyline: Holland are on cruise control, having already wrapped up the group's top spot. Of the three teams battling for second, Romania have the upper hand, knowing a win sends them through regardless of the France-Italy result.
The prediction: It's tough to gauge what type of effort Holland will bring, but their wide-open style pitted against a Romania squad that has to win should produce an entertaining affair. A 2-2 draw leaves Romania on the wrong side of the equation.
France vs. Italy
The venue: Letzigrund Stadion, Zurich, Switzerland
The broadcast: ESPN, 2:45 pm ET
The storyline: It's the fourth big meeting between these countries in less than two years, following the '06 World Cup Final and two Euro qualifiers. Neither side has a win in the tournament, with each getting thumped by Holland and drawing with Romania. If Romania fail to beat Holland, the winner here gets a Sunday date with Spain in the quarters.
The prediction: Henry? Ribery? Toni? Who's gonna be the hero? Here's guessing a tense affair falls 1-0 to Italy.
Holland vs. Romania
The venue: Stade de Suisse Wankdorf, Berne, Switzerland
The broadcast: ESPN Classic, 2:45 pm ET
The storyline: Holland are on cruise control, having already wrapped up the group's top spot. Of the three teams battling for second, Romania have the upper hand, knowing a win sends them through regardless of the France-Italy result.
The prediction: It's tough to gauge what type of effort Holland will bring, but their wide-open style pitted against a Romania squad that has to win should produce an entertaining affair. A 2-2 draw leaves Romania on the wrong side of the equation.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
UEFA Euro 2008: Group C Chaos?
There's a genuine chance Italy, France and Romania could finish in a three-way tie for second in Group C. If Romania lose by three goals to Holland, and Italy and France play to a draw, with all three teams scoring the same number of goals Tuesday, those squads will be completely level: 2 points, a -3 goal differential, and the same number of goals for and against. What happens then? The qualifying coefficient comes into play, with the tiebreaker going to the team with the highest average points earned in qualifying matches from 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008. (The average is used since teams played various numbers of qualifying matches.) That tiebreaker favors Italy.
Italy: 52 points from 22 matches= 2.36
Romania: 54 points from 24 matches= 2.25
France: 46 points from 22 matches= 2.09
Here are the other Group C scenarios:
-Romania advance with a win over Holland, regardless of the result of the Italy-France match.
-If Romania lose or draw against Holland, the winner of Italy-France advances.
-If Italy and France draw, Romania would still advance if they lose to Holland by two goals or less.
-If Italy and France draw and Romania lose by four or more to Holland, Italy and France will go to shootout for second.
-If Italy and France draw and Romania lose by three, Romania advance if they score more goals than Italy and France. (For example, Romania could lose 4-1, but would advance if Italy and France play to a 0-0 draw.)
-If Italy and France draw and Romania lose by three, and score fewer goals than Italy and France, Italy and France will go to a shootout for second. (For example, if Romania lose 3-0 to Holland, a 1-1 draw between Italy and France would send them to shootout.)
Got all that? Incidentally, the qualifying coefficient is what was used to seed teams for this tournament. That's how a team like France, with a relatively low score, end up grouped with Italy.
Italy: 52 points from 22 matches= 2.36
Romania: 54 points from 24 matches= 2.25
France: 46 points from 22 matches= 2.09
Here are the other Group C scenarios:
-Romania advance with a win over Holland, regardless of the result of the Italy-France match.
-If Romania lose or draw against Holland, the winner of Italy-France advances.
-If Italy and France draw, Romania would still advance if they lose to Holland by two goals or less.
-If Italy and France draw and Romania lose by four or more to Holland, Italy and France will go to shootout for second.
-If Italy and France draw and Romania lose by three, Romania advance if they score more goals than Italy and France. (For example, Romania could lose 4-1, but would advance if Italy and France play to a 0-0 draw.)
-If Italy and France draw and Romania lose by three, and score fewer goals than Italy and France, Italy and France will go to a shootout for second. (For example, if Romania lose 3-0 to Holland, a 1-1 draw between Italy and France would send them to shootout.)
Got all that? Incidentally, the qualifying coefficient is what was used to seed teams for this tournament. That's how a team like France, with a relatively low score, end up grouped with Italy.
Friday, June 13, 2008
UEFA Euro 2008: Day 7 Recap
Italy 1, Romania 1
Holland 4, France 1
Any questions? Holland continued their dream run through the Group of Death with a 4-1 win over France. The win clinches the top spot in Group C for Marco Van Basten's men after a sweep of the finalists from the 2006 World Cup. As they did in their opener, Holland took the early lead but continued to press from there. Dirk Kuyt put Holland up 1-0 at the break with a tenth-minute header off a corner kick. In the second half Van Basten's subbed in more attacking players in Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben. Robben scored the second goal in the 59th minute, but the heroes on the play were Ruud van Nistelroy, who made a brilliant sideline maneuver to keep the ball in play and feed Robben, whose long run ended with a cross to van Persie. Thierry Henry netted France's first goal in the 71st minute, but a minute later Robben restored the advantage. Wesley Sneijder capped the scoring with an extra time tally.
Holland's entertaining play through two games evoke memories of the "Total Football" squads of the '70s which were twice World Cup runners-up, and the 1988 squad, led by Van Bastern, that won the nation's only European title. Key to Dutch success has been the contributions of players such as van Persie and Robben whose health was questionable coming into the tournament. Clearly this team is clicking at the right time and having locked up Group C, they enjoy the luxury of resting a bit in their final group stage game.
As for France, they incredibly remain in the picture along with Italy and Romania after those sides drew 1-1. A lively second half saw Adrian Mutu put Romania ahead 1-0 in the 55th minute, taking advantage of a botched head back by Gianluca Zambrotta. It took only one minute for Italy to level the game off the foot of Christian Panucci. Panucci was a central figure in the 80th minute, when his foul in the box gave Mutu the chance to steal the win from the penalty spot. But Gianluigi Buffon made a brilliant sprawling save to secure a valuable point for Italy.
The results leave Romania in second with two points, in control their destiny. But if the Romanians fail to beat Holland, the winner of the Italy-France match will advance.
Holland 4, France 1
Any questions? Holland continued their dream run through the Group of Death with a 4-1 win over France. The win clinches the top spot in Group C for Marco Van Basten's men after a sweep of the finalists from the 2006 World Cup. As they did in their opener, Holland took the early lead but continued to press from there. Dirk Kuyt put Holland up 1-0 at the break with a tenth-minute header off a corner kick. In the second half Van Basten's subbed in more attacking players in Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben. Robben scored the second goal in the 59th minute, but the heroes on the play were Ruud van Nistelroy, who made a brilliant sideline maneuver to keep the ball in play and feed Robben, whose long run ended with a cross to van Persie. Thierry Henry netted France's first goal in the 71st minute, but a minute later Robben restored the advantage. Wesley Sneijder capped the scoring with an extra time tally.
Holland's entertaining play through two games evoke memories of the "Total Football" squads of the '70s which were twice World Cup runners-up, and the 1988 squad, led by Van Bastern, that won the nation's only European title. Key to Dutch success has been the contributions of players such as van Persie and Robben whose health was questionable coming into the tournament. Clearly this team is clicking at the right time and having locked up Group C, they enjoy the luxury of resting a bit in their final group stage game.
As for France, they incredibly remain in the picture along with Italy and Romania after those sides drew 1-1. A lively second half saw Adrian Mutu put Romania ahead 1-0 in the 55th minute, taking advantage of a botched head back by Gianluca Zambrotta. It took only one minute for Italy to level the game off the foot of Christian Panucci. Panucci was a central figure in the 80th minute, when his foul in the box gave Mutu the chance to steal the win from the penalty spot. But Gianluigi Buffon made a brilliant sprawling save to secure a valuable point for Italy.
The results leave Romania in second with two points, in control their destiny. But if the Romanians fail to beat Holland, the winner of the Italy-France match will advance.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
UEFA Euro 2008: Day 7 Previews
The second day in Group C sees the World Champs Italy looking to rebound against Romania, while France hopes to slow down Holland.
Italy vs. Romania
The venue: Letzigrund Stadion, Zurich, Switzerland
The broadcast: ESPN2, 12:00 pm ET
The storyline: Italy looked old and slow in their opener against Holland. Was that the result of a brilliant Dutch side or the sign of an Italian team that reached their peak two years ago? That question will be answered against a cagey Romanian opponent.
The prediction: Expect a sharper Italian defense and an offense that just does enough to get a 1-0 win.
France vs. Holland
The venue: Stade de Suisse Wankdorf, Berne, Switzerland
The broadcast: ESPN2, 2:45 pm ET
The storyline: France's ability to ground the high-flying Dutch will depend on what contributions they get, if any, from Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry, who both missed the opener with thigh injuries. Overlooked in Holland's win over Italy were key saves from Edwin van der Sar, who will seek a second clean sheet.
The prediction: Holland are brimming with confidence and with the French at less than 100 percent, the Dutch lock up Group C with a 2-1 win.
Italy vs. Romania
The venue: Letzigrund Stadion, Zurich, Switzerland
The broadcast: ESPN2, 12:00 pm ET
The storyline: Italy looked old and slow in their opener against Holland. Was that the result of a brilliant Dutch side or the sign of an Italian team that reached their peak two years ago? That question will be answered against a cagey Romanian opponent.
The prediction: Expect a sharper Italian defense and an offense that just does enough to get a 1-0 win.
France vs. Holland
The venue: Stade de Suisse Wankdorf, Berne, Switzerland
The broadcast: ESPN2, 2:45 pm ET
The storyline: France's ability to ground the high-flying Dutch will depend on what contributions they get, if any, from Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry, who both missed the opener with thigh injuries. Overlooked in Holland's win over Italy were key saves from Edwin van der Sar, who will seek a second clean sheet.
The prediction: Holland are brimming with confidence and with the French at less than 100 percent, the Dutch lock up Group C with a 2-1 win.
Monday, June 9, 2008
UEFA Euro 2008: Day 3 Recap
France 0, Romania 0
Holland 3, Italy 0
The greatest moment in Dutch football came 20 years ago in winning Euro 1988. But in terms of a single-game performance, this afternoon's 3-0 thrashing of Italy may stand as the finest effort in team history. Employing a brash, attacking style, Holland jumped to a 2-0 lead at the half and crusied to victory. The brillant counter attack that lead to the second score is an early candidiate for the goal of the tournament. Giovanni Van Bronckhorst made a goal-line clearance off an Italian corner kick, then sparked a breakout that resulted in a long pass to Dirk Kuyt, whose centering pass was one-touched home by Wesley Sneijder in the 31st minute.
The controversy surrounding Holland's first goal five minutes earlier may be limited since the end result was so convincing. Ruud van Nistelrooy was clearly in an offsides position when he slotted home the first goal. Officials later explained that the presence of defender Christian Panucci, injured earlier in the play and lying off the pitch next to the goal, kept van Nistelrooy in an onsides position. But when you saw the Real Madrid striker's reaction- 10 seconds of looking for a flag before celebrating- it was clear he knew he got away with one.
The tournament is by no means over for Italy, but they'll need a better performance up front from Luca Toni if they are to improve from today's effort. The Bayern Munich striker missed a pair of close chances to get Italy back in the match.
In the first game, injury-riddled France, without Patrick Viera and Thiery Henry, looked off their pace in a goalles draw with Romania. Scoring chances were limited for both sides and it remains to be seen what contributions France will get from their hobbled stars. Romania played a smart game defensively but will need to show some creativity on the other end if they have designs on escaping the Group of Death.
Thursday Italy face Romania while France meet Holland. The 2006 World Cup Finalists are both on the wrong side of the momenum meter after day one, and we'll see if Holland's performance is a preview of greatness or a one-hit wonder.
Holland 3, Italy 0
The greatest moment in Dutch football came 20 years ago in winning Euro 1988. But in terms of a single-game performance, this afternoon's 3-0 thrashing of Italy may stand as the finest effort in team history. Employing a brash, attacking style, Holland jumped to a 2-0 lead at the half and crusied to victory. The brillant counter attack that lead to the second score is an early candidiate for the goal of the tournament. Giovanni Van Bronckhorst made a goal-line clearance off an Italian corner kick, then sparked a breakout that resulted in a long pass to Dirk Kuyt, whose centering pass was one-touched home by Wesley Sneijder in the 31st minute.
The controversy surrounding Holland's first goal five minutes earlier may be limited since the end result was so convincing. Ruud van Nistelrooy was clearly in an offsides position when he slotted home the first goal. Officials later explained that the presence of defender Christian Panucci, injured earlier in the play and lying off the pitch next to the goal, kept van Nistelrooy in an onsides position. But when you saw the Real Madrid striker's reaction- 10 seconds of looking for a flag before celebrating- it was clear he knew he got away with one.
The tournament is by no means over for Italy, but they'll need a better performance up front from Luca Toni if they are to improve from today's effort. The Bayern Munich striker missed a pair of close chances to get Italy back in the match.
In the first game, injury-riddled France, without Patrick Viera and Thiery Henry, looked off their pace in a goalles draw with Romania. Scoring chances were limited for both sides and it remains to be seen what contributions France will get from their hobbled stars. Romania played a smart game defensively but will need to show some creativity on the other end if they have designs on escaping the Group of Death.
Thursday Italy face Romania while France meet Holland. The 2006 World Cup Finalists are both on the wrong side of the momenum meter after day one, and we'll see if Holland's performance is a preview of greatness or a one-hit wonder.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
UEFA Euro 2008: Day 3 Previews
Group C, "The Group of Death," gets underway with France against Romania and Italy versus Holland.
France vs. Romania
The venue: Letzigrund Stadion, Zurich, Switzerland
The broadcast: ESPN2, 12:00 pm ET
The storyline: France have not been at their best in the pre-tournament friendlies. They can't afford to get off to a slow start against Romania with matches against Holland and Italy to follow.
The prediction: The tournament has yet to see an upset and given France's recent form this could be the first. Romania take a 1-0 win.
Holland vs. Italy
The venue: Stade de Suisse Wankdorf, Berne, Switzerland
The broadcast: ESPN2, 2:45 pm ET
The storyline: Both sides come into the game hard hit by injuries. Holland winger Arjen Robben (groin) is the latest Dutch player to head to the bench, joining Robin van Persie and Ryan Babel. Italy are forced to deal with the loss of captain Fabio Cannavaro.
The prediction: As both squads feel their way through modified line-ups, the net result is a 1-1 draw.
France vs. Romania
The venue: Letzigrund Stadion, Zurich, Switzerland
The broadcast: ESPN2, 12:00 pm ET
The storyline: France have not been at their best in the pre-tournament friendlies. They can't afford to get off to a slow start against Romania with matches against Holland and Italy to follow.
The prediction: The tournament has yet to see an upset and given France's recent form this could be the first. Romania take a 1-0 win.
Holland vs. Italy
The venue: Stade de Suisse Wankdorf, Berne, Switzerland
The broadcast: ESPN2, 2:45 pm ET
The storyline: Both sides come into the game hard hit by injuries. Holland winger Arjen Robben (groin) is the latest Dutch player to head to the bench, joining Robin van Persie and Ryan Babel. Italy are forced to deal with the loss of captain Fabio Cannavaro.
The prediction: As both squads feel their way through modified line-ups, the net result is a 1-1 draw.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
UEFA Euro 2008: Romania Team Preview
The squad: Romania are back in a major tournament for the first time since a quarterfinal appearance at Euro 2000. The squad won nine and lost only once in 12 qualifying matches, topping Group G ahead of Holland.
The players: Fiorentina striker Adrian Mutu will look to replicate the form he showed in qualifying when he netted six goals. His offensive partner, Ciprian Marica struggled in his first season at Stuttgart but was strong during qualifying, scoring five times. Captain Cristian Chivu of Inter leads the defense in front of goaltender Bogdan Lobont.
The schedule: vs. France (6/9); vs. Italy (6/13); vs. Holland (6/17)
The prediction: The draw was not kind to the Romanians whose progress past the group stages would come as a major surprise.
The players: Fiorentina striker Adrian Mutu will look to replicate the form he showed in qualifying when he netted six goals. His offensive partner, Ciprian Marica struggled in his first season at Stuttgart but was strong during qualifying, scoring five times. Captain Cristian Chivu of Inter leads the defense in front of goaltender Bogdan Lobont.
The schedule: vs. France (6/9); vs. Italy (6/13); vs. Holland (6/17)
The prediction: The draw was not kind to the Romanians whose progress past the group stages would come as a major surprise.
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