The draw for the Euro 2012 qualifying stages was held today in Warsaw and the resulting groups left us with few possibilities of upsets.

England missed out on qualification last time around but have a relatively easy group to negotiate with the likes of Wales, Montenegro and Bulgaria standing in their way. Switzerland round up the group which will provide for an interesting but relatively straight-forward qualification.

Hosts Poland and Ukraine get a bye to the finals, while European champions Spain have the Czech Republic and Scotland in their group.

Fifty-one countries participated in the draw, forming 6 groups of 6 teams and 3 groups of 5 teams each. The groups will be contested according to a league system on a home-and-away basis, with games scheduled between September 2010 and October 2011.

The nine winners and the runner-up with the best record against the top five sides in their pool qualify directly for the final tournament, the last before the championship is expanded to 24 teams. The eight remaining runners-up go into play-off matches in November 2011 to decide the final four sides to join co-hosts Poland and Ukraine.

Euro 2012 Qualifying Groups

Group A: Germany, Turkey, Austria, Belgium, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan

Group B: Russia, Slovakia, Republic of Ireland, Macedonia, Armenia, Andorra

Group C: Italy, Serbia, Northern Ireland, Slovenia, Estonia, Faroe Islands

Group D: France, Romania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Belarus, Albania, Luxembourg

Group E: Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Moldova, San Marino

Group F: Croatia, Greece, Israel, Latvia, Georgia, Malta

Group G: England, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Wales, Montenegro

Group H: Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Cyprus, Iceland

Group I: Spain, Czech Republic, Scotland, Lithuania, Liechtenstein

Euro 2012 Qualifying Fixtures

GROUP A

03.09.10
Belgium v Germany
Kazakhstan v Turkey

07.09.10
Germany v Azerbaijan
Austria v Kazakhstan
Turkey v Belgium

08.10.10
Kazakhstan v Belgium
Austria v Azerbaijan
Germany v Turkey

12.10.10
Kazakhstan v Germany
Belgium v Austria
Azerbaijan v Turkey

25.03.11
Austria v Belgium
Germany v Kazakhstan

29.03.11
Turkey v Austria
Belgium v Azerbaijan

03.06.11
Belgium v Turkey
Austria v Germany
Kazakhstan v Azerbaijan

07.06.11
Azerbaijan v Germany

02.09.11
Azerbaijan v Belgium
Germany v Austria
Turkey v Kazakhstan

06.09.11
Austria v Turkey
Azerbaijan v Kazakhstan

07.10.11
Azerbaijan v Austria
Belgium v Kazakhstan
Turkey v Germany

11.10.11
Germany v Belgium
Turkey v Azerbaijan
Kazakhstan v Austria

GROUP B

03.09.10
Armenia v Ireland
Andorra v Russia
Slovakia v Macedonia

07.09.10
Ireland v Andorra
Russia v Slovakia
Macedonia v Armenia

08.10.10
Armenia v Slovakia
Ireland v Russia
Andorra v Macedonia

12.10.10
Armenia v Andorra
Slovakia v Ireland
Macedonia v Russia

26.03.11
Ireland v Macedonia
Andorra v Slovakia
Russia v Armenia

04.06.11
Armenia v Russia
Slovakia v Andorra
Macedonia v Ireland

02.09.11
Ireland v Slovakia
Andorra v Armenia
Russia v Macedonia

06.09.11
Russia v Ireland
Slovakia v Armenia
Macedonia v Andorra

07.10.11
Armenia v Macedonia
Andorra v Ireland
Slovakia v Russia

11.10.11
Ireland v Armenia
Russia v Andorra
Macedonia v Slovakia

GROUP C

11.08.10
Estonia v Faroe Islands

03.09.10
Slovenia v Northern Ireland
Estonia v Italy
Faroe Islands v Serbia

07.09.10
Serbia v Slovenia
Italy v Faroe Islands

08.10.10
Slovenia v Faroe Islands
Serbia v Estonia
Northern Ireland v Italy

12.10.10
Faroe Islands v Northern Ireland
Estonia v Slovenia
Italy v Serbia

25.03.11
Slovenia v Italy
Serbia v Northern Ireland

29.03.11
Northern Ireland v Slovenia
Estonia v Serbia

03.06.11
Faroe Islands v Slovenia
Italy v Estonia

07.06.11
Faroe Islands v Estonia

10.08.11
Northern Ireland v Faroe Islands

02.09.11
Slovenia v Estonia
Faroe Islands v Italy
Northern Ireland v Serbia

06.09.11
Italy v Slovenia
Serbia v Faroe Islands
Estonia v Northern Ireland

07.10.11
Northern Ireland v Estonia
Serbia v Italy

11.10.11
Italy v Northern Ireland
Slovenia v Serbia

GROUP D

03.09.10
France v Belarus
Romania v Albania
Luxembourg v Bosnia

07.09.10
Albania v Luxembourg
Bosnia v France
Belarus v Romania

08.10.10
Albania v Bosnia
Luxembourg v Belarus

09.10.10
France v Romania

12.10.10
Belarus v Albania
France v Luxembourg

25.03.11
Luxembourg v France

26.03.11
Bosnia v Romania
Albania v Belarus

29.03.11
Romania v Luxembourg

03.06.11
Belarus v France
Romania v Bosnia

07.06.11
Belarus v Luxembourg
Bosnia v Albania

02.09.11
Luxembourg v Romania
Belarus v Bosnia
Albania v France

06.09.11
Romania v France
Bosnia v Belarus
Luxembourg v Albania

07.10.11
Bosnia v Luxembourg
France v Albania
Romania v Belarus

11.10.11
France v Bosnia
Albania v Romania

GROUP E

03.09.10
Sweden v Hungary
Moldova v Finland
San Marino v Netherlands

07.09.10
Netherlands v Finland
Sweden v San Marino
Hungary v Moldova

08.10.10
Hungary v San Marino
Moldova v Netherlands

12.10.10
Netherlands v Sweden
Finland v Hungary
San Marino v Moldova

17.11.10
Finland v San Marino

25.03.11
Hungary v Netherlands

29.03.11
Netherlands v Hungary
Sweden v Moldova

03.06.11
Moldova v Sweden
San Marino v Finland

07.06.11
Sweden v Finland
San Marino v Hungary

02.09.11
Netherlands v San Marino
Finland v Moldova
Hungary v Sweden

06.09.11
Finland v Netherlands
Moldova v Hungary
San Marino v Sweden

07.10.11
Netherlands v Moldova
Finland v Sweden

11.10.11
Sweden v Netherlands
Hungary v Finland
Moldova v San Marino

GROUP F

03.09.10
Greece v Georgia
Israel v Malta
Latvia v Croatia

07.09.10
Georgia v Israel
Malta v Latvia
Croatia v Greece

08.10.10
Greece v Latvia
Georgia v Malta
Israel v Croatia

12.10.10
Greece v Israel
Latvia v Georgia
Croatia v Malta

26.03.11
Georgia v Croatia
Israel v Latvia
Malta v Greece

04.06.11
Greece v Malta
Latvia v Israel
Croatia v Georgia

02.09.11
Georgia v Latvia
Israel v Greece
Malta v Croatia

06.09.11
Malta v Georgia
Latvia v Greece
Croatia v Israel

07.10.11
Greece v Croatia
Israel v Georgia
Latvia v Malta

11.10.11
Georgia v Greece
Malta v Israel
Croatia v Latvia

GROUP G

03.09.10
Montenegro v Wales
England v Bulgaria

07.09.10
Bulgaria v Montenegro
Switzerland v England

08.10.10
Montenegro v Switzerland
Wales v Bulgaria

12.10.10
England v Montenegro
Switzerland v Wales

26.03.11
Wales v England
Bulgaria v Switzerland

04.06.11
Montenegro v Bulgaria
England v Switzerland

02.09.11
Wales v Montenegro
Bulgaria v England

06.09.11
England v Wales
Switzerland v Bulgaria

07.10.11
Montenegro v England
Wales v Switzerland

11.10.11
Bulgaria v Wales
Switzerland v Montenegro

GROUP H

03.09.10
Portugal v Cyprus
Iceland v Norway

07.09.10
Norway v Portugal
Denmark v Iceland

08.10.10
Portugal v Denmark
Cyprus v Norway

12.10.10
Iceland v Portugal
Denmark v Cyprus

26.03.11
Cyprus v Iceland
Norway v Denmark

04.06.11
Portugal v Norway
Iceland v Denmark

02.09.11
Cyprus v Portugal
Norway v Iceland

06.09.11
Iceland v Cyprus
Denmark v Norway

07.10.11
Portugal v Iceland
Cyprus v Denmark

11.10.11
Norway v Cyprus
Denmark v Portugal

GROUP I

03.09.10
Lithuania v Scotland
Liechtenstein v Spain

07.09.10
Czech Republic v Lithuania
Scotland v Liechtenstein

08.10.10
Spain v Lithuania
Czech Republic v Scotland

12.10.10
Scotland v Spain
Liechtenstein v Czech Republic

25.03.11
Spain v Czech Republic

29.03.11
Czech Republic v Liechtenstein
Lithuania v Spain

03.06.11
Liechtenstein v Lithuania

02.09.11
Lithuania v Liechtenstein

03.09.11
Scotland v Czech Republic

06.09.11
Spain v Liechtenstein
Scotland v Lithuania

07.10.11
Czech Republic v Spain

08.10.11
Liechtenstein v Scotland

11.10.11
Spain v Scotland
Lithuania v Czech Republic

The following dates are reserved for the play-off matches between the remaining eight runners-up:

a) 11/12 November 2011
b) 15 November 2011

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

This Community Shield match is from a previous season. Watch the latest Community Shield match here and the latest Manchester United v Chelsea match here.

Watch Manchester United v Chelsea in the Community Shield live on your PC.

Manchester United (Nani 10′, Rooney 90′ + 2) 2-2 Chelsea (Carvalho 52′, Lampard 71′) (Chelsea win, 4-1, on penalties)
Competition: F.A. Community Shield
Stadium: Wembley Stadium, London, England
Date: 9 August 2009
Kickoff: 14:00 GMT, 10:00 EST

Manchester United equalized late but Chelsea triumphed on penalty kicks to win the 2009 Community Shield! Soccerlens brought you the action live! Click below for the live-blog and feel free to leave comments below!

When the summer transfer window first opened, both Manchester United and Chelsea had grand plans to acquire some of the best and brightest available talent. Manchester United were resigned to losing Cristiano Ronaldo, but were looking forward to throwing around some of that king’s ransom they got from Real Madrid to replenish the ranks. Chelsea, meanwhile, finally lured Carlo Ancelotti from AC Milan and hoped that their newfound stability (as well as Roman Abramovich’s billions) would allow them to recruit enough world-class talent to finally overtake their bitter rivals to the northwest. Both clubs were maneuvering for gifted French playmaker Franck Ribery and both clubs had their eyes on rising young Argentine phenom Sergio Aguero. Chelsea also looked to acquire David Villa from Valencia and Andrea Pirlo from AC Milan while United bid for Karim Benzema and were linked to the likes of Samuel Eto’o and Klaas Jan Huntelaar. Indeed, it seemed as if the Community Shield would allow both clubs to show off their wares while introducing a number of European superstars to the English game.

Only that’s not what happened.

Chelsea were able to acquire Yuri Zhirkov from CSKA Moscow and Daniel Sturridge from Manchester City, however they struck out on all of their big-time targets (although Pirlo could be on the way). In fact, the biggest story at Chelsea all summer was not who might be coming in but who might be leaving. John Terry, Mr. Chelsea and long-time captain, flirted with Manchester City for weeks before finally declaring his allegiance to the only club he’s ever played for. His loyalty, however, came with a price: improved terms and a commitment to bringing in more big-name talent for the rapidly aging squad. The latter could be difficult, especially with Ribery looking like a future Galactico and Villa wanting to remain in Spain. Plus, it remains to be seen whether Terry’s actions will have any effect on the locker room.

As for Manchester United, they must have felt like a leper at a nudist colony since they had all the money in the world after selling Ronaldo to Real Madrid and no one to spend it on. They were outbid for Benzema, they never really wanted Eto’o, and they were rebuffed by Bayern Munich for Ribery. In the end, they were only able to acquire Antonio Valencia from Wigan Athletic and former all-world striker, Michael Owen, on a free transfer from Newcastle (as well as young Gabriel Obertan from Bordeaux and Mame Biram Diouf from Molde). Nevertheless, there’s reason to be optimistic if you’re a Manchester United fan. Owen and Dimitar Berbatov have looked sensational in the preseason and Ronaldo’s departure means Wayne Rooney can assume his natural position down the center. And, of course, Manchester United still have Sir Alex Ferguson, and if we’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that you count them out at your own peril.

These two squads are veterans of the Community Shield, with at least one of these clubs having appeared in 12 out of the last 13. They last met in the 2007 Community Shield, which Manchester United won on penalties after Edwin Van der Sar memorably pitched a shutout against Chelsea. Van der Sar won’t be around, this time, as he broke his hand and will be out for two months. Will that be enough of a difference for Chelsea to topple the defending champs? Or will Manchester United show that they’re still the kings of England? Tune in and find out!

Lineups:

Manchester United: Foster, O’Shea, Ferdinand (c), Evans, Evra, Park, Fletcher, Carrick, Nani, Rooney, Berbatov.
Subs: Kuszczak, Owen, Giggs, Scholes, Fabio Da Silva, Valencia, Gibson.

As expected, Van der Sar, Neville, Brown, and Vidic will all miss out with injuries. Anderson and Macheda will also miss out, which is a surprise. Also a surprise is that Sir Alex won’t start either of his new signees, Owen or Valencia. Foster despite making a horrendous howler against the Malaysian XI, will get the start over Kuszczak. All eyes will be on the front line of Rooney and Berbatov to see if they can start to make United fans forget about whats-his-name who plays in Spain now.

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Terry (c), Carvalho, A. Cole, Mikel, Essien, Lampard, Malouda, Drogba, Anelka.
Subs: Hilario, Ballack, Bosingwa, Deco, Kalou, Alex, Belletti.

As expected, new signee Zhirkov will miss out with an injury. Carvalho will start at center-back, which seems to indicate that he’s back in the team’s good graces. Mikel will play the role that was saved for Pirlo, sending Ballack to the bench. Bosingwa (who might be on the outs) and Deco (who is definitely on the outs) will come off the bench while Shevchenko (who would be on the outs if anyone wanted him) will miss out completely.

Minute-by-Minute:

Fourth Kick Deco steps up, but wait, he hands it off to Kalou. He steps up and he beats Foster easily to the top right corner. Chelsea win, 4-1 on penalties! Congrats to them for winning the Community Shield! If the season is as exciting as this game, then we should be in for a real treat.

Third Kick Drogba (who famously did not take part in the last shootout between these two) goes the same way Ballack did, and Foster was completely fooled. Evra will step up and he’ll try and beat Cech. His tame effort is easily saved by Cech and that was a horrible kick. That one made Berbatov’s against Everton look like a brilliant rocket of a shot. Seriously, I’m not sure what he was trying to do there. That was like a back-pass. Chelsea lead 3-1 and are clearly in the driver’s seat.

Second Kick Terry is talking to the troops, and I have a feeling he won’t be taking any penalty kicks unless absolutely necessary. Ballack is next for Chelsea and he deposits it in the lower left corner and Foster guessed correctly but couldn’t stop it. Carrick will try to get on the board for United. He goes to his right and Cech guesses correctly, but it’s just over his outstretched arm. 2-1, Chelsea.

First Kick Chelsea will go first as Lampard will start it out against Foster. Lampard fires a shot down the middle and beats Foster, who dove to his left. Giggs will go for United and he went right against Chelsea during the CL Final. Giggs turns and fires his shot down the middle, but Cech kicks it away. Advantage Chelsea, 1-0.

The book on Cech is that he’s not good at stopping penalty kicks. He’s lost the aforementioned Community Shield and Champions League Final. He also came up short against Liverpool in the 2006 Champions League semifinal. Foster is 1-1 in shootouts, winning the Carling Cup Final but losing in the FA Cup Semifinals.

Penalty Kicks – No extra time in the Community Shield, so we get a shootout. Manchester United have triumphed in their last two shootouts against Chelsea. Will that hold up today? Or will Chelsea finally atone for the 2007 Community Shield and the 2008 Champions League Final?

90′ + 3 Well, we’re getting some bonus football as we’re going to penalty kicks! Don’t go away!

90′ + 2 GOAL! Wow! Just when you thought it was over, Wayne Rooney begged to differ. Giggs springs him with a great pass and Rooney beats Bosingwa into the box and draws Cech out. He slips it under the diving keeper and it’s level! It looks like Rooney might have been offside, but Cole was slightly off the line and may have been playing him onside.

90′ + 1 Valencia sends a nice pass down the right for Owen. Carvalho impedes him and United will have a chance from about 35 yards out. He sends it into the box and Cech catches it easily. That’s probably all she wrote.

88′ Valencia gets fouled by Kalou and United try to take it quickly. Foy blows it dead, though, and will make them set up from about 35 yards out. Sir Alex is not going to be happy about Chris Foy, I can tell you that. Giggs sends it into the box for Owen and Cech comes out for it. He punches it up into the air and he gets stranded in no-man’s land, but luckily for him, Ferdinand’s header is nowhere near the mark.

87′ This ref is a little card happy today. Do these cards carry over into the season?

86′ Long pass to Owen and he and Terry both go for it. Owen touches it with his hand and he’s booked.

85′ Poor pass from Kalou into the United box and Fabio gets it. He nearly gives it back to Lampard, but is able to get it away.

84′ Anelka will come off for Kalou. Fabio sends a long cross from the right flank and Rooney heads it just over the cross-bar.

83′ Ballack and Evra clash again and Ballack is called for the foul. Well, the Germans and the French do have a lot of history with each other…

82′ Really long pass to Owen, and he catches up to it, but it’s too deep and he can’t do anything with it. Good pace, though, and that’s an encouraging sign for United fans. Maybe he didn’t lose his pace during his years at Newcastle. Maybe he was just dogging it.

80′ Evra hits Ballack with a hard and late tackle that sends Ballack flying. Evra is clearly wound up and he’ll be lucky if he can avoid a red here. Foy gives him a yellow, which is a little surprising, and Evra will get to play on. I bet that was a makeup call for earlier, when he failed to call a foul by Ballack that led to Chelsea’s goal.

79′ United have been unable to do much in the final third of the field. That lack of creativity will surely sound some alarm bells for Sir Alex. Someone get Franck Ribery’s agent on the phone!

77′ Malouda comes off for Chelsea and he’ll be replaced by Deco.

76′ Drogba catches United’s defense napping and he fires a dangerous shot that forces a great save from Foster.

75′ Four Manchester United subs at once as Giggs replaces Park, Owen replaces Berbatov, Scholes replaces Fletcher, and Fabio comes on for O’Shea.

74′ Berbatov does his best Ronaldo as he kicks the ball up to himself and fires it towards goal. It’s blocked, though, and Chelsea escape.

73′ Evra charges down the left with intent and he wins a corner for his troubles. Rooney’s corner goes towards Evans, but his shot is weak and easily taken by Cech.

72′ Well, United have to play to the whistle, but they’ll have a case here since Foy stopped play a few minutes earlier when Ballack went down in his own half, short-circuiting a United surge.

71′ GOAL! Evra is down on the pitch after Ballack shoves him to the ground and the ref won’t stop play. Drogba leads the counterattack and Chelsea have a three-on-two. He sends it to Lampard who is unmarked on the inside right edge of the box, and he fires a shot that Foster gets a glove on but can’t keep from going over the line. Evra is fuming at the non-call and he has to be separated from Foy by some of his teammates, including Rooney (which is somewhat ironic).

69′ Fancy play from Berbatov, but Park gives it away. Park hasn’t done well this half and should probably come off soon.

68′ Valencia shows his pace and bursts into the box. He tries to send a cross towards Berbatov in front of goal, but he can’t handle it.

67′ Evra and Ballack collide and Ballack stays down smartly as Evra had broken into Chelsea territory. The ref stops play and, sure enough, Ballack is okay. Chelsea give it back to United, of course, by booming it back towards Foster.

65′ Ballack will replace Mikel. Not sure if Ballack will take Mikel’s defensive midfield role or if Essien will switch over and Ballack play down the right.

64′ Valencia’s first touch is a forgettable one. He tries to work on Ashley Cole, but the defender easily picks his pocket.

63′ Drogba gets it down the left and he centers it to Lampard. He sends it back to Essien, who is on the edge of the box and has put those away in the past. Evans rushes out and is able to block his shot.

62′ Nani is finally up and he’s favoring his shoulder. He’ll be replaced by Valencia, and we’ll get a look at the new-boy.

61′ Nani has it and Terry tackles him from behind. Nani is down on the pitch but Terry got the ball, so no foul. Meanwhile, it looks like Valencia will be coming on for United.

60′ Lampard flicks it into the box for Anelka, but Ferdinand is there with him. Anelka has to send it back out and eventually, Cole sends a dangerous pass into the center of goal for Drogba. Evans impedes him just enough for Drogba to miss the header attempt, otherwise it would have been 2-1, Chelsea.

59′ Evra works on Essien down the left and he sends a cross to the far post that is easily handled by Cech. A lot of guys are warming up along the touchline, but I can’t see who they are.

56′ Anelka with a hard shot on goal that Foster is able to parry away. Very shaky outing from Foster so far. He’s not going to be the England Number 1 if he keeps playing like this.

52′ GOAL! Evans tries to pass it to Evra, but it’s long and Chelsea have it in a dangerous area. Evans atones for the mistake by hitting Lampard with a hard but clean tackle on the edge of the box. Malouda gets it and works around Evans and gives it to Lampard in the box. He gives it back to Malouda, who chests it down to his leg and serves it up to Drogba, who is in front of the net. He and Foster collide and the ball trickles to an unmarked Carvalho. He heads it into the open net and there’s the equalizer!

50′ Berbatov chips a clever ball into the box and Park taps it to Rooney. He has some space to shoot, but his shot gets blocked by Cole. Great piece of defense there by the much maligned Cole.

49′ Bosingwa gets it and has some space on the right flank. He tries a cross it into the box for the trailing Drogba, but he puts too much on it and Foster has it easily.

48′ Fletcher tries to challenge Bosingwa down the left, but Bosingwa is equal to it and Fletcher loses it for a goal-kick.

47′ Lampard sends it through into the box for Malouda. He tries to create some space inside the box, but Carrick stays with him and forces the turnover. Good defensive play by Carrick there.

46′ United kick off and we’re underway with the second half! Berbatov with another great touch as he always seems to be able to control those long passes. Anyway, he gets fouled from about 30 yards out on the right side. Nani serves this one into the box and Drogba heads it away. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Nani should have gone for goal there.

46′ It will be Bosingwa coming on for Ivanovic and we’ll see if the Portuguese international can do a better job against his countryman, Nani.

46′ Not sure what’s going on with Bosingwa. I thought he played well for Chelsea last year. However, Chelsea seemed keen on dumping him for Glen Johnson before he ended up going to Liverpool. Now Bosingwa starts out on the bench in favor of Ivanovic. Not sure who he pissed off at Stamford Bridge. Maybe it’s the unibrow.

It was an eventual first-half and both sides had their chances. United probably deserve their lead, but Chelsea certainly looked dangerous at times. Ivanovic is getting torched by Nani, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bosingwa in the second half (in fact, I’m not sure why the latter didn’t start today). United have some issues at goal as Foster had a shaky first half, and they’ve had some problems defending corners. Sir Alex might be concerned about that, but not enough to do anything about it. After all, their best guy on corners (Vidic) is injured. I’d expect to see Valencia and Owen at some point, especially the former since he’s hardly played in the preseason.

45′ + 2 Nani takes it short once again and it’s nothing doing as O’Shea loses it out of bounds for a goal-kick. Cech booms it away to see if Chelsea can make one last charge. They can’t do much as there’s the whistle and we’re at halftime!

45′ + 1 United win a corner and they take their time setting up There will be two minutes of added time.

45′ Great counterattack chance for United as Nani is all by himself in the Chelsea box. Rooney’s pass is cut out, though, and Chelsea escape. They come back and win a corner and Lampard decides to test Foster’s mettle by sending into the six-yard area. Foster is up for it, though, and handles it easily.

44′ Lampard heads Nani’s corner away and Chelsea go on the attack. Everytime Ashley Cole gets it, he’s booed heavily by the crowd. It helps with the play-by-play, that’s for sure.

43′ Great burst of speed from Evra and Rooney makes a nice chip pass into his left-back’s path. Evra sends it to Berbatov at the center of goal, and he wins a corner. On the ensuing corner, they play it short to Fletcher, who fires a great shot from inside the left edge of the box. It’s about to tuck in at the top right corner, but Cech just gets a hand on it to concede another corner. Great save there.

41′ Great try by Anelka as he gets a pass from A. Cole on the edge of the box. Fletcher is late to close him down and Anelka fires a low shot at the far post that beats Foster but just trickles wide.

36′ Dangerous moment as Ferdinand heads it away for a corner and nearly puts it past his keeper. Lampard sends in the corner, but Carvalho is called for the foul.

34′ Nani tries to take on three defenders and ends up hitting the side netting from a difficult angle. Clearly, his confidence is sky-high right now. Not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing for United.

33′ A couple of shaky moments for Foster as he muffs his clearances and nearly gives it to Drogba on two occasions. Is it nerves or lack of experience? United hope its just nerves.

31′ A. Cole slips on the pitch but still gets the cross from deep down the left. Essien gets a free header, but it’s just over the crossbar.

29′ Malouda crashes into Fletcher, and Fletcher is down on the pitch. He looks okay, though, and United will kick it away.

28′ Lampard sizes it up and then hits the wall. Drogba gets a cross on the right edge of the box and volleys a cross to the far post where an unmarked Malouda just shanks it wide of the mark. Nani then comes back on the counterattack and he’s causing all kinds of problems down that left flank. Park gets it on the right edge of the box and he takes his time to set up his shot. It’s wide of the near post, though, and, well, they don’t pay Park to score goals, do they?

27′ Mikel gets it and makes the run towards the United box. Berbatov bumps him from behind, and Chelsea will have a chance from about 35 yards out.

26′ Nani sends a corner into the six-yard box, and Cech take it easily.

25′ Park somehow gets into the box and splits the defense. Carvalho is able to knock it out before Park can go for goal and he concedes the corner.

23′ Berbatov’s touch fails him here as he tries to bring it down and ends up missing most of the ball and giving it to Mikel. Hey, not all of his touches can be silky smooth, right?

21′ Atypical selfish play from Rooney as Berbatov shows off his great touch and eases it to Evra. He gives it to Rooney and he takes a shot from long-range when he really should have passed it back to Berbatov. Rooney’s shot is easily blocked and Chelsea have it.

20′ Berbatov already looks like a different man from last year. If he plays up to his potential, then watch out.

18′ Great move from Berbatov as he lulls Mikel to sleep and then beats him into the box and gets the return pass from Park. Berbatov can’t beat Cech, though, and Park whiffs on the follow-through as Cech sacrifices his body to dive on the ball. Wow. What a breathtaking couple of plays by both sides.

17′ Great passing from United as Berbatov sends a great cross from the right to Rooney at the far post. He heads it into the center for Park, but Park can’t handle it. Cech was all tied up there and if Park had put anything on it, he would have beaten him. Chelsea come back and Drogba makes a run into the United box. He gets around Evans, but his low shot is saved by Foster.

16′ Evans and Drogba collide in midair, and Drogba goes down like he’s been shot. Some things never change. Who had 16 minutes in the pool?

14′ Great chance for United here as they’re right on the left edge of the box. Nani tries to serve into the box for Ferdinand, and Chelsea clear it away. Not sure why he didn’t go for goal there.

13′ Nani’s low effort finds Rooney, but he can’t do anything with it. He heads it down feebly and Chelsea easily clear it away. United gets it back and Evra makes a great run towards the box after receiving the pass from Nani. Ivanovic fouls him on the edge of the box, and the Serb will go into the book here.

12′ Ivanovic fouls Evra deep down the left and United will have a dangerous free kick here.

11′ Wow, to say that goal came from nothing at all is an understatement. The run of play was strongly in Chelsea’s favor and United had barely mustered any kind of rhythm on offense.

10′ GOAL! No question about it: Chelsea are outplaying Manchester United right now. Just as I say that, Nani gets it on the left edge of the penalty area after getting the cross from Fletcher. He runs across the edge of the box and fires a low shot to the far post that easily beats a shocked Cech! Wow! That’s one way to make the fans forget about whats-his-name.

9′ Great pass from Essien near the center line that nearly gets through to Anelka. Ferdinand does well to cut it out, otherwise Anelka would have been through on goal.

8′ Evra chips in the shot/pass from the left flank and he forces an overly acrobatic save from Cech.

7′ Fabio Capello is in the house. No doubt he’s there to ignore Michael Owen.

6′ On the ensuing corner, Ivanovic gets a header on target but Evra heads it against the underside of his own crossbar. United are able to clear it from danger, but that put a charge into the game.

5′ Rooney sends it into the box for Berbatov, but Terry is able to clear it from danger. Malouda sends it to Drogba down the left flank and the pressure causes Ferdinand to make the mistake as he tries to kick it back to Foster. He concedes the needless corner and Chelsea will have a chance here.

4′ Early booking for Berbatov as he gets hit in the back of the head on a free kick and he takes exception to it. A yellow card four minutes into the match? For that? Are you kidding me?

3′ Berbatov tries to get around John Terry and makes a run across the edge of the box before losing it over the touchline.

2′ Lampard gets it near the centerline and sends a long pass to Drogba, who is on the edge of the United box. He fires a shot on target, but Foster makes a diving, albeit comfortable, save.

1′ Chelsea will kick off and we’re underway! Great to be back! Should be a great match today! Chris Foy is our ref. Rooney gets it in Chelsea territory and tries to spring Park. Park sends it back to Carrick, but it’s out of his reach and Carrick slips on the pitch. This pitch was heavily criticized during the F.A. Cup last season, so we’ll see if it’s gotten any better today.

0′ Man, those new United kits are ugly. That black “V” really does nothing for me.

0′ Big season for Nani. He’s going to have to step up if United are to have any chance at winning silverware. It’s not fair to put it all on him as Rooney, Berbatov, Anderson, Carrick, and Owen are all going to have to step up as well. But Nani’s going to be the one under the most pressure since he’s Portuguese and possesses a lot of the same talents and skills as Ronaldo. Plus, he regressed last year to the point where Sir Alex wouldn’t play him in big games. Ronaldo went through the same issues during his first couple of years at Old Trafford, and I think it really helped him to have Carlos Queiroz around. Nani won’t have that luxury (although it Portugal continues playing the way they are, then Carlos might be back at Old Trafford before you know it).

0′ So, no new signings in either team’s starting lineup. That’s weird. I guess these two teams wanted to see what would happen if they played with last year’s squads. You know, other than that guy who used to play for United. I can’t think of his name. The one who likes to take off his shirt and hit on anything that moves.

0′ This is the year that order is restored in the Community Shield. It was weird seeing Pompey in the Shield last year, wasn’t it?

0′ Sometimes, I think Michael Ballack is finished, and then he goes out and shows that he’s still world class. Sometimes, I think Michael Ballack is great, and then he goes out and is a complete nonfactor for the entire match and nearly assaults a referee (or a teammate). I guess the lesson is to manage your expectations when it comes to Ballack.

0′ And, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this will be the first real test for Michael Owen since he turned into Judas in the eyes of Liverpool fans. He missed a few sitters against Valencia that probably didn’t do him any favors with Fabio Capello. It’s one thing to score against the Malaysian XI and the Hangzhou Greentown. It’s another thing to score against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.

0′ Looks like Andrea Pirlo won’t be coming to Stamford Bridge after all. That might be good news for Chelsea. They already have a crowded midfield, and adding Pirlo would have been a case of having too many chefs to cook the soup. They look like they’re going with a diamond formation with Lampard at the head of it, Essien on one side, Zhirkov on the other and then Pirlo would have been at the base, thereby relegating Ballack, Mikel, Joe Cole, Malouda, and Deco (assuming he stays) to the bench. That would be a headache that Carlo Ancelotti would not want.

0′ Should be an interesting match between two teams that could finish first and second in the EPL this season. Chelsea has to be the favorite for the EPL title right now, but you can never count out Manchester United. They still have all that money to play with and they’re probably not done shopping. It could very well be Sergio Aguero, who looked great against Liverpool yesterday for Atletico Madrid.

0′ Hello everyone and welcome to another exciting season of football! It’s been a long summer and I know I’m glad that football is back and that the action will be on the pitch instead of in the boardrooms. As always, I’m Victor and I’ll be your liveblogger for today’s match, which pits Manchester United against Chelsea for the 2009 Community Shield! I’m contractually obligated to inform you that if you wish to watch this match online, then you can go to the top of this page and click on the link for http://www.free-football.tv. If that doesn’t meet your requirements, then you can always consult this article for available streaming TV network options or this article for FREE P2P options.

Match Review:

It was an exciting Community Shield (which was a welcome change from last year’s snoozer) and both sides really showed their mettle. Chelsea came back from a 1-0 halftime deficit to take the lead and were within a minute of wrapping it up in regulation. However, as they’ve learned all too painfully over the years, it’s never over until the ref’s whistle blows, and Manchester United were able to steal one at the end. Both sides have some things to work on. After all, this is the preseason. United ran circles around Chelsea early in the first half and their lack of youth could come back to bite them as the season drags on. United have some question marks too, and they are sure to be concerned about their lack of creativity in the final third. Still, there’s plenty to be happy about for both sides, and as we’re all well aware, there are three weeks left before the transfer window slams shut.

Man of the Match:

Ricardo Carvalho

Both clubs had no shortage of worthy candidates. Lampard was quiet for the first half but responded with a dominant second half as he asserted himself on the United defense. Malouda, Drogba, and Anelka all looked dangerous at times, and Cole played very well at left-back. As for United, Rooney and Berbatov played well and gave Sir Alex some hope as they look to move forward after losing Ronaldo. Nani played well until he left with an injury while Evans did a solid job in the back. Still, the Man of the Match was Carvalho, which must have been sweet for the man who became a bit of a forgotten figure last year. He did his usual solid job in the back and snuffed out numerous opportunities while demonstrating his scoring chops on the other end. Carvalho went a long way towards reminding everyone that he, and not John Terry, is the team’s best center-back when healthy.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

We’ve looked at the players, now it’s time to look at the managers involved at Euro 2008 and find out how they got on:

Because I know you’ll ask about the grades…

A+ – Best of the tournament
A – Above expectations
B – Meeting expectations – more or less
C – Poor, not meeting expectations
D – Absolute stinker

Now, on to the good stuff:

Austria

Manager: Josef Hickersberger

Grade: B. They tried and tried and tried, but ultimately weren’t good enough. If their luck had been as good as Turkey’s they might have drawn against both Croatia and Germany and beaten Poland.

Future: Resigned after Euro 2008. No announcements on either his future or the next manager of Austria.

Croatia

Manager: Slaven Bilic

Grade: B. Croatia lost to Turkey’s luck in the quarters and little of it can be blamed on Bilic. While he should have gotten his players focused back on the game, he chaperoned his side quite well to emerge from Group B undefeated. However, after the promise shown in qualification the semis were a minimum, so Bilic gets a B.

Future: Stays in charge of Croatia to help them qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

Czech Republic

Manager: Karel Brückner

Grade: C. They topped their group in qualifying and were expected to at least progress to the quarters, probably the semis if things went their way. As it were, they were manhandled by Portugal, pushed to the limits by Switzerland and bamboozled by the Turks. A tale of missed opportunities, and Bruckner could have and should have done a lot better.

Future: Bruckner announced pre-tournament that he would resign after Euro 2008. No successor has been confirmed.

France

Manager: Raymond Domenech.

Grade: D. Domenech’s side were better – at least for half of the game against Holland – than their 4th place in Group C suggested. And yet they struggled. Domenech pointed the finger at a divide amongst his players but it was his job to manage the players and he made a hash of it.

Future: Most likely to be removed. Wenger isn’t coming so the most likely successor is Didier Deschamps, while Eric Cantona has been discussed as well (albeit light-heartedly, as he’s currently coaching the French beach football team).

Germany

Manager: Joachim Löw

Grade: A. He may not be the most-respected coach at the Euros or renown for his tactical nous but he did lead Germany to the Euro 2008 final. A cynic may point out that Germany’s best performance of the tournament came when Joachim was banned from the touchline, but reaching the final means we’ll overlook that for the short-run (he still has to convince us if he’s better than Klinsmann or van Basten though).

Future: Was originally signed on a 2-year contract but in the aftermath of the Euro 08 final the future is still uncertain. I’d expect him to be given a chance to continue till South Africa 2010.

Greece

Manager: Otto Rehhagel

Grade: D. Disastrous Euro campaign for Greece. After their convincing qualifying performances many expected Greece to challenge Russia and Sweden for a spot in the quarterfinals. They were out of it from the word go. Embarrassing for the reigning European champions, regardless of the quality of the side (or lack thereof).

Future: Rehhagel is signed on till 2010, and is expected to lead Greece to World Cup qualification.

Italy

Manager: Roberto Donadoni

Grade: C. Can consider himself lucky to progress to the quarterfinals with France losing their most important player (Ribery) to injury and going down to 10 men inside the first half of their crunch game. The players fought but their manage failed to inspire and the credit for Italy lasting so long goes to the players.

Future: Donadoni’s contract had a conditional extension – the condition being that Italy met certain targets for Euro 08. Donadoni couldn’t, and his contract ended post Euro 08. Lippi was reinstated as manager soon after that.

Netherlands

Manager: Marco van Basten

Grade: B. Marco van Basten mounted a memorable escape from the much-touted Group of Death but his achievements are tainted somewhat by the limp performance against Russia in the quarters and the under-par performances of the French and Italian teams. On paper, he took Holland to the quarters, which was expected of him as a minimum.

Future: Steps down after Euro 2008 to take charge of AFC Ajax. Bert van Marwijk, currently in charge of Feyenoord, takes over the reins as the Dutch manager.

Portugal

Manager: Luiz Felipe Scolari

Grade: B. Portugal were expected to get to at least the semi-finals but looked clueless against Germany. It’s the second time in 2 international competitions that Scolari has failed to beat Germany. Announcing his move to Chelsea before the game didn’t help either.

Future: Goes on to manage Chelsea next season. Portugal are still looking for a successor, with Carlos Queiroz often mentioned as a possibility (although he’s doubtful to leave United just yet).

Poland

Manager: Leo Beenhakker

Grade: C. Poland qualifying for the first time for the Euros was definitely a major achievement but once there, Poland failed to impress. You can’t fault the coach much if you look at the players at his disposal, but they would have expected them to beat Austria at least.

Future: Signed on to lead Poland till the end of 2010 World Cup qualifiers (November 2009).

Romania

Manager: Victor Piţurcă.

Grade: B. Did a lot better than expected in the Group of Death, although they slipped when they needed to produce a result.

Future: Piturca stays in charge of Romania for the time being and will presumably lead them through World Cup qualifying.

Russia

Manager: Guus Hiddink

Grade: A. Russia were in a relatively tough group but qualified after a slow start. They were also up against some very good opposition in the quarters but got through thanks to some excellent leadership and tactics by Hiddink. The only blot on their copybook (and the reason Hiddink doesn’t get a A+) is their failure to learn from earlier mistakes against the Spanish, something that cost them the semifinal.

Future: Despite the constant speculation surrounding Hiddink’s future, the man is signed on till at least 2010.

Spain

Manager: Luis Aragones

Grade: A. Masterminding a talent-rich side through a tough tournament was never going to be an easy task, but Aragones was the tactical master this summer and it’s a pity that we did not get to see him match wits against Scolari and / or Marco van Basten at the Euros.

Future: Aragones has already announced that he would retire post Euro 08. Aragones is rumoured to be going to Fenerbahce (although the man himself denied the rumours during Euro 08) and Vincent Del Bosque is due to take over as Spain manager in the summer.

Sweden.

Manager: Lars Lagerbäck

Grade: C. It was a tough group but Sweden had as good a chance of qualification as Greece and Russia and they were ahead of Russia when the two teams met. Should have done better, although anything beyond the quarters would have been a surprising bonus.

Future: Signed on till South Africa 2010.

Switzerland

Manager: Kobi Kuhn

Grade: C. His team conceded a late goal to Turkey to lose a winnable game, but the manager’s mind was affected by his wife’s health (she was in a coma) and his players let him down against Turkey and against the Czechs.

Future: Kuhn retires from his post after Euro 2008 (no news on where he’ll go next) with former Bayern Munich manager Ottmar Hitzfeld takes over from July 1st 2008.

Turkey

Manager: Fatih Terim

Grade: A+. Dragged his team screaming and kicking into the semi-finals on the back of 3 glorious (in retrospect at least) comebacks. Their luck ran out in the end but they never gave up thanks to their manager urging them on from the sidelines.

Future: Was linked with several European clubs but said that he would consider any offers only after Euro 2008. So far, he’s still in charge and the club reported closest to signing him on pre Euro 2008 already have their manager (Newcastle United).

Agree with the ratings? Disagree? Have an opinion on one of the managers? Sound off in the comments section below.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Luca Toni‘s topping the charts again… only this time, it isn’t very flattering. English tabloid The Sun just dished out another Top 10 list, regrouping the “Biggest flops” of this Summer’s Euro championship tournament. The Italy striker tops the list, despite receiving a pat on the back from Bayern Munich chairman Karl Heinz Rummenigge.

“It’s not [Toni's] fault if things didn’t go well, it’s Italy’s” said Rummenigge. “He was only served well in the game against France, he made mistakes but also won the penalty which changed the match. Against Spain he was very criticised, injustly: I did not see a single good pass played to him in that game to even have a chance of scoring. He was all alone, and he was missing Pirlo.” Still not enough for The Sun writers, and who can blame them? Going from 40 goals in his first season with Bayern to zero goals at Euro 2008 surely deserves some criticism…

Number 2 in the list is Chelsea and Czech Republic keeper Petr Cech, earning the spot thanks to his less-than-stellar performance vs. Turkey (Nihat Kahveci is still saying thank you). Completing the podium we find Barcelona and France defender Eric Abidal, who caused the penalty kick against Toni in the match vs. Italy, and the resulting red card that virtually cleared the road for the Azzurri’s victory.

In 4^th spot, title holders Greece (knocked out in the first round), followed by Thierry Henry (“the man whose star continues to fade“) and Mario Gomez (“[Germany] were effectively playing with 10 men for their three group games“). At 7^th spot are host countries Austria & Switzerland, for getting knocked out in the group stage “and barely raising a cheer from their own fans“.

Completing the “best of the worst” list, Fiorentina and Romania striker Adrian Mutu (who probably still hasn’t swallowed Buffon’s PK save), France’s Karim Benzema (a “wonderkid that failed to impress”) and the host TV broadcaster (for the power outage during the Germany-Turkey semi-final).

Here’s the full list with captions from The Sun article:
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	Nº10: The Host Broadcaster
	A massive electrical storm in Vienna saw Germany’s thrilling showdown with Turkey ruined for millions of armchair fans. At least 10 minutes of the rollercoaster semi-final was lost in the TV coverage, including Miroslav Klose’s goal.

Nº9: Karim Benzema
The France striker went into the tournament with a growing reputation as his country’s wonderkid. Fans were told he was the hottest property outside Italy, Spain and England. But Benzema failed to impress during his two dismal displays for the hopeless French.

	Nº8: Adrian Mutu
	The former Chelsea striker was tipped to pull up trees with underdogs Romania. And with a penalty against Italy, he was one kick away from sending his side into the quarter-finals. But Mutu fluffed his effort and Romania later tumbled out against Holland.

Nº7: The Co-Hosts
Austria and Switzerland were both among the first seeds for the tournament as the host nations but they barely raised a cheer for their own fans. Austria bowed out with a single draw, while Switzerland’s only points came against Portugal in a dead rubber following their own elimination.

	Nº6: Mario Gomez
	Germany’s route to the final was no mean feat — especially when you consider they were effectively playing with 10 men for their three group games. Gomez contributed next to nothing, with boss Joachim Low seeing sense in the quarter-finals to finally drop him.

Nº5: Thierry Henry
The man whose star continues to fade must take some of the stick for France’s disjointed campaign this month. Henry’s goal against Holland masked an ineffective showing, with his deflection against Italy condemning his side to an early exit from the group stages.

	Nº4: Greece
	It seems a bit harsh for the surprise winners of Euro 2004 to be here but defeat in all three group games was truly woeful. And Greece’s arch-rivals Turkey rubbed the defending champions’ noses in it by reaching the semi-finals with a series of thrilling comebacks.

Nº3: Eric Abidal
Playing the world champions in a win-or-bust final group game is never easy, yet France did not help themselves. When defender Abidal chopped down Italy’s Luca Toni for a first-half penalty and straight red card, it was au revoir Les Bleus.

	Nº2: Petr Cech
	Leading 2-1 against Turkey with just two minutes left, Czech Republic had one foot in the quarter-finals— until Cech’s howler. The Chelsea keeper horribly fluffed a routine cross for the equaliser, before an injury-time winner sent his side packing.

Nº1: Luca Toni
The Italian hotshot came to the finals on the back of a golden season with Bayern Munich, notching 31 goals in the Bundesliga. But Toni endured a dreadful tournament, missing countless chances as well as looking like a man running through treacle.

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Agree with the list? Tell us what you think below.
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From Soccerlens.com - Football News

We all like a bit of a discussion and debate at the start of the week so I thought I’d take a look at some the talking points from the last week, say what I think about them and ask you to get involved.

I’ll take three things of note from the last seven days and see if we can agree on any of them! I bet we can’t!

Talking point 1
Well, after all the names being linked with the Chelsea job we finally found at that big Phil Scolari is taking over at the end of the Euros.

It won’t be Mourinho, Ancelotti, Mancini, Hughes, Hiddink, Rijkaard or any of the other forty or fifty names that the press had told us were almost certainly going to get the job, but it will be the Brazilian legend who has achieved so much in South America and internationally, but has never managed a club side in Europe.

Will he be a success? On the plus side, he has pretty much been successful wherever he has been, the players who play for him are loyal to him and it is likely that Deco and maybe others will go with him to Stamford Bridge. On the minus side, he doesn’t know Premier League or Champions League football and speaks little English.

Do we think that his advice to Cristiano Ronaldo to leave Manchester United was ‘out of order’ in the light of the fact that he probably knew he was going to take over at their main rivals when he said it?

The problem for Scolari is that he will only be judged a success if he wins either or both of the big tournaments in which Chelsea were runners-up this season. On that basis, and the fact that Scolari will probably struggle with the tabloid press intrusion in England I believe that Scolari won’t achieve what he needs to.

What do you think?

Talking point 2
I am loathe to get involved in the debate on that Austrian penalty, as feelings have run very high since the incident. I totally and utterly condemn the disgraceful death threats and images circulating around the internet and have no desire to stir up any more trouble around what has happened.

I am looking at this purely from a football point of view and not commenting on the conspiracy theories. The question to look at is, was it a foul? I think we would all answer that question with a word somewhere between possibly and definitely.

Would it have been a free-kick in any other part of the pitch? Again, somewhere between possibly and definitely.

Should it have been awarded as a penalty? That is where the answers will vary from absolutely definitely not to totally right decision.

In such a simple game with so few rules, how can we have an incident that splits followers of football so divisively? It would seem pretty simple really. If it was a foul, it was a penalty. The problem is that we have allowed players to get away with that sort of marking at corners and free-kicks for so long that to suddenly award one at that stage of such a crucial game was bound to cause controversy.

My view is that it was a foul, but the award of the penalty was extremely harsh in the circumstances. If penalties are going to be given for such incidents then the game must change totally and not just for the odd incident here and there.

What do you think? No ridiculous personal criticism of the ref please, just honest football opinions.

Talking point 3
Like Milan before them, have the current Italian team become too old and too predictable to reach their previous heights? The likes of Zambrotta, Guttuso, Pirlo, Del Pierro, Camoranesi, Ambrosini and Buffon have all been there and done it. In their two games so far in the Euros they have looked somewhat devoid of ideas and a shadow of their former selves.

Even Toni up front does not look like much of a threat despite his fine scoring record and glowing reputation.

Buffon made a fine save from the Mutu penalty but in the first game against the Dutch he looked hesitant and indecisive. Zambrotta gave away a goal with a careless back header, Pirlo has failed to influence games and the others have been totally anonymous.

Is this a temporary blip? Will they beat France, qualify and go on to do well in the tournament? Is Donadoni the right man to get the best out of the team? Is this old Italian team finished as a major world force?

My opinion is that Italy need a total change of manager and playing staff. Don’t get me wrong, I’d swap most of England’s players for Italy’s, but I think they need a major change if they are to maintain their position as one of the top teams.

What do you think?

Graham Fisher writes for Soccerlens and Soccer News.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

16 matches gone, 15 more to go. After the agonisingly long qualification process, the tournament itself feels brutally short – then again, that’s probably what makes up most of the excitement at this level, the fact that every match is a final.

So how have the 16 teams performed so far? Let’s look at it group by group:

Group A

Portugal have, as expected, dominated proceedings. Their two wins against the Czechs and the Turks ensure that they will finish top of the group no matter what happens in the last round. You can expect them to rest a couple of players against Switzerland and Scolari will already be planning his strategy for Germany, Portugal’s likely quarter-final opponents.

The Czechs are where they’d expect to be – although the defeat against Portugal was disappointing. They have a crunch tie against Turkey today which they’ll be quietly confident of winning, although with Croatia to come up next in the quarters (if they win) there is no room left for mistakes and they cannot afford to miss any scoring chances. And if it goes to penalties, Cech should be able to bail them out.

Turkey are in with a real shout of qualification to the next round – as long as the players work hard and play the team and not the reputation, they could very well upset the Czechs and get through to the quarters. Might be worth a punt if you’re the betting sort.

Switzerland – the first team to be dumped out of the Euros, and most people are expecting their humiliation to be complete when Portugal beat them tonight. It’s a shame, because Switzerland have a decent team and could have taken a point against the Czechs, not to mention that they’d have fancied their chances to beat Turkey. The lack of proper match practice prior to the tournament – they haven’t played a competitive game since the World Cup – showed here, but even then the Swiss should have done better.

Group B

Surprisingly for some, Croatia top the group ahead of Germany and will qualify in first place. Slaven Bilic’s men may have been ‘lucky’ against Austria but they raised their game to efficiently dispatch the Germans and have another game to fine-tune their tactics before the quarter-finals. Poland will provide stiff opposition but are unlikely to trouble the Croats much – or the Germans, for that matter.

Germany lost a game most expected them to at least draw and now face a rematch of their 3rd place playoff against Portugal from 2 years ago in the quarters. That is, assuming they win their next game. The upside is that their opponents are Austria, who might be in with a chance of qualification but are hardly the team to worry Germany. Still, if there was ever an upset to occur, this would surely be it.

Austria are ahead of Poland on goal difference (i.e. they’ve conceded fewer goals) and will be hoping that the lifeline handed to them in stoppage time against Poland will not be the end of things going their way. Winning against Germany is a must, and you can expect the Austrians to go all-out on this one, and I’d expect a lot of neutrals to back them here as well (apart from the Poles…).

Poland will not only have to beat Croatia but if Austria win against Germany, they’ll have to beat them with a better goal differential as well. It’s a tall task and in the aftermath of the draw against Austria the management at least looked more pre-occupied with complaining about the wrongs committed against them than their outside chance to qualify for the quarters. I’d give Poland a draw at best.

Group C

The Group of Death has for once lived up to its reputation. The two giants – Italy and France – have suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of the Dutch (despite playing half-decent, especially in the case of the French) and now Netherlands not only top their group but also enjoy the best scoring record in the Euros so far. They have a relatively tough match against Romania and despite their superiority the Dutch will be aiming for a win to keep their momentum going.

Romania find themselves in the strange position of being second in their group after drawing their two games against Italy and France. Another draw might not be enough if the Italy-France game produces a winner, but they’ll know that if they can score first against the Dutch they have a shot at winning the game and for that reason alone they are my picks for qualifying from this group alongside Holland.

France and Italy share the same problems – under-performing players, managers who seem to have lost their touch (if they ever had any, that is) and overall, two teams who have lost the support of the neutrals with their turgid displays.

To be fair, France showed flashes of brilliance against Holland and if things had been slightly different that game could have been a draw, if not a win for the French. Their inability to make their chances count is troubling but they’re atleast creating chances and will be hoping that Buffon is not on top form on Tuesday.

Italy on the other hand seem a lost cause. Their defence is a shambles and they don’t have the goals they need anywhere in the squad. Unless Toni plays a blinder or Materazzi remembers how to play center-back, Italy will be going home disgraced.

A draw between both teams coupled with a loss for Romania would still send Romania through provided that they can keep their goal difference to -2 or above.

Group D

Spain are through after beating Russia and Sweden with ease and can now focus on the next round, and on their current form you can see them beating France or Italy. Their last game is against Greece, champions from last time around but beaten in two hard-fought matches by Sweden and Russia. Should be a simple game, although Aragones will probably rest one or two players which might give Greece the space to register their first goal of the tournament.

Sweden go into the final round knowing that a draw will be enough to see them through to the quarters. They’ve looked stronger than Russia in the first two games but will need to play at their best to keep Hiddink’s men at bay. Still, with a draw needed to qualify, you’d back Sweden to go through.

Russia have stumbled but Hiddink should fancy his chances against Sweden as long as they can stick to their game plan and not get sucked into a physical battle of attrition. Nothing less than a win will do, and for that I’m betting Russia will need to score at least twice.

Greece are out, along with the Swiss, but at least the hosts scored a goal. Their last game will be a mere formality and the Greeks will consider themselves unfortunate to have been beaten by Sweden and Russia, games they would have expected at least a point each from.

Predictions

Quarters

Portugal v Germany – Portugal
Czech Republic v Croatia – Croatia
Netherlands v Sweden – Netherlands
France v Spain – France

Semis

Portugal v Croatia – Portugal
Netherlands v France – France

Final

Portugal v France – Portugal

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

English referees tend to be in the spotlight in international tournaments for the wrong reasons – Graham Poll with his 3 yellow cards in Germany 06 and now Howard Webb with the penalty award that gave Austria a point and more crucially, effectively ended Poland’s Euro 2008 campaign.

In the aftermath of the draw, Poland manager Leo Beenhakker blamed Webb for what he called Poland’s exit from the Euros, saying:

“Maybe he wants to show he is a big boy and has the guts to do it, I don’t know.”

After the game ended, Poland fans raged against Web, with hate-filled videos and images popping up within minutes of the match ending. One article on Soccerlens profiling Howard Webb received around 300 comments in the 3 hours between the end of the game and the point where comments were closed and subsequently removed. The comments were full of hate and vitriol, aiming sexual abuse and death threats towards the English referee and claiming that Webb had taken bribes to give that penalty (you really had to see them to understand the depth of anger and hatred vented in those comments).

As we have discussed earlier, football fans can be idiots and as a reader as already suggested, football offers an escape and emotional release from day-to-day drudgery, and these emotions can turn violent when idiots en masse are sufficiently incensed.

If you saw the game, you’d know that Austria had spurned clear scoring chances until they conceded the goal, and that the Poland goal might have been called offside on another day. All of this went out of the window though, considering the stoppage time penalty that Webb gave.

Referees are under tremendous amounts of pressure and I presume that English referees are under even more pressure after Poll’s mistake in Germany – perhaps the FA should go easy on the refs and tell them to do their best instead of asking them to defend England’s honour and integrity?

Webb thought that was a penalty, and he had the guts to make the call. This isn’t about wanting the limelight, it’s about doing the right thing and doing your job right. Even if he got it wrong – and refs do get it wrong sometimes – he didn’t shirk away from giving a decision.

Poll got victimised in the English press for pretty much the same thing. Will Webb, who has been an exceptional referee so far, be given the same treatment? I sincerely hope not, just as I hope Webb’s safety is not under threat from England-based Polish fans.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Euro 2008 fixtures and results, all in one place. Bookmark and share away:

All times are CET.

Saturday 7 June 2008
Nº	Group	Teams & Kick-Off Time					Venue & Stadium
1	Grp A		Switzerland	0-1	Czech Rep.		Basel – St. Jakob-Park
2	Grp A		Portugal	2-0	Turkey		Geneva – Stade de Genève
.
Sunday 8 June 2008
3	Grp B		Austria	0-1	Croatia		Vienna – Ernst Happel
4	Grp B		Germany	2-0	Poland		Klagenfurt – Wörthersee
.
Monday 9 June 2008
5	Grp C		Romania	0-0	France		Zurich – Letzigrund
6	Grp C		Netherlands	3-0	Italy		Berne – Stade de Suisse
.
Tuesday 10 June 2008
7	Grp D		Spain	4-1	Russia		Innsbruck – Tivoli Neu
8	Grp D		Greece	0-2	Sweden		Salzburg – EM Stadion W.S.
.
Wednesday 11 June 2008
9	Grp A		Czech Rep.	1-3	Portugal		Geneva – Stade de Genève
10	Grp A		Switzerland	1-2	Turkey		Basel – St. Jakob-Park
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Thursday 12 June 2008
11	Grp B		Croatia	2-1	Germany		Klagenfurt – Wörthersee
12	Grp B		Austria	1-1	Poland		Vienna – Ernst Happel
.
Friday 13 June 2008
13	Grp C		Italy	1-1	Romania		Zurich – Letzigrund
14	Grp C		Netherlands	4-1	France		Berne – Stade de Suisse
.
Saturday 14 June 2008
15	Grp D		Sweden	1-2	Spain		Innsbruck – Tivoli Neu
16	Grp D		Greece	0-1	Russia		Salzburg – EM Stadion W.S.
.
Sunday 15 June 2008
17	Grp A		Switzerland	2-0	Portugal		Basel – St. Jakob-Park
18	Grp A		Turkey	3-2	Czech Rep.		Geneva – Stade de Genève
.
Monday 16 June 2008
19	Grp B		Poland	0-1	Croatia		Klagenfurt – Wörthersee
20	Grp B		Austria	0-1	Germany		Vienna – Ernst Happel
.
Tuesday 17 June 2008
21	Grp C		Netherlands	2-0	Romania		Berne – Stade de Suisse
22	Grp C		France	0-2	Italy		Zurich – Letzigrund
.
Wednesday 18 June 2008
23	Grp D		Greece	1-2	Spain		Salzburg – EM Stadion W.S.
24	Grp D		Russia	2-0	Sweden		Innsbruck – Tivoli Neu
.
.
Thursday 19 June 2008
25	QF		Portugal	2-3	Germany		Basel – St. Jakob-Park
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Friday 20 June 2008
26	QF		Croatia	1-1 1-3(p)	Turkey		Vienna – Ernst Happel
.
Saturday 21 June 2008
27	QF		Netherlands	1-3 (aet)	Russia		Basel – St. Jakob-Park
.
Sunday 22 June 2008
28	QF		Spain	0-0 4-2(p)	Italy		Vienna – Ernst Happel
.
Wednesday 25 June 2008
29	SF		Germany	3-2	Turkey		Basel – St. Jakob-Park
.
Thursday 26 June 2008
30	SF		Russia	0-3	Spain		Vienna – Ernst Happel
.
Sunday 29 June 2008
31	F		Germany	0-1	Spain		Vienna – Ernst Happel

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Group Standings

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Group A					.	Group B
.
	Teams	Pld	+/-	Pts			Teams	Pld	+/-	Pts
	Portugal	3	+2	6			Croatia	3	+3	9
	Turkey	3	0	6			Germany	3	+2	6
	Czech Republic	3	-2	3			Austria	3	-2	1
	Switzerland	3	0	3			Poland	3	-3	1
.
.
Group C					.	Group D
.
	Teams	Pld	+/-	Pts			Teams	Pld	+/-	Pts
	Netherlands	3	+8	9			Spain	3	+5	9
	Italy	3	-1	4			Russia	3	0	6
	Romania	3	-2	2			Sweden	3	-1	3
	France	3	-5	1			Greece	3	-4	0

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.

Also See:

Euro 2008 – Head-to-Head Records
Euro 2008 Kits
Euro 2008 Stadiums
Euro 2008 news

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Austria vs Croatia Highlights

First Half Highlights

Second Half Highlights

Germany vs Poland Highlights

First Half Highlights

Second Half Highlights

Brought to you by goalcentre.com

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Austria v Croatia, Group B
Ernst Happel, Vienna
8 June 2008
Kick-off: 18:00 CET

A historical moment awaits on Sunday as Euro 2008 hosts Austria play their first ever match at a European Championship. Opponents are Croatia, who managed to keep England out of this tournament.

Ten years after participating at their last World Cup, Austria now prepare to do well in front of a home crowd. It won’t be easy though, as the Austrians are widely considered to be the weakest team at Euro 2008.

But this doesn’t stop manager Josef Hickersberger from hoping for the best: “Our team has developed positively over the past two years. With a good day and some luck, anything is possible.”

Hickersberger gives his team a “40 percent chance” to win their match with Croatia.

Croatia, third at the 1998 World Cup, appear to be confident ahead of their opening match.

Coach Slaven Bilic revealed to be sticking to the line-up he has been using in the recent friendly matches with Moldova and Hungary.

With Robert Kovac in defense, Darijo Srna and Niko Kovac in midfield and an attack led by Mladen Petric and Ivica Olic, the team do look set to impress in Vienna.

The location of the match is the Ernst Happel Stadium of Austria’s capital city, also the venue of the 1995 Champions League final.

The last time these two teams met was for a friendly in Austria in May, 2006. Croatia were by far the stronger side, securing a 4-1 win.

Referee for Sunday’s match is Dutchman Pieter Vink, helped by assistants Adriaan Inia and Hans ten Hoove. Fourth official is the Greek Dimitris Bozatzidis.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News