Features news coverage of Croatia and its players, including match reports and general football news.
Euro 2008 kicks off on Saturday 7 June 2008 and Soccerlens will be covering it every step of the way, from the on-pitch action to team news to the wonderful fans that will be traveling to Austria / Switzerland.
Here’s the full list of Euro 2008 fixtures, bookmark and share away. Once the tournament starts, we’ll use this page to list results as well.
Written by Marco Pantanella. 4 comments
Euro 2008 promises to be massive - with or without England. Along with team beer and several exciting stars expected to leave a mark on the event, there’s also the small matter of football fans (if anyone forgets, this is what we had in Germany 2006).
I know a lot of bloggers will be covering Euro 2008, so this post is for them - while preparing Soccerlens for Euro 2008 coverage, I realised that there was no one place to get all the team flags (we already have the Euro 2008 kits, if anyone’s interested). Don’t know about you guys but I like to have images on my posts and flags / team crests are quite useful to have when you’re covering an event, even if some of them look the same (damned Europeans).
Alright then, here we go:
Written by Ahmed Bilal. 2 comments
In June, 16 of Europe’s best national sides will descend upon Austria and Switzerland for the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, or as most people call it, Euro 2008. While many of the continent’s top teams will be on display, some of Europe’s - and the world’s - best will be as well, so even if your team isn’t in it, you still have plenty reason to watch.
With that in mind and before the tournament begins, we (as in I) have conjured up the juggernaut of juggernauts, an All-Star Euro 2008 Starting XI.
There are several players you won’t see on this list, like Francesco Totti, Fernando Torres, and others, but I compiled this list with one major rule - no more than two players from one country, for the sake of diversity. Keeping that rule in mind, I did try to include the best players, both promising youngsters and experienced stalwarts alike. So, while all of the names below are recognizable, you may not agree with all of the selections. Then again, you’re not supposed to.
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Written by Eddie Griffin. 18 comments
In today’s video roundup we look at yesterday’s friendlies.
Written by ifutbal. One comment
Whilst the whole world and his mother are hypothesizing about Don Fabio and his crew, I thought it might be a good idea to look at some of the other fixtures in what looks like a (dare I say it) appetising week of international friendly football, with fifteen of the sixteen Euro 2008 qualifiers in action, including six ties between the Euro 2008 competitors.
Here’s hoping that there are no injuries to top players, and no compensation paid out – although these days, so tight is the dialogue between club and national managers (a perquisite not available in days gone by) that players may be rested or asked by royal decree to play just half a match. That said, as a Spurs fan, I wouldn’t be too miffed if some divine force threw a lightning bolt or two at Cesc.
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Written by Hugo Steckelmacher. 5 comments
For many teams across Europe, the second biggest tournament to qualify and win would be the Euro. Behind the World Cup, of course. So it is a big time for all teams across the continent to unveil kits that will be worn for this event only, or for a couple years following. Though some of the kits have not changed since the 2006 World Cup, there are some that have, so I have created a collection of the kits here.
However if you want a brief synopsis of the teams kits, here you go:
Written by Brad Barnett. 3 comments
The South Africa 2010 Preliminary Draw has paired England with their recent conquerers Croatia in the qualifying round. Responding to the draw, The Sun quoted:
Michael Owen has kick-started preparations for 2010 World Cup qualification in earnest by insisting none of the Croatian team would get into the England side.
Hold on a second. Has little Mickey unearthed the problem at the core of the England national side? That players deserving and capable of taking their team to the European Championships, wouldn’t even get into the team? A team over-flowing with overpaid, over-hyped, over-rated prima-donnas who for the most part are picked on reputation alone. Then it is no wonder that Owen and Co. will be enjoying a spot of Floridian sunshine next summer when Slavan Bilic takes his excellent Croatia side to the European Championship finals. You are judged on results in this game Michael - the results (and ability on display at Wembley last week) suggest that Croatia are far better than you.
Written by Stuart Frisby. 7 comments
The news that Steve McClaren lost his job has filtered through the media this morning, following last night’s abject 3-2 defeat to Croatia at Wembley. It was a defeat that summed up all of the elements of his reign, as a shell-shocked England found themselves 2-0 down within 14 minutes in the crucial Euro 2008 qualifier. Despite restoring parity with 2 of their own in the second-half, the hosts were simply out-classed on the night by their experienced opponents before Mladen Petric determined England’s fate with a deciding goal in the game’s latter stages.
Written by Anthony. 2 comments
England 2-3 Croatia - and England are now out of Euro 2008.
Full-Time Report: The dissection can be spared for tomorrow morning (honestly, nothing new to be said, England haven’t learned from their mistakes). Croatia, to a man, played well and did their job.
England had Richards, Lescott and Campbell and SWP do well, but to be honest the midfield was horrible, and Crouch, who deserves a lot of credit for his goal, was pushed off the ball too easily too many times and couldn’t outjump his markers.
Feel free to criticise in the comments - remember that Macca has said that he won’t quit if England didn’t qualify, and now that England are not going to Euro 2008, they must plan for South Africa 2010. With 2 and a half years to go, certainly it’s time to pick a new squad?
Written by Ahmed Bilal. 190 comments
So with Israel being the toast of England presently, not to mention the Macedonians doing us a favour as well, attention has now turned to the all important decider against Croatia on Wednesday night. England stand just 90 minutes and 1 crucial point away from remarkably qualifying for Euro 2008 when just last month English fans were beginning to ponder what would occupy them during next summer’s competition.
After Michael Owen’s thigh injury ruled him out of the final game against Croatia, and Wayne Rooney already out a decision has to be made on who should start the most important game of England’s qualifiers, who should partner England’s third choice striker Peter Crouch? Who should be in the starting line up?
Written by James Massoud. 23 comments
