Hodgson will change team for Rooney

Roy Hodgson hailed his strikers for their goalscoring efforts in England's thrilling 3-2 win over Sweden on Friday night - but confirmed Wayne Rooney will return for the qualification decider with co-hosts Ukraine on Tuesday.

Hodgson's bold decision to select Andy Carroll paid off when the Liverpool man put England ahead with a first-half header. Then Danny Welbeck secured a famous win when he flicked home Theo Walcott's cross 12 minutes from time.

But Hodgson said: "I welcome those kind of selection problems, I was really pleased with the performance of the front players. But Wayne Rooney is a special player and, frankly, it will be hard to leave him out. I'm afraid you expect him to get back into the team when the suspension is served."

The statement merely underlined what a massive role Rooney is being afforded in the Hodgson era.

He must have gone through every emotion in the stands on Friday night though, as England established a winning position, tossed away the initiative with some chronic defending, and finally claimed a vital three points thanks to Hodgson's match-changing introduction of Theo Walcott.

"Theo's contribution was enormous," said Hodgson.

"To come on as a sub, score and set up the winner means he'll be very happy."

Two goals at the start of the second half from Olof Mellberg turned the game on its head, as well as earning the former Aston Villa defender a man-of-the-match award he did not want.

"It doesn't mean a lot," he said.

"It feels a little bit strange to win something when you lose a match and go out of a tournament."

Trapattoni: I'm here on merit

Giovanni Trapattoni insists he deserves to lead the Republic of Ireland into the World Cup qualifying campaign despite their poor showing at Euro 2012.

The 73-year-old Italian offered a defiant defence of his reign less than 24 hours after a 4-0 drubbing by reigning champions Spain confirmed Ireland's early exit from the competition.

He said: "I think we deserve to stay. We have a reason because we achieved qualification after 24 years. If you read the names when we came, see how many players are still in this team and how many players are still in the others. That is our right to stay. I have more enthusiasm to stay than you and your colleagues. The Irish people can decide."

He went on: "The people yesterday at 3-0 were still applauding, our people, and we must be proud. I repeated today to the players, we must be proud of this country and for our supporters.
"I know your jobs, after 40 years, I know the job of the reporter."

Trapattoni and his players will attempt to end their all-too-brief involvement in Poland and Ukraine with victory over the manager's native Italy in Poznan on Monday night, and he will then turn his attention to the task of taking the nation to the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.

He will do so amid speculation that some of his senior players may decide the time has come to retire from the international stage.

Keeper Shay Given is the elder statesman in a group of thirty-somethings which also includes central defender Richard Dunne, midfielder Damien Duff and skipper Robbie Keane, although Trapattoni revealed he has had no indication yet that any of them intend to call it a day.

He said: "At this moment, nobody has to me that they wish to retire. Maybe, but I don't know. I know our captain is proud.

"I don't know, but I think not. We can decide. At this moment, we have a squad which is good enough to continue in this new campaign."

England fight back for vital win

England need only a draw against Ukraine to reach the Euro 2012 quarter-finals after coming from behind to defeat Sweden 3-2 thanks to Danny Welbeck's superb winner in Kiev.

England were the better side in the first half and deservedly led through Andy Carroll's header only to be stunned by two Olof Mellberg goals after the break.

But substitute Theo Walcott levelled and then his cross was back-heeled home by Welbeck.

The first serious attempt on goal came from Scott Parker after Welbeck had teed up the Tottenham midfielder. His 25-yard shot contained plenty of power but Swedish keeper Andreas Isaksson was well positioned to parry away his attempt.

Carroll justified his selection with a superb header to put England ahead after 23 minutes. As against France, skipper Steven Gerrard was the goal creator with a right-wing cross and Carroll got in between Mellberg and Andreas Granqvist to power a header past Isaksson.

Sweden started the second half promisingly and after 49 minutes Mellberg brought them back on level terms after Carroll had fouled Kim Kallstrom just outside the box. Zlatan Ibrahimovic's free-kick hit the defensive wall but he lobbed the ball back into the danger area.

Mellberg was the first to react and, although the shot from the former Aston Villa player was parried by Hart, it hit Glen Johnson and found the target - despite the defender's desperate attempt to clear.

James Milner was booked for a late challenge on Martin Olsson and from the resulting free-kick Mellberg struck for the second time after 59 minutes. Sebastian Larsson delivered a deep centre and no-one picked up Mellberg, who headed past Joe Hart into the corner of the net.

England boss Roy Hodgson responded by taking off Milner and replacing him with Walcott. It was an inspired move with the Arsenal player equalising after 64 minutes. A Gerrard corner was only half cleared to Walcott, whose shot from just outside the box deceived Isaksson.

And after 77 minutes Welbeck restored England's lead with a superb back heel from inside the six yard area after Walcott had centred from the byline.

Russia in it to win, says Advocaat

Powerhouses Russia intend to win their final Group A match against Greece, coach Dick Advocaat said on Friday, as strikerAlan Dzagoev said the team's unruly fans should behave in the face of a threatened UEFA points penalty.

The Group A leaders know that a draw against bottom of the table Greece will be enough to earn them a berth in the Euro 2012 quarter-finals, but plan to show their mettle, Advocaattold reporters on the eve of Saturday's match in Warsaw.

After a 4-1 demolition of the Czech Republic in their tournament opener last week, Russia were criticised for getting ahead of themselves, allowing co-hosts Poland to fight back against them in Tuesday's crunch match which ended 1-1.

"I think that whenever you play a game, you have to win and want to win," 64-year-old Advocaat said.

"We are very confident in ourselves and I'm sure the Greek coach will say the same thing."

Advocaat, who took over from compatriot Guus Hiddink in May 2010, has won plaudits for building a side with attractive, free-flowing play and blooding young talent such as CSKA Moscow's Dzagoev.

The 21-year-old has scored three goals so far at Euro 2012, with a double against the Czechs and one in the Poland game.

There is an outside chance that Russia could fail to advance if Greece win and there is a winner between the Czechs and Poland in Saturday's other match in the southwestern city of Wroclaw.

But Dzagoev said he wasn't reckoning on a nightmare.

"I'm really sure that we'll go through. We are very focused. We must go on the pitch and win this game. We don't feel relaxed. We simply must win. It's a simple thing," he said.

Russia face the spectre of a six-point deduction from their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign in the event of fan trouble.

Russia's two games have been marked by fans lighting flares and throwing fireworks, and European football's governing body UEFA made the points threat after hitting them with a 120,000-euro ($150,000, 96,000-pound) fine.

Advocaat, who has repeatedly refused to comment on off-pitch issues, was pressed on that but snapped: "Are you really going to ask me this type of question?"

Dzagoev, however, said supporters should reflect on the risks.

"Maybe they should be more calm. We don't need to lose six points in the next qualification, so we don't want anything bad for our national team," he said.

Dzagoev is one of the breakthrough names at Euro 2012, though he played down his skills.

"I don't think that I've played two good games. Yes, I scored in the second game, but it wasn't as good as the first game. I lost a lot of balls," he said.

The young striker is rumoured to be on the radar of the English Premier League, but he refused to be drawn.

"Of course, I have the desire to try myself in other clubs in Europe. But I'll think about it only after the tournament. Now I'm doing my own job here," he said.

Dzagoev is one of five CSKA Moscow players in Russia's 23-man squad, along with seven from Zenit St Petersburg, including captain Andrey Arshavin, on loan from Arsenal.

Questioned as to whether he relied too heavily on Arshavin, Advocaat said: "It has nothing to do with whether he's important or not. He's the captain.

"He did lose the ball a lot and that can cost you a game. But I left him on for the simple fact that he's a player that can score out of nothing. He's the type of player who can make a difference."

France brave storm to bring Ukraine down to earth

France weathered a fierce thunderstorm that held up play for almost an hour to beat Euro 2012 co-hosts Ukraine 2-0 on Friday and claim top spot in Group D.

An almighty deluge at Donetsk's Donbass Arena forced the players off the pitch after only five minutes and when the skies cleared it was France who prevailed through quick-fire second-half goals by Jeremy Menez and Yohan Cabaye.

It was France's first victory at a major tournament since their runners-up finish at the 2006 World Cup and it took Laurent Blanc's side a point above Ukraine ahead of the later game between England and Sweden in Kiev.

Les Bleus' unbeaten run now stands at 23 matches, while Ukraine must pick themselves up after a reality shock that cut through the euphoria sparked by their opening 2-1 success against the Swedes.

The first moment of drama occurred during the national anthems, as a sudden clap of thunder interrupted La Marseillaise.

The match began beneath a steady downpour but the rain quickly intensified, sending spectators scrambling for cover and obliging referee Bjorn Kuipers to order the players off the pitch for a delay that was to last 57 minutes.

When play resumed, it was France who took the initiative, despite the roars of encouragement from the banks of yellow-clad fans in the tribunes every time Ukraine crossed the halfway line.

Ukraine goalkeeper Andrei Pyatov fielded a curling shot fromKarim Benzema and blocked an effort from Menez at the back post, either side of a low shot from Andrei Yarmolenko at the other end that dribbled wide.

The arena shook with noise each time the ball came to Andrei Shevchenko, hero of the win against Sweden.

The 35-year-old threatened to raise the volume even further in the 34th minute, but Hugo Lloris was equal to his firmly struck half-volley.

With both defences betraying signs of unease, play swung from end to end, and Pyatov was obliged to produce a stunning one-handed save to claw away a Phillipe Mexes header that appeared destined for the top-right corner.

More enterprising than in their 1-1 draw with England, France remained on the front foot in the second period and Pyatov had to be alert to deny Menez again after he ran onto Benzema's beautifully weighted through-ball.

Shevchenko and Anatoliy Tymoshchuk both shot narrowly over within the space of a minute, before Menez finally scored the goal he had been threatening in the 53rd minute.

Franck Ribery was the catalyst, striding into Ukrainian territory on the left and picking out Benzema, whose pass allowed Menez to cut in from the right and beat Pyatov at his near post with a left-foot shot.

Within three minutes it was 2-0 and Benzema was again the provider, sliding a diagonal pass through the defence for Cabaye, who held off Oleg Gusev before drilling home his first international goal.

Cabaye almost claimed a stunning second in the 65th minute, his crisp shot cannoning back off an upright, before Blanc successfully took the sting out of the game with a string of substitutions.

A match that began with a torrent of rain ended with a barrage of boos, but the quarter-finals remain within sight for both sides.

Stoke favourites to land Owen

Michael Owen is expected to join Stoke later this month despite apparent interest from Everton.

Owen was released by Manchester United this summer after three years at Old Trafford which were scarred by injury problems. The 32-year-old confirmed he had no plans to retire, having previously stated his intention to remain in the top flight.

And, despite playing just 10 times since January 2011, Press Association Sport understands there has been plenty of interest in Owen, with Stoke now looking like the preferred option for England's fourth highest scorer.

It does seem like an obvious move. Manager Tony Pulis recently admitted an interest in Owen "along with a number of other players", and Stoke is barely 30 miles from the striker's plush Manor House Stables complex which, under the guidance of trainer Tom Dascombe, is quickly gaining an impressive reputation in racing circles.

There is some competition from Everton, although whether Owen would be willing to join the Goodison Park outfit given his status as a former Liverpool player is open to debate.

Some uncertainty at the Merseyside outfit lingers anyway as David Moyes remains among the favourites to fill the managerial vacancy at Tottenham, even though his odds have drifted from the immediate aftermath of Harry Redknapp's exit.

The arrival of Owen would represent a further move away from the perception of Pulis having a long-ball team.

Although they tended to rely on the aerial threat of Ricardo Fuller when they returned to the top flight in 2008, Peter Crouch has never been viewed as a target man despite his height and he spent much of last season in tandem with Jonathan Walters.

Fitness permitting, Pulis would presumably be looking for Owen's predatory instincts to maximise the goal threat of a side who found the net just 36 times last term, the worst record in the entire Premier League.

Retirement an option for Hargreaves

Owen Hargreaves is considering whether to call time on his career.

Hargreaves caused a minor sensation last summer when he signed a one-year contract with Manchester City following his release by Manchester United. Plagued by injury for the previous three seasons, it appeared Hargreaves had won his fitness battle when he made a goalscoring Blues debut against Birmingham in the Carling Cup in September.

However, the 31-year-old made just three more appearances for City and after being released by the club, Hargreaves admitted retirement was one of the options he is thinking about. He said: "I don't want to chase something. If I get the right fit I will go for it. But I am not forced to do anything and if I can't get back to the level I used to, I don't want to play."

"I am a football player," Hargreaves said. "That is how I am identified as an individual.
"I was pretty humbled in the sense that was taken away from me. Now it is about taking the next step and deciding what I want to do.

"But the really satisfying thing is that I have put myself in a position where I can actually think about it.

"Maybe I will never be in a Champions League final or semi-final again but to get to where I am now is a huge achievement."

Following old team-mate Gary Neville into coaching appeals, and Hargreaves speaks well enough for a career in the media should he so wish.

"No matter what happens from this point forward, I can hold my head up high," he said.
"I wanted to finish on a better note than that Wolves game. To have done that would have been awful. I couldn't face that."