A vintage goalscoring display from Andriy Shevchenko gave Euro 2012 co-hosts Ukraine a 2-1 victory against Sweden at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev.
The 35-year-old converted two headers in seven second-half minutes to overturn Zlatan Ibrahimovic's opener for Sweden and send the Ukrainian capital into rapture in the country's first European Championship match.
Shevchenko nearly failed to make Oleg Blokhin's tournament squad, but earned a starting berth and repaid his coach's faith with a finishing masterclass to take his international record to 48 goals from 109 games.
Ukraine go top of Group D after the opening round of matches, following England's draw against France earlier on Monday.
The players emerged to a cauldron of noise, with both sets of fans clad in yellow. Yet the action on the pitch took some time to get going as did Shevchenko.
The Ukrainian captain had a great chance to open the scoring on 23 minutes, but dragged his shot wide of the far post.
The co-hosts grew in confidence, and the impressive Andriy Voronin tested Andreas Isaksson with a swerving effort from long range, before superb blocks denied Shevchenko and Andriy Yarmolenko.
Ibrahimovic, operating in a deep role behind main striker Markus Rosenberg, spurned a great chance on 39 minutes, when he escaped his marker but sent his free header wide off the far post.
Rosenberg had the first big chance of the second half after Sebastian Larsson dispossessed Serhiy Nazarenko, but Taras Mikhalik threw himself bravely in front of the ball.
On 52 minutes, Ibrahimovic put Sweden in front, ghosting in front of his marker to convert Kim Kallstrom's low cross from close range - Ukraine felt aggrieved as Yevhen Selin lay injured during the build-up, but referee Cuneyt Cakir rightly played on.
Then came the Sheva show. On 55 minutes, he showed his old turn of pace to nip in front of Olof Mellberg and head a superb Yarmolenko cross past Isaksson.
But he had not finished, and doubled his tally by darting to the near post to meet Yevhen Konoplyanka's corner, glancing the ball into the net as 70,000 locals lifted the roof off the stadium.
Sweden had their chances, but could not conjure an equaliser. Ibrahimovic saw a shot parried, before teeing up Johan Elmander with a gorgeous looping flick, only to see the substitute volley high and wide.
Mellberg nearly had the final say in the last minute of added time, but lifted his shot onto the top of the net.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Shevchenko heads Ukraine to win
England thwart France in 1-1 stalemate
France and England battled to a 1-1 stalemate in their opening Euro 2012 Group D match on Monday after Joleon Lescott's opener for England was cancelled out by Samir Nasri.
The match, played in warm humid conditions at a less than full Donbass Arena, saw England defend resolutely against a more inventive French side who are now unbeaten in 22 matches.
England made the breakthrough after 30 minutes when Lescott scored his first goal for his country, powerfully heading home a whipped Steven Gerrard free kick that left France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris floundering.
England only stayed ahead for nine minutes, though, before Lescott's Manchester City team mate Nasri fired France's equaliser past another club colleague in England goalkeeper Joe Hart.
Nasri beat Hart at the near post with a superbly struck shot from outside the penalty area, shortly after the keeper had made a brilliant reflex save from Alou Diarra's thundering header.
England manager Roy Hodgson, in charge for only six weeks, gambled on a bold line-up with teenager Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain called up for only his third appearance, and although he made some surging runs, his lack of a final product was noticeable compared to a succession of French attempts on goal.
England should have taken the lead in the 15th minute when James Milner rounded Lloris after a neat through ball from Ashley Young, but he fired into the side netting.
France dominated possession and looked sharper in attack than the English who defended well but far too deeply, allowing the French lots of room to manoeuvre.
Yohan Cabaye, Franck Ribery and Benzema all went close for France but could not find a second goal.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Oxlade-Chamberlain starts for England
Coach Roy Hodgson preferred the 18-year-old to the more experienced Stewart Downing, who was widely expected to be included as the wide man in a 4-4-2 lineup with Ashley Young and Danny Welbeck in attack.
But Hodgson, impressed by "The Ox" in training, opted for a slightly different formation with Young playing behind Welbeck, the scorers in England's two friendlies in the last two weeks.
France coach Laurent Blanc, seeking to extend their unbeaten run to 22 matches, chose the same team that beat Estonia 4-0 in their final warm-up, with their hopes mainly resting on a potent front three of Samir Nasri, Karim Benzema and Franck Ribery.
Defensive midfielder Yann Mvila trained on Sunday and appeared to have recovered from a badly sprained ankle injury, but Blanc decided not to risk him in his starting XI.
Prandelli mulls changes despite bright start
Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has ditched his famous purple puffer jacket for an elegant suit at Euro 2012 and he wants his side to be smarter too despite matching holders Spain in their Group C opener.
Sunday's 1-1 draw against Spain's diminutive short passers will be followed by a different test on Thursday against a confident Croatia side whose physicality up front in their 3-1 win over Ireland is prompting Prandelli to consider changes.
"Now I will look with great attention at Croatia and then we'll decide," he told reporters on Monday.
Tiny Antonio Di Natale scored the opener against the world champions minutes after coming on in place of Mario Balotelli but Prandelli may stick with the temperamental Manchester City striker given his height could trouble the Croat defence.
Asked about the strike duo of Balotelli and Antonio Cassano, the coach said: "I was happy with them for their attitude, I was happy with the distance they kept from the central midfielders yes, but in certain occasions we needed to be deeper (in the opposition half)."
He was very pleased with Emanuele Giaccherini's debut at left wing back and thought midfielder Daniele De Rossi did well as one of three centre backs but wants him to stride out of defence with the ball more.
"He had a great game but as I see football, when you have a midfielder playing there, he could make a particular difference," the former Fiorentina boss added.
Prandelli acknowledged that he may even change his three-man defence against Croatia but does not want another revolution.
"The idea is not to change too much but to give continuity," he said.
"In three days we will meet a completely different team (to Spain). They are unpredictable and can change from one half to the other. We have to be even more prepared."
Polish police say trouble at a minimum
Polish police have made just 72 arrests since the start of Euro 2012 last Friday, fewer than on an average holiday weekend in the host country, the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a statement on Monday.
The run-up to the tournament, which Poland is co-hosting with Ukraine, was marked by fears over racism and groups of soccer hooligans in both countries. There were violent incidents in the cities of Wroclaw and Poznan over the weekend, mainly involving Croatian and Russian fans.
But the ministry pointed to the relative calm at fan party zones in its major cities the biggest ever at a European Championship - as evidence that the tournament is going off smoothly.
"Since the start of Euro 2012 in Poland altogether 905,000 fans have taken part in fan zones and stadiums," the ministry said.
"Police have detained 72 people, of which more than half have been under the influence of alcohol. That is decisively less than police normally record on other holiday weekends."
Authorities are also working hard to head off tensions around a march planned by Russian fans to the national stadium in Warsaw ahead of Tuesday's Group A game against the hosts. The game has emerged as one of the tournament's big potential flashpoints.
Portugal's problem is unco-operative ball
Portugal have finally got to the root of their goal-scoring problems, saying it is simply the case that "the ball does not want to go in."
"It's the reality. We have created a lot of chances but the ball doesn't want to go in," midfielder Miguel Veloso told reporters.
"The most important thing is to look for a bit of luck because perhaps the ball will go in and we can carry on from there."
His team mate Nani agreed that the ball was not being co-operative.
"The ball will not go in," he said. "In the next few games, maybe our chances will go in as they have done at other times."
Portugal have scored just one goal in four games this year and kicked off their Euro 2012 campaign with a 1-0 loss to Germany on Saturday when they only came to life after falling behind midway through the second half.
Most of Monday's news conference at the team's Polish hotel consisted of pre-prepared answers which tended to state the obvious.
"We want to score goals because that's the only way you can win a game," said Nani.
He also reminded his audience that "the coach picks the team and I play where he tells me" and that "everyone reacts differently to a defeat."
Veloso described Euro 2012 as "an important competition" and observed that when Portugal face Denmark on Wednesday "we will be playing against opponents who also want to win the game."
"All the players want to play, we're no exceptions," he revealed, offering yet more insight. "The important thing is not who plays but how the team plays. Whoever plays will do their best.
"We devise a strategy for each match and then we do our best go reach out target, which is the three points."
Gomez eager to make his mark at last
Germany forward Mario Gomez is hoping to finally make his mark at a major international tournament after scoring on his first Euro 2012 appearance following goal droughts at the last two.
The 26-year-old has long been the butt of jokes in Germany when it came to his performances on the big stage, having failed to net in eight successive games at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.
But he scored in the 72nd minute in the 1-0 win over Portugal on Saturday to get his name on a tournament scoresheet at last.
"It is true that this was my best and most important goal so far," a visibly relaxed Gomez told reporter, knowing the tables had finally turned with the German press.
Yet it could have been different with striker Miroslav Klose waiting on the sidelines to come on for him before he headed in Germany's first goal of the tournament.
The forward's winner, however, was not enough to silence every critic back home, including Bayern Munich reserve team coach Mehmet Scholl who told German television he feared Gomez would get bedsores after a performance in which he spent a lot of time lying on the pitch.
"At Bayern we are a big family. I have scored the most Champions League goals in the past two seasons behind Lionel Messi. Why should I change the way I do things?," the 2011 Bundesliga's top scorer said in response to a question regarding Scholl's comments.
Gomez, who scored 26 league goals and added another 12 in the Champions League this season, also received the backing of Germany coach Joachim Loew, who said the forward had been steeled by his ups and downs in recent years.
"Mario is strong because he has often gone through the valley of problems, especially in the national team," said Loew. "He has always managed to bounce back. He knows what he can and cannot do."
Germany take on Netherlands in Kharkiv on Wednesday.