June 15, 201214 yr If Spain draw their last game 2-2 then it doesn't matter what the score of the Italy game is, 2004 all over again.
June 15, 201214 yr So this guarantees England's advancement right? (Sorry, there's a bit of a dispute on Twitter about it.) Not yet, if Ukraine wins from England and France from Sweden then England will be third in group D *I think*
June 15, 201214 yr Not yet, if Ukraine wins from England and France from Sweden then England will be third in group D *I think* Yeah, that's what I'd originally thought. So what if France wins and England wins?
June 15, 201214 yr So this guarantees England's advancement right? (Sorry, there's a bit of a dispute on Twitter about it.) If they lose to Ukraine then they are out
June 15, 201214 yr Yeah, that's what I'd originally thought. So what if France wins and England wins? Then they're safe :)
June 15, 201214 yr If they lose to Ukraine then they are out I doubt that will happen, but nobody thought Sweden would lose to the Ukraine either, so I won't assume anything.
June 15, 201214 yr So this guarantees England's advancement right? (Sorry, there's a bit of a dispute on Twitter about it.) How did this get to be a debate? (Not having a dig at you not knowing if you're not a huge football fan, but surprised it's widespread on twitter) http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/season=2012/standings/round=15172/group=700967/index.html If England win or draw against Ukraine they definitely go through, France vs Sweden is essentially meaningless apart from finishing in top spot or 2nd. If they lose against Ukraine then Ukraine jump them and England go straight out.
June 15, 201214 yr Newcastle United's Yohan Cabaye Ukraine 0-2 France France secured their first Group D win at Euro 2012 at the expense of co-hosts Ukraine during a rain-interrupted spectacle in Donetsk. The teams were forced off after only four minutes because of the stormy conditions, returning almost an hour after the scheduled start. Jeremy Menez opened the scoring in the second half when he drifted inside his marker and fired in from 12 yards. Yohan Cabaye added a second with a low strike from the edge of the area. It was the Newcastle midfielder's first international goal, secured as he moved into an advanced position and took advantage of a Ukraine defence that laboured in the heat and soggy conditions inside the Donbass Arena. The energy-sapping pitch was created by the deluge early in the first half that led to referee Bjorn Kuipers taking the teams off. The Dutchman was unconcerned by the rain at kick-off but by the fourth minute the downpour had intensified and heavy lightning overhead meant the official had little option but to haul the players off the pitch. Despite the storm subsiding 20 minutes later, there remained a doubt about whether the rest of the match would be completed on Friday because of the surface water, with rain having poured in torrents out of the stands. However, following emergency drainage work by the groundstaff, Kuipers gave the go-ahead for the game to restart. It took a few minutes for the players to become accustomed to the new playing conditions, and it was the nimble French attack that was first to settle. They provided the best goalmouth action in the first half, with Menez, Karim Benzema and Franck Ribery showing the most intent. Paris St Germain winger Menez actually had the ball in the net but it was rightly ruled offside, while Benzema also tested Andriy Pyatov with a rising stinging shot and a low drive. It was centre-back Philippe Mexes who had the clearest chance of the first 45 minutes when his powerful header from a corner had to be pushed away by Pyatov. But Bayern Munich's Ribery, impressive in the pre-tournament friendlies, was the French star in Donetsk, and it was his wizardry that eventually found Menez on the right of the area. The winger picking up the pass before shifting inside Yevhen Selin and firing low inside the left-hand post. The second goal came three minutes later and this time Benzema was the creator. The Real Madrid forward fed Cabaye on the edge of the 18-yard area and he escaped his marker Oleg Gusev before firing in a low shot. Moments later Cabaye was fractions away from adding a second but his rasping drive, following sustained France pressure, rattled the left-hand post. Ukraine's game relied on long balls into space for Andriy Shevchenko and Andriy Yarmolenko to chase. Shevchenko, the hero of the opening match against Sweden, went closest with two efforts. The first was a fierce angled drive that Hugo Lloris palmed away and the second, after the break, was an arrowed shot that flew just a foot over the bar. Apart from that there was little to enthuse the largely partisan crowd inside the Ukraine stadium. The loud roars of delight that must have heartened their team when they drove forward earlier in the game had turned to whistles of disgust by the end of the match. The co-hosts have a chance to make amends when they face England in Tuesday's Group D decider, with France up against Sweden in Kiev. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18181783
June 15, 201214 yr Manchester United's Danny Welbeck Sweden 2 - 3 England England came from behind to beat Sweden for the first time in a competitive fixture after their Euro 2012 campaign flirted with danger in a thriller in Kiev. Andy Carroll's superb first-half header allowed England to establish comfortable control - but poor defending allowed Olof Mellberg to score twice and put Sweden ahead before the hour. England manager Roy Hodgson required inspiration and found it in the shape of substitute Theo Walcott as the Arsenal attacker turned the game around with a spectacular equaliser and a penetrating run to set up Danny Welbeck's deft winner with 12 minutes left. Hodgson's side had been derided in some quarters for their conservative approach in the opening 1-1 draw with France but there could be no complaints about the entertainment value on offer here in Ukraine - although not all of it was intentional or admirable. He will take heart from England's positive response to adversity but will be hugely concerned that trouble came as the result of a collective lapse of defensive concentration that gave Sweden an all-too-easy route back into this contest. England know a draw against co-hosts Ukraine in Donetsk next Tuesday will put them through to the Euro 2012 quarter-finals, but they will face a team with ambitions of their own in that direction in what will be a hostile atmosphere inside the Donbass Arena. Hodgson's plan was clear and was revealed by Carroll's recall. Sweden's defence had a weakness in the air and England were intent on probing it. England's first threat came from midfield man Scott Parker when he saw his rising 25-yard shot clawed away by Sweden goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson. And there was a hint of things to come when Welbeck rose to meet James Milner's cross but his glancing header was weak and lacked the direction to trouble Isaksson. When England broke the deadlock it came from a move that was straight from Hodgson's strategy both in creation and execution. Gerrard's cross from the right wing was met by the soaring figure of Carroll as he got in between Andreas Granqvist and Mellberg to power a header past Isaksson. Sweden were carrying few attacking threats, although the ease with with Zlatan Ibrahimovic brushed Parker off the ball and then won a straight race with a ponderous-looking John Terry were causes for concern. Kim Kallstrom shot just over after Glen Johnson lost possession and Hart had to dive at the feet of Johan Elmander as the Swedes attempted to restore equality before the break. After looking relatively settled, England were set back by a scrappy mess of an equaliser for Sweden four minutes after the restart. Ibrahimovic's free-kick, conceded needlessly by Carroll, was not cleared and allowed Mellberg to bundle the ball into the net via Hart's hand and an attempted clearance by Johnson. Sweden had emerged with a sense of purpose they never showed in the first half and were ahead just before the hour - but once again England were guilty of defending in a manner that manager Hodgson will find unacceptable. Mellberg was allowed to rise unmarked amid a mass of dozing defenders to meet Seb Larsson's free-kick and send a downward header past Hart as England's players looked bemused at the fate that had befallen them. Hodgson's reaction was to introduce Walcott for Milner and it was a change that reaped a rich reward as the Arsenal attacker player a decisive part in England's recovery. Walcott's swerving finish brought England level after 64 minutes then his darting run into the area and cross allowed Welbeck to apply an instinctive back-flick finish. In the closing moments captain Gerrard could have given the scoreline a more convincing appearance but Isaksson did brilliantly to block his close-range volley. The victory was secured, but Hodgson and England will be well aware they flirted with danger courtesy of their own carelessness. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18181790
June 15, 201214 yr Oh and in case anyone cares, France are definitely through now. England and Ukraine can't go ahead of them, if they draw Ukraine have a worse GD.
June 15, 201214 yr Yay! :awesome: And my dad told me then we'll probably be against either Spain or Italy....yaay...:\
June 15, 201214 yr Congrats to England! Huge victory and a HUGE match! Just in the second half. A first half Kind of boring :) Now let's GO PORTUGAL!!! :D:D:D
June 15, 201214 yr How did this get to be a debate? (Not having a dig at you not knowing if you're not a huge football fan, but surprised it's widespread on twitter) http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/season=2012/standings/round=15172/group=700967/index.html If England win or draw against Ukraine they definitely go through, France vs Sweden is essentially meaningless apart from finishing in top spot or 2nd. If they lose against Ukraine then Ukraine jump them and England go straight out. It's just a few friends and I debating it. It's not exactly trending,lol. Thanks for the info though. :)
June 15, 201214 yr Group A winner v Group B runner-up (1) Euro 2012: Group A winner v Group B runner-up Venue: National Stadium, Warsaw Date: Thursday, 21 June Kick-off: 19:45 BST Group B winner v Group A runner-up (2) Euro 2012: Group B winner v Group A runner-up Venue: PGE Arena, Gdansk Date: Friday, 22 June Kick-off: 19:45 BST Group C winner v Group D runner-up (3) Euro 2012: Group C winner v Group D runner-up Venue: Donbass Arena, Donetsk Date: Saturday, 23 June Kick-off: 19:45 BST Group D winner v Group C runner-up (4) Euro 2012: Group D winner v Group C runner-up Venue: Olympic Stadium, Kiev Date: Sunday, 24 June Kick-off: 19:45 BST
June 15, 201214 yr Semi-final 1 (1 v 3) Euro 2012: Semi-final 1 Venue: Donbass Arena, Donetsk Date: Wednesday, 27 June Kick-off: 19:45 BST Semi-final 2 (2 v 4) Euro 2012: Semi-final 2 Venue: National Stadium, Warsaw Date: Thursday, 28 June Kick-off: 19:45 BST THEN Euro 2012 final (1 v 3 against 2 v 4) Euro 2012: Final Venue: Olympic Stadium, Kiev Date: Sunday, 1 July Kick-off: 19:45 BST
June 15, 201214 yr Massive incentive to win group D - stay away from the humidity of Donetsk in both the Q/F and S/F games which could potentially both be played out into extra time. AND avoid Spain!
June 15, 201214 yr What a match! For me Carroll, Welbeck and Walcott were fantastic. Gerrard although a couple of misplaced passes was fine in the midfield as well. Could have been a bit more vocal when they went 2-1 down but kept the ball moving quickly enough unlike his team mates who were happy to play the game at snails pace. Ashley Young was a fucking disaster though. Walcott and Welbeck though - superb. Collectively though (and this goes for Sweden) it was a bit of a horror show. Both team's treatment of the ball was bordering on abusive! Was like watching a Sunday afternoon pub match. Only England could win and lower already low expectations. Oh dear!
June 15, 201214 yr Rooney's back on Tuesday? Yeah that's right. Rooney will arrive on his horse, looking resplendent in his suit of shining armour and save England from direness. More likely he'll come in and play like the Rooney England have become well used to in the last 6 years or so. Running around like a headless chicken, misplacing passes and not being able to keep the ball and showing how overrated he is by the English media who think he's the "third best player in the world behind Messi and Ronaldo".
June 15, 201214 yr I hope not, I'd rather see Carroll and Welbeck playing again! Yeah they were excellent tonight. Did their jobs and more. Only an idiot would break that pair....
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