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| Euro 2008 Qualifying | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 22 2007, 08:27 AM (1,995 Views) | |
| Winslow | Oct 17 2007, 01:03 PM Post #106 |
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Well, I wouldn't jump to conclusions, Simon--Israel's no pushover these days, and Russia's not exactly a beast on the road. But this is definitely bad news/bad luck for England. The Scots must be shiteing themselves too after losing 2-0 at Georgia. France is now top of that group after beating Lithuania 2-0, and Scotland must now beat Italy at home to qualify. |
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| Yogi | Oct 17 2007, 03:16 PM Post #107 |
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France began the day in 3rd and ended up in first in the group. They still may have to get a point in Kiev to qualify but unless you score a freak goal like Scotland did against them, it is going to be difficult to score, and beat, France. Henry with both goals today, passing Platini as France's all time scoring leader. Scotland were the big losers as Winslow said they'll now need to defeat Italy and while the Scots are tough at home, we all know it isn't easy beating Italy anywhere. And Italy with Pirlo's free kicks and Toni's opportunism can score at any time. Maybe the Germans took it easy since they already qualified but Czech Republic beat them 3-0. Then again the Czechs also beat them in Euro 2004 so maybe they have the trick to beat Germany? Whatever reason the Czechs join Germany in next summer's Euro tournament. |
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| valenciano | Oct 17 2007, 05:04 PM Post #108 |
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So I go and support Sweden and they could only draw at home with Northern Ireland. I think that is the irish's best result away from home in these qualifiers and definitely their best game since changing coaches. I didn't watch the game but I am surprised Swden didn't win at home. Now both have to travel to Spain next month. Northern Ireland and Denmark have slim, very slim chances still of qualifying but that would require Spain losing both of it's remaining games at home. Greece beat Turkey 1-0 in Istanbul in one of the bigger surprises of the day. Or maybe a sign the Greeks are getting in form again in time for a Euro? That win qualifies them and with Norway winning they are now ahead of the Turks in their group. Turkey will now have to beat Norway in Oslo next month. The Czech's win in Germany was the other shock of the day and as Yogi said the Czechs also have booked their ticket for next summer. Finally Romania's win in Luxembourg, 2-0, also qualifies them for the summer event. |
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| siralfred | Oct 17 2007, 05:44 PM Post #109 |
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Forza Zlatan!
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So Sweden threw away a lead against a Nor'n Iron side that played their hearts out. Though the pre-game talk was that this wouldn't be an easy win (if even a win) to secure qualification, Sweden played as if it was after scoring. Regarding individual performances, Lagerbäck said he was only satisfied with Isaksson and, to some degree, Ibrahimovic. So, disappointed as I am, I'm still feeling good about eventual qualification. The point today means that Denmark or NI have to take full points from their two remaining matches to knock us out. The Danes will have to make up 8 goals' difference, to boot, in Belfast and home to Iceland. NI will prevail if they match us on points, due to head-to-head results, but must win in Spain in their last match. And even if that should happen, we still have Latvia at home and only need a draw. |
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| cafetero | Oct 17 2007, 11:30 PM Post #110 |
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I saw the highlights of the Russia-England game and the penalty given Russia was for a foul committed outside the box. Bad call there but was Rooney offside on his goal? I never saw a good angle on the replay. What a shot though from him. You never want to have to rely on other team's results in order to qualify but that is what as happened with England. Lithuania held out for a long time on France but you just knew Les Bleus would score on them. I like the potential of the young Lyon forward Karim Benzema. He's a big solid center forward but unlike Trezeguet he's mobile and has some skills. I thought he and Henry linked up well in the game. Benzema looks like he could be a good partner for Henry in France's attack. |
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| Pepe | Oct 18 2007, 08:25 AM Post #111 |
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Of course there were bad calls in the Russia-England match because there was a Spanish referee! Our league may be excellent but the quality of officiating is not of the same standard. So Russia won at home, imagine that a Guus Hiddink coached team did well! I suppose Germany may have taken it easy against Czech Republic but to lsoe at home 3-0 is a shock. You just don't imagine Germany being the team to take it easy in a home qualifier even if qualification was already assured. Greece have definitely been getting the better of Turkey in their head to head matchups. If I recall they also played in World Cup qualifying for 2006 and then the Greeks also won in Turkey. They won't sneak up on other teams as they did in Portugal in 2004 but Greece looks as if they are back to being a tough team to play again. |
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| Martin | Oct 18 2007, 01:58 PM Post #112 |
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You know cafetero I was thinking the same thing about Benzema as I was watching France-Lithuania. Benzema would seem like an ideal partner for Henry due to his mobility and skill. Plus as you say he's big enough where he won't get pushed around either. His development may be what sends Trezeguet into international retirement. For all his goalscoring ability and opportunism, Trezeguet has never seemed to click well with Henry. The other young Lyon attacker Hatem Ben Arfa came in off the bench and was a good change of pace substitution. When you add in the Arsenal pair of right backs-Sagna and Diarra and another Lyon midfielder Toulalan, France look to finally be injecting youth into their team while still maintaining their veteran core. Interestingly last spring's sensation, Sami Nasri has been in a slump with his club and has for now been dropped from the national team.
I too never saw a clear angle definitively showing Rooney was offside but like you I too thought the foul was outside the box and not inside for what became Russia's opening goal. Still you must ask why England became so conservative after scoring their early goal? They just invited trouble as Russia controlled the ball afterwards. So now England are going to have to hope Israel can take some points from Russia in their game next month in Tel Aviv. Here is an interesting tidbit, guess who is involved directly in financing Russia's federation and indirectly in Israel's? None other than Roman Abramovich! So will there be some "encouragment" to already eliminated Israel to ease the path for Abramovich's Russia to qualify? |
| Club Sportivo Desamparados | |
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| SuperEagle | Oct 18 2007, 11:00 PM Post #113 |
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Looked to me like Rooney was offside so that cancels out that the penalty in favor of Russia was actually committed outside the box. But England, as Martin wrote should be upset at themselves for getting too passive with a one goal lead. Then again nobody has ever accused McLaren of being a tactical genius. Wright Phillips showed once more his inconsistent streak. He's played well recently for England but was a non factor against Russia. This inconsistency is something his club coaches have known about for a long time. Interesting discussion about Henry's best partner with France. That has often been a subject of debate when he was with Arsenal too. I think you are right that a more static player like Trezeguet isn't a good partner for Henry as he needs a player to vacate space in order for him to run into open areas. Players like Bergkamp and van Persie did this well at Arsenal. Benzema, while a different kind of player than Henry's Dutch teammates at Arsenal, would seem to have the qualities needed to compliment Henry's game, Benzema is skillful, strong, mobile and good at combining with his teammates. |
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| Simon | Oct 19 2007, 02:47 AM Post #114 |
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Haha, the thought had also occurred to me that there would be nations I'd choose ahead of Israel for the job of taking points from Russia! I'm sure Russia will win in Israel but it would take a real crank to put that down to the 'international Jewish conspiracy'! Unfortunately, the bottom line is that by drawing at home to Macedonia and not winning any of our 3 most important away games we have inflicted this damage on ourselves. The unfortunate thing is that we have worked out a lot of our problems and our five consecutive 3-0 wins combined with an excellent defensive record really made me think we would qualify. The further frustration is that this looks like being a very wide open Euro 2008 as there isn't an outstanding team in Europe right now. Germany would probably be the pick for many of the favourite, but they weren't especially convincing in any of their 4 games with the Irish and the Czechs, however many goals they put past San Marino. I think momentum and tremendous home support carried them a long way in their World Cup, but there were rocky moments at the back along the way (especially against little Costa Rica) and some surprising decisions by Pekerman which helped them out in the quarters. Italy, France, Spain and Portugal have all struggled in these qualifiers like England while Holland seem to have a real problem scoring goals. If only England could have qualified we could at least have gone out there with our recent good goalscoring form, our strong defence and (hallelujah!) a balanced midfield finally free of the ineffective Lampard-Gerrard axis. Instead, given the problems of the 'big nations', I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone like Romania, Croatia or even Greece (imagine that!) were to win it next summer. |
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| valenciano | Oct 19 2007, 10:21 PM Post #115 |
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I don't know Simon I was looking at their respective groups and I think Portugal's group is more difficult than England's and that helps explain the larger numbe rof draws Portugal has compared to England. Let's take a look at the respective groups: Group A Portugal Poland Serbia Finland Belgium Armenia Kazakhstan Azerbaijan Group E England Croatia Russia Israel Macedonia Estonia Andorra Group A has one more team than Group E but looking at the other teams in the groups besides Portugal and England, group A's other main contenders Poland and Serbia are roughly of the same level as Croatia and Russia. Since the disintegration of the old Yugoslavia, Croatia has had a slight edge over Serbia but not by much. And despite the "magic" of Guus Hiddink, Poland have been a better team than Russia in recent years, making a habit, unlike Russia has, of qualifying for major international tournaments. Group A's next teams are Finland and Belgium while E's are Israel and Macedonia. I'd give the nod there to Belgium and Finland. And at the bottom of the group, I'll leave out the extra team in Group A-Azerbaijan, but that group's other bottom teams Armenia and Kazakhstan are both better than Estonia and Andorra. So my point is Group A is deeper than Group E and that explains why Portugal has 5 ties and only 1 loss while England has 2 losses and 2 ties in it's group. At the top the groups are fairly even but it is from the middle towards the bototm where I feel Group A ahs ana dvantage. I actually think these two groups are probably the best in Europe behind the Italy, France, Scotland, Ukraine group but I believe Portugal's group overall is stronger because it has more competitive teams than England's. Sorry for the long pedantic post, my wife is ill and I'm feeling bored! |
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| Martin | Oct 20 2007, 07:40 AM Post #116 |
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Simon don't read more into what I wrote about Abramovich's ties to both Russia's and Israel's federations. But it is something one of England's more respected sportwriters Henry Winter has also brought up, and apparently something they are also thinking about within England's team http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtm...0/sfneng120.xml
Simon is right that 8 months before Euro 2008 there does not look like a clear cut favorite. That should make for a very compelling tournament next summer. And unlike say the World Cup, Denmark in 1992 and Greece in 2004 are proof that the so called "lesser" countries can win a European title. |
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| gaviota | Oct 20 2007, 09:34 AM Post #117 |
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It does bring up the potential for a conflict of interest when one person is so involved in both federations playing each other in a game potentially vital to the qualifying hopes of one, Russia, and meaningless to the other, Israel. Then again didn't the same issue apply to a lesser extent when Abramovich's Chelsea played CSKA Moscow, a team sponsored by Abramovich's company? And in that acse there wasn't anything "funny" which took place. Hopefully the same applies to the upcoming Russia-Israel game. |
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| Yogi | Oct 21 2007, 10:41 AM Post #118 |
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This is the problem when you have to rely on other team's results in order to qualify no matter what you do in your own game. Should make for some nervous time for England fans watching Israel-Russia. That is why I am glad Italy are not in that position. They know what they need to do in Scotland next month and won't have to rely on other team's results. |
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| Simon | Oct 22 2007, 02:26 AM Post #119 |
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My attitude is that England are out, and I'll be pleasantly surprised if anything different happens. At least that way I won't be disappointed all over again. Martin, I didn't have you down as a conspiracy theorist, don't worry! I suppose there's at least a chance of Russia having an easier time than expected as the two countries have links. Everyone remembers West Germany against Austria in Gijon in 1982! I recall France boss Michel Hidalgo going to the game to take notes on Austria who were to be France's next opponents - he didn't bother to write a single thing down! Seriously though, I'm sure the game in Israel will be above board, and unfortunately I'm equally sure that Russia will win. Valenciano, you may be right but I'm sure Portugal are still pretty pleased to have played 6 of their qualifiers without winning and to be still in contention. That's just the way it goes, sometimes you need a bit of luck to do well in sport. |
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| Merengue | Nov 13 2007, 07:22 PM Post #120 |
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My brother's in laws live in Gijon and went to that disgusting West Germany-Austria game back in the 1982 World Cup. All those of us who watched that game on TV were disgusted by the teams "non aggression pact" but you can imagine how angry those who paid money to see it felt! Frankly I still find it difficult to support either team after that incident which now was 25 years ago. Maybe that's unreasonable on my part but for me that was one of the darkest moments I've ever felt watching a football game, that and the Heysel tragedy three years later. On to happier topics like the exciting finish to Euro 2008 qualifying. Simon, you have a tradition to uphold, hopefully you can provide us with a good preview of the situations in each group going into this weekend's games (hint, hint...) Still no Trezeguet for France but with the way Karim Benzema is playing France don't need him. |
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