Euro 2012 Thread

[portughezu']

V-ati asteptat la asta ?
Rusia sa fie eliminata in dauna Greciei si Cehiei..

[beavis]

nu meritau sa mearga scarbele de greci mai departe... dar ca de obicei au noroc

se apara mai ceva decat chelsea cu barza... sper sa-i spulbere nemtii cu 6-0

[beavis]

Sweden rule out Elmander & Elm

Sweden will be without Johan Elmander and Rasmus Elm for their final EURO 2012 Group D match against France on Tuesday.

Coach Erik Hamren has decided against taking any risks with Elmander given Sweden's tournament is already over and the Galatasaray forward has only just returned from a foot injury.

AZ attacking midfielder Elm, meanwhile, has been laid low by a virus and will also not feature in Kiev.

[beavis]

Postiga set to miss the semis

Portugal's Helder Postiga is set to miss their EURO 2012 semi-finals clash with either Spain or France after suffering a hamstring strain.

The veteran striker, who was an integral part of Luiz Felipe Scolari's side that reached the 2004 Final, was replaced by Hugo Almeida shortly before the interval in Thursday's 1-0 quarter-finals win over Czech Republic.

Team doctor Henrique Jones confirmed he looks doubtful for the showdown on Wednesday.

"We are going to evaluate the extent of the injury more closely tomorrow", he told reporters.

"But even if it is not a serious one it looks inevitable he will be out of contention for the semi-finals."

"We are going to do all we can to ensure we get him back for the Final should we make it."

[beavis]

Spain vs Italy preview

Vicente del Bosque is expected to have a fully fit squad for the EURO 2012 Final showdown with Italy. The 61-year-old's biggest selection dilemma is likely to be over whether to field a recognized striker after Alvaro Negredo's anonymous performance in the semi-finals win over Portugal.

With Fernando Torres seemingly out of favor, and with Fernando Llorente yet to make an appearance at the tournament, Cesc Fabregas could be restored to a "false 9" role up front alongside Andres Iniesta and David Silva.

Italy defender Ignazio Abate, who missed the semi-finals win over Germany with a muscle injury, is likely to return to fitness in time for the Final, while fellow full-back Christian Maggio is also available after serving a one-match ban.

Cesare Prandelli may persist with the same formation that served him well against the Germans rather than revert to the unorthodox 3-5-2 line-up used in the opening match against Spain. Riccardo Montolivo is likely to keep his place in the team ahead of Thiago Motta after an assured performance in the semi-finals.

Spain is bidding to become the first team in history to win 3 successive major tournaments (EURO 2008, World Cup 2010 and EURO 2012) and the first to retain the Henri Delaunay trophy.

La Roja are contesting their 4th European Championship Final (1964, 1984, 2008 and 2012). They have lost just one (1984).

Vicente del Bosque's side has gone 19 competitive games without defeat and has won its last 9 knockout matches at major tournaments without conceding a goal.

Italy is competing in its third European Championship Final (1968, 2000, 2012). It has won just one (1968).

The Azzurri are facing Spain for the 31st time, with their record in prior encounters reading W10, D12, L8. The sides' most recent meeting was in its opening match in this tournament, which finished as a draw.

With his double against Germany, Mario Balotelli became the first Italian to score 3 goals at a single European Championship.

[beavis]

Iniesta named player of EURO 2012

Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta has been named the best player of EURO 2012, UEFA announced on Monday.

The 28-year-old started in each of Spain's 6 matches at the Euros and playing a leading role in his team's campaign in Poland and Ukraine - which culminated with a 4-0 thrashing of Italy in the Final.

Iniesta, who was chosen by the 11-man technical team of UEFA, grabbed one assist in the 551 minute he was on the pitch at the Euros.

He is also part of UEFA's 23-man Team of the Tournament, which contains 10 players from Spain and 4 from Italy.

Golden Boot winner Fernando Torres did not make the cut, most likely because he played only 189 minutes, with Mario Balotelli, Cesc Fabregas, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Silva the 5 attackers chosen.

Team of the Tournament

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Iker Casillas (Spain), Manuel Neuer (Germany)

Defenders: Gerard Pique (Spain), Fabio Coentrao (Portugal), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Pepe (Portugal), Sergio Ramos (Spain), Jordi Alba (Spain)

Midfielders: Daniele De Rossi (Italy), Steven Gerrard (England), Xavi (Spain), Andres Iniesta (Spain), Sami Khedira (Germany), Sergio Busquets (Spain), Mesut Oezil (Germany), Andrea Pirlo (Italy), Xabi Alonso (Spain)

Attackers: Mario Balotelli (Italy), Cesc Fabregas (Spain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden), David Silva (Spain)

Torres bags Golden Boot with big finale

Fernando Torres has been confirmed by UEFA as the winner of its prestigious Golden Boot award for EURO 2012.

Torres's goal and assist in the closing 6 minutes of Spain's 4-0 triumph over Italy in the Final took him to 3 goals and one assist for the tournament - level with Germany's Mario Gomez who also has 3 goals and an assist.

However, Torres took home the Golden Boot prize by virtue of having played fewer minutes (189) at the tournament than Gomez (282).

Holland striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar finished EURO 2012 as the overall top scorer despite not scoring in the finals because of his 12 goals in the qualifying campaign.

Michel Platini's 9 goals at the 1984 UEFA European Championship finals for France still remains the top scorer record for a single tournament.

UEFA EURO 2012 overall top scorers

12
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Holland)

10
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Miroslav Klose (Germany)

9
Mario Gomez (Germany)