Soccer News
Zidane punishes England
Two injury time goals from Zinedine Zidane gave France a 2-1 win over England in Lisbon on Sunday after David Beckham had missed a penalty that would have put England 2-0 up in the second half.
Zidane scored the equaliser from a blistering free-kick after 91 minutes and coverted a penalty after 93 minutes after 'keeper David James was forced to bring down Thierry Henry due to a suicidal back pass from Steven Gerrard.
England opened the score on 38 minutes with a Frank Lampard header
Lampard ends French clean sheet run
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| England midfielder Frank Lampard (R) heads the ball past French defender Mikael Silvestre (C) to score, 13 June 2004 during their opening match at the European Nations football championships at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon. France and England are competing in Group B with Croatia and Switzerland. |
France had kept a clean sheet for 1,078 minutes until England's Frank Lampard headed past Fabien Barthez during their Euro 2004 Group B opener on Sunday.
The goal came in the 38th minute of the match and gave England a 1-0 lead when Lampard latched on to a David Beckham free kick.
Chaos at France-England gates
With lengthy queues still waiting to get into the France-England tie just minutes before kick-off frustrated ticket holders resorted to leaping over the turnstiles so as to get in to the Stadium of Light in Lisbon in time to catch the action on Sunday.
Even more dangerously fans destroyed a motorway barrier, also to get to the stadium faster and as hundreds of fans spilled onto the traffic lanes police were forced to close the road to motorists.
Twenty minutes into the match fans were still trying to get into the stadium in what must go down as shoddy communications from the organisers.
Switzerland hold Croatia to 0-0 draw
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| Croatia's midfielder Niko Kovac (C) is tackled by Switzerland's forward Stephane Chapuisat13 June 2004 at Pessoa stadium in Leiria, during their Euro 2004 group B football match at the European Nations championship in Portugal. AFP PHOTO Mladen ANTONOV |
Ten man Switzerland battled Croatia to a 0-0 draw on Sunday in a bad tempered Group B match in Leiria. There were nine yellow cards and one red brandished but no goals.
In a bruising first-half, both sides had chances to open the scoring with Alexander Frei going close with a low shot for the Swiss and then Ivica Olic failing with a close header for Croatia that clipped the bar of a wide open goal.
Switzerland suffered a blow just after the break when midfielder Johann Vogel was sent-off for a second bookable offence but they held firm led by their goalkeeper and captain Jorg Stiel.
Germany must get nasty says Netzer
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| (FILES) - Portrait taken in 1970 in Berlin of midfielder Gunther Netzer who played for the German national soccer team. |
Former German international midfielder Gunter Netzer says Germany's Euro 2004 side are just too nice.
"Germany have always had good results when there are a couple of tough guys on the pitch," said Netzer, who was part of the 1974 World Cup-winning team.
"Too much harmony is dangerous. The German players are nice guys, who don't communicate with each other and don't talk enough." Goalkeeper Oliver Kahn is the exception to the rule, Netzer says, "but he's too far away from the others."
Germany play the Netherlands in their first game on Tuesday.
Koller towers over tournament
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| Czech forward Jan Koller leaves the team's training session in Sintra 10 June 2004, shortly after they arrived in Portugal for the 2004 European Nations Championship. Jan Koller is the tallest player of the championship. AFP PHOTO JOE KLAMAR |
Not for the first time, Czech Republic striker Jan Koller is both the tallest and the heaviest player at the European championships. At 2.02 metres (6ft 8ins) and 103 kilograms, the 31-year-old Borussia Dortmund man - who once worked carrying obsolete Czechoslovak coins to be melted down - is not surprisingly renowned for his headers.
Trap puts faith in Camoranesi
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| Italy's coach Giovanni Trapattoni (C) gestures as he talks with Fabio Cannavaro (L) and Alessandro Nesta (R) prior their training session at the Restelo stadium in Lisbon 09 June 2004. Italy will train in Lisbon until 14 june when they fly to Porto for their first EURO 2004 match against Denmark. AFP PHOTO/ Vincenzo PINTO |
Italy coach Giovanni Trapattoni said Sunday he had no doubts about the form and fitness of Mauro Camoranesi after naming the Argentina-born wing-back in his starting line-up to face Denmark, despite his patchy form at Juventus this season.
"Mauro has worked really hard on his physical condition and from an attacking point of view he gives me something different," said Trapattoni.
"Obviously Fiore is a valuable player and is very useful to have on the bench, but his characteristics are different to Camoranesi and I have to make a choice. Not everyone can play."
Germany closing ranks
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| German coach Rudi Voeller reacts during a press conference at the Ria Park Garden hotel 10 June 2004 in Almancil near Faro, two days before the start of the 2004 European Nations Championships. Germany will play its first Euro 2004 match against the Netherlands Holland 15 June in Porto. Rudi Voller insisted 09 June his side should not fear Holland in their opening group match in Euro 2004. AFP PHOTO / DDP MARCUS BRANDT |
Rudi Voller has decided that all further German training sessions ahead of Tuesday's match with Holland will take place behind closed doors as he desperately seeks a way to hole up a leaky defence.
"We want to reveal nothing to the opposition," he explained, refusing to reveal any tactical plans he might have to the media.
He is expected though to field a rather defensive line up for the clash with just one striker Kevin Kuranyi, supported by Bernd Schneider, Michael Ballack and Torsten Frings
Dutch Master
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| Dutch coach Dick Advocaat talks to his players during a training session in Albufeira, 10 June 2004 two days before the start of the European Nations championships in Portugal. The Euro 2004 opens with host Portugal playing Greece 12 June. AFP PHOTO FRANCOIS GUILLOT |
Having provoked controversy by choosing Ruud van Nistelrooy as a lone striker for his Euro campaign Netherlands coach Dick Advocaat has reacted by insisting he is the man who makes the decisions.
"The coach has the final word sometimes it is right sometimes it is wrong," he said. "The media have their own ideas about who should play but I am the coach and I have the final say."
Patrick Kluivert and Roy Makaay are just two stars set to be sacrificed as Advocaat prefers wingers Marc Overmars and Andy van der Meyde supplying the ammunition to Van Nistelrooy.
Thuram to win 100th cap
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| French defender Lilian Thuram poses before the friendly football game between France and Netherlands, 31 March 2004 at the Kuip Stadium in Rotterdam. AFP PHOTO FRANCK FIFE |
Lilian Thuram will win his 100th cap when he lines up against England on Sunday in the first major clash of Euro 2004.
Thuram will reach the hundred mark at the age of 32, joining Desailly (115) and the now retired Didier Deschamps (103) as the only 'centurions' in the history of 'Les Bleus'.
"Getting 100 caps needn't be the end of anything," said the Juve stalwart.
"The important thing is to stay at this level so that I can stay in the French team.
"Anyway the match against England is much more important because we need to make a good start to the Euro. The 100-figure is just an anecdotal side issue."
Danes happy as underdogs
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| Danish head coach Morten Olsen (L) gives instructions to his players during his team's training at the Le Meridien Golf and Country Club in Portimao on the Algarve coast in Portugal 10 June 2004 in preparation for the European Nations championship. Denmark is in the Euro 2004 group C and will play against Bulgaria, Italy and Sweden. AFP PHOTO - SVEN NACKSTRAND |
Denmark coach Morten Olsen is only too aware that his side go into Monday's match against Italy tagged as underdogs - and he wouldn't have it any other way.
"I can't wait for the game for which Italy have made themselves favourites - I've got no problem with that.
"They're a great team, with world class players. Looking from the outside Italy have to be favourites but I have a good team who can peform on the day."
Olsen insisted: "In a competition like Euro 2004 everybody can beat each other - we won against France in the World Cup - the big thing is to get a result when it counts."