International friendly preview: France v Estonia

France will complete their Euro 2012 preparations with a friendly game against Estonia in Le Mans on Tuesday.

Should France avoid defeat at the MMArena, as is widely expected, they will head into the European Championships unbeaten in 21 matches.

Laurent Blanc’s side have won 14 of their last 20 games, overcoming the likes of England, Brazil and Germany in the process.

Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery and Chelsea’s Florent Malouda scored inside the opening 16 minutes as France outclassed Serbia 2-0 in their most recent outing last week.

Blanc, who is leading France into a major tournament for the first time, is likely to persist with Ribery, Samir Nasri and Karim Benzema up front against Estonia.

“We’re looking for perfection, but that doesn’t exist,” Blanc told TF1.

“We were in better physical shape (against Serbia), but we’re not yet ready.

“We knew the three attackers – Ribery, Nasri and Benzema – had the technical and the individual quality, but they had to prove they could play together.

“They showed they can. They showed the right attitude and I hope it continues.

“Physically, we’ll be in even better condition against Estonia in our third and final preparation match.”

France face England, Sweden and hosts Ukraine in Group D at Euro 2012, with their opening match against Roy Hodgson’s men in Donetsk on June 11.

Estonia, 54th in the FIFA rankings, head to Le Mans on the back of outings against Finland and Lithuania in the biannual Baltic Cup last weekend.

Tarmo Ruutli’s men were defeated 2-1 by Finland on Friday before overcoming Lithuania 1-0 on Sunday.

Striker Vladimir Voskoboinikov, who netted in the win over Lithuania, is likely to be a threat, but France should be too strong as they look to continue their excellent run of form.

Source : http://www.soccernews.com/international-friendly-preview-france-v-estonia/95884/

Bierhoff pleased with Germany progress

German team manager Oliver Bierhoff was happy with his side’s final preparations for Euro 2012 after a 2-0 win over Israel on Thursday.

Mindful of sides that may set up with a similar defensive approach at the tournament, a full-strength Germany showed patience to break through with goals from Mario Gomez and Andre Schurrle.

“I thought that the second half was good, we held the pace high, had good plays and found better ways to attack,” Bierhoff said.

“For example the second goal by Andre Schrrle, I thought Thomas Muller did wonderfully there. We showed at the end how to get through a solid defence like that.

“The Isrealis didn’t make it easy for us, they positioned themselves deep in their own half and we know that at the Euros you may have to play against a team which plays like that.”

Bierhoff could not resist taking a shot at Chelsea after their Champions League triumph over Bayern Munich.

“It was good preparation, maybe the school of Chelsea becomes more popular because of their success,” the ex-German international said, referring to the west London side’s defence-minded approach.

“So we have to expect that many teams will play defensively-minded against us.”

Attacking midfielder Toni Kroos, almost a certainty to line up against Germany’s first Group B opponents, Portugal, was pleased with the amount of chances his side created.

“In the second half we should have scored a few more goals, which also means that we created a lot of good chances,” Kroos said.

“We have to work on that. We have to use the chances and when we do that, I think we are in with a really good chance of winning.”

Source : http://www.soccernews.com/bierhoff-pleased-with-germany-progress/95618/

Torres sparks Spain, Holland scare World Soccer Shop

Fernando Torres scored on his return to the fold as Spain continued their preparations for Euro 2012 with a 4-1 win over South Korea in Bern.

Torres: Is congratulated after scoring the opener

The Chelsea forward opened the scoring in the 11th minute with a neatly flicked header from Benat Etxebarria's fine cross. However, a wonder strike from Kim Do-Heon brought the Koreans level two minutes before half-time.

Xabi Alonso quickly restored the World and European champions' lead after the break from the penalty spot after Choi Hyo-Jin handled Nacho Monreal's shot and Santi Cazorla's clever free-kick extended their advantage four minutes later.

Vicente del Bosque then made a raft of substitutions and two of the replacements combined for the fourth with 11 minutes remaining as Roberto Soldado's throughball was smashed home by Alvaro Negredo.

Holland suffered two injury scares ahead of Euro 2012 as Wilfred Bouma and Wesley Sneijder were forced off during a 2-0 home victory over Slovakia in Rotterdam.

PSV Eindhoven centre-back Bouma had to be substituted after a collision in the first minute when he and defensive colleague Johnny Heitinga clashed heads. Feyenoord's Ron Vlaar was Bouma's replacement, while Heitinga was comfortable enough to stay on the pitch.

Ibrahim Afellay helped to put Holland in front after seven minutes when the Barcelona forward, who returned to action only last month after a serious knee injury, produced a tricky run along the left and his low cross prompted Slovakia defender Kornel Salata to put the ball into his own goal.

Sneijder suffered an ankle knock in the 51st minute, with Holland boss Bert van Marwijk wanting to take no further risk with such a key player.

Rafael van der Vaart doubled Holland's lead after 75 minutes with a precise low right-footed shot from 15 yards across goalkeeper Jan Mucha and into the left corner.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a fantastic opening goal and set up the second as Sweden held on for a 3-2 victory in their first Euro 2012 warm-up match against Iceland.

The AC Milan striker broke the deadlock in the second minute before teeing up Ola Toivonen 12 minutes later at the Gamla Ullevi in Gothenburg.

Kolbeinn Sigthorsson narrowed the deficit in the 27th minute and although Christian Wilhelmsson restored the two-goal advantage, Hallgrimur Jonasson's stoppage-time strike ensured a nervy finale.

Source : http://soccer365.com//news/european_news/general/17485/torres_sparks_spain__holland_scare

International friendly: Spain 4 South Korea 1

Spain continued their preparations for Euro 2012 with a comfortable 4-1 victory over South Korea at Stade de Suisse in Switzerland on Wednesday.

Spain got off to a good start, and nearly found the net just five minutes into the match when Santiago Cazorla’s blast at goal deflected off Fernando Torres, only for the ball to creep agonisingly by the post.

The early pressure from Vicente Del Bosque’s side paid off just five minutes later when Benat’s fizzed cross from the left-hand side was met by Torres inside the area, and the Chelsea man did well to nod the ball past South Korea goalkeeper Jin-Hyeon Kim.

Jin-Hyeon was a busy man in the opening 45 minutes and kept his side in the match with a couple of accomplished saves, denying both Cazorla and Xabi Alonso.

South Korea almost equalised in the 20th minute when Kim Jung-Woo skipped past a couple of challenges before lashing a shot inches past Jose Reina’s.

South Korea continued to probe for their opening goal and it eventually came a minute before half-time through a stunning Do-Heon Kim strike. The midfielder picked up the ball on the left hand side before smashing a fierce strike from 25 yards into the top corner.

Spain reclaimed the lead in the 53rd minute when Yong-Hyung Cho blocked a Nacho Monreal strike on goal with his hand inside the box. Xabi Alonso stepped up to coolly dispatch the penalty.

Del Bosque’s men kicked on after their second goal, and were able to add a third just three minutes later through a Cazorla free-kick. The Malaga playmaker showed outstanding initiative to fire a strike under the Korean wall from his set-piece on the edge of the box, giving Spain a two-goal lead.

The South Koreans kept up their spirits, however, and came close to grabbing a goal back when Ja-Cheol Koo went on a bursting run through the middle of the Spanish defence, only to smash his eventual shot on to the post.

Cerezo Osaka goalkeeper Jin-Hyeon continued to keep the score respectable with a number of brilliant saves in the second half, denying Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo twice.

Negredo did eventually find a goal for Spain in the 78th minute when Roberto Soldado sent his compatriot through on goal and the substitute scored with a well-taken finish.

Spain’s final Euro 2012 warm up comes this weekend when they take on China in Seville before they head to Poland and Ukraine.

South Korea’s next encounter is also of large importance as they take on Qatar in World Cup 2014 qualifying.

Source : http://www.soccernews.com/international-friendly-spain-4-south-korea-1/95549/

Russia held by Lithuania World Soccer Shop

Dick Advocaat may be feeling less optimistic about Russia's preparations for Euro 2012 after seeing his team held to a 0-0 draw by Lithuania.

Izmailov: Cut a frustrated figure

Advocaat was greatly encouraged by a weekend draw with Uruguay but they were far less impressive tonight with Lithuania striking the crossbar early on and keeping Igor Akinfeev much the busier goalkeeper on the night.

Saulius Mikoliunas hit the crossbar with a shot from the edge of the area in the second minute, while Russia's best chance was a powerful long-range effort from Roman Pavlyuchenko which stung the palms of Ernestas Setkus just before half-time.

Source : http://soccer365.com//news/european_news/general/17402/russia_held_by_lithuania

International friendly preview: Spain v South Korea

Spain continue their Euro 2012 preparations with a friendly against South Korea at the Tivoli Neu Stadium in Austria on Wednesday.

Since accounting for Serbia 2-0 at the weekend, Vicente del Bosque has named his 23-man squad for next month’s championships.

There are four members missing from the Spanish squad that triumphed over Germany to win the 2008 European championships – Carlos Marchena, Joan Capdevilla and injured pair Carles Puyol and David Silva.

Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo, who netted 14 goals during the 2011/12 La Liga season, was included, along with Barcelona’s Pedro.

Atletico Madrid striker Adrian Lopez was a surprise omission, despite turning in an impressive substitute display in Saturday’s 2-0 friendly victory against Serbia, with Valencia marksman Roberto Soldado also missing out.

Cesc Fabregas has been told to rest for up to ten days after straining his right thigh muscle in Barcelona’s Copa del Rey success and won’t be risked against South Korea.

Following Wednesday’s match, Spain face China in Seville before opening their Euro 2012 campaign against Italy on June 11.

For South Korea’s first match since defeating Kuwait in 2-0 in a February World Cup qualifier, Arsenal Striker Park Chu-Young has been left out of the 26-man squad that is also due to play two World Cup qualifiers against Qatar on June 8 and Lebanon on June 13.

South Korea boss Choi Kang-Hee has included Koo Ja-Cheol (Wolfsburg), Son Heung-Min (Hamburg) and Ji Dong-Won (Sunderland), who missed February’s 2-0 World Cup qualifier victory over Kuwait.

Fellow European-based players Ki Sung-Yeung (Celtic) and Park Joo-Ho (FC Basel) were also named.

But there was no room for Bolton midfielder Lee Chung-Yong despite making two substitute appearances late in the season after recovering from a broken leg.

The remainder of the squad consists of 14 players based in the K-League, four in the J-League and three in the Qatar Stars League.

In four previous meetings, Spain have prevailed twice but the 31st-ranked Koreans claimed a dramatic victory on penalties to advance to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup held in South Korea and Japan.

However, Spain won the nations’ most recent encounter – last June – courtesy of Jesus Navas’ goal four minutes from time.

Source : http://www.soccernews.com/international-friendly-preview-spain-v-south-korea/95438/

Ukraine ease past Estonia World Soccer Shop

Euro 2012 co-hosts Ukraine continued their preparations for the tournament with a 4-0 friendly victory over Estonia in Austria on Monday.

Yarmolenko: Got Ukraine underway

First-half goals from Andriy Yarmolenko, Oleg Gusev (penalty) and Andriy Voronin had the game wrapped up before the interval, with substitute Artem Milevskiy adding gloss to the scoreline within five minutes of the restart.

The triumph was a fifth in six games for Oleg Blokhin's side, who have had only friendlies to fine-tune plans for their Euro 2012 opener against Sweden on June 11 due to not having had to qualify.

The Ukrainians asserted their authority from the outset at Kufstein Arena and almost went ahead in the first minute, when Yevgen Konoplianka's left-footed blast was parried by Estonia goalkeeper Mihkel Aksalu.

They did not have to wait long to go ahead, though, as Yarmolenko latched onto Serhiy Nazarenko's pass eight minutes later and lashed an unstoppable shot into the top-right corner.

Estonia, who only missed out on a place in Poland and Ukraine in a play-off against Republic of Ireland, offered little as an attacking force and Aksalu continued to be much the busier of the two keepers as the match wore on.

He did well to keep out a Nazarenko drive in the 30th minute but was powerless to keep out Gusev's spot-kick four minutes later after Yarmolenko had been fouled by Ragnar Klavan.

Marko Devic was also denied soon after, Aksalu tipping his effort around the post, before Voronin headed home Devic's cross four minutes before half-time.

Both sides made four substitutions at the break and two of Ukraine's replacements wasted little time making their impact in the second half, Milevskiy slotting his close-range shot into the bottom-left corner from Andriy Shevchenko's pass in the 50th minute.

Ukraine goalkeeper Andrei Pyatov was finally called into action three minutes later to tip a powerful attempt from Tarmo Kink over the bar, but that was as good as it got for Estonia.

Source : http://soccer365.com//news/european_news/general/17329/ukraine_ease_past_estonia

Kompany keen on England chances World Soccer Shop

Vincent Kompany believes England are dark horses for Euro 2012, but has warned Belgium are ready to ruin the Three Lions' preparations.

Kompany: Hoping to unsettle England

The Manchester City captain is expected to be in his nation's starting XI on Saturday at Wembley and he will be team-mates with a host of rising stars.

Eden Hazard, Moussa Dembele, Marouane Fellaini and Jan Vertonghen are among Belgium's threats to England in their final pre-Euros friendly.

And although Premier League winner Kompany thinks Roy Hodgson's unfancied team could go far in Poland and Ukraine, the centre-back hopes they receive an upset at the weekend.

Kompany said: "I'm looking forward to this game. If we can win, it would cap the season for me.

"I know I won't be going to the Euros but we have such high ambitions for the World Cup.

"This is an important start for us preparing. This game is just as important for us as it is for England.

"They are definitely my pick of the bunch as the surprise team at the Euros."

Source : http://soccer365.com//news/european_news/general/17297/kompany_keen_on_england_chances

Greece squad depart for Austria

Greece’s provisional squad have departed for Austria where they will step up their preparations for Euro 2012.

The Greeks, who won the competition in 2004, will be located in Kitzbuhel, Tyrol, which will host their friendlies against Slovenia and Armenia.

Greece coach Fernando Santos has a 25-man squad with two players set to miss the tournament in Poland and Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters ahead of his side’s trip to Austria, the former PAOK coach was critical of Greek league officials for their failure to end the domestic campaign earlier in preparation for Euro 2012.

“I know my players very well. I know that they are very happy to be here and I’m sure that they will work hard to be ready for the opening game against Poland on June 8,” Santos said.

“We are late in starting our preparation for the Euros, but there is nothing we can do now.”

Experienced midfielder Kostas Katsouranis also spoke to the press, saying Greece’s aim was to progress to the quarter-finals.

“Our goal is to advance from the group stage and we will do everything to make sure this happens. We want this because Greek fans love and support this team,” he added.

Source : http://www.soccernews.com/greece-squad-depart-for-austria/95103/