Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo!

Goodbye to an amazing year that saw the Azzurri win their fourth World Cup and Serie A crash into turmoil with the Calciopoli scandal. Let's hope 2007 only brings headlines on the field!

World Cup Review >>>
Calciopoli Review >>>

U21: Italy v Luxembourg

12 December 2006: Italy U21 2-0 Luxembourg U21 (Vibo Valentia)
Arturo Lupoli and Gabriele Paonessa scored on their Italy Under-21 debuts as an experimental Azzurrini side defeated Luxembourg 2-0 in a friendly at the Stadio Luigi Razza in Vibo Valentia.

It took only 13 minutes for Derby County striker Lupoli to register his first goal for the U21s. The 19-year-old, who is on loan at Derby from Arsenal, received a pass just outside Luxembourg's penalty area and broke the deadlock with a powerful left-foot shot.

The visitors had the opportunity to equalise in the early stages of the second half when they were awarded a penalty for a handball by Marco Motta. However, Roma goalkeeper Gianluca Curci dived to his right to save Jerome Bigard's shot and spare Motta's blushes. Seven minutes from time Andrea Russotto split Luxembourg's defence with a fine pass into the path of second-half substitute Paonessa, of Vicenza, who made no mistake from close range.

The Azzurrini, five-time European champions, are preparing for the European Under 21's Championship Finals which begin on June 10, 2007 in the Netherlands.

U21: Casiraghi shuffles his pack…

Italy Under-21 coach Pierluigi Casiraghi has named an experimental squad for the friendly against Luxembourg in Vibo Valentia on 12 December.

Arsenal striker Arturo Lupoli, on loan at Derby County, is one of 12 new faces in the fold. Promising Juventus youngsters Paolo De Ceglie and Claudio Marchisio, as well as Raffaele De Martino of Udinese and Valerio Virga of Roma, are among the other debutants.

Empoli defender Lino Marzoratti had already been included once in the squad, but has never actually had a chance to play with the outfit.

The Azzurrini are preparing for the European Under-21's Championship in the Netherlands next summer, and Casiraghi says: "It will be a good opportunity to see players who will also be eligible for the Under-21s after the European Championship next summer."

The five-time champions will face England, Serbia and the Czech Republic in Group B.

Squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Gianluca Curci (Roma), Daniele Padelli (Crotone).
Defenders: Marco Andreolli (Inter), Michele Canini (Cagliari), Domenico Criscito (Genoa), Lino Marzoratti (Empoli), Marco Motta (Udinese), Francesco Pisano (Cagliari).
Midfielders: Ignazio Abate (Modena), Simone Bentivoglio (Modena), Paolo De Ceglie (Juventus), Raffaele De Martino (Udinese), Marino Defendi (Atalanta), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Valerio Virga (Roma).
Strikers: Arturo Lupoli (Derby County), Michele Paolucci (Ascoli), Gabriele Paonessa (Vicenza), Nicola Pozzi (Empoli), Andrea Russotto (Treviso).

European Under-21's Championship Draw >>>

Lippi's international ambition

Marcello Lippi admits he received many offers after the World Cup triumph and would be willing to take charge of another national side.

“Several proposals came in, all from overseas, including some non-European clubs,” revealed the former Italy boss.

“My intention is to resume my activity in the 2007-08 season, so I’ll only make my decision in May. Would I go on another international bench? If there was an offer then I’d certainly consider it.”

Lippi has won every trophy available at club level with Juventus and conquered the 2006 World Cup in Germany before quitting the Azzurri.

He took a year off to rest and relax, rejecting a bid from the Mexican national team to sign him up this summer.

Most recently he has been linked with the Milan bench, Napoli and even Spain or England if results continue to disappoint.

The tactician spoke to journalists during today’s presentation of a new book about the Germany 2006 triumph, titled La Squadra. It was co-written between Lippi and journalist Rosa Alberoni.

Lippi pleased with Cannavaro award

Italy's World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi believes Fabio Cannavaro deserved to pick up the Ballon D'Or.

Lippi was delighted with the news the Azzurri captain and Real Madrid central defender had been named European Footballer of the Year on Monday, with Juvegoalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon runner-up.

"To have Cannavaro win the award and Buffon finish second is just the cherry on the cake in what has been an exceptional year for us," said Lippi. "It is as though Cannavaro has collected the award on behalf of all the players that won the World Cup."

Cannavaro became the first defender to win France Football magazine's prestigious award since Matthias Sammer in 1996, edging Buffon and Arsenal and France striker Thierry Henry, who came in third.

"I am not surprised that the award has been given to a defender," said Lippi. "The award is given to a player who has proved outstanding in a team, regardless of the role he plays."

Buffon was gracious in defeat for the prestigious accolade, which is voted for by a selection of European football journalists.

"Fabio has won because he was simply the best," he said. "He gave more superior performances than anyone else. I really didn't expect to get so close, although I did want to finish in the top three."

The Italy goalkeeper has not given up hope of taking home the award in the future. "I see no reason why this couldn't happen to me in the future," he added. "I will try, sooner or later it will happen."


Cannavaro wins Ballon d'Or >>>
Cannavaro nominated for FIFA World Player of the Year >>>
Cannavaro named in FifPro World XI team >>>

U-21 Championship: Draw Reaction

Pierluigi Casiraghi's Italy have been drawn in Group B of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship along with England, Czech Republic and Serbia. After the draw in Arnhem, the Azzurrini coach reflected on a tough group as did his counterparts...

Pierluigi Casiraghi (Italy coach): The two groups are equal because there are eight quality teams involved. I don’t think one team is stronger than any of the others. It’s very difficult being a coach to a player. When you play there is only one side to the game, playing your best for 90 minutes. As coach it is 24/7, thinking about the team, training, matches. It’s my first experience of such an important tournament but I will approach it thinking this will be a great experience for me.

Miroslav Djukic (Serbia coach): The group is very difficult, you could say the favourites are England and Italy, but I believe in my players and I’m sure we’ll do well. The English squad is very good, especially in attack where they have great pace, particularly [Theo] Walcott. We all know Italy, always a hard team to play against, a very competitive team who are strong on the counterattack. We played a friendly against the Czech Republic but this time it will be completely different as there is a lot at stake. We believe we can reach the semi-finals, but know it will be difficult to do so

Ray Clemence (England assistant): Italy have an incredible record so they will be the favourites in this group. There are two teams to qualify and three very enjoyable, but very difficult, games in prospect for England. It’s very, very important to qualify for these tournaments because this is about the development of international players. Moving up at any age, whether you’re 17 or a senior, is always a big step.

Ladislav Skorpil (Czech Republic coach): We didn’t expect an easy draw because of the talent on show. We hope to be good competitors and obviously hope we will qualify for the knockout rounds.

U-21 Championship: The Finals Draw

This is the draw for the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Finals made in Arnhem last November. Five-times European Champions Italy, unseeded for this tournament, have been placed in Group B along with Czech Repuclic, England and Serbia.

Group A
1. Netherlands
2. Israel
3. Portugal
4. Belgium

Group B
1. Czech Republic
2. England
3. Serbia
4. Italy

Pierluigi Casiraghi's Azzurrini will start the campaign against Serbia on Monday 11 June in Nijmegen. That will be followed by England on Thursday 14 June and Czech Republic on Sunday 17 June, both in Arnhem.

The tournament kicks-off in Heerenveen on June 10 2007, with the hosts the Netherlands playing Israel. The Final will take place in Groningen on June 23 2007.

Casiraghi and his counterparts have reflected on this tough draw. Read their views here >>>

The tournament will be shown live and exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK.


Full Schedule (All kick-off times are UK Time):
Sun 10 June:
Group A - Netherlands v Israel - 1715 - Abe Lenstra, Heerenveen
Group A - Portugal v Belgium - 1945 - Euroborg, Groningen

Mon 11 June:
Group B - Czech Republic v England - 1715 - Gelredome, Arnhem
Group B - Serbia v Italy - 1945 - Goffert, Nijmegen

Wed 13 June:
Group A - Israel v Belgium - 1715 - Abe Lenstra, Heerenveen
Group A - Netherlands v Portugal - 1945 - Euroborg, Groningen

Thu 14 June:
Group B - Czech Republic v Serbia - 1715 - Goffert, Nijmegen
Group B - England v Italy - 1945 - Gelredome, Arnhem

Sat 16 June:
Group A - Belgium v Netherlands - 1945 - Abe Lenstra, Heerenveen
Group A - Israel v Portugal - 1945 - Euroborg, Groningen

Sun 17 June:
Group B - Italy v Czech Republic - 1945 - Gelredome, Arnhem
Group B - England v Serbia - 1945 - Goffert, Nijmegen

Wed 20 June:
SF 1 - 1st A v 2nd B - 1715 - Abe Lenstra, Heerenveen
SF 2 - 1st B v 2nd A - 1945 - Gelredome, Arnhem

Thu 21 June:
Olympic Games Play-off * - 3rd A v 3rd B - 1945 - Goffert, Nijmegen

Sat 23 June:
Final - Winner SF1 v Winner SF2 - 1945 - Euroborg, Groningen


* The top two from each Group will progress to the semi-finals and qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in China. However, if England reach the last four, there will be a play-off on June 21 between the two teams finishing third in the group stage for the remaining berth, as England are not eligible for the Olympics.

U-17: Italy and Serbia through

Italy and Serbia grabbed the two Elite round berths on offer in the last UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualifying round group - and their wins against Andorra and Malta were good news for Wales.

Before Group 4 started, Wales were the third-placed team from the eleven pools already completed with the best record against the top two in their mini-tournament. And after Italy and Serbia had each overcome both Andorra and the Maltese hosts on Friday and Sunday, Wales knew that their place in the Elite round draw on 5 December, like that of Italy and Serbia, was secure.

Serbia, who qualified for the 2006 finals in conjunction with Montenegro, took six minutes to take the lead against Malta on Matchday 1 in Hamrun through Milan Prso. Although Chris Mackay, Sheldon Grech and Mark Scerri went close for Malta, Vujadin Savic secured the points for Serbia four minutes from time.

At the same venue, Argentinian-born Genoa prospect Fernando Forestieri put Italy ahead 28 minutes in against Andorra. On the hour mark substitute Alberto Paloschi made it 2-0 and late on Forestieri and another replacement, Vincenzo Nitride, doubled the lead despite a valiant display for Andorra goalkeeper Oriol Oliva.

On Matchday 2 the action moved to sunny Corradino but Andorra again suffered a 4-0 defeat, this time at the hands of Serbia. Igor Misan struck on 20 minutes and added his second just after Prso had found the target late in the first half, with Savic again claiming a late goal.

Italy then ensured they, Serbia and Wales would progress as they also put four past Malta, starting with Paloschi's header in the 27th minute after the hosts had made a promising start. Federico Masi headed in just before the hour mark and Paloschi and Forestieri had time to take their mini-tournament goal tallies to three.

There was still first place to play for in the final match in Hamrun, and with Italy only needing a point against Serbia the 0-0 draw proved enough. Italy coach Luca Gotti told said: "We put up solid performances but not excellent in my view. Against Serbia we put up a very good performance in the first half, but then relaxed allowing our - very good - opponents to play. I must mention the Malta side, who in my view gave 110 per cent against us. Generally speaking I am happy with the qualification, which is always our number one priority."

Third position belonged to Malta after they won 1-0 against Andorra in Corradino with Miguel Ciantar scoring on the half-hour after being set up by Mark Scerri.

Friendly: Italy v Turkey

15 November 2006: Italy 1-1 Turkey (Bergamo)
The curtain came down on a glorious year for the Italian national team with an anti-climactic draw against Turkey in Bergamo.

Antonio Di Natale gave the hosts a 38th-minute lead after a blunder from substitute goalkeeper Volkan Demirel left the striker with a straightforward finish. Demirel had come on in the ninth minute as a substitute for Rustu Recber, who sustained a knee injury. But the Azzurri returned the favour three minutes later, with Marco Materazzi's own goal allowing the Turks to restore parity. The result though was secondary for the 22,000 crowd at the Atleti Azzurri d'Italia Stadium who had turned out to pay tribute to former Italy captain Giacinto Facchetti, who died in the summer.

The Azzurri went into the game looking to end on a high a glorious year which had seen them lift the World Cup in Germany. And the hosts looked dangerous from the outset, with Alberto Gilardino's close-range volley from Cristian Brocchi's assist forcing Rustu to palm over the crossbar for a corner. Shortly after, Volkan was forced to dive to his left following a deflected shot from Di Natale. Italy continued to push forward but created little up front.

On 35 minutes, Hamit Altintop's right-footed effort towards the near post was saved by goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. Volkan's error allowed Di Natale to open the scoring but it didn't hinder Fatih Terim's men who went in search of the equaliser. They were rewarded when Materazzi deflected Arda Turan's cross towards his own net in an attempt to stop the ball from reaching Hakan Sukur.

Italy coach Roberto Donadoni made five substitutions after the re-start but it failed to inspire the Azzurri. It was Turkey that showed the greater aggression and they nearly took the lead in the 53rd minute with Mehmet Topuz's close-range effort going wide of substitute Marco Amelia's near post.

The Azzurri struggled under pressure and would have gone behind on the hour mark had Materazzi not cleared away Altintop's strike on target that beat Amelia but found the Inter defender at the far post. At the other end, Di Natale almost punished Volkan again following his poor clearance, but this time, the keeper saved, in what was the last chance of the game.

Italy: Buffon (Amelia 46); Oddo (Zaccardo 46), Cannavaro (Barzagli 46), Materazzi, Zambrotta (Pasqual 71); De Rossi (Palombo 71); Camoranesi (Rocchi 59), Brocchi (Barone 59), Mauri (Aquilani 46), Di Natale; Gilardino (Bonazzoli 46).
Turkey: Rustu (Volkan 9); Hamit Altintop (Nuri Sahin 75), Gokhan, Cetin (Cimsir 85), Uzulmez; Sabri (Toraman 85), Emre (Gokdeniz 75), Aurelio (Tekke 85), Turan, Tuncay (Tumer 63); Sukur (Halil Altintop 62).
Ref: Busacca (Switzerland).


Euro 2008 Qualification - Group A
Finland have gone top of Group A after a 1-0 success over Armenia in Helsinki. The Nordic nation - currently managed by Englishman Roy Hodgson - leapfrogged previous leaders Serbia after Mike Nurmela's early strike at the Finnair Stadium. The HJK Helsinki midfielder headed home Jonatan Johansson's low cross from close range after 10 minutes of Wednesday's contest for the winner. The Finns were then indebted to goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen for making sure of the three points after he made two important second-half saves to maintain a clean sheet. The Armenians - managed by former Chelsea boss Ian Porterfield - remain winless after four games played.

Poland moved to within a point of leaders Finland after an impressive 1-0 victory over Belgium in Brussels. Radoslaw Matusiak's powerful low strike on 19 minutes proved to be the difference between the two sides at the King Baudouin Stadium. The result leaves Rene Vandereycken's Belgians four points adrift of top spot in the table.

Portugal eased past lowly Kazakhstan with a 3-0 home success. Simao Sabrosa gave Luiz Felipe Scolari's side the lead after eight minutes in Coimbra with a powerful right-foot strike after some good play from Deco. Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo doubled Portugal's advantage on the half-hour mark with fine low strike from near the edge of the Kazakhstan box. Simao sealed all three points with four minutes remaining after converting Ricardo Quaresma's corner from close range.


Group D
Germany lost their 100 percent record in Euro 2008 qualifying Group D after being held to a 1-1 draw by Cyprus. The draw was good enough however to put Germany top of the table on goal difference above Czech Republic. Germany got to a flying start with Michael Ballack firing them in front on 16 minutes with a free kick from the edge of the area. Cyprus stunned Germany two minutes before half time when Yiannakis Okkas equalised for the hosts. Ballack went close to restoring Germany's lead on 54 minutes when he headed Bastian Schweinsteiger's cross just wide. Miroslav Klose wasted a couple of good openings as Germany pushed forward in search of a winner. Neither side could find a winner as Cyprus picked up a surprise point to end Germany's winning start to qualifying.

Steve Staunton got his first competitive victory as the Republic of Ireland secured their anticipated win over San Marino at Lansdowne Road. A deflected Andy Reid free-kick, Kevin Doyle's first goal for the Republic and a Robbie Keane strike gave the Irish a 3-0 interval advantage. Playing at Lansdowne for the last time before redevelopment, Keane added two in the second half for his hat-trick. He netted a penalty on 57 minutes and then a close-range strike near the end. It was far from a brilliant performance from Staunton's men against such mediocre opposition, but it gave the fans something to sing about in the rain as they said farewell to their familiar, though dated, old ground.


Group E
Eduardo da Silva's hat-trick guided Croatia to a thrilling 4-3 win over Israel to push them top of the qualifying Group as England dropped to third. Roberto Colautti's tap-in gave Israel an early lead, but Croatia led 2-1 at half-time thanks to Darjo Srna's penalty and Da Silva's slick finish. The Brazilian-born Da Silva extended Croatia's lead in the 54th minute, before Yossi Benayoun made it 3-2. Da Silva then completed his hat-trick, before Coalutti scored again late on. Croatia top Group E with 10 points from four matches.

Russia continued their march towards qualification with a 2-0 win over Macedonia. The Macedonians managed to frustrate England at Old Trafford last month but were no match for Guus Hiddink's side in Skopje. Vladimir Bystrov scored his first international goal after just 18 minutes to fire Russia ahead, before Andrei Arshavin doubled their advantage with a fine solo goal on the half-hour mark. Macedonia could not get back into the game in the second half and Russia secured victory to move onto eight points. Israel, Macedonia and England are all level on seven points in third place.


Selected Friendly Results
Australia 1-1 Ghana (Played on Tuesday)
Wales 4-0 Liechtenstein (Played on Tuesday)
Malta 1-4 Lithuania
Georgia 2-0 Uruguay
Estonia 2-1 Belarus
Slovakia 3-1 Bulgaria
Ivory Coast 1-0 Sweden
Hungary 1-0 Canada
Luxembourg 0-0 Togo
Netherlands 1-1 England
Czech Republic 1-1 Denmark
Serbia 1-1 Norway
Austria 4-1 Trinidad and Tobago
Switzerland 1-2 Brazil
Egypt 1-0 South Africa
Italy 1-1 Turkey
France 1-0 Greece
Spain 0-1 Romania


View Euro 2008 Fixtures & Tables >>>

U21: Italy v Czech Republic

14 November 2006: Italy U21 0-0 Czech Republic U21 (Frosinone)
Pierluigi Casiraghi's unbeaten run as Italy coach continued as the Azzurrini were held to a goalless draw by fellow UEFA Under-21 European Championship finalists Czech Republic in Frosinone.

The visitors had the better start on a heavy pitch at the Stadio Matusa and Michal Papadopulos had the first opportunity to break the deadlock after eight minutes when his powerful left-foot shot from outside the penalty area whistled just over Gianluca Curci’s bar. Italy reacted late in the half only for Raffaele Palladino's shot from the edge of the area to fly over and, soon afterwards, Parma midfielder Daniele Dessena came close to scoring on his debut but misdirected his header when found in space by Alessandro Rosina.

Casiraghi's side improved after the break largely as a result of the introduction of Giuseppe Rossi and Francesco Lodi, who were at their creative best. Both substitutes came close to scoring towards the end of the game while Czech Republic goalkeeper Josef Kubasek was forced into further saves from Graziano Pelle and Domenico Criscito, Pelle hitting the post with a header from Lodi's pinpoint corner five minutes from time.

Casiraghi will lead the five-time European champions to the Finals which begin on June 10, 2007 in the Netherlands.

Azzurri: Don promotes Aquilani

Roma youngster Alberto Aquilani, Milan’s Cristian Brocchi and the return of Alberto Gilardino are the main new entries to face Turkey.

Roberto Donadoni has named the Italy squad for Wednesday’s international friendly to be played at Bergamo’s Stadio Azzurri d’Italia.

Still without Francesco Totti until 2007 due to a self-imposed Azzurri exile and the injured Alessandro Del Piero and Gennaro Gattuso, the Coach has not picked a particularly experimental side.

Aquilani is promoted from the Under-21 set-up, leaving space for Parma’s Daniele Dessena to come in for the Azzurrini’s encounter with the Czech Republic on Tuesday evening in Frosinone.

Italy squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Buffon (Juventus), Amelia (Livorno).
Defenders: Oddo (Lazio), Zaccardo (Palermo), Barzagli (Palermo), Zambrotta (Barcelona), Materazzi (Inter), Pasqual (Fiorentina), Cannavaro (Real Madrid).
Midfielders: Aquilani (Roma), Barone (Torino), Brocchi (Milan), Camoranesi (Juventus), De Rossi (Roma), Mauri (Lazio), Palombo (Sampdoria).
Strikers: Rocchi (Lazio), Iaquinta (Udinese), Di Natale (Udinese), Gilardino (Milan).

Lippi's keys to success

SPECIAL INTERVIEW:
"A coach doesn't have to be liked – the most important thing is that the players have secure leadership." UEFA Magazine's Simon Hart talks to the man who led the Azzurri to their fourth World Cup - Marcello Lippi...

It takes something special to leave Marcello Lippi lost for words but when he casts his mind back to 9 July, expressing how it felt to lead Italy to FIFA World Cup glory does not come easily. "The feeling when you win the World Cup is just extraordinary, it is not something you can describe in words," he said. Fortunately, there is an image of Lippi on the confetti-strewn pitch at Berlin's Olympic Stadium which does the job for him. "It is a picture of me smoking a cigar and looking at the cup," he explained with a smile.

That king-of-the-world moment is now four months old and Lippi is in the midst of a sabbatical from football. The 58-year-old had meant to take a break after leaving Juventus in 2004 but then "the national team called and you can't turn that down. It was a fantastic opportunity and experience but now I am going to do what I wanted to do two years ago – to stop for five or six months".

Lippi's love of football means he should be lured back to work before long. "I would like to start working again next year," he said. "I would like a few more years' work, either in Italy or abroad." For now, though, he is happy to reflect on a coaching career which has touched the highest peaks: UEFA Champions League glory with Juventus and now the world crown with Italy. Addressing the 16th UEFA Course for Coach Educators at the Italian Football Federation's (FIGC) technical centre in Coverciano recently, Lippi looked back on last summer and cited Italy's tactical versality as a key factor in their success. "You have to train your players to play in two or three different ways – that is what makes a team really capable of doing things."

Italy's 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic in their decisive final group match provided a case in point. "The Czechs play with one striker and lots of midfield players. I thought, 'Why should I give them an advantage?' So we played differently, with only one striker to balance it out. We knew if we beat them we would win the group and avoid playing Brazil, which was everyone's major concern."

Lippi faced a telling test of his tactical acumen in the World Cup final against a France side the Azzurri eventually overcame on penalties. "We were better in the first half and played really well. But they got on top in the second half, their technique and organisation took over." Italy's semi-final against Germany had taken its toll. "Some of our players were not at their best. We'd played 120 minutes against Germany, don't forget, and it had taken a lot out of them both psychologically and physically."

Lippi, who identifies a general trend away from pressing football towards "greater ball possession", found a solution by replacing Francesco Totti with Daniele De Rossi and Simone Perrotta with Vincenzo Iaquinta. "We had problems in midfield so I brought De Rossi in, while Iaquinta came in to maintain a presence in attack. From then we weren't in too much danger although we didn't create much ourselves either."

Lippi's long career, which began at lowly Pontedera in 1985 and has taken in ten different clubs, has taught him that for any coach "it is the quality of players that counts". Man-management is also crucial, however. He cites the example of Fulvio Bernardini, his coach at Sampdoria in the 1970s who "had a great personality, but he did not try to dominate others" and says this quality is more important than ever.

"We are talking about players who have amazing contracts and who in a couple of years are made for life. It becomes even more difficult when you have eight, nine different players from different countries. A coach must impose his own culture but not nullify the qualities of his men. He doesn't have to be liked – the most important thing is that the players have secure leadership." With these words in mind, it is interesting to hear about Lippi's handling of Francesco Totti, the Italy playmaker who faced a fight to be fit for the finals after breaking his ankle.

"I really wanted him to get the feeling I believed in him because I knew how determined he was. Nobody else could have played between midfield and attack better than him and I think the whole squad believed this too although objectively speaking he was not 100 per cent." Fortunately for Lippi, the gamble – like so many decisions he took last summer - paid off. And the result, in his words, was "the greatest satisfaction any player or coach can have".

Courtesy of UEFA.com Magazine.

U21: Czech out the Azzurrini squad…

Italy Under-21 boss Pierluigi Casiraghi has named his squad for next week’s friendly against the Czech Republic.

The Azzurrini will play on Tuesday at the Stadio Matusa in Frosinone and are scheduled to meet as a squad in Ferentino on Sunday evening.

Fiorentina striker Giampaolo Pazzini returns after recovering from a thigh injury and Udinese defender Marco Motta will also be part of the team after a one-year absence.

Among the 20 players called up by Casiraghi is Genoa defender Domenico Criscito, who subsequently wins his maiden call up at U-21 level.

Squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Curci (Roma), Viviano (Brescia).
Defenders: Andreolli (Inter), Chiellini (Juventus), Coda (Udinese), Criscito (Genoa), Mantovani (Chievo), Motta (Udinese), Potenza (Fiorentina).
Midfielders: Aquilani (Roma), Galloppa (Ascoli), Lodi (Frosinone), Montolivo (Fiorentina), Nocerino (Piacenza), Padoin (Vicenza), Rosina (Torino).
Strikers: Palladino (Juventus), Pazzini (Fiorentina), Pellè (Cesena), Rossi (Newcastle United).

Bergamo handed Italy-Turkey friendly

Italy will use the November 15 friendly against Turkey to honour the memory of former Azzurri great Giacinto Facchetti.

The legendary Inter stopper, who won 94 caps for his country, sadly died last month after losing his battle against illness.

As a mark of respect to the former Inter President, the Italian Football Federation have opted to hold the game in Bergamo – the region where Facchetti hailed from.

“We want to remember the champion and the man,” said FIGC vice-commissioner Gigi Riva. “He was an example for everyone and in a period of such difficulty for the Italian game, his style and interpretation of sport must be taught to youngsters.”

Group B - Match 4: Georgia v Italy

11 October 2006: Ukraine 1-3 Italy (Tbilisi)
Italy capped a very good week Euro 2008 qualifying by beating ten-man Georgia 3-1 in Tbilisi.

After Georgi Shashiashvili cancelled out Daniele De Rossi's opener for the Azzurri, Roberto Donadoni's team took control with the sending-off on the hour of Georgia midfielder Jaba Kankava, and Mauro Camoranesi restored the lead before Simone Perrotta sealed the points.

Italy had taken only one point from their first two games, but followed up their weekend defeat of Ukraine with a second successive victory. With Donadoni bringing Alessandro Nesta, Perrotta, Camoranesi and Antonio Di Natale into the side tonight, they came out with all guns blazing, although that attacking intent was stymied by a Georgia offside trap which caught the visitors five times early on.

The World champions eventually broke through on 18 minutes, De Rossi scoring with a long-range strike that bounced awkwardly in front of Georgia keeper Georgi Lomaia. When the Azzurri sat on their advantage, Klaus Toppmoller's team came forward and with their first meaningful foray, equalised. A ball was half-cleared as far as Shashiashvili who returned it with interest past Gianluigi Buffon.

In reply, Luca Toni blazed wide at the far post, before squandering a golden chance moments later after Gianluca Zambrotta found him unmarked inside the area, failing even to test Lomaia. Nonetheless, Donadoni and company could have been trailing at half-time, with Zurab Khizanishvili rattling the far post having already beaten Buffon.

Although Italy began the second half brightly, Georgia missed another opportunity when Kankava prompted a routine stop from Buffon. A minute later, the same player received his marching orders, collecting a second caution for a challenge on Andrea Pirlo. It was a bitter blow for the hosts and Italy took full advantage.

They were in front on 63 minutes through Camoranesi's header at the far post from Di Natale's cross. The home side had little time to react before it was 3-1, Perrotta profiting from a poor clearance by the Georgia defence to rifle past Lomaia. Late on, De Rossi could have scored again but his free-kick fizzed just past the post.

While Italy race to seven points from four games, Georgia remain on three, before both sides resume their campaigns against Scotland in March. The Azzurri are now two points behind France and Scotland.

Georgia: Lomaia, Khizanishvili, Khizaneishvili, Kaladze,Shashiashvili, Kankava (Iashvili 70),Tskitishvili (Kandelaki 74), Menteshashvili,Martsvaladze (Gigiadze 85), Kvirkvelia, Ashvetia.
Italy: Buffon, Oddo, Cannavaro (Materazzi 74), Nesta,Pirlo (Mauri 64), De Rossi, Perrotta, Zambrotta,Camoranesi (Iaquinta 87), Toni, Di Natale.
Ref: Michael Riley (England).

Other Group B Matches
Scotland's fantastic start to Euro 2008 qualifying came to a halt as they toppled to a 2-0 defeat in Kiev. The Scots adopted a defensive approach but their stubborn resistance was broken on the hour by a close range shot from Olexander Kucher. Kenny Miller hit the crossbar with a speculative effort and headed a wonderful chance wide on 80 minutes. But Scotland lost Steven Pressley to a red card and Ukraine captain Andriy Shevchenko converted a late penalty. The sending off and the penalty were harsh but Scotland can have no complaints about the result.

France soared to go joint top of the group with a 5-0 win at home to Faroe Islands. Louis Saha and Thierry Henry started up front for Les Bleus and it did not take long for the Manchester United man to continue his prolific start to the season with the game's opening goal after just 37 seconds. His Premiership rival Henry doubled the lead on 22 minutes as it seemed the floodgates might open in Paris. But that was not to be the case thanks to a stoic fightback from the visitors and some poor finishing from the World Cup finalists. Raymond Domenech eventually bit the bullet, substituting his goal-scoring front two for Nicolas Anelka and David Trezeguet on the hour mark. And it turned out to be an inspired substitution, as Anelka scored the third on 77 minutes. Not to be outdone, Trezeguet bagged a brace with strikes in the 78th and 84th minute, as Faroe Islands remain bottom, with just one point to show from five games so far.


Group A
The result of the day in Group A came in Chorzow as Leo Beenhakker's Poland defeated Portugal 2-1. Luis Felipe Scolari's side may have reached the World Cup semi-finals but they have struggled so far in qualifying for Euro 2008 and now have just four points from three games following the defeat on their travels. Poland's match-winner was Ebi Smolarek with the Borussia Dortmund forward scoring twice in the opening 20 minutes. Smolarek took just nine minutes to drill a shot past Ricardo, and after another nine minutes he repeated the feat by converting a cross from Grzegorz Rasiak. Nuno Gomes did hit back deep into injury time but it was too little, too late for Scolari's men.

Serbia continued to impress with a 3-0 home win over Armenia that sees them sitting pretty at the top of the group with ten points from four games. However, it was not all one way traffic as Serbia had to wait until the 54th minute to take the lead through Dejan Stankovic's penalty after Nikola Zigic had been fouled by Armenian keeper Gevorg Kasparov. Inside eight minutes their advantage had doubled as substitute Danko Lazovic headed home Ivica Dragutinovic cross, and Zigic rounded off proceedings with a third in injury time after Rafael Nazarian had been dismissed for Ian Porterfield's men.

Finland continued their unbeaten run with a 2-0 victory away at Kazakhstan to stay second in the group. Veteran forward Jari Litmanen opened the scoring after 27 minutes as the visitors bounced back from a disappointing 0-0 draw in Armenia at the weekend, tapping home from close range after Mikael Forssell's shot was saved. Being an early kick-off the tie in Almaty gave Roy Hodgson's side the chance to move top of the group, temporarily at least, and Sami Hyypia made sure of the points on 65 minutes when he headed home from Joonas Kolkka's cross.

Belgium moved third, ahead of Poland on goal difference, following a 3-0 home win over Azerbaijan in Brussels. Timmy Simons opened the scoring for Rene Vandereycken's side from the penalty spot after 24 minutes, scoring Belgium's second goal in qualifying in the process. Kevin Vandenbergh doubled the lead two minutes after the break, and substitute Moussa Dembele added a third with eight minutes to go. Incredibly that was not Dembele's last contribution of the game as the AZ Alkmaar man still had time to be dismissed with five minutes to go due to violent conduct.


Group C
Turkey did their goal difference a world of good by thrashing Moldova 5-0, with Hakan Sukur hitting the net four times. Sukur had a hat trick before half-time, with three goals in the final 10 minutes of the half (35, 37 pen, 43). Not content to sit on a three-goal lead, the hosts continued to push for more goals and Sanli Tuncay added the fourth on 68 minutes. Sukur finished the scoring 17 minutes from time before being replaced by Halil Altintop in the closing stages.

European champions Greece kept up their 100 percent start to the qualifying campaign with a comfortable 4-0 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Angelos Charisteas' penalty (8) put the visitors in front, but it took until eight minutes from the end for the Greeks to double their advantage against the ten men of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Sasa Papac was dismissed on 50 minutes for the home side and Christos Patsatzoglou finally opened the floodgates (82), with Georgios Samaras and Kostas Katsouranis both adding to the score line late on.

Malta were shock 2-1 winners over Hungary to claim their first competitive victory since 1993. Dusan Fitzel's men came into the game with defeats in their opening two matches but would claim three points against the ten men of Hungary. Andre Schembri fired Malta ahead on 14 minutes, but Sandor Torghelle equalised five minutes later. Vilmos Vanczak saw red for Hungary (38) for foul and abusive language and his sending off paved the way for a home win. Schembri stepped up to net his second (53) and the visitors were unable to mount a comeback with a man down.


Group D
Germany maintained their 100 percent record in the group with a 4-1 win over Slovakia. The World Cup semi-finalists raced into a three-goal lead at the break to put the game beyond Slovakia. Lukas Podolski broke the deadlock on 13 minutes to put Germany in front. Michael Ballack doubled the lead for the visitors on 25 minutes, before Bayern Munich ace Bastian Schweinsteiger got in on the act on 36 minutes with the third goal for Germany. Stanislav Varga pulled a goal back for Slovakia just before the hour mark to give them some hope, but Germany wrapped up the victory 18 minutes from time with Podolski netting his second goal of the game. The win moves Germany onto nine points and they sit in second spot behind group leaders Czech Republic.

Wales found the perfect response to Saturday's mauling by beating Cyprus 3-1 in Cardiff to claim their first points of the Euro 2008 qualifiers. Jason Koumas struck first with a header after 33 minutes and Robert Earnshaw converted Craig Bellamy's low cross to double the lead seven minutes later. Captain Bellamy capped a magnificent individual display by adding a third with a cool finish on 72 minutes. But Yiannis Okkas denied Wales a clean sheet with superb lob late on.

The Republic of Ireland produced a much-improved display but had to settle for a 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic. It gave the Irish their first point from three qualifiers and should be enough to ease the pressure on under-fire manager Steve Staunton. Roared on by the Lansdowne Road crowd, the Republic went ahead when Kevin Kilbane blasted in after 61 minutes. But the lead lasted just two minutes as Jan Koller's low shot crept inside the far post to bring the Czechs level. Despite now having dropped eight points out of nine, this was a heartening display from the Republic who were heavily criticised after their 5-2 defeat in Cyprus on Saturday.


Group E
Paul Robinson was left embarrassed as England crashed to a dismal 2-0 defeat against Croatia in Zagreb. Eduardo's header had given Croatia a deserved 61st minute lead before keeper Robinson was involved in a nightmare moment eight minutes later. Gary Neville's back-pass struck a divot as Robinson went to clear, and he watched in agony as the ball rolled in. Robinson had previously produced a string of saves to keep Croatia at bay.

Russia picked up their first three point haul in qualifying. Guus Hiddink's side broke their run of home draws with a late 2-0 win over Estonia to move onto five points from three games. Opening stalemates with Croatia and Israel did not bode well for the Russians, and after 77 goalless minutes in St Petersburg it looked like being the same old story. However, Tom Tomsk forward Pavel Pogrebniak put them en route to their first three points of the campaign with twelve minutes to go. With injury time approaching there was still time for Estonia to lose Raio Piiroja to a second yellow card, whilst Dmitry Sychev set the seal on the win for the hosts by netting with just seconds to go.

Srecko Katanec masterminded the end of Steve McClaren's 100 percent record on Saturday and his Macedonia troops produced that form again by securing a 3-0 win against the ten-man minnows of Andorra. Lazio hit-man Goran Pandev put the visitors in front after just 13 minutes when he produced a neat finish from Robert Petrov's cross, and the finisher turned provider just three minutes when Nikolce Noveski headed home his cross. Andorra had already accrued a minus 15 goal difference in their opening three games, and any hopes of a comeback were dashed when Tony Sivera was given a straight red card for violent conduct on 26 minutes. Macedonia failed to fully capitalise as they only added one more goal, with Ilco Naumoski slotting home from inside the box just after the half hour mark, but taking all three points in the Pyrenees gave them an enviable view from the summit of Group E alongside England, Croatia and Israel.


Group F
Sweden maintained their 100 percent winning record with a 2-1 victory in Iceland, while Denmark crushed Liechtenstein 4-0 to stay well placed for qualification. There was a thrilling opening ten minutes in Reykjavik, with both sides finding the back of the net. Iceland took the lead through Arnar Vidarsson (6), but Sweden responded quickly and equalised when Kim Kallstrom fired home just two minutes later. Christian Wilhelmsson then grabbed a winner for Sweden in the 59th minute to ensure that they remain five points clear of everybody else in the group.

Denmark, held to a surprise 0-0 draw by Northern Ireland at the weekend, returned to winning ways against minnows Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein held out for nearly half an hour, but once Daniel Jensen (29) struck, the result was never in doubt. Michael Gravgaard added a second three minutes later, before Jon Dahl Tomasson helped himself to a brace (51 and 64).

David Healy was Northern Ireland's hero again with his classy finish securing a deserved 1-0 win in Group F at Windsor Park. The home side dominated the first half but spurned a number of chances before Healy struck after 35 minutes. The Leeds United striker escaped his marker before slotting low into the bottom corner. Latvia posed more threat after the break with Maik Taylor blocking Girts Karlsons' close-range shot.


Group G
The Netherlands climbed to the top of Group G with a 2-1 home win over Albania. Marco Van Basten's men continued their unbeaten start to qualifying as Robin Van Persie's 15th minute strike set them on their way to victory. Arjan Beqaj's own goal minutes before half time looked like ensuring a comfortable evening, but the Dutch did not have it all their own way. Debatik Curri's strike mid-way through the second half made for a nervy end but the Dutch held on to leapfrog Romania into top spot.

Belarus picked up their first win of qualifying with a 4-2 victory over Slovenia at the Dinamo Stadium. The hosts were ahead mid-way through the first half when Denis Kovba found the back of the net. Their lead lasted less than a minute as Bostjan Cesar levelled and Klemen Lavric fired Slovenia in front just before the break. Two goals in eight second-half minutes from Sergey Kornilenko restored Belarus' lead and the victory was sealed five minutes from time through Vladimir Korytko.

Bulgaria were 1-0 winners away at Luxembourg, Aleksandar Tunchev scoring the only goal after 26 minutes.


View Euro 2008 Fixtures & Tables >>>

U21: Final eight for Netherlands confirmed

Belgium and Israel claimed the two remaining places at the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship with respective play-off victories against Bulgaria and France tonight to bring the qualifying campaign to a close.

They join the Italy, Czech Republic, England, Portugal and Serbia, who all booked their spots with play-off victories 24 hours earlier, as well as the Netherlands, the host nation, in next summer's eight-team tournament. The Dutch accepted the offer of hosting the tournament after winning the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Portugal last summer.

Of the eight finalists, the Azzurrini - the most successful European country, Czech Republic, England and the Netherlands are all past champions. Serbia take part as an independent nation for the first time after enjoying success alongside their neighbours Montenegro in recent years, reaching the final in 2004 and the semi-finals last summer. Including Serbia, four of this year's eight finalists also featured in Portugal last summer, with the Czech Republic, England, Israel and Belgium the new faces for 2007.

The draw for the final tournament will be held at the City Hall in Arnhem, Holland at 17:00 (UK Time) on 24 November when the eight teams will be divided into two groups of four. Arnhem is one of four venues, along with Heerenveen, Groningen and Nijmegen, selected to host matches during the tournament. Group games will provisionally be played between 10 and 17 June next year, with Heerenveen and Arnhem each staging a semi-final three days after that.

The final will be on Saturday 23 June at FC Groningen's 20,000-capacity Euroborg. The biennal tournament has been moved to odd years to raise its profile and prevent it clashing with the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship.

U21: Spain v Italy

10 October 2006: Spain U21 1-2 Italy U21 [Agg: 1-2] (Palencia)
Italy won 2-1 in Spain and on aggregate to ensure the European Under-21 Championship's most successful nation will be attempting to win a sixth crown in nine tournaments next summer.

After a goalless first match in Modena last Friday, first-half efforts from Giorgio Chiellini and Riccardo Montolivo secured the Italy's ticket for the finals and rendered Roberto Soldado's strike for Spain - in the inaugural match at the Nueva Balastera Stadium in Palencia - as nothing more than a consolation.

It also means the Azzurrini could come up against the side who knocked them out of the 2006 finals in the 2007 edition, as the Netherlands will host the finals.

With Pierluigi Casiraghi's side not having conceded a goal in qualifying before tonight’s match, Spain knew they were in for a tough task once Chiellini had given Italy a 24th-minute lead. The Juventus defender, arguably his country’s best player in the recent championship in Portugal, lifted a left-footed lob over Spain goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya from outside the penalty area to break the deadlock in style.

Having played brilliantly in the first leg, Moya was beaten by another fine goal nine minutes later as Montolivo beat him with a stunning volley. The goal left Spain needing three to progress, and home coach Inaki Saez brought on Soldado for Javier Arizmendi early in the second half as his side’s task grew forlorn. The Osasuna striker reduced arrears by heading in Javier Garrido's cross just before the hour, although Spanish hopes were ended as Javier Flano was sent off four minutes from time.

The European Under-21 Championships will take place from June 10 to 23, 2007.


Other 2nd Leg Results
Bulgaria 1-4 Belgium [Agg: 2-5]
Bosnia-Herz 1-1 Czech Republic [Agg: 2-3]
Germany 0-2 England [Agg: 0-3]
Israel 1-0 France [Agg: 2-1]
Portugal 3-0 Russia [Agg: 4-4 - Portugal qualify on away-goals rule]
Sweden 0-5 Serbia [Agg: 3-5]

Euro 2008: October 11 2006

These are all Wednesday's Euro 2008 qualifiers. All kick-off times are listed in UK time.

Group A:
Kazakhstan v Finland (1700)
Serbia v Armenia (1915)
Poland v Portugal (1930)
Belgium v Azerbaijan (1945)

Group B:
Ukraine v Scotland (1800)
Georgia v Italy (1900)
France v Faroe Islands (2000)

Group C:
Malta v Hungary (1815)
Turkey v Moldova (1900)
Bosnia-Herzegovina v Greece (1915)

Group D:
Republic of Ireland v Czech Republic (1930)
Slovakia v Germany (1945)
Wales v Cyprus (2000)

Group E:
Andorra v FYR Macedonia (1400)
Russia v Estonia (1600)
Croatia v England (1800)

Group F:
Iceland v Sweden (1905)
Liechtenstein v Denmark (1915)
Northern Ireland v Latvia (2000)

Group G:
Belarus v Slovenia (1700)
Luxembourg v Bulgaria (1915)
Netherlands v Albania (1930)

Group B - Match 3: Italy v Ukraine

7 October 2006: Italy 2-0 Ukraine (Rome)
World champions Italy finally registered their first win in Euro 2008 Qualifying Group B to lift the pressure on beleaguered coach Roberto Donadoni.

Massimo Oddo broke the deadlock from the penalty spot after 71 minutes and Luca Toni made it 2-0 ten minutes from time to hand the Azzurri the three points against Ukraine - and give Donadoni his first win in charge. It wasn't achieved without several nervy moments as Ukraine - even without star striker Andriy Shevchenko, who had a virus - posed the hosts several problems at the Stadio Olimpico.

Italy's struggles since their World Cup triumph in Germany over the summer have been well documented and they lacked self-belief in the early stages as Ukraine created two decent chances to take the lead. The first saw Anatoliy Tymoschuk test Gianluigi Buffon with a 30-yard drive and the second resulted in Oleg Gusev firing a shot straight at the Juventus custodian.

Italy finally started to settle and Alessandro Del Piero came close with a 12-yard shot after 20 minutes. Toni netted twice against Ukraine in the World Cup quarter-finals in Hamburg, but the Fiorentina star wasted a wonderful chance to add to his international haul on the half-hour mark, heading straight at visiting keeper Olexandr Shovkovskiy from Oddo's pin-point cross.

Toni and Tymoschuk then traded chances as the game finally started to open up after a scrappy start. AC Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso is not renowned for his attacking prowess but he twice came close after half-time. And, as Italy started to press, Vincenzo Iaquinta also tried his luck, his shot well parried by Shovkovskiy.

The pressure finally told when Andriy Rusol fouled Toni inside the area, referee Kyros Vassaras showing no hesitation in pointing to the spot. And Oddo showed commendable cool to slot the spot-kick into the top right-hand corner.

The hosts sealed the points eight minutes later, Toni volleying home Antonio Di Natale's left-wing cross.

Di Natale almost got his name on the scoresheet with nine minutes left but Shovkovskiy made a fine save. It mattered little though as Italy finally got their campaign up and running.

Italy: Buffon, Oddo, Cannavaro, Materazzi, Zambrotta, Gattuso, Pirlo, De Rossi, Iaquinta (Camoranesi 76), Toni (Inzaghi 85), Del Piero (Di Natale 61).
Ukraine: Shovkovskyi, Nesmachnyi, Shershun, Tymoshchuk, Yezerskyy, Rusol, Shelayev, Gusiev, Voronin, Vorobey (Milevskiy 73), Nazarenko (Kalinichenko 59).
Ref: Kyros Vassaras (Greece).

Other Group B Matches
Scotland sit proudly at the top of Group B after a fabulous win over France at Hampden Park. Thierry Henry hit the post as France dominated the first 45 minutes but Scotland improved after the interval. And Gary Caldwell, who was outstanding in defence, turned goal hero when he stabbed the ball home from a Paul Hartley corner kick on 67 minutes. France enjoyed the bulk of possession but Walter Smith's well-organised team worked hard for a famous victory.

Lithuania claimed their first win in the group after a late 1-0 success in the Faroe Islands. The Baltic nation dominated proceedings in Torshavn, but found the Faroes in resilient form, with goalkeeper Jakup Mikkelsen making a number of saves for the home side. It proved not enough in the end, as Lithuania broke the hearts of their hosts with a last minute winner from Andrius Skerla on his 50th appearance for his country. Skerla headed home Mindaugas Kalonas's outswinging corner from the right to give Lithuania three valuable points away from home.


Group A
Serbia top Group A after emerging with a win from a tight tussle against Belgium. Nikola Zigic's 54th minute close range finish ultimately proved enough to account for the visitors, who are in third place with four points from their first three fixtures.

Portugal record their opening victory in their second game of the group stage as they easily dispatched Azerbaijan 3-0 at Estadio do Bessa in Oporto. Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo continued his great form with two goals (25 & 63), which sandwiched an effort from Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho (31).

Poland also picked up their first win in the group with a useful 1-0 victory in Kazakhstan. After losing to Finland and drawing with Serbia, Leo Beenhakker's men got their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign back on track in Almaty. Ebi Smolarek was the match-winner when the Borussia Dortmund striker fired home with his right foot on 52 minutes.

Roy Hodgson's Finland were left frustrated by Armenia's rearguard action in Yerevan. The Finns dominated much of the match, but could not find the all-important goal to prevent a 0-0 stalemate.


Group C
Turkey maintained their perfect start to their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign with a 1-0 win over Hungary in Group C. The only goal of the game was a tremendous effort from Fernbahce forward Sanli Tuncay. It came just before the interval as Cetin Servat headed into his path and he brilliantly lobbed over Gabor Kiraly to seal the win. Zoltan Gera almost levelled in the second half with a fee kick but his effort hit the bar and Turkey hung on to claim the victory.

Turkey are now level on top of the group with Norway - after the Scandinavian nation lost 1-0 to European champions Greece. The only goal of the game in Athens came just after the half hour mark when Kostas Katsouranis fired home.
A terrific second half come back from Bosnia-Herzegovina gave them a 2-2 draw in Moldova. The home side raced into a two-goal lead as Sergei Rogaciov fired home twice (13 & 32 pen). Bosnia, though, battled back well and pulled one back on the hour-mark through Zvjezdan Misimovic. They then sealed a share of the spoils with 22 minutes left as Ivica Grlic pounced.


Group D
The Republic of Ireland suffered a nightmare night in Nicosia as Cyprus humiliated Steve Staunton's side in the Euro 2008 qualifier. After Stephen Ireland's early strike, goals from Michalis Constantinou and Alexis Garpozis put Cyprus ahead. Richard Dunne levelled before half-time but Constantinou's penalty restored the Cyprus lead on 50 minutes. Two Constantinos Charalambidis goals plus Richard Dunne's sending off completed the Republic's awful evening.

Wales' Euro 2008 hopes suffered a major blow as they were soundly beaten by an impressive Slovakia side in Cardiff. Dusan Svento slotted home the first to kick off a horror afternoon for keeper Paul Jones on his 50th appearance. A fluffed Jones clearance saw Marek Mintal score from 35 yards before Gareth Bale responded with a free-kick. Mintal's 25-yard screamer put Slovakia back in control, before Miroslav Karhan's chip and Robert Vittek's cool finish compounded Welsh misery.

Czech Republic handed out the anticipated thrashing to San Marino, by chalking up a 7-0 win in Liberec, to maintain their 100 percent start to qualifying. Marek Kulic gave the Czechs a 15th minute lead with his first goal for his country, and Jan Polak's right foot shot doubled the lead for Karel Bruckner's team seven minutes later. Milan Baros's left foot effort (28) and Jan Koller's header (43) erased any doubt over the destination of the three points. David Jarolim claimed his first international goal at the start of the second period, and Koller scored his side's sixth goal from close range in the 52nd minute. Baros's downward header twenty minutes from time completed the scoring - mercifully for the visitors, who have now conceded 20 goals in their first two qualifiers.


Group E
England's Euro 2008 qualifying campaign stuttered after a disappointing draw against Macedonia at Old Trafford. Steve McClaren's side wasted several chances, with Gary Neville and Steven Gerrard hitting the woodwork. Macedonia keeper Jane Nikoloski saved well from Frank Lampard and Peter Crouch, but Igor Mitrevski's header was only inches away from shocking England. Wayne Rooney was substituted on his return and Gerrard will miss the clash with Croatia after a yellow card.

Russia drew at home for the second qualifier in a row as Israel fought back to seal a 1-1 stalemate. Guus Hiddink's side could not beat Croatia in their opening encounter, and Israel proved to be another tricky prospect in Moscow, as Amit Ben Shushan cancelled out Andrei Arshavin's opener. Russia made a quick-fire start and broke the deadlock after just five minutes when Arshavin picked up a pass from Pavel Pogrebniak and fired home with his left foot. However with six minutes to go Ben Shusan silenced the home support as he beat Igor Akinfeev at the second attempt.

Croatia claimed their first win of the qualifying stages and an emphatic one it was as they hammered Andorra 7-0 in Zagreb. The hero of the evening was undoubtedly Basel striker Mlaen Petric - who helped himself to four goals. Petric had a brace by half time (12 & 37) before completing his hat-trick on 48 minutes and then adding another just two minutes later. Werder Bremen striker Ivan Klasnic made it 5-0 on the hour before Bosko Balaban (62) and Luka Modric (83) sealed victory.


Group F
Northern Ireland put in an impressive defensive display to claim a point in their Group F qualifier against the Danes in Copenhagen. Denmark dominated from the start with Jon Dahl Tomasson and Peter Lovenkrands going close before Jonny Evans made a vital clearance just before the break. The visitors offered little in attack while Denmark continually pressed and Daniel Agger hit the crossbar late on. A booking rules Michael Duff out of Wednesday's game against Latvia.

Sweden recorded an excellent 2-0 win over Spain to maintain their 100 percent start to Euro 2008 qualifying, but Luis Aragones's side have now suffered back-to-back defeats. Johan Elmander gave the Swedes the lead in the 10th minute - his crisp shot from Marcus Allback's cross finding the back of the net. Allback himself got on the scoresheet eight minutes from time to round off the win. The former Aston Villa man collected a cross from Christian Wilhelmsson before rifling home. Their third win sees the Scandinavians consolidate leadership of the group, but Spain are ailing and would appear, even if at this early stage, to have their work cut out to ensure a smooth passage to Austria & Switzerland.

Latvia earned a first three-point haul with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Iceland. The hosts effectively confirmed their victory inside 25 minutes - Girts Karlsons's 14th minute shot and Maris Verpakovskis's header less than 60 seconds later doing the early damage. The latter struck again just before the half hour, and Aleksejs Visnakovs's 20 yard shot in the 52nd minute completed the rout.


Group G
Romania moved top of their section following a 3-1 win over Belarus. Adrian Mutu got the ball rolling for Romania, when he turned in a cross from Florentin Petre just seven minutes in. And the lead was doubled by Ciprian Marica from long range just three minutes later. Belarus reduced the arrears in the 20th minute, however, when Sergei Kornilenko converted a chance created by Alexander Hleb. The hosts were made to sweat for the three points, but made sure of victory through Dorin Goian's header from another Petre assist.

Arsenal's Robin van Persie continued his fine recent form with an equaliser for the Netherlands against Bulgaria. Martin Petrov gave the hosts a 12th minute lead in Sofia, but van Persie's close range finish rescued a point for Marco van Basten's side, who are second in the group, having claimed seven points from their first three fixtures.

Slovenia got their own campaign off and running against Luxembourg with a 2-0 win. Milivoje Novakovic (30) headed his first international goal for the hosts, and striker Robert Koren wrapped up the three points just before the interval with a superb strike from distance.


View Euro 2008 Fixtures & Tables >>>

U21: Italy v Spain

6 October 2006: Italy U21 0-0 Spain U21 (Modena)
Italy’s chances of reaching the European Under-21 Championships in the Netherlands next year hang in the balance after wasteful finishing in the first leg of the play-off against Spain in Modena.

Solid defending and a faultless display from Mallorca goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya helped the visitors earn a precious goalless draw.

In a balanced first half, both sides showed their respect for each other as a cagey opening failed to produce any serious goalscoring opportunities. Five-time champions Italy had the better of possession but were reluctant to risk all in attack while their opponents, twice previous winners, remained comfortable in defence.

The Azzurrini were more adventurous as the first half wore on, however. Fiorentina's Riccardo Montolivo, who scored both of the goals in the group stage last month, tried his luck with a low right-foot shot from 25 metres but the ball whistled just wide of Moya's post. Antonio Nocerino also went close just before the break, heading over the bar from Alessandro Rosina's free-kick.

Italy began the second half in more attacking mode and threatened to make the breakthrough when Rosina dribbled past two opponents and forced Moya to dive to his left to deflect an effort from outside the box past the post. Spain responded with an attack of their own as Kepa Blanco's drive was fisted away in the 70th minute by Giancluca Curci.

With ten minutes remaining Italy passed up another good opportunity when second-half substitute Giuseppe Rossi prompted a superb stop from Moya, the keeper flying to his right to palm the shot around the post. Moya was called into action again a minute from time when he deflected a close-range header from Marco Andreolli over the bar. It was from the resulting corner that Italy squandered perhaps their best chance of taking a lead into the second leg, as Graziano Pelle fired the rebound wide after Moya could only parry a long-range attempt from Montolivo.

The second leg will be played next Tuesday evening at the Nueva Balestera Stadium in Palencia. The winners will qualify for the Final Tournament, which will take place from June 10 to June 23 in the Netherlands.


Other Results
Belgium 1-1 Bulgaria
Czech Republic 2-1 Bosnia-Herzegovina
England 1-0 Germany
France 1-1 Israel
Russia 4-1 Portugal
Serbia 0-3 Sweden

Euro 2008: October 7 2006

These are all Saturday's Euro 2008 qualifiers. All kick-off times are listed in UK time.

Group A:
Kazakhstan v Poland (1600)
Armenia v Finland (1700)
Serbia v Belgium (1915)
Portugal v Azerbaijan (2100)

Group B:
Faroe Islands v Lithuania (1500)
Scotland v France (1700)
Italy v Ukraine (1950)

Group C:
Moldova v Bosnia-Herzegovina (1700)
Hungary v Turkey (1845)
Greece v Norway (1930)

Group D:
Wales v Slovakia (1500)
Czech Republic v San Marino (1615)
Cyprus v Republic of Ireland (1730)

Group E:
Russia v Israel (1600)
England v FYR Macedonia (1700)
Croatia v Andorra (1915)

Group F:
Denmark v Northern Ireland (1900)
Latvia v Iceland (1900)
Sweden v Spain (1900)

Group G:
Romania v Belarus (1815)
Bulgaria v Netherlands (1900)
Slovenia v Luxembourg (1945)

Donadoni freshens up Italy squad

Italy coach Roberto Donadoni has omitted both Antonio Cassano and Alberto Gilardino from his 25-man squad for the Euro 2008 qualifiers with Ukraine and Georgia.

Juventus veteran Alessandro Del Piero and Fiorentina's Luca Toni return along with Vincenzo Iaquinta and the previously suspended Marco Materazzi.

The new face is that of Lazio midfielder Stefano Mauri, while David Di Michele, Antonio Di Natale and Sampdoria’s Gennaro Del Vecchio retain their spots.

The World champions desperately need points in Group B after a 1-1 draw with Lithuania and a 3-1 defeat in France, so their chances of reaching the tournament in Austria and Switzerland depend on these next two games.

Andriy Shevchenko’s Ukraine – who were defeated 3-0 by Marcello Lippi’s men on their way to the World Cup triumph this summer – play at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on October 7. The trip to Tbilisi to take on Georgia will take place on October 11.

The squad will unite at the Coverciano training ground in Florence on Monday.


Italy squad
Goalkeepers: Christian Abbiati (Torino), Marco Amelia (Livorno), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus).
Defenders: Andrea Barzagli (Palermo), Cristian Zaccardo (Palermo), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Fabio Grosso (Inter), Marco Materazzi (Inter), Alessandro Nesta (Milan), Massimo Oddo (Lazio), Manuel Pasqual (Fiorentina), Gianluca Zambrotta (Barcelona)
Midfielders: Mauro German Camoranesi (Juventus), Gennaro Delvecchio (Sampdoria), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Simone Perrotta (Roma), Gennaro Gattuso (Milan), Andrea Pirlo (Milan), Stefano Mauri (Lazio).
Forwards: Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus), David Di Michele (Palermo), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Udinese), Filippo Inzaghi (Milan), Luca Toni (Fiorentina).

Casiraghi names Azzurrini squad

Italy Under-21 boss Pierluigi Casiraghi has named his squad for the European Championship play-off matches against Spain.

The Azzurrini Coach named 22 players who will meet on Sunday in Modena, where the first leg is scheduled on Friday 6 October.

Among those selected was Roma midfielder Aleandro Rosi, who is line to make his debutafter scoring his first Serie A goal last Sunday in Roma's 4-0 win against Parma. Juventus striker Raffaele Palladino returns to the squad after a long absence with an ankle injury, but Fiorentina striker Giampaolo Pazzini is out with a thigh injury.

The Azzurrini secured a spot in the European Under-21 Championship play-offs after winning against Iceland and Austria earlier this month, topping Group 5.

The second leg against Spain will be played on October 10 at the Nueva Balestera Stadium in Palencia and the winners will qualify for the final phase of the tournament, which will take place from June 10 to June 23 in the Netherlands.


Italy U21 Squad:
Goalkeepers: Curci (Roma), Viviano (Brescia).
Defenders: Andreolli (Inter), Chiellini (Juventus), Coda (Udinese), Mantovani (Chievo), Pisano (Cagliari), Potenza (Fiorentina) Scurto (Chievo).
Midfielders: Aquilani (Roma), Cigarini (Parma), Dessena (Parma), Lazzari (Cesena), Montolivo (Fiorentina), Nocerino (Piacenza), Padoin (Vicenza), Rosi (Roma), Rosina (Torino).
Forwards: Palladino (Juventus), Pellé (Cesena), Pozzi (Empoli), Rossi (Newcastle United).

Lippi rules out role with Azzurri

The Azzurri's World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi has ruled out returning in a supervisory role and backed his replacement Roberto Donadoni. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) head Guido Rossi floated the idea after the poor start to the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign.

Lippi said: "I'll never be a supervisor because that is not my trade. Roberto is a great lad and I've no doubt they'll get back to great form and he will get the best out of them."

The world champions drew at home with Lithuania and were beaten by France in their opening two Group B games.

Rossi suggested Lippi take on a role at the head of the federation's technical department.

Former Juventus coach Lippi said he intends to return to club coaching after taking a rest. Lippi said: "At the moment I'm still enjoying the aftertaste of the World Cup which I think will be a good while yet. I've had some calls from non-Italian clubs but I didn't meet with any club directors."

FIFA plea to Materazzi and Zidane

FIFA President Sepp Blatter wants Marco Materazzi and Zinedine Zidane to meet to reconcile their differences after the World Cup final bust-up.

France's Zidane headbutted Materazzi in the chest near the end of extra-time, with Italy going on to win the trophy on penalties. "We are working on getting together Materazzi and Zidane to bring an end to this story," said Blatter. "It is a pity, I have to say, when a World Cup final ends with a red card."

Zidane, playing his last game before retiring from football, was sent off for the attack and later claimed he was provoked after Materazzi had insulted his mother. But the Inter defender revealed that Zidane's sister was the subject: "I was tugging his shirt, he said to me 'if you want my shirt so much I'll give it to you afterwards,' and I answered that I'd prefer his sister."

Materazzi was later handed a two-match ban by world governing body FIFA, while Zidane was banned for three games and fined £3,260.

Under 21's: Azzurrini face Spanish threat

Italy will have to beat Spain over two legs in order to qualify for next year’s UEFA Under-21 European Championship Finals.

The Azzurrini, who topped qualifying Group 5 this week after 1-0 wins over Iceland and Austria, will play Spain on October 7 and 11 – even if those dates could be slightly altered.

The Finals will take place between June 10 and 23 of next year in Holland. The hosts, who are the current champions, have automatically qualified.

Play-off fixtures: Serbia v Sweden, Czech Republic v Bosnia-Herzegovina, Russia v Portugal, France v Israel, England v Germany, Italy v Spain, Belgium v Bulgaria.

Donadoni given vote of confidence

Italy coach Roberto Donadoni has been given a vote of confidence by the President of the national Olympic committee (CONI), Gianni Petrucci, despite a disappointing start to his time at the helm.

Donadoni, the former Livorno boss and AC Milan midfielder, took charge of the Azzurri following Marcello Lippi's decision to step down in the wake of their World Cup success in Germany this summer.

Donadoni has so far failed to deliver the results, with a 2-0 friendly defeat to Croatia followed by a 1-1 draw against Lithuania and a 3-1 loss in France leaving the World Champions already struggling in Group B of the Euro 2008 qualifiers.

But speaking at a meeting in Palermo, Petrucci said: "I am optimistic about Donadoni and his national team. Donadoni is a good coach who has the faith of the football federation and the whole of Italian sport."

Maldini: FIFA are anti-Azzurri

Italian hero Paolo Maldini has denounced what he perceives to be an anti-Azzurri agenda within FIFA, with President Sepp Blatter the main target of his ire. The Milan legend has focused his attack around the fact that Blatter skipped the World Cup final ceremony, leaving UEFA President Lennart Johansson to hand the trophy to Fabio Cannavaro after the penalty victory over France in Berlin.

Maldini feels Blatter's snub is evidence of a political agenda within the sport's governing body that is aligned against the European superpower.

"A thing that really bothered me, has been the way Fifa treated us in Berlin," Maldini told Panorama. "Blatter didn't want to award us and this has been a scandal which our federation didn't react to. I have never seen a similar thing, it's not enough. That person, as he can, continues talking badly about our football and he's not the only one. This behaviour allows us to understand why in the past we haven't won what we deserved. It's a political matter, we are not present in the 'drawing room' that counts, and Blatter's behaviour confirmed it. The Italian Federation must behave as one of the world champions."

When Maldini eventually hangs up his boots, with the Rossoneri defender still going strong at 38, he is expected to adopt the role of a footballing ambassador for his country. "I'm thinking of this," he admitted.

Lippi poised for Azzurri return?

World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi could make a shock return to the Italy set-up, although his successor Roberto Donadoni's position is not under threat despite a disappointing start to his reign.

The Azzurri suffered a friendly defeat to Croatia in Donadoni's first game in charge last month, and then were held to a 1-1 draw by Lithuania and defeated by France in their opening two Euro 2008 qualifiers.

The Italian Football Federation's (FIGC) interim President Guido Rossi has revealed contact has been made with Lippi, who resigned days after the World Cup success against France in Berlin.

"I have made him an offer and I am sure he will accept," Rossi told Il Giornale newspaper. "He would have to change his role to become a lead figure for the national team."

On the table is a newly-created position of technical co-ordinator, working alongside Donadoni and using his experience to get Italy's Euro 2008 qualifying campaign back on track. A decision and possible appointment will take place after Lippi returns from his holidays.

"As soon as he is tired of holidays, he will return to action," added Rossi. "I have heard from him a lot and met him personally. Somebody like him, who has reached the very top needs new stimuli, and I have made him an offer - he could co-ordinate everybody's work."

Group B - Match 2: France v Italy

6 September 2006: France 3-1 Italy (Paris)
Roberto Donadoni's Italy career is in trouble after France took a 3-1 World Cup revenge, leaving their Euro 2008 hopes in dire straits. Donadoni was already under pressure after the 1-1 draw with Lithuania and made changes to that line-up, introducing Franco Semioli, Gianluca Zambrotta and Alberto Gilardino for the 4-4-1-1 system that Italy employed in their World Cup win. Massimo Oddo, Daniele De Rossi and Pippo Inzaghi made way.

Before kick-off there was a minute's silence to mark the death of Inter President and legendary Azzurri captain Giacinto Facchetti. The Italian team also wore black armbands.

Les Bleus were still livid after that Berlin loss and it showed, as they came sprinting out of the blocks and within the opening 90 seconds Sidney Govou had volleyed a William Gallas cross low into the far corner past Gigi Buffon. As against Lithuania, the defending left something to be desired, although replays showed that the Arsenal defender was clearly offside when he got the ball.

On 17 minutes Buffon had his palms stung by a Florent Malouda rocket only for Henry to latch on to the loose ball and sidefoot it in from a tight angle with the aid of a Fabio Cannavaro deflection. However, Italy pulled a goal back moments later. As in the World Cup Final, they were superior on set-pieces and Gilardino was allowed a free header on Andrea Pirlo's free kick to glance it past Gregory Coupet.

Searching for an equaliser, Donadoni replaced Semioli with David Di Michele of Palermo, switching to a trident attack. However, this left Italy even more over-run in midfield and within seconds France scored their third goal. Willy Sagnol's assist was glanced into the far corner off Govou's head for his second of the game, but there were few celebrations as he clashed heads with Cannavaro.

The result now leaves Italy fives points behind the French and Scotland. October's ties in Rome against the Ukraine and away to Georgia become decisive if Donadoni is to have any hope of reaching Euro 2008.

France: Coupet, Sagnol, Gallas, Thuram, Abidal, Ribery (Saha 88), Vieira, Makelele, Malouda, Govou (Wiltord 75), Henry.
Italy: Buffon, Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Barzagli, Grosso, Semioli (Di Michele 54), Pirlo, Gattuso, Perrotta, Cassano (Inzaghi 73), Gilardino (De Rossi 87).
Ref: Herbert Fandel (Germany).


Other Group B Matches
Scotland stretched their unbeaten away run to seven games to make it two wins out of two in their Euro 2008 campaign after a fine 2-1 win in Lithuania. Tomas Zvirgzduaskas had an early effort headed off the line by Gary Naysmith. But Scotland took the lead after the break when Christian Dailly headed home a Naysmith corner. And Kenny Miller hammered in a second after hesitation in the home defence before a suberb Darius Miceika overhead kick produced a tense finish.

Ukraine came from behind to beat Georgia 3-2 in Kiev. The hosts had to do it the hard way after appearing to have blown a lead given to them by Andriy Shevchenko's 31st minute header from Andrei Gusin's pass. A spirited fightback from Georgia was rewarded just seven minutes later when Shota Arveladze beat Alexander Shovkovsky from the edge of the area. And a curling free kick from George Demetradze completed the turnaround shortly after the hour - but only briefly. The visitors were left to rue the concession of an immediate equaliser after Ruslan Rotan capitalised on a defensive error to haul his side level. Rusol then struck to ensure his side got their Group B campaign off to the best possible start. Georgia, meanwhile, remain on three points after suffering a second successive defeat.


Group A
Portugal needed to hold on for a 1-1 Euro 2008 qualifying away draw with Finland in Helsinki. The World Cup semi-finalists will be happy to come away with the result after playing the majority of the second half with ten men. Roy Hodgson's Finns came into Wednesday's clash buoyed by their impressive win in Poland on Saturday, and they started well against Luiz Felipe Scolari's side. Jonatan Johansson gave the Nordic nation the lead on 22 minutes, as he converted Joonas Kolkka's free kick from the right. Finland's lead lasted until three minutes before the break, as Benfica striker Nuno Gomes scored his 25th goal for his country after converting Deco's pass from the right flank. Portugal then faced a difficult task to hold on for a point, as Ricardo Costa was sent for a second bookable offence after a challenge on Johansson on 53 minutes. The visitors, however, held out for a draw to open their qualifying account in Group A.

Serbia came from a goal down to earn an important 1-1 draw with struggling Poland in Warsaw. The Poles were looking to restore some pride after the home defeat to Finland and they took the lead on the half-hour mark. Radoslaw Matusiak curled home a fine strike to give the home side the lead, but the Serbs made sure of a point on their travels. Substitute Danko Lazovic struck midway through the second half to earn the Balkan nation a share of the spoils.

Belgium have recorded their first win in qualifying with a 1-0 away success over Armenia. After a disappointing goalless draw with Kazakhstan in Brussels last month, The Red Devils claimed all three points in Yerevan's Republican Stadium four minutes before the break. Bayern Munich's Daniel van Buyten headed home Jelle van Damme's cross from the left to secure the win.

Azerbaijan picked up their first point in qualifying after a 1-1 home draw with Kazakhstan. In a battle of two former Soviet Republics, it was Azerbaijan that took the lead just after the quarter-hour mark. Andre Ladaga struck home a free kick after Kazakhstan's Maksim Zhalmagambetov fouled Azerbaijan's Vagif Javadov just outside the visitors' penalty box. Kazakhstan earned themselves a point in Baku when Dmitry Byakov headed home Nikita Khokhlov's cross from the right on 36 minutes. It was Kazakhstan's first-ever goal in the European Championship since the country moved to become members of UEFA from the Asian Football Confederation back in 2002.


Group C
Norway made it two wins from two after a hard-fought 2-0 success at home to Moldova. Age Hareide's men had been easy winners in Hungary over the weekend, but were pressed all the way back on home soil. Following a scoreless first half, Moldova were reduced to 10 men just a minute into the second period when Victor Berco was sent off. It was not until the 73rd minute that Norway made the breakthrough with Fredrik Stromstad opening the scoring. Former Tottenham striker Steffen Iversen made the game safe six minutes later as Norway put down an early marker of their intent to qualify for Euro 2008.

Turkey notched a 2-0 'home' triumph as they started their Euro 2008 campaign by beating Malta in Frankfurt. Nihat Kahveci netted the opener on 56 minutes and Tumer Metin added a second goal on 77 minutes.

Hungary bounced back from their heavy defeat at home to Norway with an impressive 3-1 success in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The visitors were ahead on 36 minutes through Szabolcs Huszti's penalty and three minutes later Bosnia had Emir Spahic sent off for a second yellow card. Zoltan Gera scored a minute into the second half and two soon became three as Pal Dardai netted on 49 minutes. Bosnia replied with a penalty through Zvjezdan Misimovic on 64 minutes, but Hungary saw out the game to take the points.


Group D
Germany set a European Championship qualifying record after crushing San Marino 13-0 in the republic. Striker Lukas Podolski scored four, while Bastian Schweinsteiger, Miroslav Klose and Thomas Hitzlsperger all found the net twice. Michael Ballack, Manuel Friedrich and Bernd Schneider with a 90th-minute penalty also scored in the game, which Germany led 6-0 at the break. Germany's win bettered Spain's 12-1 victory over Malta in 1983.

Czech Republic secured bragging rights as they secured a very good 3-0 win over Slovakia. The two nations, formerly one, have an intense rivalry but it was the visitors who went away with a crucial three points. Rangers midfielder Libor Sionko was the star of the show as he fired a first half double to set Karel Bruckner's men on their way. He opened the scoring on ten minutes before doubling his tally on 21 minutes. The third arrived before the hour when talismanic front-man Jan Koller pounced.


Group E
Peter Crouch's rich vein of scoring form continued to give England a hard-fought 1-0 victory in the Euro 2008 qualifier against Macedonia in Skopje. Crouch scored seconds after half-time with a shot that bounced off the bar but was clearly over the line. The Liverpool striker's 11th goal in 14 internationals made it three successive wins for England coach Steve McClaren. Macedonia almost snatched a point late on, with Artemi Sakiri shooting wide and Ashley Cole clearing off the line.

Israel coasted to a 4-1 victory 'at home' to Andorra. First-half goals by captain Yossi Benayoun and debutant striker Amit Ben Shushan as well as Shimon Gershon's penalty put Israel in control. Substitute Toto Tamuz added a fourth, before Andorra defender Fernando Silva was sent off, though late on substitute Juli Fernandez scored the Andorrans' first goal of the campaign. The game was played in Nijmegen after UEFA in July banned all matches under its jurisdiction from being hosted in Israel due to the Lebanon war.

Russia and Croatia shared a 0-0 in Moscow. After a lacklustre first-half Milan Rapaic struck the bar with a free-kick, while Eduardo da Silva and van Klasnic also missed good chances for Croatia. Coach Guus Hiddink's decision to introduce Pavel Pogrebniak revived Russia's attack, with the Tom Tomsk striker twice going close. Igor Semshov's volley drew a reaction save from Stipe Pletikosa and Andrei Arshavin's went close with a shot.


Group F
David Healy's hat-trick helped Northern Ireland claim a shock 3-2 victory over Spain at Windsor Park. Healy punished a Xabi Alonso mistake to level from close range shortly after Barcelona star Xavi had volleyed Spain ahead with 14 minutes gone. David Villa restored Spain's lead on 52 minutes but Healy converted Sammy Clingan's free-kick to level. Healy then ensured the home win with a glorious lobbed winner on 80 minutes.

Sweden made it two wins out of two with 3-1 success over minnows Liechtenstein. The Swedes put behind their off-field problems from earlier this week which saw three players expelled from their squad to record victory - although it was far from convincing. Marcus Allback put the home side ahead after just two minutes but Mario Frick levelled just before the half hour to silence the crowd. Allback finally restored Sweden's lead on 69 minutes before Markus Rosenberg sealed victory in the final minute after Freddie Ljungberg had missed a penalty.

Denmark opened their Euro 2008 campaign with a 2-0 win in Iceland. Charlton's Dennis Rommedahl opened the scoring after just five minutes in Reykjavik. The comfortable win was sealed just after the half hour mark when Jon Dahl Tomasson pounced.


Group G
Holland beat Belarus 3-0 in Eindhoven to move two points clear of Bulgaria. Robin Van Persie opened the scoring for the Dutch after 32 minutes when Belarus failed to clear a corner, allowing the Arsenal forward to hammer the ball home. Van Persie sealed victory with 12 minutes left with a well-placed shot. Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt added a third when he headed home a free kick by Van Persie.

Romania got their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign off and running with victory over Albania on Wednesday. Having been frustrated for large periods of their clash in Tirana, the visitors eventually broke the deadlock in the 65th minute through Nicolae Dica. Ten minutes later, Debatik Curri felled Florentin Petre inside the penalty area, and Adrian Mutu converted the spot kick to make sure of victory.

Bulgaria beat Slovenia 3-0 in Wednesday's other game in the Group. After a goalless first period, Juventus' Valeri Bojinov got the ball rolling for his side with a left-footed strike in the 58th minute. In the 72nd minute, Martin Petrov doubled his side's lead in spectacular fashion, firing in a right-footed strike from long range into the top-left corner. And Dmitar Telkiiski then got his first international goal with a left-footed shot from Hristo Yovov's pass nine minutes from time to round off a comfortable win.


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