U-21 European Championship Final and more.

The final of the U-21 Championship played out much like the Final of the senior level sides would have as the Swiss fought bravely, but Spain ran out 0-2 winners. All sides have the right to be proud though, as the hosts Denmark put on a great show, and the contestants each played with all of their hearts. Ander Herrera and Thiago Alcántara each struck great goals on Spains route to victory. Meanwhile, in the Gold Cup Final, both sides fought hard, but Mexico had the skill and style to win 4-2 over their hosts the U.S.A. Goals from Andres Guardado, Diovani Dos Santos, and a pair from Pablo Barrera were enough to sink the U.S. who struck through Bradley and Donovan. Finally, the Women's World Cup is off and running with the German and French women just some of those to get off to a great start. More later, cheers!

Gold Cup update again.

It's sure to be a huge tie for the Final. It has been quite a road but the hard fighting reinvigorated U.S. men will meet the fierce competition in their ever-rivals Mexico. How did this Final take place? Well the United states edged Panama 1-0 in their semi-final match thanks to a beautiful piece of workmanship by both Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey. Donovan's cross was perfectly placed to Dempsey, who gladly rolled it across the goal line. The Panamanians had a ton of spirit though, holding defensively until the very neat U.S. goal. They didn't allow another goal, but they couldn't score one of their own so they must bow out. Meanwhile, Mexico were held 0-0 with Honduras through regulation time. However, things changed drastically in extra time as Aldo De Nigris and Javier Hernandez struck once each to put Mexico 2-0 up when the referee ended the game.

U-17 and U-21 update as well as some other news. 6/22/2011.

Well first of all, the U-17 World Cup is still going with yet another round nearing completion. Uruguay have already taken on Rwanda, beating them 1-0 with a fine goal from Leonardo Pais in the 5th minute of stoppage time in the second half putting the brilliant Uruguayans into the knock-out round and still not allowing the Rwandans their first point in the U-17 Finals. The last Group C game of the day is between the light-footed and quick Canadians and the determined side of England. Meanwhile, the Group D game between the U.S. and Uzbekistan finished 1-2 with the Uzbek national team leading 0-1 at the half and 1-2 when the full-time whistle blew. The Czech Republic and New Zealand still have yet to play which should also be an exciting match! Over in Denmark the U-21 European Championships have reached their concluding stage as Spain and Switzerland have made it! Spain were at first behind Belarus 0-1 but ended the match 3-1 up thanks to a sensational 89th minute equalizer from Adrian Lopez who struck once more to make it 2-1 for Spain before Jeffren Suarez put the icing on the cake with the 3rd. Over in the other semi-final, Switzerland bested the Czech Republic in extra-time as well through Admir Mehmedi in the 114th minute. It was a strike just out of the reach of the goalie, while the Swiss have continued their run of 390 minutes of football without conceding a goal! Last but not least, Michael Ballack has announced his retirement from international action after 98 appearances and 42 goals. He captained the German national side on 55 occasions, a record bested only by Lothar Matthaus who captained 75 times. He was also 7th in all-time appearances and goals scored while hitting the net the most of any midfielder in German history. Also along these lines, he assisted 5 times at World Cups, only eight players matched this tally. Thanks for all of the memories Michael Ballack!

U-17 World Cup in Mexico update. 6/21/2011.

Well in Group A the hosts Mexico are making a good showing with 6 points from their first 2 games and are thus at the top of the table. The second position is held by Congo who thus far have a record of 1 win and 1 loss. The Netherlands and North Korea bring up the last position with 1 point each after the two sides each lost their first matches and drew with each other. Group B meanwhile is led by France who have won a game and drawn another. Japan occupy 2nd place with the same record while Argentina have both won and lost games as Jamaica are having no luck with 2 losses to their name. In the rest of the Groups only one match has been played at this point but here it goes: Group C is led by Uruguay and England who are level on points but the charismatic South Americans lead on goal difference! Rwanda is in 3rd since they conceded fewer goals in their loss to England while Canada bring up the rear. Over in Group D minnows on the international stage New Zealand currently lead the pack after beating Uzbekistan 4-1. The United States is in 2nd place with the national team of Uzbekistan just behind them and the Czech Republic behind the former with a similar record but they lose out on goal difference. Meanwhile, Group E has initially been dominated by Germany who slotted home 6 times while conceding 1 as they hammered Ecuador. Panama is in 2nd while Burkina Faso and Ecuador are 3rd and 4th respectively. Last but not least, Group F is led by Brazil with charming Australia behind them on goal difference. The Ivory Coast is in 3rd while Denmark are disappointing in 4th. Best of luck to all the sides and hopefully the football keeps flowing!

Gold Cup update.

Well as I already posted, the U.S.A., Mexico, and Honduras were through to the Semi-finals while we awaited for the verdict on the Panama-El Salvador game. Well the result is in and despite a penalty in the 78th minute which was successfully converted by Rodolfo Zelaya for El Salvador, the Panamanians somehow found their way into the next round. It was in the 90th minute when Luis Tejada performed a miracle and struck home to equalize the two sides and send the game into overtime. Through the two periods there were no more goals, but in penalties, Panama prevailed. They won 5-3 and will thus be facing the U.S. in one of two semi-final match-ups. The last time the two sides met in the competition, the U.S. men edged the Panamanians on penalties in the Final. We'll see what happens this time around on the 22nd! Best of luck to all of the teams!

U-21 Group deciding action! 6/19/2011. Gold Cup too!

Well it was a big day for football as England faced the Czech Republic in a huge match to partially decide who would progress to the next round. The answer? The Czechs somehow ran away with the vital three points in a 1-2 victory for the side labeled as 'away'. All the goals, however, came after the 75th minute! England actually opened the scoring in the 76th minute through Daniel Welbeck. The English seemed to have outdone the Czechs for much of the game but it all fell apart in the 89th minute. This was when substitute Jan Chramosta slotted home to level the Czechs and put a ton of pressure on the shattered English. The English lasted until the end of regulation time, but lost it in the 4th minute of stoppage time when Tomas Pekhart struck a fair ball that beat the keeper and finished in the net. The Czechs were ecstatic. The English.. Not so much. It was an unfortunate match for the English but the Czechs deserved victory after their hard-fought late performance. In the other Group B match, things were a lot more one sided with the Ukraine falling 0-3 to a brilliant Spanish side. It all started in the 10th minute for the Spaniards as Juan Mata struck a fine shot. 17 minutes later, the Spanish were on the board again with Adrian slotting one away to make it 2-0 as the half-time whistle blew. The third goal was a lot longer in coming, but Mata converted a smooth penalty in the 72nd minute to put the last nail into the Ukrainian coffin. The Ukraine had up to this point received 2 yellow cards as well as a red to Denys Garmash in the 71st which essentially led to the third, penalty, goal. However, in the 75th minute, Ukraine's Yevhen Konoplyanka missed a huge opportunity from the spot which really made things sink in: the team of Blue and Yellow wouldn't be coming back. In yesterday's matches Iceland fought hosts Denmark while Switzerland looked to wrap things up perfectly against Belarus. In the first match, the hosts were defeated, 3-1, but were still somewhat in the running as there ended up being a 3-way tie for second place in the group. Neither side conceded in the first half, but there were several opportunities. It was in the 58th minute, though, when Kolbeinn Sigthorsson struck a great goal to give Iceland a lead over the hosts. Just two minutes later, Birkir Bjarnason struck once more for the Icelandic side to make it 2-0. At this point the home crowd were looking a bit dejected and angry. They perked up a bit when Bashkim Kadrii slotted one in for them in the 81st minute. It wasn't the beginning of anything though, as the only goal that followed was Hjortur Valgardsson's 92nd minute strike that brought the Danish hopes down. Denmark has been good at hosting though, and I for one hope the fantastic environment continues despite the home side's early exit. Meanwhile, in the match that would determine if Iceland would get through, the Swiss deftly dealt with Belarus 3-0. Admir Mehmedi struck both of the first half goals, one from the penalty spot in the 6th and the other from the open field in the 43rd to make it 2 unanswered goals to 0. Frank Feltscher tacked on a third in the dying moments to make it 3-0. One alarming thing about the game though, was the number of cards that were given: just 2 to the Swiss, but 5 to Belarus as well as a red card as two of these cards went to the same player (Sergei Matveychik in the 41st and 68th minutes.) Regardless, the teams that will be advancing to the semi-finals are: Switzerland and Belarus from Group A, and Spain and the Czech Republic from Group B. Hopefully the tournament continues to be this entertaining! Speaking of entertaining tournaments, how about the Quarter Finals of the Gold Cup? Yesterday, Costa Rica tied Honduras 1-1 with D. Marshall and J. Bengtson scoring for the respective sides in the 56th and 49th minutes. The Hondurans were only able to beat the Ticos on penalties while Mexico edged Guatemala 2-1 in regulation time! Javier Hernandez and A. De Nigris were the scorers for Mexico in the 66th and 48th minutes respectively. Carlos Ruiz was the man who scored the huge opener for Guatemala in the 5th minute which ended up actually being to no avail as defensively they just couldn't hold on. Today, the U.S.A. beat Jamaica 2-0 in a good display from the American hosts: Jermaine Jones and Clint Dempsey were the two scorers in quite a thrilling match. Panama and El Salvador have yet to play but I'll report on that game later. The same with the U-17 World Cup being held in Mexico!

Group B U-21 European Championship action. Gold Cup update too.

Well Spain climbed onto the top of Group B today with a convincing 0-2 victory over the Czech Republic. England and Ukraine meanwhile finished a 0-0 game the way it started. In the first game, Adrian was the man of the day as he struck both of Spain's goals, once in the first half and the other in the second. The first came in the 27th minute while the second took only two minutes into the second half to arrive. However, the goals were slightly overshadowed by the number of cards handed out: all yellow, but 7 in total! 4 went to Spain while the other three went to the Czechs. No matter though, it was a well earned three points for the Spaniards. Meanwhile, in the second game of the day, both sides had a couple of good opportunities, but nothing went in as England and Ukraine will need wins on the final day of matches to progress. The best chance for England was a sweet strike from Daniel Sturridge that hit off the woodwork. The Ukrainians meanwhile almost went ahead through Roman Zozulya had he been on target.Over in the Americas meanwhile, the Gold Cup is in full swing as the sides have finished the group stages for the most part. So far, the casualties have included Canada, Guadeloupe, Cuba, and Guatemala. The final group standings are: in Group A Mexico and Costa Rica advance, Group B sees high-flying Jamaica and a good-enough Honduras going through, while last but not least Group C was carried by Panama with the U.S. advancing as well. The Quarter-finals are thus poised with Costa Rica facing Honduras, Mexico will expect victory over Guatemala, Jamaica and the U.S. will fight it out, as Panama and El Salvador are the last match-up. Best of luck to all of the sides!

Denmark v.s. Belarus conclusion. U-21 European Championship.

Well the game in Aarhus today was hard fought by the two sides with the hosts Denmark beating Belarus by the skin of their teeth. As I previously reported, the sides were poised 1-1 after an exciting early passage of play where Belarus struck early through Dmitri Baga (in the 20th minute.) However, Christian Eriksen was good enough to equalize for the Danes just two minutes later. That was all that the first half had to offer though, as the referee blew for the break. The second half began far slower than the first, with nothing until the 71st minute. But when it came, it sure was something. The star for Denmark was the young Nicolai Jorgensen. With a sweet strike, he gave the hosts a second wind as they are now in position to qualify for the next round. All the Danes have to do is defeat Iceland, who have not yet won a game, and they will solidify their second place position. With the second set of games played, Group A seems to solidly have Switzerland at the top with 6 points from 2 games, Denmark in second, level with Belarus on 3 points, and Iceland in last place with 0 points. Group B meanwhile, is led by the Czech Republic after 1 game. They defeated Ukraine 2-1 while Spain, who are in 2nd place, drew with England 1-1. Thus, England are in 3rd by some chance while Ukraine sits at the bottom after 1 game. Keep watching! The tournament is sure to be good.

European U-21 Championship 6/14/11.

Today is all about Group A action as Switzerland defeated Iceland 2-0 and Denmark and Belarus are currently tied 0-0 in the 18th minute. In Switzerland's game, they simply outgunned their opponents, striking a total of 16 times to Iceland's 9 total shots. It started as early as possible though, with Fabian Frei striking in the first minute of the game after running onto a well-placed ball from Xherdan Shaqiri. However, it wasn't until the 40th minute when the Swiss scored their second goal, this time a somewhat lucky ball from Innocent Emeghara bounced off and over the goalie's leg and into the net. This was after a nice piece of skill where Emeghara split the defense, bursting through and striking. The score was thus 2-0 at the half with no change (despite efforts from both sides) in the second half. As I post this hosts Denmark are still level with Belarus despite an effort from the Dane's Christian Eriksen from a free-kick. Belarus has had one attempt that didn't trouble the goalkeeper.Check that! Belarus have taken the lead through Dmitri Baga in the 20th minute! 1-0 Belarus! But Denmark have drawn level! This thanks to Christian Eriksen missing his penalty opportunity but finished just seconds later! I'll post a final report when the match is over, enjoy what has been an exciting match thus far!

Gold Cup update. U-21 European competition coming.

Well the U.S. men's national team performances recently have left much to be desired. After a 4-0 loss to European and World Champions Spain a couple weeks back, the U.S. has begun its push for the Gold Cup negatively: they lost 2-1 to, wait for it, Panama. Now, the U.S. by no stretch of the imagination should have done that! While it is true that the U.S. isn't perfect, this is a poor performance in all respects. It does have its good points though, because it has brought home the fact to the U.S. players and organization that they can no longer just throw out a team and make it on grit and spirit alone. These are admirable qualities but you need more. Hopefully, Coach Bob Bradley will realize this and turn things around. However, I don't want to take anything away from the Panamanian victory: they played well getting 2 goals in the first half and dug in to hold onto the lead. The Group C table thus stands with Panama at the top having beaten Guadeloupe and the U.S., the United States in second place having beaten Canada, the Canadians in third with a win over Guadeloupe, who themselves sit in fourth with two losses to their name. In other words, the U.S. should qualify for the next round, but they have to keep it together. Meanwhile, in the other groups: A is led by Mexico who won all three of their matches allowing only 1 goal and scoring 14. Costa Rica finished in second on goal difference with one of everything but 2 more goals than third place El Salvador who just broke even on goal difference. Fourth place was confidently held by Cuba who were three-and-out scoring 1 goal and allowing 16. Last but not least, in Group B, Jamaica look confident having won their first two matches and sit on top. Meanwhile, Honduras is in second with a win and a draw. Third place is held by Guatemala while Grenada are in fourth with a game to go and no wins to their name. Hopefully the tournament continues to be exciting!

Women's U-19 European Championships Final as well as Men's U-21 competiton for the future.

Well in Italy, the Final of what has been a really exciting tournement is taking place. Three-time champions Germany have made quite evident their title credentials: Germany beat Norway 1-8 in the Final of the Women's European U-19 Championships! It all started to go downhill for the Nordic women in the 29th minute when Luisa Wensing slotted home for Germany to put them 0-1 into the lead. However, that was the only goal of the first half as the Norwegians held firm (their goalkeeper Ane Fimreite put in a great perofrmance) while the Germans missed some opportunities. Thus, the two sides went in at half time seperated by the one goal. However, everything changed in the second half. Isabella Schmid was the first to score, striking in the 50th to make it 0-2 for the Germans. The next goal came 5 minutes later, through Lena Lotzen who scored yet another beauty for Germany. Seeing that their opposition was in tatters, the Germans continued their assaults and reaped the fruits as Germany's captain Ramona Petzelberger scored only 3 minutes afterwards, in the 58th minute! At this point, approaching the hour mark, things looked pretty bad for the Norwegians: they were down 0-4 to an opponent that has looked strong at the back throughout the game and the tournement. Things got worse on the hour, as Lotzen struck her second, beautiful just as the first, to put Germany 0-5 into the lead. Shortly after this fifth goal the workhorses and playmakers Kathrin-Julia Hendrich and Eunice Beckmann were subbed off. Germany still dominated though, as Ivana Rudelic (who came in for Beckmann) struck in the 70th to much acclaim. Afterall, it was 0-6 now! Norway weren't totally out of it though, as Melissa Bjanesoy and her teammates showed a lot of heart and determination to bring themselves one goal back: in the 72nd minute. It was never going to be enough, the scoreline was now 1-6, and the defensive lapse by the Germans wasn't much of a big deal as it didn't happen often enough, but the goal did illustrate why the Nowegians were in Final. Schmid's second goal and Anja Hegenauer's first for Germany were just the icing on an eight-story cake. It was a great game for the Germans and while Norway will be disappointed, they did make it to the Final. Maybe next time they will take the final step and become Champions. Thank you to all the teams because I know I am not the only one who enjoyed watching this action packed tournement. There is another tournement to look forward to this summer though, as the men compete in the U-21 Championships! Look for it!

Transfer surprise! 6/9/2011.

Miroslav Klose is close to the hearts of many soccer fans. His performances for the German national team and Bavarian and German club giants Bayern Munchen have brought him much international acclaim. However, the 33 year old striker is moving on next season: to Italy! That's right, after contract negotiations failed between the player and Bayern, he has decided to go to Italian Serie A side Lazio! Offers on the table also included bids from Turkish giants Galatasaray and Spanish title-contenders Valencia but Klose decided on Lazio, who finished 5th last season. (meaning they will be playing in the Europa League) Best of luck to Miroslav Klose in Italy!

Conclusion to Women's U-19 semi-finals 6/8/2011. A big transfer too!

Well it was a brilliant game earlier today between Italy and Norway, but today's later game between Germany and Switzerland had its own endearing qualities. For example, a 3-1 scoreline for Germany! There were efforts very early on which especially the Swiss were able to walk away from but German captain Ramona Petzelberger finally opened the scoring in the 21st minute to much acclaim. However, Germany didn't remain in the lead through the first half as Cora Canetta slotted home a beauty in the 38th to level the Swiss with the Germans 1-1 at the half. Despite this set back, Germany pushed on hard and finally scored to get themselves into the lead through Eunice Beckmann in the 54th. She scored this goal beautifully after running on to a low free kick from the teammate she had assisted for Germany's first goal: Petzelberger. That wasn't all for the scoring though! Lena Lotzen struck in the 84th minute to seal the deal for an ecstatic Germany who will be facing Norway in the final this Saturday. Best of luck to both sides, hopefully the game will be as good as the tournament has been up to this point! In other news, Manuel Neuer, the prolific goaltender for Champions League surprises Schalke 04 earlier this year will be transferring to where the money calls: Bavaria. That's right, he joins regular heavyweights Bayern Munchen for next season!

Women's U-19 European Championship 6/8/2011.

Well, in the semi-finals today Germany will be playing Switzerland later, but hosts Italy and capable Norway have already played a fantastic, close, hard fought match! It all started early on, as Norway's Melissa Bjanesoy continued her terrific run of performances with a goal in the 12th minute. Elisa Lecce equalized for the Italians in the 22nd minute with a strike of her own. The game was thus poised 1-1 as the half time whistle blew and the air was filled with excitement. The second half also started at a blistering pace with Ada Hegerberg putting Norway into the lead again in the 48th minute. It was only a minute later though, when Katia Coppola brought Italy level again to the joy of the home fans. However, it was not to be for Italy, as they conceded yet again, in the 65th minute, to a shot from Caroline Hansen. It was a goal too much as Italy simply could not recover for a third time. And, as the full-time whistle blew, Norway finished on top 2-3 over Italy. Best of luck to Norway in the Final; congratulations on the spirited performance by the Italians, and make sure to watch Germany v.s. Switzerland later today!

Euro 2012 qualifying report for 6/7/2011.

There were several games today, with several looking like business as usual while others were more interesting. To start, how about Germany's comprehensive 1-3 win over Azerbaijan in Baku. Mesut Ozil opened the scoring in the 30th minute with a nice goal while Mario Gomez struck a second in the 41st to give the Germans a 0-2 lead at the half. The second half was much less eventful for the most part but it ended with two goals: one from Murad Huseynov in the 89th minute for Azerbaijan making it 1-2, and the other from Andre Schurrle in the 93rd minute to keep Germany well clear in the game and in Group A. Meanwhile, in the city of Toftir in the Faroe Islands, the home team won a very well played match against Estonia 2-0. The scorers in this impressive performance? Frodi Benjaminsen struck a penalty in the 43rd to open the scoring (missing a 47th minute penalty though) while Arnbjorn Hansen finished the job in the 47th that Benjaminsen was unable to. It was good that the goals were scored relatively early though, as first Estonia and then the Faroe Islands lost players due to bookings in the 57th and 89th minutes respectively. A similar result was on the plate for Belarus as they welcomed Luxembourg to their fair country and beat them 2-0 as well. With two second half goals from Sergei Kornilenko in the 48th and Anton Putilo in the 73rd, Belarus is 1 point away from Group D leaders France and 2 goals clear of Luxembourg. Bosnia and Herzegovina v.s. Albania also finished 2-0! Here as well the goals came late as Haris Medunjanin and Darko Maletic scored in the 67th and 91st minutes respectively while all Albania could collect was cards with Andi Lila sent off in the 87th minute. A huge match today however, did not finish 2-0. Here, I speak of the rivalry match between Sweden and Finland. In Solna, Sweden, the home side had a glorious day with Kim Kallstrom scoring in the 11th, Emir Bajrami scoring in the 83rd, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic coming on in the 25th and scoring a hat-trick in between. That's 5-0 to Sweden! Finland? Well, they took it all and gave nothing back, only taking a yellow card from the game as well as a bit of hurt morale. Last but not least, San Marino were thrashed 0-3 by a visiting Hungarian side who scored through Zoltan Liptak in the 40th, Imre Szabics 9 minutes later, and Vladimir Koman in the 83rd.

Euro 2012 and Women's U-19's. 6/6/2011.

Beginning with European Cup Qualifying, in Group B, Russia beat Armenia 3-1 thanks to three fantastic goals from Roman Pavlyuchenko. These all, however, came after Marcos Pizzeli's 25th goal which put the Armenians into the lead for about a minute. Over in Slovakia, the home side were able to edge Andorra 1-0 thanks to defender Miroslav Karhan's 63rd minute strike. Macedonia however, were beaten at home by the Republic of Ireland 0-2 who relied heavily on sharpshooter Robbie Keane as he struck twice, in the 8th and 37th minutes for victory. A missed penalty for Macedonia by Ivan Trickovski in the 41st minute wasn't quite what they wanted either. Latvia also lost at home, to Israel, 1-2. Yossi Benayoun slotted home for Israel first, in the 19th minute, while Tal Ben Haim struck a nice penalty in the 43rd minute to put the Israelis 0-2 up at the half. Aleksanders Cauna brought Latvia one back in the 62nd from the spot as well. Over in Piraeus, Greece, the home side defeated the visiting Maltese side 3-1 with goals coming from Giannis Fetfatzidis on either side of Kyriakos Papadopoulos' 15th minute strike. Just before the young Fetfatzidis struck in the 63rd, Michael Mifsud struck for Malta in the 54th minute but that was all Malta had as they were beaten. Now for a relatively surprising result, England's 2-2 draw with Switzerland played out in this way: Tranquillo Barnetta's goals came within three minutes (in the 32nd and 35th minutes) to give the Swiss an amazing 0-2 lead. It lasted for only about two minutes though, as Frank Lampard slotted home from the spot in the 37th minute to set England on the right path. However, it took until the second half before Ashley Young finally equalized for England, in the 51st minute. Montenegro and Bulgaria drew 1-1, Iceland and Denmark finished 0-2 in favor of the visitors, and Portugal edged Norway 1-0! (The goal, actually, came from Helder Postiga in the 53rd. The Portuguese however, had many more chances, none of which they were able to convert.) Over in Italy, and the Women's U-19 Championships, the semi-finals match-ups are as follows: the hosts (Italy) face Norway while Germany take on Switzerland. Best of luck to all sides and hopefully the performances will continue to be exhilarating!

Euro 2012 Qualifying recap for June 3rd.

There were plenty of close matches all around with Kazakhstan edging Azerbaijan 2-1; a slightly depleted German side beat the home Austrian side by the same scoreline thanks to Mario Gomez's 44th and 90th minute strikes after Arne Friedrich had accidentally equalized for the Austrians in the 50th minute; and Belgium unluckily drawing with Turkey 1-1. Marvin Ogunjimi had put the Belgians into the lead in the 4th before Burak Yilmaz slotted home in the 22nd to bring the Turks level. However, Belgium had an excellent opportunity to go ahead in the 75th before Axel Witsel knocked a ball over the bar from the penalty spot. Heart-breaking stuff. Moving on to the Faroe Islands now where the home side were beaten 0-2 by a visiting squad from Slovenia. Despite the dismissal of Marko Suler in the 25th minute with a straight red card, Tim Matavz slotted home for the visitors first while an own goal from Rogvi Baldvinsson was enough to put the game to bed in the 47th minute. Onwards now, to Modena, Italy, where Italy hammered Estonia 3-0 thanks to goals from Giuseppe Rossi, Antonio Cassano, and Giampaolo Pazzini in the 21st, 39th, and 68th minutes respectively. By a similar scoreline Romania handed it to Bosnia and Herzegovina in Bucharest with Adrian Mutu scoring once and Ciprian Marica putting the ball into the back of the net twice to give the home side their second win in a row after a slow start in the competition. However, they have lost their coach of two years Razvan Lucescu. Meanwhile, Belarus were able to upset the progress of France as the two sides tied 1-1 with Eric Abidal scoring an own goal in the 20th minute to disadvantage his own side. Florent Malouda scored 2 minutes later in the correct goal to make it 1-1: a scoreline that wasn't broken. Over in Moldova, Sweden were ruthless as they beat the home side 1-4. Ola Toivonen opened the scoring in the 11th minute for Sweden while Johan Elmander struck in the 30th and 58th minutes before Igor Burgaev struck the Moldovans one back. Alexander Gerndt scored Sweden and the game's last goal in the 88th. San Marino v.s. Finland meanwhile was quite close as the visitors only edged the home side 0-1, but a win is a win! The Finns relied solely on the 41st minute strike from Mikael Forssell but it was enough. Croatia defeated Georgia 2-1 after falling behind very early in the first half. Jaba Kankava's 17th minute goal seemed to do the trick for Georgia for much of the game, but they were stopped short as Mario Mandzukic and Nikola Kalinic struck in quick succession to put the home side into the lead. (The winning goal actually came in the 78th minute while the sides were drawn level 2 minutes before.) Finally, Liechtenstein's 2-0 victory over Lithuania was well earned as the home side were put ahead in the 7th by Philippe Erne while Michele Polverino tacked on a second in the 36th to give the home side their first competitive victory in almost 4 years!

Euro 2012 Qualifying on the day.

Well on the 3rd of June 2011, Azerbaijan were edged by Kazakhstan 2-1 when the two sides met. The shining hope for the long-suffering Kazakhs? International debutant Sergei Gridin. Striking twice in the second half, (in the 57th and 68th minutes respectively) he showed a lot of class in a hard-fought game.The Azerbaijanis struck in the 63rd minute of the second half through Vugar Nadyrov to tie the game for a couple of minutes but to no avail. As I post this Slovenia is only just ahead of the Faroe Islands, 0-1, thanks to a strike from Tim Matavz in the 29th minute. The sending off of Marko Suler in the 25th for Slovenia has not given them a great position though. Meanwhile, in Liechtenstein, the home side are beating Lithuania 2-0 with goals from Philippe Erne and Michele Polverino in the 6th and 36th minutes. Romania and Bosnia and Herzegovina have yet to be divided with the scoreline 0-0 in the 23rd. Of the games that have started: last but not least is Croatia's match with Georgia. In this game, the Georgians are actually winning! Jaba Kankava slottted home in the 17th to give the underdogs a fighting chance in this one. I'll post again once all of the games have played out. Cheers!

Women's U-19 Championship 6/2/2011.

It is set to be a very exciting day as Italy and Switzerland are tied 0-0, Germany lead Spain 1-0, Norway are hammering the Netherlands 3-0, and Russia are beating Belgium 3-1. In Italy, the game has been uneventful. Both the Italians and the Swiss have been rather defensive the entire match and the scoreline shows it: there has only been one real opportunity on goal with the only free-flowing thing the yellow cards! However, in the 84th minute Italy are struck into the lead! Katia Coppola strikes to put her side up by one with time running out for the disheartened Swiss. Meanwhile, in  Germany, the home side lead the Spaniards thanks to Eunice Beckmann's 57th minute strike. It's been a more open game here in general, but it's still a close affair with the Spanish still having enough time to, if not win it, at least strike one back. Anyway, up in the Nordic nation of Norway, the visiting Dutch side are getting taught a lesson in football: 2-0 since before the half when Melissa Bjanesoy and Kristine Hegland had struck once each for the home side, Bjanesoy slotted home again in the 57th to further put the home side out of reach. Last but not least, Russia beat Belgium 3-1. It all started with a goal from Anna Cholovyaga in the 20th. Justine Vanhaevermaet equalized for the Belgians in the 36th, but Russia came out in the second half and dominated: Cholovyaga scored again while captain Tatiana Ananyeva finished in the 64th to put the game to bed.