http://www.aboutaball.co.uk About a Ball :: about football Latest News en-gb Tue, 13 May 2008 09:16:30 -0500 http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/Inc/Images/RSS.gif http://www.aboutaball.co.uk http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=646 A helping hand from a Denmark fan literally handed Sweden qualification to Euro 2008 when in the pair’s first meeting in Group E an irate Denmark fan ran onto the pitch to confront referee Herbert Fandel. Despite the score being level at 3-3 with just minutes to play his action resulted in the game being cancelled and a 0-3 win being given to Sweden. The loss of a point for Denmark combined with the extra 2 that Sweden received was crucial to the 6 point gap that developed between the pair by the end of qualifying. http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=646 http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=645 Spain overcame a slow start to their Euro 2008 qualification after they picked up only 3 points from the first 9, to win 8 of their last 9 matches to finish top of Group F and secure a solid place at the tournament with 28 points. http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=645 http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=644 A new era in Russian football was ushered in under Dutch coach Guus Hiddink as he qualified Russia for the Euro 2008 tournament. A tumultuous, and at times difficult, campaign was finally rounded off with qualification after Croatia gave them a helping hand by beating England in the final group game. http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=644 http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=643 Poland qualified for their first ever European Championships by finishing top of a mammoth group A. With 8 teams Poland had to play 16 qualifying games, the most, along with Portugal, of any of the competing nations at Euro 2008. With 5 recognised potential candidates in Group A vying for qualification (Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Belgium, and Finland) the route to Austria and Switzerland was always going to be a long haul for the victors from the group. http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=643 http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=642 With just one defeat and two draws in the qualifying campaign Italy qualified for Euro 2008 with their usual blend of controlled football and attacking flair and picking up points against their main rivals. Although they were beaten by the French in Paris, just two months after the win over Les Bleus in the World Cup finals, it was the Italians who had the last laugh by finishing some 3 points clear of their rivals at the end of the qualification. http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=642 http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=641 Greece were the strongest of all the qualifiers for Euro 2008 in terms of points thanks to their 31 points amassed with only one defeat at home to Turkey and one draw away to Norway and 10 wins. http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=641 http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=640 Germany qualified with little difficulty for Euro 2008 with a second place finish in Group D comfortably finishing 10 points ahead of the Republic of Ireland, who finished in a distant third. With only 1 defeat, at home to the Czech Republic when they had already qualified, Germany can be rightly pleased with their performance. http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=640 http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=639 Les Bleus made surprisingly heavy weather of qualification from Group B and their margin of just two points over Scotland indicated just how close they came to not even taking part in Euro 2008. Ultimately a penultimate match-day win over Lithuania combined with a Scots defeat in Georgia saw the French past the challenge of Scotland, against whom they lost both home and away. http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=639 http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=638 Croatia enjoyed a strong qualification in Group E to finish top of the group on 29 points, and in the process register the joint second best qualification, only Greece in Group C recorded more points in an arguably easier group. http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=638 http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=637 Strangely Sweden have made little impression on the European Championships qualifying for the tournament only three times, all in recent history whilst at the World Cup they can boast 4 semi final appearances, finishing as runners-up in 1958, just two years before the first ever European Championships. http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=637 http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=636 Spain’s biggest problem seems to stem, when playing tournament football, from translating qualifying form into the tournament. Nevertheless Spain have at least recorded a win at the European Championships, on home soil in 1964, the second hosting of the tournament. http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=636 http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=635 Competing as the USSR, Russia have enjoyed an excellent record at the European Championships reserving some of their best form for the tournament. As the USSR they won the inaugural tournament in 1960, as well as finishing as runners-up four years later in 1964, a feat they repeated in 1988. Since they became Russia they have enjoyed less success although they have qualified for three of the last four tournaments, only missing out in 2000. http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=635 http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=634 Surprisingly for all of Polands football history their appearance at Euro 2008 will be their first time at the European Championships. Poland, who co-host Euro 2012 with the Ukraine, will be keen to put in a good performance prior to the 2012 edition of the tournament in their homeland. http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=634 http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=633 Italy have endured an indifferent time of it at the European Championships since their inception in 1960 combining a lack of performance at the tournament, along with a failure to even qualify as well as winning it back in 1968. http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=633 http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=632 Reigning European Champions Greece have played two previous European Championships after playing in 1980 and then in 2004, of course winning, the tournament in Portugal. http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=632 http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=631 With 3 wins (19872, 1980 and 1996), 2 runners up positions (1976 and 1992) and 1 more semi final appearance (1988), Germany are the most successful team in the history of the European Championship. With 10 straight qualifications, a run starting in 1972, they have been one of the most consistent performers at the tournament after they failed to make it to the first tournament they attempted to qualify for in 1968. http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=631 http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=630 There has always been a tendency to think of France as major players on the continent although the truth is that their performances at major finals have done little to back that up until the past 10 years. http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=630 http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=629 Croatia’s famous red and white checked shirts have become a familiar sight at major tournaments and the fledgling country (they’ve only been competing since 1994) has qualified for 2 of the 3 tournaments since their independence. http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=629 http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=628 Along with Poland, Austria are the only side at this year’s tournament never to have qualified for a European Championship. Therefore they don’t have much of a history at the tournament. http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=628 http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=627 Turkey were rewarded for a strong start and end to their qualifying campaign with second place in Group C behind near neighbours and arch rivals Greece, qualifying in the process for their first major tournament since the World Cup in 2002. The third place team from the Japan and Korea World Cup had struggled to make a mark since but the Turks will be optimistic that they can make an impression on the forthcoming Euro 2008 tournament. http://www.aboutaball.co.uk/footballnews/View.php?ArticleID=627