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fintron · 28-05-2008, 19:02

[B]Greece[/B] gained the most points of any team during qualification, picking up an impressive 31 points (10 wins, 1 draw, 1 defeat) from a group containing Turkey, Norway, Bosnia, Moldova, Hungary and Malta). They scored 25 and conceded just 10 as qualification was based around some narrow margin victories. They kept 7 clean sheets during qualification, with Theofanis Gekas (11 goals for Bayer Leverkusen this term) finishing their top scorer with 5 goals. Goals came from all over in their side though, with three other players scoring 3 apiece also. Greece's only defeat came against rivals Turkey but they still qualified comfortably as they look to maintain their crown. The Greeks finished runners up of their group in Euro 2004 (contained Portugal, Spain and Russia) but against the odds they overcame France and then the Czech Republic to earn their place in the final. In what was only their second appearance in the finals they went on to beat Portugal 1-0 in the final to lift the trophy. Greece's defence is based around Traianos Dellas and Sotirios Krygiakos - who played every minute of qualification. Pushing for places are UK based Georgios Samaras and Stelios Giannakopoulos.

[B]Russia[/B] qualified for the finals at the expense of England from Group E. Guus Hiddink's side beat England in Moscow and even though they slipped up against Israel in Tel Aviv, qualified for the finals when they won in Andorra and England slipped up at home to Croatia. Russia won 7, drew 3 and lost 2 of their qualifiers (England 0-3) and Israel (1-2), scoring 18 but conceding only 7. They kept 8 clean sheets and played their first 7 qualifiers only shipping one goal before they came to Wembley. Aleksandr Kerzhakov was their top scorer with 5 in qualifying (11 in 31 for Sevilla). Russia (including the USSR and CIS) have appeared in 8 previous championships. They have reached the final 3 times and been crowned champions once, in 1960 (USSR). Although they have qualified for three of the last four championships they have failed to get past the first round on all three occasions. Guus Hiddink has revamped the Russia side since the 2004 finals and relies heavily on youth now. Russian 2007 player of the year Konstantin Zyrianov, at 30, is the oldest member of their squad. There is talk that the uncapped Aleksandr Pavlenko and Renat Yanbaev may even feature at the finals.

[B]Spain[/B] won Group F winning 9 and drawing 1 of their 12 qualifiers. They lost to Northern Ireland (2-3) and Sweden (0-2) during a shaky start but came good in the end, scoring 23 and conceding 8 as they qualified with a game to spare. David Villa (18 league goals for Valencia), with 7 goals, was their top scorer, and they kept 7 clean sheets. The Spanish usually qualify for the Championships and they were winners of the competition in 1964 - the year they hosted the tournament. They reached the final in 1984 and then the quarter finals in both 1996 and 2000. However, they failed to get past the group stage in Portugal in 2004 after only managing a draw with Greece and after losing to Portugal. Iker Casillas is likely to start in goal, appearing in his fourth major tournament. Fernando Torres is likely to lead the line with David Villa waiting on the bench if they are falling short of goals.

During qualification [B]Sweden[/B] were in the same group as Spain, finishing two points off the winners. They won 8, drew 2 and lost 2 (to Northern Ireland, 1-2 in Belfast, and Spain, 0-3 in Madrid), scoring 23 and conceding 9. Former Aston Villa man Marcus Allback was their top scorer with 6, and they kept 6 clean sheets. The Swedes qualified under controversial circumstances though after being awarded a 3-0 from their game in Copenhagen against Denmark. With the game level at 3-3, referee Herbert Fandel awarded the Swedes a penalty and sent off Chrsitan Poulsen. A Danish fan ran onto the pitch and assaulted the ref, so the game was abandoned and Sweden were awarded the win. From then onwards Denmark struggled to qualify. At Euro 2004, despite winning only one of their games, Sweden finished group winners. A 5-0 win over Bulgaria at the group stage proved crucial as qualification from the group was settled on goal difference with three teams tied on 5 points each. However, they were eliminated by Holland in the quarters. Their best ever performance in the finals was reaching the semis in 1992 - the year they hosted the tournament. Henrik Larsson has now retired so all hopes will be pinned on Inter's Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Tobias Linderoth looks to break up attacks and they sit patiently to play on the break.

[I][B]Verdict:[/B] Spain may have started their qualification campaign slowly but they came good in the end and they open their fixtures against Russia here. Luis Aragones' side should have enough to overcome the Russians, who qualified as group runners up and they should also take maximum points from their next game against Sweden, who they beat 3-0 in Madrid during qualifying once they had hit form, to effectively seal qualification. As current champions and after a strong qualification campaign, Greece should be up to taking second spot ahead of a young Russian side that will benefit from the experience of this Championship, and a Swedish side that only limped through qualification. [/I]

28-05-2008, 19:02	#18 (permalink)
fintron Legendary Punter Join Date: 25 Aug 2007 Location: Bradford Age: 23 Posts: 1,047 Awards Showcase Total Awards: 1	Re: Group D [B]Greece[/B] gained the most points of any team during qualification, picking up an impressive 31 points (10 wins, 1 draw, 1 defeat) from a group containing Turkey, Norway, Bosnia, Moldova, Hungary and Malta). They scored 25 and conceded just 10 as qualification was based around some narrow margin victories. They kept 7 clean sheets during qualification, with Theofanis Gekas (11 goals for Bayer Leverkusen this term) finishing their top scorer with 5 goals. Goals came from all over in their side though, with three other players scoring 3 apiece also. Greece's only defeat came against rivals Turkey but they still qualified comfortably as they look to maintain their crown. The Greeks finished runners up of their group in Euro 2004 (contained Portugal, Spain and Russia) but against the odds they overcame France and then the Czech Republic to earn their place in the final. In what was only their second appearance in the finals they went on to beat Portugal 1-0 in the final to lift the trophy. Greece's defence is based around Traianos Dellas and Sotirios Krygiakos - who played every minute of qualification. Pushing for places are UK based Georgios Samaras and Stelios Giannakopoulos. [B]Russia[/B] qualified for the finals at the expense of England from Group E. Guus Hiddink's side beat England in Moscow and even though they slipped up against Israel in Tel Aviv, qualified for the finals when they won in Andorra and England slipped up at home to Croatia. Russia won 7, drew 3 and lost 2 of their qualifiers (England 0-3) and Israel (1-2), scoring 18 but conceding only 7. They kept 8 clean sheets and played their first 7 qualifiers only shipping one goal before they came to Wembley. Aleksandr Kerzhakov was their top scorer with 5 in qualifying (11 in 31 for Sevilla). Russia (including the USSR and CIS) have appeared in 8 previous championships. They have reached the final 3 times and been crowned champions once, in 1960 (USSR). Although they have qualified for three of the last four championships they have failed to get past the first round on all three occasions. Guus Hiddink has revamped the Russia side since the 2004 finals and relies heavily on youth now. Russian 2007 player of the year Konstantin Zyrianov, at 30, is the oldest member of their squad. There is talk that the uncapped Aleksandr Pavlenko and Renat Yanbaev may even feature at the finals. [B]Spain[/B] won Group F winning 9 and drawing 1 of their 12 qualifiers. They lost to Northern Ireland (2-3) and Sweden (0-2) during a shaky start but came good in the end, scoring 23 and conceding 8 as they qualified with a game to spare. David Villa (18 league goals for Valencia), with 7 goals, was their top scorer, and they kept 7 clean sheets. The Spanish usually qualify for the Championships and they were winners of the competition in 1964 - the year they hosted the tournament. They reached the final in 1984 and then the quarter finals in both 1996 and 2000. However, they failed to get past the group stage in Portugal in 2004 after only managing a draw with Greece and after losing to Portugal. Iker Casillas is likely to start in goal, appearing in his fourth major tournament. Fernando Torres is likely to lead the line with David Villa waiting on the bench if they are falling short of goals. During qualification [B]Sweden[/B] were in the same group as Spain, finishing two points off the winners. They won 8, drew 2 and lost 2 (to Northern Ireland, 1-2 in Belfast, and Spain, 0-3 in Madrid), scoring 23 and conceding 9. Former Aston Villa man Marcus Allback was their top scorer with 6, and they kept 6 clean sheets. The Swedes qualified under controversial circumstances though after being awarded a 3-0 from their game in Copenhagen against Denmark. With the game level at 3-3, referee Herbert Fandel awarded the Swedes a penalty and sent off Chrsitan Poulsen. A Danish fan ran onto the pitch and assaulted the ref, so the game was abandoned and Sweden were awarded the win. From then onwards Denmark struggled to qualify. At Euro 2004, despite winning only one of their games, Sweden finished group winners. A 5-0 win over Bulgaria at the group stage proved crucial as qualification from the group was settled on goal difference with three teams tied on 5 points each. However, they were eliminated by Holland in the quarters. Their best ever performance in the finals was reaching the semis in 1992 - the year they hosted the tournament. Henrik Larsson has now retired so all hopes will be pinned on Inter's Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Tobias Linderoth looks to break up attacks and they sit patiently to play on the break. [I][B]Verdict:[/B] Spain may have started their qualification campaign slowly but they came good in the end and they open their fixtures against Russia here. Luis Aragones' side should have enough to overcome the Russians, who qualified as group runners up and they should also take maximum points from their next game against Sweden, who they beat 3-0 in Madrid during qualifying once they had hit form, to effectively seal qualification. As current champions and after a strong qualification campaign, Greece should be up to taking second spot ahead of a young Russian side that will benefit from the experience of this Championship, and a Swedish side that only limped through qualification. [/I]