Cyprus stun Portugal in 4-4 draw as Spain, Holland and Germany win
- • Portuguese held at home after blowing 4-2 lead in Guimaraes• Van Nistelrooy marks return for Dutch with goal in San MarinoGroup AMiroslav Klose's goal was enough to give Germany a winning start to their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign in Brussels.The Bayern Munich striker scored six minutes into the second half as Joachim Low's side edged out Belgium 1-0 in Group A.In a tight game there were chanc
Revitalised Wayne Rooney emerges from his own shadow | Paul Hayward
- So bad in South Africa, so good again at Wembley – Capello's talisman showed the appetite to help rebuild his side's reputationOver the dying summer months the thought must have floated through Wayne Rooney's head that England duty is just not worth the candle. He would have kept this internal murmur to himself, of course, but there was a diminishing allure to being booed and playing badly at a Wo
Portugal U21 0-1 England U21
- Portugal 0-1 EnglandEngland Under-21s kept alive their hopes of qualifying for next summer's European Championships with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Portugal in Barcelos last night.Defeat by the Group 9 leaders Greece in their previous match in March had left Stuart Pearce's side five points adrift but they closed the gap thanks to Daniel Sturridge's 35th-minute goal.Victory for England in thei
England player ratings v Bulgaria
- How the England players fared individually in their Euro 2012 qualifierJoe Hart 8Exudes the quality and confidence demanded of a first-choice international goalkeeper. This was his first competitive appearance and he excelled, conjuring fine saves from Johnson, unexpectedly, Rangelov and Angelov to spark the break that supplied the hosts' second goalGlen Johnson 5Far from convincing defensively,
France 0-1 Belarus
- France, under their new coach, Laurent Blanc, failed to shrug off their old ways as they slumped to an embarrassing 1-0 home defeat against Belarus in their opening Euro 2012 qualifier.The French players were cheered on to the pitch by flag-waving fans but were booed off at the end after the Belarus substitute Sergei Kislyak scored the winner with four minutes left, converting his side's only clea
Defoe offers praise for resurgent Rooney
- • 'Sweetest night of my career,' says Tottenham striker• Spurs team-mate Michael Dawson to miss Swiss match Jermain Defoe became the first England player to score a hat-trick at the rebuilt national stadium last night and said his rewards were the "sweetest" of his career as Fabio Capello's side sparked their qualification campaign for Euro 2012 in some style.The Tottenham Hotspur forward had been
Theo Walcott shows appetite and greater appreciation of the game | David Pleat
- The Arsenal winger answers critics of his footballing intelligence in an encouraging performance against BulgariaThis was a predictable result against anaemic opposition in an encouraging showing by England, especially in a much improved second half. No one let the team down and Theo Walcott showed glimpses of a greater appreciation of the game.Buoyed by Jermain Defoe's early goal, courtesy of Way
England display their familiar failings
- Jermain Defoe's hat-trick is uplifting but Fabio Capello's stuttering side remain far from the finished productAn early goal, they say, settles a team down and loosens them up. In England's case, that rare and precious commodity can have the opposite effect. A sudden outbreak of euphoria in the opening stages of a match can be the enemy of coherence, as we saw after Jermain Defoe's 13th senior int
'Souness knocked Liverpool off the top'
- Jamie Carragher's passion for Liverpool is undimmed after 14 years – now he's trying to help recover their class and dignityJamie Carragher owns two restaurants in Liverpool and hopefully his next culinary step will be to host Come Dine With Me. The company and conversation would not be eclectic – his obsession with leading managers would produce a guest list limited to such names as José Mourinho
England 4-0 Bulgaria
- The result may have had the ring of vigorous revival after indignities of the World Cup, but this was also an enjoyable muddle of a match. Fabio Capello has every right to beam at a win by such a margin in this Euro 2012 qualifier and to take encouragement from Jermain Defoe's hat-trick. The manager, all the same, should beconcerned about the identity of one other key figure.Joe Hart, in his first
Slovenia 0-1 Northern Ireland
- Northern Ireland got off to a fine start in their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign last night by defeating Slovenia, who reached the World Cup finals last summer in South Africa. Corry Evans was the unlikely matchwinner, the Manchester United squad player stepping off the bench to get the only goal in Maribor.It was Evans' first competitive outing for his country and he marked it by getting on the en
England's win over Bulgaria entitles Fabio Capello to benefit of doubt | Paul...
- A successful 4-4-2 formation, real width, a sparky front two and a dependable goalkeeper were positives for the managerThe formationDefinitely 4-4-2, whatever Fabio Capello says. When the match got under way England's lines were as straight as the creases in newly pressed trousers. That said, England did not play in straight lines, as has sometimes been the case, so perhaps Capello deserves the be
Montenegro 1-0 Wales | Euro 2012 Group G qualifier
- There was a familiar look of dejection on John Toshack's face as he reflected on a defeat that seriously undermines Wales's hopes of qualifying for a major finals for the first time since 1958 with only one match played. Bulgaria, soundly beaten by England last night, come to Cardiff next month and Toshack admitted Wales will be going through the motions in their final six matches if they fail to
Lithuania 0-0 Scotland | Euro 2012 Group I qualifier
- Craig Levein's contentment at a rare, impressive showing from Scotland away from home will be tempered by the reality. Landed in a qualifying group which also includes Spain and the Czech Republic, the Scots needed to glean six points from their meetings with Lithuania to keep hopes of an appearance at Euro 2012 alive.Scotland's unrewarded domination here in Kaunas last night, particularly during
Rangers hooligans jailed for Manchester violence
- • Rangers fans caused 'mayhem' at final in 2008• Manchester suffered 'worst night of destruction since blitz'All but one of 12 rioting football hooligans who took part in the worst destruction Manchester has suffered "since the blitz" will be going to jail, a judge said today.They were among hundreds of Rangers fans who caused "mayhem" at the Uefa Cup final held in the city two years ago, in which
Wenger escapes charge for Stoke 'rugby tactics' jibe
- • Tony Pulis accuses Wenger of trying to influence referee• Stoke manager wrote to Arsenal to complainThe Football Association has decided Arsène Wenger has no case to answer following his claim that Stoke City employ "rugby-style" tactics.The Arsenal manager was unhappy at Ryan Shawcross's challenge on his midfielder Aaron Ramsey earlier this year which left the promising 19-year-old with a broke
Davies and Doughty clash at Forest
- Last season's third place cannot conceal the fracturing relationship between the club's manager and chairmanIn football nostalgia is the file that smooths the rough edges off the good old days. Supporters of certain clubs will always hark back to the past, very often because they do not particularly like the present. They just prefer to cherry-pick the moments to reminisce about, getting dewy-eyed
Armenia 0-1 Rep of Ireland
- Giovanni Trapattoni said beforehand he would settle for a victory by the only goal, even if he had to suffer. The Republic of Ireland manager duly went through the wringer on a nervous night in the capital Yerevan but he emerged with the result he wanted to ignite his team's Euro 2012 campaign after the substitute Keith Fahey, who had been on the field for eight minutes, swept home the precious go
'Nothing wrong with Chelsea's old boys'
- • Frank Lampard says Chelsea have moved on from last season• 'Older you get, more you appreciate what you have got'Frank Lampard has hit back at critics who claim Chelsea's squad are past it – and declared there is more to come from the Premier League champions.Carlo Ancelotti's men have started the new campaign the way they finished the last one with three successive victories, including 6-0 rout
Mascherano mocked contract ideals
- Charles N'Zogbia's failed transfer and Robinho's departure show that players have all the powerFifty years ago a young Lancastrian working on Tyneside wanted to change his job. It should have been a simple matter of working out his notice before moving on, but this was football and at that time a player who wanted to leave could not do so as long as the club held his registration. Newcastle United
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