International Friendly

Super Mario upstages Neymar in Italy-Brazil draw

Balotelli left Neymar in the shadows as he capped an inspiring performance with a majestic goal in a 2-2 draw. ...  

Teamwork is very important, says Koevermans

India take on Palestine in an international friendly on Wednesday Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi. ...  

Chilean coach Borghi fired after friendly loss

Santiago: Claudio Borghi, coach of Chilean national football team, was fired after his team lost 1-3 to Serbia in an international friendly played in St Gallen, Switzerland. The bitter loss on Wednesday was just the last straw, as the 48-year-old lost his job mainly because of the team's poor performance in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, reports Xinhua. "The record isn't good after the last four matches we have played...  

Ibrahimovic's one-man show sinks England

London: Zlatan Ibrahimovic illuminated a low-key night of international friendlies on Wednesday, scoring an audacious overhead kick from 30 yards to cap his four-goal display in Sweden's 4-2 win over England. Ibrahimovic's one-man show in Stockholm - featuring what both his opponents and pundits hailed as one of the greatest goals seen in recent years - overshadowed two high-profile matches between fierce European rivals, with the Netherlands and Germany drawing...  

Sneijder named captain of Dutch football team

The Hague: Wesley Sneijder has replaced Mark van Bommel as the new captain of the Dutch football team, head coach Louis van Gaal announced ahead of Wednesday's friendly match against Belgium in Brussels. Van Bommel announced his retirement from the national team after the early exit at Euro 2012. The 28-year-old Sneijder has played 87 internationals and was being considered as the natural leader of the team, reports Xinhua. Van...  

Mexico win ends Brazil 10-match unbeaten run

Arlington, Texas: First-half goals by Giovani dos Santos and Javier Hernandez gave Mexico a 2-0 win over Brazil in a friendly in Dallas on Sunday. It was the second straight game in which Mexico's top two forwards each scored, indicating the Mexican attack is in top form at the right time. "This game served us well in our plans for qualifying," Mexico coach Jose Manuel de la Torre said through...  

Iniesta inspires Spain win in final Euros warm-up

Seville: Spain midfielders Andres Iniesta and David Silva combined to score a late goal in a 1-0 victory over a stubborn China on Sunday in the team's last warm-up before defending their European Championship title. Iniesta jumped on a loose ball inside China's half and scurried into the area before passing to Silva for the 84th-minute winner that gave the World Cup champions their 25th straight victory at home. A...  

Ukraine beat Estonia 4-0 in Euro warm-up

Kufstein: Ukraine warmed up for the European Championship in style on Monday, beating Estonia 4-0 in a friendly after scoring three first-half goals. Dynamo Kiev midfielder Andriy Yarmolenko scored for the Euro 2012 co-hosts with a thundering shot from just inside the area in the ninth minute. Oleh Husyev converted a penalty in the 34th after Yarmolenko was brought down by Estonia defender Ragnar Klavan, and Spartak Moscow striker Andriy...  

Late winner takes France past Iceland in warm-up

Valenciennes, France: Franck Ribery scored his first international goal for more than three years and Adil Rami grabbed a late winner as France rallied to beat Iceland 3-2 at home on Sunday in a European Championship warm-up match. Coach Laurent Blanc picked an experimental and attacking line-up, featuring several fringe players. The move soon backfired as Iceland went 2-0 up at half-time thanks to goals from Birkir Bjarnason and Ajax...  

Second string Czechs beat Israel 2-1 in warm-up

Graz, Austria: A last-minute goal by David Lafata helped the Czech Republic beat Israel 2-1 on Saturday in preparation for next month's European Championship. It was the third international goal in 17 appearances for Lafata, who came on as a substitute after 65 minutes for Milan Petrzela. Striker Milan Baros scored from the penalty spot after 17 minutes to give the Czechs an early lead, then Itay Shechter levelled in...  

Greece, Slovenia draw 1-1 in friendly

Kufstein, Austria: Midfielder Jasmin Kurtic scored on his international debut to earn Slovenia a 1-1 draw with European Championship-bound Greece on Saturday. Kurtic levelled in the 87th minute. Earlier, he missed Slovenia's best chance by sending a free kick just over the bar. Greece defender Vasilis Torosidis put the 2004 champions in front after eight minutes with a low shot coming in from the right wing. Greece ended the match...  

Poland beat Slovakia 1-0, Fabianksi out injured

Klagenfurt, Austria: Damien Perquis scored his first international goal on Saturday to give Poland a 1-0 win over Slovakia in the co-host's second warm-up match before the European Championship. The Sochaux defender's header from a cross by Lukasz Piszczek found the net after half an hour, earning Poland a second straight 1-0 victory after their win over Latvia on Tuesday. "We played well but we aren't yet where we want...  

Ireland edge Bosnia-Herzegovina 1-0 in warm-up

Dublin: Shane Long gave Ireland a morale-boosting 1-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina ahead of the European Championship on Saturday but midfielder Keith Fahey was ruled out of the tournament through injury. Fahey has been struggling with a groin problem since he joined the squad and he pulled up in the friendly on Saturday. After scans, coach Giovanni Trapattoni decided to replace Fahey with Paul Green, who is without a club since...  

Hulk brace gives Brazil 3-1 win over Denmark

Hamburg, Germany: Hulk scored two goals in the first half to help Brazil beat Denmark 3-1 on Saturday at the start of a four-match tour ahead of the London Olympics. Hulk scored in the eighth and 40th minutes, either side of an own goal by Niki Zimling, as a young but polished Brazil side brushed off a team headed to next month's European Championship in Poland and Ukraine. Nicklas Bendtner...  

Insipid Portugal held to 0-0 draw by Macedonia

Leiria, Portugal: Portugal lacked fire and flair and were held to 0-0 at home by Macedonia on Saturday in a warm-up match for the European Championship. Portugal's rare goal threats came mostly from Cristiano Ronaldo's long-range efforts, but the captain had little support and couldn't break down Macedonia's packed defence on his own. Nani's late entrance upped the pace, but Portugal still lacked a spark. Portugal also drew their previous...  

Netherlands lost 2-1 to Bulgaria in friendly

Amsterdam: Bulgaria surprised the Netherlands 2-1 on Saturday in a friendly that showed the World Cup runners-up are struggling to find their trademark fluency ahead of the European Championship. Substitute Ilian Micanski scored the winning header in injury time. Robin van Persie gave the Netherlands the lead on the stroke of half-time, running onto a pass over the Bulgaria defence by Wesley Sneijder and volleying home with his left foot...  

Spain beat Serbia 2-0 in Euro 2012 warm-up

St. Gallen, Switzerland: Adrian Lopez scored and set up a goal on his debut as Spain beat Serbia 2-0 to get their European Championship preparations off to a winning start on Saturday. Spain coach Vicente del Bosque, without his Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao regulars and with Chelsea pair Fernando Torres and Juan Mata watching from the stands, gave five players their first caps for the European and world champions at...  

Germany stunned by Switzerland in Euro warm-up

Basel, Switzerland: Germany suffered for resting their Bayern Munich players as Switzerland forward Eren Derdiyok scored a hat-trick in a wild 5-3 victory over the European Championship contenders in a friendly on Saturday. Derdiyok exploited unusual disarray in the German defence to convert assists from the outstanding Tranquillo Barnetta in the 21st, 23rd and 49th minutes. Defender Stephan Lichtsteiner and midfielder Admir Mehmedi added goals in the 67th and 74th...  

Hodgson starts England reign with Norway win

Oslo, Norway: Ashley Young gave Roy Hodgson a winning start as England coach on Saturday, clinching a 1-0 victory over Norway in the team's first European Championship warm-up match. Young combined with Andy Carroll after nine minutes, scoring in his fourth consecutive international to provide Hodgson with a potential striking partnership for the Euro 2012 opener against France on June 11 when Wayne Rooney is suspended. "I think he and...  

Brazil edge Bosnia 2-1 in friendly in Switzerland

St. Gallen, Switzerland: Brazil needed an own goal in injury time to defeat Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-1 in a friendly in Switzerland on Tuesday. The late winner came after a cross by FC Porto striker Hulk deflected off defender Sasa Papac in the first minute of added time in St. Gallen. Brazil struggled during most of the match at the AFG Arena, failing to impose their style and leaving spaces for the...