Gdansk

Ireland capable of creating problems: Del Bosque

Gdansk: The Boys in Green are well known as difficult to break down but the Spain coach had pointed out that Giovanni Trapattoni has plenty of attacking talent at his disposal. Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has dismissed the suggestion that the Republic of Ireland are incapable of hurting his side in an attacking capacity in Thursday's Group C clash in Gdansk. Many pundits believe that Giovanni Trapattoni will send...

Defending champions Spain held by Italy

Gdansk: Italy and Spain have begun their respective Euro 2012 campaigns with an absorbing 1-1 draw on Sunday to kick off the action in Group C. Antonio Di Natale drew first blood for the Azzurri on 60 minutes, coming straight off the substitutes' bench to put his side ahead, but only four minutes later, Cesc Fabregas ensured their opening day ended with a share of the spoils in Gdansk. The...

Spain hold upper hand against Italy

Gdansk: Spain will go into Sunday's Group C opener against old foes Italy with a swagger that was missing from past encounters after a pivotal moment in their rivalry four years ago. It is widely accepted that the moment the Spanish turned from underachievers into an all-conquering outfit was when Cesc Fabregas stroked in the decisive penalty in the quarter-final shootout against the Italians at Euro 2008. Italy had been...

Champions of Europe: Cream of Europe to compete

CNN-IBN panel of experts analyses the teams and other factors ahead of the upcoming Euro 2012 opener. ...

Euro 2012: Let the beautiful game begin

The Euro 2012 will kick off on Friday, with 16 nations battling for the most prestigious European football trophy. ...

Ronaldo key as Portugal gear up for German test

Gdansk: Some coaches would consider it unwise to select an untested defender to mark Cristiano Ronaldo, probably Europe's premier forward. Germany coach Joachim Loew appears, however, to be contemplating exactly such an option when his team begins its European Championship campaign against Portugal and its star player on Saturday. Loew insisted on Thursday he had not yet made up his mind but spent a lot of time praising Lars Bender,...

Euro 2012 refs to stop games if any racial abuse

Warsaw: UEFA president Michel Platini promised that referees will stop European Championship matches if players suffer abuse from fans, as questions on racism in Poland and Ukraine dominated a news conference on Wednesday to launch the tournament. Platini said UEFA has empowered referees to "temporarily stop the game and finally cancel the game if this racism keeps rearing its head." Concern was fueled by a British television program last week...

Platini plea for players to entertain at Euros

Warsaw: Now, finally, UEFA President Michel Platini wants the players to take center stage when the European Championship kicks off on Friday. Football has almost been ignored during a turbulent five years for Poland and Ukraine as they sought to vindicate UEFA's decision to take its showpiece 16-nation tournament to eastern Europe. Now the former France great, who captained and coached his country, wants the teams to seize the headlines....

Capsules of past European Championships

London: Capsules on each of the previous 13 European Championship tournaments: France 1960 The Soviet Union scored the first goal in the qualifying tournament for the inaugural European Championship, and then won the maiden title about two years later at Parc des Princes in Paris. Seventeen teams entered the qualifying tournament, which was called the European Nations Cup. After Czechoslovakia eliminated Ireland in a two-leg playoff, the Soviets beat visiting...

A glance at the 16 teams at Euro 2012

Warsaw: A brief glance at the 16 teams that have qualified for the European Championship: Group A Poland Euro 2012 Schedule: vs. Greece, June 8; vs. Russia, June 12; vs. Czech Republic, June 16. How the team qualified: Co-host. Euro 2008 Result: First Round. Best Result: First Round (2008). FIFA Ranking: 65th. Coach: Franciszek Smuda (Poland). Top Players: Jakub Blaszczykowski, Robert Lewandowski, Wojciech Szczesny. Greece Euro 2012 Schedule: vs. Poland,...

A look at the 8 stadiums to be used for Euro 2012

Warsaw: A brief look at the eight stadiums to be used for the European Championship: Warsaw, National Stadium The National Stadium in Warsaw will host the opening match of the Euro 2012 tournament, when Poland plays Greece on June 8. The stadium was built on the site of the Tenth Anniversary Stadium, which hosted football matches and other sporting events from 1955 until the 1980s. The old stadium was partly...