Poznan

Mandzukic double fires Croatia past Ireland

Croatia took charge of Group C with a comfortable 3-1 victory as Ireland's usually reliable defence crumbled in their first game of the tournament in Poznan. Mario Mandzukic got the Balkan side off to a great start with an early goal but Sean St Ledger restored parity midway through the first half. Ireland then began to take a back seat in the match and they were punished with two more...

Croatia to face stubborn opponents Ireland

Poznan: Anyone who found the manner of Chelsea's Champions League triumph hard to digest is advised to look elsewhere when rank outsiders Ireland face Croatia in their Euro 2012 opener on Sunday. Chelsea proved it is possible to overcome vastly more gifted opponents with well-organised blanket defence, the odd counter-attack and a generous portion of luck in their wins over Barcelona and Bayern Munich. It remains to be seen how...

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. ...

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...

Rising stars who can be hot properties after Euro 2012

Unplugged |  Abhishek Nandwani

Changa Bangial, Pakistan: Disgraced Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Amir will announce his next move when he returns home later this month after his release from a British prison, his brother told AFP. Mohammad Ijaz said the family was delighted that the...