UEFA Euro 2012 Poland-Ukraine: today, in Warsaw, has been unfold the the draw for the UEFA 2012 European Championship qualifying groups.
The next European Championship will be played in more than two years, but the organization is already setted up for the qualifying that will start on September 2010, right after the World Cup, and that will last on October 2011.
At the Warsaw’s draw on February 7th, has been formed 9 groups: 6 of them composed by 6 teams, and 3 by 5 teams. The drawing pots are based on the last UEFA Ranking.
Here the groups for the qualifying round of Euro 2012:
Group A: Azerbaijan, Kazakhistan, Belgium, Austria, Turkey, Germany
Group B: Andorra, Armenia, Macedonia, Ireland, Slovakia, Russia
Group C: Italy, Faror Islands, Estonia, Slovenia, Northern Ireland, Serbia
Group D: Luxembourg, Albania, Bielorussia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Romania, France
Group E: San Marino, Moldova, Ungheria, Finlandia, Sweden, Netherland
Group F: Malta, Georgia, Latvia, Israele, Greece, Croatia
Group G: Montenegro, Wales, Bulgary, Switzerland, England
Group H: Island, Ciprus, Norway, Denmark, Portugal
Group I: Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Scotland, Czech Republic, Spain
The top seeds were, together with the Spain (reigning champions), Germany, France, Italy and England (among the others).
The six pots of the UEFA Euro 2012 Draw:
Pot 1 (top seeds): Spain, Germany, Netherland, Italy, England, Croatia, Portugal, France, Russia.
Pot 5: Montenegro, Albania, Estonia, Georgia, Moldova, Iceland, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein.
Pot 6: Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Malta, Faroe Islands, Andorra, San Marino.
From the 9 groups of the draw, the 9 teams that will win the groups and the best team at the second place will qualify to the EURO 2012, while the remaining 8 teams placed seconds will play the play-off in November 2011. As usual, the host countries, Poland and Ukraine, are already qualified.
World Cup 2010: the national teams have chosen the friendly matches on the way to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
For England, coach Fabio Capello needs to find the good equilibrium of the team and a new leader. As a matter of fact, even if Chelsea’s coach Carlo Ancelotti said that: “John Terry will be the captain of the team forever”, the compatriot Capello punished Terry for the sexual scandal assigning the captain rule to Rio Ferdinand.
There is an high expectation on England performance in this Tournament: for this reason the first pre-tournament friendly match is against Egypt, who just won the 2010 Africa Cup. The match is scheduled for March, 3rd at Wembley Stadium in London.
The second friendly match will be played on May 24 versus Mexico. Also this match will be played at Wembley Stadium in London.
On the other side, the coach of the World Champion 2006, Marcello Lippi, has his last chance to check the physical condition of the players and trying to define the 22 players who will join the World Cup. Has he already said, he will make the list based on the players who already played the qualifying matches. However there are 5/6 spots still available, based on the Serie A performance of the single players.
The calendar of friendly matches of the Italian National team:
2 March 2010: Italy – Cameroon (Monaco)
3 June 2010: Italy – Mexico (Bruxelles)
5 June 2010: Italy – Switzerland (Geneve)
It’s unusual to see the none of the friendly matches of the Italian national team will be played in Italy.
Another interesting calendar of matches is the Spain’s one. They are considered the favorite teams in this edition, together with Brazil, since they won the last European Championship and reached the third place at the Confederations Cup in South Africa. However we won’t probably see Fernando Torres (injured) in the next game.
The calendar of friendly matches of the Italian National team:
3 March 2010: Spain – France (Paris)
29 May 2010: Spain – Liechtenstein (Vaduz)
3 June 2010: Spain – Egypt (Innsbruck)
Transfer Market: two days ago, at 7PM CET, the winter session of the transfer market in Serie A ended. Several important transfers happened, involving the big teams of the championship. The most importants have been made by Inter, AC Milan and Lazio. Inter gave up on Ledesma, after an exhausting negotiation, and bought the Parma midfielder Mariga for 3 millions (co-ownership). The young midfielder will replace Vieira, but he has the talent to be in the future plans of Inter. Parma received Jimenez, who was playing at West Ham. AC Milan, after several years, signs a trade with Inter for Amantino Mancini who has no chance to play in “neroazzurri”; Leonardo wants Mancini to substitute Ronaldinho and Beckam. Lazio bought 3 players at the last minute: André Dias from San Paolo, Hitzlsperger from Stuttgart and the Israeli Golasa from Maccabi Haifa.
Purchases: Capelli d (Reggina), Chevanton a (Siviglia), P.Zanetti c (Torino), Amoruso a (Parma), Volpi c (Reggina), Toivomaki d (Lahti)
Sales: Layun c (America), Marconi a (Lecco), Mauri c (Pro Belvedere Vercelli), Acquafresca a (Genoa)
BARI
Purchases: Castillo a (Fiorentina), Sestu c (Vicenza)
Sales: Spadavecchia p (Andria) Rajcic c (Taranto) prestito, Edusei c (Albinoleffe), Yago c (Juventus)
BOLOGNA
Purchases: Appiah c (Bologna), Buscé; c (Reggina), Savio c (Fiorentina), Modesto c (Genoa), Succi a (Palermo), Pisanu a (Parma) co-ownership;
Sales: Osvaldo a (Espanyol), Gia. Tedesco c (Reggina), Vigiani c (Reggina), Mudingayi c (Siena), Valiani c (Parma) co-ownership;, Bombardini c (Albinoleffe)
CAGLIARI
Purchases: Ariaudo d (Juventus), Nainggolan c (Piacenza), Agazzi p (Triestina)
Sales: Sivakov c (Piacenza)
CATANIA
Purchases: Maxi Lopez a (Gremio), Pavone a (Betis Siviglia)
Sales: Stovini d (Empoli), Pesce c (Ascoli), Dica c (Cluj)
CHIEVO
Purchases: Cortese a (Nissa), Jokic d (Sochaux), Bianchi c (Piacenza), Pinales a (Colo Colo)
Sales: G. Colucci c (Cesena), Gasparetto a (Padova), Moracci d (Alessandria), Malagò; d (Siena) prestito, Gasparetto a (Padova)
FIORENTINA
Purchases: Felipe d (Udinese), Hable d (Banik) fp, Ljajic c (Partizan,) Bolatti c (Huracan), Seferovic c (Grasshoppers), Keirrison a(Benfica)
Sales: Savio c (Bologna), Castillo a (Fiorentina), Dainelli d (Genoa), Jorgensen c (Agf Aarhus)
GENOA
Purchases: Suazo a (Inter), Dainelli d (Fiorentina), Alexis a (Vojvodina), Frison p (Vicenza), Acquafresca a (Genoa), Gucher c (Frosinone)
Sales: Raggio Garibaldi c (Sorrento), Floccari a (Lazio), Russo p (Vicenza), Figueroa a (Rosario Central), Modesto c (Bologna), A.Esposito d (Livorno), Crespo a (Parma), Biava d (Lazio)
INTER
Purchases: Pandev a (Lazio), Mariga c (Inter)
Sales: Suazo a (Genoa), Vieira c (City), Mancini c (Milan)
JUVENTUS
Purchases: Fischnaller a (Alto Adige), Paolucci a (Siena), Candreva c (Livorno), Yago c (Bari)
Sales: Ariaudo d (Cagliari), Molinaro d (Stoccarda), Tiago c (Atletico), Pasquato a (Triestina)
LAZIO
Purchases: Barreto a (Danubio) 3 mln, Floccari a (Genoa) Biava d (Genoa), André Dias d (San Paolo), Hitzlsperger c (Stoccarda), Golasa a (Maccabi Haifa)
Sales: Pandev a (Inter)svincolato, Cribari d (Siena) , Eliseu c (Saragozza) , Perpetuini c (Crotone)
LIVORNO
Purchases: Bernardini d (Varese) comproprietà, A.Esposito d (Genoa) Bellucci a (Sampdoria), Prutsch c (Rheindorf) Di Gennaro a (Milan), Rubinho p (Palermo)
Sales: Dionisi a(Salernitana), Candreva c (Juventus), Cellerino a (Celta Vigo) , Benussi p (Palermo)
MILAN
Purchases: Beckham c (LA Galaxy) , Adiyiah a (Fredrikstad) 1.3 mln, Hottor c (Triestina) comproprietà, Mancini c (Inter)
Sales: Storari p (Sampdoria) Di Gennaro a (Livorno) Digao d (Crotone)
NAPOLI
Purchases: Dossena d (Liverpool) 5 mln Contini d (Saragozza)
Sales: Inacio Pià a (Torino) , Datolo c (Olympiacos)
PALERMO
Purchases: Benussi p (Livorno) , Calderoni d (Piacenza)
Sales: Rubinho p (Livorno) Melinte d (Piacenza)
PARMA
Purchases: Baccolo c (Padova), Feltscher d (Grasshoppers), Crespo a (Genoa), Valiani c (Bologna) comproprietà
Sales: Cordova c (Brescia), Budel c (Brescia), Vantaggiato a (Padova), Amoruso a (Atalanta), Pisanu a (Bologna) comproprietà, Mariga c (Inter) 3 milioni
ROMA
Purchases: Toni a (Bayern Monaco)
Sales: Leandro Greco c (Piacenza) , Antunes c (Leixoes) , Bertolacci c (Lecce) , Guberti c (Sampdoria) , M.Esposito a (Grosseto) Okaka a (Fulham), Pit c ( Triestina)
SAMPDORIA
Purchases: Guberti c (Roma) , Cassano p (Reggina), Storari p (Sampdoria) , Elsneg a (Frosinone), Scepovic c (Ofk Belgrado)
Sales: Foti a (Piacenza), Stankevicius d (Siviglia), Fiorillo p (Reggina), Bellucci a (Livorno)
SIENA
Purchases: Cribari d (Lazio) , Malagò d (Chievo) , Mudingayi c (Bologna), Pratali d (Torino), Tziolis c (Panathinaikos)
Sales: Guadalupi c (Viareggio), Paolucci a (Juventus) 300mila, Garofalo d (Torino)
UDINESE
Purchases: Badu c (Asante Kotoko), Mensah d (Free State Stars), Landgren c (Helsingborgs) Morosini c(Reggina), Alex Geijko a (Racing Santander)
Sales: Felipe d (Fiorentina) 9 mln Kitoko c (Granada)
Switzerland World Cup 1954: after the tragic brazilian world cup of 1950, the 5th edition of the world champion was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July 1954.
The organization of the event
Switzerland was chosen as hosting country basically for two reasons. FIFA wanted to organize the competition “at home” in order to celebrate the 50 anniversary of its foundation, and moreover, it was the only country to afford economically an adventure of this kind.
Unlike other Europe’s countries, strongly marked by a bloody world war, Switzerland didn’t feel the effect of the war’s barbarity but on the contrary, it boasted of a booming economy, richer than the past.
The world cup of 1954 was marked by a very important socio-cultural event. For the first time, the event was gone on the air, both via radio and television. It is clear that with that advent of the TV, a famous sport as soccer, became more loved and followed. It is told that in the day of the final match “All Europe was staring at the television” and from that moment, the world cup became the sport event more followed and awaited.
The Partecipants and the short presence of Italy
After the first step of qualification, this was the list of the 16 countries which should have taken part in the competition:
Italy
Switzerland
(West) Germany
Hungary
Uruguay
Brazil
Belgium
England
France
Yugoslavia
Mexico
Turkey
South Korea
Czechoslovakia
Scotland
Austria
Also in the world cup of 54’there were important absents. Firstly Argentina, which didn’t have a team technically ready to play in a world competition. Secondly, Sweden because some inner rules didn’t allow it to line up players card-carrying in foreign teams.
The 16 teams were equally divided in four rounds and for the first time some consistent changes were made to the rules, which were criticized a lot. In each round, indeed, two “head teams” of the division were identified which cannot never play against. In the same way, the two teams of the lower level cannot play against. For each group, hence, only two matches were played– except for draws–.and no more three as in the previous edition. Many people accused the world cup’s organization to be unclear in the choices of the rounds. The rounds’ organization is greatly influenced the world cup’s course.
Our national team ended its adventure in the rounds step, a kind of remake of what happened four years before.
Italy found an hard round with Switzerland, England and Belgium.
The team, considered “head team” together with England, was defeated in Losanna by Switzerland for 2-1. The crushing victory against Belgium was worth nothing.
Italy, far from the success as in the 30s, went sadly home.
L’Aranycsapat: the golden team
Though strongly troubled by the world war, Hungary boast a good team, the one that according the beginning forecasts was the favourite to win.
The Aranycsapat – the golden team – was made up by very good players such as Puskas, Kocsis, Czibor and Hidegkuti. The team was unbeaten since four years and it had managed to beat England breaking the so-called “Home record”.
The hungarian team ’54 was considered the most powerful team in the history of world cup; perhaps second only to the great Brazil of Pelè in the 70’s.
Its presence was unpararelled.
In the rounds’ steps it had beated, with results similar to tennis ones 8-3 and 7-0, respectively Germany and Turkey. In the quartes-final it played against Brazil and Uruguay, which were the two main characters of the world cup in 1950. Hungary strongly won both matches with the same score of 4-2, in spite of Puskas’s absence. The player suffered an injury during the match against Germany and he was obliged to be absent in the two next matches.
The final match: West Germany – Hungary
4 July 1954: the last match West Germany – Hungary was played
The german team had beated Yugoslavia in the Quarters-final for 2 – 1 and in the semi-finals Austria scoring 6 goals. It had very good players, among which Fritz Walter (head, director and heart of the team), but it showed a bad team’s strategy.
The match’s beginning was crackling. The golden team of Hungary, after 8 minutes from the beginning of the first half, was in the lead for two goals, realized by Puskas and Czibor. However, after 10 minutes Germany drew thanked to Morlock and Rhan. The german team was determined and physically stronger than its opposing. The Hungary felt the effort of the previous match. Puskas played the final , but he was visibly aching and was not in good form. He failed two important goals’ occasions that in other circumstances he did not fail. Czibor hit many goalposts and crossbars. In 86’, Rhan managed to dribble Lorant and he surprised the hungarian goalkeeper with a 16 metres kick.
Germany turn the result and finally it won the world cup for the first time in its career. The german captain Fritz Walter, probably the best player of the team, raised the cup to the sky while Hungarian nasty players wandered in the Wankdorf stadium.
The match was followed by countless viewers and it showed showed the bitter defeat of one of the greatest team of that time. There were many controversies after the match and Hungary declared to have been victim of an unfavourable refereeing. Is also accused Germany of using forbidden substances or doping, hypothesis confirmed by the jaundiced disease which hit many german players who took part in the event.
Although the squabbles, Germany won the championship and with many exultant fans in Berlin, it was crowned for the fist time world champion.
2010 Africa Cup of Nations: … win the 2010 CAF with the final result of Egypt-Ghana 0-0. Top Scorer of the tournament is Mohamed Nagy, alias Geddo with 5 goals.
After an unusual boring first half, the second half starts with a different approach by both teams. Ghana weaked the defensive approach and started to push. Also Egypt starts with what they can do better: attack.
Ghana has several occasions to score and until minute 79′ it look the most likely to win. But at the 83′ the result changes. Geddo, the top scorer of the tournament, played a lovely one-two with Zidan and curled a brilliant shot from the inside right of the area.
Too late for Ghana to find a goal. Asamoah got the last chance for Ghana but he shoots instead of cross. The match finishes after 3 minutes stoppage time with the Egypt victory. 1-0 is the final result. Egypt champions of Africa for the third consecutive time.
