#1. Czech Republic v Portugal.
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| Something we may see a lot tonight. |
But Portugal too have their own share of problems. The lack of a controlling centre midfielder has forced the Selecção to channelise their attacks from either of the wings - Fábio Coentrão partnering up with captain and Real Madrid-teammate Cristiano Ronaldo on the left and hot-headed João Pereira working with Manchester United starman Nani on the opposite flank. It is no surprise, then, that Bento’s men are most lethal on the counter. Attack-loving full-back Gebre Selassie really has his work cut out for him.
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| 2 Players. 1 Goal. Some statistic. |
And
with misfiring forwards up top - Milan Baroš for the Czechs and Hélder
Postiga for the Portuguese, this really could go all the way.
Pundit-time: Portugal, with a narrow win.
#2. Germany v Greece.
Pundit-time: Portugal, with a narrow win.
#2. Germany v Greece.
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| Join your hands in the struggle against homosexuality. |
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| Is using a bird in the logo l'eagle? |
Although
over the years, fans of Die Mannschaft have become accustomed to their
team reaching the quarter-final stages, topping the strongest group in
the tournament is never an easy task. What catapulted them to success
this time around is the continued growth and experience of each and
every starting XI player. Mario Gómez, even after successful domestic
spells at both VfB Stuttgart and Bayern Munich - racking up a century of
goals over the course of five seasons, had remained an understudy to
rank-two-in-all-time-caps-and-goals-for-the-nation Miroslav Klose as he
picked up just an hour of playtime at the 2010 World Cup in South
Africa, coming on as a substitute in four matches. But Joachim Löw
could no longer avoid his profuse goalscoring record as Gómez, nicknamed Mr. Zuverlässig (Mr. Reliable) notched up another eighty in the span of two years for
the Bavaria-based outfit to justify his role
in the starting lineup. By
scoring thrice in three games, Gómez has not only shown his penchant for
hitting the back of the net but also the manner in which he has put his
team in pole position. If it was a strong header against the
Portuguese, then it was a neat turn for the first one and some
delightful shot selection for the second that gave Stekelenburg no chance.
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| Hair yet to move an inch. Gimme a five! |
Working
behind him has been the hardworking trio of Schweinsteiger, Khedira and
Özil - who with their superior passing, combined with an intellect for
finding empty spaces and a mind for breaking down the opposition’s
attacks, form the core of every German move. Flanked by prodigy Müller
and recently-triple-capped Podolski on the wings, they have players
willing to make the runs and with an appetite for goals. But as the
saying goes, every team is indeed built from the back. (If it doesn’t
go, then consider it credited to me from this point on.) And this is
true in Germany’s case too. Four out of the back five play for Bayern
Munich’s first team, and the last of them is a two-time Bundesliga
winner with Borussia Dortmund. Moreover, it’s a point to be noted that
captain Philipp Lahm is the oldest among them being 28 years of age, the
rest with an average of just under 24.
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| Let's lie down and keel over. |
If
you think the last three paragraphs spelt ‘problem’ for the Greeks,
then the historical nation are no newcomers to the word. Greece’s
tournament got off to the worst possible start imaginable - a ligament
tear for Avraam Papadopoulos in the 37th minute followed by a second
caution for Sokratis Papastathopoulos in the 44th minute meant that
Fernando Santos had lost both his first-choice centre-backs in the
opening first-half only, and a missed penalty by captain Karagounis deep
into the second-half could earn his team only a lone point against co-hosts Poland. Things went from bad to worse though, as defeat against the
Czech Republic left them staring at elimination with a match against an
impressive Russia to go. Led by an invigorated 35-year-old with an
armband up his sleeve, it took only a minor mix-up between a couple of
Russian players for him to snatch a goal out of nothing - one that was
not only responsible for beating Dick Advocaat’s band of players but
also helped them to qualify for the quarters at the expense of the
former. It is, thus, a sizable letdown for Greece as Giorgos Karagounis
will not play any part against the Germans tonight because he picked up
his second yellow card while playing against Russia, booked for
simulation when appeared to have been tipped by Ignashevich,
albeit a rather controversial one. Another personnel problem for Santos
is that of left-back Holebas, but with Tzavelas putting in
an impressive performance in the last match - one of the highlights
being a thunderstruck free-kick that rebounded off the crossbar, it does seem
that the minnows might have their moments. And the German coach was
quick to recognise this when he said, “Greece play good combination
football. Their defence is strong, ..and countering is in their blood.
They get written off sometimes, but then they are always there."
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| Says and does it. Problem? |
Facing
simply their biggest test yet, the Galanolefki will need some Euro
2004-type inspiration and a lot of luck if they are to take anything
from a German side that has yet to concede a point. It does look like a
straightforward black-and-white win, but is there anything that could
give Die Mannschaft the blues? Or is bailout Athens’ favourite new word?
Oh I’m sorry, I meant bow out.
Oh I’m sorry, I meant bow out.
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| Exactly. |
Pundit-time: Germany, rather comfortably.
#3. Spain v France.
#3. Spain v France.
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| Saad is sad just by looking at this, so now you're not getting a caption. Oh wait. |
The
reigning champions Spain face France at the Donbass Arena, the home of
FC Shakhtar Donetsk on Saturday evening. Les Bleus have never lost a
competitive fixture against their Spanish counterparts, and the last
time they met, the La Roja were eliminated in the second round of the
World Cup in 2006. Since then, Spain have just lost two matches in the
thirty-eight games they have played, winning the last two major
international tournaments they have participated in.
However, the Red Fury have endured a hard-bitten campaign to progress to the quarterfinals, sitting on top of Group C with two wins and one draw. The absence of David Villa has left Vicente Del Bosque’s team to unravel the tactical conundrum of their striker-less formation, which Laurent Blanc will be keen to exploit. With only one convincing victory against the Republic of Ireland, Spain have struggled to break down the tougher opponents in their group, being restricted to a 1-1 draw against Italy, and surviving a scare against Croatia thanks to a Jesus Navas goal, two minutes before time.
However, the Red Fury have endured a hard-bitten campaign to progress to the quarterfinals, sitting on top of Group C with two wins and one draw. The absence of David Villa has left Vicente Del Bosque’s team to unravel the tactical conundrum of their striker-less formation, which Laurent Blanc will be keen to exploit. With only one convincing victory against the Republic of Ireland, Spain have struggled to break down the tougher opponents in their group, being restricted to a 1-1 draw against Italy, and surviving a scare against Croatia thanks to a Jesus Navas goal, two minutes before time.
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| Wahiba's spouse and Sonia's elder brother. No kidding. |
France,
on the other hand were placed in Group D along with England, Ukraine
and Sweden. Their first match against the Three Lions resulted in a 1-1
draw, thanks to a Samir Nasri equaliser from long range, after Lescott
had opened the scoring in the 30th minute from a Steven Gerrard
freekick. Dominating from the first whistle, the French side enjoyed more
possession, attempted more shots on target and conceded lesser corners.
Blame Roy Hodgson’s approach or credit France’s defense, the Three Lions
just managed one shot on target which they converted. Blanc made two
changes in the following match against Ukraine with great effect, as
Gaël Clichy and Jérémy Ménez came in for Patrice Evra and Florent
Malouda. Clichy’s contribution was immense, providing constant support
for Ribéry who had a good game, whereas Ménez opened the scoring in the
53rd minute which resulted in an eventual 2-0 victory. The final match
of Group D was against Sweden who had already been eliminated. After
starting sluggishly, the French conceded a goal due to a piece of
individual brilliance by the Swedish talisman Zlatan Ibrahimović. The AC
Milan-forward expertly volleyed home, following a precise cross from
right-winger Seb Larsson. Unwilling to accept defeat, Les Bleus
pushed for an equaliser with no avail as Larsson wrapped up the result
by converting the rebound after Christian Wilhelmsson’s effort had
struck the bar. Thus, France qualified for the knockout stages of a
major finals despite losing their final group match. It handed the
Swedes not only their first points of the group stage but also their
first win over France in almost 43 years.
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| What was that you said? |
Laurent
Blanc’s men, who also saw their 23-match unbeaten run end, finished as group runners-up to reach the knockout stages for the first time since 2006, and will face the European and World Champions Spain in what is piped to be
an international derby. The Spanish may be masters of keeping
possession, but with Samir Nasri, Franck Ribéry and Yohan Cabaye who are
comfortable on the ball, this match is potentially one for the purists.
Pundit-time: Spain, with a narrow margin.
#4. England v Italy.
The last quarter-final match is between two teams that haven’t faced each other in a competitive fixture since fifteen years. The past meetings between England and Italy have been a tight affair, with all but one of the last nine encounters having ended all square or been settled by the odd goal. Goals may well be at premium on Sunday with both defenses expected to have the upper hand. Key players from either sides could be the difference in securing a semi-final berth against the mighty Germans.
Pundit-time: Spain, with a narrow margin.
#4. England v Italy.
The last quarter-final match is between two teams that haven’t faced each other in a competitive fixture since fifteen years. The past meetings between England and Italy have been a tight affair, with all but one of the last nine encounters having ended all square or been settled by the odd goal. Goals may well be at premium on Sunday with both defenses expected to have the upper hand. Key players from either sides could be the difference in securing a semi-final berth against the mighty Germans.
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| I wasn't there then, okay? |
England
enter the last eight with a poor record against the Azzurri, winning
just one game in the last five encounters. The Three Lions last beat
Italy in a warm-up match prior to the World Cup in 1998. Written off by
the masses, Roy Hodgson and his coaching staff have made a commendable
effort to revive the team, that works collectively rather than relying
on individuals. Blood, sweat and tears have resulted in England topping
Group D, while gaining a reputation of a team that is hard to beat, with
greater emphasis being placed on being solid at the back and defending
as a unit. Whilst this approach means that England doesn't create many
chances themselves, it does mean that they restrict the quality of
chances of their opposition. England have also shown spirit in this
tournament, coming back from a deficit against Sweden in the crucial
second game in the group stages, suggesting a resilience that has been
lacking previously. Hoping to progress for the first time in 16 years,
England’s record in the quarterfinals is abysmal, having lost seven out
of ten. Their starting lineup should not be a surprise, as Roy Hodgson
will be looking to the same team that won two consecutive games,
although Theo Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain will be hoping to pip James
Milner in the right-wing. Ashley Young was a doubt for the Three Lions,
after taking a knock in the shin and Glen Johnson is being treated with
antibiotics for a toe infection, although both are expected to be fit.
Things seem to be looking good for Roy Hodgson’s team with all 23
players fit and in contention for the starting XI. Steven Gerrard, who
has been instrumental so far is among those one caution away from
missing a possible semi-final date through suspension; with Young, Cole,
Milner and Oxlade-Chamberlain also walking a disciplinary tightrope.
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| Nice name, don't you think? |
On 30th
May 2010, Cesare Claudio Prandelli was appointed the coach of the
Azzurri, taking over from Marcello Lippi who guided the Italian team
that won the World Cup in 2006. In the 13 competitive fixtures in charge, Prandelli boasts a record of having not lost a single match. He is
expected to stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation that was utilised in the win
against Ireland rather than the 3-5-2 seen in draws against Spain and
Croatia. Italy seem to have defensive woes - Giorgio Chiellini, who is
suffering a thigh problem is expected to miss the remainder of the
tournament and Thiago Motta, having suffered a hamstring injury, might
be replaced with Alessandro Diamanti or Riccardo Montolivo in the role
of No. 10 if not passed fit. The Azzurri have nine players looking to
steer clear of the referee’s notebook, with striker Balotelli, captain
Buffon and combative midfielder Daniele De Rossi aware that they must
tread carefully. Italy have been knocked out twice out of nine times at
the quarter-final stage - both matches going over two hours, and with a
strong defensive set-up of both the teams, a penalty shootout looms
large over this epic clash.
Pundit-time: Italy, on penalties.
Contributed by: Saād Rashid and Akhil Arora.
Pundit-time: Italy, on penalties.
Contributed by: Saād Rashid and Akhil Arora.
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