France and England shared the points in Ukraine as the two Group D rivals cancelled each other out in a rather dull affair. Joleon Lescott’s header in the first half gave England the lead before Samir Nasri equalized almost immediately for France. Laurent Blanc’s men had most of the pressure in the second half, but Roy Hodgson’s new look side-defended solidly and was probably pleased with the end result.

It was a slow start to a previously classic encounter, England met France for the last time the Three Lions were in the Euro’s but despite scoring in the opening five minutes of their last two major tournaments, Roy Hodgson’s men were happy enough to sit back and counter in the early exchanges. Samir Nasri was seeing the most of the ball and he had the first real chance when he shot wide of Joe Hart’s near post from the edge of the area.

But it was England who probably should have opened the scoring, a thrusting run from the midfield saw James Milner get on the end of Ashley Young’s pass but the Manchester City midfielder slid the ball wide after rounding Hugo Lloris. Yohan Cabaye immediately tested Hart again at the other end but the early exchanges had been fairly even.

But despite the game being played at a slow pace England made the breakthrough on the half-hour mark as Joleon Lescott headed in his first goal for his country from Steven Gerrard’s free-kick. France had perhaps shaded the opening thirty minutes but England’s opener gave them the impetus to attack a French side whose defense looked shaky. But it was the team in blue who almost equalized from their own free-kick, Alou Diarra got on the end of Nasri’s cross and made Hart make a save, before heading the re-bound just wide of the post.

It was a warning sign for England of what the French could do given the chance, the goal stretching the game more and more as France tried to find a response. They soon found it after some neat passing through midfield and it was Samir Nasri who finally beat his City team-mate Joe Hart at the near post. Nasri had looked the biggest threat to England’s defense, time and time again finding space between the midfield and defence.

England managed to get to half-time at 1-1 as France were very much in the ascendancy after the equalizer. It was more of the same after the break as France dominated possession and England was once again happy to sit back and use the likes of Oxlade-Chamberlain and Young to counter the pressure. England did get forward eventually and the referee denied them a free-kick in a good position when Steven Gerrard was clearly brought down on the edge of the French penalty area.

There wasn’t a lot to shout about as the game reached the final 25 minutes, England were still happy to allow France to come at them, but Les Blues couldn’t do anything to break down the water-tight England defense. The French passing game was easy on the eye but wasn’t producing any productivity in the penalty area, Joe Hart only being tested from set-pieces and long range efforts.

England was growing frustrated at France’s possession game, and more so at the referee who seemed reluctant to give England any sort of decision. Roy Hodgson was the first to mix things up with just over ten minutes remaining, Jordan Henderson and Jermain Defoe replacing Scott Parker and Oxlade-Chamberlain respectively.

But it was still France on top, Nasri saw a shot deflected wide before Cabaye also had an effort deflected out from the resulting corner. The game was becoming very stretched and as France looked for a winner, England’s counter attacking tactics came more into play. Laurent Blanc responded to Hodgson’s changes and introduced Hatem Ben Arfa and Marvin Martin to add some more energy with five minutes remaining in Donestk.

But the final few minutes passed by without any real drama, England held off France’s final spell of pressure as the two favourites to progress from Group D sharing a point each.

Image Courtesey of Continental AG | Image.Net | Scott Heavey 2012 Getty Images

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New York, U.S.A. – Sirius XM Radio has announced that it will offer live coverage of the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly known as Euro 2012, offering play-by-play broadcasts of every match to listeners nationwide.

Sirius XM subscribers will have access to both English and Spanish-language broadcasts, provided by ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes Radio, from the Group Stage matches starting Friday, June 8, through the Final on Sunday, July 1.

English-language broadcasts will air on Sirius channel 92 and XM channel 207. When two matches are being played simultaneously, the second game will air on ESPN Xtra, Sirius XM channel 85.

Listeners will get Spanish-language broadcasts of most matches. Those games can be heard on ESPN Deportes Radio, SiriusXM channel 149.

Euro 2012 play-by-play can also be heard on the Sirius XM Internet Radio App for smartphones and other mobile devices and online at SiriusXM.com.

Euro 2012 will take place in eight host cities in Poland and Ukraine, with the champion being determined in a one match final in Kiev on July 1. A total of 16 national teams – the two host nations and 14 other qualifiers – from around Europe participate in the tournament with the winner gaining automatic entry in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. Euro 2012 will feature Poland, Greece, Russia, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Croatia, Ukraine, Sweden, France and England.

Soccer fans also get in-depth daily soccer talk throughout the tournament and all year long on Sirius channel 92 and XM channel 207. The Football Show, with hosts John Harkes, Ray Hudson, Charlie Stillitano and Neil Barnett, airs weekday mornings (7:00-9:00 am ET). Listeners can also hear Men in Blazers, hosted by Michael Davies and Roger Bennett (Mondays and Fridays, 9:00 am ET). SiriusXM’s soccer lineup also features several Talk Sport programs, the popular British-based sports talk network featuring some of the U.K.’s best radio hosts and former soccer stars, including former Manchester United and Tottenham forward Alan Brazil as well as Liverpool striker Stan Collymore.

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The final group, including England & France, under the new guidance of Roy Hodgson, the Three Lions will face Euro 2000 champions France as well as Sweden and hosts Ukraine. But it’s not just England who have young talent flowing through their ranks, the other three sides will all have talent to look out for in June.

Andriy Yarmolenko (Dynamo Kiev & Ukraine)

This 22-year old is making big noises in Ukraine. Andriy Yarmolenko is a tricky left-footed winger and is approaching 100 appearances for his club. In those 84 games he’s managed 30 goals and broke on to the international scene in 2009. With 18 caps and 7 goals Yarmolenko is a dead cert to go to the EURO’s this summer and could be a dangerous customer for right-backs to deal with in Group D.

Emir Bajrami (Twente & Sweden)

There are some talented players coming through the Eredivisie right now and Emir Bajrami is one of them. The Swedish winger has attracted the interest from some of the top European clubs and will be a big threat in his national side in Ukraine.

After five years at Elfsborg, Bajrami made the move to FC Twente and scored his first goal for Sweden just a week later. He’s made 15 appearances for Sweden scoring 2 goals and could be in the starting XI when they face up to the hosts next month.

John Guidetti (Manchester City & Sweden)

John Guidetti may be on the City payroll, but not everybody will know who this young striker is. Guidetti has been out on loan at Feyenoord and has made a big impact in Holland. He’s got 20 goals in 23 games and made his international debut this year, giving him a fighting chance of getting a spot on the plane next month.

He’ll be returning to Manchester soon and may find it difficult to break through with the array of talent ahead of him at the Etihad, but if Guidetti was to go elsewhere he looks like he could be a steal for a team that creates chances because Guidetti is a goal scorer.

Oliver Giroud (Montpellier & France)

If anyone can stop the drought of goals that France seems to be suffering with at major tournaments recently, it could be this young man. Oliver Giroud has come to the attention of several top clubs and has been scouted extensively by Liverpool.

He began to make a name for himself in France with Tours where he scored 38 goals in 69 games before getting a move to Montpellier. One of the key men in their rise up the Ligue 1 table, his 37 goals there brought him to the attention of Laurent Blanc last year, and he’s already scored for France after just three appearances. He could be an outsider to be a big hit at this year’s tournament.

Kyle Walker (Tottenham & England)

Because I know much more about my country’s national side than I do with the other 15 teams, I could obviously have named any amount of players that we could take to Ukraine this summer, but I’m going to focus on two. Kyle Walker has just won the PFA Young Player of the Year award and could be England’s starting right-back at this summer’s championships.

With Micah Richards struggling with injuries and Glen Johnson out of form, Walker looks almost certain to go to the EURO’s and will most likely be in the first XI. With bags of pace, a good future and apparently a great free-kick, Walker will be one to watch this summer…plus he’ll have to deal with Yarmolenko and Baljrami!

Danny Welbeck (Manchester United & England)

Danny Welbeck has come on leaps and bounds in the last few years. A loan spell at Sunderland last season did wonders for his form and confidence and he’s become a first choice in Sir Alex Ferguson’s side this season, becoming the main partner for Wayne Rooney.

With Rooney suspended for England’s two opening games, Welbeck seems the likely choice to lead the line against France and Sweden. His goalscoring return isn’t that of a clinical striker, but he’s chipped in and has proven to be a great team player for United. Can he be the man to fire England to glory?

Image Courtesy of  katatonia82 / Shutterstock.com

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Kyiv, Ukraine – “Ukraine is a safe country. In this regard, the situation is alike to that in Germany or Switzerland. Everything is going to be okay,” said Martin Kallen, UEFA operations director, in his interview with German sports magazine Kicker, reports SID. The official noted that safety level of EURO 2012 would be top notch.

As part of EURO 2012 preparations, Ukrainian authorities have taken a number of measures aimed at providing safety during the upcoming football championship.

On April 17, 2012, Ukraine opened the Headquarters for international cooperation concerning safety during EURO 2012 in Kyiv. Rapid response and analytical teams at the Headquarters will resolve any pending emergencies during the championship.

In February 2012, Ukrainian delegation visited London to take safety tips from the British as they were preparing for the upcoming 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs created the lists of football hooligans (persons, previously charged with public offence at football matches), particularly ultras, in order to prevent possible clashes between the fans.

Moreover, Ukraine adopted a law that stipulates the persons ruled ineligible to visit football matches in their country of residence might be declined the right to enter Ukraine. Consequently, some fans will not be allowed to visit the country during June of 2012.

Curiously, over the last three years French gendarmerie has been providing training for the Ukrainian internal troops in order to enable them to assist the local police during EURO 2012.

The representatives of law enforcement agencies of the countries participating in EURO 2012 will come to Ukraine to assist Ukrainian police in ensuring safety during the matches. Besides the actual police forces, more than 4,000 stewards will maintain safety at the stadiums.

28 aircrafts, 16 helicopters, and 10 surface-to-air missile systems will guard EURO 2012 host cities, as well as the borders of the country.

UEFA will take charge of the stadiums hosting EURO 2012 on May 11th.

Image Courtesy of  Peter Scholz / Shutterstock.com

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Part two of our feature of players to watch at EURO 2012 takes us to Group B, the group of death. Denmark may have their fair share of talented young players coming through for this summer, but being put up against many people’s favorites (Germany, Holland, and Portugal) will make this group undoubtedly the most entertaining in the tournament. Here are eight possible players to keep an eye out for in Poland and Ukraine.

Kevin Strootman (PSV & Holland)

Kevin Strootman may already be 22, but that does not mean his potential is fulfilled already. The PSV midfielder has attracted the interest of top Premier League clubs and has had a meteoric rise since he left relegated Sparta Rotterdam 18 months ago. One season at Utrecht was enough to catch the eye of PSV, who took him on last season, and he has already made an impact in Holland.

Strootman broke into the Holland set-up last year and has made 11 appearances, making him almost certain to be going to the EUROs this summer. If Holland is to challenge for the tournament, nevermind making it out of a very tough group, Strootman in the midfield will be a key aspect of their side.

Ricky Van Wolfswinkel (Sporting Lisbon & Holland)

The brilliantly named Ricky Van Wolfswinkel is another of the boys from Utrecht who has carried on building their reputation before being linked with every top Premier League club. Van Wolfswinkel moved to Sporting Lisbon last summer and has scored nine goals since. Like Strootman, he has all but claimed his place at EURO 2012.

The striker has been strongly linked with Manchester United and Tottenham, and if he continues to impress on the big stage this summer, the likes of him and Strootman could be the new generation of Dutch stars that bring silverware back to their country.

Daniel Wass (Evian & Denmark)

This may be one you have not heard of before, but right-back Daniel Wass is progressing nicely through his career at the moment. After impressing at home in Denmark for Brondby, Wass had done enough to attract the interest of Benfica. The Portuguese side snapped him up last summer, but loaned him out immediately to French side Evian. Wass has made eighteen appearances for the Ligue 1 side so far and has scored three goals from his attacking full-back role.

He does not have a guaranteed place in the Danish squad for the summer and has only made four international appearances. However, his impressive performances in France and his growing reputation means we could see a bit more of the 22-year-old in Poland and Ukraine.

Christian Eriksen (Ajax & Denmark)

My next few names seem painfully obvious, but it would be rude not to mention them anyway. Another one of the young Danish contingents who is certain to go to EURO 2012 is Christian Eriksen. The Ajax superstar came to the front last year when he started to impress in Holland and began to make an impact on the international stage. He has already claimed 21 caps for Denmark and will be central to his country’s hopes of progressing from a tough group this summer.

Eriksen is linked with almost every major club in Europe at the moment. If he does have an impressive summer, it is hard to imagine the little play-maker will still be at Ajax come the start of the new season.

Andre Schurrle (Bayer Leverkusen & Germany)

All the talk in Germany at the moment surrounds the excitement of Borussia Dortmund star Mario Goetze and their future star Marco Reus, but one man who has been making great progress for Bayer Leverkusen is Andre Schurrle.

Starting his career at Mainz, Schurrle soon was the center of attention and got a move to Leverkusen last summer. He has made more progress with the German giants this season and broke onto the international scene impressively, scoring five goals in his mere twelve caps for Germany.

Despite that, Schurrle is not a likely starter for Germany this summer, but it would be a surprise if he was not included in the squad and given some sort of role in the tournament.

Marco Reus (Gladbach & Germany)

I say Gladbach, but Marco Reus will be joining the ever-impressive Borussia Dortmund in the summer to play alongside the other German star, Goetze. He has scored 34 goals for Gladbach at the age of 22 and is another who might not make the German XI, but will surely make the final squad. Dortmund will be happy they already have him signed and sealed for next season, as he is sure to attract a lot of attention this summer.

There are only four appearances for Germany, but Reus has a big future. EURO 2012 may be the opportunity for the attacker to make an impact with Germany looking to replace the likes of Miroslav Klose et al., sooner rather than later.

Mario Goetze

The final of the new German threesome who will shake up EURO 2012 this summer is Mario Goetze, and he may be the most impressive of the three. Already a first teamer at German champions Dortmund, Goetze will be the subject of much interest this summer and could find himself in the first XI in Poland and Ukraine.

Goetze may not be at Dortmund for very much longer, although with the German side about to seal another Bundesliga title, maybe they can convince Mario to put off the attractions of Europe’s finest for one more season. However, an impressive tournament may put into play any plans Dortmund had to hang onto the midfielder.

Nelson Oliveira (Benfica & Portugal)

There probably will not be an awful lot different about Portugal’s squad compared to that of the 2010 World Cup. Nelson Oliveira is not even guaranteed to get a spot in the squad, in all honesty, but he did finally get his international debut this year, so will definitely be in contention. He is not a prolific goalscorer, but a hard worker upfront and holds the ball up well.

He scored in the Champions League last month to put Benfica through to the Champions League Quarter-Finals, and we might see a bit more of Oliveira this summer if Portugal feels the need to take him.

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