In an opening match that that the bookies believed was going to be an unexciting and uneventful opener for the start of Euro 2012, Greece was able to come away with a point in a 1-1 draw against the host nation Poland. The game turned into a dramatic 90 minutes of international soccer. Thanks to the help of Dimitrios Salpigidis, who was substituted into the game at the start of the second half, Greece was able to save themselves from molding Group A into the predicted shape.

The first 10 minutes of the match were completely dominated by Poland, who took advantage of the weakly defended right side of the field. In the meantime, Greece tried to keep up with the barrage of offense that the host nation kept throwing at them. Poland was finally able to capitalize in minute 17 when Lukasz Piszczek was able to get through the Greece defense and cross the ball into the box. It was then headed in by Robert Lewandowski.

Greece seemed to be heading down a slippery slope when Sokratis Papastathopoulos received a yellow card in minute 35, then another in minute 44, resulting in him receiving a red card and being sent off the field. Both calls were considered extremely harsh due to the lack of justification for each call, and the first half ended on a very disappointing note for the losing Greece side.

The second half began with an instant substitution made by Greece. Salpigidis was brought in for Sotiris Ninis, leaving three attacking players out on the field even though they were playing a man down. It only took five minutes for the substitute to make his presence known by hopping on a loose ball that was poorly played by Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, and hammering it into the net to tie the game up at 1-1.

The tying goal led to a change in tactics for both teams, and to several minutes of frustrating soccer for the audience. Greece began playing a game of attrition, hoping to come out of the game with a draw. Poland, on the other hand, continued to press on the attack even though they were unable to capitalize on several chances.

When Poland’s luck seemed at its lowest point, they were struck with another blow. Goalkeeper Szczesny was shown a red card for completely missing the ball in a tackle attempt, which in turn brought down the Greece forward Salpigidis in the penalty box and gave Greece a penalty kick. Poland’s second-string goalkeeper, Przemyslaw Tyton, came into the game without warming up and was about to face a penalty shot that could end the game early for his team. But in the end, the 25-year-old goalkeeper was able to save the penalty shot taken by Giorgos Karagounis and keep Poland in the game with 20 minutes left to play.

Although both teams had their chances, in the end both were not able to finish, leaving the game at a 1-1 draw.

Almost all of the action in the game came from players that started the match on the bench. If every game is as entertaining as the one played between Poland and Greece in the tournament opener, this is going to be an amazing month of international soccer.

Poland’s next match will be against the group-leader Russia on Tuesday, while Greece faces off against the Czech Republic earlier on the same day.

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The European Championships, a showpiece event in the soccer calendar that comes around just once every four years, has rightfully been hitting the headlines this week; however it has been for all the wrong reasons. Hosted in the Eastern European nations of Poland and Ukraine, serious concerns have been raised about the possibility of racist abuse against both visiting players and fans by a minority of local ‘fans’.

The tournament organizer, UEFA, has faced a high level of criticism for allowing these countries to host the tournament when racist and prejudicial behavior is displayed with alarming frequency in their stadiums. The BBC’s ‘Panorama’ show conducted a research into the behavior in stadiums of both Poland and Ukraine and the resulting television documentary shocked viewers. The documentary showed black players being subjected to monkey chants and thrown bananas, whilst some Asian fans were brutally attacked by other fans in the stadium and were given very little assistance by the stewards present at the game. There were also frequent incidents of anti-Semitism and pro-Nazi attitudes that also extended outside of the stadiums.

Whilst UEFA president Michel Platini has vehemently defended their decision to host the tournament in Poland and Ukraine, other soccer luminaries have condemned the decision and taken their own action. Former England centre-back Sol Campbell is one such person and has warned England fans of all ethnicities to stay at home and watch the tournament on television rather than risking abuse and violence by travelling to support the team. Controversial Italian striker Mario Balotelli also voiced discontent with UEFA’s decision, stating that if he is subjected to racist abuse whilst playing at the European Championships, he will simply walk off the pitch.

In the wake of these statements and similar comments from footballers of both past and present, Platini confirmed that any player walking off of the pitch because of racist abuse will be booked. Platini then qualified this by saying that referees would have the discretion to end a match prematurely if they believe racist abuse is occurring. Although Platini’s fairly cavalier attitude to a complex problem has won him very few fans in the last month, the ire of some fans was cooled by his declaration that referees would be able to stop matches early, and should do so, if witnessing racist abuse from fans.

This lessening of tensions did not last long however, with preparations for the opening game of the tournament between Poland and Greece overshadowed by claims the Dutch team were subject to racist chanting during their first open training session in the Polish city of Krakow. Although the Dutch FA will not file a complaint with UEFA, due to the presence of political chanting at the time also, the case has raised an ominous shadow over the entire tournament. All eyes will now be on both the training sessions and matches of the likes of England and France, both of whom have a large number of black players in their squads.

Needless to say, if there are any more reported cases of racism in either country, whether it be in a stadium and directed at players, or on the streets against fans of the visiting teams, strength will be lent to the condemnations of UEFA for allowing a tournament such as this to be hosted in these countries. Platini is likely to bear the brunt of these accusations and will not be able to use ignorance as an excuse, with concerns about racism in the Eastern European leagues having been well publicized for years now.

With UEFA firmly in the firing line should any further incidents occur, Platini and Co. will be watching on anxiously as the tournament moves into the group stages and will be hoping that the tournament will be remembered for its football and not its off-the-field controversies.

Image Courtesy Kancelaria Premiera 

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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.

Image Courtesy of  labrador33 / 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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The current Champions League holders drew a blank on Italian soil, as both teams failed to break down stubborn defenses in Milan. Barcelona will hold a slight advantage with the second leg at the Nou Camp, but on a night with few chances, Milan will be disappointed it didn’t make it count.

It was a frantic start. Barcelona looked half asleep, as it gifted the ball to Milan in the opening minutes, culminating in a great chance for Boateng, and an even better chance for Robinho, who volleyed over from no more than six yards. But Lionel Messi was beginning to get into his stride, testing Abbiati from the edge of the box and inter-linking nicely with his teammates.

Last year’s winners had a big appeal for a penalty turned down, when Alexis Sanchez was brought down by Abbiati after a neatly worked free-kick, but the referee waved the shouts away. Barcelona was getting on top though, and had a goal disallowed for offside minutes later, when Messi went too early to meet a Dani Alves cross.

Milan wasn’t taking the pressure lying down though, and almost went ahead, as the ex-Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic ran through on goal but was denied by Victor Valdes. It was a typically fraught encounter between two attack-minded teams, but the away side definitely had the upper hand, as Milan failed to keep possession regularly enough to pose a threat.

The game was evenly poised as half-time approached, the world champions Barcelona threatened with no end product, whilst Milan had the odd opportunity on the counter-attack, but couldn’t find a route to goal.

The second half started much like the first had ended: Barcelona was doing most of the pressing, but Milan had to make a change when Robinho fell awkwardly and was replaced by El Shaarawy. Guardiola was beginning to grow frustrated by the lack of chances being created, and took Andres Iniesta off for youngster Cristian Tello, in hopes of getting a crucial away goal.

Urby Emanuelson was also thrown into the action with twenty minutes to go, and instead of the game becoming stretched, defenses tightened, as Milan looked even more likely to sit back and soak up the pressure, frustrating Barcelona further, as the 2011 winners failed to find a way through the stubborn defense.

As the clock ticked down, so did the chances of either team grabbing a crucial lead to take back to Spain. Messi came closest, forcing a good save from Abbiati, and Tello was denied by a last ditch block from Ambrosini, with the goal gaping. There were no more clear-cut chances, and the referee brought time on an anti-climactic second half, as both teams prepare to do it all again in Barcelona next week.

Image Courtesy of  Natursports / Shutterstock.com

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AC Milan put on a clinic at San Siro on Wednesday during a 4-0 win against the English Premier League’s Arsenal, in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League’s round of 16. Arsenal’s inability to setup scoring chances led to the Italian side attacking throughout the entire match, giving AC Milan a comfortable lead going into the second leg of the round.

“We were never in the game, and it was a big shock,” said Arsenal head coach Arsene Wenger in a postgame interview.

Tomas Rosicky gave the first scoring attempt to Arsenal, but was unable to make good contact with the shot leading to him missing the net widely. Kevin-Prince Boateng started off the scoring for AC Milan after volleying the ball underneath the crossbar on his first touch in the fifteenth minute of play.

Twenty minutes later, Zlatan Ibrahimovic walked the ball in from the left side of the field and easily crossed the ball to Robinho, who nodded the ball into the bottom right corner to increase AC Milan’s lead to 2-0.

Early substitutions by Arsene Wenger led to Johan Djourou and Thierry Henry coming into the match for Arsenal for the start of the second half. But the changes in the line-up would not effect Arsenal’s attacking ability, leading to Robinho scoring his second goal of the night for AC Milan four minutes into the second half.

Robin van Persie gave Arsenal their only close chance at getting a goal in the match, but AC Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati was able to sprawl out and make the save and protect his clean sheet. Arsenal prevented any chance of coming back from behind when Ibrahimovic was brought down in the box and rewarded a penalty. This led to AC Milan’s fourth and final goal of the night in the 79^th minute of play.

“Our defense was slow to read the game and slow to respond,” said Wenger, “we must regroup and prepare ourselves for the next game.” Arsenal will be hosting AC Milan at the Emirates Stadium on March 6, in the second leg of the tournament between the two teams.

Image Courtesy of Matt Trommer / Shutterstock.com

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Zenit St. Petersburg were able to come away with a late win at the bone-chilling Stadion Petrovskiy in a 3-2 victory over Benfica in their first leg in the Champions League’s round of 16, giving them a tiny lead going da Luz in March. It was a hard-fought battle, but the -10 degree weather seemed to take its toll on the Portuguese side and give the advantage to the hometown team Zenit.

“Our team has great character and incredible heart,” said Zenit head coach Luciano Spalletti in a post game interview, “we did what we were planning to do, what we were supposed to do, despite the poor condition of the pitch Benfica was the first team on the scoreboard after Maxi Pereira was able to score in the 20^th minute off a rebound after a free-kick that seemed to slip out of the Zenit goalkeepers hands.

Roman Shirokov was able to tie the game up for Zenit seven minutes later after an amazing volley that he received from a crossing pass. The goal was the last goal of the half, but both teams had several scoring chances before the halftime whistle was blown. After several more chances from both sides at the beginning of the second half. Sergei Semak was able to give Zenit the lead in the 71^st minute with a beautiful back-heel shot that tricked the Benfica goalkeeper and rolled into the bottom left corner.

Fifteen minutes later, Benfica was able to tie the game up after another error from the Zenit goalkeeper which led to Oscar Cardozo picking up the dropped ball and putting it in the back of the net. Both teams pushed hard for the goal that would give them the one-goal lead going into the second leg, but Zenit would be the only team to capitalize thanks to Shirokov scoring his second goal of the night one minute after Benfica tied the game up.

“We changed the course of the match, scoring the winning goal,” said Spalletti, “we have to get that in the return match. I leave that for the match in Lisbon.” Benfica will host Zenit on March 6 at da Luz, in the second leg of the tournament between the two teams.

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