.jpg)
Preview
It's a tall order. No team has ever reached the knockout phase at the Euros after losing their first two matches. Throw in the fact that it took Netherlands 46 shots to notch a solitary goal, never mind two, and Bert van Marwijk's side look destined to board an early flight back to Amsterdam.
There's dissent in the ranks too. Striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar, who topped the Euro 2012 goalscoring charts in qualifying with 12 strikes, and playmaker Rafael van der Vaart have both voiced their frustration at starting games on the bench.
The latter's exclusion has caused particular consternation in the Dutch media, which has repeatedly questioned the coach's decision to stick with Robin van Persie's wayward shooting during the tournament. The Huntelaar vs. Van Persie debate dominated the build up to Euro 2012 and Van Marwijk appears to have backed the wrong striker, even in light of his club form.
On the plus side, the Dutch have a fully fit squad to choose from and circumstances mean that both front men could be handed a starting role. That would result in a rarely seen change of formation for Van Marwijk, with either one of his two beloved defensive midfielders - Mark Van Bommel and Nigel De Jong - or Barcelona winger Ibrahim Afellay making way.
Portugal, who need a win to be absolutely certain of going through, go into the game having recovered from an opening defeat to Germany with a 3-2 win over group dark-horses Denmark and did so with star-turn Cristiano Ronaldo yet to find top form.
Pepe, substitute Silvestre Varela and Helder Postiga got the goals against the Danes and the latter is likely to keep his place in attack ahead of Hugo Almeida and Nelson Oliveira. Portugal boss Paulo Bento has a fully-fit squad to choose from and should stick with the same XI that featured in Lviv.
Portugal player to watch: Joao Moutinho. The FC Porto star plays on the left of a midfield three for Portugal but still manages to orchestrate the game from his outside position. He tops the passing stats in terms of attempts and completion for Paulo Bento's side but more importantly he is incisive with his distribution. He is the man that creates goalscoring chances for his team-mates and he will be the key to unlocking the Dutch defence.
Netherlands player to watch: Robin van Persie He may have had more than a quarter of Netherlands' shots, but he has also scored their only goal and is unlikely to be dropped against Portugal. His form was such for Arsenal this season that he was selected ahead of the Oranje's top scorer, Huntelaar, and he needs to rediscover his old finesse in front of goal if his side are to bag the two goals (at least) they need to stand a chance of reaching the quarter-finals.
Key Battle: Fabio Coentrao v Arjen Robben. Real Madrid defender Coentrao has made his name as a marauding full-back but it is his defensive qualities that will be under scrutiny when he faces up to Bayern Munich's Dutch winger. Coentrao, 24, has made just a single tackle in the tournament so far and he'll certainly have to improve that statistic against Robben, who has point to prove after being hauled off in Netherlands' 3-1 defeat to Germany.
Trivia: The last time Netherlands were knocked out at the group phase of the European Championship (1980) was two years after they finished runners-up at the World Cup (1978) - just as they did in 2010.
Stats: The Dutch have failed to score in six of their ten meetings with Portugal.
Odds: Portugal (2.80), the draw (3.50) and Netherlands (2.50) are on offer with bet365, with a 2-2 draw available at 12.00.
Prediction: Netherlands have only won one of their previous ten internationals against Portugal and it seems unlikely they will do so at the Metalist Stadium. A draw is more likely.
Watch Live Portugal v Netherlands Euro Cup 2012
Live Link
Posted in:
2012,
euro cup 2012,
Football,
live Portugal v Netherlands,
livefootball,
online freePortugal v Netherlands live match,
Portugal v Netherlands,
Watch Live
| Sunday, June 17, 2012
| Sn | Match | Status | Result | Date | Venue |
| 1 | Yemen U-22 - Jordan U-22 | Yet to be Played | 0 - 0 | 2012-06-16 | Dasrath Stadium |
| 2 | Nepal U-22 - Bangladesh U-22 | Yet to be Played | 0 - 0 | 2012-06-16 | Dasrath Stadium |
| 3 | Bangladesh U-22 - Uzbekistan U-22 | Yet to be Played | 0 - 0 | 2012-06-18 | Dasrath Stadium |
| 4 | Nepal U-22 - Yemen U-22 | Yet to be Played | 0 - 0 | 2012-06-18 | Dasrath Stadium |
| 5 | Nepal U-22 - Uzbekistan U-22 | Yet to be Played | 0 - 0 | 2012-06-20 | Dasrath Stadium |
| 6 | Jordan U-22 - Bangladesh U-22 | Yet to be Played | 0 - 0 | 2012-06-20 | Dasrath Stadium |
| 7 | Jordan U-22 - Nepal U-22 | Yet to be Played | 0 - 0 | 2012-06-22 | Dasrath Stadium |
| 8 | Yemen U-22 - Uzbekistan U-22 | Yet to be Played | 0 - 0 | 2012-06-22 | Dasrath Stadium |
| 9 | Bangladesh U-22 - Yemen U-22 | Yet to be Played | 0 - 0 | 2012-06-24 | Dasrath Stadium |
| 10 | Uzbekistan U-22 - Jordan U-22 | Yet to be Played | 0 - 0 | 2012-06-24 | Dasrath Stadium |
Posted in:
AFC U-22 asian cup 2013,
AFC U-22 Qualifiers 2012,
Dasrath Stadium,
Football,
live AFC U-22 Qualifiers 2012,
nepali match
| Thursday, June 14, 2012
Talk about everything going according to the script. Ukraine, the
co-hosts, could hardly have had a better night than they did against
Sweden in Kiev.
Before a noisy and expectant crowd, the key
questions were answered: could they handle the occasion? Could they
score goals? Could Andriy Shevchenko, the 35-year-old talisman and
national sporting hero, make the impact supporters craved?
With
the exception of a very jittery finale during which Johan Elmander
missed a glorious chance to spoil things with an equaliser, Ukraine were
energetic and enterprising. They reacted brilliantly after falling
behind to Zlatan Ibrahimovic's strike, maintaining their belief and
upping the tempo, and the two superbly-taken Shevchenko goals that
followed showed that the old stager still has what it takes.
But
it wasn't all about him: many of Oleg Blokhin's less heralded players
rose to the occasion, too. Andriy Voronin - who had faced sustained
criticism after a series of underwhelming international performances
over recent years - Andriy Yarmolenko and Yevhen Konoplyanka also played
major attacking roles. Ukraine, though, will have to tighten up
defensively if they are to secure a second successive win: a more
clinical side than Sweden would have punished the nervy indecision that
characterised the closing stages of the opening game.
But, on the
evidence of their first group game, will France be that much more
clinical? The possession statistics favoured them against England, and
they had 15 shots on target to the grand total of one mustered by Roy
Hodgson's side, but they did not look as threatening as that would
suggest.
Their goal, when it came, was beautifully struck through a
crowd by Samir Nasri, but the French rarely hit any kind of real
stride. Coach Laurent Blanc admitted as much when he lamented that they
had finally started their Euro 2012 campaign with about 20 minutes of
the match left.
But the potential threat posed by a side now
unbeaten in 22 games is unquestionable: Nasri, Franck Ribery, Karim
Benzema, Florent Malouda et al can between them summon up much more than
they did against England. Ukraine will not be as stifling as England
were - more open in midfield and less rigid in their formation, the way
they play looks set to allow the French more space in which to create.
This could be an exciting, attacking occasion.
Ukraine player to watch: Yevhen Konoplyanka.
In a team that enjoys playing on the counter, Konoplyanka provides
plenty of direct running, can drift in from the left and offers
dangerous deliveries. France should beware his potential on the break.
France player to watch: Karim Benzema.
Benzema endured a frustrating time against England's defensive wall but
still conjured up a couple of good strikes that were kept out by Joe
Hart. He could have a happier night against a less defensively-minded
side.
Key battle: Philippe Mexes v Andriy Shevchenko.
England couldn't be accused of having been ambitious against the French,
but Blanc's men didn't look entirely happy at the back. Mexes was the
best of the defensive bunch: can he stop Shevchenko's glorious swansong
from continuing?
Odds: Ukraine (3.75), the draw (3.30) and France (2.10) are on offer with bet365, while Shevchenko to be first goalscorer is available at 8.50.
Stat: France have won three, drawn three and lost none of six games against Ukraine.
Trivia:
Shevchenko's brace against Sweden made him the oldest player to score
two in a match at an international tournament since 38-year-old Roger
Milla did the same for Cameroon against Romania at the 1990 World Cup.
Prediction:
Ukraine exceeded expectations last time, while France were frustrated.
Similar performances when they play each other would suggest a draw, but
a hard-fought, Ukrainian euphoria-denting win for France is a bit more
likely.
Watch Live Ukraine v France Euro Cup 2012
NL MVP Ryan Braun said all along that his 50-game suspension for a positive drug test would be overturned. He was right.
Arbitrator Shyam Das threw out Braun's ban on Thursday, making the
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder the first Major League Baseball player to
successfully challenge a drug-related penalty in a grievance.
"It is the first step in restoring my good name and reputation," Braun
said. "We were able to get through this because I am innocent and the
truth is on our side."
Braun tested positive in October for elevated testosterone, which was
revealed by ESPN in December. He reports Friday to spring training with
the threat of suspension lifted.
"Since joining our organization in 2005, Ryan Braun has been a model
citizen and a person of character and integrity. Knowing Ryan as I do, I
always believed he would succeed in his appeal," Brewers owner Mark
Attanasio said. "It is unfortunate that the confidentiality of the
program was compromised, and we thank our fans and everyone who
supported Ryan and did not rush to judgment."
Braun's sample was collected on Oct. 1, a Saturday and the day the
Brewers opened the NL playoffs. The collector did not send the sample to
the laboratory until Monday, thinking it would be more secure at home
than at a Federal Express office during the weekend.
Baseball's drug agreement states that "absent unusual circumstances, the
specimens should be sent by FedEx to the laboratory on the same day
they are collected."
MLB executive vice president Rob Manfred said management "vehemently disagrees" with Das' decision.
Travis Tygart, chief executive officer of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, called the decision "a real gut-kick to clean athletes."
During the hearing, Braun's side challenged the chain of custody from
the time the urine sample was collected by Comprehensive Drug Testing
Inc. to when it was sent, nearly 48 hours later, to a World Anti-Doping
Agency-certified laboratory in Montreal, two people familiar with the
case said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because what took place
in the hearing is supposed to be confidential.
"To have this sort of technicality of all technicalities let a player
off ... it's just a sad day for all the clean players and those that
abide by the rules within professional baseball," Tygart said.
Das, who has been baseball's independent arbitrator since 2000, informed
the sides of his decision but did not give them a written opinion. He
has 30 days to do so.
Technically, the decision was on a 2-1 vote. Manfred and union head
Michael Weiner are part of the arbitration panel, and management and the
union almost always split their votes, leaving Das, the independent
panel member, to make the decision.
"MLB and cable sports tried to sully the reputation of an innocent man,"
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said on Twitter. "Picked
the wrong guy to mess with. Truth will set u free"
An evidentiary hearing on Braun's appeal was held Jan. 19-20 in New
York, ending the day before the player accepted the NL MVP award at a
black-tie dinner.
"We provided complete cooperation throughout, despite the highly unusual
circumstances. I have been an open book, willing to share details from
every aspect of my life as part of this investigation, because I have
nothing to hide," Braun said in his statement. "I have passed over 25
drug tests in my career, including at least three in the past year."
Via:Abc
Posted in:
Baseball,
Doping regulations,
Football,
Professional baseball,
Professional football,
sports,
Sports transactions
| Friday, February 24, 2012