Torres: Liverpool Inspiration
(Soccer365.com) Fernando Torres has revealed that Rafael Benitez and Steven Gerrard inspired him to his sensational debut Premier League season with Liverpool.
Find out who won our previous contests
(Soccer365.com) Fernando Torres has revealed that Rafael Benitez and Steven Gerrard inspired him to his sensational debut Premier League season with Liverpool.
Fernando Torres struck the only goal of the game as Spain ended their 44-year wait for a major international trophy by beating Germany in the Euro 2008 final in Vienna.
(Soccer365.com) Philipp Lahm fired a last minute winner to give Germany a 3-2 victory over Turkey in a thrilling Euro 2008 semi-final in Basel.
(Soccer365.com) Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas expects a far sterner test from Russia when they meet in the Euro 2008 semi-finals on Thursday in Vienna.
(Soccer365.com) Russian ace Andrei Arshavin has revealed he is determined to join Spanish giants Real Madrid.
(Soccer365.com) Germany midfielder Torsten Frings may make an inspirational return in the Euro 2008 semi-finals against an injury-riddled Turkey side in Basel despite cracking rib.
(Soccer365.com) Zenit st Petersburg manager Dick Advokaat says any club in Europe would be lucky to have star Russia striker Andrei Arshavin on their books.
(Soccer365.com) Spain boss Luis Aragones is thrilled with his side's performance at Euro 2008 thus far, especially after they sent world champions Italy packing in the quarter finals on Sunday.
(Soccer365.com) David Villa insists Spain will not be haunted by past ghosts when they face world champions Italy in the last Euro 2008 quarter-final in Vienna on Sunday.
Continue reading "David Villa: Past Doesn't Matter For Spain" »
(Soccer365.com) The Netherlands were left ruing missed chances as surprise package Russia booked their place in the Euro 2008 semi-finals with a well-deserved 3-1 win at St Jakob Park on Saturday.
(Soccer365.com's Martin North) Four summers ago, Jose Mourinho traded his Portuguese employers for greater challenges at Stamford Bridge. Fresh from Champions League success and brimming with confidence, he immediately set about his task of quenching Roman Abramovich’s insatiable thirst for silverware. Now, Luiz Felipe Scolari will embark on the same journey, but under entirely different circumstances.
Continue reading "Early Exit leaves Portugal with much to ponder" »
(Soccer365.com) After a slow start, Euro 2008 has started to provide the sort of drama that we all hoped for. The hosts and holders have made an early exit, but the tragedy and elation will heighten for the remaining players as we reach the higher climbs of the tournament. With the Group Stages consigned to the history books, Soccer365’s Martin North takes stock of the storylines so far.
(Soccer365.com) Bastian Schweinsteiger set-up two goals and scored another as three time European Championship winners Germany shocked Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal 3-2 in a pulsating Euro 2008 quarter-final in Basel.
(Soccer365.com) France striker Thierry Henry has admitted he considered giving up international football after France's Euro 2008 exit, but has since changed his mind on the matter.
(Soccer365's Martin North) France and Italy must be sick of each other. Eight years ago, France prevailed when they met in the final of Euro 2000. Six years later, Italy had the ultimate revenge in Berlin.
Continue reading "Italy Tops France in Battle of Aging Heavyweights" »
(Soccer365.com) Holland made easy work of the Group of Death completing their sweep with a 2-0 win over Romania at the Stade de Suisse on Tuesday. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Robin van Persie each scored in the second half.
(Soccer365.com) Captain Michael Ballack secured Germany’s place in the Euro 2008 quarterfinals with a superb free-kick in the 1-0 win over co-hosts Austria on Monday. The pre-tournament favorites will face Group A winners Portugal in Basel on Thursday.
(Soccer365.com) Nihat Kahveci scored twice in a dramatic final four minutes to earn Turkey second spot in Group A and a quarter-final clash with Croatia as they beat the Czech Republic 3-2 in a Euro 2008 thriller in Geneva.
(Soccer365.com) Germany captain Michael Ballack admits the defeat to Croatia was a wake-up call for his side as they look to make their mark on Euro 2008.
(Soccer365.com) Group D Leaders Spain grabbed a last minute 2-1 win against Sweden after goals from David Villa and Liverpool ace Fernando Torres in Innsbruck to book a place in the knockout stages.
(Soccer365.com) France coach Raymond Domenech has laid the blame for their 4-1 loss to Holland at the feet of his superstar players, saying they did not do their jobs.
(Soccer365.com) Adrian Mutu scored a goal and missed a penalty as Romania held world champions Italy to a thrilling 1-1 Euro 2008 Group C draw in Zurich.
(Soccer365.com) Cristiano Ronaldo scored one and set up the others as Portugal beat Czech Republic 3-1 in Group A to edge towards the last eight of Euro 2008.
(Soccer365.com) A wonderful strike from Zlatan Ibrahimovic set Sweden on the way to a 2-0 Euro 2008 Group D victory over defending champions Greece.
(Soccer365.com) A hat-trick from David Villa helped Spain to open their Euro 2008 Group D campaign in style, beating Russia 4-1 in Innsbruck.
(Soccer365.com - Martin North) Holland produced a display that harkened back to the Golden Age and left Italy needing a mini-renaissance if they’re to make the quarter-finals.
Continue reading "Group Of Death Breathes Life into EURO2008" »
(Soccer365.com) World champions Italy suffered a calamitous start to their Euro 2008 campaign as they succumbed to a 3-0 defeat against an impressive Holland in their Group C opener in Bern.
(Soccer365.com) France lacked the guile to break down an obdurate Romania side as a turgid Group C opener in Zurich finished goalless.
Soccer365's Martin North checks in after Euro 2008's opening weekend that saw the favorites win while the tournament's entertaining hosts suffered.
Continue reading "EURO 2008 Opening Weekend: Rough Justice" »
(Soccer365.com) A goal in each half from Polish-born Lukas Podolski was enough for pre-tournament favorites Germany to defeat Poland 2-0 in Euro 2008 Group B.
(Soccer365.com) Switzerland captain Alexander Frei will miss the rest of Euro 2008, the national team doctor has confirmed.
(Soccer365.com) Luka Modric's early penalty gave Croatia a hard-earned 1-0 victory over co-hosts Austria in the opening Euro 2008 Group B match in Vienna.
Special from Soccer365: Martin North's comprehensive EURO2008 forecast.
(Soccer365.com) Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas is in no doubt Spain have the quality to do "something special" at Euro 2008, but warned against adding extra pressure from the country's "obsession" with success for the national team.
(Soccer365.com) Jose Mourinho believes the absence of England's players and supporters is to the detriment of Euro 2008 - and has backed Spain to take full advantage.
(Soccer365.com) Arsenal striker Robin van Persie insists Holland can make a major impact at Euro 2008, despite being drawn in the "Group of Death".
(Soccer365.com) Holland goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is not concerned at playing in Euro 2008's "Group of Death", instead describing the games as "fantastic."
(Soccer365.com) World Cup winners Italy and two-time European champions France were plunged into a fearsome 'Group of Death' when the draw for the Euro 2008 finals was made in Lucerne.
Continue reading "France, Italy, Holland in Group of Death" »
England fell 2-3 to Croatia at home in Wembley, failing to secure the point needed for qualify for the European Championships next year.
(Soccer365.com) Roma captain Francesco Totti has ruled out a return to international football despite Italy qualifying for the finals of Euro 2008.
(Soccer365.com) Steven Gerrard has told his England team-mates it is "time to deliver" as they prepare for Wednesday night's make-or-break Euro 2008 qualifier against Croatia.
LONDON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Croatia coach Slaven Bilic said his team would be happy with a draw against England at Wembley on Wednesday, a result that would send the home side to Euro 2008 alongside their opponents.
Continue reading "Croatia would be happy with Wembley draw" »
GLASGOW, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Italy coach Roberto Donadoni said securing qualification for Euro 2008 with a last-gasp 2-1 victory in Scotland on Saturday was a fantastic achievement.
Continue reading "Donadoni hails Italy's fantastic achievement" »
(Soccer365.com) Wayne Rooney scored but then gave away a harsh penalty as England lost 2-1 in Russia to lose their advantage in Euro 2008 qualifying Group E.
(Soccer365.com) Michael Owen believes England blew Russia away tonight after taking his international goal tally to 40 in a 3-0 win at Wembley.
(Soccer365.com) Scotland took a giant step towards qualifying for the 2008 European Championships with an amazing 1-0 win over France in the Parc des Princes.
(Soccer365.com) - Michael Owen has revealed his pride at breaking his hero Gary Lineker's record to become England's highest goalscorer in competitive matches.
Results from qualifying matches for the 2008 European championships on Wednesday.
(Soccer365.com) - Filippo Inzaghi has enjoyed some good times during his career but at no time has he felt as good as he does now after leading AC Milan to Champions League glory and scoring twice for Italy on Saturday.
(Soccer365.com) - Michael Owen has no doubt he is the man to fire England into Euro 2008.
(Soccer365.com) - Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has laid down the gauntlet to his rivals for the position by saying they will have to fight him for his place.
(Goal.com) - Barcelona star Ronaldinho is keen to take on Real Madrid's David Beckham when England and Brazil meet at Wembley tomorrow.
(Goal.com) - Wales captain Ryan Giggs will announce his retirement from international football later today.
Continue reading "Giggs To Retire From International Football" »
(Soccer365.com) - Italy coach Roberto Donadoni is hoping he can persuade AC Milan defender Alessandro Nesta not to give up on the national team.
(Soccer365.com) - Ruud van Nistelrooy is available again for selection for Holland after making peace with Oranje coach Marco van Basten.
(Soccer365.com) - Poland and Ukraine have won the race to host the European Championship in 2012 after beating off bids from Italy and Croatia/Hungary.
(Soccer365.com) - Bayern Munich midfielder Mark van Bommel has hit out at Holland coach Marco van Basten for selecting certain players regardless of how well they are playing.
(Goal.com) - Wales captain Ryan Giggs has promised fans they will see John Tohack''s team to respond to Saturday's disappointing Euro 2008 qualifying defeat at Dublin's Croke Park with a convincing victory over San Marino tonight.
(Goal.com) - Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has been ruled out of tonight's England Euro 2008 qualifier with Andorra after breaking his wrist in training.
San Nicola, Italy (Sports Network) - The defending World Cup champions did not get off to a great start in qualifying for Euro 2008, earning just one point from two games. However, Italy has won its last two matches and faces a surprising Scotland team on Wednesday that is tied atop Group B with France.
(Goal.com) - England manager Steve McClaren has dismissed reports suggesting that he had been involved in a row with Wayne Rooney after the goalless draw with Israel - and that he had fallen out with his assistant, Terry Venables.
Continue reading "'An Absolute Load Of Rubbish' - McClaren" »
(Goal.com) - England captain John Terry has warned that his team should not be thinking negatively despite their bleak position in their Euro 2008 group.
Prague, Czech Republic (Sports Network) - Kevin Kuranyi scored twice to lead Germany to an important 2-1 win over the Czech Republic on Saturday in a EURO 2008 Group D qualifier.
Nearing the midpoint in Euro2008 qualifying, Portugal, England, and Spain all need to pick up points in their matches this weekend. Meanwhile group leaders Germany and Czech Republic meet for sole control of Group D.
(Goal.com) - The Roma and Sampdoria players won their first cap with the Italian national side as Roberto Donadoni announced on Sunday the players called up for the Euro 2008 match against Scotland which will be played at the 'San Nicola' stadium of Bari in program on the 28th of March.
Continue reading "Donadoni Calls-up Tonetto And Quagliarella" »
(Goal.com) - David Beckham has declared that he would ‘walk back’ from the United States in order to play for England.
(Goal.com) - FIFA's president, Sepp Blatter, warned during meetings in London today that there were no guarantees that the 2018 World Cup would be held in Europe, so raising question-marks about England's hopes of hosting that particular tournament.
Continue reading "Blatter Cool On European World Cup in 2018" »
(Goal.com) - Beleaguered Steve McClaren has suggested that the likes of David Beckham, Sol Campbell and David James will not be out of reckoning for England unless they retire from football.
Continue reading "Beckham Never Out Of England Reckoning - McClaren" »
(Goal.com) - France’s idiosyncratic Coach Raymond Domenech – a fan of using various esoteric prediction methods to choose his squad – has praised Argentina’s new Coach, Alfio Basile, and also gave Davis Trezeguet a big vote of confidence before the Juve man faces ‘his’ Argentina.
Continue reading "Domenech Praises Argentina And Preps ‘Trezgol’" »
(Goal.com) - England will take on Andorra in Barcelona after UEFA insisted that the Euro 2008 qualifier be switched on security grounds.
(Soccer365.com) - A report from the FIFA Technical Committee has come down harshly on players that feigned injury to great effect during World Cup 2006.
(Soccer365.com) - Mercurial Bayern Munich keeper Oliver Kahn has let it be known that Germany would have won World Cup 2006 had they started him in net.
(Soccer365.com) - With young payers like Phillip Lahm and Lukas Podolski leading the way, Germany boss Joachim Löw believes the national team are set for a new ‘golden generation’.
(Goal.com) - The current Chelsea coach would not mind taking up the Serie A challenge after his English adventure comes to an end.
(Goal.com) - England captain John Terry admitted that while the national team failed to get to grips with the 3-5-2 formation in their defeat by Croatia last month, it is a system they should be quite capable of playing effectively in future.
Continue reading "Terry Says England Are Capable Of Adapting" »
(Goal.com) - "It's time Lev Yashin had a worthy successor", the legendary triple Golden Ball winner said.
Continue reading "Platini: Golden Ball Should Go To Italian" »
(Soccer365.com) - Holland malcontent Ruud van Nistelrooy has informed the architect of the 2008 Olympic efforts that he wants to be one of the three overage players in the team.
(Goal.com) - Uefa have declared that international football will be destroyed if the Belgian club Charleroi win their "landmark" court case.
Continue reading "International Football In Jeopardy - Uefa" »
(Soccer365.com) - Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was not pleased after his side dropped a 2-1 Euro2008 qualifying decision at Poland on Wednesday night.
(Goal.com) - Previous England goalkeepers like David Seaman (remember Ronaldinho in 2002?) and David "Calamity" James probably have a good idea of how Paul Robinson has been feeling since Croatia's second goal in England's 2-0 Euro 2008 qualifying defeat in Zagreb on Wednesday.
(Soccer365.com) - With a selection crisis on his hands, Holland manager Marco van Basten has announced that he will keep regular winger Robin van Persie as the central forward when they tackle Euro2008 qualifying foe Albania on Wednesday.
(Goal.com) - England coach McClaren admits the player's current bad moment of form with the national team: "But he remains a great player".
(Goal.com) - "This group can still achieve big things, it's unthinkable that it won't work out with Donadoni."
Glasgow, Scotland (Sports Network) - Gary Caldwell's 67th minute goal lifted Scotland to a stunning 1-0 victory over France at Hampden Stadium in Euro 2008 Group B qualifying action.
(Soccer365.com) - Sevilla defender Julien Escudé knows inclusion can be fleeting, but says he is in France camp to give his all for the national team.
(Goal.com) - Ahead of the Euro 2008 qualifier between Croatia and England next Wednesday, Croatia's manager Slaven Bilic described England's World Cup showing in the summer as "defensive and boring."
(Goal.com) - Besieged Azzurri boss Roberto Donadoni is fed up with the never-ending moans, whining and gloomy predictions of failure as Italy prepare for two key Euro2008 qualifiers against Ukraine and Georgia.
(Soccer365.com) - Spain manager Luis Aragones has placed priority #1 on defeating visitors Sweden in weekend Euro2008 qualifying.
(Goal.com) - Holland coach Marco van Basten wants to end the ongoing talk about problems between himself and high-profile internationals Mark van Bommel and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Continue reading "Van Basten Wants To Draw Line Under Dispute" »
(Goal.com) - "I like the football that's played there."
Continue reading "Lippi: I Would Choose Spain To Coach Again" »
(Goal.com) - Real Madrid winger Jose Antonio Reyes has had to leave the Spanish national team camp due to a ruptured tendon.
(Soccer365.com) - Lyon keeper Gregory Coupet has revealed that he almost turned his back on France after being shoved aside before World Cup 2006.
(Soccer365.com) - The soccer season is finally underway as Electronic Arts announced that EA SPORTS™ FIFA Soccer 07 videogame shipped to stores throughout North America on October 3.
(Goal.com) - "Then I spoke with Petrucci and cleared everything up."
(Goal.com) - Fernando Morientes has expressed his surprise by the way that Raúl was told that he was dropped from the Spain squad and believes that his own chances of a return are now slim.
(Soccer365.com) - Spain midfielder David Albelda believes the players are overly consumed by club affiliations, which he says cannot be blamed on coach Luis Aragones.
(Soccer365.com) - AS Roma manager Luciano Spalletti has revealed that midfielder Francesco Totti will not be available to Italy coach Roberto Donadoni for October’s EURO2008 qualifiers.
(Goal.com) - Italy coach Roberto Donadoni expects to welcome back a number of players who helped the Azzurri win the World Cup this summer.
(Soccer365.com) - Despite a depressing 3-2 Euro2008 qualifying loss in Northern Ireland, leaders of the Spanish federation say they have no intention of jettisoning national team boss Luis Aragonés.
Paris, France (Sports Network) - Sidney Govou scored a pair of goals to lead France to a 3-1 victory against Italy on Wednesday in a European Championship qualifier.
(Soccer365.com) - Sweden forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has made an act of contrition after a lack of promptness compelled coach Lars Lagerback to send three key veterans home ahead of Wednesday’s Euro2008 qualifier.
(Soccer365.com) - France manager Raymond Domenech has recalled Chelsea ace Claude Makalele from international retirement, then hinted he would invoke a FIFA rule if the midfielder doesn’t wish to turn up.