UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifying: Wednesday's Review, Reports & Analyses

Spain and Italy sealed their places at Euro 2012 with two qualifying games to spare on Tuesday while England moved closer to next year’s finals after beating Wales in a game at Wembley overshadowed by the death of a Wales fan. David Villa and Alvaro Negredo scored twice as defending champion Spain thrashed Liechtenstein 6-0 to secure top spot in Group I, and substitute Giampaolo Pazzini’s 85th-minute strike earned the Italians a narrow win in Florence that clinched them first place in Group C. The 2010 and 2006 world champions join already-qualified Germany and the two co-hosts in the finals.

Review






England 1 - 0 Wales
Phil McNulty at Wembley
Kevin McCarra at Wembley
Richard Williams at Wembley
John Brewin at Wembley

Russia 0 - 0 Republic of Ireland
Mark Ogden at Luzhniki Stadium

Denmark 2 - 0 Norway: Bendtner Brace

Romania 0 - 0 France: Dour Draw

International Friendly: Belgium 1 - 0 United States

The U.S. national soccer team lost to Belgium 1-0 Tuesday, leaving Jurgen Klinsmann without a win in three games since he was hired as the Americans’ coach. This was the first road game for the U.S. since Klinsmann came aboard. The Americans earlier tied Mexico and lost to Costa Rica.



Grant Wahl: Three Thoughts

Martin Rogers: U.S. Offense Impotent

Ives: Slow Progress

Steve Davis: Player Ratings

Freddie Ljungberg to set Pulses racing in Japan

Former Arsenal star Freddie Ljungberg has joined Japanese side Shimizu S-Pulse.

The 34-year-old moved to Celtic in December and made seven appearances for the Hoops last term before leaving Scotland in the summer.

English football has always been drenched in booze. It's time to sober up.

The stories can be seductive, but we all know the downside: Andy Carroll should be aware, you don't get another go at this.

Wales fan dies following crowd trouble outside Wembley

Police have launched a murder investigation after a Wales supporter aged 44 died when trouble flared before the Euro 2012 qualifier with England at Wembley.

Australia learn lessons in qualifiers

It may have taken a rude shock against a 120th-ranked Thailand to stun Australia into action, but, on the evidence of their convincing 3-1 win over Saudi Arabia on Tuesday night, it appears the Socceroos are back on track in their bid to qualify for the 2014 World Cup.

UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifying: Tuesday's Previews

Both Spain and Italy will be looking to seal their places in next summer's European Championships on Tuesday night. Italy are another team who can book their place on Tuesday, but they will have to be wary of second-placed Slovenia, who will have been buoyed by the Azzurri's insipid peformance in their 1-0 win over Faroe Islands last Friday. England are currently top of Group G, leading second-placed Montenegro by three points with only two games remaining, but with the latter not in action on Tuesday, the English will have to wait till the next matchday before they can be fully assured of their participation next summer. They face a hungry Wales side on Tuesday evening, while third-placed Switzerland will look to keep their faint hopes of qualifying alive when they host Bulgaria. Finally, Group H is also heating up, with Portugal and Norway level at the top on 13 points, while Denmark sit in third, three points behind.

Preview

Who's Going To Be At Euro 2012?

Most Groups Up For Grabs

England vs. Wales: Preview
Kevin McCarra: The feared ogre who became England's nurturer

Italy vs. Slovenia: Preview

International Friendly Previews: Belgium vs. United States

Who: Belgium vs. United States
When: 2:30pm EDT
Where: King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium
U.S. TV: ESPN
Preview

Jeff Carlisle:
U.S. needs balanced attack

Grant Wahl: Four Thoughts

Paul Carr: Five Notes

Tim Vickery in South America

Tough qualifying period ahead for South American sides.

Why I hate watching England in the Pub

There are certain invitations that I have come to recognise as likely to result in a thoroughly unpleasant experience. One is when a friend suggests going out for a ‘big night’; the other is when someone suggests an England fixture is of enough significance to warrant a trip to the pub. You know the one, a crunch qualifier, or a world cup match against decent opposition, there’s always someone that says, “we’ll definitely have to get down the pub for that one.” Why, when you know what’s waiting for you?

It’s important to state that I love the pub. I love its straightforward approach to English social habits. The main product is alcohol, served with minimal fuss. No continental table service, no fancy snacks; just drinking and the murmur of conversation. So, why does it all turn to shit when England are playing football on TV?

Jonathan Wilson in Eastern Europe

The state of the Eastern nations in Euro 2012 qualifying.

UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifying: The Race to Join Germany, Ukraine & Poland

UEFA EURO 2012 hosts Poland and Ukraine have now been joined by Germany in the finals and by Tuesday night that number could include holders Spain, Italy and even the Netherlands as UEFA.com examines the state of play.

There are two more rounds of matches in October and the nine section winners, plus the runners-up with the best record against the sides placed first, third, fourth and fifth in their pool qualify directly, with the other second-placed teams entering the play-offs.

International Friendly: United States 0 - 1 Costa Rica

Rodney Wallace scored to lead Costa Rica to a 1-0 win over the United States on Friday night, giving Jurgen Klinsmann a loss in his second match as U.S. coach.

Grant Wahl: Three Thoughts

Player Ratings

Costa Rica Friendly a Glimpse at the Future of American Soccer

Dominic Raynor: Off The Ball

Off The Ball never rests in its mission to scratch around the underbelly of professional football to find the most bizarre, humorous and inexplicable stories.

This week, Lille chase Arsenal signing Park Chu-Young to airport, Cafu coaches two teams of Miss Universe contestants, Mezut Ozil goes up in smoke and disappears, and a Real Zaragoza fan dons his 'Anti-Mourinho glasses'.

Friday MLS Forecast

The Forecast takes the temperature in the Bay Area after Edmundo Zura's ill-fated loan stint and previews the truncated fixture list during this international weekend.

Eduardo Alvarez in Spain: Trouble in Paradise

My first, already fading, memories of a Real Madrid-Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu go back to December 1990. After a long history of failed efforts, a bunch of friends and myself finally managed to get tickets to watch the two giants face to face live. It was the second leg of that season's Supercopa, and even though the tournament was perceived as second-rate when compared to La Liga or the old European Cup, the atmosphere in the stadium was fantastic.

Deadline day drama at Arsenal HQ

It was 2100 BST on Wednesday at Arsenal's Highbury House headquarters and club officials were exhausted following the most frenetic few hours in transfer window history.

In the chief executive's office, Ivan Gazidis had spent the day making phone calls to agents and officials at other clubs as he tried desperately to complete the spending spree that the summer sales of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri had enabled and which the humiliating 8-2 defeat by Manchester United had subsequently made a necessity.

A few yards away, club secretary David Miles, chief accountant Stuart Wisely and head lawyer Svenja Geissmar were working furiously, filling out registration documents and ensuring they were emailed to the Premier League. In all, 20 officials from the club's finance and legal departments were working harder than they could remember.

Miss Universe contestants play a football match against each other

The Miss Universe pageant will be held in Sao Paulo on September 12 and just because everyone who enters Brazil is legally required to play football, the contestants played a match against each other on Monday. Brazil great Cafu was there because, well, why not?

Everyone: Rewind to 2001

Soccernet Looks Back

The Guardian Looks Back

The BBC Looks Back

Transfer Deadline Quotes of the Day

"The January I moved from Birmingham to Blackburn, I sat there by the phone for 13 days, worrying, waiting for it to go through - I lost a stone." Former Premier League midfielder Robbie Savage discusses the stresses of the transfer window on Football Focus Special.

"Tough night for Everton fans. A small squad seems to be getting smaller. Exciting times for QPR, Stoke and Arsenal." Manchester United striker Michael Owen on Twitter.

"Nice to see Mike Ashley and Derek Llambias come through with their promise to reinvest Andy Carroll money, £59m net profit from transfers in last 5 seasons... ambition???" QPR's former Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton on Twitter.

The Rest

Martin Keown's lowdown on the transfer window

After days, weeks and months of rumour, counter-rumour, comings and goings, the summer transfer window finally shut at 2300 BST on Wednesday. It was a frenetic final 24 hours for numerous clubs as money changed hands, players swapped shirts and squads underwent some last-minute tinkering. Former Arsenal, Everton, Aston Villa and England defender Martin Keown shares his views on deadline day with BBC Sport.

Owen Hargreaves: A romantic fairytale or the start of more Manchester misery?

There is a cruel joke doing the rounds on Twitter suggesting that the deal to take former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves to Manchester City has hit a snag due to an injury caused by him falling out of the transfer window.

After more than three years of injury misery, Hargreaves probably doesn’t find the wisecrack too funny, but the consolation for the 30-year-old is that he now has an incredible opportunity to prove his doubters wrong at City.

Paolo Bandini: Davide Santon's fall from stardom

Thankfully Davide Santon didn’t listen to Marco Materazzi. “If you don’t go to the 2010 World Cup Cup you should turn to the balcony and throw yourself off,” advised his Inter team-mate late in the 2009 season. If Materazzi was joking, in his own inimitable style, about the balcony then his suggestion that Santon should be on the plane to South Africa was a very serious one. He expected the full-back to not only be in Marcello Lippi’s squad but a key member of it within a year’s time. He was not alone.

Richard Jolly: Transfer Window Verdict

Liverpool

With Joe Cole loaned to Lille and Christian Poulsen going to Evian, two overpaid earners from the Roy Hodgson era are gone. The former manager's best buy, Raul Meireles, is another matter altogether and he could be missed. Among the arrivals, Sebastian Coates is the extra centre-back they needed while Craig Bellamy, coming in as David Ngog goes out, brings pedigree and versatility to the forward line.

Verdict: Did well to dispose of the deadwood, while Bellamy could be a bargain and Coates is one for the future. But losing Meireles to Chelsea may backfire.

The Rest

SSN Exclusive: TSB's EPL Deadline Day Review

So the insane deadline day frenzy took place yesterday. Some used it well [Stoke], some used it out of desperation [Arsenal], while others fucked it up [Bolton]. Meanwhile Fergie sat watching with a big grin on his reddened chops. Here's a review of what teams did on the final day.

Arsenal
Arteta and Benayoun are adequate signings but Wenger lost Cesc and Nasri without getting any of his top targets. Santos is an improvement on Traore, but so would my Grandmother. Mertersacker is interesting. He probably knows more about defending than coach Pat Rice, but Rice probably has more speed and mobility.

Aston Villa
Hutton and Jenas. Not exactly signings to get the pulse racing. But that's what you get when your manager is Alex McLeish.

Blackburn
6 million for Scott Dann isn't bad business but what happened to the promises of signing Ronaldihno, Beckham and Raul? Yakubu is not quite what fans were hoping for.

Bolton
The club, which has massive debts, played poker and lost. Come winter the money Spurs offered for Cahill will look very good. They did pull off the huge coup of signing David Ngog, though.

Chelsea
Personally I think Modric is overrated at 40mil, so rabbit-out-of-the-hat Meireles seems good business. Everything will depend on how well he teams up with Torres.

Everton
Ouch! Big debts, no one wants to buy the club, and now they've lost one of their best players. But at least they brought in Drenthe from Real and the unpronounceable Stracqualursi who was top scorer in Argentina.

Fulham
Have taken a gamble with Bryan Ruiz from the Dutch league. Cottagers will be hoping he's more Suarez than Kežman.

Liverpool
Almost the perfect, albeit very expensive, summer transfer window, especially with the capture of Coates. Then came the 11th hour loss of Meireles to Chelsea. He brought some guile to the team, matching up well with Suarez, so could be missed. At least they're rid of Joe Cole and now have Bellamy to organize golf trips.

Man City
Award for the left field signing of the window. Its a shock Hargreaves didn't hurt his knee getting up from the table after signing the contract.

Newcastle
Used the final day to finallly bring someone in who isn't French. 20 year old Santon comes highly rated.

Norwich
Hard to say because I don't really know anything about any of the players they've brought in.

QPR
If you're probably going down anyway, you might as well do so interestingly. Anton Ferdinand, Joey Barton and Adel Taarabt all managed by Neil Warnock should provide entertainment.

Spurs
Kept Modric, but this only works out if he doesn't sulk for 12 months. Got rid of a lot of deadwood including the creepy David Bentley, but failed to bring in a defender. Parker is a solid signing, though.

Stoke
Paid a lot for Crouch and Palacios but the signings make sense, fitting into the team's style. Rory Delap will be delighted he has something even taller to aim at. Deadline day used well again by Pulis.

Sunderland
Went for the scattergun approach all summer. Among all those signings there has to by a good buy. Right? The modest Bendtner should fit in better than he did at Arsenal and they got rid of Anton Ferdinand, which is always a bonus.

Swansea
See Norwich.

Wigan
If you're buying someone from Celtic [Shaun Maloney], you know your budget is limited.

West Brom, ManU and Wolves did nothing. Boring bastards.

SSN Exclusive: US Open Cup Semifinal : Bobbie's Hospitality Report

Last night the Chicago Fire beat the Richmond Kickers 2-1 at Toyota Park to advance to the US Open Cup final in Seattle on 9/10. It was a well played game which the ref allowed to get pretty physical without getting out of hand. You can read all about it here. On our way to the seats my cohort Rodger and I were accosted by a member of the Fire's corporate hospitality staff and asked if we'd like a complimentary seating upgrade courtesy of American Airlines. I'm not afraid to look a gift horse in its mouth, and this one seemed to have all of its teeth intact so we graciously accepted her offer.




The plebe's view of our seats.

We were escorted to a nice little table set up at the edge of the field and were introduced to the hospitality staff who informed us that we'd be enjoying a four course meal and free drinks. We informed them that we are both vegetarian and they said they'd have to consult with the chef to see what they could do for us. The cheese plate arrived in short order.





Rodger and Bobbie enjoying the cheese plate





A better view of the cheese plate


Frankly the cheese was a bit disappointing, though solid- cafeteria grade cheddar, some mild blue cheese and a standard wedge of brie. Garnish options included nuts, honey and some sort of plum jelly which was quite nice. There was a huge amount of melon on the plate as well as a nice helping of pineapple. While we snacked a slight drizzle started and our server brought us complimentary ponchos. We also enjoyed the sight of the excellent Sebastian Grazzini scoring from the penalty spot.





Grazzini Takes a Penalty


The entrees were fresh mozzarella sandwiches with tomato on baguette. Sadly the chef was overly generous with whatever weird aioli he was using that night and the whole experience was somewhat soggy. Still, we were well into the free Heineken at that point so it hit the spot.





Entree


We were served dessert in the 83rd minute while the Fire easily kept the ball out of reach of the Kickers. It was a delightful red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting- easily the best of the food we were served.





Dessert


We were polishing off the last of the crumbs as the final whistle sounded. Rodger and I downed our last beers and headed for the exit, though not before paying a visit to the excellent new fan shop to pick up a pair of Fire Zubaz for the wife.


Bobbie and Sparky