Gomez double leaves Dutch in peril

Netherlands 1-2 Germany
Mario Gomez's two splendid first-half goals were enough for Joachim Löw's side to move within sight of the last eight and leave the Dutch on the brink.

Robin van Persie's second-half strike made Germany sweat in sweltering conditions, but Mario Gomez's two stylish first-half goals were eventually enough for Joachim Löw's side to move to the brink of the last eight and leave the Netherlands staring down the barrel.

The Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv was the venue, but this was a victory made in Munich. Those who doubted Germany's FC Bayern München players' powers of recovery after last month's UEFA Champions League final defeat were silenced in emphatic fashion.

Bastian Schweinsteiger supplied two fine assists and club colleague Gomez a pair of exquisite finishes. Van Persie halved the Oranje's arrears but it was not enough and the Dutch stay bottom of Group B without a point. They could yet become the first team ever to qualify from a EURO section with three points, but the odds look to be stacked against them. For Germany, the quarter-finals are in sight thanks to their 13th successive competitive triumph.

Germany had beaten the Dutch 3-0 in a Hamburg friendly last year; this was the real thing and they inflicted further punishment once some early scares were behind them. Van Persie twice might have put the Dutch ahead inside 11 minutes but he could only stab Joris Mathijsen's pass straight at Manuel Neuer before dragging wide having latched on to Arjen Robben's pass.

Germany are a team so well choreographed that there never looked to be too much doubt they would come good. Mesut Özil was the star of their first act, unleashing a fierce volley against a post, but there were two men waiting in the wings ready to orchestrate proceedings.

Though Schweinsteiger was conductor and director rolled into one, there was no doubting the protagonist. There were 24 minutes on the clock when Bayern's No7 turned it on for the first time, threading the ball through the eye of a needle for Gomez, who made space with a balletic pirouette before finishing with a flourish; top marks all round.

Holger Badstuber fluffed his lines when his point-blank header struck Maarten Stekelenberg, but only a minute later it was 2-0. The man they call 'Schweiny' caressed a delightful first-time pass down the inside-right channel and Gomez flashed a shot over Stekelenberg without breaking stride. Stekelenberg then kept the Netherlands in the game when he tipped over Özil's deflected free-kick, but Van Marwijk was in need of his supporting cast; Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Rafael van der Vaart were inevitable half-time changes.

Though the unlikely figure of Mats Hummels nearly rendered those changes meaningless soon after the interval, Stekelenberg twice stayed big. The Dutch then came back, with Van Persie's snapshot kept out by Neuer's smart stop low to his right.

That was merely the latest flash of frustration for the Dutch. Tense before the game, they were now positively tetchy – Robben rushed when free in the area and Sneijder shot straight at Jérôme Boateng, but Van Persie clearly had not read the script. In a flash, the Arsenal FC man duly reminded us why he scored 30 league goals this term, receiving the ball wide on the right with his back to goal before cutting inside and letting fly with a rasping drive from outside the penalty area.

It was as good as it got for the Dutch, however, and though the fat lady is yet to sing, the curtain is nearly down.

Gomez double leaves Dutch in peril

Van Marwijk Stays Out of Netherlands Debate

The Netherlands is sometimes known as 'the land of 16 million national coaches' but Berend Scholten is still trying to ascertain the thoughts of the one that matters, Bert van Marwijk.

Bert van Marwijk may be the only man with the official title of Netherlands coach but whenever a major tournament comes around, every Dutch citizen also appoints themselves to that position.

The Netherlands then turns into 'the land of 16 million national coaches', it is said, although this might include babies and toddlers as well. Naturally, after their team began UEFA EURO 2012 with a 1-0 defeat by Denmark, all these coaches have their own plan. Should Robin van Persie play, or Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, or maybe even both?

However, it is Van Marwijk who has the task of setting a winning formation against Germany on Wednesday, but obviously he has no intention of revealing his plans quite yet.

"How do we beat them?" he said after travelling from their Krakow team base to match venue Kharkiv. "Well I won't tell you that because I'll tell my own team that. The Germans are very strong but we can also beat them. How we do that, I won't tell you now."

Now, looking back at the Denmark game, it is still unbelievable that no Oranje goal result from 28 attempts. The Danish goal just seemed jinxed. But still, creating so many chances is something to hold on to for the Germany match. Indeed, it was something to which Wesley Sneijder, sitting next to Van Marwijk, referred.

"We created lots of chances against Denmark and we have to take that with us against Germany," he said. "There's nothing nicer than playing against Germany; there's a lot of pressure but that's what's so nice about it."

Despite all the pressure, it was very nice to see that at the end of the press conference when leaving, player and coach were joking and laughing with each other. With a win against Germany, all the other 16 million Oranje national coaches will do the same tomorrow.

Van Marwijk Stays Out of Netherlands Debate

Laurent Blanc France Coach and Roy Hodgson Point to Positives - UEFA EURO 2012

France coach Laurent Blanc admitted to ''mixed feelings'' after the
1-1 draw with England, happy at least that his side did not lose,
while Roy Hodgson said he was ''obviously pleased''.
France coach Laurent Blanc admitted to ''mixed feelings'' at the end
of his side's 1-1 draw with England in their opening Group D encounter
in Donetsk. ''We're disappointed not to have won it but glad not to
have lost,'' he said, before praising Samir Nasri for his equaliser.
Opposite number Roy Hodgson expressed satisfaction with a hard-fought
point, hoping the game will give his charges ''a good platform'' to go
on at UEFA EURO 2012.
Laurent Blanc, France coach
We have mixed feelings, but I think the English feel the same. England
had a very good 20 minutes, but paradoxically we got back in the match
after we conceded. They caused us problems, but we got a deserved
equaliser and in the second half we could have scored a second, even
if there weren't too many chances.
Overall, I think the draw was fair for both teams. The fact that it
was hot on the pitch didn't favour the side that attacked most, and
France attacked most. We're disappointed not to have won it but glad
not to have lost. And we didn't deserve to lose.
I thought we were timid at the start and I don't know why. England
didn't dominate but they had chances. We don't want to repeat that
experience of starting slowly but maybe it was something we needed to
get over. I hope we'll be ready from the first minute in the next
game.
We've always supported Samir. Coaches always want their talented
players to live up to their potential, but you have to be patient with
some players more than others. Nasri needed that and he rewarded us
tonight. We have an attacking potential and we've progressed in that
area. The other good news is that we defended well and didn't pick up
any cards.
Roy Hodgson, England manager
I'm obviously pleased, for the players most of all. The conditions
were difficult for both teams and I thought both teams showed
incredible spirit to keep going. I thought we started both halves
well, but we suffered a period of pressure before the end of the half
as France finished well and unfortunately we conceded. I'm glad to get
this game out of the way and I'm now looking forward to the rest of
this competition.
The French, as we know and as most people who watch them know, flood
the midfield. They try to drag your defenders out of position. It was
very important that our midfielders stuck to their task. The two
central ones did very well, and the wide ones deserve to be mentioned
as well.
I think [Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain] deserved his place. He's got that
ability when he gets in those positions to turn people around. I
thought he did quite well, I thought he was quite dangerous. I told
him: 'Don't get hung up on this performance and remember there'll be
lots more games to come in an England shirt.'
Excuse me if I'm a little circumspect, but I've had three games. You
don't become a good team in three games and ten training sessions. The
French have now gone 22 games unbeaten, if I'm not mistaken. Hopefully
we'll just get better when we get players back from injury and Wayne
Rooney back.

Laurent Blanc France Coach and Roy Hodgson Point to Positives - UEFA EURO 2012

Andriy Shevchenko Double Goals Gives Ukraine Debut Victory - UEFA EURO 2012

Ukraine 2-1 Sweden
Andriy Shevchenko called on his old predatory powers as he struck twice to earn the co-hosts a come-from-behind win on a famous night for Ukraine.

Ukraine made a dream start to UEFA EURO 2012 as a quickfire double from their captain, Andriy Shevchenko, earned a famous comeback victory against Sweden.

The co-hosts had had marginally the better of the first half to the audible delight of the majority of the crowd in Kyiv, only to fall behind to Zlatan Ibrahimović's close-range finish in the 52nd minute. As in the day's early Group D game between England and France, the lead proved short-lived as Shevchenko scored their first UEFA European Championship finals goal with a powerful header. The same player, for so long his country's talisman, then put them in front in the 62nd minute and urged on by a passionate crowd, Ukraine preserved that advantage to mark their tournament debut in memorable fashion.

Ukraine coach Oleh Blokhin had emphasised the youth of his squad on the eve of the match, yet his starting lineup belied that. Only two players – Yevhen Selin and Yevhen Konoplyanka – were making their competitive debuts, and that experience proved invaluable as the co-hosts settled quickly amid a raucous atmosphere. Sweden are no novices either, however, and were first to threaten as Andriy Pyatov punched away Ibrahimović's curling left-wing cross.

The home side's first chance of note came on the counterattack as Ukraine broke swiftly to give themselves an extra man on the retreating Swedish rearguard. Shevchenko exchanged passes with Andriy Yarmolenko, whose return left the Ukraine captain with only Andreas Isaksson to beat, but the angle proving too much for Shevchenko who pulled his effort across the face of goal.

Not for nothing did Sweden manage 31 goals in their ten qualifying fixtures, and they were soon pressing again as Markus Rosenberg – preferred to Johan Elmander up front – latched on to Ola Toivonen's header to draw a save down low from Pyatov. The goalkeeper was left stranded six minutes by half-time, Sebastian Larsson's pinpoint cross being met by the head of Ibrahimović, but the ball clipped the outside of the goalkeeper's left-hand post and Ukraine survived.

They were not so fortunate seven minutes into the second period. Kim Källström retrieved Larsson's deep right-wing cross and his low ball back across goal presented Ibrahimović with a simple prodded finish. For the first time the stadium fell silent, yet within three minutes the noise was louder than ever as Ukraine hit back. Yarmolenko was the architect, cutting on to his left foot to deliver a fine cross from the right, and Shevchenko thundered in to thump a header past Isaksson.

If the decibel level had increased with that, seven minutes later it reached deafening proportions as Konoplyanka swung in a corner from the left and another Shevchenko header beat Isaksson at his near post. Again Ibrahimović – who had lost Shevchenko for the second goal – led the Sweden charge, Pyatov beating away his fierce shot but when first Elmander then Olof Mellberg both sent shots too high, Sweden's final chance had gone. Ukraine will go into their next game, against France in Donetsk on Friday, as Group D's early leaders; Sweden will hope to give their sizeable support more to cheer back here against England.

Andriy Shevchenko Double Goals Gives Ukraine Debut Victory - UEFA EURO 2012

Beats Working For a Living - This is Team Netherlands

The tournament is well and truly under way. The Netherlands players are now in Krakow again but only stay here for two days before travelling back to Kharkiv for the crucial showdown with the Germans.

Today I will conduct more sit-down interviews for UEFA TV and UEFA.com. I'll go to the Dutch team hotel, the Sheraton, approximately two hours beforehand so there's enough time to set up the room. In the spotlight this time round are Dirk Kuyt, Maarten Stekelenburg and coach Bert van Marwijk.

All of this takes place thanks to the good cooperation between the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB) and ourselves. As always, the KNVB press department are extremely helpful. Monique, Martine, Hans and Kees give us all the assistance we need.

Maybe that is down to their professionalism or the mutual trust we've built up. On the other hand, maybe it could just be due to the down-to-earth mentality of the Dutch. "Doe maar gewoon, dan doe je al gek genoeg," they say – just be yourself, that's already crazy enough.

Although I've been doing this job for many years, I still get butterflies in my stomach as interview time approaches. But then the first player comes in, we shake hands and chat a bit, I fire off the first question, and before you know it you're in the flow.

After saying goodbye to the last 'victim' we can sit back, relax and – hopefully – consider it a job well done. And it's a job I always love doing. In fact, it's so enjoyable that I'm not sure the word job does it justice.

The Oranje players and staff will undoubtedly start to feel nervous as well, ahead of the job they have to do on Wednesday. Let's just hope that after the game they'll be able to look back and say 'job well done' too.

Beats Working For a Living - This is Team Netherlands

Could Dudka complete three-man shield?

Caution seems to be the watchword as Poland approach their second match in Group A against Russia. Dick Advocaat has assembled a slick Russian side who sent out a powerful signal of intent in their opening fixture when they swept aside an experienced Czech Republic team.

On the evidence of that performance, Poland are right to be wary and it wasn't a surprise to see Dariusz Dudka sitting alongside Franciszek Smuda at Monday evening's press conference. Of course, it's always dangerous to read too much into the personnel who appear at press conferences. We've all been at pressers, as they're called in the trade, where a player has been put up for interview who doesn't even make the substitutes' bench the next day.

However, in this case I suspect that Dudka – Poland's most experienced player with 63 caps – will be handed a key role against Russia, although Smuda did his best to throw the media off the scent, insisting it was press officer Tomasz Rząsa's decision to nominate Dudka. "I knew it was a huge mistake to bring him," the coach joked.

Smuda always likes to play two holding midfielders with Eugen Polanski and Rafał Murawski the preferred partnership recently. I'd expect both to start again on Tuesday with the versatile Dudka tucked in behind as an extra screen in front of the defence. The Poland coach will have noticed the ease with which Russia slipped precise passes through the middle of the Czech rearguard in Wroclaw. Quite simply, Dudka and his two assistants will be told to cut out the ammunition to Russia's potent front three.

So who will Smuda leave out, I hear you ask? I've heard a lot of speculation today that Ludovic Obraniak will be the unlucky one, but I'd have thought that Maciej Rybus would be the more obvious choice. The FC Terek Grozny winger didn't overly impress against Greece and Obraniak is familiar with the left midfield role having played there at club level. The switch could also prove beneficial for left-back Sebastian Boenisch, who is still struggling for match fitness following his long injury absence.

Either way, it's a strategy that hints at containment rather than expansion. Faced with a Russian bear on the prowl, poking it in the eye with a big stick is probably not the smartest tactic to adopt. Tiring it out and hitting back with a sucker-punch on the other hand might just be the right approach. As Smuda himself admitted: "We don't want to lose."

Could Dudka complete three-man shield?

Karembeu Backs France in Answers to Your Tweets

Part of the France squad that triumphed at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and a two-time UEFA Champions League winner with Real Madrid CF, Christian Karembeu answers your tweets.

As a prominent member of the France squad that lifted the FIFA World Cup on home soil in 1998 and a UEFA Champions League winner on two occasions with Real Madrid CF, Christian Karembeu was the ideal candidate to take some users questions via Twitter. The 41-year-old made 53 appearances for Les Bleus and is backing his country to go all the way at UEFA EURO 2012.

@benarsen1886: Do you see France reaching the semi-finals after watching the last few games?

Christian Karembeu: I can see France going very far, especially if we look at the stats. It is 21 games undefeated now and that shows how confident this squad is. At the same time, this squad has done well to come through the hard times and they have got a lot of composure so I can see this French side going quite far.

@stephenconroy1: What do you think of the current crop of French players?

Karembeu: It's very young but also mature. We can see that with Samir Nasri, Karim Benzema, Hatem Ben Arfa, Laurent Koscielny, Adil Rami, Philippe Mexès and many others. They all play for great European clubs, whether it's Milan, Manchester City, Newcastle or Valencia. It's true that we have a young squad, but one with some experience too. I hope that thanks to this maturity, they can take us quite far in the tournament.

@sandyrandang: What was the most memorable EURO match you played in?

Karembeu: I played against the Dutch in a group game in which we were competing for first or second place, knowing that we had already qualified. Everyone played and I think that one of the De Boer twins hit a wonderful free-kick that surprised everyone. It was one of the best I have seen from an opponent. After that, the title itself is the most important, to finish as winners in a competition is simply magnificent. On top of that, to receive medals awarded by Michel Platini was even better, so it was memorable.

@LSakkal: Who was the player that you moulded yourself on or looked up to?

Karembeu: Jorge Burruchaga, who won the [1986] World Cup with Argentina. I met him when I started my career at FC Nantes. Then later on, it was [Clarence] Seedorf, who I met at Sampdoria when he was just 18 years old. He was already very mature and mentally strong and I can see why his career has lasted so long. He is one of those players whose intelligence and will to succeed have helped him to forge a long career. Of course there are many others but naming them would take a while.

@vassilispap_: You played in Greece for years, do you think that the current Greek national team can do something more than just progress?

Karembeu: Let's not forget that Greece actually won the EURO in the not so distant past, despite not having the most glamorous squad. Let's not rule them out just yet as surprises can happen in football. [In 2004] Greece beat France in the quarter-finals and then went on to win the tournament. Greece were limited against Poland, but they still managed a draw and all is still to play for.

@asronline: How do you rate Italy's chances of progressing in the competition?

Karembeu: Italy have always managed to keep themselves afloat in difficult times. Italians have had to deal with a lot too. The Italian team is very much aware that they have the potential to be a breath of fresh air for the people, just like the Greek team. It is clear that in times like these, we will witness a rise in patriotic pride, which will make Italy an even more dangerous opponent.

@HenningBS: Who will make it through Group B?

Karembeu: I watched Denmark versus Holland and Portugal versus Germany. Germany are head and shoulders above the rest. Let's not forget that they featured in the final in 2008 and in the semi-finals at the last World Cup, which clearly marks them as being one of the favourites for EURO 2012 alongside Spain

@ValentinoLiguor: Who do you think will win EURO 2012?

Karembeu: Valentino, if you're Italian, then I'll say Italy but I think that France could win the tournament and be the surprise package, even though Spain and Germany remain favourites. My heart says France.

Karembeu Backs France in Answers to Your Tweets