Page 17 - Europe

Spain set to bring in Sergio Busquets to avoid Euro 2020 debacle

Spain may summon its most experienced player for its most important match at the European Championship. Sergio Busquets is set to return for the match against Slovakia on Wednesday, when La Roja faces the possibility of an embarrassing elimination in front of its fans. Only victory for Spain will be enough to ensure a spot in the round of 16 at Euro 2020. A draw may be enough, but only if Poland doesn't defeat Sweden in the other Group E match. Both games will be played at the same time. The 32-year-old Busquets, the only player left from Spain's World Cup-winning squad in 2010, didn't play in the team's first two matches after testing positive for the coronavirus. The Barcelona midfielder had to go into isolation and only rejoined the squad on Friday. He did not dress for the game against Poland on Saturday. "We missed him," Spain defender Csar Azpilicueta said. "We tried to make up for his absence, but Sergio is a key player for this team and we are happy that he is back." Rodr

Germany hosts Hungary as sports, politics mix at Euro 2020

Both Germany and Hungary are trying avoid early elimination from the European Championship. The Hungarians need to win when the teams meet on Wednesday, the Germans don't. The match will take place following a request to light the stadium in rainbow colors to protest what the Munich city council said was the "homophobic and transphobic legislation of the Hungarian government. UEFA turned down the council's application. It previously gave the go-ahead for Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to continue wearing a captain's armband with the rainbow colors considering that it was promoting a good cause, i.e. diversity. It will be the first competitive match between Germany and Hungary since the Miracle of Bern in the 1954 World Cup final, when the West German team came from behind to defeat a Hungarian side considered to be the best in the world 3-2. Hungary coach Marco Rossi's current team can't be compared to the Mighty Magyars of yesteryear, but it can still reach the round of 16 after

Euro 2020: Mount, Chilwell go into self-isolation, out of England squad

Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell will miss England's last Euro 2020 group match against the Czech Republic later on Tuesday, as both players have gone into self-isolation.

Robert Lewandowski looks to find a way past Sweden at Euro 2020

Robert Lewandowski is facing another early exit from a major international soccer tournament.

France's showdown against Portugal at Euro 2020 lacks punch

France advanced without kicking a ball, and Portugal can move on as well even with a loss on Wednesday. Hardly the heavyweight showdown many had hoped for in a match pitting defending champion Portugal against World Cup champion France, and Cristiano Ronaldo against Kylian Mbappe. Results on Tuesday guaranteed France a spot in the round of 16. A one-goal loss for Portugal should be enough as long as Hungary doesn't win in Germany in Group F's other game. Still, that's unlikely to alter France coach Didier Deschamps' way of thinking, and he is thinking only of first place. "We still hold the cards, Deschamps said. If we win then we'll finish first." The winner of Group F will play one of the third-place finishers. Portugal can still win the group by beating France, but it depends on what happens in Munich in the match between Germany and Hungary. Germany and Portugal have three points and the same goal difference, while Hungary is last with one point and must win to advance. Por

Euro 2020: Wembley to host over 60,000 fans for semis, final

More than 60,000 fans will be permitted at the Euro 2020 semi-finals and final at Wembley Stadium following an announcement by the UK government

Euro 2020: The Netherlands, Austria enter last-16 stage

The Netherlands scored a convincing 3-0 win over North Macedonia to end their Group C campaign with an all-win record and enter the pre-quarterfinals of Euro 2020.

Euro 2020: Italy, Wales qualify to round of 16 from Group A

Italy and Wales on Sunday qualified from Group A into the round of 16 stage of the ongoing Euro 2020.On Sunday, Italy defeated Wales 1-0 at Stadio Olimpico while Switzerland defeated Turkey 3-1 in the Euro 2020 at the Baku Olympic Stadium. Italy topped Group A with 9 points while Wales and Switzerland finished with four points, but the former progressed to the next stage on the basis of goal difference.In the match between Italy and Wales, the former took the lead in the first half as Matteo Pessina got among the goal-scoring charts. No more goals were scored in the first half, and as a result, Italy went in with a lead of 1-0. No more goals were scored in the match, and as a result, Italy emerged victorious.Meanwhile, in the match between Switzerland and Turkey, the former took the lead in the 6th minute as Haris Seferovic netted the goal into the goalpost.Xherdan Shaqiri doubled Switzerland's lead in the 26th minute as he scored the goal. No more goals were scored in the first half,

England looks to rebound from draw, advance at Euro 2020

A couple of days contemplating why England hasn't already advanced at the European Championship allowed Raheem Sterling to fully assess the team's shortcomings. How could a stalemate with Scotland have been prevented? "With the ball we could have shown a bit more personality and dominated the game more with the ball," the England striker said. "As a team we need to know where to identify that and take control. We can't get brought into playing a certain way when we want to use the ball a little better." Starting on Tuesday, when the team faces the Czech Republic in its Group D finale. "I do feel there's a bit of an over-reaction," Sterling said. "I just feel there's more of a panic on the outside than inside the building. At the same time, the players who have been at a few tournaments, who have huge experience, try to help the other ones." England can't even blame unfamiliar surroundings for being held to a 0-0 draw by Scotland on Friday after beating Croatia 1-0. All of its gro

Euro 2020: France forward Ousmane Dembele ruled out with injury

France forward Ousmane Dembele has been ruled out of the ongoing Euro 2020 with an injury he picked up in the draw against Hungary, the French Football Federation(FFF) confirmed on Monday.The FC Barcelona forward came on as a second-half substitute at the Puskas Arena, when France was trailing against Hungary in the Group F clash, but he had to be replaced by Thomas Lemar in the 87th minute as he limped off with an apparent knee injury."Ousmane Dembele had an X-ray at the Budapest hospital on Sunday night," the French Football Federation(FFF) said in an official statement."The recovery time is incompatible with him staying in the squad. After discussing with the player and (team doctor) Franck le Gall, (coach) Didier Deschamps has acknowledged that Ousmane Dembele is ruled out for the rest of the tournament."France head coach, Didier Deschamps earlier confirmed in the press conference that it was a tendon issue in Dembele's knee. On Saturday after the game, Deschamps said, "Dembele, ..

Scotland looks to give fans something to cheer at Euro 2020

Scotland is looking to give its boisterous fans something to really cheer about at the European Championship. Not just a 0-0 draw. Euphoria set in among the Tartan Army after Scotland managed to hold England scoreless against expectations. The streets of Glasgow filled that Friday night with flag-waving supporters hanging out of car windows. Others danced in the streets as if the team had won the tournament. But the result did little to cement Scotland's chances of advancing to the round of 16 at Euro 2020 after the team lost to the Czech Republic 2-0 in its first Group D game. Now, Scotland has one last opportunity to harness the energy of its fans as the team faces Croatia at Hampden Park on Tuesday. Both teams need to win to have any chance of advancing. Scotland won't be the home team on paper, but it most certainly will have a home crowd of about 12,000 urging the players on. "It's great to see that our performance and the point against England brought a lot of confidence an

Japan urges Europe to solidify military involvement in Indo-Pacific

Japan's defence minister Nobuo Kishi has urged European nations to have a stronger military involvement in the Indo-Pacific to counter China's influence in the region

American Renaissance has begun

Nobody knows where this national journey of discovery will take us, but the voyage has begun

Penalty misses at historically high rate at Uefa Euro 2020

Penalty kicks are being missed and saved at a historically high rate at this year's European Championship. North Macedonia midfielder Ezgjan Alioski and Ukraine opponent Ruslan Malinovskyi both failed to score from the spot in the second half of their game on Thursday. When Memphis Depay scored for the Netherlands later Thursday, it meant only one-third of Euro 2020 penalties have been scored so far. Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal against Hungary is the only other player to convert a penalty of the six awarded so far, though Alioski did follow up to put in the rebound after his was saved. The Euro 2020 strike rate is way down from the 74% scored from all penalties awarded at final tournament games since the first in 1960 through Euro 2016. The very first penalty awarded was missed, by Josef Vojta of Czechoslovakia against Soviet Union great Lev Yashin in the 1960 semifinals. The four penalties missed in the first 16 matches at Euro 2020 equals the total failures from 12 penalti

UEFA still in talks about foreign fans for Euro 2020 final

UEFA is in talks with the British government about allowing foreign soccer fans to fly into London for games in the latter stages of the European Championship to avoid moving them from Wembley Stadium

Germany looking for efficiency against Portugal at Euro 2020

Portugal has the European Championship's all-time leading scorer in Cristiano Ronaldo. Germany has a team full of players who have never even scored once at the continental tournament. They will come up against each other on Saturday. Ronaldo scored two late goals in a 3-0 victory over Hungary on Tuesday to become the tournament's record holder with 11 career goals. Germany, meanwhile, tried and tried but failed break through France's defense in a 1-0 loss. With no goals scored and no points in the standings, the pressure is on Germany to do much better before the team's final Group F match against Hungary, also in Munich. "We have zero points. But we still have to keep our heads up," Germany midfielder Toni Kroos said. "There are still six points to be won. We have to concentrate on those." Defending champion Portugal can secure a spot in the round of 16 with a win ahead of its last group game against World Cup champion France. "It will be a difficult game for us, but for Germ

Scoring becomes key as Spain and Poland meet at Euro 2020

Spain and Poland will have a common challenge when they meet on Saturday at the European Championship. Goals. Spain created chance after chance against Sweden but was still held to a 0-0 draw in its opening match at Euro 2020. Poland lost to Slovakia 2-1 as Robert Lewandowski was held scoreless in yet another lackluster performance at a major soccer tournament. The focus on Spain at La Cartuja Stadium will be on lvaro Morata, the striker singled out by fans and Spanish media for his misses against Sweden. He had also been ineffective in Spain's warm-up match against Portugal, which ended 0-0. Spain coach Luis Enrique will have to choose whether to keep the Juventus striker in the starting lineup or make a change to try to boost the attack. The initial indication is that he will keep Morata, with the coach saying his striker had a very good game despite his misses against Sweden. Luis Enrique's other choices in attack include Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres, who started alongside Morat

Karim Benzema's return speeds up France's attack at Euro 2020

Karim Benzema's return speeds up France's attack and has taken some pressure off the defense. The French team will be going for a fourth consecutive clean sheet with Benzema playing when it faces Hungary in Budapest on Saturday at the European Championship. A win will put France into the next round after it opened with a 1-0 victory over Germany. Hungary lost to Portugal 3-0. Les Bleus look sharper with Benzema, who has slotted in effortlessly since returning to the national team after nearly six years out following a fallout with coach Didier Deschamps amid a sex tape scandal. He has replaced Olivier Giroud, who plays more with his back to goal. Benzema's technique and reading of the game help him click with Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann. The trio are working for and with each other, forming a marauding front unit that stops opposing teams from passing out quickly from the back. Their efforts take strain off the midfield and, ultimately, the defense. "When you see Kylian .

Memphis Depay's Euro 2020 has been hit and miss so far

With Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman watching from the stands, Memphis Depay delivered a trademark performance for the Netherlands in a 2-0 victory over Austria at the European Championship. The striker, who is out of contract with Lyon at the end of the month and widely expected to sign with Barcelona, scored a penalty and helped set up the Netherlands' second goal. He also missed a good chance and created problems for his own team by losing the ball while attempting to beat defenders. Memphis readily admits his style of play is high risk and some of his flashy dribbles, back heels and ambitious passes don't always work. But Dutch coaches and his teammates are happy to take the good with the bad, knowing that he can turn a match in an instant of unorthodox creativity. Netherlands coach Frank de Boer conceded that Depay has not yet been at his best in the team's two Group C victories, a 3-2 win over Ukraine followed by Thursday's victory over Austria. "Let's assume that Memphis can o

Denmark wants to pay supporters back after Christian Eriksen tribute

After a stirring tribute to Christian Eriksen and a "magical" atmosphere created by their fans, Denmark's players want to pay their supporters back at the European Championship.