Page 18 - Europe

Isak impresses as Sweden beats Slovakia 1-0 at Euro 2020

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's successor in Sweden's national team changed the game even without scoring the goal

UEFA reminds teams of sponsorship obligations after Cristiano Ronaldo case

Ronaldo moved Coca-Cola bottles aside as he sat down to speak to the media on the eve of Tuesday's Group F opener against Hungary in Budapest, which Portugal won 3-0

The Cold War space odyssey

Bestselling author Stephen Walker has produced an utterly binge-worthy yet sobering history of spaceflight set against the biggest existential conflict of the 20th century

Revived Aaron Ramsey key to Wales' success at Euro 2020

When he chested down a pass from Gareth Bale and knocked the ball into the net against Turkey, one thing was clear Aaron Ramsey was back.

Ukraine gets 1st win, beats North Macedonia 2-1 at Euro 2020

Andriy Yarmolenko and Roman Yaremchuk both scored again, and this time it was enough

Croatia looks to fire up attack, stifle Patrik Schick at Euro 2020

Croatia's chances of advancing in the European Championship hinge on two things firing up a struggling front line and containing Czech Republic forward Patrik Schick

Sweden to throw off shackles against Slovakia at Euro 2020

Sweden is promising a more expansive approach against Slovakia at the European Championship. That won't be difficult. Against Spain in their Group E opener, the Swedes had only 15% possession the lowest figure on record in the history of the tournament. In terms of passes, they had 161 compared to Spain's 917. Sweden coach Janne Andersson will say the game plan of hunkering down, defending deeply and compactly, and then attempting to hit on the break worked. After all, the final score was 0-0 a satisfactory result against the team regarded as the best in the group and Sweden arguably created the best two chances of the game, for strikers Alexander Isak and Marcus Berg. "If there's something that we are among the best in the world at, it's accepting a sacrificial game," Sweden midfielder Albin Ekdal said. That won't be accepted Friday, though, when they play a less possession-based opponent in Slovakia, a team cut from a similar cloth to Sweden in terms of defensive rigidity an

Belgium beats Denmark 2-1 in game marked by Eriksen tribute

Kevin de Bruyne set up one goal and scored the winner himself to give Belgium a 2-1 victory over Denmark in a European Championship game marked by an emotional tribute to Eriksen in the first half

UEFA asks Euro 2020 teams to stop removing sponsor bottles

Reacting to a bottle-snatching trend at the Euros started by Ronaldo, players on the 24 teams have been asked to stop removing strategically placed sponsor drinks from the news conference platforms

Denmark's Eriksen to be fitted with implanted heart monitoring device

Christian Eriksen will be fitted with an implantable device to monitor his heart rhythm, the Danish soccer federation said Thursday. Eriksen is recovering in a Copenhagen hospital after suffering cardiac arrest during Denmark's game against Finland at the European Championship. The Danish federation said doctors have determined that Eriksen needs to have an ICD implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. This device is necessary after a cardiac attack due to rhythm disturbances, the federation said in a statement. Christian has accepted the solution and the plan has moreover been confirmed by specialists nationally and internationally who all recommend the same treatment. We encourage everybody to give Christian and his family peace and privacy the following time. An ICD monitors a person's heartbeat and can send electrical pulses to restore a normal rhythm if necessary. Netherlands defender Daley Blind still plays professionally with an ICD. He had one fitted after being diagnosed

Home field not an advantage for Spain so far at Euro 2020

Home-field advantage wasn't much of an advantage for Spain at the European Championship. Spain is one of nine teams hosting matches at Euro 2020, but playing in Seville didn't seem to help much on Monday in a 0-0 draw against Sweden. Not only didn't the result go Spain's way, but the team also had to deal with poor field conditions and even boos from the home fans. It's much better to play when the fans are applauding than when they are jeering, Spain midfielder Pedri Gonzlez said. But I prefer to focus on the applause of the fans who motivated us. That will help us a lot more than if we focus on the negative things. More than 12,000 fans were at La Cartuja Stadium for the match against Sweden, and most were supportive of the national team. They proudly honored the national anthem and loudly chanted some players' names. But many grew unhappy and didn't hide their discontentment as Spain struggled to capitalize on its scoring opportunities. Most of the jeers were directed at strik

Miranchuk's goal helps Russia beat Finland 1-0 for 1st points at Euro 2020

With a slick one-two and a beautiful curling shot, Aleksei Miranchuk finally gave Russia something to smile about at the European Championship

Gareth Bale sets up both goals, Wales beats Turkey 2-0 at Euro 2020

Gareth Bale set up both goals and missed a penalty in Wales' 2-0 victory over Turkey on Wednesday at the European Championship.

Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo's snub costs Coca-Cola $4 billion

The star urged people to choose water over aerated drinks

Denmark ready to ''show who we are'' vs. Belgium at Euro 2020

For Denmark, it's time to somehow focus on soccer again at the European Championship. Five days after Christian Eriksen's collapse against Finland, the Danes will return to Parken Stadium on Thursday to face top-ranked Belgium in their second Group B game. It promises to be an emotional return for a team that is still processing Saturday's incident and has spent the last few days just figuring out how to feel OK about playing a game again. But with Eriksen recovering well, and telling his teammates they should re-focus on the Euro 2020 tournament, Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand said the players are able to move forward with a clean conscience. We are ready to show who we are once again, Hjulmand said. We showed it on the pitch (and) off the pitch Saturday. And again Thursday we will show who we really are, and how we play, and how we fight. They are also ready for a very special atmosphere at Parken Stadium. About 25,000 fans will be allowed in amid loosened pandemic restrictions

Ukraine, North Macedonia need points after Euro 2020 losses

Both Ukraine and North Macedonia conceded late goals in their opening matches at the European Championship, and both lost because of them. The teams will next play each other at Euro 2020 on Thursday, knowing another loss just might end their chances of advancement. The top two teams in each of the six groups advance to the round of 16, along with the four best third-place teams. Ukraine managed to recover from two goals down against the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Sunday, but Denzel Dumfries headed in an 85th-minute winner for the Dutch. We come back after 2-0 down and it's so frustrating to lose a game in the last minutes, said Ukraine captain Andriy Yarmolenko, who scored one of his team's goals. We have two more games to go and we will still play with the same energy, he said. If we (advance), then it will be great. North Macedonia, one of the two tournament newcomers at Euro 2020 along with Finland, had been holding Austria to a 1-1 scoreline before substitutes Michael ...

Germany's Rudiger regrets putting mouth on Pogba's back at Euro 2020

Holding France midfielder Paul Pogba from behind, Germany defender Antonio Rudiger appeared to open his mouth and lightly bite his opponent's back.

Best of BS Opinion: Rising inflation risk, Centre's GTR in 2020-21 & more

Here are the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for Tuesday

Denmark coach steps up UEFA criticism over game resumption

Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand stepped up his criticism of UEFA on Tuesday for not giving his players the option to postpone the game against Finland in the wake of Christian Eriksen's collapse

Szczesny's own-goal continues his run of bad luck at Euros

Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny doesn't have much luck in his opening game at European Championships. Sent off in 2012. Injured in 2016. Now an own-goal at Euro 2020. The Juventus player became the first goalkeeper to score an own-goal at the tournament in Poland's 2-1 loss to Slovakia on Monday. Not that he could do much about it. Szczesny had already committed himself to a dive in an attempt to save a shot from Slovakia winger Robert Mak in the 18th minute when the ball rebounded off his near post, onto his outstretched arm as he lay on the ground, and back into the net. He was also left helpless for Slovakia's winner by Milan Skriniar, barely moving as the center back hit a fierce, low shot into the corner in the 69th minute. Szczesny has established himself as one of the most reliable goalkeepers in Europe, his reputation having soared since joining Juventus from Arsenal in 2017. Poland has long been well-stocked with keepers, with Lukasz Fabianski also a solid option, bu