England and Italy were able to start repairing their reputations with contrasting wins in their first Euro 2012 qualifiers and Spain swatted away Liechtenstein 4-0 with an ease befitting their status as world and European champions.

England played with the quick passing and invention that eluded them in South Africa as they beat Bulgaria 4-0 at Wembley, Jermain Defoe netting a smartly taken hat-trick and Adam Johnson getting the fourth in the Group G clash.

Italy were almost embarrassed but were ultimately able to celebrate a 2-1 victory after coming from a goal down away to Estonia in Group C.

There were wins too for Germany, Russia and the Netherlands — who provided a heartwarming moment with the goalscoring return of Ruud van Nistelrooy — but the night’s compelling story was in Paris, where it became abundantly clear that a change of coach alone will not change French fortunes.

This was a miserable night for the home side, as a much changed team from the World Cup was cheered on to the pitch but roundly booed off it.

Laurent Blanc’s first competitive match since replacing Raymond Domenech after a World Cup campaign that veered between farce and fiasco offered few positives as a late goal from Sergei Kislyak consigned them to a Group D defeat.

“I want to thank the fans who came here to support us,” France captain Florent Malouda told the angry crowd.

Portugal were among the other heavyweight teams to flop in South Africa and missing the injured Cristiano Ronaldo and suspended coach Carlos Queiroz they flirted with disaster against Cyprus in Guimaraes.

The home side twice fell behind before hauling themselves 4-3 ahead only to concede an equaliser to Andreas Avraam two minutes from time.

SUCCESS STORIES

While Europe’s first big night of competitive international action since the World Cup was a chance for atonement for some, it was a celebration for the three big success stories of a tournament dominated by the continent.

Spain led the way as two goals from Fernando Torres and one from World Cup hero David Villa — who moved to within one goal of equalling Raul’s scoring record for the country — helped them brush past Liechtenstein in a Group I match in Vaduz.

David Silva was the other scorer in the opening match of the defence of the title Spain won in Austria and Switzerland in 2008.

The Netherlands, beaten by the Spanish in the Johannesburg final, saw off San Marino 5-0 in Group E.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored a hat-trick but it was the returning Van Nistelrooy who stole Dutch hearts, scoring in injury-time after being recalled to the squad for the first time in two years.

The 34-year-old was given a standing ovation as he came on and capped his return with an injury time strike.

“If it comes back again when you really thought it was not possible this is an exceptional moment,” Van Nistelrooy said.

Germany, third at the World Cup, had a tougher night against more serious opponents in Group A but came through 1-0 against Belgium with a goal from the ever reliable Miroslav Klose.

Their main rivals in Group A will be Turkey, who won 3-0 away to Kazakhstan.

In the night’s other David and Goliath clash, Russia grabbed a workmanlike 2-0 win away to Andorra in Group B thanks to two goals from Pavel Pogrebnyak.

Ireland, who felt themselves cheated out of a place at the World Cup when Thierry Henry’s handball set up the winner for France in their play-off, joined Russia at the top of the group after escaping with a 1-0 win away to Armenia.

WET BALL

While Blanc was suffering the ignominy of defeat, Italy’s new coach Cesare Prandelli was able to celebrate — but only after an almighty scare.

The hosts opened the scoring in the 31st minute when Sergei Zenjov struck after Italian keeper Salvatore Sirigu lost his grip on the wet ball.

The 2006 world champions just managed to halt their seven-game win drought thanks to second-half goals from Antonio Cassano and Leonardo Bonucci.

England’s commanding win over Bulgaria will have come as a relief to another Italian coach in Fabio Capello, whose position was called into question after England’s limp exit to Germany in the World Cup.

“Overall the performance was really, really good,” Capello said. “The movement without the ball was fantastic and Defoe is always very important for us.”

Source: supersport.co.za

Pic: soccernet.espn.go.com

European champions Spain looked the more assured early on in the clash at Soccer City as a nervous-looking Dutch side ceded territory to their slick opponents.

Netherlands goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg was forced into a diving save after five minutes when Sergio Ramos headed a Xavi cross goalwards while Spain forward David Villa crashed a volley into the side netting with the goal looming.

However, a series of free kicks and bookings, including two strong challenges by Dutch midfield enforcers Nigel de Jong and Mark van Bommel, shook Spain out of their rhythm.

The Netherlands battling approach meant the Spanish were unable to reproduce the swift-passing possession football that got them to the final.

The Dutch offered little in attack and the nearest they came to a first-half goal was a bizarre incident after 38 minutes when Gregory van der Wiel attempted to give the ball back in an act of sportsmanship.

The fullback’s 60-metre punt bounced up and over Spain captain Iker Casillas, forcing the startled keeper to leap and tip it to safety.

The game continued in the same deadlocked vein after the break, with frequent stoppages and few chances, until Wesley Sneijder split the Spanish defence with a perfectly-weighted ball into the path of Arjen Robben after 62 minutes.

The winger bore down on Casillas and must have thought he had scored when he sent him the wrong way with a low shot but the keeper stuck out a leg and diverted the ball to safety.

Spain then began to take control, moving the ball forward more quickly, and created two good chances.

First, a cross by lively substitute Jesus Navas reached Villa at the far post but his shot was blocked on the line, and then Ramos headed wildly over the bar from five metres out after being left unmarked at a corner.

Neither team has won the World Cup before though the Dutch are playing in their third final.

The game went into extra time and in the 115th minute of the game Andrea Iniesta scored a scorching goal after an assist from Fernando Torres, handing the Spanish the victory.

Source + Pic: supersport.co.za

Paul, the German Octopus that have been spot-on with all his predictions thus far in the World Cup (including Germany’s shock defeat to Serbia in the group stages), have predicted that Spain will win the 2010 FIFA World Cup on Sunday when they come up against the Dutch.

Pic: timeslive.co.za

The Barcelona centre-back powered home a header from 10 yards from Xavi’s corner 17 minutes from time to send the reigning European champions into their first ever World Cup final.

Holland reached the title game by beating Uruguay 3-2 in Cape Town on Tuesday.

It means there will be a new name on the trophy for the first time since France claimed victory on home soil in 1998.

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque had sprung a surprise before kick-off by dropping out-of-form Liverpool forward Fernando Torres and replacing him with Barcelona youngster Pedro.

That move allowed tournament top scorer David Villa to play through the middle and the switch almost paid dividends six minutes into the game.

Pedro came in off his wing and slipped a delightful ball in behind the Germany defence which Villa ran on to but he had to slide in to shoot before Manuel Neuer arrived and he succeeded only in prodding the ball into the goalkeeper’s chest.

Spain should have gone ahead on 14 minutes after a cleverly-worked corner routine left Andres Iniesta free to cross from the right, but Puyol got too much purchase on his diving header and sent the ball over the bar.

Germany were stretched again on 19 minutes as a great crossfield ball from Xabi Alonso found the marauding Sergio Ramos but after an exquisite piece of control his shot was wild and high.

Germany finally threatened on 32 minutes when Piotr Trochowski, in for the suspended Thomas Mueller, shot from distance and forced Iker Casillas into a sprawling save low to his left.

Mesut Ozil thought he should have had a penalty on the stroke of half-time when he went down under a challenge from Ramos but his appeals were waved away by referee Viktor Kassai.

For all their pretty approach play, Spain were struggling to get into the box and started hitting pot shots from distance with Alonso, twice, and Villa shooting wide.

Neuer then saved from Pedro, who moments later shot wide while Villa was inches away from a tap-in after Iniesta jinked into the box and squared the ball across goal.

Up the other end substitute Marcell Jansen’s cross was flicked on by a Spanish head, but on the turn Miroslav Klose could only volley high.

And on 69 minutes Germany created possibly their best chance of the match as substitute Toni Kroos arrived unmarked at the back post onto Lukas Podolski’s cross but his finish was weak and straight at Casillas.

But then came Puyol’s great leap to propel Spain into the final.

Spain had several chances on the counter attack late on but Pedro wasted the best of those as he tried to turn Arne Friedrich once too often instead of squaring to the unmarked substitute Torres.]

Source + Pic: sport24.co.za

Villa pounced in the 63rd minute of an absorbing encounter that saw plenty of chances and Portugal’s Ricardo Costa sent off, chipping a rebound over goalkeeper Eduardo after his first shot was saved.

It was enough to put Spain into a last eight showdown on Saturday against the South Americans, who crushed Japanese hopes in a dramatic 5-3 penalty shoot-out earlier in the day.

Whoever gets through that match has either Argentina or Germany awaiting them in the semi-finals.

In a stadium packed to the rafters with Spanish and Portuguese fans, Spain quickly signalled their intentions with Fernando Torres testing Eduardo with a shot from the edge of the box in the opening minute.

The goalkeeper did well to fist it away and he was in action again soon after with Villa cutting in from the left and fizzing a shot on target.

Portugal were all over the place and Villa rifled another goal-bound in the sixth minute, with Eduardo palming it to safety as he again came to the rescue.

It was impressive stuff from Spain, who were playing the slick passing game they are so good at.

Portugal’s record of not conceding a goal in South Africa was looking decidedly shaky and Xavi troubled them again by turning and whipping a shot over the bar from a quickly taken corner.

After weathering the early storm, Portugal finally got a look in when Tiago blasted a shot from distance, with Iker Casillas pushing the ball in the air and then having to scramble it to safety as Hugo Almeida challenged him.

Another chance presented itself when Cristiano Ronaldo teed up a 30-yard freekick and an edgy Casillas spilled the ball before the Spanish defence quickly mopped up.

Portugal were back in the hunt in a finely poised game and they almost broke the deadlock early in the second half when Carlos Puyol got his knee in the way of a Almeida cross and it looped over Casillas’ head and shaved the post.

The match started opening up but it was game over for Liverpool’s Torres, who was hauled off after 58 minutes with Fernando Llorente replacing him and he almost made a spectacular entrance, heading straight at Eduardo.

Llorente seemed to spark Spain into life and seconds later Villa saw a powerful shot squirm past the post before the Barcelona striker demonstrated why he is one of the best in the business.

After some quickfire passes on the edge of the box he found space on the left and while his first shot was saved, Villa pounced on the rebound to chip it into the net.

Sergio Ramos nearly made it 2-0 just minutes later with an under-pressure Eduardo just getting his fingertips to a powerful shot to turn it behind for a corner.

Another ferocious Villa drive stung the goalkeepers’ palms with 13 minutes left as Spain turned up the heat before Portugal’s misery was completed when Costa was given a straight red card for elbowing Joan Capdevila.

Source + Pic: sport24.co.za

After losing their opening game 1-0 to Switerzerland, the easy victory puts Spain on course to reach the last 16, providing Vicente Del Bosque’s side can beat Chile on Friday.

Honduras rarely threatened the Euro 2008 winners and after their second defeat are out of contention in the tournament, while Spain will need to produce a more convincing display if they are to progress far in the tournament.

The Central American minnows looked pedestrian while Spain attacked in waves as Villa’s brilliance shone for his goals on 17 and 51 minutes, but he wasted the chance to complete his hat-trick when he missed a second-half penalty.

The 28-year-old gave a glimpse of what was to come when he rattled the crossbar on seven minutes from 30 metres out.

Honduras midfielder Danilo Turcios earned the first yellow card on eight minutes for trying to interfere with a quickly taken free-kick.

Villa finally opened the scoring when he cut in from the left wing, beat the defence and then squeezed his shot past two defenders and into the top left-hand corner of the goal on 17 minutes.

Fernando Torres, one of two changes to the side which lost to the Swiss, wasted Sergio Ramos’s cross from the wing when he headed over with half an hour gone in what was a quiet performance from the Liverpool striker still edging back to form.

Emilio Izaguirre picked up the second booking for Honduras when he fouled Spanish winger Jesus Navas on 38 minutes, but Villa was later lucky not to get booked when he appeared to slap Izaguirre in the face in the penalty area.

Spain kept up the pressure after the break as the first-half finished 1-0 and Villa scored his second soon after when a Navas pass found him in space.

His shot from outside the penalty area gave Honduras goalkeeper Noel Valladares no chance on 52 minutes.

Villa should have completed his hat-trick on 62 minutes when Izaguirre brought down Jesus Navas on the edge of the area and referee Yuichi Nishmura awarded the penalty, but the Spaniard fired the spot-kick wide of the right post.

On a rare Honduran attack, David Suazo fired wide on 66 minutes, but the biggest cheer of the night from the 54,386-strong crowd came soon after for the introduction of Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas.

Torres made way for Valencia’s Juan Manuel Mata as the Spanish went off the boil in the final 20 minutes.

Spain must now beat Chile – who defeated Switzerland 1-0 earlier Monday – on Friday in Pretoria to be sure of making the knockout phase, while Honduras will play for pride against the Swiss in Bloemfontein.

Source: sport24.co.za

The striker looked to be near full fitness in training at Spain’s base in Potchefstroom on Sunday as he continued his recovery from the knee surgery he had in April but caution seems to be the priority for the coach.

“I don’t think he’ll play the first match, although he is not ruled out either,” Del Bosque said in an interview with Spanish television broadcaster Telecinco late on Saturday.

The former Real Madrid coach was more upbeat about Andres Iniesta, who tweaked a thigh muscle in Tuesday’s crushing 6-0 win over Poland in a friendly in Murcia.

Creative midfielder Iniesta, a key member of the side, spent about half of Sunday’s training session playing one-touch with his team mates before continuing his recuperation apart from the group as they practised attacking on one half of the pitch.

“I think he (Iniesta) could be available for the Switzerland match,” Del Bosque told Telecinco.

Another Spain injury concern, midfielder Cesc Fabregas, told a post-training news conference on Sunday his recovery from a cracked bone in his leg was proceeding well.

“Every day I’m getting better and stronger,” said the Arsenal captain, who missed the end of the Premier League season.

“I am feeling really confident and I can almost say that I am 100 percent,” he added. “The good thing is that I am training with the team, I have not lost anything due to the physical problems and that’s the best thing that can happpen.”

Source + Pic: supersport.co.za

A first half strike from Villarreal’s Jozy Altidore and another 16 minutes from time by Fulham’s Clint Dempsey did the damage on Wednesday in what will go down as one of the biggest victories in US football history.

They also had a flawless performance by Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard and a commendable defensive display to thank for earning them a shot at the trophy on Sunday against either Brazil or hosts South Africa.

“When you play Spain you certainly have to work very hard as a group to defend. We made a special point to close down Xavi as best we could to prevent his penetrative passes,” said Bradley.

“We felt strongly that when we got the ball we needed to be aggressive and have the confidence that we could keep the ball and move it.

“We did a very good job of sealing down the middle of the field. Our backline did very well. It was a team effort to just try and make sure our defending was good and look for moments to score.”

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque admitted his side were outfoxed.

“We faced a team that played with good energy, was good in attack and was fast. We were surprised. The entire team was very dangerous for us,” he said.

“We are in the world of sport and it was a strong rival and I cannot be unhappy with the effort made by the team. We did everything we could.”

It was a remarkable upset on a freezing night that not only ended Spain’s record of 15 consecutive wins but also prevented them from surpassing Brazil’s 35-match unbeaten run.

Spain will have to be content with going into the history books level with the South Americans after their first loss since November 15, 2006.

“For us it’s a big night, huge,” added Bradley.

“We’re excited to be in the final and when you’re there you have chance to win. The motivation will be very high.”

Spain had won all three previous encounters but the United States’ miracle run to the last four, qualifying on goals scored after finishing level with Italy on goal difference, showed they could not be understimated.

Spain had the first chance of the match but the US weren’t sitting back and Charlie Davies sent a spectacular bicycle kick flashing just wide.

With Dempsey firing a long range drive close soon after it was clear they meant business.

At the other end Cesc Fabregas sent a cross in from the left which Fernando Torres volleyed just past the post.

They combined superbly again shortly after with the Liverpool striker forcing a fine one-handed save from his Merseyside rival Howard.

But in a major shock the US took the lead on 27 minutes when the powerful Altidore muscled past Joan Capdevila and Carles Puyol with Iker Casillas unable to prevent his shot finding the back of the net.

It was only the third goal Spain had conceded in 16 games.

Spain were in trouble but bounced back with a hatful of chances with Torres and Sergio Ramos in the thick of the action only for heroic defending to deny them.

They went to the break losing 1-0 and in need of something special.

David Villa almost provided it soon after the restart when he let rip from just inside the box but Howard turned it round the post.

They threw all they had at the Americans but captain Carlos Bocanegra and his defensive partners held firm and against the run of play they scored a second.

LA Galaxy’s Landon Donovan sent a cross in from the right and errors by Gerald Pique and Ramos allowed Dempsey to hustle the ball over the line for a famous victory.

Brazil and South Africa play their semifinal on Thursday.

Teams

Spain: 1-Iker Casillas; 15-Sergio Ramos, 3-Gerard Pique, 5-Carles Puyol, 11-Joan Capdevila; 10-Cesc Fabregas (20-Santi Cazorla 68), 14-Xabi Alonso, 8-Xavi, 18-Albert Riera (22-Juan Mata 77); 7-David Villa, 9-Fernando Torres

US: 1-Tim Howard; 21-Jonathan Spector, 15-Jay DeMerit, 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 3-Carlos Bocanegra (2-Jonathan Bornstein 89); 8-Clint Dempsey, 12-Michael Bradley, 13-Ricardo Clark, 10-Landon Donovan; 9-Charlie Davies (22-Benny Feilhaber 69), 17-Jozy Altidore (4-Conor Casey 84)

Referee: Jorge Larrionda (Uruguay)

Source + Pic: supersport.co.za