Defending champions India are expected to assert their position as South Asia’s top football team at the South Asian Football Federation Championship Final. They will after all be playing against one of the Co-hosts, Maldives. 

To be played at the Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo, there will be no ‘home’ advantage to either teams. 

How did they get here? India first knocked out Nepal with a 4-0 win in the beginning of the group stages. Then they took on the Maldives themselves, and emerged victorious albeit with a close 1-0 outcome. And finally, they took down Pakistan with a 2-1 victory. India then went on to defeat Bhutan 2-1 in the Semi-final, although a sketchy one at that. 

As for Maldives, other than their loss to India, they defeated Pakistan 3-0, and Nepal 4-1. They then went on to defeat co-hosts Sri-Lanka at the Semi-finals. So far they have performed exceptionally well. 

Who will win the SAFF Championship? Will India be able to defend their title, or will Maldives make some quick moves to get past the Bhangra defense.

Unfortunately, like we mentioned earlier, there will be no Live broadcast of this match. The Final will be aired with Same-day-delay on ESPN India at 1:00 p.m. on 15th June, 2008. 

If you hear of any channel broadcasting this match Live, please do let us know. DD Sports might broadcast this, but there is no way of telling as they don’t post an upfront schedule. To stay updated, follow us on Twitter or subscribe to our RSS feeds.

Portugal ready for quarter-final after defeating Czech Republic 3-1.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s sweet second-half strike all but booked Portugal’s place in the Euro 2008 quarter-finals on Wednesday as Luiz Felipe Scolari’s team beat Czech Republic 3-1 at Stade de Geneve.

Man of the match Cristiano Ronaldo declared himself “very happy” after putting Portugal on the brink of a Euro 2008 quarter-final place. The Portuguese overcame Czech Republic 3-1 at the Stade Geneve on Wednesday to move onto six points from two games in Group A.

Ronaldo and substitute Ricardo Quaresma struck second-half goals - the latter in stoppage time - to earn the victory after Libor Sionko had cancelled out Deco’s opener.

“Our main aim was to get to next phase. I’m very happy to have helped my team-mates to win,” said the Manchester United star.

Will getting to the Quarter finals be enough for Portugal? I sure hope they got a little more than that, although, judging by their performance, they sure look like the strongest team on at the tournament. 

Turks knock the co-hosts Switzerland out of the tournament

Turkey’s Arda Turan stunned Switzerland with an injury-time goal at a rain-soaked St Jakob-Park Stadium on Wednesday to knock the Euro 2008 co-hosts out of the tournament.

Hakan Yakin opened the scoring for Switzerland in the 32nd minute but substitute Semih Senturk’s equaliser shortly before the hour mark left both teams searching for their first win in Group A and in the bottom two places of the group.

Just as the game looked to be headed for a draw, Arda struck from the edge of the area. His right-footed effort deflected off a Swiss defender and into the goal to silence the home crowd.

The Swiss wasted the chance to move in front late in the game when Turkey goalkeeper Volkan Demirel made a stunning save to deny Yakin’s close-range effort. Turkey take on the Czech Republic in the last group game on Sunday while the Swiss face unbeaten Portugal. I’m sure Portugal is just going to increase their points.

David Villa strikes a hat-trick netting a 4-1 victory for Spain over Russia. 

David Villa struck a hat-trick as classy Spain got their Euro 2008 challenge off to a flying start with a 4-1 win against Russia at a rain-swept Stadion Tivoli Neu in Innsbruck.

Villa scored twice in the first half before netting his third 15 minutes from time, earning himself the match ball, the man of the match award and making him an early front-runner for the tournament’s leading scorer.

Roman Pavluchenko pulled a late goal back for Russia, but there was still time for Spain to net a fourth through Cesc Fabregas to wrap up a deserved win that will add weight to the belief that this could well be the Iberian nation’s year.

Spain, who extended their unbeaten run to 17 matches with the win, will be wary about reading too much into this result, though. At Euro 2004 they also beat Russia in their opening match only for both sides to fail to make it through to the quarter-finals.

Goal drought ends for Ibrahimovic as Sweden gets a 2-0 defeat over former champions Greece. 

Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic ended his international goal drought in style as Greece’s defence of their European Championship title started with a 2-0 defeat in Salzburg.

Ibrahimovic had not scored for his country since October 2005 but smashed into the top corner in the 67th minute at Stadion Wals-Siezenheim. Receiving a throw from the right flank he fed Henrik Larsson, who returned the ball to the edge of the area to allow Ibrahimovic to unleash his effort without breaking stride.

When Petter Hansson bundled in a second five minutes later, the resistance of the Greeks was crushed. No team has successfully defended this competition and Greece have been given little chance to make history.

So it is the battle between the final four for the Santosh Trophy 2008. Who has survived so far? Services and Punjab make it from Group A while Karnataka and West Bengal push forward from Group B. 

Last year’s quarterfinalist Karnataka defeated fancied opponents Goa by a solitary goal to breeze into the semifinals. In fact, Goa needed a draw to get into the semi-finals but they somehow blew it. Last year’s finalist West Bengal drew 1-1 with Maharashtra

Reigning champions Punjab bulldozed Kerala 5-0, while Services pipped a spirited Jammu and Kashmir 3-2. What happened to Kerala, no one will ever know. 

The Services vs West Bengal semi-final will be aired like on Zee Sports India on 12th June at 3:30 p.m., while the Karnataka vs Punjab match will be aired the next day at the same time. Finals on the 15th at the same time. 

A lackluster Group C opening match of France vs Romania yields no result.

France lacked the guile to break down an obdurate Romania side as a turgid Group C opener in Zurich finished 0-0.

The so-called ‘Group of Death’ got off to a timid start at the Letzigrund, with the French unable to find a way past an opposition who picked up a point they clearly came for.

Clear-cut chances were at a premium, Les Bleus pair Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda having the best of them, as defences came out on top in a match to forget for the strikers.

On the evidence of this match, fellow group opponents Holland and Italy have little to worry about, although France can certainly improve. Romania coach Victor Piturca claimed on the eve of the game that it would be “unbelievable” if his team were to beat the French, one of the favourites for the title.

France better improve or it is definitely getting kicked out. Romania of course no one expects anything of, so they have nothing to worry about…

Stunning gameplay by the Dutch defeat the world champions Italy 3-0

The second match however was a much more interesting one. World champions Italy suffered a calamitous start to their Euro 2008 campaign as they were beaten 3-0 by an impressive Holland in their Group C opener in Bern.

The Dutch were lucky to take a 26th-minute lead after Ruud van Nistelrooy turned in Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s effort from an offside position. Wesley Sneijder then celebrated his 24th birthday in style by adding his team’s second on the half-hour mark following a superb counter-attack.

Italy had numerous chances to reduce the deficit after the re-start but Edwin van der Sar came to the rescue making stunning saves from Andrea Pirlo’s free-kick and then Fabio Grosso’s close-range effort.

Van Bronckhorst completed a wonderful evening for the Oranje by heading past goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon in the 79th minute as Holland celebrated their first victory against the Italians since the 1978 World Cup.

Was this win largely due to the stadium being packed with fans wearing Orange? We’ll never know. It might have helped by some measure as it looked like a home game for the dutch. 

Will Netherlands keep up their strong attack throughout the games to make it to the Finals? Or will Italy show why they are World Champions? If you have something to say, let us know.

So tomorrow we have Sweden vs Span at 9:30 followed by Greece vs Russia at at 12:15 a.m. Be sure to bookmark our Euro 2008 schedule for future reference. 

You could also download a 700MB torrent which includes highlights of both the matches.

A close call for Croatia’s win over Austria

Luka Modric’s penalty gave Croatia a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Austria in the opening Euro 2008 Group B match.

Croatia were made to work hard for their narrow victory as Austria, cheered on by a partisan home crowd at the Ernst Happel Stadion, recovered from a poor opening half-hour to push Slaven Bilic’s men all the way to the final whistle.

Germany dominate over Poland, winning 2-0. 

Lukas Podolski collected a brace as the Germans show a killer instinct in front of goal to dominate the Poles 2-0.
Bayern Munich team-mates Miroslav Klose and Podolski - two of three Poland-born players in the Germany squad - combined in the 20th minute for the latter to put the 1996 European champions ahead, before Podolski sealed the win midway through the second half.

The outcome was partly because Poland had a horrible defence. Their players literally panicked when the likes of Podolski and Klose came close. The polish supporters looked almost embarrassed by their performance. And equally bad was their offence.

The victory continues Germany’s impressive unbeaten record against the Poles, which now stands at 12 wins and four draws, and saw them replace Croatia at the top of Group B.

Tomorrow’s matches should be interesting. At 9:30 we have Romania vs France, and then at 12:15 a.m. we have a must watch Italy vs Netherlands. Be sure to bookmark out Euro 2008 schedule for future reference. 

Last time’s runners up Portugal got the start they needed as Pepe and Mareiles scored 1 each, defeating Turkey in their first group match. The Turks put up a strong defence, but Scholari’s men were a little too strong for Turkey. 

Christiano Ronaldo, the Manchest United star, made many attempts in the first half of the game but was blocked by Turkey goalkeeper Volkan Demirel. The first half did not yield any score for either team, although Portugal seemed to have got a hold on the game.

Finally in the 61st minute, Pepe, dodged past all the defenders, skips straight past Demirel, and sends it in to bring the score to 1-0 in favour of Portugal. Finally, the tension has built up. 

However, Portugal was not going to let Turkey even with them. They pushed through with countless number of attacks on the turks. 

Then, even when it was given that Portugal was winning the match, Mereiles scores in the 93rd minute! That completely sealed their victory soon after which the whistle was blown. 

So do you think Portugal is strong enough this year to make it to the finals and win it? Let us know what you feel in the comments. 

You can also download the Euro 2008 Portugal vs Turkey match from a torrent: First half | Second half

The first match of the Euro 2008 tournament went Live at 9:30 today, and Czech Republic managed to scoop one in to win the first match against Switzerland. 

It didn’t look this way in the beginning however as just five minutes into the game, Alexander Frei picked up the ball in midfield off a Czech mistake and hammered a low shot just inches off the post. picks up the ball in midfield off a Czech mistake. He hammers a shot low which is just inches off the post. 

Then, 32 minutes later, Alexander Frei then unleashed a missile from 30 yards which Petr Cech can only parry. The ball goes straight to Marco Streller but he is offside. Then unfortunately, Alexander Frei had to be moved out of the field on a stretcher having jarred his knee in a challenge with Zdenek Grygera. He was in tears.

The beginning of the second period brought some cheer. Hakan Yakin, on for Frei, announced his arrival by turning his markers and earning a free-kick which Barnetta placed centimetres too high. Then followed the countless number of substitutions. 

Vaclav Svěrkoš then crashed the party (that is, substitute) with 19 minutes remaining. Following a period of Czech pressure prompted by Sionko and Plašil, the striker latched on to Zdeněk Grygera’s forward header to direct a cool, low finish to Benaglio’s left — the 24-year-old’s first international goal. And so the co-host Switzerland’s big day was ruined.

So did you watch this match? Would Switzerland have won if Alexander Frei wasn’t injured? Sound off in the comments. 

To get timings for Indian television of the Euro 2008 tournament, visit our Euro 2008 Schedule post. If you missed this match, you can watch the highlights the next day or download from a torrent. 

So far the two finalists from Group A have been decided, with Nepal and Pakistan taking the long road home from the Maldives. India and the Maldives on the other hand came off with splendid colours, each winning both the matches played, and not only that, high scores to go with it. There is however a game left between India and Maldives, although it doesn’t decide anything.

Here are the current standings of the SAFF championship. All that remains is for Group 2 to play their final two matches which will decide which two go home. Unfortunately, no Indian channel will broadcast those games as India is not playing in any of them. 

This brings us to the Semi-finals and the Final. Unfortunately, the Final is clashing with a Euro 2008 match (on both ESPN and Star Sports!) so there will be a same day delay. So far no other channel is broadcasting this event, but it might change if India manages its way to the Final. If however you do find some channel broadcasting the finals Live, please let us know. 

The Match between India and Maldives will be broadcasted with a Same-day-delay on Star Sports India at 10:00 a.m. on 8th June. 

The Semi-finals will be broadcasted Live on Star Sports India on 11th June, with Game 1 at 4:30 p.m. and Game 2 at 7:30 p.m. IST

The Final will be aired with Same-day-delay on ESPN India at 1:00 p.m. on 15th June, 2008. 

Indian football icon Baichung Bhutia will rub shoulders with international stars like Kaka, Didier Drogba, Fabio Cannavaro and Steven Gerrard in an exhibition match in July to raise funds for African children. Bhutia will play in the ‘Goal 4 Africa’ match, to be kicked off by football legends Pele and Michael Platini on July 12, at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. ‘Goal 4 Africa’ ambassador and Dutch star Clearance Seedorf has invited Bhutia for the unique event inspired by Nobel laureate Nelson Mandela’s dream of “Education for all — all for education”.

The match, which aims to raise 90 million Euros as a tribute to Nelson Mandela, will be held around the anti-apartheid hero’s 90th birthday, which falls on July 18.

Celebrities from other walks of life, world leaders and corporate CEOs will play along with a galaxy of football stars like Kaka, Gerrard, Buffon, van Nistelroy, Michael Essien, Gattusso, Sergio Ramos and Emanuel Adebayor.

The “Goal 4 Africa” global foundation works on the motto: donate an amount every time a goal is scored, be it in an amateur competition in your neighbourhood or at the international level.

Two-year programme will kick-start with the friendly on July 12 and conclude with the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

While all that may be, I particularly wonder what Bhutia must be feeling like playing alongside such awesome players. Do you think Bhutia will make our country proud?

You might have noticed on our Euro 2008 TV timings page that some matches were clashing. Turns out Star Sports will broadcast those matches simultaneously.

The matches in question are:
16th May at 12:05 a.m.: Turkey vs Czech Republic
17th May at 12:05 a.m.: Poland vs Croatia
18th May at 12:05 a.m.: Netherlands vs Romania
19th May at 12:05 a.m.: Russia vs Sweden

So the group rounds are over of the Santosh Trophy 2008, leaving us with the deciding matches of the Quarter finals. Group A consists of Punjab, Kerala, Services and Jammu&Kashmir. So far, two matches have already gone by with Kerala and Services both winning the game, garnering 3 points each. 

Group B on the other hand includes Karnataka, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Goa. So far Karnataka has defeated Maharashtra while Goa and WB have tied scores. 

Here’s a chart of the complete TV schedules for the Santosh Trophy. The matches will be aired Live on Zee Sports India. All timings in IST. read all »