My Sports India: Match Previews, TV Channel timings, and important sports news stories

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. 

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

Goal.com has put up some really nice team profiles for the upcoming Euro 2008 games. 

Team Profile: Switzerland
Switzerland is home to football’s governing bodies, FIFA and UEFA, but looking at the competition, Salvatore Landolina, believes it’s unlikely the host nation will get near the trophy this summer.

However, coach Kuhn is a genius at organising his side and he prefers to use a 4-4-2 diamond formation with Udinese’s Gokhan Inler playing the holding role which is identical to that played by Andrea Pirlo at Milan. The formation has worked well in the past. Last year Kuhn’s side beat Holland 2-1 and they held Argentina’s superstar’s to a 1-1 draw.  

He has shown that it can work but that all depends on how his side cope with the pressures of a major tournament as this is no friendly competition.

Team: Germany
Germany have by far been the most successful side when it comes to the European Championships, the Germans won the European Championship three times: 1972, 1980 and 1996. Germany had a miserable Euro 2004 campaign where they failed to register a single win and went out of the competition in the group stages itself. The Germans will be keen to make up for their disappointment in Euro 04 and win their fourth European Championship title. 

German Captain Michael Ballack is tipped to be key player for the Germans but one cannot forget star striker Miroslav Klose who has been exceptional for both club and country. Another potential star of the Euros is 22-year old striker Mario Gomez who has been on a goal scoring spree for his club VfB Stuttgart scoring 19 times in 25 matches and he was named German player of the year in 2007. read all »

Czech Republic 
No changes from the 23 member provisional squad that Brückner took to South Austria for a training camp. With Daniel Pudil’s withdrawal, Czech champions Slavia Prague will not have a single player from their club playing at Euro 2008.

Czech Republic 23 member Squad for Euro 2008.

• Petr Cech ( Chelsea)
• Zdenek Grygera ( Juventus)
• Jan Polák ( RSC Anderlecht)
• Marek Jankulovski ( AC Milan- Czech Republic player of the year 2007)
• Libor Sionko ( FC Copenhagen)
• Daniel Zítka ( RSC Anderlecht)
• Martin Fenin ( Frankfurt)
• Tomáš Galásek ( Nuremberg)
• Radoslav Kovác ( Spartak Moscow)
• Michal Kadlec ( Sparta Prague)
• David Jarolím ( Hamburger SV)
• Jan Koller ( Borussia Dortmund)
• Václav Sverkoš ( Banik Ostrava)
• Stanislav Vlcek ( RSC Anderlecht)
• Zdenek Pospech ( FC Copenhagen)
• Milan Baroš ( Portsmouth)
• Jaromír Blažek ( Nuremberg)
• Marek Matejovský ( Reading)
• Tomáš Sivok ( Sparta Prague)
• Rudolf Skácel ( Hertha Berlin)
• Jaroslav Plašil ( Osasuna)
• Tomáš Ujfaluši ( Fiorentina)
• David Rozehnal ( PSG)

No Nedved, No Rosicky. The former has retired, while the latter misses out due to injury.

Switzerland
Hosts Switzerland have announced their 23 member squad for the upcoming European Championships, and there were no major surprises. Thomas Haberli, called up as a replacement for the injured Blaise Kufo misses out. Joining the veteran Young Boys forward out is defender Steve von Bergen, who fractured a bone is his right hand. Defender Patrick Mueller and midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta were included in the Swiss squad for the European Championship, despite lingering injury concerns.

The Switzerland Euro 2008 squad will consist of:

Goalkeepers: Diego Benaglio (Wolfsburg), Eldin Jakupovic (Grasshopper), Pascal Zuberbuehler (Xamax Neuchatel).

Defenders: Philipp Degen (Borussia Dortmund), Johan Djourou (Arsenal), Stephane Grichting (Auxerre), Stephan Lichtsteiner (Lille), Ludovic Magnin (Stuttgart), Patrick Mueller (Lyon), Philippe Senderos (Arsenal), Christoph Spycher (Eintracht Frankfurt).

Midfielders: Tranquillo Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen), Valon Behrami (Lazio), Ricardo Cabanas (Grasshopper), Gelson Fernandes (Manchester City), Daniel Gygax (FC Metz), Benjamin Huggel (Basel), Gokhan Inler (Udinese), Johan Vonlanthen (Red Bull Salzburg).

Strikers: Eren Derdiyok (Basel), Alexander Frei (Borussia Dortmund), Marco Streller (Basel), Hakan Yakin (Young Boys).

Need to get your football trivia sharpened up before the matches? The official website of Euro 2008 has put up a nice timeline of the Euro Football tournament. 

They’ve got past players, short summaries of the past tournaments, and a small little photo gallery in a well organised manner. Check it out when you have some free time. 

With less than 11 days to go for the tournament, the buzz is finally starting to get around. Bookmark the Euro 2008 page for updates on the event. 

ESPN has now posted the complete schedule for the Euro 2008 matches. We have taken the trouble to convert those timings for Indian Television so you don’t have to do all the dirty work.

The Euro 2008 tournament will begin with a lot of merryment. The Pre show will begin on 7th June 2008, at 8:30 p.m. IST and will go on for 50 minutes.

This will be followed by a Group A match between Switzerland and Czech Republic at 9:20 p.m. And then a match between Switzerland and Turkey at Geneva, Switzerland at 11:45 p.m.

From hereon the timings of the matches are pretty much fixed. There will be a 20 minute Pre-show at 9:00 p.m. before the game and a 15 minute Post-show after the game. Below is the complete schedule of the Euro 2008 event. 

Update: Star Sports will be broadcasting the clashing matches. read all »

Flamboyant Bollywood actor John Abraham has been roped in as brand ambassador for the UEFA European Football Championship 2008, to be held next month in Switzerland and Austria.

Making the announcement, Managing Director ESPN Software India R C Venkateish, unveiled a detailed promotional campaign Bach Ke Kahan Jaoge for the tournament, which kicks-off on June 7. John Abraham being a household name among Indian television viewers and should definitely be able to rope in those extra viewers. Although let us hope he is not a disaster like his last movie, Goal. 

“India today consumes more international soccers than ever before. We expect impressive ratings for UEFA Euro 2008 as it is one of the most prestigious and recognised sporting events in the world,” Venkateish said.

With an eye on a large soccer viewer-ship base in Hindi-speaking regions of the country, the broadcaster also announced Hindi coverage of the event, separately. ”The championship is rated the second biggest sporting event globally when it comes to TV viewership and we believe that this year television viewership will touch even greater heights,” he said. 

Looks like ESPN is taking the Euro 2008 games very seriously. There is after all lots of money to be made these days from sporting events in India. The IPL is a prime example of large amount of cash flow. Let us see if football popularity in India can catch up to cricket. 

Update: Schedules have been posted. Check out the complete TV schedules and timings for Euro 2008 for Indian Television.

It’s party time for soccer fans of India as all the matches of the UEFA European Football Championship 2008 starting June 7 will be telecast in India live and exclusive by the ESPN network, and the team of My Sports India is going to make sure all its readers get up-to-date matches info, TV timings and previews.

The sports broadcaster also announced a host of production and marketing initiatives aimed at enhancing this exciting property lined up for soccer enthusiasts around the country. UEFA will showcase a bonanza of 31 thrilling matches including 24 first round matches, 4 quarterfinals, 2 semifinal matches from June 19. The finals will be played in Vienna on June 29. The tournament will be held in eight cities: Basel, Geneva, Vienna Klagenfurt, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Zurich and Berne.

Speaking on the occasion, ESPN Software India Managing Director R.C. Venkateish said, “India today consumes more international soccer than ever before. The reach of Barclays Premier League has been growing at more than 40 percent per annum since 2005. We expect impressive ratings for UEFA Euro 2008 as it is one of the most prestigious and recognizable sporting properties in the world.

Update: Schedules have been posted. Check out the complete TV schedules and timings for Euro 2008 for Indian Television

Austria and Switzerland are ready to host the European Football Championship on June 7, having completed their preparations on schedule, one month before the kick-off. The last major construction projects have now been completed in Vienna.

The Ernst Happel stadium which will host the final, have been entirely modernized and refitted to seat 51,000 people, and builders finished putting up the 460 seat media centre last month. The stadium in the seven other host cities have been ready for months, including those in Zurich, Switzerland and Klagenfurt in southern Austria, which suffered some construction and renovation delays.

As renowned tourist destination, the co-hosts are well prepared to welcome hordes of visitors in June and can rely on their existing hotel infrastructure. Austria expects an additional 1.1 million overnight stays during the championship, while Switzer5land is counting 700000. Austria And Swill Rail are also planning to sun respectively 2000 and 2500 special trains during the championship to ensure that fans reach their chosen destination in time.

The co-host are each expecting some two million visitors and estimate the championship could bring in several hundreds of millions of Euros in profit. Beyond the stadia, the eight host cities – Basel, Bern, Geneva and Zurich in Switzerland, and the Austria towns of Innsbruck, Klagenfurt Salzburg and Vienna - are planning larger public viewing zones, with live games shown on giant screens, music performers and food stalls.

The two host countries were slow to show their enthusiasm for the upcoming tournament but Euro fever has now caught up with them and preparations are in full swing for a series of side events, including concerts, exhibits and parties to keep fans entertained during the championship.