Germany&#39;s defence will be put to the test in their opening Euro 2016 group match against Ukraine in Lille on Sunday with major questions still to be answered about the world champions&#39; new-look rearguard. 
 
Coach Joachim Loew&#39;s team will be without key central defender Mats Hummels, still recovering from a muscle injury, as they kick off their Group C campaign. 
 
Hummels&#39; replacement Antonio Ruediger was ruled out with torn cruciate knee ligaments this week. 
 
Holding midfielder and captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, still working on his comeback from injury, is also absent, further complicating Loew&#39;s defensive conundrum. 
 
Benedikt Hoewedes and Jerome Boateng are the two likely central defenders, but both had a long injury break late in the season and are in desperate need of match practice. 
 
Jonathan Tah, the 20-year-old who was only called up this week following Ruediger&#39;s injury, is expected to be on the bench. 
 
Toni Kroos, who will shoulder the biggest responsibility of connecting Germany&#39;s defensive and attacking game, is brimming with confidence following his Champions League win with Real Madrid. 
 
Assistant coach Thomas Schneider sounded confident on Friday that the team would quickly find their cohesion at the back. 
 
&quot;In the last few matches we thought a lot about our defensive operation and we came up with a few things, including for defensive set pieces,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;We have worked on that in training and everyone knows their job&quot;. 
 
Ukraine, while outsiders, are certain to test the Germans&#39; new-look defence with quick wingers Andriy Yarmolenko and Yevhen Konoplyanka capable of inflicting severe damage. 
 
It will be up to Loew&#39;s full backs to neutralise that threat but they must also break down a steely Ukraine defence. 
 
The Germans, eyeing their fourth Euro triumph but first since 1996, have never lost an opening match at the European Championship, and are aware a slip-up could prove costly. 
 
&quot;The first game is extremely important and it will determine our run in this tournament,&quot; attacking midfielder Julian Draxler said. 
 
Ukraine managed to keep six clean sheets in 10 qualifiers with coach Mykhailo Fomenko having taken over after the co-hosts&#39; disappointing Euro 2012 campaign. 
 
They then came out on top against Slovenia in a playoff last year, with the 67-year-old having moulded them into an efficient unit.

Joachim Loew's men are without key central defender Mats Hummels

Germany's defence will be put to the test in their opening Euro 2016 group match against Ukraine in Lille on Sunday with major questions still to be answered about the world champions' new-look rearguard. Coach Joachim Loew's team will be without key central defender Mats Hummels, still recovering from a muscle injury, as they kick off their Group C campaign. Hummels' replacement Antonio Ruediger was ruled out with torn cruciate knee ligaments this week. Holding midfielder and captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, still working on his comeback from injury, is also absent, further complicating Loew's defensive conundrum. Benedikt Hoewedes and Jerome Boateng are the two likely central defenders, but both had a long injury break late in the season and are in desperate need of match practice. Jonathan Tah, the 20-year-old who was only called up this week following Ruediger's injury, is expected to be on the bench. Toni Kroos, who will shoulder the biggest responsibility of connecting Germany's defensive and attacking game, is brimming with confidence following his Champions League win with Real Madrid. Assistant coach Thomas Schneider sounded confident on Friday that the team would quickly find their cohesion at the back. "In the last few matches we thought a lot about our defensive operation and we came up with a few things, including for defensive set pieces," he said. "We have worked on that in training and everyone knows their job". Ukraine, while outsiders, are certain to test the Germans' new-look defence with quick wingers Andriy Yarmolenko and Yevhen Konoplyanka capable of inflicting severe damage. It will be up to Loew's full backs to neutralise that threat but they must also break down a steely Ukraine defence. The Germans, eyeing their fourth Euro triumph but first since 1996, have never lost an opening match at the European Championship, and are aware a slip-up could prove costly. "The first game is extremely important and it will determine our run in this tournament," attacking midfielder Julian Draxler said. Ukraine managed to keep six clean sheets in 10 qualifiers with coach Mykhailo Fomenko having taken over after the co-hosts' disappointing Euro 2012 campaign. They then came out on top against Slovenia in a playoff last year, with the 67-year-old having moulded them into an efficient unit.

Ukraine speed to test new-look Germany defence

Leonid Slutsky has stepped down as head coach of the national team, the Russian Football Union (RFU) said on Thursday. 
 
Slutsky announced he would not extend his contract after Russia were knocked out of the European Championship last week, finishing bottom of Group B with one point from three games.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The RFU would like to thank Leonid Slutsky, who helped Russia to qualify for the 2016 European Championships, for his professionalism and we wish him all the success in his coaching career,&quot; the RFU said in a statement on its website (www.rfs.ru). &nbsp; 
 
&quot;Information regarding the new coaching staff of the Russian team will be published on the RFU&#39;s official website as soon as there is any information,&quot; it added.&nbsp; 
 
The 45-year-old, who is also CSKA Moscow coach, had been in charge of the national team since August 2015.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

Leonid Slutsky, who is also CSKA Moscow coach, had been in charge of the national team since August 2015

Leonid Slutsky has stepped down as head coach of the national team, the Russian Football Union (RFU) said on Thursday. Slutsky announced he would not extend his contract after Russia were knocked out of the European Championship last week, finishing bottom of Group B with one point from three games. "The RFU would like to thank Leonid Slutsky, who helped Russia to qualify for the 2016 European Championships, for his professionalism and we wish him all the success in his coaching career," the RFU said in a statement on its website (www.rfs.ru). "Information regarding the new coaching staff of the Russian team will be published on the RFU's official website as soon as there is any information," it added. The 45-year-old, who is also CSKA Moscow coach, had been in charge of the national team since August 2015. (Reuters)

Russia coach Slutsky leaves job after Euro 2016 debacle

Portugal&#39;s coach Fernando Santos will leave his final decision on team selection for the quarter-final clash against Poland until today morning because of injuries to at least two players, he told reporters. 
 
Speaking on the eve of the game in Marseille, Santos also said he viewed the two sides as evenly matched which could result in a tight, defensive contest. 
 
&quot;There are some players who aren&#39;t 100 per cent fit so we&#39;ll wait until tomorrow to ascertain whether they are entirely fit or not and if they can play or not,&quot; Santos said. 
 
&quot;Sometimes the players can recover and we still have 24 hours to go.&quot; 
 
Defender Raphael Guerreiro and midfielder Andre Gomes have not trained since Monday and on Wednesday were again not on the pitch with the rest of the squad. 
 
The two sides have met 10 times with their last encounter ending in a goalless draw in 2012 and the omens are that it could be another close game. 
 
Apart from a stunning bicycle kick goal by Switzerland&#39;s Xherdan Shaqiri, the Polish defence has not been breached. 
 
Portugal&#39;s last five European Championship ties have ended in draws after 90 minutes, although they scraped through against Croatia in the last 16 with a 117th minute winner. 
 
&quot;I think it&#39;s a 50-50 match. My players know that. They (Poland) are here on their own merit,&quot; Santos said. 
 
Asked if it could be similar to the Croatia clash, Santos lauded Poland&#39;s defensive unity and collective spirit. 
 
&quot;Of course, it will be a game of a lot of strategy. Sometimes there is a Gordion Knot that you can&#39;t untie,&quot; he said, referring to the mythological legend used as a metaphor for a difficult problem. 
 
&quot;There will be a strong strategic component to this game, because if you concede four goals nobody can ensure you can score five,&quot; he quipped. 
 
Talisman Cristiano Ronaldo struggled against Croatia producing one shot, but Santos defended his &quot;amazing&quot; captain. 
 
&quot;We want to strike a balance, of course. We want Ronaldo to shoot on target 15 times and score 10 goals, but our opponents won&#39;t let us and that&#39;s part of the game,&quot; Santos said. 
 
There have also been concerns over the Stade Velodrome pitch, but Santos, whose country lost to France in the 1984 European Championship semi-final in Marseille, said it looked better than expected. 
 
&quot;We&#39;ve thought about the match here in 1984, but we played against France so you can&#39;t compare the two. It&#39;s apples and oranges,&quot; he said. 
 
(Reuters)

The two sides have met 10 times with their last encounter ending in a goalless draw in 2012

Portugal's coach Fernando Santos will leave his final decision on team selection for the quarter-final clash against Poland until today morning because of injuries to at least two players, he told reporters. Speaking on the eve of the game in Marseille, Santos also said he viewed the two sides as evenly matched which could result in a tight, defensive contest. "There are some players who aren't 100 per cent fit so we'll wait until tomorrow to ascertain whether they are entirely fit or not and if they can play or not," Santos said. "Sometimes the players can recover and we still have 24 hours to go." Defender Raphael Guerreiro and midfielder Andre Gomes have not trained since Monday and on Wednesday were again not on the pitch with the rest of the squad. The two sides have met 10 times with their last encounter ending in a goalless draw in 2012 and the omens are that it could be another close game. Apart from a stunning bicycle kick goal by Switzerland's Xherdan Shaqiri, the Polish defence has not been breached. Portugal's last five European Championship ties have ended in draws after 90 minutes, although they scraped through against Croatia in the last 16 with a 117th minute winner. "I think it's a 50-50 match. My players know that. They (Poland) are here on their own merit," Santos said. Asked if it could be similar to the Croatia clash, Santos lauded Poland's defensive unity and collective spirit. "Of course, it will be a game of a lot of strategy. Sometimes there is a Gordion Knot that you can't untie," he said, referring to the mythological legend used as a metaphor for a difficult problem. "There will be a strong strategic component to this game, because if you concede four goals nobody can ensure you can score five," he quipped. Talisman Cristiano Ronaldo struggled against Croatia producing one shot, but Santos defended his "amazing" captain. "We want to strike a balance, of course. We want Ronaldo to shoot on target 15 times and score 10 goals, but our opponents won't let us and that's part of the game," Santos said. There have also been concerns over the Stade Velodrome pitch, but Santos, whose country lost to France in the 1984 European Championship semi-final in Marseille, said it looked better than expected. "We've thought about the match here in 1984, but we played against France so you can't compare the two. It's apples and oranges," he said. (Reuters)

Portugal sweating on injuries ahead of Poland clash

Iceland were in a relaxed mood at training today as they continued to prepare for their Euro 2016 quarter-final against France, but they were determined to make history in that match on Sunday. 
 
Iceland, in their first major tournament, have already taken the competition by storm, advancing past the group stage before humiliating England 2-1 on Monday. The players had a day off on Wednesday, during which they played golf. 
 
Now, fully turning their attention to France, the players admit were feeling confident the likes of Paul Pogba would find it hard to break Iceland down. 
 
&quot;Pogba is a great player, of course, but I think we all will be ready, I don&#39;t think one player will decide this game, I think it will be really hard to break us down as everybody has seen and I think they (France) need more than one player,&quot; Iceland midfielder Birkir Bjarnason told reporters before training at their team base in Annecy. 
 
&quot;For us it is probably the biggest game in our history, so to meet France in France is fantastic I think. The atmosphere and all the things around the game will be amazing and I think the players will enjoy it.&quot; 
 
Iceland defenders, Kari Arnason and Ragnar Sigurdsson both admitted it would be a tough match. 
 
&quot;I think France at the minute has probably got more quality in their camp, so, it is going to be a tough game, and, we knew the England game was going to be tough but this one probably be even tougher,&quot; Arnason said. 
 
Sigurdsson, added: &quot;We can to try to keep the ball a little bit more, play more offensive - we have been defending a lot - so, that is what we want to do, but it is not easy against the good teams to keep the ball, it is very difficult.&quot; 
 
Up to this stage of the tournament Iceland have always been the unfancied team but Bjarnason doesn&#39;t think they are seen as a weak team any longer. 
 
&quot;In this tournament, on this stage, we will always be underdogs,&quot; Bjarnason said. &quot;It doesn&#39;t matter which teams we meet, we will be the underdogs, and it probably has helped us so far, but as I said earlier, I don&#39;t think, I don&#39;t think anyone will underestimate us at this point.&quot; 
 
Iceland co-coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said his players were only improving and he believes that trend can continue against France. 
 
&quot;We have been playing better and better throughout the competition so hopefully our best game is yet to come,&quot; he said. &quot;And like you were asking, we&#39;re really proud of the players because they seem to be growing every game we play. So let&#39;s hope we will continue on growing in every game we have left in the competition.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

Iceland have already taken the competition by storm, advancing past the group stage before beating England by 2-1 on Monday

Iceland were in a relaxed mood at training today as they continued to prepare for their Euro 2016 quarter-final against France, but they were determined to make history in that match on Sunday. Iceland, in their first major tournament, have already taken the competition by storm, advancing past the group stage before humiliating England 2-1 on Monday. The players had a day off on Wednesday, during which they played golf. Now, fully turning their attention to France, the players admit were feeling confident the likes of Paul Pogba would find it hard to break Iceland down. "Pogba is a great player, of course, but I think we all will be ready, I don't think one player will decide this game, I think it will be really hard to break us down as everybody has seen and I think they (France) need more than one player," Iceland midfielder Birkir Bjarnason told reporters before training at their team base in Annecy. "For us it is probably the biggest game in our history, so to meet France in France is fantastic I think. The atmosphere and all the things around the game will be amazing and I think the players will enjoy it." Iceland defenders, Kari Arnason and Ragnar Sigurdsson both admitted it would be a tough match. "I think France at the minute has probably got more quality in their camp, so, it is going to be a tough game, and, we knew the England game was going to be tough but this one probably be even tougher," Arnason said. Sigurdsson, added: "We can to try to keep the ball a little bit more, play more offensive - we have been defending a lot - so, that is what we want to do, but it is not easy against the good teams to keep the ball, it is very difficult." Up to this stage of the tournament Iceland have always been the unfancied team but Bjarnason doesn't think they are seen as a weak team any longer. "In this tournament, on this stage, we will always be underdogs," Bjarnason said. "It doesn't matter which teams we meet, we will be the underdogs, and it probably has helped us so far, but as I said earlier, I don't think, I don't think anyone will underestimate us at this point." Iceland co-coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said his players were only improving and he believes that trend can continue against France. "We have been playing better and better throughout the competition so hopefully our best game is yet to come," he said. "And like you were asking, we're really proud of the players because they seem to be growing every game we play. So let's hope we will continue on growing in every game we have left in the competition." (Reuters)

Iceland gear up for the biggest game in their history

Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas has given a strong indication that he will retire from international football after 16 years. 
 
The 35-year-old did not play in any of Spain&#39;s four games at Euro 2016 with national team coach Vicente del Bosque picking Manchester United&#39;s David De Gea in goal. 
 
Casillas, who made his debut in 2000 and is Spain&#39;s most capped player with 167 appearances, posted a video on his twitter account (@casillasworld) of a Rambo film with the dialogue saying: &quot;I don&#39;t know where but I&#39;m going.&quot; 
 
&quot;He then posted a message which said: &quot;I&#39;m proud to feel the love of the people today and as always, everyone together for the national team.&quot; 
 
De Gea made a string of saves to keep Spain within striking distance of Italy on Monday before Antonio Conte&#39;s men got a late second goal for a 2-0 second-round win. 
 
The goalkeeper also expressed hope for the future of the national team. He tweeted on @D_DeGea: &quot;Losing is part of the sport as well as getting up after a defeat. We&#39;ll come back!&quot; 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Iker Casillas, who made his debut in 2000 is Spain's most capped player with 167 appearances

Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas has given a strong indication that he will retire from international football after 16 years. The 35-year-old did not play in any of Spain's four games at Euro 2016 with national team coach Vicente del Bosque picking Manchester United's David De Gea in goal. Casillas, who made his debut in 2000 and is Spain's most capped player with 167 appearances, posted a video on his twitter account (@casillasworld) of a Rambo film with the dialogue saying: "I don't know where but I'm going." "He then posted a message which said: "I'm proud to feel the love of the people today and as always, everyone together for the national team." De Gea made a string of saves to keep Spain within striking distance of Italy on Monday before Antonio Conte's men got a late second goal for a 2-0 second-round win. The goalkeeper also expressed hope for the future of the national team. He tweeted on @D_DeGea: "Losing is part of the sport as well as getting up after a defeat. We'll come back!" (Reuters)

Spain veteran Casillas hints at retirement

Switzerland winger Xherdan Shaqiri said he hoped sportswear maker Puma &quot;doesn&#39;t make condoms&quot; after several Swiss players ended their Euro 2016 match with France with shredded jerseys. 
 
The German company blamed a material flaw after four Swiss players -- Admir Mehmedi, Breel Embolo, Blerim Dzemaili and Granit Xhaka -- had to change their shirts in the first half of the goalless draw in Lille on Sunday. 
 
Recent Arsenal recruit Xhaka had to change his shirt again in the second half. 
 
&quot;I hope Puma doesn&#39;t make condoms,&quot; Shaqiri told Switzerland&#39;s SRF broadcaster. 
 
Former England striker Gary Lineker took the opportunity to poke fun on Twitter, writing: &quot;Swiss team&#39;s Puma shirts tearing like paper. Adidas ball bursting. You can never rely on German efficiency!&quot; 
 
During the same match, the Adidas ball used burst in a tackle by Swiss midfielder Valon Behrami. 
 
In a statement, Puma said that &quot;our five Puma teams have played 10 games at Euro 2016 before this without experiencing this problem&quot;. 
 
It later followed up to say that, in all, seven jerseys were ripped Sunday in &quot;grabbing and tugging by French opponents&quot; in the European Championship match. 
 
It said its investigation had found that &quot;there was a faulty batch of material in which the yarn was damaged during production&quot;. 
 
It blamed incorrect application of heat and pressure in the manufacturing process in a workshop in Turkey and promised that &quot;there will not be a repetition&quot; of the flaw. 
 
Puma is also the supplier for the teams of Austria, Czech Republic, Italy and Slovakia. 
 
All of them had &quot;confirmed that they had no problems of this kind and are very satisfied with the quality, functionality and design of the shirts,&quot; said the company. 
 
&quot;Puma regrets the incident and apologises to the Swiss Football Association and its players,&quot; it added. 
 
The Swiss shirts will be needed for at least one more match as the team has qualified for the second round. 
 
Puma&#39;s German rival Adidas said today that it had agreed a four-year deal to remain kit supplier to Germany until 2022, worth more than 50 million euros ($56.5 million) a year. 
 
The agreement with the world champions came in the face of competition from US giant Nike for the prestigious contract. 
(AFP)

Puma blamed for material flaw after four Swiss players had to change their shirts in the first half of the goalless draw in Lille on Sunday

Switzerland winger Xherdan Shaqiri said he hoped sportswear maker Puma "doesn't make condoms" after several Swiss players ended their Euro 2016 match with France with shredded jerseys. The German company blamed a material flaw after four Swiss players -- Admir Mehmedi, Breel Embolo, Blerim Dzemaili and Granit Xhaka -- had to change their shirts in the first half of the goalless draw in Lille on Sunday. Recent Arsenal recruit Xhaka had to change his shirt again in the second half. "I hope Puma doesn't make condoms," Shaqiri told Switzerland's SRF broadcaster. Former England striker Gary Lineker took the opportunity to poke fun on Twitter, writing: "Swiss team's Puma shirts tearing like paper. Adidas ball bursting. You can never rely on German efficiency!" During the same match, the Adidas ball used burst in a tackle by Swiss midfielder Valon Behrami. In a statement, Puma said that "our five Puma teams have played 10 games at Euro 2016 before this without experiencing this problem". It later followed up to say that, in all, seven jerseys were ripped Sunday in "grabbing and tugging by French opponents" in the European Championship match. It said its investigation had found that "there was a faulty batch of material in which the yarn was damaged during production". It blamed incorrect application of heat and pressure in the manufacturing process in a workshop in Turkey and promised that "there will not be a repetition" of the flaw. Puma is also the supplier for the teams of Austria, Czech Republic, Italy and Slovakia. All of them had "confirmed that they had no problems of this kind and are very satisfied with the quality, functionality and design of the shirts," said the company. "Puma regrets the incident and apologises to the Swiss Football Association and its players," it added. The Swiss shirts will be needed for at least one more match as the team has qualified for the second round. Puma's German rival Adidas said today that it had agreed a four-year deal to remain kit supplier to Germany until 2022, worth more than 50 million euros ($56.5 million) a year. The agreement with the world champions came in the face of competition from US giant Nike for the prestigious contract. (AFP)

?'I hope Puma don't make condoms' says Shaqiri

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said that despite security measures in place, there is &quot;not zero risk&quot; of &quot;terrorist crimes&quot; during the the Euro 2016 tournament. 
 
Cazeneuve made the remarks at a news conference after attending a meeting of the ministerial committee on security in Paris today 
 
&quot;We can always be confronted, when taking all the precautions, by individual acts from covert people or groups who have used encrypted ways to commit terrorist crimes. So we have to have the lucidity to say that the sum of precautions that we are taking does not mean there is zero risk, even if these precautions have allowed until now for the competition to carry on under good conditions,&quot; he said. 
 
Cazeneuve said French police had arrested 557 people to date for violence or other unlawful behaviour. Several were handed immediate jail sentences and 21 others were expelled from French territory. 
 
The prospect of a militant Islamist attack remained the main preoccupation, he said. 
 
&quot;The key word for what concerns me and the for what concerns the organisation teams and security teams is absolute vigilance and zero tolerance,&quot; said UEFA Euro 2016 president Jacques Lambert, who also attended the news conference along with the French minister for Cities, Youth and Sport Patrick Kanner. 
 
France is on high alert for such an assault since the November 13 attacks in Paris claimed by Islamic State. A state of emergency remains in place for the duration of the tournament.

French police had arrested 557 people to date for violence and 21 others were expelled from French territory

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said that despite security measures in place, there is "not zero risk" of "terrorist crimes" during the the Euro 2016 tournament. Cazeneuve made the remarks at a news conference after attending a meeting of the ministerial committee on security in Paris today "We can always be confronted, when taking all the precautions, by individual acts from covert people or groups who have used encrypted ways to commit terrorist crimes. So we have to have the lucidity to say that the sum of precautions that we are taking does not mean there is zero risk, even if these precautions have allowed until now for the competition to carry on under good conditions," he said. Cazeneuve said French police had arrested 557 people to date for violence or other unlawful behaviour. Several were handed immediate jail sentences and 21 others were expelled from French territory. The prospect of a militant Islamist attack remained the main preoccupation, he said. "The key word for what concerns me and the for what concerns the organisation teams and security teams is absolute vigilance and zero tolerance," said UEFA Euro 2016 president Jacques Lambert, who also attended the news conference along with the French minister for Cities, Youth and Sport Patrick Kanner. France is on high alert for such an assault since the November 13 attacks in Paris claimed by Islamic State. A state of emergency remains in place for the duration of the tournament.

Threat remains despite security precautions during Euro games - French Interior Minister

Germany central defender Jerome Boateng returned to training today after overcoming a muscle injury, and appeared fit for Sunday&#39;s Euro 2016 round of 16 clash against Slovakia. 
 
Boateng picked up a calf muscle injury towards the end of their 1-0 victory over Northern Ireland this week, and his participation on Sunday was in doubt. 
 
He did not train with the team on Friday, undergoing an individual session involving cycling and jogging, and seemed fit on Saturday, as Germany prepare for their departure to Lille later in the day. 
 
The 27-year-old, who has resumed his World-Cup winning partnership in central defence with Mats Hummels, has helped the world champions keep a clean sheet in all three of their group stage matches in the tournament so far. 
 
The winner of the round of 16 match will next play either Italy or Euro holders Spain in the quarter-finals. 
 
(Reuters)

Boateng injured his calf towards the end of their 1-0 victory over Northern Ireland and his participation on Sunday was in doubt

Germany central defender Jerome Boateng returned to training today after overcoming a muscle injury, and appeared fit for Sunday's Euro 2016 round of 16 clash against Slovakia. Boateng picked up a calf muscle injury towards the end of their 1-0 victory over Northern Ireland this week, and his participation on Sunday was in doubt. He did not train with the team on Friday, undergoing an individual session involving cycling and jogging, and seemed fit on Saturday, as Germany prepare for their departure to Lille later in the day. The 27-year-old, who has resumed his World-Cup winning partnership in central defence with Mats Hummels, has helped the world champions keep a clean sheet in all three of their group stage matches in the tournament so far. The winner of the round of 16 match will next play either Italy or Euro holders Spain in the quarter-finals. (Reuters)

Germany's Jerome Boateng back in training for Slovakia game

Albania&#39;s first win at Euro 2016 against Romania on Sunday was the ultimate display of coach Gianni De Biasi&#39;s one-for-all and all-for-one mentality. 
 
The small Balkan nation&#39;s 1-0 victory, which gave them their first three points, meant they still have a chance to reach the knockout phase as the third-placed team behind France and Switzerland. 
 
The encounter was never going to be a goal fest, both teams having qualified thanks to their tight defences. 
 
In his four years as coach, Italian De Biasi has tried various players to find the perfect combination and it seems he found it on Sunday. 
 
He left captain Lorik Cana on the bench despite his comeback from suspension following a red card in their opener. The Italian also brought in Migjen Basha for a packed five-man midfield. 
 
A hard-working 4-5-1 formation soaked up early Romanian pressure before gradually wrenching control as their opponents quickly ran out of ideas. 
 
The outstanding Ledian Memushaj was crucial in keeping the Romanian defence occupied while Armando Sadiku&#39;s header just before halftime was all the motivation the Albanians needed as the door for a last-16 spot cracked open. 
 
Desperately fighting off a late Romanian charge, De Biasi&#39;s players showed the determination that helped them qualify for their first tournament with man-of-the-match centre back Arlind Ajeti leading their defence. 
 
They were left with cramps but aware it was their team work that carried them to their first victory. Albania finally finds itself out of football obscurity with this first win against Romania in 68 years. 
 
It could not be more different for Romania coach Angel Iordanescu, whose 100th game on their bench as coach or assistant coach marked a quick end to their Euro hopes with yet another performance lacking guile and creativity. 
 
They may have scored less than Romania during the tournament, but their focus on defence proved decisive on Sunday as Iordanescu&#39;s men could not find the equaliser that would have given a slim chance to progress. 
 
(Reuters)

This was the side's first win at Euro 2016

Albania's first win at Euro 2016 against Romania on Sunday was the ultimate display of coach Gianni De Biasi's one-for-all and all-for-one mentality. The small Balkan nation's 1-0 victory, which gave them their first three points, meant they still have a chance to reach the knockout phase as the third-placed team behind France and Switzerland. The encounter was never going to be a goal fest, both teams having qualified thanks to their tight defences. In his four years as coach, Italian De Biasi has tried various players to find the perfect combination and it seems he found it on Sunday. He left captain Lorik Cana on the bench despite his comeback from suspension following a red card in their opener. The Italian also brought in Migjen Basha for a packed five-man midfield. A hard-working 4-5-1 formation soaked up early Romanian pressure before gradually wrenching control as their opponents quickly ran out of ideas. The outstanding Ledian Memushaj was crucial in keeping the Romanian defence occupied while Armando Sadiku's header just before halftime was all the motivation the Albanians needed as the door for a last-16 spot cracked open. Desperately fighting off a late Romanian charge, De Biasi's players showed the determination that helped them qualify for their first tournament with man-of-the-match centre back Arlind Ajeti leading their defence. They were left with cramps but aware it was their team work that carried them to their first victory. Albania finally finds itself out of football obscurity with this first win against Romania in 68 years. It could not be more different for Romania coach Angel Iordanescu, whose 100th game on their bench as coach or assistant coach marked a quick end to their Euro hopes with yet another performance lacking guile and creativity. They may have scored less than Romania during the tournament, but their focus on defence proved decisive on Sunday as Iordanescu's men could not find the equaliser that would have given a slim chance to progress. (Reuters)

De Biasi's Albania earn victory for the collective

France ended the group stage of Euro 2016 in the position they wanted but their coach still seems to be looking for the right formula to bring the best out of a team with high expectations. 
 
Didier Deschamps has been tinkering with the team formula since the start of the tournament, making five changes for Sunday&#39;s goalless draw with Switzerland that allowed the host nation to win their group. 
 
France, who have plenty of talent up front, showed potential in the second half against Albania and in the first against Switzerland but they are yet to produce a full-match performance suggesting they could trouble the big guns. 
 
All they have done so far is win one of the weakest groups in the tournament and it remains to be seen how their back four, arguably their weakest point, will hold against more dangerous opponents. 
 
An astute tactician, Deschamps surprised many observers when he left midfielder Paul Pogba and striker Antoine Griezmann, regarded as France&#39;s most dangerous weapons, on the bench for the opening half against Albania. 
 
With his side struggling in a 4-2-3-1 formation, the coach reacted swiftly by sending on Pogba, and then Griezmann and reverting to a 4-3-3 system that eventually wore down Albania&#39;s defence. 
 
There was another surprise on Sunday when Dimitri Payet, who was instrumental in France&#39;s first two wins with a great goal in each, started on the bench, leaving his spot in the starting 11 to Kingsley Coman. 
 
Deschamps will have been pleased with a few things he saw against Switzerland, notably the fact that Pogba, who was all over the pitch in the first half, showed his class at last after subdued displays in his first two outings. 
 
With Pogba in that form and more of the same from Payet, France, will now almost certainly keep relying on a 4-3-3 formation which is working much better for them, and could step up a gear in the knockout stages. 
 
The pair of Laurent Koscielny and Adil Rami now looking safer after showing signs of nerves in warm-up games and against Romania, the defence is less of a worry for Deschamps, even if left back Patrice Evra is looking his age and might be targeted by opponents to come. 
 
Deschamps, who captained France to victory at the 1998 World Cup and at the European Championship two years later, has a reputation for changing everything he touches into gold. 
 
He&#39;s not quite at that level yet at this tournament but there are a few signs suggesting he is moving in the right direction. 
 
(Reuters)

The win ensured that the host nation ended at the top of their group

France ended the group stage of Euro 2016 in the position they wanted but their coach still seems to be looking for the right formula to bring the best out of a team with high expectations. Didier Deschamps has been tinkering with the team formula since the start of the tournament, making five changes for Sunday's goalless draw with Switzerland that allowed the host nation to win their group. France, who have plenty of talent up front, showed potential in the second half against Albania and in the first against Switzerland but they are yet to produce a full-match performance suggesting they could trouble the big guns. All they have done so far is win one of the weakest groups in the tournament and it remains to be seen how their back four, arguably their weakest point, will hold against more dangerous opponents. An astute tactician, Deschamps surprised many observers when he left midfielder Paul Pogba and striker Antoine Griezmann, regarded as France's most dangerous weapons, on the bench for the opening half against Albania. With his side struggling in a 4-2-3-1 formation, the coach reacted swiftly by sending on Pogba, and then Griezmann and reverting to a 4-3-3 system that eventually wore down Albania's defence. There was another surprise on Sunday when Dimitri Payet, who was instrumental in France's first two wins with a great goal in each, started on the bench, leaving his spot in the starting 11 to Kingsley Coman. Deschamps will have been pleased with a few things he saw against Switzerland, notably the fact that Pogba, who was all over the pitch in the first half, showed his class at last after subdued displays in his first two outings. With Pogba in that form and more of the same from Payet, France, will now almost certainly keep relying on a 4-3-3 formation which is working much better for them, and could step up a gear in the knockout stages. The pair of Laurent Koscielny and Adil Rami now looking safer after showing signs of nerves in warm-up games and against Romania, the defence is less of a worry for Deschamps, even if left back Patrice Evra is looking his age and might be targeted by opponents to come. Deschamps, who captained France to victory at the 1998 World Cup and at the European Championship two years later, has a reputation for changing everything he touches into gold. He's not quite at that level yet at this tournament but there are a few signs suggesting he is moving in the right direction. (Reuters)

France home and dry after goalless draw with Switzerland

The German company Goal Control has questioned UEFA&#39;s decision to award the goal-line technology contract for the Euro 2016 soccer championships to Hawk-Eye, a Sony subsidiary, citing it as a breach of antitrust regulations. 
 
&quot;The awarding (of the contract) to Sony Hawk-Eye for Euro 2016 and other European club tournaments, i.e. Champions League and Europa League mean that in most stadiums of the major leagues in Europe the system Sony Hawk-Eye can be found. That means that they monopolise the market,&quot; the lawyer for the German company Goal Control, Wolfgang Kau, told Reuters on Tuesday. 
 
Ligue 1 chose the Goal Control system back in 2015, so with it already installed in all the stadiums being used for Euro 2016, Kau said that it would have been better and cheaper to use Goal Control rather than Hawk-Eye. 
 
&quot;And we know from the world championship and the use in the French league that the Goal Control System works at least as well as the Sony Hawk-Eye System. And both are licensed by FIFA. So that cannot be the problem.&quot; 
 
Kau hinted that there might be some other influences in the decision by the UEFA, like the &quot;sponsorship contract between Sony and UEFA&quot; and that the other two competitors had no equal chance. 
 
In April, UEFA decided to use Hawk-Eye technology for its Euro 2016 goal-line technology to determine whether the ball has crossed the goal-line. The British company&#39;s camera-based system, used in tennis and cricket and at the 2014 World Cup final, is installed in all 10 stadiums hosting the tournament in France and also used in the Premier League and Bundesliga. 
 
The system uses seven cameras to track the flight of the ball, indicating to the referee&#39;s radio-controlled watch within one second with a vibration and visual signal whether a goal has been scored. Referees are still be helped by additional assistant referees. 
 
UEFA&#39;s cooperation with Hawk-Eye will continue, as goal-line technology is to be used in the UEFA Super Cup match in Trondheim and the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League, from the play-offs onwards. A decision concerning its implementation in the UEFA Europa League, from the group stage onwards in 2017/18, will be made at a later stage. 
 
(Reuters)

UEFA's cooperation with Hawk-Eye will continue and the technology is to be used in the UEFA Super Cup and the 2016//17 UEFA Champions League

The German company Goal Control has questioned UEFA's decision to award the goal-line technology contract for the Euro 2016 soccer championships to Hawk-Eye, a Sony subsidiary, citing it as a breach of antitrust regulations. "The awarding (of the contract) to Sony Hawk-Eye for Euro 2016 and other European club tournaments, i.e. Champions League and Europa League mean that in most stadiums of the major leagues in Europe the system Sony Hawk-Eye can be found. That means that they monopolise the market," the lawyer for the German company Goal Control, Wolfgang Kau, told Reuters on Tuesday. Ligue 1 chose the Goal Control system back in 2015, so with it already installed in all the stadiums being used for Euro 2016, Kau said that it would have been better and cheaper to use Goal Control rather than Hawk-Eye. "And we know from the world championship and the use in the French league that the Goal Control System works at least as well as the Sony Hawk-Eye System. And both are licensed by FIFA. So that cannot be the problem." Kau hinted that there might be some other influences in the decision by the UEFA, like the "sponsorship contract between Sony and UEFA" and that the other two competitors had no equal chance. In April, UEFA decided to use Hawk-Eye technology for its Euro 2016 goal-line technology to determine whether the ball has crossed the goal-line. The British company's camera-based system, used in tennis and cricket and at the 2014 World Cup final, is installed in all 10 stadiums hosting the tournament in France and also used in the Premier League and Bundesliga. The system uses seven cameras to track the flight of the ball, indicating to the referee's radio-controlled watch within one second with a vibration and visual signal whether a goal has been scored. Referees are still be helped by additional assistant referees. UEFA's cooperation with Hawk-Eye will continue, as goal-line technology is to be used in the UEFA Super Cup match in Trondheim and the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League, from the play-offs onwards. A decision concerning its implementation in the UEFA Europa League, from the group stage onwards in 2017/18, will be made at a later stage. (Reuters)

Goal Control complain to UEFA for using Hawk-Eye for goal-line technology at Euro 2016

Poland face a test of patience and their nerves when they open their Euro 2016 campaign against a Northern Ireland side who want to make themselves &quot;horrible&quot; to play against. 
 
Sunday&#39;s group C match will pit one of the most attack-minded of the 24 teams at Euro 2016 against a team who have made no bones about their intentions. 
 
Spearheaded by the attacking duo of Robert Lewandowski and Arkadiusz Milik, Poland were the highest-scoring team in the qualifying competition with 33 goals, 13 of them coming from Bayern Munich&#39;s Lewandowski. 
 
Coach Adam Nawalka has turned them from a counter-attacking side into one that keeps possession and build attacks carefully. 
 
He has also bucked the trend of teams playing with a single, or no, striker, expressly to give Lewandowski more support, a tactic which has worked wonders so far. 
 
The huge expectations back home, however, will put Poland under considerable pressure as they attempt to pass the group stage at the Euros for the first time, and Northern Ireland are just the team to play on their anxiety. 
 
Northern Ireland have limited resources but manager Michael O&#39;Neill clearly knows their place and makes no apologies for a playing style which is likely to prove a test of endurance for spectators as well as the opposition. 
 
&ldquo;We are going to have to be horrible to play against,&rdquo; he said recently. &ldquo;We are going to be really good without the ball, run further than any other team, drill all the statistics back in their face. Sixty-five per cent possession? We don&rsquo;t expect to have that.&rdquo; 
 
The Euro debutants&#39; squad includes 13 players based with lower-tier sides in England, five from the English Premier League, four from the Scottish Premier League and one from Australia&#39;s A-League. None of them play in continental Europe. 
 
Despite this, they conceded only eight goals in qualifying and are unbeaten in their last 12 matches, a run stretching back to March last year and the longest in the team&#39;s history. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s a fantastic achievement to be out here but having achieved that we want to leave our mark on the tournament,&quot; said O&#39;Neill. &quot;There is a sense of excitement for all of us. This is a new experience for myself (and) for all of the players.&quot; 
&nbsp;

And the Irish hope to be "horrible" to play against

Poland face a test of patience and their nerves when they open their Euro 2016 campaign against a Northern Ireland side who want to make themselves "horrible" to play against. Sunday's group C match will pit one of the most attack-minded of the 24 teams at Euro 2016 against a team who have made no bones about their intentions. Spearheaded by the attacking duo of Robert Lewandowski and Arkadiusz Milik, Poland were the highest-scoring team in the qualifying competition with 33 goals, 13 of them coming from Bayern Munich's Lewandowski. Coach Adam Nawalka has turned them from a counter-attacking side into one that keeps possession and build attacks carefully. He has also bucked the trend of teams playing with a single, or no, striker, expressly to give Lewandowski more support, a tactic which has worked wonders so far. The huge expectations back home, however, will put Poland under considerable pressure as they attempt to pass the group stage at the Euros for the first time, and Northern Ireland are just the team to play on their anxiety. Northern Ireland have limited resources but manager Michael O'Neill clearly knows their place and makes no apologies for a playing style which is likely to prove a test of endurance for spectators as well as the opposition. “We are going to have to be horrible to play against,” he said recently. “We are going to be really good without the ball, run further than any other team, drill all the statistics back in their face. Sixty-five per cent possession? We don’t expect to have that.” The Euro debutants' squad includes 13 players based with lower-tier sides in England, five from the English Premier League, four from the Scottish Premier League and one from Australia's A-League. None of them play in continental Europe. Despite this, they conceded only eight goals in qualifying and are unbeaten in their last 12 matches, a run stretching back to March last year and the longest in the team's history. "It's a fantastic achievement to be out here but having achieved that we want to leave our mark on the tournament," said O'Neill. "There is a sense of excitement for all of us. This is a new experience for myself (and) for all of the players."

Poland face test of patience against Northern Ireland

Mexico&#39;s Jesus Manuel Corona weaved his way past five players before firing home in the 80th minute to give his side a 1-1 draw with Venezuela. The draw assured Mexico of the top spot in Group C of the Copa America on Monday. 
 
By topping the group Mexico are likely to avoid Argentina in the quarter-finals. Argentina require just a point in their final game against Bolivia to be sure of top spot in Group D. 
 
Mexico and Venezuela each finished with seven points from their three matches but &#39;El Tri&#39; had a superior goal difference. 
 
Venezuela had seized the advantage in the 10th minute when Jose Manuel Velazquez silenced the pro-Mexico crown in Houston with a sensational overhead kick. 
 
Venezuela&rsquo;s Josef Martinez came close to scoring with a bicycle kick but Mexico goalkeeper Jose de Jesus Corona saved well. Venezuela keeper Daniel Hernandez also produced a string of saves before conceding his first goal of the tournament. 
 
In the group&#39;s other match, Uruguay finished thetournament on a high with a 3-0 victory over Jamaica in Santa Clara, California. 
 
With both teams already eliminated after losing their opening two games, Uruguay went ahead through Abel Hernandez in the 21st minute, doubled their lead on an own goal in the 66th minute before Mathias Corujo made it 3-0. 
 
Jamaica ended the tournament without picking up a point or scoring a goal.

Mexico are now top of group C at Copa America 2016

Mexico's Jesus Manuel Corona weaved his way past five players before firing home in the 80th minute to give his side a 1-1 draw with Venezuela. The draw assured Mexico of the top spot in Group C of the Copa America on Monday. By topping the group Mexico are likely to avoid Argentina in the quarter-finals. Argentina require just a point in their final game against Bolivia to be sure of top spot in Group D. Mexico and Venezuela each finished with seven points from their three matches but 'El Tri' had a superior goal difference. Venezuela had seized the advantage in the 10th minute when Jose Manuel Velazquez silenced the pro-Mexico crown in Houston with a sensational overhead kick. Venezuela’s Josef Martinez came close to scoring with a bicycle kick but Mexico goalkeeper Jose de Jesus Corona saved well. Venezuela keeper Daniel Hernandez also produced a string of saves before conceding his first goal of the tournament. In the group's other match, Uruguay finished thetournament on a high with a 3-0 victory over Jamaica in Santa Clara, California. With both teams already eliminated after losing their opening two games, Uruguay went ahead through Abel Hernandez in the 21st minute, doubled their lead on an own goal in the 66th minute before Mathias Corujo made it 3-0. Jamaica ended the tournament without picking up a point or scoring a goal.

Mexico draws with Venezuela, Uruguay beat Jamaica

Spain huffed and puffed, making hard work of their Euro 2016 opener before a late Gerard Pique goal blew away the Czech Republic resistance. Yet the win could not conceal the fact that Vicente del Bosque&#39;s champions may be lacking a killer instinct. 
 
Until defender Pique&#39;s crucial late header, the holders were again largely ineffective in front of goal, just as they had been in their 1-0 loss to Georgia in their final warm-up game last week. 
 
Spain had three-quarters of the possession up until the interval and played most of the game in the Czech half, but still did not have the wit or invention to break down their more limited opponents. 
 
By the end, the champions had hit the target just five times in their 17 attempts, with Pique&#39;s 87th-minute header from a superb Andres Iniesta cross eventually sparing them blushes. 
 
It left Spain&#39;s coach Vicente del Bosque with an increasingly familiar headache. &quot;It&#39;s true that we dominate but we still struggle in front of goal,&quot; he sighed afterwards. 
 
The most important thing for the coach was that this was at least an improvement on Spain&#39;s last three opening games at major tournaments: a defeat in the 2014 World Cup by the Netherlands, a draw with Italy in Euro 2012 and a loss in the 2010 World Cup to Switzerland. 
 
They started with a sense of urgency and were most effective when they had David Silva and Jordi Alba stretching the Czech team on the flanks. That enabled them to create the first real opening of the game, with Silva&#39;s cross from the right finding Alvaro Morata in the box but his first-touch shot was kept out by the ever-excellent Petr Cech. 
 
Problems started for Spain when Silva and Alba started drifting inside, flooding the central area of the pitch and making the champions too predictable. 
 
Still, they should have gone into the break ahead but were denied by some terrific work from Cech, who managed to stop Morata twice. 
 
&quot;We would have seen a different game had one of our chances in the opening half gone in,&quot; reckoned Spain captain Sergio Ramos. 
 
Morata was replaced by Aritz Aduriz in the 62nd minute but he could do little with Spain continuing to produce long spells of possession without any incisive intent or penetration. 
 
Eventually, though, one moment of sheer star quality shone through. Andres Iniesta, still a twinkle-toed Fred Astaire of the modern game at 32, unfurled one curling, inch-perfect cross that simply demanded a thumping Pique finish. 
 
&quot;This is who we are,&quot; the Barcelona maestro Iniesta declared afterwards. &quot;We have achieved so much success because of our style of play. We have played games like this one and it&#39;s just a case of trying and trying, until the ball goes in.&quot; 
 
The problem is that the wait for those goals is incerasingly becoming a test of the Spain supporters&#39; nerves and patience.&nbsp;

Gerard Pique ensured a 1-0 win over the Czech Republic

Spain huffed and puffed, making hard work of their Euro 2016 opener before a late Gerard Pique goal blew away the Czech Republic resistance. Yet the win could not conceal the fact that Vicente del Bosque's champions may be lacking a killer instinct. Until defender Pique's crucial late header, the holders were again largely ineffective in front of goal, just as they had been in their 1-0 loss to Georgia in their final warm-up game last week. Spain had three-quarters of the possession up until the interval and played most of the game in the Czech half, but still did not have the wit or invention to break down their more limited opponents. By the end, the champions had hit the target just five times in their 17 attempts, with Pique's 87th-minute header from a superb Andres Iniesta cross eventually sparing them blushes. It left Spain's coach Vicente del Bosque with an increasingly familiar headache. "It's true that we dominate but we still struggle in front of goal," he sighed afterwards. The most important thing for the coach was that this was at least an improvement on Spain's last three opening games at major tournaments: a defeat in the 2014 World Cup by the Netherlands, a draw with Italy in Euro 2012 and a loss in the 2010 World Cup to Switzerland. They started with a sense of urgency and were most effective when they had David Silva and Jordi Alba stretching the Czech team on the flanks. That enabled them to create the first real opening of the game, with Silva's cross from the right finding Alvaro Morata in the box but his first-touch shot was kept out by the ever-excellent Petr Cech. Problems started for Spain when Silva and Alba started drifting inside, flooding the central area of the pitch and making the champions too predictable. Still, they should have gone into the break ahead but were denied by some terrific work from Cech, who managed to stop Morata twice. "We would have seen a different game had one of our chances in the opening half gone in," reckoned Spain captain Sergio Ramos. Morata was replaced by Aritz Aduriz in the 62nd minute but he could do little with Spain continuing to produce long spells of possession without any incisive intent or penetration. Eventually, though, one moment of sheer star quality shone through. Andres Iniesta, still a twinkle-toed Fred Astaire of the modern game at 32, unfurled one curling, inch-perfect cross that simply demanded a thumping Pique finish. "This is who we are," the Barcelona maestro Iniesta declared afterwards. "We have achieved so much success because of our style of play. We have played games like this one and it's just a case of trying and trying, until the ball goes in." The problem is that the wait for those goals is incerasingly becoming a test of the Spain supporters' nerves and patience.

Defending champs Spain seal last-gasp win

England manager Roy Hodgson has said he is prepared to remain in the job after Euro 2016 but will not be &#39;begging&#39; for a new deal. 
 
Hodgson&#39;s contract expires after the tournament in France and Football Association (FA) chairman Greg Dyke indicated last week that the 68-year-old may have to lead the team to the semi-finals to guarantee staying on. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m not begging for the job. I am prepared to carry on,&quot; Hodgson told British media ahead of Monday&#39;s last-16 match against Iceland in Nice. &quot;It is different to wanting it. I&#39;m prepared to carry on if the FA want me to. If they don&#39;t want me to, then my contract will have run out and that is how it will be. I believe in the team I am working with and believe the team is showing such potential that it will go on to do good things and if the FA want me to continue with me looking after them, I will be happy to do so.&quot; 
 
England reached the last 16 after finishing second to Wales, who have already reached the quarter-finals, in Group B. 
 
They beat Wales 2-1 but draws against Russia and Slovakia left them in what turned out to be a much tougher half of the draw. They have scored three goals from their three games to date. 
 
If they beat Iceland, their next opponents will be either hosts France or Ireland. 
 
World champions Germany are also in that half of the draw, along with holders Spain and Italy. 
 
Hodgson&#39;s decision to make six changes for the final group game against Slovakia, which ended goalless, drew some criticism although FA chief executive Martin Glenn denied that he and Dyke had any problems with Hodgson&#39;s decisions. 
 
&quot;He has our full support, he has been a great manager and I think we are going to do great things in this tournament,&quot; said Glenn. 
 
Asked about the criticism of his tactics, Hodgson indicated that it came from the media rather than from within the England hierarchy. 
 
&quot;The FA will make the decision on what they want to do,&quot; he said. &quot;One hopes they will do it on their thinking and their observations and judgement and analysis on what is happening with the national team and not because some journalist has written something contrary to that.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

England reached the last 16 after finishing second to Wales, who have already reached the quarter-finals, in Group B

England manager Roy Hodgson has said he is prepared to remain in the job after Euro 2016 but will not be 'begging' for a new deal. Hodgson's contract expires after the tournament in France and Football Association (FA) chairman Greg Dyke indicated last week that the 68-year-old may have to lead the team to the semi-finals to guarantee staying on. "I'm not begging for the job. I am prepared to carry on," Hodgson told British media ahead of Monday's last-16 match against Iceland in Nice. "It is different to wanting it. I'm prepared to carry on if the FA want me to. If they don't want me to, then my contract will have run out and that is how it will be. I believe in the team I am working with and believe the team is showing such potential that it will go on to do good things and if the FA want me to continue with me looking after them, I will be happy to do so." England reached the last 16 after finishing second to Wales, who have already reached the quarter-finals, in Group B. They beat Wales 2-1 but draws against Russia and Slovakia left them in what turned out to be a much tougher half of the draw. They have scored three goals from their three games to date. If they beat Iceland, their next opponents will be either hosts France or Ireland. World champions Germany are also in that half of the draw, along with holders Spain and Italy. Hodgson's decision to make six changes for the final group game against Slovakia, which ended goalless, drew some criticism although FA chief executive Martin Glenn denied that he and Dyke had any problems with Hodgson's decisions. "He has our full support, he has been a great manager and I think we are going to do great things in this tournament," said Glenn. Asked about the criticism of his tactics, Hodgson indicated that it came from the media rather than from within the England hierarchy. "The FA will make the decision on what they want to do," he said. "One hopes they will do it on their thinking and their observations and judgement and analysis on what is happening with the national team and not because some journalist has written something contrary to that." (Reuters)

Euro 2016: Hodgson happy to continue, but will not 'beg' to stay

As soccer greats show off their skills in France for UEFA Euro 2016, children at a soccer camp in the Baltic state of Estonia learn how to use an oak tree which sits in the middle of their pitch, to gain an advantage. 
 
The more than 150-year-old oak tree has kept centrestage since the park was made into a sports ground in the late 1940s, in the coastal town of Orissaare on the Island of Saaremaa. 
 
The tree remains despite an attempt by two Soviet tractors to pull it down. The cables broke, the tree stood strong. 
 
The oak, which is about 15 metres high, won the European Tree of the Year vote in 2015 with over 50,000 votes. It dominates one half of the pitch. 
 
&quot;I think it might be a strange sight for others, a tree in the middle of the football field,&quot; said local coach Mati Ruutel. 
 
&quot;I have been here since my childhood, so for me it is perfectly ordinary that it is in the middle of the pitch.&quot; 
 
On this windy day, 40 children aged between 7 and&nbsp;12 were at a soccer camp, keeping their water bottles cool in the tree&#39;s shade as they got on with their training drills. 
 
When a match is on players make use of the tree to help pass the ball and make it harder for opposing players to get possession. 
 
&quot;It is good for training ... if you need to learn passing your opponent with the ball, then it is good,&quot; said ten-year-old Anette Ige.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Like when the opponent comes from the other side of the tree, then you can come here and she will not guess from which side you are coming, so you have the opportunity to take the ball.&quot; 
 
When asked how would their favourite soccer stars play with such an addition to the pitch, Hendrik Ellar, 7, said his favourite player, Ronaldinho, &quot;would come running, kick the ball against the tree, and he would get the pass back and kick into goal.&quot; 
(Reuters)

The oak, which is about 15 metres standing high in the soccer pitch, won the European Tree of the Year vote in 2015 with over 50,000 votes.

As soccer greats show off their skills in France for UEFA Euro 2016, children at a soccer camp in the Baltic state of Estonia learn how to use an oak tree which sits in the middle of their pitch, to gain an advantage. The more than 150-year-old oak tree has kept centrestage since the park was made into a sports ground in the late 1940s, in the coastal town of Orissaare on the Island of Saaremaa. The tree remains despite an attempt by two Soviet tractors to pull it down. The cables broke, the tree stood strong. The oak, which is about 15 metres high, won the European Tree of the Year vote in 2015 with over 50,000 votes. It dominates one half of the pitch. "I think it might be a strange sight for others, a tree in the middle of the football field," said local coach Mati Ruutel. "I have been here since my childhood, so for me it is perfectly ordinary that it is in the middle of the pitch." On this windy day, 40 children aged between 7 and 12 were at a soccer camp, keeping their water bottles cool in the tree's shade as they got on with their training drills. When a match is on players make use of the tree to help pass the ball and make it harder for opposing players to get possession. "It is good for training ... if you need to learn passing your opponent with the ball, then it is good," said ten-year-old Anette Ige. "Like when the opponent comes from the other side of the tree, then you can come here and she will not guess from which side you are coming, so you have the opportunity to take the ball." When asked how would their favourite soccer stars play with such an addition to the pitch, Hendrik Ellar, 7, said his favourite player, Ronaldinho, "would come running, kick the ball against the tree, and he would get the pass back and kick into goal." (Reuters)

Oak tree sits in middle of soccer pitch, what would Ronaldinho do?

Italy coach Antonio Conte said before Euro 2016 that his side would have to make up for their lack of talent with tactical cunning, and they did exactly that to sink Belgium 2-0 on Monday. 
 
In terms of pure footballing ability, Italy&#39;s current team is regarded as one of the country&#39;s weakest in years. Yet, they were still too streetwise for a Belgium team that once again failed to live up to expectations. 
 
The Azzurri&#39;s shortage of talent is such that 38-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is seen as their standout performer while Daniele De Rossi, once a purely destructive presence, has been recalled to dictate the passing in midfield. 
 
Riccardo Montolivo, Marco Verratti and Claudio Marchisio, who might have added some class, are injured while maverick forward Mario Balotelli&#39;s career has gone so far off the rails that his exclusion from the squad went almost unnoticed. 
 
Monday&#39;s opening Group E performance was typical of Conte who won three successive Serie A titles in as many years at Juventus. 
 
In the last few months he has talked about understanding the importance of &quot;wearing the shirt&quot;, to the exclusion of almost anything else, and the players seem to have got the message. 
 
Italy appeared to line up with a 3-5-2 formation but this quickly reverted to a back line of five when the opposition had the ball and changed to an attacking four when they went forward. 
 
It required extraordinary work from the players and Italy were wilting by the end. 
 
The defence, featuring Juventus trio Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli, was outstanding but this was by no means the sort of negative or cynical performance that has marred Italy&#39;s reputation in the past. 
 
Conte&#39;s men looked to attack in numbers when they had the chance and, for all of Belgium&#39;s possession, Thibaut Courtois was the busier goalkeeper. 
 
There was some gamesmanship to start with, but it didn&#39;t last. Having cleverly avoided any yellow cards in the first hour, Italy picked up four in the last third of the match as they stopped counter-attacks at all cost. 
 
Two excellent goals from Emanuele Giaccherini and Graziano Pelle capped Italy&#39;s display. Giaccherini&#39;s goal was his first in internationals since the Confederations Cup three years ago. 
 
In the meantime he has gone from a fringe player at Juventus to struggling for a place at Sunderland and finally to unglamorous Bologna, an example of how workmenlike players have replaced Italian artists such as Andrea Pirlo.

Conte's Azzuri battled from start to finish in the win

Italy coach Antonio Conte said before Euro 2016 that his side would have to make up for their lack of talent with tactical cunning, and they did exactly that to sink Belgium 2-0 on Monday. In terms of pure footballing ability, Italy's current team is regarded as one of the country's weakest in years. Yet, they were still too streetwise for a Belgium team that once again failed to live up to expectations. The Azzurri's shortage of talent is such that 38-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is seen as their standout performer while Daniele De Rossi, once a purely destructive presence, has been recalled to dictate the passing in midfield. Riccardo Montolivo, Marco Verratti and Claudio Marchisio, who might have added some class, are injured while maverick forward Mario Balotelli's career has gone so far off the rails that his exclusion from the squad went almost unnoticed. Monday's opening Group E performance was typical of Conte who won three successive Serie A titles in as many years at Juventus. In the last few months he has talked about understanding the importance of "wearing the shirt", to the exclusion of almost anything else, and the players seem to have got the message. Italy appeared to line up with a 3-5-2 formation but this quickly reverted to a back line of five when the opposition had the ball and changed to an attacking four when they went forward. It required extraordinary work from the players and Italy were wilting by the end. The defence, featuring Juventus trio Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli, was outstanding but this was by no means the sort of negative or cynical performance that has marred Italy's reputation in the past. Conte's men looked to attack in numbers when they had the chance and, for all of Belgium's possession, Thibaut Courtois was the busier goalkeeper. There was some gamesmanship to start with, but it didn't last. Having cleverly avoided any yellow cards in the first hour, Italy picked up four in the last third of the match as they stopped counter-attacks at all cost. Two excellent goals from Emanuele Giaccherini and Graziano Pelle capped Italy's display. Giaccherini's goal was his first in internationals since the Confederations Cup three years ago. In the meantime he has gone from a fringe player at Juventus to struggling for a place at Sunderland and finally to unglamorous Bologna, an example of how workmenlike players have replaced Italian artists such as Andrea Pirlo.

Scrappy Italy take Belgium down

Spain&#39;s right back Juanfran says his costly penalty shootout miss in Atletico Madrid&#39;s Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid has made him a better player at Euro 2016. 
 
Less than three weeks have passed since the veteran&#39;s spot kick hit the post and Cristiano Ronaldo converted the winning penalty for Real Madrid. 
 
Juanfran started in Spain&#39;s 1-0 victory over the Czech Republic in Group D on Monday and is expected to be in the lineup again when the champions take on Turkey on Friday. 
 
&quot;I&#39;ve always overcome difficult times,&quot; the 31-year-old told Marca. &quot;I knew this would make me stronger, even from a personal standpoint. I&#39;m better than I was and after that final, I&#39;m ready for anything.&quot; 
 
&quot;I will never forget it but you learn to live with it. Each game represents a re-match and Monday&#39;s game was a new opportunity for me.&quot; 
 
Juanfran says he has received nothing but support since the setback to Real and even the sales of his Atletico jersey have increased. He is convinced the national team has the potential to win a third straight title. 
 
&quot;We are our biggest opponents and it all depends on the hunger we have,&quot; he said. &quot;If we want to reach the final and we are convinced of it and we give all that we have then, we will make it.&nbsp;We need work, show humility and the quality will do the rest.&quot; 
(Reuters)

The Spanish right back is convinced that the national team has potential to win a third straight title

Spain's right back Juanfran says his costly penalty shootout miss in Atletico Madrid's Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid has made him a better player at Euro 2016. Less than three weeks have passed since the veteran's spot kick hit the post and Cristiano Ronaldo converted the winning penalty for Real Madrid. Juanfran started in Spain's 1-0 victory over the Czech Republic in Group D on Monday and is expected to be in the lineup again when the champions take on Turkey on Friday. "I've always overcome difficult times," the 31-year-old told Marca. "I knew this would make me stronger, even from a personal standpoint. I'm better than I was and after that final, I'm ready for anything." "I will never forget it but you learn to live with it. Each game represents a re-match and Monday's game was a new opportunity for me." Juanfran says he has received nothing but support since the setback to Real and even the sales of his Atletico jersey have increased. He is convinced the national team has the potential to win a third straight title. "We are our biggest opponents and it all depends on the hunger we have," he said. "If we want to reach the final and we are convinced of it and we give all that we have then, we will make it. We need work, show humility and the quality will do the rest." (Reuters)

I am ready for anything, says Spain's Juanfran

Thousands of England and Wales fans gathered in the French town of Lens and Lille for their team&#39;s Euro 2016 soccer showdown today. 
 
Both sets of fans were in good spirits but police were braced to prevent more of the violence that has brought England and Russia the risk of expulsion from the tournament. 
 
French riot police charged and used tear gas to disperse rowdy English soccer fans in the nearby northern city of Lille on Wednesday night. Police said about 50 people were hurt, 16 of them hospitalised. 
 
UEFA said today that it regretted the violence but it stopped short of action to punish the fans or teams. 
 
The governing body of European soccer said it was planning no Executive Committee meeting in the wake of the overnight violence on the streets of Lille. 
 
The decision effectively means England are not under any immediate threat of disqualification over their fans&#39; behaviour as any decision to expel England for crowd disturbances outside the stadium would need to be taken by the executive committee. 
 
Today&#39;s Group B match between England and Wales in the Euro 2016 group has been dubbed &quot;The Battle of Britain&quot;. 
 
Lens Prefect Fabienne Bucchio told reporters the town was quiet so far. Only nine people were detained by police overnight, she said, all in connection with minor incidents of drunkenness. Eight of them were French. 
 
After violence in the Mediterranean port of Marseille before and after England&#39;s 1-1 draw with Russia on Saturday, UEFA warned England that a repetition of fans&#39; violent behaviour could see the team expelled. 
 
UEFA also told Russia that it would be disqualified if there was a repeat of their fans&#39; violent behaviour, which included attacks on England supporters in the stadium as the match ended. 
 
Throughout Wednesday (June 15), 36 people were arrested for various offences as Russia lost to Slovakia in Lille and England prepared to play Wales, police said. 
 
This morning, police checked fans&#39; boarding trains from Lille to Lens to ensure none were travelling with alcohol, leading to long queues. A heavy police team carried out similar checks in pouring rain on arrival 45 minutes later in Lens. 
(Reuters)

Today's match between England and Wales has been dubbed 'The Battle of Britain'

Thousands of England and Wales fans gathered in the French town of Lens and Lille for their team's Euro 2016 soccer showdown today. Both sets of fans were in good spirits but police were braced to prevent more of the violence that has brought England and Russia the risk of expulsion from the tournament. French riot police charged and used tear gas to disperse rowdy English soccer fans in the nearby northern city of Lille on Wednesday night. Police said about 50 people were hurt, 16 of them hospitalised. UEFA said today that it regretted the violence but it stopped short of action to punish the fans or teams. The governing body of European soccer said it was planning no Executive Committee meeting in the wake of the overnight violence on the streets of Lille. The decision effectively means England are not under any immediate threat of disqualification over their fans' behaviour as any decision to expel England for crowd disturbances outside the stadium would need to be taken by the executive committee. Today's Group B match between England and Wales in the Euro 2016 group has been dubbed "The Battle of Britain". Lens Prefect Fabienne Bucchio told reporters the town was quiet so far. Only nine people were detained by police overnight, she said, all in connection with minor incidents of drunkenness. Eight of them were French. After violence in the Mediterranean port of Marseille before and after England's 1-1 draw with Russia on Saturday, UEFA warned England that a repetition of fans' violent behaviour could see the team expelled. UEFA also told Russia that it would be disqualified if there was a repeat of their fans' violent behaviour, which included attacks on England supporters in the stadium as the match ended. Throughout Wednesday (June 15), 36 people were arrested for various offences as Russia lost to Slovakia in Lille and England prepared to play Wales, police said. This morning, police checked fans' boarding trains from Lille to Lens to ensure none were travelling with alcohol, leading to long queues. A heavy police team carried out similar checks in pouring rain on arrival 45 minutes later in Lens. (Reuters)

England and Wales fans gear up for Euro 2016 match

Football tensions mounted and patriotic hopes rose Sunday ahead of the Euro 2016 final between hosts France and Portugal that will unleash a clash between one of the world&#39;s greatest ever players Cristiano Ronaldo and would-be pretender Antoine Griezmann. 
 
After 50 matches over a month of football that has seen stunning shocks by Iceland and Wales, Ronaldo is counting on his side to produce one more upset so he can finally win an international trophy. 
 
Portugal will have to beat a French side who have found new inspiration from Griezmann, the tournament&#39;s leading scorer with six goals and will be willed on by a nation longing to rediscover the feelgood factor. 
 
With the country still on terrorist alert after the November 13 attacks in which 130 people died, more than 3,400 police will be on the Champs Elysees in Paris alone when the match starts at the Stade de France at 1900 GMT. 
 
National flags hung from apartment blocks and homes in cities across France and Portugal as football fever mounted. 
 
The buildup to Euro 2016 was clouded by fears that the tournament would be targeted by jihadists after 130 people were killed in terror attacks on Paris in November. 
 
&quot;The French people needed to find their way again,&quot; President Francois Hollande said in a commentary on the wave of support for the national team that has been in disgrace in recent years. 
 
&quot;We saw it at the time of the attacks. We came together in the dramas, we had to find ourselves in the happiness, to come together.&quot;Rival coaches Didier Deschamps of France and Fernando Santos of Portugal have been desperately trying to shield their teams from the sky-high hopes of their nations. 
 
Deschamps, who captained the French side that won the 1998 World Cup and the Euro title in 2000, said he could feel the adrenaline pumping. 
 
&quot;It`s an exceptional moment, a privilege, a unique chance because there is a title at the end,&quot; Deschamps said of the final. 
 
&quot;What you need to do is approach it as relaxed as possible while being at the same time totally focused on the match,&quot; he added. 
 
&quot;On the bench, there is a frustration in not taking part, but I can&#39;t do that anyway. But I&#39;m fine, I don&#39;t feel any pressure, no stress, just adrenaline and that&#39;s positive.&quot; 
 
France have put in some stylish performances, including their 5-2 win over Iceland to end the giant-killing run of the team that dumped England out of the contest. 
 
France captain Hugo Lloris said the team wants to put their name in the history books to redeem themselves for a player revolt at the 2010 World Cup that made them a national disgrace. 
 
The troubles were worsened by the exclusion of star striker Karim Benzema over an alleged sextape blackmail attempt. 
 
&quot;We have come through a crisis in French football,&quot; the Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper said. &quot;We have climbed back up the slope, we have done it step by step.&quot; 
 
Lloris said Sunday&#39;s final is &quot;the chance to go into French football history.&quot; 
 
France, with home advantage in the 85,000-capacity stadium, and with Griezmann, star midfielder Paul Pogba and the calming influence of Lloris, start as favourites. 
 
But they acknowledge the omnipresent danger of Ronaldo on the pitch. 
 
Santos has succeeded by building a team around the superstar striker and winning &quot;ugly&quot; when necessary to get to the next round. 
 
Portugal&#39;s 2-0 win over Wales in the semi-final was their first in the tournament achieved within 90 minutes. 
 
Veterans such as defender Pepe and Ricardo Quaresma have played lynchpin roles on days when Ronaldo has failed to fire.Portugal have been criticised for some of their European Championship performances but Santos said he does not care. 
 
He also says France are the favourites but believes Portugal can win. 
 
&quot;Let them carry on saying that Portugal won without deserving it,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;I will be very happy if they say that again tomorrow. I will go home very happy.&quot; 
 
Portugal have never fully recovered from losing the 2004 Euro final to Greece when they hosted the tournament. 
 
Ronaldo, who shed tears as a 19-year-old at that match, said this week he wants to be &quot;crying with joy&quot; today. 
 
Ronaldo&#39;s Real Madrid teammate Pepe is fully fit again after missing the semi-final through injury. Pepe said Portugal were strong because they want to win. 
 
&quot;I&#39;ve been at a very demanding club for 10 years and I`ve been playing for Portugal since 2008,&quot; he said when asked about his own ambition to win at the age of 33. 
 
&quot;I have three European Championship and two World Cup campaigns to my name. 
 
&quot;I have always been very demanding of myself. I don`t like to lose, I want to help my team. That makes me play at the highest level and to be recognised at the highest level.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

France Captain Hugo Lloris said Sunday's final is 'the chance to go into French football history'

Football tensions mounted and patriotic hopes rose Sunday ahead of the Euro 2016 final between hosts France and Portugal that will unleash a clash between one of the world's greatest ever players Cristiano Ronaldo and would-be pretender Antoine Griezmann. After 50 matches over a month of football that has seen stunning shocks by Iceland and Wales, Ronaldo is counting on his side to produce one more upset so he can finally win an international trophy. Portugal will have to beat a French side who have found new inspiration from Griezmann, the tournament's leading scorer with six goals and will be willed on by a nation longing to rediscover the feelgood factor. With the country still on terrorist alert after the November 13 attacks in which 130 people died, more than 3,400 police will be on the Champs Elysees in Paris alone when the match starts at the Stade de France at 1900 GMT. National flags hung from apartment blocks and homes in cities across France and Portugal as football fever mounted. The buildup to Euro 2016 was clouded by fears that the tournament would be targeted by jihadists after 130 people were killed in terror attacks on Paris in November. "The French people needed to find their way again," President Francois Hollande said in a commentary on the wave of support for the national team that has been in disgrace in recent years. "We saw it at the time of the attacks. We came together in the dramas, we had to find ourselves in the happiness, to come together."Rival coaches Didier Deschamps of France and Fernando Santos of Portugal have been desperately trying to shield their teams from the sky-high hopes of their nations. Deschamps, who captained the French side that won the 1998 World Cup and the Euro title in 2000, said he could feel the adrenaline pumping. "It`s an exceptional moment, a privilege, a unique chance because there is a title at the end," Deschamps said of the final. "What you need to do is approach it as relaxed as possible while being at the same time totally focused on the match," he added. "On the bench, there is a frustration in not taking part, but I can't do that anyway. But I'm fine, I don't feel any pressure, no stress, just adrenaline and that's positive." France have put in some stylish performances, including their 5-2 win over Iceland to end the giant-killing run of the team that dumped England out of the contest. France captain Hugo Lloris said the team wants to put their name in the history books to redeem themselves for a player revolt at the 2010 World Cup that made them a national disgrace. The troubles were worsened by the exclusion of star striker Karim Benzema over an alleged sextape blackmail attempt. "We have come through a crisis in French football," the Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper said. "We have climbed back up the slope, we have done it step by step." Lloris said Sunday's final is "the chance to go into French football history." France, with home advantage in the 85,000-capacity stadium, and with Griezmann, star midfielder Paul Pogba and the calming influence of Lloris, start as favourites. But they acknowledge the omnipresent danger of Ronaldo on the pitch. Santos has succeeded by building a team around the superstar striker and winning "ugly" when necessary to get to the next round. Portugal's 2-0 win over Wales in the semi-final was their first in the tournament achieved within 90 minutes. Veterans such as defender Pepe and Ricardo Quaresma have played lynchpin roles on days when Ronaldo has failed to fire.Portugal have been criticised for some of their European Championship performances but Santos said he does not care. He also says France are the favourites but believes Portugal can win. "Let them carry on saying that Portugal won without deserving it," he said. "I will be very happy if they say that again tomorrow. I will go home very happy." Portugal have never fully recovered from losing the 2004 Euro final to Greece when they hosted the tournament. Ronaldo, who shed tears as a 19-year-old at that match, said this week he wants to be "crying with joy" today. Ronaldo's Real Madrid teammate Pepe is fully fit again after missing the semi-final through injury. Pepe said Portugal were strong because they want to win. "I've been at a very demanding club for 10 years and I`ve been playing for Portugal since 2008," he said when asked about his own ambition to win at the age of 33. "I have three European Championship and two World Cup campaigns to my name. "I have always been very demanding of myself. I don`t like to lose, I want to help my team. That makes me play at the highest level and to be recognised at the highest level." (AFP)

France, Portugal head for Euro 2016 final showdown

A week after England and Russia supporters clashed, and while flare-throwing and fighting have marred games elsewhere, fans of Iceland say they prefer hugs to hooliganism at Euro 2016. 
 
Having the time of their lives, Icelanders told AFP in Marseille they have come to their first ever European Championships to have fun and feel part of Europe. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m not sure life can get any better, it&#39;s historic, great to be here,&quot; Louise Ragnarsdottir told AFP on the seafront of the southern city.&nbsp;&quot;All my life I watched the tournaments on TV, now we are part of Europe&#39;s party!&quot; said the 28-year-old accountant from Reykjavik. 
 
Some 27,000 Iceland fans have travelled to France, almost 10 per cent of the Nordic island&#39;s 330,000-strong population. No smaller country has ever featured at a Euro finals. 
 
&quot;We live on a faraway island, just to go abroad at all is an experience,&quot; said Ragnarsdottir. 
 
After the Group F tie with Hungary on Saturday pockets of Iceland fans gathered in Marseille&#39;s Vieux Port district to chant &quot;Boom-Boom-Hoooo!&quot;, leaping in unison on the &quot;Hoooo!&quot;. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s our Viking song, synchronised and terrifying,&quot; laughed Arni Gardar, an IT consultant from Reykjavik. 
 
&quot;But we don&#39;t mean to be scary, we are good Vikings not marauders, actually very nice, we come in peace,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;Iceland is N-Iceland!&quot; cried another fan, Jonina Unnur Gunnarsdottir. 
 
&nbsp;&#39;Best fans yet&#39; 
 
&quot;They are the best fans we have seen yet,&quot; said Karim, a cafe owner watching the revelry on the Quai des Belges. &quot;It was different last week,&quot; he recalled. 
 
Nearly a week ago England and Russia fans conducted pitched battles in the worst violence at a football tournament since the 1998 World Cup, prompting police to respond with tear gas and baton charges. 
 
For fans of the Nordic minnows the Euro 2016 violence has been an eye-opening experience. 
 
&quot;We are a peaceful nation, we have no army, no guns, we&#39;re just not into fighting,&quot; Atli Gudmundsson told AFP. &quot;At home families go to football, no-one dreams of ever causing trouble.&quot; 
 
The 29-year-old attended the Croatia-Czech Republic tie in Saint Etienne on Friday where Croatian fans fought among themselves and lit flares, forcing a temporary stoppage in play. 
 
&quot;Torches on the pitch, fighting in the stands, that kind of thing is new to us, it was quite shocking to see,&quot; he said. 
 
&#39;Share the love&#39;&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We just want to hug people, I mean come on, just share the love,&quot; said his friend Daniel Ma&#39;sson. 
 
Hungary brought some 20,000 fans to the game in Marseille. Some scuffled with security guards before the game and threw flares on the pitch. 
 
All the tension was on the other side of the pitch,&quot; Elisabet Thorisdottir told AFP. 
 
&quot;The Hungarians were a little bit aggressive, but very passionate. We had no problem with them or anyone else.&quot; 
 
Around 10,000 Iceland fans were also in the Stade Velodrome and the two sets of fans produced a raucous atmosphere, the Scandinavians holding their own with renditions of &quot;Boom-Boom-Hoooo&quot;. 
 
And leading 1-0 with two minutes to go Iceland were on the brink of a fairytale win to follow the 1-1 draw against Cristiano Ronaldo&#39;s Portugal on their European Championships debut. 
 
Then two minutes from the end an own goal by Birkir Savarsson crushed their dreams. 
 
&quot;The Portugal 1-1 draw was like a win, but the Hungary 1-1 felt like a defeat,&quot; said Iceland fan Bjarni Mak Johanntsson. 
 
But for a country that just four years ago was ranked 131st in the world, their fans will enjoy the rest of Euro 2016 no matter whatever happens in the final group game against Austria in the Stade de France on Wednesday. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re the small guys, always overlooked,&quot; said Hdortur Bjarnason. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s just good to be noticed for once. Europe, we will be back!&quot; he said, punching the air. 
(AFP)

Almost 10% of all Icelanders have come to their first-ever European Championships to have fun

A week after England and Russia supporters clashed, and while flare-throwing and fighting have marred games elsewhere, fans of Iceland say they prefer hugs to hooliganism at Euro 2016. Having the time of their lives, Icelanders told AFP in Marseille they have come to their first ever European Championships to have fun and feel part of Europe. "I'm not sure life can get any better, it's historic, great to be here," Louise Ragnarsdottir told AFP on the seafront of the southern city. "All my life I watched the tournaments on TV, now we are part of Europe's party!" said the 28-year-old accountant from Reykjavik. Some 27,000 Iceland fans have travelled to France, almost 10 per cent of the Nordic island's 330,000-strong population. No smaller country has ever featured at a Euro finals. "We live on a faraway island, just to go abroad at all is an experience," said Ragnarsdottir. After the Group F tie with Hungary on Saturday pockets of Iceland fans gathered in Marseille's Vieux Port district to chant "Boom-Boom-Hoooo!", leaping in unison on the "Hoooo!". "It's our Viking song, synchronised and terrifying," laughed Arni Gardar, an IT consultant from Reykjavik. "But we don't mean to be scary, we are good Vikings not marauders, actually very nice, we come in peace," he said. "Iceland is N-Iceland!" cried another fan, Jonina Unnur Gunnarsdottir. 'Best fans yet' "They are the best fans we have seen yet," said Karim, a cafe owner watching the revelry on the Quai des Belges. "It was different last week," he recalled. Nearly a week ago England and Russia fans conducted pitched battles in the worst violence at a football tournament since the 1998 World Cup, prompting police to respond with tear gas and baton charges. For fans of the Nordic minnows the Euro 2016 violence has been an eye-opening experience. "We are a peaceful nation, we have no army, no guns, we're just not into fighting," Atli Gudmundsson told AFP. "At home families go to football, no-one dreams of ever causing trouble." The 29-year-old attended the Croatia-Czech Republic tie in Saint Etienne on Friday where Croatian fans fought among themselves and lit flares, forcing a temporary stoppage in play. "Torches on the pitch, fighting in the stands, that kind of thing is new to us, it was quite shocking to see," he said. 'Share the love' "We just want to hug people, I mean come on, just share the love," said his friend Daniel Ma'sson. Hungary brought some 20,000 fans to the game in Marseille. Some scuffled with security guards before the game and threw flares on the pitch. All the tension was on the other side of the pitch," Elisabet Thorisdottir told AFP. "The Hungarians were a little bit aggressive, but very passionate. We had no problem with them or anyone else." Around 10,000 Iceland fans were also in the Stade Velodrome and the two sets of fans produced a raucous atmosphere, the Scandinavians holding their own with renditions of "Boom-Boom-Hoooo". And leading 1-0 with two minutes to go Iceland were on the brink of a fairytale win to follow the 1-1 draw against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal on their European Championships debut. Then two minutes from the end an own goal by Birkir Savarsson crushed their dreams. "The Portugal 1-1 draw was like a win, but the Hungary 1-1 felt like a defeat," said Iceland fan Bjarni Mak Johanntsson. But for a country that just four years ago was ranked 131st in the world, their fans will enjoy the rest of Euro 2016 no matter whatever happens in the final group game against Austria in the Stade de France on Wednesday. "We're the small guys, always overlooked," said Hdortur Bjarnason. "It's just good to be noticed for once. Europe, we will be back!" he said, punching the air. (AFP)

'Nice' Iceland fans prefer hugs to hooliganism

It will be virgin territory for Wales when they face Portugal in the Euro 2016 semi-finals yet their opponents could be forgiven a sense of deja vu as they step on to the pitch in Lyon today. 
 
This will be Portugal&#39;s fourth semi-final in the last five editions of the competition stretching back to 2000, but for all their success in reaching the latter stages of the tournament, there has been little glory along the way. 
 
Only once have they overcome the last-four hurdle and then they were beaten in the final by Greece as hosts at Euro 2004. 
 
If their defeat in the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup and the loss at the Euros in 1984 are taken into account, they are becoming all too familiar with the pitfalls of this stage of major tournaments. 
 
Portugal&#39;s conquerors in their recent last-four clashes have included football powerhouses France, at Euro 2000 and the World Cup in 2006, and Spain at Euro 2012. 
 
If they lose to Wales, playing their first major tournament in 58 years and their first ever semi-final, it would be a devastating blow. 
 
Yet Wales are arguably the form team coming into the match. 
 
Chris Coleman&#39;s side have revelled in their underdog status to win their group, which also included England, Russia and Slovakia, ease out British rivals Northern Ireland in the last 16 and sweep past heavy favourites Belgium in the quarters. 
 
Portugal are yet to win a match at the tournament inside 90 minutes, having drawn all three group games, beaten Croatia in extra time and squeezed past Poland on penalties. 
 
Things are yet to click for Portugal, and for captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who has at times looked exasperated by his team mates attacking shortcomings. 
 
Yet Portugal are unbeaten in 12 competitive internationals since Fernando Santos took over as coach at the start of the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. 
 
With Ronaldo&#39;s Real Madrid team mate Pepe marshalling an increasingly assured defence, they will be tough to break down. 
 
Especially for a Wales side deprived of one of their most talented creative influences in midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who will be suspended after picking up a booking in the win over Belgium. 
 
While Gareth Bale has been Wales&#39;s attacking talisman, scoring three times to lift them out of their group, Ramsey has been arguably their most influential player, scoring one and producing four assists in the run to the last four. 
 
The match is likely to be billed as a contest between the two most expensive players in the world - Ronaldo, who will play a record third European Championship semi-final, and his Real Madrid team mate Bale. 
 
Perhaps ominously for Wales, Ronaldo has netted twice in each of his last two games in Lyon for club and country. 
 
(Reuters)

Things are yet to click for the Portuguese and their captain Ronaldo, who has at times looked exasperated by his teammates' shortcomings

It will be virgin territory for Wales when they face Portugal in the Euro 2016 semi-finals yet their opponents could be forgiven a sense of deja vu as they step on to the pitch in Lyon today. This will be Portugal's fourth semi-final in the last five editions of the competition stretching back to 2000, but for all their success in reaching the latter stages of the tournament, there has been little glory along the way. Only once have they overcome the last-four hurdle and then they were beaten in the final by Greece as hosts at Euro 2004. If their defeat in the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup and the loss at the Euros in 1984 are taken into account, they are becoming all too familiar with the pitfalls of this stage of major tournaments. Portugal's conquerors in their recent last-four clashes have included football powerhouses France, at Euro 2000 and the World Cup in 2006, and Spain at Euro 2012. If they lose to Wales, playing their first major tournament in 58 years and their first ever semi-final, it would be a devastating blow. Yet Wales are arguably the form team coming into the match. Chris Coleman's side have revelled in their underdog status to win their group, which also included England, Russia and Slovakia, ease out British rivals Northern Ireland in the last 16 and sweep past heavy favourites Belgium in the quarters. Portugal are yet to win a match at the tournament inside 90 minutes, having drawn all three group games, beaten Croatia in extra time and squeezed past Poland on penalties. Things are yet to click for Portugal, and for captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who has at times looked exasperated by his team mates attacking shortcomings. Yet Portugal are unbeaten in 12 competitive internationals since Fernando Santos took over as coach at the start of the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. With Ronaldo's Real Madrid team mate Pepe marshalling an increasingly assured defence, they will be tough to break down. Especially for a Wales side deprived of one of their most talented creative influences in midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who will be suspended after picking up a booking in the win over Belgium. While Gareth Bale has been Wales's attacking talisman, scoring three times to lift them out of their group, Ramsey has been arguably their most influential player, scoring one and producing four assists in the run to the last four. The match is likely to be billed as a contest between the two most expensive players in the world - Ronaldo, who will play a record third European Championship semi-final, and his Real Madrid team mate Bale. Perhaps ominously for Wales, Ronaldo has netted twice in each of his last two games in Lyon for club and country. (Reuters)

In-form Wales take on Portugal

Slovakia forward Vladimir Weiss is backing his country to beat England in their crucial Euro 2016 Group B game.&nbsp;The teams meet on Monday in Saint-Etienne with both sides looking to book a place in the last 16 of the competition. 
 
&quot;We have beaten big teams before and if we play at our best we can beat anyone, even England,&quot; said Weiss. 
 
England currently top the group with four points, one point ahead of third-placed Slovakia.&nbsp;A draw could be enough for both teams to progress but a defeat for either team in the high-stakes match could see one of them return home. 
 
The sides will approach the game with confidence having both won their second group matches 2-1 -- England against Wales and Weiss&#39;s Slovakia against Russia. 
 
&quot;The win against Russia gives us a lot of confidence going into the last game.&nbsp;We needed a win and we&#39;re very happy that we got it.&nbsp;I am sure England have seen our game against Russia and they know we will give it everything to get something from the final game to qualify,&quot; he told the website of Qatar&#39;s World Cup organising committee, the Supreme Committee for Delivery &amp; Legacy. 
 
Weiss currently plays his team football in Qatar with Al-Gharafa.&nbsp;With the opening goal against Russia, Weiss made history by becoming the first-ever player based outside Europe to score at the championships since they were first contested in 1960. 
 
The 26-year-old former Rangers and Manchester City player said he knew was going to hit the net before he shot. 
 
&quot;Once I turned inside the two defenders, I knew I was going to score.&nbsp;I was already thinking where I would go to celebrate the goal and I went to my parents.&nbsp;I dedicated the goal to my mum, she knew I wasn&#39;t happy after the first game.&nbsp;She said my time will come, and it did,&quot; he said. 
(AFP)

The teams meet Monday in Saint-Etienne, with both sides looking to book a place in the last 16 of the competition

Slovakia forward Vladimir Weiss is backing his country to beat England in their crucial Euro 2016 Group B game. The teams meet on Monday in Saint-Etienne with both sides looking to book a place in the last 16 of the competition. "We have beaten big teams before and if we play at our best we can beat anyone, even England," said Weiss. England currently top the group with four points, one point ahead of third-placed Slovakia. A draw could be enough for both teams to progress but a defeat for either team in the high-stakes match could see one of them return home. The sides will approach the game with confidence having both won their second group matches 2-1 -- England against Wales and Weiss's Slovakia against Russia. "The win against Russia gives us a lot of confidence going into the last game. We needed a win and we're very happy that we got it. I am sure England have seen our game against Russia and they know we will give it everything to get something from the final game to qualify," he told the website of Qatar's World Cup organising committee, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy. Weiss currently plays his team football in Qatar with Al-Gharafa. With the opening goal against Russia, Weiss made history by becoming the first-ever player based outside Europe to score at the championships since they were first contested in 1960. The 26-year-old former Rangers and Manchester City player said he knew was going to hit the net before he shot. "Once I turned inside the two defenders, I knew I was going to score. I was already thinking where I would go to celebrate the goal and I went to my parents. I dedicated the goal to my mum, she knew I wasn't happy after the first game. She said my time will come, and it did," he said. (AFP)

Slovakia can beat England says goal scorer Weiss

Spain forward Nolito has joined Manchester City from Celta Vigo on a four-year contract, the Premier League side said today. 
 
The 29-year-old, who played all four games in Spain&#39;s Euro 2016 campaign, scored 39 goals in 103 appearances for Celta Vigo since joining the Spanish club in 2013, before spells at Granada, Benfica and Barcelona. 
 
New manager Pep Guardiola has already signed Australia midfielder Aaron Mooy from sister club Melbourne City and Ilkay Gundogan from Borussia Dortmund. 
 
&quot;I&#39;ll do everything that the manager asks of me, try my absolute best and do everything I can to try to repeat the form I&#39;ve shown throughout my career at various clubs,&quot; Nolito told the club&#39;s website. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s just about trying to play my normal game and let&#39;s hope that I can help Manchester City to win games.&nbsp;I think that Pep Guardiola is one of the best managers in the world. He knows a lot about the game and he&#39;s going to help me progress as a player and I&#39;m sure he&rsquo;ll get the best out of me.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

The 29-year-old played in all four games of the Euro 2016, and scored 39 goals in 103 appearances since 2013

Spain forward Nolito has joined Manchester City from Celta Vigo on a four-year contract, the Premier League side said today. The 29-year-old, who played all four games in Spain's Euro 2016 campaign, scored 39 goals in 103 appearances for Celta Vigo since joining the Spanish club in 2013, before spells at Granada, Benfica and Barcelona. New manager Pep Guardiola has already signed Australia midfielder Aaron Mooy from sister club Melbourne City and Ilkay Gundogan from Borussia Dortmund. "I'll do everything that the manager asks of me, try my absolute best and do everything I can to try to repeat the form I've shown throughout my career at various clubs," Nolito told the club's website. "It's just about trying to play my normal game and let's hope that I can help Manchester City to win games. I think that Pep Guardiola is one of the best managers in the world. He knows a lot about the game and he's going to help me progress as a player and I'm sure he’ll get the best out of me." (Reuters)

Manchester City sign Spain's Nolito from Celta Vigo

Cristiano Ronaldo slammed minnows Iceland for proverbially `parking the bus` in front of their goal as the north Atlantic Islanders held Group F favourites Portugal to a 1-1 draw.&nbsp; 
Real Madrid ace Ronaldo had ten of Portugal`s 24 shots on goal in Saint Etienne on Tuesday, but failed to become the first man to score in four separate European Championships. 
The 31-year-old equalled Luis Figo`s record number of caps with both the Portugal legends now on 127 appearances. 
A superb finish by Nani gave Portugal the lead before Iceland`s industrious midfielder Birkir Bjarnason volleyed the equaliser. 
But Ronaldo stormed off after the final whistle, clearly frustrated by his own failure in front of goal, while Iceland scored by converting one of only four chances. 
Iceland`s dogged defence was capped by an outstanding display from Iceland goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson.&quot;It was difficult over the 90 minutes, because they scored one goal and that was after they had put every player behind the ball,&quot; fumed Ronaldo. 
&quot;They put the bus in the net. (Parked the bus in front of goal). 
&quot;We tried our best, we created many chances and kept the ball. 
&quot;Iceland didn`t try nothing, they just defend, defend, defend, they had two chances and scored a goal, it was a lucky night for them. 
&quot;We`re frustrated, they didn`t try and play. 
&quot;It`s why I think they will do nothing here. In my opinion, it`s a small mentality. 
&quot;It`s difficult when Portugal tries to win the game and the other team doesn`t.&quot; 
Portugal are now under pressure in their second game against Austria, who earlier lost their opening match 2-0 to Hungary in the other pool match in Bordeaux. 
But Ronaldo is confident of victory in Paris on Saturday. 
&quot;It`s a little bit of frustration for us, but this is just the beginning, we`re not worried about that,&quot; said the former Manchester United star. 
&quot;If you look at Spain and France, they are strong teams in the tournament and they had difficulties winning their first game. 
&quot;It was tough, but we are 100 percent confident we`re going to win the next game.&quot; 
Ronaldo was not the only Portugal forward to feel the effects of a lack of finishing. 
&quot;We had enough chances, but we couldn`t score another one,&quot; added Nani, who also used to grace Old Trafford. 
&quot;It`s only the first game and we have to win our next two games. 
&quot;We were on top, we were the better team and we played the better football, but Iceland are a good team and played a lot of long balls, which caused us problems. That`s football. 
&quot;We`ve shown we are a good team, but this was the first game, there was a lot of anxiety. I think we will relax more from now, but we have to score more.&quot; 
Portugal boss Fernando Santos lamented Nani`s first-half header which smashed off the boot of Iceland goalkeeper Halldorsson. 
&quot;Nani`s header was blocked by their goalkeeper, who still doesn`t know how he did it, that`s football,&quot; said the Portugal manager 
&quot;We could have done better in defending the cross which led for their goal, but this was the first game, there were a few nerves and we need to play better for the next two games.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

After which he refuses to shake hands with any of the Icleandic players

Cristiano Ronaldo slammed minnows Iceland for proverbially `parking the bus` in front of their goal as the north Atlantic Islanders held Group F favourites Portugal to a 1-1 draw. Real Madrid ace Ronaldo had ten of Portugal`s 24 shots on goal in Saint Etienne on Tuesday, but failed to become the first man to score in four separate European Championships. The 31-year-old equalled Luis Figo`s record number of caps with both the Portugal legends now on 127 appearances. A superb finish by Nani gave Portugal the lead before Iceland`s industrious midfielder Birkir Bjarnason volleyed the equaliser. But Ronaldo stormed off after the final whistle, clearly frustrated by his own failure in front of goal, while Iceland scored by converting one of only four chances. Iceland`s dogged defence was capped by an outstanding display from Iceland goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson."It was difficult over the 90 minutes, because they scored one goal and that was after they had put every player behind the ball," fumed Ronaldo. "They put the bus in the net. (Parked the bus in front of goal). "We tried our best, we created many chances and kept the ball. "Iceland didn`t try nothing, they just defend, defend, defend, they had two chances and scored a goal, it was a lucky night for them. "We`re frustrated, they didn`t try and play. "It`s why I think they will do nothing here. In my opinion, it`s a small mentality. "It`s difficult when Portugal tries to win the game and the other team doesn`t." Portugal are now under pressure in their second game against Austria, who earlier lost their opening match 2-0 to Hungary in the other pool match in Bordeaux. But Ronaldo is confident of victory in Paris on Saturday. "It`s a little bit of frustration for us, but this is just the beginning, we`re not worried about that," said the former Manchester United star. "If you look at Spain and France, they are strong teams in the tournament and they had difficulties winning their first game. "It was tough, but we are 100 percent confident we`re going to win the next game." Ronaldo was not the only Portugal forward to feel the effects of a lack of finishing. "We had enough chances, but we couldn`t score another one," added Nani, who also used to grace Old Trafford. "It`s only the first game and we have to win our next two games. "We were on top, we were the better team and we played the better football, but Iceland are a good team and played a lot of long balls, which caused us problems. That`s football. "We`ve shown we are a good team, but this was the first game, there was a lot of anxiety. I think we will relax more from now, but we have to score more." Portugal boss Fernando Santos lamented Nani`s first-half header which smashed off the boot of Iceland goalkeeper Halldorsson. "Nani`s header was blocked by their goalkeeper, who still doesn`t know how he did it, that`s football," said the Portugal manager "We could have done better in defending the cross which led for their goal, but this was the first game, there were a few nerves and we need to play better for the next two games." (AFP)

Ronaldo whines about Iceland 'parking the bus' in front of goal, then accuses them of having a 'small mentality'

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