Today in the double match feature of the semifinals of the UEFA U-21 Championship, England and Germany booked a ticket for the final, as they overpowered Sweden and Italy, respectively. The first match, was a 120-minute thriller in which the English squad held a comfortable grip of three goals just to be denied by a consistent and fierce home team. In the penalty shootout the Englishmen took out the Swedish in a disastrous, yet lucky set of misses by the organisers.
In the other game it was a sole strike from Beck that gave the German team the lead and only goal in a pretty tight match, that was surrounded by controversy in the final stages. Everything is set to watch the two best teams in the competition in the final day at Malmö. It will be another edition of Linneker's nightmare. Strangely enough both teams seemed to struggle way beyond repair in certain matches of the competition. It will be interesting to see the development of some of the best youth systems in Europe, and to see if the Germans can make it a un precedented hattrick for the year.
Within the first minute, England won a corner kick and Cranie scored after a defensive breakdown. The set piece took off guarded all Sweden's team and the English were one-nil up. Not a minute passed for England to have more superiority and it was a question of minutes to saw Pierce's youngster take the second. This time it was Onuoha, again in a setpiece who scored in a ramble inside Dahlin's box. Thirty minutes and counting, the Swedes could not even grasp a clear chance until some ramble from Berg was held by the solid English defense. Eight minutes before the break, Bjärsmyr scored an own goal after Cattermole headed. The dream start for the young English was far more promising than in any other match of the tournament.
Well into the second period the home team was stubborn on equalising things, as utopical as it may sound. But it was the resilience and patience that proved for better, and in the 68th minute, Marcus Berg headed past Hart. Again the gap was closing fast, when Toivonen took a wonderful free kick at the 75th. A bit of blame could be handed to Hart and his defensive wall.
With morale sinking by the minute, the confused English team were desperate to clear any chance that came into their side but, with the advantage it was obvious that the home selection will deliver the equaliser. It was through Berg's left foot that the dream was accomplished. In the final minutes of the match the morale and tempo that the English team had in the first half was a mere shade: the promising Premier League stars seemed no more than frail and miserable bench warmers in contrast to the terrific display made by Berg and company. The following thirty minutes will eventually prove who were the fittest.
The following two halves proved to be a pandemonium for the English squad. No more that two chances in a period of thirty minutes and a red card were the outcome. The physically defeated English team was more than demoralised and the Swedes still kept on the prowl with several chances, between them, Berg's woodwork on the 111th minute. As if it were destined, the penalties took on, with the positive outcome for Pearce's men.
| Sweden | Berg, Miss | Elm, On | Bjärsmyr, On | Lustig, On | Bengtsson, On | Molins, On | |
| England | Milner, Miss | Hart, On | Cattermole, On | Johnson, On | Walcott, On | Gibbs, On |
Italy v. Germany 0-1 26/Jun/09
After the thunderous previous encounter, the other semifinal in place was the old clash of Italians against Germans. If you remember dear reader, the last epic encounter of which I have recollections from these teams, is the World Cup Semifinal two years ago.
With that set in mind, the match began with a superiority of Hrubesch's youngsters. A couple of shots and deflected headers from Aogo were denied by the efforts from Giovinco in the 8th. Motta header in that same minute was saved by Neuer's world class reflexes and the match started to move quickly from end to end. Again the Italians were denied in another set piece in the 18th minute, Balotelli shot at 25th corroborated Italy's moment, as Germany held the defensive line.
Motta and company had a hard time trying to score, but again it was Neuer prowess and a very lucky Marko Marin that stood between the goal and Italy's lead.
But in football, when one does not take a chance when it is there, you get killed: Andreas Beck fired a powerful volley to defeat Consigli, four minutes after the beginning of the second period. It seemed that the only way for a goal in a game of such tension was a exquisite display of spark such as Beck's.
From then on, the match turned rather rispid and incredibly rapid. Both sides exchanged possession and it was obvious that the siege from the Italians would let open spaces to counter attacks. With some substitutions, the final minutes were cardiac. Andreolli header just passed by, two minutes from the end. Boateng hand ball and Neuer final save handed the Germans a lucky ticket to to face yet another lucky team.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment