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This is my first attempt at a story in several months. I’ve been playing a long-term career game and felt that I could write something.
First, a little catchup on what has gone on in the last 12 years.
England
We begin in England where the hierarchy at the top has changed very little with one exception. Arsenal entered administration in 2009, and were two season later relegated from the top flight and now find themselves struggling to stay in League One. Liverpool have come in and taken their place alongside Chelsea and Manchester United at the top. United have cemented their dominance in Eutope with four Champions League titles, with three coming in the last four years.
Spain
After Real Madrid's title win in 2005, the title switched hands rapidly with Deportivo, Villareal, and even tiny Terrassa claiming the Primera Liga crown. On the European front, Spanish clubs have done well enough to claim the top spot in the UEFA coefficients, but have not experienced won much silverware. Real Sociedad's triumph over Hamburg in the UEFA Cup final may be a sign of change.
Italy
The Scudetto is still making its trips between Milan and Turin as Milan and Juventus are still the dominant players in Italian football. Fiorentina and Inter have won it a few times during the last twelve years, but have been unable to build from it. Italian clubs in Europe have managed to make numerous finals, but have not lifted the European Cup in eight seasons.
Germany
The balance of power has shifted somewhat in Germany. Beginning in 2007, Schalke ripped off a string of nine consecutive Bundesliga titles. The Gelsenkirchen side also won the European Cup four consecutive seasons. Kaiserslautern has emerged as the primary rival to their dominance, but Stuttgart surprised everyone by lifting the title last season. At the same time, both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have been relegated from the top flight.
International
In 2006, England lifted their second World Cup when they defeated shock finalists Ireland in the Final in Berlin. Four years later, England were on the losing end as Brazil defeated them in Johannesburg. Brazil and Germany once again met in an Asian World Cup final in 2014, this time in Beijing with the same 2-0 scoreline as Brazil lifted the trophy for the seventh time.
In 2008, Holland became European champions as they defeated hosts Switzerland on penalties. Germany took the title away as they defeated Romania at Hampden Park four years later.
06-12-2005, 03:59 AM
Euro 2016: A Step Into the Not-so-Distant Future Post #2
Belgium enter their first major tournament in six years after being eliminated in the Second Round at the 2010 World Cup. French manager Yvon Pouliquen is quickly approaching the end of his contract and needs to advance to keep his job.
“We have a good mix of youth and experience in this side and I feel we should advance out of this group,” said Pouliquen.
Chelsea defender Vincent Kompany, widely regarded as one of the best defenders in Europe believes that no one should take Belgium for granted in this competition.
“Time after time, we see surprise teams do well in tournaments like this. Romania made it to the final in this competition last time. Ireland made it to the World Cup final ten years ago. Anything can happen.”
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Peter Mollez (Club Brugge), Glenn Van Der Zanden (Anderlecht), Thierry Lepage (Club Brugge) Defenders: Michiel De Taeye (Genk), Michaël Kone (Brighton), Jelle Van Damme (Terrassa), Geoffrey Mujangi Bia (Barcelona), Freek Vermeulen (Club Brugge), Guillaume Raphaël (Genk), Sven Wuyts (Montpellier), Costanzo Sebastien (Standard), Vincent Kompany (Chelsea) Midfielders: Kevin Van Haezendonck (Genk), Rachid Elaâli (Anderlecht), Wouter Vandermieren (Newcastle), Bram Philips (Standard), Tim Van Speybroeck (Anderlecht), Jonathan Blondel (Bielefeld) Forwards: Charles Xavier (Anderlecht), Steven Defour (Lazio), Dave Kerwyn (Club Brugge), Benjamin Leruth (AA Gent), Yuksel Dinçel (Genk)
Bulgaria have low expectations for this tournament. An aging strikeforce coupled with inexperience at the back are major concerns for manager Radostin Kishishev. The former Charlton midfielder managed to get this team to Denmark, but progression is looking like a reach at best.
Dimitar Berbatov, now at Real Madrid after a long spell at Schalke said, “We need to score goals to stay in this competition. Our young defenders need a lead to help them through what may be a traumatic time here.”
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Viktor Borislavov (Levski Sofia), Georgi Dimov (Levski Sofia), Dimitar Pavlov (Wigan) Defenders: Ivan Kirov (Levski Sofia), Ivan Dimitrov (Aberdeen), Yordan Iliev (Naftex), Slav Jekov (Litex), Borislav Marinov (Schalke 04) Midfielders: Dimitar Dimitrov (Levski Sofia), Kamen Krastev (Levski Sofia), Yuilan Vasilev (Levski Sofia), Nikola Boykov (Leicester), Kamen Shapkarov (Slavia Sofia), Nikola Hristozov (Levski Sofia), Chavdar Yankov (Fiorentina) Forwards: Georgi Kyorlenski (Levski Sofia), Dimitar Berbatov (Real Madrid), Valeri Bojinov (Manchester United), Atanas Chipilov (Levski Sofia), Mikhail Koichev (Slavia Sofia), Ivan Korbankolev (Empoli), Naiden Nedialkov (Lleida)
The Czech Republic has had limited success on the international front since Euro 2004. A terrible finish at the 2014 World Cup in China saw Jozef Chovanec installed as manager. With a squad of players who play their club football all over the continent, and even the United States, cohesiveness may be a problem. Petr Cech, boasting 118 caps for his country may be the most important figure in this side.
“I know almost everyone is writing us off at this point, but I believe we can win this if we can get out of the group phase,” the veteran Chelsea goalkeeper commented.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Petr Cech (Chelsea), Jan Lastuvka (Betis), Jiri Kolar (Elche) Defenders: Jiri Vecera (Liverpool), Tomas Hübschmann (Schalke 04), Jan Karsnak (Aachen), Martin Klesa (Offenbach), Tomas Rolejcek (Sparta Prague), Lukas Prochazka (Galatasaray), Tomas Cerny (Glasgow Celtic), Michal Cerny (Le Havre), Petr Hanus (Bayern Munich) Midfielders: Michal Prchlik (Lecce), Jeremy Eric Nowak (Bielefeld), Petr Mochow (Xerex), Radek Lukes (DC United), David Zboncak (Gueugnon), Adam Krumnikl (Aachen) Forwards: Vaclav Sverkos (Dortmund), Stanislav Horak (Sparta Prague), Martin Krása (Dynamo Dresden), Josef Goldie (Zaragoza), Tomas Toman (Rayo)
As is the case at most tournaments, Italy are expected to do well. The whole Italian set-up has been rebuilt in the last seven years since their shocking failure to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. The result is now a young squad with plenty of international experience under their belts. Luigi Corino is the man in charge of this team.
“We have now reached the point where we believe we should be winning trophies at this level,” said Corino.
Atalanta defender Marco Motta, the oldest player in the squad at 30 said, “We may be among the youngest sides here in Denmark, but everyone knows we can beat them.”
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Mario Alberti (Genoa), Roberto Grossi (Milan), Paolo Monti (Lyon) Defenders: Marco Motta (Atalanta), Valerio Costanzo (Udinese), Salvatore Mele (Sampdoria), Pietro Zammuto (Real Sociedad), Marco Bergamini (Milan), Andrea Greco (Parma), Samuele Zangari (Roma), Nicola Giordano (Manchester United) Midfielders: Emanuele Salvadori (Liverpool), Alessio Mancino (Inter), Francesco Antonelli (Parma), Andrea Pierantoni (Sampdoria), Fabio Benedetti (Milan) Forwards: Alberto Gentile (Parma), Pierpaolo Ruiz (Messina), Arturo Lupoli (Udinese), Simone Ingrimbelli (Fiorentina), Marco Magno (Fiorentina), Vito Galli (Villareal), Marco Conti (Milan)
Group A should be easy for the Italians, while the Czech Republic and Belgium should battle it out for second spot. Bulgaria need a lot of work to advance.
06-12-2005, 06:33 AM
Euro 2016: A Step Into the Not-so-Distant Future Post #3
Croatia have a history of disappointment at this tournament. Supporters have grown tired of failure to qualify for the World Cup and taking the wooden spoon at the European Championships. Unfortunately for manager Bosko Balaban, it doesn’t look like the situation is going to change. With a squad filled with players plying their trade outside of the top flight in the top leagues, Croatia’s talent pool has dried up.
“We were handed a tough draw by UEFA, and we are probably going to have to play for a point against both France and England,” said Balaban.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Stipe Pletikosa (Fulham), Marko Tadic (Reggina), Josip Juric (Hajduk) Defenders: Ljubomir Kremenovic (Shinnik), Marin Perko (Hajduk), Ognjen Kosanovic (Saarbrücken), Zoran Perokovic (Rayo), Milan Horvat (Hannover 96), Ivan Brajkovic (Hajduk), Stjepan Matkovic (Hajduk) Midfielders: Igor Juric (Bayer Leverkusen), Tomislav Petrovic (Empoli), Hrvoje Basic (Eintracht Frankfurt), Bruno Buncic (Siena), Goran Tokic (1860 Munich), Robert Dadic (Málaga), Tomislav Buljan (Hajduk), Niko Kranjcar (HSV), Branimir Bozak (Hoffenheim) Forwards: Ivan Horvat (Unattached), Denis Glavina (Grosseto), Tomislav Kalinic (Badajoz), Josip Glavas (Reutlingen)
England are among the firm favorites to win the trophy. Once a squad that contained only players from the Premiership, England now have players scattered across the major clubs of Europe. Ten years ago, they lifted the World Cup for the second time and have been dominant in that competition ever since. However, they have failed to reach the semifinals of the European Championship since bowing out to Germany at Wembley twenty years ago. Now under the stewardship of Alan Curbishley, England play strong attacking football.
“Of course we are expected to win this. The media at home will have our heads if we fail,” said Wayne Rooney, England’s record holder for appearances and goals.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Chris Kirkland (Liverpool), Lee Walker (SC Freiburg), Alex Thomas (Sheffield Wednesday) Defenders: Glen Johnson (Inter), Richard Stearman (Middlesbrough), Steven Taylor (Roma), Martin Cranie (Aston Villa), Ryan Gallagher (Newcastle), Billy Jones (Tottenham Hotspur), Stephen Parker (Aston Villa), Chris Cohen (Schalke 04), Mitchell Murphy (Atletico Madrid) Midfielders: Glenn Knight (Manchester United), Jacques Maghoma (Fulham), Ben Watson (Liverpool), Matt Jarvis (Wigan) Forwards: Gary Yates (Schalke 04), Jermain Defoe (Chelsea), Danny Green (Inter), Wayne Rooney (Chelsea), Luke Moore (Aston Villa), Paul Bailey (Chelsea), Andy Richardson (Wigan)
France are another favorite for the title, but they have failed to advance past the quarter final stage since winning in 2000. The current French squad looks like they are at the peak of their abilities and it will be up to manager Zinedine Zidane to shape that into a winning side. At age 24, well traveled goalkeeper David Amoros is not expected to have much to do with some of the world’s best defenders in front of him.
“I may not get as much action as some of the other ‘keepers in this tournament, but I must maintain a high level of performance or failure is a certainty,” said the Roma goalkeeper.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Nice), Vincent Degré (Nimes), David Amoros (Roma) Defenders: Carl Medjani (Deportivo), Steven Thicot (Real Madrid), Thierry Viale (Deportivo), Franck Brillant (Tottenham Hotspur), Philippe André (Manchester United), Gaël Clichy (Deportivo), Patrice Evra (Manchester United) Midfielders: Stéphane Le Bris (Milan), Jérémy Toulalan (Inter), Cédric Cherfa (Real Sociedad), Matthias Lepiller (Blackburn Rovers), Anthony Le Tallec (Liverpool), Hatem Ben Arfa (Barcelona) Forwards: Florent Sinama-Pongolle (Liverpool), François Bertin (HSV), Jimmy Briand (Marseille), Thierry Bertin (Real Madrid), Christophe Marquet (Real Sociedad), Jérôme Roger (Roma)
Serbia & Montenegro are not expected to do too much in this tournament. A gap in talent definitely exists as firmly entrenched veterans are slowly being replaced by players from the Under-21 side. Manager Darko Kovacevic is clearly going to be using this tournament to give his young players experience. Among these players is Auxerre midfielder Milos Milenkovic, who had a rough time adjusting to the Ligue 1 after a £1.1 million move from Partizan Belgrade.
“Milenkovic gives us a player like Xabi Alonso, who can defend well and start an attack with a long pass,” said Kovacevic.
Thanks for the comments so far, and I hope the game has enough upsets to satisfy everyone
suppity: Going into the tournament, Rooney has 126 caps and 72 goals
Group C:
Hosts Denmark did not have to worry about qualifying, and look like a strong side coming off of their run to the quarterfinals in China two years ago. Under Bjarne Goldbæk, Denmark have deployed a single striker formation with great success, and now look to repeat their 1992 triumph. After a prolonged struggle with injuries, Mallorca winger Johan Absalonsen may finally be able to make an impact at the international level.
“With all of the injuries I have suffered since moving to Spain, I wondered if I would ever play for Denmark again. I was a little disappointed with my goal scoring record this season in La Liga, but I’m determined to hit the back of the net as much as possible,” vowed a determined Absalonsen.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Kenneth Stenild (Glasgow Rangers), Kasper Schmeichel (Hannover 96), Niels Dahlgaard (Esbjerg fB) Defenders: Sune Rostgaard (FC København), Mikkel Bischoff (Manchester City), Magnus Troest (Bayern Munich), Stefan Wagner (Ahlen), Dennis Cagara (Hertha Berlin), Kasper Kring (OB), Leon Andreasen (Terrassa), Jesper Engstrøm (Bayer Leverkusen) Midfielders: Sebastian Svärd (Leeds United), Christian Poulsen (Ternana), Thomas Kahlenberg (Manchester United), Johan Absalonsen (Mallorca) Forwards: Danilo Arrieta (Catanzaro), Bejram Fetai (Glasgow Rangers), Lasse Qvist (Wolfsburg), Asmat El Ouargui (Esbjerg fB), Søren Nørbæk (Bayer Leverkusen), Anders Christiansen (Preston North End)
Holders Germany will be disappointed to not make the final here. Manager Ralf Minge has built on the work of his predecessors Jürgen Klinsmann and Ralf Rangnick and turned Germany back into a force in world football. However, with an aging squad this may be their last chance at glory.
“We are not getting any younger, and the fact that Bundesliga clubs have preferred cheaper foreign talent means it is harder to bring through young talent,” said Milan striker Lukas Podolski.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Tim Wiese (Valencia), Philipp Tschauner (Aston Villa), Thorsten Müller (Osnabrück) Defenders: Kevin Schöneberg (Dynamo Dresden), Jonas Grüter (VfB Stuttgart), Robert Huth (Kaiserslautern), Dominik Reinhardt (Juventus), Stephan Schröck (Hannover 96), Tom Bertram (VfB Stuttgart), Sascha Dum (SC Freiburg) Midfielders: Thorben Marx (Bielefeld), Tim Bauer (Kaiserslautern), Dennis Grote (Hertha Berlin), Eugen Polanski (Barcelona), Alexander Baumjohann (Braunschweig), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Juventus) Forwards: Mike Hanke (Guingamp), Ashkan Dejagah (Milan), Lukas Podolski (Milan), Kevin Kuranyi (Marseille), Mario Gomez (Hertha Berlin)
Scotland have made a mockery of the pundits by qualifying for this tournament. Other than Euro 2014, where they qualified as joint hosts with Wales, Scotland had not qualified for a major tournament since the 1998 World Cup. A legend at the club level with Shakhtar Donetsk and Schalke 04, Uzbek manager Alexei Yermakov took the Scotland job four years ago and has not looked back. With European Defender of the Year Scott Bell, Scotland will not have many holes at the back.
“I know everyone thinks we will just bow out of this competition gracefully, but we are going to go down fighting even if it may cost me this job,” exclaimed Yermakov.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Craig Gordon (Kaiserslautern), John McCaffrey (Burnley), Michael McGowan (Barcelona) Defenders: Michael Parker (Fiorentina), Clark Kay (Sheffield Wednesday), Scott Bell (Barcelona), Jim Crawford (Middlesbrough), Andy Love (Aston Villa), Steven Whittaker (Newcastle United), Steven Hammell (Charlton Athletic), Kirk Broadfoot (West Ham United), Patrick Scullion (Sheffield Wednesday) Midfielders: Kevin Stewart (Glasgow Rangers), Craig McBride (Wigan Athletic), Mark Murray (Everton), Darren Fletcher (Barcelona), Charlie Adam (Stoke City) Forwards: Andy Bagshaw (Fulham), Kevin Cawley (Glasgow Celtic), David Clarkson (Leeds United), Chris Gardiner (Crewe), James Graham (Leicester City), Graham Weir (West Ham United)
Ukraine have finally qualified for this tournament for the first time since gaining independence from the Soviet Union. Oleg Luznhy is largely the man responsible for finally getting the Ukraine to break through. Luznhy has an experienced squad to manage at this tournament with a few fresh faces thrown in as well. Igor Boyko is one of these young players, whose twenty assists last season for Chornomorets led to his international debut at the age of 18.
“It was disappointing to lose the league title to Dinamo Kiev late last season, but the manager gave me a chance to star and he believes I can star for a top European club,” said Boyko.
Holland are another team that should make it far in this tournament. Most of the squad that won in 2008 still feature for Holland. Martin Jol is the manager for this experienced team after taking over from Ruud Gullit four years ago. Betis forward Robin van Persie, who with 95 caps is among the most experienced players in the team, is going to be counted on to supply the goals.
“We have been playing together for many years and I believe that will give us an advantage over some of the less experienced teams here,” said van Persie.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Rogier De Kock (Ajax), Maarten Sneep (Barcelona), Maarten Stekelenburg (Manchester United) Defenders: John Heitinga (Barcelona), Gianni Zuiverloon (Juventus), Jeroen Drost (Newcastle United), Edwin Snoek (Newcastle United), Mark van den Boogaart (Leeds United), Kera Diomar Fränkel (Leeds United), Martin Prijs (Liverpool), Hedwiges Maduro (Bielefeld) Midfielders: Erik Rozeboom (Ajax), Tim Vincken (Leeds United), Arjen Robben (Chelsea), Wesley Sneijder (Real Madrid), Daniël de Ridder (Manchester City) Forwards: Robin van Persie (Betis), Georginio (Manchester City), Ryan Babel (Schalke 04), Chris De Bruijn (Tottenham Hotspur), Rudd Hammecher (Juventus), René Johan Ijzerman (Manchester United), Collins John (Fulham)
Russia have had a struggling national side for the past decade. Failure to qualify for the last two World Cups have left the supporters yearning for something to cheer about. Manager Valery Petrakov has managed to get Russia to this tournament once again, while not exactly playing the most attractive football. The Russians rely on solid defending and using the counterattack. Leading this Russian side is Manchester City midfielder Alexey Safronov, who is coming off his best season yet in the Premiership.
“I believe we are solid enough at the back to go through to the quarterfinals,” said the 29-year-old Safronov.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Sergey Kabanoc (Gimn*stic), Igor Akinfeev (PSV), Roman Iskhakov (Zenith St. Petersburg) Defenders: Igor Nikiforov (Lokomotiv Moscow), Alexey Berezurskiy (HSV), Alexandr Orekhov (Reggina), Ruslan Rakhimov (Lens), Eugeny Smirnov (Valencia), Victor Pimenov (Saint-Etienne), Maxim Korolev (Real Madrid), Vyacheslav Yudin (Nice) Midfielders: Alexey Safronov (Manchester City), Valery Vorobjov (Sokol Saratov), Ruslan Vorobjov (Real Zaragoza), Sergey Tcherkasov (Rennes), Yury Zhirkov (Villareal) Forwards: Yury Iljin (CSKA Moscow), Andrey Gusev (CSKA Moscow), Dmitry Sychev (Atalanta), Alexandr Kerzhakov (Paris Saint-Germain), Nikolay Tyunin (Gimn*stic), Alexandr Chernov (Feyenoord), Denis Ivanov (Lokomotiv Moscow)
Switzerland were runners-up eight years ago when they were hosts along with Austria. The fact that this is the first major tournament they have qualified for since Euro 2004, is something that is forgotten by many people. German manager Ingo Peter has already announced that these will be his final matches in charge of Switzerland, but he is determined to take them to glory. The Swiss will be relying on star striker Johan Vonlanthen to progress out of the group.
“I was 22 when we went to the final in 2008, and now that I have acquired more experience playing in the Premiership I believe scoring on this stage will not be a problem for me,” said the Spurs forward.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Diego Benaglio (Basel), Severin Baumberger (Young Boys) Defenders: Philipp Degen (Tenerife), Daniel Panizzolo (Genoa), Philippe Senderos (Inter), Henri Siqueira-Barras (Neuchâtek Xamax), Yannick Bravo (Basel), Leandro Fernand (Basel), Reto Ziegler (Atletico Madrid) Midfielders: Marco Padalino (Roma), Ludovic Din (Club Brugge), Sébastien Baumann (Grasshopper), Stéphane Baumann (Basel), Gerardo Clemente (Genoa), Fabrizio Zambrella (Sampdoria), Davide Chiumiento (Atalanta) Forwards: Adrian Studer (Young Boys), Thomas Raimondi (Basel), Johan Vonlanthen (Tottenham Hotspur), Yves Wanner (Basel), Martin Meyer (Young Boys), Christian Keller (Grasshopper Club)
Wales make their second consecutive appearance in this tournament having beaten Norway in the playoffs. Now under the stewardship of 39-year-old Dean Todd, Wales play a more adventurous style of football than one would expect from a team of Wales stature. Wales boast the youngest player at this years tournament in the form of 17-year-old Fulham defender Richard Lloyd.
“He is one of the brightest prospects I have seen in some time,” said Todd. “He made his Premiership debut at the age of 16, and you hardly ever see players that young taking on important roles at that level.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Jason Brown (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Steven Cann (Hibernian), Paul Hill (Newcastle United) Defender: Mike Pugh (Oldham Athletic), Ryan Shawcross (Wigan Athletic), Scott Hillman (Norwich City), Jon James (Southampton), Mike Williams (Cardiff City), Richard Lloyd (Fulham), Richard Duffy (Tottenham Hotspur) Midfielders: Paul Hughes (Crewe), David Vaughan (Newcastle United), Reece Jones (Sunderland), Kevin Edwards (Bristol Rovers), Paul Hart (Burnley), Andy Russell (Doncaster Rovers), Rob Davis (Newcastle United), Gavin Phillips (Ipswich Town) Forwards: Ramon Calliste (Queens Park Rangers), Chris Jones (Crystal Palace), Michael Byrne (Brighton), Andrew Duffy (Plymouth), William Lock (Cardiff City)
Despite their age, Holland should have no problem advancing from this group. The other three sides in the group look fairly even so second spot should go down to the last minutes of play in the group.
06-14-2005, 12:16 AM
Euro 2016: A Step Into the Not-so-Distant Future Post #10
11 June 2016
Croatia v. France
Brøndby Stadion, Brøndby
Opening matches of major tournaments tend not to be the best of affairs, with both sides usually playing to avoid defeat. Would this match ultimately disappoint?
Teams:
Croatia (4-4-2): Stipe Pletikosa (c), Marin Perko, Zoran Perokovic, Ognjen Kosanovic, Milan Horvat, Branimir Bozak, Igor Juric, Robert Dadic, Hrvoje Basic, Ivan Horvat, Tomislav Kalinic Substitutes: Marko Tadic, Bruno Buncic, Niko Kranjcar, Josip Glavas, Stjepan Matkovic, Goran Tokic, Tomislav Petrovic
France (3-5-2): David Amoros (c), Franck Brillant, Philippe André, Steven Thicot, Anthony Le Tallec, Hatem Ben Arfa, Jérémy Toulalan, Stéphane Le Bris, Cédric Cherfa, Thierry Bertin, Jérôme Roger Substitutes: Vincent Degré, Jimmy Briand, Florent Sinama-Pongolle, Patrice Evra, François Bertin, Matthias Lepiller, Thierry Viale
Croatia was the more willing side in attack, and they were rewarded with the game’s first corner in the fifth minute. Robert Dadic back heel pass gave Tomislav Kalinic a perfect opportunity to give Croatia the lead, but his first-time shot was saved by David Amoros.
France had their first opportunity on seventeen minutes when Jérémy Toulalan was unmarked for a header, but Stipe Pletikosa pushed it onto the crossbar.
Croatia won another corner seven minutes later. Marin Perko’s corner found an unmarked Igor Juric, whose header was cleared off the line by Hatem Ben Arfa.
Croatia had another opportunity to go in front in the last minute of the half. Branimir Bozak’s deflected effort was turned around the post by a diving Amoros.
The only significant action of the second half took place in the 90th minute. Perko’s free kick in his own half was intercepted by substitute François Bertin, who played Jimmy Briand through on goal, but his dipping shot was parried over the bar by Pletikosa.
Croatia 0
France 0
Attendance: 31721
Yellow Cards
Croatia: Ognjen Kosanovic, Branimir Bozak, Robert Dadic, Hrvoje Basic France: Hatem Ben Arfa, Thierry Bertin, Jérôme Roger
Euro 2016: A Step Into the Not-so-Distant Future 
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