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retired_amyslack

I don't know if Berti agrees with you HD but time will tell

Sky Sports
Saturday August 30, 2003
Richard Keys and Andy Gray are sitting in the Sky Sports studio.

RK - Good afternoon everyone and welcome to Sky Sports as we bring you live and exclusive coverage of Scotland’s crucial Euro 2004 qualifier against the Ukraine. Andy, this is a must-win game for the Scots isn’t it?

AG - Absolutely Richard. If we don’t take maximum points here then we would almost certainly miss out on a playoff place.

RK - What’s the latest team news?

AG - Well Jackie McNamara and Colin Cameron have both withdrawn because of injury and Derek McInnes is suspended following his booking in their last match against Sweden. Berti is going with yet another defensive pairing of Barry Smith of Dundee and young Phil McGuire of Aberdeen who gets his first senior cap. Another debutant is Kiegan Parker, who was transferred from St. Johnstone to Rangers in the summer, and he starts behind the front two instead of Don Hutchison.



<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Stephen Crawford Lee Peacock Kiegan Parker Barry Ferguson Mark KerrGary Naysmith Christian Dailly(cpt) Robbie Neilson Barry Smith Phil McGuire Neil Sullivan</pre>


RK - Once again the seniors would be glad to emulate the Under 21’s.

AG - They certainly would. The youngsters had a great 3-0 win last night with Paul Shields of Celtic, Gavin Beith from Dundee and Kilmarnock’s Paul Di Giacomo getting the goals.

RK - Final thoughts Andy.

AG - Well Berti has gone with an adventurous team selection with several younger players being given a chance. I want to see Scotland take the game to the Ukraine and be as positive as possible without being reckless.

RK - And the result?

AG - I really think that we can get the win - 2-0 would be my prediction.

RK - Well I hope you’re right. So let’s take a short break and then go straight to the action. We’ll be back here in the studio at half time.

retired_amyslack

Euro 2004 Qualifying Game 7
Half Time
Scotland 4 (Parker 14, 21, McGuire 15, Kerr 20) Ukraine 1 (Shyschenko 24)

RK - Well Andy, what an extraordinary 45 minutes!

AG - Unbelievable Richard. I’ve only just got my breath back - 4 goals in 7 minutes, am I dreaming?

RK - No, it’s for real Andy. Just talk us through the action.

AG - It was actually a fairly quiet start but the Ukraine had the first sniff of goal. Rebrov crosses but Shevchenko can’t keep his header down. And then all hell broke loose. Here’s the first goal. Kerr picks it up from Dailly. That’s a great turn to make the space. He spots Parker’s run and plays the pass to perfection. The keeper comes for it but Parker nips in first and it’s 1-0. Scotland get it back straight from the kick-off and win the corner. Ferguson whips it in and there’s Phil McGuire with a strong header - 2-0. The keeper maybe should have come for that but he stayed on his line. Five minutes later and there’s a free kick in a dangerous position. Ferguson plays it in and it’s only half cleared. Crawford picks it up but he can’t get past the defender and the ball breaks back to Ferguson. Quick thinking there as he spots Kerr and that’s a slide rule pass. Kerr controls it with one touch and slips it under the keeper as he comes out. 3-0. Now let’s see the fourth ‘cause this is a peach. McGuire and Dailly work it out of defence - that’s neat passing. It goes to Kerr who finds Parker. Strong running from the youngster and watch this skill. Lovely one-two with Peacock and Parker’s clean through. Great finish low to the keeper’s left. 4-0 and 21 minutes on the clock.

RK - Ukraine did pull a goal back though.

AG - A goal out of nowhere really. Shyschenko must be 30 yards out and that’s an absolute piledriver.

RK - And both teams had further chances.

AG - Yes, this is nice interplay with Peacock and Parker and he’s not far from his hat trick there. The shot slips just past the post with the keeper stranded. And Neil Sullivan has made a couple of smart saves from Zubov and Shevchenko just before half time.

RK - So much to talk about. But we have to take a short break and then go back to Hampden for the second half. See you at full time.

retired_amyslack

Euro 2004 Qualifying Game 7
Full Time
Scotland 5 (Parker 14, 21, McGuire 15, Kerr 20, Crawford 83) Ukraine 1 (Shyschenko 24)

RG - A much quieter second half Andy.

AG - I think that was inevitable after such an incredible first half.

RK - There were still a couple of talking points though.

AG - Yes. Firstly the Ukraine had Tymoschuk sent off after he received two yellow cards. The second booking looked a bit harsh to me I must admit. Shevchenko and Rebrov kept Sullivan on his toes with a couple of good efforts near the end and of course Stevie Crawford added a 5th goal for Scotland.

RK - Let’s take a quick look at that one.

AG - By this time the Ukraine were a man short and their heads had dropped a bit. Crawford plays a nice one-two with Peacock and sets off on a run. Gets past two defenders and smashes home a great shot.

RK - The news from Tel-Aviv is that a Marcus Allback goal 5 minutes from time has given them a 3-2 win. We can see from the table that the Swedes are now guaranteed a playoff place at worst. Scotland now need just a point in Tel-Aviv in October to ensure that they at least make the playoffs.


<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Group 1Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Pl Sweden 7 3 0 0 6 0 2 1 1 5 4 16 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Scotland 7 4 0 0 12 3 1 0 2 3 3 15 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Ukraine 6 2 0 1 3 2 1 0 2 4 9 9 4th Albania 6 0 2 1 1 3 1 0 2 4 5 5 5th Israel 6 0 0 3 5 8 0 1 2 0 6 1</pre>


RK - I believe that we can go over to Claire Tomlinson at Hampden for a few words from Berti Wogts.


CT - Congratulations Berti, that was a fabulous win today..

BW - Danke Claire. I am not quite believing the score myself. I zink zat maybe we were helped by ze Ukraine goalie a little but it vas still a great result for the boys.

CT - The playoff place looks like a real possibility now.

BW - Oh it is for sure a strong chance.

CT - Well done again Berti. Nice tartan jacket you’re wearing there.

BW - Zank you - it is not too loud you zink?


RK - Let’s take a quick look at the stats.

(Sky Sports Whooshing Noise)

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Scotland Ukraine10 Shots on Goal 66 On Target 44 Off Target 24 Corners 114 Free Kicks 71 Offsides 91 Yellow Cards 20 Red Cards 1</pre>

RK - Any doubt about your Man of the Match Andy?

AG - Got to be Kiegan Parker isn’t it. Two goals on his debut, what more can you say. Although Barry Ferguson ran him close - he was a very influential figure out there today.

RK - Final thoughts before we go?

AG - Well as Berti said, Lavrentsov didn’t look to clever in goal in the first half and when Reva replaced him at half time the Ukraine did look more solid at the back. But let’s not take anything away from a super Scottish performance.

RK - Absolutely. So that’s about all from us now but don’t miss Scotland’s final qualifier in Israel in October - live an exclusive on Sky Sports.

retired_amyslack

Sky Sports News
Wednesday September 3, 2003

And here are the results of the games played tonight in Scotland’s qualifying group for Euro 2004. Sweden had a comfortable 4-1 win over Albania in Stockholm to guarantee that they will finish as group winners. The Ukraine had a narrow 1-0 win over Israel in Kiev to keep their hopes of a playoff place alive. Those results leave the group looking like this.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Group 1Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Sweden 8 4 0 0 10 1 2 1 1 5 4 19 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Scotland 7 4 0 0 12 3 1 0 2 3 3 15 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Ukraine 7 3 0 1 4 2 1 0 2 4 9 12 4th Albania 7 0 2 1 1 3 1 0 3 5 9 5 5th Israel 7 0 0 3 5 8 0 1 3 0 7 1</pre>

retired_amyslack

Sky Sports
Saturday October 4, 2003
Richard Keys and Andy Gray are sitting in the Sky Sports studio.

RK - Good afternoon and welcome to Sky Sports coverage of Scotland’s final match in their Euro 2004 qualifying campaign. Today the Scots face Israel in Tel-Aviv knowing that a draw will be enough to guarantee them a second place finish in their group and a place in the playoffs. What are your initial thoughts on the match Andy?

AG - You’re right that a draw would certainly get us into the playoffs, but it’s still possible for us to secure automatic qualification. There’s a rather complex qualification system whereby the three second placed teams with the best record compared to the other runners-up will qualify automatically. Let’s take a quick look at how that stands currently.


<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Second Placed TeamsPos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Scotland 6 3 0 0 9 3 1 0 2 3 3 12 2nd Czech Republic 6 3 0 0 7 0 1 0 2 4 5 12 3rd Germany 6 2 1 0 8 1 1 1 1 6 3 11 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------4th Russia 5 1 0 2 3 3 2 0 0 3 1 9 5th Ireland 5 1 1 1 6 3 1 1 0 3 2 8 6th Greece 6 1 2 0 6 4 1 0 2 4 6 8 7th Belarus 5 1 0 1 4 5 1 1 1 8 4 7 8th Iceland 6 2 0 1 7 4 0 0 3 0 5 6 9th Finland 5 1 0 1 5 3 0 1 2 4 7 4</pre>


AG - As you can see, Scotland currently head that table. It’s made more complicated by the fact that some of the qualifying groups have 5 teams whilst others have 6, so only the games against the 1st, 3rd and 4th placed teams count. There are various permutations here but it’s quite possible that we might make it to Portugal without going through the playoffs. The key game could be Russia’s trip to Slovenia as neither the Czech Republic or Germany can improve their positions.

RK - Well let’s hope that the results go Scotland’s way. So, your thoughts on the team selection.

AG - Berti is going with almost the same team that played so well against the Ukraine at the end of August. There is one enforced change as Phil McGuire hasn’t fully recovered from injury so Dominic Matteo comes into the centre of defence.


<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Stephen Crawford Lee Peacock Kiegan Parker Barry Ferguson Mark KerrGary Naysmith Christian Dailly(Cpt) Robbie Neilson Barry Smith Dominic Matteo Neil Sullivan</pre>


RK - For once the seniors will be hoping to improve over the Under 21’s result.

AG - Yes. The match last night ended in a 1-all draw thanks to a stoppage time equaliser by Shaun Maloney. But I have to say Richard that the result was a bit of a travesty of justice. Scotland hit the woodwork twice, had a goal disallowed for a very dubious offside decision and had a very strong penalty appeal turned down. They dominated the game and really deserved a better result.

RK - How do you expect the game to go?

AG - Well, I hope that Scotland will be positive and go for the win. It would be a very dangerous strategy to even think about playing for a draw. I full believe that we’ll get a result.

RK - Thanks Andy, and we’ll go straight over to Tel-Aviv after this short break. See you all at half time.

retired_amyslack

Euro 2004 Qualifying Game 8
Half Time
Israel 0 Scotland 0

RK - Well Andy, do you have any idea why it’s still nil-nil?

AG - Amazing isn’t it. It’s just the opposite of the Ukraine game. There every effort seemed to find the back of the net but not here.

RK - Scotland have had so many chances.

AG - They have, and I really hope that we’re not going to regret not taking them.

RK - Let’s quickly look at the highlights, there’s a lot of them.

AG - I’ll better talk quickly then! Scotland really hit the ground running and were at the Israelis straight from the kick off. Here’s Naysmith making ground down the left, gets his cross in, Parker with the header and Davidovic just fingertips it for a corner. Ferguson with the corner, good header from Dailly but blocked by the defender. It falls to Parker but his shot’s blocked. He does well to get to the rebound but that’s good hands by the keeper. Now Kerr frees Naysmith, great far post ball, smashing header by Peacock but Davidovic gets a finger to it. Ferguson with the corner, Parker with the header but it hits the defender - I don’t think he knew much about that. Matteo on to the loose ball but the keeper does well to smother at his feet. Ferguson now, looking very positive, and that’s a great swerving shot but what a save. Just before half time now and it’s Kerr with a well struck free kick but the keeper just gets there. Ferguson with the corner, Crawford with a point blank header but off a defender again and out for another corner. Ferguson flights it in, Kerr with the knock down but Davidovic just beats Matteo to it.

RK - They’re just not getting the breaks Andy.

AG - No, but I hope that they’ll stay positive and just keep playing football. I’m sure that the breakthrough will come eventually.

RK - Do you see any changes at half time.

AG - I wouldn’t think so - we’ve had enough chances and I don’t see that Berti has to mix things around just yet.

RK - OK Andy, we’ll go back to Tel-Aviv and see you at full time.

retired_amyslack

Euro 2004 Qualifying Game 8
Full Time
Israel 0 Scotland 2 (Paecock 52, Ferguson 56)

RK - Well Andy, you were dead right. You said that the goals would come and they did. But not before Scotland got a fright.

AG - True. Israel did create a good chance almost straight from the restart. A slight lack of concentration here as Benayoun is allowed to get his cross in. Gershon gets there before Naysmith and Neil Sullivan does really well to get a hand to that and Ferguson gets back to clear.

RK - But the breakthrough came just a few minutes later.

AG - It did. Once again Gary Naysmith found space to get a cross in and this time the header hits the net. We can see it now. It’s a good cross to the far post and there’s Peacock to head home.

RK - But then the Mark Kerr injury.

AG - He just seemed to turn awkwardly but you can see that he’s in a lot of discomfort so on comes Charlie Miller.

RK - Just in time to set up the second goal.

AG - Excellent timing wasn’t it. It’s Parker picking up the loose ball and that’s well weighted to find Miller. Great cushioned knockdown into Ferguson’s path and that’s what you call an emphatic finish. I was absolutely delighted for Barry Ferguson. He had a really good game, full of running and lots of intelligent passing.

RK - And there could have been more goals.

AG - There sure could. Keigan Parker hit the post and Charlie Miller had a couple of good efforts well saved.

RK - And at the other end Israel hit the bar late on.

AG - Yeah, but I think that Sullivan had it covered!

RK - Now confirmation of the score from Albania - the Ukraine have won 1-0 and that means that the final Group 1 table looks like this.


<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Group 1Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Sweden 8 4 0 0 10 1 2 1 1 5 4 19 2nd Scotland 8 4 0 0 12 3 2 0 2 5 3 18 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Ukraine 8 3 0 1 4 2 2 0 2 5 9 15 4th Albania 8 0 2 2 1 4 1 0 3 5 9 5 5th Israel 8 0 0 4 5 10 0 1 3 0 7 1</pre>


RK - And I’m just hearing some great news from Slovenia. Their game with Russia has finished 1-1 and that means that Scotland have qualified.


<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Second Placed TeamsPos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Scotland 6 3 0 0 9 3 1 0 2 3 3 12 2nd Q Czech Republic 6 3 0 0 7 0 1 0 2 4 5 12 3rd Q Germany 6 2 1 0 8 1 1 1 1 6 3 11 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------4th Ireland 6 1 1 1 6 3 2 1 0 6 4 11 5th Belarus 6 2 0 1 7 6 1 1 1 8 4 10 6th Russia 6 1 0 2 3 3 2 1 0 4 2 10 7th Greece 6 1 2 0 6 4 1 0 2 4 6 8 8th Finland 6 2 0 1 9 3 0 1 2 4 7 7 9th Norway 6 2 0 1 5 2 0 0 3 1 8 6</pre>


AG - Ah that’s a marvellous achievement for Berti and the boys - well done fellas.

RK - And just before we go over to Tel-Aviv we’ll have a quick look at the match statistics.

(Sky Sports Whooshing Noise)

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Israel Scotland4 Shots on Goal 161 On Target 93 Off Target 70 Corners 710 Free Kicks 95 Offsides 71 Yellow Cards 00 Red Cards 0</pre>

RK - Now, over to Tel-Aviv where Geoff Shreeves is waiting to talk to Berti Wogts.


GS - Berti, congratulations on the win. Have you heard the news from Slovenia yet?

BW - Ja, ve haff just been told of ze result und it means zat we go to Portugal, ja?

GS - It certainly does Berti. That’s a wonderful achievement for you.

BW - Why zank you but it is ze players who have done it, not me. Zey are ze ones who haff made the very good play to get us qualified.

GS - Well congratulations once again on a great achievement. Very smart tartan trews by the way.

BW - I am liking them very much but you don’t zink zey are a little short? Herr Vogts is much less in ze legs zan what I am.


RK - Well Andy, a great afternoon for Scottish football.

AG - You’re not wrong there Richard. Now I’m off to book my flights to Portugal.

RK - Now don’t forget viewers that there will be full coverage of all the matches in Euro 2004 right here on Sky Sports. Andy and I will of course be back with you during the crucial playoff games in November.

retired_amyslack

Sky Sports
Saturday November 8, 2003
Richard Keys and Andy Gray are sitting in the Sky Sports studio.

RK - Good afternoon everyone and welcome to our coverage of the Euro 2004 playoff matches. Andy, relief for you that Scotland managed to qualify automatically and avoid the tension of the playoffs?

AG - Very much so Richard. I don’t know that I would have had any fingernails left otherwise.

RK - Before we look at the playoffs themselves let’s take a few moments to look at how the groups finished and who has already qualified.

AG - Good idea Richard. Well Group 1, as we already know, featured Scotland and here’s how it finished.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Group 1Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Sweden 8 4 0 0 10 1 2 1 1 5 4 19 2nd Q SCOTLAND 8 4 0 0 12 3 2 0 2 5 3 18 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Ukraine 8 3 0 1 4 2 2 0 2 5 9 15 4th Albania 8 0 2 2 1 4 1 0 3 5 9 5 5th Israel 8 0 0 4 5 10 0 1 3 0 7 1</pre>
AG - So Sweden and Scotland the automatic qualifiers there. There was very little to choose between the two and the crucial game was the 1-0 defeat in Stockholm back in June. And the high point for Scotland was undoubtedly the 5-1 win over the Ukraine at Hampden in August.


RK - And in Group 2 Spain had a very easy passage.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Group 2Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Spain 10 5 0 0 10 1 5 0 0 14 2 30 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Pl Finland 10 4 0 1 14 3 2 1 2 9 9 19 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Turkey 10 4 0 1 12 3 1 0 4 5 12 15 4th N.IRELAND 10 3 1 1 7 5 1 1 3 1 7 14 5th Latvia 10 2 1 2 7 10 0 0 5 0 9 7 6th Faroe Islands 10 1 0 4 2 8 0 0 5 1 13 3</pre>
AG - You can say that again Richard. Ten wins out of ten, 24 goals scored and only 3 conceded. Finland took the runners-up spot thanks mainly to their excellent home form. They beat Turkey 4-0 in Helsinki and in their final game they beat Northern Ireland by the same score when a win for the Irish would have given them a playoff place.

RK - Sammy McIlroy’s lads did well though.

AG - They did. The result in Helsinki was their worst performance of the campaign and they had an excellent 2-1 win over Turkey last October at Windsor Park.


RK - And in Group 3 Croatia and the Republic of Ireland had a ding-dong battle.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Group 3Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Croatia 8 3 1 0 9 2 3 0 1 5 3 19 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Pl IRELAND 8 2 1 1 11 4 3 1 0 9 4 17 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Poland 8 3 0 1 6 2 1 1 2 5 4 13 4th Lithuania 8 2 0 2 7 6 1 0 3 3 7 9 5th Luxembourg 8 0 0 4 0 10 0 0 4 2 15 0</pre>
AG - It was nip and tuck all the way. The crucial result there came early in the campaign when the Croatians won 2-1 in Dublin, Irelands only defeat in the group.


RK - In Group 4 Yugoslavia and the Czech Republic both qualified.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Group 4Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Yugoslavia 10 5 0 0 14 2 3 1 1 7 2 25 2nd Q Czech Republic 10 5 0 0 13 0 3 0 2 11 5 24 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Bosnia 10 3 1 1 10 4 3 0 2 7 3 19 4th Armenia 10 1 1 3 4 10 2 0 3 5 10 10 5th Hungary 10 1 1 3 5 5 1 2 2 8 12 9 6th Malta 10 0 0 5 3 17 0 0 5 0 17 0</pre>
AG - Yes, it was fairly comfortable for both of them to be honest.


RK - But it was a very disappointing campaign for Mark Hughes and his Welsh team.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Group 5Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Holland 8 3 1 0 8 3 3 0 1 6 3 19 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Pl Belarus 8 3 0 1 10 7 1 1 2 11 9 13 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Belgium 8 3 0 1 7 5 1 0 3 5 8 12 4th Switzerland 8 3 0 1 8 6 0 1 3 2 9 10 5th WALES 8 1 1 2 7 7 0 0 4 4 11 4</pre>
AG - Very disappointing. Holland qualified with room to spare in the end but Wales unfortunately finished bottom of the group. The big surprise was probably Belarus beating Belgium to the playoff spot. The key game there was the shock 5-0 win for Belarus in Brussels.


RK - Group 6 was a bit of a stroll in the park for France.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Group 6Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q France 8 4 0 0 12 0 3 1 0 9 4 22 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Pl Greece 8 1 3 0 8 6 2 0 2 7 7 12 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Romania 8 3 0 1 7 4 0 3 1 3 6 12 4th Estonia 8 1 1 2 3 7 1 0 3 2 6 7 5th FYROM 8 0 1 3 1 6 0 1 3 2 8 2</pre>
AG - Yes, just two points dropped in 8 games for the French. Greece managed to secure the playoff place on goal difference from Romania despite only taking 2 points from their last 3 matches.


RK - And in Group 7 Denmark did really well to finish top above Germany, although both do go through.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Group 7Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Denmark 10 4 1 0 14 1 3 2 0 10 1 24 2nd Q Germany 10 4 1 0 16 1 3 1 1 12 5 23 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Georgia 10 3 2 0 8 2 2 1 2 11 12 18 4th Cyprus 10 2 0 3 8 12 1 0 4 6 15 9 5th Slovakia 10 2 1 2 8 8 0 1 4 2 15 8 6th San Marino 10 0 1 4 6 17 0 1 4 0 12 2</pre>
AG - The key there was there superb defensive record - just 2 goals conceded in 10 games. Also Germany’s surprise 1-0 defeat in Georgia back in August. If you remember Richard, that was the match where Jens Nowotny was sent off for pushing the referee.

RK - He got a 3-month ban for that didn’t he?

AG - He did and it’s still in effect until the end of this month.


RK - Italy breezed through their Group.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Group 8Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Italy 8 4 0 0 12 1 4 0 0 9 2 24 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Pl Norway 8 3 0 1 7 2 1 0 3 3 9 12 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Iceland 8 3 0 1 10 4 0 1 3 1 6 10 4th Austria 8 1 2 1 4 3 0 1 3 1 11 6 5th Azerbaijan 8 1 1 2 4 7 0 1 3 3 9 5</pre>
AG - You can say that again. 8 wins out of 8 and only 3 goals conceded. Iceland lost their chance of a playoff when they drew their final game in Austria. They had done the hard work in their previous game by beating Norway 2-0 but a 1-1 draw in Vienna meant that Norway’s 2-0 win over Azerbaijan was good enough.


RK - And finally, England finished on top in Group 9.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Group 9Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q ENGLAND 8 2 1 1 5 3 4 0 0 12 1 19 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Pl Russia 8 2 0 2 6 4 3 1 0 7 3 16 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Slovenia 8 2 1 1 5 5 2 2 0 7 4 15 4th Bulgaria 8 0 2 2 5 7 1 0 3 8 8 5 5th Moldova 8 0 0 4 3 17 0 1 3 2 8 1</pre>
AG - It was a good campaign by Sven and his boys. Apart from the 1-0 loss at home to Russia their only other hiccup was the 1-1 draw with Slovenia. But their away form was the key - 4 wins out of 4 sealed the group.

RK - Right, Andy and I will be back to review the playoff matches after this short break.

retired_amyslack

Back in the Sky Sports Studio

RK - So Andy, let’s take a look at each of the three playoff pairings. Firstly Belarus at home against Russia.

AG - There’s a bit of local rivalry in this one. Belarus finished runners-up to Holland in their group and came into their best form at the end of the campaign. In their final two games they beat Belgium 5-0 and Switzerland 3-0. Russia finished behind England and they were unbeaten in their last 4 group matches with 3 wins and a draw.

RK - Who are the key players that we should be aware of?

AG - Belarus have two very well regarded midfielders in Valentin Belkevich of Ajax and young Alexandr Hleb of Stuttgart. They tend to play with three at the back and Artem Chelyadinskiy and Vladimir Shuneiko, who both play in Russia incidently, have looked impressive. They utilise a single striker and 20-year-old Artem Kontsevoy of Napoli will be the man to watch up front. For the Russians, keeper Ruslan Nigmatullin of Espanyol is a key figure at the back. Team captain Viktor Onpoko, who also plays in Spain with Mallorca, will reach a landmark 100 caps today and at 34 is still an important part of their set up. They’ll be looking to the highly rated striker Vladimir Bestchastnykh of Schalke to get amongst the goals and will expect midfielder Dmitry Khokhlov, another Spanish-based player at Real Sociedad, to provide their creative spark.

RK - Next up, Ireland at home to Greece.

AG - I know that David O’Leary was very disappointed not to have qualified automatically and his boys will be desperate to get to Portugal. This may be captain Roy Keane’s last major tournament as he’ll be 35 at the time of the next World Cup. Robbie Keane and Damian Duff represent the Republic’s main attacking threat. They’ll need to watch out for Greek striker Zissis Vryzas who has a great goalscoring record with Perugia.

RK - And finally, the Nordic derby - Norway at home to Finland.

AG - Another local rivalry. Norway are led by captain Erik Mykland who now plays his football in Denmark and Chelsea’s Ronny Johnsen gives them a lot of experience at the back. Valencia’s striker Alieu will always be a threat up front and they can also call on Arsenal’s Tore Andre Flo, Steffen Iversen of Spurs and of course Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of Man Utd. Finland’s talismanic Jari Litmanen of Ajax is currently injured and that’s a real blow. But they still have ex-Liverpool captain Sami Hyypia, recently transferred to Dortmund for £21M, Southampton keeper Antti Niemi and Chelsea striker Mikael Forssell.

RK - Thanks Andy. And after our next break we’ll be off to Landsdowne Road for full coverage of Ireland’s game against Greece and Andy and I will rejoin you all for the highlights of all three games.