BobBev

Euro 2004 Playoffs First Leg
Full Time

RK - Right Andy, let’s take a look at how all the games went. First, Ireland and Greece

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Ireland 2 Greece 1Robbie Keane 12, Butler 45 Vryzas 18</pre>

RK - A good start for the Irish Andy.

AG - It certainly was with Robbie Keane getting them off the mark after 12 minutes. It’s nice interplay between Keane and Clinton Morrison here - the two of them have a good understanding - and Robbie volleys home beautifully.

RK - Was Shay Given at fault for the equaliser?

AG - I’d say so Richard. See here, Choutos gets past Ian Harte on the right and swings the ball in. Shay seems to hesitate and when he does come for the ball he really doesn’t look positive and the dangerman Vryzas easily gets there first.

RK - But a very positive response by the Irish.

AG - Absolutely - how they only got one goal in this half I just don’t know. If you look back on it, Stephen McPhail and Damian Duff both hit the post and the Greek keeper made maybe half a dozen excellent stops before Thomas Butler got the goal right on half time.

RK - A slightly quieter second half.

AG - It was. Ireland always worked hard but they only really forced a couple of saves out of the keeper. Mind you the Greeks never really threatened - they almost seemed happy to back to Athens just a goal down.

RK - Who caught your eye in that game?

AG - Well for the Greeks Vryzas looked sharp and he scored their important away goal and Katergiannakis was inspired in goal. For Ireland, Robbie Keane and Clint Morrison were excellent up front and Ian Harte had a very good game at the back.

RG - Next up, Belarus and Russia.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Belarus 1 Russia 0Kontsevoy 77</pre>

AG - A well-deserved win for the home side, although once again the visitors have their keeper to thank for keeping the scoreline low. Belarus created a lot of chances and a combination of good work by Nigmatullin and poor finishing on occasions, means that Russia are still in the tie.

RK - Who stood out in this game?

AG - The Russian keeper obviously but their experienced sweeper Omari Tetradze also played very well. For Belarus the goalscorer Kontsevoy always looked dangerous and Sergei Shtaniuk played very well at the back.

RK - Finally, the Nordic derby.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Norway 1 Finland 2Heggem 79 Pasanen pen 19, Roiha 47</pre>

AG - This was a bit of a disaster for Norway to be honest. Keeper Thomas Myhre was sent off after 20 minutes when he pulled down Simo Valakari of Derby as the midfielder was going past him. Norway took off their star striker Alieu to bring on substitute keeper Per Morten Kristiansen. Ajax youngster Petri Pasanen made no mistake from the spot to open the scoring. Striker Paulus Roiha added a second for Finland early in the second half before Liverpool’s Vegard Heggem gave Norway some hope with a late goal.

RK - So how do you see the second legs panning out.

AG - Ireland will have a tough match in Greece but I think that they can come through it. With Keane and Morrison in good form I think that they can score and that would make a big difference to the match. The Russia /Belarus match is very finely balanced and I could see that going to extra time and maybe even penalties. Finland are in the driving seat against Norway - 1 goal up and playing at home.

RK - Thanks Andy. We’ll be back with highlights of the second legs on Wednesday evening. We will also feature coverage of Scotland’s friendly against Austria so please join us then.

BobBev

Sky Sports
Wednesday November 12, 2003
Richard Keys and Andy Gray are sitting in the Sky Sports studio.

RK - Good evening, we have a packed programme for you tonight as we bring you coverage of the Euro 2004 Playoff second legs. We’ll also feature tonight’s friendly between Scotland and Austria at Hampden. Let’s talk about Scotland first Andy - the Under 21’s did well again last night.

AG - Yes, they had a comprehensive 3-0 win over their Austrian counterparts. There were several new faces in the team and it was a very impressive performance. The young Rangers defender Andrew Duffy opened the scoring after 19 minutes. He had been asked to play the holding position in front of the back two - an unaccustomed role for him - but he was outstanding. Darren Fletcher got the second just before half time and Aberdeen’s Scott Michie added the third right at the end.

RK - Now a quick recap on the playoff positions after the first leg ties. Ireland travel to Greece with a 2-1 lead, Belarus take a one-goal advantage to Russia and Norway visit Finland 2-1 down. We’ll be going over to Athens after the break but Andy and I will rejoin you at full time for a complete roundup of the action.

BobBev

Euro 2004 Playoffs Second Leg
Full Time

RK - Andy, what a good result for the Irish.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Greece 1 Ireland 2Choutos 33 Morrison 26, Roy Keane 81Ireland win 4-2 on aggregate</pre>

AG - An excellent result Richard. Big Clint Morrison got them off to a great start with the opening goal. Thomas Butler of Sunderland starts the move off and he sends in a lovely pass to Robbie Keane. That’s good control from the Spurs player to take him past the defender and he puts in a great cross for Morrison to head home. A vital goal for the Irish. That puts them 3-1 ahead and the Greeks have now got to score 3 goals.

RK - They got one back shortly afterwards though.

AG - Yes. They came close to a goal straight from the restart when Vryzas tried his luck from distance but his shot just clipped the bar with Shay Given well beaten. Here’s the goal now. This is very neat approach work, nice crisp passing, looking for an opening. Choutos picks it up now, jinks past two defenders and that’s an unstoppable shot. Here’s another chance just before half time. Choutos picks out Vryzas but his header comes back off the post. The Greeks had a lot of possession as they searched for the second goal that would at least give them extra time but they didn’t threaten Given too often. And every now and then Ireland looked to hit them on the break. The clock was ticking down and the Irish still looked composed. And then the captain, Roy Keane scored the decisive goal. It followed a sustained period of Irish possession as we can see. They’re passing the ball around neatly, looking for an opening. Robbie Keane knocks it out to Barrett, on to Duff, to Finan. Barrett’s continued his run and Finan finds him well. Nice cushioned pass to Robbie who plays it into the box and there’s Roy to volley it home. 4-2 overall, Portugal here we come.

RK - On to the game in Russia.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Russia 0 Belarus 1 Kontsevoy 45Belarus win 2-0 on aggregate</pre>

AG - The danger man Kontsevoy scored again as he did in the first leg to give Belarus a great result. They were under fairly sustained pressure for most of the match but they defended well, the keeper made some good saves and they held out. We’ll see the goal now. Classic counter attack here. Hleb picks up the ball as a Russian attack breaks down. He gets quick support from Kutozov who spots Kontsevoy’s run and threads through a great pass. The youngster takes it in his stride and finishes really well.

RK - And Norway with an unlikely comeback in Helsinki.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Finland 0 Norway 2 Flo 19, Aas 76Norway win 3-2 on aggregate</pre>

AG - The Finns will be kicking themselves after this result. They had most of the possession and created most of the chances. Norway soaked up the pressure, had two shots on goal and scored with both of them. Let’s see the first goal. Flo was preferred in attack to Alieu and that turned out to be an inspired selection as he opened the scoring. Simple goal too. The free kick is played in, Niemi comes for it but Flo just beats him to it. The winning goal was a bit special though. As you see the Finnish attack breaks down and look at Ronny Johnsen. He nutmegs Valakari, beats two men and sends in a great ball to the far post. Kvarme with a controlled knock down and look at that volley by Alexander Aas. He’s only on the pitch because of an injury to Heggem and that’s as good a finish as you’ll see.

RK - Just time to finish off with the Scotland friendly.

AG - A bit of experimentation by Berti for this one and it worked out quite well. Paul Gallagher got a start in goal, Rob Malcolm and Jamie Buchan played as wingbacks with Steven Pressley and Lee Wilkie in the centre of defence. Young Michael Stewart from Man Utd played in front of the defence and Motherwell’s Stephen Pearson started in midfield after impressing in the Under 21’s. And a real surprise up front with Falkirk’s Steven Craig and young Stevie Nicholas of Rangers playing. Scotland played very well and the visitors rarely threatened. Goals from Nicholas and substitute Mark Kerr gave them a 2-0 win. Ex-Arsenal goalie Alex Manninger was in top form and he kept the score respectable.

RK - Do you expect any of the youngsters to feature in the Euro 2004 squad?

AG - I wouldn’t be surprised to see one or two but I’m sure that Berti will try out a few more players before next summer.

RK - Thanks Andy. That just about wraps things up tonight, so its goodnight from me and its goodnight from him.

BobBev

Sky Sports News
Saturday February 7, 2004
Earlier today the draw was made for the Euro 2004 groups. England have been placed with Portugal, the host country. Ireland have been drawn with Spain and Italy and Scotland are in what is already being dubbed the "Group of Death" and will face Holland, Germany and Denmark. Here are the groups in full.


Group 1
Belarus
Czech Republic
England
Portugal

Group 2
Ireland
Italy
Spain
Yugoslavia

Group 3
Croatia
France
Norway
Sweden

Group 4
Denmark
Germany
Holland
Scotland

The tournament opens on June 5th with England against Portugal. Scotland’s programme gets underway on the 8th with a match against Denmark.

BobBev

Sky Sports News
Saturday February 7, 2004
The draw for the 2006 World Cup qualifiers took place earlier today. The qualifying games start in early September and will run through until next October. Here is the draw in full.

Group 1
FYROM
Holland
Latvia
Switzerland
Yugoslavia

Group 2
Belarus
England
Estonia
Slovakia
Sweden

Group 3
Azerbaijan
Bulgaria
Finland
Northern Ireland
Portugal

Group 4
Bosnia
Croatia
Malta
Moldova
Russia
Scotland

Group 5
Armenia
Czech Republic
Israel
Poland
Ukraine

Group 6
Albania
France
Greece
Norway
San Marino
Wales

Group 7
Austria
Iceland
Italy
Luxembourg
Turkey

Group 8
Denmark
Faroe Islands
Hungary
Lithuania
Slovenia
Spain

Group 9
Andorra
Belgium
Cyprus
Georgia
Ireland
Romania

Peacemaker7

Tough looking draws there. Come on Berti!

BobBev

I'm with you PM - I don't like the look of the "Group of Death" at all

Sky Sports
Tuesday June 1, 2004
Richard Keys and Andy Gray are sitting in the Sky Sports studio.

RK - Good evening and welcome to the Sky Sports Euro 2004 preview show. I’m here with Andy Gray and tonight we will be reviewing the four groups and assessing the chances of England, Scotland and Ireland in the competition. Let’s start with Group 1 Andy.

AG - England’s group of course Richard.

Group 1
Belarus (FIFA Ranking - 107)
Czech Republic (10)
England (17)
Portugal (12)

AG - Belarus were surprise qualifiers after beating Russia in the playoff and they are definitely the outsiders of the group. The Czech Republic qualified in some style and they must fancy their chances. With players such as Tomas Rosicky, Pavel Nedved and Jan Koller in the team they’re a handful for anyone. After Nedved’s recent £14.5M transfer from Juventus to Liverpool, the Merseysiders now provide 4 of the squad including Patrik Berger, Vladimir Smicer and Milan Baros.

RK - And the home nation Andy?

AG - Well they haven’t played a competitive match since their World Cup Quarter Final against South Africa in July 2002. If you remember they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat. They’ve played 10 friendly matches since then and have lost only twice, with one of those defeats coming against England in November 2002. They definitely have an ageing team - the average age of the squad is 28. But players like Luis Figo and Rui Costa are still world class. We should also keep an eye on young striker Helder Postiga as he could make an impact. The weight of expectations that the team will be under from the home supporters will mean that each game will be played under tremendous pressure and I think that they might not handle it.

RK - And how about England?

AG - Well, let’s start by taking a look at the full squad.

Goalkeepers
Rhys Evans (22, Chelsea)
David James (33, West Ham)
Richard Wright (26, Everton)

Defenders
Dean Richards (29, Liverpool)
Jamie Carragher (26, Liverpool)
Gary Neville (29, Arsenal)
David Prutton (22, Arsenal)
Gareth Barry (23, Aston Villa)
Ashley Cole (23, Arsenal)
Matthew Taylor (22, Everton)
Sol Campbell (29, Arsenal)
Ugo Ehiogu (31, Liverpool)
Rio Ferdinand (25, Man Utd)

Midfielders
Kieron Dyer (25, Newcastle)
Seth Johnson (25, Leeds)
Darren Anderton (32, Leeds)
Steve McManaman (32, Leeds)
Joe Cole (22, West Ham)
Paul Scholes (29, Arsenal)

Forwards
Carlton Cole (20, Chelsea)
Robbie Fowler (29, Leeds)
Michael Owen (24, Liverpool)
Wayne Rooney (18, Everton)

RK - The Liverpool contingent will certainly be on a high after their victory over Barcelona in the Champions League Final.

AG - Absolutely. It’s an interesting squad, strong in defence and attack but I think a little weak in midfield with Beckham out injured. Sol Campbell, Paul Scholes and Michael Owen are the key players for me and they all need to perform.

RK - Final thoughts on the group.

AG - Czech Republic and England to go through.

RK - OK. Time for a short break and then we’ll look at Group 2.

BobBev

Back in the Sky Sports Studio

RK - Well Andy, what do you make of this group then?

Group 2
Ireland (FIFA Ranking 14)
Italy (2)
Spain (6)
Yugoslavia (8)

AG - Ireland there courtesy of the playoffs of course. Let’s start with a look at the Irish squad.

Goalkeepers
Shay Given (28, Man City)
Dean Kiely (33, Charlton)
Joe Murphy (22, Fulham)

Defenders
Gary Breen (30, West Ham)
Stephen Carr (27, Fulham)
Kenny Cunningham (32, Liverpool)
Richard Dunne (24, Grimsby)
Gary Kelly (29, Leeds)
Ian Harte (26, Leeds)
Gary Doherty (24, Spurs)
Andy O’Brien (24, Newcastle)
Phil Babb (33, Sunderland)

Midfielders
Roy Keane (32, Man Utd)
Rory Delap (27, Southampton)
Jason McAteer (32, Sunderland)
Mark Kinsella (31, Aston Villa)
Damian Duff (25, Blackburn)
Kevin Kilbane (27, Sunderland)

Forwards
Graham Barrett (22, Arsenal)
Robbie Keane (23, Spurs)
David Connolly (26, Wimbledon)
Paul Keegan (20, Leeds)
Clinton Morrison (25, Birmingham)

AG - For me, Damian Duff and the two Keanes - Roy and Robbie - are their key players. We know that the team will always give 100% but my feeling is that this group is just too strong for them to come through.

RK - And the rest of the group?

AG - Well Italy are probably the group favourites. The team is full of household names with the likes of Totti, Inzaghi, Del Piero and Vieri. I can’t see them not qualifying and I would expect them to win the group. Spain breezed through qualifying but have a nasty habit of seriously under-achieving in the final stages. Of course they excelled in the last World Cup, reaching the final only to lose 3-0 to Argentina. They have three very strong strikers in Raul, Albert Luque and Diego Tristan but they can be a bit weak at the back. Yugoslavia qualified well and they have a lot of technically gifted players. Their weakness I believe is their temperament. They can easily get rattled if things start to go against them. In PSV’s Mateja Kezman they have a proven goalscorer and captain Dejan Stefanovic is an imposing presence in defence.

RK - How do you think it’ll end up?

AG - Italy to win the group and Spain to just sneak second.

RK - Well it’s time for another short break and then we’ll look at the remaining groups.

BobBev

Back in the Sky Sports Studio

RK - Well Andy, how does Group 3 look?

Group 3
Croatia (FIFA Ranking - 25)
France (1)
Norway (37)
Sweden (31)

AG - Croatia just pipped Ireland to automatic qualification. In their last couple of friendly matches they lost 3-1 to Spain but then beat the Czech Republic 3-0. Similar to the Yugoslavs, if they’re in the mood then they are unbeatable so a lot will depend on their state of mind in Portugal. Captain Dario Simic is probably the best known figure in the squad and he plays his football in Milan. But I’m sure that Middlesbrough fans will need no reminding of Alen Boksic, who is now playing for Galatasaray in Turkey. France must be group favourites. They strolled through the qualifying group and with such luminaries as Zidane, Vieira, Henry, Pires, Trezeguet and Thuram in the squad I can’t see them failing to progress. For me there’s very little to choose between Norway and Sweden. The Norwegians did well to get through the playoff against Finland whilst Sweden, of course, won Scotland’s group.

RK - So how do you see it ending up?

AG - France to win the group and I’ll stick my neck out here and go for Croatia to nick second place.

RK - And finally, Group 4

Group 4
Denmark (FIFA Ranking - 4)
Germany (7)
Holland (19)
Scotland (35)

AG - A very, very tough group. Denmark just pipped Germany in the qualifying group and at one point were at the top of the FIFA Rankings. Ebbe Sand is a prolific scorer for Leverkusen and will be well known to the German squad. Arsenal’s Dennis Rommedhal is lighting fast as is Jesper Gronkjaer of Chelsea. The Germans have the prolific Miroslav Klose up front, Michael Ballack pulling the strings in midfield and the imposing figure of Oliver Kahn in goal. Holland have talent aplenty with Patrick Kluivert up front, Kevin Hofland one of the most cultured defenders in the game and the gritty Clarence Seedorf holding the midfield together. They are unfortunate that Ruud van Nistelrooy and Edgar Davids are both injured.

RK - So let’s take a look at Berti’s Scotland squad as there are one or two surprises.

Goalkeepers
Jamie Langfield (24, Dundee)
Neil Sullivan (34, Spurs)

Defenders
Barry Smith (30, Dundee)
Lee Wilkie (24, Dundee)
Robert Malcolm (23, Rangers)
Robbie Neilson (23, Southampton)
Brian McAllister (33, Motherwell)
Jim Paterson (24, Spurs)
Phil McGuire (24, Aberdeen)
Scott Walker (29, Motherwell)

Midfielders
Derek McInnes (32, West Brom)
Michael Stewart (23, Man Utd)
Craig Easton (25, West Brom)
Barry Ferguson (26, Rangers)
Mark Kerr (22, Leeds)
Darren Fletcher (20, Man Utd)
James McFadden (21, Motherwell)
Charlie Miller (28, Rangers)
Stephen Pearson (21, Motherwell)

Forwards
Stevie Nicholas (22, Rangers)
Kiegan Parker (21, Rangers)
Marc Anthony (26, Aberdeen)
Craig Dargo (26, Kilmarnock)

AG - It’s generally a young squad, especially in midfield and attack. There are some exciting young players included and it’s certainly a very adventurous selection from Berti. He tried out a lot of these players in the friendly matches over the last few months. We had a good 2-0 win over Austria with goals from Stevie Nicholas and Mark Kerr. Then we lost 3-2 to Ireland thanks to a Robbie Keane winner in stoppage time. Darren Fletcher and Paul Shields were our scorers in that game. And finally we beat Russia 3-1 in a very encouraging performance. Charlie Miller scored twice with Jamie Buchan of Dundee getting the other. The other thing of note here is that Berti has not gone with the conventional wisdom of including three keepers in the squad, choosing instead to include an extra outfield player.

RK - Can you see them progressing from the group stage?

AG - No. Frankly, I think that the group is just too tough. I see Germany and Holland maybe going through but it’s a really tough group to call.

RK - Well that’s all we have time for in this programme so I’d like to thank Andy for his insights. We will of course be bringing full coverage of all of Scotland’s group matches right here on Sky Sports.

BobBev

Sky Sports
Tuesday June 8, 2004
Richard Keys and Andy Gray are sitting in the Sky Sports studio.

RK - Good evening and welcome to Scotland’s opening group game in Euro 2004. We will shortly be going over to our commentary team in Portugal for the game against Denmark but first let’s take a quick check on the matches so far.

AG - Well the tournament got underway on Saturday with the host nation recording a 1-0 win over England. Portugal’s captain Luis Figo got the decisive strike in the 66th minute. England captain Rio Ferdinand was later heavily criticised in the press for his poor performance. There were three matches on Sunday. Spain and Italy were well matched but it looked like ending with a narrow win for the Italians thanks to Christian Vieri until Spain’s captain Raul found the net in stoppage time - final result 1-1. France had to wait until the 88th minute before Liverpool’s Didier Agathe found a way through a spirited Croatian rearguard. And in Scotland’s group, Holland and Germany had a scoreless stalemate in a rather uneventful encounter. This is not a bad result at all for the Scots and if we can take something from the Denmark match tonight we’ll still be well in touch. Yesterday the Czech Republic defeated Belarus 2-0 with a Jan Koller double and Ireland had a fine 1-0 win over Yugoslavia thanks to a rare Mark Kinsella goal. And earlier today Norway lost 2-0 to Sweden with Henrik Larsson getting both the goals.

RK - What’s the team news for tonight.

AG - Well there’s some bad injury news before we’ve even got started. Jim Paterson looks like he’ll miss the entire tournament with a groin strain and Michael Stewart has picked up a knock that will keep him out for a week or so. So the lineup tonight looks like this.


<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Craig Dargo Stevie Nicholas Charlie Miller Barry Ferguson (C) Mark KerrRobbie Neilson Derek McInnes Robert Malcolm Scott Walker Phil McGuire Neil SullivanSubstitutesJamie LangfieldBarry SmithLee WilkieBrian McAllisterStephen PearsonKiegan ParkerDarren Fletcher</pre>

RK - Thanks Andy. Just time for a quick break and then over to the game. We’ll see you back here at half time for a look at the highlights.