Memory Lane: Roma 2000/01.

6,58 Émerson
6,57 Nakata, Tommasi
6,55 Totti
6,52 Montella
6,50 Cafu
6,45 Samuel
6,30 Zago
6,29 Batistuta
6,26 Candela
6,22 C. Zanetti
6,18 Aldair
6,06 Antonioli
6,05 Guigou
6,00 Lupatelli, Rinaldi
5,94 Marcos Assuncão
5,85 Mangone
5,81 Delvecchio
5,80 Zebina.

All the penalty shootouts in WC and Euro history.

1976 Euro
Czechoslovakia-West Germany 5-3


1980 Euro
Czechoslovakia-Italy 9-8


1982 World Cup
Germany-France 5-4


1984 Euro
Spain-Denmark 5-4


1986 World Cup
France-Brazil 4-3
Germany-Mexico 4-1
Belgium-Spain 5-4


1990 World Cup
Ireland-Romania 5-4
Argentina-Yugoslavia 3-2
Argentina-Italy 4-3
Germany-England 4-3

1992 Euro
Denmark-Holland 5-4


1994 World Cup
Bulgaria-Mexico 3-1
Sweden-Romania 5-4
Brazil-Italy 3-2


1996 Euro
France-Holland 5-4
England-Spain 4-2
Czech Republic-France 6-5
Germany-England 6-5


1998 World Cup
Argentina-England 4-3
France-Italy 4-3
Brazil-Holland 4-2

2000 Euro
Italy-Holland 3-1


2002 World Cup
Spain-Ireland 3-2
South Korea-Spain 5-3


2004 Euro
Portugal-England 6-5
Holland-Sweden 5-4


2006 World Cup
Ukraine-Switzerland 3-0
Germany-Argentina 3-2
Portugal-England 3-1 
Italy-France 5-3


2008 Euro
Turkey-Croatia 3-1
Spain-Italy 4-2


2010 World Cup
Paraguay-Japan 5-3
Uruguay-Ghana 4-2



2012 Euro
Italy-England 4-2
Spain-Portugal 4-2


In bold text, matches where the team taking the first penalty won the shootout. Since 1976, in 19 cases of 37 the team taking the first penalty have gone through. Since 2006: nine of ten, since 1998: 14 of 18.



Total record:
+4: (West) Germany (5-1)
+3: Czechoslovakia/Czech Republic (3-0)
+2: Argentina (3-1)
+1: Spain (4-3), Brazil, Portugal (2-1), Belgium, Bulgaria, South Korea, Ukraine, Turkey, Paraguay, Uruguay (1-0)
0: France (3-3), Denmark, Ireland, Sweden (1-1)
-1: Yugoslavia, Croatia, Switzerland, Japan, Ghana (0-1)
-2: Italy (3-5), Mexico, Romania (0-2)
-3: Holland (1-4)
-5: England (1-6)



Per confederation:
+4: South America (6-2)
0: Asia (1-1)
-1: Africa (0-1)
-2: Europe (29-31), North & Central America (0-2).

Today 14 years ago: Argentina 2, England 2 [4-3 pens; WC 1/8 final]

1-0 5' Batistuta penalty, 1-1 9' Shearer penalty, 1-2 16' Owen, 2-2 45' Javier Zanetti freekick. Penalties: Berti goal, Shearer goal - Crespo saved, Ince saved - Verón goal, Merson goal - Gallardo goal, Owen goal - Ayala goal, Batty saved. Sent-off: 47' Beckham. Att: 36.000 (Saint-Etienne).
Argentina: Roa 7,30 — Ayala 6,30, Almeyda 6,60, Chamot 5,80 — Ortega 7,40, Vivas 6,40, Simeone 6,70 (92' Berti), Verón 7,80, J. Zanetti 7,10 — C. López 5,50 (70' Gallardo 6,60), Batistuta 6,60 (70' Crespo 5,70). = average: 6,60.
England: Seaman 6,40 — G. Neville 6,80 (73' Southgate 6,20), Adams 6,90, Campbell 7,10 — Anderton 6,40 (97' Batty), Beckham 5,40, Ince 7,80, Scholes 6,40 (80' Merson), Le Saux 6,40 — Shearer 6,50, Owen 6,90. = average: 6,60.

Euro 2012: match quality.

According to German magazine Kicker.


8/10:
Germany-Greece 4-2 (QF)
Russia-Czech Republic 4-1
Spain-Italy 1-1
Poland-Russia 1-1
Holland-Germany 1-2
Spain-Ireland 4-0
Portugal-Holland 2-1


7,5/10:
Ireland-Croatia 1-3
Italy-Germany 2-1 (semi)


7/10:
Spain-France 2-0 (QF)
England-Ukraine 1-0
Czech Republic-Poland 1-0
Holland-Denmark 0-1
Germany-Portugal 1-0
Ukraine-Sweden 2-1
Denmark-Portugal 2-3
Sweden-England 2-3
Croatia-Spain 0-1
Czech Republic-Portugal 0-1 (QF)


6,5/10:
Italy-England 0-0 (QF)
Sweden-France 2-0
Ukraine-France 0-2
Greece-Russia 1-0
Denmark-Germany 1-2
Portugal-Spain 0-0 (semi)


6/10
Poland-Greece 1-1
France-England 1-1
Greece-Czech Republic 1-2
Italy-Croatia 1-1
Czech Republic-Poland 1-0
Italy-Ireland 2-0


Average rating:
7,67 Holland
7,50 Russia
7,40 Germany
7,30 Spain
7,17 Ireland
7,10 Portugal
6,83 Denmark, Croatia, Uk, Sweden
6,80 Italy
6,75 Czech Republic
6,67 Poland
6,62 Greece, England
6,50 France.

Today 7 years ago: Brazil 4, Argentina 1 [Confed Cup final]

1-0 12' Adriano, 2-0 16' Kaká, 3-0 47' Ronaldinho, 4-0 63' Adriano, 4-1 65' Aimar. Att: 45.591 (Waldstadion, Frankfurt).
Brazil: Dida 6,60 — Cicinho 7,60 (86' Maicon), Lúcio 7,20, Roque Júnior 6,50, Gilberto 6,30 — Emerson 6,80, Zé Roberto 6,40 — Kaká 7,60 (86' Renato), Ronaldinho 7,80 — Robinho 6,50 (89' Juninho Pernambucano), Adriano 8,20. — coach: Carlos Alberto Parreira 7,00. = average: 7,05.
Argentina: Germán Lux 5,70 — Fabricio Coloccini 4,70, Gabriel Heinze 5,30, Diego Placente 5,00 — Javier Zanetti 5,50, Lucas Bernardi 4,90, Esteban Cambiasso 5,00 (56' Pablo Aimar 5,80), Juan Pablo Sorín 5,40 — Juan Roman Riquelme 5,70 — César Delgado 5,10, Luciano Figueroa 4,50 (72' Carlos Tévez). — coach: José Pekerman 5,00. = average: 5,22.

Euro 2012: all players rated.

Players/COACHES with at least three rated appearances.

7,04 Pirlo (rated 5 times)
6,90 Iniesta (5)
6,86 Khedira (5)
6,84 De Rossi (5)
6,83 Mandžukić (3) 
6,82 Buffon (5)
6,80 Barzagli (3)
6,78 Gerrard (4)
6,74 PRANDELLI, Casillas (5)
6,73 Dzagoev, Bendtner, Shevchenko (3)
6,72 Xabi Alonso (5)
6,70 Ibrahimovic (3)
6,68 Jiráček (4)
6,67 Yarmolenko (3)
6,62 Cassano (5)
6,60 Xavi, Özil (5), Balzaretti, Blaszczykowski, Tyton (3)
6,57 Cabaye, Krohn-Dehli, Mellberg (3)
6,56 Balotelli (5), Fábio Coentrão (5)
6,54 Hummels, Cristiano Ronaldo (5)
6,53 Pletikosa, Walcott (3)
6,52 M. Gómez, Sergio Ramos, Fàbregas (5), Terry (4) 
6,50 Marchisio (5), S. Andersen, Srna, Modrić (3)
6,48 PAULO BENTO, João Moutinho, Miguel Veloso (5), Rui Patrício (4), Salpingidis (4)
6,47 Pepe (4), Jesús Navas, Arshavin (3)
6,46 Neuer, Lahm (5)
6,44 Bonucci (5)
6,43 Montolivo, Diamanti, Denisov (3)
6,42 Pilař, Lloris (4)
6,40 Jordi Alba, Bruno Alves, Raul Meireles (5), G. Johnson (4), Strinić (3)
6,38 LÖW, Piqué (5)
6,37 Malafeev, Shirokov, Agger, Rakitić (3)
6,36 Nani (5)
6,35 Ribéry, Hart (4)
6,34 DEL BOSQUE, Busquets (5)
6,32 J. Boateng (5)
6,30 Silva (5), Lescott (4), A. Berezutskiy, Stekelenburg, Sneijder, Perišić (3)
6,28 Di Natale, João Pereira (5)
6,27 Van der Vaart, S. Larsson, A. Diarra (3)
6,25 Chiellini (4)
6,23 Isaksson, Pyatov (3)
6,20 ADVOCAAT, Fernando Torres (4), Lewandowski, Ćorluka, Gusev (3) 
6,18 Schweinsteiger (5)
6,17 Karagounis, Zhirkov, Schildenfeld, Vukojević, Konoplyanka (3)
6,15 Gebre Selassie, Hübschman, S. Parker (4)
6,13 Anyukov, St Ledger (3)
6,12 F. SANTOS, Badstuber (5), Torosidis, A. Cole (4)
6,10 Kjær, Chiellini, Jelavić, Källström, Tymoshchuk (3)
6,08 HODGSON
6,07 L. Jacobsen (3)
6,05 Samarás (4)
6,04 Arbeloa, T. Müller (5)
6,03 M. OLSEN, Kvist (3)
6,02 Thiago Motta (4)
6,00 BILIĆ, Kadlec, Katsouranis (4)
5,98 Debuchy (4)
5,97 HAMRÉN, Sokratis, Pavlyuchenko (3)
5,93 Khacheridi (3)
5,92 Nasri, Čech, Plašil, Gekas (4)
5,90 Podolski (4), S. Poulsen, M. Olsson (3)
5,88 Nélson Oliveira, K. Papadopoulos (4)
5,87 BLOKHIN
5,85 BILEK, Welbeck (4)
5,83 Perquis, Clichy, Mexès (3)
5,82 Benzema, Sivok (4)
5,80 TRAPATTONI, Rami (4), Boenisch, A. Svensson (3)
5,77 Selin (3)
5,75 Hélder Postiga, Maniatis (4)
5,73 Piszczek, N. de Jong (3)
5,72 A. Young (4)
5,70 Holebas, Whelan (3) 
5,67 Willems, Afellay, C. Eriksen (3)
5,63 Robben, Granqvist (3)
5,60 SMUDA, Wasilewski, Ignashevich, Andrews (3)
5,57 Huntelaar (3)
5,53 Kerzhakov, Duff, Keane (3)
5,52 Milner (4)
5,48 BLANC
5,47 Van Persie, O'Shea, McGeady (3)
5,43 Malouda (3)
5,42 Baroš (4)
5,30 Dunne (3)
5,23 Van der Wiel (3)
5,17 S. Ward (3)
5,13 Given (3)
4,90 VAN MARWIJK.

Player ratings Germany 1, Italy 2.

0-1 20' Balotelli, 0-2 36' Balotelli, 1-2 90' Özil penalty. Referee: Lannoy. Att: 55.540 (Warszawa).
Germany: Neuer 6,10 - J. Boateng 5,50 (72' T. Müller 5,60), Hummels 5,20, Badstuber 5,00, Lahm 5,60 - Khedira 6,20, Schweinsteiger 5,30, Kroos 5,70, Özil 6,10, Podolski 4,70 (46' Reus 6,50) -M. Gómez 4,90. - coach: Löw 5,00. = average: 5,57.
Italy: Buffon 7,00 - Balzaretti 6,70, Barzagli 7,00, Bonucci 6,90, Chiellini 6,50 - Marchisio 6,60, Pirlo 7,70, De Rossi 7,20, Montolivo 7,10 (63' Thiago Motta 6,10) - Cassano 7,40 (57' Diamanti 6,30), Balotelli 8,50 (70' Di Natale 6,00). - coach: Prandelli 8,00. = average: 6,93.

Today 14 years ago: Denmark 4, Nigeria 1 [WC, 1/8 finals]

1-0 3' P. Møller, 2-0 12' B. Laudrup, 3-0 60' Sand (20 seconds after entering), 4-0 76' Helveg, 4-1 78' Babangida. Att: 77.000 (Stade de France, St Denis). 
Denmark: Schmeichel 7,17 — Rieper 6,67, Høgh 7,17, Colding 6,83, Heintze 6,83 — Helveg 7,00, A. Nielsen 7,17, Jørgensen 7,17, B. Laudrup 7,83 (78' Wieghorst) — P. Møller 7,17 (59' Sand), M. Laudrup 8,17 (84' Frandsen). = average: 7,20.
Nigeria: Rufai 4,67 — Ochechukwu 4,83, Babayaro 4,83, West 5,50, Adepoju 5,50 — Lawal 5,00 (73' Babangida), Oliseh 5,50, Finidi 5,50 — Kanu 5,83 (65' Yekini), Ipkeba 4,83, Okocha 6,83. = average: 5,35.

Player ratings Portugal 0, Spain 0 (2-4 penalties)

Penalties: Xabi Alonso saved, João Moutinho saved - Iniesta goal, Pepe goal - Piqué goal, Nani goal - Sergio Ramos goal ("panenka"), Bruno Alves crossbar - Fàbregas goal. Referee: Çakιr 6,50. Att: 48.000 (Donetsk).‎
Portugal: Rui Patrício 7,10 - João Pereira 6,10, Bruno Alves 6,40, Pepe 6,70, Fábio Coentrão 6,60 - Raul Meireles 6,60 (112' Varela), Miguel Veloso 6,40 (105' Custódio), João Moutinho 6,40 - Nani 5,80, Hugo Almeida 5,60 (76' Nélson Oliveira 5,50), Cristiano Ronaldo 6,30. - coach: Paulo Bento 6,60. = average: 6,29.
Spain: Casillas 6,90 - Arbeloa 6,10, Piqué 6,40, Sergio Ramos 6,90, Jordi Alba 6,60 - Busquets 6,20, Xabi Alonso 6,20 - Silva 5,40 (60' Jesús Navas 6,20), Xavi 5,70 (87' Pedro 6,50), Iniesta 6,80 - Negredo 5,10 (54' Fàbregas 6,60). - coach: Del Bosque 6,00. = average: 6,26.

España-Portugal: las notas uno a uno.
Spanien-Portugal: einzelkritik.
Spagna-Portogallo: le pagelle.

The highest individual ratings in the Euro 2012.

8,20 : Xabi Alonso in Spain-France 2-0

Two goals - an elegant header and a penalty - and lots of hard work in offense and defense on his 100th match for la Roja.

8,20 : Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal-Holland 2-1

Two goals and two shots on the woodwork to silent critics after the less brilliant match vs Denmark.

8,20 : Mario Gómez in Germany-Holland 2-1

Two goals, one powerful and one elegant, before leaving the pitch (Klose) in the 72nd minute.

8,20 : Andriy Shevchenko in Ukraine-Sweden 2-1

Wasted one good opportunity before scoring the two goals that turned the match around after Ibrahimovic's initial goal.

7,80 : Sami Khedira in Germany-Greece 4-2

Dominant on midfield: hard work and classy assists. Close to scoring on two occasions, gets the 2-1 goal with perfect timing.

Memory Lane: Italy in the 2006 World Cup.

12 June: Italy 2, Ghana 0 
1-0 39' Pirlo, 2-0 82' Iaquinta. Att: 43.000 (Hannover).
Italy: Gianluigi Buffon 6,50 — Fabio Grosso 5,80, Alessandro Nesta 6,70, Fabio Cannavaro 7,00, Cristian Zaccardo 6,00 — Daniele De Rossi 6,40, Andrea Pirlo 7,50, Francesco Totti 5,90 (56' Mauro Germán Camoranesi 6,10), Simone Perrotta 7,00 — Luca Toni 6,50 (82' Alessandro Del Piero), Alberto Gilardino 5,80 (64' Vicenzo Iaquinta 6,90). = average: 6,46.


17 June: Italy 1, USA 1
1-0 23' Alberto Gilardino, 1-1 28' og Zaccardo. Sent-off: 29' De Rossi, 45' Mastroeni, 47' Pope. Att: 46.000 (Kaiserslautern). 
Italy: Gianluigi Buffon 5,80 — Cristian Zaccardo 5,00 (55' Alessandro Del Piero 5,80), Alessandro Nesta 6,40, Fabio Cannavaro 6,20, Gianluca Zambrotta 6,10 — Daniele De Rossi 3,70, Francesco Totti 5,10 (36' Gennaro Gattuso 6,20), Andrea Pirlo 6,80, Simone Perrotta 5,90 — Luca Toni 5,30 (62' Vincenzo Iaquinta 5,30), Alberto Gilardino 6,40. = average: 5,73.


22 June: Czech Republic 0, Italy 2
0-1 27' Marco Materazzi, 0-2 87' Filippo Inzaghi. Sent-off: 45' Jan Polák. Att: 50.000 (Hamburg).
Italy: Gianluigi Buffon 7,20 — Gianluca Zambrotta 6,20, Fabio Cannavaro 7,20, Alessandro Nesta (18' Marco Materazzi 7,40), Fabio Grosso 6,10 — Mauro Camoranesi 5,50 (75' Simone Barone), Gennaro Gattuso 6,10, Andrea Pirlo 6,50, Francesco Totti 5,40, Simone Perrotta 6,10 — Alberto Gilardino 5,90 (62' Filippo Inzaghi 6,50). = average: 6,35.


26 June: Italy 1, Australia 0
1-0 95' Totti penalty. Sent-off: 51' Materazzi. Att: 46.000 (Kaiserslautern).
Italy: Gianluigi Buffon 6,90 — Gianluca Zambrotta 6,90, Fabio Cannavaro 7,30, Marco Materazzi 5,90, Fabio Grosso 6,70 — Simone Perrotta 6,40, Alessandro Del Piero 5,30 (76' Francesco Totti 6,60), Gennaro Gattuso 6,60, Andrea Pirlo 6,00 — Alberto Gilardino 5,40 (46' Vincenzo Iaquinta 5,50), Luca Toni 5,60 (57' Andrea Barzagli 6,10).  = average: 6,20.


30 June: Italy 3, Ukraine 0
1-0 6' Zambrotta, 2-0 60' Toni, 3-0 70' Toni. Att: 50.000 (Hamburg). 
Italy: Gianluigi Buffon 7,30 — Gianluca Zambrotta 7,70, Andrea Barzagli 6,30, Fabio Cannavaro 7,30, Fabio Grosso 6,30 — Simone Perrotta 6,40, Mauro Germán Camoranesi 6,20 (69' Massimo Oddo 6,00), Andrea Pirlo 6,20 (69' Simone Barone 6,00), Francesco Totti 6,50, Gennaro Gattuso 7,00 (78' Cristian Zaccardo) — Luca Toni 7,20. = average: 6,65.


4 July: Germany 0, Italy 2 aet
0-1 119' Grosso, 0-2 120' Del Piero. Att: 65.000 (Dortmund).
Italy: Gianluigi Buffon 7,60 — Gianluca Zambrotta 7,10, Marco Materazzi 7,00, Fabio Cannavaro 7,80, Fabio Grosso 8,00 — Simone Perrotta 6,60 (105' Alessandro Del Piero 7,10), Andrea Pirlo 7,30, Francesco Totti 6,50, Gennaro Gattuso 7,20, Mauro Germán Camoranesi 6,30 (91' Vincenzo Iaquinta 6,70) — Luca Toni 5,90 (75' Alberto Gilardino 6,80).  = average: 6,99.


9 July: France 1, Italy 1 (3-5 penalties)
1-0 8' Zidane penalty, 1-1 9' Materazzi. Sent-off: 110' Zidane. Att: 72.000 (Berlin).
Italy: Gianluigi Buffon 7,40 — Gianluca Zambrotta 6,70, Marco Materazzi 7,60, Fabio Cannavaro 7,70, Fabio Grosso 7,50 — Mauro Germán Camoranesi 6,30 (86' Alessandro Del Piero 6,20), Andrea Pirlo 7,00, Gennaro Gattuso 7,30, Francesco Totti 5,50 (62' Daniele De Rossi 6,30), Simone Perrotta 5,70 (62' Vincenzo Iaquinta 6,10) — Luca Toni 5,90. = average: 6,66.

Better in the club or in the national team?

Man City, Man United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham players average rating in the Euro 2012 compared to the all club competitions season 2011/12.


+0,75 Arshavin (6,47-5,72)
+0,33 Walcott (6,53-6,20)
+0,09 Terry (6,52-6,43)
+0,03 Koscielny* (6,40-6,37)
+0,02 Lescott (6,30-6,28)
-0,03 Nani (6,40-6,43) 
-0,06 Hart (6,35-6,41)
-0,09 Evra* (6,00-6,09)
-0,10 Modric (6,50-6,60), F. Torres (6,15-6,25)
-0,22 Silva (6,52-6,74), A. Cole (6,12-6,34), Van der Vaart (6,27-6,30)
-0,27 Balotelli (6,10-6,37), Rosický (5,95-6,22), Nasri (5,92-6,19)
-0,34 Malouda (5,43-5,77)
-0,39 N. de Jong (5,73-6,12)
-0,43 Cech (5,92-6,35)
-0,44 Welbeck (5,85-6,29), Clichy (5,83-6,27)
-0,60 S. Parker (6,15-6,75)
-0,66 Rooney (6,20-6,86)
-0,68 A. Young (5,72-6,40)
-0,77 Oxlade-Chamberlain* (5,67-6,44)
-0,93 Milner (5,52-6,45)
-1,47 Van Persie (5,47-6,88)
-1,74 Szczesny* (4,67-6,41)

*) players with only one rated appearance in the Euro. 

Spain's average possession in World Cups & Euros.

2008 Euro : 56,6%
2010 World Cup : 65,2%
2012 Euro : 68,2%. 

Today 6 years ago: Spain 1, France 3 [WC, 1/8 finals]

0-1 28' Villa penalty, 1-1 42' Ribéry, 1-2 84' Vieira, 1-3 91' Zidane. Att: 43.000 (Hannover).  
Spain: Iker Casillas 6,20 — Sergio Ramos 5,90, Carles Puyol 5,80, Pablo Ibáñez 5,80, Mariano Pernía 5,50 — Francesc Fàbregas 6,00, Xabi Alonso 5,80, Xavi 5,90 (73' Marcos Senna) — Raúl 5,20 (55' Luis García 5,70), Fernando Torres 5,80, David Villa 6,00 (55' Joaquín 5,90). — coach: Aragonés 5,50. = average: 5,79.
France: Fabien Barthez 6,00 — Willy Sagnol 6,20, Lilian Thuram 5,80, William Gallas 6,20, Eric Abidal 5,80 — Franck Ribéry 7,30, Patrick Vieira 7,00, Zinédine Zidane 7,20, Claude Makelele 6,50, Florent Malouda 5,40 (75' Sidney Govou) — Thierry Henry 5,50 (89' Sylvain Wiltord). — coach: Domenech 6,50. = average: 6,28. 

Euro 2012: combined goal & assist table.

3 goals+1 assist: M. Gómez (Germany)
1+3 Silva (Spain)
3+0 Dzagoev (Russia), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Mandžukić (Croatia)
2+1 Krohn-Dehli & Bendtner (Denmark), Salpingidis (Greece)
1+2 S. Larsson (Sweden), Pirlo (Italy)
0+3 Arshavin (Russia), Özil (Germany), Gerrard (England)
2+0 Fernando Torres, Fàbregas & Xabi Alonso (Spain), Shevchenko (Ukraine), Ibrahimovic (Sweden), Jiráček & Pilař (Czech Republic)
1+1 Błaszczykowski (Poland),
0+2 Benzema (France), Schweinsteiger (Germany), Nani & João Moutinho (Portugal)

Recent web polls.

L'Equipe (France):
Should Samir Nasri be punished for his behaviour during the Euro?
66% No
32% Yes
2% Don't know


Gazzetta dello Sport (Italy):
Who should play on top with Balotelli vs Germany?
35% Di Natale
26% Diamanti
19% Cassano
16% Giovinco
4% Borini


Voetbal International (Holland):
Final teams of the Euro 2012?
62% Germany-Spain
16% Spain-Italy
11% Germany-Portugal
10% Portugal-Italy

Tipsbladet (Denmark):
Final teams?
68% Germany-Italy
13% Germany-Portugal
13% Italy-Spain
7% Portugal-Italy


Corriere dello Sport (Italy):
Who was the best azzurro vs England?
38% Pirlo
28% De Rossi
8% Buffon
6% Diamanti
4% Balotelli
3% Montolivo
2% Bonucci, Balzaretti, Marchisio, Maggio, Nocerino
1% Abate, Barzagli
0% Cassano


Aftonbladet (Sweden):
What do you think of Joe Hart's mind games? 
58% Objectionable
42% Okay


A Bola (Portugal):
Will Portugal beat Spain in the semifinal?
85% Yes
15% No

Corriere della Sera (Italy):
Rate the players vs England.
8,3 Andrea Pirlo
8,2 Gianluigi Buffon
7,9 Daniele De Rossi
7,5 Alessandro Diamanti, Antonio Nocerino
7,3 Claudio Marchisio
7,2 Ignazio Abate, Andrea Barzagli, Federico Balzaretti
7,1 Leonardo Bonucci
6,8 Riccardo Montolivo
6,7 Mario Barwuah Balotelli
6,5 Christian Maggio
6,4 Antonio Cassano

Today 22 years ago: Yugoslavia 2, Spain 1 [WC, 1/8 finals]

1-0 77' D. Stojković, 1-1 83' Salinas, 2-1 92' D. Stojković. Att: apprx. 20-25.000 (officially 35.500; Verona, Stadio Bentegodi). 
Yugoslavia: Ivković 5,40 — Spasić 6,20, Hadžibegić 6,20, Jozić 6,20, D. Brnović 6,00 — Sušić 6,60, D. Stojković 7,50, Katanec 6,10 (80' Vulić 5,80), Šabanadzović 6,00 — Pančev 5,30 (57' Savićević 6,50), Zlatko Vujović 6,20. = average: 6,15.  
Spain: Zubizarreta 6,30 — Chendo 6,00, Villaroya 6,30, Gorriz 5,70, Andrinúa 5,90 (49' Jiménez 5,60) — Sanchís 6,00, Roberto 6,40, Martín Vázquez 6,90, Butragueño 4,80 (80' Rafa Paz 5,80) — Míchel 5,50, Julio Salinas 5,80. =  average: 5,92.

Euro 2012: the referees rated.

6,60 Rizzoli (rated 3 times), Çakιr (2)
6,50 Webb (3)
6,40 Proença (3) 
6,20 Thomson (2)
6,00 Velasco Carballo & Kuipers (2)
5,95 J. Eriksson (2)
5,75 Lannoy (2)
5,67 Skomina (3)
5,30 Stark (2)
5,10 Kassai (2)


Highest average note: 7,00, Rizzoli (Holland-Portugal), Proença (Italy-England), Webb (Czech Rep.-Portugal)


Lowest average note: 4,30, Kassai (Ukraine-England).



Average per team:
6,55 Portugal
6,45 Italy
6,40 Germany
6,38 France
6,25 Czech Republic
6,23 Holland
6,17 Sweden
6,07 Ireland
6,02 Spain
5,97 Denmark
5,78 England
5,77 Ukraine
5,70 Croatia
5,57 Poland & Russia
5,55 Greece

Euro 2012: all players rated.

Players/COACHES with at least three rated appearances.


7,07 M. Gómez (rated 3 times)
7,00 Khedira (4)
6,92 Iniesta (4)
6,90 Pirlo (4)
6,83 Mandžukić (3) 
6,80 Xabi Alonso, Hummels (4)
6,78 Xavi, De Rossi, Gerrard (4)
6,75 Özil, Buffon (4)
6,73 Dzagoev, Bendtner, Shevchenko (3)
6,72 LÖW, Lahm (4)
6,70 Ibrahimovic (3)
6,68 Jiráček (4)
6,67 Yarmolenko (3)
6,65 Casillas (4)
6,60 Blaszczykowski, Tyton (3)
6,57 Cabaye, Krohn-Dehli, Mellberg (3)
6,55 Cristiano Ronaldo (4)
6,53 J. Boateng, Pletikosa, Walcott (3)
6,52 Silva, Fábio Coentrão, Terry (4) 
6,50 S. Andersen, Srna, Modrić (3)
6,48 Fàbregas, Neuer, Salpingidis (4)
6,47 Pepe (4), Arshavin (3)
6,45 Sergio Ramos, Schweinsteiger, Marchisio (4)
6,43 Denisov (3)
6,42 DEL BOSQUE, PAULO BENTO, PRANDELLI, Cassano, Pilař, João Moutinho, Miguel Veloso, Lloris (4)
6,40 Nani, G. Johnson (4), Strinić (3)
6,38 Piqué (4)
6,37 Malafeev, Shirokov, Agger, Di Natale, Rakitić (3)
6,35 Busquets, Badstuber, Raul Meireles, Ribéry, Hart (4)
6,30 Jordi Alba, Lescott (4), João Pereira, Bruno Alves (4), A. Berezutskiy, Stekelenburg, Sneijder, Perišić (3)
6,28 Bonucci (4)
6,27 Van der Vaart, S. Larsson, A. Diarra (3)
6,23 Podolski, Rui Patrício, Isaksson, Pyatov (3)
6,20 ADVOCAAT, Lewandowski, Ćorluka, Gusev (3) 
6,17 Karagounis, Zhirkov, Schildenfeld, Vukojević, Konoplyanka (3)
6,15 Fernando Torres, Gebre Selassie, Hübschman, S. Parker (4)
6,13 Anyukov, St Ledger (3)
6,12 F. SANTOS, T. Müller, Torosidis, A. Cole (4)
6,10 Balotelli (4), Kjær, Chiellini, Jelavić, Källström, Tymoshchuk (3)
6,08 HODGSON
6,07 L. Jacobsen (3)
6,05 Arbeloa, Samarás (4)
6,03 M. OLSEN, Kvist (3)
6,00 BILIĆ, Kadlec, Katsouranis (4), Nélson Oliveira (3)
5,98 Debuchy (4)
5,97 HAMRÉN, Sokratis, Pavlyuchenko (3)
5,93 Thiago Motta, Khacheridi (3)
5,92 Nasri, Čech, Plašil, Gekas (4)
5,90 S. Poulsen, M. Olsson (3)
5,88 K. Papadopoulos (4)
5,87 BLOKHIN
5,85 BILEK, Welbeck (4)
5,83 Perquis, Clichy, Mexès (3)
5,82 Benzema, Sivok (4)
5,80 TRAPATTONI, Rami (4), Boenisch, A. Svensson (3)
5,77 Selin (3)
5,75 Maniatis (4)
5,73 Piszczek, N. de Jong (3)
5,72 A. Young (4)
5,70 Hélder Postiga (4), Holebas, Whelan (3) 
5,67 Willems, Afellay, C. Eriksen (3)
5,63 Robben, Granqvist (3)
5,60 SMUDA, Wasilewski, Ignashevich, Andrews (3)
5,57 Huntelaar (3)
5,53 Kerzhakov, Duff, Keane (3)
5,52 Milner (4)
5,48 BLANC
5,47 Van Persie, O'Shea, McGeady (3)
5,43 Malouda (3)
5,42 Baroš (4)
5,30 Dunne (3)
5,23 Van der Wiel (3)
5,17 S. Ward (3)
5,13 Given (3)
4,90 VAN MARWIJK.

England's bogey teams in Euros & World Cups.

Nations having eliminated Three Lions:


EC 2012 : Italy
WC 2010 : Germany
EC 2008 : Croatia & Russia*
WC 2006 : Portugal
EC 2004 : Portugal
WC 2002 : Brazil
EC 2000 : Portugal & Romania
WC 1998 : Argentina
EC 1996 : Germany
WC 1994 : Norway & Holland*
EC 1992 : Sweden & Denmark
WC 1990 : Germany
EC 1988 : Holland & Soviet Union
WC 1986 : Argentina
EC 1984 : Denmark*
WC 1982 : West Germany
EC 1980 : Belgium & Italy
WC 1978 : Italy*
EC 1976 : Czechoslovakia*
WC 1974 : Poland*
EC 1972 : West Germany
WC 1970 : West Germany
EC 1968 : Yugoslavia.
WC 1966 : World Champions
EC 1964 : France
WC 1962 : Hungary
EC 1960 : did not enter
WC 1958 : Soviet Union
WC 1954 : Uruguay
WC 1950 : Spain
WC 1930-1938 : did not enter
*) qualifiers.


6 times : (West) Germany
3 : Portugal & Italy
2 : Argentina, Soviet Union, Holland & Denmark 
1: Uruguay, Spain, Croatia, Russia, France, Brazil, Romania, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia.

Euro 2012: probable winners.

Semifinals:
Portugal-Spain : 22,1% - 28,3% - 49,1%
Germany-Italy : 51,4% - 28,3% - 20,3%


Winner:
35,9% Germany
35,5% Spain
14,4% Portugal
14,1% Italy


Topscorer:
31,3% M. Gómez
29,7% Cristiano Ronaldo
14,9% Fernando Torres
4,7% Fàbregas
3,4% Xabi Alonso
3,3% Mandžukić & Dzagoev
2,4% Klose
1,8% Balotelli & Podolski
1,4% Di Natale
1,1% Silva
1,0% Reus
0,9% T. Müller
0,8% Özil
0,7% Iniesta


Percentual probability based on the odds of 30 bookmakers. 

Today 18 years ago: Argentina 2, Nigeria 1 [Maradona's last WC match]

0-1  10' Siasia, 1-1 22' Caniggia, 2-1 29' Caniggia. Att: 54.456 (Boston, Foxboro Stadium). 
Argentina: Islas 6,40 — Sensini 5,80 (87' Díaz), Cáceres 6,40, Ruggeri 6,00, Chamot 6,40 — Simeone 6,20, Redondo 6,80, Maradona 6,40, Balbo 5,60 (71' Mancuso) — Caniggia 7,00, Batistuta 5,80. = average: 6,25.
Nigeria: Rufai 6,00 — Eguavoen 5,80, Okechukwu 6,00, Nwanu 5,20, Emenalo 5,20 — Oliseh 6,40 (86' Okocha), Siasia 6,20 (57' Adepoju 5,20), Amokachi 5,60, Finidi 6,40 — Yekini 5,40, Amunike 5,40. = average: 5,73.

Andrea Pirlo's matches and ratings in WC and Euros 2004-12.

2004 Euro:
Denmark 0-0 : did not play
Sweden 1-1 : 6,00
Bulgaria 2-1 : 5,80
average: 5,90


2006 World Cup:
Ghana 2-0 : 7,70 [1 goal] - highest
USA 1-1 : 6,80
Czech Republic 2-0 : 6,60
Australia 1-0 : 5,80
Ukraine 3-0 : 6,20
Germany 2-0 aet : 7,20
France 1-1 (4-2 pen.) : 7,20
average: 6,79 


2008 Euro:
Holland 0-3 : 5,30 - lowest
Romania 1-1 : 5,50
France 2-0 : 7,30 [1 goal]
Spain 0-0 (2-4 pen.) : did not play (injured)
average: 6,03


2010 World Cup: 
Paraguay 1-1 : did not play 
New Zealand 1-1 : did not play
Slovakia 2-3 : 5,80


2012 Euro:
Spain 1-1 : 7,20
Croatia 1-1 : 7,10
Ireland 2-0 : 6,00
England 0-0 (4-2 pen.) : 7,20
average: 6,88


Average 2004-12: 6,52.

Player ratings Italy 0, England 0 (4-2 pen.)

Penalties: Balotelli goal, Gerrard goal - Montolivo wide, Rooney goal - Pirlo goal ("panenka"), A. Young crossbar - Nocerino goal, A. Cole saved - Diamanti goal. Referee: Proença 7,00. Att: 64.340 (Kiev).
England: Hart 6,60 - G. Johnson 6,70, Terry 6,60, Lescott 6,40, A. Cole 6,00 - Milner 5,60 (60' Walcott 5,80), S. Parker 6,10 (94' Henderson), Gerrard 6,30, A. Young 5,50 - Rooney 5,80, Welbeck 5,40 (60' Carroll 6,20). - coach: Hodgson 5,60. = average: 6,08.
Italy: Buffon 7,00 - Balzaretti 6,40, Bonucci 6,70, Barzagli 6,70, Abate 6,50 (90' Maggio) - De Rossi 7,10 (80' Nocerino 6,60), Pirlo 7,20, Marchisio 6,60, Montolivo 6,40 - Balotelli 6,40, Cassano 5,90 (78' Diamanti 6,90). - coach: Prandelli 7,00. = average: 6,65.

Pagelle Italia-Inghilterra sulla stampa sportiva internazionale. 

Today 8 years ago: Portugal 2, England 2 (6-5 pen) [Euro quarterfinal]

0-1 3' Owen, 1-1 83' Hélder Postiga, 2-1 108' Rui Costa, 2-2 115' Lampard. Att: 62.564 (Estádio da Luz, Lisbon).
Portugal: Ricardo 7,50 — Miguel 6,10 (78' Rui Costa 6,80), Jorge Andrade 5,70, Ricardo Carvalho 6,80, Nuno Valente 6,20 — Costinha 5,30 (62' Simão 6,50), Maniche 6,50 — Figo 5,90 (75' Hélder Postiga 6,80), Deco 5,80, Cristiano Ronaldo 6,30 — Nuno Gomes 6,00. = average: 6,30.
England: James 5,90 — G. Neville 6,10, Terry 5,70, Campbell 6,40, Ashley Cole 6,60 — Beckham 5,40, Gerrard 6,80 (82' Hargreaves 5,90), Lampard 7,00, Scholes 6,10 (56' P. Neville 5,70) — Owen 6,90, Rooney (27' Vassell 5,00). = average: 6,12.

Steven Gerrard's matches & ratings in WC and Euros 2004-12.

2004 Euro:
France 1-2 : 5,50
Switzerland 3-0 : 6,50 [1 goal]
Croatia 4-2 : 6,70
Portugal 1-1 (5-6 pen.) : 6,50
average: 6,30

2006 World Cup:
Paraguay 1-0 : 5,90
Trinidad & Tobago 2-0 : 6,40 [1 goal]
Sweden 2-2 : 6,90 [1 goal]
Ecuador 1-1 : 5,60
Portugal 0-0 (1-3 pen.) : 5,20
average: 6,00


2008 Euro:
England did not qualify.


2010 World Cup:
USA 1-1 : 6,70 [1 goal]
Algeria 0-0 : 5,00 - lowest
Slovenia 1-0 : 7,10 
Germany 1-4 : 5,70
average: 6,12


2012 Euro:
France 1-1 : 6,40
Sweden 3-2 : 6,70
Ukraine 1-0 : 7,50 - highest
average: 6,87


Average 2006-12: 6,27.

Gigi Buffon's matches & ratings in WC & Euros 2002-12.

2002 World Cup:
Ecuador 2-0 : 6,70
Croatia 1-2 : 6,30
Mexico 1-1 : 6,50
South Korea 1-2 Golden Goal : 7,50
average: 6,75


2004 Euro:
Denmark 0-0 : 7,30
Sweden 1-1 : 6,50
Bulgaria 2-1 : 7,00
average: 6,93


2006 World Cup:
Ghana 2-0 : 6,40
USA 1-1 : 5,90 - lowest
Czech Republic 2-0 : 7,30
Australia 1-0 aet : 6,90
Ukraine 3-0 : 7,30
Germany 2-0 aet : 7,40
France 1-1 (6-4 pen.) : 7,40
average: 6,94


2008 Euro:
Holland 0-3 : 6,20
Romania 1-1 : 8,20 - highest
France 2-0 : 6,80
Spain 0-0 (2-4 pen.) : 6,70
average: 6,98


2010 World Cup:
Paraguay 1-1 : 6,00
New Zealand 1-1 : did not play (injured)
Slovakia 2-3 : did not play (injured)


2012 Euro:
Spain 1-1 : 7,30
Croatia 1-1 : 6,20
Ireland 2-0 : 6,50
average: 6,67.

Average rating 2002-12: 6,83.