Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 17, 2012, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE B2 SPORTS EURO 2012 B2 SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012 AT A GLANCE GROUP A GP W D L GF GA Pts Czech Rep 3 2 0 1 4 5 6 Greece 3 1 1 1 3 3 4 Russia 3 1 1 1 5 3 4 Poland 3 0 2 1 2 3 2 Friday, June 8 Warsaw, Poland Poland 1, Greece 1 Wroclaw, Poland Russia 4, Czech Republic 1 Tuesday, June 12 Czech Republic 2, Greece 1 Warsaw, Poland Poland 1, Russia 1 Saturday, June 16 Greece 1, Russia 0 Wroclaw, Poland Czech Republic 1, Poland 0 GROUP B GP W D L GF GA Pts Germany 2 2 0 0 3 1 6 Portugal 2 1 0 1 3 3 3 Denmark 2 1 0 1 3 3 3 Netherlands 2 0 0 2 1 3 0 Saturday, June 9 Kharkiv, Ukraine Denmark 1, Netherlands 0 Lviv, Ukraine Germany 1, Portugal 0 Wednesday, June 13 Portugal 3, Denmark 2 Kharkiv, Ukraine Germany 2, Netherlands 1 Sunday, June 17 Germany vs. Denmark, 1: 35 p. m. ( CTV) Kharkiv, Ukraine Netherlands vs. Portugal, 1: 45 p. m. ( TSN) GROUP C GP W D L GF GA Pts Spain 2 1 1 0 5 1 4 Croatia 2 1 1 0 4 2 4 Italy 2 0 2 0 2 2 2 Ireland 2 0 0 2 1 7 0 Sunday, June 10 Gdansk, Poland Spain 1, Italy 1 Poznan, Poland Croatia 3, Ireland 1 Thursday, June 14 Italy 1, Croatia 1 Gdansk, Poland Spain 4, Ireland 0 Monday, June 18 Spain vs. Croatia, 1845 GMT Poznan, Poland Ireland vs. Italy, 1845 GMT GROUP D GP W D L GF GA Pts France 2 1 1 0 3 1 4 England 2 1 1 0 4 3 4 Ukraine 2 1 0 1 2 3 3 Sweden 2 0 0 2 3 5 0 Monday, June 11 Donetsk, Ukraine France 1, England 1 Kyiv, Ukraine Ukraine 2, Sweden 1 Friday, June 15 France 2, Ukraine 0 Kyiv, Ukraine England 3, Sweden 2 Tuesday, June 19 Ukraine vs. England, 1: 45 p. m. Kyiv, Ukraine France vs. Sweden, 1: 45 p. m. QUARTER- FINALS Thursday, June 21 Match 25 Warsaw, Poland Czech Republic vs. Group B runner- up, 1: 45 p. m. Friday, June 22 Match 26 Gdansk, Poland Group B winner vs. Greece, 1: 45 p. m. Saturday, June 23 Match 27 Donetsk, Ukraine Group C winner vs. Group D runner- up, 1845 GMT Sunday, June 24 Match 28 Kyiv, Ukraine Group D winner vs. Group C runner- up, 1: 45 p. m. SEMIFINALS Wednesday, June 27 Donetsk, Ukraine Match 25 winner vs. Match 27 winner, 1: 45 p. m. Thursday, June 28 Match 26 winner vs. Match 28 winner, 1: 45 p. m. FINAL Sunday, July 1 Kyiv, Ukraine Semifinal winner vs. Semifinal winner, 1: 45 p. m. KRAKOW, Poland - Tethered to seats in the stands so far at the European Championship, Wayne Rooney is finally ready to burst into life on the pitch. With his two- match suspension completed, the spectator will become the striker again on Tuesday against co- host Ukraine, hoping to help steer England into the quarter- finals. The Manchester United player will be unleashed in the Group D finale in Donetsk after missing the draw against France and victory over Sweden. And to accommodate Rooney, Roy Hodgson will make a change to the side that beat Sweden 3- 2 on Friday by dropping either Danny Welbeck or Andy Carroll, who both scored in Kyiv. " Rooney is a special player and it would be very difficult for me quite frankly to leave him out of the team," Hodgson said. " I'm afraid that if you're a member of a team that has someone like Wayne Rooney sitting out with suspension, you probably expect him to get back in the team when the suspension is served." And the coach quipped: " If I did leave him out, all hell might break loose in the dressing room." Even Welbeck would seem to accept being dropped in favour of his more experienced Manchester United teammate. " Make no mistake, the whole team is happy that Wazza will be available to play again," he said. " We all want to play but it's only going to benefit us to have a player of his proven quality as part of the plans going forward in this tournament." England could be relying on Rooney's freshness and firepower in front of goal to compensate for any repeat of the defensive lapses that nearly handed Sweden the win on Friday in Kyiv. " Hopefully, the addition of a player of Rooney's class will take some pressure of the defenders because he can change a game off his own bat," Hodgson said. But is Rooney's return being built up too much in the England camp? The 26- year- old forward hasn't scored at a major tournament since Euro 2004 - when he hit four goals as an 18- year- old - having failed to find the net at both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. In fact, Rooney has only scored three goals for his country since a miserable tournament in South Africa. Hodgson, though, is adamant that Rooney can be England's " real ace in the hole" having played less than 40 minutes of football since United's last match of the season a month ago - in a Euro 2012 warmup against Belgium. " He is very fit and he's raring to go," Hodgson said. The danger is if Rooney is too desperate to make an impact. Then the hotheaded side of his character may re- emerge and he may throw himself at the game in the steaming temperatures of Donetsk. After all, Rooney received the two- match ban from UEFA for petulantly kicking Montenegro defender Miodrag Dzudovic in the final Euro 2012 qualifier in October. " He'll want to make up for time he's missed and make it up to all the lads," said winger Theo Walcott, who scored one and set up another against Sweden. " He is such a world- class player." - The Associated Press Rooney return could boost England Suspended striker suits up Tuesday By Rob Harris MICHAEL SOHN / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Greek players celebrate their gritty 1- 0 upset win over Russia on Saturday in Warsaw. W ARSAW, Poland - Co- host Poland and Group A favourite Russia crashed out of the European Championship on Saturday, as the Czech Republic and Greece scored 1- 0 wins to advance to the quarter- finals. The Czechs won the group as a second- half goal from Petr Jiracek beat Poland, which wasted a series of chances early in the game in rainy Wroclaw. Greece recaptured the spirit and style of its surprise Euro 2004 title triumph to upset Russia, which led the group before kickoff. Captain Giorgos Karagounis scored against the run of play with the final kick of the first half, and Greece hung on though an expected Russian onslaught never came. The streets of Warsaw were calm before Russia's return to action in the city four days after violent clashes with Poland fans. Earlier, UEFA opened its first disciplinary case for racist abuse at Euro 2012. It charged the Croatia football association after anti- racism monitors said fans made monkey noises at Italy forward Mario Balotelli. A tense night was promised in Group A with all four teams knowing a victory would ensure a last- eight berth. Poland had to win to progress, but became the latest European Championship co- host which failed to progress from the groups. Despite a typically aggressive start, Poland did not make its chances count and Robert Lewandowski sliced his shot wide when clear on goal in the 10th. The Czechs struggled without Tomas Rosicky, their captain and playmaker, who failed to recover from an Achilles tendon injury. Still, Rosicky's teammates got stronger as the game progressed and Jiracek scored with a right- foot shot after twisting past a defender. Poland poured forward late on searching for an equalizer which would have eliminated the Czechs. In the fifth minute of stoppage time, Jakub Blaszczykowski beat goalkeeper Petr Cech with a rising shot, but defender Michal Kadlec ran back to twist and head the ball back out to safety. " We realized that Russia was losing and we needed to win," Jiracek said. " We were very lucky that Poland didn't score in the last minute." Russia started play with four points and needed only a draw to advance. It threatened several times in the first half, though Greece goalkeeper Michalis Sifakis only had to save from a close- range effort by Andrei Arshavin. Aleksandr Kerzhakov and Yuri Zhirkov just missed the goal with shots from distance. Karagounis, making a Greek record- tying 120th appearance, shot low under Russia goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev with the last kick of the half. Russia occupied Greece's half for most of the second period, but was kept at bay by characteristically resolute defending. Forward Alan Dzagoyev came closest in the 84th, but his glancing header from Arshavin's cross drifted just wide. Minutes later, it finished 1- 0 - as it did most times when Greece played eight years ago. Karagounis - who had a penalty saved in the opening match against Poland - will miss the quarter- final. He thought he won a penalty when making contact with Sergei Ignashevich, but Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson instead booked the Greece captain for a dive. One day after receiving reports from antidiscrimination monitors working at Croatia's 1- 1 draw with Italy on Thursday in Poznan, UEFA laid formal charges. Croatia will answer a case of " improper conduct" by their supporters, including " racist chants, racist symbols," UEFA said in a statement. The Football Against Racism in Europe monitors wrote that Croatia fans made monkey noises at Balotelli, who is black, and displayed far- right nationalist flags. Those responsible were " not supporters, but hooligans who should be isolated from all sports events," the Croatian body said in a statement, appealing to UEFA " not to punish the Croatian national team." Croatia returns to action on Monday against Group C leader Spain in Gdansk. Balotelli injured his right knee in training on Saturday, and is doubtful for Italy's game against Ireland in Poznan on Monday. Today, Group B leader Germany faces Denmark in Lviv, Ukraine, and Portugal plays the Netherlands in Kharkiv. Germany, with two wins already, is not guaranteed to qualify, and the Dutch are still in contention despite losing twice. The group winner will play Greece in Warsaw, and the runner- up will face the Czechs in Gdansk. - The Associated Press Poles axed by Czechs By Graham Dunbar Russian favourites stumble out as well ' We realized that Russia was losing and we needed to win. We were very lucky that Poland didn't score in the last minute' - Petr Jiracek, Czech goal scorer KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Wayne Rooney spectates at Friday's Group D match between Sweden and England in Kyiv. B_ 02_ Jun- 17- 12_ FP_ 01. indd B2 6/ 16/ 12 10: 15: 14 PM ;