Euro 2020

WOJCIECH SZCZESNY will not be disappointed if this European Championships prove to be his last.Fair to say it’s not been a tournament to tell the former Arsenal goalkeeper will want to tell the grandkids about.
Wojciech Szczesny scored an own goal as Poland were defeated by SlovakiaCredit: Getty
Slovakia’s Milan Skriniar celebrates after scoring the winner against PolandCredit: Reuters
Slovakia caused a big shock as they defeated ten-man PolandCredit: Reuters
Hope rested on his shoulders back in 2012 when Poland co-hosted the event with Ukraine.
Unfortunately for him he was sent off in the opening game against Greece, for a professional foul on Dimitris Salpingidis.
The resulting penalty was saved by Przemysław Tyton in a 1–1 draw but Poland went out at the group stage without Szczesny reappearing.
He was injured in Poland’s winning opener against Northern Ireland four years later and did not appear again as his country exited at the quarter-final stage.
Then tonight Juventus’ three time Serie A winner had another unwanted addition to his CV with an own goal.
It was slightly harsh on Slovakia’s Robert Mak that official credit for the 18th minute opener was taken away for him as he did brilliantly to force the goal.
Seemingly stuck on the touchline to the left there was nowhere for him to go until he wriggled away from Kamil Jozwiak, nutmegged Bartosz Bereszyniski and shot to the near post.
It hit that post but rebounded back off Szczesny and went in.
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How the top pundits of the two channels stack up against each other

Slovakia deserved the goal too based on their first half performance.
Sharper in all departments, they had Poland looking sluggish.
Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, one of the great strikers in the game, was afforded only one chance which he scuffed badly wide.
Still coach Paulo Sousa must have said something special at half time because less than a minute after the restart they were level.
A Slovakia side that were comfortable against Poland’s attack in the first period were suddenly mesmerised as the ball fired between their opponents feet as they bore down upon them.
The move ended with Mateusz Klich slipping the ball through for Maciej Rybus to set up Karol Linetty for a scuffed cross shot that seemed to crawl over the line.
Wojciech Szczesny was attempting to save Robert Mak’s effort when the ball cannoned back off the woodwork and hit him before going inCredit: EPA
Advantage Poland? Oh no, this Slovakia team has some belief about it.
They were helped by Grzegorz Krychowiak’s second yellow card and subsequent red unsettling their opponents and went back ahead in the 68th minute.
Robert Mak delivered an outswinging corner that Milan Skriniar pulled down with his right boot before digging out a shot from 16 yard into the bottom left hand corner.
What a moment for the Inter Milan defender who has just celebrated a first Scudetto.
This time you could not blame Szczesny, the finish was just brilliant.
Slovakia coach Stefan Tarkovic’s pre-match prayers were answered as his team held on to claim the points.
Tarkovic said: “Paper assumptions are not important for me.
“I will be happy if we leave the field with our heads up and if we show our fans we came here to fight for our country.”
They did just that and more.

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PIERS MORGAN has named his all-time England XI – featuring a strong BBC presence.The outspoken presenter, 56, selected all four studio experts from Sunday’s win over Croatia in his side.
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Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker in the BBC studio at Wembley on SundayCredit: PA
Paul Gascoigne was included in Piers Morgan’s sideCredit: Getty
David Beckham and Steven Gerrard were left out by Piers MorganCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Former Good Morning Britain host Morgan selected Gordon Banks in between the sticks over the likes of Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence.
Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Sir Bobby Moore and Ashley Cole all made the cut in defence.
That meant no room for John Terry, Terry Butcher, Sol Campbell and Tony Adams, among others.
The midfield four in Morgan’s side was made up of Frank Lampard, Paul Gascoigne and Paul Scholes and Sir Bobby Charlton.
The biggest absentees were Steven Gerrard and David Beckham, along with the likes of Trevor Brooking and Peter Beardsley.
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How Piers Morgan’s side would line up in a 4-3-3 formation
And how they would look in a 4-4-2 set-up
And there were more tough choices for Morgan up top.
He went with Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker in the end, ahead of the likes of Wayne Rooney, Sir Geoff Hurst and Jimmy Greaves.
The formation for Morgan’s team wasn’t given, but we’ve drawn it up as both a 4-4-2 and 4-3-3.
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The four BBC pundits he was talking about, of course, were Lineker, Lampard, Shearer and Ferdinand.
The quartet guided UK viewers through England’s 1-0 victory in their Euros opener at Wembley.
Raheem Sterling scored the only goal against Croatia to give Gareth Southgate’s men a perfect start in Group D.
More than 11 million people watched the clash on the BBC on Sunday.
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PAUL GASCOIGNE dismissed comparisons with Phil Foden by declaring: Nobody is as good as me – even when I played drunk.Phil Foden is rocking a Gazza-like Euro ‘96 haircut and has not shied away from being compared to the Three Lions hero.
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Gascoigne rejected comparisons between himself and FodenCredit: Getty
Foden started England’s first game against Croatia on Sunday afternoonCredit: Getty
But when asked about the Manchester City ace, Gazza said: “No one compares to me.
“I can beat everyone with my eyes shut, and that’s with a bottle of whiskey inside of us as well and a couple of Bacardi breezers.”
As Euros fever grips the nation following Sunday’s 1-0 win against Croatia, Gascoigne believes England can go all the way – if they keep their cool.
Speaking to ex-England keeper David Seaman on the Seaman Says podcast, he added: “I definitely think we have a chance, the attacking force is unbelievable, the defenders we will see.
“The pressure is on now after the last World Cup, it’s at Wembley and it all depends on whether they can handle it.
“We have a good chance because this is probably going to be the closest we’ve been since ‘96.
“France definitely have a good chance, but England do too so long as they can handle the pressure.”
Tomorrow is the anniversary of England’s 2-0 win over Scotland in Euro 96, when Gazza lobbed Colin Hendry before smashing home one of England’s greatest ever goals.

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Gareth Southgate’s side face the Tartan Army at Wembley on Friday night.
Terry Venables was in charge back then, and Gazza, 54, said: “Terry was a great manager.
“I remember one night I couldn’t sleep at all and I went to his room in tears and I kept asking if he was playing me tomorrow against Scotland.
“He kept saying no and I was begging him.
“Eventually I left, and he popped his head out the door and said, ‘Gazza, course I’m playing you.’”
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WEMBLEY Stadium will still be packed out with 45,000 fans for FOUR Euros games despite the delay to ‘Freedom day.’The national ground will be at 50 per cent capacity for one of the ‘last 16’ games due to be played there, both semi-finals and the Championship’s showpiece final.
Fans inside Wembley watching the 1-0 win over CroatiaCredit: Getty
Boris Johnson revealed the plans this afternoonCredit: PA
If England win their group, it would mean 45,000 Three Lions supporters could be cheering on the team on June 29th.
Euro matches have been officially declared covid vaccine ‘pilot events’ meaning fans who’ve been double jabbed for more than two weeks will be allowed to attend, along with unvaccinated supporters who can show they’ve tested negative.
Wimbledon’s mens and women’s finals at Centre Court could also be played at maximum capacity under the trial.
They would be the first events in 15 months to be packed to the rafters. 
And the government is also in talks with F1 bosses at Silverstone about hosting next month’s British Grand Prix in front of a capacity 140,000 crowd.
The PM also revealed that he was in talks with Andrew Lloyd Webber over making his new show Cinderella a pilot event.
The impresario had previously said he would open the theatres “come hell or high water” and risk arrest if the roadmap was delayed.
Boris said: “I’ve got colossal admiration for Andrew Lloyd Webber and the entire theater sector.
“It is one of the greatest glories of this country and creations and  it’s broken everybody’s heart to see what we’ve had to go through and I bitterly regret the fact that we must be cautious again now.”
Around 10 to 15 pilot events will take place in the next month up to the new freedom date next month.
Social Distancing was out of the questionCredit: Getty
22,500 fans were allowed inside WembleyCredit: Getty
Ticket holders will have to show proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter.
They will take place at both indoor and outdoor events, at a mix of seated and standing venues
Vaccine passports are already being used in England’s Euro 2020 group matches – with 22,500 already showing the pass at Sunday’s 1-0 win over Croatia.
They cheered on as Raheem Sterling netted the winner to avenge England’s World Cup Semi-final defeat to the Croats back in 2018
Raheem Sterling scored the winner in the 1-0 curtain raiser over CroatiaCredit: EPA
Fans had to show the NHS app confirming they had received both Covid jabs at least 14 days before or a negative lateral flow test taken within 48 hours of the game.
They will have to repeat the process for the game against Scotland on Friday and the Czech Republic next week.

The knock-out stages and final could see more than 45,000 next month.
The Government, FA and Uefa have agreed to cap crowds at 22,500 for the three group matches, 25 per cent of Wembley’s capacity.
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ENGLAND legend Wayne Rooney expects Gareth Southgate to unleash Jack Grealish against Scotland.The Three Lions kicked off their Euro 2020 campaign with a 1-0 win over Croatia on Sunday thanks to a Raheem Sterling strike.
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Fans are desperate to see Jack Grealish in action for England at the EurosCredit: Getty
Wayne Rooney has called for the Aston Villa star to play against ScotlandCredit: Getty
Pre-match, many were expecting Aston Villa star Grealish to start but Southgate had other ideas.
The 25-year-old attacker was instead left on the bench for the full game.
England’s record goalscorer Rooney is one of those desperate to see more of Grealish at the tournament.
And he firmly believes that Southgate will start him on Friday at Wembley against the Auld Enemy.
Rooney told Sky Sports News: “I would have liked to have seen Jack Grealish.
“He’s a player who is going to grow during this competition and he will be an important player for England.
“I can see a couple of changes for the Scotland game. I think Grealish will probably come in and start.
“But I think they will be a bit more relaxed on Friday, whereas if they didn’t win then it would have been more anxious.”
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Rooney also sung the praises of Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips, the man who provided the assist for Sterling, and declared him England’s star performer against Croatia.
The former Manchester United striker and current Derby County boss said: “I thought Phillips was outstanding. I think he was the best player on the pitch.
“I thought Declan Rice did well. And it’s almost jobs that you don’t see they were doing well.
“I thought Tyrone Mings did well, coming into the side, first game. Everyone really did well but I thought Phillips was the standout player.”
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A YOUNG Germany fan tried to catch a glimpse of his football idols at the weekend – triggering a police operation.The 14-year-old boy climbed over a fence at the team’s specially built ‘Home Ground’ Euros base on Saturday night.
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Joachin Low’s men in training on Monday as they prepare to take on FranceCredit: Reuters
Germany players ride their bikes at their Euros training baseCredit: Getty
And that set off the alarm and triggered a large-scale police response, Bild in Germany report.
The incident happened around 8pm, and 45 minutes later the boy was driven away in a police car.
Bild’s report adds that there was no danger to Joachin Low’s team.
The ‘Home Ground’ facility is tucked away in Adidas’ global headquarters in Bavarian town of Herzogenaurach.
Adidas spokesman Oliver Bruggen told Bild: “We can confirm that there was an incident on Saturday evening in which a young person tried to get onto the Adidas premises.
“The fence alarm was triggered as part of the holistic security system. The youth was caught by the security forces and handed over to the police. Adidas refrains from filing a criminal complaint. ”
Germany take on France in their opening game of the Euros on Tuesday night.
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Germany are staying at a specially built base in Herzogenaurach in BavariaCredit: Alamy

Low’s men have been preparing for the clash in Munich at their tranquil headquarters.
Team manager Oliver Bierhoff said: “”We are quite closed off, but at tournaments you are in a tunnel.
“It is good that we have this focus though, and we are rarely distracted. I see the tunnel perspective as a positive.
“We have lots of nature around us and plenty of calmness.
“We want to awaken a spirit – the spirit of Herzogenaurach.”
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IAN WRIGHT has told England hero Kalvin Phillips that his ‘Granny Val will be watching down with the biggest smile’. Phillips lost his grandmother months before the start of Euro 2020 and the Leeds star produced an inspirational performance at Wembley in England’s opener.
Kalvin Phillips thanks the fans after starring in England’s win over CroatiaCredit: Getty
Phillips’ grandmother Val Crosby died earlier this yearCredit: INSTAGRAM/KALVIN PHILLIPS

Former England striker Wright tweeted: “Granny Val watching down with the biggest smile. Phenomenal performance.”
Phillips delighted the England fans with a sparkling performance at Wembley in the 1-0 win over Croatia.
The midfielder played a key role in England’s victory as he set up Raheem Sterling’s second-half winner.
Phillips received huge praise for his display against Croatia which could make it very difficult for Jordan Henderson to feature if he returns to fitness.
‘Yorkshire Pirlo’ was trending on Twitter after England’s opening win and his exceptional display will have made his family proud.
His performance left England fans excited about their prospects of a glorious summer.
And his classy distribution and assist even drew comparisons with the entire AC Milan midfield.
England’s star man looks a guaranteed starter when Gareth Southgate’s side face rivals Scotland in their second game at Wembley on Friday night.

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