Sport

SPORTS WEEKLY SPECIAL EURO 2020

Can Kane lead England to Euro glory?

BY DAVID SAFFER

The waiting is almost over for the Euro 2020 finals.

A total of 47 games culminates in the final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, July 11.

England, Scotland and Wales are among 24 teams embarking on a fiesta of football across 11 cities which kicks off tomorrow. Matches take place in Baku, Rome, London, Amsterdam, Munich, Copenhagen, St Petersburg, Glasgow, Seville, Bucharest and Budapest.

France are the bookies favourites to lift the coveted crown, but only just ahead of England, Belgium, Germany, defending champions Portugal, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands.

The pressure is on for Gareth Southgate’s team who certainly have a shot at the title especially as they could play six of seven games possible at Wembley.

They warmed up for the finals with laboured victories over Austria and Rumania, however none of the Champions League final players were on display so the line-up when England face Croatia will be vastly different.

But what of other British interests, Wales and Scotland. The Welsh come in at anywhere between 125/1 and 200/1 with the Scots 250/1 outsiders. Only Finland and North Macedonia have higher odds!

But football is a funny old game, who would have bet on Wales inspired run to the 2016 semi-finals as England crashed out to Iceland.

Only time will tell but the cream of European talent is ready to take centre stage.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Kylian Mbappe (France), Harry Kane (England), Robert Lewandowski (Poland), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium), Mephis Depay (Netherlands), Lorenzo Insigne (Italy) Gareth Bale (Wales) and Thomas Muller (Germany) are among the many stars on display but there are plenty of youngsters expected to shine. So, watch for Joao Felix (Portugal), Jamal Musiala (Germany), Pedri (Spain), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy), Ryan Gravenberch (Netherlands), Dejan Kulusevski (Sweden) and Jude Bellingham (England).

The draw for the finals has a plethora of eye-catching encounters. Group A: Turkey, Italy, Wales, Switzerland Group B: Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Russia Group C: Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria, North Macedonia Group D: England, Croatia, Scotland, Czech Republic Group E: Spain, Sweden, Poland, Slovakia Group F: Hungary, Portugal, France, Germany The top two teams plus four best third placed teams advance from the groups.

Group F looks to be the toughest of the six with a trio of big hitters involved.

Every tournament has a ‘Group of Death’ and this is it with former winners Portugal, France and Germany battling it out for two spots in the last-16 of the competition. Joachim Low is stepping down after this tournament and whilst you can never rule out the Germans who traditionally get to the latter stages they have struggled for form and may be the ones to miss out. With the greatest respect to Hungary, it would be a seismic shock if they make the next stage.

Group E also looks an intriguing group which could be a tight affair between Spain, Sweden and Poland to qualify. The same could occur in Group B with Denmark, Belgium and Russia.

Italy, Netherlands and England are favourites to top Groups A, C and D respectively but it’s not a given. Scotland may be among the also rans with bookmakers but their clash against England at Wembley will be a battle. However, I expect Southgate’s side to make the last 16.

So, who will prevail at the end of the football marathon. The smart money is the French and Portuguese as they have been here before. Belgium also look ready to finally land a major honour. Naturally though, I’d like to see England finally break through at the top table after so long and they have a great chance if Kane et al can finally hold their nerve.

Expectations are high and a good start to the group stage should see Southgate and co on the road to a first major title since the Boys of 66. The past decades have seen England go close on a handful of occasions to lifting a major championship, most recently the 2018 World Cup when they unexpectedly reached the semi-finals. Fans will also recall Euro 96 when Southgate missed the crucial penalty against Germany at the old Twin Towers at the last four stage. Victory 25 years on will be particularly sweet for the England boss.

Harry Kane

PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK

Ronaldo to aim for new EURO records

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to break a number of records at EURO 2020.

When Ronaldo plays his first match of the tournament it will be a record fifth appearance at a finals.

Seventeen players have made four tournaments but bar injury Ronaldo will set a new benchmark.

Whilst France’s Michel Platini has the record for a single tournament of nine goals when he led his country to the 1984 title, Ronaldo has the same total from his record 21 finals appearances. One more strike will set a new goals mark and he is odds on to do so.

Ronaldo will also pass Italy’s Gianluigi Buffon’s all-time 58 appearances in EURO competition, qualifying and finals, if he plays in three matches. His 56 games to date have included 36 wins, 12 draws and eight defeats.

Whilst, somewhat surprisingly, Ronaldo has to bag a EURO hat-trick, he would comfortably be the oldest to score in a final if Portugal go all the way. Only one player over 30 has scored, Bernd Holzenbein for West Germany against Czechoslovakia in 1976. Antonin Panenka’s famously won the final with a penalty. Ronaldo will be 36 years and 156 days on 11 July when this years’ final takes place.

Should Ronaldo lift the trophy again he will join Spain’s Iker Casillas (2008 and 2012) as the only players to have captained sides in two triumphs.

One record that won’t go is his own of 40 goals including qualifying. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (25) and Robbie Keane (23) are a mighty chasm away.

He is also the only player to score in four tournaments. Ronaldo bagged a brace in EURO 2004, one in 2008 along with three at 2012 and 2016.

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS PORTUGAL CELEBRATING THEIR WIN IN 2016

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

GROUP A

TURKEY Qualifying Group H record: P10 W7 D2 L1 F18 A3 Qualifying Top scorer: Cenk Tosun (5) UEFA EURO best: semi-finals (2008) Coach: Senol Gunes

ITALY Qualifying Group J record: P10 W10 D0 L0 F37 A4 Qualifying top scorer: Andrea Belotti (5) UEFA EURO best: winners (1968) Coach: Roberto Mancini

WALES Qualifying Group E record: P8 W4 D2 L2 F10 A6 Qualifying top scorer: Gareth Bale (2), Kieffer Moore (2), Aaron Ramsey (2) UEFA EURO best: semi-finals (2016) Coach: Robert Page

SWITZERLAND Qualifying Group D record: P8 W5 D2 L1 F19 A6 Qualifying top scorer: Cedric Itten (3) UEFA EURO best: round of 16 (2016) Coach: Vladimir Petkovic

GROUP B

DENMARK Qualifying Group D record: P8 W4 D4 L0 F23 A6 Qualifying top scorer: Christian Eriksen (5) UEFA EURO best: winners (1992) Coach: Kasper Hjulmand

FINLAND Qualifying Group J record: P10 W6 D0 L4 F16 A10 Qualifying top scorer: Teemu Pukki (10) UEFA EURO best: N/A Coach: Markku Kanerva

BELGIUM Qualifying Group I record: P10 W10 D0 L0 F40 A3 Qualifying top scorer: Romelu Lukaku (7) UEFA EURO best: runners-up (1980) Coach: Roberto Martínez

RUSSIA Qualifying Group I record: P10 W8 D0 L2 F33 A8 Qualifying top scorer: Artem Dzyuba (9) UEFA EURO best: winner (1960, as USSR), semi-finals (2008) Coach: Stanislav Cherchesov

GROUP C

NETHERLANDS Qualifying Group C record: P8 W6 D1 L1 F24 A7 Qualifying top scorer: Georginio Wijnaldum (8) UEFA EURO best: winners (1988) Coach: Frank de Boer

UKRAINE Qualifying Group A record: P8 W6 D2 L0 F17 A4 Qualifying top scorer: Roman Yaremchuk (4) UEFA EURO best: group stage (2012, 2016) Coach: Andriy Shevchenko Qualifying Group G record: P10 W6 D1 L3 F19 A9 Qualifying top scorer: Marko Arnautovic (6) UEFA EURO best: group stage (2008, 2016) Coach: Franco Foda

NORTH MACEDONIA Qualifying Group G record: P10 W4 D2 L4 F12 A13 Play-offs: Kosovo (h) 2-1, Georgia (a) 1-0 Qualifying top scorer: Eljif Elmas (4) UEFA EURO best: N/A Coach: Igor Angelovski

GROUP D

ENGLAND Qualifying Group A record: P8 W7 D0 L1 F37 A6 Qualifying top scorer: Harry Kane (12) UEFA EURO best: third place (1968) Coach: Gareth Southgate

CROATIA Qualifying Group E record: P8 W5 D2 L1 F17 A7 Qualifying top scorer: Bruno Petkovic (4) UEFA EURO best: quarter-finals (1996, 2008) Coach: Zlatko Dalic

SCOTLAND Qualifying Group I record: P10 W5 D0 L5 F16 A19 Play-offs: Israel (h) 0-0, 5-3 pens; Serbia (a) 1-1, 5-4 pens Qualifying top scorer: John McGinn (7) UEFA EURO best: group stage (1992, 1996) Coach: Steve Clarke

CZECH REPUBLIC Qualifying Group A record: P8 W5 D0 L3 F13 A11 Qualifying top scorer: Patrik Schick (4) UEFA EURO best: winners (1976, as Czechoslovakia) Coach: Jaroslav Silhavy

Group E

SPAIN Qualifying Group F record: P10 W8 D2 L0 F31 A5 Qualifying top scorer: Álvaro Morata, Sergio Ramos, Rodrigo (4) UEFA EURO best: winners (1964, 2008, 2012) Coach: Luis Enrique

SWEDEN Qualifying Group F record: P10 W6 D3 L1 F23 A9 Qualifying top scorer: Robin Quaison (5) UEFA EURO best: semi-finals (1992) Coach: Janne Andersson

POLAND Qualifying Group G record: P10 W8 D1 L1 F18 A5 Qualifying top scorer: Robert Lewandowski (6) UEFA EURO best: quarter-finals (2016) Coach: Paulo Sousa

SLOVAKIA Qualifying Group E record: P8 W4 D1 L3 F13 A11 Play-offs: Republic of Ireland (h) 0-0, 4-2 pens; Northern Ireland (a) 2-1 AET Qualifying top scorer: Robert Bozeník, Marek Hamsik, Juraj Kucka (3) UEFA EURO best: round of 16 (2016) Coach: Stefan Tarkovic

GROUP F

HUNGARY Group E record: P8 W4 D0 L4 F8 A11 Play-offs: Bulgaria (a) 3-1; Iceland (h) 2-1 Qualifying top scorer: Willi Orban (3) UEFA EURO best: third place (1964) Coach: Marco Rossi

PORTUGAL Qualifying Group B record: P8 W5 D2 L1 F22 A6 Qualifying top scorer: Cristiano Ronaldo (11) UEFA EURO best: winners (2016) Coach: Fernando Santos

FRANCE Qualifying Group H record: P10 W8 D1 L1 F25 A6 Qualifying top scorer: Olivier Giroud (6) UEFA EURO best: winners (1984, 2000) Coach: Didier Deschamps

GERMANY Qualifying Group C record: P8 W7 D0 L1 F30 A7 Qualifying top scorer: Serge Gnabry (8) UEFA EURO best: winners (1972, 1980, 1996) Coach: Joachim Low

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS

PAST WINNERS 1960: Soviet Union 1964: Spain 1968: Italy 1972: West Germany 1976: Czechoslovakia 1980: West Germany 1984: France 1988: Netherlands 1992: Denmark 1996: Germany 2000: France 2004: Greece 2008: Spain 2012: Spain 2016: Portugal

HISTORIC TOP SCORERS 1960: Francois Heutte (France), Viktor Ponedelnik (USSR), Valentin Ivanov (USSR), Drazan Jerkovic (Yugoslavia), Milan Galic (Yugoslavia) - 2 goals 1964: Jesus María Pereda (Spain), Ferenc Bene (Hungary), Deszo Novak (Hungary) - 2 goals 1968: Dragan Dzajic (Yugoslavia) - 2 goals 1972: Gerd Muller (West Germany) - 4 goals 1976: Dieter Muller (West Germany) - 4 goals 1980: Klaus Allofs (West Germany) - 3 goals 1984: Michel Platini (France) - 9 goals 1988: Marco van Basten (Netherlands) - 5 goals 1992: Henrik Larsen (Denmark), Karl-Heinz Riedle (Germany), Dennis Bergkamp (Netherlands), Tomas Brolin (Sweden) - 3 goals 1996: Alan Shearer (England) - 5 goals 2000: Patrick Kluivert (Netherlands), Savo Milosevic (Yugoslavia) - 5 goals 2004: Milan Baros (Czech Republic) - 5 goals 2008: David Villa (Spain) - 4 goals 2012: Fernando Torres (Spain)*, Alan Dzagoev (Russia), Mario Gomez (Germany), Mario Mandzukic (Croatia), Mario Balotelli (Italy), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) - 3 goals 2016: Antoine Griezmann (France) - 6 goals

*Torres received the trophy due to an assist and having played fewest minutes of the trio.

MOST GOALS IN A TOURNAMENT 9: Michel Platini (France, 1984)

MOST FINAL TOURNAMENT GOALS 9: Michel Platini (France) 9: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

MOST GOALS (INCLUDING QUALIFYING) 40: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT WINNERS: 1996: Matthias Sammer (Germany) 2000: Zinedine Zidane (France) 2004: Theodoros Zagorakis (Greece) 2008: Xavi Hernández (Spain) 2012: Andrés Iniesta (Spain) 2016: Antoine Griezmann (France)

Vintage Wine strike sets up title decider

Oakwood are two wins from winning the Premier League after defeating rivals Maccabi London Lions at Rowley Lane.

Brad Wine scored the only goal when he beat the offside trap before firing home in the first half.

Maccabi struggled to break through a resolute defence in a hard-fought clash. The hosts led the league for long stages of the season but a first home defeat of the campaign ends their title bid.

O’s boss Lewis Blitz commented, “I thought we were by far the better team in the first half, but Maccabi came out battling in the second half and we had to really dig deep to hold onto the lead.”

Max Kyte was magnanimous at full time. “It was a really tight game of very few chances and Oakwood were able to put away their best chance with a great finish,” he noted.

HMH are two points clear of Oakwood after North London Galaxy forfeited their clash.

The O’s host HMH on June 20. Should Avi Goldberg’s side avoid defeat they will be champions but if Blitz’s side continue a fine run of form they will lift the title.

Jewdinese thumped defending champions Hendon United Sports 5-1 in a surprise result.

Reiss Mogilner bagged a brace for ‘Nese. Billy Lee and Sam Stern also hit the target. An own goal from Hendon completed the scoring.

‘Nese boss Darren Lawrence commented, “Unbelievable performance from all our men today, a victory over the reigning champions is something we should be proud of.”

North London Raiders were awarded a win after Fairlop forfeited.

The Division One crown is heading to a title decider between Hertswood Vale and London Bears.

Vale lead Bears by two points but have played a game more. Both teams are already all but assured of promotion.

Vale came from behind to thump Paris Saint Jewmain 7-2 and are a point away from Premier League status after a resounding win. PSJ took the lead against the run of play with a Louis Relevy header. But the visitors hit back on the stroke of half time, Jordan Grant setting up Joe Cohen to fire home. Harry Graham edged Vale ahead before Cohen struck again prior to a Jack Winton brace. James Millet scored twice before PSJ’s Mikey Elia pulled a goal back.

“The boys were quick out the blocks but we couldn’t hit the target,” noted Vale’s Jacob Emmanuel. “One or two players were guilty of some poor finishing but we regrouped at half time and a tactical change worked wonders. That’s seven wins on the spin.”

Elio Elia commented, “It was a very PSJ display. We were very good in the first half and deservedly took the lead. We came in at half time with all to play for but conceded early and yet another capitulation followed, which can only be put down to attitude.”

Maccabi and Oakwood get set for the big match

PHOTO: DAVID SAFFER

The Bears won an eight-goal thriller against FC Team 5-3 at Aycliffe Road. They will head the table if they defeat Club de Chigwell on Sunday before a title decider with Vale on June 20.

Brook Farm Rovers eased to a 4-1 win over CdC and after five wins in a row third spot is in their sights.

Adam Ellis, Dan Cohen, Joe Gourgey and Sam Georgevic scored the goals for the hosts who moved up to fifth place in the table.

Player boss Cohen noted, “We dominated for 90 minutes and thoroughly deserved the points. It’s just a shame we didn’t score a few more given some of the chances we had.”

Faithfold Green forfeited their home game against Mill Hill Dons.

NWL Azzuri are favourites to win the Division Two title after defeating challengers Stoke Salmon 3-0.

Sam Morris and Josh Sarna-star (2) hit the goals in a crucial win.

Azzuri are three points clear of Stoke with two games remaining. The two meet on Sunday.

Should Azzuri avoid defeat they will be favourites to secure the title but if Stoke gain revenge the title is within their grasp again. Both teams have already secured promotion.

“A fantastic result, but it is far from over yet, two more games to go, nothing less than two more wins,” noted Azzuri’s Sam Morris.

Joe Metliss and Jono Gaon hit two goals as Hampstead Ducks defeated Scrabble 4-1.

Straw Hat Pirates edged past FC East London Bees 2-1 and Redbridge Jewish Care defeated West Hendon Wallabies 3-0.

Maccabi clear the danger against Oakwood

PHOTO: DAVID SAFFER Oakwood’s Brad Wine fires home the winner against Maccabi

PHOTO: DAVID SAFFER

Haroldeans are unconventional MJSL champions

Haroldeans clinched the MJSL title in bizarre circumstances at Frederick Road last Sunday.

The Merseysiders thumped Reich Masters 7-0 in the first of a double header and were leading 4-0 at half time in the reverse fixture when a number of Reich players left the venue.

The match was abandoned as Reich had insufficient numbers to complete the game.

MJSL awarded the points to Haroldeans with the scoreline standing. MCFA will review the circumstances of the abandonment.

The opening match saw Haroldeans strike inside 20 seconds. Adam Shiffman notched hat-trick, Marley Rubens, Jack Bookey, Eden Harris and Marcus Nezri completed the rout.

Haroldeans led 4-0 at half time in game two courtesy of Shiffman and Bookey bagging a brace apiece.

The teams meet in the Harold Feldman Cup Final on June 20.

Broughton Park Rangers defeated runners up Maccabi Manchester 3rd 5-2 at Brooklands.

Jasper Van Veen scored twice, Yoni Greene, Brad Levy and Oscar Ridley-Fink also scored.

Sol Mattatia and Moishe Hasid, with a penalty, scored for Maccabi.

Haroldeans player turns in disbelief after Reich forfeit the match

PHOTO: LAWRENCE PURCELL