EPL: Bale signs new deal, Villas-Boas close to Spurs move

Midfielder Gareth Bale has signed a new four-year contract with Tottenham Hotspur that will keep him at White Hart Lane until 2016, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.
“I’ve been here for five years now and I’ve enjoyed every minute,” Bale told the Tottenham website.
“The fans have been great to me and I’d love to re-pay them and do the very best for them. The club is progressing and I want to be a part of that, so it was great to get the deal done,” added the Welsh international who had been linked in the media with a move to Barcelona.

Spurs were fourth last season but missed out on the Champions League because Chelsea won the European competition. Reuters

“I love the club and the fans and I want to play my part in trying to get us back into the Champions League – where we belong,” he said.
It was a positive day for Spurs who are reportedly chasing ex-Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas as he turned down a managerial offer from Sao Paulo.
Villas-Boas’ departure agreement with Chelsea had a clause which prevented him from joining another English club until 1st July 2012. The Telegraph reports that he has had talks with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and an agreement is not far from reality.
Tottenham are still without a manager following the sacking of Harry Redknapp earlier this month.
Spurs were fourth last season but missed out on the Champions League because Chelsea won the European competition having finished sixth in the table.
Talks have also been held with current France manager Laurent Blanc as Spurs quickly look to fill the gap left by Harry Redknapp.
AVB is a big name in football and his first task will be to take Spurs to the Champions League. His different philosophy and long-term approach is what Levy will like, with Spurs on the brink of becoming a regular top four club.
Some movements in the transfer market have already happened. Gylfi Sigurdsson is likely to move to London rather than Liverpool or Swansea and the 22-year-old will provide much needed width to Spurs’ right side of midfield.
Vedran Corluka meanwhile, has been sold to Lokomotiv Moscow after the emergence of Kyle Walker at right-back demoted the Croatian to the bench.
They may have roped in Bale on a new deal, but it remains to be seen whether Luka Modric follows suit. Reports all over England have heavily suggested the player is already on his way to Manchester United or Real Madrid.
Ajax defender and long-term target Jan Vertonghen may also seal a move to Spurs anytime.

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Mario made a King Kong

Top Italian daily newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport has apologised for printing a cartoon portraying black Italy striker Mario Balotelli as King Kong.

Media reports said Balotelli’s agent Mino Raiola had reacted with fury at the depiction, which comes after the 21-year-old has battled racism in his homeland and abroad for years.

The cartoon of the Manchester City forward on top of London’s Big Ben swatting away footballs was meant to be humourous and positive, showing the striker as a giant who had conquered England.

However, in the wake of Italy’s Euro 2012 quarter-final win over England and ahead of their semi-final with Germany on Thursday, the cartoon has received complaints from readers. “We can honestly say it is not one of the best efforts by our great cartoonist,” Gazzetta said.

“If someone found it offensive we are sorry. “This newspaper has always fought against racism in stadiums and denounced monkey noises aimed at Balotelli.”

Neither Balotteli nor Italy were immediately available to comment.

The cartoon was printed on Sunday and at first went largely unnoticed but has now become a hot topic across the internet.

Balotelli, born in Italy and of Ghanaian descent, was racially abused by Juventus fans during his time with Inter Milan and the Turin club was forced by Serie A to play a match behind closed doors.

However, racism campaigners in Italy have long believed not enough was done to protect him in a country not as used to immigration as other major European nations like the Britain and France.

At Euro 2012 Balotelli was subjected to racist abuse by Croatia fans during a match on June 14 and the Croatian FA was fined 80,000 euros ($99,800) by European governing body UEFA.

The size of the fine was criticised by the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network, who told Reuters there was public concern that Denmark’s Nicklas Bendtner was fined 20,000 euros more for exposing an illegal advert on his underpants. 

source: punemirror.in/article/7/20120628201206280818227843ddfb81/Mario-made-a-King-Kong.html

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Semifinal 2 - Germany vs. Italy

Semifinal 2 - Germany vs. Italy
Germany is on a roll. After dominating the group stage with impressive wins over Portugal (1-0), Netherlands (2-1) and Denmark (2-1), the Germans took their play to a whole other level by crushing a feisty Greece squad 4-2 in the quarterfinal round.
Waiting Germany in the semifinal round is Italy. The Italians have had a tougher time making it this far in the tournament. Italy tied both Spain and Croatia with 1-1 scores and beat a hapless Irish team 2-0 to advance to the knockout stage. In their quarterfinal against England, Italy played well but needed to come from behind in PKs to advance onward.
Germany will be the clear favorite in this match, but Italy will be tricky. Expect the Italians to sit back and play a ball-controlling style to counter the impressive team speed of Germany. Even if Italy plays well, it is hard to imagine anything but a Germany - Spain final.
Here is the information you need to know for the second semifinal match between Germany and Italy:
Event: UEFA Euro 2012 Semifinals
Stadium: National Stadium - Warsaw, Poland
Date: Thursday, June 29
Time: 2:45 AM GMT(+8:00)
Teams: German National Team vs. Italian National Team
Winner: Advances to the finals to face the winner of the Spain-Portugal semifinal match


 
Semi Finals - Spain vs. Portugal
Can anyone stop Spain? After winning the UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, Spain looks poised to win their third straight major international tournament and cement the place in history as the greatest national team of all-time.
Spain has been playing in their typical Spanish style; steady as a rock. Aside from a 4-0 thrashing they dished out to a weak Irish squad, Spain has muddied along with a 1-1 tie against Italy and a 1-0 win against Croatia before defeating France 2-0 in the quarterfinals.
Meeting Spain in the semifinals is Portugal. After slipping 0-1 to Germany in their opening match; Portugal has been a runaway freight train. The Portuguese squad has won three straight, including wins over Denmark (3-2) and Netherlands (2-1) in the group stage and Czech Republic (1-0) in the quarterfinals.
Spain will be the clear cut favorite in the semifinals. As defending Euro and World Cup champs, they have earned the right to be called "world's best" until they can be defeated. But one can't help but think that perhaps now is Portugal's time. After many disappointing performances in recent major tournaments, this might be their time to breakthrough and make their mark on the world stage.
Here is the information you need to know for the first semifinal match between Spain and Portugal:

Event: UEFA Euro 2012 Semifinals
Stadium: Donbass Arena - Donetsk, Ukraine
Date: Wednesday, June 28
Time: 2:45 AM GMT(+8:00)
Teams: Spanish National Team vs. Portuguese National Team
Winner: Advances to the finals to face the winner of the Germany-Italy semifinal match

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England's penalty curse strikes again at Euro 2012

 KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — It was the same old penalties heartache for England. This time, though, there was no hard-luck story to accompany the loss.

Defeat by Italy in the European Championship quarterfinals made it six losses in seven tournament shootouts as England's curse struck again on Sunday. Outclassed and outplayed comprehensively by Italy, Roy Hodgson's side clung on to a 0-0 draw. But in Kiev, there were no near misses, no decisions by the referee to bemoan, just a timid display from a weary team.

And one that's going home on Monday. "We might have to accept that we weren't quite good enough to win it over 120 minutes," Hodgson said. "Penalties is the same road we have been down before." The only victory when England players have been put on the spot from 12 yards (meters) came in the Euro '96 quarterfinals against Spain.

The English penalty jinx started in the semifinals of the 1990 World Cup against West Germany and the unified Germans ousted them at the same stage in Euro '96. Argentina was the shootout victor in the second round at the 1998 World Cup, and Portugal ousted England at the quarterfinals at both Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup.

"It's obviously a hard way to go out," England striker Wayne Rooney said. "And it's maybe happened too many times now." How different it might have been in Kiev as Sunday turned to Monday. Rooney put England 2-1 in front in the shootout after Riccardo Montolivo missed his penalty.

But England's dreams soon ended up in ashes. Both Ashley Young and Ashley Cole failed to score as the Italians converted their penalties, allowing Alessandro Diamanti to net the decisive kick that secured a semifinal with Germany.

"The two Ashleys are strong enough lads to come back from this and the lads will be with them," winger Theo Walcott said. Cole scored in Chelsea's Champions League-winning shootout last month, but couldn't reproduce such accuracy for his country.

"Penalty-taking has become a bit of an obsession for us, and those players have done extremely well," Hodgson said. "But you can't reproduce the tension, you can't reproduce the nervousness and you can't reproduce the occasion (in training). The sort of, cool, calculated way that (Andrea) Pirlo had the confidence and chipped the goalkeeper is something you either have as a player or you don't. There is no amount of training or coaching that can teach a player that.

"We saw Ashley Cole take a penalty in the Champions League final. We have seen Ashley Young convert penalties for Manchester United and Watford. We were confident we had five very good penalty takers. Unfortunately two missed."

England's tourist board made light of more shootout misery on Twitter, writing: "England lose on penalties. For more on our culture and traditions go to visitengland.com." But any culture of playing football was largely lost on Hodgson's side on Sunday.

One statistic exposed England's anxieties in front of goal. The Italians produced 20 shots on target — one more than England managed in all four Euro 2012 matches, with only five coming Sunday. Italy also had 64 percent of possession and a pass completion rate of 81 percent compared with England's 61.

"I don't begrudge Italy their victory but I thought for long periods of time it was an interesting tactical battle," Hodgson said. "When we got into one or two good occasions, we didn't do as well as we could."

It didn't help that Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker in England's midfield engine room were struggling with injuries. Gerrard stayed on the pitch to score in the shootout despite struggling with cramp in his hip and calf. Parker was forced off early in extra time with a reoccurrence of an Achilles' injury.

"We had three very tough games before this one," Hodgson said. "At least we go away unbeaten during normal time." England opened with a draw against France but beat Sweden and Ukraine to advance to the quarterfinals as group winners.

But that feat couldn't disguise tepid displays when they failed to keep hold and relied on ultra-defensive tactics. While Rooney returned from suspension to clinch the victory over Ukraine in the final group match, the striker lacked sharpness against Italy, spurning several chances including an early header.

"We had lots of players out there running on empty, with very tired legs, fighting off cramp," Hodgson said. "But they kept us in there until the end and when you go to penalties you do have a chance."
Italy seized the chance. But just reaching the quarterfinals could be considered a success for a side Hodgson only took charge of last month following Fabio Capello's resignation in February.

source: mail.com/int/sports/soccer/1384732-englands-penalty-curse-strikes-euro-2012.html#.1258-stage-set1-2

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Germany vs. Greece

GDANSK, Poland -- Germany's most prominent fan will be in the stands for the quarterfinal against Greece at the European Championship.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, however, wins no popularity contests among the Greek contingent. So the political dimension of Friday's game only heightens what is already an intriguing match in strictly soccer terms.Germany is a three-time champion. Greece is the surprise winner of the 2004, and the Greeks are still standing again, with an unexpected place in the knockout stages.

It was always our main aim to reach the quarterfinals. So now we have nothing to lose," said defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos, one of the many Greece players with Bundesliga experience. "We are playing against one of the best teams here. All I can say is that we'll fight. If we get the win, that would be a huge result."

Greece has plenty of reason to be thankful to Germany - the 2004 championship team was coached by a German, Otto Rehhagel.

German and Greek officials are trying to play down the politics. Germany, Europe's biggest economy, has been a major contributor to international bailouts for Greece and was instrumental in demanding structural reforms and hugely unpopular spending cuts in return. Greek fans are unlikely to take kindly to Merkel's presence at Gdansk Arena.

"We are playing for our shirt, our flag and for the people back home," midfielder Costas Katsouranis said.

Added Greek forward Dimitris Salpigidis: "I don't think anyone on the team believes this will be our last game at this tournament. People have so many problems in their everyday lives. We're really hoping that we can put a smile on their face."

Gdansk also was also the scene of the first battle of World War II, when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. A German soccer federation delegation laid a wreath Wednesday at a memorial for Poles at the Westerplatte peninsula on the outskirts of the Baltic city.

Germany has two Poland-born players in its squad, Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski, and Polish fans could throw their support behind the Germans. By winning its group, Germany got to stay in Gdansk and was spared having to travel.

Merkel attended Germany's 4-0 rout of Argentina at the 2010 World Cup and saw Germany beat Turkey in Berlin in the most important Euro 2012 qualifier for her team. She has visited the German locker room and briefly spent time with the team in Gdansk before the tournament.

"She seems to bring us luck," midfielder Sami Khedira said.

Germany is the only team to have won all three group games and goes into the quarterfinal as the overwhelming favorite. But the Germans understand the ability of the Greeks."They are a very good team, underestimated by many.

They create few chances but score from them. Technically, they are strong and play well one-on-one," Khedira said.

"It will be tough to crack their defense, but we have the means. We have to be patient, but we also have to be constantly on the move. They will try to disrupt our game and beat us, but they will not succeed."

Added midfielder Thomas Mueller: "We know what we have to do, but it's not going to be a piece of cake."

Greece will be missing playmaker and captain Giorgos Karagounis because of suspension.

There is speculation Germany coach Joachim Loew will return Klose to the starting lineup, although Mario Gomez scored three goals that won matches against Portugal and the Netherlands. Klose, a 34-year-old striker, scored the last time these teams played each other, a World Cup qualifier in 2001.

Six Greece players have either played or still play in the Bundesliga.

Greece has five defeats and three draws in the eight games it has played Germany or the former West Germany."We are not too bothered about statistics. ...

That doesn't really matter," Salpigidis said.

source: newsobserver.com/2012/06/21/2151638/politics-meets-soccer-in-germany.html

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Don't be fooled by below-par Spain - Loew

Cristiano Ronaldo's header gives Portugal a deserved place in next Wednesday's semi-final in Donetsk where they will play the winners of Saturday's clash between Spain and France.


The Real Madrid forward underlined once more that he is the class act at this tournament, arriving with 11 minutes remaining to meet a cross from the right by Joao Moutinho to bullet a header past Petr Cech.


It was no more than Paulo Bento's side deserved, because they were the team playing to win the match rather than not to lose it. 


Portugal were slow out of the blocks, but they took control from around the 35-minute mark, played the bulk of the good football and created by far the better chances.


Ronaldo hit the post after a brilliant turn and shot just before half-time and struck the woodwork again soon after the restart with one of his trademark dipping free-kicks.


Nani and Joao Moutinho forced fine saves from Petr Cech, but Ronaldo was not to be denied and netted his third goal of the tournament. 


The former Manchester United man plays as if he is possessed, driven by a desire that no-one else in his side can come close to. 


The way he is going Ronaldo could win the Euros on his own.


source: supersport.com/football/uefa-euro-2012/news/120621/Dont_be_fooled_by_belowpar_Spain_Loew

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Lucky England scrape past Ukraine, as France falter

KIEV: England rode their luck to top Euro 2012 Group D on Tuesday as they beat co-hosts Ukraine 1-0 while France also made it despite being outclassed in a 2-0 defeat by already eliminated Sweden. A goal by the recalled Wayne Rooney - thanks to a howler by the Ukrainian goalkeeper - was enough for England although Ukraine were desperately unlucky not to be level when the ball clearly crossed the line but the fifth official didn’t see it. France were woeful as they saw their 23 match unbeaten run under Laurent Blanc brought to an end with a stunning bicycle kick by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and one from the outstanding Sebastian Larsson.

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Victory gave the Swedes their first win over the French in almost 43 years, dating back to October 1969. England’s win sees them avoid defending champions Spain and instead they will play Italy in their quarter-final in Kiev on Sunday while it is the French who will face the Spanish in Donetsk on Saturday. A 48th-minute header from the talismanic Rooney gave the English some breathing space over a Ukrainian side - shorn of its own talisman Andrei Shevchencko, who was unable to start as he was injured - that had to win to go through. They thought they had at least got back on level terms when Marko Devic had a clear goal wrongly disallowed on 62 minutes. Devic had powered into the box and his looping shot had flown over keeper Joe Hart towards goal. John Terry launched himself into an acrobatic clearance to hook the ball away but despite furious Ukrainian appeals no goal was given.

Television replays, however, showed the ball had crossed the line by several inches but had incredibly been missed by the additional assistant referee stationed behind the goal. “We had our bit of luck tonight (the goal that wasn’t allowed) but you deserve some luck,” mused England coach Roy Hodgson, who is yet to be beaten in five games since he took over. However, Hodgson said that his relatively inexperienced team, shorn of several key players through injury before the tournament, had shown great character to prevail. “It was a very good defensive and disciplined performance,” he said. “We could have shown some more composure on the ball but we are a fledgling team and we can work on that part.”

France rarely looked like up for the battle and Sweden were the side that looked to be the one who had a chance of reaching the quarter-finals rather than taking an early flight home. The defeat left Blanc seething, questioning the commitment of his players and clearly hinting that changes would be made for the clash with Spain. “Sweden played this match with its heart. Physically, they were better prepared and (in Ibrahimovic) they had a player in the team who made the difference, which makes a hell of a difference. “We are really disappointed by this result but we were in trouble throughout the match. When you lose a match, it is because you have not got the right team out there. “Therefore, if I were to start it all over, we would not start with the same team.” afp

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Shevchenko wants to play 1 last Ukraine match

DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — This wasn't the farewell game he was hoping for, so Andriy Shevchenko wants another one.

The Ukraine captain confirmed his competitive career was over after a 1-0 loss to England on Tuesday, which eliminated his team from the European Championship. However, Shevchenko wants to play one last match for his country to thank his fans for their support throughout his career.

"If it's possible, I will play one more game," Shevchenko said. "It will probably be one of the friendlies. I will ask for the organization of this match." It wasn't a fitting end to his 111-match international career in which he scored 48 goals — more than three times as many as any other Ukrainian player.

Shevchenko didn't start the must-win match for Ukraine because of a left knee injury and came on as a substitute in the 70th minute. Fans chanted "Sheva, Sheva" but he couldn't help the team mount a comeback.

Long before Euro 2012, Shevchenko announced that the tournament would be his last after persistent knee and back problems weighed him down in recent seasons. He is not the predatory striker he was in his heyday when he regularly scored more than 20 goals per season for AC Milan, and he recently said he would not be able to play three full matches a week.

Still, Shevchenko proved to be of great value for Ukraine at Euro 2012, scoring twice in helping the co-host beat Sweden 2-1 in their opening match last week. The 2004 European Football of the Year, who is without a club after his contract at Dynamo Kiev expired, believes the Ukraine team has a fruitful future ahead without him.

"I think there is a time to give the opportunity to the younger players," Shevchenko said. "They have a very good future." The striker said the squad's younger players have gained valuable experience at Euro 2012 — only the second major football tournament in which Ukraine has taken part besides the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

"It will really give them the opportunity to feel stronger and feel they have played at the highest level of European football," Shevchenko said. "I will give them an opportunity to play."

 Source: mail.com/int/sports/soccer/1373048-shevchenko-wants-to-play-1-ukraine-match.html#.1258-stage-set1-2

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UEFA EURO 2012 | ITALY VS. IRELAND WHO WILL ADVANCE?

UEFA EURO 2012 | ITALY VS. IRELAND WHO WILL ADVANCE? Match starts at 2:45 AM GMT +8:00

Ireland’s 7 losses against Italy are enough to fuel the Irish fire and reclaim their lost honour and glory. Drawing inspiration from Jack Charlton, Ireland is set to grab victory. As a matter of fact, Ireland got the upper-hand during their last three (3) matches. These wins foretell that Ireland shall not be kind to Italy during its EURO matchup this June 19.

Meanwhile, Italy’s Azurri is serious in taking the crown back. The Italian squad is hungry for yet another title. It has been years since they won the EURO Championship title in 1968 and after making two (2) semi-final appearances, Italy would never let Ireland get into their way.

Will Italy make it to the finals or will Ireland put a stop into Italy’s quest for victory?

THE NUMBERS

• Total previous matches: 6
• Italy – 7 Wins
• Republic of Ireland – 2 Wins
• 2 Draw
• Previous EURO Head to Head Matches
• None

Italy must tackle three points in their final Group C match cons of Ireland. Series or lose, Gli Azzurri have to return home. In fact, any win, Italy may not be able to qualify for the quarter-finals. Italy has always followed the Euro or World Cup event since 1992, they have never been absent until now. While Ireland's Euro 2012 is the first event they qualify for the EURO group stage since making his debut in 1988. In 1988, Ireland had beaten England, but they did not qualify from group stage after a series against the Soviet Union and the defeat of theNetherlands.

Italy's record of 11 so far is 7x Irish victory, 2x serial, and 2x less.

Of the six official matches of both teams, Italy won 3 games, 2x serial, 1x and losing.

This is the first time for Ireland's success to the group stage since making his debut at EURO 1988. In 1988, Ireland had beaten England, but they did not qualify from group stage after a series against the Soviet Union and the defeat of the Netherlands.

Italy is currently ranked the 12th FIFA World Ranking, while Ireland was ranked the 18th FIFA World Ranking.

PREVIOUS MATCHES

ITALY	IRELAND
June 14, 2012: Italy 1-1 Croatia (EURO 2012)	June 15, 2012: Spain 4-0 Ireland (EURO 2012)
June 10, 2012: Spain 1-1 Italy (EURO 2012)	June 11, 2012: Ireland 1-3 Croatia (EURO 2012)
June 2, 2012: Italy 0-3 Russia (Friendly Match)	June 5, 2012: Hungary 0-0 Ireland (Friendly Match)
March 1, 2012: Italy 0-1 USA (Friendly Match)	May 26, 2012: Ireland 1-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina (Friendly Match)
November 16, 2011: Italy 0-1 Uruguay (Friendly Match)	March 1, 2012: Ireland 1-1 Czech Rep. (Friendly Match)

POSSIBLE LINEUPS

Buffon

Bonucci - Barzagli - Chiellini

Maggio - Marchisio - Pirlo - De Rossi - Balzaretti

Cassano - Di Natale

Coach: Cesare Prandelli (Italy)

Ireland:

Given

O'Shea - Ledger - Dunne - Ward

Duff - Andrews - Whelan - McGeady

Cox - Keane

Coach: Giovanni Trapattoni (Italy)

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Ukraine Aims to Impress Home Crowd versus France

UKRAINE	Tournament Statistics (as of June 15, 2012)		FRANCE
2	Goals Scored		1
5	Attempts On Target		15
8	Attempts Off Target		4
3	Corners		11
12	Fouls Committed		9
0	Yellow Cards		0
0	Red Cards		0
PREDICTED STARTING LINEUPS
Ukraine (3-5-2)		Pyatov; Selin, Khacheridi, Mykhalyk; Tymoschuk, Gusev, Yarmolenko, Nazarenko, Konoplyanka; Shevchenko, Voronin
France (4-2-3-1)		Lloris; Evra, Méxes, Rami, Debuchy; Diarra, M’Vila; Ribéry, Nasri, Valbuena; Benzema

Date: June 16, 2012

Time: 12:00 AM (GMT +8:00)

DONETSK: Group D is expected to undergo a tremendous turn of events as France returns to Donbass to face host Ukraine on home advantage. France is stuck in a 1-1 draw versus England, a record that calls for better winning resolve from Les Bleus. Ukraine, on the other hand, currently tops Group D after they trounced Sweden before an energetic home crowd at 2-1.

Ukraine must repeat their feat against Sweden in order to get past through France – an international favorite to win Group D. If not, their chances of winning the group stage can be ruined, especially when they face England in their final group match.

Previous Matches

France and Ukraine met for 6 times. Ukraine never won against Les Bleus, with a lackluster record of 3 losses and 3 draws.

The teams recently met at a friendly in Donetsk last 2011. France shattered Ukraine at 4-1, with 2 goals coming from midfielder Marvin Martin.

Throughout those 6 meetings, France evidently grew stronger, particularly in terms of offense. In contrast, Ukraine has yet to be consistent in their winning form, particularly in improving their shaky defense.

Pre-Match Developments

Significant changes are not likely for both teams. No players from both sides are injured. France’s starting lineup might change a little if Laurent Blanc decides to put midfielder Yann M’Vila in place of Yohan Cabaye.

Oleh Blokhin will likely retain Ukraine’s current starting squad, given their impressive performance last Tuesday.

Ukraine-France Predictions

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A crucial factor in this match is the frail defense of both teams. The absence of injured defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy in Ukraine’s lineup can further cripple their efforts to defend the goal. France’s defense must learn not to rely too much on their team’s attacking power. Otherwise, they might be damaged by Ukraine’s desire to score before their home crowd. Ukraine’s legendary striker Andriy Shevchenko is one player Les Bleus have to watch out.

A repeat of France’s 2011 friendly victory against Ukraine is highly possible in this game. Their offensive stride powered by Karim Benzema, Franck Ribéry, Mathieu Valbuena and Samir Nasri (who scored France’s goal during its match versus England) can make Ukraine’s weak defense useless. The international pedigree of French players reflects more experience. That gives Les Bleus an obvious victory in their second Group D fixture, despite playing against Ukraine in their home field.

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