Source: Shanghai Daily

06-04-2008 11:39

Special Report:   2008 European Championships

BEIJING, June 3 -- Sweden was upset, the Netherlands cruised and Greece settled for a scoreless draw on Sunday in European Championship warm-up matches.

Sweden's Christian Wilhelmsson (R) fights for the ball with Ukraine's  Andriy Nesmachniy during their friendly match at Rasunda Stadium in  Stockholm on Sunday.(Shanghai Daily Photo)

A virtually full-strength Sweden team lost to Ukraine 0-1 in Stockholm, while the Dutch team beat Wales 2-0 and defending champion Greece was held 0-0 against Armenia less than a week before the start of Euro 2008. Poland rallied for a 1-1 draw with Denmark.

Ukraine got its goal in the 82nd minute when Serhiy Nazarenko, who was left unmarked, sent a 30-meter shot flying past substitute goalkeeper Rami Shaaban. Veteran striker Henrik Larsson, surprisingly recalled to the squad at 36 after being persuaded to come out of international retirement, almost equalized with a backheel five minutes from the end.

But the loss won't help morale ahead of its Euro 2008 group games against defending champion Greece, Spain and Russia. Sweden faces Greece in Salzburg on June 10 in its first game.

The Dutch team is in the toughest group, facing World Cup champion Italy in Bern, Switzerland, on June 9. With games against France and Romania to follow, they will be boosted by a comfortable victory over the Welsh in Rotterdam.

Real Madrid teammates Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder put the Dutch in control with goals in the 35th and 53rd minutes. The result and performance provided the buoyant Dutch fans with the chance to wave farewell to coach Marco van Basten, who will move to Ajax next season, and veteran goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, who ends his international career after the tournament.

"At times, we played very good soccer," said van Basten, who made six changes in the second half.

The Greeks dominated for large spells of the game in Offenbach, Germany, but rarely posed a threat to Armenia goalkeeper Gevorg Kasparov. Angelos Charisteas had a good chance in the 37th when Kasparov dropped the ball, but the Nuremberg striker failed to get a shot off before the ball rolled out of play. Costas Katsouranis tried to break the deadlock with a long-range shot in the 88th, but it was well saved by Kasparov.

Poland, facing games against thee-time European champion Germany, co-host Austria and Croatia, fell behind in Chorzow when midfielder Martin Vingaard scored for Denmark in the 28th. Jacek Krzynowek equalized just before halftime.

Poland coach Leo Beenhakker was forced to rest defender Michal Zewlakow and midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski, who are recovering from injuries.

At Port of Spain, Jermain Defoe scored twice and Gareth Barry clocked his first national goal to lift England to a 3-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago in a one-sided friendly in sultry conditions on a bone-hard pitch on Sunday.

The game was played to mark the centenary of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation and doubled as an attempt to win the support of CONCACAF chairman and FIFA vice president Jack Warner for England's 2018 World Cup bid.

England did not qualify for the Euro 2008.

 

Editor:Zhang Ning