Rooney slated over red card
Source: Agencies |
October 9, 2011, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
WAYNE Rooney came under a barrage of criticism from British media yesterday after his red card in England's 2-2 draw in Montenegro ruled him out for at least the first match of Euro 2012.
The striker had helped set up both England goals before being sent off for a kick at Miodrag Dzudovic with 20 minutes left, putting his side under pressure. England went on to concede a late equalizer but hung on for the point it needed to top Group G.
Newspapers took a swipe at the striker. "We will Roo this moment", "Roo Fool!" and "An Idiot Abroad" read some of the headlines.
As the game was England's last qualifier, he faces a minimum one-match ban for June's finals in Ukraine and Poland but that could be increased by UEFA.
Coach Fabio Capello defended his decision to pick Rooney, who was also sent off in the 2006 World Cup, after the player's father and uncle were arrested on Thursday and bailed by police over an alleged betting scam.
"It was no mistake to pick him. I spoke with him before the game and he was relaxed and calm, then went out on the pitch and made this silly mistake," the Italian told reporters.
Montenegro coach Branko Brnovic was thrilled that the tiny Adriatic republic, whose population is only 650,000, secured second spot and a playoff berth thanks to the draw.
Elsewhere, former champion France is among several teams which face nail-biting matches this week to determine their fate.
Seven of the 16 teams for the tournament, are now known with five automatic berths up for grabs in Tuesday's final round of games.
Russia is virtually there after snatching a 1-0 win in Slovakia. The Russians need only a point against rank outsider Andorra on Tuesday to win Group B.
Three groups will go down to the wire with France hosting Bosnia next week in a winner-takes-all match in Paris after both won their penultimate Group D games, while Portugal and Denmark will meet in similar circumstances in Group H.
The battle for supremacy in Group F will also be determined on Tuesday after Greece beat Croatia 2-0 to leapfrog its rival into top spot.
Germany, Spain, Netherlands and Italy had already qualified for next year's tournament and all added points to their tallies on Friday.
The Germans made it nine wins out of nine, beating Turkey 3-1 away in Group A. That result meant its opponent dropped to third place, one point below Belgium which thrashed Kazakhstan 4-1.
World and European champion Spain took all the points in Prague with a 2-0 win over Czech Republic, denting the host's chances of taking the runner-up spot in Group I.
The Netherlands secured top spot in Group E when a Klaas-Jan Huntelaar goal shortly before halftime gave it a 1-0 win over Moldova, while Sweden made sure of second place in that group with a 2-1 victory over Finland.
Just a point separates leader France and Bosnia in Group D after the former beat Albania 3-0 and the latter thumped Luxembourg 5-0 to set up a mouth-watering shootout between the top two next week.
Travel plans are also not certain for the teams in Group H after Denmark crushed Cyprus 4-1 and Portugal beat Iceland 5-3.
That left the Danes and Portuguese level at the top on 16 points with the two meeting in their final match in Copenhagen on Tuesday.
The striker had helped set up both England goals before being sent off for a kick at Miodrag Dzudovic with 20 minutes left, putting his side under pressure. England went on to concede a late equalizer but hung on for the point it needed to top Group G.
Newspapers took a swipe at the striker. "We will Roo this moment", "Roo Fool!" and "An Idiot Abroad" read some of the headlines.
As the game was England's last qualifier, he faces a minimum one-match ban for June's finals in Ukraine and Poland but that could be increased by UEFA.
Coach Fabio Capello defended his decision to pick Rooney, who was also sent off in the 2006 World Cup, after the player's father and uncle were arrested on Thursday and bailed by police over an alleged betting scam.
"It was no mistake to pick him. I spoke with him before the game and he was relaxed and calm, then went out on the pitch and made this silly mistake," the Italian told reporters.
Montenegro coach Branko Brnovic was thrilled that the tiny Adriatic republic, whose population is only 650,000, secured second spot and a playoff berth thanks to the draw.
Elsewhere, former champion France is among several teams which face nail-biting matches this week to determine their fate.
Seven of the 16 teams for the tournament, are now known with five automatic berths up for grabs in Tuesday's final round of games.
Russia is virtually there after snatching a 1-0 win in Slovakia. The Russians need only a point against rank outsider Andorra on Tuesday to win Group B.
Three groups will go down to the wire with France hosting Bosnia next week in a winner-takes-all match in Paris after both won their penultimate Group D games, while Portugal and Denmark will meet in similar circumstances in Group H.
The battle for supremacy in Group F will also be determined on Tuesday after Greece beat Croatia 2-0 to leapfrog its rival into top spot.
Germany, Spain, Netherlands and Italy had already qualified for next year's tournament and all added points to their tallies on Friday.
The Germans made it nine wins out of nine, beating Turkey 3-1 away in Group A. That result meant its opponent dropped to third place, one point below Belgium which thrashed Kazakhstan 4-1.
World and European champion Spain took all the points in Prague with a 2-0 win over Czech Republic, denting the host's chances of taking the runner-up spot in Group I.
The Netherlands secured top spot in Group E when a Klaas-Jan Huntelaar goal shortly before halftime gave it a 1-0 win over Moldova, while Sweden made sure of second place in that group with a 2-1 victory over Finland.
Just a point separates leader France and Bosnia in Group D after the former beat Albania 3-0 and the latter thumped Luxembourg 5-0 to set up a mouth-watering shootout between the top two next week.
Travel plans are also not certain for the teams in Group H after Denmark crushed Cyprus 4-1 and Portugal beat Iceland 5-3.
That left the Danes and Portuguese level at the top on 16 points with the two meeting in their final match in Copenhagen on Tuesday.
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