Spain and Italy qualify for Euro 2012
Source: Agencies |
September 8, 2011, Thursday
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SPAIN and Italy sealed their places at Euro 2012 with two qualifying games to spare on Tuesday while England moved closer to next year's finals after beating Wales at Wembley which was overshadowed by the death of a fan.
David Villa and Alvaro Negredo scored twice as defending champion Spain thrashed Liechtenstein 6-0 to secure top spot in Group I, and substitute Giampaolo Pazzini's 85th-minute strike earned the Italians a narrow win in Florence that clinched them first place in Group C.
The 2010 and 2006 world champions join already-qualified Germany and the two co-hosts in the finals.
The Netherlands maintained its perfect record in Group E with a 2-0 victory in Finland but still need a point to guarantee first place, like England, which beat Wales 1-0 in Group G through Manchester United winger Ashley Young's goal.
Elsewhere, France's Euro 2012 qualification hopes were dealt a setback by drawing 0-0 at Romania, with second-place Bosnia-Herzegovina now only a point behind in Group D after a Zvezdan Misimovic's 87th-minute winner in the 1-0 victory at Belarus.
France hosts Bosnia-Herzegovina in the final round of group fixtures on October 11 and, along with Portugal, is the European heavyweight most in danger of missing out.
The Portuguese, who weren't in action on Tuesday, are level on 13 points in Group H with Denmark and Norway after the Danes' 2-0 win over their Nordic rivals in Copenhagen.
Meanwhile, the competition for places in Spain's frontline for Euro 2012 has increased the pressure on misfiring striker Fernando Torres.
Torres was dropped to the stands as Villa and Negredo both scored twice and Sergio Ramos and Xavi completed the rout.
"There were ten players who didn't play," Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said when asked about the surprise decision to leave Torres out.
"He is an important player, but the people selected for the national team are those who do well for their clubs, not the other way round."
Torres has scored 27 times for Spain, including the only goal in its Euro 2008 final win over Germany, but was short of match fitness after injury and contributed little to last year's victorious World Cup campaign.
The 27-year-old continued to struggle for form in the Premier League last season when a high-profile transfer from Liverpool to Chelsea failed to spark a change in fortunes, and he still has only one goal to his name at Stamford Bridge. Over the last year he has only managed to find the net once for the national team.
Villa, Spain's all-time top scorer, took his tally to 49on Tuesday while Negredo bagged his third goal in two matches, his fifth in seven. Llorente and Soldado are also pushing hard for the trip to Poland and the Ukraine.
Former Real Madrid youth team forward Negredo, played down the significance of Torres's relegation.
"He came down to the dressing room after the game and congratulated me," Negredo said. "I'm not going to enter into whether he was annoyed or anything, it was a great gesture to congratulate me for the goals.
"I would understand it if he was, because it isn't much fun to come and not play a single minute, but he is a great colleague and is one of the captains of the national team."
David Villa and Alvaro Negredo scored twice as defending champion Spain thrashed Liechtenstein 6-0 to secure top spot in Group I, and substitute Giampaolo Pazzini's 85th-minute strike earned the Italians a narrow win in Florence that clinched them first place in Group C.
The 2010 and 2006 world champions join already-qualified Germany and the two co-hosts in the finals.
The Netherlands maintained its perfect record in Group E with a 2-0 victory in Finland but still need a point to guarantee first place, like England, which beat Wales 1-0 in Group G through Manchester United winger Ashley Young's goal.
Elsewhere, France's Euro 2012 qualification hopes were dealt a setback by drawing 0-0 at Romania, with second-place Bosnia-Herzegovina now only a point behind in Group D after a Zvezdan Misimovic's 87th-minute winner in the 1-0 victory at Belarus.
France hosts Bosnia-Herzegovina in the final round of group fixtures on October 11 and, along with Portugal, is the European heavyweight most in danger of missing out.
The Portuguese, who weren't in action on Tuesday, are level on 13 points in Group H with Denmark and Norway after the Danes' 2-0 win over their Nordic rivals in Copenhagen.
Meanwhile, the competition for places in Spain's frontline for Euro 2012 has increased the pressure on misfiring striker Fernando Torres.
Torres was dropped to the stands as Villa and Negredo both scored twice and Sergio Ramos and Xavi completed the rout.
"There were ten players who didn't play," Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said when asked about the surprise decision to leave Torres out.
"He is an important player, but the people selected for the national team are those who do well for their clubs, not the other way round."
Torres has scored 27 times for Spain, including the only goal in its Euro 2008 final win over Germany, but was short of match fitness after injury and contributed little to last year's victorious World Cup campaign.
The 27-year-old continued to struggle for form in the Premier League last season when a high-profile transfer from Liverpool to Chelsea failed to spark a change in fortunes, and he still has only one goal to his name at Stamford Bridge. Over the last year he has only managed to find the net once for the national team.
Villa, Spain's all-time top scorer, took his tally to 49on Tuesday while Negredo bagged his third goal in two matches, his fifth in seven. Llorente and Soldado are also pushing hard for the trip to Poland and the Ukraine.
Former Real Madrid youth team forward Negredo, played down the significance of Torres's relegation.
"He came down to the dressing room after the game and congratulated me," Negredo said. "I'm not going to enter into whether he was annoyed or anything, it was a great gesture to congratulate me for the goals.
"I would understand it if he was, because it isn't much fun to come and not play a single minute, but he is a great colleague and is one of the captains of the national team."
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