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Basel were very well-organized and deserved to win…Shaqiri is a very promising player, reminds me of Modric. Their goalie Sommer also seemed quite reliable. I feel sorry for Ajax – what a way to go out of the Champions League (I never expected that). I am usually staunchly opposed to...

Markus Berg (Sweden U21) vs. Belarus U21 - 2009 Euro U21 Football Championship (0:05 - 0:12) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnRSG4iR32M&feature=related Alexander Geynrikh (representing Uzbekistan, but he has German roots) vs. South Korea - 2011 Asian Cup...

A deserved win for Spain in the final, they looked unstoppable when it came to scoring! France also played well, but were simply outclassed. I am also glad that Russia earned a bronze medal, as they were one of the few teams that didn't have a single naturalized player on their roster. I am...

Oh yes, thanks, Gonzalo Sorondo. A physically imposing defender, he used to play in the Premier League (I recall that he once got into a fight with Peter Crouch). Yes, I remember watching Eurosport and they frequently showed highlights from the Spanish and Portuguese leagues. For some reason...

Oh, I didn't catch that; then I would agree that Suarez could really land himself into hot water. However, Kenny Dalglish is likely to stick with him, as he is a very important player for their team. However, the Uruguyan may indeed decide to try his luck in a different league if the rival...

That's right; ironically Khacheridi participated in the 2010 World Cup playoff matches against Greece. It's very hard to say who will be a starter or a substitute in the case of Ukraine, as the coach is experimenting a lot (he is even switching around 4 different goalkeepers). Shevchenko...

I doubt that any of these players will be fined or suspended (unless it's a very blatant case of racism), as cultural factors come into play (there may simply be no malicious intent behind some of the words) and lip reading is not an exact science, so it's very difficult to prove anything one...

Yes, I am amazed that Weiss felt the need to resort to using naturalized players...Guede is a capable footballer, but he does not have a strong link with Slovakia. Naturalization defeats the whole purpose of competitions between national teams (the coach is implicitly admitting that "his...

Well put, there was a very nice flow to the game and the French supporters seemed very enthusiastic. Deserved win for France and it was great that Giroud managed to contribute to the scoring of the opening goal. He was flawless in his maiden appearance for France (in terms of distributing the...

I am not much of an expert when it comes to races, but Marvin Martin reminds me a bit of some people in Eastern European states who are of partly Romani ancestry. He also has a slight resemblance to Ricardo Quaresma and Andre-Pierre Gignac (with regard to body type and facial expression)...

I have been reading some of the Liverpool forums (mainly RAWK) and it's clear that Coates is now quite popular with the majority of Liverpool supporters. He has seen a lot of playing time in League Cup matches and his height and power have been huge assets in matches against physical and...

I agree that mental lapses could sometimes be an issue...I remember the Euro 2008 qualifier between Russian and Andorra. The Russians needed a win against the minnow in order to qualify and the game eventually finished 1:0 in their favour, but the Eastern Europeans almost self-sabotaged and...

Olivier Giroud has impressed me a lot, he really deserves his chance with the national team! Belgian star Dries Mertens is currently topping the scoring charts in the Dutch Eredivisie (Mertens has so far netted 11 goals in just 11 games and he is technically a midfielder rather than a forward)...

Luka Modrić is the Croatian midfield general. Relatively small-statured, but capable of riding heavy tackles and possesses a very good technique. He is one of the main reasons why Croatia may be able to challenge teams like England or Germany in the upcoming European Football Championship...

@Porthos, true, it's no coincidence that they were formed under that name...the club's philosophy was radical for its time, but today they are indeed not that different from all the other major clubs. There is one grey area, though - players like Thiago Motta (who are technically foreigners) are...

No, Máximo Banguera was the goalkeeper for Ecuador...Elizaga had a very good Copa América tournament, but I am guessing that he is now second or third choice, as the coach wants to have a younger starting goalie. Age shouldn't matter, but the manager probably thinks that it could be risky to...

Dzeko showed nice ball control to open the scoring in the match (his shot was almost unstoppable even for a goalkeeper of Lloris' calibre), but I agree that he was wasteful in front of goal on a number of occasions...Bosnia missed a number of chances to put the game beyond France's reach, but I...

It's an excellent achievement and Forlan is also the most capped player for the Uruguay national side. Uruguay were extremely close to snatching a historic win in Asuncion, but the Paraguyans managed to equalize in the dying moments of the game. I think that Uruguay are a lock to qualify for...

Nice, I really like Reveillere as well, he appears to have a nice positional sense and often poses an offensive threat. :) Btw, I saw a bit of the BATE Borisov vs. Paris Saint-Germain match (second leg) during the 2010/2011 edition of the UEFA Europa League and Clément Chantôme impressed me a...

I see what you mean....it was a very blatant handball, so for a moment I assumed that he would have second thoughts and bring the matter to the referee's attention, but given that he wasn't the actual goalscorer, I could see why he would be reluctant to speak out (the assistant referee should...

Mathieu Debuchy was very solid in his debut against Albania...hopefully some of the new players like Mathieu and Koscielny (it's not his first call-up, but he has not yet been capped) will get their chance against the Bosnians. Who do you consider to be the best ever French goalkeeper? I liked...

Only one round to go before the qualifying phase is concluded...I think that the play-offs will be quite interesting, as a number of lesser known sides like Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, as well as possibly Estonia and Armenia will compete against each other for a chance to reach the Euro...

Good to see that Forlan is still doing the business for Uruguay....His partnership with Suarez is a nightmare for any defense. Regarding the comments of the Italians - I think that F.C. "Inter" are unpopular with most Italian fans and the media, because they have very few Italian players in...

@Frederic, indeed, I was disappointed that Thierry Henry didn't tell the referee that he committed handball in the game against Ireland..I think that he also recently received a red card in a MLS match. His personality may have changed a bit and there could probably be a degree of nervousness...

I think that Casillas, Valdes, Adler and Neuer are more than worthy competitors…though Julio Cesar certainly used to be a top goalkeeper and may still manage to regain his best form. Haven’t had the chance to watch Doni and Murara, but I trust your judgment. Both of them are quite young too...