Euro 2012 Qualifiers: Italy Defeats Slovenia, David Villa Breaks Spain Scoring Record

Slovakia may have looked rather unconvincing in the first 20 minutes of their Euro qualifying match against Andorra, particularly considering the fact that their opposition have yet to pick up a point in the tournament, but after Filip Šebo scored the opening goal 21 minutes in, the visitors have dominated possession, rarely allowing the Andorrans to touch the ball.

Šebo’s sixth international goal came from a free kick by Marek Hamšík. The Slovak captain sent the kick low through the Andorran defense. Róbert Vittek, in his first match back from injury, was waiting at the near post to send the ball across the face of goal, with Šebo needing just a tap to put the ball in the back of the net.

Spain looked poor in the first half, while Fernando Torres didn’t bring his A game when he came on in the second half, but David Villa provided all of the quality that Spain needed to take a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic, putting them four points clear at the top of their group in Euro 2012 qualifying. With his two goals for Spain, Villa became the country’s all time leading scorer, passing Real Madrid legend Raul Gonzalez with his 45th and 46th career goals for La Furia Roja.

Jaroslav Plasil scored on a stunning strike in the 29th minute to put the Czechs ahead, but their advantage wouldn’t last very long. The goal gave them hope, but the inevitable happened when Villa scored an equalizer early in the second half to break Raul’s scoring record. Just three minutes later, Jan Rezek fouled Andres Iniesta in the box and a penalty kick was given, then converted by Villa to seal the win for Spain.

David Villa is now Spain’s all time leading scorer, passing the legendary Raul Gonzalez with his 45th and 46th goals of his Spain career in just his 72nd cap. The Czech Republic scored in the first half and went into halftime up 1-0, but Spain have been a much better team in the second half thus far. Interestingly enough, the man they subbed on to start the half, Fernando Torres, has been poor. Despite the fact that he’s contributed to the team in a negative way, they’re looking much better.

If Spain hold on to their newfound 2-1 lead, they will hold a four point advantage over the Czech Republic, virtually locking them into qualification for Euro 2012. Their undefeated record appeared to be in jeopardy for an extended period of time, but Spain have surprised no one by engineering a comeback, lead by the man with one of the best scoring records in modern football history.

The second goal brought no surprises, coming as it did from the man who’d already scored three goals in three matches. Mexès sent a long ball upfield to where Franck Ribéry was waiting on the left flank. Ribéry sent his pass through a mess of Luxembourg defenders to Gourcuff, who then fired, low and hard, into the back of the net.

Yoann Gourcuff has scored for France, giving Les Bleus a 2-0 lead over Luxembourg and making it almost certain that France will win their fourth straight match in Group D. Luxembourg have yet to score their first goal in this year’s Euro qualifying, although they have brought on Daniel Da Mota, who scored two in a friendly against Slovakia.

France’s second goal came just as I had declared that perhaps Franck Ribéry had lost a bit of his talent in his time spent out with injury. Philippe Mexès, scorer of the first goal for France, sent a long ball upfield to Ribéry on the left flank. Ribéry sent the ball inside and Gourcuff pounced, sending a low, hard shot past Jonathan Joubert.

A first half goal wasn’t enough to get Northern Ireland three points in Belgrade as Serbia turned a dominating second half into a 2-1 victory in Euro 2012 Group C qualifying. With the win, Serbia is up to seven points in the group and starting to make up the ground they lost when they were beaten by Estonia. On the flip side, Northern Ireland almost certainly have to get three points against Slovenia in Belfast on Tuesday if they are to stay in the qualification hunt.

The match was quiet and a strange sight to see because it was played behind closed doors. As punishment for their fans rioting and attacking Italian police after their last qualifier, Serbia was forced to play the match with no fans in the stands. The players, coaches, referees and match officials were joined by only a small group of traveling Northern Ireland supporters in the upper deck, giving the large stadium an eerie feeling.

In a game that looked destined for a final score of 0-0, Thiago Motta has scored for Italy to break the deadlock in their Euro 2012 qualifying match against Slovenia, putting the Azzurri up 1-0. The Inter Milan player had represented Brazil in the past, but not in a competitive game, allowing him to switch his international allegiance. He’s played a defensive midfield role today, as always, and hasn’t ventured forward much, but the first time was a charm.

Antonio Cassano was the man who provided the assist, laying the ball off to Motta for a 15 yard shot on the left hand side of the penalty area. Samir Handanovic didn’t react to Motta’s far post shot at all, perhaps surprised that the defensive midfielder opted to shoot. Motta’s shot was good, but there was no opposition presented at all as it drifted into the back of the net. Italy have been the more ambitious side and probably deserve to lead, but it’s still a bit surprising that they scored. This one looked like it was headed for a scoreless draw.

A poor first half in the books, Serbia turned things around in the first 25 minutes of the second half with a dominating performance that led to an equalizer and now, a go-ahead goal. In the 63rd minute, Serbia got a goal that was almost 20 minutes in the making when Marko Pantelic found the net to equalize. Serbia had been threatening for the entire second half before Pentelic’s goal and they just applied more pressure after the goal, finally seeing it pay off when Zoran Tosic put Serbia ahead, 2-1.

Milos Ninkovic did the work to set up Tosic’s goal, driving straight up the pitch to make the Northern Ireland defense retreat. Ninkovic took the ball right down the middle and when the Northern Ireland defense finally stepped up to him 20 yards from goal, he simply laid it off for Tosic. Tosic didn’t hesitate at all, hitting the ball right away from the edge of the box. The strong shot left the goalkeeper no chance and 71 minutes in, Serbia had their lead.

Eventually the pressure had to result in a goal and it finally did when Marko Pentelic scored for Serbia to get the hosts even on terms with Northern Ireland. A first half goal by Northern Ireland had put the visitors ahead and in the first stanza, there was no doubt that if anyone was to be ahead it should be Northern Ireland. The second half brought a match more in line with pregame expectations as Serbia pressured Northern Ireland time and time again.

In the 63rd minute, Serbia finally got their break through. Milos Ninkovic was played in on the left and cut the ball back across a scrambling Northern Ireland defense. A simple toe poke played the ball on to Pantelic and the Olympiacos forward pounced. He got the ball somewhat under control and while falling to the turf, hit the ball past a helpless goalkeeper for the equalizer.

Serbia and Northern Ireland may be going to the halftime break in Belgrade with a surprising scoreline, but it hasn’t surprised many at the stadium. That’s because there aren’t many people at the stadium. Those in attendance include the players, the coaching staff, the referees, game officials and a handful of fans in the upper deck that traveled from Northern Ireland. That’s about it because the match is being played behind closed doors as punishment for rioting and clashing with police during their qualifier against Italy.

So in front of an empty stadium Serbia and Northern Ireland have played half of a Euro 2012 qualifier that has a pretty routine scoreline, 1-0, but it’s not the team that was expected to win the match that is ahead. A 38th minute free kick from the right by Chris Brunt found the head of Gareth McAuley for a looping head that got over the keeper and then dipped below the bar to give Northern Ireland the lead.

Italy are without wide players and Andrea Pirlo. Slovenia are Slovenia. At halftime of their Euro 2012 qualifying match, the score is 0-0. SURPRISE!!!

Samir Handanovic and Gigi Buffon have actually been forced into some decent saves, but they have all been saves that goalkeepers at their level are expected to make. Basically, though shots have hit the target a few times going both ways, there have been no real clear cut chances. The defenses and strikers are evenly matched going either way. Both midfields can pass and tackle, but both seriously lack flair and creativity.

The Netherlands are in straight-up coast mode, and they’re up 2-0 at halftime of their Euro 2012 qualifying match against Hungary without too much effort. Hungary have been the much harder working team and Holland haven’t created a great deal of chances, but the chances they did create were converted, and easily. Rafael van der Vaart scored the opener on a great assist by Wesley Sneijder, and Ibrahim Affelay scored the second goal, which should be an absolute clincher, off of a low cross by Gregory van der Wiel.

Chances are, Robin van Persie will run approximately 50 meters throughout the second half. Sneijder is unlikely to do much more running. Holland haven’t had to be at their best tonight, and the gap in quality between the two teams is very obvious. It’s possible that a lazy attitude could lead to Holland getting exposed, but this seems highly unlikely at this juncture.

Italy are without Andrea Pirlo and any true wide players, which has dictated their team selection for their Euro 2012 qualifying match, away to their neighbors Slovenia. Prandelli has opted to re-unite the strike partnership of Giampaolo Pazzini and Antonio Cassano up top, and it looks like Stefano Mauri will be playing behind them in a 4-3-1-2 lineup. Making up a band of three central midfielders behind Mauri is Alberto Aquilani, Thiago Motta, and Ricardo Montolivo.

Slovenia are lining up as expected, in their very rigid and organized 4-4-2. Milivoje Novaković will be a handful for Italy up top, and he’s partnered by the smaller Zlatko Dedic. Valter Birsa will be Slovenia’s biggest midfield weapon out on the wing, while Robert Koren is no pushover. Their defense is unspectacular, but without holes, and they will be very difficult for an Italy side lacking wide play and Andrea Pirlo to crack.

If you’ve never seen Romelu Lukaku play, you are missing out. If you are a fan of one of the biggest 15 or so clubs in Europe and you’ve never seen Romelu Lukaku play, what the hell is wrong with you? This kid is absolutely the hottest property in Europe, and the bidding war for him is going to be absolutely insane. He’s 17 years old and he’s widely touted as the next Didier Drogba. He’s 6’4”, 200+ pounds, and insanely quick for a man of his size. He’s a deadly finisher with both feet and his head. AND HE’S STILL ATTENDING HIGH SCHOOL. The Euro 2012 Qualifying match between Belgium and Austria airs at 3:30 pm ET on ESPN3.com, and you should watch.

Because Lukaku is still in school (yes, he’s opted to finish school), his pro club Anderlecht have basically told all potential suitors to eff off for the time being. Everyone has complied. Big football clubs are often ruthless and evil, but even the likes of Chelsea and Real Madrid aren’t terribly interested in screwing with a kid who’s actually doing the right thing and finishing school, despite the fact that he’s been absolutely clowning on fools for the last two years in a very respectable professional football league.

Schedule:

Friday