Euro 2008 draw held

Published: 28 January 2006 y., Saturday

The draw for Euro 2008 on Thursday pitted the continent's traditional powerhouses France up against Italy while England under new management go into unknown territory.

Whoever is named as Sven-Goran Eriksson's successor will have to steer the Euro 2004 quarter-finalists through Group E where they will face Russia for the first time in a competitive international.

Group B features former European champions France and Italy and these two heavyweights were joined by Ukraine, who sailed through their World Cup qualifying group. Also in this group are Scotland, Lithuania, Georgia and the Faroe Islands.

Defending European champions Greece are in Group C where the shock 2004 winners' rivals include 2002 World Cup semi-finalists Turkey along with Norway.

Portugal, beaten in the 2004 final on home turf by Greece are in Group A where the opposition is headed by Poland.

The qualifying matches will get underway in September and run through until November 2007 when a total of 14 teams- champions and runners up from each group- will qualify for the finals joining hosts Austria and Switzerland.

Šaltinis: The Independent
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.

Facebook Comments

New comment


Captcha

Associated articles

The most popular articles

Fish World Cup: Japan 1 - Holland 0

Tropical fish play their own version of soccer World Cup at a Japanese aquarium. more »

A cheer for the beer for World Cup

The thirst of World Cup soccer fans for beer has provided a fillip for South Africa's biggest brewery SAB during it's traditional Winter low season. more »

World Cup 2010 kicks off

After four years of waiting, the 2010 FIFA World Cup is kicking off in South Africa. more »

Operatic mascots for the World Cup

A Chinese craftsman is using his skills at creating traditional opera masks to sculpt a range of gaudy faces as mascots for teams in the soccer World Cup. more »

Sounding off over Vuvuzela horn

A bright plastic horn called the vuvuzela could be the defining sound of the upcoming World Cup in South Africa. more »

World Cup stampede

At least 20 people are injured when a stampede breaks out during a pre-World Cup friendly match between Nigeria and North Korea. more »

Portugal fans force road closures

A small South African town is closed off as enthusiastic fans try to watch the Portugal squad train, ahead of World Cup. more »

Message of President Barroso ahead of the start of the FIFA World Cup on 11 June 2010

President Barroso conveyed the following message during the visit in Addis Ababa on 8 June at the occasion of the European Commission's meeting with the Commission of the African Union... more »

Criticism over World Cup ball

Sporting goods manufacturer Adidas defended the official World Cup ball after criticism the product wasn't up to par. more »

Penguins play soccer in South Korea

It’s a soccer game with a difference. At the Everland Aquarium in South Korea, eleven penguins dressed in the national colours, are showing off their dribbling skills. more »