Aidan Elder | Chief Sports Writer We’ve seen some brilliant football over the last few weeks – despite the best efforts of Giovanni Trapattoni and Roy Hodgson. It’s time to honour the best players at the tournament. Not on the Paddy Power Blog though. As Andres Iniesta is named UEFA’s player of Euro 2012, here’s […]
Tag Archives: Euro 2012
Robbie Fowler: Spain win puts Irish game in context
After Ireland’s exit from Group C everyone had an opinion on how bad the results were. But Robbie Fowler argues that after Spain’s Euro 2012 triumph the results have to be seen in context . Ireland should take some comfort from Spain’s 4-0 win over Italy in the Euro 2012 final last night. I remember when […]
Poll: Are Spain the greatest team, like, ever?
What we witnessed in the final of Euro 2012 was something special. Whatever your allegiance, wherever your money lay there can be no other reasonable, sane, mature option but to applaud and appreciate the making of history. That this Spain team is great there can be no question. Vicente Del Bosque may well have altered […]
How Italy defied the odds to reach Euro 2012 final
By Aidan Elder | Chief sports writer There were two schools of thought about Italy heading into Euro 2012. The first was that they were a bunch of middling players from a crippled league who would be in disarray as a result of controversy. The second was they were a bunch of middling players from […]
The Italian job: History is against Spain in the final
By Josh Powell | Sports writer Preview: Spain v Italy, Sunday 7.45 ITV1/BBC1/RTE2 The Lowdown Spain are bidding to make history on Sunday and become the first team to win a third successive major tournament. They have kept an unbelievable nine successive clean sheets in knockout matches and haven’t lost a competitive game since June […]
Robbie Fowler: Balotelli has won me over
Wayward Italian striker Mario Balotelli has silenced his critics with some memorable displays ahead of tonight’s Euro 2012 showdown with Spain and Robbie Fowler is impressed. I’ve not been Mario Balotelli’s biggest fan but he’s winning me over with his performances heading into tonight’s final at Euro 2012. If Italy are to beat the reigning […]
Deschamps favourite to replace departing Blanc
By Sean Goff | Sports reporter Didier Deschamps heads the market to replace Laurent Blanc as French manager in Paddy Power’s online betting after he quit his post on Saturday. UEFA President Michel Platini had publicly backed the Marseilles manager to take over should Blanc decide to walk away. The former French captain won acclaim for his handling of national team’s 2010 […]
Mario is powering up: Money back if Balotelli scores last
Paddy Power punters have been lapping up the Money-Back Specials over Euro 2012, many of which have left Paddy out of pocket. Cristiano Ronaldo, Mario Gomez and Wayne Rooney are just a few of the names that have cost Paddy over the last few weeks and now Mario Balotelli can join that elusive club. If […]
Robbie Fowler: Hodgson needs to get the best out of Rooney
There were a lot words being thrown around as England lost to Italy on penalties. ‘Heart-breaking’ and ‘agony’ were a couple, but I wasn’t overly surprised. It was on the cards. I had my doubts about England getting out of the group and I was thankfully proven wrong about that, but not by much. Everyone […]
VIDEO: Balotelli – The sublime to the ridiculous
Describing Mario Balotelli as a maverick is like saying Sara Carbonero is ‘alright looking’. The Manchester City striker is a loose cannon but as he showed against Germany when he’s in the mood he can be unstoppable. When asked why he often refuses to celebrate Balotelli replied ‘When I score, I don’t celebrate because I’m only doing […]
Euro 2012: Germany v Italy Live Blog
Spain booked their place in the Euro 2012 last night thanks in part to Ronaldo’s cunning plan not to take a penalty until it wasn’t needed. Now Germany and Italy meet with the other place up for grabs. Previously I would have snarkily said ‘they’re playing for the right to get a beating from Spain’, […]
PADCAST: Rory Smith on why the three lions failed to roar
Listen here Rory Smith is one of the top football writers in the Times and joins the Padcast to dissect where it all went wrong for the three lions. From grass-roots level to Roy’s tactics, Rory tells us what needs to change if England are to start producing the goods on the big stage. He […]
Robbie Fowler: Germany will be too strong for Italy
Germany have been fantastic so far at Euro 2012. What impresses me most is the confidence running through the squad. To be able to change three key players for a European Championship quarter-final and for the team to still perform as well as they did against Greece is remarkable. They did concede two goals, but […]
Robbie Fowler: If Ronaldo doesn’t perform, Portugal will lose
I know it sounds stupid, but Portugal are playing the better football at the moment. When Cristiano Ronaldo is in full flow, they’re almost unstoppable. In the last couple of game, Ronaldo has been different class and it’s translated into some very good performances from the team. He’s been the standout performer at Euro 2012. […]
Five ‘big games’ when Ronaldo has ‘turned up’
By Aidan Elder | Chief Sports Writer The ‘not a big game player’ label is harder to shake off than the suspicion Howard Webb is on the Old Trafford payroll. You know you’ve made it when people start accusing you of ‘not turning up for the big occasion’. And give yourself an extra-large pat on […]
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