EURO U21: ROMANIA 0 WALES 3 - WALES WIN GROUP

Despite the likes of Wayne Hennessey, Joe Ledley, Ched Evans, Sam Vokes and Gareth Bale being with the senior team, WALES produced an outstanding result and performance to demolish Romania on their own patch and win their Euro Under 21 group and avenging a home loss to the same opposition last month.

Due to the vagaries of the tournament, Wales still don't qualify for next year's finals in Sweden but they will be seeded in a play-off - which unfortunately clashes with next month's qualifiers against Lichenstein and Germany and could mean more absences.

It was an epic team performance but the star of the pitch was Aaron Ramsey who ran the show in midfield. Cardiff City's Darcy Blake was involved but taken off in the first half with a facial injury.

Hagi, Natase, Commeneci, Ceaucescu, Mutu - Your boys got one hell of a beating.

Are you watching Paul Parry - that's what being Welsh is all about!

BBC REPORT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/7603900.stm

WALES U-21 0 ROMANIA 1

It was echoes of days gone by as Wales again fell at home to Romania on a night when a win would have seen them qualify for a finals.

This time it was U21 level and the Euro's but it was just as gutting as Wales dominated, missed a number of golden chances and then fell to a sucker punch goal.

The side featured Cardiff City's Darcy Blake, an injured Joe Ledley was watching on and ex-City men Chris Gunter and Aaron Ramsey were starring. They deserved success but didn't take their chances, that will hurt.

Wales go to Romania next month now needing to avenge this defeat with a victory of their own to make it. However it is likely that some of the players will be in the full squad for World Cup games significantly weakening their hopes.

Flynn rallies young Wales chargesBBC Sport

Wales U21 qualifying hopes hit by Romanian blowWalesOnline

EURO'2008 GAMES 21 & 22: GROUP C ITALY 2 FRANCE 0, HOLLAND 2 ROMANIA 0

The repeat of the 2006 World Cup Final saw Italy and France, who both qualified form the same group edging out Scotland, fighting to stay in the competition knowing a win would not be enough if Romania beat Holland in the simultaneous group fixture.

As it was, the Dutch, even with 9 players rested, eased past a disappointing and ultra-cautious Romania 2-0 even with 2nd half strikes by Huntelaar and Van Persie. The Italians also found it rather too easy to repeat that scoreline against the worst French side seen for many years and who look in need of a drastic rebuild.

With the point shared between them in their dull opening clash being their only return of the finals, the French and Romanians head home while Italy and Holland march on although the Azzuri will have do make do without the suspended Gatuso and Perlo in their quarter-final.

The Italy v France contest was virtually over in the first 25 minutes as France lost their star man Franck Ribery to injury very early and then went one behind to a Perlo penalty and had Abidal sent off for bringing down Toni in thhe move that produced the spot-kick.

The French should have been out if sight by the interval but Toni somehow missed a literal hatful of chances with 6 clear sights of goal each failing to hit the target while Grosso hit the postt from a free-kick.

It got little better for France after the interval as Buffon has only one save of note to make all night as Thierry Henry, now a shadow of the player he was, rarely influential and it was ironic that Italy's clinching goal just past the hour was cruelly deflected in off Henry's boot after De Rossi's highly speculative 30 yard free-kick was heading wide.

Italy will face Spain in a tough quarter-final while Sweden and Russia effectively face off tomorrow for the dubious honour of taking on the unstoppable looking Dutch in the last 8.


Video highlights of all Euro'2008 games including the above matches can be found here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/euro_2008/schedule_and_statistics/default.stm

EURO'2008 GAME 13: GROUP C ITALY 1 ROMANIA 1

A cracker of a game which saw Italy staring elimination in the face after trailing and being indebted to neckerchief wearing keeper Buffon for a late penalty save in a 1-1 draw against Romania.

The World Champions' hopes remain hanging by a thread and the modd is deparate with the inquest already underway in Italia and boss Donadoni making 5 changes for this game - desparation many reckoned.

A dramatic first half saw Italy take the game to the Romanians, come close a couple of times and have a goal wromngly disallowed but it was Romania who threatened most with a deflected free-kick coming off the inside of a post - the aftermath of which saw two Romanians inadvertently headbutt each other. One was carted away with a serious head injury, the other carried on with a bandage on his forehead that made him look like someothing out of Dr. Who. Mutu was played through one on one but shot straight at Buffon from an angle.

Both keepers made fine saves but the deadlock was broken in dramatic style when Zambrotta misjudged a back header and Mutu got behind him to finish emphatically as Buffon dashed out. The Italians looked in disarray as that happened but levelled in a minute, Panucci heading hiome at a corner as Romania forgot to put a man on the post.

There were thrills and spills at each end but the real drama came 6 minutes from time when Romania were awarded a contentious penalty, Mutu hit it well enough but Buffon saved it superbly and a Roman orgy followed.

Italy know their only hope of progression now is winning thier final game versus France and even then, they need a favourable result in the Holland v Romania game. Hanging by a thread.




Game video highlights here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/euro_2008/7363356.stm

EURO'2008 GROUP C: ROMANIA 0 FRANCE 0

Group C - dubbed the Group of Death as it contains Italy, Holland and France - may as well be renamed to Coma Group if this evidence is anythign to go by. So bad was this game that it almost made me fondly sentimental about some of the dross Cardiff City were serving up at Ninian Park last Autumn!

Romania were cynical, set up defensively for a 0-0 and showed no ambition so they will be the happier side of the two even though they don't look like scoring or winning all tournament on this showing. France had the better possession but where unable to create and made to look poor and slow - a fear some held for their ageing side in which veterans Thierry Henry and Patrick Viera (who almost make Fowler and Hasselbaink seem young) were injured and Captain Lilian (lovely name) Thuram (not so lovely name) was winning his 141st cap.

Romania's star man Mutu couldn't sniff a half chance. Funny that, he had no problem sniffing at Chelsea! The quality of the game was best summed up when Romania brought on a sub who plays for the mighty Inverness!

I gave up and ate salad, it was more exciting.