Highs and lows on the road to EURO

Brilliant goals, record-breaking scores and even a game stopped by an owl. Here are ten moments that made the UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaign memorable.

Healy walks on water
David Healy's superb chipped winner on a rain-soaked pitch against Denmark on Saturday was as good as any during qualifying and a fitting way to break Davor Šuker's record of 12 goals scored in a UEFA European Championship qualifying campaign. "If we didn't know it already, that goal in those conditions showed that King David truly does walk on water," wrote the Belfast Telegraph. There were other milestones: Estonia's Martin Reim passed Lothar Matthäus as the most capped European player with his 151st international appearance on 22 August while Hakan Şükür and Jan Koller both reached 50 goals for their countries.

Scotland the brave
James McFadden's wonder goal at the Parc des Princes on 13 September sent Scotland to the top of Group B with three games remaining. Gathering the ball from Craig Gordon's long kick, McFadden looked up, saw Mickaël Landreau off his line and unleashed a 30-metre screamer into the top corner. Although ultimately it failed to bring qualification from a group containing both FIFA World Cup finalists, the Tartan Army will always cherish the memories of that night in Paris and the best Scotland goal since Archie Gemmill's solo effort against the Netherlands at the 1978 FIFA World Cup.

France's journey from hell
In a campaign where France gained revenge for their World Cup final defeat by Italy and Thierry Henry overtook Michel Platini as his country's leading scorer, one moment sticks in the mind above all others – the landing at Torshavn airport last month. "I didn't think we'd arrive in one piece," admitted Henry. Les Bleus took off at 11.45 on 12 October for their qualifier against the Faroe Islands but did not arrive until 13.37 the next day. On the way they had to land in Aberdeen because of a technical problem, before dense fog and freezing rain forced their flight to be re-routed to Bergen. As the plane finally approached the runway in Torshavn it tilted to one side, the left wing almost touching the ground. Henry and Co recovered in time to defeat the Faroese 6-0 a few hours later.

I managed to reach the ball and slip it through the keeper's fingers and into the net. Magic

Happy days for Luxembourg
When Fons Leweck headed Luxembourg's added-time winner against Belarus on 13 October, it ended a run of 55 competitive matches without a victory that had stretched back 12 years. "When I saw that Daniel [Da Mota] wanted to play the ball square, I made my move to the far post," Leweck said. "I managed to reach the ball and slip it through the keeper's fingers and into the net. Magic."

Porterfield remembered
Armenia's campaign will be remembered with sadness following the death of coach Ian Porterfield in September. His widow Glenda described best the affection his adopted country held for him when he insisted on returning to Yerevan for the 1-1 draw with Portugal in August, despite receiving treatment for cancer in London at that time. "Just over two weeks [before his death], we flew to Armenia for the Portugal game," she said. "The stadium was packed to see all the Portuguese stars like Ronaldo, Deco and the rest, but when Ian walked out, they all stood up and shouted his name. It was very moving."

Champions show their mettle
Defending champions Greece would qualify with two games to spare, but after losing 4-1 to Turkey in Athens in March their fans had reason to fear missing out on a second successive major tournament. Showing the resolve that led them to victory in Lisbon in 2004, though, Otto Rehhagel's side dug deep. Victory in Malta steadied the ship, a draw in Oslo put Greece back in control, then came the crowning moment: Ioannis Amanatidis's winner in Istanbul last month. Greece had qualified in their rivals' own backyard.

Goals, goals, goals
There were memorable goals scored by every team: Nihat Kahveci's winner for Turkey in Oslo, Euzebiusz Smolarek's brace that confirmed Poland's first ticket to a European Championship, Dorin Goian's strike against the Netherlands that took Romania through. England's disappointing campaign, though, would be summed up by one they conceded, Paul Robinson completely missing Gary Neville's backpass as he attempted to launch the ball upfield against Croatia in Zagreb. The ball rolled into the empty net, Croatia won 2-0 and England never truly recovered.

Germany flex their muscle
Joachim Löw had a tough act to follow in replacing Jürgen Klinsmann as Germany coach, but the transition could not have been smoother. Germany set out their stall with a 13-0 demolition of San Marino in September 2006 – a UEFA European Championship record – and never took their foot off the gas, finishing as the continent's highest scorers with 35 goals.

Owl stopped play
Finland's campaign confounded many, not least the nation's ornithologists. Playing Belgium in June they were struggling to get a grip on the game when a large owl, known as a Huuhkaja in Finland, swooped down into the stadium. Depending where you are in the world owls signify anything from misfortune to prosperity and for the home side it turned out to be the latter. After a delay of several minutes the owl settled behind the Finland goal and soon after Jonatan Johansson scored at the other end to help set up a 2-0 triumph. Huuhkaja has since been adopted as the team's mascot and nickname.

New dawn
The Republic of Ireland's 1-0 win against Wales is already little more than a footnote in the UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying story but the first soccer game at Croke Park was a monumental moment in Irish sporting history. The Gaelic Athletic Association, set up to foster Ireland's traditional sports in 1884 amid the rise of soccer and other so-called "foreign games", had never previously allowed soccer to be played at its fabled and now state-of-the-art headquarters. On a day when Stephen Ireland scored the winning goal, though, Ireland was able to put the past behind it. England too ushered in a new era with the re-opening of Wembley. Unfortunately for home supporters, the abiding memory will be the crushing defeat by Croatia that cost a place at UEFA EURO 2008™.

What was your favourite moment in qualifying? Join the debate in the uefa.com chatroom by clicking here.

©uefa.com

EURO hopefuls hold their breath

There is a festive feel as Lucerne gears up for the final draw for UEFA EURO 2008™. Christmas decorations are up around town, sharing pride of place with UEFA EURO 2008™ banners announcing the picturesque Swiss city's place at the centre of European football this weekend.

Benvenuto
Benvenuto signor Donadoni, Dobro došli gospodine Bilić, Bienvenido señor Aragonés read some of the welcome messages outside the Culture and Convention Centre (KKL) where the draw takes place on Sunday at 12.00CET. For the first time the coaches of the 16 competing nations are gathered together on Swiss soil. The next time they meet, UEFA EURO 2008™ will be under way and Greece will have begun the defence of their title.

189 days to go
Kick off may still be 188 days away but it will feel a lot closer for the 16 competing nations this afternoon when they discover who they will meet in the group stage and where they will be playing. Basel, Berne, Zurich and Geneva will be staging games in Switzerland, with co-hosts Austria holding matches in Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Salzburg and Vienna between 7 and 29 June.

Stunning
The convention centre is on the shore of Lake Lucerne, framed by a stunning mountain backdrop. Lucerne, famed for its 14th century wooden Chapel Bridge and historic old quarter, is one of Switzerland's prime tourist destinations and the city of 60,000 inhabitants is well accustomed to the flood of visitors already arriving for Sunday's main event. Seven hundred and fifty journalists will be descending on Lucerne as well as a host of footballing luminaries and dignatories, not least tenor José Carreras, who along with the Vienna Boys' Choir will be performing prior to the draw.

'Scene is set'
"It's a lovely setting, a terrific city and a beautiful scene," UEFA general secretary David Taylor told uefa.com. "For me it brings home what Austria and Switzerland mean, looking at the mountains, the lakes, the ambiance of the place. It's terrific, so the scene is now set. You look at the teams that have qualified for the final round, you think who are the likely challengers, who might win the trophy, but of course the draw is out of everyone's control. This is where pure chance comes into play and I love that in football. The unpredictability of the draw is something we must always retain."

Compelling viewing
It is also what makes it such compelling viewing for fans around the world. Fifty broadcasters covering 140 countries will be screening the event live. These may be the European championships, but the interest is global and after 306 qualifying games 27,630 minutes and 836 goals, the 16 participants are finally in a position to know their fate. Some of the coaches involved may have slept easier than others, but nerves or no nerves Slaven Bilić summed up the prevailing mood most succinctly when asked who he would like Croatia to be drawn against.

'Hope'
"Maybe I am wrong, but I don't really care," the Croatia coach said. "There's 16 teams in this and you can't have an easy group. It's all about the level of difficulty. The 14 teams that qualified did it the tough way and on merit. That gives them every hope and reason to beat every team. I am going to see how it goes."

UEFA EURO 2008™ draw seedings

Pot Team Coefficient Switzerland (hosts) 1.800 Austria (hosts) 1.500 1 Greece (holders) 2.167 1 Netherlands 2.417 2 Croatia 2.409 2 Italy 2.364 2 Czech Republic 2.333 2 Sweden 2.273 3 Romania 2.250 3 Germany 2.250 3 Portugal 2.192 3 Spain 2.182 4 Poland 2.167 4 France 2.091 4 Turkey 1.958 4 Russia 1.958

©uefa.com

Highs and lows on the road to EURO

Brilliant goals, record-breaking scores and even a game stopped by an owl. Here are ten moments that made the UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaign memorable.

Healy walks on water
David Healy's superb chipped winner on a rain-soaked pitch against Denmark on Saturday was as good as any during qualifying and a fitting way to break Davor Šuker's record of 12 goals scored in a UEFA European Championship qualifying campaign. "If we didn't know it already, that goal in those conditions showed that King David truly does walk on water," wrote the Belfast Telegraph. There were other milestones: Estonia's Martin Reim passed Lothar Matthäus as the most capped European player with his 151st international appearance on 22 August while Hakan Şükür and Jan Koller both reached 50 goals for their countries.

Scotland the brave
James McFadden's wonder goal at the Parc des Princes on 13 September sent Scotland to the top of Group B with three games remaining. Gathering the ball from Craig Gordon's long kick, McFadden looked up, saw Mickaël Landreau off his line and unleashed a 30-metre screamer into the top corner. Although ultimately it failed to bring qualification from a group containing both FIFA World Cup finalists, the Tartan Army will always cherish the memories of that night in Paris and the best Scotland goal since Archie Gemmill's solo effort against the Netherlands at the 1978 FIFA World Cup.

France's journey from hell
In a campaign where France gained revenge for their World Cup final defeat by Italy and Thierry Henry overtook Michel Platini as his country's leading scorer, one moment sticks in the mind above all others – the landing at Torshavn airport last month. "I didn't think we'd arrive in one piece," admitted Henry. Les Bleus took off at 11.45 on 12 October for their qualifier against the Faroe Islands but did not arrive until 13.37 the next day. On the way they had to land in Aberdeen because of a technical problem, before dense fog and freezing rain forced their flight to be re-routed to Bergen. As the plane finally approached the runway in Torshavn it tilted to one side, the left wing almost touching the ground. Henry and Co recovered in time to defeat the Faroese 6-0 a few hours later.

I managed to reach the ball and slip it through the keeper's fingers and into the net. Magic

Happy days for Luxembourg
When Fons Leweck headed Luxembourg's added-time winner against Belarus on 13 October, it ended a run of 55 competitive matches without a victory that had stretched back 12 years. "When I saw that Daniel [Da Mota] wanted to play the ball square, I made my move to the far post," Leweck said. "I managed to reach the ball and slip it through the keeper's fingers and into the net. Magic."

Porterfield remembered
Armenia's campaign will be remembered with sadness following the death of coach Ian Porterfield in September. His widow Glenda described best the affection his adopted country held for him when he insisted on returning to Yerevan for the 1-1 draw with Portugal in August, despite receiving treatment for cancer in London at that time. "Just over two weeks [before his death], we flew to Armenia for the Portugal game," she said. "The stadium was packed to see all the Portuguese stars like Ronaldo, Deco and the rest, but when Ian walked out, they all stood up and shouted his name. It was very moving."

Champions show their mettle
Defending champions Greece would qualify with two games to spare, but after losing 4-1 to Turkey in Athens in March their fans had reason to fear missing out on a second successive major tournament. Showing the resolve that led them to victory in Lisbon in 2004, though, Otto Rehhagel's side dug deep. Victory in Malta steadied the ship, a draw in Oslo put Greece back in control, then came the crowning moment: Ioannis Amanatidis's winner in Istanbul last month. Greece had qualified in their rivals' own backyard.

Goals, goals, goals
There were memorable goals scored by every team: Nihat Kahveci's winner for Turkey in Oslo, Euzebiusz Smolarek's brace that confirmed Poland's first ticket to a European Championship, Dorin Goian's strike against the Netherlands that took Romania through. England's disappointing campaign, though, would be summed up by one they conceded, Paul Robinson completely missing Gary Neville's backpass as he attempted to launch the ball upfield against Croatia in Zagreb. The ball rolled into the empty net, Croatia won 2-0 and England never truly recovered.

Germany flex their muscle
Joachim Löw had a tough act to follow in replacing Jürgen Klinsmann as Germany coach, but the transition could not have been smoother. Germany set out their stall with a 13-0 demolition of San Marino in September 2006 – a UEFA European Championship record – and never took their foot off the gas, finishing as the continent's highest scorers with 35 goals.

Owl stopped play
Finland's campaign confounded many, not least the nation's ornithologists. Playing Belgium in June they were struggling to get a grip on the game when a large owl, known as a Huuhkaja in Finland, swooped down into the stadium. Depending where you are in the world owls signify anything from misfortune to prosperity and for the home side it turned out to be the latter. After a delay of several minutes the owl settled behind the Finland goal and soon after Jonatan Johansson scored at the other end to help set up a 2-0 triumph. Huuhkaja has since been adopted as the team's mascot and nickname.

New dawn
The Republic of Ireland's 1-0 win against Wales is already little more than a footnote in the UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying story but the first soccer game at Croke Park was a monumental moment in Irish sporting history. The Gaelic Athletic Association, set up to foster Ireland's traditional sports in 1884 amid the rise of soccer and other so-called "foreign games", had never previously allowed soccer to be played at its fabled and now state-of-the-art headquarters. On a day when Stephen Ireland scored the winning goal, though, Ireland was able to put the past behind it. England too ushered in a new era with the re-opening of Wembley. Unfortunately for home supporters, the abiding memory will be the crushing defeat by Croatia that cost a place at UEFA EURO 2008™.

What was your favourite moment in qualifying? Join the debate in the uefa.com chatroom by clicking here.

©uefa.com

Finals plans running smoothly

Euro 2008 SA chief operating officer Martin Kallen declared that plans for the UEFA EURO 2008™ final round in June 2008 are progressing smoothly as the organisers' management board gave a progress report on preparations so far on the eve of the draw for the final tournament.

Going to plan
Speaking at the KKL in Lucerne, the setting for tomorrow's draw, Kallen said: "We are very well on track for the moment and all our key milestones have been achieved so far. But as you know, as an event organiser there might suddenly be something to deal with. But we are happy that work is going according to schedule. These are very interesting days for us as the 7 June is not very far away and we are all looking forward to tomorrow's draw."

Stadiums almost completed
At the outset of the progress report, Austrian tournament director Christian Schmölzer and his Swiss counterpart Christian Mutschler gave updates on preparations in their countries and especially in the eight host cities. They reported that construction work had largely been completed at all the stadiums. "Work to enlarge the capacity at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion - the venue for the final - will take place in the next few weeks and the enlarged spectator areas will be used for the first time for the match between Austria and Germany on 6 February 2008," Schmölzer said.

Ticket update
Kallen reported that 33 per cent of tickets for the final tournament had already been sold to the general public in the first sales phase. Over 8.7 million ticket applications - 18 times more than for UEFA EURO 2004™ - had been received in total with some 650,000 applications for the final alone. He said: "The fact that applications were received from 142 countries shows the worldwide appeal of UEFA EURO 2008™." He added: "We are very happy that well over 70 per cent of tickets will go directly to real football supporters." The sale of the 38 per cent of tickets reserved for the competing national associations - by the associations themselves – will begin after the final draw.

Milestones reached
Among the other milestones recognised by the management board in their progress report were the selling of over 79 per cent of corporate hospitality packages, the availability of free public transport for ticket holders for a 36-hour period for the first time in such an event and the fact that over 10,600 people had already applied to be volunteers at the final tournament.

Fanzones ready
Both Kallen and Schmölzer said they were satisfied that all host cities could deal with the expected influx of supporters. Kallen said: "As regards the numners of people at the fanzones, we obviously cannot compare with Germany in 2006 and especially with Berlin but the fanzones are of the size needed ranging up to Vienna with a capacity of 7,000." Schmölzer added: "The cities aware of the dimensions involved and they are all looking forward to the draw tomorrow to find out which teams are where and then they can adapt their planning according to these needs."

Key dates ahead
Kallen concluded by looking forward to the key milestones ahead including the end of the media accreditation application process on 31 January 2008, the launch of euro2008.com, the official event website, in early 2008, the end of the volunteer selection process on 31 March and the opening of the media centres in Basel and Vienna ahead of the opening match, in Basel, on 7 June.

©uefa.com

Chat live with Austria's Herzog

The only Austrian to make over 100 appearances for his national team, Andreas Herzog will join the euro2008.com chatroom at 10.15CET on Sunday. Join us then to put your questions about the draw for the final tournament of UEFA EURO 2008™ to our guest.

103 caps
Herzog made his debut on 6 April 1988 in a 2-2 draw away to Greece. He would go on to make 103 appearances for Austria, scoring on 26 occasions. At club level, Herzog spent six years in three stints with SK Rapid Wien as well as a short stint with First Vienna FC, but he also played nine years in Germany, eight of those with Werder Bremen and one season with FC Bayern München. Before returning for one year with Rapid, Herzog finished his playing career in the United States with the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2004. With 450 combined appearances in the Austrian and German Bundesliga, Herzog scored 106 goals.

Honours
A two-time German Cup winner, he also won the German Bundesliga in the 1992/93 season with Bremen. His greatest European achievement came at the end of the 1995/96 season when he was a member of the Bayern side that won the UEFA Cup. He was named Austrian player of the year in 1992. Why not ask Austria's UEFA EURO 2008™ ambassador about his nation's preparations for the finals in six months time, or about how Austria are gearing up to welcome participants and fans in June 2008.

Piţurcă plots Romanian revival

Romania coach Victor Piţurcă will have unfinished business on his mind when the UEFA EURO 2008™ draw is made on Sunday. Eight years ago he had his nation through qualifying unbeaten only to lose his job before the finals due to a disagreement with leading players Gheorghe Hagi and Gheorghe Popescu. Piţurcă returned to the role in 2004, and now Romania are contemplating their first final tournament since then.

'Honour'
The studious and publicity-shy Piţurcă is happier analysing videotapes than appearing on chat shows, so it is hardly surprising he is self-effacing when looking back. "It was a long time ago," Piţurcă told uefa.com. "It wouldn't make sense to speak again about this." But finishing top of Group G this time, ahead of the Netherlands and Bulgaria, is a topic of conversation he enjoys. "I am proud of having achieved this qualification and that it was again me as coach who achieved it," he said. "And of course I am looking forward to showing what we can during the final tournament. It's an honour to be Romania's national coach and to be present at such a final tournament."

Collective approach
Piţurcă, who also led Romania to the 1998 UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals, masterminded nine wins in this qualifying campaign, including a first defeat of the Netherlands. Their 29-point total was only bettered by holders Greece, the sole loss coming against Bulgaria with a top-two finish already assured. There was also a 1-0 friendly win in Spain. The players have spoken about their unity under the 51-year-old, who as a striker played a significant role in helping FC Steaua Bucureşti win the 1986 European Champions' Club Cup and a continental record 104-match unbeaten league run. Piturca confirmed his collective approach when the Romanian media suggested the team was overly dependent on Adrian Mutu. "The national team doesn't rely on any individual," he said. "Our main strength is the unity of the squad and everybody is important in this team."

Long preparation
He is delighted with the approach of his players, having so narrowly missed out on the 2006 FIFA World Cup play-offs two points behind the Czech Republic in a group won easily by the Netherlands. "They treated all the qualifying matches with the highest responsibility and with the highest commitment and this is also one of the reasons why we qualified," he said. "I had the advantage of starting my second spell during World Cup qualifying. There were some matches in which I had the opportunity to learn about the players and what had to be done. After we lost twice against the Netherlands we then managed to beat the Czech Republic 2-0, with several new players in the starting eleven. And even though we did not qualify for the World Cup, this victory was a fantastic new start for our national team. It was also the start of a very good period."

Simple football
In fact, only four games have been lost in Piţurcă's 32-match second spell, including a 14-fixture undefeated run up to September's reverse against Germany. And their play has been marked by the discipline that is Piţurcă's signature, the coach mastering every detail, no matter how small. "At this level, discipline and detailed planning are something you have to have," he said. The players have responded to his tactical plan of simple football and quick passes, not to mention two holding midfielders in front of the defensive line, a meticulous style that reflects his personality. No matter how important Mutu truly is to the team, he is certainly a reborn strike under Piţurcă, claiming six goals in qualifying and proving the creative heart of the team.

Greek example
The only downside for Piţurcă was that they could not come through qualifying without defeat, but the quality of their play has the coach dreaming of something big in Austria and Switzerland. "Better teams than Romania have qualified for the final tournament," he said. "But also we have our skills and our own reasons that we can achieve something big, like Greece achieved at [UEFA] EURO 2004™. At this level anything is possible."

©uefa.com

Rollo plays key role at EURO

One of the world's top music producers – and a football fan to boot – Rollo is, quite literally, playing a key role in the UEFA EURO 2008™ experience.

Impressive CV
Rollo, whose CV includes a host of top-class productions and remixes, has added the official UEFA EURO 2008™ music to a list of credits that makes for extremely impressive reading. The official UEFA EURO 2008™ music has been developed to support a wide range of broadcast and event promotions surrounding the tournament in Austria and Switzerland between 7 and 29 June next year.

London roots
London-born Rollo – an Arsenal FC supporter – has been a vastly-respected presence in the music world for a number of years now. In 1992 he made his first record; Felix's "Don't U Want Me". It was created in a garden shed in Islington, London, and went on to sell 2.5 million copies.

Sought-after pairing
Four years later, Rollo teamed up with Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz to form Faithless: "Insomnia", "Salva Mea", "God is a DJ" and "We Come One" followed. Rollo and Sister Bliss also became one of the most sought-after remix teams in the world, working with the likes of U2, Björk, Robbie Williams, Suede, Donna Summer, Paul van Dyk, Roxy Music and Simply Red. Faithless have made six albums and sold over 12 million records while Rollo has also produced and co-written with his sister Dido, whose albums are among the biggest-selling in the new millennium.

'Extra dimension'
The music features a wide range of broadcast and event edits in both Stereo and Dolby 5.1 surround sound. "Given the heavy rotation of airplay and stadium use, it is always preferable to have a wide variety of edits to add an extra dimension to the sonic brand," says UEFA's brand manager Dan O'Toole. "As the filming and broadcast of the finals will be available in HD, the music has also been specially mixed with a complete Dolby E surround sound, to accompany the high-definition match action and fan imagery."

©uefa.com