“Italy eliminates England in a penalty shootout”

England 0:0 Italy

(4-2 on penalties)

What a disappointing end to their Euro 2012 run for the English. They were so close to advancing to the semifinals, yet so far.  Both teams were quite evenly matched. They each had their own share of great opportunities to score, but yet after a full 90 minutes and 30 minutes of extra time, the score remained 0-0. The game came down to a grueling penalty shootout, with Italy coming out on top.

The 90 minutes of normal play were actually quite exciting despite the lack of goal scoring.  Both teams went back and forth, charging the ball up the field in attempts to score. It looked as though Italy was going to take an early lead, as a powerful shot from DeRossi was brilliantly saved by English keeper, Joe Hart. As each team continually “almost scored”, the question of extra time and penalties arose, as neither team could break the 0-0 deadlock. Both teams had instances in which one of the their players would receive a great through ball, yet every time the defender got there at the absolute last second to deflect the shot.  The second half consisted of Italy dominating in respects to possession.  The missed opportunities kept coming and England had a particularly close chance of scoring in stoppage time. Rooney’s overhead kick went high and missed the net. Boy the fans would have went wild if that one had gone in.

“England makes a comeback to defeat Sweden”

England 3:2 Sweden

(23' Carroll), (49' Johnson{own goal}), (78' Welbeck); (59' Mellberg)

Just 12 minutes away from the end of the match, England put a goal in for the win, crushing Sweden's hopes of advancing to the quarter finals. England led 1-0 at the end of the first half, but the second half is where most of the action happened. Though England had a own goal incident, they still came away with the win.

About halfway through the first half, England scored their first goal. Captain Steven Gerrard sent a long diagonal cross ball to the center of the box. Liverpool's Andy Carroll was there, and he jumped into the air to quickly head the ball into the net. Everything was going well for England as they held their lead to the end of the half.

Sweden decided to get serious as the second half began. Swedish captain, Zlatan Ibrahimović began to shake things up in the box, as the keeper just barely blocked his shot. Less than five minutes later Ibrahimović took a free kick that was deflected by the English wall of defenders. However, the ball rebounded right back to Ibrahimović who took a shot. The shot turned into a pass to Mellberg who shot the ball. English defender Glen Johnson slid in attempts to block the ball, but ended up putting it in the net for a slightly embarrassing own goal.

“France vs England ends in a rather dull draw”

France 1:1 England

(30’ Lescott); (39’ Nasri)

Longtime rivals France and England faced off today in Donetsk, Ukraine for the Group D opener in the Euro Cup. A much anticipated match left more than a few fans disappointed. Most of the game was played in the midfield as both teams tried to pull together a strategy for attack. France certainly had more shots on goal, and despite solid efforts from Nasri and Ribéry, they couldn’t score a second goal.

The half began with a lot of poking around in the midfield. France had a few attempts thanks to Nasri, and England had a chance on a quick breakaway. England was suffering with both Lampard and Rooney injured. However, a beautiful free kick helped England secure a lead in the 3oth minute.  England won a free kick and captain Steven Gerrard stepped up to take the kick from the far wide right. Gerrard sent a great ball towards the net where Joleon Lescott led the charge into the box. Lescott won the race and got his head on the ball, sending it right through the French keeper’s hands for a goal.

In Case You Missed It: International Roundup – Norway vs. England

Norway 0-1 England

Roy Hodgson started his reign as England's manager with a 1-0 win.  Not bad, not bad, especially since this has been the first time England beat the Scandinavian side in 32 years.  It would be Ashley Young who scored the lone goal in this game, earning his seventh international goal after finishing a solo run.

Hodgson's side almost took the lead five minutes into the match.  Downing whipped a cross to Carroll at the near post, but the striker's header went wide.  The Liverpool man made his presence known and at the 8' minute mark, he passed the ball to Young, who went on a tremendous run, weaving past Norway's defense and fired the ball with a left-footed shot to the corner.

Hodgson for England

The FA announced on Tuesday their signing of Roy Hodgson to a 4-year contract as England manager.

Rumors began swirling around the West Brom manager on Sunday after Hodgson openly expressed his eagerness to manage his country’s side should he be offered the position. Tottenham's Harry Redknapp was previously considered, though the Football Association preferred a more experienced Hodgson, whose international resume includes stints with Finland, Switzerland, and the UAE.

West Brom gave Hodgson permission to begin discussions with the FA on Monday. He will remain in charge at West Brom for their last two Premier League matches, against Bolton and Arsenal, before leaving his contract with the team early.

Hodgson takes over from interim manager Stuart Pearce, who oversaw the Three Lions defeat at the hands of the Netherlands in March.

Hodgson stressed the importance of the fans’ backing at his unveiling, saying: ''It is a very proud day for me, I'm a very happy man to be offered the chance to manage my country,'' he said. ''I'm looking forward to the task ahead. Everyone knows it is not an easy one but I'm hoping that everyone, fans and supporters will get behind the team.