Image copyright AFP Results of the current selection for the European football championship can be called truly revolutionary. Among the participants of the tournament will be as many as five debutants: teams from Albania, Wales, Northern Ireland, Iceland and Slovakia. For the first time in 32 years on the main event of the continent has not got the Dutch team, winner of the last two world championships. A team of Belgium at the end of the qualifying round for the first time in history will lead the FIFA rankings.
The team of Russia in the current qualification met its “revolution” – more precisely, the evolution from the failed results under the guidance of eminent Fabio Capello, sacked, before climbing to second place in the standings of the group G when Leonid Slutsky.
Thus, the Russian national team will play the fourth continental championship in a row, but repeat his achievement – the semi-finals of Euro 2008 – will now be much more difficult.
The fact is that in the upcoming European Championships for the first time will be attended by 24 teams instead of 16 as it has been for the last twenty years (until 1992 inclusive, in the final round was attended by only eight teams).
And this is the expansion of the tournament, the mastermind behind who is the president of UEFA, Michel Platini, has allowed teams not even the second and third European tier qualify for entering the number of participants.
Under the new rules straight trips in the final round of Euro 2016 gave all the teams ranked first and second place in their groups, as well as the best team among which was the third on points (before – only group winners plus the best team of runners-up).
Four tickets will be raffled in the play-offs between the teams that finished third in their groups.
Holland as Andorra
In this scheme, the selection of the Dutch, who were not able to take even the third place in Group A, can be blamed entirely themselves.
Above the “orange”, who began the tournament under the guidance of the author of “Russian miracle” in 2008. Guus Hiddink, and ends when his replacement, former Captain “Ajax” Danny Blind, settled the Czech Republic, Iceland and Turkey.
“Good heavens, the Netherlands turned to Andorra” – wrote on Twitter the former England striker, football commentator BBC BBC Garry Lineker .
However, conditional “Andorra”, “the Luxembourg” and “Liechtenstein”, which until recently was referred to as a football “dwarfs”, is now rapidly progressing.
Just a few examples from the current qualifying round Andorra was able to check in goals at once four games out of ten, Luxembourg beat Macedonia Lihtensheyn – Moldova and the Faroe Islands with two victories over the Greeks ahead in the standings, winning Euro 2004 and participants in the playoffs last year’s World Cup in Brazil.
Same Iceland’s national team recently held in the qualifications for the European Championships and the world fifth-sixth place in their groups, but now achieved a historic success. Along the way, Icelanders twice defeated the Dutch team.
Yes, manages the team of the island nation experienced a Swedish expert Lars Lagerbäck, but the brightest stars in the team there, and even players with experience playing in Europe’s leading championships not so much.
37-year veteran Eidur Gudjohnsen, played for the “Barcelona” and “Chelsea”, participated in only three games out of ten, and for the first roles fore playing in the English Premier League Gylfi Sigurðsson of “Swansea” and captain Aron Gunnarsson from another Welsh club – the “Cardiff”.
British surprises
Shock held qualifying campaign not only the representatives of the clubs from Wales to other teams, but they themselves Welsh . In their ranks just have a global star – winger Gareth Bale, who plays for Madrid “Real”.
However, the Wales and was formerly a leader – a legend “Manchester United” Ryan Giggs, but to play at least one major tournament in the national team Giggs failed.
That is why we should not underestimate the role of partners Bale, who have contributed to getting to Euro 2016. This football player, “Arsenal” Aaron Ramsey and goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, conceding just four goals in ten matches, and the defender of “Swansea” Ashley Williams, who along with Bale entered the symbolic team qualifying round of UEFA.
Another British team, first went to the European Championship – Northern Ireland which, however, three times played in the final round of the World Championships.
In 1982, the North Irish created a furore at the World Cup in Spain, when the defeated the home team and passed to the next stage, where they were stopped by the French team, led by Michel Platini . Thus Platini, who after three decades of its decision to increase the number of participants in the European championships, indirectly had a hand in the historic for Northern Ireland event.
The very Platini, who last week was suspended by the Committee of FIFA Ethics from the presidency League for 90 days, no longer able to participate in the draw of the final round of Euro 2016, which will take his native France.
The draw, during which participants will be divided into six fours, to be held in Paris on 12 December.
The current Northern Ireland achieved a unique success. At the draw of the qualifying round the team was fifth in the basket (six in total). That is in the group F, which hit the team Martin O’Neill, was just four teams with a higher FIFA ranking.
However, the North Irish managed to take first place ahead of the national teams of Romania and Hungary, and twice beating the national team of Greece.
The main star of the team is called the midfielder of the English “Southampton” Stephen Davis, included in the symbolic team of the UEFA at the end of the qualifying round.
In addition, a significant contribution to the team’s success has brought forward, ” Norwich ‘Kyle Lafferty, which account for seven of the 16 goals severoirlandtsa goals.
Albania on the field and behind the scenes
Despite the fact that the national team of North Ireland has the lowest rating among all participants in the Euro-2016, the main surprise was still getting to the tournament Albania, standing a step above the British.
Not enough stars from the sky Albanians were, it seemed, one of the most powerful groups in which vouchers France claimed just three teams are regularly involved in major tournaments – Portugal, Denmark and Serbia.
However, Albanians, first, could a fight over a titled opponents, winning at the start of the qualifying round of the Portuguese – the main favorites of the group – at a party.
During the second is the Albanian Football Federation has been able to extract a dividend from a torn match with their principal rivals – the Serbs.
held in October last year in Belgrade match between Serbia and Albania was stopped because of the unrest provoked by running on the field using drone flag of the so-called “Greater Albania” (Project Albanian nationalists). Defender Serbs Stefan Mitrovic tore the flag, some players of Albanian team to try to take away, and then between the players broke out brawl, which was joined by some fans.
At the end of the proceedings the committee of UEFA has decided to deduct the Albanians technical defeat with the score 0: 3 and Serbs – to deprive three score.
However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has partially satisfied the appeal of the Football Federation of Albania in the UEFA decision, awarding the Albanians win the match with the score 3: 0. And this despite the fact that the meeting at the stadium “Partizan” in Belgrade was stopped for 41 minutes of the first half when the score was 0: 0.
The court in Lausanne has ruled that the responsibility for stopping the match carries Serbia.
After receiving nourishment in the form of three points at the end of a major confrontation outside the football field, the Albanians properly dispose of their chance.
Double-beating national team of Armenia, which has occupied the last place in the group, and played twice in a draw a direct competitor in the fight for second place in the group, the team of Albania under the leadership of Italian coach Gianni De Biasi finished after the Portuguese in the “Euro-zone”.
Last chance for Ukrainians
The least surprising, if we talk about the European championships debutant looks reaching the final round of the Slovakian team. Just five years ago, the Slovaks took part in the World Cup, where even able to leave the group, sensationally beaten at that time still the reigning world champion Italians.
Since then, the backbone of the young team, led by captain Marek Hamšík only strengthened and Hamšík, who plays in Italy for “Napoli” was included in the ‘Team of the League at the end of this qualifying round.
At the beginning of the qualification Slovaks were able to once again beat the European champions Spaniards with whom eventually won direct vouchers for Euro 2016.
After the end of the group round of qualification left to find out which four teams will get the remaining tickets for Euro 2016 through the play-offs.
a chance to go to France, still retain the eight teams finishing third in their groups: the national teams of Ukraine, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Norway and Slovenia.
October 18 of them will be made up of four pairs, the winner of which will go to the Euro.
We already know that the draw of the European Championship in the first basket will be the hosts of the tournament the French, European champion Spain and Germany, Portugal, Belgium and England. Teams from the same basket – all six of them – can not get into the same group.
The English under the guidance of Roy Hodgson became the only team to win all the matches of the current qualifying round.
The Russian national team has got the second basket, along with teams of Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Croatia.
Another team, which will take place in the second basket is determined by the results of the play-offs.
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