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Sweden's Christian Wilhelmsson (R)
fights for the ball with Ukraine's Andriy Nesmachniy during their friendly
match at Rasunda Stadium in Stockholm on Sunday.(Shanghai
Daily Photo)
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BEIJING, June 3 -- Sweden was upset, the Netherlands
cruised and Greece settled for a scoreless draw on Sunday in European
Championship warm-up matches.
A virtually full-strength Sweden team lost to Ukraine
0-1 in Stockholm, while the Dutch team beat Wales 2-0 and defending champion
Greece was held 0-0 against Armenia less than a week before the start of Euro
2008. Poland rallied for a 1-1 draw with Denmark.
Ukraine got its goal in the 82nd minute when Serhiy
Nazarenko, who was left unmarked, sent a 30-meter shot flying past substitute
goalkeeper Rami Shaaban. Veteran striker Henrik Larsson, surprisingly recalled
to the squad at 36 after being persuaded to come out of international
retirement, almost equalized with a backheel five minutes from the end.
But the loss won't help morale ahead of its Euro 2008
group games against defending champion Greece, Spain and Russia. Sweden faces
Greece in Salzburg on June 10 in its first game.
The Dutch team is in the toughest group, facing World
Cup champion Italy in Bern, Switzerland, on June 9. With games against France
and Romania to follow, they will be boosted by a comfortable victory over the
Welsh in Rotterdam.
Real Madrid teammates Arjen Robben and Wesley
Sneijder put the Dutch in control with goals in the 35th and 53rd minutes. The
result and performance provided the buoyant Dutch fans with the chance to wave
farewell to coach Marco van Basten, who will move to Ajax next season, and
veteran goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, who ends his international career after
the tournament.
"At times, we played very good soccer," said van
Basten, who made six changes in the second half.
The Greeks dominated for large spells of the game in
Offenbach, Germany, but rarely posed a threat to Armenia goalkeeper Gevorg
Kasparov. Angelos Charisteas had a good chance in the 37th when Kasparov dropped
the ball, but the Nuremberg striker failed to get a shot off before the ball
rolled out of play. Costas Katsouranis tried to break the deadlock with a
long-range shot in the 88th, but it was well saved by Kasparov.
Poland, facing games against thee-time European
champion Germany, co-host Austria and Croatia, fell behind in Chorzow when
midfielder Martin Vingaard scored for Denmark in the 28th. Jacek Krzynowek
equalized just before halftime.
Poland coach Leo Beenhakker was forced to rest
defender Michal Zewlakow and midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski, who are recovering
from injuries.
At Port of Spain, Jermain Defoe scored twice and
Gareth Barry clocked his first national goal to lift England to a 3-0 victory
over Trinidad and Tobago in a one-sided friendly in sultry conditions on a
bone-hard pitch on Sunday.
The game was played to mark the centenary of the
Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation and doubled as an attempt to win the
support of CONCACAF chairman and FIFA vice president Jack Warner for England's
2018 World Cup bid.
England did not qualify for the Euro 2008.
(Source: Shanghai Daily)
