‘Spain will learn from World Cup debacle’

MADRID, June 6 

Spain can learn from their 2014 World Cup nightmare and become the first side to win a third successive European Championship, coach Vicente del Bosque said.

After capturing the European title in 2008 and 2012 and a first World Cup in 2010, Spain did not cope with the pressure of being favourites in Brazil and were knocked out in the first round.

“One has to differentiate between an aim and an obligation,” Del Bosque said.

“To win the title cannot be an obligation. There is always an important lesson to be learned when you lose.” 

Spain lost their first two games in Brazil, including a 5-1 drubbing by the Netherlands. The players were accused back home of being complacent and overconfident. “It was not a humility issue but a sporting one,” Del Bosque said.

“We lost against teams that were superior to us on the pitch. We never made excuses. We never thought we were superior or unbeatable.” 

Spain, who also won the European title in 1964, open their campaign next Monday against the Czech Republic.

“We go into the tournament with the maximum ambition and that is to defend the title that we achieved four years ago,” Del Bosque said.

“It’s the same situation that we were in at Euro 2012 but with a bit more responsibility because we now have to defend two straight titles.” 

Del Bosque picked out the traditional heavyweights as his team’s main rivals.

“There is World Cup holders Germany and tournament hosts France who have a very strong team,” he said. 

“Then there is Italy with their competitive gene. We cannot forget England, Belgium, Croatia, Poland.” 

Ronaldo more vital to Portugal than to Real: Santos

Portugal coach Fernando Santos is counting on Cristiano Ronaldo to use another impressive season with Real Madrid as a springboard to a strong Euro campaign.

Ronaldo joined his national team in training on Sunday, eight days after scoring the winning penalty against Atletico Madrid for Real to lift the Champions League trophy. His presence is a boost for Portugal, who lost 1-0 to England in a friendly last week and take on Estonia on Wednesday in Lisbon in their final warm-up game.

Santos had wanted to give Ronaldo and Real defender Pepe a chance to a catch their breath before they joined the team. “They needed to rest,” Santos said. “It’s better for everyone that they arrive happy and with that extra bounce after achieving their aims.” 

Ronaldo scored 51 goals in 48 games in all competitions for Real this season.

“If he is so important for Real, you can only imagine how significant he is for Portugal. Certainly the same or even more,” he said. 

Ronaldo’s fitness is a concern, with tendonitis preventing him from being at his best at the 2014 World Cup when Portugal crashed out in the group stages. “There’s always talk that all the players must arrive 100 per cent,” Santos said. “But that is never the reality.” — Reuters

Italy face misery, France favourites: Goldman Sachs 

Italy, beaten finalists at the last European championship, will have a miserable Euro 2016, while England will sail through to the semifinals, according to Goldman Sachs, which put host nation France as most likely to win. The investment bank, whose researchers more routinely analyse the world’s economies and financial markets, have crunched the numbers on the past and current form of the 24 teams heading for this week’s kickoff. Its report has some surprising predictions: Italy have a 1.5 percent chance of winning and will manage just three draws in the group stage; France are favourites, with a 23.1 percent chance of winning, just ahead of Germany (19.9 percent). Goldman Sachs had successfully predicted three of the four semifinalists at the 2014 World Cup.\

Ukraine says detained man planned attacks on Euro 

Kiev: Ukraine’s state security service said on Monday a French citizen detained in late May on the border with Poland had been planning attacks in France to coincide with the Euro championship it is hosting. The Ukrainian border guard service reported on Saturday that the unnamed 25-year-old had been arrested with an arsenal of weapons and explosives including rocket launchers and Kalashnikov assault rifles in his vehicle. SBU chief Vasyl Hrytsak said the man had made contact with armed groups in Ukraine with the aim of buying weapons and explosives. In Paris, a French police source said a raid on the suspect’s home in France had uncovered ingredients for homemade explosives. His intended targets included Jewish and Muslim places of worship and buildings involved with the event.