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Euro'08 draw: Italy gets France, Dutch in tough
Italy was drawn on Sunday with France, the Netherlands and Romania in what appears to be the most difficult group for the 2008 European Championship.
- Associated Press
- Updated: December 04, 2007 02:41 PM IST
Read Time:2 min
Lucerne:
Italy defeated France on penalty kicks in last year's World Cup final, then played the French twice in European Championship qualifying, losing 3-1 at Saint-Denis and drawing 0-0 in Milan.
Group C will be based in Switzerland, and Italy and France will meet in their final first-round match, on June 17 in Zurich.
Italy and the Netherlands met in the Euro 2000 semifinals, with the Italians winning a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw. France beat the Dutch in a shootout after a 0-0 draw in the 1996 quarterfinals.
Defending champion Greece was drawn into Group D with Russia, Spain and Sweden, a group based in Austria.
At Euro 2004 in Portugal, the Greeks drew 1-1 with Spain and lost 2-1 to Russia in group play, but beat all its other opponents on the way to a surprise title triumph.
Co-host Switzerland is in Group A with Turkey, Portugal and the Czech Republic. Austria, the other co-host and making its debut, is in Group B with three-time champion Germany, Poland and Croatia, a group which could pose security problems for organizers. The co-hosts are both based at home.
Previous matches between Germany and Poland have led to fan violence, while UEFA has warned Croatia it would be kicked out if there were any repeats of racist chanting and misbehavior by its fans.
The tournament begins June 7 in Basel, with the Swiss hosting the Czech. The final is at the Ernst Happel stadium in Vienna on June 29.
The draw was held at the Culture and Convention Center with Spanish tenor Jose Carreras making a guest appearance at the hour-long ceremony.
UEFA president Michel Platini, who starred for France as it won at home in 1984, was one of 12 former players to conduct the draw.
World Cup champion Italy was drawn on Sunday with France, the Netherlands and Romania in what appears to be the most difficult group for the 2008 European Championship.Italy defeated France on penalty kicks in last year's World Cup final, then played the French twice in European Championship qualifying, losing 3-1 at Saint-Denis and drawing 0-0 in Milan.
Group C will be based in Switzerland, and Italy and France will meet in their final first-round match, on June 17 in Zurich.
Italy and the Netherlands met in the Euro 2000 semifinals, with the Italians winning a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw. France beat the Dutch in a shootout after a 0-0 draw in the 1996 quarterfinals.
Defending champion Greece was drawn into Group D with Russia, Spain and Sweden, a group based in Austria.
At Euro 2004 in Portugal, the Greeks drew 1-1 with Spain and lost 2-1 to Russia in group play, but beat all its other opponents on the way to a surprise title triumph.
Co-host Switzerland is in Group A with Turkey, Portugal and the Czech Republic. Austria, the other co-host and making its debut, is in Group B with three-time champion Germany, Poland and Croatia, a group which could pose security problems for organizers. The co-hosts are both based at home.
Previous matches between Germany and Poland have led to fan violence, while UEFA has warned Croatia it would be kicked out if there were any repeats of racist chanting and misbehavior by its fans.
The tournament begins June 7 in Basel, with the Swiss hosting the Czech. The final is at the Ernst Happel stadium in Vienna on June 29.
The draw was held at the Culture and Convention Center with Spanish tenor Jose Carreras making a guest appearance at the hour-long ceremony.
UEFA president Michel Platini, who starred for France as it won at home in 1984, was one of 12 former players to conduct the draw.
Topics mentioned in this article
Football Spain Turkey Germany
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