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Euro 2012 Matchday Eight (Group D)

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In reaction to France not being able to defeat a Wayne Rooney-less England side in its opening game of Euro 2012, coach Laurent Blanc has made a couple of big changes to his lineup.

Blanc has dropped Patrice Evra and Florent Malouda from the starting lineup in favor of Gael Clichy and Jeremy Menez, as France looks to topple co-host Ukraine (12 p.m., ESPN2/ESPN3.com). Veteran forward Andriy Shevchenko, who played the role of hero for Group D-leading Ukraine with his brace against Sweden, is starting again in Donetsk.

In the second match of the day, England and Sweden clash (2:45 p.m., ESPN2/ESPN3.com), with the pressure on the Swedes to take three points with a group finale against France looming next week. This is the final match of Rooney's two-game suspension for the Three Lions, and Roy Hodgson has reportedly turned to a Danny Welbeck-Andy Carroll pairing up top to try and generate some goals. The two teams played a friendly seven months ago to the day, with England winning 1-0.

If you will be watching any of Friday's Euro 2012 action, please feel free to share any thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below. Enjoy the games.

Comments

  1. Very entertaining second half, England up 3-2 in the 80th. I have a man crush on Olof Mellberg’s beard.

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  2. Macca saying that against “lesser sides like Sweden and Ukraine” he expects England to dominate possesion and create a lot of chances. Just shows you how delusional the English are when it comes to the quality of their players and national team.

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  3. 2-0 France with game opening up 78th minute. lots of space in midfield. 2-0 can be a tricky score. Can Ukraine make this interesting?

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  4. Heh heh. He also had a couple of dangerous opportunities earlier in the game. And that first yellow was definitely soft. However, the second foul less so. Many coaches would have considered subbing him out after that.

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  5. I would take him off if I were Blanc. He also missed a great goal-scoring opportunity and took another on his own when he should have tapped it right to Benzema for an easy goal.

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  6. Wow the official just put on his angel wings in deciding not to send off Menez. What in the world are you doing with those kinds of tackles when you’re already on a yellow? He would have had no legitimate complaints if he was ejected for that.

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  7. ALLEZ les Bleus!!!!!!!!

    Sounds like he’s looking to speed up the game on the left side and in the case of Menezes, another player to dribble. Malouda will make an entry in the 2nd half. Evra could be done as a starter for this round. Clichy looked damn good in the warm-ups and brings a better attacking option

    ALLEZ les BLEUS!!!

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