SOCCER - EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
EURO 2016 - FRANCE
2014
Qualifier - England (2) @ (0) Switzerland - England opened their qualification campaign with a big road win in Basel. England had the better possession (56%) and goal-attempts (12-11) and scored their goals on counter-attacking play. Both goals came from Danny Welbeck in the 2nd half (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Townsend, PAL)
Qualifier - San Marino (0) @ (5) England - England maintained their unbeaten start to the qualification campaign with a comfortable win at Wembley. San Marino defended well, but 1st half goals from Phil Jagielka and Wayne Rooney gave England the lead and they pushed on with 3 more goals in the 2nd half from Danny Welbeck, Andros Townsend and an own goal. England had 78% possession and registered 34 shots, with 17 on target (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Townsend, PAL)
Qualifier - England (1) @ (0) Estonia - England kept top spot in the group with a big win in Tallinn. A 73rd minute goal from a free-kick by Wayne Rooney proved the winner, but England should have wrapped up the game sooner, creating more shooting chances than Estonia (25-7) and also having the better of the possession (77%) (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Townsend, PAL)
Qualifier - Slovenia (1) @ (3) England - England saw off their main challengers in the group with a comeback win at Wembley. Both teams were level at 0-0 at the half before Slovenia took a shock lead off of a Jordan Henderson own-goal. But England claimed the win with 3 unanswered 2nd half goals from Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck (2). The game also marked the 100th game for England for Rooney (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Townsend, PAL)
2015
Qualifier - Lithuania (0) @ (4) England - England continued their unbeaten run in the Qualifiers with a big win at Wembley. 2 goals in each half did the damage with Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck scoring in the 1st half and Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane scoring in the 2nd half. Sterling's goal was his 1st for England and Kane's goal was also his 1st for England and came on his debut (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Townsend, PAL)
Qualifier - England (3) @ (2) Slovenia - England kept top spot in the group with an error-strewn game in Ljubljana. Slovenia led 1-0 at the half but England's Jack Wilshere scored 2 great goals to give England the lead after 73 minutes. Slovenia equalised with6 minutes left only for Wayne Rooney to score 2 minutes later to win the game for England. Rooney's goal was his 49th for England. The Slovenia goals came from Milivoje Novakovic and Nejc Petnik (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Townsend, PAL)
Qualifier - England (6) @ (0) San Marino - England confidently qualified for the Euro 2016 Finals with a work-man-like win in San Marino. England took a 2-0 lead in at the half and finished the game off with 4 more goals in the 2nd half. The goals came from Wayne Rooney, his record-equalling 49th for England, Ross Barkley, Theo Walcott (2), Harry Kane and an own-goal (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Qualifier - Switzerland (0) @ (2) England - On a record-setting night at Wembley, England kept their unbeaten record in qualifying with a hard-fought win. Both teams were scoreless at the half, but in the 62nd minute substitute Harry Kane put England in front. England then completed the win with a penalty goal from Wayne Rooney in the 84th minute. The goal made him England's all-time leading goal-scorer with 50 goals, surpassing Bobby Charlton (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Qualifier - Estonia (0) @ (2) England - England maintained their unbeaten record in the group with a comfortable win at Wembley. A goal in each half did the damage, with Theo Walcott scoring with the last kick of the 1st half and Raheem Sterling scoring with 5 minutes left in the game. Captain Wayne Rooney did not play (injury) but was awarded a "Golden Boot" by Sir Bobby Charlton before the game for breaking his goal-scoring record (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Qualifier - England (3) @ (0) Lithuania - England completed their qualifying campaign with a perfect 10 wins from 10 games. The result was never in doubt as 2 goals in the 1st half from Ross Barkley and an own goal off of a Harry Kane shot gave them the edge and England completed the scoring with a 2nd half goal from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. England claimed 62% possession and had 20 shots on goal (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
FINALS
Group A - France (2) v (1) Romania - Hosts France opened the tournament with a hard-fought win over Romania in Paris. All the goals were scored in the 2nd half with the winner coming in the final minute. The France goals came from Olivier Giroud and Dimitri Payet. The Romania goal came from Bogdan Stancu (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Group A - France (2) v (0) Albania - France booked their place in the knockout round with a tough win against a resilient Albania team. France dominated possession (59% to 41%) and shots on goal (14 to 8) but the Albanians held on and looked certain for a draw until the final minute when Antoine Griezmann headed in the opener. Dimitri Payet wrapped up the scoring in the 96th minute with his 2nd goal of the tournament (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Group B - Wales (2) v (1) Slovakia - Wales celebrated their return to tournament football after a 58 year absence with a big win in Bordeaux. Wales took a 1-0 lead in at the half thanks to a Gareth Bale free-kick goal, but Slovakia equalised through Ondrej Duda in the 2nd half and a draw seemed on the cards. But substitute Hal Robson-Kanu poked in the game-winning goal in the 81st minute to send the Welsh fans home happy (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Wilson/Savage, PAL)
Group B - England (1) v (1) Russia - England opened their campaign with a draw in Marseille after allowing Russia to equalise in the final seconds of the game. England controlled possession (52% to 48%) and shots on goal (15 to 6) but couldn't turn their chances into goals. Conversely Russia scored with only their 2nd shot on target. The England goal came from Eric Dier. The Russia goal came from Vasili Berezutski (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Group B - Russia (1) v (2) Slovakia - Marek Hamsik scored a stunning goal as Slovakia beat Russia in Lille to secure a first ever win at a European Championship. Hamsik also set up the opening Slovakia goal for Vladimir Weiss as Slovakia went in 2-0 up at the half. Russia did score late in the game through Denis Glushakov but Slovakia held on for the win (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Lawrenson, PAL)
Group B - England (2) v (1) Wales - England came back from a half-time deficit to beat their neighbours and go top of the group. Gareth Bale opened the scoring with a free-kick goal in the 1st half but England fought back in the 2nd half and goals from Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge beat the Welsh and won the game. Sturridge's goal came in the 91st minute (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Keown/Savage, PAL)
Group B - Wales (3) v (0) Russia - Wales clinched top spot in the group and a place in the knockout stages with a big win in Toulouse. 1st half goals from Aaron Ramsey and Neil Taylor gave the Welsh a comfortable lead at the break and Gareth Bale completed the scoring in the 67th minute to ensure there would be no late drama (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Speight/Pulis, PAL)
Group B - England (0) v (0) Slovakia - England knew they needed to match the Welsh result to claim top spot in the group but stumbled instead to a goalless draw in Saint-Etienne. Wales won their game 3-0 and England ended up in 2nd position. England controlled the game throughout, maintaining 61% possession and taking 29 shots on goal, but only 5 shots were on target and thanks to poor finishing and inspired defending from Slovakia, England couldn't find the goal they needed. With the draw, Slovakia also qualified for the knockout stages (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Group C - Ukraine (0) v (2) Northern Ireland - Northern Ireland kept their qualification hopes alive with a surprise win in Lyon. Both goals were scored in the 2nd half in the 49th and 96th minutes. The goal scorers were Gareth McAuley and Niall McGinn. The win was Northern Ireland's 1st ever at the European Championships. The game was briefly halted early in the 2nd half due to a torrential hail storm that forced the players from the field (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Speight/Dowie, PAL)
Group E - Republic Of Ireland (1) v (0) Italy - In the final group game for each team, Ireland knew they needed a win to stand any chance of reaching the knockout stage for the very first time. Italy had already qualified and fielded a mostly 2nd string side. Ireland pressed from the start but couldn't find the breakthrough they needed until the 85th minute when Robbie Brady nodded in the game-winner (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Townsend, PAL)
Group F - Portugal (1) v (1) Iceland - In a sensational result, the minnows of Iceland held Portugal to a draw in their opening game of the group. Nani opened the scoring in the 31st minute but Iceland kept the pressure on and scored in the 50th minute through Birkir Bjarnason. Both teams had chances to win as the game wore on but the game ended in a draw. The point was Iceland's first ever at the European Championships (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Wilson/Kilbane, PAL)
Group F - Hungary (3) v (3) Portugal - Portugal scraped through to the knockout stages by the skin of their teeth with a high-scoring draw in Lyon. Portugal had to come from behind 3 times to earn the draw with Cristiano Ronaldo the hero, scoring 2 goals. Hungary progressed as Group winners. The Hungary goals came from Zoltan Gera and Balazs Dzsudzsak (2). The other Portuguese goal came from Nani (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Brotherton/Keown, PAL)
Last 16 - France (2) v (1) Republic Of Ireland - Hosts France came from behind in Lyon to beat the Irish and advance to the Quarter Finals. Ireland took a shock lead in the 2nd minute with a penalty from Robbie Brady and defended resolutely to half-time. But France turned up the heat in the 2nd half and 2 goals in 4 minutes from Antoine Griezmann turned the game around and booked France a place in the next round (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Townsend, PAL)
Last 16 - Belgium (4) v (0) Hungary - Belgium finally showed their potential with a big win in Toulouse. Belgium only led 1-0 at the half but in the 2nd half, Belgium's star player Eden Hazard took control and ran the Hungarians ragged. He set up a goal, scored a goal, had 3 shots on goal and made 48 passes. The Belgium goals came from Hazard, Toby Alderweireld, Michu Batshuayi and Yannick Carrasco (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Brotherton/Keown, PAL)
Last 16 - England (1) v (2) Iceland - In one of the big shocks of the tournament, Iceland upset England in Nice to advance to the Quarter Finals. England had a great start, earning a penalty in the 4th minute that Wayne Rooney scored, but Iceland hit back with an equaliser 2 minutes later through Ragnar Sigurdsson. England wavered and Iceland took the lead 10 minutes later with a goal from Kolbeinn Sigthorsson. England pressed for an equaliser but Iceland held firm and took the win. England had 68% possession and 18 shots on goal but once again the strikers were unable to convert chances into goals as only 4 shots were on target. Straight after the game, in the post-match press conference, England coach Roy Hodgson resigned (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Quarter Final - Wales (3) v (1) Belgium - Wales showed they belonged in the tournament with a shock win over a strong Belgium team. The Belgians took a 1-0 lead after 13 minutes with a thunderous 25-yard strike from Radja Nainggolan but Wales responded with the next 3 goals from captain Ashley Williams, Hal Robson-Kanu and Sam Vokes to take the win and book a place in the Semi-Final. The goal from Sam Vokes was his 1st international goal and the goal from Hal Robson-Kanu was voted the "Goal of the Tournament" by the BBC (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Wilson/Savage, PAL)
Quarter Final - Germany (1) v (1) Italy - Germany booked their place in the Semi-Finals with a nervy penalty shootout win over the Italians. After the game finished 1-1, both sides upped the drama with a wild penalty shootout which Germany won 6-5 after they conspired to miss 3 kicks and Italy 4. The Germany goal came from Mesut Ozil and the Italy goal came from Leonardo Bonucci (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Keown, PAL)
Quarter Final - France (5) v (2) Iceland - France finally ended Iceland's run in the tournament with a high-scoring win at the Stade de France. France dominated the 1st half and led 4-0 at the break. Iceland fought back in the 2nd half, but the deficit was too big to make up. The France goals came from Olivier Giroud (2), Paul Pogba, Dimitri Payet and Antoine Griezmann. The Iceland goals came from Kolbeinn Sigthorsson and Birkir Bjarnason (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Semi-Final - Portugal (2) v (0) Wales - Portugal ended Wales run in the Championships with an opportunistic win in Lyon and booked a place in their 2nd European Championship Final. The Welsh dominated the 1st half but couldn't find the goal they needed. In the 2nd half, Portugal pressed more and took their chances when they came with Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani scoring their goals in a 3 minute span (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Bowen, PAL)
Semi-Final - Germany (0) v (2) France - France shocked the favourites in Marseille to book a place in the Final. Germany controlled possession but lacked the firepower to turn it into goals. Conversely, France took their chances when they came. France took a shock 1-0 lead in at the break with a penalty just before the whistle, converted by Antoine Griezmann. Germany pressed in the 2nd half but France defended well and clinched the win with another goal in the 72nd minute from Griezmann (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Wilson/Keown, PAL)
Final - France (0) v (1) Portugal - Portugal won their 1st ever major trophy with an upset win over the Hosts, and favourites, in Paris. Portugal had to overcome the loss to injury of their captain and star player Cristiano Ronaldo in the 1st half, and grew into the game the further it went on. France dominated possession (56% to 44%) and shots on goal (18-10) but couldn't find the breakthrough they needed and in the end, Portugal made them pay with the game-winner from substitute Eder in the 2nd period of extra-time (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Murphy, PAL)