French defeat labelled catastrophic by press
France's opening Euro 2012 qualifier 1-0 defeat by Belarus provoked united despair from the French press on Saturday.

England defender Dawson out of Switzerland clash
Michael Dawson has been ruled out of England's upcoming Euro 2012 clash with Switzerland after injuring a knee during the 4-0 defeat of Bulgaria, the English Football Association said on Saturday.

Benzema fit for Bosnia clash
Real Madrid's French international striker Karim Benzema gave his country a welcome piece of good news on Saturday by being passed fit for Tuesday's Euro 2012 clash with Bosnia-Hercegovina.

Rioting in Brussels, more than 200 fans arrested
More than 200 German football hooligans have been arrested after clashing with police during rioting in Brussels in the wake of Germany's 1-0 win over Belgium in a Euro 2012 qualifier.

Capello explains Rooney role
England Fabio Capello has revealed how he changed Wayne Rooney's role in England's triumphant display against Bulgaria.

Rooney benefited from free role - Walcott
England winger Theo Walcott was impressed with Wayne Rooney's display as he played in a free role against Bulgaria.

Carragher takes swipe at Souness
Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has taken a swipe at former Reds manager Graeme Souness' tenure at Anfield, claiming that the English manager is the one who 'knocked Liverpool off their perch'.

Robinho feels at home at Milan
Former Manchester City striker Robinho said Saturday that he felt at home at new club AC Milan, a team he claimed had "Brazilian blood".

Germany's Loew eager for more points in Euro football
Germany coach Joachim Loew said he is looking forward to taking on Azerbaijan at home on Tuesday after his side opened their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign with a 1-0 win over Belgium.

Hat-trick hero Defoe relishing Rooney partnership
Jermain Defoe believes his partnership with Wayne Rooney has put England back on track after the strike duo tormented Bulgaria in Friday's 4-0 victory at Wembley.

Italy football coach praises fledgling team
Italy coach Cesare Prandelli praised his fledgling team and claimed they were on the right path following their 2-1 win against Estonia.

Cyprus stun Portugal in eight-goal draw
Portugal were held to a spectacular 4-4 draw by Cyprus in their opening Euro 2012 qualifier, a result that will be received as a victory by the visitors.

Greece fail to convince against Georgia
Euro 2004 champions Greece were held to a disappointing draw in Friday's qualifying match against Georgia.

Huntelaar bags three as Netherlands cruise to win in San Marino
World Cup finalists the Netherlands did as expected to beat San Marino 0-5 in their Euro 2012 qualifying opener.

Wernbloom inspires Sweden to beat Hungary
Two goals from Pontus Wernbloom were enough for Sweden to earn a 2-0 victory over Hungary in their opening European Championships qualifier.

Blanc 'not worried' after Belarus football shock
Laurent Blanc refused to press the panic button despite seeing France fall to a dispiriting 1-0 defeat at home to Belarus in their opening Euro 2012 qualifier here on Friday.

Fahey leads Ireland to victory in Armenia
Ireland Republic have started their 2012 European Championships campaign with a narrow 0-1 win at Armenia.

Van der Vaart reveals Atletico offer
Tottenham Hotspur's new signing Rafael van der Vaart has revealed that Atletico Madrid were the only ones who had made an offer for him with Bayern München failing to table a "concrete" bid.

Evergreen Klose strikes to sink Belgium
Evergreen striker Miroslav Klose backed up his wish to keep playing until the next World Cup with a second-half goal to seal Germany's 1-0 win over Belgium in Friday's Euro 2012 qualifier.

Torres back in business as Spain cruise
Liverpool forward Fernando Torres scored a brace as world champions Spain began their European title defence with a convincing 4-0 win over Liechtenstein on Friday in their opening Group I qualifier for the Euro 2012 finals.