Benzema: I’d rather face Ramos than Puyol

Real Madrid and French international striker, Karim Benzema spoke to the media prior to Tuesday evening`s 2014 World Cup qualifier against Spain at the Vicente Calderon.



He  would much rather face his own teammate, Sergio Ramos, than Spain`s two other centre-backs, Barcelona duo Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol.

Benzema began by discussing his Real Madrid teammates, of which there are five, but mostly discussed centre-back Sergio Ramos and goalkeeper, Iker Casillas.



“I’ve been getting messages from a few of the lads, especially Sergio Ramos, who’s a good friend of mine. I would rather be up against him than Gerard Piqué or Carles Puyol, because I know him better.



“Casillas is one of the best players in the world, that’s all that needs to be said on the matter.”



The Frenchman then discussed the Spanish national team and losing to Spain in the Euro 2012 tournament.



“They are the best team in the world – they’ve won everything there is to win. I play with a lot of international players at Madrid, so I know what quality is. Having said that, I don’t think they are unbeatable, this is not mission impossible. It’s still 11 against 11.



“We lost this game [in June] but it doesn’t mean anything, that competition is now over. Now we have to try and win in the Calderón.



This game is different as it’s an international game, but the Calderón is always a difficult place to go, whether you are playing against Spain or Atlético Madrid.”

Ramos wants to avoid spot kicks

Spain defender Sergio Ramos hopes the Euro 2012 final against Italy is not decided by a penalty shoot-out.



Reigning European champions Spain beat Portugal 4-2 on penalties to progress from the semi-finals on Wednesday.



And Ramos does not want to see a repeat of the shootout in the final, to be played in Kiev on Sunday.



"Honestly, I would not like to go into a penalty shoot-out again," he said during a press conference.



"But we are very eager to win and for that we will need to stay humble and try to do things well, while respecting Italy.



"These days, memories of our recent past come to our mind. This motivates us to win this final and relive those incredible moments with the Spanish people."



Real Madrid defender Ramos converted his penalty against Portugal with an audacious chip, but said it was not intended as a message to those who criticised him for his failed attempt against Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals.



"A lot of things were said and the truth is that they hurt my pride," Ramos said.



"But I did not take the penalty like this for any special reason, only because I was confident.



"There were many people waiting for me to miss, but that never affected me."



Andrea Pirlo has been an integral part of Italy's run to the final, but Ramos stressed the Juventus man was not the only threat to the defending champions.



"He is a unique player, one of the best in Italy, but he is not their only threat," Ramos said.



"What has taken them to the final is their collective game. There is not just one stand-alone player."



Barcelona player Cesc Fabregas, who also netted in the shootout against Portugal, also singled out Pirlo, along with strikers Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano, as Italy's danger-men.



"We will have to stop Italy's attackers, and Pirlo as well," Fabregas said.



"Balotelli is a great player and he showed it yesterday. He scored two great goals against Germany in the semi-finals.



"That says it all. I really liked the way he played. He will be a threat, like Antonio Cassano or any other player."

Spain through after penalties

Spain are through to the final of Euro 2012 after beating Portugal 4-2 win on penalties.



The defending champions, looking to reach the final of a third successive major tournament, looked sluggish throughout the match in Donetsk but in the end they prevailed with Cesc Fabregas scoring the decisive penalty to send his side through to Sunday's decider.



A match which had been expected to be one of the games of the tournament never really fizzled into life with both sides squandering chances. Indeed, Spain had to wait until the 67th minute to have a shot on target and it was somewhat inevitable that extra time would be needed.



Despite looking lethargic during the regulation 90 minutes it was Spain who looked more life scoring in the extra half an hour, but Portugal's defence held firm and the clock ticked towards a shootout.



Xavi Alonso missed the first penalty but Joao Moutinho's effort was saved by Iker Casillas to hand the advantage back to Spain.



Anders Iniesta easily fired his beyond Patricio before Pepe, Pique and Nani all converted their chances. A piece of magic followed as Ramos dinked the ball into the net to give Spain the lead and Bruno Alves' miss ensured Fabregas had the opportunity to send the world champions into the final.



The former Arsenal skipper calmly walked up to the spot and coolly slotted home to break Portugal's hearts.

Refs favoured Spain, says Srna

Croatia's Darijo Srna has accused officials of showing bias toward Spain during his side's 1-0 Euro 2012 loss.



Slaven Bilic's men impressed against the reigning champions, frustrating them with dogged defending and creating numerous chances, only to lose out to Jesus Navas' winner in the closing minutes.



Croatia had two separate shouts for penalties turned down by referee Wolfgang Stark, decisions that Srna said would have been given in Spain's favour.



The 30-year-old also expressed his belief that Spain will need new ideas if they are to go on and win the tournament.



"We showed other teams how to play against Spain - but we forgot about the referee," the defender told the Daily Star.



"Spain have to change the way they play if they want to win the Euros. They found it difficult against Italy and us.



"We played better than Spain but the referee refused to give us two penalties. It's a very difficult moment for us.



"Referees don't respect us, although Croatia in the last six years has been among the best 10 teams in Europe.



"If they had the same situations for Spain, they would give a penalty. This is a problem for the smaller nations when they play Spain."



The Shakhtar Donetsk man also sarcastically suggested that for other teams to defeat Vicente Del Bosque's men, they will need a different official.



He added: "I don't know what the other teams will have to do to beat them (Spain). Maybe they will have to change the referee," he said.

Alonso unfazed by striker shortage

Xabi Alonso has shrugged off concerns Spain's shortage of strikers could hamper their Euro 2012 chances.



Due to an injury to David Villa, and other forwards suffering a loss of form, Vicente del Bosque tried using Cesc Fabregas as striker during their opening group game with Italy, but used Fernando Torres up front with greater effect against Republic of Ireland.



However, Alonso has said he is unconcerned about who starts as a forward, and said he wants to put all discussion of the matter to one side.



"It does not affect us," Alonso told Adidas in an interview promoting the Spain kit. "We're so outside all discussions.



"We live with them because we know it's part of football, but we are aware of what we do right and wrong, regardless of all the noise that comes from outside, so these talks do not affect us at all.



"We live with that pressure and demand, so we must remain ourselves and accept that responsibility because we fight for important things."



Speaking of the prospect of facing some of his Real Madrid team-mates later in the tournament, Alonso said he is anticipating potential contests with the likes of Germany's Mesut Oezil or France's Karim Benzema.



"I think they respect us. They know it's a great opportunity to be contesting the Euro and probably we will be going to see their faces in the next phase, hopefully," he said.



"If we see each other, the friendship will be put aside and we will fight to stop."



Spain complete their Group C campaign with a fixture against Croatia on Monday.

Xavi breaks Euro passing record

The Spain midfielder accrued 136 passes during La Roja's 4-0 win over the Republic of Ireland on Thursday, surpassing Ronald Koeman's haul for the Netherlands.

Spain midfielder Xavi has broken the record for the most passes attempted and completed in a European Championship game during the 4-0 win over Republic of Ireland.

The midfield maestro attempted 136 passes on Thursday and completed 127 of them. The previous record of 117 attempted passes had been held by Netherlands legend Ronald Koeman, who accrued that total during the 1992 tournament in a clash against Denmark.



Spain also eclipsed another European Championship mark by attempting 860 passes against the Boys in Green.





La Roja brushed Giovanni Trapattoni's men aside with ease on Thursday, running out 4-0 winners and boasting 78 per cent possession.



They now top Group C alongside Croatia, who they face in the final round of group matches on Monday.

Torres brace eliminates the Republic

Spain have thrashed Ireland 4-0 to take lead of their group at the Euro 2012. With Hibernian officially out of the tournament, Croatia and Italy could still able to leapfrog the reigning World and European champs in the fight for playoffs.

Spain 4-0 Ireland

The Spaniards effectively had no problems in their game against Ireland in Gdansk. Fernando Torres broke the deadlock already on the 4th minute as Vicente del Bosque’s charges were steadily pushing the tempo.



Their dominance brought them three more goals in the second half. First David Silva doubled the lead, elegantly firing home a hidden shot, then Torres converted a one-on-one attempt, before Cesc Fabregas fixed the final score at 4-0.



Despite the loss, thousands of Irish fans warmly welcomed the team on the stands after the game. Ireland hasn’t qualified to the major European competition since 1988, and just playing in Poland was a big achievement for Robbie Keane, Shay Given and rest of the squad.

Italy 1-1 Croatia

Italy had numerous first-half chances from Mario Balotelli, Claudio Marchisio and Antonio Cassano, but it was Andrea Pirlo who gave Italy the lead with a curving free kick in the 39th minute. The Italian veteran sent the ball over Croatia's wall and just inside the near post. Croat goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa could only get a weak hand on it when the ball was already inside his net.



Instead of capitalizing on their advantage, the Italians preferred to sit back and absorb Croatia's attacks. And they were punished for being overcautious. Mario Mandzukic found himself unmarked in the box and equalized 18 minutes from time.



Having already claimed three goals at the tournament, the Wolfsburg forward joined Russia’s Alan Dzagoev and Germany’s Mario Gomez on top of the best goalscorers list.



In the final round of group matches on Monday, Italy, with two points after two games, face underdogs Ireland, while Croatia take on Spain with both teams having 4 points.



“The squad is alive and we'll fight to the end,” Italy’s head coach Cesare Prandelli pledged.

Salgado backs Del Bosque tactics

Former Spain defender Michel Salgado said criticism of coach Vicente del Bosque is unwarranted, following his unusual selection against Italy.



Cesc Fabregas scored on Sunday while deployed as a 'false nine', but Spain could only draw 1-1 with the Azzurri in the sides' Group C opener, with the defending champions unable to create many clear-cut chances until the introduction of striker Fernando Torres 17 minutes from time.



Torres or Fernando Llorente now look to be in line for a start against Ireland on Thursday, but Salgado said his former Real Madrid coach always intended to play a more orthodox striker against Giovanni Trapattoni's side.



"Torres or Llorente will play," Salgado told Goal.com.



"Not because of the criticism, however, but because Spain are up against a team with a different style.



"Del Bosque has a squad of players and is free to use tactical variants - that's what the group is there for.



"Criticism is unfair. Del Bosque won the World Cup (in 2010) and he has earned the freedom to decide which tactics he wants to use. Against Italy, he knew that they would defend with five men behind the ball and with players closing the gaps. That is why he chose five ball-players and started without a reference point in attack."



Salgado also claims the draw with Cesare Prandelli's men was a positive result for the defending champions.



"Italy are one of the top teams historically; they are one of the most decorated sides in the history of football," he said.



"We didn't see the best of Spain but it was a good start."



The former Madrid defender is also sure Torres will come good for his country.



"The only problem for Torres is that he didn't score. He came on and did well, and if he had scored we would all be raving about him," he said.



"He had a difficult season with Chelsea but scored some important goals towards the end and, if he is given the chance, he will score in this European Championship as well."

Llorente content at Bilbao

Fernando Llorente insisted he is happy at Athletic Bilbao, despite being flattered by the alleged interest of some of Europe's top clubs.



The Spain international recently admitted he would be open to moving to England, having previously played down reports linking him with Premier League champions Manchester City.



It has also been reported that Barcelona are keen on the forward, but Llorente claims he has no great desire to leave Stadio San Mames this off-season.



"It's always nice to have teams interested in you, as it means that you have had a good season," he told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday.



"But I am happy because I am already at a great club in Athletic."



Meanwhile, Llorente - part of Spain's 23-man squad for Euro 2012 - did not see any game time in his country's tournament opener against Italy but remains confident he can force his way into Vicente del Bosque's side.



"I always hope," he said.



"We all hope to get an opportunity - that is what we are working for."



It remains to be seen if Llorente will see any action in their crucial Group C clash with Republic of Ireland on Thursday, a game which he acknowledges will be difficult for the defending Euro champions.



"We will try to play a great game, but it will not be easy because Ireland always gives their all," he said.



"They are aggressive and the game will probably take a lot out of us. But (despite the draw against Italy) the atmosphere in the squad is still great; so far very relaxed.



"We are very calm, working well and now looking forward to the game and hopefully getting our first win, which would give us great confidence."

Spain 'may not play any strikers'

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque says the world and European champions could again line up without a recognised striker against Republic of Ireland.



Barcelona's attacking midfielder Cesc Fabregas played in a more advanced position as Spain drew 1-1 against Italy in their Euro 2012 opener.



"Against Ireland we will play a number nine - though it depends what you understand by a number nine," he said.

"David Silva is a forward; Andres Iniesta plays like one, so does Cesc."

Del Bosque's decision not to start with one of his three traditional strikers - Alvaro Negredo, Fernando Torres or Fernando Llorente - surprised many on Sunday, including opponents Italy.

But the coach said he would not be swayed by the opinions of outsiders.

"We have four options - the three everyone is aware of (Negredo, Torres and Llorente) and then that of Cesc," he said.



"Those are all very good attacking solutions. I am not unhappy with the options we have.

"The only thing that interests us is what is in the interest of the team. The opinions of others surely have interests distinct from our own."

Spain complained about the quality of the Gdansk pitch following their clash with Italy and they decided to train at their practice ground, rather than the stadium, on Wednesday.