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Germans and Czechs look sharp in warm-up wins
Striker Kevin Kuranyi scored both goals as Germany beat fellow Euro 2004 finalists Switzerland 2-0 in a combative warm-up from which both sides emerged unscathed hours before the deadline for definitive tournament squads. Teenagers Lukas Podolski and Bastian Schweinsteiger, who scored in Germany's 2-1 loss to Portugal in Mainz in the European under-21 championship, were included in coach Rudi Voeller's squad. Cologne striker Podolski, 18, and Bayern Munich midfielder Schweinsteiger, 19, both made their breakthrough in the Bundesliga this season and have only played for Germany at under-21 level. Voeller had named a 22-man squad on May 24, leaving a slot free which went to Podolski. Schweinsteiger replaces VfL Bochum's Paul Freier, who pulled out of the squad on Saturday because of damaged left knee ligaments. Three-time world and European champions Germany are drawn with Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Latvia in Group D. They face the Dutch in their opening match on June 15. The Swiss, whose striker Stephane Chapuisat won his 100th cap in the match in Basel, confirmed the squad named earlier as final. They are in Group B with defending champion France, England and Croatia and open against the Croatians in Leiria on June 13. Czechs win Jaroslav Plasil ensured he retained a place in the Czech Republic squad with his first international goal in the 3-1 win over Bulgaria in another warm-up involving two tournament-bound teams. The 22-year-old Monaco midfielder came on in the 70th minute and took only four minutes to find the back of the net. Milan Baros and Tomas Rosicky added second half strikes with an injury-time reply for Bulgaria coming from Milen Petkov. "There were some things in defence that I didn't like but overall I think we played well," said coach Karel Brueckner, who left 23-year-old strike Miroslav Matusovic out when he finalized his squad, according to the official Euro 2004 website. Spain defender Michel Salgado was forced to pull out of his country's squad because of a thigh injury and was replaced by Deportivo Coruna fullback Joan Capdevila. Coach Inaki Saez made the surprise decision to pick the left-sided Capdevila rather than his Deportivo team mate Manuel Pablo after doctors confirmed Real Madrid right back Salgado would be out for up to 15 days because of a torn thigh muscle. Capdevila has won three caps for Spain, making his last appearance in the 2-0 victory over Denmark in March. "Of course I'm really pleased to have been called up, it is just a shame about the circumstances," Capdevila told Spanish state television. Spain are in Group A with hosts Portugal, Greece and Russia. The Russians are Spain's first rivals in Faro on June 12. Russia coach Georgy Yartsev opted for a mixture of youth and experience when he named his squad just before the deadline. Yartsev included young newcomers, winger Vladimir Bystrov, full backs Alexander Anyukov and Alexei Bugayev along with seasoned veterans like Alexander Mostovoi and Dmitry Alenichev. No Onopko But some familiar Russian faces will not go to Portugal, notably skipper Viktor Onopko, fellow central defender Sergei Ignashevich and midfielder Yegor Titov. While the absence of Spartak Moscow captain Titov, suspended by UEFA for a year in January after testing positive for a banned stimulant following the first leg of Russia's Euro 2004 playoff against Wales, had been factored in, the loss of Onopko and Ignashevich was hard to swallow. Greece, who meet Portugal in the tournament's opening match in Porto on June 12, included Atletico Madrid striker Demis Nikolaidis despite an injury that could sideline him for two matches. In other friendlies, Turkey beat South Korea 1-0 in a rematch of the 2002 World Cup third-place match, Ireland topped Jamaica 1-0 and the United States whipped Honduras 4-0. In other games, Grenada blanked St Lucia 2-0, and Northern Ireland beat St Kitts/Nevis 2-0. |
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