ESPN Caribbean's Robbie Earle and Shaka Hislop on EURO 2012 Semifinals. Coverage continues Live on ESPN Caribbean June 27 and 28
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By TJJ Admin
Published on 26-Jun-12
ESPN Caribbean continues comprehensive LIVE coverage of the UEFA European Football Championship™ 2012 with the semifinal matches: Portugal vs. Spain from Donetsk, Ukraine on Wednesday, June 27 and Germany vs. Italy from Warsaw, Poland on Thursday, June 28. Match coverage of both semifinals begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on the ESPN Caribbean network and ESPNPlay.com, the region’s recently launched broadband network. ESPN Caribbean will re-air each match in prime time at 7:30 p.m. ET.
ESPN Caribbean is the only entity that will have carried ALL 31 matches of UEFA EURO 2012 in the region from June 8 to July 1. Matches have been played in eight cities across Poland and Ukraine, with the final on Sunday, July 1 at 2:30 p.m. ET from Kiev, Ukraine.
Jamaica international Robbie Earle, an ESPN Soccernet Press Pass contributor and former EPL standout, will appear on the program daily at 7 p.m. ET from June 26 to 29 to discuss the EURO 2012 matches. He commented on the semifinal matchups: “Portugal-Spain is going to be decided by which team can find their striker. I view Portugal as the winner if they had a top class striker. The obvious goal set comes from the side areas, from Nani and Ronaldo. They do not have the central man who can convert the team’s chances. Spain has the strikers, but the match winner will depend on which striker turns up.
“Regarding the Germany-Italy match,” Earle continued, “the traditional national identities aren’t holding true. Germany is playing more like Spain: inventive, fluid, expansive soccer. And Italy is playing more like Germany: solid and organized. It looks like the teams have mixed characteristics.”
Shaka Hislop, former Trinidad & Tobago international and standout EPL goalkeeper, also will discuss the semifinals on this week’s editions of ESPN Soccernet Press Pass. Hislop said, “Portugal had underperformed by their own standards as a team. Cristiano Ronaldo had proved to be the difference. Now, I think they have demonstrated a more complete team performance. Spain knows Ronaldo. There's a rivalry. Spain was the favorite of many coming into the tournament. I don't think they played that well in the group stage but they looked their best in the quarters against France. They were dominant.
“Germany was many people’s second favorite,” Hislop added. “They have two more days rest than the Italians. They are young and cover a lot of ground. Italy is older and a one-dimensional squad led by Andrea Pirlo. You need to stifle Pirlo, and I think the Germans can do that. Maybe the Italians have gone further than many thought they would. They are the only team in the semis to finish second after the group stage."
Semifinals and Final LIVE (schedule subject to change) and Re-airs*
ESPN Caribbean continues comprehensive LIVE coverage of the UEFA European Football Championship™ 2012 with the semifinal matches: Portugal vs. Spain from Donetsk, Ukraine on Wednesday, June 27 and Germany vs. Italy from Warsaw, Poland on Thursday, June 28. Match coverage of both semifinals begins at ...
ESPN Caribbean continues comprehensive LIVE coverage of the UEFA European Football Championship™ 2012 with the semifinal matches: Portugal vs. Spain from Donetsk, Ukraine on Wednesday, June 27 and Germany vs. Italy from Warsaw, Poland on Thursday, June 28. Match coverage of both semifinals begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on the ESPN Caribbean network and ESPNPlay.com, the region’s recently launched broadband network. ESPN Caribbean will re-air each match in prime time at 7:30 p.m. ET.
ESPN Caribbean is the only entity that will have carried ALL 31 matches of UEFA EURO 2012 in the region from June 8 to July 1. Matches have been played in eight cities across Poland and Ukraine, with the final on Sunday, July 1 at 2:30 p.m. ET from Kiev, Ukraine.
Jamaica international Robbie Earle, an ESPN Soccernet Press Pass contributor and former EPL standout, will appear on the program daily at 7 p.m. ET from June 26 to 29 to discuss the EURO 2012 matches. He commented on the semifinal matchups: “Portugal-Spain is going to be decided by which team can find their striker. I view Portugal as the winner if they had a top class striker. The obvious goal set comes from the side areas, from Nani and Ronaldo. They do not have the central man who can convert the team’s chances. Spain has the strikers, but the match winner will depend on which striker turns up.
“Regarding the Germany-Italy match,” Earle continued, “the traditional national identities aren’t holding true. Germany is playing more like Spain: inventive, fluid, expansive soccer. And Italy is playing more like Germany: solid and organized. It looks like the teams have mixed characteristics.”
Shaka Hislop, former Trinidad & Tobago international and standout EPL goalkeeper, also will discuss the semifinals on this week’s editions of ESPN Soccernet Press Pass. Hislop said, “Portugal had underperformed by their own standards as a team. Cristiano Ronaldo had proved to be the difference. Now, I think they have demonstrated a more complete team performance. Spain knows Ronaldo. There's a rivalry. Spain was the favorite of many coming into the tournament. I don't think they played that well in the group stage but they looked their best in the quarters against France. They were dominant.
“Germany was many people’s second favorite,” Hislop added. “They have two more days rest than the Italians. They are young and cover a lot of ground. Italy is older and a one-dimensional squad led by Andrea Pirlo. You need to stifle Pirlo, and I think the Germans can do that. Maybe the Italians have gone further than many thought they would. They are the only team in the semis to finish second after the group stage."
Semifinals and Final LIVE (schedule subject to change) and Re-airs*
|
Date |
Time (ET) |
Match |
Networks |
|
Wednesday, June 27 |
2:30 p.m. |
Semifinal I – Spain vs. Portugal |
ESPN Caribbean/ESPNPlay.com |
|
|
7:30 p.m. |
Semifinal I – Spain vs. Portugal* |
EPSN Caribbean |
|
Thursday, June 28 |
2:30 p.m. |
Semifinal II – Germany Italy |
ESPN Caribbean/ESPNPlay.com |
|
|
7:30 p.m. |
Semifinal II – Germany vs. Italy* |
ESPN Caribbean |
|
Sunday, July 1 |
2:30 p.m. |
Final From Kiev, Ukraine |
ESPN Caribbean/ESPNPlay.com |