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Euro 2012 Special: How Goal.com's Star Men Fared - Cassano, Cole, Sneijder, Dzeko & 47 Others
Goal.com looks back at the opening round of Euro 2012 qualifying games and decides whether their chosen star men fitted the bill...
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Sep 6, 2010 9:30:00 AM
By Gary Niblock
The marathon Euro 2012 qualifying campaign is now a game old and while most of the big guns emerged unscathed, there were a few shocks as well. Goal.com nominated its star men from each team before Friday's action and we now look back at whether they justified their status.
Here are the 51 star men ahead of the Euro 2012 Qualification campaign:
Group A
Germany: Bastian Schweinsteiger (26, Midfielder, Bayern Munich) - Schweini committed an uncharacteristic error when he lost possession inside his own half, which led to a chance for Romelu Lukaku but settled thereafter and played his part in the winning goal.
Turkey: Arda Turan (23, Winger, Galatasaray) - Turan scored his side's opener with a tap-in after Omer Erdogan's header hit the post, the first of three for his country in a comfortable win.
Austria: Marc Janko (27, Striker, Twente) - No match.
Belgium: Vincent Kompany (24, Defender/Midfielder, Manchester City) - Despite a couple of unnecessary and rash challenges on Klose, after which he was booked, he settled down to largely nullify the Bayern striker's threat.
Kazakhstan: Andrei Karpovic (29, Midfielder, FC Aktobe) - Fresh from his club side's European exploits, he set up his side's best chance with an excellent corner only to see Aleksandr Kislitsyn head wide.
Azerbaijan: Elvin Mammadov (22, Midfielder, Qarabag) - No match.
Group B
Russia: Andriy Arshavin (29, Midfielder, Arsenal) - He captained his country to victory, setting up the first goal for Pogrebnyak in the process and managing to stay on the field this time.
Slovakia: Marek Hamsik (23, Midfielder, Napoli) - Slovakia's captain delivered when it counted with an excellent left-foot cross in stoppage time for Filip Holosko's winner.
Republic of Ireland: Robbie Keane (30, Striker, Tottenham Hotspur) - Ireland's all-time record goalscorer missed two sitters, however he did help to set up Keith Fahey's winning goal.
FYR Macedonia: Goran Pandev (27, Striker, Inter) - Tried and failed to break the deadlock, hitting one shot wide and having another saved before seeing his side concede in stoppage time.
Armenia: Henrikh Mkhitaryan (21, Midfielder, Shakhtar Donetsk): One of his side's brighter performers, he showed an eye for a pass and an ability to beat a man.
Andorra: Ildefons Lima (30, Defender, Bellinzona): The captain struggled to deal with Pogrebnyak and also picked up a booking for his troubles.
Group C
Estonia: Andres Oper (32, Striker, ADO Den Haag) - The veteran Estonian did not get off the bench.
Italy: Antonio Cassano (28, Striker, Sampdoria) - Finally, finally restored to the national side and he showed why the clamour for his recall had been so great, scoring a header as well as setting up Leonardo Bonucci's strike with a stunning backheel.
Serbia: Nemanja Vidic (28, Defender, Manchester United) - It was a trouble-free opening game for one of Europe's top centre-backs though he will have much tougher tests to come.
Northern Ireland: Steven Davis (25, Midfielder, Rangers) - Naturally a creative force in the heart of midfield, he sacrificed himself somewhat for the cause, playing more defensively and it paid off as Norn Iron clinched a long-awaited away win.
Faroe Islands: Christian Høgni Jacobsen (30, Midfielder/Striker, NSI Runavik) - Did not play.
Slovenia: Valter Birsa (24, Midfielder, Auxerre) - Enjoyed an intriguing battle against young Craig Cathcart, which the young Northern Irish defender shaded. The Auxerre man was profligate from dead-ball situations.
Group D
France: Florent Malouda (30, Winger, Chelsea) - Emerged with credit from one of his country's worst ever defeats as he was les Bleus' most likely goal threat and displayed some superb skill and alertness throughout.
Romania: Christian Chivu (29, Defender, Inter) - Did not play.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Edin Dzeko (24, Striker, Wolfsburg) - Continues to score goals for club and country and was fittingly set up for his goal by former team-mate Zvezdjan Misimovic.
Belarus: Aliaksandr Hleb (29, Midfielder, Birmingham City) - Set up his side's memorable winning goal with a burst to the by-line and cutback. Also made some incisive passes as he cut infield.
Albania: Lorik Cana (27, Midfielder, Galatasaray) - The defensive midfielder battled away and was as ever not afraid to get stuck in. Would have liked to have been more threatening with his set-pieces however.
Luxembourg: Mario Mutsch (25, Midfielder, Metz) - He found it hard going against the irresistible Bosnian midfield but still managed a couple of efforts on goal later on.
Group E
Netherlands: Wesley Sneijder (26, Midfielder, Inter) - The Dutch maestro continued his excellent form for Oranje, setting up the first of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's hat-trick and proving to be an attacking menace throughout.
Sweden: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (28, Striker, Milan) - Ibra was irresistible on his competitive return to Swedish colours displaying superb vision and a willingness to function as part of a cohesive unit. With him firing, Sweden should be good for a play-off berth.
Finland: Sami Hyypia (36, Defender, Bayer Leverkusen) - Not the best fortnight for the former Liverpool man since he signed a contract extension at the Bay Arena - after Bayer shipped six goals, he was sent off on international duty in Chisinau.
Hungary: Dzsudzsak Balazs (23, Midfielder, PSV) - The flying left winger was his side's best player in the first half, creating several openings and it was a surprise when he was replaced at the break by Huszti Szabolcs.
Moldova: Alexandru Epureanu (23, Midfielder, Dynamo Moscow) - Took advantage of Finland's reduction to ten men and controlled the midfield as he led his side to a rare victory.
San Marino: Andy Selva (34, Striker, Hellas Verona) - He troubled Maarten Stekelenburg with one effort on goal, which is as much as the veteran could have hoped for.
Group F
Croatia: Dario Srna (28, Defender/Midfielder, Shakhtar Donetsk) - A player who needs no invitation to foray forward, he sealed his side's 3-0 win with a goal eight minutes from time.
Greece: Giorgios Samaras (25, Striker, Celtic) - He won't improve his mediocre goal record with performances like this - not a single effort on goal, booked and replaced before an hour was up.
Israel: Yossi Benayoun (30, Midfielder, Chelsea) - Israel's talisman single-handedly swept Malta aside with a superb hat-trick and also even having a goal disallowed.
Latvia: Andrejs Rubins (31, Midfielder, Qarabag) - Had a miserable game as his side were outclassed and they only managed one effort on goal in the entire 90 minutes.
Georgia: Levan Kenia (19, Midfielder, Schalke) - Did not play.
Malta: Shaun Bajada (27, Midfielder, Birkirkara) - A decent showing from the midfielder who had a few efforts on goal and gave a good account of himself in general.
Group G
England: Ashley Cole (29, Defender, Chelsea) - Cole was back to his attacking best against Bulgaria and consistently supported the attack, capping a fine performance with an assist.
Switzerland: Gokhan Inler (26, Midfielder, Udinese) - No match
Bulgaria: Stiliyan Petrov (31, Midfielder, Aston Villa) - Despite his side's defeat, stood up well to England's midfield, breaking up a number of attacks and he also tested Joe Hart with a stinging shot.
Wales: Gareth Bale (21, Defender, Tottenham Hotspur) - Proved a constant threat to the Montenegrins down the left-hand side and was his side's best player in defeat.
Montenegro: Mirko Vucinic (26, Winger/Striker, Roma) - Lived up to his billing as his side's best player with a magnificent individual goal to win the game and was at the heart of all Montenegro's attacks.
Group H
Portugal: Cristiano Ronaldo (25, Winger/Striker, Real Madrid) - Portugal's superstar missed the 4-4 draw with Cyprus with an ankle injury.
Denmark: Simon Kjaer (21, Defender, Wolfsburg) - No match
Norway: Brede Hangeland (29, Defender, Fulham) - He headed home a vital equaliser for his side from Erik Husaklepp's corner just before the hour mark to give a platform for his side to go on and win the game late on.
Cyprus: Efstathios Aloneftis (27, Winger, Omonia Nicosia) - The left-sided player opened the scoring after three minutes with an audacious lob over Eduardo that set his country on their way on one of their greatest nights.
Iceland: Gretar Steinsson (28, Defender, Bolton Wanderers) - A quiet game for the former AZ right-back though he was more disciplined than usual, not committing a single foul in his 76 minutes on the field.
Group I
Spain: Xavi (30, Midfielder, Barcelona) - Only played a half before being replaced by Cesc Fabregas however he had enough time to stamp his authority all over his minnow opponents.
Czech Republic: Petr Cech (28, Goalkeeper, Chelsea) - No match.
Scotland: Scott Brown (25, Midfielder, Celtic) - Another less than sterling showing from the Celtic man who needs to calm down when he pulls on the national jersey and let his football do the talking.
Lithuania: Marius Stankevicius (29, Defender, Valencia) - Was surprisingly the weakest of his side's defenders, making one notable unforced error however Scotland failed to capitalise enough on an off-night for the Valencia man.
Liechenstein: Mario Frick (35, Striker, St, Gallen) - The veteran held the ball up well at times but always had a thankless task as Spain inevitably dominated.
Here are the 51 star men ahead of the Euro 2012 Qualification campaign:
Group A
Germany: Bastian Schweinsteiger (26, Midfielder, Bayern Munich) - Schweini committed an uncharacteristic error when he lost possession inside his own half, which led to a chance for Romelu Lukaku but settled thereafter and played his part in the winning goal. Turkey: Arda Turan (23, Winger, Galatasaray) - Turan scored his side's opener with a tap-in after Omer Erdogan's header hit the post, the first of three for his country in a comfortable win. Austria: Marc Janko (27, Striker, Twente) - No match. Belgium: Vincent Kompany (24, Defender/Midfielder, Manchester City) - Despite a couple of unnecessary and rash challenges on Klose, after which he was booked, he settled down to largely nullify the Bayern striker's threat. Kazakhstan: Andrei Karpovic (29, Midfielder, FC Aktobe) - Fresh from his club side's European exploits, he set up his side's best chance with an excellent corner only to see Aleksandr Kislitsyn head wide. Azerbaijan: Elvin Mammadov (22, Midfielder, Qarabag) - No match.Group B
Russia: Andriy Arshavin (29, Midfielder, Arsenal) - He captained his country to victory, setting up the first goal for Pogrebnyak in the process and managing to stay on the field this time. Slovakia: Marek Hamsik (23, Midfielder, Napoli) - Slovakia's captain delivered when it counted with an excellent left-foot cross in stoppage time for Filip Holosko's winner. Republic of Ireland: Robbie Keane (30, Striker, Tottenham Hotspur) - Ireland's all-time record goalscorer missed two sitters, however he did help to set up Keith Fahey's winning goal. FYR Macedonia: Goran Pandev (27, Striker, Inter) - Tried and failed to break the deadlock, hitting one shot wide and having another saved before seeing his side concede in stoppage time. Armenia: Henrikh Mkhitaryan (21, Midfielder, Shakhtar Donetsk): One of his side's brighter performers, he showed an eye for a pass and an ability to beat a man. Andorra: Ildefons Lima (30, Defender, Bellinzona): The captain struggled to deal with Pogrebnyak and also picked up a booking for his troubles.Group C
Estonia: Andres Oper (32, Striker, ADO Den Haag) - The veteran Estonian did not get off the bench. Italy: Antonio Cassano (28, Striker, Sampdoria) - Finally, finally restored to the national side and he showed why the clamour for his recall had been so great, scoring a header as well as setting up Leonardo Bonucci's strike with a stunning backheel. Serbia: Nemanja Vidic (28, Defender, Manchester United) - It was a trouble-free opening game for one of Europe's top centre-backs though he will have much tougher tests to come. Northern Ireland: Steven Davis (25, Midfielder, Rangers) - Naturally a creative force in the heart of midfield, he sacrificed himself somewhat for the cause, playing more defensively and it paid off as Norn Iron clinched a long-awaited away win. Faroe Islands: Christian Høgni Jacobsen (30, Midfielder/Striker, NSI Runavik) - Did not play. Slovenia: Valter Birsa (24, Midfielder, Auxerre) - Enjoyed an intriguing battle against young Craig Cathcart, which the young Northern Irish defender shaded. The Auxerre man was profligate from dead-ball situations.Group D
France: Florent Malouda (30, Winger, Chelsea) - Emerged with credit from one of his country's worst ever defeats as he was les Bleus' most likely goal threat and displayed some superb skill and alertness throughout. Romania: Christian Chivu (29, Defender, Inter) - Did not play. Bosnia and Herzegovina: Edin Dzeko (24, Striker, Wolfsburg) - Continues to score goals for club and country and was fittingly set up for his goal by former team-mate Zvezdjan Misimovic. Belarus: Aliaksandr Hleb (29, Midfielder, Birmingham City) - Set up his side's memorable winning goal with a burst to the by-line and cutback. Also made some incisive passes as he cut infield. Albania: Lorik Cana (27, Midfielder, Galatasaray) - The defensive midfielder battled away and was as ever not afraid to get stuck in. Would have liked to have been more threatening with his set-pieces however. Luxembourg: Mario Mutsch (25, Midfielder, Metz) - He found it hard going against the irresistible Bosnian midfield but still managed a couple of efforts on goal later on.Group E
Netherlands: Wesley Sneijder (26, Midfielder, Inter) - The Dutch maestro continued his excellent form for Oranje, setting up the first of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's hat-trick and proving to be an attacking menace throughout. Sweden: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (28, Striker, Milan) - Ibra was irresistible on his competitive return to Swedish colours displaying superb vision and a willingness to function as part of a cohesive unit. With him firing, Sweden should be good for a play-off berth. Finland: Sami Hyypia (36, Defender, Bayer Leverkusen) - Not the best fortnight for the former Liverpool man since he signed a contract extension at the Bay Arena - after Bayer shipped six goals, he was sent off on international duty in Chisinau. Hungary: Dzsudzsak Balazs (23, Midfielder, PSV) - The flying left winger was his side's best player in the first half, creating several openings and it was a surprise when he was replaced at the break by Huszti Szabolcs. Moldova: Alexandru Epureanu (23, Midfielder, Dynamo Moscow) - Took advantage of Finland's reduction to ten men and controlled the midfield as he led his side to a rare victory. San Marino: Andy Selva (34, Striker, Hellas Verona) - He troubled Maarten Stekelenburg with one effort on goal, which is as much as the veteran could have hoped for.Group F
Croatia: Dario Srna (28, Defender/Midfielder, Shakhtar Donetsk) - A player who needs no invitation to foray forward, he sealed his side's 3-0 win with a goal eight minutes from time. Greece: Giorgios Samaras (25, Striker, Celtic) - He won't improve his mediocre goal record with performances like this - not a single effort on goal, booked and replaced before an hour was up. Israel: Yossi Benayoun (30, Midfielder, Chelsea) - Israel's talisman single-handedly swept Malta aside with a superb hat-trick and also even having a goal disallowed. Latvia: Andrejs Rubins (31, Midfielder, Qarabag) - Had a miserable game as his side were outclassed and they only managed one effort on goal in the entire 90 minutes. Georgia: Levan Kenia (19, Midfielder, Schalke) - Did not play. Malta: Shaun Bajada (27, Midfielder, Birkirkara) - A decent showing from the midfielder who had a few efforts on goal and gave a good account of himself in general.Group G
England: Ashley Cole (29, Defender, Chelsea) - Cole was back to his attacking best against Bulgaria and consistently supported the attack, capping a fine performance with an assist. Switzerland: Gokhan Inler (26, Midfielder, Udinese) - No match Bulgaria: Stiliyan Petrov (31, Midfielder, Aston Villa) - Despite his side's defeat, stood up well to England's midfield, breaking up a number of attacks and he also tested Joe Hart with a stinging shot. Wales: Gareth Bale (21, Defender, Tottenham Hotspur) - Proved a constant threat to the Montenegrins down the left-hand side and was his side's best player in defeat. Montenegro: Mirko Vucinic (26, Winger/Striker, Roma) - Lived up to his billing as his side's best player with a magnificent individual goal to win the game and was at the heart of all Montenegro's attacks.Group H
Portugal: Cristiano Ronaldo (25, Winger/Striker, Real Madrid) - Portugal's superstar missed the 4-4 draw with Cyprus with an ankle injury. Denmark: Simon Kjaer (21, Defender, Wolfsburg) - No match Norway: Brede Hangeland (29, Defender, Fulham) - He headed home a vital equaliser for his side from Erik Husaklepp's corner just before the hour mark to give a platform for his side to go on and win the game late on. Cyprus: Efstathios Aloneftis (27, Winger, Omonia Nicosia) - The left-sided player opened the scoring after three minutes with an audacious lob over Eduardo that set his country on their way on one of their greatest nights. Iceland: Gretar Steinsson (28, Defender, Bolton Wanderers) - A quiet game for the former AZ right-back though he was more disciplined than usual, not committing a single foul in his 76 minutes on the field.Group I
Spain: Xavi (30, Midfielder, Barcelona) - Only played a half before being replaced by Cesc Fabregas however he had enough time to stamp his authority all over his minnow opponents. Czech Republic: Petr Cech (28, Goalkeeper, Chelsea) - No match. Scotland: Scott Brown (25, Midfielder, Celtic) - Another less than sterling showing from the Celtic man who needs to calm down when he pulls on the national jersey and let his football do the talking. Lithuania: Marius Stankevicius (29, Defender, Valencia) - Was surprisingly the weakest of his side's defenders, making one notable unforced error however Scotland failed to capitalise enough on an off-night for the Valencia man. Liechenstein: Mario Frick (35, Striker, St, Gallen) - The veteran held the ball up well at times but always had a thankless task as Spain inevitably dominated.Our 
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