ユーロ２０１２プレーオフドロー決定！！

Draw for the UEFA EURO 2012 play-offs(uefa.com)

The draw for the UEFA EURO 2012 play-offs in Krakow today produced a repeat of the epic quarter-final from 2008 when Turkey eliminated Croatia on penalties.

On 20 June 2008 in Vienna, Croatia were on the verge of a semi-final place after Ivan Klasnić struck in the 119th minute only for Semih Şentürk to score a dramatic equaliser in the dying seconds. Turkey won the shoot-out to progress to a last-four meeting against Germany which they lost 3-2.

Bosnia and Herzegovina and Portugal will also be renewing ties after the Portuguese edged a play-off between the sides for the 2010 FIFA World Cup 2-0 on aggregate. The two teams in contention with no previous play-off experience, Estonia and Montenegro, drew the Republic of Ireland and the Czech Republic respectively.

Play-off draw
Turkey v Croatia
Estonia v Republic of Ireland
Czech Republic v Montenegro
Bosnia and Herzegovina v Portugal

First legs: 11/12 November
Second legs: 15 November

Play-off records
Bosnia and Herzegovina – P1 L1
Croatia – P2 W2
Czech Republic – P2 W1 L1
Estonia – N/A
Montenegro – N/A
Portugal – P1 W1
Republic of Ireland – P5 W1 L4
Turkey – P4 W3 L1

Already qualified
Co-hosts: Poland and Ukraine
Group winners: Spain (holders), Germany, Russia, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Greece, England, and Denmark
Best runners-up: Sweden

Final tournament draw: 2 December in Kyiv, 18.00CET (20.00 local time)
Final tournament: 8 June–1 July
Final tournament venues: Gdansk, Poznan, Warsaw, Wroclaw (Poland); Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Lviv (Ukraine)

UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino, who conducted the draw alongside former Poland forward and tournament ambassador Zbigniew Boniek, said: "There are two important reasons why we are here in Krakow today. First of all, this draw is a key milestone on the road that is taking us closer to the final tournament to be played in Poland and Ukraine in June next year. This is the third play-off draw in UEFA EURO history, but actually the first one to be held in one of the host countries.

"The second reason for us being here in Krakow is of utmost importance for football as a whole and linked to our mission to protect the essential values of our sport and to eradicate a major threat: illegal betting and match-fixing. It's for this second reason that UEFA is joining the European sports ministers meeting [this afternoon to discuss these issues]."

ユーロ２０１２のプレイオフラウンドのドローがポーランドのクラクフで行われ、本戦への残り４つの椅子を８チームが争う組み合わせが決定した。

前大会セミファイナルに進出したトルコはクォーターファイナルで対戦したクロアチアと激突。最終節でトップから滑り落ちたポルトガルは成長が著しいボスニア・ヘルツェゴビナと、エストニアはワールドカップ南アフリカ大会プレーオフでアンリのハンドでフランスに切符を奪われたアイルランドと、復活を目指すチェコはイングランドを追い詰めたモンテネグロと対戦することになった。

どのゲームも厳しいことにかわりはないが、決定力に難を抱えるポルトガルがうまく入れなければボスニア・ヘルツェゴビナに足を掬われる可能性はある。

面白い戦いになりそうだが、本大会出場への渇望はどのチームも同じ。最後はどこが笑うのだろうか。