At Euro 2012, age is just a number. Several veterans of the game have outshone their much younger counterparts to play the starring role for their respective sides. At the end of the quarter final stages of the tournament, Ai??we look at players who have defied the age barrier and come up trumps for their country.
Andriy Shevchenko (35)
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Playing in what would surely be his last major international tournament, Andriy Shevchenko put on a show for the home fans as Ukraine came from behind to record a famous win against a tough Sweden team. The former Ballon dai??i??Or winner, who made his name as one of the world’s foremost penalty box predators, showed the world that he has lost none of his goal-scoring instincts with two perfectly guided headers.
Shevchenko filled Ukrainian hearts with hopes of qualification from the group stages but an injury to his left knee, sustained during the group game defeat against France, meant he had to be confined to the bench in the final game.
Missing their talisman in front of goal, Ukraine crashed out despite creating a host of chances and dominating England for large periods in the game.
Miroslav Klose (34)
The German forward missed five weeks at the end of the season due to a thigh injury and his place in the Maanschaft was in doubt. However, Klose recovered just in time to make the squad for Euro 2012.
Initially starting from the bench while he regained full fitness, Joachim Low reinstated him into the starting line-up in the quarter-finals against Greece. Within 68 minutes, the former World Cup Golden Boot winner repaid the faith by scoring a crucial goal to put Germany in a commanding position at 3-1. Minutes later, Klose had another assist for Marco Reus vindicating his selection in the side ahead of an in-form Mario Gomez.
Klose is now only four short of Gerd Mullerai??i??s all time record of 68 goals for Germany and while he may not achieve it at this Euro, the German striker certainly has the talent and tenacity to achieve the feat in the near future.
Olof Mellberg (34)
The Sweden central defender is a veteran of 4 Euro Championships, which is a record for his country. In the current edition, Mellberg has proved to be one of the standout performers in a largely underachieving Sweden side.
The big Swede was never the most mobile of centre backs and his primary strengths were his physical presence and aerial ability. This was most evident in the second group game against England when Mellberg rose to the fore with his team down 1-0. Two exceptional headers in quick succession swung the game in the Swedes favour as they found themselves leading 2-1. However, they were unable to defend the lead and lost 3-2.
Andrea Pirlo (33)
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Ever since he left Milan, Andrea Pirlo has had nothing short of a renaissance both at club level as well as the international stage. The lynchpin of the Italian midfield, Pirlo has been instrumental in Italyai??i??s impressive displays against the Spanish and Irish teams.
Pirlo has played the most passes of all Italians and has notched up two assists along the way. A trademark free kick against the Croatians, only underlined his undisputed class.
The Juventus play maker once again put in a fine performance in the quarter-final win against England and capped it off with one of the coolest penalties ever taken in a shootout. Teams, hereafter, will be looking to stop Pirlo to halt Italy’s progress in the competition. Easier said than done.
Steven Gerrard (32)
Steven Gerrard is the oldest member in a young English side and is also perhaps the most important. Inspite of his tactical indiscipline at times, the maverick midfielder from Liverpool is renowned for marauding all over the pitch and making late runs into the opposition penalty area with devastating effect.
Euro 2012 however, has seen a different Gerrard. Displaying excellent positional awareness while playing as a deep lying playmaker, the English captain has been head and shoulders above his compatriots. Gerrard also has made the most number of tackles and passes for his team and his crosses along with set piece deliveries have been exceptional. He currently sits at the top of the assists table at 3.
England narrowly lost out on penalties against Italy at the quarter-final stage but Gerrard bowed out with his head held high. Captain Fantastic has proved that he still has a few good years ahead of him.
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