As EURO 2012 takes a day off, it gives a chance to look back on what weve seen in the Group Stage and look ahead to the matchups in the quarterfinals. The Group Stage of UEFA EURO 2012 was one of the most enjoyable at a major tournament in recent memory. The standard of play was good, there were many close encounters and every match mattered. In the final round of group matches, there wasnt a single game that didnt have some meaning with regards to quarterfinal qualification. Of course, the fact that there wasnt a scoreless draw also helped, but overall it was a great 12 days of action. Best Game: The match I enjoyed watching the most during the group stage was Spain against Italy. There were matches that had more goals, but this one stood out because of the quality of the two teams. Both sides played well and were full of top players who were on form. For me, the 1-1 tie was the highest quality of soccer that we have seen so far. Best Goal: There were some goals of very high quality during the group stage, but the best was saved for the final match in group play. My vote for best goal so far goes to Zlatan Ibrahimovic with his fantastic finish to give Sweden the lead against France. Jakub Blaszczykowskis strike for co-host Poland against Russia was a close second. Biggest Surprise: Expectations for England were so low heading into the tournament that I didnt even expect them to get out of the Group Stage. The fact they went through as group winners was a major surprise. They found a way to get the job done and the biggest positive is the way in which they seem to be together as a team. The spirit in the camp is strong and Roy Hodgson deserves big credit for what he has achieved in his early days as England manager. Golden Moment: Andriy Shevchenkos double against Sweden to seal victory in the co-hosts opening match is a moment that will never be forgotten in Ukraine. Seeing him celebrating with the Ukraine fans at Olympic Stadium in Kiev following the match was incredible, especially as it was his final major tournament. Biggest Disappointment: The Netherlands. They played as individuals not as a team and they got what they deserved. Nothing. The Ugly: Hopefully this is the last major tournament without goal-line technology. Its just not acceptable to have the ball cross the line and it not be given a goal. FIFA meets early next month and is expected to rubber stamp the use of technology, and it cant come soon enough. Predicting the Quarters Czech Republic v Portugal – Hopefully this will be quite an open match between two teams that like to get forward. If Cristiano Ronaldo performs as he did in Portugals last match of the group stage against the Netherlands, they should have too much for the Czechs. My prediction: Portugal win Germany v Greece – Greece deserve immense credit for managing to get to the knockout stage, but their chances of beating Germany are very slim. The Germans are the only team to win all three of their matches in the group stage. They seem to be gaining momentum as the tournament progresses, and should have enough to break down a resolute Greek team. My prediction: Germany win Spain v France – If France play as they did against Sweden in the final group match, they will get beaten. However, we have seen enough from France in the first two matches of the tournament to suggest that the Swedish match was a one off and that they can match up well with Spain. It took Spain a long time to break down Croatia in their final group match, and I think this one will be pretty close. It could even go down to a penalty shootout. My prediction: Spain win England v Italy – England will be defensive. They dont have as much quality within their lineup as the Italians, but they do have the ability to make it difficult for their opposition and grind out results. Whether England will have enough to break down a formidable Italy defence remains to be seen, but I think this one could go the distance with the score-line tied after 90 minutes. In the end, Italy will have too much in attack for England. Mario Balotelli to score the winner in extra time? My prediction: Italy win [url=http://www.officialstlouiscardinalsstore.com/Vince-Coleman-Jersey/]http://w... . Van der Gulik also had three assists in regulation for the Monsters (13-13-2), who also got a goal and an assist from Tyson Barrie. Brad Malone and Mike Sgarbossa also scored for Lake Erie. [url=http://www.officialstlouiscardinalsstore.com/Willie-Mcgee-Jersey/]http://ww... . Tom Brunansky is the new hitting coach, Bobby Cuellar will be the bullpen coach and Terry Steinbach has been tabbed as the bench coach and catching instructor, the team announced Monday. The Twins earlier let go three of Gardenhires long-time assistants; third base coach Steve Liddle, bullpen coach Rick Stelmaszek and first base coach Jerry White, plus head trainer Rick McWane, a reaction to a second straight season of close to 100 losses. [url=http://www.officialstlouiscardinalsstore.com/Matt-Holliday-Jersey/]http://w... . -- For every step forward in the preseason, there is always something that needs fine-tuning. [url=http://www.officialstlouiscardinalsstore.com/Whitey-Herzog-Jersey/]http://w... . The star slugger landed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday but was relieved to learn theres no structural damage in his ailing left wrist. [url=http://www.officialstlouiscardinalsstore.com/Stan-Musial-Jersey/]http://www... . Manager John Farrell said the addition of McCoy -- who can also play in the outfield if needed -- gives the Blue Jays some middle infield depth. Second baseman Kelly Johnson is nursing a tender hamstring and shortstop Yunel Escobar has had a tight left groin over the last few days.NASHVILLE -- Missing a shutout was of no concern to Jimmy Howard. The Detroit Red Wings goalie was more concerned with earning a road win against a division rival. Howard stopped 31 of 32 shots to help the Red Wings stop a two-game skid with a 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Monday night. Howard credited the victory to a fast start for the Red Wings in front of a sellout crowd. "We did a great job of countering them in the first 10 minutes," Howard said. "The Predators do a great job early, but we came out mentally refreshed. We didnt look gassed or anything like that. We skated extra time during the morning skate to stretch our legs. "The first 10 minutes here you just have to survive. We did a great job of counter punching." Nashville coach Barry Trotz gave Howard the credit for getting the Red Wings off to a strong start. "We had more chances than Detroit, but the start of the game was all Jimmy Howard," Trotz said. "He made some key saves at key times. We had lots of quality chances but we just couldnt convert them." Valtteri Filppula scored the first and last goals for the Red Wings -- one in the first and another in the third. The Predators, who have lost two straight and three of four, held an 8-7 advantage in shots on goal in the first period, but the Red Wings scored the only goal. Filppula fired a shot from high in the slot that beat Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne low to his right side with 9:03 to go in the period. Filppula struck for the second time when he capped off a flurry of shots with a wrister from low in the right circle 5:22 into the third period. In the second period, the Red Wings got two goals in 13 seconds. Pavel Datsyuk scored on a wrap-around as he squeezed the puck between the left post and Rinne with 7:08 left. The play was reviewed before the goal was officially announced. "One of thhe linesmen saw it and he thought it was definitely in," Trotz said.dddddddddddd. "As I said to them, the puck was probably in but I dont know if it was conclusively in." With 6:55 to go in the period, Danny Cleary sent a wrister from the low inside edge of the right circle past Rinne glove side. "It was key to get two quick goals, especially doing it on the road," Detroits Nicklas Lidstrom said. "We got the first goal but I thought we didnt slow down at all. We just kept playing our game and getting opportunities." The Predators squandered five power-play chances. "We did an excellent job on the penalty kill," Howard said. "We kept it simple. When we got the puck, 95 per cent of the time we got it out and made them regroup and come back a full 200 feet. We chewed up a lot of time." Jonathon Blum ended Howards attempt for his fourth shutout of the season with a blast from just inside the blue-line with 2:12 left in the game. The Predators were without Shea Weber, the teams captain and points leader. He is listed as having an upper-body injury. Trotz admitted the loss of Weber changed the attitude of the team, but also thought the Predators played well despite his absence. "I think there was some apprehension," Trotz said. "We had a very good Detroit team coming in here and you dont know who is going to respond to match-ups. "I thought we responded pretty well once again. We played as well as Detroit, maybe even better." Notes: The Red Wings played the third period without Tomas Holmstrom, who pulled his groin. ... Ryan Ellis was recalled from Milwaukee of the AHL by the Predators on Monday to replace Weber and made his NHL debut. ... Johan Franzen had one assist for Detroit, the 250th point of his career. ... Filppula needs only four points to reach 200 for his career. ' ' '