France drops Gourcuff, Dane Sorensen hurt

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, May 29, 2012

[EURO 2012 COUNTDOWN] Yoann Gourcuff, once considered the heir apparent to Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane in French soccer, was dropped from France's Euro 2012 squad.

Gourcuff, named to Laurent Blanc's preliminary squad despite of a poor season with Lyon, failed to impress in the Bleus' 3-2 win over Iceland on Sunday.

--  Kasper Schmeichel, son of former Denmark great Thomas Schmeichel, was called up to replace goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen, who is out of Euro 2012 after suffering a back injury in Saturday's friendly against Brazil in Hamburg.

-- Paul McShane, who played at Crystal Palace on loan from Hull City this season, was named in Ireland's Euro 2012 squad after Kevin Foley dropped out due a hamstring injury.

GROUP A: Poland 23
Goalkeepers: Wojciech Szczesny (Arsenal/ENG), Przemyslaw Tyton (PSV/NED), Grzegorz Sandomierski (Jagiellonia Bialystok).
Defenders: Lukasz Piszczek (Bor. Dortmund/GER), Marcin Wasilewski (Anderlecht/BEL), Jakub Wawrzyniak (Legia Warsaw), Marcin Kaminski (Lech Poznan), Grzegorz Wojtkowiak (Lech Poznan), Sebastian Boenisch (Werder Bremen/GER), Damien Perquis (Sochaux/FRA).
Midfielders: Eugen Polanski (Mainz/GER), Dariusz Dudka (Auxerre/FRA), Adam Matuszczyk (Fortuna Duesseldorf/GER), Adrian Mierzejewski (Trabzonspor/TUR), Jakub Blaszczykowski (Bor. Dortmund/GER), Ludovic Obraniak (Bordeaux/FRA), Maciej Rybus (Terek Grozny), Kamil Grosicki (Sivasspor/TUR), Rafal Murawski (Lech Poznan), Rafal Wolski (Legia Warsaw).
Forwards: Robert Lewandowski (Bor. Dortmund/GER), Artur Sobiech (Hannover 96/GER), Pawel Brozek (Celtic/SCO).

Czech Republic 23
Goalkeepers: Petr Cech (Chelsea/ENG), Jaroslav Drobny (Hamburg/GER), Jan Lastuvka (Dnipro/UKR).
Defenders: Vladimir Darida (Viktoria Plzen), Theodor Gebre Selassie (Liberec), Roman Hubnik (Hertha Berlin/GER), Michal Kadlec (Bayer Leverkusen/GER), David Limbersky (Viktoria Plzen), Frantisek Rajtoral (Viktoria Plzen), Tomas Sivok (Besiktas/TUR), Marek Suchy (Spartak Moscow/RUS).
Midfielders: Tomas Hubschman (Shakhtar Donetsk/UKR), Petr Jiracek (Wolfsburg/GER), Daniel Kolar (Viktoria Plzen), Milan Petrzela (Viktoria Plzen), Vaclav Pilar (Viktoria Plzen), Jaroslav Plasil (Bordeaux/FRA), Jan Rezek (Anorthosis/CYP), Tomas Rosicky (Arsenal/ENG).
Forwards: Milan Baros (Galatasaray/TUR), David Lafata (Jablonec), Tomas Necid (CSKA Moscow/RU), Tomas Pekhart (Nuremberg/GER).

Russia 23
Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow), Vyacheslav Malafeev (Zenit St. Petersburg), Anton Shunin (Dinamo Moscow).
Defenders: Alexander Anyukov (Zenit St. Petersburg), Alexei Berezutski (CSKA Moscow), Sergei Ignashevich (CSKA Moscow), Vladimir Granat (Dinamo Moscow), Yuri Zhirkov (Anzhi), Roman Sharonov (Rubin Kazan), Kirill Nababkin (CSKA Moscow).
Midfielders: Igor Denisov (Zenit St. Petersburg), Roman Shirokov (Zenit St. Petersburg), Konstantin Zyryanov (Zenit St. Petersburg), Denis Glushakov (Lok. Moscow), Igor Semshov (Dinamo Moscow), Dmitry Kombarov (Spartak Moscow).
Forwards: Andrei Arshavin (Arsenal/ENG), Alexander Kerzhakov (Zenit St. Petersburg), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Tottenham/ENG), Pavel Pogrebnyak (VfB Stuttgart/GER), Alan Dzagoyev (CSKA Moscow), Marat Izmailov (Sporting/POR), Alexander Kokorin (Dinamo Moscow).

Greece 23
Goalkeepers: Costas Chalkias (PAOK), Michalis Sifakis (Aris), Alexis Tzorvas (Palermo/ITA).
Defenders: Avraam Papadopoulos (Olympiakos), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Werder Bremen/GER), Vassilis Torosidis (Olympiakos), Jose Holebas (Olympiakos), Stelios Malezas (PAOK), Yiannis Maniatis (Olympiakos), Kyriakos Papadopoulos (Schalke 04/GER).
Midfielders: Yiannis Fetfatzidis (Olympiakos), Grigoris Makos (AEK Athens), Costas Katsouranis (Panathinaikos), Giorgos Fotakis (PAOK), Costas Fortounis (Kaiserslautern/GER), Giorgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Alexandros Tziolis (Monaco/FRA), Sotiris Ninis (Panathinaikos).
Forwards: Giorgos Samaras (Celtic/SCO), Dimitris Salpigidis (PAOK), Costas Mitroglou (Olympiakos), Nikos Liberopoulos (AEK Athens), Fanis Gekas (Samsunspor/TUR).

GROUP B: Germany 23
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover 96).
Defenders: Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich), Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Benedikt Hoewedes (Schalke 04), Mats Hummels (Bor. Dortmund), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal/ENG), Marcel Schmelzer (Bor. Dortmund).
Midfielders: Lars Bender (Bayer Leverkusen), Mario Goetze (Bor. Dortmund), Ilkay Guendogan (Bor. Dortmund), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid/SPA), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Thomas Mueller (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid/SPA), Lukas Podolski (FC Cologne), Marco Reus (Bor. M'Gadbach), Andre Schuerrle (Bayer Leverkusen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich).
Forwards: Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich), Miroslav Klose (Lazio/ITA).

Netherlands 23
Goalkeepers: Maarten Stekelenburg (Roma), Michel Vorm (Swansea), Tim Krul (Newcastle).
Defenders: Khalid Boulahrouz (VfB Stuttgart), John Heitinga (Everton), Joris Mathijsen (Malaga), Ron Vlaar (Feyenoord), Wilfred Bouma (PSV), Gregory van der Wiel (Ajax), Jetro Willems (PSV).
Midfielders: Ibrahim Afellay (Barcelona), Mark van Bommel (AC Milan), Nigel de Jong (Man. City), Stijn Schaars (Sporting), Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan), Kevin Strootman (PSV), Rafael van der Vaart (Tottenham).
Forwards: Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke 04), Luuk de Jong (FC Twente), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Luciano Narsingh (Heerenveen), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich).

Portugal 23
Goalkeepers: Rui Patricio (Sporting), Eduardo (Benfica), Beto (Cluj/ROM).
Defenders: Joao Pereira (Sporting), Bruno Alves (Zenit St Petersburg/RUS), Fabio Coentrao (Real Madrid/SPA), Pepe (Real Madrid/SPA), Ricardo Costa (Valencia/SPA), Rolando (Porto), Miguel Lopes (Braga).
Midfielders: Carlos Martins (Granada/SPA), Joao Moutinho (Porto), Miguel Veloso (Genoa/ITA), Raul Meireles (Chelsea/ENG), Ruben Micael (Real Zaragoza/SPA), Custodio (Braga).
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/SPA), Hugo Almeida (Besiktas/TUR), Helder Postiga (Real Zaragoza/SPA), Nani (Man. United/ENG), Nelson Oliveira (Benfica), Ricardo Quaresma (Besiktas/TUR), Silvestre Varela (Porto).

Denmark 23
Goalkeepers: Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City/ENG), Stephan Andersen (Evian/FRA), Anders Lindegaard (Man. United/ENG).
Defenders: Lars Jacobsen (FC Copenhagen), Daniel Wass (Evian/FRA), Daniel Agger (Liverpool/ENG), Simon Kjaer (Roma/ITA), Andreas Bjelland (FC Nordsjaelland), Simon Poulsen (AZ/NED), Jores Okore (FC Nordsjaelland).
Midifelders: Christian Poulsen (Evian/FRA), Jakob Poulsen (FC Midtjylland), William Kvist (Nuremberg/GER), Niki Zimling (Club Brugge/BEL), Thomas Kahlenberg (Evian/FRA), Christian Eriksen (Ajax/NED), Michael Silberbauer (Young Boys/SWI), Lasse Schøne (NEC/NED).
Forwards: Dennis Rommedahl (Broendby), Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal/ENG), Michael Krohn-Dehli (Broendby), Tobias Mikkelsen (FC Nordsjaelland), Nicklas Pedersen (FC Groningen/NED).

GROUP C: Spain 23
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Victor Valdes  (Barcelona), Pepe Reina (Liverpool/ENG)
Defenders: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Jordi Alba (Valencia), Raul Albiol (Real Madrid), Alvaro Arbelo (Real Madrid), Javi Martinez (Athletic Bilbao), Juanfran (Atletico Madrid)
Midfielders: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Xavi (Barcelona), Santi Cazorla (Malaga), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona)
Forwards: David Silva (Man. City/ENG), Fernando Torres (Chelsea), Juan Mata (Chelsea/ENG), Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao), Jesus Navas (Sevilla), Pedro (Barcelona), Alvaro Negredo (Sevilla)

Italy 23
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Morgan De Sanctis (Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Paris SG/FRA).
Defenders: Ignazio Abate (AC Milan), Federico Balzaretti (Palermo), Andrea Barzagli (Juventus), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Christian Maggio (Napoli), Angelo Obinze Ogbonna (Torino).
Midfielders: Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Alessandro Diamanti (Bologna), Emanuele Giaccherini (Juventus), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Thiago Motta (Paris SG/FRA), Antonio Nocerino (AC Milan), Andrea Pirlo (Juventus).
Forwards: Mario Balotelli (Man. City/FRA), Fabio Borini (Roma), Antonio Cassano (AC Milan), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Sebastian Giovinco (Parma).

Croatia 23
Goalkeepers: Stipe Pletikosa (FC Rostov/RUS), Danijel Subasic (Hajduk Split), Ivan Kelava (Dinamo Zagreb).
Defenders: Vedran Corluka (Tottenham/ENG), Josip Simunic (Dinamo Zagreb), Ivan Strinic (Dnipro/UKR), Gordon Schildenfeld (Ein. Frankfurt/GER), Domagoj Vida (Dinamo Zagreb), Jurica Buljat (Maccabi/ISR), Daniel Pranjic (Bayern Munich/GER)
Midfielders: Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk/UKR), Ognjen Vukojevic (Dynamo Kiev/UKR), Ivan Rakitic (Sevilla/SPA), Tomislav Dujmovic (Dynamo Moscow/RUS), Luka Modric (Tottenham/ENG), Milan Badelj (Dinamo Zagreb), Niko Kranjcar (Tottenham/ENG), Ivan Perisic (Bor. Dortmund/CRO), Ivo Ilicevic (Hamburg/GER).
Forwards: Mario Mandzukic (Wolfsburg/GER), Eduardo Da Silva (Shakhtar Donetsk/UKR), Nikica Jelavic (Everton/ENG), Ivica Olic (Bayern Munich/GER).

Ireland 23
Goalkeepers: David Forde (Millwall/ENG), Shay Given (Aston Villa/ENG), Keiren Westwood (Sunderland/ENG).
Defenders: Richard Dunne (Aston Villa/ENG), Paul McShane (Hull City/ENG), Stephen Kelly (Fulham/ENG), Darren O'Dea (Leeds United/ENG), John O'Shea (Sunderland/ENG), Sean St. Ledger (Leicester City/ENG), Stephen Ward (Wolves/ENG).
Midfielders: Keith Andrews (West Bromwich/ENG), Damien Duff (Fulham/ENG), Keith Fahey (Birmingham City/ENG), Darron Gibson (Everton/ENG), Stephen Hunt (Wolves/ENG), James McClean (Sunderland/ENG), Aiden McGeady (Spartak Moscow/RUS), Glenn Whelan (Stoke City/ENG).
Forwards: Simon Cox (West Bromwich/ENG), Kevin Doyle (Wolves/ENG), Robbie Keane (Los Angeles Galaxy), Shane Long (West Bromwich/ENG), Jon Walters (Stoke City/ENG).

GROUP D: Ukraine 23
Goalkeepers: Andriy Pyatov (Shakhtar Donetsk), Oleksandr Goryainov (Metalist Kharkiv), Maxym Koval (Dynamo Kiev).
Defenders: Oleksandr Kucher (Shakhtar Donetsk), Yaroslav Rakitskiy (Shakhtar Donetsk), Vyacheslav Shevchuk (Shakhtar Donetsk), Yevhen Khacheridi (Dynamo Kiev), Taras Mikhalik (Dynamo Kiev), Yevhen Selin (Vorskla), Bohdan Butko (Illychivets).
Midfielders: Olexandr Aliyev (Dynamo Kiev), Denys Garmash (Dynamo Kiev), Oleh Gusev (Dynamo Kiev), Andriy Yarmolenko (Dynamo Kiev), Yevhen Konoplyanka (Dnipro), Ruslan Rotan (Dnipro), Serhiy Nazarenko (Tavriya), Anatoliy Tymoshchuk (Bayern Munich/GER).
Forwards: Artem Milevskiy (Dynamo Kiev), Andriy Shevchenko (Dynamo Kiev), Marco Devic (Metalist Kharkiv), Andriy Voronin (Dynamo Moscow), Yevhen Seleznyov (Shakhtar Donetsk).

Sweden 23
Goalkeepers: Andreas Isaksson (PSV/NED), Johan Wiland (FC Copenhagen/DEN), Par Hansson (Helsingborg)
Defenders: Mikael Lustig (Celtic/SCO), Olof Mellberg (Olympiakos/GRE), Andreas Granqvist (Genoa/ITA), Martin Olsson, (Blackburn/ENG), Jonas Olsson (West Bromwich), Behrang Safari (Anderlecht/BEL), Mikael Antonsson (Bologna/ITA)
Midfielders: Rasmus Elm (AZ/NED), Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland/ENG), Kim Kallstrom (Lyon/FRA), Anders Svensson (Elfsborg), Pontus Wernbloom (CSKA Moscow/RUS), Samuel Holmen (Istanbul BB/TUR), Emir Bajrami (Twente/NED), Christian Wilhelmsson (Al-Hilal/RSA)
Forwards: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan/ITA), Johan Elmander (Galatasaray/TUR), Tobias Hysen (IFK Gothenburg), Ola Toivonen (PSV/NED), Marcus Rosenberg (Werder Bremen/GER).

France 23
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Cedric Carrasso (Bordeaux).
Defenders: Gael Clichy (Man. City/ENG), Patrice Evra (Man. United/ENG), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal/ENG), Philippe Mexes (AC Milan/ITA), Adil Rami (Valencia/SPA), Mathieu Debuchy (Lille), Anthony Reveillere (Lyon).
Midfielders: Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle/ENG), Florent Malouda (Chelsea/ENG), Samir Nasri (Man. City/ENG), Alou Diarra (Marseille), Yann M'Vila (Rennes), Marvin Martin (Sochaux), Blaise Matuidi (Paris SG).
Forwards: Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle United/ENG), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/SPA), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich/GER), Olivier Giroud (Montpellier), Jeremy Menez (Paris SG), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille).

England 23
Goalkeepers: Robert Green (West Ham), Joe Hart (Man. City), John Ruddy (Norwich City).
Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Man. United), Joleon Lescott (Man. City), John Terry (Chelsea).
Midfielders: Stewart Downing (Liverpool), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Man. City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Scott Parker (Tottenham), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Ashley Young (Man. United).
Forwards: Andy Carroll (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Wayne Rooney (Man. United), Danny Welbeck (Man. United).