Eremenko forced to miss EURO finale

Finland striker Alexei Eremenko Jr is out of the squad for his team's final two UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifiers after suffering a broken jaw in an assault in Moscow.

"Eremenko was beaten up in Moscow on Sunday and a broken jaw will keep him sidelined for three to four weeks," the Football Association of Finland said on Monday. "A couple of men stopped him on the street and hit him in the face for no reason," the player's father, Alexei Eremenko Sr, said in the same statement. "He will have a minor operation on Wednesday and will have to rest for a few weeks."

Eremenko, who has dual Russian and Finnish nationality, was returning from a banquet held by his club FC Saturn Moskovskaya Oblast to mark the end of the Russian season when the attack happened. The 24-year-old, who has scored 12 goals in 33 internationals, was already suspended for the Azerbaijan game. Finland, who have never qualified for a FIFA World Cup or UEFA European Championship, are fourth in Group A with 20 points from 12 outings, trailing leaders Poland by four points. They host bottom side Azerbaijan on 17 November in Helsinki before visiting second-placed Portugal in Porto four days later.