Wednesday, June 27, 2012

عايز اكون ريس

Spain take measures to stop Ronaldo

The first of the Euro 2012 semi-finals is upon us with Spain taking on Portugal, and one man the reigning European champions will know all about is Real Madrid ace Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese superstar won the Spanish title last season with Jose Mourinho's men and is hitting top form in Poland and Ukraine with three goals to his name already.

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has said his side must "deactivate" the Real Madrid man to progress to the final, but just how will his team go about doing it?

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Why Ashley Cole's extra shooting practice didn't pay off

England practised penalties every day this summer, but it did not help Ashley Cole, who saw his limp effort saved by Gianluigi Buffon as Italy recorded a shoot-out victory to dump England out of Euro 2012.
The left-back is no stranger to firing his way into controversy after police investigated an air rifle incident at Chelsea's training ground in 2011, but this time it was his failure to find the back of the net that had his manager tearing his hair out...
 

Monday, June 25, 2012

Mursi and Mubarak

Foul-mouthed Nasri disciplined by Blanc

Following France's 2-0 defeat to Spain in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012, Samir Nasri launched a foul-mouthed tirade against some of the journalists covering the game.
The Manchester City star certainly wasn't holding back, but could he be in trouble with manager Laurent Blanc?

Sunday, June 24, 2012

England next on Low's hitlist

After a comfortable 4-2 win over Greece in the Euro 2012 quarter-finals on Friday night, Germany are on course to make the final of the tournament and have now won a record-setting 15 consecutive competitive games.
Joachim Low's men will face either England or Italy in the last four, and the Mannschaft coach is ready to add another major European nation to his list of defeated opponents ahead of the tournament decider in Kiev....
 

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Ronaldo winds down with team-mates after Portugal winner


After last night's stellar performance against Czech Republic in the first quarter final, there's no denying that Cristiano Ronaldo is beginning to take Euro 2012 by storm.

Having shaken off the shackles he seemed encumbered with in the opening two group games, the Portuguese maestro has been in fantastic form, bagging a pair in the Group B decider against Netherlands before netting the winner for the Seleccao in Warsaw last night.

On the back of two scintillating displays, the Real Madrid star would be forgiven for wanting to put his feet up before his side's semi-final next week - and his teammates are certainly indebted to him after his moment in the sun ...

 

The Old Lady fails to woo Van Persie

The Netherlands international, who unfortunately had an eye-catching Euro 2012 campaign for the wrong reasons despite scoring against Germany, has just one year left on his current contract with the Gunners and finds himself in a similar situation to Samir Nasri last summer.
Manchester City have also been linked with the 28-year-old, but it appears a move to the Serie A champions is not on the card after The Old Lady failed to lure the hitman to Turin...
 

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Hapless fifth official gives England a slice of luck

England progressed to the last eight of Euro 2012 as winners of Group D on Tuesday night, but the 1-0 victory over Ukraine did not come without controversy.
Leading through Wayne Rooney's header early in the second half, John Terry looked to have saved the day with a fantastic goal-line clearance for the Three Lions, only for replays to show Marko Devic's effort should have counted.

The incident not only sparked memories of a similar decision that went against England in the World Cup two years, but it is also set to strengthen calls for the introduction of technology within the game ...
 

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Spain & Italy scramble into the Euro 2012 quarter-finals

Spain and Italy both secured their place in the Euro 2012 quarter-finals on Monday night, but neither side qualified from Group C with the ease that had been expected.
After draws in their opening two games, the Azzurri secured a 2-0 victory over the already eliminated Republic of Ireland, while Vicente del Bosque's men left it late to see off Croatia and in turn knock Slaven Bilic's side out of the tournament.

With Spain and Italy having reached the quarter-final base point, both sides will now be focused on reaching the peak of the Euro 2012 mountain...