Friday, July 6, 2012

Wenger in shock as Van Persie drops contract bombshell

Once again, Arsene Wenger's hopes of returning Arsenal to the summit of the Premier League have been handed a devastating blow.
Robin van Persie revealed his intention not to sign a new contract on Wednesday, though the Gunners have stated their determination to keep their star striker at the club.

Manchester City have been strongly linked with a move for last season's Premier League top scorer, with reigning Serie A champions Juventus also said to be interested.

Whether this summer or next, though, it looks as if Van Persie will soon be riding off into the sunset...

Deschamps escapes the France hot seat

The fallout from France's uninspiring showing at Euro 2012 looks set to continue with Didier Deschamps reportedly turning down the chance to fill the coaching vacancy.
Laurent Blanc left his role in charge after a 2-0 quarter-final exit at the hands of eventual winners Spain, despite many tipping Les Bleus to have an outside chance of lifting the trophy.

Deschamps, a former team-mate of Blanc’s, was expected to accept the job offer after resigning from Marseille but, now, the search goes on...

Monday, July 2, 2012

Spain smash all the records at Euro 2012

Spain secured their third major international tournament victory on the trot by emphatically beating Italy 4-0 in the final of Euro 2012.

First-half goals from David Silva and Jordi Alba gave La Roja a half-time lead before late strikes from Fernando Torres and Juan Mata added a gloss to the scoreline.

Their run of trophies on the international stage is unprecedented but that was not the only record that Spain smashed in Poland and Ukraine.

Their 4-0 victory over the Azzurri was the biggest ever in a European Championship final, while Iker Casillas became the first player to win 100 international matches.

13 Spain players are the first to appear in and win two European Championship finals and Fernando Torres and Xavi are the first to score and assist respectively in two of those games.

El Toro

The Boss "Bruce Springsteen"

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Lou Reed

Spain look to tiki-taka the Euro trophy home again

Spain go into the final of Euro 2012 against Italy with a chance of making history as they seek to become the first international side ever to win three successive major international tournaments.

The team's tiki-taka style of play - based on keeping possession through short passing and continuous movement of players - was once celebrated as the pinnacle of footballing perfection, but it has been derided in various quarters throughout the tournament for being boring and lacking entertainment value.

The defending champions won't mind one bit, though, as they bid to secure their place in the annals of history alongside the great international sides of the past. But first they have to find a way past an Andrea Pirlo-inspired Italy side, who they drew with 1-1 in their opening Group C clash.

Friday, June 29, 2012

It's-a-me, Mario

Mario Balotelli put in a dazzling match-winning performance for Italy in the second Euro 2012 semi-final, scoring twice to seal a 2-1 win over Germany.
The Manchester City striker, who has so often hit the headlines for the wrong reasons, produced two wonderful finishes to ensure his side's smooth passage into the final, where they will meet Spain on Sunday.

In fact, if he can repeat the form he showed against Joachim Low's side then the world champions will have plenty to fear from Italy's newest hero.


Ronaldo STILL waiting to hit fifth penalty

Cesc Fabregas narrowly put away the decisive penalty on Wednesday night to squeeze Spain into the Euro 2012 final at Portugal's expense - which left Cristiano Ronaldo unable to take what he had hoped would be a crucial fifth for his side.
After both Joao Moutinho and Bruno Alves failed to register, the Seleccao surrendered their place at the tournament despite matching the world and European champions for much of the game.

With some wondering if the three-goal star had been too selfish in hanging back to take the fifth spot-kick, Ronaldo was unable to claim his moment of heroism, and is still waiting for international glory as his side fly home...