Premier League Reporter

Cute baby walking on hills

2017-03-14T10:47:00.001-07:00

Watch Chris Lynn's Stunning Catch video: RCB vs KKR Highlights

2014-04-26T09:46:00.001-07:00

Chris Lynn best catch ever

This catch of Chris Lynn in ipl 7 may be called the best catch ever taken in cricket. With the game going in the favour of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the Kolkata Knight Riders desperately needed something dramatic, a moment of magic. In stepped Chris Lynn, who held onto an unbelievable catch to dismiss the dangerous AB De Villiers in the final over and help KKR pull off a how-did-that-happen two-run victory in their IPL 2014 game in Sharjah.RCB were cruising to a comfortable win, chasing down a not-too-formidable target of 151, before some unbelievable death bowling, Virat Kohli's late wicket, and that outstanding catch from Lynn turned the match in KKR's favour in dramatic fashion."It was an incredible win," said KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir, who fell for a third straight duck. "We deserved some luck too as we have had a number of these last-ball finishes in the IPL."We were 10 runs short but we always felt we were in the game. We felt we could pull things back as once the ball got a little old, it was difficult to find the boundary. So we had it in mind that once the ball got that old, we had a chance."We were scratchy with the bat, and with the ball, so we need to improve on those areas. The catch was unbelievable and Chris deserves all the awards."Kohli will be still wondering just how RCB let this game slip out of their grasp as the Bangalore franchise suffered their first defeat of IPL 2014 in stunning fashion."We lost that game rather than KKR winning it, to be honest," Kohli said. "With all the wickets in hand we would usually over the line nine times out of 10, but credit to their bowlers, who bowled really well in the death overs."We played some really good cricket today, but we were not good enough at the death. However, we can take a lot of positives from this game going forward."Watch the highlights of the game, including the amazing Chris Lynn catch HERE, HERE orHERE.

Kolkata Knight Riders v Mumbai Indians ipl 2014 kkr v mi ipl 7

2014-04-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

Kolkata Knight Riders v Mumbai Indians ipl 2014 kkr v mi ipl 7 was the first match of ipl t20 in 2014 ipl season. This time the venue is changed from India to Abu dhabi. For the ipl6 champions Mumbai Indians this years campaign starts without Sachin Tendulkar who will only mentor the MI.
Kolkata Knight Riders beat Mumbai Indians by 41 runs in the opening match of ipl 2014 t20. Kolkata Knight Riders had a bad start when Gautam Gambhir captain of kkr got out for a duck with 4 on the score board. After that it was a great 131 runs second wickets partnership between Jacques Kallis and Manish Pandey before they were dismissed by Lasith Malinga for 72 and 64 which helprd Kolkata Knight Riders to post a total of 163 runs.
In reply Mumbai Indians were able to score only 122/7 in their 20 overs.
Kolkata Knight Riders kkr won the matvh against Mumbai Indians by 41 runs in the opening match of ipl t20 2014.

Hot and Sexiest top girls, women and female players, fans, athletes, swimmers and gymnasts at London 2012 Olympics

2012-07-26T19:00:00.001-07:00

The biggest sports festival is back with some of the most happening sports persons on earth competing in this festival to accomplish there ultimate goal of winning the London Olympic 2012 Gold medal. Among these sports persons there are some of the hot and sexiest female players on earth. There game is hot and they are sexy. Representing there country and astonishing London 2012 Olympics with there beauty and bold and beautiful game. I have brought some of the most and top hot and sexy players athletes, swimmers, gymnasts and other female sportsperson competing at London 2012 Olympics.

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In this London Olampic / Olympic 2012, hundreds of hot female athletes girls and boys from all parts of the world has participated in the biggest sports event in the world. Some of the Olampic 2012 female athletes are so hot, sexy, beautiful and cute, that they start getting marriage offers. Some of the athletes are known as Olympic hotties and they are aslo modelling. You can watch the hot sexy athletes from all games like volleyball, tennis, basketllball, tennis, badminton, karateka, swimming, gymnastic and other games. These female girl Olympic athletes are expecting to get some mov ie offer soon. Most of the Hot Athletes Images Photos are HD - High definition quality. Enjoy the Wallpaper And Gallery of Sexy Athlete Images of Olampic 2012 and share it with your friends.

Spain wins Euro Cup 2012 Spain beat Italy 4-0 in the Final

2012-07-01T18:31:00.001-07:00

Spain wins Euro Cup 2012 Spain beat Italy 4-0 in the Final

Spain have been crowned Euro 2012 champions after a record-breaking 4-0 victory over Italy in the final on Sunday.

Goals from David Silva, Jordi Alba, Fernando Torres and Juan Mata gave the world champions an easy victory over an Italian team down to 10 men through injury for the last half-hour.

This was a night when Spain's dominance of international football became more absolute than any team's before them. The much-discussed philosophy of ultra-control, tiki-taka, allowed them to suppress yet another opponent; their intricate and wonderful passing overwhelming an Italian midfield that prior to Sunday night had excelled at Euro 2012, but for the last 30 minutes of this game in Kiev was depleted by an injury to Thiago Motta after all three Italian changes had been made.

David Silva opened the scoring after a quarter of an hour with a header, before a lung-busting run and finish from Jordi Alba put Spain two goals ahead by half-time.The second half saw chances for both teams, but the match changed on the hour mark after Thiago Motta was strechered off moments after coming off the bench, reducing Italy to 10 men with all three substitutions already used.

There was no way back for the Azzurri after that, as Spain put on a passing exhibition to drain the life out of Cesare Prandelli's men. With time running out, Fernando Torres and Juan Mata added clinchers in the 84th and 88th minutes respectively to capture the European Championship for La Roja for the third time.

Torres won the Golden Boot having finished level on goals and assists with Germany's Mario Gomez but having been on the pitch for only 189 minutes in total. The striker's goal in Kiev meant he was the only player to have scored in two separate European Championship finals.

Italy had more possession than Spain in the opening half but when they did have a sniff of goal goalkeeper Iker Casillas maintained his astonishing record of not conceding a goal in the knockout stage of a tournament for the 10th successive match.

On a night when records fell as regularly as Spain strung together gorgeous passing moves, Iker Casillas became the first player to win 100 international games and Vicente del Bosque became the first coach to win the European Championship, the World Cup and the Champions League.

Spain have become the first European side to win three major tournaments following their success in Euro 2008 and the World Cup two years ago. The only other team to win three successive major titles was Argentina who lifted the Copa America in 1945, 1946 and 1947 when that tournament was held annually.

Poonam Pandey strips for euro cup 2012 final Spain v Italy on Twitter

2012-06-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

Poonam Pandey strips for Euro final 2012

The wannabe model Poonam Pandey just can’t get enough of the attention. This hot sexy girl from releasing semi-nude pictures to raunchy videos to turning sex guru on Twitter, Poonam Pandey has tired it all. But, she is just not ready to let even a speck of attention pass by her unnoticed and the proof of which is her latest soccer obsession.

Poonam Pandey is in love with sports and loves to sport a bikini. She often clubs both. The lady once again tweets a series of steamy bikini pics as she eagerly awaits the Euro 2012 finals between Spain v Italy.

Poonam Pandey strips for Euro final 2012

The sexy girl, hot model and controversy queen has been recently bitten by the EURO 2012 bug. And, such is her excitement that she has taken to Twitter to post minute by minute update of the event and has
even taken it too far by predicting the winners of the day and put her semi nude pictures phots and images for Euro Cup 2012 Final Spain v Italy on internet.
She didn’t stop at this and posted two of her another raunchy pictures for fans. Well, soccer or no soccer, her fans seem to be enjoying every bit of her.

Poonam Pandey strips for Euro final 2012

The final is in Kiev - capital of co-hosts Ukraine - on Sunday.

"Feel like I should be watching a soccer game right now.... #euro2012," tweeted Poonam with a racy pic.

"Make Sunday a great night ?#Euro2012? final Italy vs Spain...," Poonam's another tweet read.

"Italy vs Spain 2/7/12 Final, Retweet for Italy, Favorite for Spain :)," the Kingfisher model added.

"Who are you supporting in Sunday's ?#euro2012? final?" tweeted the controversy queen.

"Can't wait for sunday!!! Italy VS Spain," wrote Poonam.

Bikini queen Poonam Pandey would be making a Bollywood debut soon with Jism director Amit Saxena. The movie is set to hit theatres around December.

Euro 2012 semifinal: Italy beat Germany 2-1 in semifinal, to meet Spain in final

2012-06-28T18:46:00.001-07:00

Italy beat Germany 2-1 to enter euro cup 2012 Final

Mario Balotelli was the star for Italy as he scored twice in a 2-1 win over Germany in their Euro 2012 semi-final at the Stadion Narodowy in Warsaw on Thursday to leave the Germans' Euro 2012 ambitions in tatters while the Azzurri march on to the final.

The Manchester City forward hit the headlines for all the right reasons, opening the scoring with a powerful header before smashing home an emphatic second to clinch a date with Spain at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev on Sunday.

It was a deserved victory for Italy, who could have added further goals in the second half had they taken one of the numerous chances afforded to them by Germany's rushes forward to find a way back into the match.

Mesut Ozil pulled one goal back from the penalty spot in the second minute of injury time, but it was too late for Germany to complete a comeback and salvage their hopes of winning a first tournament since 1996. The victory extends Italy’s unbeaten record against Germany in competitive games to eight matches.

Having dropped three of his forwards for last Friday's 4-2 quarter-final win over Greece, Loew again tinkered with his starting line-up, but this time it back-fired as the Germans lacked an effective Plan B when things went wrong.

Germany had a couple of golden chances early on, but the Azzurri soon asserted themselves and after Riccardo Montolivo tested Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, Italy took the lead on 20 minutes.

Chiellini fed Cassano on the overlap down the left, and the Milan forward delivered a superb cross into the heart of the area, where Balotelli rose above Holger Badstuber to head Italy into the lead.

Germany responded well after going behind for the first time in a competitive game since their third place play-off at the 2010 World Cup. Ozil’s attempt to pass the ball past Buffon from 20 yards was unsuccessful, before Lukas Podolski was only denied a free shot at goal by an excellent tackle from Federico Balzaretti.

His searching ball over the top caught the German back line out completely and released Balotelli, who stormed towards goal and smashed an unstoppable finish high into the back of the net.

Germany made significant changes at the break, introducing Miroslav Klose and Marco Reus in place of Mario Gomez and Lukas Podolski.

But the Italians were not to be denied their first European final since their Euro 2000 defeat to France when Claudio Marchisio fired wide on 67 minutes and again eight minutes later.

Balotelli made way for Antonio Di Natale on 70 minutes and with time running out, the Udinese forward missed a golden chance with the German defence all at sea.

However, Balzaretti was culpable for giving away a spot-kick that gave Germany just a sliver of hope after he handled inside the area. Buffon guessed the right way from Ozil’s kick, but the playmaker’s shot was hit out of his reach.

It proved to be too little, too late for Germany, and even Neuer’s repeated forays forward for set pieces were not enough to avert yet another defeat to their bogey team.

Euro semifinal: Spain beat Portugal 4-2 on penalties to reach Euro 2012 final

2012-06-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

Euro 2012 Semifinal Portugal V Spain

Euro 2012 Semifinal Portugal V Spain: Defending champions Spain beat Portugal 4-2 on penalties after their Euro 2012 semifinal finished 0-0 after extra-time here on Wednesday.

Where West Germany failed in 1976, Spain now have the chance to become the first team to retain their European title, and win three international tournaments in succession, after Cesc Fabregas slotted the ball home from 12 yards to punish Portugal's Bruno Alves, whose penalty had struck the bar.

Despite playing at far from their best and with chances to find the net at a premium, a total of 120 minutes failed to separate the two sides as the game ended 0-0.

Rui Patricio and Iker Casillas had saved the two opening penalties from Xabi Alonso and Joao Moutinho before Alves, who had originally attempted to take the third spot kick before being sent back by Nani, hit the woodwork after Sergio Ramos had emulated Andrea Pirlo by executing a perfect Panenka.

It was a deeply disappointing end to the tournament for Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who held back for the fifth spot kick that never came, could only look on helplessly as Fabregas put Spain through - just as the midfielder did when winning the Euro 2008 quarter-final shoot-out against Italy that set Spain on course for a spell of international domination that may prove to be the most complete football has seen.

Reigning world and European champions Spain, who are bidding to become the first team in history to win three major competitions in a row, will face either Italy or Germany in Sunday's final in Kiev.

Italy beat England 4-2 on penalties in Euro quarterfinal to book semifinal against Germany

2012-06-24T18:34:00.001-07:00

Italy beat England 4-2 on penalties in Euro quarterfinal

Italy defeated England 4-2 on penalties to book a semi-final against Germany at Euro 2012 following a 0-0 draw after extra-time on Sunday. Italy defeated England 4-2 on penalties to book a semi-final against Germany at Euro 2012 following a 0-0 draw after extra-time on Sunday.

Riccardo Montolivo missed Italy's second penalty but then Ashley Young and Ashley Cole failed to score before Alessandro Diamanti stroked home the winning spot-kick.

The quarter-final at the Olympic Stadium, Kiev, produced the first goal-less draw of the tournament, but it was nevertheless an entertaining affair.

It was England's sixth exit in penalty shoot-outs at European Championships and World Cups in the last 22 years.

Roy Hodgson’s side had rode their luck to stay on level terms after 120 minutes as Italy were far the better side with 35 attempts on goal, to England's nine, but failed to break the deadlock thanks to their own profligacy and some dogged English defending.

Both sides contrived to miss clear chances to break the deadlock, with Italy the prime culprits in terms of finishing and England guilty of poor decision-making and shoddy execution in the final third.

Four-time world champions Italy missed by far the greater number of chances in a game they largely dominated.

But it was nonetheless an intriguing clash of contrasting styles.

The Azzurri were looking to find space between England's back four and midfield, either through attacking midfielder Riccardo Montolivo or the deep-dropping forward Antonio Cassano.

Those players made England's defence uncomfortable while Andrea Pirlo dinked clever balls over the top for Mario Balotelli.

Twice the Manchester City striker exploited uncharacteristically poor positioning from John Terry but the Chelsea captain recovered brilliantly once while goalkeeper Joe Hart saved the second with ease.

Another delightful chip from Pirlo saw Cassano escape behind Ashley Cole but Joleon Lescott was there to clear his header back into the danger zone, just before Balotelli pounced.

Riccardo Montolivo dragged his effort wide, before Wayne Rooney scored to put England 2-1 ahead.

Andrea Pirlo netted for Italy with an ice-cool chipped effort, before Ashley Young's attempt cannoned off the crossbar.

Antonio Nocerino slotted home Italy's fourth, and Ashley Cole then saw his tame shot saved by Gianluigi Buffon.

It was left to Alessandro Diamanti to stroke home the winner for Italy, booking his team a last-four showdown with Germany in Warsaw on Thursday

Alnso double leads Spain to Euro cup semifinal with 2-0 victory over France

2012-06-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

Defending Euro Champions Spain remain on track to defend their European title after a 2-0 win over France in their Euro 2012 quarter-final on Saturday at Donbass Arena.

Two goals from Xabi Alonso, making his 100th appearance for Spain secured a semifinal meeting with neighbours Portugal.

Spain had never beaten France in a major tournament yet Alonso's thumping header after 19 minutes and a penalty in second-half injury time were enough to end that run and eliminate France.

Del Bosque opted to revert to the striker-less formation that brought Spain a 1-1 draw against Italy in their opening game as Cesc Fabregas replaced Fernando Torres and adopted the false nine position, meaning at kick-off there was only one striker on the pitch: Karim Benzema, who had the unwanted record of having 17 shots without success at the finals.

Spain controlled the ball from kick off France rarely posed a threat as Spain bossed the game in large parts, passing it across the field and probing for an opening that proved elusive until the 19th minute. Iniesta threaded a pass to the overlapping Jordi Alba and he looked up and picked out Alonso at the back post who headed the ball back across goal and into the far corner.

Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema were doing their best to provide a moments respite for France but for all their endeavour they frequently found themselves running into dead ends and handing the ball straight back to the opposition.

In the 35th minute France got their first shot on target from a free kick after Sergio Ramos felled Benzema.

Yohan Cabaye struck the ball from 35 yards and it looked destined for the top left corner but Iker Casillas got a palm to it to stop it from hitting the net

Blanc made two attacking substitutes, replacing Debuchy and Florent Malouda with Jeremy Menez and Samir Nasri but failed to have the desired impact on the game however as the Spanish defence remained tight.

Alonso sent Lloris the wrong way from 12 yards to take Spain forward to the final four, with France meekly taking their leave of a tournament they never really threatened to leave their mark on.

Germany enters Semifinals beating Greece 4-2 in Euro 2012 quarter-final

2012-06-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

Germany enters semifinal of Euro 2012

Germany enters Semifinals after beating Greece 4-2 in their Euro 2012 quarter-final at a sodden Arena Gdansk in Poland.

Phillip Lahm (39), Sami Khedira (61), Miroslav Klose (68) and Marco Reus (74) scored goals for Germany. Giorgos Samaras' and Dimitris Salpingidis' scored goals in second-half for the Greece.

The Germans will now play England or Italy, who meet in Sunday's Kiev quarterfinal, in the semifinal at Warsaw's National Stadium on Thursday as they inflicted Greece's heaviest defeat at European championships, eclipsing the Greeks' 3-1 defeat at the hands of Czechoslovakia in 1980.

His Euro Cup quarterfinal was completely dominated by Germany as Germany basked in 76 percent of possession and totted up 26 shots at goal compared to only ten from Greece.

Germany headed for half-time holding a one-goal lead when captain Philipp Lahm bounded beyond Sotiris Ninis to sink a volley beyond Greece goalkeeper Michail Sifakis from 20 yards out on 39 minutes.

Greece somehow drew level from a lovely ball across goal by Salpingidis on 55 minutes. But Germany reclaimed the lead thanks to a volley from Real Madrid's Khedira whose late run connected with Boateng's cross to leave Sifakis with no chance.

Klose added to his impressive tally with a header from a Ozil free-kick on 68 minutes, while Reus scored the fourth when Klose latched onto Ozil's pass, forcing Sifakis into a save.

But the ball fell to the Dortmund man, who hit the net on 74 minutes.

With time almost up Salpingidis scored from the penalty spot after Boateng's foul, but it was too little, too late.

Ronaldo leads Portugal into last four beat Czech Republic 1-0 in Euro cup quarterfinal 2012

2012-06-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

Ronaldo leads Portugalto Semifinal os Euro Cup 2012

The Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo's goal saw Portugal defeat the Czech Republic 1-0 at the National Stadium on Thursday in their quarterfinal to qualify for the Euro Cup 2012 semifinals.

Cristiano Ronaldo headed home a cross from Joao Moutinho 11 minutes from the end and will face world and European champions Spain or France for a place in the final. Portugal have a real chance to claim the trophy with Ronaldo hungry, elusive and suddenly replicating the level of form that he brings to Spanish La Liga winners Real.

A cagey contest at the National Stadium, Warsaw, produced few real chances, with Portugal dominating possession but struggling to break down a stubborn Czech side.

Ronaldo was the chief threat throughout, sending an early bicycle kick wide of goal, before striking the post in each half.

Czech side who somehow won Group A, but failed to manage a shot on goal all night and seemed paralysed without injured Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky in their ranks.

Czech Republic had some joy down their right with one particularly dangerous cross from Theodor Gebre Selassie only just being cut out by Pepe.

Portugal came up with 20 efforts at goal with Ronaldo twice hitting the post before he scored. He turned and buried a shot against Cech's left-hand upright late in the first period while another free-kick from 30 yards was sent spitting beyond Cech only to brush the outside of a post.

Portugal could easily have won by three or four goals, but only a combination of sloppy finishing and agile goalkeeping by Cech kept the Czechs in the match until late in the contest.

The goal Portugal's domination richly deserved finally came on 79 minutes as Moutinho made a determined run down the right and produced a peach of cross that Ronaldo headed home on the dive.

Full-back Joao Pereira had a chance to seal the match but he shot wide when well placed.

Ronaldo has now scored six goals at Euro finals, the joint-most of any Portuguese player, along with Nuno Gomes.

England in Euro quarterfinals after beating Ukraine 1-0 in Group D England V Ukraine match

2012-06-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

England entered into the quarterfinals of Euro cup 2012 on Tuesday after a beating co-hosts Ukraine 1-0.

After missing the first two group games through suspension Rooney returned to the England starting line-up for their final game in Group D.

Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin was dealt a huge blow before kick-off as Captain Andriy Shevchenko was not passed fit to start the game with a knee injury. Devic replaced the influential striker.

The co-hosts dominated much of the opening half and England were happy to go into the break level despite having the best chance through Rooney, Rooney's long-awaited return to the starting line-up failed to galvanise the England attack as manager Roy Hodgson had hoped for, and the Manchester United striker looked hopelessly short of match-sharpness.

However Roy Hodgson's side came out with a much more positive attitude in the second half three minutes after the restart they got a goal that stunned the hosts. Steven Gerrard beat Yarmolenko down the right and sent a dangerous cross into the six-yard box. The ball took touches off two Ukrainian defenders before skidding through goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov to Rooney for the simplest of headers.

there was huge controversy when John Terry cleared a Marko Devic shot that had crossed the line. John Terry launched himself into an acrobatic clearance to hook the ball away but despite furious Ukrainian appeals no goal was given.

None of the officials, including the additional assistant referee standing just metres from the ball, appeared to see the incident, and an incensed Ukraine side exited the tournament.

Television replays, however, showed the ball had crossed the line by several inches but had incredibly been missed by the additional assistant referee stationed behind the goal.

The result sets up a last-eight encounter against Group C runners-up Italy, while France will face defending champions Spain after losing 2-0 to Sweden in Euro quarterfinals.

Italy beat 10-man Ireland Republic 2-0 to enter Euro quarterfinals

2012-06-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

Italy beat 10-man Ireland 2-0 to enter Euro quarterfinals

Italy beat 10-man Ireland Republic 2-0 at the Municipal Stadium on Monday to reach the Euro Cup 2012 quarterfinals.

Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli scored the goals for Italy, they placed second behind Spain in Group C to enter Euro quqrterfinals C and will play the Group D winners in the last eight while Ireland finish bottom with three defeats.

Giovanni Trapattoni's Ireland produced their best performance of the tournament, but were still well beaten and exit the tournament with three defeats from as many games. Keith Andrews was sent off late on, picking up a second yellow card for dissent.

But Italy coach Cesare Prandelli will also have been concerned by his side's dip in physical condition in the final 20 minutes, just as it did in their previous two games.

Having had their gameplan thrown into disarray by conceding early goals in their previous two matches, Ireland at least seemed fired up from the off.

Several times Ireland broke at pace and had the Italian defence back-pedalling but they spurned their own chances through either a wayward pass, poor decision-making or running down a blind alley.

Italy soon took command although Daniele De Rossi's left-foot volley from outside the box was a touch over-ambitious.

Italy won a cheap corner in 35^th min after Shay Given spilled a Cassano shot, and the Azzurri duly took the lead. Cassano glanced Pirlo's delivery goalwards, Given made half a save and Duff hooked it away from his position on the far post.
The second half followed the same pattern as the first, as Cassano and Di Natale were denied by some heroic Irish blocks. Di Natale went off on 75 minutes having racked up seven shots, six on target.

Ireland threatened to break Italian hearts as the second half went on and the Azzurri became nervous. Countless set piece chances came and went, while Andrews tested Gianluigi Buffon with a long shot.

It took the substitute Balotelli to put the result beyond doubt. He met a corner from the Italian right with a sweetly-struck volley on the turn, and Given had no chance.

Spain enters quarterfinals beat Croatia 1-0 in Group C Croatia v Spain Euro Cup match

2012-06-18T19:06:00.002-07:00

Spain beat Croatia 1-0 to enter Euro Cup 2012 quarterfinals

Spain enters the Euro 2012 quarter-finals after a 1-0 win against Croatia at the PGE Arena Gdansk on Monday.

Neither side seemed in any hurry to snatch the initiative throughout, with La Roja's famed tiki-taka football failing to break down a determined defensive barrier set up by Slaven Bilic's men.

The match seemed destined to end in a stalemate, but with two minutes remaining, substitute Jesus Navas walked the ball into the net to confirm Croatia's exit from the tournament.

With Croatia attempting to find the goal they needed to stay in the tournament, Cesc Fabregas - on for David Silva - picked out Andres Iniesta, who played the ball across the face of goal for Navas to seal the three points.

Defending Champions Spain progress as Group C winners on seven points while Italy join them as runners-up on five points after their 2-0 win over Republic of Ireland, who lost their three games at the finals. Croatia concluded on four points in third place. Now Spain and Italy will face one of France, England or Ukraine.

Vicente del Bosque named an unchanged line-up from the 4-0 win over Ireland, with two-goal hero Fernando Torres continuing as the lone presence in attack.

Bilic, meanwhile, made two alterations to his XI from the 1-1 draw with Italy, with Domagoj Vida and Danijel Pranjic coming in as replacements for Nikica Jelavic and Ivan Perisic.

The first half resembled a training session with Spain seeming to lack urgency and incision as Croatia’s decision to flood the midfield and operate with only Mario Mandzukic up front kept them in the game until the dying moments

Spain’s players and certainly their fans looked highly uncomfortable the longer the night staggered on as Casillas produced an excellent save to claw out an Ivan Rakitic header from Luka Modric’s cross on 59 minutes.

Pletikosa made saves from Iniesta and Navas in the closing eight minutes, but Croatia were suddenly proving to be a real threat as outgoing coach Slaven Bilic threw on Nikica Jelavic and Eduardo in the closing minutes to try to save the day.

However in the 88th minute, a swift attack saw Iniesta break free, where he squared to Navas for the simplest of goals.

Croatia rushed to respond, but with news of Italy's late second against Ireland rippling throughout the stadium, Bilic's men simply ran out of time.

Portugal reaches quarterfinals by Ronaldo double goals, Portugal beat Netherlands 2-1 in euro cup 2012 match

2012-06-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

Ronaldo double sends Portugal into Euro 2012 quarterfinals

Portugal beat the Netherlands 2-1 on Sunday to set up a Euro 2012 quarterfinal with the Czech Republic and condemn the Dutch to a first group-stage European Championship exit since 1980.

The 2012 World Cup finalists Netherlands were seen as one of the pre-tournament favourites but failed spectacularly to live up to the billing and now return home on the back of three successive defeats.

Netherlands needing to win by two clear goals to stand any hope of progressing to the Euro Cup 2012 quarterfinals, and Rafeal Van der Vaart looked to have set his side up for an unlikely quarter-final spot when he put them ahead with a fine early strike in the 11^th minute of the match, but Portugal fought back through two Cristiano Ronaldo goals to leave the Dutch bottom of Group B.

The Portuguese captain defied criticism of his performances with a magnificent display to secure second place in Group B to compete for a semi-final place against the Czech Republic in Warsaw on Thursday.

Rafeal van der Vaart, who replaced Captain Mark van Bommel and inherited the captain's armband from him needed less than 11 minutes to vindicate his manager's decision, collecting a pass from Arjen Robben and shaping a delightful 25-yard shot inside the left-hand post to put Holland ahead.

On 28 minutes sloppy play from the Jetro Willems gave Joao Pereira possession, and the Portugal right-back slid Ronaldo through with one of the passes of the tournament - and the Portugal captain found the net at last.

Portugal continued to dominate in the second half of the match, in 74^th min Ronaldo teed up Nani, whose close range shot brought a brilliant save from Stekelenburg - but a more precise finish would have given the goalkeeper no chance.

Sexiest girls of Euro Cup 2012 Hottest female Superfans

2012-06-17T03:35:00.000-07:00

Sexiest euro cup girl Superfan

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Sexiest euro cup girl Superfan

Czech Republic enters Quarterfinals as they beat Poland 1-0 in Euro Cup 2012 Group A match

2012-06-16T20:36:00.001-07:00

Czech Republic enters Euro Cup 2012 Quarterfinals

Co-hosts Poland crashed out of the European Championship as they lost 1-0 to the Czech Republic at the Municipal Stadium on Saturday with their opponents winning Group A.

Petr Jiracek scored the only goal of the game 18 minutes from time as the Czechs joined Greece - the 2004 champions - in the quarter-finals.

Given the hosts' absolute need to win it was no surprise they set a manic tempo from the off and the first half hour must have made uncomfortable viewing for the visiting Czech fans.

The Poles registered six shots in a dominant early spell, with twice in the opening minutes the home fans let out a brief cheer but Dariusz Dudka's overhead bicycle kick and Ludovic Obraniak's free-kick both hit the side-netting rather than the back one.

The second half was the reverse of the first with Poland melting away and the Czech Republic piling forwards. It was the Czechs who took the initiative armed with the knowledge that they too needed a win. They won several free-kicks around the edge of the Polish box, most of which were defended well.

The Czechs finally made the breakthrough as the match entered the final 20 minutes.Rafal Murawski tried to drive forward from midfield and lost the ball with little cover behind him. Baros surged into the Polish box and laid the ball off to Jiracek. The Wolfsburg attacker cut inside his marker and sidefooted a low finish underneath Tyton and into the far corner.

It means Poland have never reached the knock-out stages of the Euros while the Czech Republic did so for the third time in five editions.

Poland become only the second host nation, after Austria four years ago, to be eliminated at the group stage as they failed to claim their first ever win in the competition.

Greece beat Russia 1-0 to enter EURO CUP 2012 quarterfinals

2012-06-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

Greece enters EURO CUP 2012 quarterfinals

Greece with the help of skipper Giorgos Karagounis only goal of the game ended Russia’s euro cup 2012 dream. Veteran Greece captain Giorgos Karagounis before the end of stoppage time in the first half dodged between the Russian rearguards fired a powerful low cross shot past goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev at the Polish capital's modernistic national stadium.

Russia and Greece finished on four points behind Czech Republic, who topped the section on six points with their 1-0 win over eliminated co-hosts Poland, but it is Greece who progress on the head-to-head records between the two countries to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Euro Cup 2012.

Euro Cup 2004 winners Greece, who drew 1-1 with Poland in their Group A opening match and then lost 2-1 to the Czechs, looked the hungrier side from the start and refused to play a walk on part in Russia's expected drive to the quarter-finals.

Russia showed their strength as the half progressed, underlining the Greeks' vulnerability to counter-attacks.But Greece's defence remained solid at the end.Five minutes from half-time, Yuri Zhirkov took a superb short corner, only to shoot over the bar.With two minutes added on, Karagounis's strike came just seconds before Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson's half-time whistle.

Greece were the more purposeful side in the second half and should have been awarded a penalty when Karagounis was somehow booked after appearing to be felled in the Russian area by Sergei Ignashevich around the hour-mark.

Karagounis will now miss a possible quarter-final against likely Group B winners Germany in Gdansk on Friday, but he had already contributed to the biggest upset of the tournament so far. He was replaced by Grigoris Makos on 67 minutes.

Giorgios Tzavellas also whacked a free-kick off the bar from 25 yards out on 70 minutes as Greece attempted to put breathing space between themselves and the Russians, who looked dazed at full-time.

The Czechs top Group A, but Greece celebrated like they had won the tournament at full-time.

Russia dominated large swathes of possession, but came up short on the night with their inability to penetrate Greece all too obvious.

England beat Sweden 3-2 in Euro Cup 2012 Group D match Sweden V England

2012-06-15T19:12:00.001-07:00

England Beat Sweden 3-2 EURO CUP

England beat Sweden 3-2 in Euro Cup 2012 Group D match. England’s supersub Theo Walcott emerged from the bench to score one goal and set up another for a 3-2 victory over Sweden.

England striker Andy Carroll got his chance in the starting line up for England and he did not disappoint English fans as he opened the scoring with a super header and England went to half time with a goal lead.

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Steven Gerrard whisked in a perfect cross for Carroll to head powerfully home from near the penalty spot and give England a deserved advantage.

Sweden improved their game in the second half Glen Johnson own goal in 49^th min put Sweden in equal terms and Olof Mellberg's header in 59^th min gave Sweden the lead.

Ibrahimovic came close to grabbing a brilliant third with a thunderbolt of a shot that Hart palmed away.

But Walcott made all the difference when England seemed to be crumbling, he leveled the score with a 25-yard volley in 64^th min and then setting up for Danny Welbeck's outstanding winning goal in the 78^th min of this Euro cup 2012 Group D encounter.

England are joint top of Group D on four points with France who beat Ukraine 2-0 earlier on Friday.

Ukraine, who plays England in the last round of matches on Tuesday, are third on three points and Sweden have none.

UEFA charges Nicklas Bendtner for sponsored underwear in Denmark v Portugal EURO Cup match

2012-06-15T08:18:00.000-07:00


Bendtner charged for sponsored underwear

UEFA has charged Denmark forward Nicklas Bendtner with improper conduct for revealing an unofficial sponsor's name on his underwear while celebrating a goal at the European Championship. against Portugal, when he flashed the waistband of his underpans showing an apparent sponsor.

Bendtner lifted his shirt and lowered his shorts slightly, revealing the name of a betting firm across the top of his briefs, after scoring his second goal in a 3-2 loss against Portugal on Wednesday.

European football's governing body said in a brief statement that Bendtner was facing disciplinary proceedings for "improper conduct (Law 4 of the Laws of the Game)" during Wednesday's UEFA Euro Cup 2012 match in Lviv, Ukraine, that Denmark lost 3-2 Portugal.

"The UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body will deal with this case on Monday," the statement added.

Law 4, which covers "The players' equipment" states: "Players must not reveal undershirts which contain slogans or advertising. A player removing his jersey to reveal slogans will be sanctioned by the competition organiser.

Article 18.18 of the "Regulations of the UEFA European Football Championship 2010-12" also states: "All kit items worn during the final tournament must be free of any sponsor advertising."

UEFA is weighing disciplinary action for breaching rules that bar any sponsor advertising on players' kit at the European Championship.

Bendtner also flouted team policy as the Danish association has official ties to a rival British gambling company.

The waistband of Bendtner's green and white underwear had the name of a Dublin-based online betting firm. The company, Paddy Power, said on its website that they were "lucky pants".

Spain beat Ireland Republic 4-0 in Euro Cup 2012 Group C match, Spain V Ireland Republic

2012-06-14T18:23:00.000-07:00

World Champion Spain defeated Ireland Republic 4-0 in a Group C encounter of UEFA Euro Cup 2012 at Gdansk on Thursday night. Spain was at its usual best recording their biggest win at Europian Championship Finals.

Fernando Torres scored twice in this match, he started from the bench in the first match, but he was being introduced to the action in place of Fabregas for this Euro Cup 2012 match against Ireland Republic, David Silva and Cesc Fabregas each bagged a goal in a match that saw total Spanish domination from start to finish.

Each side had made just one change from their previous Group C match, with Torres and Simon Cox being introduced to the action in place of Fabregas and Kevin Doyle, and it was the two strikers who made an immediate impression at the start of the match.

Cox tested the gloves of Iker Casillas in the first minute of the game with a well-struck shot from the edge of the area that was competently saved by the Spain captain.

The Chelsea man Fernando Torres pounced on some uncertain defending on the edge of the box from Richard Dunne to smash a vicious strike past Shay Given from the right-hand side of the goal to give the reigning European Championship holders the lead just four minutes into the match, providing the nightmare start the Irish had feared.

Ireland held on until the break but Spain doubled their lead four minutes into the second period when Given parried an Andres Iniesta shot into Silva's path and he twisted and turned before stroking the ball into the corner from close range.

Silva played Torres clean through to slot into the bottom right corner in the 70th minute for his 30th international goal on his 95th appearance, lifting him above Fernando Hierro to third on Spain's list of record scorers.

Torres has now scored 30 goals for Spain. Only Raul (44) and David Villa (51) have scored more goals for their country.

The former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas replaced Torres in the 74th minute heaped on the misery for Ireland in the 82nd minute smashing Spain's fourth goal in off a post from a tight angle making it 4-0 in favor of Spain.

Spain now head into the last match on Sunday against Croatia in pole position to qualify from Group C as group winners. Republic of Ireland take on Italy as Trapattoni's men aim to generate some pride in their last match of Euro 2012.

Portugal beat Denmark 3-2 in a thrilling Euro 2012 Group B Portugal V Denmark

2012-06-13T19:55:00.001-07:00

Portugal beat Denmark 3-2 in a thrilling Euro 2012 Group B clash after a late winner from Silvestre Varela in 87^th min. Portugal took 2-0 lead as Pepe's headed opener on 24 minutes and a Helder Postiga finish from inside the Danish area on 36 minutes.

Denmark upset the Dutch 1-0 on Saturday to leave the group delicately poised before the final round of games. They are no mood to give up so easily. Denmark scored two goals to equalize on 2-2. Denmark pulled first goal back four minutes before half time Jacob Poulsen picked out Michael Krohn-Dehli deep in the opposition area and he headed back across goal for Bendtner to nod into the unguarded net.

It was his 19th goal in his 50th match for Denmark and a fifth goal in five games against Portugal for the former Arsenal man. Later in 80^th min Lars Jacobsen threw over an inviting cross for Bendtner to net his sixth goal in five games against Portugal as his header hit the back of the net via Rui Patricio's glove and post.

Despite Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo missing a couple of obvious chances, substitute Varela sealed the three points for Portugal - their first win of the year after a series of indifferent results in friendies - when he walloped a blistering shot into the corner of the net at the second attempt from Fabio Coentrao's delightful pass.

Portugal were worth their win on the night. They join Denmark on three points with Germany on six points as Germans beat Netherlands 2-1 later on Wednesday.

Germany beat Netherlands 2-1 Group B Netherlands V Germany

2012-06-13T19:37:00.000-07:00

Germany beat Netherland 2-1 Group B Netherland V Germany

Germany beat Netherlands 2-1 in their second group B. Bayern Munich striker Gomez scored two delightful goals on 24 and 38 minutes both goals set up by his Bayern Munich team-mate Bastian Schweinsteiger to add to his winner against Portugal in the opening round of games as Joachim Loew's side threatened to put the match beyond their fierce rivals before half-time.

Germany looks comfortable to reach the quarterfinals after this 2-1 victory over Netherlands as Germany sits on the top of Group B with 6 points.

A great chance fell to Van Persie after five minutes as a ball over the top got behind the German defence, but the striker could only fire his shot into Neuer's grateful arms.

Germany replied as Mesut Ozil hit the post from the edge of the penalty area on eight minutes, but the Dutch went back on the attack soon after as Van Persie fired wide this time.

The Germans took the lead thanks to a clever through-ball from Schweinsteiger which beat the Dutch off-side trap and fell to the feet of Gomez, who powered onto the pass and rifled home on 24 minutes.

The pair combined again on 38 minutes when Schweinsteiger's pass freed Gomez on the right and he fired past Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg on 38 minutes to make it 2-0 to the Germans at the break.

Having scored the winning header in Germany's opening 1-0 victory over Portugal, Germany's Gomez is now the tournament's early joint top-scorer with Russia's Alan Dzagoev with three goals after Bastian Schweinsteiger set up both his first-half strikes.

World Cup finalist Netherland were able to improve after the break though, and pulled one back through a breathtaking strike from Robin van Persie on 73 minutes. But they were not able to stop Germany from taking 3 clear points from the match.

The Netherlands need to beat Portugal by two clear goals and hope Germany overcome Denmark to reach the quarter-finals while Germany must gain at least a point against the Danes to be certain of progress.

Germany will only be denied a spot in the last eight if they lose to Denmark and Portugal overcome the Netherlands. It would then come down to the head-to-heads between the teams to decide who goes through.

With Germany on six points and Denmark and Portugal on three after Portugal's 3-2 win over Denmark earlier in the day, it is worth noting that no team has reached the knockout phase of a European Championship finals after losing their opening two matches.

England V France Group D match 1-1 draw

2012-06-11T19:33:00.000-07:00

England and France start Euro campaign with a 1-1 draw in Donetsk.

Joleon Lescott had put England in front in the 30^th minute of this Euro Cup match. They could only hold the lead for more than nine minutes though as Samir Nasri struck from the edge of the area and England never really looked like restoring their advantage.

France came from behind to force a 1-1 draw with England on Monday as a cagey Euro 2012 opener between the Group D and ensured a point in points table.

Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott headed England into a 30th-minute lead to leave Roy Hodgson's men dreaming of the perfect start to their campaign on a sweltering night at the Donbass Arena.
The England goal was the cue for a period of dominance from France which lasted until the half-time whistle.

Diarra almost made immediate amends with a header of his own, Hart parrying high after the defensive midfielder met Nasri's pinpoint freekick.

In the ensuing scramble Franck Ribery headed back across goal but Diarra's second effort went wide.

A French equaliser seemed on though and it arrived through Lescott's City team-mate Samir Nasri struck back with a 39th-minute equaliser, lashing a low shot from outside the area to give France a share of the points and extend Les Bleus unbeaten run to 22 games.

England seemed content to slow the pace of the game in the second half, and passed confident without ever threatening France.

Gradually however France's superior technique began to tell and England spent long periods of the closing minutes on the back foot.

But though England seemed to be tiring rapidly in the final stages, France were unable to find the winner as the match wound down, with Benzema's late strike parried by Joe Hart.

England will face Sweden in Kiev on Friday in their second game while France face Sweden in Donetsk.