Germany beat Portugal 1-0 at Euro 2012

Mario Gomez Celebrates after scoring a goal.

 Germany Beat Portugal 1-0 Germany forward Lukas Podolski admitted that his side were not at their best during win over Portugal in Euro 2012 Group B, but felt that they deserved victory for all of their hard work.Joachim Low's side only managed one serious attempt on goal in the first 45 minutes, but Mario Gomez's header in the second-half was enough to give them all three points.After being lauded for their attacking flair in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Germany were expected to continue that form into the European Championship, but Podolski says that victory is what counts."The three points are important," he said after the game. "Maybe we did not play as well as in 2010, but we fought hard and in the end it was important to start off with a victory."If you look at the Portuguese [team] you cannot say that they're bad opponents. We have room to improve but the victory was very important, especially after Netherlands surprisingly lost against Denmark."Portugal had two good attacks at the end. We had little space, even after the [goal that made it] 1-0. We did not play as well offensively as in 2010. We need to improve that."Everybody expects 'fun football' and attacking football from us. We have to match those expectations."Now, the new Arsenal signing is switching his focus to die Mannschaft's next fixture, when they face Oranje in Kharkiv on Wednesday."It won't be easier against Netherlands. They have their backs against the wall. If they lose, they are out. We can qualify for the quarter-finals."Podolski also feels that the Germans' 3-0 success when the two sides met in a friendly last November will give them the confidence to go up against the Dutch again."The 3-0 win back in November is still a topic in their team, maybe. It's the same team that will be on the pitch for them. We don't have to hide."

Denmark upset Netherlands 1-0 at Euro 2012

Denmark's Michael Krohn-Dehli (left) scores during the Euro 2012 soccere championship Group B match against Netherlands in Kharkiv on Saturday.

Denmark secured the first huge surprise of the European Championship with a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands on Saturday in Group B.And it was Michael Krohn-Dehli that provided the lethal finishing that the Dutch inexplicably lacked.Krohn-Dehli scored against the run of play when he picked up a loose ball close to the penalty area in the 24th minute, left two defenders standing and shot through the legs of Maarten Stekelenburg from a tight angle.It was something Premier League top scorer Robin van Persie never got close to as he came to symbolize Dutch futility with a couple of bad mistakes. Denmark goalkeeper Stephan Andersen made several clutch saves to secure the most important Danish victory over the Netherlands since the Euro 1992 semifinals.The Dutch had their best chance of the first half when Andersen gave away the ball to Arjen Robben just outside the area in the 36th minute, but the Bayern Munich winger curled his left-footer onto the far post and out of danger.It came to symbolize the sticky night in eastern Ukraine and leaves the World Cup runners-up with two clutch games against top-10 ranked teams, Germany and Portugal.Late in the match, a penalty appeal for handball was denied when the Dutch were running out of time as Lars Jacobsen appeared to touch the ball with his upper arm in the box.Denmark, seen as outsider in the toughest group of the championship, can already take a huge step to the quarterfinals by beating Portugal in their second game.From the start, the tactics of the match were laid out for all 39,232 fans at the Metalist Stadium. The Dutch started with furious attacking and the Danes counted on a solid attack and a dose of luck to keep out of danger.The creative skills of Robben, Van Persie and Ibrahim Afellay created plenty of chances, but finishing was off and Andersen would not budge.With one lethal counter, Krohn-Dehli showed some of Europe’s best players how it should be done with his well—taken strike.The Netherlands came into the tournament without key defender Joris Mathijsen and a questionable left defensive flank. Ron Vlaar and Jetro Willems confirmed the assumptions as the back line did not look at ease when the Danes came pushing forward around the half-hour mark.Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk even had to come to the sideline to shout and wave his players forward. And on a difficult day, luck was not with the Dutch either, when Robben’s shot bounced free.Van Marwijk’s decision to pick Van Persie over Bundesliga top scorer Klaas-Jan Huntelaar came into sharp focus. Two minutes from halftime, Wesley Sneijder set up the Arsenal striker in the center with only the goalkeeper to beat.Uncharacteristically, Van Persie had a bad first touch and was forced too wide and shot at the goalkeeper instead of scoring an easy goal.Early in the second half, too, he inexplicably mis-stepped on another great chance for goal as the Dutch pushed forward from the second half whistle. They forced Andersen into two fine saves on a half dozen occasions.The thousands of orange-clad fans filled the air with shouts of “Holland, Holland,” but to no avail.The Danes didn’t fully lock themselves up but showed poise by patiently pushing forward again. Still, the Dutch kept piling up the misses and Van Marwijk brought in both Huntelaar and attacking midfielder Rafael van der Vaart for defensive midfielder Nigel de Jong with 20 minutes to go.

Maria Sharapova wins French open

Maria Sharapova kisses her French Open trophy after beating Sara Errani 6-3, 6-2 in the final.

Maria Sharapova is now a champion on the red clay, too.The Russian star won the French Open on Saturday, defeating Sara Errani 6-3, 6-2 in the final at Roland Garros to complete the career Grand Slam.Second-seeded Sharapova, who was guaranteed of moving to No 1 in the world regardless of the result, jumped to a quick 4-0 lead against the 21st-seeded Errani, who was in her first Grand Slam final.But Errani battled back on a cool, blustery day in Paris, turning what looked like a blowout into an 89-minute endurance contest, filled with long rallies that forced Sharapova to find another gear. Eventually, Sharapova's bigger serve and bigger groundstrokes wore down Errani, who at 5-foot-4 stands 9 inches shorter than her opponent.When Errani netted a short backhand on the third match point, Sharapova dropped gingerly to her knees and buried her head in her hands, then reached back and looked heavenward - a long, hard road back to the top finally capped with the only major title that had eluded her.Along with hoisting the French Open trophy for the first time, she'll be back at No 1 on Monday for the first time since June 2008."It's been such a journey for me to get to this stage," Sharapova said. "There are so many people to thank, but most importantly, it's my wonderful team that keeps me together."Sharapova added this year's French Open title to championships at Wimbledon in 2004, the US Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008 to become only the 10th woman to win all four major tournaments.This was her 27th career title and it puts her in elite company, along with players such as Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams and Billie Jean King - who are among those who have won all four majors.Sharapova finally won the trophy on the red clay of Roland Garros, about three years after dropping as low as 126th in the rankings after shoulder surgery that threatened her career. She rededicated herself to the game and made a special effort to improve on clay, the surface on which she moved to 18-1 in matches this year.Back in 2004, Sharapova was 17, just becoming a name on the tennis scene when she swept into Paris and made a surprise trip to the quarterfinals. A month later, she won Wimbledon and everyone knew her name."It took me many years to get to this stage," she said. "Eight years ago, it was my first breakthrough Grand Slam. I made it to the quarterfinals, and eight years from that day, I'm here on this stage. I'm so happy to share this moment."The lopsided score in the final wasn't all that unexpected, given the size, experience and power advantage Sharapova brought to the first meeting between the two. But really, the score didn't tell the whole story.Errani, who won the doubles title Friday and will move into the top 10 in singles for the first time Monday, struck a victory for any athlete who ever walked onto a court or field, looked up at an opponent towering over them by a foot and said, "Hey, maybe I can do this."Despite spinning serves in at 70-80 mph, while Sharapova was topping out in the 115 mph range, Errani played Sharapova toe-to-toe for the better part of the hour and a half, especially after she overcame the jitters in the shaky opening games.Eventually, Sharapova's power game won out but Errani fought to the bitter end - showing the savvy to hit two drop shots that won points in the final game, each of them sending Sharapova scrambling toward the net, only to arrive a split second late.Still, Sharapova finished the match with 25 winners from the baseline compared to four for Errani, while committing 29 unforced errors to 11 for her opponent. Sharapova also led in aces, 6-0, including one that set up the third and final match point.

Russia Beats Czech Republic By 4-1 On Match-Day 1

The Match was too easy for Russian's As they easily Beat Czech Republic by 4-1 and has got a flying start in Group A.Russia's tournament got off to a flier in Wroclaw, western Poland, as Alan Dzagoev put them in front on 15 minutes, blasting in from the edge of the box after Aleksandr Kerzhakov saw a close-range header rebound off the post.A neat finish from Roman Shirokov nine minutes later doubled the lead, despite the Czechs looking the livelier in the opening exchanges.The Czechs pulled one back seven minutes after the restart when Vaclav Pilar beat the offside trap, sidestepped the goalkeeper and slid the ball home following a through ball from Jaroslav Plasil.But Dzagoev made it 3-1 in netting a fine right-footed strike after being played in by substitute and former Tottenham star Roman Pavlyuchenko, who promptly smacked in a magnificent fourth for the 2008 semifinalists with eight minutes remaining.Russia's emphatic win put them top of Group A, with Dick Advocaat's men taking on the hosts in Warsaw and the Czechs playing Greece in Wroclaw, both on Tuesday.The final countdown to the start of Euro 2012, though, was overshadowed by claims that fans racially abused the Netherlands team with monkey chants during a training session on Wednesday.Dutch skipper Mark van Bommel said in an interview published in De Telegraaf newspaper that the Oranje were forced to train away from the 25 000 fans who had turned up to watch in Krakow, southern Poland."We all heard the monkey chants," he was quoted as saying. "We can't accept that. We reacted well and the situation was sorted."During the tournament, if any one of us is confronted with such a thing, we'll immediately go to the referee to ask him to intervene," added van Bommel, who faces Denmark with his teammates in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Saturday.Van Bommel's comments come despite a senior Uefa official previously denying there had been any racist chants and an angry response to a BBC programme last month which claimed far-right gangs were rife in Polish and Ukrainian football.Poland, Ukraine and Uefa president Michel Platini have all tried to play down fears of racist incidents, which prompted the families of two black England players to say they would not be travelling to watch the tournament.His organisation said on Friday that it was now aware of racist incidents, although it had not received any formal complaint from the Dutch football federation.

The 1st Match Of Euro 2012 Ends up With 1-1 Draw

Lewandowski First Scored The opening goal Of Euro 2012 In 17th minute for Poland By Header Crossed By Blaszczykowski.Greece's task then got even harder shortly before the interval when Sokratis Papastathopoulos was sent-off for two harsh yellow cards, the second after Rafal Murawski fell to the ground.But the 2004 champions equalised on 51 minutes when substitute Dimitris Salpingidis scored from close range after Polish keeper Wojciech Szczesny misjudged Vassilis Torosidis' right-wing cross.Szczesny's night then got even worse when he caught Salpingidis as he was through on goal and was rightly sent-off in the 69th minute.But replacement keeper Przemyslaw Tyton saved low to his left to deny Greek skipper Giorgos Karagounis from the subsequent spot-kick as the Group A opener in the National Stadiumended all-square.Poland will be kicking themselves, however, after throwing it away having gone in at half-time with a one-goal lead and with Greece down to ten men.The Poles, who began the game with swaggering intent in front of their home fans, had dominated the first half.It was no surprise when Lewandowski gave them the perfect start after 17 minutes, although the goal had as much to do with the poor positioning of Greek goalkeeper Chalkias as the sharpness of Lewandowski.Chalkias found himself flapping his arms in no man's land to leave the Borussia Dortmundstriker, who scored a hat-trick in the German Cup final last month, to head home a swinging cross from Blaszczykowski.They were hungrier, quicker to the ball and seemingly desperate to prove that while they are the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, they have a realistic chance of reaching the quarter-finals at least.In that 45 minutes the Greeks looked a shadow of the organised side who had gained a reputation for being tough to beat, having lost just one of 21 games under manager Fernando Santos.In fact, the Poles would have been kicking themselves that they were not further ahead at half-time after Rafal Murawski, Maciej Rybus and Lewandowski all missed clear-cut chances.Damien Perquis should also have scored when the ball fell to him in the penalty area but the Polish defender, in unfamiliar territory, drilled his shot wildly wide of the post.It looked as if the Greeks' fortune had deserted them completely, however, when Papastathopoulos saw red just before half-time.The Greek defender had become the first player to be booked in the tournament when he received the yellow card from Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo for what appeared a harmless challenge.His second yellow was equally as harsh when he was adjudged to have brought down Murawski. The referee, however, produced red and Greece were down to ten men and seemingly heading to an opening defeat.Perhaps fired up by the injustice, the Greeks came out in the second half with more determination and resolve and it paid off, even if they did have Szczesny to thank for their equaliser.Szczesny raced out of his goal attempting to collect Torosidis' right-wing cross but misjudged it totally, allowing substitute Salpingidis to score from close range.The drama, however, was far from finished and the teams were down to 10 players each after 69 minutes when Szczesny endured a moment of madness, sticking out a leg to trip Salpingidis in the penalty area.The resulting penalty was delayed while PSV Eindhoven goalkeeper Tyton came off the bench and Rybus went off, but Tyton's first action was the most crucial of the match, saving the tame spot-kick of Karagounis.A point was probably a fair result. But what a dramatic way for Euro 2012 to begin.

Women Singles Final Of French Open: Maria Sharapova Vs Sara Errani

The Russian Maria Sharapova To Face The Italian World No.21 Sara Errani In a Blistering Final, as Sharapova Looks To Complete Career Grand-Slam.Sharapova will be the overwhelming favorite, with her extensive experience and formidable arsenal of offensive weapons, but Errani has made an improbable run to the finals with upsets over former French Open champions Ana Ivanovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Samantha Stosur, a finalist in 2010.Errani is enjoying a brilliant 2012 campaign, starting the year off by reaching the quarterfinals in the Australian Open. Sharapova, the No. 2 seed who will ascend to the No. 1 ranking next week, has surprised the tennis world with her new-found assuredness on clay. She won WTA events in Stuttgart and in Rome on clay, and has looked confident and composed marching through the bottom half of the draw.Under the tutelage of the Swedish coach Thomas Hogstedt, Sharapova has improved her footwork and overall movement on clay. She is playing better defense – long a weakness in her game — and is now able to play longer points with more consistency. Her serve, which often deserted her in the tense moments of a match, has been much more reliable throughout this clay-court season. She still plays aggressive, first-strike tennis, but she has clearly worked hard to address the shortcomings in her game.Errani has also improved significantly this year. She switched rackets to a longer frame, which she says has added power to her ground strokes. Her forehand is her favorite weapon, and she has transformed herself from a clay-court counterpuncher to more of an offensive threat, going for her shots whenever she senses an opening. This will be key against Sharapova, whose game is founded on controlling the point from start to finish. Look for Errani to attack Sharapova’s forehand side, then move her wide to the backhand. Errani must try to wrest control of the point from Sharapova, and to try to push her off the baseline and out of the center of the court. Errani may also employ the drop shot in an attempt to disrupt Sharapova’s rhythm.But a key to the match will be Errani’s serve. She spun in 86 percent of her first serves against Stosur, but in this match the Errani serve could be a real liability. Sharapova may be the game’s best returner, an intimidating presence as she moves forward to take the ball early. She focuses with an intensity that resembles a hunter stalking prey. Sharapova goes after each return with unbridled aggression, seeking to win the point outright or get a weak return. Her approach to tennis tactics is simple but ruthless as she looks to control and win the point in the first two shots. This will put enormous pressure on Errani, who must withstand the offensive onslaught in order to expose Sharapova’s weaknesses.The Sharapova serve, which was prone to frequent double faults at key moments, has been a consistent weapon throughout the tournament. Against Petra Kvitova in the semifinals, Sharapova made 79 percent of her first serves, winning 75 percent of those points. She served only three double faults, but won just 33 percent of her points on second serves. If Sharapova struggles with her first serve, this could provide an opening for Errani. But if Sharapova serves well, look for her to hit a lot of first-strike winners.

Nadal faces Djokovic in the Final of French open

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal set-up a history-making French Open final courtesy of devastating straight-set, semifinal wins.

Novak Djokovic  and Rafael Nadal set-up a history-making French Open final on Friday courtesy of devastating straight-sets, semifinal wins which confirmed their mastery of the men's game.World number one Djokovic crushed third seed Roger Federer 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 to reach a first Roland Garros final while six-time champion Nadal, the world number two, breezed past Spanish compatriot David Ferrer 6-2, 6-2, 6-1.On Sunday, history will be made as a win for Djokovic will make him only the third man to hold all four Grand Slam trophies at the same time.A win for Nadal, whose record in Paris now stands at 51 wins against just one defeat, will mean he'd be the first man to win the French Open seven times, breaking a tie with Swedish legend Bjorn Borg.“I am happy to be in the final here, it's always difficult to play against Roger,” said Djokovic, who had his 43-match winning streak ended by Federer at the same stage of Roland Garros 12 months ago.“It's a dream to be in the final, but Rafa, who always plays so well here, will be the favourite.”Both Djokovic and Federer had looked far from convincing in reaching this stage.Djokovic came back from two sets to love down to beat Andreas Seppi in the fourth round before saving four match points against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a five-set quarter-final.Federer had also been two sets to love down to Juan Martin del Potro in his five-set, last eight match before battling back.The Swiss world number three ended Friday's match with an uncharacteristic 46 unforced errors, caused to some extent by the swirling wind inside the Philippe Chatrier court.He was also left to regret twice squandering early breaks in the first two sets.Defeat also ended Federer's hopes of making a 24th Grand Slam final while extending his long wait to add to his record 16 majors, the last of which came at the 2010 Australian Open.“He played well under difficult conditions,” said Federer, who had been 3-0 and 5-4 ahead in the second set.“But I had chances. There are no excuses. I tried and if I had won that second set, it would have been a different match. But it didn't work out.”Nadal said his demolition of Ferrer was one of the most complete matches he has played for some time.The Spaniard was only briefly troubled at the start of the match, saving two break points in the fourth game before accelerating away for victory.It was, he said, “one of my best matches on this court.”“In my opinion I did almost everything right, because my serve worked very well, changing directions.“My backhand was at its best so far today. I hit the forehand well during all the tournament. Today wasn't an exception.”The win sees Nadal into his seventh final in eight years and once again he has done so without dropping a set. In fact he has only once had his serve broken, in the second set of his first round tie against Simone Bolelli.

Pakistan beat Sri Lanka in 1st odi

Umar Gul picked up the first three wickets.

Pakistan 135 for 4 (Hafeez 37, Akmal 36*) beat Sri Lanka 135 for 8 (Thirimanne 42*, Gul 3-24, Sami 3-19) by six wickets (D/L method).It turned out to be a good toss to lose for Pakistan, as their seamers, led by Umar Gul, set up a comfortable six-wicket win by keeping Sri Lanka to a paltry 135. The ball nipped around, skidded, turned and bounced alarmingly and tested the technique and patience of the batsmen, with the cloudy conditions giving the bowlers an overwhelming advantage. Three rain interruptions in the first innings did little to help Sri Lanka's cause. They struggled to build momentum and sizeable partnerships, and following a lengthy rain interruption, the overs were culled to 42, leaving very few overs in the end to accelerate.Pakistan too were tested by a probing opening spell by Sri Lanka's seamers, but they could afford to take their time and grind it out. Subcontinent pitches aren't known to produce too many low-scoring games, and based on the evidence so far in the three games on tour, watching the bowlers have a say has been compelling.Runs off the bat were at a premium as Sri Lanka's top four failed to reach double-digits and their combined contribution was outscored by extras. It was a struggle, not just to pick the gaps but to put bat on ball. Sohail Tanvir's angle away from the right-hander kept Mahela Jayawardene playing and missing; Gul's bounce off a good length and incutters troubled Tillakaratne Dilshan, who looked like he hadn't yet shrugged off the Twenty20 hangover.It was a battle of attrition at both ends. Sri Lanka had two of their most experienced accumulators at the crease - Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara - but the seamers found ways to avert a partnership. An indipper from Gul trapped Jayawardene lbw, before Dinesh Chandimal chopped one onto his stumps without using his feet.The batsmen may have had their wallets nicked when they walked out to bat - they couldn't even buy a run. In the first ten overs, Pakistan didn't concede a run off the bat for 26 consecutive legal deliveries. In that period, the only source of runs was 13 wides. The first boundary off the bat - there were only six in all - came in the 12th over. Any semblance of a recovery was halted when Mohammad Sami nipped out two wickets in successive overs, leaving Sri Lanka five down at the 15th over.Rain forced interruptions in the 18th over and again after the 24th. What followed after the second interruption were two of the most productive partnerships. Lahiru Thirimanne added 25 with Thisara Perera, and doubled that with Nuwan Kulasekara. It was still a battle for survival, and the frequent interruptions didn't help Sri Lanka's bid to find momentum to accelerate. Following the third rain interval, which stretched to an hour and a quarter, Sri Lanka had only five overs to bat out. Thirimanne slogged and swished at several deliveries and managed to fetch three boundaries, including one off the final ball. Subtracting the wides, Sri Lanka would have been defending a much lesser score.Sri Lanka managed only six fours in their innings, hitting the first only in the 12th over. Pakistan hit their first four as early as the third ball, when Mohammad Hafeez punched Lasith Malinga past the covers. Malinga soon had Azhar Ali caught off a loose drive, and he continued to create half chances by shaping the ball away from the right-handers. Kulasekara posed questions by getting the ball to cut back in - his stock delivery - and one of those breached Younis Khan's defences, leaving Pakistan at 27 for 2.The pressure created by that dismissal led to three consecutive maidens. Misbah-ul-Haq halted a run-drought that lasted 25 deliveries with a slash past point for four. While Hafeez gave Pakistan the edge with positive shots, including a lofted off-drive for six, what prevented Pakistan from imploding was Misbah's calm presence.Pakistan were a batsman short, so it was imperative one senior player pitched a tent through the duration of the innings, which Misbah had all but achieved. It was a pressure-free scenario for Umar Akmal to play his strokes, as Pakistan coasted home to extend their recent domination over Sri Lanka, with their ninth win in 11 games.