Group B: Portugal beat Denmark 3-2 at Euro 2012

A late winner from substitute Silvestre Varela won a thrilling encounter for Portugal

Portugal beat Denmark 3-2 and kept their chances of advancing out of Group B alive after surviving a two-goal comeback from a Nicklas Bendtner-inspired Denmark to triumph 3-2 at the Lviv Arena on Wednesday.Pepe headed the Seleccao into the lead from a corner, before Helder Postiga put them further in control with a confident finish from close range.But, Bendtner, on his 50th appearance for Denmark nodded one back for his side four minutes before half-time before completing the comeback with another header nine minutes from the end.The action was not over, however, as Silvestre Varela had the last laugh, grabbing the winner with a sublime effort in the 87th minute to put Portugal level on three points with the Danes, and take the race for a quarter-final spot into the final matchday.Denmark started the brighter of the two sides, and forced a flurry of corners early in the game to keep the Portuguese under pressure.Despite their lack of initial enterprise, Bento’s men threatened first, Miguel Veloso whipping in a devilish ball from a short corner that was capably punched away by Stephan Andersen.And there was bad news for the Danes just past the quarter-hour mark when Niki Zimling was forced off through injury, with Jakob Poulsen coming on as his replacement.Portugal improved shortly after, and slowly began to play their way back into the game. Cristiano Ronaldo, as ever, was at the heart of everything, dragging a one-two with Veloso wide before hammering a free-kick into orbit.The Iberian nation would strike first after 24 minutes. Joao Moutinho took charge of a corner, and Pepe stole a march at the near post to plant a header past Andersen into the roof of the net.And they made the most of their momentum, and doubled their advantage in the 37th minute. Nani found himself with time and space on the right flank, and squared low to Postiga, who ghosted ahead of Simon Kjaer to lash into the top corner.Denmark were quick to react though, and halved the deficit within four minutes. Kvist Jorgensen clipped towards Michael Krohn-Dehli at the far post, who nodded back across the six yard box for Bendtner to head into an empty net.Portugal almost replicated their second goal on the stroke of the interval, but this time Kjaer was able to slide ahead of Postiga to hack away another dangerous cross from Nani.Cristiano Ronaldo then had a glorious chance to put Portugal 3-1 up four minutes into the second half when clean through on goal, but his attempted slot into the bottom corner was read well by Andersen.The chances keep on coming for the Seleccao with Postiga gifted the opportunity to pounce after terrible giveaway from Simon Poulsen, but the striker was then flattened by Agger to snuff out the chance.Denmark were then forced into another change on the hour mark, as Dennis Rommedahl hobbled off in obvious discomfort, with Tobias Mikkelsen coming on in his stead.Despite the setback, the Danes were inching their way back into the match. Kvist caused a few hearts to flutter with a thunderous drive from the edge of the area that whistled inches away from the top corner.Bendtner was next to try his luck after plucking a pass out of the air at the corner of the box, but his finish did not match his control, and was scuffed wide of the mark.The Danes should have been dead and buried on 78 minutes, but were spared thanks to another awful miss from Cristiano Ronaldo. The 27-year-old found himself one-on-one again with Andersen, but his side-footed finish was comfortably wide of the mark.Within three minutes, Denmark would make him pay. Lars Jakobsen lifted a cross towards the far post over the head of Pepe, where Bendtner was waiting to head home via the woodwork.However, just when it looked like they had thrown the game away, Varela rescued all three points with a well-taken half-volley from a Fabio Coentrao cross to settle the game in Portugal’s favour.

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 3rd Odi Match abandoned after heavy showers

Only 6.2 overs of play were possible due to incessant rain. 

Pakistan 12 for 2 vs Sri Lanka abandoned due to rain.The south-west monsoon allowed only 6.2 overs of play in the third ODI between Sri Lanka and Pakistan at the R Premadasa Stadium, leaving the series level at 1-1.There were early warning signs that the match could be a stop-start affair as a brief shower forced the groundstaff to bring on the covers soon after the toss. The rain relented and the match began on time, but only one ball was bowled after which the showers returned to hold up play for 75 minutes.When the cricket resumed, Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara got the ball to jag around to test Pakistan's batsmen. Mohammad Hafeez perished in the first over, nibbling at a swinging delivery from Malinga to edge to the keeper. Kulasekara's inswing caused more problems, and several close calls, before Azhar Ali was adjudged lbw in the sixth over though the ball looked to have struck him outside off.Only two more balls were bowled before the umpires decided to halt play as ominous clouds threatened an extended break. The covers were on even before the rain began, but it hardly let up through the rest of the day. The groundstaff took off the covers several times, but the rain didn't stay away long enough for a resumption.There had been plenty of debate before this match over whether Pakistan needed to play an extra batsman, and it was settled as Pakistan chose to bring in a specialist batsman, Asad Shafiq, in place of fast bowler Rahat Ali. There wasn't enough play, however, to test the soundness of the strategy. There also wasn't enough play for 34-year-old left-arm-spinner Sajeewa Weerakoon, making his debut seven years after his first national call-up, to either bat or bowl.

Group A: Poland 1-1 Russia In Euro 2012

Jakub Blaszczykowski Earns The Polish 1-1 Draw as Blaszczykowski collected the ball in his side and rifled a 25-metre angled shot into the top corner of the net in the 57th minute to leave both sides unbeaten in the tournament.Alan Dzagoyev put Russia ahead when he met Andrei Arshavin's teasing, curling free kick with a glancing header in the 37th minute after they had withstood early pressure. Poland have two points from two games and Russia top the group with four.Violence flared before the match with riot police firing teargas and rubber bullets at Polish and Russian fans who fought bloody running battles on the streets of Warsaw in the first major flashpoint of the tournament.

Argentina 4-3 Brazil, Messi Hat-trick Hero

Venezuela Were Held 1-1 Against Uruguay , While Chile eases 2-0 victory

Venezuela Drew Against Uruguay in  fifth round of FIFA World Cup™ qualifiers in South America.An 84th-minute strike by Salomon Rondon silenced the Centenario Stadium and gave Venezuela a 1-1 draw vs  Uruguay.It was a disappointing performance from the Copa America champions as they were way off their best form and struggled to threaten Renny Vega's goal. Midway through an uninspiring first half, Benfica's Maximiliano Pereira tested Vega with a long-range shot and the goalkeeper produced a great reaction stop to keep out a Diego Forlan header.Six minutes before half-time Pereira escaped down the right and crossed the ball to Forlan, who controlled and opened the scoring with a left-footed shot.In the second half, Uruguay only had one chance of note, a header by Diego Lugano well saved by Colo Colo keeper Vega. Venezuela coach Cesar Farias sent on Wolfsburg playmaker Yohandry Orozco and Nicolas Fedor, and it was the Getafe forward who provided the assist for Rondon to level with a header.Uruguay coach Oscar Washington Tabarez said: "Nobody here is happy because we all want to win, but I think the result was fair. This shows the improvement of Venezuelan football. Congratulations to them." Pereira added: "The team have an unpleasant sensation. Despite not playing well, we controlled the match and to suffer a goal at the end was a huge blow."Vega said: "We are very happy and proud of this result. I think we were very clever and never gave up. That was the key." The result means that the Celestes and the Vinotintos each have eight points.

Chile 2-0 Bolivia 

in La Paz, Chile recorded a valuable 2-0 away victory over rock-bottom Bolivia. As the Chileans struggled to acclimatise to the altitude early on, keeper Claudio Bravo saved his side on several occasions, notably from a Jhasmany Campos' free-kick and a Ricardo Pedriel header.In the last move before half-time, Colo Colo midfielder Charles Aranguiz took advantage of a defensive mistake to open the scoring.Chile started to control the game in the second half thanks to Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez, who was the subject of a hard tackle from Luis Gutierrez which earned the midfielder a red card. And seven minutes before the end, a good individual goal by Arturo Vidal of Juventus sealed the match for Chile.

Manchester United Complete deal with teenage sensation Nick Powell worth £6m

Nick Powell (centre) celebrates scoring for Crewe against Cheltenham Town in the League Two Play-Off Final last. 

Manchester United have completed their second signing of the summer by completing a deal worth up to £6m for Crewe Alexandra teenager Nick Powell.The 18-year-old attacking midfielder, who scored in Crewe’s League Two Play-Off final victory against Cheltenham last month, signed a four-year contract after passing a medical at Manchester United Carrington training ground on Tuesday.Powell’s move comes a week after United completed the £17 million purchase of Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa from Borussia Dortmund.United have beaten off competition from Everton, Arsenal and Chelsea to sign the England Under-18 international, who had been with Crewe from the age five-years-old.“We have scouted Nick for months now,” claimed Sir Alex Ferguson following the completion of the deal. “He is an exceptional talent and has been schooled well at Crewe."I’m delighted he has chosen to come to United. He has a lot to offer and we are all looking forward to working with him."Crewe are set to receive an initial £4 million for Powell – a record for a League One club – and the deal could ultimately be worth a further £6 million for the Gresty Road outfit should the youngster go on to win honours and full England caps while at United.Powell follows England internationals such as David Platt, Geoff Thomas and Dean Ashton in securing a big transfer after starting his career at Crewe and he admits to being hugely excited by the move to Old Trafford.He said: “It really is a dream come true to be signing for Manchester United. I have had a great time at Crewe and I would like to thank them for helping me to develop as a player over the past 13 years."I’m excited about continuing my development with Sir Alex and the world-class players in the squad.“The thought of making the step up to the Premier League next season is an exciting prospect. I can’t wait to get started.”Despite earlier suggestions that Powell would be loaned back to Crewe on completion of his move to United, it is understood that no such agreement has been struck.And although Powell may yet be loaned out to a Championship club next season, he is likely to travel with United’s first-team squad on the summer tour to South Africa and China before Ferguson decides on the next step for the youngster.

Messi Breaks Brazil Apart By Scoring Hat-trick

Messi treble sinks Brazil

Lionel Messi Scored 3 Amazing Goals Against Brazil To wrap them apart And Gave His Nation 4-3 Win in a Friendly Match On 9th June.Messi levelled the scores after 31 minutes after Gonzalo Higuain robbed B razilian captain Sandro and fed the striker with a defense-splitting pass for him to shoot low into the corner of the goal.Within three minutes, the diminutive striker ran clear again to put Argentina 2-1 up, collecting a pass from Angel di Maria and rounding Brazilian goalkeeper Rafael Cabral.A young Brazil side, facing a more experienced Argentina, had opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when a quickly taken free-kick found Romulo, who banged in the goal as Argentina's defenders appealed in vain for offside.After half time, Brazil got back in the game when Oscar scored from close range after 56 minutes and then reclaimed the lead when Hulk took advantage of a fumble by Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Romero to score.Argentina stormed back quickly in a rollercoaster game as Federico Fernandez headed in from a corner in the 75th minute.Then, with six minutes of normal time left, Messi scored the best goal of the game with a trademark run and an unstoppable shot into the top corner of the goal from outside the penalty area."It's always beautiful to beat Brazil and I am very happy with my three goals," Messi told reporters after the game.Messi has been criticized in the past for not repeating for the national side his brilliant form with Spanish giants Barcelona that earned him the World Player of the Year title for the last three years.But Saturday's hat-trick was Messi's second in three matches for Argentina and his tally for the national side now stands at 26 in 70 matches.Messi thanked his parents for the turnaround. "They more than anyone else know what I suffered in the national team during the bad times I went through. They were always by my side then and now they are having as much fun as me."Argentina's coach Alejandro Sabella paid tribute to Messi."Thankfully for us, he's Argentine and we can enjoy having him in our team," Sabella told a news conference. "He's an exceptional player who is going through an exceptional phase."Brazilian coach Mano Menezes was left scratching his head about Messi who made the difference in a game in which Brazil created a string of scoring opportunities."No one in the world has found a solution (to playing against him)," Menezes said. "He had four chances and scored three goals...Against some players you cannot give any space and perhaps we gave him too much."Brazil's Marcelo and Argentina's Ezequiel Lavezzi were sent off for an altercation in injury time.The game was played in front of a sell-out crowd of nearly 82,000 - many of them Brazilians and Argentines living in the United States - at Meadowlands Stadium, home of New York's two American Football teams, the Giants and the Jets.The defeat was Brazil's second in less than a week after they lost 2-0 to Mexico last Sunday.But coach Menezes said he remained confident about the Olympics."We have a very good Olympics team and we will only make a few small changes before we start," he said.Brazil, who have won the World Cup a record five times, have never won the Olympics where teams are required to field teams mostly made up of players under 23 years of age.

Group A:Czech Republic beat Greece 2-1 at Euro 2012

Czech Republic players celebrate their 2-1 defeat of Greece.

Czech Republic beat Greece 2-1 Petr Jiracek and Vaclav Pilar scored in the first six minutes to give the Czech Republic a win over Greece on Tuesday at the European Championship.Jiracek shot the ball past Greece goalkeeper Costas Chalkias in the third minute after a pass from Tomas Hubschmann sliced through the Greek defence. Three minutes later, Pilar scored his second goal of the tournament, beating Greek defenders to a ball sent across the goal by Czech Republic defender Theodor Gebre Selassie.Substitute Fanis Gekas pulled one back for Greece in 53rd minute with a tap in after Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech spilled the ball and bumped into defender Tomas Sivok.