Group D:Ukraine beat Sweden 2-1 at Euro 2012

Andriy Shevchenko scored two second-half goals to spark Ukraine's comeback win over Sweden.
Ukraine Andriy Shevchenko made his coach look brilliant, scoring two great headers Monday to give Ukraine a 2-1 win over Sweden at the European Championship.After Zlatan Ibrahimovic had given Sweden the lead in the 52nd minute, Shevchenko responded by heading in the equalizer just three minutes later and then added the winner in the 61st.The victory gives Ukraine a serious chance of advancing from Group D after England and France drew 1-1, while Sweden faces an uphill battle to remain in the tournament."We showed today our character, our good football," Shevchenko said. "We have very good chances to qualify."Shevchenko is already a national icon in Ukraine and carried the hopes of the team going into the tournament. In front of sea of yellow and blue in the packed Olympic Stadium, he certainly didn't disappoint. He rewarded the faith coach Oleg Blokhin showed in the veteran who was not a certain starter for the tournament.Showing flashes of the scorer's instinct that once made him one of the world's top strikers, Shevchenko beat Olof Mellberg to a cross for his first goal and then met a corner to head the ball inside the near post for the second.That set off shouts of "Sheva" that could reverberate throughout the nation for a long time."Every game for us is like a final," Shevchenko said. "We showed great football tonight."These days it's Ibrahimovic who is considered a world-class forward, but AC Milan's current star came up short against its former standout forward.Ibrahimovic did provide the focal point of the Swedish attack and shaved the post with a header in the first half before putting his team ahead.Kim Kallstrom collected a long cross at the left side of the penalty area and sent it to Ibrahimovic in front of the net. The Sweden striker calmly slotted the ball past Andriy Pyatov and into the net.But Sweden seemed to relax after that and Shevchenko took advantage by meeting Oleh Gusev's cross and sending his header past Andreas Isaksson.That made the home crowd erupt and the noise grew even louder six minutes later as the 35-year-old Shevchenko's header from a corner found its way past defender Mikael Lustig at the near post. That sent Blokhin jumping up and down the sideline and waving his hand frenetically.Ibrahimovic had one good chance to equalize, but his hard, swerving shot was saved by Pyatov. Substitute Johan Elmander and Mellberg both shot high in the final minutes.Shevchenko was given a well-deserved standing ovation as was taken off in the 81st, while Ibrahimovic strode off the field immediately after the final whistle with his head down."Today it was off the post and out, the next game it will be off the post and in," Ibrahimovic said. "We have three games to play here, it's not just one game."I feel sad. We had more chances to score. There's still two games left and we still have the two games to get a result. We need to play a better game than we did today."We can't really lose the lead like we did."

Group D:England draw against France 1-1 at Euro 2012

England have claimed a well-earned point in their opening match.

England and France battled to a 1-1 stalemate in their opening Euro 2012 Group D match after Joleon Lescott's opener for England was cancelled out by Samir Nasri.The match, played in warm humid conditions at a less than full Donbass Arena, saw England defend resolutely against a more inventive French side who are now unbeaten in 22 matches."I have to be happy with the result. We kept them at bay and there were not many situations where I was panicking," England manager Roy Hodgson said. "We played well against a top team that ask questions when coming up against you."France midfielder Alou Diarra added: "Given the possession we had, we have regrets. There is a bit of disappointment, I admit it. It's a shame because there was room for a win tonight."England made the breakthrough after 30 minutes when Lescott scored his first goal for his country, powerfully heading home a whipped Steven Gerrard free kick that left France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris floundering.England only stayed ahead for nine minutes, though, before Lescott's Manchester City team mate Nasri fired an equaliser past another club colleague in England goalkeeper Joe Hart.Nasri beat Hart at the near post with a superbly struck shot from outside the penalty area, shortly after the keeper had made a brilliant reflex save from Alou Diarra's thundering header.Hodgson, in charge for only six weeks, gambled on a bold lineup with teenager Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain called up for only his third appearance.Although the 18-year-old made some surging runs, his lack of a final product left England with just three attempts on goal to France's 19."Oxlade-Chamberlain did quite well, he was dangerous," Hodgson said. "He has to be happy with his performance but it was a great team performance. Everyone did their best to keep us in the game."England should have taken the lead in the 15th minute when James Milner rounded Lloris after a neat through ball from Ashley Young, but he fired into the side netting.France dominated possession and looked sharper in attack than the English who defended well but far too deeply, allowing the French lots of room to manoeuvre.Yohan Cabaye, Franck Ribery and Benzema all went close for France but could not find a second goal."France showed they have fantastic players, but we are satisfied with the performance," England captain Steven Gerrard said. "I always said, no matter what the result, we don't get carried away with it. We now need four points from our next two games."

Rafael Nadal wins French open record for the seventh time

An emotional Nadal clutches his seventh French Open trophy.

Rafael Nadal clinched a record seventh French Open title on Monday, defeating world number one Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 and shattering the Serb's dream of Grand Slam history.In a fractious final pushed into a third week for only the second time because of Sunday's rain, the Spanish world number two, playing in his 16th Grand Slam final, also took his Paris record to a staggering 52 wins against just one loss.Victory, which was achieved on a Djokovic double fault, allowed him to break the tie for six French Opens he shared with Bjorn Borg.It was the 26-year-old's 11th Grand Slam title, taking him one behind Roy Emerson, three off Pete Sampras and five away from the record of 16 held by Roger Federer.For five-time major winner Djokovic, the Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open champion, it was the end of his dream of emulating Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962 and 1969) by holding all the Grand Slams at once.He was left to regret his unforced error count of 53 which undermined his challenge.After Sunday's suspension, the players, meeting in a fourth successive Grand Slam final, resumed with Nadal leading 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 1-2, but with Djokovic in the ascendancy and serving for a 3-1 lead in the fourth set.But a forehand error from Djokovic, with the court at his mercy, gave Nadal a break point and the Spaniard seized it when the Serb had been left flat-footed by a net cord which allowed his opponent to push through a winner.The set remained tight as would be expected with the pair meeting for a 33rd time.Nadal moved to 5-4 as the umbrellas went up all around Philippe Chatrier Court and the players sat courtside to wait out a passing, heavy shower and complained to tournament referee Stefan Fransen about the slippery conditions.Djokovic finally buckled when a monster forehand from Nadal set up championship point which he converted when the top seed tamely served up a fourth double fault.The celebrations were ecstatic as Nadal fell to his knees and consoled Djokovic before the champion climbed into the player's box to embrace his family.On Sunday, Djokovic had looked down and out at one stage, even picking up a warning for destroying his courtside chair box with his racquet.After slipping two sets down, he was also a break behind at 0-2 in the third before he reeled off eight games in succession to take the third set -- the first lost by Nadal in this year's event -- and lead 2-0 in the fourth.The first game of the fourth set had featured a gruelling 44-shot rally.But Nadal had raged at tournament referee Stefan Fransen for having to keep playing as the court became increasingly treacherous.

As he stormed, Djokovic, who had been two sets to love down to Andreas Seppi in the fourth round, and saved four match points in his quarter-final victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, seized his chance to get back into the match.The last time a French Open men's final failed to be completed on the last Sunday was 1973 when it was played on the Tuesday with Ilie Nastase beating Niki Pilic.Monday finishes have become common at the US Open in New York with the last four finals taking place on the extra day while the 2001 Wimbledon final was also completed on a Monday.Roland Garros will eventually avoid late finishes as a main court with a retractable roof is to be built in 2017.

Match-Day 3 Euro 2012 : Croatia 3-1 Republic Of Ireland In Group C

Croatia Secured A great Victory Over The Irish-Mens , After 24 years of waiting, it wasn’t supposed to be like this for the Republic of Ireland, but a calamitous night for Shay Given and sense of refereeing injustice could not mask Croatia’s majestic dominance in Poznan.On their first appearance at the European Championships since 1988, Ireland surrendered their record of never having lost an opening game in a major tournament.The tale of woe included a Given mistake and second-half own goal, a hotly-disputed Croatia strike and referee Bjorn Kuipers’ failure to award Ireland a penalty when Robbie Keane was fouled by centre-half Gordon Schildenfeld on 63 minutes.But before Ireland begin to place Kuipers next to Thierry Henry in their football Hall of Shame, the reality is that they were outplayed and out-thought by a Croatia team who look capable of denying Group C rivals Spain or Italy a place in the knock-out stages.For all the pre-tournament talk of Ireland’s 14-game unbeaten run - a sequence dating back to a friendly defeat against Uruguay in Dublin in March 2011 - and the absence of a competitive loss away from home on Trapattoni’s record with the Irish, this was the true test of their mettle.Ten years since their last appearance at a major tournament, and twenty-four since Ireland’s only appearance at the European Championships, the rarefied atmosphere that accompanies football at this level appeared to take Irish breath away, with Croatia scoring through Mario Mandzukic inside the opening three minutes.Perhaps the carnival atmosphere inside the Stadion Miejski, which was a sea of green save for a defiant corner of 8,000 Croatians, took Irish eyes off the ball because Mandzukic’s goal was certainly preventable.After midfielder Keith Andews had conceded a second minute corner, Ireland simply failed to clear the ball and Croatia were allowed to camp inside the 18-yard box.The ball darted between green shirts until full-back Darijo Srna broke down the right channel and pulled back for Mandzukic, who managed to head goalwards despite stumbling into the ball.The Wolfsburg forward’s header looped towards goal and goalkeeper Shay Given, possibly displaying ring-rust after an injury-affected week of training, allowed the effort to bounce into the net with his ponderous dive failing to stop the ball.It was the worst possible start for Ireland. Trapattoni’s game-plan, aimed at stifling the Croatians and hitting them on the break, was now redundant and his team faced chasing the game against opponents capable of cutting them to shreds with the ball.The badhrain continued to beat, however, and the massed ranks of Irish supporters encouraged their team forward.Damien Duff sent a 20-yard strike wide of goal and Andrews saw a free-kick blocked by the Croatian wall before a clumsy foul by Vedran Corluka on Kevin Doyle gifted Ireland the set-piece from which they equalised in the nineteenth minute.If his foul on Doyle wasn’t enough, Tottenham defender Corluka then gave Ireland another helping hand by losing St Ledger at the far post, enabling the centre-half to score with a diving header.There was a delayed reaction to St Ledger’s goal, with an audible whistle sound catching the crowd off guard, but once reality dawned, it appeared as though the whole of Poznan and the surrounding region of Wielkopolska had cheered the goal.Croatia remained a threat, though, and if Given was at fault for the opener, he made up for it with a full-stretch save to keep out Ivan Perisic’s dipping 25-yard volley on 22 minutes.he Aston Villa goalkeeper was helpless to prevent Jelavic from restoring Croatia’s lead two minutes before half-time, however.Luka Modric’s shot struck Glenn Whelan on the edge of the penalty area, before Stephen Ward’s sliced clearance fell to Jelavic 12 yards from goal.The Everton forward had been stood in an offside position when Modric shot, but Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers judged him not to be interfering with play.Irish protests were forceful, but the goal stood to leave Ireland with a second-half mountain to climb.Ireland’s sense of injustice continued to burn throughout the half-time break, with Trapattoni and Keane berating referee Kuipers in the tunnel about the decision to allow Jelavic’s goal to stand.It was a pointless exercise. Kuipers had made the correct decision, however painful it may have been to Ireland, but by harping on about the goal, the Irish allowed themselves to lose focus.Nothing affects concentration like red mist and Croatia made Ireland pay within four minutes of the re-start by extending their lead and putting the game beyond the Irish.Once again, Ireland allowed Croatia to score from a cross, but Mandzukic’s header from Perisic’s cross hit post, only to bounce into the net off Given’s back.It was a bitter blow for the goalkeeper and Ireland, one exacerbated by Keane’s unsuccessful appeal for a penalty, but Croatia deserved their victory.Ireland’s task now is daunting. To avoid elimination, they must sink Spain on Thursday in the shadow of the shipyards in Gdansk and that is some task.

Match-day 3 Of Euro 2012 Group C : Spain 1-1 Italy

The Champions Of Europe Spain Were Held 1-1 Against The Italian Defence As Di Natale Scored In 61st Minute But Fabregas Replied Quickly In 64th Minute.Spain complained the Gdansk pitch was too dry and slow after the world and European champions were held to a 1-1 draw by Italy in their Uefa Euro 2012™ Group C opener on Sunday.Against a well-organised Italian side, the Spanish struggled to get their zippy passing game going on a surface that appeared heavy and officials were out mowing the grass immediately after the match."A pitch that is so dry does not do football or the spectators many favours," Spain coach Vicente del Bosque told a news conference at which he also praised the Italian performance."If the pitch had been a bit quicker it would have been better for both teams and a better match," he added.Spain needed a 64th-minute Cesc Fabregas equaliser to rescue a point after substitute Antonio Di Natale had fired Italy ahead four minutes earlier.Spanish forward Fernando Torres, who squandered two chances to snatch a winner after coming on for the last 15 minutes, said the team had "complained a lot" to organisers about the dryness of the grass before kickoff.Man-of-the-match Andres Iniesta also added his voice to the criticism."In the end they (Italy) were able to benefit a lot from the pitch," Torres said in an interview with Spanish television.Iniesta added: "I think that for the spectator a pitch in good condition is always better."

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.