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Spain eye a French toast
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Ronaldo roadshow blitzes Czech Republic
Xavi — Spain’s puppet master losing his pulling power
Men’s archery team gets ticket to
London
Kaneria banned for fixing
Vettel fastest in practice
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Spain eye a French toast
Donetsk, June 22 France beat Portugal in the semi-finals en route to success at both Euro 1984 and Euro 2000, as well as at the same stage of the 2006 World Cup. Spain, meanwhile, overcame their Iberian rivals in the last 16 on the way to glory at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. First, however, there is Saturday's meeting in Donetsk, and the number of short, technically gifted midfielders in France's squad bears testament to Laurent Blanc's admiration for world and European champions Spain. Since replacing Raymond Domenech at the France helm after the 2010 World Cup, Blanc has attempted to inculcate a passing game that mirrors the Spaniards' approach and his squad is an eloquent demonstration of that ambition. Blanc has only two genuine strikers at his disposal - Karim Benzema and Olivier Giroud - but can call upon a wealth of nimble creative midfielders such as Samir Nasri, Franck Ribery, Jeremy Menez, Hatem Ben Arfa and Marvin Martin. He has tried to turn France into a side that dominates its opponents but he admits that on Saturday, his players will be up against the masters in that domain. "If you manage to have more possession of the ball than Spain, it'd be an achievement," said the France coach. "In that area, they are very, very strong. It's a style of football that I like. And not only is it nice to watch, but it's efficient as well. The problem against Spain is that the players will have to be mentally prepared to run a huge amount and block the spaces as much as possible, even if they always manage to find space due to their quality." With Philippe Mexes suspended after being booked in Tuesday's 2-0 loss to Sweden, Laurent Koscielny will step in alongside Adil Rami in the centre of a France defence charged with the onerous task of resisting the Spanish armada. "We know about Spain's approach," said the Arsenal defender. "They like to move around a lot. Sometimes there are no players in the centre and then, in the space of two or three passes, three or four arrive." Blanc has played down reports of angry exchanges in the changing room following France's defeat by Sweden, which ended their 23-game unbeaten run, although he expressed concern at his side's lack of application during the game. — AFP
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Ronaldo roadshow blitzes Czech Republic
Ronaldo yesterday showed the same kind of sparkle that saw the Portugal captain dominate play and claim a brace in his team's 2-1 defeat of the Netherlands last Sunday - goals he had dedicated to his son, who turned two the same day. So often maligned for failing to recapture his Real Madrid form when wearing the Portugal shirt, Ronaldo's 79th-minute header took his Euro 2012 tally to three, making him joint top scorer. And he was delighted at sending the Portuguese into a semi-final against either titleholders Spain or France. "Our great aim is to get to the final. We have a great squad and now I'd say the chances are 50-50 and we just have to believe in it," Ronaldo said afterwards. "I think it was a fantastic game for Portugal. In the first 20 minutes we weren't that good but we improved a lot. It was a perfect game for us, with a lot of opportunities. The Czechs didn't have one opportunity. "We had the quality to reach the semi-finals. We are happy but know the next match will be difficult but the team is very mature and we are ready," Ronaldo added. Czech coach Michal Bilek said, "We really prepared hard to cope with him, but he is a player of the greatest class," said Bilek. "He was able to rise to the occasion." A divisive figure around whom Portugal are often accused of creating a cult of personality, Ronaldo won the loudest cheer from his fans in Warsaw's National Stadium when the announcer reeled off each squad, but earned catcalls from Czech supporters when he stepped up to take free kicks. The high-profile player - officially the most-tweeted at Euro 2012 according to UEFA - is often a target for his opponents' supporters. Denmark's fans even tried to get under his skin by chanting the name of his nemesis in the Spanish league, Lionel Messi, during their country's 3-2 loss to Portugal last week.
— AFP |
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Xavi — Spain’s puppet master losing his pulling power
Indeed alarm bells are starting to ring that perhaps even the master of the tiki-taka - known fondly as the 'Puppet Master' - is beginning to feel the wear and tear of so many campaigns as he has been outshone by Barcelona partner in crime Andres Iniesta. It hasn't helped his case that another veteran, Italian World Cup-winning playmaker Andrea Pirlo, has made light of his age to perhaps be the most impressive midfield performer so far. The Spanish have done well enough without him being at his best, winning two and drawing with Italy thus far but they will be hoping that in Sunday's quarter-final in Donetsk with France he will be back to his best. Xavi, a three-time Ballon D'Or bronze medalist, will win his 113th cap on Saturday since making his debut in 2000 and it is hard to imagine that coach Vicente del Bosque has shifted much from his assessment of him made prior to his winning his 100th last year. "He is a great kid who is totally dedicated to the national team," Del Bosque said. "Xavi is the benchmark for what the squad is about, personally and professionally. "It is impossible to know who is the best in the history of Spanish football, but Xavi is one of the best, that is a no-brainer."
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Baros retires, Rosicky mulls future
Prague, June 22 Baros, the top scorer at Euro 2004 but who in recent years was the target of fan abuse for a goal-scoring drought and his off-field antics, was expected to retire from the national team following the Czechs surprising run to the last eight. The Czechs were sunk by a 79th-minute Cristiano Ronaldo goal in Warsaw on Thursday. "After the team's elimination from the tournament, Baros announced in the changing room that he is finishing with the national team," the statement from the football federation said on Friday. "The 30-year-old striker has been under sharp criticism for a long time, culminating in the first Euro match against Russia when he was substituted toward the end and some fans booed him." A bigger loss for the team would be captain Tomas Rosicky, who missed the Portugal game due to injury. The diminutive Arsenal midfielder and creative force behind the Czech attack said injuries were taking their toll and he was considering whether to keep playing for the national team.
— Reuters |
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Men’s archery team gets ticket to
London
New Delhi, June 22 With this, India becomes eligible to participate in both individual and team events in men’s and women’s archery competition for the second time, after the 2004 Athens Olympics. The Indian trio smoothened their path to success when they tied with strong contenders Australia with a score of 202. In the tie-breaker, India led by three points (10-7) in the first arrow and clinched the match in the next arrow, shooting 9. Eventually, Japan defeated India 221-218, but that did not have an effect on India booking two more Olympics berths. By the virtue of being the silver medallists in the 2011 World Championship at Turin, the women’s team - consisting of Deepika Kumari, Laishram Bombayla Devi and Chekrovolu Swuro - became eligible for the Olympics. The other countries who have qualified for the Olympics are Korea, Ukraine, Italy, China, Japan, USA, Mexico, Chinese Taipei and hosts Great Britain.
"Having got a second chance to represent my country at the Olympics and to prove my skill in archery at the biggest stage is something very huge," Rai said from Ogden. "Last time around, I was inexperienced and a bit nervous. But this time, we are confident. No doubt, we have little time to prepare ourselves, but I can say our team is in top form. On current form, we hope to win a medal in the Olympics." He said the team was peaking at the right time and is in top gear to clinch a first-ever Olympic medal in archery. "Olympics is very different. To win a medal there, all the members have to be in top form and the confidence level has to be very high," he said adding: "We are just getting in there." After his forgettable 2004 stint, when he finished 32nd in individual and 11th in the team event, Rai suffered a career-threatening shoulder injury that put him out of action for about two years and he had to struggle for a place in the team. He made a fine comeback at the Guangzhou Asian Games in 2010 when he clinched a historic individual silver and a team bronze. "I am not in the best of form as an individual yet. But it feels good that we have finally made to the London Olympics,” he said. “There is a lot of difference shooting in the Asian Games and in the Olympics. But if I shoot like I did in the Asian Games, I will definitely win a medal." "It is awesome to achieve the Olympic qualification. We are back in form just before the Olympics," Banerjee said. — With PTI inputs
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London, June 22 Westfield has been suspended from involvement in all cricket under the auspices of the ECB for five years, but he would be permitted to participate in club cricket “on terms which will be set out in detail in our written ruling” for the last two years of his suspension. Westfield was jailed for four months in February after admitting he accepted money to under-perform during a Pro40 match between Essex and Durham in 2009. The now 24-year-old Westfield named Kaneria -- arrested with him in 2010 but released without charge -- as the link between bookmakers and players. And the ECB panel agreed, saying: "We are left in no reasonable doubt that Danish Kaneria knowingly induced or encouraged Mervyn Westfield not to perform on his merits in the Durham match." Kaneria was found guilty by the ECB of two charges. Firstly, he "induced or encouraged, or attempted to induce or encourage, Mervyn Westfield not to perform on his merits, that is, to deliberately concede a minimum number of runs in his first over” and secondly, of bringing the game into disrepute. — AFP
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The 24-year-old Red Bull driver lapped with a best time of one minute 39.334 seconds. Fellow-German Nico Hulkenberg lapped second fastest for Force India, 0.131 seconds slower, in a session that had seven different teams in the top eight places and separated by little more than half a second. There was less than a second between Vettel and the Ferrari of 15th placed Brazilian Felipe Massa. In a further indication of how close Sunday's race could be, with overtaking always difficult and pole a huge advantage on Valencia's twisty track, the top nine drivers in the morning were separated by less than three tenths. — Reuters
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Warsaw, June 22
Gniewino, June 22
Rai, who represented India at Athens as a 20-year-old, the return to the Olympics is “truly a proud moment for me". 
Valencia June 22
