Tottenham wins with late goal on San Siro

AC Milan vs Tottenham was one of the most anticipated quarter finals of the Champions League. The Italians were hoping for a comfortable win that would allow them to start as favorites in the second leg. However the first half of the game seemed to show something totally different.

Tottenham started to pus from the begining of the match, and created several goal opportunities. For the first 45 minutes AC Milan seemed a little bit dazed and overwhelmed by Tottenham's forcing. They managed however to resist and keep the score even at half time.

The second half showed two different teams. Milan started to push and began creating opportunities, while Tottenham retreated and tried to counter whenever it had the opportunity. Milan took control of the game, and everybody expected a tough final for Tottenham. However, in the 80th minute, a wrong pass from Ibrahimovic resulted in a fast counter-attack, and Peter Crouch scored an unexpected goal. In the last 10 minutes Milan tried to even the match but didn't manage to create real danger. Ibrahimovici scored a goal that was rejected due to a foul, and his protests were in vainb. The game ended 0-1 to the crowd's dismay, and Tottenham will have a comfortable advantage to defend in the second round.

Beckham plays down England record

David Beckham says he is more interested in getting England to the 2010 World Cup than breaking Bobby Moore's appearance record.

Former captain Beckham will become England's most capped outfield player by winning his 109th cap if he plays in Saturday's friendly against Slovakia. But the 33-year-old said: "It would be special but I would rather get the team to the World Cup than anything else.

"When I was on 94 caps I never expected to make 100."

With Arsenal winger Theo Walcott ruled out through injury and Manchester City's Shaun Wright-Phillips struggling with an ankle problem, Beckham stands a good chance of figuring in coach Fabio Capello's plans for the friendly at Wembley as England prepare for Wednesday's World Cup qualifier with Ukraine. Should he be chosen in the first XI it would be the 100th start of his England career, but it is a position he refuses to take for granted as just over two years ago his international career seemed over.

He added: "I didn't believe I would play for England once I was taken out of the team. When I was left out of the squad by [former coach] Steve McClaren I just allowed myself to be proud of the number of caps I had. As a young boy all I dreamed of was playing at Wembley and playing for my country, even if it was just the once. It was only when I got to 50 that I thought about reaching 100. But I definitely felt I would end up on 94."

Beckham's career has been revitalised by a loan move from Los Angeles Galaxy to AC Milan and it appears to have secured his short-term future in the squad. If he stays fit throughout their World Cup qualification campaign - and the tournament itself should they qualify - he is in line to break Peter Shilton's all-time England record of 125 caps.

That landmark, though, is not something he is considering at the moment. "Once we've qualified I need to stay fit and get in the squad," he said. "If that happens we will wait and see where I am on the caps front. If I break Shilton's record then great. If not we will have to see what the future holds."

Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Keane to impress!

Standard Liege v Liverpool

If Robbie Keane scores the last goal, Paddy Power will refund all losing 1st/last goalscorer, correct score & scorecast singles on this match.

* Applies to 1st/last goalscorer, correct score & scorecast singles placed before kick-off only.
* Max Refund €300/£200 per customer/bet.
* Applies to win part of each way goalscorer bets only.
* Own goals do not count.
* If the Robbie Keane plays no part in the game, the special will refer to ' if the last goal is scored outside the box'.
* Paddy Power football rules apply.

Lampard wants Inter move - Moratti

Inter chairman Massimo Moratti claims that number one target Frank Lampard has given the green light to move to Italy. The Nerazzurro supremo has admitted for the first time that the club have reached an agreement with the England international.

Lampard has reportedly accepted the chance to reunite with former manager Jose Mourinho at the Giuseppe Meazza, news that will surely disappoint his numerous supporters.

Nevertheless, Moratti understands patience is needed for Inter, as Chelsea could snub the offer and block the exit of their talismanic midfielder. "For the acquisition of Lampard we need to have patience,” Moratti told the club’s official website. “We have the player's approval but we have to respect Chelsea's rights. His club has every right to keep him."

Source: sport.setanta.com

Euro 2008 is over - Congratulations to Spain

Euro 2008 is over, after some fantastic nights with spectacular games. Spain obtained a deserved win, after winning all games except for the draw against Italy in the quarter-finals. Germany played well and reached the finals, but it didn't shine.

Some strong teams were big disappointments, like France and Italy who played very bad. There were others who impressed, and left the tournament with the head up, like it was the case of Turkey, Russia or Croatia. Personally, I liked Turkey most during this tournament, because of their determination and offensive style. They never surrendered and managed to turn the game in their favor in some situations when nobody believed there is anything else that could be done. The games against Switzerland, the Czech Republic or Croatia were unforgettable, and I can say that Terim's team won my respect in this tournament.

I think the most unlucky teams were Netherlands, Croatia and Portugal, who showed good football in all their games, but didn't manage to get to the semi-finals.

The conclusion is that the most constant team won the tournament. Congratulations to Spain for this extraordinary performance!

Paddy Power weekend bulletin

Paddy Power (Friday 20th June – Sunday 22nd June)

Euro 2008
Croatia v Turkey Friday, 7.45pm
Holland v Russia Saturday, 7.45pm
Spain v Turkey Sunday, 7.45pm

Other Sport
Amir Khan v Michael Gomez Boxing Saturday 10pm
French Grand Prix F1 Sunday, 1pm

PADDY POWER MONEY-BACK SPECIALS

Penalty Points
If you back a team to win in 90 mins and they go on to reach the semi-finals via a penalty shootout Paddy Power will refund losing win-draw-win 90 minute match bets on that team.

Terms & Conditions: Applies to win-draw-win 90 minute single bets placed before kick-off only. Max Refund €300/£200 per customer/bet. Paddy Power football rules apply.

PADDY POWER QUARTER FINAL SPECIALS

To Reach Semi Finals
2/5 Croatia
7/4 Turkey
1/3 Holland
2/1 Russia
8/11 Spain
Evs Italy


To Win On Penalties

9/1 Croatia
9/1 Turkey
9/1 Holland
9/1 Russia
15/2 Spain
15/2 Italy


To Win in Extra Time

15/2 Croatia
14/1 Turkey
15/2 Holland
17/1 Russia
17/2 Spain
10/1 Italy


Spain v Italy
13/1 Spain to come from behind and win
4/1 Match to go to penalties

Luca Toni Specials
The Italian striker has looked more like the leaning tower or Pisa than a Roman gladiator so far this tournament, missing even the barn door let alone the actual goal. How will he perform against Spain? (90 mins only)

How many shots will Luca Toni have?
Evs Three or less
8/11 Four or more

Will Toni have more shots on target or off target?
Eve More off target than on
11/5 More on target than off
11/5 Tie


How many shots will Luca Toni have off target?
4/5 Two or less
10/11 Three or more

Who will have most shots on target?
6/4 Villa
6/4 Torres
11/5 Toni

Latin Temperaments - First player to be sent off

20/1 Ramos
20/1 Marchena
22/1 Puyol
22/1 Senna
25/1 Fabregas
28/1 Alonso
28/1 Capdevilla
33/1 Casillas
33/1 Iniesta
33/1 Xavi
33/1 Juanito
33/1 Albiol
33/1 Arbeloa
40/1 Garcia
40/1 Silva
50/1 Torres
50/1 Villa
50/1 Guiza



16/1 Materazzi
22/1 De Rossi
25/1 Perrotta
25/1 Camoranesi
25/1 Zambrotta
28/1 Grosso
28/1 Panucci
33/1 Buffon
33/1 Toni
33/1 Cassano
33/1 Ambrosini
33/1 Barzagli
40/1 Quagliarella
40/1 Borriello
40/1 Aquilani
40/1 Gattuso
40/1 Chiellini
50/1 Del Piero
50/1 Di Natale


Holland v Hiddink’s Russia
10/1 Hiddink to be sent to the stands
9/2 Hididnk to sing the Dutch anthem
66/1 Hiddink to wear an orange tie
250/1 Hididnk to celebrate a Dutch goal

How Many Will Holland Score?
7/2 None
7/4 One
23/10 Two
9/2 Three
17/2 Four or more

EURO 2008 WEEKEND MATCHES


Match Betting
Home Draw Away
Croatia v Turkey 10/11 23/10 7/2
Holland v Russia 5/6 12/5 4/1
Spain v Italy 6/4 2/1 11/5

Correct Scores & First Scorers

Croatia v Turkey
1-0 2-0 2-1 3-0 3-1 3-2 4-0 4-1 4-2
5/1 7/1 7/1 14/1 14/1 25/1 40/1 40/1 80/1

0-0 1-1 2-2 3-3 0-1 0-2 1-2 0-3 1-3 2-3 4-0 4-1 4-2
7/1 5/1 13/1 80/1 9/1 22/1 12/1 80/1 45/1 50/1 375/1 225/1 250/1

First Goalscorer

6/1 Petric
6/1 Olic
7/1 Budan
15/2 Klasnic
9/1 Kalinic
10/1 Kranjcar
11/1 Modric
14/1 Srna
18/1 Kovac
18/1 Vukojevic
25/1 Pranjic
25/1 Leko
33/1 Vejic
33/1 Corluka
40/1 Knezevic
40/1 Simic
40/1 Simunic
50/1 Kovac

7/1 No Scorer e/w odds 1/3 places 1, 2, 3

15/2 Nihat
9/1 Semih Senturk
10/1 Tuncay
10/1 Mevlut
16/1 Kazim-Richards
16/1 Arda Turan
18/1 Tumer Metin
22/1 Karadeniz
22/1 Hamit Alintop
25/1 Sabri Sarioglu
25/1 Emre B
33/1 Ayhan Akman
33/1 Hakan Balta
40/1 Ugur Boral
40/1 M Topal
50/1 Emre A
66/1 Servet Cetin
66/1 Emre G



Holland v Russia
1-0 2-0 2-1 3-0 3-1 3-2 4-0 4-1 4-2
11/2 7/1 13/2 13/1 12/1 22/1 30/1 30/1 60/1

0-0 1-1 2-2 3-3 0-1 0-2 1-2 0-3 1-3 2-3 4-0 4-1 4-2
17/2 5/1 12/1 66/1 10/1 25/1 13/1 90/1 45/1 45/1 425/1 225/1 225/1


First Scorer

5/1 Van Nistelrooy
6/1 Van Persie
13/2 Huntelaar
7/1 Vennegor
8/1 Kuyt
8/1 Robben
8/1 Sneijder
10/1 Van Der Vaart
20/1 Engelaar
22/1 De Zeeuw
25/1 Van Bronckhorst
28/1 Heitinga
28/1 De Jong
33/1 Ooijer
40/1 Mathijsen
40/1 Bouma
40/1 Boulahrouz
50/1 De Cler

17/2 No Scorer e/w odds 1/3 places 1, 2, 3

8/1 Pavlyuchenko
10/1 Arshavin
10/1 Sychev
11/1 Adamov
11/1 Saenko
18/1 Semak
18/1 Bystrov
18/1 Ivanov
18/1 Zyrianov
20/1 Semshov
25/1 Zhirkov
28/1 Ignashevich
28/1 Torbinsky
28/1 Shirokov
40/1 Anyukov
40/1 Kolodin
50/1 Yanbayev
66/1 V Berezutskiy



Spain v Italy
1-0 2-0 2-1 3-0 3-1 3-2 4-0 4-1 4-2
11/2 10/1 17/2 25/1 22/1 35/1 90/1 80/1 125/1

0-0 1-1 2-2 3-3 0-1 0-2 1-2 0-3 1-3 2-3 4-0 4-1 4-2
6/1 9/2 13/1 90/1 13/2 13/1 9/1 40/1 30/1 40/1 150/1 100/1 175/1


1st Scorer

11/2 Torres
11/2 Villa
7/1 Guiza
15/2 Garcia
12/1 Silva
14/1 Fabregas
14/1 Iniesta
18/1 Xavi
18/1 De La Red
22/1 Alonso
25/1 Senna
25/1 Ramos
33/1 Capdevilla
40/1 Juanito
40/1 Marchena
50/1 Puyol
66/1 Arbeloa
66/1 Navarro

6/1 No Scorer e/w odds 1/3 places 1, 2, 3

13/2 Toni
8/1 Del Piero
8/1 Di Natale
9/1 Borriello
9/1 Cassano
9/1 Quagliarella
16/1 Perrotta
16/1 Camoranesi
18/1 Aquilani
18/1 De Rossi
28/1 Ambrosini
33/1 Panucci
40/1 Grosso
40/1 Materazzi
40/1 Chiellini
50/1 Zambrotta
66/1 Barzagli


F1

F1 2008 Driver’s Championship

5/4 Raikkonen
15/8 Hamilton
7/2 Massa
7/1 Kubica
50/1 Heidfeld


Constructor’s Championship

1/4 Ferrari
5/1 McLaren
11/2 BMW


French GP
Driver Outright Podium 1st to Retire
Raikkonen 5/4 2/7 33/1
Massa 15/8 4/11 25/1
Kubica 13/2 4/5 33/1
Hamilton 8/1 5/4 28/1
Kovalainen 14/1 15/8 18/1
Heidfeld 25/1 7/2 28/1
Alonso 28/1 4/1 18/1
Webber 80/1 18/1 25/1
Trulli 100/1 25/1 20/1
Coulthard 200/1 33/1 12/1
Button 200/1 40/1 18/1
Rosberg 200/1 50/1 20/1
Piquet 200/1 50/1 8/1
Glock 200/1 40/1 14/1
Barrichello 200/1 50/1 20/1
Nakajima 250/1 66/1 8/1
Bourdais 300/1 80/1 15/2
Vettel 300/1 66/1 9/1
Fisichella 500/1 100/1 10/1
Sutil 500/1 100/1 15/2

BOXING

Amir Khan v Michael Gomez
1/25 Khan
33/1 Draw
8/1 Gomez




Round Betting

Khan Round Gomez
9/2 1 66
4 2 66
7/2 3 80
9/2 4 80
7 5 80
10 6 125
14 7 125
16 8 125
20 9 125
25 10 125
33 11 125
50 12 125
6 Points 25
1/10 KO/TKO 16

Italy vs Romania preview

Italy must bounce back from their Dutch disappointment when they take on Romania in Zurich. The world champions were among the favourites to lift the trophy prior to the start of the tournament, but Monday's 3-0 loss has left them in a precarious position and piled the pressure on boss Roberto Donadoni.

Anything less than victory for the Azzurri against Romania would be deemed a disaster, while a second successive defeat would eliminate them from the tournament.

Changes

Donadoni has revealed that he could make up to five changes and has confirmed that Alessandro Del Piero and Giorgio Chiellini will come in. Fabio Grosso, Daniele De Rossi and Antonio Cassano have also been tipped to feature from the start, while Marco Materazzi, Andrea Barzagli, Antonio Di Natale and Mauro Camoranesi could be the ones who find their places under threat.

Donadoni realises the importance of picking up three points but has stressed that his side will have to find the right balance between attack and defence. He said: "Winning is fundamental for us. We have worked towards that goal and will do everything to achieve it. We must not think if we have not scored by the fourth minute it is a disaster. The game lasts 90 minutes and we must be patient."

Piturca hope

Romania tested France's patience in their opening match and held out for a goalless draw to boost their chances of qualifying for the quarter-finals. They were impressive in defence and will look to similarly frustrate Italy, but coach Victor Piturca has hinted at a slightly more attacking approach.

Striker Ciprian Marica is set to miss out after suffering a blow to his head in training on Tuesday but Piturca has no other injury concerns. Adrian Mutu toiled away up front against Les Bleus with little support but still managed to pose problems and Piturca is hoping his side can break down the Italian backline. "I haven't decided who will start yet, but I might make some changes from the game against France," he said. "We will have to be vigilant in defence but there will also be times when we press in the opponents' half. The team that's better organised and can produce moments of inspiration will have the best chance of winning. Italy are the favourites, but we came here to put on a good display and our main aim is to qualify for the knockout stage."

Source: skysports.com