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Varela saves Ronaldo’s blushes in thriller

Portugal beat Denmark 3-2 in a thrilling Euro 2012 Group B clash here on Wednesday to keep alive their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals. A stunning goal by substitute Silvestre Varela three minutes from time saw the... Full story

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Spain ponder options

Ireland’s veteran coach Giovanni Trapattoni has said his team must show belief against defending champions Spain today as the Irish fight to keep their Euro 2012 dreams alive. Having suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Croatia in their opening Group... Full story

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Amla to lead SA in Zimbabwe tri-series

South African all-rounder Johan Botha has been forced to withdraw from the unofficial Twenty20 tri-series in Zimbabwe with a knee injury, according to a message received from Johannesburg on Wednesday. The unofficial series involving Bangladesh, South Africa and Zimbabwe begins on June 17 at the Harare Sports Club. Full story

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Usha clinch Club Cup Hockey

Usha Krira Chakra clinched their third Club Cup Hockey Championship title by beating Abahani Limited 3-2 in the final at the Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium on Wednesday. Usha, however, were not the dominant side in the first half as one goal each... Full story

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Brothers edge Farashganj

Brothers Union beat Farashganj Sporting Club 1-0 in the Grameenphone Bangladesh League at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Wednesday. Nigerian recruit Olalekan Joshua scored the winner... Full story

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SA name unchanged squad for England

South Africa have kept faith with a winning formula by naming an unchanged squad for the three-Test series in England starting next month, Cricket South Africa announced on Wednesday. Full story

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Poland hold Russia to stay in Euro hunt

Euro 2012 co-hosts Poland kept their chances of a quarter-finals berth alive on Tuesday after drawing 1-1 with Russia, putting on ice their opponents’ hopes of clinching the first slot in the knockout phase. The Poles, needing to take at least a point from the Group A match in the... Full story

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Olympic to offer classic US Open test

A year after Rory McIlroy took Congressional by storm, The Olympic Club is ready to remind the world’s best golfers what a grind the US Open is supposed to be. ‘This is probably the hardest test that we play all... Full story

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Manik handed one-match stadium ban

Muktijoddha Sangsad KC coach Shafiqul Islam Manik will miss their crucial Bangladesh Premier League match against BJMC today as he was handed a stadium ban for one match by the disciplinary committee of the Bangladesh Football Federation. Full story

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U-22 squad leaves for Kathmandu today

Bangladesh Under-22 development squad will depart for the Nepalese capital Kathmandu today to participate in the AFC Under-22 Championship to be started on June 16. Bangladesh will... Full story

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Third SL-Pak ODI abandoned

The third one-day international between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was abandoned due to rain in Colombo on Wednesday. Pakistan were 12-2 off 6.2 overs after electing to... Full story

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Nat’l School football

Chittagong Katir Hut High School blanked Jessore Municipal Preparatory by 3-0 goals in the final round match of the Islami Bank National School Football Tournament at the Bir Shreshtha Shaheed Sepoy Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium on Wednesday. Full story

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Negredo looks to be Bosque’s favoured striker

Alvaro Negredo looks to be the favourite to play in the striker’s role for defending champions Spain in today’s Euro 2012 match with the Republic of Ireland based on their past two training sessions. Full story

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I was born tired: Cassano

Italy forward Antonio Cassano brought his inimitable brand of humour to Euro 2012 on Tuesday, saying he was ‘born tired’ and did not like scoring goals. At times he had reporters and the translator in hysterics during a news conference most pundits thought... Full story

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Fabregas struggling with prankster Pique

Returning to Barcelona after eight years at Arsenal has thrown up new challenges for Cesc Fabregas and the Spain midfielder said putting up with prankster Gerard Pique on a daily basis has been one of them. Full story

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Pirlo the Tinker Bell

Andrea Pirlo was once dubbed Tinker Bell by an Italian football commentator and the World Cup winner proved again against Spain in their Euro 2012 opener that he can still weave his magic. Full story

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England ready to end Sweden jinx: Gerrard

Steven Gerrard believes England are ready to end their 43-year jinx against Sweden in Friday’s crucial Euro 2012 Group D clash. England returned to their Krakow training base on Tuesday following an... Full story

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Gabriel Milito to retire

Former Argentina defender Gabriel Milito has announced his decision to retire at the end of the current season. The 31-year-old, the brother of Inter Milan striker Diego Milito, has played in the... Full story

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SOCCERLINE

Vilanova to sign two-year deal with Barca - press Press reports in Spain on Wednesday revealed that Tito Vilanova has agreed a two-year deal as coach of Barcelona and could be officially presented to the... Full story

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Flowering France remain sensitive to shocks

The consternation sparked by Samir Nasri’s goal celebration against England proves that France are a team who remain acutely sensitive about the image they display to the wider world. Full story

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Italy expected to be on offensive

Antonio Cassano believes Italy coach Cesare Prandelli will continue his attacking approach as the Azzurri tackle Croatia in their second European Championship Group C match here today. Full story

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EURO BITES

It’s all in my head Czech skipper Tomas Rosicky says he doesn’t actually sing the national anthem. ‘I haven’t sung it for some time. I hum it in my head,’ the Arsenal man explained. ‘But I am superstitious - I sang it when I was young and we... Full story

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