Euro

Plans set to nullify Ronaldo
Germany hope their plan to neutralise Cristiano Ronaldo when they take on Portugal in today's quarter-final in Basle does not backfire. Joachim Low's side, who have progressed to the last eight of the European Championships for the first time since 1996, know their chances of reaching the semi-finals depend on whether they can stop the Manchester United winger.


Dutch dreaming of destiny
Two weeks ago few Holland fans would have dared dream it possible to win the 'Group of Death' so handsomely by beating both Italy and France, indeed cynicism about the chances of the Netherlands 'Elftal' was all around.
Marco Van Basten is proving all his critics wrong.
Some wondered how much authority Oranje coach Marco van Basten would have over the squad when he was soon due to depart for Ajax.
This theory was given credence by star striker Ruud van Nistelrooy who in a pre-tournament interview criticised Van Basten's methods, while many fans and journalists were deeply unhappy with the manager's decision to scrap the time-honoured 4-3-3 system with flying wingers for what seemed to be a more defensive 4-2-3-1.
How can we be successful in Switzerland and Austria, complained the traditionalists, if we play a game alien to our nature?


Les Bleus on the scrap heap

Italy and France are heavyweights more used to slugging it out for the ultimate glory on the biggest stage - the 2006 World Cup final and the finale of Euro 2000 for instance - not battling to avoid the scrap heap in the group stages of a competition that they were amongst the favourites to win.
The Italian bench erupt in joy at the final whistle as a crestfallen French player lies on the turf.
But that was the situation the world champions and their perennial challengers found themselves in during their final Group C match at Zurich's Letzigrund stadium on Tuesday evening. Their destiny out of their own hands and in those of the Dutch, who needed to get a result against Romania.
It seemed that the advancing years had finally caught up with the tournament's oldest teams.
Both the Azzurri and Les Blues have, in the main, stuck with experience, whilst other teams have evolved: the most obvious example being Marco van Basten's irrepressible Holland who hit seven goals past this stumbling duo.
At least one of these much vaunted sides, who only two years ago contested the World Cup final, would be sent home to face vigorous criticism. With huge reputations at stake this was a must see game.
Tickets for the match were in huge demand and with only 31,000 places available inside the stadium the streets outside were lined with hopeful fans pleading for tickets. So much so that one Swiss parent, upon being asked to part with his, pointed to his young son and said: 'And disappoint him? Not for any money!'
Maybe if he was following France he now wishes he had cashed in his slip of paper and spared himself the torture of watching Les Blues slide out of this tournament with a pitiful record of a single goal scored and six conceded.
Before the match the president of the French Football Federation claimed he would back coach Raymond Domenech until World Cup 2010 no matter what happened, but there is much rebuilding to do before then.