Portugal overcame a poor a Czech Republic side 1-0 in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 last night.
The victory was achieved courtesy of a Cristiano Ronaldo header with just 11 minutes left on the clock.
In truth Portugal was the only team out of the two that ever looked like winning the game.
Deserved
Portugal deserved to go through to the semi-finals. They completely dominated the game and the Czech’s looked like they hoped to catch the Portuguese out on a set-piece or a counter-attack.
However, Portugal kept plugging away and finally got their reward through Cristiano Ronaldo’s header. The Real-Madrid star had already hit the woodwork twice with earlier efforts. That took his tally of goals to three for the tournament.
Impressed
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Qualifying for the 2011 Asian Cup kicks off on Wednesday with China under the microscope after a miserable 2008, in contrast to heavyweights Australia and Japan who are expected to coast.
China, with Yin Tiesheng as interim coach after Serbian Vladimir Petrovic quit when the team crashed out of 2010 World Cup contention last June, face a tricky first game away to Syria.
Yin has been put in charge only for their opening two Asian Cup qualifiers but knows the side need a win to boost their confidence.
He has vowed to restore discipline.
I will be in charge of the team for a short period, and I hope I can instil a fighting spirit into the team, Yin said.
Maybe this will be the most noticeable change I can bring to the team.
Lebanon and Vi…
Eight-time Olympic champion sprinter Usain Bolt is not contemplating a return to athletics despite feeling the temptation for a comeback.
Bolt ended his career on the track in 2017, calling it quits at the age of 31 after a spate of hamstring injuries, one of which curtailed his efforts in what was supposed to be the Jamaican s final race at the 2017 World Athletics Championships.
Although it was not the glorious conclusion he may have hoped for, Bolt still left sprinting as the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200m and 4x100m relay and his exploits on the track saw him collect a remarkable eight Olympic golds.
Back in August 2018, Bolt begin training with Australian football club the Central Coast Mariners and he scored twice in a friendly before being o…
Louis van Gaal has called on the Netherlands to replicate their 2014 World Cup semi-final performance to contain Lionel Messi in Friday s quarter-final clash with Argentina.
Van Gaal s side reached the last eight with a 3-1 win over the United States on Saturday, while Argentina joined them by beating Australia 2-1 as Messi scored his first World Cup knockout goal.
Friday s match will represent the sixth World Cup meeting between the two teams. Only two fixtures have been played more often at the tournament – Brazil versus Sweden and Argentina versus Germany (both seven).
Argentina triumphed on penalties after the last such fixture finished goalless in 2014 s semi-finals, when Van Gaal was in the second of his three spells with the Oranje, and he says they must…
We enter Week 8 of NFL betting which means the oddsmakers’ power rankings are a well-oiled machine, flushing out all the dead data from last year and running on clean and concise results from 2021.
At this point, both books and bettors know what teams are about, and we have to go to great lengths to find advantages with our Week 8 NFL picks.
That means looking past the analytics and digging into the situational muck that the schedule bubbles up. You know I’m talking about spot bets baby.
Here are my favorite letdown, look-ahead, and schedule spot bets for Week 8.
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A blown 18-point lead in the AFC Championship held the Kansas City Chiefs out of another Super Bowl appearance and could mark a metamorphosis for this team, with 2022 serving as the cocoon.
Am I getting a little too deep for you?
From the sounds of things, going deep is something the Chiefs will miss after trading away long-bomb specialist Tyreek Hill this offseason. With that deal came plenty of draft picks, which sets up the future foundations of the franchise — but that doesn’t mean Kansas City won’t compete.
Patrick Mahomes is still the best quarterback in the world, and he has plenty of ways to put up points. He’ll need to, because his defense lost many staples and is relying on young talent to grow while under c…
Say it ain’t so.
After years of uproar aimed at Washington’s professional football team to change its name from Redskins to quite literally anything else, the team may do the unimaginable and circle back to its roots.
A petition started by the Native American Guardians Association (NAGA) is calling for the restoration of the team’s original name, which they deem will be beneficial to “the team, its loyal fan base, and the legacy it represents.”
This comes just three years after the team cut ties with the nickname in search of something more appropriate. The franchise settled on Washington Football Club before rebranding entirely to the Washington Commanders at the beginning of the 2022 season.
Will this poorly-run franchise swit…
The NFL will send another pair of teams to Frankfurt, Germany on Sunday as the Indianapolis Colts “visit” the New England Patriots with the Colts sitting as a slight 1.5-point favorites according to Week 10 odds.
With the travel and the No. 31 scoring offense in football, should bettors continue to fade a New England offense that lacks pass-catchers and a competent quarterback?
I break down the NFL odds and offer my free NFL picks for Colts vs. Patriots on November 12.
Want more great bets for this matchup? Check out our Colts vs. Patriots player prop picks and Mac Jones prop picks!
Colts vs Patriots odds
Colts vs Patriots predictions
The New England Patriots were supposed to rol…
The San Francisco 49ers have been cruising through the NFC in the Super Bowl odds, but now Kyle Shanahan’s team has to deal with the scrappy knee-biters from up north.
The NFL odds have the Detroit Lions as heavy 7.5-point underdogs in this one, and yet, that type of doubt is what’s fuelled Dan Campbell’s team all season. The question is whether or not the defense will be able to roar loud enough to slow down 49ers superstar Christian McCaffrey.
You can see how I’m betting on the Christian McCaffrey odds as we dive into the Championship Sunday odds.
For more NFL picks, check out our Lions vs. 49ers picks and predictions and our spotlight on Brock Purdy odds.
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Kirk Cousins Picks, Predictions, and Best Bets for Thursday Night Football: Captain Kirk Airs it Out
The Atlanta Falcons will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this evening for a special NFC South showdown on Thursday Night Football.
Despite a shaky history on primetime, my NFL picks for Kirk Cousins odds call for the veteran to shake the blues and air it out against the Bucs on Thursday, October 3.
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