After an intense battle between the men in red and the white shirts, it was Germany that ultimately succeeded and they will continue on toward the final to face either Spain or Russia on Sunday. Due credit must be given to Turkey who played a superior game despite the fact that they were playing with a decimated team, missing some of their key players to injuries and carding. Turkey had 55% ball possession and a remarkable 11 shots on goal compared to 45% possession and 3 shots on goal for Germany. The first goal was put in by Boral of Turkey equalized four minutes later at the 26th minute by Schweinsteiger of Germany. The Germans were secure of victory as Klose found an opening and scored at the 79th minute, however their celebrations were dimmed eight minutes later with an equalizer by the man they call the “life saver,” (for apparent reasons) Semih Senturk. The last goal in the game was added by Lahm, who evaded the Turkish goalkeeper at the 90th minute, giving the Germans their 3-2 victory. All said and done, Germany went in as the overwhelming favourites to win, but it was no easy feat for them as the Turks procured every ounce of tenacity left in them to battle valiantly till the final whistle.

In the epic of the Euro 2008, Turkey plays the role of the Hydra, every time an opponent claimed victory, they doubled back stronger than before and emerged with triumph. It remains to be seen in the game tomorrow if Germany can play the role of Hercules and destroy the Turkey vehemence or if they will only succeed in making this team grow stronger in determination as they turn on the attack. After an initial setback against Croatia in the group stages, the German’s have gained confidence following their impressive victory over Portugal. The Germans remain secure of their ability to win, with no worries about injuries plaguing them, not quite the case for Turkey, who is forced to play with an emaciated team, having lost many players to carding and injuries. Once again all odds are turned against Turkey but their coach Terim insists, “We respect Germany but we are not afraid of them.”

The second day at Wimbledon witnessed top seeds Rafael Nadal, Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova claim victory over their opponents. The major upset for the day was the toppling of world number four Nikolay Davydenko of Russia by Benjamin Becker of Germany.
These are the some of the results for completed matches for day two:
Men’s Singles:
(2) Rafael Nadal def Andreas Beck 6-4,6-4, 7-6
(6) Andy Roddick def Eduardo Schwank 7-5,6-4, 7-6
(8) Richard Gasquet def Mardy Fish 6-3,6-4, 6-2
(9) James Blake def Christophe Rochus 3-6,6-3, 6-1,6-4
Benjamin Becker def (4) Nikolay Davydenko 6-4,6-4, 6-4
Women’s Singles:
(7) Venus Williams def Naomi Cavaday 7-6,6-1
(3) Maria Sharapova def Stephanie Foretz 6-1, 6-4
(2) Jelena Jankovic def Olga Savchuk 6-3, 6-2
(9) Dinara Safina def Yung-Jan Chan 7-6, 6-2

The first day of the Wimbledon 2008 has gone by and as expected the top seeds Roger Federer and Ana Ivanovic has steamrolled past their opponents. Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic is also through although he suffered an ephemeral lapse in concentration in his second set. The major surprise victory for the day was Canadian Frank Dancevic’s triumph over world number seven David Nalbandian of Argentina.
These are the some of the results for completed matches for day one:
Men’s singles:
(1)Roger Federer def Dominik Hrbaty 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
(3)Novak Djokovic def Michael Berrer 7-5, 2-6, 6-3,6-0
Frank Dancevic def (7)David Nalbandian 6-4,6-2,6-4
(5)David Ferrer def Sergiv Stakhovsky 6-7, 3-6, 3-1 (retired)
(10)Marcos Baghdatis def Steve Darcis 6-3,6-2, 6-7, 6-3
Women’s singles:
(1) Ana Ivanovic def Rossana De los rios 6-1, 6-2
(6) Serena Williams def Kaia Kanepi 7-5, 6-3
(4) Svetlana Kuznetsova def Mathilde Johansson6-7, 7-5, 6-3
(8) Anna Chakvetadze def Stephanie Dubois 2-6, 6-1, 8-6

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The world’s tennis stars and fans alike are headed to Wimbledon, England to participate in the Wimbledon 2008 tennis championships. This is the third grand slam tournament of the year following on the heels of The Australian Open and the French Open. The defending men’s champion Roger Federer from Switzerland has been undefeated for the past five years and comes back in hopes of breaking the record for most Wimbledon titles won, held by himself and Bjorn Borg. Australian Open winner, Novak Djokovic, and French Open winner and last year’s finalist, Rafael Nadal, are also casting hopeful eyes on the title this year. Other names to watch out for in men’s singles are Davydenko, Ferrer, Roddick and Nalbandian. Current women’s defending champion, Venus Williams is looking for a fifth career win at the Wimbledon, but with her own sister Serena Williams and other top seeds present, including Ivanovic, Jankovic, Sharapova and Safina, she will be given a run for her money. The championship runs from June 23 to July 6th and enjoy coverage in most major sport networks.

Spain is through to the semi-finals of the Euro 2008, thanks to a spectacular performance by their goalkeeper, Iker Casillas, in the penalty shootouts against Italy. Both teams performed exceptionally well during the full 90 minutes and 30 minutes of extra time, knowing what was at stake if they were to concede a goal. Spain had six shots on goal and 56% ball possession and Italy is credited with three shots on goal and 44% ball possession. The nil-nil draw at the end of the extra time forced the teams into the much dreaded penalty shootouts. This was where Spain gained the advantage as Casillas managed to block the shots of Daniele De Rossi and Antonio Di Natale. Cesc Fabregas stepped up last to give Spain the 4-2 lead, which was enough to see them through to the semi-finals. David Silva of Spain was very prominent in the game today, producing many opportunities and taking close shots on goal. The Spaniards will now face Russia, whom they have already defeated 4-1 in the group stages, will history repeat itself or will Russia set a new standard?

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This year’s Euro has been full of surprises, it seems that the favourites to win are being toppled by their charismatic opponents in recent matches. Today’s game followed the lead of Turkey’s dramatic win yesterday, with Russia ousting the Netherlands from the quarterfinals with a score of 1-3. The game was fairly equal in terms of ball possession and shots on goal, but the Russians began to dominate towards the end of the extra time. The 1-1 score of regular time was attributed to Van Nistelrooy of Netherlands and Pavlychenko of Russia. The stalemate forced the teams into extra time where Torbinski scored for the Russians at the 22nd minute followed four minutes later by his teammate Arshavin at the 26th, sealing the deal for the Russians. The question on everyone’s mind is what is next? Will Spain face the same fate in tomorrow’s game against Italy?