Turkey has done it again, the miracle worker of the Euro 2008 has found the means to defeat Croatia in the quarter-finals. The game remained goalless until the 90th minute, with many close shots on goal for both teams, especially Croatia who somehow did not manage to score on two very good opportunities. On the first of which, Ivica Olic had a shot on goal within a distance of two meters but the ball bounced off the crossbar and Niko Kranjcar could not find the back of the net on the rebound. Mehmet Topal of Turkey also had a commendable miss at the 38th minute, which just whizzed by the Croatian net from a distance of 30 meters. The real action in the game did not come until extra time, in which the Croatians finally found an opening, Klasnic took the opportunity at the 29th minute of extra time with the Turkish goalkeeper displaced to score. The story did not end there, within three minutes of the croatian goal, Turkey’s Semih Senturk swings the ball in the Croatian net, leaving everyone astounded at this turnaround. The game then moved on to penalties, but with Modric and Rakitic going wide of the post and Petric’s shot saved by the goalkeeper, luck simply was not on the Croatian side. For Turkey, all three of their shots were on target with Turan, Senturk and Altintop doing the honours. What a night it has been for Turkey, who has already come out with two stunners in the tournament, and they do it again, defeating predictions and all odds. They will face Germany in the semi-finals, facing many challenges with many of their top players missing as a result of carding by the referee. Arda Turan, Emre Asik and Tuncay Sanli were all given yellow cards and will all miss the semi-finals.

In one of the more anticipated games of the quarter-finals of Euro 2008, Turkey will face Croatia tomorrow in Vienna. The Croatians have come out steady at the top of their group, having won all of the games in the group stages. Turkey on the other hand has turned into a capricious yet determined machine that has come out with two surprise victories against the Czechs and the Swiss to earn a spot in the quarter-finals. The Croatians are aware of Turkey’s warrior attitude and the Croatian captain claims, “Against the Czechs, they were losing 2-0 and managed to turn the game around, so that means they are capable of beating anyone.” On the other hand the Turkish captain, although jubilant about having made it thus far, acknowledges the challenge that lies ahead, “We respect Croatia, they were in a tough group and collected nine points from three games.” Will the Croatians continue their winning streak or will Turkey manage to shock the world once again?

Here are a few tricks to try out the next time you hit the slopes; if you are an amateur make sure you go out with an instructor.
[youtube n0v552h07vw]

Belief in the German team may have wavered after they were defeated by Croatia, yet they managed to come back in the quarter-finals and channel their efforts into beating Portugal. The game was a nail biter to the very end, with Portugal putting up a fight worthy of mention. They were attributed with greater ball possessions and more shots on goal than the Germans. The Germans scored the first two goals of the game within four minutes of each other, first by Schweinsteiger at the 22nd followed by Klose at the 26th. The third goal came from the Portuguese side at the 40th minute from Nuno Gomes. The nail on the coffin for the Portuguese came from the German captain, Michael Ballack, who put in a header at the 61st minute; this was Ballack’s second goal of the tournament. Helder Postiga’s ball found the German net at the 87th minute but this would only serve as a consolation goal for the Portuguese, as the Germans had the lead at 3-2 when the final whistle sounded.

The final spot in the Euro 2008 quarter-finals now has Russia name written on it after their 2-0 victory against Sweden. Both teams entertained hopes of winning but it was the Russians who delivered a superior performance and found openings in the Swedish defense. The goals were scored by Pavlyuchenko at the 24th minute and Arshavin at the 50th minute. It was a disappointing night for Swedish striker, Ibrahamovic, who was unstoppable in Sweden’s two previous games, scoring goals in both. Russia will face Netherlands in the quarter-finals and they remain optimistic despite Holland’s clear winning streak so far in the tournament.

The defending champions of Euro 2008 is defeated for a third time in the group stages, this time it arrives at the hands of Spain by a margin of one point. Greece was already out of the quarter-finals but their hopes of going out with some pride intact was crushed by the 2-1 defeat. The only goal for Greece in the entire tournament came from the boot of Charisteas at the 42nd minute. For a while Greece seemed to be in control until Ruben de la Red and Daniel Guiza scored in the 61st and 88th minutes respectively. It was the first international goal for both Spanish men and it handed the Spaniards their third successive victory in the group stages. Spain will face Italy in the quarter-finals in Vienna on Sunday.

The Boston Celtics won the NBA finals 131-92, Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers on their home court. The Celtics clinched this winner on game six of the finals having won four of the six final series. This is the Celtic’s first victory in 22 years and emotions ran high among the team members, including Kevin Garnett, who claimed among tears of joy that this was one of the happiest days of his life. This 6 foot – 11 inch, 11 time NBA All-star contributed 26 points in the winning game, to obtain the first NBA championship of his career. The 39-point win set a new record for NBA championship winning margins, one more reason for the Celtics to smile about.

Monte Carlo is known for hosting many sporting events including The Formula One Monaco Grand Prix, the Monte Carlo Masters, world championship boxing matches and the European Poker Tour Grand Finals. It has most recently been in the news when Lewis Hamilton, a British Formula One racer won the Monaco Grand Prix in late May. Along with the Indy 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Monaco Grand Prix makes up the Triple Crown Motorsport, the most prominent of the automobile races in the world. The Monte Carlo Grand Masters is a tennis tournament played on clay courts and the world number two player Rafael Nadal has been winning it consecutively for the past four years. One Europe’s premier tourist locations, Monte Carlo, offers an abundance of casinos and sightings of famous celebrities, including movie stars and athletes. Located in the autonomous city-state of Monaco, which is known as a tax haven, its occupants are not charged the income tax; the majority of the population are business professionals.

The Netherlands will advance into the quarter-finals of Euro 2008 in the top position of group c, having won every game in the group stages and conceding only one goal by France. The 2-0 victory today against Romania sealed their position at the top, thanks to Huntelaar in the 54th minute and a perfect finish by Van Persie in the 87th minute. This was Van Persie’s second goal of the tournament and he seems to be a promising asset in the Dutch arsenal as they head further into the Euro 2008. They will face either Sweden or Russia in the quarter-finals, depending on tomorrow’s game.

Group c will say good-bye to France and Romania who failed to stand up against the might of Italy and the Netherlands respectively. Italy will go in as the second place winner and will face Spain in the quarter-finals. They have proved why they are the world champions, being able to bounce back when needed with this 2-0 victory against France. The first goal was taken as a penalty by Andrea Pirlo in the 25th minute due to Eric Abidal’s foul on Luca Toni. Abidal received a red card as a result and the French were forced to play with ten men for the remainder of the game. The cherry on the top for the Italians came at the 62nd minute when Daniele de Rossi struck in their second goal. The only downside of the evening for Italy was the carding of Pirlo and Gattuso,both of whom recieved a yellow and they will subsequently miss the next game.