ISB 1-04-2012_Layout 1 6/23/2012 5:37 AM Page 17
Saturday, 23 June, 2012
Sports 17
Ronaldo roadshow blitzes Czechs WARSAW aFP
p
OrtUGAL fans and neutrals hoping for a splash edition of the Cristiano ronaldo roadshow had their appetite satisfied as he single-handedly steered his country into the euro 2012 semi-finals by beating the Czech republic 1-0. ronaldo showed the same kind of sparkle that saw the Portugal captain dominate play and claim a brace in his team's 2-1 defeat of the Netherlands last Sunday - goals he had dedicated to his son, who turned two the same day. So often maligned for failing to recapture his real Madrid form when wearing the Portugal shirt, ronaldo's 79th-minute header took his euro 2012 tally to three, making him joint top scorer with Germany's Mario Gomez - plus russia's Alan Dzagoev and Croatia's Mario Mandzukic, whose teams failed to advance from the group stage. And he was delighted at sending the Portuguese into a semi-final against either titleholders Spain or france. "Our great aim is to get to the final. We have a great squad and now I'd say the chances are 50-50 and we just have to believe in it," ronaldo said afterwards. "I think it was a fantastic game for Portugal. In the first 20 minutes we weren't that good but we improved a lot. It was a perfect game for us, with a lot of opportunities. the Czechs didn't have one opportunity. "We had the quality to reach the semi-finals. We are happy but know the next match will be difficult but the team is very mature and we are ready," ronaldo added. Defeated Czech captain and goalkeeper Petr Cech hailed ronaldo, de-
Thanks, boys, Czech dailies say after euro exit prAgue: Czech media applauded the Czech football team on friday despite its exit from euro 2012 following the 1-0 quarter-final defeat from Portugal on thursday. "thanks, boys," the largest broadsheet DNeS says on its front page, above a picture of Czech footballers surrounding an upset Cristiano ronaldo in the first half. ronaldo made all the difference on thursday -- the Czechs marked him well in the first half, then eased the pressure and allowed him to score the goal that sent Portugal to the semi-finals against either france or Spain. "the players' and fans' dreams went unfulfilled, but Czech players definitely have nothing to be ashamed of," says DNeS. "Although Portugal was much stronger, the Czech team played a very decent game in the first half. "We have to applaud the team for the overall impression it has left at the tournament," says DNeS, pointing out that the Czechs had made it to the last eight stage, unlike the Netherlands, Croatia, Sweden or hosts Poland and Ukraine. "ronaldo has sent the Czechs home," says the Lidove Noviny broadsheet above a front-page picture of the real Madrid star. "the Czechs played very well until the 70th minute. then they started to lose steam and that pushed them deep into their box, which resulted in the only goal of the game," the daily adds. "But we played against a strong rival and the boys gave it all they could. Hats off to them," it says. the Blesk tabloid praises the team for "fighting like Czech lions," referring to the Czech emblem and the logo the footballers wore on their chests. "the end. But thanks for the courage," says Blesk. aFP spite the player having ended his country's euro 2012 dreams. "It's not a good feeling. We lost. We're out. they were better, and they deserved the win," he said. "ronaldo is one of the top two players in the world, and he proved it with his goal, with that great header. It's really difficult to defend against him. He has shown again that he is one of the best players in the world. Czech coach Michal Bilek said that even the intense preparation they had made to try to stifle ronaldo was insufficient. "We really prepared hard to
cope with him, but he is a player of the greatest class," said Bilek. "He was able to rise to the occasion." A divisive figure around whom Portugal are often accused of creating a cult of personality, ronaldo won the loudest cheer from his fans in Warsaw's National Stadium when the announcer reeled off each squad, but earned catcalls from Czech supporters when he stepped up to take free kicks. the high-profile player - officially the most-tweeted at euro 2012 according to UefA - is often a target for his opponents' supporters.
wAtcH it Live TEN SPORTS First Test: Pakistan v Sri Lanka 09:30AM
women triangular t20 from July 6th LAHORE sTaFF RePORT
the PCB Women Wing friday announced the schedule and teams for the Women Cricket t20 triangular tournament which is to be held from July 6 to 15 in Karachi. three teams (Knights, Strikers and Lasers) selected by Women Selection Committee will compete in this tournament. THe DRaWs anD TeaMs aRe as FOLLOWs:TeaMs: Knights, Strikers, lasers, Schedule: Fri.Jul 6, arrival of the teams, Karachi Southend club, Sat.Jul 7, Practice of teams, Sun.Jul 8, Practice of teams, Mon.Jul 9, Knights vs Srikers, Morning, Knights vs lasers, evening, tue.Jul 10, reSt, wed.Jul 11, Strikers vs lasers, Morning, Knights vs lasers, evening, thur.Jul 12, reSt, Fri.Jul 13, Knights vs Strikers, Morning, Strikers vs lasers, evening, Sat.Jul 14, reSt, Sun.Jul 15, Final, Mon.Jul 16, departure of the teams, teams. sTRiKeRs: Syeda nain Fatima abidi (capt), Karachi, nida rashid dar, Sialkot, ayesha Qazi, lahore, zeba Manzoor hussain, Sialkot, irum Javed, lahore, Mahlaqa Manzoor, lahore, Syeda Batool Fatima naqvi, Karachi, Mehwish tariq, lahore, Bakhtawar iqbal, lahore, anum amin, lahore, Mariam Shafiq, Faisalabad, asmavia iqbal, Multan, namra imran, lahore, Kainat imtiaz, Karachi, romana Sajjid (Manager) and Shahid Javed (coach). LaseRs: Bismah Maroof (capt), lahore, Marina iqbal, lahore, Sidra amin, lahore, Mariam hassan Shah, islamabad, diana Baig, islamabad, zainab Khan, Peshawar, Sidra nawaz, lahore, areeb Shamaim, Multan, elizebeth Barkat, lahore, Sadia Yousaf, Faisalabad, hina Shafiq, islamabad, Qanita jalil, abbotabad, Summaiya Siddiqui, hyderabad, almas akram, Karachi, Shagufta Qazmi (Manager), , talat Mirza (coach). KnigHTs: Sana Mir (capt), lahore, Javeria wadood , Karachi, nahida Khan, Quetta, Komal Feroze, lahore, aliya riaz, rawalpindi, romana arshad, Karachi, rabiya Shah, Karachi, Madiha rajpoot, lahore, Sana Gulzar, Multan, Saima Maqsood, Sialkot, Kanwal naz, Karachi, Sania Khan, Multan, Masooma Junaid Farooqi, Karachi, Javeria rauf, Karachi, Farah akhlaq (Manager), tahir Mahmood (coach).
paszek stuns Bartoli to reach Eastbourne final EASTBOURNE aFP
clijsters injury gets radwanska into final s-hertogenbosch: Poland's Urszula radwanska advanced to the final of the s-Hertogenbosch grasscourt tournament on friday after Belgian Kim Clijsters pulled out of their semi-final clash citing injury. tournament organisers said in a statement that former world number one Clijsters had withdrawn before the tie with a "stomach injury". "together with her team and on medical advice she has decided not to play her semi-final match against Urszula radwanska," the statement added. Clijsters had been making her return this week after not playing since March because of a right hip injury. aFP
Austrian outsider tamira Paszek recovered from a set and 4-0 down on friday to beat french holder Marion Bartoli 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 and reach her first final in two years. Paszek, ranked 59th, had come to the english south coast with a modest 2-13 record this season but turned that on its head with her performances during this pre-Wimbledon grasscourt tournament. the challenger held her nerve as Bartoli looked set to run out an easy straight-sets result, with Paszek staging her fight back to reach the fourth final of her career. She has won two of her previous three - in Slovenia and Quebec - while losing to Swiss Patty Schnyder in Bali four years ago. Paszek last played for a title in Canada in September 2010. She will next face German fifth seed Angelique Kerber, winner of two tro-
phies this season, and who eased past Czech Klara Zakopalova 6-0, 63 in her semi-final clash. Weather conditions held out on the day at a pre-Wimbledon tuneup which began with three days of sunny, dry weather but which deteriorated on Wednesday when all four men's quarter-finals at the joint AtP-WtA tournament were washed out. As a result, men's winners on friday were doing double duty. Andy roddick, the sixth-seeded wild card, will be among the final four after the three-time Wimbledon finalist overcame Italian fabio fognini 6-3, 3-6, 7-5. the 29-yearold American seeded 30th at Wimbledon, will line up later against Belgian Steve Darcis, who defeated Australian Marinko Matosevic 6-2, 7-6 (7/4). Italian holder Andreas Seppi advanced in 62 minutes as German Philipp Kohlschreiber retired injured trailing 7-5, 2-1.
Federer, Djokovic main wimbledon contenders LONDON aFP
Defending champion Novak Djokovic and six-time winner roger federer were once again set on a Grand Slam collision course when they were placed in the same half of the Wimbledon draw on friday. World number one Djokovic, who swept past federer in straight sets in the french Open semi-finals earlier this month, could meet the Swiss again in the last four. the topseeded Serb will start his campaign against Spain's former world number one Juan Carlos ferrero with Czech sixth seed tomas Berdych, the 2010 runner-up, a potential quarter-final oppo-
nent. federer, who has lost in the quarter-finals in the last two years, takes on another Spaniard, Albert ramos. the
third seeded federer, still one title shy of Pete Sampras's record of seven at the All england Club, is scheduled to face Serb eighth seed Janko tipsarevic in the last eight. tipsarevic starts against 2002 runner-up David Nalbandian, the Argentine who was defaulted in last week's Queen's final for accidentally injuring a line judge. Second seed rafael Nadal, the 2008 and 2010 champion, and fresh from a record seventh french Open title, meets Brazil's thomaz Bellucci. fourth-seeded Briton Andy Murray, who has lost in the semi-finals in the last two years to Nadal, is scheduled to meet the Spaniard again in the last four, but first he must get past wily russian Nikolay Davydenko in his opener.
eaStBOUrne: tamira Paszek of austria blows a kiss after winning against Marion Bartoli of France during her women's singles match on the seventh day of the aeGOn international tennis. AFp