EURO 2016 : Italy terus cemerlang Spain terdiam | Iceland kejutkan England

A small country with a huge heart. See you in the quarter-finals, Iceland!

Wayne Rooney joins David Beckham on 115 caps. The record for anEngland Football Team outfield player!

Gianluigi Buffon 

Sanchez optimis bantu Seleccao -kosmo

LILLE – Bakat remaja Portugal, Renato Sanches optimis untuk terus membantu skuad Seleccao melangkah lebih jauh dalam kempen kejuaraan Euro 2016 selepas dihadiahkan pujian oleh rakan-rakan sepasukannya ketika memikul peranan sebagai pemain simpanan menerusi beberapa perlawanan terdahulu.

Mengulas pujian yang diberikan pasukan Portugal, Sanchez mengakui sedia menerima sebarang ketetapan jurulatih kalaupun tidak diberi posisi bersama kesebelasan utama menjelang aksi menentang Poland dalam saingan suku akhir selepas ini.

“Saya gembira, inilah pengalaman sebagai pemain profesional. Saya teruja untuk bersama pasukan ini yang dibarisi pemain-pemain berbakat.

“Mengenai posisi saya bersama kesebelasan utama, saya tidak mahu terlalu memikirkan perkara tersebut. Paling penting ialah pasukan menggunakan pemain-pemain mengikut kesesuaian perlawanan. Kalau diberi peluang bersama skuad utama, saya akan beri aksi terbaik,” kata pemain berusia 18 tahun itu.

Sebagai rekod, Sanchez yang diturunkan sebagai pemain gantian sebanyak tiga kali dalam saingan sebelum ini telah menampilkan aksi matang, sekali gus memberi impak positif buat skuad Portugal.

Dalam perkembangan sama, Sanchez turut menyatakan rasa gembira kerana baru selesai menandatangani kontrak lima tahun bersama Bayern Munich selaku juara Bundesliga musim lalu.

“Saya tidak sabar untuk beraksi dengan Bayern pada musim depan tetapi fokus utama pada waktu ini ialah perlawanan menentang Poland,” tambah Sanchez. - AGENSI

Chile musnahkan impian Argentina

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey – Juara bertahan, Chile terus melakar sejarah apabila meranapkan impian Argentina untuk memenangi gelaran juara Copa America Centenario selepas tewas buat kali kedua berturut-turut menerusi sepakan penalti 4-2 di Stadium Metlife pagi semalam.

Keputusan tersebut mengulangi pertembungan final Copa America tahun lalu apabila Chile menjuarai perlawanan tersebut menerusi penentuan penalti selepas perlawanan terikat tanpa jaringan ketika menentang Argentina.

Dalam saingan tersebut, perlawanan terpaksa ditamatkan dengan detik mengecewakan buat kapten Argentina, Lionel Messi apabila gagal menyempurnakan sepakan penalti selepas sekadar melepasi palang sebelum Lucas Biglia turut gagal menyudahkan sepakan tersebut dengan baik apabila ditangkap kemas penjaga gol Chile, Claudio Bravo.

Ini merupakan kekalahan ketiga buat Argentina di pentas final dalam tempoh tiga tahun termasuk tewas kepada Jerman dalam Piala Dunia 2014.

Kekalahan ini sekali gus meneruskan kemarau buat Argentina yang gagal menjulang sebarang kejuaraan melebihi 23 tahun.

  

“Kemenangan yang dirangkul ini tidak boleh diungkapkan dengan kata-kata dan saya hanya mahu mengucapkan terima kasih kepada semua penyokong yang tidak henti-henti memberikan sokongan kepada kami.

“Ia bukan satu perlawanan yang mudah kerana kami beraksi menentang Argentina yang sudah pasti antara pasukan terhebat di dunia. Kami adalah generasi yang mencipta sejarah menjulang kejuaraan ini. Ini adalah detik sejarah buat saya,” ujar penyerang Chile, Alexis Sanchez.

Dalam saingan tersebut, Chile terpaksa beraksi dengan 10 pemain selepas Diaz menerima kad kuning kedua apabila didapati menghalang gerakan Messi pada minit ke-28.

Bagaimanapun, Argentina gagal menggunakan peluang tersebut dengan baik selepas mereka turut mengalami masalah yang sama apabila Marcos Rojo dilayangkan kad merah pada minit ke-43 selepas melakukan terjahan keras terhadap Arturo Vidal.

Pada penentuan sepakan penalti, Vidal gagal meledak gol pertama buat Chile selepas Sergio Romero bijak menyelamatkan sepakan tersebut. Akhirnya, Francesco Silva menamatkan penantian apabila menjaringkan gol kemenangan buat Chile.

Sanchez muncul pemain terbaik kejohanan setelah membawa pasukannya menjuarai Copa America edisi ke-100 tahun tersebut, manakala Eduardo Vargas muncul pemenang kasut emas selepas meledak enam gol sepanjang kejohanan, empat gol yang dihasilkan adalah ketika membenam Mexico 4-0. – AGENSI

Hungary tetap mampu berbangga -kosmo

TOULOUSE – Hungary memiliki potensi yang cerah untuk muncul sebagai sebuah pasukan hebat pada masa depan meskipun tersingkir daripada kempen kejuaraan Euro 2016 selepas ditewaskan Belgium 4-0 dalam saingan peringkat kalah mati awal pagi semalam.

Skuad The Magical Magyars itu mencipta kejutan pada kempen Euro 2016 apabila muncul selaku juara saingan Kumpulan F mengatasi pasukan gergasi Eropah yang juga naib juara Euro 2000, Portugal.

Jurulatih Hungary, Bernd Storck percaya, pengalaman tersingkir pada pusingan kalah mati Euro 2016 wajar disifatkan sebagai detik ‘manis’ kerana ia akan menjadi pengajaran berguna buat pasukan negara itu.

“Walaupun kalah, kami boleh meninggalkan kempen kejuaraan ini dengan penuh rasa bangga kerana Hungary tidak pernah menentang pasukan hebat seperti Belgium.

“Saya sendiri menikmati perlawanan itu yang menyaksikan kami nyaris menyamakan kedudukan. Selepas ini, kami akan memanfaatkan pengalaman itu dengan sebaik mungkin,” kata Storck.

Gol sulung Belgium hadir pada minit ke-10 menerusi tandukan Toby Aldeiwereld yang disudahkan selepas Kevin de Bruyne melakukan sepakan percuma.

Bagaimanapun, Hungary ternyata mampu memberi masalah kepada Belgium apabila mereka terpaksa menanti selama kira-kira 60 minit untuk mendapatkan jaringan gol kedua melalui Michy Batshuayi.

Eden Hazard pula menambah gol ketiga Belgium pada minit ke-80, diikuti Yannick Ferreira Carasco mencetak jaringan keempat pada penghujung perlawanan.

“Kami tidak pernah mengalah dan terus berusaha mendapatkan jaringan penyamaan. Belgium lebih bijak memanfaatkan semua kesempatan,” jelas Storck. - AGENSI 

EURO 2016 : Draxler stars as Germany beat Slovakia 3-0

• Jerome Boateng converted Germany's early pressure into a lead with a volley from the edge of the penalty area
• Mesut Ozil spurned a golden chance to score his 20th international goal as his penalty was saved by Matus Kozacik
• Julian Draxler showed fine wing play to breeze past Juraj Kucka and set up Gomez for his second goal at Euro 2016
• Draxler then sealed the victory with a close-range volley after Mats Hummels won an aerial duel from a corner  
• Germany will face either Italy or Spain in the quarter-finals as they look to win their fourth European Championship

Uefa Euro 2016 : France comeback beats Ireland

France win their first EURO knockout tie since beating Italy in the 2000 final

Antoine Griezmann scored two goals in four minutes to beat 10-man Ireland. The Irish took the lead through Robbie Brady's early penalty but, after Griezmann's double strike, had Shane Duffy sent off. GameCast

Colombia beats U.S. for Copa third place

Klinsmann hails 'wonderful' U.S. display

Colombia claimed third place in the Copa America Centenario by beating the United States 1-0 in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday night.

Carlos Bacca scored in the first half as Colombia beat the U.S. for the second time in the tournament following a 2-0 win the opening game.

This is the highest finish for Colombia since 2001

Euros: Portugal to face Poland, Wales win

EURO : Belgium / Iceland / Rep.Ireland menang...Portugal seri 3 dgn Hungary

Argentina tunjuk taring dgn blasah Usa 4-0

Lionel Messi and Argentina played like the best player and team in the world, leaving the Jurgen Klinsmann's side looking over-matched in Houston.

HOUSTON — It was always going to take a perfect performance by the U.S. national team and a shaky one by Argentina for the Americans to pull off the Copa America semifinal upset on Tuesday night.

What we saw instead as Argentina at its captivating best and the U.S. at its over-matched worst, resulting in a dominating rout that was even more lopsided than the 4-0 final scoresuggested.

The Americans simply weren't ready, and as much as Jurgen Klinsmann can carry some blame with his lineup choices, the reality is many first-choice players simply didn't come to play.

Chris Wondolowski's inclusion in the starting lineup was a shocker, given the fact he had played just 18 minutes all tournament and the fact he hasn't seen much time with the national team in recent years. That didn't stop Klinsmann for giving the 2014 World Cup scapegoat a shot at redemption.

Redemption never came. Instead, Wondolowski looked terribly over-matched. Rather than finding the goal to write the perfect story to bookend his miss against Belgium, Wondolowski turned the ball over and eventually committed the foul that Lionel Messi turned into a masterful free-kick goal.

Tuesday's loss wasn't about Wondolowski starting or about Christian Pulisic or Darlington Nagbe not starting. In the end, it was about one supremely talented team thoroughly outclassing a lesser-talented team that didn't even play to its potential. As bad as Wondolowski was, it was the poor showings of other regular starters that made the match even more lopsided than it needed to be.

You can start with Michael Bradley, who endured one of his worst showings in a big U.S. match in his career. He apeared skittish and unsure at times, turning the ball over far too frequently, looking nothing like the dominant force we saw shine for the U.S. as recently as a year ago. On a night when the U.S. needed its best players to play their best and set the tone, Bradley simply wasn't up to the task.

Bradley was far from alone in disappointing. Goalkeeper Brad Guzan was shaky early on, as was DeAndre Yedlin. Even Fabian Johnson struggled to deal with Argentina's attacking waves, though many times it was the poor play of his teammates that left him in bad spots.

Klinsmann will take his place at the top of those to blame for Tuesday's bloodbath. He talked of wanting to attack Argentina, but set out a lineup that wasn't one that ever looked capable of really attacking Argentina. He basically aknowledged his mistake at halftime, when he brought in Pulisic for Wondolowski, who probably played his last national team match on Tuesday.

There were very few bright spots for the Americans, as Argentina so thoroughly outclassed them that the U.S. saw little of the ball and rarely put together any truly threatening chances of their own.

One bright spot for the Americans was Gyasi Zardes, who played with no fear and went after Argentina, making plays and never backing down. He played with the fearlessness that Klinsmann talked about his team needing if it was going to beat a team like Argentina.

Unfortunately for the U.S., there simply weren't enough American players who showed up on Tuesday truly ready to play with no fear, to play with confidence and to try to go at Argentina.

Instead, the U.S. looked nervous and overwhelmed, and as much as many will want to blame Klinsmann for it happening, no lineup he would have used would have made the final outcome different. Sure, maybe a squad with Nagbe and Pulisic instead of Wondolowski and Graham Zusi may have made things a bit closer, but with so many American players failing to perform, Argentina was always going to leave NRG Stadium with a victory and ticket to the Copa America final.

There is no shame in losing to the best team in the world, but Klinsmann and his team need to do some soul-searching and accept that they didn't give their best on Tuesday, which is a much bigger crime than losing to a team like Argentina.

Uefa Euro : Crotia 2-1 Spain | Poland Germany Turki menang .