Player Profile: Edinson Cavani

Full Name: Edinson Cavani

Squad No: 7

Position: Forward

Age: 25

Birth Date: Feb 14, 1987

Birth Place: Salto, Uruguay

Height: 6' 2'' (1.88m)

Weight: 71 kg

Napoli secured the services of Edinson Roberto Cavani Gomez on a one-season loan deal from Palermo on the eve of the 2010 World Cup, but importantly also secured a right-to-buy option set at around €12 million.

The Salto-born striker began his a career with Montevideo side Danubio FC in 2006 and made an instant impact, scoring nine goals in his debut season as the Uruguayan club won the Primera Division Apertura. His exploits in the domestic game earned him a call-up to the Uruguay Under-20 side for the 2007 South American Youth Championship in Paraguay, where he was scouted by a number of European clubs, including Juventus and AC Milan.

However, it was Palermo who moved quickest to snap up the youngster. The deal was officially completed in January 2007, but El Matador had to wait until March to make a memorable debut against Fiorentina as he hit a volleyed equaliser that was reminiscent of Marco van Basten's legendary strike against Soviet Union in the final of Euro '88.

Following the departure of Amauri to Juventus in June 2008, Cavani quickly established himself as a regular at Palermo, scoring 35 goals in 114 appearances, but was forced to play in a wide role rather than in his preferred position as a central striker. In April 2010, he penned a new contract with Palermo that ran until June 2014, but the prospect of playing a more central role in Walter Mazzarri's Napoli proved too difficult to resist and Cavani swapped Scilly for the Italian mainland in a move that established his credentials as a top quality goalscorer.

He started life at the Stadio San Paolo in emphatic fashion and ended the season with 26 goals in a league campaign that culminated with qualification for the Champions League. Cavani was just two goals behind Udinese's Antonio Di Natale and would have been the first Napoli player to top the scoring charts since Diego Maradona in 1988, although the Argentine did it with just 15 goals.

Cavani's star continued to rise as he won the 2011 Copa America with Uruguay and he has since been linked with big money moves to the likes of Chelsea and Real Madrid, with some reports putting the transfer fee as high as £50 million.

Strengths: Powerful and strong, he is a commanding presence up front who can hold onto the ball and is not afraid to get his head on a cross, but most importantly he is a natural finsher when in front of goal.

Weaknesses: His eagerness to work defensively for the team can draw him too deep and his passing is not on a par with his finishing.

Career high: Winning the 2011 Copa America to make Uruguay the most successful team in the competition's history, with 15 triumphs, one ahead of Argentina.

Career low: It's a tough to call for a player who is on a meteroic rise. Perhaps the fact he only scored two goals in his first six months at Palermo.

Style: Agile, powerful, a real handful in the box who loves to play on the counter-attack.

Quotes: "He's an important player for us. He fights hard, he tries to play and when he doesn't manage to do so, he still fights and that's important." Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez, November 2011

Trivia: Cavani comes from a footballing family and his older brother Walter Guglielmone plays as a forward for Brazilian Serie D side Pelotas.

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Keshi: Super Eagles cannot be perfect overnight

As the Super Eagles observed a day of rest on Wednesday and looking forward to starting their final preparations against Namibia at the U.J Esuene Stadium on Thursday, coach Stephen Keshi has pleaded with Nigerians to give him time in building a formidable national team that the country will be proud of.

“Nigerians must understand that we are rebuilding and it’s not going to be perfect in a day or just one or two matches,” Keshi said.

“What we need from them is patience and of course prayers. On our part we are ready to give more than 100 per cent to ensure that the country returns to the top of football in Africa and one of the best in the world”, he said.

Meanwhile, Patrick Ugbe, host of the team in Calabar and Cross River Commissioner For Youth, Sports and Orientation, believes that the team he has seen in training will overcome the obstacle of Namibia on Sunday.

“The team we have here is relatively young and I must say some players have been exceptional in training, though it looks like the entire team means business and the state government, particularly Governor Liyel Imoke likes to invest in such teams,” Ugbe said.

The Super Eagles have received the royal blessings of the ruler of Qua people in Calabar Municipality, Ndidem (Dr) Ika Ika Qua 11. The monarch assured the national team that traditional institutions are in support of the team against the southern africans on Sunday.

“It’s wise that you people have come to seek my royal blessings, because no matter how bad a landlord is, when you are in his house you must pay him homage. We wish the team and its officials well and we are certain that after we have appeased the land, victory will surely be ours,” he said.

The team will commence training at the U.J Esuene Stadium on Thursday after observing Wednesday as a day of rest after two days of hectic training.

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Vettel plays down Ferrari rumours

Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel has rubbished claims he is set to leave Red Bull for Ferrari.

Reports from the Monaco Grand Prix suggested Vettel had agreed to switch teams in 2014, but the German insists his future lies with Red Bull.

"I've been wearing a Red Bull helmet for almost my entire career. It is difficult to imagine another kind of life if you are so used to it," Vettel told Autosport.

"It would be like when you turn 18, 19 and move out of your family's home. I am very happy where I am right now and I don't want to move on to anywhere else."

While Vettel is contracted at Red Bull until the end of 2014, the team's advisor Helmut Marko has conceded there is an escape clause should results slide.

"2013 is fixed for us," Marko told German newspaper Bild.

"For 2014 there is a performance-related clause in his contract for him and for the team.

"It depends on the rankings in next year's world championships.

"If Vettel and Red Bull slip in the drivers' or constructors' championship, he could go."

Vettel, who joined Red Bull in 2009, recorded 15 poles and 11 victories from 19 races on his way to a second consecutive drivers' world championship title last year.

With six different winners from the first six races of the 2012 season, Vettel believes consistency will prove vital in his quest for a third straight F1 crown.

"This year there are much more candidates to win races than before," he said.

"Therefore it gets more essential to collect as many points as possible in every race.

"From the first day of winter testing I had confidence in our car.

"We have not got out the most of the potential though we make steady progress."

Vettel is currently equal second in the drivers' standings alongside Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber, three points behind Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

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Heat outlast Celtics, take 2-0 series lead

Miami needed the biggest post-season comeback in franchise history to clinch Game 2 of their series against Boston 115-111 in over-time.

Despite Rajon Rondo producing a blistering display for the Celtics on Wednesday with 44 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, the Heat claimed victory and a 2-0 lead in the NBA Eastern Conference finals.

The Miami side did it the hard way, coming from 15 points down in the second quarter and recovering from an 11-point deficit early in the third.

A pair of three-pointers from LeBron James kick-started the comeback and saw Miami take the lead just before the end of the third quarter.

Despite posting 34 points and 10 rebounds, James endured a somewhat frustrating outing as he missed four free throws and failed to nail two clutch baskets in the last 30 seconds of regulation, leaving scores tied at 99-all and forcing over-time.

Time and again Rondo gave the Celtics the lead during the extra period but when he missed a lay-up with one minute, 33 seconds left, Miami took their chance as Udonis Haslem gave the Heat a 105-103 lead with a slam dunk.

Mario Chalmers took a crucial steal with less than a minute remaining to set up James for a three-pointer and a five-point advantage for the Heat.

Chalmers (22 points) had a strong game, while Dwyane Wade netted 23 points — 21 of which came in the second half.

Along with Rondo, Paul Pierce (21), Kevin Garnett (18) and Ray Allen (13) were also strong contributors for Boston.

The Heat have come from 14 points down in post-season games on two occasions, but overturned a 15-point deficit on Wednesday.

The Celtics will rue their missed chances, especially as they led 90-85 with less than four minutes left in the last quarter, before Miami produced a run of nine straight points to steal back the advantage in a see-sawing affair.

Game 3 will take place in Boston on Friday.

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Loew wary of ´quality´ opposition

Germany coach Joachim Loew says failure is not an option for his side at Euro 2012 as they search for their first European title since 1996.

The 52-year-old also warned his team not to underestimate rivals the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain at the tournament, which begins on June 8.

Loew believes his team have improved, but said the top sides would be hard to separate in Poland and Ukraine.

"I had a lot of time to think of all the possible scenarios back in January, February. However, at this point, I have only one thing on my mind and that's Portugal," Loew told Kicker.

"I am not even thinking about the possibility of failure. The team has made a lot of progress. That does not guarantee that we will win the title, though. Details will be decisive this summer.

"We don't underestimate anyone. The other teams have a lot of quality, too.

"People should not think that Netherlands are inferior with players such as Robin van Persie, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben.

"Portugal have Real Madrid stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe, while Spain have world class stars like Xavi and Andres Iniesta. It would be silly to think they have less quality than Germany."

Germany have been drawn in Group B at Euro 2012, alongside the Netherlands, Portugal and Denmark.

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ARSENAL target Olivier Giroud will not decide his future until after Euro 2012.

he 6ft 3in striker, 25, fired Montpellier to their first French title with 21 goals.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has been tracking Giroud’s progress and is ready with a £15million summer raid.

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Mario Balotelli will walk off if abused at Euro 2012

Manchester City and Italy striker Mario Balotelli has threatened to walk off the pitch if he is racially abused at Euro 2012, which kicks off next week.

Balotelli added he would "kill" anyone who dared throw a banana at him in the street.

A recent BBC Panorama programme revealed cases of racism and anti-Semitism in football grounds in host nations Poland and Ukraine

.

"If [racism] does happen I would leave the pitch and go home," said Balotelli.

"Racism is unacceptable to me, I cannot bear it. We are in 2012, it can't happen.

"If someone throws a banana at me in the street, I will go to prison because I will kill him.

"

The Panorama programme showed fans making Nazi salutes on the terraces, black players being taunted with monkey chants and a vicious assault on a group of Asian students.

Former England captain Sol Campbell advised fans not to travel, suggesting they would be risking their lives if they did so.

Ukraine's Euro 2012 director Markian Lubkivsky said Campbell's remarks were "insolent".

Former Inter Milan striker Balotelli, 21, was regularly the target of racist abuse when playing in Italy.

In an interview with France Football, Balotelli also said he believes he is a genius.

"I think I am a genius, but not a rebel," he said. "I have my life, my world. I do what I want, without annoying anyone.

"I believe I am more intelligent than the average person.

"The talent God gave me is beautiful and wonderful, but it is difficult because you are always facing other people keen to judge you.

"There are few people with such talent, so there are few able to judge what I am doing."

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The 27-year-old midfielder looks set to return to Anfield after AC Milan decided against signing the Italy international on a permanent basis at the end of the season

The Italy international spent last season on loan at AC Milan but the Serie A outfit have decided against taking up their option to sign the midfielder on a permanent basis, with club CEO Adriano Galliani admitting that he will sit down with the Reds in June to try to thrash out a compromise agreement.

With Liverpool now on the verge of officially confirming Rodgers as their new boss, the next step as far as Aquilani is concerned is establishing whether he has a future at Anfield.

"It's necessary to understand if there are the foundations for an agreement that satisfies everyone," the former Roma man told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I'm waiting for Liverpool to decide on the identity of their new coach and reorganise themselves. Then we will have to meet in order to figure out their plans.

"The only thing I can do is make the right decision. For me, it is important to have the opportunity to make a contribution, to play well and regularly."

Aquilani joined Liverpool from Roma in 2009 but his debut season in English football was blighted by injury problems and he was loaned to Juventus the following year.

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Valencia resigned to losing Jordi Alba - report

Valencia are resigned to losing Jordi Alba in the summer transfer window as Barcelona continue to chase the impressive left-back, Sport reports.

Los Che were initially determined to hold onto the 23-year-old beyond the 2011-12 campaign, but have now supposedly accepted that the player's departure is inevitable, with sporting director Braulio Vazquez admitting Valencia are aware of the Blaugrana's desire to sign him.

"I suppose Barcelona want him because he's Catalan and plays on the left wing. We are obviously talking about an excellent player, and it's only normal that Barcelona are keen to sign him," Braulio Vazquez stated to Radio Galega.

The La Masia-trained star has a contract with Mauricio Pellegrino's side until the summer of 2013, but they are ready to him leave for a fee in the region of €15 million.

Barca have reportedly already agreed personal terms with the defender, but they have yet to table an official offer.

The Catalans are expected to open talks with the side who finished third in La Liga in the upcoming weeks, though, as they want to wrap up the transfer before the start of pre-season.

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Casillas breaks international wins record with Spain's victory over South Korea

In what was his 130th appearance for Spain, Casillas won his 95th match for the national team, breaking the record for the highest number of international victories that had been set by France's Lilian Thuram and matched by Egypt's Ahmed Hassan.

The 31-year-old custodian was introduced in the second half and did not concede a goal, while watching Alvaro Negredo score La Roja's fourth goal of the night.

Casillas, who also recorded his 74th clean sheet with the national side, has also become the fourth-highest-capped goalkeeper in football, behind Saudi Arabia's Mohamed Al-Deayea (178), Sweden's Thomas Ravelli (143) and South Korea's Lee Won-Jae (132).

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Spurs notch 20th straight win

The San Antonio Spurs have taken a 2-0 lead in their NBA Western Conference finals series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

A spectacular shooting performance propelled the Spurs to a 120-111 victory at the AT&T Center on Tuesday.

With victory, San Antonio become just the fourth team in NBA history to notch 20 consecutive wins with their last loss coming back in April against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Even more impressive is that 10 of those have come in the play-offs with the Spurs sweeping the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers in the first two rounds.

Tony Parker was in irresistible form, shooting just under 74 percent from the field on his way to a game-high 34 points and eight assists.

Manu Ginobili again provided valuable support off the bench with 20 points, while Kawhi Leonard drained three three-pointers in his 18 points, as well as pulling down 10 rebounds.

San Antonio set up their victory with a dominant first half that saw them open up an 11-point lead at the long break.

They carried their momentum into the third quarter where they added another 37 points to at one stage lead by 22 points.

Oklahoma did mount a charge to close within six points midway through the final term, but the Spurs were never seriously threatened.

Kevin Durant led the way for the Thunder with 31 points, while James Harden (30 points) and Russell Westbrook (27) were also strong contributors.

Game three of the series will be at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma on Thursday.

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International friendly: Netherlands 2 Slovakia 0

The Netherlands avoided a second-straight defeat by beating Slovakia 2-0 in an international friendly in Rotterdam on Wednesday.

After a loss to Bulgaria in an international friendly over the weekend, Bert Van Marwijk's men made no mistake in front of their home fans as an own goal from Kornel Salata and a strike from substitute Rafael Van der Vaart separated the teams.

Amid a raucous atmosphere at De Kuip, the hosts stormed into the lead after only eight minutes.

Ibrahim Afellay was the instigator, drilling a low centre across the face of goal that was inadvertently turned in by Salata.

The Netherlands could have added a second goal within minutes, but Robin van Persie fired off target after getting past Peter Pekarik.

Slovakia were handed a route back into the match just before the half-hour mark when Maarten Stekelenburg inexplicably elected to pick up a back pass from defender Gregory van der Wiel.

Miroslav Stoch lined up the set-piece from just outside the six-yard box, but could only blast harmlessly into the side-netting.

The Fenerbahce winger went even closer to an equaliser moments later, when his effort from a tight angle rebounded off the post, following a swift counter-attack led by Marek Hamsik.

Neither team seemed in any great hurry to force the issue coming out from the interval, with goalmouth action remaining elusive for much of the second half.

The hosts were handed a chance to break the monotony with just under 20 minutes to go, after Van der Vaart was felled on the edge of the area by Marek Cech.

The Tottenham midfielder stepped up to take the free-kick, but saw a wonderful effort smack back off the frame of the goal, with Jan Mucha completely beaten.

The Dutch went close again a few minutes later when Van der Wiel's delivery flashed dangerously across goal, and somehow ended up in the arms of Mucha after a touch by Afellay.

They would eventually get their second courtesy of a combination between two substitutes.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar appeared to have been blocked off by a pair of Slovak defenders inside the area, but did just enough to tee up Van der Vaart for a straightforward drive into the far corner.

Van Marwijk's side round off their Euro 2012 preparations with their final friendly match against Northern Ireland on Saturday at the Amsterdam Arena.

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Mark Webber column: Winning in Monaco is always special

They're handing out grand prix victories a bit more sporadically this year than has been the case recently, but there is no doubt I've grabbed the right one so far.

Winning in Monaco is always special. That track has always been good to me. I won there in Formula 3000, battled for the victory with Williams in 2006 and now I've won two of the last three grands prix there.

When you drive at the limit in Monaco, the margin is so fine. It's about having the confidence to go to that limit and backing yourself that you are not close to a mistake at any point.

You try to ignore the barriers to a large degree and just treat them like white lines that you can go up to but no further.

Another big skill there is staying on top of the changes in the track - which happen every two or three laps.

It was a very well-executed weekend by the whole Red Bull Racing team.

You need to be confident and committed around there. It's a very long afternoon if you're staring at gearboxes in Monaco and that's good motivation on Saturday to get as far up as you can.

They don't hand grid positions out for free. You've got to deliver on Saturday afternoon and it went well for us. I think we got the best out of the package.

Obviously Michael Schumacher beat us to fastest time but we took up the pole because of his penalty and he retired from the grand prix itself anyway.

Monaco is not always the most spectacular race to watch, but it's a real test for us guys.

The race is very repetitive, there is no respite and you have to be very careful not to get complacent with that. There's a lot of concentration required.

The race was about control - pacing yourself to eke out the tyres a lot of the way.

It would have been nice to have a slightly bigger lead and I could have pulled out a bit, but you're worried about overworking the tyres.

That meant I had Nico Rosberg's Mercedes and Fernando Alonso's Ferrari right behind me when it started to rain in the last few laps.

The leader always has to be a bit more cautious in that situation because you're the one who can look like an idiot. You arrive first and the guys behind can learn off you.

What made the race more difficult was that there was a huge amount of marbles - bits of discarded rubber from the tyres that are incredibly slippery.

That meant the line through Casino Square changed very early in the race - and I wasn't happy with that because I like to use a slightly different line. That's the sort of thing you have to cope with.

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Usain Bolt plays down Justin Gatlin's London 2012 chances

Usain Bolt has dismissed suggestions former Olympic champion Justin Gatlin will provide the biggest challenge for his 100m crown at London 2012.

Gatlin, who won 2004 gold in Athens before a four-year drugs ban, clocked 9.87 seconds in Doha two weeks ago.

"I don't want to sound rude, but Gatlin's had his chance," said Bolt. "He's been on top, but to say 'get ready for the Gatlin show' is funny

.

"He has a few guys to get past before he should be worried about me."

World indoor champion Gatlin staked his claim as a contender for the Olympic 100m with victory in Doha's Diamond League meeting on 11 May.

The 30-year-old aims to book his place at London when he runs in the United States team trials in Portland next month.

But Bolt, who won 100m gold in Beijing four years ago, believes American Tyson Gay and current World Championship title holder Yohan Blake will provide sterner challenges than Gatlin.

Meanwhile, the Jamaican sprinter has pledged to bounce back at Thursday's Diamond League meeting in Rome after his disappointing time in Ostrava last week.

He clocked 10.04s in last Friday's 100m and afterwards blamed a lack of sleep and food.

He said: "I explained to my coach that my legs were not feeling that energetic, probably through a lack of sleep and not enough food.

"I've been trying to get a lot more sleep and eating better."

Bolt's time in Ostrava was the first time since 2009 in Toronto that the Jamaican has failed to break 10 seconds in a final.

However, the triple Olympic champion was in relaxed mood ahead of this week's meeting in Rome and admitted he does not feel under pressure to perform in every race.

He said: "You never have a good race every time you run. You have to just put that behind you and move on. It's not a worry. I have a lot more races and the main one is at the Olympics.

"I have set a high standard for myself so I know people like to see me run fast.

"I can't look at it as pressure. People expect you to do certain things - I know I will have my bad races but I have to stay strong and focused."

Bolt will face fellow countryman and former world-record holder Asafa Powell, France's European champion Christophe Lemaitre and veteran Kim Collins in the 100m on Thursday.

Britain's world 400m hurdles champion Dai Greene faces a tough test in Rome, with American Bershawn Jackson among those keen for revenge after the Welshman's victory in Daegu last year.

There is British interest in the men's long jump with both Greg Rutherford - who set a world Long Jump lead of 8.35m in California at the beginning of May - and Chris Tomlinson in action, while Andrew Osagie and Michael Rimmer go in the 800m.

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French Open: Agnieszka Radwanska ousts Venus Williams

Former world number one Venus Williams followed her sister Serena out of the French Open, losing 6-2 6-3 to third seed Agnieszka Radwanska in round two.

Unseeded Venus, the seven-time Grand Slam winner now ranked 53 following illness, was beaten in exactly an hour.

Top seed Victoria Azarenka eased through with a 6-1 6-1 victory over Germany's Dinah Pfizenmaier.

Eighth seed Marion Bartoli served 14 double faults as she surprisingly lost 6-2 3-6 6-3 to Croatia's Petra Martic.

Venus, who began the year at 134 in the world rankings after being diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome, a fatigue-inducing autoimmune disease, has never won the French Open. Her best effort came in 2002 when she lost in the final to her sister.

The 31-year-old was never able to trouble Radwanska on Court Phillipe Chartrier, the scene of Serena's shock three-set defeat against Virginie Razzano 24 hours earlier.

She lost her opening service game and Radwanska, who has won three titles this year, secured the first set with an ace after 28 minutes.

The 23-year-old Polish player, who has yet to progress beyond the quarter-final stage in a Grand Slam event, combined outstanding fitness with some flawless strokeplay.

In the next round she will play 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova , who needed a second set tie-break to overcome Yung-Jan Chan in an hour and 41 minutes.

US Open winner Sam Stosur beat American Irina Falconi 6-1 6-4 and next faces 27th seed Nadia Petrova of Russia.

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Rooney ready for redemption

Rooney

England striker Wayne Rooney said he will ensure he is ready to return after missing the first two games of Euro 2012 through suspension.

The 26-year-old has joined his England team-mates at their Hertfordshire base ahead of Saturday's friendly with Belgium at Wembley, a game in which he is not expected to feature.

But the Manchester United forward says that he will train as hard as possible to get back into Roy Hodgson's team upon the completion of his ban.

"I've had a rest and I probably needed that. Being in the squad feels good. It's a few weeks before I can play so I will aim to do some good training to be ready if needed," Rooney told TheFA.com.

The striker also expressed delight at his inclusion in Hodgson's first squad, highlighting that new managers often look to different players.

"You don't know if a new manager will have you in his plans so it was nice to know that I am," he added.

"It is important I do my training right. I have had a long time to think about missing the first games; it's disappointing but something I've dealt with and I am looking forward to the first game for the rest of the lads and hoping we can get something out of that."

And Rooney echoed the thoughts of captain Steven Gerrard, insisting that the Three Lions will take the tournament one game at a time.

"We are in a tough group so we have to be focused in every game and take each game as it comes," he continued.

"We have a lot of young players which is good so we should be fresh with lots of energy."

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Torres scores in Spain win

Spain continued their preparation for Euro 2012 with a comfortable 4-1 victory over South Korea in the Stade de Suisse in Switzerland on Wednesday evening.

Fernando Torres was the man to get the ball rolling for his side with a goal in the first period, and despite a mini-fightback from the Asian nation, the current world and European champions marched on to score another three goals and claim a sound victory.

The Iberian nation started superbly, and nearly found the net just five minutes into the match when Santi Cazorla’s strike at goal deflected off Torres, only for the ball to creep agonisingly past the post.

The early pressure from Vicente del Bosque’s side paid off just five minutes later when Benat’s fizzed cross from the left-hand side was met by Torres inside the area, and the Chelsea man nodded the ball past South Korea shot-stopper Jin-Hyeon Kim to become Spain’s fourth highest scorer on 28 goals

Jin-Hyeon was a busy man in the opening 45 minutes, and kept his side in the match with a series of accomplished saves between the sticks. Both Cazorla and Xabi Alonso tried their luck with driven shots from the edge of the area, both of which were excellently turned around the post by the glovesman.

The South Korean’s heroics acted as a catalyst for the Asian nation to up the tempo of their play, and they almost equalised in the 20th minute when Kim Jung-Woo skipped past a couple of challenges before lashing a shot inches wide, with Jose Reina worried in the Spanish goal.

South Korea continued to probe for their opening goal of the match, and it eventually came a minute before half-time through a Do-Heon Kim thunderbolt. The midfielder picked up the ball on the left hand side before smashing an unstoppable strike from 30 yards into the top corner, leaving Reina helpless.

However, Spain came emerged in the second half with intent, and regained the lead in the 53rd minute when Yong-Hyung Cho blocked a Nacho Monreal strike on goal with his hand inside the box. Xabi Alonso stepped up to coolly dispatch the penalty.

Del Bosque’s men kicked on after their second goal, and were able to add a third just three minutes later through a Cazorla free-kick. The Malaga playmaker showed outstanding initiative to fire a strike under the Korean wall from his set-piece on the edge of the box.

The South Koreans admirably kept up their spirits, however, and came extremely close to grabbing a goal back when Ja-Cheol Koo went on a bursting run through the middle of the Spanish defence, only to smash his shot against the post.

Cerezo Osaka goalkeeper Jin-Hyeon continued to keep the score respectable with a number of brilliant saves in the second half, denying Alvaro Negredo twice from a chip on the edge of the box and a looping header.

But Negredo did eventually find a goal for Spain when the man omitted from the final Euro 2012 squad, Roberto Soldado, sent his compatriot through on goal and the substitute scored with a well-taken finish.

Spain’s final Euro 2012 warm up match comes this weekend when they take on China in Seville, before they head to Poland and Ukraine.

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Liverpool appoint Rodgers as new manager on three-year deal - report

Brendan Rodgers has agreed to become the new manager of Liverpool on a three-year deal, according to reports.

The Northern Irishman, who will leave Swansea having secured their promotion to the Premier League 12 months ago, emerged as the outstanding candidate in recent days after Roberto Martinez ruled himself out of contention for the role. 

 It is understood that the Reds' American owners FSG has agreed a compensation package worth upwards of £5 million with the Welsh outfit to secure the acquisition of the former Chelsea youth team manager. 

Rodgers will be tasked with improving upon Liverpool's disappointing 8th-placed finish under Kenny Dalgish this season, with the Merseyside outfit picking up only five league wins following the turn of the year.

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Bradley ready for Pacquiao test

Pacquiao

Bradley

Unbeaten WBO junior welterweight champion Timothy Bradley says he has no fear of Filipino phenomenon Manny Pacquiao ahead of their June 9 fight.

Bradley and Pacquiao will square off at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas next Saturday for Pacquiao's WBO welterweight belt and although the bout will be just the American fighter's fourth at 147lbs, he said he is not intimated by Pacquiao.

"I'm excited," Breadley said. "I'm not as nervous as I thought I was going to be, but I'm excited for the opportunity and I'm sick of training I just want to get it on."

Pacquiao, a world champion in eight different weight classes, struggled to a lacklustre majority decision over Juan Manuel Marquez in his last bout but Bradley is not sure if that outing was evidence of some slippage from the 33-year-old.

"I'm not sure if he is vulnerable or not. When people get ready to face me they are in the best shape of their lives, because they have to be because I bring it. I'm expecting a tough battle on June 9," Bradley said.

"I'm going to win, just like every other fight. I'm 28 (wins) and I want 29 and at the end of the night my hands will be raised as a new crowned champion and maybe I'll be number one or two pound for pound fighter in the game.

"The fact that I'm willing to take the chance to go out on my shield and to get this win makes it more interesting and makes me a totally different fighter than anybody he has ever faced."

Bradley's trainer Joel Diaz insists his charge is in peak condition for the bout and said he had worked on several things to help the 28-year-old avoid head clashes with the southpaw Pacquiao.

"We're prepared for everything," Diaz said. "We are prepared for head butts. We are prepared for everything that can possibly happen in the fight.

"For this fight we are working on not having head butts. Now Tim is not lunging in, I'm having him throw his punches before he steps in, so I'm trying to keep that gap in between so they don't run into each other.

"Hopefully on the night, he'll come in the ring and everything we've been working on will help him."

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Former Chelsea and Inter coach set to take over at Monaco

The 50-year-old Roman, who was shown the door at San Siro by Massimo Moratti in March, is set to be unveiled as Marco Simone's successor in the coming days.

Ranieri had been heavily linked with former club Fiorentina in recent weeks, but the Viola now look set to appoint Vincenzo Montella as their new coach.

The vacancy at Monaco sprang up recently following the dismissal of former Italy international Marco Simone, who had led the Rouge and Blanc to a disappointing eighth-placed finish in the French second division.

The side from the Principality are funded by Russian tycoon Dmitry Rybolovlev and recently announced the signing of Andrea Raggi for next season.

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Earthquake hits Italy friendly

The Italy-Luxembourg friendly has been cancelled after an earthquake hit the Emilia-Romagna region on Tuesday.

The Euro 2012 warm-up game was scheduled to take place at the Ennio Tardini in Parma, but the Italian football federation (FIGC) and the local authorities chiose to cancel the international following Tuesday's events.

The 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit just after 9am local time, and within 90 minutes four aftershocks measuring above 4.0 were also felt.

Ten people have reportedly died in the quake, all in the Modena area, while several more are buried under collapsed buildings.

Tuesday's earthquake comes only nine days after the area was hit by a 6.0 tremor.

Italy's next Euro 2012 warm-up match will take place on June 1 against Russia in Zurich

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Sharapova, Kvitova ease through in Paris

World number two Maria Sharapova has destroyed Alexandra Cadantu of Romania 6-0 6-0 to advance to the French Open's second round.

In a completely dominant performance, Russia's Sharapova won 51 points to 18 and hit 18 winners to none against her 22-year-old opponent.

Sharapova overcame Cadantu in just 48 minutes to begin her campaign in brilliant fashion.

Czech fourth seed Petra Kvitova also had an easy win on Tuesday, defeating Ashleigh Barty of Australia 6-1 6-2.

Kvitova was all over Barty's second serve at Roland Garros, winning 89 percent of points when the Australian missed her first serve.

Francesca Schiavone, who is seeded 14th, cruised past Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-3 6-1, while Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (22nd seed) won 6-4 6-4 against Greta Arn and Julia Goerges (25th) triumphed 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 over Lucie Hradecka.

Urszula Radwanska also won through to the second round with a 6-4 6-3 defeat of Pauline Parmentier, while Tsvetana Pironkova recovered from being a set down to win 3-6 6-0 6-3 over Yanina Wickmayer.

Other winners on Tuesday were Lourdes Dominguez Lino, Arantxa Rus, Ayumi Morita, Heather Watson, Melinda Czink and Klara Zakopalova.

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Bento insists Portugal will not rely solely on Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal coach Paulo Bento has revealed that his side can ill afford to rely solely on Cristiano Ronaldo if they are to have any hope of qualifying from Euro 2012's 'group of death'.

The beaten finalists of eight years ago have been drawn alongside Germany, Netherlands and Denmark.

And Bento is aware that the Real Madrid forward will not be able to drag Portugal into the quarter-finals all on his own.

"Cristiano has always played at a high level for us," he told AS. "In the qualifying round he helped us a lot but we still think the same: we will not rely on any player to resolve all problems.

"We try to do things as a team and there will be some players who will help us solve certain problems, as in the case of Cristiano thanks to his talent and dynamism.

Cristiano Ronaldo

"But if anyone should take on the burden of pressure, it will be me. Moreover, Cristiano should not have the added pressure of thinking that winning a European Championship may be decisive in terms of the Ballon d'Or, because it will not be."

However, the Seleccao boss did acknowledge that victory in Poland and Ukraine this summer would boost Ronaldo's hopes of ending Lionel Messi's three-year reign as officially the best player in the world.

"Cristiano had a fantastic year [so far], with his goals and winning mentality," Bento continued.

"With the [Spanish] league title and the Euros [to come], he does have a great chance to win the Ballon d'Or.

Turning his attention back to Portugal's group, Bento admitted that his troops, who were held to a 0-0 draw by Macedonia at the weekend, will be up against it this summer.

"Our first goal is to reach the quarter-finals and from that moment on we will start thinking game by game," he explained. "But not since 2000 have we been in as balanced a group as this, with such strong teams.

"The three teams we must play have been champions of Europe. Denmark was the first in our qualification group and for many they are the weakest team, but I do not think so.

"The Netherlands were finalists at the last World Cup and they only lost one game in qualifying, their last [against Sweden], when they were already guaranteed a place in the Euros.

"And Germany claimed 30 of a possible 30 points. The only team that beat them at the Euros and the World Cup was Spain."

Bento succeeded Carlos Queiroz in charge of the Portuguese national team two years ago, less than 12 months after his resignation as Sporting Lisbon boss

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