Player Profile: Edinson Cavani

Full Name: Edinson CavaniSquad No: 7Position: ForwardAge: 25Birth Date: Feb 14, 1987Birth Place: Salto, UruguayHeight: 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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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 ra...

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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...

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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...

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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,...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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