Brawling fans, acts of drunken vandalism and the sight of supporters being dragged off to police cells have marked the start of Euro 2008.
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/ 9 September 2007
Italy drew 0-0 with France in their World Cup final repeat, Germany and England notched easy wins and 10-man Spain were frustrated by a 1-1 draw in Iceland in Saturday’s Euro 2008 qualifiers. The battle to reach the finals in Austria and Switzerland also saw The Netherlands beat Bulgaria 2-0, while the day’s other upset left Turkey with only a 2-2 draw in Malta.
Champions Manchester United were held to a 0-0 home draw by 10-man Reading and lost England striker Wayne Rooney to a hairline fracture of his left foot in a wretched start to their title defence on Sunday. Chelsea opened their new Premier League season with a record-breaking 3-2 home win over Birmingham City while Arsenal snatched a late 2-1 victory at home to Fulham.
Chelsea opened their Premier League title bid with a record-breaking 3-2 win over Birmingham City while London rivals Arsenal snatched a late 2-1 victory over Fulham on Sunday. Chelsea, looking to wrest the title back from Manchester United, took the points with a second-half strike from Ghana midfielder Michael Essien.
Arsenal announced on Saturday they had reached an agreement with Barcelona for the transfer of France striker and club captain Thierry Henry. Barcelona vice-president Ferran Soriano said: ”We’re optimistic we’ll conclude the negotiations on Monday and we’ve told the player that too.”
South Africa’s Graham Ford has turned down the post of India’s new national cricket coach and decided to stay with Kent, his county club said on Monday. Ford was selected for the job by India’s coaching committee after an interview in Chennai on Saturday, pipping fellow candidate and former England spinner John Emburey.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti believes that a points deduction that nearly ruled AC Milan out of the Champions League has made them all the more determined to beat Liverpool in Wednesday’s final. Milan were punished last year for their part in a Serie A match-rigging scandal and Uefa came close to refusing them permission to play in the qualifiers.
Captain Thierry Henry will not play for Arsenal for the rest of this season due to injuries, the Premier League club said on Friday. The France striker, who damaged stomach and groin muscles in his team’s Champions League exit to PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday, should be ready for next season, Arsenal said.
Manchester United moved closer to the Premier League title with a dramatic 1-0 win at Liverpool on Saturday that left them nine points clear of Chelsea. The champions ground out a 2-0 victory at Portsmouth, with Didier Drogba scoring in the 33rd minute.
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/ 7 December 2006
Alex Ferguson thanked Benfica goalscorer Nelson for bringing his Manchester United side to life in their 3-1 Champions League victory on Wednesday. Ferguson’s men trailed to Nelson’s superb 27th-minute strike before hitting back with Nemanja Vidic’s equaliser just before halftime and second-half goals from Ryan Giggs and French striker Louis Saha to reach the knockout phase.