Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo has said there is no hostility between him and his Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney despite accusations that he helped get the England striker sent off during the World Cup quarter-finals.
Notwithstanding the country’s biggest football scandal, the apparent suicide attempt of a former international, and the loss of key players to suspension and injury, Italy are in the World Cup final.
The Italians clinched a place in Sunday’s Berlin showpiece courtesy of a dramatic 2-0 extra-time win over host nation Germany in front of a partisan home crowd.
England’s abysmal penalty shooting in the World Cup loss to Portugal was due to the players being exhausted playing a man down after the 62nd minute expulsion of Wayne Rooney, according to striker Peter Crouch.
Carlos Alberto Parreira was mainly to blame for Brazil’s failure to justify their favourites tag at the World Cup finals said Brazilian legend Pele.
Pele told daily newspaper O Globo Monday that he hoped their exit in the quarter-finals to bogey team France would act as a lesson for future campaigns for the five-time champions.
John Terry is the red-hot favourite to take over the England captaincy, bookmakers have said, after David Beckham quit the role in the wake of his side’s disappointing World Cup campaign.
Terry, 25, who skippered Chelsea to a second straight English Premiership title last season, is so far ahead in the betting that some bookmakers have stopped taking bets on the England captaincy.
England striker Wayne Rooney said he was “gobsmacked” by his red card in the World Cup quarter-final against Portugal and said his apparent stamp on an opponent “didn’t warrant” his dismissal.
The Manchester United striker was dismissed by referee Horacio Elizondo in the 62nd minute of Saturday’s match after he stepped on the groin of Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho during the goalless draw.
Argentine legend Diego Maradona says he is not going to throw his hat into the ring to replace coach Jose Pekerman, who resigned after the World Cup quarter-final loss to Germany.
But he also vowed not to stay in the background either.
Italy coach Marcello Lippi hailed the courage of his team after two late goals in extra-time gave the Azzurri a 2-0 win over host nation Germany in a dramatic World Cup semi-final.
Tuesday’s nail-biting match appeared to be heading for a penalty shoot-out when defender Fabio Grosso curled the ball past Jens Lehmann with two minutes left to play.
Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann said it had been a bitter disappointment to concede two late goals against Italy which crushed the host nation’s hopes in the World Cup semi-final.
Just as the match seemed to be heading for extra-time locked at 0-0, strikes in the closing minutes of extra-time from Fabio Grosso and substitute Alessandro Del Piero sent Italy into the World Cup final in Berlin on Sunday.
Raymond Domenech is playing down France’s past superiority over their World Cup semi-final opponents Portugal, saying it will count for nothing when the whistle blows in Munich on Wednesday.
Les Bleus have won all four of their clashes with Portugal, the most significant coming at Euro 2000 when they ran out 2-1 extra time winners in a fractious semi-final en route to taking the title.
