Van Basten did perfect Italian job

BERNE: Marco van Basten believes Holland has earned the right to dream of glory at Euro 2008 after its 3-0 demolition of world champion Italy kicked the tournament into life.

France appears to be a fading force after goalless draw

ZURICH: France faces a struggle to survive the toughest group in Euro 2008 after looking a pale shadow of its brilliant best in a 0-0 draw with a compact Romania side in its opening match on Monday.

Griffey Jr. hits 600th home run

MIAMI: Ken Griffey Jr. became the sixth player in Major League Baseball history to hit 600 home runs on Monday.

Swiss, Turks aim to forget Istanbul brawl

FEUSISBERG, Switzerland: Switzerland and Turkey will aim to put the ugly scenes that marred their last encounter behind them when they meet at Euro 2008 on Wednesday.

Portugal eyes quick route to last 8

NEUCHATEL, Switzerland: Group A favorites Portugal or Czech Republic could on Wednesday become the first team to book a place in the Euro 2008 quarterfinals.

Sports

Hamilton's halo crashes to earth

MONTREAL: Lewis Hamilton went from hero to zero on Sunday after crashing into Ferrari's world champion Kimi Raikkonen in a bizarre pit-lane pile-up at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Liu makes false start, Bekele tunes up for Olympics

EUGENE, Oregon: Chinese 110m hurdles gold medalist and world record holder Liu Xiang left questions about his Beijing preparations after a false-start disqualification at the Prefontaine Classic on Sunday.

Celtics survive Lakers' late rally

BOSTON: After nearly squandering a 24-point lead, the Boston Celtics edged the Los Angeles Lakers 108-102 on Sunday to move two games from their first National Basketball Association title since 1986.

Controversies enliven Brazil Championship

RIO DE JANEIRO: The Brazilian Championship came to life at the weekend with a flurry of goals, refereeing controversies and a bizarre penalty.

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