Sports

'Emperor's' delight as Turkey escapes

GENEVA: After his side earned a last-gasp win for the second match running by turning a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 win over the Czech Republic, Turkey coach Fatih Terim praised his side's never-say-die attitude.

Swiss bow out with dignity

BASEL, Switzerland: Switzerland departed Euro 2008 with heads held high after beating a second-string Portugal side 2-0 on Sunday.

Old foes scrap for their Euro lives

ZURICH, Switzerland: France goes into its do-or-die clash with Italy here on Tuesday beset by doubt, reports of internal strife and player fatigue.

Mind games do the trick for Dutch

BERNE, Switzerland: France and Italy's attempts to goad Holland into taking its match against Romania seriously appear to have done the trick.

Bilic hopes to answer nation's prayers

KLAGENFURT, Austria: Croatia coach Slaven Bilic thanked the Croat people for praying for his side on Sunday and expressed his hope that the Croatian team would answer them.

Fourth time unlucky for Czech Cech

GENEVA: Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech said on Sunday night's shock 3-2 defeat by comeback kings Turkey summed up his unlucky season after missing out on three titles with the Blues.

Sports

Tantrums and silverware make 'Big Phil' perfect for Chelsea

LONDON: Any manager of Chelsea, as Avram Grant found out to his cost last month, needs to be a serial collector of silverware and have a big personality able to cope with one of the most unforgiving jobs in soccer.

Celtics hoping to bounce back

LOS ANGELES: Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett must bounce back from horrible shooting performances if the Boston Celtics are to keep the Los Angeles Lakers from leveling the National Basketball Association Finals.

Bulls appoint Vinny Del Negro as head coach

CHICAGO: The Chicago Bulls named Vinny Del Negro as head coach on Wednesday, hoping the inexperienced former NBA role player can help restore the young team to its 1990s-era glory.

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