Nadal exits Wimbledon in second round

The tennis world was shocked by early exit of two time Wimbledon champion, Rafael Nadal, in second round. Lukas Rosol, the world number 100, has taken down the clay court King after a 5 set stunner. 

The Czech player, 26 year of age, had powerful ground stroke and just ripped Nadal's play apart. We have never seen this kind of performance under this circumstance. Mind you, this is Rosol's Wimbledon debut, as he's lost in the first round of the tournament's qualifier the last 5 times.

This marked the earliest exit of Nadal since his defeat in 2005, also in the second round of Wimbledon.

"I don't know what to say," Rosol said. "I'm not just surprised but it's like a miracle. I never expected something like this. There are so many emotions - I don't know what to say.

This year Championship have produced some huge upset, but this is definitely one of the greatest in history. Who could believe that Lukas Rosol to be ranked 100 in the world? 

Nadal, who had to overcome a slow start to beat Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil in the first round, struggled with his groundstrokes in the first set but managed to steal the tie-break 11-9 with a blistering forehand winner.

Undeterred, Rosol continued to go for his shots, breaking Nadal in the first game and holding on to win the set 6-4 with some tremendous hitting.

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The Czech seemed oblivious to the enormity of the situation as he continued his ferocious hitting from all over the court to take an early break and then the set to lead 2-1.

However, mistakes began to creep into the 26-year-old Rosol's game and 11-time Grand Slam winner Nadal pounced, breaking twice to force a decider.

With the light deteriorating, officials decided to halt the match and close the roof to allow the match to reach a conclusion.

The players returned 43 minutes later, with Rosol breaking Nadal immediately and then holding on to secure a famous victory on Centre Court. 

Lukas Rosol profile

Age: 26

Turned pro: 2004

2012 ATP tour win/loss record: 11/13

Career ATP tour win/loss record: 18-32

Australian Open: 1R (2012)

French Open: 3R (2011)

Wimbledon: 2R (2012)

US Open: 1R (2010/11)

Afterwards, the Spaniard said: "I played a great fourth set. He came back [after the delay to close the roof] and played unbelievable in the fifth.

"The only thing I can do is go back home and rest, and I need and deserve it."

He added: "I'm very, very disappointed [but] it's not a tragedy, it's only a tennis match."

The big question now is how far can the Czech go into the tournament. Standing right in front of him is Philipp Kohlschreiber after the German defeated Tunisia's Malek Jaziri 6-1 7-6(2) 6-1. 

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Pre-match Preview: EURO 2012 Semi Final, Germany vs Italy

Tonight match against Italy will be the opportunity for Germany to revenge their previous loss on home ground and looking forward to the title after 16 years of waiting. 

The most recent encounter of two teams was the semi-final World Cup 2006, and Azzurri was the winner on Germany's home ground. But the Italy's golden generation only left Buffon and Pirlo, while Loew's squad has matured with many names that can shine. 

Germany is the favorite at EURO 2012

With 3 effortless wins at group stage, Germany cruised easily to quarterfinal where Greece awaited. Joachim Loew was confident enough to put the important players on the bench including Mario Gomez and Thomas Mueller. He introduced some young players who have never played a match in EURO before like Marco Reus or Andreas Schuerrle. He arguably used Klose, a veteran that proved not effective when substituted in. 

But Klose and Reus went ahead and proved that Loew's decision was indeed correct by two goals for Germany. Goal even came from Germany's defender Philipp Lahm. If Mario Gomez is on top of scoring chart, the 34 year old Klose still showed that he has what it takes with a goal in the match against Greece. 

On the other hand, Italy did not have a smooth path like Germany. He had two draws for the start, and some troubles were seen with Italy's offense, when they do not have a really good striker to go with Pirlo. In the quarterfinal against England, Italy still depended too much on Pirlo, one of the few left since World Cup 2006. If put Italy together with Germany, it seems that Prandelli is at huge disadvantage. The only thing that the Italian can cling on to is the history against Germany. However, as proven by France's faith in the match against Spain, history always changes. 

The 15 consecutive wins of Germany is an impressive record to catch, however, Joachim Loew's men have a more important aim, which is to win the first title for Germany after 16 years. 

Our prediction

Germany looks really strong for Italy. Depending on Pirlo alone will not be enough as Germany has some of the best skipper in the midfield. Our prediction leans toward Germany and we say a 1-0 win will be a fair result. 

Betting Tips

Germany Asian Handicap (-) 0.5 at odds 0.930 seems to be the most sensible bet. However, if you are confident with the chance of Germany, Asian Handicap (-) 0.75 at odds 1.266 is worth going for. It will not likely to be a draw so why don't you put money down for 1x2 for Germany to win at odds 1.91 (Decimal odds)

Fore more odds and market, refer to 36BOL Sports Betting

Post-match Statistic: Portugal vs Spain

Unable to finish the match within 120 minutes, Spain and Portugal had to come to penalty shoot-out. With Casillas protecting their goal, Spain was able to pull through their toughest match yet in EURO 2012. Ronaldo and teammates have reason to regret as luck was on Spain's side. This marked the second consecutive EURO final of La Roja. 

Also, congratulations to those who followed our betting tips last night. As we predicted, the 90 minutes ended with a draw, and two teams would need extra time or even penalty shoot-out to decide the match. For full details of our pre-match analysis for this game, click HERE. For now, let's take a look at the number of this match. 

Spain was still the team with better ball possession, or more like Portugal chose the defensive play style and gave the mid to Spain. However, tiki taka last night did not help Spain much, as it was shut down effectively by Portugal's defense. With 55% of ball possession, Spain only managed 9 goal attempts. Bento's men did not hesitate to foul which resulted in 32 free kicks for Spain. 

Meanwhile, Ronaldo was fed numerous chances but all his shots did not find Casillas' net. Our of 8 shots that Portugal had, Ronaldo was responsible for 7. 120 minutes ended without a goal for both sides, which led to the penalty shoot-out. When Alonso failed Spain's first shot, Portugal was hoping for a spot in the final. But Casillas, together with Buffon are arguably the best goalkeeper in the world, denied Moutinho's shot right after that. And when Alves' attempt found the bar, Fabregas finished Portugal's journey at EURO 2012. Spain in final, and they stand a pretty good chance of defending title. 

Watch out for our pre-match analysis of tonight semi between Germany and Italy. Meanwhile, check out the latest odds and market at 36BOL Sports Betting

Pre-match Preview: Spain vs Portugal, EURO 2012 Semi Final

The first semi-final of EURO 2012 is the battle between Spain and Portugal. Del Bousque focuses on teamwork, and taking control of the match while Portugal relies on Ronaldo to shine. 

With a convincing win 2-0 over France, we can say that the 4-6-0 formation works well for Spain. Without a real striker, Fabregas is the one playing highest on Spain's front while Silva and Iniesta move further to the wings. Del Bosque does not need to depend on Torres, Negredo or Llorente for goals. More important, this formation brings out the strength of Spain's midfield, meaning taking ball possession and control the pace of the game. Moreover, their 6 midfielders are all very skilled, each of them was their own club's soul in midfield, which make it even more formidable. If they ever lose the ball, it's usually taken back by their midfield, which lessen the pressure on the defense and limit opponent's counter attack.

However, Del Bosque is not strategically rigid, he did have good changes when necessary. In the match against France, after Spain took the lead, he felt that the pressure on midfield was too much. Hence, Pedro and Torres were introduced which made France more cautious, which resulted in lessened pressure for Spain. 

Del Bosque's 4-6-0 formation is working well for Spain

Portugal also has some skilled players, but unlike Spain they choose to have a tight defense while relying mainly on Ronaldo in the front line. Paulo Bento received some criticism from home on this rather negative playing style. However, until now he has been quite successful. Except the loss against Germany, Portugal was progressing well into the quarterfinal. 

Similar to Bosque, Bento made the best out of the players he has. Pepe and Bruno Alves make a solid wall in front of Portugal's goal. The trio Veloso - Moutinho - Meirless are assigned the task to feed Ronaldo as much as they can. Nani, Joao Perreira or Coentrao are waging havoc in the wings. Meanwhile, Postiga was used as a bait and attract opponent's defender to create more spaces for CR7. Portugal's game is totally surrounding Ronaldo. So far, Ronaldo hasn't let his team down. He has had 3 goals, and denied 3 goals by woodwork. 

Spain is still the team to catch right now, with 18 competitive game undefeated. However, when looking at the head to head history, back in November 2010, Portugal team inflicted Spain's heaviest defeat since 1963 with a shocking 4-0. Will this pose any psychological effect on this match, we will have to wait and see. 

Our Prediction

We are leaning towards a draw in the 90 minutes time, and the match might then have to go to extra time and even penalty. Bursting damage that Ronaldo can do to Spain is equally dangerous to Del Bosque's men ability to control the game. 

Betting Tips 

Let's take a look at odds offered by 36BOL.com: 

Coming into later stage, it's getting harder and harder to have a good pick, simply because both teams are just as good. With a draw in mind, our recommended bet would be Portugal Asian Handicap (+) 0.5 at odds 0.980. 

Fore more odds and market, visit 36BOL Sports Betting

Best 11 of EURO 2012's quarterfinal

The quarter finals of EURO 2012 have ended, and we will see Portugal takes on Spain, the re-match of group C, while Italy faces Germany. Here is the list of 11 best throughout the quarterfinals by 36Sports.com, let's take a look. 

Gigi Buffon is definitely the best goalkeeper of EURO 2012's quarter finals. Italy's best goalkeeper denied Glen Johnson's 5 meter shot, and saved the last penalty by Ashley Cole

Glen Johnson (white) had an excellent performance last night. Liverpool defender was controlling the left wing of Italy really well, and nearly scored for England. 

Pepe, once again, proved that he is the good replacement for Ricardo Carvalho. He was leading the Portugal's defense in the match against Czech Republic, shutting down their offense completely. 

Mats Hummels is compared to Matthias Sammer, not only because his recent success with Dortmund. In the match against Greece, he played particularly well, restraining Greece's counter-attack.

Jordi Alba was the highlight in Spain's defense. France's left, with Ribery, Benzema and Debuchy, was not able to show anything because of him. 

Sami Khedira (white) not only helped Germany dominating midfield but also made a personal impression by a spectacular volley in the match against Greece

Andrea Pirlo (blue) was the soul of Italy. His creativity and artistic playing style helped Italy control the match against England. His Penenka shot in the penalty shoot out showed his iron-clad nerve and experience. 

Xabi Alonso celebrated his 100 appearances for Spain with a blast. Together with Xavi and Busquet, he helped Spain take control of mid-field in the match against France. More importantly, he himself made the double to fire Spain into semi. 

Marco Reus (white) was in the starting lineup in the quarterfinal and immediately brought more power and flexibility to Germany. 

Miroslav Klose made people talk about him when he played exceptionally well in quarterfinal. Rather than a goal for Germany, his positioning and movement created a lot of space for Oezil, dictator of Germany's game, to shine.

Cristiano Ronaldo was the focus of Czech's defenders, but that did not prevent the Real Madrid's super star to shine. Ronaldo scored the deciding goal to bring Portugal into semi-final. 

England's Journey at EURO 2012 ended

This is the end for Roy Hodgson and England squad at EURO 2012 after their loss to Italy last night. Coming to EURO full of doubt, injury and a new manager that took charge since May only, England was not of high expectation. However, they showed some quality football and performance and only lost to Italy in the penalty shoot out. 

36Sports bring you some beautiful moment of last night match, and hope that this will be the stepping stone for England coming to World Cup 2014. And for Italy, they will be looking forward to the semi-final against the heavy tank, Germany!

English Knights!

De Rossi tested England fans' nerve with woodwork hit

Glen Johnson replied with a 5 meters shot, denied by Buffon. 

Azzurri through to semi-final, and this is goodbye to the Three Lions

Post-match Statistic: Italy vs England

It was the fits time at EURO 2012 that a match was decided by penalty shoot out. Azzurri had taken down the Three Lions to advance to the semi-final. Roy Hodgson's men were unable to break through the history barrier and this was the end for them. With woodwork and referees not on their side, Italy deserved to win in the test of endurance and will last night. Let's take a look at the post-match statistic

With 63% of ball possession, Italy was in complete control of the match, a contrary image to their traditional catenaccio. They had 23 goal attempts, 11 of which were on target. All other statistic are pointing to dominance of Italy last night. Once again, we saw the "double-decker" in front of Hart's goal. It was a rather unfortunate for Italy when the woodwork denied them once, and referee denied them twice. 

After 120 minutes test of endurance, the two teams needed the penalty shoot out to decide their faith. Azzurri fans were thinking of the EURO 2008's nightmare (lost to Spain) when Montolovio missed his penalty. Under enormous pressure, Pirlo swept away Hart's confidence with a Panenka shot. Young and Cole coudn't get pass Buffon while Nocerino and Diamanti completed their task. It was a fair result to Azzurri, when they played better. 

Stay tuned for our pre-match analysis of the first semi between Portugal and Spain, a re-match of group C. Meanwhile, check out the latest odds and markets at 36BOL Sports Betting

Pre-match Preview: EURO 2012 QuarterFinal, England vs Italy

The last quarterfinal at Kiev tonight is promised to be a feast of spectacular football as Italy clashes England. Both teams have many things in common, from playing style to players. 

Tonight match will be the third time that Azzurri and Three Lions face each other in official match of big tournament like EURO. Italy won both previous matches, 1-0 in EURO 1980 Group Stage and 2-1 in World Cup 1990. 

Italy and England have many similarities. Both teams have impressive unbeatable streak, 11 for England and 13 for Italy. Hodgson's and Prandelli's favorite formation is 4-4-2 and defense plays a vital role in their strategy. However, there are some basic difference which will define they shown down of this match. 

Defense has always been Italy's trademark, and it's not easy to change in one or two day despite that Italy has not produced many world-class defenders like before. Under Prandelli's regime, however, Italy is rather different in the way they approach the match. More speed and more attack were seen as opposed to safe and slow place, sneaking wins in the past. 

In the opposite, England seems to have take on Azzurri tendencies under new manager Roy Hodgson. Since his appointment in May, we saw 4 wins and 1 draw for the Three Lions, with a very organized and disciplined defense. This comes as no surprise as Hodgson previously managed Udinese and Inter Milan. 

Italy - possible risk?

The change in their playing style have paid off so far as Italy has gotten into quarterfinal in a very tough group. However, it seems there's question of their effectiveness over England's tight defense. 

Except for the match against the group's weakest team, Republic of Ireland, Italy did not look sharp in their more open approach, especially in the match against Croatia. Facing a well organized defense by Croatia, Azzurri's offense were stuck and had to depend on Pirlo's free kick to take the lead. While attacking does not prove effective, their back, in a moment of relapse, made mistake and allowed Croatia to level the game. 

Different approach was not effective for Azzurri?

The organization and player's level of England's defense is even better than Croatia. There's a possible risk over there for Prandelli's squad. Italian coach has another headache though. Balotelli has scored, but given his behavior, whether to put him in the starting line up or as substitution for Cassano - Di Natale? 

Injury is another problem for Italy, when Chiellini's absence will leave a big hole in Azzurri's defense. De Rossi could play very well as central defender, but then it will pose threat to the midfield as Thiago Motta might not be able to play. 

England - new apperance

The migration of Italian coaches and the pressure to win with all costs, many English Premier League teams have switched their strategy to focus on defense. The most successful example was Di Matteo, who brought Chelsea to their first Champions League title. English players, therefore, need no time to blend in the Italian catenaccio. 

Players that the Three Lions possess at the moment fit perfectly well into Roy Hodgson's plan to create a team with disciplined and organized defense. We can see how well Steven Gerrad adapt to the new playing style of England, and lead England through group stage. 

England with new apperance

Rooney's return after suspension perfected England's game. His sensitivity, accuracy and positioning fill in what England needs. Unlike Prandelli, Hodgson's men are confidence and of high spirit. With all these build-ups, England can look forward to their first win over Italy in official matches of big tournament. 

Our predictions

As we stated above, Italy looks troubled while England looks strong. We will lean our prediction towards Rooney and teammates. This will be a close match with a gap of 1 goal for England. 

Betting Tips

Here are the odds for major market at 36BOL.com, let's take a look: 

Our suggestion is putting money down for England Asian Handicap (-) 0.25 at odds 1.370. Watch out for market England to score first as we believe this is the chance for Rooney to fire the second time. 

Fore more odds and markets, visit 36BOL Sports Betting. 

Post-match Statistic: Alonso fired Spain into semi

Spain has never tasted victory in the last 5 official encounters against France. However, the disappointing record against the Les Bleus did not make La Roja lose their confidence. Del Bousque's men ended France's journey at EURO 2012 last night by Alonson's 2 winners. 

So what are the numbers telling us in the third quarterfinal, let's take a look: 

Alonso put La Roja ahead at 19 minutes. This match, once again, Bosque used a 6 men midfield and without a real striker. It's proven effective as France defense was always caught guard as they do not know who to focus on. However, the scoreline remained until the last official minute before Alonso made his double from a penalty. 

Tiki-taka has given Spain 56% ball possession and it's extremely effective to limit France's attack, especially after Del Bosque's men took the lead. That's the reason the whole match France only had 4 goals attempt, 1 of which on target despite being led from 19 minutes onward. 

This was a convincing win for La Roja and deflect all the criticism on Bosque's decision, especially playing style with no real striker. Tonight we will see the last match of quarterfinal between England and Italy. Check out our pre-match preview soon on 36Sports.com. 

Meanwhile, visit 36BOL Sports Betting for odds, market and betting offers. 

Pre-match Preview: Spain vs Frace, EURO 2012 Quarter final

It is indeed interesting match up both in terms of their performance into the last eight and eventful history of the two teams. 

Prior to the last match of group stage, both Spain and France had the chance to be the group's winner. The difference was their purpose. There were people saying that Spain was likely to have an untruthful match because had the score been 2-2, Italy would have been out of the competition. Meanwhile, France was believed to try their best to grab their win to avoid Spain, the number one seed for the title. 

The fact was just way different. Although under-performing, Spain still grabbed a late goal in the match against Croatia. They topped group C and helped Italy into the quarterfinal. They played fair and square. 

On the other hand, the French performance over already eliminated Sweden was disappointing. They were stuck on their foot the first 45 minutes, then was punished early in second half by Ibrahimovic's spectacular volley. Swedes' second goal in injury time was only adding up to a "strange" performance by Laurent Blanc's men. 

Indeed, it was strange, as France possesses far better players in comparison to Sweden's squad. No one can say for sure, but there's a possibility this was intentional and Blanc prefers Spain to Italy. 

Arsene Wenger said that Del Bousque's team is not as strong as in EURO 2008 and World Cup 2010, and this is a good opportunity for France to beat Spain. It was not only motivation word. Many experts shared the same view with Wenger. 

Spain's biggest problem is the lack of a true striker in front. Torres fired a double in Ireland match, but seemed non-threatening in front of disciplined defense by Italy and Croatia. Other options like Navs and Fabregas were not ideal either. 

Secondly, their tiki tak is revolving around Iniesta, the most important link in Del Bosque's formation. When concentrating too much on one player, it isn't that effective. 

Spain is depending too much on Iniesta?

Meanwhile, France has trouble at the back. Mexes' dismissal in quarterfinal after the yellow card in the last match means that Blanc has to use Koscielny and Rami in the center of France's defense. This duo does not receive confidence from the critics. 

If there is something that France can be proud of, it would be their head to head record against La Roja. In the last 5 official EURO games, France had been Spain's nightmare as they had 4 wins and 1 draw. In World Cup 2006, France defeated Spain 3-1 in the last 16. All the statistic are on Les Bleus side. 

Our prediction 

We say it's a 50/50 chance for both team in this match and a draw in the 90 minutes official time is likely to be the outcome of this match. We predict a 1-1 in the official time and the penalty will decide which team advance. 

Betting Tips

Let's take a look at 36BOL's betting offer for this match 

Following our prediction it seems that the best bet would be France Asian Handicap(+) 0.5 at odds 1.149. We would also put some money down for Under 2.25 at odds 0.760 as well. 

For more odds and markets, visit 36BOL Sports Betting.

Good game Greece

Here are some photos on the stand to say goodbye to Greece. They have made some miracle happened by getting to quarterfinal. However, Germany was too much of an opponent for them. Good bye Greece, beautiful play