Euro 2008 - Classy Russia stun the Dutch

Russia were the better side throughout a match that was ordinary for the most part, with the usual Euro 2008 late drama sealed by a virtuoso performance from little Andrei Arshavin, who must now be the main candidate for player of the tournament.

And the Dutch - so impressive when they convincingly beat World Cup finalists Italy and France in the group stages - were frankly poor by their high standards.

Roman Pavlyuchenko thought he had won it for Russia when he finished from close range in the second half, but a late Ruud van Nistelrooy header forced extra-time.

Pavlyuchenko also hit the bar on 97 minutes as the Russians had several chances to win it in the additional 30 minutes, and they finally took them when Dmitry Torbinski and then Arshavin scored the winning goals as the clock wound down to the drama of a penalty shoot-out.

The win allowed Russia's Dutch boss Hiddink to complete the treason he had threatened, while outgoing Oranje boss Marco van Basten was left rueing what could - and arguably should - have been for a Dutch side who performed their classic party trick of peaking too early in tournaments.

An even if uneventful first half saw the Russians impress while in possession whereas the Dutch looked dangerous from set-pieces.

Yuri Zhirkov went close with a sixth-minute free-kick that Edwin Van der Sar was forced to touch behind for a corner, from which Russia had successive chances from Denis Kolodin and Pavlyuchenko.

The Netherlands had the next two opportunities, through Orlando Engelaar's drive wide and a Van Nistelrooy miss when Rafael van der Vaart sent a brilliant free-kick to the far post.

Van der Sar was called into action again when he made a great low save after playmaker Arshavin tricked his way into a shooting position, while the corner that followed was cleared to Kolodin, who hammered a ridiculous shot from 35 yards that Van der Sar again kept out.

Defender Kolodin was finding his shooting boots, and when the resultant set-play again dropped to him near the halfway line he cracked another incredible effort that whistled just wide.

The Dutch were on the rack, but Russia still looked vulnerable at the back. Kolodin in particular could not match his attacking prowess with defensive nous, and almost let Van Nistelrooy in before he handed a chance on a plate to Van der Vaart, who was denied by keeper Igor Akinfeev.

At the break, Van Basten brought Robin van Persie on for the ineffectual Dirk Kuyt. It started well enough for them, with Nigel de Jong unlucky not to connect with another good Van der Vaart free-kick after poor marking.

But knock-out tournament specialist Hiddink drew first blood against his homeland.

Ten minutes into the second half Arshavin played a cute pass into Sergei Semak on the left, who whipped in a superb cross to Pavlyuchenko who atoned for his early miss with a simple finish past the helpless Van der Sar.

Van Basten could see things slipping away from his team and made a bold move when he brought on John Heitinga - a threat at set pieces - and the attack-minded Ibrahim Affelay.

It was still Russia, however, who looked more likely to add to their tally.

First Pavlyuchenko found right-back Alexander Anyukov on the overlap who hammered in a shot across goal that Van der Sar saved in style.

And then Joris Mathijsen almost gifted a second to Pavluchenko when he let a high ball bounce over his head, only for Van der Sar again to deny Russia.

Netherlands huffed and puffed but Russia were holding firm, and a long-range effort from Wesley Sneijder was the closest they came to levelling.

Zhirkov could have doubled the lead as his side tried to walk the ball in, but a poor first touch meant he had to cut the ball back to Pavlyuchenko when shooting was the desired option.

But with four minutes left, Russia's inability to defend set pieces was finally exploited. From the left wing, Real Madrid midfielder Sneijder swung a dangerous free-kick into the box to which Russia's back four got nowhere near.

They also failed to track Van Nistelrooy, who flew in with a diving far-post header to make it 1-1.

There was a brief scare for Russia in injury-time when Kolodin was shown a second yellow for a foul on Sneijder, but the double-whammy of going down to ten men and having to defend another free-kick was cancelled by the assistant referee, who told Slovakian whistle-blower Lubos Michel that the ball had gone out of play moments before the challenge.

Arshavin - who was the co-architect of Zenit St Petersburg's UEFA Cup triumph with another Dutch coach, Dick Advocaat - then went close five minutes into extra-time when he fired over after making space in the box.

And just afterwards, Pavlyuchenko picked the ball up on the left wing and unleashed a brilliant drive that clattered off the angle of post and bar with Van der Sar beaten.

It was all Russia. Substitute Torbinskiy finished weakly into the body of Van der Sar after yet more devilish work from Arshavin, while Kolodin sent a long-range free-kick fizzing inches wide.

They had a great shout for a penalty turned down when Zhirkov was brought down by Heitinga, and it seemed as if it was going to be a painful night for Russia when Torbinski then missed a sitter.

But yet more magic from Arshavin won the match. On 11 minutes he raced down the left and swung a brilliantly-improvised far post lob to Torbinski who - having just been booked and ruled out of the semi - somehow flicked the ball with the outside of his left boot, from an impossible angle, to beat Van der Sar and send the white-clad underdogs into raptures.

And the win was sealed when, from a quick throw, Arshavin snuck behind the Dutch defence to drill a low shot under Van der Sar with four minutes of extra-time remaining.

It was a fitting end to a quite superb display from Russia, who will face the winners of Italy and Spain's quarter for a place in the final.

from:YaHoo Sports

Women and Bicycles

Nowadays, cycling is one of the most famous sports in the world. Both women and men enjoy riding bicycles; sport competitions are held and thousands of people join bicycle clubs. Bicycle racing is very popular; men and women, children and grownups master the art of bicycle riding.

However, bicycle riding wasn’t always accessible to women. On the contrary: in 19th century it was consider inappropriate for women to ride bikes. The pose, which the bicycle riders had to take, seemed too vulgar. Some critics condemned women who decided to ride bicycles, claiming that their vulgar look is provocative and that they should be arrested, since women on bikes disturb social order.

Today, women riding bicycles everywhere, not realizing the importance of the mark the bicycle left upon gender relations. In the 19th century, cycling was considered male dominated sphere of activity, much like other sport activities, and women couldn’t play a part in these spheres. However, as the years went by, women started to protest against such discrimination, and after many disputes were also allowed to ride bicycles. The shift in attitude towards women on bikes also brought other changes – women’s emancipation changed the style of their clothes from the impractical long dresses and long skirts to sport dresses.

Bicycle riding played an important role in women’s struggle for independence. It served a tool for increased freedom and opportunity to engage in sports together with men. Many feminist writers of today consider the bicycle one of the most important tools towards women’s self control.

by:Marcia Henin

Olympic features 'the Beijing effect'

China's desire to host the Olympic Games is nearly as old as the modern Games themselves. Around 1907, the Chinese YMCA began a campaign to stir up patriotism by asking, "When will China be able to invite all the world to Peking for an International Olympic contest...?"

One hundred years later, at the eighth evening hour of the eighth day of the eighth month of the year 2008, the Opening Ceremony for the Beijing Olympic Games will begin (eight is a lucky number in Chinese culture, symbolising prosperity and development). The Olympic Games will be hosted by the least Westernised nation in the world to yet host them, the heart of Far Eastern civilisation, the most populous nation in the world. It will be only the third time the Olympic Summer Games have been held outside the Western hemisphere - after Tokyo 1964 and Seoul 1988 - and it will be the greatest-ever meeting of East and West in peacetime. It will mark a pivotal moment when the Olympic Movement begins to attain an unprecedented universalism, which is expressed in the slogan "One World One Dream".

Surely this should be a moment to celebrate the global culture of the 21st century. But Beijing's bid was met with hostility in some quarters among Western politicians, media, human rights groups, and even some everyday people. When Beijing won the bid and it was shown live on Chinese television, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to celebrate, and the optimism about the Olympic Games and the future of China becomes more fervent as the Games draw near.

So why wasn't there widespread celebration in the West? People in the developed Western countries seem fixated on the question of whether the Olympic Games will change China. Will they improve China's human rights record? Will they open China up more to the outside world? Will they bring democracy to China?

Can the Olympic Games really bring about social change?

We still lack a good scientific understanding of the Olympic Movement as a social movement capable of effecting social change. Pierre de Coubertin had a vision that still shapes the Olympic Movement today, but in this age of science people expect concrete proof that a vision is being carried out. Beijing will be the first host city to produce a full Olympic Games Global Impact (OGGI) report. This is an important step, but OGGI will not assess the cultural fields that might be most interesting for the Chinese Olympic Games. For example, it will not measure the effects on cultural heritage - such as the preservation of culture to enrich the Olympic cultural programme versus the destruction of historical sites for new construction, the growth of traditional sports versus their replacement by Olympic sports, or the effect of the Olympic Games on traditional cultural beliefs.

The greatest legacy of the Beijing Games will be a largely intangible one - its human and cultural legacy. This goal is expressed in one of the three themes for the Olympic Games, Ren Wen Ao Yun, which has been translated into English as the "humanistic" or "people's" Games. Hosting the Olympic Games will require China to "link up with international standards," accelerating the process that already began over 100 years ago. The changes that occur will not be those forced upon China by others, but will be those that China voluntarily seeks out so that it may play a key role in the global society of the 21st century.

Will the Olympic Games change China?

Confucian tradition holds a strong faith in education as a means for creating a harmonious society. One of the main ways in which the "people's" Games will be realised is through Olympic Education on a scale never seen before. There are academic and professional conferences, textbooks and courses for public schools and universities, educational television and radio shows, magazine and newspaper essays, internet training, and more. BOCOG and Olympic scholars see the enthusiasm of volunteers as an opportunity to improve the public educational level and morality with education in Olympic history and values, traditional Chinese culture, Beijing history, public etiquette, international customs, foreign languages, and lifesaving first-aid skills. Currently 100,000 volunteers are slated to receive training, and BOCOG is considering multiplying that number several times. Because of the importance of foreign language skills and the goal of shaping the next generation, most of the volunteers will be college students.

This is indeed a way in which "Olympism with Chinese characteristics" will be promulgated throughout China.

Will China change the Olympic Games?

People are talking about the Olympic Games as an opportunity for China to learn knowledge from the West that will benefit China's development. They are not paying as much attention to the question of whether China can teach anything to the West. Likewise, OGGI will assess the impact of the Olympic Games on China and not China's impact on the Olympic Games. Although Chinese people believe that the result of the Games will be a "combination of East and West," if the Olympic Games are only a oneway process in which China learns from the West, then the cultural exchange will not be truly mutual.

The second goal of the "humanistic Olympic Games" is to display Chinese culture to the world and propel the Olympic Movement to become a truly multicultural, global cultural system. But it is not easy for a non-Western nation, even one with such a strong cultural heritage as China, to propel the Olympic Movement to become multicultural.

Actually, there is a great deal that Chinese culture could contribute to Olympism, such as the search for world peace or Da Tong, "the Great Harmony;" respect for human and national dignity; he er bu tong, "harmony despite differences;" and Tian Ren He Yi, "humans and nature as one." These philosophies will be expressed in the Chinese hospitality toward guest nations, the traditional sport of Wushu, the layout of the Olympic Green along the northsouth axis of Beijing according to the principles of Fengshui (geomancy), and in other ways.

Are we ready?

The Chinese slogan for Beijing's bid, Xin Beijing, Xin Aoyun, "New Beijing, New Olympic Games," was translated into English as "New Beijing, Great Olympic Games." It was felt that the rest of the world might not understand how China could create a "new" Olympic Games. China hopes that it will change the Olympic Games, but is the West really open to that possibility? Are we truly ready for "One World One Dream"?

by:Dr. Susan Brownell

Italy into Euro 2008 quarters

World champions Italy beat old foes France 2-0 here on Tuesday to go through to the Euro 2008 quarter-finals as Group C runners up with a helping hand from Holland whilst their rivals and 2006 World Cup finalists exited.

The French endured a wretched night, suffering two major blows in the first 25 minutes, with first star midfielder Franck Ribery stretchered off then Eric Abidal red-carded with Andrea Pirlo converting the penalty.

Daniele de Rossi added Italy's second after the break to send the world champion's on a last eight date with Spain in Vienna on Sunday.

The win would have been inconsequential if the Romanians had beaten Holland, but the Dutch instead beat Romania 2-0 to make it three wins out of three.

Italy coach Roberto Donadoni said that despite the outside pressures after two successive poor results, a 3-0 defeat by the Dutch and a 1-1 draw with Romania, there had always been inner belief in the squad.

"We have never lost hope, even in the most difficult times," said the former AC Milan and Italy midfielder.

"We put in a good performance and the team was cohesive and came together.

"I never had any worries about the Dutch as I know well the spirit of Marco van Basten (who was his team-mate at AC Milan)."

Despite the catastrophic defeat France coach Raymond Domenech, remained stoic in defeat.

"I am proud of the players," said the 56-year-old, whose future must be in doubt even though his contract runs till 2010.

"The manner they stuck to it despite all these circumstances which are so similar to the World Cup final, lose to a penalty again and a sending-off (it was in fact rather different, a penalty shootout at 1-1 and Zinedine Zidane was sent off in the 2006 World Cup final).

"They showed energy. They showed something, its a pity because the circumstances were against us.

"This team has something in its guts, it has qualities. We were 10 against 11 and we had also lost Ribery. This team has a real future and potential," added Domenech, who rather bizarrely knowing he needed to win the game replaced attacking midfielder Samir Nasri 10 minutes after he had come on for Ribery with defender Jean-Alain Boumsong when Abidal was sent off.

For France elimination, with just one goal scored, was the unwelcome prize for a campaign dogged by reported internal strife, player fatigue and controversy over injured captain Patrick Vieira.

This game was billed as 'our final' by Domenech, and it could well be his with 1998 French World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit for one saying heads should roll.

At kick-off a perfect rainbow enveloped the Letzigrund stadium as both teams went in search of their pot of gold.

France lost Ribery, their best player up to now, early on in proceedings.

Luca Toni's Bayern teammate was stretchered off on a buggy after going over on his left ankle in a tackle on Gianluca Zambrotta.

Play resumed with a corner for Italy and only quick thinking by France midfielder Claude Makelele kept out Christian Panucci's low angled header.

Gregory Coupet then did well to deny Pirlo's curling 20 metre freekick from the right flank.

The game's turning point came in the 24th minute when Toni, at full stretch trying to latch on to a lob, was tackled and felled from behind by Abidal in the box.

Slovakian referee Lubos Michel had no hesitation in pulling out a red card, with Pirlo blasting his shot high into the left hand corner.

Abidal's sending off evoked wretched memories for France of the last time these two countries met in a major competition, in the World Cup final, when Zinedine Zidane was given his marching orders for headbutting Marco Materazzi.

That though came in the closing minutes and with over an hour's play left here Domenech decided to shore up his defence, taking off Nasri for Jean-Alain Boumsong.

Coupet then performed wonders to tip out with his fingers Fabio Grosso's 25m freekick.

Up at the other end Pirlo was booked for an ugly challenge on Karim Benzema, his second of the competition which rules the AC Milan playmaker out of the quarter-final with Spain.

The Azzurri celebrated the news that the Dutch had taken the lead over the Romanians when de Rossi struck a 30m freekick which flew past Coupet after the ball was diverted on its course by Henry's foot.

Domenech introduced Nicolas Anelka for Sidney Govou in a desperate bid to salvage the match.

Then not for the first time in this competition Buffon performed miracles to tip out a Benzema special from the edge of the area which was heading into the top far corner.

The stuffing though had been knocked out of France and Italy were never going to be denied, the resounding win keeping alive their dream of a repeat of their 1968 success.