So much for the training regime at Real Madrid. Where David Beckham faltered, Luis Figo shrugged off any concerns over his own lack of impact to inspire Portugal into their first major final.

Just as France proved in 1998 that it was possible to win the World Cup without a recognised world-class striker, so Portugal are aiming to underline the same point. But while Pauleta floundered up front, Figo and fellow winger Cristiano Ronaldo lit up their Euro 2004 semi-final encounter against Holland with dazzling displays.

Ronaldo put the host nation ahead after 25 minutes and proved once again he is now very much an international thoroughbred.

Figo, meanwhile, was the real class act. The last remaining 'galactico' at the tournament achieved what Beckham had notably failed to do - he hauled his side past the biggest test in their history.

For while Jorge Andrade's own goal gave Holland hope, Maniche had already struck an incredible 30-yard effort to put the home nation in control.

And so, as they survived a late Dutch onslaught, Portugal went one step further than they had managed in 1966, 1984 or 2000. The credit for that must go not only to Figo and Ronaldo, but also to Luiz Felipe Scolari, who took Brazil to the World Cup two years ago, but is now inspiring his new side into uncharted territory.

Scolari had restored Pauleta to the team in place of Nuno Gomes but it was very much despite their lone forward, rather than because of him, that Portugal progressed.

After a tame opening by two cautious teams, it was left to Figo to open up the Dutch defence as he burst past his marker and delivered a pinpoint cross.

Wilfred Bouma denied Pauleta with a last-ditch tackle but, from the ensuing corner, Deco's delivery was met with a powerful header by Ronaldo in a repeat of his earlier goal against Greece.

Finally, the game had sparked into life and Edgar Davids pushed Holland forward only for Marc Overmars to volley wastefully over the bar.

Not that the Dutch were alone in wasting chances. Far from it. When Maniche swung over a dangerous cross from the right, Pauleta had the goal at his mercy - or so it seemed.

Instead, his mishit shot allowed Edwin van der Sar to scramble the ball away for a corner and when Figo thundered another effort against the inside of the far post, Holland had cause for relief.

In reality they were still angered at being denied a 'goal' of their own, with Ruud van Nistelrooy ruled offside just before he swept home a 38th-minute shot.

The flag was raised painfully late but TV replays proved the decision to have been correct and Overmars, who was booked for dissent, was fortunate not to receive a second caution moments later.

Overmars was replaced at the break by Roy Makaay but still Portugal pressed. Figo shot wide, although the alternative was passing to Pauleta.

The striker was himself clean through minutes later as Cocu misjudged a long clearance but shot straight at van der Sar.

If Dick Advocaat was not living dangerously enough already, he replaced defender Bouma with Rafael van der Vaart, but his side were almost immediately 2-0 behind.

Ronaldo's short corner was played to Maniche and the Dutch were helpless to prevent the thunderous shot which the midfielder unleashed into the far corner from the edge of the penalty box.

It was a goal worthy of winning any major occasion, but Holland were not out of it yet.

Four minutes later, Andrade desperately stuck out his leg to stop Giovanni van Bronckhorst's cross reaching van Nistelrooy and succeeded only in deflecting the ball over his own keeper.

Scolari, who had taken off Figo against England, this time sacrificed Ronaldo with 23 minutes left, bringing on defensive midfielder Petit.

Just as Sven-Goran Eriksson found, however, such moves only succeed in inviting the opposition forward, with Figo's legs beginning to tire.

Where England finally wilted under increasing pressure, Portugal held on - just - even with Deco wasting one late chance.

The Czech Republic or Greece lie ahead in the final, but Portugal are now on the crest of a wave, having recovered from losing their opening group game to the Greeks.

The last team to manage such a recovery and take the trophy? Holland, of course, in 1988. History beckons for Scolari and his adopted country.


Deco is felled by the bespectacled Edgar Davids .


Cristiano Ronaldo heads home Deco's cross as a helpless Dutch defence looks on.


Ruud van Nistelrooy fires home from just inside the box - but he was flagged offside in a marginal decision.


Michael Reiziger nudges Luis Figo off the ball .


Edwin Van der Sar is powerless to prevent Maniche's superb shot from hitting the top corner of the net.


Holland's fans are crestfallen - especially catwoman at the back.

  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||9:43 am||||||||||.
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Electricity fucking was disrupted at 10.24pm over at Hougang. My mum was alone at home.

She called me telling me that there is a blackout. I was damn worried about her as I was thinking of a terrorist attack. Drove back straightaway upon the end of her call. The expressway was also light-less. In my mind was if this is going to be a terrorist attack, this is a big one. I turned on the radio and found out that the damn gas pipeline, which transports gas to Singapore was disrupted. It is fucking the third time this has happen. Made me worried for nothing.

Called my mum back and tell her of the cause of the blackout. Went back home anyway in case she need me around to do stuffs.

  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||11:52 pm||||||||||.
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Just back from a 1-week JB trip with my cousins. Feeling all tired, but we did have a good time over there, trekking and slogging away in the midst of the jungle.

Finally, I changed my picture. This one looks better than the previous one. Edit some stuffs in the blog too.

  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||2:32 pm||||||||||.
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How to say I Love You in 100 Languages

English - I love you
Afrikaans - Ek het jou lief
Albanian - Te dua
Arabic - Ana behibak (to male)
Arabic - Ana behibek (to female)
Armenian - Yes kez sirumen
Bambara - M'bi fe
Bangla - Aamee tuma ke bhalo aashi
Belarusian - Ya tabe kahayu
Bisaya - Nahigugma ako kanimo
Bulgarian - Obicham te
Cambodian - Soro lahn nhee ah
Cantonese Chinese - Ngo oiy ney a
Catalan - T'estimo
Cheyenne - Ne mohotatse
Chichewa - Ndimakukonda
Corsican - Ti tengu caru (to male)
Creol - Mi aime jou
Croatian - Volim te
Czech - Miluji te
Danish - Jeg Elsker Dig
Dutch - Ik hou van jou
Esperanto - Mi amas vin
Estonian - Ma armastan sind
Ethiopian - Afgreki'
Faroese - Eg elski teg
Farsi - Doset daram
Filipino - Mahal kita
Finnish - Mina rakastan sinua
French - Je t'aime, Je t'adore
Gaelic - Ta gra agam ort
Georgian - Mikvarhar
German - Ich liebe dich
Greek - S'agapo
Gujarati - Hoo thunay prem karoo choo
Hiligaynon - Palangga ko ikaw
Hawaiian - Aloha wau ia oi
Hebrew - Ani ohev otah (to female)
Hebrew - Ani ohev et otha (to male)
Hiligaynon - Guina higugma ko ikaw
Hindi - Hum Tumhe Pyar Karte hae
Hmong - Kuv hlub koj
Hopi - Nu' umi unangwa'ta
Hungarian - Szeretlek
Icelandic - Eg elska tig
Ilonggo - Palangga ko ikaw
Indonesian - Saya cinta padamu
Inuit - Negligevapse
Irish - Taim i' ngra leat
Italian - Ti amo
Japanese - Aishiteru
Kannada - Naanu ninna preetisuttene
Kapampangan - Kaluguran daka
Kiswahili - Nakupenda
Konkani - Tu magel moga cho
Korean - Sarang Heyo
Latin - Te amo
Latvian - Es tevi miilu
Lebanese - Bahibak
Lithuanian - Tave myliu
Malay - Saya cintakan mu / Aku cinta padamu
Malayalam - Njan Ninne Premikunnu
Mandarin Chinese - Wo ai ni
Marathi - Me tula prem karto
Mohawk - Kanbhik
Moroccan - Ana moajaba bik
Nahuatl - Ni mits neki
Navaho - Ayor anosh'ni
Norwegian - Jeg Elsker Deg
Pandacan - Syota na kita!!
Pangasinan - Inaru Taka
Papiamento - Mi ta stimabo
Persian - Doo-set daaram
Pig Latin - Iay ovlay ouyay
Polish - Kocham Ciebie
Portuguese - Eu te amo
Romanian - Te ubesk
Russian - Ya tebya liubliu
Scot Gaelic - Tha gra\dh agam ort
Serbian - Volim te
Setswana - Ke a go rata
Sign Language - ,\,,/ (represents position of fingers when signing'I Love You')
Sindhi - Maa tokhe pyar kendo ahyan
Sioux - Techihhila
Slovak - Lu`bim ta
Slovenian - Ljubim te
Spanish - Te quiero / Te amo
Swahili - Ninapenda wewe
Swedish - Jag alskar dig
Swiss-German - Ich lieb Di
Tagalog - Mahal kita
Taiwanese - Wa ga ei li
Tahitian - Ua Here Vau Ia Oe
Tamil - Nan unnai kathalikaraen
Telugu - Nenu ninnu premistunnanu
Thai - Chan rak khun (to male)
Thai - Phom rak khun (to female)
Turkish - Seni Seviyorum
Ukrainian - Ya tebe kahayu
Urdu - mai aap say pyaar karta hoo
Vietnamese - Anh ye^u em (to female)
Vietnamese - Em ye^u anh (to male)
Welsh - 'Rwy'n dy garu
Yiddish - Ikh hob dikh
Yoruba - Mo ni fe

  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||5:41 pm||||||||||.
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White Flag by Dido

I know you think that I shouldn't still love you,
I'll tell you that.
But if I didn't say it, well I'd still have felt it
where's the sense in that?

I promise I'm not trying to make your life harder
Or return to where we were

Well I will go down with this ship
And I won't put my hands up and surrender
There will be no white flag above my door
I'm in love and always will be

I know I left too much mess and
destruction to come back again
And I caused but nothing but trouble
I understand if you can't talk to me again
And if you live by the rules of "it's over"
then I'm sure that that makes sense

Well I will go down with this ship
And I won't put my hands up and surrender
There will be no white flag above my door
I'm in love and always will be

And when we meet
Which I'm sure we will
All that was then
Will be there still
I'll let it pass
And hold my tongue
And you will think
That I've moved on....

Well I will go down with this ship
And I won't put my hands up and surrender
There will be no white flag above my door
I'm in love and always will be

Well I will go down with this ship
And I won't put my hands up and surrender
There will be no white flag above my door
I'm in love and always will be

Well I will go down with this ship
And I won't put my hands up and surrender
There will be no white flag above my door
I'm in love and always will be

  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||2:23 pm||||||||||.
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Arjen Robben blasted Holland into the semi-final of Euro 2004 as his country's penalty shoot-out misery finally came to an end.

The Chelsea-bound midfielder slotted home his side's sixth spot-kick after Sweden skipper Olof Mellberg had seen his effort saved superbly by Edwin van der Sar to clinch victory on a night of high drama after a goalless 120 minutes of football.

Dick Advocaat's side have been bedevilled by shoot-out misery since 1992, going out of the last three European Championships and the 1998 World Cup.

However, this time they survived Phillip Cocu's miss when he hit the post with their fourth kick after Ajax striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic had fired over to pile the pressure on Mellberg.

It was just about what the Dutch deserved after creating the better chances, although they might have paid for their wastefulness when Henrik Larsson and Fredrik Ljungberg both hit the woodwork in extra-time.

They had dominated in normal time with Robben and Edgar Davids, protected by enforcer Cocu, providing the creativity to allow Ruud van Nistelrooy to test out Mellberg and Andreas Jakobsson.

Robben, who switched wings with Andy van der Meyde at regular intervals, provided much of the invention in the first half, helping to unlock the Swedish defence with a flowing eighth-minute move which only foundered when Clarence Seedorf's control let him down inside the penalty area and then testing Andreas Isaksson with a well-struck effort from distance two minutes later.

Isaksson found himself in action once again on 15 minutes when Seedorf warmed his hands with a weighty free-kick, and it took a vital block from Mellberg to deny van Nistelrooy three minutes later after he turned neatly and shot when Michael Reiziger's long throw was allowed to land at his feet.

Reiziger himself blasted just wide from all of 25 yards after van Nistelrooy had laid off a Robben pass to him, and the winger produced a wonderful piece of skill to get in a promising cross on 28 minutes despite the close attentions of Alexander Ostlund and Mattias Jonson in the corner.

Holland were disrupted on the half-hour when skipper Frank De Boer, who had earlier been harshly booked for a rugged challenge on Ljungberg, limped off as a result of the impact to be replaced by PSV Eindhoven defender Wilfred Bouma.

The change did little to unsettle them, however, and Cocu took aim from distance 12 minutes before the break to force an inelegant save from Isaksson, who had to maintain his concentration to claim another Seedorf free-kick with half-time approaching.

For their part, Sweden had little to shout about in the first half after taking 25 minutes to muster a serious attempt on goal, and even that, a Larsson free-kick, flew well wide.

But they did manage to up the stakes at the death, Anders Svensson seeing a goal-bound shot blocked by Bouma and then thumping a first-time drive straight at van der Sar.

Van Nistelrooy uncharacteristically passed up a glorious opportunity to open the scoring within less than 30 seconds of the restart when he headed a Robben cross on to his shoulder and over the crossbar, and he was a little unlucky to clear the target once again a minute later with an audacious back-heeled effort.

Sweden gradually forced their way into the picture and might have gone ahead themselves on 56 minutes when, after Larsson had headed Jonson's cross back across goal, Jaap Stam failed to connect with his attempted clearance and Cocu had to hack Ibrahimovic's shot off the line.

But the threat posed by van Nistelrooy was mounting by the second and he went close again on 62 minutes when he collected a ball over the top on his chest and although his initial shot was blocked by Isaksson, the rebound cannoned back off him and ran just wide of the post.

Ljungberg, who had previously struggled to get involved, did so to fine effect 15 minutes from time when he turned smartly to fire just wide of van der Sar's right post and the Swedes gained fresh impetus as Holland, for whom Robben had drifted into anonymity, started to run out of ideas.

Van Nistelrooy headed agonisingly over from a Giovanni van Bronckhorst cross in injury-time, but there was no avoiding extra-time.

Isaksson got away with a dreadful error three minutes after the restart when he fumbled a long-range Robben shot and was rescued by the post, but he redeemed himself in the 100th-minute with a good block from Seedorf, van Nistelrooy firing wide when the rebound was recycled.

Swedish substitute Kim Kallstrom blasted into the side-netting but Isaksson had to pull off a spectacular save to keep out a Seedorf free-kick two minutes into the second period of extra-time.

Van Nistelrooy had a strike ruled out for offside three minutes later, but the crossbar and then a post came to Holland's rescue in quick succession to repel shots from first Larsson and then Ljungberg and ensure that penalties were required.


Fredrik Ljungberg of Sweden feels an early challenge form Holland's Giovanni van Bronckhorst.


Anders Svensson of Sweden battles with Holland's Edgar Davids for control of the midfield.


Ruud van Nistelrooy holds off hairy Sweden defender Alexander Ostlund.


Ruud Van Nistelrooy drops to his knees to celebrate after Holland win the penalty shootout.


The Holland team celebrate a place in the semi-finals with their fans.

  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||7:35 am||||||||||.
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France suffered another disastrous exit from a major competition at the hands of unfancied opponents as Greece achieved a sensational 1-0 victory in Lisbon's Jose Alvalade stadium.

Jacques Santini's France may have gone one better than the last World Cup and made it through the group stage but this still represented a humiliation. Few would have given Greece, very much the minnows in the four quarter-finals, any chance.

But German coach Otto Rehhagel has quietly put together a classy-looking side and they fully-deserved their victory, secured by Angelos Charisteas' bullet header.

France, looking completely out of sorts and with Patrick Vieira's injury-enforced absence leaving a chasm in the reigning champions' midfield, never came to terms with the Greeks' pressing tactics and hard-running.

Greece had the quality up front too, where Rehhagel chose a 4-2-3-1 formation that the French struggled to combat. Atletico Madrid's Themistoklis Nikolaidis tucked in superbly just behind Charisteas, while the midfield and defence denied France and especially Zinedine Zidane space.

It was the Greeks who nearly drew first blood. Charisteas leapt above Mikael Silvestre after Panagiotis Fyssas' good work down the left but was unable to direct his header on goal.

Charisteas was then involved again, heading back for Nikolaidis to test Fabien Barthez with a rising effort from just outside the box.

France breathed another sharp sign of relief when Nikolaidis latched onto a free-kick and shot from 10 yards, Barthez just managing to keep it out at the second attempt.

Bixente Lizarazu attempted to spark the French into life with a raiding run down the left but the Greece defence did well to block out his cut-back.

The Basque full-back was also the creative force when, overlapping Zidane, he curled over a cross that Thierry Henry met with a good header but a yard wide.

The Greeks kept pressing, however, and Konstantinos Katsouranis' snap-shot drew another good save from Barthez.

Overall the first half was a dreary, goalless affair - as dull as l'eau de dish - so much so that choruses of "Port-u-gal" and "In-ger-land" rang out loudly from the large contingent of neutrals sitting through such insipid fare in contrast to the previous night's high drama in the nearby Estadio da Luz.

Fyssas fizzed in a dipping shot to enliven the Greeks, but Barthez tipped it over, then Henry's solo run ended with his drive deflected and looping into the hands of Antonios Nikopolidis.

Henry at least showed some appetite, unlike David Trezeguet, and the Arsenal striker hit a bouncing ball on the turn that Nikopolidis was happy to see skid past the post.

That upped the tempo and Lizarazu's fabulous run, including two nutmegs, nearly paid dividends, then Henry floated a cross over the keeper towards Trezeguet but Mihalis Kapsis made a fabulous clearance from under his crossbar.

Henry volleyed wide, then Nikopolidis clutched a low left-footer from the Gunner, but then France were stunned as Greece took a shock lead with 25 minutes left.

Theo Zagorakis, formerly of Leicester City, outwitted Lizarazu and struck a cross from the byline. Charisteas it met with a full-blooded header and wham! The net bulged, France were stunned and Greece were in the lead.

Louis Saha and Sylvain Wiltord came on for Trezeguet and Dacourt as France coach Santini looked disaster in the face and Les Bleus immediately looked brighter.

Saha tried his luck from 18 yards, but without conviction, then Henry rolled another shot tamely to the keeper after twisting into space.

With four minutes left, Henry's header from William Gallas' deep ball whistled inches wide and it looked all over.


French goalkeeper Fabian Barthez saves an early shot on the line.


Fabian Barthez can only watch as Angelos Charisteas header hits the back of the net.


French Left back Bixente Lizarazu clashes with Traianos Dellas of Greece.


Substitute Louis Saha posed a threat but couldn't find the back of the net.

  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||11:31 am||||||||||.
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Holland swept past Latvia 3-0 to reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2004 with a helping hand from the Czech Republic.

Germany went into their game against the Czechs second in Group D but ultimately needed a win to qualify for the last eight as Holland took all three points in a 3-0 win over the Baltic outfit at Braga's Municipal Stadium.

As it was, Germany crashed to a 2-1 defeat, allowing the Dutch to leapfrog them in the the table and set up a quarter-final clash against Sweden on Saturday.

Man of the match Ruud van Nistelrooy put the Dutchmen on their way, converting a penalty after Edgar Davids was fouled inside the box and the Manchester United striker got his second - and fourth of the tournament - with a close-range downward header.

Bayern Munich's Roy Makaay finished off Latvia's dreams of reaching the quarter-finals of a major competition for the first time with Holland's third goal.

With an efficient performance which relied on their ability to make the most of their chances, the Dutch controlled and dominated a game they had to win, following their draw against Germany in their opening game and their dramatic 3-2 loss against the Czechs.

Holland coach Dick Advocaat was forced to do without regular defenders Wilfred Bouma and Johnny Heitinga but had the experienced duo Frank de Boer and Michael Reiziger as sturdy replacements.

The Dutch fans reacted with boos and whistles as under-fire coach Dick Advocaat's name reverberated around the stadium when the teams' line-ups were announced shortly before kick-off.

In the very first minute, Clarence Seedorf tried his luck from distance, but his shot went way off-target.

Latvia reacted seconds later, with forward Maris Verpakovskis firing inches wide of goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar's right post after his formidable run from the right wing. But it was all Latvia could manage in the opening half with Holland continuously testing Latvia's rearguard.

With 11 minutes played, goalkeeper Aleksandrs Kolinko was forced to dive to his left to clear a powerful strike from Phillip Cocu.

A minute later, van Nistelrooy missed a golden opportunity to give his team the lead following a perfect assist from recently-signed Chelsea player Arjen Robben.

Kolinko was forced to come off his line to save the close-range shot from an unmarked van Nistelrooy, who should have done better.

Midway through the first-half, Seedorf's well-taken free-kick from 30 yards went narrowly over - but Holland's hard work finally paid off as Danish referee Kim Milton Nielsen pointed to the spot after Aleksandrs Isakovs pulled down Davids inside the area.

Van Nistelrooy made up for his earlier error, as he struck the ball towards the left post to beat Kolinko and give his team a 1-0 advantage in the 27th minute.

Eight minutes later, van Nistelrooy headed home his team's second of the evening after a formidable assist from Cocu.

A cross from Seedorf found the Barcelona midfielder whose first-touch header served van Nistelrooy, who nodded past Kolinko from close range.

The goalscorer could have made it a hat-trick five minutes before the break, but his powerful strike from the edge of the area was met by a fine save from the keeper.

After the break Andrejs Prohorenkovs' found an unmarked Rubins on the edge of the area, but his powerful close-range shot was superbly saved by van der Sar.

Seconds later, Lobanovs tried his luck but he fired inches wide of Holland's left post, before Robben terrified the Latvian defence as he surged forward inside the danger zone, but his straight shot did not trouble the keeper.

The first substitutions came on the hour, with Latvian forward Marians Pahars replacing a tired Verpakovskis and Marc Overmars taking Andy Van der Meyde's place in the Dutch midfield.

The changes made no difference, with Holland still surging forward and Latvia forced to defend and hit their rivals in the counter-attack.

In the 67th minute, Seedorf should have made it 3-0 but his header, following a perfect cross from the right from Frank de Boer, was way off-target.

Two minutes later, the night's goalscorer received a warm ovation from the crowd as he left the pitch and Bayern Munich forward Makaay was brought on.

With 71 minutes played, Makaay had a goal disallowed for offside seconds before Seedorf had tested Kolinko with a powerful free-kick.

Shortly after, Seedorf tried his luck from close range but his effort was once again cleared by the keeper.

The stadium came alive as the Orange fans found out the Czechs had come from behind to lead in Lisbon, meaning their team were minutes away from qualification.

That encouraged the Dutch, who with nine minutes remaining killed off the game after substitute Makaay burst between two defenders and fired towards the right post, with the keeper unable to clear.

With one minute remaining, Kolinko was forced to clear de Boer's dangerous strike in what was Holland's last effort before the end.

The Dutch players then celebrated after confirmation the Czechs had beaten Germany.


Ruud van Nistelrooy celebrates his opener against the Latvians.


Van Nistelrooy heads the Dutch 2-0 ahead against Latvia.


Roy Makaay scores the third and final goal for the Dutch as they clinch a quarterfinal spot, thanks to the Germans' defeat.


The squad get together for a group hug after making it into the last eight.

  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||8:20 am||||||||||.
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Just got back from Sara's place. She has been sick for the second day since we returned back to Singapore.

Feeling very tired after spending the whole day at her place.

  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||9:31 pm||||||||||.
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Italy beat Bulgaria but their worst nightmare was realised when Denmark and Sweden drew 2-2 to knock the Azzurri out of Euro 2004. Giovanni Trapattoni's men were made to suffer and got the win they needed but the other Group C result meant both Scandinavian countries advanced to the quarter-final stages on goals scored between the three teams.

It was almost over much earlier after Bulgaria took the lead into half-time with a penalty from Wolfsburg midfielder Martin Petrov. Italy equalised after the restart through Chievo midfielder Simone Perrotta and just as news of the other match's result reached Guimaraes, Roma forward Antonio Cassano gave Italy a lead which ultimately meant nothing.

The turn of events completed a terrible tournament for the Azzurri, who drew with Denmark in their opener and 1-1 against Sweden. Italy had to do without the suspended trio of Fabio Cannavaro, Gennaro Gattuso and Francesco Totti. Christian Vieri was unable to start due to a knee injury and when he did appear as a second-half substitute, he made little impact.

They dominated the early stages but it took them 14 minutes before they could test Bulgaria goalkeeper Zdravko Zdravkov. Cassano's fine cross from the right side found an unmarked Stefano Fiore, whose acrobatic shot from close range was superbly parried by Zdravkov but only as far as Alessandro del Piero, whose left-footed attempt went narrowly wide of the goalkeeper's right-hand post. Five minutes later, Bernardo Corradi should have given his side the lead. Gianluca Zambrotta's perfect cross into the box was flicked on by Cassano but the unmarked Corradi headed straight at Zdravkov.

In the 29th minute, Martin Petrov finally tested goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon with a powerful left-footed effort from the edge of the area before Cassano fired one wide at the other end. One minute before the break, disaster struck for the Azzurri when Russian referee Valentin Ivanov pointed to the spot after defender Marco Materazzi held on to Petrov inside the area. And it was Petrov whose precise shot towards the left post beat Buffon to give his side a 1-0 lead, and Bulgaria's first goal of the tournament. Bulgaria's celebrations did not last long, however, as Italy's prayers were answered three minutes after the restart. Zdravkov spilled the ball after Cassano had struck the crossbar and Perrotta pounced to score. The goal brought Italy alive and they made their first substitution on 53 minutes, with Vieri replacing Corradi. The Inter Milan forward could have given his team the lead shortly after, but his forced header following Andrea Pirlo's precise cross went off-target.

The Azzurri still required one more goal if they aimed to reach the last eight at this stage and del Piero should have made it 2-1 in the 68th minute but his angled shot from the box went straight to Zdravkov's hands. With 12 minutes remaining Zambrotta tried his luck from distance but his shot on target was deflected wide by a defender. Seconds later, Trapattoni played his last card with Juventus forward Marco di Vaio replacing Materazzi.

Dimitar Berbatov could then have finished off Italy, had Buffon not intervened. The Juventus goalkeeper made a superb save following the Bayer Leverkusen striker's free-kick from the edge of the area. One minute before the end, Italy took the lead with Cassano's close-range shot finishing in the net but the players' celebrations soon ended with Trapattoni confirming their worst nightmare had taken place in Porto.


Bulgaria's Zdravko Lazarov gets horizontal to deny striker Alessandro Del Piero.


Bulgaria striker Dimitar Berbatov locks a limb with Italy defender Alessandro Nesta.


Simone Perrotta nets Italy's equaliser in Guimaraes.


Antonio Cassano hits Italy's winner.


It's 2-2 in Porto and Bernardo Corradi can't believe it.

  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||8:07 am||||||||||.
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Mr. Bush's Track Records



I attacked and took over 2 countries.

I spent the U.S. surplus and bankrupted the US Treasury.

I shattered the record for the biggest annual deficit in history (not easy!).

I set an economic record for the most personal bankruptcies filed in any 12 month period.

I set all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the stock market.

In my first year in office I set the all-time record for most days on vacation by any president in US history (tough to beat my dad's, but I did).

After taking the entire month of August off for vacation, I presided over the worst security failure in US history.

I set the record for most campaign fund raising trips by any president in US history.

In my first two years in office over 2 million Americans lost their jobs.

I cut unemployment benefits for more out-of-work Americans than any other president in US history.

I set the all-time record for most real estate foreclosures in a 12-month period.

I set the record for the fewest press conferences of any president, since the advent of TV.

I presided over the biggest energy crises in US history and refused to intervene when corruption was revealed.

I cut health care benefits for war veterans.

I set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously take to the streets to protest me (15 million people), shattering the record for protest against any person in the history of mankind.

I dissolved more international treaties than any president in US history.

I've made my presidency the most secretive and unaccountable of any in US history.

Members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in US history. (The poorest multimillionaire, Condoleeza Rice, had a Chevron oil tanker named after her for a while.)

I am the first president in US history to have all 50 states of the Union simultaneously struggle against bankruptcy.

I presided over the biggest corporate stock market fraud in any market in any country in the history of the world.

I am the first president in US history to order a US attack AND military occupation of a sovereign nation, and I did so against the will of the United Nations and the vast majority of the international community.

I have created the largest government department bureaucracy in the history of the United States, called the "Bureau of Homeland Security

I set the all-time record for biggest annual budget spending increases, more than any other president in US history (Ronnie was tough to beat, but I did it!!).

I am the first president in US history to compel the United Nations remove the US from the Human Rights Commission.

I am the first president in US history to have the United Nations remove the US from the Elections Monitoring Board.

I removed more checks and balances, and have the least amount of congressional oversight than any presidential administration in US history.

I rendered the entire United Nations irrelevant. I withdrew from the World Court of Law.

I refused to allow inspectors access to US prisoners of war and by default no longer abide by the Geneva Conventions.

I am the first president in US history to refuse United Nations election inspectors access during the 2002 US elections.

I am the all-time US (and world) record holder for most corporate campaign donations.

The biggest lifetime contributor to my campaign, who is also one of my best friends, presided over one of the largest corporate bankruptcy frauds in world history (Kenneth Lay, former CEO of Enron Corporation).

I spent more money on polls and focus groups than any president in US history.

I am the first US president to establish a secret shadow government.

I took the world's sympathy for the US after 9/11, and in less than a year made the US the most resented country in the world (possibly the biggest diplomatic failure in US and world history).

I am the first US president in history to have a majority of the people of Europe (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and stability.

I changed US policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts.

I have removed more freedoms and civil liberties for Americans than any other president in US history.

RECORDS AND REFERENCES:

I have at least one conviction for drunk driving in Maine
(Texas driving record has been erased and is not available).

I was AWOL from the National Guard and deserted the military during time of war.

I refuse to take a drug test or even answer any questions about drug use.

All records of my tenure as governor of Texas have been spirited away to my fathers library, sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.

All records of any SEC investigations into my insider trading or bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.

All minutes of meetings of any public corporation for which I served on the board are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.

Any records or minutes from meetings I (or my VP) attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review.

  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||7:55 pm||||||||||.
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  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||7:52 pm||||||||||.
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  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||11:05 am||||||||||.
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Nuno Gomes scored the all-important goal to send Portugal into the quarter-finals of Euro 2004 after a 1-0 win over Spain.

For Spain, it was yet another failure in a big tournament despite boasting some of the top players in the world. Coach Inaki Saez had decided to start with Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres in preference to Fernando Morientes, despite the latter's terrific season at Monaco and the fact he scored against Greece in their previous game.

Portugal had got their tournament off to a nightmare start, losing to Greece but they hit back with a nervous victory against Russia and came into the game knowing they had to win to progress.


Nuno Gomes drills a shot between two Spanish defenders and past Iker Casillas to score.


Spain captain Raul is crestfallen, Luis Figo attempts to console him as team-mates enjoy themselves.

  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||6:49 am||||||||||.
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Will be updating my Japan trip in the coming days. The travelling has taken a toll on me. Need more rest as I am going to be down with some illness soon. Could feel it in my bones.

  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||10:43 pm||||||||||.
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Blue - Breathe Easy

Cruel to the eye
I see the way he makes you smile
Cruel to the eye
Watching him hold what used to be mine

Why did I lie
Why did I wander where to fly
Ooh why
Ooh why

And I.........can't breathe easy
I cant sleep at night
Until your by my side
No I........can't breathe easy
I cant dream you had another dream without you lying next to me
There's no way

Crushed me inside
For every word that caused you to cry
Crushed me inside
I wont forget, no I wont baby I
Don't know why
(Don't know why)
I left the one I was looking to find

Ooh why
Ooh why

WHY

I.........can't breathe easy
I cant sleep at night
Until your by my side
No I........can't breathe easy
(Breathe easy)
I cant dream you had another dream without you lying next to me, there's no way
No I.........can't breathe easy
I cant dream you had another dream without you lying next to me, there's no way

Out of my mind
Nothing makes sense anymore
I want you back in my life
That's all I'm breathing for
Ooh I......................
Tell me why................
Ooh Tell me why
I cant dream you had another dream without you lying next to me, there's no way

no no no no no I................can't breathe easy
I cant sleep at night
Until your...by my side
Yeah
I...................Can't breathe easy
No I...
I can't dream you had another dream without you lying next to me, there's no way
There's no way

  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||12:12 pm||||||||||.
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A very nice flash clip. Enjoy while it last!

  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||12:39 am||||||||||.
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English referee Mike Riley denied Latvia two penalty claims as the outsiders earned a draw against Germany.

Twice Riley refused to award spot kicks to Latvia as Germany survived a tough examination in Porto's Estadio do Bessa.

Germany's hopes of progressing from the Euro 2004 `Group of Death' were severely dented by a brave display by supposed outsiders Latvia.

Rudi Voller's side dominated in terms of possession but could not break down the Latvians who showed as much spirit as they had in their 2-1 defeat by the Czech Republic.


Germany striker Kevin Kuranyi rues a costly missed chance in the 0-0 draw with Latvia.


Latvia's Maris Verpakovskis is fouled in the area - no penalty is awarded.


Dietmar Hamann and Latvia's Vitalijs Astafjevs battle for the ball.


Christian Worns climbs above Latvia's Andrejs Prohorenkovs .


Mike Riley shows the yellow card to Germany's Dietmar Hamann.

  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||7:21 pm||||||||||.
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Sweden picked themselves up off the floor with Zlatan Ibrahimovic scoring an astonishing late equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw with Italy on Friday in one of the best matches played so far in Euro 2004.

Italy dominated the first hour and deservedly led with a 37th minute header from Antonio Cassano, standing in for key playmaker Francesco Totti -- suspended by UEFA for spitting at Denmark's Christian Poulsen in their opening Group C match.

But Italy gradually ran out of steam, took off their attackers and sat back to defend, but in doing so allowed a defiant, skilful and battling Swedish side into the match.

They did not waste the chance and grabbed the point their inventive play merited with a remarkable goal by Ibrahimovic who hooked the ball into the top corner with his back to goal from close-range after a scramble in the area in the 85th minute.


Christian Panucci can only grab a handful of Fredrik Ljungberg's shorts.


Tobias Linderoth of Sweden holds off Italy striker Alessandro Del Piero.


Olof Mellberg and Mikael Nilsson frantically appeal for offside as Antonio Cassano turns to celebrate his goal.


Gennaro Gattuso controls the ball underpressure from Fredrik Ljungberg.


Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Sweden scores a cheeky equaliser.

  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||11:17 pm||||||||||.
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Croatia came within a whisker of sweet revenge for their 1998 World Cup semi-final defeat by France but in the end had to settle for a 2-2 draw with the defending champions.

The result prevents France from qualifying for the last eight with a game to spare.

France took the lead in the first half through an Igor Tudor own goal after a Zinedine Zidane free-kick.

However, the Croats launched a furious onslaught at the start of the second period when Milan Rapaic converted a penalty before man-of-the-match Dado Prso made it 2-1 with a fine finish - all in the space of four minutes.

However, David Trezeguet spared French blushes when he equalised after poor defending by Tudor - although the striker appeared to use his hand to control the ball.


No repeat of Fabien Barthez's Lisbon heroics as Milan Rapaic smashes his penalty home.


It's 2-1 - Dado Prso celebrates, while William Gallas and Lilian Thuram are unimpressed.


Jerko Leko blocks off the run of Thierry Henry.


Goalkeeper Tomislav Butina watches David Trezeguet's shot slide in for the equaliser after a defensive blunder.

  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||10:14 pm||||||||||.
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Wayne Rooney became the youngest player ever to score in a European Championships finals as England beat Switzerland 3-0 in the sweltering heat of Coimbra.

Rooney, aged 18 years and 237 days, struck midway through the first half to prompt England's recovery from the disappointment of the France defeat, and also grabbed a somewhat lucky second.


England though were far from convincing and it was only when Switzerland were reduced to 10 men for the last 30 minutes that they looked comfortable as Steven Gerrard wrapped the game up.


Swiss keeper Jorg Stiel claims the ball to deny Michael Owen.


Goalkeeper David James and defender Sol Campbell move to block a shot from Switzerland's Stephane Chapuisat.


Steven Gerrard adds the finishing touch to England's victory.

  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||6:10 pm||||||||||.
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Portugal's hopes of lifting the European Championship title in their own country remain on track after a 2-0 win over Russia.

Goals from Maniche and substitute Rui Costa, the man blamed by many for Saturday's opening defeat by Greece, were enough to see off 10-man Russia. The win sets up a mouth-watering final Group A clash with arch-rivals Spain at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon on Sunday evening.


Nuno Maniche strikes Portugal's early opener against Russia.


Should goalkeeper Sergei Ovchinnikov have been sent off for handling outside the box?


Veteran Rui Costa puts the final nail in Russia's coffin.


Nuno Gomes (21) and Cristiano Ronaldo (17) join Rui Costa in celebration - while the beaten Russians are out.

  :Posted By: Dysfunctional Sadist At ||||||||||10:05 pm||||||||||.
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