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 Watch Live  Ukraine  v France Euro Cup 2012

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Talk about everything going according to the script. Ukraine, the co-hosts, could hardly have had a better night than they did against Sweden in Kiev.

Before a noisy and expectant crowd, the key questions were answered: could they handle the occasion? Could they score goals? Could Andriy Shevchenko, the 35-year-old talisman and national sporting hero, make the impact supporters craved?

With the exception of a very jittery finale during which Johan Elmander missed a glorious chance to spoil things with an equaliser, Ukraine were energetic and enterprising. They reacted brilliantly after falling behind to Zlatan Ibrahimovic's strike, maintaining their belief and upping the tempo, and the two superbly-taken Shevchenko goals that followed showed that the old stager still has what it takes.

But it wasn't all about him: many of Oleg Blokhin's less heralded players rose to the occasion, too. Andriy Voronin - who had faced sustained criticism after a series of underwhelming international performances over recent years - Andriy Yarmolenko and Yevhen Konoplyanka also played major attacking roles. Ukraine, though, will have to tighten up defensively if they are to secure a second successive win: a more clinical side than Sweden would have punished the nervy indecision that characterised the closing stages of the opening game.

But, on the evidence of their first group game, will France be that much more clinical? The possession statistics favoured them against England, and they had 15 shots on target to the grand total of one mustered by Roy Hodgson's side, but they did not look as threatening as that would suggest.

Their goal, when it came, was beautifully struck through a crowd by Samir Nasri, but the French rarely hit any kind of real stride. Coach Laurent Blanc admitted as much when he lamented that they had finally started their Euro 2012 campaign with about 20 minutes of the match left.

But the potential threat posed by a side now unbeaten in 22 games is unquestionable: Nasri, Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema, Florent Malouda et al can between them summon up much more than they did against England. Ukraine will not be as stifling as England were - more open in midfield and less rigid in their formation, the way they play looks set to allow the French more space in which to create. This could be an exciting, attacking occasion.

 Watch Live  Ukraine  v France Euro Cup 2012

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Hines Ward's constant, ear-to-ear smile tucked behind a black facemask has been a lasting image for Pittsburgh Steelers fans the past 14 seasons.
They won't see it again.
At least, not in a black-and-gold uniform.
The franchise's all-time leader in just about every meaningful receiving category will be released sometime in the next two weeks said president Art Rooney II on the team's website on Wednesday.
"We had a conversation today with Hines Ward and informed him that we plan to release him of his contract prior to the start of the 2012 NFL calendar year," Rooney said. "Hines has been an integral part of our success since we drafted him in 1998, and we will forever be grateful for what he has helped us achieve."
A four-time Pro Bowl selection and MVP of the 2006 Super Bowl, Ward will finish his Steelers career with 1,000 catches, 12,083 yards and 85 receiving touchdowns. He helped Pittsburgh to three AFC championships and a pair of Super Bowl wins.
The former "Dancing With the Stars" champion -- who spent last weekend working the red carpet at the Oscars -- doesn't appear ready to put away his cleats just yet, however.
"This isn't how I wanted this chapter of my career to end," Ward said in a statement. "I did everything in my power to remain a Steeler and finish what I started here 14 years ago."
Ward vowed to return for a 15th season next fall.
"I do feel that I still have more football left in me and I am looking forward to playing in the NFL, again, this upcoming season," Ward said.
A third-round pick out of Georgia, Ward developed a reputation as one of the league's best blocking wide receivers, a trait that endeared him to the blue-collar fan base of one of the league's marquee franchises.
Ward was pretty good at catching passes too, particularly in the postseason. He helped the Steelers to their fifth Super Bowl in 2006 catching five passes for 123 receiving yards and a touchdown in a 21-10 win over Seattle.
"He has meant so much to this organization, both on and off the field," Rooney said, "and we appreciate his efforts over the past 14 years."
Just not enough to bring Ward, who turns 36 next week, back at $4 million next season. The Steelers are in the midst of a roster-wide salary purge and a youth movement at receiver.
By the end of the 2011 season, Ward found himself on the sidelines for long stretches as youngsters Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown turned into quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's favorite targets.
Both receivers topped 1,100 yards receiving and combined for 10 touchdowns, while Ward had just 46 catches for 381 yards and two scores. It was the worst reception total since his rookie year (15).
Ward took the demotion in stride and relished the role of elder statesmen. Wallace, Brown and Emmanuel Sanders credited Ward for helping mature both on and off the field.
All three players hoped Ward would come back for one more go, but understood they were nearing the end of an era.
"We all know the direction in which we're going with the receiving corps," Sanders said last month. "But, like I said, Hines is still a great addition, just the knowledge he brings to the room. You can't pay for that. You can't coach that. He just brings that well being of how to be a pro into the room."
Now the corner locker he's held for more than a decade is vacant.
"Enjoyed playing with @mvp86hinesward learned a lot! Was a great mentor for me! You define a "Steeler"," Brown tweeted after the announcement.
In a franchise built on the churning legs of Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier and Jerome Bettis, Ward blossomed into one of the league's most reliable receivers while serving as a security blanket for everyone from Kordell Stewart to Tommy Maddox to Roethlisberger. Ward has six 1,000-yard receiving seasons, and just missed two more, posting 975 in both 2005-06 and 2006-07. He also returned eight kicks for 210 yards.
"Hines' accomplishments are numerous," Rooney said, "and he will always be thought of as one of the all-time great Steelers.
"We wish him nothing but the best."
In his last game as a Steeler, a 29-23 postseason, overtime loss to the Denver Broncos on Jan. 8, Ward did not record a catch.
The final pass thrown to him in a Steeler uniform came on Pittsburgh's final drive when Roethlisberger tried to hit Ward running down the sideline. Denver defensive back Champ Bailey knocked it away, leaving Ward to face an uncertain future.
He may end his career in a different city, but Ward left little doubt where his heart lies.
"I gave my heart and soul for (the fans) every down and I will always bleed black-and-gold," Ward said.

Now, he'll have to do it wearing another uniform if he wants to play again.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
via:espn

An absorbing second-half of football at Wembley produced five goals, three of them for Holland, as Stuart Pearce's big night as England Caretaker Manager ended in a cruel, cruel defeat.

A 90th-minute chip from Ashley Young appeared to have handed England a 2-2 draw, but former Chelsea winger Arjen Robben popped up just moments later to curl home his second goal of the night and give the 2010 World Cup runners-up a late victory.

Robben fired Holland ahead in the 57th-minute, finishing of a clinical counter-attacking move, and substitute Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, on for Robin van Persie at half-time, thundered home a header just moments later to make it 2-0, but clashed heads with Chris Smalling in the process.

Gary Cahill pulled a goal back for an improving England in the 85th minute when he calmly finished from inside the box and Young clipped the ball over Maarten Stekelenburg in the last minute to seemingly earn England a draw.

But there was still enough time for Robben to inflict defeat on England with one final swing of his left foot, though the ball did appear to take a deflection on the way in.
Via:Youtube

NL MVP Ryan Braun said all along that his 50-game suspension for a positive drug test would be overturned. He was right.

Arbitrator Shyam Das threw out Braun's ban on Thursday, making the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder the first Major League Baseball player to successfully challenge a drug-related penalty in a grievance.

"It is the first step in restoring my good name and reputation," Braun said. "We were able to get through this because I am innocent and the truth is on our side."

Braun tested positive in October for elevated testosterone, which was revealed by ESPN in December. He reports Friday to spring training with the threat of suspension lifted.

"Since joining our organization in 2005, Ryan Braun has been a model citizen and a person of character and integrity. Knowing Ryan as I do, I always believed he would succeed in his appeal," Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said. "It is unfortunate that the confidentiality of the program was compromised, and we thank our fans and everyone who supported Ryan and did not rush to judgment."

Braun's sample was collected on Oct. 1, a Saturday and the day the Brewers opened the NL playoffs. The collector did not send the sample to the laboratory until Monday, thinking it would be more secure at home than at a Federal Express office during the weekend.

Baseball's drug agreement states that "absent unusual circumstances, the specimens should be sent by FedEx to the laboratory on the same day they are collected."

MLB executive vice president Rob Manfred said management "vehemently disagrees" with Das' decision.

Travis Tygart, chief executive officer of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, called the decision "a real gut-kick to clean athletes."

During the hearing, Braun's side challenged the chain of custody from the time the urine sample was collected by Comprehensive Drug Testing Inc. to when it was sent, nearly 48 hours later, to a World Anti-Doping Agency-certified laboratory in Montreal, two people familiar with the case said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because what took place in the hearing is supposed to be confidential.

"To have this sort of technicality of all technicalities let a player off ... it's just a sad day for all the clean players and those that abide by the rules within professional baseball," Tygart said.

Das, who has been baseball's independent arbitrator since 2000, informed the sides of his decision but did not give them a written opinion. He has 30 days to do so.

Technically, the decision was on a 2-1 vote. Manfred and union head Michael Weiner are part of the arbitration panel, and management and the union almost always split their votes, leaving Das, the independent panel member, to make the decision.

"MLB and cable sports tried to sully the reputation of an innocent man," Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said on Twitter. "Picked the wrong guy to mess with. Truth will set u free"

An evidentiary hearing on Braun's appeal was held Jan. 19-20 in New York, ending the day before the player accepted the NL MVP award at a black-tie dinner.

"We provided complete cooperation throughout, despite the highly unusual circumstances. I have been an open book, willing to share details from every aspect of my life as part of this investigation, because I have nothing to hide," Braun said in his statement. "I have passed over 25 drug tests in my career, including at least three in the past year."

Via:Abc