Portugal, Croatia, Ireland and the Czech Republic have been seeded for Thursday's draw, for next month's Euro 2012 playoffs, UEFA said in a statement Wednesday.
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo believes his side's bold performance on a difficult pitch in Zenica last week will inspire them to overpower Bosnia at home on Tuesday and qualify for Euro 2012.
Cristiano Ronaldo came off the bench and scored an opportunist goal which set Portugal on the way to a 2-0 win in Andorra on Saturday that maintained their chances of qualifying directly for the World Cup.
The tournament, with eight players in both the men's and women's draw, will resemble regular tennis as much as possible.
Defending champions Portugal and the last two World champions, France and Germany, were thrown together in what German coach Joachim Loew described as the group of death following a lop-sided and complicated Euro 2020 draw on Saturday.
Italian champions Juventus signed creative midfielder Miralem Pjanic for 32 million euros ($36.14 million) from Serie A rivals Roma on a five-year contract, the Turin-based club said on Tuesday.
India struck gold not once but twice in their maiden appearance at the Winner International Boxing Tournament with Paramjeet Samota (+91kg) and teen sensation Shiva Thapa (56kg) finishing on top in the finals in Belgrade, Serbia.
Ireland led the way on Friday as they and Croatia reeled off convincing away wins to move within reach of booking their places in the Euro 2012 soccer finals. Ireland won 4-0 in Estonia in the first leg to erase memories of previous play-off disappointments while Croatia crushed Turkey 3-0 in Istanbul.
IMAGES from the Euro 2020 qualifiers
Images from the Euro 2020 Qualifiers played on Monday
The largely predictable Euro 2012 qualifying tournament could throw up real late drama on Tuesday with France and Portugal involved in make-or-break matches.
France striker Karim Benzema has been ruled out of Friday's Euro 2012 qualifier at home to Albania and next Tuesday's game with Bosnia because of an abductor muscle problem and several other players are carrying injuries.
The Australian Open draw has opened up a potential can of worms for security organisers at Melbourne Park, with rival Serb and Croatian supporters to be thrown into close proximity for Novak Djokovic's second round match against Croatia's Ivan Dodig.
Bernard Tomic was sent packing early at the US Open and his minimal earnings were offset by a $10,000 fine levied on him for a crude on-court outburst he directed at a heckler during his first-round loss.
Germany all but secured a place at the Euro 2012 finals with a 3-1 win in Azerbaijan while Zlatan Ibrahimovic got a hat-trick as Sweden demolished Finland 5-0 to provide an unexpected spark to the end of the European season.
Son Heung-min sported a shock of dyed yellow hair at the last World Cup in Brazil to stand out from the crowd, but four years on in Russia the South Korean forward is opting for substance over style as he bids to live up to lofty expectations.
When protests broke out after a police officer shot an unarmed teenager in Ferguson, Missouri in August, police in camouflage gear wielding assault rifles and stun grenades drove through the city in armored vehicles attempting to control the crowds. Several human rights activists criticised the use of force by the police. Some said they were brutal, some said their actions were justified. So, when can cops exert force on crowds? Here's a list of situations when cops can attack a crowd.
A round-up of Saturday's Euro 2020 qualification matches.
Bosnia striker Edin Dzeko's first Premier League goal gave Manchester City a 1-0 win at struggling Blackburn Rovers on Monday to keep alive their hopes of a top-three finish.
For those seeking adventure, head to the ancient Bosnian town of Mostar where on can get their high by jumping off a historic bridge into a fast-flowing river. Welcome to the annual traditional diving competition. For those who won't dare to do this, here's a glimpse of what takes place.
The teams that have qualified for the 2010 Football World Cup in South Africa.
Yuki Bhambri and Arjun won a silver medal each in tennis and discus throw respectively as Indians returned their best medal haul of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games on the seventh day of the competition in Singapore on Saturday.
Yuki Bhambri pulled off an upset victory to storm into the final of the tennis event but the hoopsters and swimmers came up with disappointing performances on a mixed day for the Indians in the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore on Thursday.
Eden Hazard believes he has been given more freedom to score goals after being pushed to a central attacking role under Chelsea manager Antonio Conte. The 25-year-old Belgian winger struck four goals in the Premier League last season but has already racked up three after the opening eight league games this campaign, with Conte opting for a wing-back formation in recent games. "When you are strong defensively you bring confidence to all the team, and it is more easy to score goals," Hazard, who scored a goal in Saturday's 3-0 hammering of champions Leicester City, told Chelsea's website.
A summary of Saturday night's matches in the Euro 2020 qualifiers.
The incoming Barack Obama administration is likely to appoint veteran troubleshooter Richard C Holbrooke as a special envoy to Pakistan and India amid tensions in the sub-continent following the Mumbai terrorist strikes.
An estimated 5,53,440 Indian students are currently studying abroad. A fascinating countrywise break-up from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
VfL Wolfsburg striker Grafite is optimistic the German side have the team spirit to end Manchester United's impressive Champions League home record when the sides meet in Group B on Wednesday.
Applications are invited for September 2009 entry to the United World Colleges.
A row has broken out between Real Madrid and the Portuguese Football Federation over whether injured forward Cristiano Ronaldo should be called up for the two-legged World Cup playoff against Bosnia.
Striker Alvaro Negredo scored twice and created two more goals to lift European champions Spain to a 5-2 victory over Bosnia on Wednesday and make it 10 wins out of 10 in World Cup qualifying Group Five. Coach Vicente del Bosque gave Negredo his first starting spot in place of Fernando Torres and the Sevilla forward took his chance to impress with two goals in five second-half minutes and assists for David Silva and Juan Mata.
A dogged Germany, late-scoring Denmark, stylish Serbia and dramatic Italy all booked their places in the World Cup finals on the penultimate night of European qualifying on Saturday.
Valencia striker David Villa has torn a thigh muscle and will be out of action for around three weeks, the La Liga club said on Monday.
Sukanya Verma looks at all the movies he's made so far. Tell us your favourite in the poll.
European champions Spain remained top of the world soccer rankings for a fourth straight month on Wednesday after extending their lead over world champions Italy.
South American champions Chile have been handed a stadium ban for the third time in the 2018 World Cup qualifying competition because of homophobic chanting by their fans, FIFA said on Monday.
India's tennis player Yuki Bhambri was handed a tough draw at the Australian Open when he found himself pitted against World No. 6 Tomas Berdych in the opening round of the men's singles event.
Here are 10 photographs that prove that it's a mad, mad, mad, mad world out there!
Ajax were joined by Young Boys, who stunned Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 away for a 3-2 aggregate win over the Croatians, and AEK Athens who scraped a 1-1 home draw with FC Vidi after a 2-1 win in the first leg in Hungary.
The Indian men's and women's teams scored identical 2.5-1.5 victories over Bosnia-Herzegovina and Italy respectively, in the sixth round of the 32nd chess Olympiad now underway in Dresden, Germany. The Indian men moved to joint-third place with 10 points out of a possible 12 in the Open section and are now behind Russia and Armenia, who share the lead on 11 points each. The women took their tally to nine points and share sixth place.
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