WARSAW (Reuters) – Everyone loves a maverick, as long as he delivers, and Mario Balotelli has evolved in a fortnight from a luxury Italy thought they could not afford into the key to their hopes of winning the European Championship for only the second time.

Profligate Mario in the opening two games of the tournament against Spain and Croatia, the 21-year-old is once again “Super Mario” after his superb double strike gave Italy their 2-1 win over Germany on Thursday to book a return meeting with Spain in Sunday’s final.

WARSAW, June 28 (Reuters) – Everyone loves a maverick, as
long as he delivers, and Mario Balotelli has evolved in a
fortnight from a luxury Italy thought they could not afford into
the key to their hopes of winning the European Championship for
only the second time.

Profligate Mario in the opening two games of the tournament
against Spain and Croatia, the 21-year-old is once again “Super
Mario” after his superb double strike gave Italy their 2-1 win
over Germany on Thursday to book a return meeting with Spain in
Sunday’s final.

WARSAW, June 22 (Reuters) – Ask most England fans what links
Paraguay, Belgium, Cameroon, Denmark, Ecuador and Spain and they
would struggle for an answer, though the keenest would recognise
their joint significance in the team’s tournament history.

Apart from the 1966 World Cup, which England won on home
soil, those are the only countries they have managed to beat in
a knockout match at a major tournament.

WARSAW (Reuters) – Ask most England fans what links Paraguay, Belgium, Cameroon, Denmark, Ecuador and Spain and they would struggle for an answer, though the keenest would recognize their joint significance in the team’s tournament history.

Apart from the 1966 World Cup, which England won on home soil, those are the only countries they have managed to beat in a knockout match at a major tournament.

WARSAW, June 22 (Reuters) – Ask most England fans what links
Paraguay, Belgium, Cameroon, Denmark, Ecuador and Spain and they
would struggle for an answer, though the keenest would recognise
their joint significance in the team’s tournament history.

Apart from the 1966 World Cup, which England won on home
soil, those are the only countries they have managed to beat in
a knockout match at a major tournament.

WARSAW (Reuters) – On this evidence the Czech Republic could play a dozen quarter-finals and still not produce the number of goal attempts that Cristiano Ronaldo managed on his own in another display of awesome authority by the Portugal skipper.

In a crushingly one-sided Euro 2012 quarter-final, Ronaldo’s 79th-minute header sent Portugal into a last-four meeting with Spain or France and yet again ensured his name would be in the headlines.

WARSAW (Reuters) – On this evidence the Czech Republic could play a dozen quarter-finals and still not produce the number of goal attempts that Cristiano Ronaldo managed on his own in another display of awesome authority by the Portugal skipper.

In a crushingly one-sided Euro 2012 quarter-final, Ronaldo’s 79th-minute header sent Portugal into a last-four meeting with Spain or France and yet again ensured his name would be in the headlines.

WARSAW, June 21 (Reuters) – On this evidence the Czech
Republic could play a dozen quarter-finals and still not produce
the number of goal attempts that Cristiano Ronaldo managed on
his own in another display of awesome authority by the Portugal
skipper.

In a crushingly one-sided Euro 2012 quarter-final, Ronaldo’s
79th-minute header sent Portugal into a last-four meeting with
Spain or France and yet again ensured his name would be in the
headlines.

LONDON (Reuters) – When Alistair Brownlee made his bid for glory on the run leg of the 2008 Olympic triathlon few were surprised when the 20-year-old upstart was swallowed up by the chasing pack three kilometers from the line.

If the Briton finds himself in a similar position in this year’s Games the field will know they are racing for silver.

LONDON, June 18 (Reuters) – When Alistair Brownlee made his
bid for glory on the run leg of the 2008 Olympic triathlon few
were surprised when the 20-year-old upstart was swallowed up by
the chasing pack three kilometres from the line.

If the Briton finds himself in a similar position in this
year’s Games the field will know they are racing for silver.