Reasons Why England Lost Against Portugal

Euro 2004 Quarter Final

1. Beckham had been taking advice from Johnny Wilkinson. (Rugby World Cup 2003 Hero)

2. Some fans suggested that the Ref's ability was not that good. Did you spot this?

3. A lot of fans said they saw the ball move fractionally before Beckham took the penalty. When you zoom in on the footage using our special hi-tech zoom lens, you can see why.

Or maybe?

and there's more...

and

and finally

Home - Free Bet on Euro 2004 - Match TV Schedule - Euro 2004 Ringtones - Cheapest UK Car & Home Insurance Guide

Ahead of the semi-finals, we grabbed a word with the senior football trader for his opinion on this weeks action:

"We're certainly not expecting many goals from the Portugal / Holland match, as both teams have strong defences, but I expect Portugal to emerge as victors; the Dutch defence, although good, is over-reliant on Jaap Stam. The Dutch have not played to their abilities this summer, having won only once in 90 minutes so far (against Latvia) and the Portugese are improving with every game. We expect to see Nuno Gomes (no. 21) on the field ahead of Pauleta (no. 9), and although Figo is not having a good tournament he should start the match. Van Nistelrooy will have one eye on the golden boot, but as there is no third place play-off he will have to excel in this match to have a chance of winning it ahead of Baros.

"As for the second semi, clearly the Czechs look the better team and are deserved favourites. The Greeks have turned the form book on it's head, but look like they could run out of gas - realistically, they have already played and won their cup final by knocking out the French. The Czechs looked out of sorts in the first half against Denmark, probably the negative effect of resting too many players in the last group game, but picked themselves up and will be better prepared for the Greeks. I'd also expect there to be more goals in this semi than the other, considering the Czechs' attacking style.