WARSAW: Italy coach Cesare Prandelli will be looking for his side to extend their proud record of never losing to Germany in a major finals when they meet in Thursday’s Euro 2012 semi-final in Warsaw. Germany – who are seeking their first trophy since lifting the Euro ‘96 title – will be by contrast hoping to end that run in what is their eighth meeting at either a World Cup or a European championship finals. “There is no such thing as an invincible side,” said Prandelli. “Germany has that sense of knowing what they need to do. “They are also physically strong and have players who have tasted international success at club level, so they are a side with the ingredients to go all the way. “But we will study them closely and work on the few weak points they have.”

Italy needed a penalty shoot-out to beat England 4-2 in Sunday’s quarter-final in Kiev with the Azzurri failing to hit the net in normal play despite 68 percent ball possession and 35 shots compared to England’s nine. Prandelli has said the Italians will have to be daring in order to beat Germany, who are on a 15-match winning run in competitive matches since losing to Spain at the last World Cup. Germany’s forwards shone in Friday’s 4-2 quarter-final win over Greece and Prandelli is mindful of the risk of pushing too far forward against a German side with the pace to punish on the counter-attack. Manchester City’s Mario Balotelli is one player the Germans have admitted they will pay close attention to after he spearheaded an Italian attack which had periods of impressive form against the Three Lions.


With only a three-day turn-around between the quarter and semi, Prandelli has injury concerns over midfielder Daniele De Rossi and right-back Ignazio Abate, while Italy’s other right-back Christian Maggio is suspended. Aside from a 1-1 draw in a friendly in February 2011, the last time the teams met in competition was the 2006 World Cup semi-final when the Italians won 2-0 after extra time as they went on to win the title. But Germany coach Joachim Loew was defiant when asked about the lack of German success against the Azzurri over the years. “We can’t turn back time, forget about about it, the past doesn’t play a role in our planning,” said the 52-year-old. “Another stat is that Germany has never won against Italy in a major tournament, but so what? “The situation is entirely different now and this is not an issue for us.”

But Italian playmaker Andrea Pirlo believes the Germans are running scared and the 33-year-old believes that history will give Italy the edge. “Germany are definitely scared of us, they know we can create difficulties for them given what’s happened in the past and they will have to be careful to avoid a repeat of what happened in 2006,” said the Juventus midfielder. Loew has developed a habit for pulling surprises at this tournament highlighted by changing three of Germany’s six-man attack against Greece in axing striker Mario Gomez, plus forwards Lukas Podolski and Thomas Mueller. It means competition is fierce for places in the starting line-up and Borussia Dortmund-bound Marco Reus looked sharp against the Greeks on his tournament debut before scoring Germany’s fourth goal. Loew has only concerns over pivotal midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger who is still feeling the effects of tearing ankle ligaments in February, but the 27-year-old took full part in training this week. Having won the so-called “Group of Death” by beating Holland, Portugal and Denmark en route to the knock-out phase, the Germans have made no secret of their desire to lift the Henri Delaunay Cup. “We knew before the tournament that we have a strong team,” said Real Madrid star Mesut Ozil. “If we play as we know we can, I am convinced we will beat Italy.” afp

EUFA 2012 Match Preview

The semifinals for the UEFA Euro 2012 have been set. On Sunday, Italy beat England in penalty kicks after a grueling 120-minute match. Italy is set to play undefeated Germany on Thursday, at 2:30 AM. The “Battle of Iberia,” Spain versus Portugal, is set to take place Wednesday at 2:30 AM.

The final four teams represent the remnants of groups B and C. Both groups A and D have been eliminated from the tournament.

Germany, one of the youngest teams in the tournament, should beat Italy, after unleashing a torrential scoring force on Greece in a 4–2 win. Germany has not lost a game in competition since the FIFA World Cup semifinal loss to Spain in 2010. Since then it has won 15 consecutive matches.

Still, according to a UEFA report, some German players would have preferred the opportunity to play England.




“They suit us better,” said defender Holger Badstuber. Captain Philipp Lahm added: “I would prefer England, just because it would be great to have a classic in the semi-final.” Attacking midfielder Marco Reus offered that “[English striker Wayne] Rooney is an outstanding player, but we are the better team.”

A Germany–England game would have been spectacular. Both teams play in a more classic style and are generally more physical and aggressive. Instead, Germany will have to face Italy, known more for their finesse on the ball than for brute aggression. Germany has yet to win a competitive game against Italy.

It’s harder to handicap Spain and Portugal. Both teams play in a similar manner, focusing on possession and passing. The last time the two played each other was in June of 2010 during the FIFA World Cup. Spain won 1–0. However, in a November 2010 scrimmage, Portugal beat Spain in a shocking 4–0 win, proving that they have the skill to defeat the Spanish powerhouse. Most likely, Spain will prevail, but there is always the threat of a phenomenal game from Portugal’s star forward Cristiano Ronaldo, the tournaments leader in shots taken.

The final game of the Euro is set to take place Sunday, July 1. The champion team will receive 196 million euros ($281.55 million). Germany has played Portugal before, beating them 1–0; and Spain has played Italy, resulting in a 1–1 tie. If Spain and Germany win their semifinal matches, both teams will have reached the final game of the Euro in both 2008 and 2012. In the 2008 final, Spain beat Germany 1–0.

For the sheer sake of entertainment, I hope the final match will be between Portugal and Germany. The flair of Ronaldo and midfielder Nani for Portugal, and the strength of Germany, will set the stage for a competitive match. Portugal would be the underdog, coming up to defeat the streaking Germans.

Warning: Affiliate Account Hacker Update

Warning: Affiliate Account Hacker Update

A Vietnam-based man by the name of Ly Duc Trong has succeeded in scamming multiple affiliates out of earnings by hacking into affiliate accounts. Before falling victim to he or another hacker, here is what affiliates need to understand about his methods and steps they can take to secure themselves from losing earnings to scammers.

Ly Duc Trong Hacker Method

Ly Duc Trong has been stealing from affiliates by accessing their affiliate accounts and changing their payment details in order to have payments sent to him. “bb1web” on the Gaming Portal Webmasters Association forums notes that the hacker appears to only target accounts with small balances in an effort to go unnoticed.

The hacker has changed payment details to his address in Vietnam in order to request cashouts to be sent to his various e-wallet services. Most commonly, he has used WebMoney as he gets paid instantly and they do not ask to verify a name. Other methods used to receive payments incLyde player account transfers, Neteller, bank transfer, and PaySpark.

Details of the payment information he has been using can be seen in the image below.

It remains unclear precisely how Ly Duc Trong is able to access so many affiliate accounts. One CAP affiliate suggested to us in an interview that the hacker could be a former affiliate manager.

Hackers have also been known to socially engineer their way into receiving secure data. They do this by pretending to be someone inside the company who should be able to access the info and then making someone else within the company provide it to them.

It may also be possible that Ly Duc Trong is simply penetrating affiliate systems through conventional hacking methods and acquiring user password data. This possibility is somewhat unlikely however as affiliate programs would probably discover these flaws quickly and fix them immediately.

In an instant messenger conversation with an anonymous affiliate, “bb1web” ascertained that the hacker has created Yahoo! email accounts using the same username as affiliate accounts and then emailed affiliate managers inquiring about payment. This information gives weight to the theory that Ly Duc Trong is socially engineering his way into affiliate systems.

“bb1web” also notes that the PaySpark account being used to receive payments by the hacker is likely four years old which suggests he has possibly been hacking affiliate accounts undetected for years.

What You Need to Do

There are a few things affiliates need to do in order to secure themselves online and make the efforts of hackers like Ly Duc Trong less fruitful.

All of these safeguards should be followed:

1.    Diversify passwords. The biggest mistake affiliates can make is using the same login and password for all accounts. Affiliates need to protect themselves by using different passwords and logins for each and every affiliate account.

2.    Use secure affiliate programs. There is no replacement for an affiliate program that does their end of the work in preventing hackers by using a secured https login system and dispatching automatic emails when sensitive account info has been updated.

3.    Check income statements. Much of Ly Duc Trong’s success has been built on affiliate apathy towards smaller account balances. Affiliates need to keep an eye on their income and verify that payment methods are correct before requesting distributions. Invest a couple of hours each month into looking over the small details of your income data.

What Affiliate Programs Need to Do

The Ly Duc Trong hacker scandal is a black eye on affiliate programs. Unfortunately, many vulnerabilities on the part of affiliate programs are being exploited through these hacking efforts. He should have never been able to operate as successfully as he has if affiliate programs took the following security measures:

1.    Offer a secured login portal. Sites that use an https login make life vastly more difficult on hackers since data on intercepted transmissions is encrypted. Imagine trying to read a book with every letter on the page scrambled around. It’d be impossible. This is effectively what https does to hacking efforts. All affiliate programs should switch to https. Unfortunately there are many that have failed to do so. Affiliate programs that utilize https include AffActive,Rewards Affiliates and Party Gaming.

2.    Dispatch automatic emails following account changes. There is no excuse for bells and whistles not going off at affiliate program headquarters when an affiliate’s account info suddenly changes to a Vietnamese name and address. Affiliates should receive automatic emails whenever sensitive account information has been changed.

3.    Stop using WebMoney. Affiliate programs need to take WebMoney wallet out as a payment method. It is too easy for scammers to collect money through this service as payments are instant and no ID is required to receive funds.

4.    Educate affiliates. Affiliate programs should view the Ly Duc Trong scandal as an opportunity to educate their affiliates on measures they can take to prevent hackers from being able to do this to someone else.

5.    Search for Ly Duc Trong info. Affiliate managers need to search through their system to see if any accounts have been compromised by Ly Duc Trong. A post on Gaming Portal Webmasters Association by “mickey417″ contains helpful information that affiliate managers should be on the lookout for.

Source: http://www.casinoaffiliateprograms.com/blog/affiliate-account-hacker-update/

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Germany vs. Greece

GDANSK, Poland -- Germany's most prominent fan will be in the stands for the quarterfinal against Greece at the European Championship.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, however, wins no popularity contests among the Greek contingent. So the political dimension of Friday's game only heightens what is already an intriguing match in strictly soccer terms.Germany is a three-time champion. Greece is the surprise winner of the 2004, and the Greeks are still standing again, with an unexpected place in the knockout stages.

It was always our main aim to reach the quarterfinals. So now we have nothing to lose," said defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos, one of the many Greece players with Bundesliga experience. "We are playing against one of the best teams here. All I can say is that we'll fight. If we get the win, that would be a huge result."

Greece has plenty of reason to be thankful to Germany - the 2004 championship team was coached by a German, Otto Rehhagel.

German and Greek officials are trying to play down the politics. Germany, Europe's biggest economy, has been a major contributor to international bailouts for Greece and was instrumental in demanding structural reforms and hugely unpopular spending cuts in return. Greek fans are unlikely to take kindly to Merkel's presence at Gdansk Arena.

"We are playing for our shirt, our flag and for the people back home," midfielder Costas Katsouranis said.

Added Greek forward Dimitris Salpigidis: "I don't think anyone on the team believes this will be our last game at this tournament. People have so many problems in their everyday lives. We're really hoping that we can put a smile on their face."

Gdansk also was also the scene of the first battle of World War II, when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. A German soccer federation delegation laid a wreath Wednesday at a memorial for Poles at the Westerplatte peninsula on the outskirts of the Baltic city.

Germany has two Poland-born players in its squad, Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski, and Polish fans could throw their support behind the Germans. By winning its group, Germany got to stay in Gdansk and was spared having to travel.

Merkel attended Germany's 4-0 rout of Argentina at the 2010 World Cup and saw Germany beat Turkey in Berlin in the most important Euro 2012 qualifier for her team. She has visited the German locker room and briefly spent time with the team in Gdansk before the tournament.

"She seems to bring us luck," midfielder Sami Khedira said.

Germany is the only team to have won all three group games and goes into the quarterfinal as the overwhelming favorite. But the Germans understand the ability of the Greeks."They are a very good team, underestimated by many.

They create few chances but score from them. Technically, they are strong and play well one-on-one," Khedira said.

"It will be tough to crack their defense, but we have the means. We have to be patient, but we also have to be constantly on the move. They will try to disrupt our game and beat us, but they will not succeed."

Added midfielder Thomas Mueller: "We know what we have to do, but it's not going to be a piece of cake."

Greece will be missing playmaker and captain Giorgos Karagounis because of suspension.

There is speculation Germany coach Joachim Loew will return Klose to the starting lineup, although Mario Gomez scored three goals that won matches against Portugal and the Netherlands. Klose, a 34-year-old striker, scored the last time these teams played each other, a World Cup qualifier in 2001.

Six Greece players have either played or still play in the Bundesliga.

Greece has five defeats and three draws in the eight games it has played Germany or the former West Germany."We are not too bothered about statistics. ...

That doesn't really matter," Salpigidis said.

source: newsobserver.com/2012/06/21/2151638/politics-meets-soccer-in-germany.html

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Webb to oversee Czech Republic vs Portugal

England's Howard Webb to oversee Czech Republic vs Portugal on Friday June 22, GMT+8 this was announced by UEFA that Webb was appointed to oversee the match over Czech vs. Portugal.

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images

UEFA has announced the appointments of the match officials for the UEFA EURO 2012 quarter-finals, with English referee Howard Webb taking charge of the opening fixture of the last eight between the Czech Republic and Portugal in Warsaw tomorrow.

On the other hand the Match between Germany and Greece will be referee by Slovenia's Damir Skomina on Saturday June 23 GMT+8:00. Nicola Rizzoli of Italy will handle Spain v France on Saturday in Donetsk. The referee overseeing the last quarter-final between England and Italy in Kyiv on Sunday night will be Pedro Proença of Portugal.

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Shevchenko wants to play 1 last Ukraine match

DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — This wasn't the farewell game he was hoping for, so Andriy Shevchenko wants another one.

The Ukraine captain confirmed his competitive career was over after a 1-0 loss to England on Tuesday, which eliminated his team from the European Championship. However, Shevchenko wants to play one last match for his country to thank his fans for their support throughout his career.

"If it's possible, I will play one more game," Shevchenko said. "It will probably be one of the friendlies. I will ask for the organization of this match." It wasn't a fitting end to his 111-match international career in which he scored 48 goals — more than three times as many as any other Ukrainian player.

Shevchenko didn't start the must-win match for Ukraine because of a left knee injury and came on as a substitute in the 70th minute. Fans chanted "Sheva, Sheva" but he couldn't help the team mount a comeback.

Long before Euro 2012, Shevchenko announced that the tournament would be his last after persistent knee and back problems weighed him down in recent seasons. He is not the predatory striker he was in his heyday when he regularly scored more than 20 goals per season for AC Milan, and he recently said he would not be able to play three full matches a week.

Still, Shevchenko proved to be of great value for Ukraine at Euro 2012, scoring twice in helping the co-host beat Sweden 2-1 in their opening match last week. The 2004 European Football of the Year, who is without a club after his contract at Dynamo Kiev expired, believes the Ukraine team has a fruitful future ahead without him.

"I think there is a time to give the opportunity to the younger players," Shevchenko said. "They have a very good future." The striker said the squad's younger players have gained valuable experience at Euro 2012 — only the second major football tournament in which Ukraine has taken part besides the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

"It will really give them the opportunity to feel stronger and feel they have played at the highest level of European football," Shevchenko said. "I will give them an opportunity to play."

 Source: mail.com/int/sports/soccer/1373048-shevchenko-wants-to-play-1-ukraine-match.html#.1258-stage-set1-2

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UEFA 2012 Updates | Fans take starring role as Ireland bows out

POZNAN, Poland (AP) — Ireland's football fans certainly didn't disappoint, even if Ireland's football team fell far short of expectations at the European Championship.

The Irish lost their third straight match in Group C on Monday, falling to Italy 2-0. But the thousands of green-clad fans provided deafening support once again throughout the match at the Municipal Stadium.

"I have never been so emotional during a national anthem," Italy coach Cesare Prandelli said. "They are a fantastic set of supporters." However dire the team's performances have been, the fans' excellent behavior will be remembered. They broke into a deafening rendition of the traditional folk ballad "The Fields of Athenry" late in the match against Italy and long after the final whistle.

The same earsplitting chorus had been blasted out when Ireland was beaten by Spain 4-0 in Gdansk four days earlier. "In the last three games, the fans have been fantastic," Ireland captain Robbie Keane said. "It is a shame the team didn't perform as well as we can, because if anyone deserves success it is them."

Against Italy, it seemed the supporters were determined to make even more noise than normal despite having nothing to play for but pride. Every decision in Ireland's favor was cheered like a goal, playful boos rang out when Italy had the ball and Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni's name was chanted on several occasions.

"I've never seen anything like it in my life," Italy midfielder Daniele De Rossi said. "It was really emotional." Antonio Cassano's opening goal quieted the Irish briefly and gave the Italian supporters the chance to try a few chants of their own. That lasted about five minutes before normal service was resumed and a chorus of "Come on you boys in green" rang out from the Irish contingent.

Prandelli was so moved he began his news conference with a round of applause for the Irish fans. Always chasing the game against Spain and Croatia, Ireland finally mustered a few moments of danger against Italy. Midfielder Keith Andrews, who was later sent off after receiving a second yellow card, forced Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon into a couple of good saves from long range in the second half.

Defender Richard Dunne also threatened from set pieces and Italy looked nervous in the closing stages until Mario Balotelli's goal. "We will learn from the tournament and learn from the experience," Ireland fullback Stephen Ward said. "We've got to say we came up against three better sides and I think their quality has shone through.

"Every game's felt like a home game. The fans have been unbelievable, no matter what's gone on on the pitch. They are a credit to the country."

article source: mail.com/int/sports/soccer/1371064-fans-take-starring-role-ireland-bows.html#.1258-stage-set1-1

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UEFA EURO 2012 | ITALY VS. IRELAND WHO WILL ADVANCE

UEFA EURO 2012 | ITALY VS. IRELAND WHO WILL ADVANCE? Match starts at 2:45 AM GMT +8:00

Ireland’s 7 losses against Italy are enough to fuel the Irish fire and reclaim their lost honour and glory. Drawing inspiration from Jack Charlton, Ireland is set to grab victory. As a matter of fact, Ireland got the upper-hand during their last three (3) matches. These wins foretell that Ireland shall not be kind to Italy during its EURO matchup this June 19.

Meanwhile, Italy’s Azurri is serious in taking the crown back. The Italian squad is hungry for yet another title. It has been years since they won the EURO Championship title in 1968 and after making two (2) semi-final appearances, Italy would never let Ireland get into their way.

Will Italy make it to the finals or will Ireland put a stop into Italy’s quest for victory?

THE NUMBERS

• Total previous matches: 6
• Italy – 7 Wins
• Republic of Ireland – 2 Wins
• 2 Draw
• Previous EURO Head to Head Matches
• None

Italy must tackle three points in their final Group C match cons of Ireland. Series or lose, Gli Azzurri have to return home. In fact, any win, Italy may not be able to qualify for the quarter-finals. Italy has always followed the Euro or World Cup event since 1992, they have never been absent until now. While Ireland's Euro 2012 is the first event they qualify for the EURO group stage since making his debut in 1988. In 1988, Ireland had beaten England, but they did not qualify from group stage after a series against the Soviet Union and the defeat of theNetherlands.

Italy's record of 11 so far is 7x Irish victory, 2x serial, and 2x less.

Of the six official matches of both teams, Italy won 3 games, 2x serial, 1x and losing.

This is the first time for Ireland's success to the group stage since making his debut at EURO 1988. In 1988, Ireland had beaten England, but they did not qualify from group stage after a series against the Soviet Union and the defeat of the Netherlands.

Italy is currently ranked the 12th FIFA World Ranking, while Ireland was ranked the 18th FIFA World Ranking.

PREVIOUS MATCHES

ITALY	IRELAND
June 14, 2012: Italy 1-1 Croatia (EURO 2012)	June 15, 2012: Spain 4-0 Ireland (EURO 2012)
June 10, 2012: Spain 1-1 Italy (EURO 2012)	June 11, 2012: Ireland 1-3 Croatia (EURO 2012)
June 2, 2012: Italy 0-3 Russia (Friendly Match)	June 5, 2012: Hungary 0-0 Ireland (Friendly Match)
March 1, 2012: Italy 0-1 USA (Friendly Match)	May 26, 2012: Ireland 1-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina (Friendly Match)
November 16, 2011: Italy 0-1 Uruguay (Friendly Match)	March 1, 2012: Ireland 1-1 Czech Rep. (Friendly Match)

POSSIBLE LINEUPS

Buffon

Bonucci - Barzagli - Chiellini

Maggio - Marchisio - Pirlo - De Rossi - Balzaretti

Cassano - Di Natale

Coach: Cesare Prandelli (Italy)

Ireland:

Given

O'Shea - Ledger - Dunne - Ward

Duff - Andrews - Whelan - McGeady

Cox - Keane

Coach: Giovanni Trapattoni (Italy)