Switzerland stuns Spain 1-0 in World Cup

Switzerland pulled off a shocking upset at the World Cup on Wednesday, beating European champion Spain 1-0 on Gelson Fernandes’ second-half goal.

Fernandes clipped the ball into the net in the 52nd minute, ending Spain’s run of 12 straight wins and handing the Spanish team its second loss in 50 games. Spain’s only other defeat during the stretch was to the United States, at the Confederations Cup in South Africa last year.

“Today wasn’t our day,” Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said. “We have two games ahead of us. We have to find a way to win them.”

Spain outshot the Swiss 24-8 and held the ball 63 percent of the time, but could find no way through Switzerland’s determined defense.

It was Switzerland’s first win over Spain.

Eren Derdiyok created Switzerland’s goal by surging through the center of Spain’s defense and rounding Iker Casillas on one of his team’s rare attacks. Gerard Pique’s desperate tackle stopped Derdiyok, but Fernandes was on hand to pounce on the loose ball.

At the final whistle, Fernandes fell to his knees and raised both arms to the sky. The entire team then went to the small section of Swiss fans in the Moses Mabhida Stadium and saluted them as they cheered and rang alpine cow bells.

Derdiyok nearly doubled the Swiss lead in the 75th minute when he shrugged off Carlos Puyol’s tackle and poked the ball past Casillas only to see the shot rebound off the post.

Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso came closest to equalizing when his powerful drive in the 70th minute slammed into the cross bar.

Spain’s misery was compounded when Andres Iniesta was taken out in the 77th minute after a crunching tackle from Stephan Lichtsteiner.

Switzerland was knocked out of the last World Cup on penalties by Ukraine in the round of 16 without conceding a goal in the tournament and has now gone 490 minutes in World Cup play without being scored upon.

Spain was lifted before the kick off by the return of Iniesta, but the Barcelona midfielder could not provide the spark to ignite his country’s attack.

Del Bosque brought on Liverpool striker Fernando Torres in the 62nd minute, but he, too, could find no way through the Swiss wall of defenders.

David Villa was Spain’s most dangerous forward, but the top scorer from the European Championships in 2008 repeatedly saw his efforts blocked or go wide.

Villa got by Lichtsteiner in the 10th minute, but goalkeeper Diego Benaglio dived at his feet to snuff out the chance. Then his free kick deflected wide off the wall after Stephane Grichting pulled down Iniesta just outside the penalty area.

With Spain’s forwards sputtering, it was center back Gerard Pique who came closest to breaking the stalemate when Iniesta’s through ball in the 24th minute set him free and he fired low — only to see Benaglio save the shot.

Villa showed the frustration creeping into Spain’s game when he flung both arms into the air after Iniesta had blazed a shot high over the bar shortly before half time.

Spain and Switzerland were the last teams to play their opening games in the tournament. Chile beat Honduras 1-0 in the day’s other Group H match.

By: MIKE CORDER

Heli-Skiing – A Challenging Sport

Heli-skiing is one of the most challenging sports that tickle that risk-taking explorer in you. This sport involves the risk part of high altitude skiing so if you have enough courage to fight all odds in the high altitude, enjoy Heli-Skiing. The helicopter will drop you at the peak of a snow capped mountain and you can criss-cross the unknown routes and ridges to come down. This thrilling sport is done in a group. Before you start this game make sure the exact height from where you would start skiing, which is the height of the peak from the ground at the starting point. Make sure you are well equipped with the most essential equipments for these extreme sports.

Heli-Skiing expeditions through the glacial regions are very risky due to the presence of avalanche so you should all safety measures to get rid of any potential dangers. Contact the regional information centre or sports associations to get the right weather report. As we all know skiing constancy varies in every mountain range and even in slopes. Always hire a guide or ski instructor, with good knowledge about that skiing area decisions of such guides’ are vital and must be respected. Heli-skiing professional pilots have good knowledge of flying conditions during winters in the mountains. Their experience and knowledge about the weather changes make them alert. So they work in close company with certified skiing guide to make your skiing experience safe.

You should always pre-plan your helicopter skiing trip as the snowy regions accident prone. Always take precautions to get that ultimate heli-skiing experience. Ensure that you have hired certified guides, experienced helicopter pilots, have all the essential medical facilities and all forms of arrangements for emergency backup when you plan for heli-skiing. You will get numerous Heli-Ski Guides that will present you with world class standards and select the vast terrain for you skiers and snowboarders. Opt from the 7 day heli-ski packages and 3 day heli-ski package and enjoy the munificent welcome of the customary mountain lodge professional skiing guides and best team of pilots’ to get world class heliskiing experience.

They have very good communication facility, detailed information of weather forecast and safety equipment to meet all your requirements. Helicopters used in heli-skiing are equipped with a GPS, VHF radio and satellite phone for all time contact with the lodge and ski guides. Other essential equipments here are first aid, oxygen, avalanche survival equipment. The heli-skiing pilots are awfully taught and knowledgeable professionals flying thousands of hours in the regional mountains. Pilots are quite capable to control landing zones at elevated altitude with expertise.

Countries having popular heli-skiing and catskiing spots are Iceland, Canada, USA, Greenland, Alaska, New Zealand, Russia, Sweden, Turkey, Argentina, Norway, Finland, Indian Himalayas, Nepal, Georgia, Chile, and Switzerland. But Canada is the most popular area for heli-skiing. You will have innovation experience in ski mountaineering in the mountain region if you go for providers having a good number of years experience.

By :  Fabiola Groshan

Golf Is A Funny Game

I was chatting with Fred Greene of Golf Smarter the other day and was aware of how often we broke into laughter during the course of our conversation. There are many things which made us laugh, and I am only too aware that my jaw got a great work out!

Both of us are passionate about golf, and both of us have found our way to forming a marriage between our passion and our employment. Golf makes me smile a lot and I can tell that it does the same for Fred.

There are many aspects of golf which I dearly love. It is a friendly game and a wonderful way in which to meet new people. My home is in the Isle of Man; although I’m lucky enough to spend a fair amount of time in California (even though it’s quite a commute!). It was a gentleman (an avid golfer) who lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, who put me in touch with Fred who also lives in California. There are very few games which put people together from all over the world in such an easy and comfortable manner.

Part of what leads to that ease of getting to know someone is the shared passion for the game whilst another part is the amount of time it takes to play a round of golf together with the gentle pace of the game. A further aspect is the fact that you can be almost any age or fitness level and still be able to play golf. And then of course your level of accomplishment doesn’t affect the play of the other people who you are playing with. Golf is pretty much unique in this combination of facts.

Cricket is another game which affords plenty of time to get to know a fellow spectator, as a gentleman pointed out the other day. It provides a great “networking opportunity” as you bond over your shared passion. But you can’t play cricket on your own and your level of ability will affect the overall game. Tennis requires too much energy to leave much time for pleasantries and you again cannot play alone. Can you think of any sport which provides the same opportunities to “connect” that golf does?

Aside from the friends you can make through golf, there are many other things which make it a very special game. I have already mentioned that you can play it alone or with others and level of ability doesn’t cause issues. A far greater thing however is what golf teaches you as a person.

I played yesterday with a friend who passed comment on how much her temperament had altered since she had started to play golf, both on and off the course. She is now a more placid and person; she was always determined. Golf teaches you the mental skills which are necessary in life in general because it provides you with immediate and dramatic feedback upon your thoughts and actions. As you learn to control your emotions and direct your focus more appropriately, these skills can then be put to good use in every other area of your life.

Cause and effect are seen very clearly in golf, as your thoughts control your arms and then the club and ultimately the ball. The impact of your thoughts are therefore illuminated; you can see very clearly what needs a little work or practice. As your control of the golf ball increases, you inevitably grow as a person.

Roseanna Leaton, author of the GolferWithin mind training program which helps you to learn the mental skills necessary for success in golf and life.

Golf is an exceptional game which helps you to grow as a person. Mental skills for golf can be learned easily with golf hypnosis. Every golfer knows that golf mind training is essential to success in this game.

With a degree in psychology and qualifications in hypnotherapy, NLP and sports psychology Roseanna Leaton is one of the leading golf psychologists. Grab a free hypnosis download from http://www.RoseannaLeaton.com, and keep your focus with golf hypnosis and golf mind training.

By: Roseanna Leaton