London, June 24 : England captain Steven Gerrard has said that he is determined not to suffer more heartbreak at the sharp end of the Euro 2012, having twice missed out on the chance of playing in the quarter-finals of the European Championship before.
Gerrard has sought to rally the Three Lion’s players ahead of their Euro quarterfinal with Italy by insisting that they are entitled to dream of glory after years of near misses.
“Since I made my England debut I’ve dreamed of doing well in these major tournaments. Up to now that hasn’t happened. There’s another chance here to do it and, because of the hurt and pain I’ve been through before, I’m hoping it’ll be different this time,” The Telegraph quoted Gerrad, as saying.
The Liverpool captain, 32, knows that Euro 2012 may be his last chance to make his mark on one of football’s grandest stages.
At Euro 2004, having been substituted, he had to watch from the sidelines as his team-mates were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Portugal. Two years later at the World Cup in Germany, history repeated itself while Gerrard missed his penalty.
“I’m going to give it everything I’ve got to try and make it different. Once you get to this stage of a competition, the quarter-final, and you can see what’s in sight, you start to dream. To lose any quarter-final match hurts so much,” Gerrard said.
“This is a fantastic moment for this team and this group of players. It’s important we grasp it and we don’t go home with any regrets. The only thing we can do is try and play a good level and leave everything out there,” he added. (ANI)
Similar
- Italy’s Balotelli claims he’s ‘more of a man than Peter Pan’
- ‘Mercurial’ Chisora promises to end Haye’s career with ‘worst beating of life’
- Racist Liverpool supporter found guilty of making monkey gestures at Man U star Evra
- Three Lions’ training scuttled by Italian ‘mole’ scampering in stands ahead of Euro clash!
- Hamilton warns fans against expectation of back-to-back wins at European GP
Rio de Janeiro, May 22 : Brazil international winger Osvaldo is reportedly a summer transfer target of Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk and Metalist Kharkiv. 
The Hague, May 22 : Ajax football coach Frank de Boer has agreed to extend his contract until the middle of 2017.
Cambridge, May 22 : British journalist James Fuller has written a biography of former West Indies captain Brian Lara, one of the greatest cricketers of all time. 
New Delhi, May 22 : Coach Stephen Fleming credited his Chennai Super Kings' success to correct team selection and the loyalty the franchise has shown to the players. 
Mumbai, May 15 : India's only motorcycle Grand Prix team resumes battle in France this weekend with high hopes of strong results after a top-10 start for the all-new Mahindra Grand Prix machine. 
Dijon-Prenois (France), May 13 : Indian racing driver Sailesh Bolisetti's second weekend of his 2013 Euro Race Car campaign ended on a disappointing note as he finished 18th and 17th in the two races here.