PORTUGAL coach Luis Felipe Scolari was not happy about Michael Ballack's match-winning goal for Germany against his team in Thursday night's quarter-final. "All the screens and televisions showed that Ballack pushed Ferreira for the third goal but, unfortunately, the referee didn't see it and we stopped," he said. "You can't trust anybody on the field." Scolari takes over as manager of Chelsea, where Ballack plays, after Euro 2008. Pre-season training may be extra torturous for a certain German player.

Bye bye Euro, be mine Estelle

FRANCE coach Raymond Domenech had a unique response to his team's Euro exit after losing to Italy. "I have only one project, which is to marry Estelle," he said in a TV interview after the game. "It's good to tell someone that you love them." Domenech was talking about Estelle Denis, a French TV presenter and mother of his two children, who was unaware of his intention to propose and who has so far kept a dignified silence on whether she has accepted.

A quick word with … GERMANY coach Joachim Low, banned from the touchline for the quarter-final against Portugal, on the facilities in a private box: "UEFA had laid on valerian and aspirin, which surprised me a bit, but we could follow the game completely undisturbed and also did not have to give up our mobiles."

Guus Hiddink watch

DID anyone see something familiar in Guus Hiddink's Russia team's win over Sweden during the week? The fighting spirit? Player mobility? The "total football"? Downplaying success? Australia 2006, anyone?

Player of the week

CROATIA'S Ivan Klasnic. Last year he underwent a kidney transplant. This year, two goals at Euro 2008.

Roberto's hairy old time

IF ITALY coach Roberto Donadoni has a new hairstyle for tomorrow morning's quarter-final against Spain, here's why. "I said I could see hair on my pillow yesterday," he said after Italy beat France. "Now I'm hoping to see it grow back a bit."