Nicola Sansone raced downfield before setting up Zaza, whose

Prior to kick off, few would have given Euro 2016 minnows Iceland a chance against Portugal. The Nordic side, competing in their first ever major competition, are the smallest nation ever to make it to the European Championship finals.But while some might hail their improbable 1-1 draw as a triumph for the underdog, Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo had a different view. In his post-match interview, the Real Madrid forward blamed his sides failure to win on their opponents tactical approach, saying, Iceland didnt try anything, they were just defend, defend, defend and playing on the counter-attack. It was a lucky night for them.They scored a goal, they created two chances in the 90 minutes but otherwise they got every player behind the ball. They put the bus in the net.While no road vehicles actually made it onto the pitch during the game, Ronaldo isnt the only sportsman to use a strange excuse to justify a result, weve picked a few of our favourites from over the years…BOUNCY BALLS Kenny Dalglish blamed Newcastles FA Cup defeat to Stevenage on the ball being too bouncy Kenny Dalglish won the Premier League with Blackburn in 1995, but three years later was struggling to explain how his Newcastle side had only managed a draw against Stevenage in the FA Cup.The Scotsman eventually opted to apportion the blame to the ball, claiming it was too bouncy, an excuse which has become renowned as one of the worst in the sports history.AIR CONDITIONING Mervyn King blamed the air conditioning on his 2003 World Darts Championship defeat to Raymond Van Barneveld Mervyn Kings defeat to Raymond Van Barneveld in the 2003 World Darts Championship, was, the Englishman maintained, due to the air conditioning.Elaborating on his suggestion, King said I asked for it to be turned off before I went up there and it wasnt. I asked for it to be turned off at the break - it wasnt. The air conditioning doesnt affect Raymond because he throws a heavier dart and a very flat dart.Organisers insisted the air conditioning was left off for the duration of the match.WARDROBE MALFUNCTION Sanath Jayasuriya blamed Sri Lankas clothing in 2001 In the wake of their 2001 Champions Trophy loss, the Sri-Lanka cricket team held their kit responsible, alleging that it was too tight.Sanath Jayasuriya said: We had to add extensions to the trousers and the shirts looked more like tight-fitting womens blouses. UNEXPECTED DISTRACTION Ronnie Osullivan was put off by a streaker at the Masters in 1997 Leading 8-4 in the 1997 Masters Snooker final, little, it seemed, could derail 21-year-old Ronnie OSullivans quest to lift the trophy against fellow finalist Steve Davis.However, an unprecedented occurrence had taken place earlier in the match, in the form of Lianne Crofts, who at the start of the third frame became Snookers first-ever streaker.Needing to secure just two more frames to win, OSullivan was allegedly distracted by the incident, despite it taking place 10 frames before. He went on to lose the next six and ultimately the match.I needed to pull something out, fortunately a member of the crowd pulled something out and Ronnies…concentration was affected, Davis later said. THE PARANORMAL Eddy Curry was spooked ahead of a New York Knicks fixture Perhaps the most bizarre explanation on the list, in 2010 the New York Knicks blamed their defeat to Oklahama City Thunder on ghosts.Staying at the Skirvin Hilton, Knicks players claimed they had trouble sleeping, as they were convinced the hotel was haunted.Seven-foot tall centre Eddy Curry said he slept for just two hours on one of the nights of their stay because he couldnt stop thinking about ghosts roaming the hotel. Thunder ran out 106-88 winners. Also See: Sky Bets Premier League odds Sky Bets Transfer Specials Colten Brewer Jersey . According to TSN Edmonton reporter Ryan Rishaug, agent Rick Valette met with Oilers senior VP of hockey operations Scott Howson and general manager Craig MacTavish on Monday to kick off the talks. Dustin Pedroia Jersey .com) - James Harden had 32 points, including a tying layup late in regulation, and the Houston Rockets scored eight of their 13 points in overtime at the foul line to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 117-111 on Friday night. https://www.cheapredsox.com/1411z-david-ortiz-jersey-red-sox.html . The club announced Friday that Mauro Biello will be kept on as an assistant to coach Jesse Marsch when the Impact join the MLS in 2012. Mike Shawaryn Red Sox Jersey .ca! There is plenty of blame to be shared as a result of the most recent NHL player (Pittsburghs Brooks Orpik) to be evacuated from the ice on a stretcher following an ugly incident Saturday night in Boston. Heath Hembree Jersey . -- LeBron James warned the Orlando Magic to stop double-teaming him and ignoring James Jones.SASSUOLO, Italy -- Juventus all but clinched its third successive Serie A title by coming from behind to win 3-1 Monday at relegation-threatened Sassuolo in heavy rain. Antonio Contes side moved eight points ahead of Roma with three rounds remaining. The two sides face each other in the penultimate match of the season, but Juventus is expected to seal the title next week when it plays Atalanta at home, where it has won all 17 of its league matches this season. Juventus also remained on course to become the first Serie A club to reach the 100-point barrier. "We have taken a very important step toward a historic third title," Conte said. "We are having a super season. I hear talk about an out of this world Roma side but we are eight points ahead of them and in the Europa League semifinals. So find adjectives for us." Juventus hosts Benfica on Thursday looking to overturn a 2-1 first leg defeat in their Europa League semifinal. Simone Zaza -- who is co-owned by Juventus -- gave Sassuolo a surprise lead in ninth-minute when he finished off an electric counterattack. Nicola Sansone raced downfield before setting up Zaza, whose efforrt took a slight deflection off Angelo Ogbonna to beat Gianluigi Buffon at the near post.dddddddddddd Juventus levelled in the 35th when Carlos Tevez collected the ball from Claudio Marchisio just outside the area and unleashed a fierce shot, which took a decisive deflection off Alessandro Longhi. It was Tevezs 19th of the season and leaves him two behind Torinos Ciro Immobile, the top scorer in Serie A. Claudio Marchisio fired Juventus ahead in front shortly before the hour mark after a chipped pass from Andrea Pirlo over the Sassuolo defence. And Fernando Llorente sealed the result when he finished off Stephan Lichtsteiners cross with a delightful backheel from close range 14 minutes from time. Contes jubilation after that goal and the whole teams reaction after the match expressed how close they are to the crown. "It wasnt a title celebration at the end because there is still a chance for our pursuers," Conte said. "We have to seal it in the next match, I dont like anticipating things but we took a huge step forward." Sassuolo is only above the relegation zone thanks to its head-to-head record with Bologna. ' ' '