When Greece unexpectedly reached the last eight with a 1-0 win over Russia, a day before key elections which saw a narrow victory for pro-Euro party New Democracy, Greek newspapers were quick to link Friday's game with the country's economic turmoil and strained relations with Germany.
CNN: Economic turmoil has 'affected' Greece team at Euro 2012
Meanwhile, the elder sister of Serena Williams, seven-time grand slam winner Venus Williams , played a key role in a 2-1 win for the United States over South Africa in Perth.
Youzhny admitted his win owed much to coming up against an off-key Nadal.
But he added that winning ugly, as they had to in parts in the 23-15 win over England on Saturday, was the key.
Nixon knows a thing or two about fighting back, having played a key role in helping England win a one-day series in Australia after losing the Ashes 5-0.
Because the US election is a state-by-state contest, a presidential candidate must win key battlegrounds like Ohio, Virginia and Florida, which do not reliably vote for either party.
"Hillary is within striking distance of winning the popular vote nationwide -- a key part of our plan to win the nomination, " campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe said in a letter to supporters Sunday.
He made his England debut in the recent 56-8 win over France and looked certain to be a key player in their World Cup campaign if he fit.
Little felt Trinity's five-man defence, which included debutant Idrissa Alassane as one of three centre-backs, was a key part of their first win in eight games.
That gave the DR Congo side the win, despite being hampered by the absence of two key players - top scorer and captain Tresor Mputu Mabi and midfielder Guy Lusadisu.
Shaw was outstanding for the British and Irish Lions against South Africa, producing a brilliant display in the second-Test defeat before playing a key role in their win over the world champions in the third Test.
Sabathia (5-4) matched his season high with 10 strikeouts following two months of a puzzling drop in velocity, and New York got two key bats back Friday night in a 4-1 win over the Boston Red Sox that stopped a season-high, five-game losing streak.
Stand-in skipper Mahela Jayawardene was impressed by Sri Lanka's ability to win without several key players, including Marvan Atapattu and Chaminda Vaas.
Full-backs Tommy Williams and Russell Martin played a key role in Tuesday's win over Newcastle and Ferguson expects more of the same against Blackpool.
If Democrats win control of the House, it will establish Kennedy as a key political player in Congress -- and catapult him to the forefront of his family's next generation of public figures.
CNN: latimes.com: Talking baseball and politics with George W. Bush
Siva and Dieng, who helped the Cardinals win the Big East tournament and advance to the Final Four last season, played key roles Saturday in a 73-57 victory over No. 24 Notre Dame that gave Louisville a share of the regular-season conference title.
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