World Player of the Year Ronaldinho says he only thinks about passing the ball to the strikers and not scoring goals when he is playing.

"I don't think about scoring goals but about helping my team to win," the Brazilian ace told France's Le Parisien daily.

"My job consists of making passes to strikers. I concentrate on that."

Ronaldinho said he has thought about the consequences of being eliminated in the quarter-final.

"As I often say: in Brazil, coming second is the same as coming last," he said.

30 million British hopefuls

As many as 30 million people in Britain are expected to watch England take on Portugal for a place in the semi-finals today, with pubs and bookmakers hoping for a sales bonanza.

The BBC said up to 16 million people will tune in at home, with millions more watching captain David Beckham and the team in pubs, clubs and on big screens.

Football fever and sunny weather will lead to a 20 per cent fall in the number of shoppers compared to the same day last year, according to retail research group Footfall. However, booming sales of barbecues, beer and televisions should offer some cheer for supermarkets.

The Met Office forecast fine and mainly sunny weather today with temperatures as high as 30°C in the south of England.

Aragones to stay as Spain coach

Luis Aragones will continue as Spain coach until Euro 2008.

"The (Spanish Football) Federation were pleased with my work and this motivated me to extend my contract," Aragones told a news conference yesterday.

The 67-year-old had hinted he would step down after his team lost 3-1 to France on Tuesday. Before the competition he said he would quit if Spain did not reach the semi-finals.

"What I said before the tournament I would say again in the future but it is the federation who have the final word," said Aragones.

The defeat by France was Aragones's first in 26 matches since taking over from Inaki Saez after Spain's first-round exit at Euro 2004.

Figo makes dreams come true

Portugal captain Luis Figo took time out from training yesterday to make one 10-year-old's dream come true.

For Raquel Rodrigues, born with a condition known as cerebral thrombosis which prevented blood from reaching part of her brain, meeting her soccer hero was something to tell all her friends about.

"He was lovely. He asked me lots of questions and I asked him about his children," she said, wearing a Portuguese shirt.

While Figo can often appear grumpy on the pitch, Raquel insisted that he was all smiles when he showed her around the training camp and introduced her to his team-mates.

Closed roof at the AufSchalke

England will play Portugal under a closed roof at the AufSchalke Arena in Gelsenkirchen today.

Although no inclement weather is expected, FIFA spokesman Markus Siegler said yesterday that the roof at the stadium would be closed for "sporting reasons".

When the roof was closed there for the Group C match between Argentina and Serbia on June 16 the stadium became only the fourth in World Cup history to stage a game "indoors".

Neill for Australia captain

Lucas Neill would be an ideal candidate to captain Australia if current skipper Mark Viduka calls time on his international career, according to assistant Socceroos coach Graham Arnold.

The 28-year-old defender enjoyed an outstanding World Cup in Germany before his stoppage-time foul on Fabio Grosso gave Italy the penalty that earned them a 1-0 victory and a place in the quarter-finals.

"Lucas has become a real leader," Arnold said. "The bigger the game, the bigger Lucas Neill gets. He keeps going to another level."

China rant reborn as ring tone

An over-zealous TV announcer's headline-making rant has become music to the ears of Chinese cellphone users, combining their love for mobile chatter and soccer into a single new accessory.

Chinese fans looking to customise their phones with their favourite pastime can now download Huang Jianxiang's reaction to Italy's victory over Australia as a ringback tone.

"Goooooal! Game over! Italy win! Beat the Australians!... Happy birthday to Maldini! Forza Italia!" Huang screamed as Francesco Totti converted a last-minute penalty to send Italy into the quarter-finals.