A fan shows his dejection after England lose on penalties to Italy at Euro 2012.
A fan shows his dejection after England lose on penalties to Italy at Euro 2012.

Sports update: June 25 - England exit Euro 2012



What now for England following their latest exit via a penalty shoot-out from a major international tournament?  The National's online sports editor Iain Hepburn looks at the implications of the English national side's defeat by Italy, and what Roy Hodgson's squad must do to improve.

Plus, as Wimbledon gets underway in London, we look at the start of tennis' most famous tournament and consider the potential winners in SW19.

You can listen to the update in our audio player below.

If you go

The flights

There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.

The trip

Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.

The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.