[diablo_nyc]

MADRID, July 14 (Reuters) - The ball that David Beckham blasted into the stands when he missed a penalty in England's Euro 2004 shootout defeat by Portugal has attracted a bid of over 2.8 million euros on an Internet auction site.
Beckham's wild spot-kick contributed to his side's quarter-final elimination, and collectors have decided it is worth battling for the ultimate memento of an error the England captain would much rather forget.
The Spanish football fan who claimed the trophy when it landed in his arms in Row Q of the Luz stadium in Lisbon decided to put the ball up for sale on the Spanish site of Internet auctioneers eBay (www.es.ebay.com) after a British newspaper offered to buy it for 18,000 euros.
The ball, embossed with the names of the teams, the date and match venue, went on sale on Monday at a starting price of one euro but after 48 hours it had reached an astronomical 2,800,800 euros ($3.46 million).
The auction is open until July 22 and ebay says bids can only be withdrawn in special circumstances.
Pablo Carral, a 25-year-old Deportivo Coruna fan, admitted he could hardly believe his luck when the ball sailed into his hands.
"The incredible thing was that the ball reached us because we were so far from the goal," he said.
((Reporting by Simon Baskett; editing by Ed Osmond; Reuters Messaging: simon.baskett.reuters.com@reuters.net; +34 91 585 2161))
($1=.8100 Euro)