Serbian ballad Molitva wins Eurovision · 2007-05-14 13:12
Marija Serifovic from Serbia has won the Eurovision Song Contest in Helsinki.
Serifovic's powerful ballad Molitva had been second-favourite with bookmakers in the run-up to the competition.
She scored 268 points, beating Ukrainian drag queen Verka Serdyuchka into second place. Russia was third, Turkey fourth and Bulgaria fifth, BBC informs.
*Eurovision top five*:
1. Serbia (268 points)
2. Ukraine (235)
3. Russia (207)
4. Turkey (163)
5. Bulgaria (157)
Serbia took first place with its first entry as a solo state at the Eurovision, having declared its union with Montenegro defunct last year.
The Eastern European state will now be charged with hosting the event in 2008.
Following her win, Ms Serifovic told reporters "a new chapter has opened for Serbia". "I am so proud. All my success is made by singing."
*Eurovision bottom five*:
20. Spain (43 points)
21. Lithuania (28)
22. France (19)
22. UK (19)
24. Ireland (5)
The competition had been embraced by people in the Finnish capital, which earned the right to stage the event when rock group Lordi won in 2006.
Lordi's song Hard Rock Hallelujah was reprised as the opening number of the show, at Helsinki's largest ice hockey stadium.
Big-screen TVs were erected in the city centre, where fans gathered to watch the ceremony.
Some 350 spin-off events had also been organised as part of Eurovision "fever".
• Sheryl Crow has adopted a boy, born two weeks ago
• "Spider-Man 3" is still number 1
|