Germany Vs. Spain Euro 2008 Final Match Report

Fernando Torres was the hero for Spain by firing them to Euro 2008 glory against Germany in Vienna - and ending 44 years of underachievement.

Torres struck in the 33rd minute at Ernst Happel Stadion and despite the efforts of Germany skipper Michael Ballack, they held on to their lead to spark wild celebrations in Austria's capital.

Heavyweights in European football who produce a constant stream of individual talents, Spain had not won a major tournament since 1964 but finally shook off their tag of being chokers, not able to cope with the pressure of the highest stage.


They have also been perceived as a nation divided by their regions - the lyrics to their national anthem are not used - but full-back Sergio Ramos had kept mentioning the word "united'' this week, and when Torres secured the Henri Delaunay for them they were just that.

Just shy of his 70th birthday, Luis Aragones will now leave his post as coach, probably for Fenerbahce, as a champion. Vicente del Bosque has been tipped to take over and he will inherit a young squad who have their sights on the World Cup.

While Portugal appeared destabilised by Chelsea announcing Luiz Felipe Scolari as their new coach during these finals, there were no signs of the same happening to Spain following Fenerbahce's statement revealing Aragones as their new boss on the eve of their semi-final.

They finish as the tournament's top goalscorers, helped by Torres who took the Premier League by storm with 33 rookie goals for Liverpool.

He was not on the top of his game for the whole of the tournament, but the 24-year-old stepped into the shoes of David Villa when Spain needed him.

"Viva Espana'' sang their fans before the sangria started flowing.

This was billed as a clash of Germany's efficiency and power versus Spain's fluidity and creativity which were on display as Russia were swept aside in the semi-finals.

Germany's drive came from Ballack, with the Chelsea midfielder passed fit despite carrying a calf injury on the eve of the final.

'Against the odds we will win the trophy', read one headline from a German newspaper on the day of the game - and Ballack was seen as the key to their chances.

They had been inconsistent in the group stages, then stuttered past Turkey after outmuscling Portugal.

Only Ballack's level of performance had been high throughout all of it but he ends the tournament a 'nearly man' again.

Six years ago he missed the World Cup final through suspension just after Bayer Leverkusen missed a trio of chances for silverware.

This season Manchester United pipped him to the Premier League and Champions League - and he finds himself the bridesmaid once more.

Facing Ballack was a Barcelona-bred wall of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas in midfield, with Arsenal's youngster getting his chance following Villa's injury.

But before they were allowed to impose themselves on the game, Germany had already wasted two early chances.

Ramos lost his bearings and gifted a pass straight to Miroslav Klose, whose poor touch let him down as he sped past Carles Puyol - and the opportunity had gone.

Then Thomas Hitzlsperger was teed up on the edge of the area by Klose but could not get purchase on his shot.

Spain started to move through the gears after their double reprieve, never looking back after they were let off the hook.

Their opening chance came after a Xavi pass had split the German defence to find Iniesta on the left. When the cross came over, Christoph Metzelder sliced towards his own goal and Jens Lehmann, the oldest player to feature in a European Championship final, athletically tipped around the post.

The post came to Lehmann's rescue when Torres climbed above Per Mertesacker to meet Ramos' centre - but the Liverpool man was not made to wait long for his goal.

It came 12 minutes before the break when Xavi played the ball beyond Philipp Lahm. The full-back was favourite to clear but Torres used pace and muscle to get around him and chip over Lehmann before celebrating his goal by sucking his thumb.

It could have got worse for Germany had David Silva not volleyed over wildly when found at the far post by Iniesta.

And German fans feared the worst when Ballack was forced off with a cut eye, but he returned after getting the bloodied injury treated twice. He was also booked along with opposing captain Iker Casillas for talking back at the referee.

Spain had chances to make it comfortable after the break, with Lehmann saving from Ramos' header and Iniesta getting a drive cleared off the line.

Their own indiscipline almost cost them when Silva butted his head towards Lukas Podolski - but no card was shown.

Torres was taken off in the 78th minute, with his job already done in waking the sleeping giants of European football.

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Germany Vs. Spain Euro 2008 Final HIghlights Video Clips

Germany 0 - 1 Spain
half-time (0 - 1)

referee :
Roberto Rosetti (Italy)
match details :
33' [0 - 1] F. Torres

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Germany Vs Spain Match Preview

VIENNA, June 27 (Reuters) - Spain can end a 44-year wait to be crowned European champions if they reproduce the same form in Sunday's final against Germany that they showed to beat Russia 3-0 in the semi-final on Thursday.

Germany, in contrast, will have to play far better than they did in their 3-2 semi-final win over Turkey in Basel on Wednesday if they are to win the title for the fourth time.

Despite that dip in form against the Turks, Germany were outstanding in their quarter-final victory over Portugal and a double over the Iberian countries would give them the European crown for the first time since 1996.

An outstanding tournament has produced two worthy finalists at the Ernst Happel stadium who should cap three glorious weeks of soccer with a fitting finale.

Germany coach Joachim Loew said his team would be able to enjoy the final after playing through the pressure of two knockout rounds in Basel.

'The pressure we've been under is now off to a certain extent,' Loew said at a news conference on Thursday.

'We're in the final now and we have a lot to win on Sunday.'

He said, though, that the six-day gap without a match between their quarter and semi-finals deprived them of their momentum.

'I think it's better when you play every three or four days. The long break before the Turkey game didn't do us any good,' he admitted.

Loew is likely to stick with the 4-5-1 formation that served them so well against Portugal and, in the end, saw them sneak home against Turkey.

The one difference in the side is likely to be the return of Torsten Frings, who missed the Portugal game after cracking a rib in the team's final Group B game against Austria and had to be content with a substitute's role against Turkey.

Frings did well when coming on for the second half against the Turks when he replaced the injured Simon Rolfes.

There will be key battles all over the field, but the most fascinating will be in midfield between Germany captain Michael Ballack and Spain's Cesc Fabregas, who is expected to start because David Villa is likely to miss out with a foot injury.

'We've made it and now everybody is expecting us to do something big,' Fabregas said after Spain beat Russia.

Spanish coach Luis Aragones, who turns 70 next month and was the oldest of the 16 coaches that began the tournament, will be taking charge of Spain for the last time on Sunday.

It will be Spain's first final since losing to France in Paris in the 1984 European Championship.

Despite decades of producing great players, Spain's only major tournament victory came at the 1964 European Championship when they beat Russia's predecessors, the Soviet Union, in the final in Madrid.

Germany will also be hoping to end an odd sequence that has seen them win and lose finals alternately. After winning in 1972, they lost in 1976, before winning again in 1980, losing in 1992 and winning again in 1996.

Despite those defeats, their impressive overall major tournament history is a powerful motivating factor for them, as is Spain's for Aragones's men -- for very different reasons.

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Russia Vs. Spain Match Report

VIENNA, June 26 (Reuters) - Spain reached the European Championship final for the first time in 24 years on Thursday with a convincing 3-0 win over Russia to set up a meeting with Germany in Sunday's Euro 2008 decider.

Xavi scored with a superbly taken opportunist volley at a rainswept Ernst Happel Stadium to give Spain a deserved 1-0 lead after 50 minutes and substitute Daniel Guiza made no mistake when he beat the offside trap to make it 2-0 after 73 minutes.

Cesc Fabregas set up David Silva to make it 3-0 eight minutes from time.

The breakthrough in an absorbing match came five minutes into the second half when Andres Iniesta cut in from the left and found Xavi who had lost his markers.

He took his chance brilliantly to put Spain ahead and on the way to their first final since they lost to France in 1984.

Guiza replaced Fernando Torres up front after 69 minutes and took only four minutes to strike after being set up by midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who had a huge influence after replacing the injured David Villa after 35 minutes.

Spain, who stretched their unbeaten run to 21 matches, will be attempting to be crowned European champions for the first time since their only success in 1964.

Germany, who reached the final on Wednesday by beating Turkey 3-2, will be aiming for their fourth continental triumph.

Spain beat Russia 4-1 in the group stage two weeks ago and were the better side again on Thursday, totally deserving their triumph because their midfield dominated and created plenty of chances for the front men.

Russia, who improved enormously after that opening loss to Spain, never found the rhythm and verve that had seen off Netherlands in the quarter-final and Andrei Arshavin, the inspiration behind their revival, had a largely anonymous game.

Both teams made a lively start in the pouring rain with Spain creating the first two chances. Torres turned and shot straight at Igor Akinfeyev after six minutes and Villa forced the keeper into a good save five minutes later.

Russia's first serious chance came after 16 minutes when Roman Pavlyuchenko blasted a free kick just over Iker Casillas's bar. He also went close with a long-range shot after 31 minutes. However, the second half belonged to triumphant Spain.

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Russia Vs. Spain Highlights Video Clip

Russia 0 - 3 Spain

half-time (0 - 0)
referee : spectators :

Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium) 52,000

match details :

50' [0 - 1] X. Hernandez
73' [0 - 2] D. Guiza
83' [0 - 3] D.J. Silva

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Germany Vs. Turkey Highlights Video Clip

Germany 1 - 1 Turkey
half-time (1 - 1)

referee :
Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)
match details :
22' [0 - 1] U. Boral
26' B. Schweinsteiger [1 - 1]
79' M. Klose [2 - 1]
86' [2 - 2] S. Sentürk
90' P. Lahm [3 - 2]

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Spain Vs. Italy Highlights Video Clip

Spain * 0 - 0 Italy
half-time (0 - 0)
penalty shoot-out (4 - 2)

referee : spectators :
Herbert Fandel (Germany) 51,428
match details :
penalty shoot-out :
D. Villa [1 - 1] F. Grosso
S. Cazorla [2 - 1] D.D. Rossi
M. Senna [3 - 2] M. Camoranesi
D. Guiza [3 - 2] A.D. Natale
C. Fabregas [4 - 2]
READ MATCH REPORT...

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Spain Vs. Italy Match Report

VIENNA, June 22 (Reuters) - Spain beat Italy 4-2 in a penalty shootout after a highly tactical Euro 2008 clash on Sunday to set them up with a semi-final against Russia.

Cesc Fabregas coolly slotted home the decisive penalty after goalkeeper Iker Casillas had saved two of Italy's spot kicks.

The match had ended goalless after extra time following 120 minutes in which both defences were too well-organised to break down despite the determine efforts of both strike forces.

It is the first time Spain have reached the semi-finals of a major tournament since they got to the final of the European championships in 1984.

They are the only one of the group winners to make it to the final four after Portugal, Croatia and Netherlands were knocked out of the tournament.

The match at the Ernst Happel stadium was an eagerly anticipated affair, but it developed into a cagey encounter with Spain frustrated by an Italy side who have rediscovered their defensive solidity after a shaky start to the tournament.

As expected Spain quickly got control of the ball and midfielders Xavi and Andres Iniesta set about probing for gaps in the Italian back four, but they got little change out of centre backs Giorgio Chiellini and Christian Panucci.

David Silva managed to break through but his shot deflected off a defender and ballooned into the hands of goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, while Fernando Torres lashed over the bar after being put clear by David Villa.

The first time Buffon was really tested came when Villa fired in a low free kick after 25 minutes, while Silva then drove two shots past the post late on in the half.

The Italian threat was largely confined to set pieces with Daniele De Rossi and Antonio Cassano searching out Luca Toni with lofted crosses into the area but the big striker never managed to get a clean header.

Italy were missing defensive midfielder Gennaro Gattuso through suspension but the inexperienced Alberto Aquilani did a fine job in helping shackle Spain's creative players.

Spain continued to have the better of the game after the break but although they managed to get past the Italian fullbacks they were unable to threaten the goal.

Coach Luis Aragones threw Cesc Fabregas and Santi Cazorla into the mix just before the hour to try and shake things up in the midfield.

But it was Italy substitute Mauro Camoranesi who almost gave Italy the lead moments later, his fierce close-range shot brilliantly saved by Iker Casillas with his feet after a goalmouth scramble.

Midfielder Marcos Senna almost snatched it for Spain nine minutes from time when Buffon fumbled his powerful long-range drive although the keeper was able to gather the ball after it rolled on to the post.

But neither team could break the deadlock and it became the third quarter-final to go to extra time.

The lively Silva went close again with another crisp drive and Italy striker Antonio Di Natale forced a fine finger-tip save from Casillas soon after but with both sides refusing to take too many risks it took spot kicks to separate them.

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Spain Vs. Italy Match Preview

VIENNA, June 21 (Reuters) - Italy go into Sunday's Euro 2008 quarter-final against Spain knowing that their group stage form has made the world champions look like underdogs.

Spain go into the Vienna match on a roll, looking to extend their unbeaten run to 20 games after winning all three group matches - albeit with decreasing authority - and with their first team raring to go after a week's rest.

In contrast, 2006 World Cup winners Italy limped over the line having been on the brink of an early exit against Romania after their introductory 3-0 thrashing by Netherlands.

But that all counts for nothing now as, apart from a couple of Italy suspensions, the teams start again with a clean slate.

Spain certainly will not be making any assumptions after so often looking the business in the group stage only to quickly fall away in the knockout rounds.

'This team have learned a lot since the World Cup,' said midfielder Xabi Alonso in reference to their charge through the early stages in 2006 that ended abruptly with defeat by France.

'We were a young side then and now we know what these competitions are like.'

A team tagged as 'perennial under-achievers' have looked good so far. Their neat-passing midfielders have created chance after chance for strikers David Villa and Fernando Torres, who took plenty of them in a 4-1 win over Russia and a last-gasp 2-1 success against Sweden.

The reserves then stepped in to beat Greece 2-1 in their final game.

Italy, who rounded off the group stage with a 2-0 win over France, make something of a habit of starting slowly but coming to the boil when it really matters.

Like Germany, who shrugged off a group stage defeat by Croatia to beat Group A winners Portugal on Thursday, Italy will wipe from their minds that Dutch drubbing and the Romania draw, when only Gianluigi Buffon's late penalty save kept them in the tournament.

Their pedigree demands that they reach the knockout stages and, unlike the nervous Spaniards who get nose bleeds at the mere mention of the last four, once there they settle comfortably and plan for the final.

The tough route in, however, has cost them heavily with suspensions for midfielders Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo.

Experienced pair Massimo Ambrosini and Mauro Camoranesi should replace them and though neither has the relentless destructive appetite of Gattuso nor the class of Pirlo they are both more ambitious in getting forward.

Antonio Cassano is likely to start alongside Luca Toni up front but though it is not a pairing to strike fear into the heart of a top international defence, Toni does carry an aerial threat against a relatively small Spanish back four.

Italy's defence has sorely missed injured captain Fabio Cannavaro, for his organisation as much as his talent.

On Sunday, their reshuffled, makeshift rearguard will have be 100 per cent concentrated to deal with the movement and probing runs of Spain's midfield and attack.

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Netherland Vs. Russia Match Report

Dmitri Torbinski and Andrei Arshavin scored in the second half of extra time as Russia powered into the semi-finals of Euro 2008 with a deserved victory over Holland in Basle.

Ruud van Nistelrooy had taken the match into the added period, cancelling out Roman Pavlyuchenko's 56th-minute opener with a stooping header four minutes before the end of normal time.

But Russia's energy levels proved decisive and after Torbinski had poked home a finish in the 112th minute, the lively Arshavin made Russia's qualification safe with a third four minutes later.

Russia's Dutch coach Guus Hiddink risks being public enemy number one in his homeland after pulling off his latest masterstroke to eliminate the team who were tournament favourites after emphatic wins over continental heavyweights Italy and France in the 'Group of Death'.

They now face a semi-final against either Spain or Italy in Vienna on Thursday, and become the third pool runners-up to qualify for the last four.

Prior to the match former Holland coach Hiddink had shrugged off fears of being labelled a 'traitor' back home.

Instead, he urged his players to go out and enjoy themselves in the biggest match of their lives, and they did just that.

They had their opponents rattled early on, Hiddink's tactics smothering Dutch playmakers Rafael van der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder.

Yuri Zhirkov's free-kick drew a smart save out of Edwin van der Sar and Pavlyuchenko heading wastefully over when free eight yards out.

The Dutch fans, who again dominated the majority of the stadium as they had the city centre all day, were suddenly subdued.

Holland improved slightly and midway through the first half Orlando Engelaar fired just wide and Van Nistelrooy somehow failed to get on the end of Van der Vaart's swinging free-kick.

Russia remained dangerous and centre-back Denis Kolodin almost put them ahead with his first rasping drive tipped over by Van der Sar and another - again from 35 yards - just clearing the crossbar.

Van der Sar was working overtime and pushed away Arshavin's curling shot with his fingertips before the interval.

With Arjen Robben carrying a slight groin strain Holland coach Marco van Basten sent on Robin van Persie for the second half and the Arsenal forward volleyed just off target within seconds of coming on.

Van Persie was then cautioned for use of the elbow but worse was to follow for the Dutch when Pavlyuchenko broke the deadlock.

Sergei Semak burst down the left and crossed low for the Spartak Moscow striker to sidefoot home a left-footed volley.

Holland were behind for the first time in the tournament and their title credentials were being firmly put to the test.

Van Persie was still plugging away though, driving a shot over, heading Van der Vaart's corner wide and then spooning a free-kick over after Kolodin was booked for fouling Van Nistelrooy - a caution which rules the defender out of the semi-final.

In a tense last 10 minutes substitute Torbinski should have wrapped it up for Russia but did not connect properly with Zhirkov's lay-off, who may have been better off shooting instead.

And they were made to pay when Van Nistelrooy took the game into extra time by heading home Sneijder's free-kick at the far post from close range in the 86th minute.

With seconds left in stoppage time Kolodin thought he had received his second yellow card for bringing down Sneijder but the assistant referee spared the 26-year-old by signalling the ball had earlier gone out of play.

In extra time Arshavin shot wastefully over and Pavlyuchenko struck the crossbar with a fierce effort from the angle.

Russia's superior fitness began to tell but Torbinski's close-range effort was weak with just Van der Sar to beat in the 98th minute.

The second period was a similar story with the Russians swarming all over the Dutch but they could not find the cutting edge until Torbinski tapped home Arshavin's deft far-post cross.

Arshavin then scored the crucial third by turning his marker and slipping home a deflected shot through Van der Sar's legs.

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Netherland Vs. Russia Highlights Video Clips

Holland 1 - 3 Russia
half-time (0 - 0)

referee :
Lubos Michel (Slovakia)
match details :
56' [0 - 1] R. Pavlyuchenko
86' R.v. Nistelrooy [1 - 1]
112' [1 - 2] D. Torbinski
116' [1 - 3] A. Arshavin

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Netherland Vs. Russia Match Preview

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, June 20 (Reuters) - For Guus Hiddink and Marco van Basten 1988 figures prominently as the year when the two men, whose teams meet in Saturday's Euro 2008 quarter-finals, were in the full glare of the media spotlight.

Hiddink, 61, has steered unfancied Russia into the last eight after they recovered from a thrashing by Spain while the 43-year-old Van Basten's exciting Dutch side overwhelmed Italy and France to clinch a place in the quarters.

The pair, whose paths have rarely crossed over the years, will come face-to-face as coaches for the second time at the St Jakob Park stadium in Basel, with a place among the best four teams in Europe at stake.

The only other time Hiddink and Van Basten have been in opposite dugouts was for a warm-up match in Rotterdam ahead of the 2006 World Cup when the elder statesman was Australia coach and his team recovered to draw 1-1 with the Dutch.

Back in 1988 Hiddink had coached PSV Eindhoven to a domestic double before they completed a treble by winning the European Cup with a penalty shootout victory over Benfica in Stuttgart.

Nearly a month later in Munich, Netherlands striker Van Basten superbly volleyed a cross from Arnold Muhren over Soviet Union keeper Rinat Dasayev to seal a 2-0 win that captured the European Championship - their first and only major trophy.

For Hiddink, PSV's success was the start of an impressive career as a coach that took him to clubs such as Fenerbahce, Valencia and Real Madrid before he accepted his first invitation to become a national manager with Netherlands in 1995.

That was the year Van Basten, then aged 30, was forced to retire with a wrecked ankle after a successful eight-year spell at AC Milan had brought him a haul of silverware.

Van Basten stepped away from the game while Hiddink established himself by guiding the Dutch and South Korea to the World Cup semi-finals in 1998 and 2002 respectively.

After his Korean adventure, where he became a national treasure, Hiddink returned to PSV for a four-year spell and won more domestic titles including another double.

In 2003, Van Basten returned to football as a coach with Ajax Amsterdam's reserves.

A year later he was named Netherlands coach on a four-year contract to succeed Dick Advocaat and made clear from the start that his mission was to win the European title in 2008.

Hiddink, by now with Australia, and Van Basten saw their teams knocked out in the last 16 at the 2006 World Cup after which the former accepted the Russia manager's job.

The Dutch struggled with their style of play in the qualifying campaign for Euro 2008 but Van Basten fixed the problem in time for them to shine at the tournament.

Hiddink, meanwhile, lived up to his nickname 'Lucky Guus' to qualify Russia ahead of England for the finals where he made a poor start but used all his experience to get back on track.

When they lead their teams out on June 21 it will be exactly 20 years to the day since Netherlands celebrated a famous 2-1 semi-final victory over West Germany in Hamburg at Euro 1988 that finally avenged the World Cup final defeat of 1974.

Hiddink would have watched compatriot Van Basten with pride when he grabbed the winner two minutes from time as the Dutch came from behind to beat their old rivals. On Saturday, though, he will be hoping his compatriot's magic touch deserts him.

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Turkey Vs. Croatia Match Report

Turkey left it late again to record victory, with a dramatic penalty-shoot out success after an equaliser in injury time of extra-time at Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium left Croatia defeated and took Fatih Terim's side into the Euro 2008 semi-final.

Turkey won in even more stunning circumstances than against Czech Republic in their final group game, having looked dead and buried after Croatia's Ivan Klasnic had broken 119 minutes of goalless action.

Croatia boss Slaven Bilic had run down the touchline in celebration but there was more to come in a remarkable finale - Semih Senturk rifling into the top corner to force penalties.

After Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic went wide with their spot-kicks, Rustu Recber saved from Mladen Petric to set up a fixture in Basle against Germany next week.

It also came against the odds as injuries and suspension left Terim with just 15 outfield players and eight of his starting XI on a yellow card.

Victory came at a cost as Tuncay Sanli, Arda Turan and Emre Asik will be banned for the semi-final after picking up yellow cards. Nihat Kahveci also appeared to pick up a groin strain.

That will not matter, however, to the Turkish quarter in Vienna who were sent into wild celebration when Rustu saved Petric's kick.

Known as "The Emperor'', Terim now has a chance of eclipsing the deeds of 2002 when Turkey reached the semi-finals of the World Cup.

The destroyers of England in qualifying, Croatia were undone by a stubborn Turkish performance. On the day Steve McClaren got back into management after losing his England job following defeat to Croatia, Bilic's dream finally ended.

This was despite a promising start.

Turkey had reached the last eight with back-to-back comebacks, against Switzerland then famously against the Czechs - and they looked in danger of falling behind early to Bilic's men.

It had been a week of turmoil for the Turks, with their coach Terim accused of courting a move back to Italy's Serie A, then their victory over the Czechs leading to a youngster injured when shots were fired in the air.

On the pitch, they were hit by injuries and suspensions, and Croatia almost took advantage of unfamiliarity in the Turkish defence early on.

Veteran goalkeeper Rustu, deputising for Volkan Demirel, failed to clear his lines and Rakitic raced down the left to cross for Darijo Srna - only for Hakan Balta to scramble clear when an open goal beckoned.

Turkey squeezed the midfield but Modric managed to find time on the ball to orchestrate Croatia's attacks.

It was Tottenham's new signing who crossed to the far post in the 19th minute, with Ivica Olic thudding the crossbar when he had most of Rustu's goal to aim for. The finish span to Niko Kranjcar but the Portsmouth midfielder could not tame the ball with his head.

Jeers during the national anthems and a ring of stewards around the pitch hinted at the rivalry between fans, while Tuncay's elbow on Niko Kovac suggested it between the players.

It earned Tuncay a yellow card and a one-match suspension, and he was furious again with Roberto Rosetti when the Italian referee turned down a penalty appeal after Josip Simunic appeared to impede him in the area.

Turkey got even closer to Stipe Pletikosa's goal when Mehmet Topal grazed the post with a powerful 35-yard drive seven minutes before the break.

After the restart Arda joined Tuncay in the referee's book, also earning him a ban.

And just like the first half, Croatia almost pounced on Rustu's hesitancy. Failing to collect a long ball, Olic beat him to the ball but did not get power on his header.

Rustu was down sharply, however, when Modric released Kranjcar and the midfielder poked towards goal.

Turkey went for a change in attack, replacing London-born Colin Kazim-Richards with Ugur Boral, while Kranjcar went off for Petric as Bilic made his move.

Just after the substitutes were made, Rakitic fired over from a promising position after exchanging passes with Olic. Olic then just headed over when he met a hanging cross.

Srna's free-kick was tipped over by Rustu and when the veteran blocked another effort from Olic, extra-time was inevitable.

Klasnic thought he had won it when he headed in Modric's cross after more Rustu hesitation in the 119th minute, but when Semih found the top corner with a deflected drive, the drama of penalties unfolded.

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Turkey Vs. Croatia Highlights Video Clips

Croatia 1 - 1 Turkey
half-time (0 - 0)
penalty shoot-out (0 - 0)

referee :
Roberto Rosetti (Italy)
match details :
27' T. Sanli
49' A. Turan
89' U. Boral
108' E. Asik
119' I. Klasnic [1 - 0]
120' [1 - 1] S. Sentürk

penalty shoot-out :
L. Modric [0 - 1] A. Turan
D. Srna [1 - 2] S. Sentürk
I. Rakitic [1 - 3] H. Altintop
M. Petric [1 - 3]

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Portugal Vs. Germany Match Report

All eyes may have been on Cristiano Ronaldo but it was his opposite number seven Bastian Schweinsteiger who stole the show to book Germany's place in the Euro 2008 semi-finals and dump Portugal out.

Bayern Munich star Schweinsteiger scored one and set up two more - for Miroslav Klose and Michael Ballack - to render Nuno Gomes' effort at the end of the first half and substitute Helder Postiga's goal towards full-time little more than consolations.

The result sees Germany, who only clinched their spot in the quarter-finals with a 1-0 win over Austria on Monday, advance to a last-four clash with either Croatia or Turkey next Wednesday.

It also brings Luiz Felipe Scolari's five-year reign as Portugal coach to an inglorious end before he heads off to become Chelsea manager on July 1.

Joachim Low, unable to sit in the Germany dugout due to the one-match ban imposed following his touchline bust-up with Austria coach Josef Hickersberger in the last group match, made three changes to his starting XI.

Schweinsteiger - back after suspension - Thomas Hitzlsperger and Simon Rolfes came into the line-up with Clemens Fritz, Mario Gomez and rib injury victim Torsten Frings missing out.

Scolari stuck to his pre-match word and named the same starting XI which beat the Czech Republic and Turkey to win Group A for this match on the newly-laid turf at Basle's St Jakob-Park.

Low's team, under the temporary guidance of his assistant Hans-Dieter Flick, controlled the tempo and bossed the possession in the early stages.

Hitzlsperger had the first shot with a ninth-minute free-kick but Deco blocked it, and the Stuttgart midfielder lashed another left-footed effort goalwards moments later which rippled Ricardo's side-netting.

Simao made Jens Lehmann work for the first time just before the quarter-hour mark when he found himself well placed on the right-hand side of the area following good build-up play from Pepe and Deco, but the former Arsenal stopper was equal to the Atletico Madrid winger's effort.

Gomes then looked to put Cristiano Ronaldo through but Arne Friedrich got across swiftly at the expense of a corner.

Jose Bosingwa fired in a cross from the left towards Joao Moutinho but it arrived at an awkward height for the Sporting Lisbon midfielder, who ended up diverting the ball over the bar with his thigh.

That miss proved costly as shortly afterwards the Germans forged ahead.

Podolski, who had been doubtful with a calf injury, burst down the left and sent in a dangerous low cross which Schweinsteiger tapped home at the near post in the 22nd minute.

Four minutes later, Germany doubled their advantage when man of the match Schweinsteiger floated in a free-kick and Klose glanced a tidy header past Ricardo.

Portugal then suffered a further blow when Moutinho hobbled off with a knee injury, to be replaced by Raul Meireles.

Ronaldo and Simao combined well just after the half-hour to force Per Mertesacker into a scrambled clearance, but the initially shell-shocked Portuguese were beginning to find their feet again.

Gomes picked a fine time to bag his first goal of the tournament to halve the deficit in the 40th minute, reacting first to fire into the bottom-left corner via the right boot of Christoph Metzelder after Lehmann had parried a Ronaldo blast.

Germany almost immediately restored their two-goal cushion when Ballack cut in well from the left onto his right foot, but Ricardo got down well at his near post to save.

Ronaldo then had an opportunity to level matters in first-half stoppage time, only to see his effort drift just wide of Lehmann's right-hand upright.

Friedrich and Philipp Lahm were both shown yellow cards in the opening minutes of the second half for lunges on Ronaldo and Simao respectively.

Hitzlsperger had a sight of goal five minutes after the restart but lashed his left-footed strike wildly over the top.

Pepe then passed up a great chance to restore parity when he headed over in the 57th minute after Deco had flicked on a corner.

Once again, the Portuguese immediately paid for their profligacy when Ballack met Schweinsteiger's free-kick from the left and - with the help of a shove in the back of his Chelsea team-mate Paulo Ferreira - made space to head past Ricardo.

Scolari threw attackers Nani and Postiga into the fray in a bid to turn the match around, but the Portuguese were struggling to test Lehmann.

Podolski almost made it 4-1 12 minutes from time when his fierce long-range drive whizzed just past the right-hand post with Ricardo merely an onlooker.

Nani then set up fellow substitute Postiga to head home a second and give Portugal hope.

But there was to be no grand finale for Portugal and Scolari, as Germany - even without their coach on the touchline - held on.

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Croatia Vs. Turkey Match Preview

VIENNA, June 19 (Reuters) - It is time to stop talking about Croatia as the dark horses of Euro 2008 and instead recognise they are in Friday's quarter-final against Turkey on merit and fully capable of going all the way in the tournament.

Indeed, it would be more of a shock if the 1998 World Cup semi-finalists did not progress against a battered, bruised but not yet broken Turkish side in Vienna (1845 GMT).

Croatia did raise some eyebrows when they reached the last eight at Euro 96 only four years after coming into existence and it was certainly a stunning upset when they beat Germany 3-0 in the World Cup quarter-finals two years later.

But they are regulars at major tournaments now and come into Euro 2008 having topped their qualifying group ahead of Russia after seeing off England with home and away victories.

Once here they collected maximum points from their group after another win over the Germans to take top spot in Group B and earn their shot at the Turks, who snatched second spot in Group A with a stunning 3-2 comeback win over Czech Republic.

While reaching the quarter-finals in England 12 years ago was cause for celebration in the new country, coach Slaven Bilic, a player then, considers that the minimum expectation these days.

'We don't see ourselves as a revelation any more, although some people perhaps still do,' he said. 'In our own eyes, we haven't achieved anything spectacular by reaching the last eight because that was our primary objective before the tournament started.'

Poland's experienced Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker, whose team were eased aside 1-0 by Croatia's second-string in their final group game, always predicted that Bilic's team would top the section and thinks they can go further.

'They have a lot of talent and if they can act as a team and not fall back to individuals showing how good they are, and I think Bilic will make them play like a real team, then they will be very dangerous for anyone,' Beenhakker said.

Bilic rested nine first-choice players in that game and is expected to recall them all on Friday, though Ivan Klasnic, who scored and was impressive against Poland, could start up front.

Turkey, World Cup semi-finalists themselves six years ago, have it all to do after giving so much, physically and mentally, against the Czechs.

Injuries and suspensions have taken seven players out of consideration and, despite some brave talk, there does not appear to be the depth in the squad to cover such a loss.

Goalkeeper Volkan Demirel is banned after his red card against the Czechs, meaning a recall for former number one Rustu Recber, while midfielder Mehmet Aurelio is also suspended.

Despite the problems, however, their terrific late fightback in the Czech game has given the whole squad a massive dose of self-confidence.

'Our biggest advantage is that we never give up.' said coach Fatih Terim.

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Portugal Vs. Germany Highlights Video Clips

Portugal 2 - 3 Germany
half-time (1 - 2)

referee :
Peter Fröjdfeldt (Sweden)
match details :
22' [0 - 1] B. Schweinsteiger
26' Petit [0 - 2] M. Klose
40' N. Gomes [1 - 2]
61' [1 - 3] M. Ballack
87' H. Postiga [2 - 3]

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Portugal Vs. Germany Match Preview

TENERO, Switzerland, June 18 (Reuters) - Portugal have had a wary eye on Germany since Euro 2008 began but their meeting in Thursday's quarter-final in Basel could not have come at a better time for Luiz Felipe Scolari's side.

Portugal have effectively had a week's rest since qualifying with two wins against Turkey and the Czech Republic.

While Scolari had the luxury of changing his entire midfield and attack against Switzerland, in an irrelevant match they lost 2-0, Germany were scrapping for their lives to beat co-hosts Austria 1-0 and go through as Group B runners-up behind Croatia.

Germany are now counting the cost of those Monday night exertions, with top scorer Lukas Podolski, who has a calf injury, and Torsten Frings, who has broken a rib, fighting to be fit in time for the match on a re-laid pitch at St Jakob Park.

German coach Joachim Loew will trust the step-up in class can inspire his team to reproduce the form of a 2-0 win over Poland rather than the inept display in a 2-1 defeat by Croatia.

'Tactically, I've seen no one better than Germany,' Scolari said after their win over Poland.

If Germany are to make progress towards what would be a fourth European Championship they will need their forwards to show greater sharpness in front of goal, while the defence keeps the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo under close watch.

Germany's last meeting with Portugal in the European Championship was a humiliating 3-0 defeat in the group phase in 2000 but they did get a measure of revenge with a 3-1 victory in the third-placed match at the last World Cup.

Bastian Schweinsteiger scored twice in that game and Loew hinted that the midfielder would be in the starting line-up on Thursday, after sitting out the Austria game through suspension.

The hope in the German camp is that Portugal will play a more adventurous game than any of their previous opponents, thus giving them the chance to attack on the break.

That seems a safe bet, with Portugal's forwards looking a constant danger in their two wins, 2-0 against Turkey and 3-1 over the Czechs.

'We have had two very good second halves,' said Scolari, who is likely to field the same team that started the first two games. 'Principally we have played football. We've worked with the ball. That is our quality.'

With Portugal determined to play the ball around and Germany eager to launch swift breaks, it has the makings of an excellent match, with the Portuguese looking slight favourites.

'For me being favourites doesn't count,' Ronaldo said ahead of the match. 'I just hope Portugal can play their best game.'

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Euro 2008 Group D Standing

			Overall
			GP	W	D	L	GS	GA		GD	P
1		Spain	3	3	0	0	8	3		5	9
2		Russia	3	2	0	1	4	4		0	6
3		Sweden	3	1	0	2	3	4		-1	3
4		Greece	3	0	0	3	1	5		-4	0

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Russia Vs. Sweden Match Report

INNSBRUCK, June 18 (Reuters) - Russia produced their best performance of Euro 2008 just when it was most needed on Wednesday, beating Sweden 2-0 to snatch second place in Group D and earn a quarter-final meeting with Netherlands.

Russia, who had never beaten Sweden in their five previous meetings spanning 95 years, had to win to progress while a draw would have been enough for the Scandinavians to advance.

But there was only one team in it from the start as brilliantly-worked goals by Roman Pavlyuchenko and Andrei Arshavin sent the Russians into the knockout phase of a major tournament for the first time since, as the USSR, they lost to the Dutch in the final of Euro 1988.

The inclusion of Arshavin, suspended for the first two games, seemed to give Russia a massive injection of self-belief and they were unrecognisable from the side who laboured to victory over Greece and were thumped by Spain.

His direct running and some confident, slick passing in and around the box had Sweden hanging on from the opening exchanges.

Yuri Zhirkov sounded a warning when he drove a volley wide after 21 minutes and three minutes later Russia were ahead.

A clever pass enabled Konstantin Zyryanov to escape down the right and he played the ball inside to Alexander Anyukov. The dangerous midfielder then rolled it into the path of Pavlyuchenko who cracked home a first-time shot.

The striker almost had another later in the half when he fired against the bar after another neat exchange.

The Swedes issued a reminder of their own threat on the break as Henrik Larsson looped a header against the bar and Mikael Nilsson forced a sharp smothering save out of Igor Akinfeyev at the end of the half.

It proved a key intervention as five minutes after the break Arshavin doubled the lead with another superb goal. An attack that began deep in their own half ended with Zhirkov setting up the playmaker to score with his outstretched right boot.

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Greece Vs. Spain Match Report

SALZBURG, June 18 (Reuters) - Departing European champions Greece lost their third game out of three when they were beaten 2-1 by Group D winners Spain at Euro 2008 on Wednesday.

Striker Angelos Haristeas opened the scoring for Greece with a header in the 42nd minute, his team's first goal of the tournament, but Spain equalised in the 61st through Ruben de la Red and took victory with a Daniel Guiza goal two minutes from time.

Greece, surprise winners of Euro 2004 in Portugal, had lost their first two group games without scoring.

Spain, already sure of their quarter-final place and playing a largely reserve side, meet Italy in the last eight in Vienna on Sunday.

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Russia Vs. Sweden Highlights Video Clips

Russia 2 - 0 Sweden
half-time (1 - 0)

referee :
Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)
match details :
24' R. Pavlyuchenko [1 - 0]
50' A. Arshavin [2 - 0]

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Greece Vs. Spain Highlights Video Clips

Greece 1 - 1 Spain
half-time (1 - 0)

referee :
Howard Webb (England)
match details :
42' A. Charisteas [1 - 0]
61' [1 - 1] R.D.l. Red

e

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France Vs. Italy Match Report

ZURICH, June 17 (Reuters) - World champions Italy beat 10-man France 2-0 in Group C on Tuesday to qualify for the quarter-finals of Euro 2008.

It was a nightmare of a match for France who lost Franck Ribery to a suspected broken leg and had Eric Abidal sent off before half-time as they were eliminated from the competition.

Italy made the breakthrough when Andrea Pirlo lashed home a 25th minute penalty after Abidal was red carded for hauling down striker Luca Toni as he prepared to shoot.

Daniele De Rossi made it 2-0 after 62 minutes when he smashed in a shot following a rehearsed free-kick routine with his drive taking a deflection off Thierry Henry to leave goalkeeper Gregory Coupet wrong-footed.

The match turned after only nine minutes when Ribery, France's inspirational playmayer, was seriously injured in a clumsy challenge on Gianluca Zambrotta.

He immediatly held his left leg in agony and was driven away on a medical cart with a suspected broken left leg.

France's problems got even worse when Pirlo scored from the penalty after Abidal's dismissal.

In a bid to redress the balance of his side, France coach Raymond Domenech, who had sent on Samir Nasri to replace Ribery after 10 minutes, then replaced Nasri after Abidal's dismissal and brought on defender Jean-Alain Boumsoung.

But the gap left by Ribery's absence allowed Italy to largely dominate in midfield and between them Pirlo, De Rossi, Gennaro Gattuso and Antonio Cassano created three good chances for Toni to score before halftime.

Fabio Grosso also went close when he thumped in a 43rd minute free kick which keeper Gregory Coupet's touched onto his right-hand post.

Pirlo and Gattuso were both booked and will miss Italy's quarter-final with Spain in Vienna on Sunday.

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Euro 2008 Group C Standing

			Overall
			GP	W	D	L	GS	GA		GD	P
1		Netherlands	3	3	0	0	9	1		8	9
2		Italy	3	1	1	1	3	4		-1	4
3		Romania	3	0	2	1	1	3		-2	2
4		France	3	0	1	2	1	6		-5	1

Read more...

Greece Vs. Spain Match Preview

INNSBRUCK, June 17 (Reuters) - Coach Luis Aragones will give Spain's reserves a chance to prove themselves when the Euro 2008 quarter-finalists face Greece in their final Group D game on Wednesday.

Spain, who will meet Group C's runners-up in the last eight on Sunday, take on a Greece side already eliminated after the Euro 2004 winners suffered two consecutive defeats.

'With first place guaranteed my initial thought is to change almost everyone and give some of the other players a chance to show they are ready,' said Aragones as he prepared for the game in Salzburg.

'At least that is my thought right now, although I suppose I could change my mind.'

If Aragones sticks to his original plan, Cesc Fabregas, who made telling contributions after coming off the bench in the first two matches, is likely to get the task of running the midfield alongside Xabi Alonso and Ruben de la Red.

The other midfield slot is in doubt, however, after Santi Cazorla injured his left foot during Saturday's last-gasp 2-1 win over Sweden, so Andres Iniesta may retain his place in the starting line-up.

Pepe Reina should step in for Iker Casillas in goal behind an all-new back four, while up front Spain's lethal strike combination of David Villa and Fernando Torres should be rested.

Dani Guiza, who topped the Primera Liga scoring charts with 27 goals last season, is favourite to lead the attack alongside Sergio Garcia.

Aragones also fielded a second string side in Spain's final group game against Saudi Arabia in the 2006 World Cup.

Although they won the game, the first-choice players appeared to lose momentum after spending a week on ice ahead of their last 16 defeat by France.

Torres was quick to sound a warning about the dangers of taking anything for granted ahead of the knockout rounds.

'We've done our job so far, but it is from the quarter-finals onwards that it really counts,' said the striker.

'We've been in this situation many times before and for one reason or another we haven't achieved anything. So we don't feel like favourites nor do we want to be.'

Spain could face either of the 2006 World Cup finalists, Italy and France, or Romania, from Group C on Sunday in Vienna.

Having slumped to lacklustre defeats in their opening two games, Greece want to leave the tournament with at least one good performance and a goal.

Like Aragones, Greek coach Otto Rehhagel has said that he will field several second string players in the match, although his changes have been forced because of injury.

Defenders Giourkas Seitaridis and Vassilis Torosidis are out, striker Fanis Gekas has a fractured cheekbone and midfielder Giorgios Karagounis is doubtful.

Alexandros Tziolis, Loukas Vintra, Nikos Spyropoulos and striker Dimitris Salpigidis are the favourites to step into the breach.

First-choice keeper Antonis Nikopolidis is expected to start despite a blunder against Russia that led to the game's only goal as Wednesday's match marks his final international appearance.

Nikopolidis, who has won 89 caps, has announced his retirement from the team after the tournament, as has defender Paraskevas Antzas.

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Russia Vs. Sweden Match Preview

INNSBRUCK, June 17 (Reuters) - Russia can unlock the most dangerous weapon from their arsenal when playmaker Andrei Arshavin returns from suspension to face Sweden in their decisive Euro 2008 Group D match on Wednesday (1845 GMT).

Russia need to win at the Tivoli-Neu stadium in Innsbruck to book a quarter-final spot, while a draw would do for Sweden.

Arshavin, widely considered Russia's top player, sat out their first two matches - a 4-1 defeat by Spain and a 1-0 win over Greece - and is expected to now take charge of the attack.

'Arshavin is a footballer who can make something out of nothing,' the daily Sport Express quoted coach Guus Hiddink as saying. 'He can score from anywhere. It's very useful for our team.'

Despite the praise, Hiddink has hinted that 27-year-old Arshavin may not get an automatic place in the lineup.

'I don't know whether he (Arshavin) will play or not,' Russian media quoted the Dutchman as saying.

'The last match he took part in was a friendly against Lithuania (on June 4). Up until then he had not played much, therefore he may not be in good enough condition to play a whole 90 minutes. We will see.'

Assuming he does start, Arshavin would probably play slightly behind striker Roman Pavlyuchenko and Hiddink would have to drop a midfielder, possibly Diniyar Bilyaletdinov who looked tired against Greece and picked up a slight knock.

Hiddink added that Sweden were the definite favourites and he expected them to play to win.

'I do not think the mentality of the Swedes would allow them to play for a draw. They are open people, who like to win,' he said.

Sweden coach Lars Lagerback is likely to make just one change from the side beaten 2-1 by Spain with Niclas Alexandersson returning at fullback after recovering from a thigh strain in place of Fredrik Stoor.

Johan Elmander should start on the right side of midfield despite a niggling foot injury.

Lagerback has the option if things are not going his way to gamble early in the second half with the quicker and more direct Sebastian Larsson with Elmander moving to a more central position in place of Anders Svensson.

'We have plenty of options. Sebastian is certainly capable of playing in that position,' Lagerback said.

Sweden, whose team is dominated by 30-somethings, struggled in the latter part of both their games, so Lagerback will need to choose his substitutions carefully.

Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, scorer of two of Sweden's goals at the finals, is unlikely to last the whole 90 minutes yet again due to his ongoing knee complaint.

The Swedes have also been working hard on set pieces, which until now have been poorly executed.

Read more...

Netherland Vs. Romania Highlights Video Clips

Netherland 2 - 0 Romania
half-time (0 - 0)

referee :
Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)
match details :
54' K.J. Huntelaar [1 - 0]
87' R.v. Persie [2 - 0]

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France Vs. Italy Highlights Video Clips

France 0 - 2 Italy
half-time (0 - 1)

referee :
Lubos Michel (Slovakia)
match details :
25' [0 - 1] A. Pirlo (pen.)
62' [0-2]D. Rossi

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Austria Vs. Germany Match Report

VIENNA, June 16 (Reuters) - Michael Ballack struck a thunderbolt free kick to send Germany through to the Euro 2008 quarter-finals with a 1-0 win over co-hosts Austria on Monday.

Germany, needing to avoid defeat to stay in the tournament, looked nervous in the first half but Ballack's strike from 25 metres at the start of the second changed the game and took them through as Group B runners-up behind Croatia.

They will go on to face Group A winners Portugal in Basel on Thursday.

Austria, needing a win to stand a chance of going through, gave Germany a few nervous moments, particularly in a first half that ended with the two coaches sent to the stands by the referee after an argument between the two of them at pitchside.

Germany should have given themselves the perfect start, and silenced the majority of the 51,000 home crowd, when Miroslav Klose ran through the Austrian defence on the right of the area and crossed low for Mario Gomez.

The German forward was just a metre out with an open goal but he mishit his shot, the ball flew up high and Gyorgy Garics headed it back off the line.

Austria's game plan focused on hitting Germany on the break and the tactic almost paid off in the 19th minute when Erwin Hoffer was put through on goal, only for his control to let him down, giving Jens Lehmann the chance to gather.

Germany's only other good first-half chance came when Lukas Podolski let fly from the edge of the area and forced a good save from Juergen Macho, at full stretch low to his left.

Ballack's free kick, belted right-footed into the top corner, should have given Germany the chance to pick off Austria on the break but they remained cautious.

Austria, however, were short of ideas themselves and well before the end they were reduced to taking pot shots mainly from outside the area.

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Poland Vs. Croatia Match Report

KLAGENFURT, June 16 (Reuters) - Croatia showed they are well-equipped to make a serious bid for the Euro 2008 title when their reserves swept aside Poland 1-0 in their final Group B game on Monday.

Already assured of a quarter-final against Turkey, they followed up wins over Austria and Germany with an efficient display against a poor Poland side and should have won more convincingly.

The only goal came eight minutes into the second half from Ivan Klasnic, a striker who has undergone two kidney transplants in the last 18 months.

Poland went into the game needing to win by at least two goals to have any chance and with Croatia resting nine first-choice players they could not have had a better situation.

However, the team who qualified for the tournament by finishing above Portugal in their group, looked toothless up front and lacking in midfield creativity, shortcomings that contributed to their single goal return from three games.

After 10 minutes Croatia keeper Vedran Runje had to act smartly to punch away a cross just before it reached the head of Jacek Krzynowek but that was the only time he was seriously called into action in the first half.

His opposite number Artur Boruc got busier and busier and made two good saves with his feet to deny the ever-dangerous Klasnic.

Defender Hrvoje Vejic also flashed a header just wide while Danijel Pranjic should have done better when he shot across goal when clean through.

The finishing was spot-on eight minutes into the second half though, when Pranjic crossed low from the left and Klasnic clipped a first-time shot past Boruc to give them the lead and a subsequent victory they deserved.

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Euro 2008 Group B Standing

			Overall
			GP	W	D	L	GS	GA		GD	P
1		Croatia	3	3	0	0	4	1		3	9
2		Germany	3	2	0	1	4	2		2	6
3		Austria	3	0	1	2	1	3		-2	1
4		Poland	3	0	1	2	1	4		-3	1

Read more...

Netherland Vs. Romania Match Preview

LAUSANNE, June 16 (Reuters) - Romania always thought their best chance of a win in Group C would be against Netherlands and on Tuesday they can seal a quarter-final place at Euro 2008 with a victory over the already-qualified Dutch.

A draw in Berne and a stalemate between World Cup winners Italy and runners-up France in the other group game would also be enough for Romania to secure a quarter-final with Spain.

The Dutch have already won the group with six points, followed by Romania on two with France and Italy on one apiece, although they have said they would try their hardest to win.

'The fact we have qualified already is nice but we still want to perform at our best,' said Dutch coach Marco van Basten.

But Romania are confident they can beat Netherlands, having won 1-0 in Constanta last October after drawing 0-0 in Rotterdam in March to reach Euro 2008 as qualifying group winners.

'When we looked at this group our main aim against Italy and France was not to be beaten. We beat Holland in qualification, so we believed we could do that again,' defender Cosmin Contra told reporters before Friday's 1-1 draw with Italy.

Having started with a goalless draw against France, Romania have achieved their goal so far and can finish the job against a Dutch side certain to feature changes after winning the group with superb 3-0 and 4-1 victories over Italy and France.

Romanian journalists turned up at the Netherlands' training session in Lausanne on Sunday with flags and team shirts bearing the plea 'Let us win' on the front in Dutch. It was not clear if Netherlands coach Marco van Basten had seen them.

At his news conference, the Dutchman hinted he would take no risks with defender Andre Ooijer and midfielder Nigel de Jong, who have been booked and would be banned for their quarter-final with Russia or Sweden if they got another yellow card.

They will be replaced by John Heitinga and Demy de Zeeuw respectively and there could also be a few other changes.

Ooijer reaffirmed the Dutch desire to continue their hot streak, saying: 'We just have to start like we did in the two previous matches and if we could beat Romania and go through with nine points from three games that would be fantastic.'

However, the Dutch are unlikely to have reassured France and Italy, both of whom they would rather avoid in the semi-finals if the teams get that far in the tournament.

Romania coach Victor Piturca is expected to stick with the more attacking formation he used against Italy but must make at least two changes to the team which started that game.

Defensive midfielder Mirel Radoi has been ruled out of the tournament with a serious head injury sustained in that match, while central defender Dorin Goian is suspended.

Captain Cristian Chivu could move back into Goian's position after playing in midfield in the first two games with playmaker Nicolae Dica and wide man Banel Nicolita coming into midfield.

'It's normal to get injuries and suspensions as you go along in tournaments. We have the players to come in and play as well as, if not better than, the ones we are without,' said striker Ciprian Marica. Piturca will hope he is right.

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France Vs. Italy Match Preview

ZURICH, June 16 (Reuters) - Heavyweights Italy and France, used to battling it out with a trophy at stake, will face each other on Tuesday with the prize of merely surviving the group stage at Euro 2008 to fight for.

The final act in Group C will see one of the last two World Cup finalists, or maybe both, on the tournament scrapheap after their showdown on Zurich's Letzigrund pitch.

The pair's fate is out of their hands with unfancied Romania certain to qualify if they beat Netherlands. The Dutch outplayed Italy and France in quick succession to make sure of winning the group.

France, struggling to find the right mix between ageing stalwarts and promising youngsters, will go through only if they overcome their Latin rivals and Romania do not beat the Dutch.

Apart from a win, Italy, who have also looked rusty and surprisingly vulnerable at the back, might just squeeze through with a scoring draw, or even with a goalless draw, providing Romania lose 3-0 or by a four-goal margin.

The match would have been dramatic enough in any circumstances, Italy having beaten France on penalties in the 2006 World Cup final featuring Zinedine Zidane's infamous headbutt, to name just one episode in their colourful history.

Italian and French media are both worried that Netherlands will field a weakened side against Romania or the players will pull out of tackles to avoid injury.

'We have put ourselves in that situation and only have ourselves to blame for it,' said France coach Raymond Domenech. 'We should not worry about the Dutch, nor should they worry about us.'

Domenech, who could be excused for feeling let down by his old guard in general and his defence in particular, could opt for a revamped side with Lilian Thuram and Willy Sagnol likely to lose their places at the back.

His Italian counterpart Roberto Donadoni is not expected to be so radical but has hinted he was considering bringing forward Antonio Cassano into the side.

'The fact I have played him for a little bit of the two games against Netherlands and Romania shows that he impresses me,' Donadoni told reporters. 'I think he is a top player, I have brought him with me and it is possible he will play.'

While Donadoni will hope for some Cassano wizardry to brighten Italy's horizons, Domenech might give young striker Karim Benzema, confined to the bench against the Dutch, a chance to show off his skills.

The two coaches' jobs could be threatened if they were to be send packing from a tournament they both aspired to win so early.

Domenech, however, did his best to sound excited rather than worried before what is likely to be a tense affair.

'It's a fantastic opportunity', he said. 'I'm not saying we'll win but I know we'll fight. The players have a lot to prove. Not making the most of it would be stupid.'

Read more...

Poland Vs. Croatia Highlights Video Clips

Poland 0 - 1 Croatia
half-time (0 - 0)

referee :
Kyros Vassaras (Greece)
match details :
52' [0 - 1] I. Klasnic

Read more...

Austria Vs. Germany Highlights Video Clips

Austria 0 - 1 Germany
half-time (0 - 0)

referee :
Manuel Mejuto Gonzalez (Spain)
match details :
49' [0 - 1] M. Ballack

Read more...

Switzerland Vs. Portugal Match Report

BASEL, June 15 (Reuters) - Switzerland notched their first win at a European Championship finals when it least mattered by beating a second-string side from Euro 2008 quarter-finalists Portugal 2-0 on Sunday.

Hakan Yakin scored both goals, firing home in the 71st minute when he was set up by fellow striker Eren Derdiyok and then converting an 83rd minute penalty.


The commitment showed by Portugal's reserves, looking to win a place in Luiz Felipe Scolari's first team, and the eliminated Swiss belied the fact that the result would not alter the Group A standings.

The Swiss had the first real scare in the 18th minute when a free kick by Nani from outside the box was touched on by central defender Pepe and goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbuehler could only turn the ball upwards on to the angle of bar and post.

Ricardo, one of only three first-choice Portugal players to start the match, tipped a shot from Gokhan Inler over his bar and close to halftime dived to his left to push out a header by Yakin.

Helder Postiga should have scored when Nani robbed Inler on the left and crossed from deep but the striker's shot was blocked by Philippe Senderos on the line.

Postiga also had the ball in the net but was unlucky to be ruled offside.

Nani hit the near post in the 53rd minute from the left when he ran on to Rau Meireles's fine pass from deep.

Yakin broke the deadlock when Derdiyok's telling pass eluded Pepe and left him with only keeper Ricardo to beat from point blank range.

He put the game beyond doubt from the spot after Meira brought down Swiss substitute Tranquillo Barnetta.

Read more...

Euro 2008 Group A Standing

			GP	W	D	L	GS	GA		GD	P
1		Portugal	3	2	0	1	5	3		2	6
2		Turkey	3	2	0	1	5	5		0	6
3		Switzerland	3	1	0	2	3	3		0	3
4		Czech Republic	3	1	0	2	4	6		-2	3

Read more...

Turkey Vs. Czech Republic Match Report

GENEVA, June 15 (Reuters) - Two goals in the last three minutes gave Turkey a remarkable 3-2 win over Czech Republic in a winner-take-all Euro 2008 thriller on Sunday, earning a quarter-final meeting with Croatia.

The Czechs went 2-0 up with a first-half goal from their all-time leading scorer Jan Koller and a 62nd-minute effort from midfielder Jaroslav Plasil.


Arda Turan pulled one back 15 minutes from time and equalised in dramatic style with three minutes to go when keeper Petr Cech inexplicably dropped the ball for Nihat Kahveci to slide the ball into an empty net.

The Turks grabbed the winner two minutes later when Nihat broke clear to fire his side in front with a right-foot shot from the edge of the area.

The drama did not end there as Turkey keeper Volkan Demirel was sent off in stoppage time.

Turkey finished with six points, three ahead of the Czechs, who were eliminated along with co-hosts Switzerland. Portugal were top.

The breakthrough came after 34 minutes when Koller headed powerfully into the top corner with Volkan palming the ball on to the underside of the bar and in.

The goal was fully deserved after the Czechs dominated most of a tense, error-strewn opening 45 minutes.

The second came after Turkey had come out of their shell and attacked for most of the opening 15 minutes of the second half.

Although captain Nihat went close with a flick that flew over Cech's bar, Turkey found themselves 2-0 down when Plasil slid in to steer the ball past Volkan after a fine cross from the right by Libor Sionko.

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Austria Vs. Germany Match Preview

TENERO, Switzerland, June 15 (Reuters) - Euro 2008 co-hosts Austria will invoke the spirit of Cordoba against Germany on Monday and the prize this time could be more than just a sense of schadenfreude.

At the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, an Austrian team with no chance of qualification beat West Germany 3-2 to take the reigning champions out of the tournament with them.

Thirty years on from that great upset, Austria have a chance to go one better.

A point would be enough for Germany to go through as Group B runners-up behind Croatia but victory for Austria could take them into the last eight at the expense of their old rivals, provided Poland do not beat Croatia by a bigger margin.

A 50,000 crowd will give the Austrians fervent backing in the capital but the cold reality is that Germany, despite a poor performance in their 2-1 defeat by Croatia, remain overwhelming favourites to get the point they need to go through.

That was acknowledged by Austria coach Josef Hickersberger, who played in that famous win in Cordoba -- Austria's only victory over Germany at a major tournament.

'You don't often win against Germany, at least not if you are Austria,' he said. 'You know the statistics. I can't remember when Germany have lost twice in a row.'

Germany's goal will be to reproduce the sharp counter-attacking football that took them to a 2-0 win over Poland in their first match.

'We see this is a challenge rather than a crisis,' centre-back Christoph Metzelder said at a news conference.

'Germany are always under pressure. It's exceptionally high for this game but our team spirit is good and it's just a matter of translating that on to the pitch.'

Germany, three times European champions, will be without Bastian Schweinsteiger after his red card against Croatia, and probably full-back Marcell Jansen, who has a shoulder injury.

Lukas Podolski, scorer of all three German goals so far, has overcome an ankle injury and will play. He is likely to shift up to attack alongside Miroslav Klose, with Mario Gomez losing his place after two unconvincing displays.

Clemens Fritz should drop back from midfield to right-back to cover the absence of Jansen, with Philipp Lahm moving over to the left. Thomas Hitzlsperger and Tim Borowski could then come into midfield to give the side more creativity.

Austria are also hit by the suspension of Sebastian Proedl, who picked up his second yellow card before winning the team's late penalty in Thursday's 1-1 draw with Poland.

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Poland Vs. Croatia Match Preview

BAD TATZMANNSDORF, Austria, June 15 (Reuters) - Poland need to beat Croatia on Monday even if it only amounts to a graceful exit from Euro 2008, said defender Michal Zewlakow.

'We have let our fans down so far and they have been our driving force so we really have to do everything we can to give them something to cheer,' Zewlakow told reporters.

'Also if there is merely a one-in-a-million chance we go through to the last eight we have to fight until the bitter end to seize the opportunity.'

To have any chance of advancing Poland must win by two goals in Klagenfurt and hope Austria defeat Germany in Vienna by a more slender margin.

Croatia are already through as Group B winners but Zewlakow does not expect any favours.

'We know they will be relaxed and probably start with a number of second-string players eager to prove their worth and impress their coach,' he said.

'They are on a high while the atmosphere in our camp took a dip after our opening 2-0 defeat to Germany and it's time we lifted ourselves.'

Coach Leo Beenhakker, who dismissed Poland's chances of progressing after Thursday's 1-1 draw with Austria, has changed his mind.

'We still believe we can reach the knockout stage and we are completely focused on the task,' said the Dutchman.

'Naturally we will send out an attacking line-up against Croatia because we need to score some goals.'

While Beenhakker appears set to retain his 4-3-3 formation, counterpart Slaven Bilic made it clear he would rest several players.

'It would be madness to field first-choice players who are on one yellow card and we also have a few with minor knocks and bruises who need a break,' said Bilic.

'We have pride to play for, just like against England at Wembley, so we are completely determined to field a strong team aiming to continue our winning streak.'

Croatia had already qualified for the finals when they knocked England out with a 3-2 win in November.

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Switzerland Vs. Portugal Highlights Video Clips

Switzerland 2 - 0 Portugal
half-time (0 - 0)

referee :
Konrad Plautz (Austria)
match details :
71' H. Yakin [1 - 0]
83' H. Yakin (pen.) [2 - 0]

CLICK below to watch Switzerland Vs. Portugal Highlights Video Clips...
WATCH H. YAKIN FIRST GOAL...
WATCH H. YAKIN SECOND GOAL...

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Turkey Vs. Czech Republic Highlights Video Clips

Turkey 3 - 2 Czech Republic
half-time (0 - 1)

referee :
Peter Fr�jdfeldt (Sweden)
match details :
34' [0 - 1] J. Koller
62' [0 - 2] J. Plasil
75' [1 - 2] A. Turan
87' N. Kahveci [2 - 2]
89' N. Kahveci [3 - 2]

CLICK below to watch Turkey Vs. Czech Republic Highlights Video Clips...
WATCH J. KOLLER GOAL...
WATCH J. PLASIL GOAL...
WATCH A. TURAN GOAL...
WATCH N. KAHVECI FIRST GOAL...
WATCH N. KAHVECI SECOND GOAL...

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Euro 2008 Group D Standing

			Overall
			GP	W	D	L	GS	GA		GD	P
1		Spain	2	2	0	0	6	2		4	6
2		Sweden	2	1	0	1	3	2		1	3
3		Russia	2	1	0	1	2	4		-2	3
4		Greece	2	0	0	2	0	3		-3	0

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Switzerland Vs. Portugal Match Preview

NEUCHATEL, Switzerland, June 14 (Reuters) - A very different Portugal team could take the field in the Euro 2008 quarter-finalists' last group game against Switzerland in Basel on Sunday.

Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, whose side won Group A before their match against the eliminated co-hosts, could make several changes to rest a majority of first-choice players with a potential quarter-final against Germany looming on June 19.

Germany, the team that most impressed Scolari tactically after the first batch of matches, cannot win Group B and avoid Portugal after their shock loss to Croatia on Thursday.

Utility player Fernando Meira and goalkeeper Ricardo could shed no light on Scolari's plans at Friday's news conference.

'We all have to be ready to play. The coach can count on me at any time in any position,' said Meira, who did not start the wins over Czech Republic and Turkey but is likely to take the holding midfield role to give Armando Petit a break.

Ricardo, likely to be one of four players retained from the first-choice starting line-up, said: 'We are fully confident in the coach's decisions.'

After injury ruled understudy Quim out of the tournament, Ricardo has two uncapped reserves in 34-year-old Nuno Espirito Santo and 20-year-old Rui Patricio.

Meira said Portugal would go all out for victory whoever was picked by Scolari, who could also give starts to wingers Nani and Ricardo Quaresma and midfielder Raul Meireles while Cristiano Ronaldo, Simao Sabrosa and Deco are rested.

Having failed in their bid to reach the quarter-finals, Switzerland are setting their sights on a first-ever victory at a European Championship.

'Even before we went out I had already thought that it would be a great achievement to get the country's first win at a Euro,' said coach Koebi Kuhn.

'Why not on Sunday against a Portugal side who have already qualified?' asked Kuhn, due to retire after Sunday's match to be replaced by former Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld.

'I think all our players will want to sign off with a good performance and the crowd deserve it as well.'

Switzerland, already without injured strikers Alex Frei and Marco Streller, may have to make a further change to their front line after reserve Eren Derdiyok hurt his ankle in Wednesday's defeat against Turkey.

An attacking midfielder may be needed to lead the line.

The Swiss have won eight and drawn five of their 19 meetings with Portugal but their last victory was 26 years ago. Portugal won the last meeting 1-0 in 1993.

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Turkey Vs. Czech Republic Match Preview

Turkey goalkeeper Volkan Demirel insists his side are favourites to progress from Group A at the expense of the Czech Republic tomorrow.

The game to decide who joins Portugal in the quarter-finals will be settled by a penalty shoot-out should the scores stay level after 120 minutes, as both sides are level on points, goal difference and goals scored in the runners-up spot.

UEFA regulations state if two teams meet in a final group match in such circumstances and draw, the tie should be determined by a penalty competition.


Volkan, who saved three spot-kicks in Fenerbahce's Champions League win over Sevilla this season, is ready for more heroics but believes the Turks can triumph without having to resort to penalties.

'If the game goes to penalties, I will do my best,' he said, while adding: 'I am sure we will go through without needing a shoot-out.

'The back four and I will have a tough task because the Czechs are a tall outfit, but our defenders play better against that sort of opposition.

'Our nation, our people, should believe in us because we have the capability.'

Despite having a goalkeeper regarded as one of the best in the world in Petr Cech, the noises coming out of the Czech camp were not so confident regarding a shoot-out.

Czechoslovakia enjoyed their biggest success on the European stage thanks to penalties, when Antonin Panenka struck the winner in the final against West Germany in 1976.

But Libor Sionko, who scored the Czechs' potentially vital goal against Portugal, insists he is not ready to follow in Panenka's footsteps.

'There's only one Panenka, and I don't think I'm the second one,' he said.

'If you play well and you're in good shape, then you take a penalty. If you miss a lot of balls and don't feel good mentally, then you don't.'

Czech coach Karel Bruckner has a full squad to choose from for the game, and will have to decide whether to stick with the 4-2-3-1 system he played against Portugal with Baros leading the line or revert to the 4-5-1 used against Switzerland.

Bruckner's Turkish counterpart, Fatih Terim, does not have such luxuries, with first-choice central midfield duo Tumer Metin and captain Emre Belozoglu out injured.

Ayhan Akman, Emre Gungor and Gokdeniz Karadeniz all missed training yesterday, while Servet Cetin is still having problems with a knee injury.

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