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...
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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]
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.
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.
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]
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.'
