XIII EUROPEAN
CHAMPIONSHIP (AUSTRIA & SWITZERLAND 2008)
FINAL STAGE
— GAME DETAILS
(From
7-06-2008 to 29-06-2008)
| STADIUM: St. Jakob Park (Basel) DATE: 7-06-2008 (18:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 39.730 REFEREE: Roberto Rosetti (ITA) GOALS: 0-1 (Svěrkoš 71’) BOOKED: Magnin (59’), Vonlanthen (76’), Barnetta (90+’) |
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Switzerland - Czech Republic |
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0-1 (0-0) |
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SWITZERLAND Benaglio Lichtsteiner (Vonlanthen 75’), Müller, Senderos, Magnin Behrami (Derdiyok 84’), İnler, Fernandes, Barnetta Frei (c) (Yakın 46’), Streller COACH: Köbi Kuhn |
CZECH REPUBLIC Čech Grygera, Ujfaluši (c), Rozehnal, Jankulovski Sionko (Vlček 83’), Jarolím (Kováč 87’), Galásek, Polák, Plašil Koller (Svěrkoš 56’) COACH: Karel Brückner |
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| GAME SUMMARY In the opening match of Euro 2008, host Switzerland dominated but the Czech Republic snatched all three points with a clinical victory, thanks to their only shot on goal in all the game. The first half was a tight affair, but it was the Swiss who created the better chances. Only two minutes into the game, captain Alexander Frei—who had just become Switzerland’s all-time leading scorer with 35 goals—drove a 25-meter effort just wide. In minute 21, the Borussia Dortmund’s attacker was denied by the Czech goalkeeper from close range. The Czechs lacked a cutting edge in the first 45 minutes, as the giant Koller (a lone striker in the Czech attack) struggled to receive the ball with little success, as he was getting scant support from his midfield. Indeed, the only time the Swiss goalkeeper Benaglio was troubled in the first half was when he had to turn away a misdirected cross from Jarolím. However, things began to go wrong for Switzerland when Frei was injured on the stroke of halftime in a challenge with Grygera, and limped off in tears with a serious knee injury which could well have ended his tournament.
In the second half, the experienced Hakan Yakın replaced Frei, and he almost made an immediate impact when he curled a free kick just over. Even without their star striker Frei, the hosts continued pegging back the Czechs, and Brückner decided to bring in Baník Ostrava’s young gun Svěrkoš in place of the ineffectual Koller. However, the Swiss didn’t stop their domination, and left-winger Barnetta volleyed over from a good position just after the hour mark. In minute 66, Yakın should have done better when he headed Lichtsteiner’s cross just wide of the post from eight meters. Five minutes later, however, and much against the run of play, Svěrkoš broke the Swiss offside trap to poke in his first international goal after latching onto a long Galásek’s header. After the goal, Switzerland increased their pressure and the Czech defended stoutly to preserve their lead. The hosts should have equalized with ten minutes remaining, but Barnetta’s drive was palmed out by Čech and substitute Vonlanthen could only rattle the rebound against the crossbar. |
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| STADIUM: Stade de Genève (Genève) DATE: 7-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 29.106 REFEREE: Herbert Fandel (GER) GOALS: 1-0 (Pepe 61’); 2-0 (Raul Meireles 90+’) BOOKED: Kazım Kazım (4’), Gökhan Zan (51’), Sabri (73’) |
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Portugal - Turkey |
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2-0 (0-0) |
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PORTUGAL Ricardo Bosingwa, Pepe, Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira Petit, Deco (Fernando Meira 90+’), João Moutinho C. Ronaldo, Nuno Gomes (c) (Nani 69’), Simão (R. Meireles 83’) COACH: Luiz Felipe Scolari |
TURKEY Volkan Demirel Hamit (Semih 76’), Servet, Gökhan Zan (Emre Aşık 55’), Hakan Balta Kazım Kazım, Emre Belözoğlu (c), Mehmet Aurélio Mevlüt (Sabri 46’), Nihat, Tuncay COACH: Fatih Terim |
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| GAME SUMMARY Portugal, one of the favorites to win the tournament, showed their credentials with a convincing 2-0 win over Turkey. The first half was an open affair but, apart from Cristiano Ronaldo’s set pieces, neither goalkeeper was unduly troubled. Bosingwa struck a low cross into the side-netting in the second minute following a promising move down the right. In minute 6, Cristiano Ronaldo—who had attracted much media attention before the tournament for his alleged move from Manchester United to Real Madrid—fired a left-footed effort over the bar. Turkey appealed for a penalty seven minutes later when Tuncay went down under the challenge of Bosingwa, but German referee Herbert Fandel waved away their claims. In minute 17, Portugal thought they had taken the lead when Pepe headed in Simão’s corner, but the linesman flagged the central defender for offside. In an exhilarating first half, in which the game flowed from end to end, Nihat saw his free kick deflected wide, while Deco was also off target with his. Cristiano Ronaldo produced his first real magic moment on the half hour mark, but he eventually dragged his effort wide after skating through four challenges. The Manchester United star went close again in minute 38, this time producing a trademark free kick that forced a superb diving save from Volkan Demirel.
Portugal continued to press at the start of the second half, and almost took the lead in minute 50 when Nuno Gomes poked an effort onto the post (after the referee played advantage following a foul on Simão on the edge of the area). Cristiano Ronaldo forced Volkan Demirel into another save as he began to take control of the game, but it was Pepe who put their side ahead with a quality goal in the 61st minute. The Portuguese central defender picked up the ball 40 meters from goal and drove forward before playing a one-two with Nuno Gomes that saw him break into the box and fire over the Turkish goalkeeper, following a deflection off a despairing last-ditch tackle. Nuno Gomes headed against the crossbar four minutes later as Portugal threatened to run wild, but Turkey still looked dangerous on the break and Emre Aşık should have equalized in minute 82, when he headed wide. Substitute Nani forced Volkan Demirel into yet another good save before Raul Meireles, deep into injury time, fired home into an unguarded net following a wonderful counterattack involving Cristiano Ronaldo and João Moutinho. |
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| STADIUM: Ernst-Happel-Stadion (Wien) DATE: 8-06-2008 (18:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 51.428 REFEREE: Pieter Vink (NED) GOALS: 0-1 (Modrić [p.] 4’) BOOKED: Pogatetz (3’), Säumel (21’), Prödl (68’) / R. Kovač (51’) |
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Austria - Croatia |
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0-1 (0-1) |
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AUSTRIA Macho Prödl, Stranzl, Pogatetz Standfest, Aufhauser, Säumel (Vastić 61’), Gërçaliu (Korkmaz 69’) Harnik, Ivanschitz (c), Linz (Kienast 73’) COACH: Josef Hickersberger |
CROATIA Pletikosa Ćorluka, R. Kovač, Šimunić, Pranjić Srna, N. Kovač (c), Modrić, Kranjčar (Knežević 61’) Olić (Vukojević 83’), Petrić (Budan 72’) COACH: Slaven Bilić |
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| GAME SUMMARY Croatia earned a hard victory against hosts Austria, after dominating in the first half and struggling in the second. In only the fourth minute, Olić was brought down by Aufhauser within the penalty area and Modrić made no mistake from the spot. Austria, the lowest ranked team in the tournament, were initially shocked by this quick goal and Croatia bossed the early stages without looking like adding to their advantage. The co-hosts eventually overcame their slow start and began to put the Croats under some pressure. It took them almost half an hour to muster their first effort on target, when center-back Prödl was wayward with a header from captain Ivanschitz’s free kick. Croatia should have doubled their lead on 35 minutes when a deep cross from Ćorluka fell to Petrić at the back post, but he lashed a left foot volley way off target when precision and control were needed. Austria had a brief period of pressure before the break when the Croatian goalkeeper Pletikosa palmed away a dangerous cross from Standfest and then Šimunić cut out a center from Harnik. Pletikosa was then called into action again to punch clear Ivanschitz’s corner before Standfest headed high and wide with a far post header from a deep cross.
In the second half, roared on by their home crowd in Vienna, Austria continued to build their momentum as they pinned Croatia back, but their attacks were too predictable and blunt. The introduction of the veteran Croatian-born forward Vastić and the lively Korkmaz added a spark to their game, but Austria caused few scares for the Croats, who actually came closest to scoring when substitute Budan’s flick from a Ćorluka cross was deflected just past the near post. Kienast almost levelled for Austria moments later, but his flicked header drifted wide. Near the end, Pletikosa parried away Korkmaz’s effort as Croatia clung on to pick up three points and leave Austria with an uphill task to reach the quarterfinals. |
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| STADIUM: Hypo-Arena (Klagenfurt) DATE: 8-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 30.461 REFEREE: Tom Henning Øvrebø (NOR) GOALS: 1-0 (Podolski 20’); 2-0 (Podolski 72’) BOOKED: Schweinsteiger (64’) / Smolarek (40’), Lewandowski (60’) |
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Germany - Poland |
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2-0 (1-0) |
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GERMANY Lehmann Lahm, Metzelder, Mertesacker, Jansen Fritz (Schweinsteiger 56’), Frings, Ballack (c), Podolski Gómez (Hitzlsperger 75’), Klose (Kurányi 90+’) COACH: Joachim Löw |
POLAND Boruc Wasilewski, Żewłakow, Bąk, Golański (Saganowski 75’) Łobodziński (Piszczek 65’), Dudka, Lewandowski, Krzynówek Smolarek, Żurawski (c) (Guerreiro 46’) COACH: Leo Beenhakker |
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| GAME SUMMARY Germany earned a deserved victory against Poland thanks to a brace from Podolski (who didn’t celebrate his goals because he was born in Poland). The Germans suffered a nervy start when, in the first attack of the match, Lehmann spilled a cross after colliding with Mertesacker, but Krzynówek blazed the loose ball wide over. After this early scare, Germany started to dominate the game and created their first opportunity when Ballack’s through-ball sent Klose away; instead of taking the chance himself, the Polish-born striker opted to slip the ball inside to Gómez who, with the goal gaping, was unable to stretch enough to get a clean connection and his effort dribbled agonizingly wide of the post. At the other end, Poland captain Żurawski just failed to get to a low cross from the right as the German defense again looked uncomfortable under pressure. In minute 20, Germany took the lead when Klose broke the Poland offside trap after Gómez sent him clear, and the Bayern attacker unselfishly set up Podolski with a pass across the face of goal for the simplest of tap-ins. From that moment on, there only looked to be one winner in the game, although Poland were not without their chances and Łobodziński saw his low drive held by the diving Lehmann, before Żurawski dragged a decent chance wide of the far post. At the other end, Gómez missed a similar chance for Germany following good work by Fritz down the right. In the final effort of a decent first period, Lewandowski saw Lehmann save his long-range piledriver.
The halftime introduction of the lively Guerreiro to replace the injured Żurawski gave Poland a spring in their step at the start of the second period but, despite enjoying plenty of possession, they struggled to create. Germany were looking threatening on the counterattack, and substitute Schweinsteiger tested Boruc with a low drive before the Polish goalkeeper produced a brilliant fingertip save to deny Ballack in the 70th minute: the German captain looked certain to score after latching onto Lahm’s cut-back, but Boruc saved his rising shot to keep Poland in the game. However, only two minutes later Germany pounced on a defensive mistake from Golański to double their lead. The Polish left-back took too long in attempting to clear the ball and Schweinsteiger was able to block before feeding the ball inside for Klose, who mishit his shot, but the ball spooned up nicely for Podolski, who slammed an unstoppable volley into the roof of the net. The 2-0 left Poland with a mountain to climb to avoid defeat in their first appearance at the European Championship finals. Beenhakker’s side almost gave themselves a lifeline when Guerreiro’s near-post cross was glanced goalwards by Saganowski, but Lehmann blocked his header and Poland was unable to capitalize on the subsequent loose ball. Podolski had a chance to score a hat-trick with two minutes remaining, but he fired over with his less-favoured right foot from 15 meters out. |
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| STADIUM: Letzigrund (Zürich) DATE: 9-06-2008 (18:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 30.585 REFEREE: Manuel Enrique Mejuto González (SPA) GOALS: - BOOKED: D. Niculae (27’), Contra (40’), Goian (43’) / Sagnol (51’) |
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Romania - France |
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0-0 (0-0) |
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ROMANIA Lobonţ Contra, Tamaş, Goian, Raţ Cociş (Codrea 64’), Rădoi (Dică 90+’), Chivu (c) Nicoliţă, D. Niculae, Mutu (M. Niculae 78’) COACH: Victor Piţurcă |
FRANCE Coupet Sagnol, Thuram (c), Gallas, Abidal Ribéry, Toulalan, Makélélé, Malouda Anelka (Gomis 72’), Benzema (Nasri 78’) COACH: Raymond Domenech |
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| GAME SUMMARY France and Romania played out a disappointing 0-0 draw in the opening game of the so-called “Group of Death.” The first half was devoid of clear cut chances and attacking verve. Raymond Domenech decided to go with two holding men in midfield, Makélélé and Toulalan, and France struggled to find the creative spark to break through a stubborn Romanian defense. It soon became obvious that Piţurcă’s men had set out to nick a draw, and a dull first half was often played at walking pace. France bossed possession in the opening exchanges, but did little with it. There was no hustle to their labored attacks and Romania coped comfortably. Neither goalkeeper was seriously tested in the opening 20 minutes, although Lobonţ was forced to race out of his comfort zone to prevent Malouda from having a clean run on goal. Both teams could only muster long-range efforts—Benzema for the French, Mutu and Daniel Niculae for Romania—but none of them was on target. Anelka wasted the best of the chances during a cagey first half, when he reacted quickest to a left-wing cross from Ribéry but could only loop a weak header over. Benzema shot weakly at Lobonţ from close range at the end of the half as Ribéry finally came to life on the right flank.
Unfortunately, the second period brought more of the same, with Romania content to get men behind the ball and France unwilling to throw men forward. Ribéry improved after the interval, but his usual spark was not there to be found. It was opposite winger Malouda who almost broke the deadlock when his weaving run ended in an angled shot that flew just wide early in the second half. Benzema drew a decent save out of Lobonţ after being fed by Ribéry but Romania were holding firm on the defensive, without ever looking dangerous at the other end. As a result, a game which never rose above the mediocre unsurprisingly meandered towards an uninspiring stalemate. On the evidence of this match, fellow group opponents Holland and Italy have little to worry about, although France can certainly improve. |
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| STADIUM: Stade de Suisse Wankdorf (Bern) DATE: 9-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 30.777 REFEREE: Peter Fröjdfeldt (SWE) GOALS: 1-0 (Van Nistelrooij 26’); 2-0 (Sneijder 31’); 3-0 (Van Bronckhorst 79’) BOOKED: De Jong (58’) / Toni (27’), Zambrotta (35’), Gattuso (51’) |
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Netherlands - Italy |
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3-0 (2-0) |
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NETHERLANDS Van der Sar (c) Ooijer, Boulahrouz (Heitinga 77’), Mathijsen, Van Bronckhorst Kuijt (Afellay 81’), De Jong, Van der Vaart, Engelaar, Sneijder Van Nistelrooij (Van Persie 70’) COACH: Marco van Basten |
ITALY Buffon (c) Panucci, Barzagli, Materazzi (Grosso 54’), Zambrotta Ambrosini, Pirlo, Gattuso Camoranesi (Cassano 75’), Toni, Di Natale (Del Piero 64’) COACH: Roberto Donadoni |
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| GAME SUMMARY Thanks to a superb counterattacking display, Holland secured their first victory over Italy for 30 years and claimed first position in Group C. The atmosphere at the Stade de Suisse was electric before the game, with the Oranje fans far outnumbering the Azzurri supporters. Italy should have taken an early lead, but Toni was unable to get behind Di Natale’s dangerous cross. In minute 17, Holland could have broken the deadlock following a defensive lapse by Italy which allowed Kuijt to play the ball to Van Nistelrooij, who got past Buffon but lost his balance and the opportunity vanished. Shortly after, Sneijder’s bullet strike went high over the crossbar as Holland got closer. In minute 26, the Dutch finally broke the deadlock when Buffon tipped the ball into Sneijder’s path on the edge of the area, allowing him to drive the ball goalwards before Real Madrid teammate Van Nistelrooij tapped home from close range. There were substantial protests from the Italian players, as they believed the Dutch striker was in an offside position—as indeed he looked to be—, but the goal was allowed to stand (seemingly because of the presence of Panucci, who was lying behind the goal line throughout). Five minutes later it was 2-0 for Holland after a brilliantly performed counterattack: Van Bronckhorst cleared the ball from his own goalline after a teammate almost headed into his own net, then he sprinted to join the attack and found Kuijt on the other flank; the Liverpool attacker headed down for Sneijder inside the area, whose first-touch beat Buffon at his near post. Italy rallied and could have reduced the deficit shortly afterwards, but Di Natale’s close-range volley was saved by Van der Sar. Three minutes before the break, Buffon made a stunning save to deny Holland their third of the evening, when a beautiful ball by Sneijder found Van Nistelrooij, whose strike was parried by the Italian keeper. The last opportunity of a lively first half was for Di Natale, who fired just over the crossbar on the stroke of halftime.
Italy showed more determination after the interval and had a good chance when Zambrotta did well to get past Kuijt, but his effort went wide. Toni then fired wide on the hour mark as the Italians began to show their attacking intentions. Shortly after, Pirlo’s stinging free kick fizzed wide, with Van der Sar already beaten. In minute 64, Donadoni brought on Del Piero, and the veteran striker almost made an instant impact when he fired on target but was unable to beat Van der Sar. But just when Italy looked to have found their rhythm, Holland scored again and killed the game in minute 79. The goal came after another Dutch counterattack following a Pirlo free kick, with Van Bronckhorst again racing forward before heading home a Kuijt cross, after the Liverpool winger’s initial effort was saved by Buffon. Much to their credit, Italy continued to press, but Holland defended resolutely and held on for a prestigious victory. |
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| STADIUM: Tivoli-Neu (Innsbruck) DATE: 10-06-2008 (18:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 30.772 REFEREE: Konrad Plautz (AUT) GOALS: 1-0 (Villa 20’); 2-0 (Villa 44’); 3-0 (Villa 75’); 3-1 (Pavljuchenko 86’); 4-1 (Fàbregas 90+’) BOOKED: - |
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Spain - Russia |
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4-1 (2-0) |
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SPAIN Casillas (c) Sergio Ramos, Marchena, Puyol, Capdevila Silva (Xabi Alonso 77’), Senna, Xavi, Iniesta (Cazorla 63’) Villa, Torres (Fàbregas 54’) COACH: Luis Aragonés |
RUSSIA Akinfeev Anjukov, Shirokov, Kolodin, Zhirkov Zyrjanov, Semak (c), Semshov (Torbinskij 58’), Biljaletdinov Sychjov (Bystrov 46’ (Adamov 70’)), Pavljuchenko COACH: Guus Hiddink |
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| GAME SUMMARY Spain opened their Euro 2008 campaign with an eye-catching 4-1 triumph over Russia, thanks to an exemplary pass-and-move football (which carved the Russians open on countless occasions) and a hat-trick by Villa. The Valencia attacker had the first chance of the game when a pinpoint cross-field pass from Sergio Ramos found him unmarked on the edge of the area, but after showing good chest control Villa, under pressure from Anjukov, sliced his left-footed shot wide with only goalkeeper Akinfeev to beat. Russia created their first decent opening soon after when Anjukov got in behind Spain full-back Capdevila on the left, but his cross into the center was drilled wide by Semshov. Villa broke the deadlock on 20 minutes, tapping into an empty net after excellent work from Torres down the left channel. Hiddink’s men came close to delivering an immediate response two minutes later, when a low cross from Biljaletdinov eluded a host of players as it skidded across the area before Zyrjanov sent in a shot that rebounded back off the right-hand post with Casillas well beaten. Pavljuchenko also struck the Spanish crossbar with a dipping volley later in the first half, but it would not have counted as referee Konrad Plautz had spotted a foul by the Spartak Moscow man. Aside from those two Russian efforts, it was still Spain who was running the match, and Akinfeev was called into action again to palm away shots from Torres and Villa. Just before the break, Spain doubled their lead as Villa latched onto Iniesta’s perfectly-timed through-ball to slip a cool shot under the Russian keeper.
Spain took their foot off the gas in the early stages of the second half, whereas Russia started in confident fashion, and Casillas was called into action to save Semak’s header. Villa had the chance to complete his hat-trick just before the hour, when the Russian defense opened up in front of him, but his low shot was saved by Akinfeev. With Russia pushing forward as they needed to, Spain was beginning to find plenty of space on the counterattack and, following one breakaway, which resulted in a corner, Senna (with a header) and then Silva (with a shot) both drew saves out of Akinfeev. In this juncture, it came to no surprise that Spain netted a third goal with 15 minutes remaining. A slick move in midfield resulted in the ball being fed out to Fàbregas on the right, who immediately picked out Villa inside the area; the Valencia attacker bamboozled Shirokov before clinically slotting low past Akinfeev. Although Pavljuchenko netted a late consolation for battling Russia with four minutes remaining, with a header from a corner kick, Spain had the final word when yet another breakaway led by Villa resulted in Fàbregas diving to head home after Akinfeev had parried Xavi’s shot. |
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| STADIUM: EM Stadion Salzburg (Wals-Siezenheim, Salzburg) DATE: 10-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 31.063 REFEREE: Massimo Busacca (SWI) GOALS: 0-1 (Ibrahimović 67’); 0-2 (Hansson 72’) BOOKED: Charisteas (1’), Seitaridis (51’), Torosidis (61’) |
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Greece - Sweden |
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0-2 (0-0) |
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GREECE Nikopolidis Seitaridis, Kyrgiakos, Dellas (Amanatidis 70’), Antzas, Torosidis Charisteas, Basinas (c), Katsouranis, Karagounis Gekas (Samaras 46’) COACH: Otto Rehhagel |
SWEDEN Isaksson Alexandersson (Stoor 74’), Mellberg, Hansson, Nilsson Wilhelmsson (Rosenberg 78’), Svensson, Andersson, Ljungberg (c) Ibrahimović (Elmander 71’), H. Larsson COACH: Lars Lagerbäck |
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| GAME SUMMARY Title holders Greece paid dearly for their ultra-defensive display after a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Sweden, who were frustrated during the first half but waited patiently for their chance in the second. A largely forgettable opening 45 minutes produced few goal opportunities, as both sides displayed an alarming lack of ambition. Goalkeepers were mere spectators, with wayward shooting and a lack of creative spark ensuring clean sheets all round at the break. Charisteas had the first effort on goal, weaving around three Swedish defenders as he cut in from the right flank, only to shoot right at the keeper. Otto Rehhagel’s men rarely threatened thereafter, as Sweden started to get in control of the game. However, they had to wait until minute 33 to have their first real opportunity, when Ljungberg found Ibrahimović with his back to goal and the Inter attacker headed on to the roof of the net as Kyrgiakos clattered him. In the next move, Mellberg had to head a dangerous cross over his own goal following Seitaridis’ ball from the right. Then Basinas tried his luck from 30 meters just before the break and Isaksson was down to parry the awkward shot.
After a first half short on entertainment, the second period was marginally better. Sweden should have taken the lead three minutes after the restart when Wilhelmsson latched onto a ball over the top of the Greek defense and lobbed Nikopolidis, but his shot cleared the crossbar. Mellberg almost gifted Greece an opening when he played the ball blindly out of defense, allowing Karagounis a free run, but the Aston Villa defender was back just in time with his teammates to scramble away. With the game settling into a slow pattern the Greeks were content with, midway the second half came Ibrahimović’s moment of inspiration to open the deadlock. The Inter attacker exchanged a smart one-two with the ever-reliable Henrik Larsson on the edge of the area before unleashing an unstoppable drive past a flailing Nikopolidis. Five minutes later the result was put beyond doubt when Ljungberg’s shot was saved by the Greek keeper and Elmander poked the rebound to the far post, where Hansson scored the scrappiest of goals. |
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| STADIUM: Stade de Genève (Genève) DATE: 11-06-2008 (18:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 29.016 REFEREE: Kyros Vassaras (GRE) GOALS: 0-1 (Deco 8’); 1-1 (Sionko 17’); 1-2 (Cristiano Ronaldo 63’); 1-3 (Quaresma 90+’) BOOKED: Polák (22’) / Bosingwa (31’) |
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Czech Republic - Portugal |
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1-3 (1-1) |
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CZECH REPUBLIC Čech Grygera, Ujfaluši (c), Rozehnal, Jankulovski Matějovský (Vlček 68’), Galásek (Koller 73’), Polák, Plašil (Jarolím 85’) Sionko, Baroš COACH: Karel Brückner |
PORTUGAL Ricardo Bosingwa, Pepe, Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira Petit, Deco, João Moutinho (F. Meira 75’), Simão (Quaresma 80’) Cristiano Ronaldo, Nuno Gomes (c) (Hugo Almeida 79’) COACH: Luiz Felipe Scolari |
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| GAME SUMMARY Portugal became the first squad to qualify for the next stage thanks to their victory against the Czech Republic. Karel Brückner made two changes to his starting line-up, with Matějovský replacing Jarolím in midfield and Baroš coming in for Koller up front, while Scolari stuck with the same eleven that overcame Turkey in the first game. The Czechs started brightly, but the opening goal came at the other end in minute 8, when Cristiano Ronaldo played a one-two with Nuno Gomes, which Čech came to deal with, and Deco scrambled home at the second attempt. Baroš’ first sight of goal came on the quarter-hour mark, when he headed Grygera’s cross over Ricardo’s bar. The Czechs were level two minutes later, however, thanks to a diving header from Sionko, following Plašil’s corner. Deco soon found space to try to restore Portugal’s lead, but his shot was too high to trouble Čech, and the Chelsea goalkeeper got down well seconds later to keep out a low drive from Cristiano Ronaldo. The game continued to flow from end to end at pace, with Sionko’s pull-back from a corner causing panic in the Portuguese defense before the danger was cleared. Čech again had to be alert four minutes before halftime to palm away a left-footed blast and a fierce right-footed free kick from Cristiano Ronaldo, but he was more than equal to both.
The second half began in a similar vein, with both teams on the front foot. Three minutes after the break, Matějovský slid a neat ball into the area and into the path of Sionko, whose low cross just evaded the onrushing Czech attackers. Nuno Gomes almost capitalized on hesitancy from Rozehnal, but the Czech defender got back well to make amends. Portugal were beginning to create half-chances, Simão the next to try his luck from close range only to be denied by Čech. Then came what proved to be the game’s decisive 60 seconds. After 62 minutes, Czech captain Ujfaluši got up well at the near post but saw his header flash across goal and narrowly wide from Plašil’s corner. At the other end, Deco rolled the ball to Cristiano Ronaldo on the edge of the area and the young Manchester United attacker struck his first goal of the tournament with a cool shot among the defenders’ legs. Plašil almost set up an equalizer for the Czechs shortly afterwards when he headed a corner back across goal, but no teammate was on hand to take advantage. Brückner introduced the Czechs’ all-time leading goalscorer Koller after 73 minutes to join Baroš up front in pursuit of an equalizer. The only time Ricardo was unduly troubled in the remaining 17 minutes, however, was when he had to tip a Sionko header over the bar from substitute Vlček’s corner. On the stroke of full time, the Portuguese made absolutely certain of their victory when Cristiano Ronaldo broke free and unselfishly played in substitute Quaresma for an easy tap-in. |
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| STADIUM: St. Jakob Park (Basel) DATE: 11-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 39.730 REFEREE: Ľuboš Micheľ (SVK) GOALS: 1-0 (Yakın 32’); 1-1 (Semih 57’); 1-2 (Arda 90+’) BOOKED: Derdiyok (55’) / Tuncay (31’), Mehmet Aurélio (41’), Hakan Balta (48’) |
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Switzerland - Turkey |
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1-2 (1-0) |
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SWITZERLAND Benaglio Lichtsteiner, Müller, Senderos, Magnin (c) Behrami, İnler, Fernandes (Cabanas 76’), Barnetta (Vonlanthen 66’) Yakın (Gygax 85’), Derdiyok COACH: Köbi Kuhn |
TURKEY Volkan Demirel Hamit, Emre Aşık, Servet, Hakan Balta Gökdeniz (Semih 46’), Mehmet Aurélio, Tümer (M. Topal 46’), Arda Nihat (c) (Kazım Kazım 85’), Tuncay COACH: Fatih Terim |
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| GAME SUMMARY Turkey kept their qualification hopes alive with a late victory over hosts Switzerland, who became the first team to be eliminated from the competition. Both teams struggled with the very wet conditions of the match, but this did not spoil the atmosphere for the fans packed into the stadium. Injuries forced Turkey coach Fatih Terim to make three changes to his starting line-up, and it was Mehmet Aurélio who was handed the challenging role of replacing injured captain Emre Belözoğlu at the heart of midfield. Switzerland coach Köbi Kuhn brought in attacking duo Eren Derdiyok and Hakan Yakın, hoping that the absence of all-time leading scorer Alexander Frei through injury would not hinder his side. This proved a wise move by the veteran coach, as both players made life difficult for Volkan Demirel. However, stand-in captain Nihat was first to test Benaglio early on, but his angled effort was saved by the Swiss goalkeeper. With the hosts making unforced errors, Turkey surged forward more aggressively and dominated the early stages of the game. Switzerland had their first shot on goal in minute 19, with İnler’s 30-meter strike forcing Volkan Demirel into action. Midway the first half, the tempo of the game changed and it was then Switzerland who took control. Yakın struck a stinging left-footed drive which Volkan Demirel palmed away for a corner. The Turkish goalkeeper’s next contribution was more spectacular, as he made a one-handed save from Barnetta’s curled free kick. However, the Turks were unlucky not to break the deadlock in the half-hour mark, with Nihat’s free kick cleared by Benaglio but only as far as Arda, whose header struck the far post. This miss proved costly as Switzerland broke the deadlock two minutes later, when a long ball from Senderos was controlled by Derdiyok, who served an unmarked Yakın at the far post for an easy tap-in. The goal inspired the hosts, who should have extended their lead shortly after, when Yakın received a beautiful pass from Behrami and fired wide from the far post, in what was the last chance of the opening half.
Fatih Terim made two substitutions after the re-start, with Mehmet Topal replacing Tümer in midfield and Semih taking the place of Gökdeniz. This proved to be a decisive move, as Semih scored twelve minutes later, when he latched onto Nihat’s cross from the left and his powerful header beat Benaglio. On the hour mark, Tuncay fired wide from the edge of the area as the Turks kept going forward. Turkey should have taken the lead in minute 73, when Tuncay curled in an inviting cross which Nihat was unable to connect with at the far post, but they continued to battle and their efforts eventually paid off. After Volkan Demirel made a stunning save to deny Yakın’s close-range effort, and just as the game looked to be headed for a draw in injury time, Arda’s right-footed effort from the edge of the area was deflected off a Swiss defender and into the goal to silence the home crowd. |
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| STADIUM: Hypo-Arena (Klagenfurt) DATE: 12-06-2008 (18:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 30.461 REFEREE: Frank de Bleeckere (BEL) GOALS: 1-0 (Srna 24’); 2-0 (Olić 62’); 2-1 (Podolski 79’) BOOKED: Srna (27’), Šimunić (45+’), Leko (90+’), Modrić (90+’) / Ballack (75’), Schweinsteiger (RC 90+’), Lehmann (90+’) [Incidents: Schweinsteiger was sent off (min. 90+).] |
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Croatia - Germany |
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2-1 (1-0) |
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CROATIA Pletikosa Ćorluka, R. Kovač, Šimunić, Pranjić Srna (Leko 80’), N. Kovač (c), Modrić, Rakitić Kranjčar (Knežević 85’), Olić (Petrić 72’) COACH: Slaven Bilić |
GERMANY Lehmann Lahm, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Jansen (Odonkor 46’) Fritz (Kurányi 82’), Frings, Ballack (c), Podolski Klose, Gómez (Schweinsteiger 66’) COACH: Joachim Löw |
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| GAME SUMMARY Croatia qualified in style for the quarterfinals with a stunning victory over Germany. The Germans, eager to avenge their defeat in World Cup 1998 against the Croats, succumbed again at the hands of their black beast. Both sides came into the game having won their opening matches, although Germany had looked far more impressive in seeing off Poland than Croatia had in defeating Austria. A frantic start to the match promised much but, for all their huffing and puffing, neither side was able to create anything resembling a chance in the opening 20 minutes as defenses held firm. The ball finally found its way into the back of the net in minute 22 when Germany striker Mario Gómez slotted home past Pletikosa, but the offside flag had already gone up and the goal was disallowed. However, two minutes later the deadlock was broken for real when Pranjić sent over a superb cross from the left and Srna nipped in front of marker Jansen to slide the ball in at the far post, as Lehmann was given no chance to save. Croatia had a gilt-edged chance to make it 2-0 in minute 30, but Kranjčar wasted it. Germany knew they needed to step up a gear and they finally made Pletikosa work with two efforts in rapid succession from Ballack’s free kick and a Metzelder effort. Metzelder then headed a Frings corner just over from close range as the Germans stepped up their efforts for an equalizer before the break. However, Löw’s side very nearly found themselves two goals behind in minute 43, and they needed a fine reaction stop from Lehmann to deny Kranjčar, who chested down Olić’s pass and smashed in a first-time volley.
Having seen his side let off the hook, Löw opted for a more adventurous approach in the second half as he sacrificed full-back Jansen for winger Odonkor during the interval. Aside from a Ballack shot over the crossbar though, Croatia looked fairly comfortable at the start of the period and also had a decent effort of their own with Modrić firing in a shot that Lehmann gathered, although not before seeing it squirm through his hands first. In minute 62, Croatia stunned Germany with a second goal when a Rakitić cross from the right took a deflection off Podolski before arrowing goalwards and, although Lehmann managed to dive backwards and get a hand on it, the ball struck his near post before rebounding back out to Olić, who had the easy task of slotting home. Germany looked for an immediate response but, aside from a shot from substitute Schweinsteiger that fizzed across the face of goal, they were still finding it difficult to create chances against a well-organized Croatian backline. Löw’s side rescued hope with eleven minutes to go when Podolski lashed home a shot on the half-volley after the ball had fallen kindly to him in the box. But Germany could not build on that goal and their final hopes of getting anything out of the match all but disappeared in injury time when Schweinsteiger was shown a straight red card for shoving Leko in retaliation. |
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| STADIUM: Ernst-Happel-Stadion (Wien) DATE: 12-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 51.428 REFEREE: Howard Webb (ENG) GOALS: 0-1 (Guerreiro 30’); 1-1 (Vastić [p.] 90+’) BOOKED: Korkmaz (56’), Prödl (72’) / Wasilewski (58’), Krzynówek (61’), Bąk (90+’) |
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Austria - Poland |
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1-1 (0-1) |
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AUSTRIA Macho Garics, Prödl, Stranzl, Pogatetz Leitgeb, Ivanschitz (c) (Vastić 64’), Aufhauser (Säum. 74’), Korkmaz Linz (Kienast 64’), Harnik COACH: Josef Hickersberger |
POLAND Boruc Wasilewski, Jop (Golański 46’), Bąk (c), Żewłakow Dudka, Lewandowski, Krzynówek Saganowski (Łobodziński 83’), Smolarek, Guerreiro (Murawski 85’) COACH: Leo Beenhakker |
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| GAME SUMMARY Austria and Poland kept their qualifying hopes alive with a 1-1 draw, although they definitely need to improve in their game. The hosts started brightly, and had three gilt-edged chances in the opening twenty minutes which could have seen them home and dry. Boruc had to be at his best in minute 11 as a poor backpass by a defender released Harnik, who raced clear but saw his shot into the far corner deflected by the Polish keeper. The Celtic custodian did even better two minutes later as Korkmaz put in a great pass into the penalty area, but Harnik had his shot saved by Boruc with his legs. A few minutes later, the Polish guardian was again equal to the task when, with the Poland defense in disarray, Leitgeb ran onto a beautifully weighted pass but saw his shot saved. The Poles took over twenty minutes to even force a corner and, after repelling another Austrian attack, they hit the co-hosts with a real punch in minute 30, much against the run of play: Saganowski controlled the ball after a brilliant cross from Smolarek inside the penalty area and managed to get his pass past the outstretched hand of Macho and the boot of Pogatetz for Guerreiro to slot it into the net (although he looked to be offside).
Three minutes into the second half, the Austrians thought they should have had a penalty as Ivanschitz went down in the box under a challenge from Golański, but the English referee Howard Webb waved aside the Austrian captain’s appeals. Poland had their first chance of the period when the impressive Smolarek surged onto a great ball by Guerreiro, turned the defender and forced a bit of a fumbled save from Macho. The Austrian goalkeeper was more alert in saving his side from going two down just after the hour mark, as he got down smartly and blocked a shot from Polish stand-in captain Bąk with his legs, and got up to beat away a follow up shot by Lewandowski. Hickersberger decided to make changes at that point and, somewhat surprisingly, took off Ivanschitz and Linz and sent on 38-year-old veteran Vastić and Kienast. However, it was the Poles who had the next effort on goal with a fierce free kick by Krzynówek, which was brilliantly tipped by Macho over the bar. As Beenhakker’s side started to get in control of the game, the Austrians rarely troubled the Polish defense, with just Prödl getting anywhere near the target with a header ten minutes from time that went past the post. However, in injury time, Poland conceded a penalty for shirt-pulling which Vastić converted, salvaging a late point for Austria, who must now beat the Germans in their last game—and hope Croatia beat Poland—to qualify for the next stage. |
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| STADIUM: Letzigrund (Zürich) DATE: 13-06-2008 (18:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 30.585 REFEREE: Tom Henning Øvrebø (NOR) GOALS: 0-1 (Mutu 55’); 1-1 (Panucci 56’) BOOKED: Pirlo (61’), De Rossi (90+’) / Mutu (43’), Chivu (58’), Goian (73’) [Incidents: Mutu missed a penalty shot (min. 81), saved by Buffon.] |
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Italy - Romania |
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1-1 (0-0) |
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ITALY Buffon Zambrotta, Panucci, Chiellini, Grosso Camoranesi (Ambrosini 85’), Pirlo, Perrotta (Cassano 57’), De Rossi Toni, Del Piero (c) (Quagliarella 77’) COACH: Roberto Donadoni |
ROMANIA Lobonţ Contra, Tamaş, Goian, Raţ Petre (Nicoliţă 60’), Rădoi (Dică 25’), Codrea, Chivu (c) D. Niculae, Mutu (Cociş 88’) COACH: Victor Piţurcă |
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| GAME SUMMARY Italy kept their Euro 2008 qualification hopes alive thanks to goalkeeper Buffon, who saved a late penalty that could have seen them eliminated after their opening two games. Roberto Donadoni made five changes to the starting line-up, with Grosso, Chiellini, Perrotta, De Rossi and Del Piero all starting, but the massive substitutions failed to inspire the Azzurri, severely criticized by local media after their flat display against Holland. Italy showed a sense of urgency from the start and almost broke the deadlock in minute 8, when Del Piero’s close-range header from Perrotta’s cross went just wide of the near post. After their defensive display against France, Romania also showed their attacking intentions in minute 15, but Mutu’s left-footed strike from the edge of the area was parried away by Buffon. At the other end, Toni latched onto Grosso’s cross, but his header went high over the bar, and Romania hit back as Buffon was then forced to fully stretch to clear Tamaş’ free kick towards the far post. Italy almost fell behind in minute 19, when Chivu’s free kick was deflected by Panucci but, with Buffon already beaten, rebounded off the far post. Romania were forced to make their first substitution midway through the first half, with Dică replacing the injured Rădoi. Contrary to expectations, Italians and Romanians were offering an open and exciting match, with many scoring chances. Italy showed more determination though, and twice had the opportunity to take the lead, but both Del Piero and Toni headed wide before Romanian goalkeeper Lobonţ made a one-handed save to deny Toni’s header from Del Piero’s corner. On the stroke of halftime, Italy thought they had finally taken the lead, but Toni was unfortunate to have his goal chalked off for offside.
In the second half, Italy picked up where they left off and continued their attacks. However, disaster soon struck for the Italians as Zambrotta’s woeful back-pass towards Buffon was intercepted by a determined Mutu, who showed great composure to fire past the goalkeeper and silence the Azzurri fans. But it did not take long for Donadoni’s men to hit back, and within one minute Chiellini latched onto Del Piero’s corner and headed towards the far post, where an unmarked Panucci emerged to poke the ball into the back of the net. The equalizer inspired the Italians for a time, as they surged forward more aggressively, but again they failed to find a finishing touch. Their best chance of the second half fell to De Rossi, who got his head on the ball from close range, forcing Lobonţ into a spectacular save. Italy continued to surge forward, but their efforts to clinch their first win on Swiss soil proved no avail. However, it could have been much worse when, as the game entered the final ten minutes, Panucci was judged to have brought down Mutu as they tussled for a cross at the near post. The Fiorentina attacker was given a golden chance to make it 2-1 for Romania from the penalty spot, but Buffon stopped his shot with an agile save which saw the ball rebound off hand and foot before heading out for corner. The Italians continued their attacks, but Romania held on for a draw which left both teams with qualification hopes in their last game. |
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| STADIUM: Stade de Suisse Wankdorf (Bern) DATE: 13-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 30.777 REFEREE: Herbert Fandel (GER) GOALS: 1-0 (Kuijt 9’); 2-0 (Van Persie 59’); 2-1 (Henry 71’); 3-1 (Robben 72’); 4-1 (Sneijder 90+’) BOOKED: Ooijer (51’) / Makélélé (32’), Toulalan (82’) |
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Netherlands - France |
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4-1 (1-0) |
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NETHERLANDS Van der Sar (c) Boulahrouz, Ooijer, Mathijsen, Van Bronckhorst Kuijt (V. Persie 55’), Jong, Vaart (Bouma 78’), Engelaar (Robben 46’) Van Nistelrooij, Sneijder COACH: Marco van Basten |
FRANCE Coupet Sagnol, Thuram (c), Gallas, Evra Govou (Anelka 75’), Toulalan, Makélélé, Malouda (Gomis 60’) Henry, Ribéry COACH: Raymond Domenech |
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| GAME SUMMARY In another masterly display, Holland qualified in style for the quarterfinals with a convincing victory over a shell-shocked France. The Dutch’s confidence was sky high after their stunning victory over Italy, and a quick opener helped them settle. In minute 9, Van der Vaart sent a corner in from the right and Kuijt beat Malouda in the air to head home at the near post. From that moment on, the Dutch posed all sorts of problems to the French defense, with Sneijder firing just over in minute 15 and then Kuijt poking a shot over the bar when free in the area after he pounced on a weak Thuram header. France, who had been criticized by local media for their laboured performance against Romania, upped the tempo and created a host of half-chances in the final 20 minutes of the half. Their first sight on goal came when Govou’s near-post effort drew an excellent instinctive save out of Van der Sar. Three more opportunities fell to the French in the space of a few minutes, with Malouda, Govou and Ribéry all bringing decent stops out of the Dutch keeper with low drives. Henry curled wide from 20 meters with the last opportunity of the first half.
At the start of the second period, Henry thought he had earned his side a penalty when Govou’s driven cross-shot was deflected into his path and the Barcelona striker’s goalbound effort was clearly blocked by the hand of Ooijer. German referee Herbert Fandel, who was obviously unsighted, only gave a corner, much to the chagrin of the French. In minute 53, Henry had an immediate chance to exact his revenge but, having been put clean through by Malouda’s spectacular pass, sent his lob way over. The French profligacy was punished on the hour mark when two of Holland’s second-half substitutes, Robben and Van Persie, combined to put the Dutch further ahead. The Real Madrid winger sent a perfect cross from the left to Van Persie, whose volley crept over the line despite the best efforts of Coupet. In minute 71, Henry finally got his goal when he glanced home a cross from the right from Sagnol but, within seconds, Robben restored Holland’s two-goal cushion. The left-winger ran onto Sneijder’s through-ball down the left channel, won himself a little space against Thuram and nailed a powerful drive from an impossible angle into the roof of the net. With Holland threatening to run wild, the impressive Van Nistelrooij almost got himself on the scoresheet with seven minutes left with an impudent header, but it was clawed out by Coupet. In injury time, Sneijder added garnish with a superb curling shot from 25 meters which gave Coupet no chance. |
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| STADIUM: Tivoli-Neu (Innsbruck) DATE: 14-06-2008 (18:00 h) ATTENDANCE: 30.772 REFEREE: Pieter Vink (NED) GOALS: 0-1 (Torres 15’); 1-1 (Ibrahimović 34’); 1-2 (Villa 90+’) BOOKED: Svensson (55’) / Marchena (53’) |
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Sweden - Spain |
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1-2 (1-1) |
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SWEDEN Isaksson Stoor, Mellberg, Hansson, Nilsson Elmander (S. Larsson 79’), Svensson, Andersson, Ljungberg (c) Ibrahimović (Rosenberg 46’), H. Larsson (Källström 87’) COACH: Lars Lagerbäck |
SPAIN Casillas (c) Sergio Ramos, Puyol (Albiol 24’), Marchena, Capdevila Iniesta (Cazorla 59’), Senna, Xavi (Fàbregas 59’), Silva Villa, Torres COACH: Luis Aragonés |
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| GAME SUMMARY Spain snatched a late 2-1 victory over Sweden thanks again to in-form attacker Villa, whose injury-time goal (combined with Russia’s win over Greece later on) secured qualification for the quarterfinals as group winners. Spain quickly settled into their usual passing game and were soon probing the Sweden defense for frailties. However, apart from an Iniesta shot that went high and wide and a moment of danger when Silva got in behind the Swedish defense before being closed down, Lars Lagerbäck’s side was able to deal with the early Spanish threat. In minute 15, a well-worked corner gave Spain the lead when Xavi played a low ball in toward the front post for Villa, who in turn found Silva on the edge of the area, and his cross back in was stabbed home by the stretching leg of Torres. It had been largely all Spain up until that point, but Sweden proved there were two teams in the contest as they almost fashioned an immediate equalizer to Torres’ goal. Veteran striker Henrik Larsson cleverly slipped Elmander through on the right of the area, but the Toulouse forward smashed his shot into the side-netting with only Casillas to beat. Ibrahimović, widely regarded as Sweden’s chief threat, had been well-marshalled by the Spanish backline up to that moment, but the Inter striker showed his class as he drew his side level in minute 34. The towering attacker raced onto a deep cross from Stoor, brought the ball under control and, just when it appeared that the chance might be lost, he held off the challenge of Sergio Ramos before sliding a low shot past a hesitant Casillas. Villa, who had also been fairly quiet during the first half, seemed to come to life when he brought a save out of Isaksson in minute 37 with a 20-meter volley.
Sweden suffered a setback at halftime when Ibrahimović, who had been an injury doubt leading up to the game due to a knee problem, failed to re-appear for the second half, with Rosenberg taking his place. The Werder Bremen striker had little opportunity to impress in the first fifteen minutes of the second half though, as both teams cancelled each other out. In a bid to shake things up, Luis Aragonés opted to make a double change on the hour mark, with Fàbregas and Cazorla sent into action. Soon after their introduction, Spain had a great chance to take the lead as the Swedish goal survived three near misses in quick succession. First Silva’s shot was parried by Isaksson, who then did well to bravely block the follow-up from Villa. The ball was still alive though and, with Isaksson out of position, Torres looked set to slot into an empty net, only to see his effort deflected for a corner. Spain was starting to get the upper hand and Isaksson was again called into action in minute 67, diving full-length to turn away Senna’s 25-meter drive. Sweden enjoyed a rare chance in minute 78 when a deep Svensson’s free kick cleared the Spanish defense and found Hansson at the far post, but the center-back put his volley across the face of goal. Spain piled forward in the closing stages in search of the winning goal, but when Isaksson saved Torres’ low shot in minute 89 it looked as though the Swedes would be taking a hard-earned point. In injury time, however, Capdevila sent a hopeful long ball upfield and Villa skipped inside Hansson before coolly slotting home past Isaksson for the winner. |
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| STADIUM: EM Stadion Salzburg (Wals-Siezenheim, Salzburg) DATE: 14-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 31.063 REFEREE: Roberto Rosetti (ITA) GOALS: 0-1 (Zyrjanov 33’) BOOKED: Karagounis (42’), Lyberopoulos (58’) / Saenko (77’), Torbinskij (84’) |
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Greece - Russia |
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0-1 (0-1) |
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GREECE Nikopolidis Seitaridis (Karagounis 40’), Dellas, Kyrgiakos, Torosidis Katsouranis, Basinas (c), Patsatzoglou Charisteas, Lyberopoulos (Gekas 61’), Amanatidis (Giannakopoul. 80’) COACH: Otto Rehhagel |
RUSSIA Akinfeev Anjukov, Kolodin, Ignashevich, Zhirkov (V. Berezutskij 87’) Torbinskij, Zyrjanov, Semak (c), Semshov, Biljaletdinov (Saenko 70’) Pavljuchenko COACH: Guus Hiddink |
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| GAME SUMMARY Reigning champions Greece crashed out of Euro 2008 in a disappointing fashion after losing to Russia, who in turn kept their qualification hopes alive. After the Greek fiasco in the opening game against Sweden, Otto Rehhagel changed his ultra-defensive sweeper system for a flat back-four, with a more attacking mind. However, Russia proved the most dangerous team down the flanks, and their pressure was almost rewarded in minute 14 when Zyrjanov robbed Basinas as the Greek skipper dwelt on the ball and Biljaletdinov worked the ball out to Pavljuchenko, who saw his curling lob aimed to the top corner tipped over by Nikopolidis. Greece’s threats predictably came from set plays, and they had their best chance of the first half when Basinas curled a trademark free kick into the danger zone and Charisteas could not get a head on it, nor could he get a touch on Semshov’s clumsy resulting clearance. However, the opener fell to Russia after 33 minutes, when veteran goalkeeper Nikopolidis inexplicably raced from his goal to gather a deep cross from Biljaletdinov, only to be caught out by Semak’s clever overhead kick, which left him stranded as Zyrjanov slotted home into an empty net.
Greece came out fired up in the second half, with Charisteas shooting into the hands of Akinfeev, but it was Russia who could have won the game by a more comfortable margin had they converted a number of clear chances in this period. Pavljuchenko twice went close to scoring, firing into the side-netting and then seeing his shot blocked. Basinas fired over the bar from the penalty spot after Amanatidis headed a deep cross into his path as Greece looked for a leveller, but Russia stood firm and could even afford Pavljuchenko to miss again from ten meters as they hung on till the final whistle. |
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| STADIUM: St. Jakob Park (Basel) DATE: 15-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 39.730 REFEREE: Konrad Plautz (AUT) GOALS: 1-0 (Yakın 71’); 2-0 (Yakın [p.] 83’) BOOKED: Yakın (27’), Vonlanthen (37’), Barnetta (81’), Fernandes (90+’) / Paulo Ferreira (30’), Jorge Ribeiro (64’), Fernando Meira (78’), Miguel (81’) [Incidents: At the end of the game, the Swiss players showed a banner thanking Köbi Kuhn in his last international game as Switzerland coach.] |
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Switzerland - Portugal |
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2-0 (0-0) |
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SWITZERLAND Zuberbühler Lichtsteiner (Grichting 83’), Müller, Senderos, Magnin (c) Behrami, Fernandes, İnler, Vonlanthen (Barnetta 61’) Yakın (Cabanas 86’), Derdiyok COACH: Köbi Kuhn |
PORTUGAL Ricardo Miguel, Pepe, Bruno Alves, Paulo Ferreira (Jorge Ribeiro 41’) Fernando Meira (c), Miguel Veloso (João Moutinho 71’), Raul Meireles Quaresma, Hélder Postiga (Hugo Almeida 74’), Nani COACH: Luiz Felipe Scolari |
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| GAME SUMMARY In a game with nothing at stake but pride, Switzerland bowed out of Euro 2008 with a 2-0 victory against Group A winners Portugal. The co-hosts, already eliminated from contention, turned in a solid performance against Scolari’s side, as both sides offered an entertaining affair to the crowd at St. Jakob Park. Scolari made eight changes to his line-up from the team that started Portugal’s first two matches, with only goalkeeper Ricardo and defenders Paulo Ferreira and Pepe retained. Köbi Kuhn, overseeing his last match after seven years at the Swiss helm, made two changes, with retiring goalkeeper Zuberbühler handed a farewell start in place of Benaglio and Vonlanthen (the youngest scorer in European Championships history with his goal against France four years ago) coming in for Barnetta in midfield.
Portugal carved out more chances in an intriguing first half. The first opportunity of the match arrived after seven minutes, when an audacious back-heeled cross from Quaresma was headed over the crossbar by Hélder Postiga. Ten minutes later, Pepe got a touch on Nani’s low free kick, but Zuberbühler did enough to divert the effort onto the underside of the crossbar. Ricardo also had to be alert to tip İnler’s swerving blast over for a corner. The action continued to flow from end to end, with Hélder Postiga’s shot from Nani’s pull-back seemingly destined for the bottom-right corner until Senderos intervened. The Arsenal defender then slid in at the other end and was just centimeters away from connecting with Yakın’s free kick. Ricardo then produced a fine save to deny Yakın, superbly palming away the midfielder’s header. Ten minutes before halftime, Hélder Postiga was put through by Quaresma and had the ball in the net, but the strike was ruled out for offside.
The game continued in much the same vein after the break, with both sides looking for the breakthrough but lacking the cutting edge. İnler tried his luck in the opening seconds of the period, but Ricardo fisted the ball to safety. Nani then burst down the left and got his shot away and past Zuberbühler, but his low strike hit the post. Vonlanthen made way for Barnetta just after the hour mark, and the substitute almost made an immediate impact, but his attempt from İnler’s cross was bundled behind for a corner. İnler again had a go from distance after 65 minutes and this time saw his fierce drive skim the outside of the left-hand upright on its way wide. At this point, the Swiss were enjoying their best spell of the match, and Barnetta failed to capitalize when the ball broke to him, dragging his left-footed shot wide. In minute 71, Switzerland finally broke the deadlock when Yakın latched onto Derdiyok’s clever flick and fired past Ricardo. The Young Boys midfielder then put the result beyond doubt with a well-taken penalty seven minutes from time, after a foul by Fernando Meira on the influential Barnetta. |
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| STADIUM: Stade de Genève (Genève) DATE: 15-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 29.016 REFEREE: Peter Fröjdfeldt (SWE) GOALS: 0-1 (Koller 34’); 0-2 (Plašil 62’); 1-2 (Arda 75’); 2-2 (Nihat 87’); 3-2 (Nihat 89’) BOOKED: Mehmet Topal (6’), Mehmet Aurélio (10’), Arda (62’), Emre Aşık (73’), Volkan Demirel (RC 90+’) / Galásek (80+), Ujfaluši (90+’), Baroš [bench player] (90+’) [Incidents: Volkan Demirel was sent off (min. 90+).] |
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Turkey - Czech Republic |
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3-2 (0-1) |
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TURKEY Volkan Demirel Hamit, Emre Güngör (Emre Aşık 63’), Servet, Hakan Balta Mehmet Topal (Kazım Kazım 57’), Mehmet Aurélio, Arda, Tuncay Nihat (c), Semih (Sabri 46’) COACH: Fatih Terim |
CZECH REPUBLIC Čech Grygera, Ujfaluši (c), Rozehnal, Jankulovski Matějovský (Jarolím 39’), Galásek, Polák, Plašil (Kadlec 80’) Sionko (Vlček 84’), Koller COACH: Karel Brückner |
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| GAME SUMMARY After an incredible comeback, Turkey snatched a place in the quarterfinals of Euro 2008. The Czech Republic looked destined to qualify instead after Koller and Plašil scored either side of the break to give them a 2-0 lead. But then, with 15 minutes remaining, Arda pulled one back, and in the last three minutes Nihat scored a double to complete the Turkish comeback. The only bad news for Fatih Terim’s men are the absence of Volkan Demirel and Mehmet Aurélio through suspension.
Before the game, there was the possibility of a penalty shoot-out to decide the qualified team in case the match ended in a draw, as both squads had identical records, but it looked long odds against that prospect the way Turkey played in the first half. They were dreadful and looked a team gripped by nerves as they failed to trouble Čech in the opening 45 minutes. The more experienced Czechs looked assured from the off and should have been more than a goal ahead at the interval. The towering Koller was at the hub of most of his team’s attacks, and in minute 10 he headed Jankulovski’s free kick over the bar when well positioned. Matějovský—who was carried off on a stretcher in minute 37 and replaced two minutes later—drew a decent save out of Volkan Demirel, while Servet made a great last-gasp clearance to prevent Koller from scoring a simple tap-in. The game was becoming a one-way traffic, and the ever-dangerous Sionko fired just over from the diagonal in minute 25 as the nervous Turks continued to relinquish possession. The goal the Czechs deserved came nine minutes later, when Juventus full-back Grygera galloped down the right and crossed for Koller to power home a trademark header in emphatic style from eight meters out. The Nürnberg attacker almost doubled the lead when he nodded over from another Jankulovski free kick.
At the interval, Fatih Terim replaced anonymous striker Semih with midfielder Sabri, and the change paid dividends as the Turks began the second half in a different mood. Nihat volleyed over acrobatically two minutes in while Tuncay deflected a free kick straight at Čech. The Czechs suddenly looked tentative but, after Koller sidefooted wastefully wide with just Volkan Demirel to beat, Plašil settled any nerves with their second goal just after the hour mark, when he got on the end of Sionko’s right-wing cross to prod home at the far post. This goal initially knocked the stuffing out of Turkey, and Polák almost made it 3-0 when he sidefooted Sionko’s cross against the post from ten meters. But the game was not over yet, and Arda set up a tense final fifteen minutes when he pounced on a Hamit center and slid home a low finish past Čech. After Servet somehow headed wide from close range in minute 81, Čech fumbled a deep cross from the right, allowing Nihat to tap the equalizer into an empty net with three minutes remaining. Just when overtime was looming in the air, Nihat won the game for Turkey when he made the most of some dreadful defending to latch onto Hamit’s neat through-ball and curl home a superb finish off the bar. There was more drama to come in stoppage time as Volkan Demirel was sent off for pushing Koller, but the Czechs failed to test stand-in keeper Tuncay and Turkey held on for a dramatic victory. |
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| STADIUM: Hypo-Arena (Klagenfurt) DATE: 16-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 30.461 REFEREE: Kyros Vassaras (GRE) GOALS: 0-1 (Klasnić 53’) BOOKED: Lewandowski (38’), Zahorski (84’) / Vejić (45’), Vukojević (85’) |
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Poland - Croatia |
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0-1 (0-0) |
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POLAND Boruc Wasilewski, Żewłakow (c), Dudka, Wawrzyniak Murawski, Guerreiro, Lewandowski (Kokoszka 46’), Krzynówek Łobodziński (Smolarek 55’), Saganowski (Zahorski 69’) COACH: Leo Beenhakker |
CROATIA Runje Šimić (c), Vejić, Knežević (Ćorluka 27’), Pranjić Leko, Vukojević, Pokrivač, Rakitić Klasnić (Kalinić 74’), Petrić (Kranjčar 75’) COACH: Slaven Bilić |
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| GAME SUMMARY A goal by Klasnić (who had recovered from two kidney transplants in time to be eligible for Euro 2008) allowed Croatia to complete a clean sheet with their third win in the group stage at the expense of Poland, whose remote hopes of qualification rested on a victory against the Croats combined with a defeat of Germany in the other game. Slaven Bilić made nine changes to his regular first eleven to rest decisive players for the quarterfinals, but the tactical tinkering did not weaken his side. Poland enjoyed their best moments in the opening minutes of the first half, as Lewandowski and Dudka both should have done better after winning headers from corners, with neither testing goalkeeper Runje. However, it was pretty much all Croatia after that, with Bilić’s new-look side getting in behind the Polish defense on a number of occasions. In minute 14, Pranjić was played through by Klasnić, but the impressive left-back’s attempted chip over Boruc drifted harmlessly across goal. Croatia went much closer with their next opportunity, when Vejić’s glancing header from a Rakitić free kick bounced just past the far post with Boruc a helpless bystander. The Polish goalkeeper was needed to save his side in minute 31 though, when Klasnić was played in on the edge of the area and Boruc did well to come out and block the Werder Bremen striker’s shot with his feet. Croatia were starting to look increasingly dangerous and Boruc again did well to deny Rakitić and Pranjić after the Polish defense had twice been breached down their right-hand side. The Croats continued to push for the opener right up to the break and Leko sent a low 25-meter shot fizzing just wide of Boruc’s right post, before the Polish goalkeeper did superbly to save from Klasnić on the stroke of halftime, following another one-on-one with the Croatian hitman.
Eight minutes into the second half, Croatia finally got the breakthrough their play deserved, when full-back Pranjić raced onto a loose ball on the edge of the Polish area before cutting a pass back to Klasnić, who slotted home first time low to Boruc’s left. With Germany also taking an early second-half lead against co-hosts Austria in the other group game, Klasnić’s strike all but signalled the end of Poland’s slim qualification hopes. Pranjić almost caught Boruc out with a cross that landed on the top of the crossbar, before Poland had arguably their best effort up to that point through Guerreiro, but the Brazilian-born player fired wide of the far post. Guerreiro caused more problems for the Croatian defense in minute 68 when his far-post cross picked out Saganowski, whose downward header was well held by Runje. Poland’s defense was given a boost with fifteen minutes remaining when Bilić opted to replace the dangerous strike pairing of Klasnić and Petrić, but that did little to help Beenhakker’s men at the other end of the field. Polish substitute Smolarek had two decent efforts in the closing stages, but neither were on target, before Zahorski missed a gilt-edged chance in minute 88 when, after going clean through, he was denied by the feet of Runje as Croatia held on for the win. |
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| STADIUM: Ernst-Happel-Stadion (Wien) DATE: 16-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 51.428 REFEREE: Manuel Enrique Mejuto González (SPA) GOALS: 0-1 (Ballack 49’) BOOKED: Stranzl (13’), Hoffer (31’), Ivanschitz (48’) [Incidents: Coaches Josef Hickersberger and Joachim Löw were both sent off in minute 41, following a heated exchange on the touchline.] |
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Austria - Germany |
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0-1 (0-0) |
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AUSTRIA Macho Garics, Stranzl, Hiden (Leitgeb 55’), Pogatetz, Fuchs Aufhauser (Säumel 63’), Harnik (Kienast 67’), Ivanschitz (c), Korkmaz Hoffer COACH: Josef Hickersberger |
GERMANY Lehmann Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Lahm Fritz (Borowski 90+’), Ballack (c), Frings, Podolski (Neuville 83’) Gómez (Hitzlsperger 60’), Klose COACH: Joachim Löw |
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| GAME SUMMARY In a tight game, Germany earned its ticket to the quarterfinals thanks to a stunning free kick by Ballack. Joachim Löw’s men started much the brighter side, and with only five minutes on the clock could have taken the lead when Klose teased the Austrians down the right before sliding the ball across for Gómez, who was presented an open goal from three meters but inexplicably sliced the ball in the air, giving Garics the opportunity to get back on the line and clear the danger. Two minutes later the Stuttgart attacker, keen to atone for his miss, shot straight at Macho from the left corner of the box. Midway through the first period, Podolski’s 25-meter drive forced Macho into a diving parry. However, the hosts began to impose themselves on the game as the half wore on. Austria’s best opportunity came ten minutes before the break, when Korkmaz drove the ball back from the touchline and Fuchs failed to control his header as the ball flew harmlessly over Lehmann’s crossbar. Four minutes before halftime, Spanish referee Mejuto González made his presence felt when he sent coaches Hickersberger and Löw to the stands after a dispute on the touchline.
Only four minutes into the second half, Germany took the lead when Lahm was brought down by Ivanschitz 25 meters from goal and Ballack blasted the free kick past the wall and into the far top corner, giving Macho absolutely no chance. Moments later, Lahm embarked upon another jinking run from his left-back spot, this time pulling his 20-meter effort wide of the near post, as the Germans looked to give themselves breathing space. Austria again improved as the half progressed, but Lehmann remained untroubled in the German goal. On the other side, Macho had to be quick off his line to make a fine save at the feet of Klose, before reacting quickly to make a block from the resulting corner, which skimmed off the head of his own defender stationed at the near post. Lahm made a fine last-ditch challenge to deny Ivanschitz a path to goal moments before Hoffer lashed wide from inside the German box, as Lehmann continued to enjoy a quiet evening. Macho denied Klose again, parrying the Bayern Munich striker’s effort from inside the area before Frings lashed just wide from outside the box in injury-time, as Germany comfortably saw out the closing stages. |
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| STADIUM: Stade de Suisse Wankdorf (Bern) DATE: 17-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 30.777 REFEREE: Massimo Busacca (SWI) GOALS: 1-0 (Huntelaar 54’); 2-0 (Van Persie 87’) BOOKED: Chivu (78’) |
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Netherlands - Romania |
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2-0 (0-0) |
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NETHERLANDS Stekelenburg Boulahrouz (Melchiot 58’), Heitinga (c), Bouma, De Cler Afellay, De Zeeuw, Van Persie, Engelaar, Robben (Kuijt 61’) Huntelaar (Vennegoor of Hesselink 83’) COACH: Marco van Basten |
ROMANIA Lobonţ Contra, Tamaş, Ghionea, Raţ Cociş, Codrea (Dică 72’), Chivu (c) Nicoliţă (Petre 82’), M. Niculae (D. Niculae 59’), Mutu COACH: Victor Piţurcă |
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| GAME SUMMARY Holland continued their impressive display in Euro 2008 with their third group victory, in spite of the nine changes made by Marco van Basten to his starting line-up after their earlier qualification. Romania, needing to win to secure a place in the last eight, started strong and frustrated the Dutch for the majority of the first half. In minute 4, Marius Niculae lashed a well-hit snap-shot across Stekelenburg, but wide. Mutu, who looked lively and inventive up front for Romania, made himself some space inside the area in minute 24, but Bouma got enough on his left-footed shot on the turn to avert the danger. The Fiorentina attacker tried his luck again on the half hour, this time from distance, but again did not make Stekelenburg work. At the other end, Boulahrouz burst through down the right eleven minutes before halftime and fed Huntelaar, whose first-time effort flew over the bar. Two minutes later, Robben latched onto Huntelaar’s neat flick and looked to slot his shot into the bottom left corner with the outside of his left boot, but the Real Madrid winger saw his strike trickle agonizingly just the wrong side of the post. Romania could have taken the lead one minute before halftime, when Raţ pulled the ball back for Codrea, who blazed over the bar.
Holland were much the better side after the interval though, and Van Persie almost scored a sublime goal within four minutes of the second half when he pulled down a long ball with his left foot, took one more touch to turn and then got a right-footed shot away which Lobonţ got down well to save. Five minutes later, Van Basten’s men took a deserved lead when Afellay crossed from the right, Engelaar’s dummy confused the Romanian defense and Huntelaar timed his run to perfection to slot past Lobonţ. Romania, aware of events elsewhere as Italy defeated France, appeared crestfallen and never looked like getting back into the game. Much of the remainder of the match took place in the Romanian half, despite the fact that the game was of little consequence to the Dutch. Van Persie struck a sweet left-footed volley over the bar in minute 82 as Holland looked to double their advantage. Petre was then introduced and almost made an immediate impact, first setting up Mutu, who completely mistimed his effort, and then unleashing an overhead kick. Resigned to their fate, Romania conceded a second goal with three minutes left on the clock when Van Persie controlled the ball on his chest and blasted an unstoppable left-foot drive into the roof of the net past a stranded Lobonţ. |
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| STADIUM: Letzigrund (Zürich) DATE: 17-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 30.585 REFEREE: Ľuboš Micheľ (SVK) GOALS: 0-1 (Pirlo [p.] 25’); 0-2 (De Rossi 62’) BOOKED: Evra (18’), Abidal (RC 24’), Govou (47’), Boumsong (72’), Henry (85’) / Pirlo (44’), Chiellini (45+’), Gattuso (54’) [Incidents: Abidal was sent off (min. 24).] |
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France - Italy |
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0-2 (0-1) |
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FRANCE Coupet Clerc, Gallas, Abidal, Evra Govou (Anelka 66’), Toulalan, Makélélé, Ribéry (Nasri 10’ (Boum. 26’)) Benzema, Henry (c) COACH: Raymond Domenech |
ITALY Buffon (c) Zambrotta, Panucci, Chiellini, Grosso Gattuso (Aqu. 82’), De Rossi, Perrotta (Camo. 64’), Pirlo (Ambro. 55’) Toni, Cassano COACH: Roberto Donadoni |
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| GAME SUMMARY Italy, after being close to elimination in their previous game, secured a quarterfinal showdown against Spain with a 2-0 victory over 10-man France (combined with the defeat of Romania against Holland in the other group match). However, there was some bad news for the Italians, as playmaker Pirlo and defensive midfielder Gattuso both received bookings that will force them out of the quarterfinal game. For France, their elimination with just one goal scored was the unwelcome prize for a campaign dogged by reported internal strife, player fatigue and controversy over injured captain Patrick Vieira.
Raymond Domenech, aware of the importance of this game, made three changes from the side swept aside by Holland, with defenders Thuram and Sagnol replaced by Abidal and Clerc, and Benzema joining Henry in attack with midfielder Malouda dropping to the bench. The Italian coach Roberto Donadoni unveiled an attacking line-up, dropping Del Piero in favor of Cassano and picking Gattuso instead of Camoranesi in midfield. France got off to a bad start in minute 7 when Ribéry, their best player in the tournament, landed awkwardly on his left ankle challenging Zambrotta for the ball and was carried off on a stretcher. Moments later, France had Makélélé to thank for clearing Panucci’s header off the line following a Pirlo corner. Coupet then did well to deny Pirlo’s curling free kick from the right flank, as Italy gained momentum. French right winger Govou, who started brightly, then screwed an effort way wide from distance. The game’s turning point came in minute 24 when Toni, at full stretch trying to latch onto a Pirlo’s lob, was tackled and felled from behind by Abidal in the box. The Slovakian referee Ľuboš Micheľ had no hesitation in calling a penalty and pulling out a red card for the French player, as he was the last defender. Abidal’s sending off evoked wretched memories for France of the last time these two countries met in a major competition, in the 2006 World Cup final, when Zidane was also sent off for headbutting Materazzi. Pirlo stroked home calmly from the spot to give Italy the lead, and from that moment on, Donadoni’s men took control of the game and had a number of opportunities to add to their tally.
France started the second half well despite being a man down, but De Rossi’s 35-meter free kick was deflected off Henry’s foot and past the stranded Coupet to leave Les Bleus with a mountain ahead. However, they were close to pulling one back when the lively Benzema’s curling effort from the edge of the area seemed to be heading into the top far corner, but Buffon tipped out his shot with a spectacular save. This seemed to knock out the stuffing out of France, as Italy took control of the last minutes of the game to secure a place in quarterfinals. |
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| STADIUM: EM Stadion Salzburg (Wals-Siezenheim, Salzburg) DATE: 18-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 30.883 REFEREE: Howard Webb (ENG) GOALS: 1-0 (Charisteas 42’); 1-1 (De la Red 61’); 1-2 (Güiza 88’) BOOKED: Karagounis (34’), Basinas (72’), Vyntra (90+’) / Güiza (41’), Arbeloa (45’) [Incidents: The 37-year-old goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis announced his international retirement in the wake of his error against Russia that sealed Greece’s elimination, and for this reason he was appointed captain in his last game instead of the usual one, Basinas.] |
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Greece - Spain |
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1-2 (1-0) |
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GREECE Nikopolidis (c) Vyntra, Kyrgiakos (Antzas 62’), Dellas, Spyropoulos Basinas, Karagounis (Tziolis 74’), Katsouranis, Amanatidis Salpingidis (Giannakopoulos 86’), Charisteas COACH: Otto Rehhagel |
SPAIN Reina Arbeloa, Albiol, Juanito, Navarro S. García, Fàbregas, X. Alonso (c), De la Red, Iniesta (Cazorla 58’) Güiza COACH: Luis Aragonés |
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| GAME SUMMARY Thanks to another late goal, Spain kept their clean sheet in the group stage of Euro 2008 with three victories, whereas title holder Greece bowed out after a disappointing display in the competition. Luis Aragonés made a host of changes in the Spanish line-up, and this gave an excellent opportunity to men like Xabi Alonso and Fàbregas, who will be fighting for a place in the starting eleven against Italy. With the Arsenal midfielder heavily involved, Spain looked the more dangerous of the two sides in the opening stages, but after a few nervous early moments the Greek defense coped fairly comfortably with the Spanish attacks. The closest either side came to a goal in the opening half hour was through a spectacular effort from inside the center circle by Xabi Alonso, but his shot went just wide of the top corner with the backpedalling Nikopolidis badly struggling before colliding painfully with the woodwork. The long-range shooting of Spain’s stand-in captain was looking the best threat of Luis Aragonés’ men at that stage, with another couple of efforts just wide of Nikopolidis’ left-hand post. Greece’s attacking threat was limited mainly to dead-ball situations in this first half, and it appeared as though there was going to be little to worry Reina in the Spanish goal as the match drifted towards halftime. However, all that was to change in minute 42, when Greece took the lead much against the run of play through Charisteas. The goal stemmed from a free kick out on the left touchline, which was curled into the box by Karagounis for Charisteas to escape his marker and send a thumping header past Reina.
Luis Aragonés made no changes after the break and continued with the same men, and he was almost rewarded for his faith in his fringe players when Xabi Alonso came close to equalizing in minute 54. Once again showing his prowess from distance, the Liverpool midfielder unleashed a 35-meter thunderbolt which crashed against the inside of the post before flying across the face of the goal. Spain were beginning to get the upper hand in the game, and didn’t have to wait much longer to get back on level terms when a chip into the area was nodded back by Güiza and De la Red was on hand to send a blistering shot past Nikopolidis, who got his hand to the ball but could do nothing to keep it out. Spain’s joy very nearly turned to despair in minute 64, however, as Charisteas broke into the area and skipped past Reina, but he could only hit the outside of the post from a tight angle. With time running out, Spanish League’s topscorer Güiza was left unmarked to thump Sergio Garcia’s cross past Nikopolidis, giving Spain their second successive last-gasp win following their 2-1 triumph over Sweden. |
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| STADIUM: Tivoli-Neu (Innsbruck) DATE: 18-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 30.772 REFEREE: Frank de Bleeckere (BEL) GOALS: 1-0 (Pavljuchenko 24’); 2-0 (Arshavin 50’) BOOKED: Semak (57’), Arshavin (65’), Kolodin (76’) / Isaksson (10’), Elmander (49’) |
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Russia - Sweden |
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2-0 (1-0) |
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RUSSIA Akinfeev Anjukov, Ignashevich, Kolodin, Zhirkov Zyrjanov, Semak (c), Semshov, Biljaletdinov (Saenko 66’) Pavljuchenko (Bystrov 90’), Arshavin COACH: Guus Hiddink |
SWEDEN Isaksson Stoor, Mellberg, Hansson, Nilsson (Allbäck 79’) Elmander, Andersson (Källström 56’), Svensson, Ljungberg (c) H. Larsson, Ibrahimović COACH: Lars Lagerbäck |
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| GAME SUMMARY Russia, who surely didn’t count in most bets after their opening 4-1 defeat against Spain, completed their comeback in the tournament with a fully-deserved 2-0 victory over Sweden to claim qualification for the quarterfinals. Guus Hiddink’s side, who needed to win to set up a clash against Holland, were on the front foot from the beginning, while Sweden seemed happy to try and contain Russia, as the draw was enough for them to qualify. The return of former captain Arshavin (who had been banned for two matches of the finals after he was dismissed in the final qualifier for kicking out) bolstered the Russian attack, and Hiddink’s men made all the early running. The Zenit attacker caused problems to the Swedish defense with the angles of his runs and passes.
Arshavin took center stage early on, heading wide from Anjukov’s cross from the right and finding himself in a similar position when Pavljuchenko crossed low from the same flank. He then went wide from long range and almost embarrassed Isaksson when he sliced a cross to the far post and the goalkeeper was back just in time to tip over. From the resulting corner, Zhirkov fizzed a volley just wide. On the other end, Sweden had problems to cope with the Russian speed as key attacker Ibrahimović was sustaining an injury and was clearly handicapped. In minute 24, Russia were rewarded for their enterprising play when the impressive Arshavin sent a perfectly weighted ball for Zyrjanov down the right, the ball was shifted inside to Anjukov and then to Pavljuchenko, who provided a cool finish despite Stoor’s last-ditch slide. Russia were rampant after taking the lead, but Sweden offered a reminder of their threat when Henrik Larsson looped a header onto the frame of the goal. Just before the break, Ljungberg forced a nice save from Akinfeev when he latched onto Ibrahimović’s flick, while Nilsson also tested the Russian keeper when he raced through. But it was Russia who were providing sustained pressure, and Pavljuchenko struck the woodwork ten minutes before the break, Isaksson saving the rebound shot from Zyrjanov.
Five minutes into the second half, Russia wrapped up the contest with a killer blow when a quick counterattack was culminated by Arshavin, sliding in to finish off Zhirkov’s cross. Sweden refused to throw in the towel and they pushed players forward when Russia were not creating attacks. Mellberg had a decent chance but headed over from a corner. Russia also threatened to add more goals, and Zyrjanov struck the post with ten minutes remaining. |
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| STADIUM: St. Jakob Park (Basel) DATE: 19-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 39.374 REFEREE: Peter Fröjdfeldt (SWE) GOALS: 0-1 (Schweinsteiger 22’); 0-2 (Klose 26’); 1-2 (Nuno Gomes 40’); 1-3 (Ballack 61’); 2-3 (Hélder Postiga 87’) BOOKED: Petit (26’), Pepe (60’), Hélder Postiga (90’) / Friedrich (48’), Lahm (49’) [Incidents: Due to the one-match suspension of German head coach Joachim Löw, assistant coach Hans-Dieter Flick took his place on the bench.] |
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Portugal - Germany |
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2-3 (1-2) |
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PORTUGAL Ricardo Bosingwa, Pepe, Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira Simão, Petit (H. Postiga 73’), Deco, João Moutinho (R. Meireles 31’) Nuno Gomes (c) (Nani 67’), Cristiano Ronaldo COACH: Luiz Felipe Scolari |
GERMANY Lehmann Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Lahm Schwein. (Fritz 83’), Hitzlsperger (Borowski 73’), Rolfes, Ballack (c) Klose (Jansen 89’), Podolski COACH: Hans-Dieter Flick |
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| GAME SUMMARY Once more, the old adage coined by Gary Lineker came true: “Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and, at the end, the Germans win.” Germany lived up to expectations and tradition and gave the best of themselves when it really matters to qualify for semifinals, after a display of efectiveness against favorites Portugal. Joachim Löw—unable to sit on the Germany bench 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 eleven. Schweinsteiger (back after suspension), Hitzlsperger and Rolfes came into the line-up, with Fritz, Gómez and rib injury victim Frings missing out. On the other side, Scolari named the same starting eleven which beat the Czech Republic and Turkey for this match on the newly-laid turf at Basel’s St. Jakob Park.
Löw’s team, under the temporary guidance of his assistant Hans-Dieter Flick, controlled the tempo and bossed the possession in the early stages. In minute 9, Hitzlsperger had the first shot on goal with a free kick, but it did not get very far before Deco got the block in, and moments later the Stuttgart midfielder lashed another left-footed effort goalwards which rippled Ricardo’s side-netting. Simão made 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 German goalkeeper was equal to the Portuguese winger’s effort. Nuno Gomes then looked to put Cristiano Ronaldo through, but Friedrich got across swiftly at the expense of a corner. Bosingwa fired in a cross from the left towards João 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 for Portugal, as shortly afterwards the Germans took the lead. In minute 22 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. Four minutes later, Germany doubled their advantage when Schweinsteiger floated in a free kick and Klose glanced a tidy header past Ricardo. Portugal, shell-shocked after receiving a second goal, suffered a further blow when João Moutinho hobbled off with a knee injury. Cristiano Ronaldo and Simão combined well just after the half-hour mark to force Mertesacker into a scrambled clearance, as the Portuguese were beginning to find their feet again. In minute 40, Nuno Gomes halved the deficit when he reacted first to fire into the bottom-left corner after Lehmann had parried a Cristiano Ronaldo blast. With this goal, the Benfica striker became the third man (together with Jürgen Klinsmann and Vladimír Šmicer) to score in three European Championships. 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. Cristiano Ronaldo then had an opportunity to level matters in stoppage time, only to see his effort drift just wide of Lehmann’s right-hand upright.
In the second half, Portugal pressed hard for the equalizer, and Friedrich and Lahm were both shown yellow cards in the opening minutes for lunges on Cristiano Ronaldo and Simão, respectively. However, Germany was still the most dangerous side, and Hitzlsperger had a sight of goal five minutes after the restart, but lashed his left-footed strike wildly over the top. Pepe then missed a great chance to restore parity when headed over in minute 57 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—after making a little space with the help of a slight push in the back of his Chelsea teammate Paulo Ferreira—headed past Ricardo. With Portugal again two goals down, Scolari threw attackers Nani and Hélder Postiga into the fray in a bid to turn the match around, but the Portuguese were struggling to test Lehmann. Deco played a fine ball through to Nani, but the Germans defended resolutely to prevent his cross from reaching its target. Podolski almost made it 4-1 in minute 78 when his fierce long-range drive whizzed just past the right-hand post with Ricardo merely an onlooker. Three minutes from time, Nani set up Hélder Postiga to head home and give Portugal hope, but Germany held on and qualified for semifinals. |
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| STADIUM: Ernst-Happel-Stadion (Wien) DATE: 20-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 51.428 REFEREE: Roberto Rosetti (ITA) GOALS: 1-0 (Klasnić 119’); 1-1 (Semih 120+’) BOOKED: Tuncay (27’), Arda (49’), Uğur (89’), Emre Aşık (107’) PK: 0-0 (Modrić [out]); 0-1 (Arda) / 1-1 (Srna); 1-2 (Semih) / 1-2 (Rakitić [out]); 1-3 (Hamit) / 1-3 (Petrić [saved]) |
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Croatia - Turkey |
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1-1 (0-0;0-0) (pk: 1-3) |
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CROATIA Pletikosa Ćorluka, R. Kovač, Šimunić, Pranjić Srna, Modrić, N. Kovač (c), Rakitić Kranjčar (Petrić 65’), Olić (Klasnić 97’) COACH: Slaven Bilić |
TURKEY Rüştü Sabri, Gökhan Zan, Emre Aşık, Hakan Balta Hamit, Mehmet Topal (Semih 76’), Tuncay, Arda Kazım Kazım (Uğur 61’), Nihat (c) (Gökdeniz 117’) COACH: Fatih Terim |
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| GAME SUMMARY For the third time in the tournament, Turkey made an amazing late comeback and qualified for semifinals after a game they seemed to have lost when Croatia scored in the last minute of extra-time. But then, in injury time of the additional period, the Turkish faith paid off once more and Semih netted an incredible equalizer to send the game into a penalty shoot-out in which, with the Croatian players clearly shocked and demoralized, Turkey earned their ticket for the semifinals.
Croatia enjoyed the better chances during normal time, whereas Turkey created little at the opposite end. Fatih Terim’s men were hit by injuries and suspensions, and Croatia almost took advantage of an almost brand-new Turkish defense early on. Veteran goalkeeper Rüştü, replacing the banned Volkan Demirel, failed to clear his lines and Rakitić raced down the left to cross for Srna, only for Hakan Balta to scramble clear when an open goal beckoned. In minute 19, Modrić crossed to the far post and Olić hit the crossbar when he had most of Rüştü’s goal to aim for. Turkey got close to Pletikosa’s goal when Mehmet Topal grazed the post with a powerful 35-meter drive seven minutes before the break.
Early in the second half, Croatia almost pounced on Rüştü’s hesitancy when he failed to collect a long ball, but Olić was unable to get power on his header. The Turkish goalkeeper was down sharply, however, when Modrić released Kranjčar and the midfielder poked to goal. Towards the end of the second half, Rüştü produced a flying one-handed save to turn away Srna’s free kick, and when the veteran goalkeeper blocked another effort from Olić, extra-time was inevitable.
In this additional period, neither side seemed to be able to break the deadlock. However, with a penalty shoot-out looming in the horizon, Modrić beat Rüştü to a loose ball on the by-line and clipped in a cross which substitute Klasnić headed home as the Turkey keeper scrambled back. The Croatian goal, scored with only one minute to go, seemed to be the winner. However, in stoppage-time, Rüştü’s huge punt downfield fell kindly at the feet of Semih just inside the box and he smashed a fierce drive into the top corner via a slight deflection to unfold the drama of penalties. At this juncture, it was just too obvious that the euphoric Turkish were in a much better mood than the shell-shocked Croatians to face the lottery of spot-kicks, as their faces said it all. After Modrić and Rakitić sent their penalties out and Turkey converted all three of their spot-kicks, Petrić’s attempt was parried away by Rüştü to book a historical semifinal for Fatih Terim’s men. |
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| STADIUM: St. Jakob Park (Basel) DATE: 21-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 38.374 REFEREE: Ľuboš Micheľ (SVK) GOALS: 0-1 (Pavljuchenko 56’); 1-1 (Van Nistelrooij 86’); 1-2 (Torbinskij 112’); 1-3 (Arshavin 116’) BOOKED: Boulahrouz (50’), Van Persie (55’), Van der Vaart (60’) / Kolodin (71’), Zhirkov (103’), Torbinskij (111’) [Incidents: The Dutch players wore black ribbons to show condolence for the recent death of defender Khalid Boulahrouz’s baby daughter.] |
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Netherlands - Russia |
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1-3 (0-0;1-1) |
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NETHERLANDS Van der Sar (c) Boulahrouz (Heitinga 54’), Ooijer, Mathijsen, Van Bronckhorst Kuijt (Van Persie 46’), De Jong, Van der Vaart, Engelaar (Afellay 62’) Van Nistelrooij, Sneijder COACH: Marco van Basten |
RUSSIA Akinfeev Anjukov, Ignashevich, Kolodin, Zhirkov Zyrjanov, Semak (c), Semshov (Biljalet. 69’), Saenko (Torbinskij 81’) Pavljuchenko (Sychjov 115’), Arshavin COACH: Guus Hiddink |
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| GAME SUMMARY In the best game of the competition so far, an impressive Russian team booked their place in the semifinals with a classy attacking display against Holland. The Russians looked fired up from the off and edged a cagey first half as Holland struggled to rekindle the free-flowing, attacking game which had been their trademark in the group stage. Hiddink’s smothering tactics had Dutch playmakers Van der Vaart and Sneijder frozen out, as Russia settled quicker and had the better of the early chances, Zhirkov’s free kick drawing a smart save out of Van der Sar and Pavljuchenko heading wastefully over when free inside the area. Holland improved slightly midway through the first half, when Engelaar fired just wide and Van Nistelrooij somehow failed to get on the end of Van der Vaart’s swinging free kick. Russia remained dangerous, though, and it was the unlikely source of center-back Kolodin who almost put them ahead, his first rasping drive tipped over by Van der Sar and another long-distance effort narrowly clearing the crossbar. Van der Sar was working overtime and had to push away Arshavin’s curler with his fingertips just before the break.
Without the injured Robben, Van Basten opted for Van Persie instead of the ineffectual Kuijt to start the second half. This substitution almost turned out to be a tactical masterstroke, as the Arsenal forward volleyed just off target within seconds of coming on. Then, on 56 minutes, Russia finally broke the Dutch resistance when Semak swung over a cross from the left and Pavljuchenko crashed home a crisp volley. Holland, who were behind for the first time in the tournament, had their title credentials firmly put to the test against a Russian team that didn’t go back to the defensive and continued attacking. 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 Nistelrooij (which meant the Russian defender will miss the semifinal). In a tense last ten minutes, substitute Torbinskij should have wrapped it up for Russia, but he didn’t get decent purchase on a lay-off by Zhirkov, who may have been better off shooting instead. Four minutes from time, Russia were made to pay for their profligacy when Van Nistelrooij headed home Sneijder’s free kick at the far post from close range. With seconds left in stoppage time, Hiddink’s men had a big scare when Slovakian referee Ľuboš Micheľ showed Kolodin his second yellow card for bringing down Sneijder, but the assistant referee spared the Russian defender by signalling that the ball had earlier gone out of play.
In the ensuing extra-time, Russia continued to look the more likely victors, and after Arshavin had shot wastefully over, Pavljuchenko struck the crossbar with a fierce effort from the angle. Hiddink’s men continued to hold the upper hand, their superior fitness telling, and Torbinskij’s close-range effort was weak with just Van der Sar to beat in minute 98. The second half was a similar story, with the Russians swarming all over the Dutch, so it came as no surprise when Torbinskij made it 2-1 after tapping home Arshavin’s deft far-post cross with just eight minutes left on the clock. With the Dutch desperately seeking a second route back into the game, their dreams were finally crushed four minutes later when the impressive Arshavin scored the killer third by turning his marker and slipping home a deflected shot through Van der Sar’s legs. |
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| STADIUM: Ernst-Happel-Stadion (Wien) DATE: 22-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 51.178 REFEREE: Herbert Fandel (GER) GOALS: - BOOKED: Iniesta (11’), Villa (72’), Cazorla (113’) / Ambrosini (31’) PK: 1-0 (Villa); 1-1 (Grosso) / 2-1 (Cazorla); 2-1 (De Rossi [saved]) / 3-1 (Senna); 3-2 (Camoranesi) / 3-2 (Güiza [saved]); 3-2 (Di Natale [saved]) / 4-2 (Fàbregas) |
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Spain - Italy |
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0-0 (0-0;0-0) (pk: 4-2) |
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SPAIN Casillas (c) Sergio Ramos, Puyol, Marchena, Capdevila Iniesta (Cazorla 59’), Xavi (Fàbregas 60’), Senna, Silva Villa, Torres (Güiza 85’) COACH: Luis Aragonés |
ITALY Buffon (c) Zambrotta, Panucci, Chiellini, Grosso Aquilani (Del Piero 108’), De Rossi, Perrotta (Camora. 58’), Ambrosini Toni, Cassano (Di Natale 75’) COACH: Roberto Donadoni |
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| GAME SUMMARY Against the weight of history itself and their own tradition as underachievers, Spain qualified for the semifinals of Euro 2008 after a hard-fought game against Italy which was resolved in a penalty shoot-out, in which Casillas was the hero for his team, saving shots from De Rossi and Di Natale. With both teams playing with many defensive precautions, Spain dominated possession in the early stages thanks to their control in midfield and had the first chance in minute 8, with Silva playing a one-two with Villa before his shot took a deflection from De Rossi and went straight to the hands of Buffon. Liverpool striker Torres wasted a good chance to break the deadlock in minute 17, when his cross was way off target with Villa and Xavi waiting in the area. Italy had their first effort on goal in minute 18, with Perrotta latching onto Ambrosini’s cross only to head weakly to Casillas. Midway through the first half, Villa’s powerful free kick towards the far post forced Buffon into action. The Italian goalkeeper’s next save, on the half-hour mark, was all the more impressive, as he was forced to fully stretch to save Silva’s left-footed strike from the edge of the area. Much against the run of play, Toni could have broken the deadlock shortly after, but his header from Cassano’s cross hit Marchena on its way to goal.
After the interval, Spain picked up where they left off and Chiellini made a crucial tackle inside the area on Silva, who almost capitalized on a defensive error. Villa then wasted a good chance when his cross went off target with Torres waiting in the area. Donadoni made his first substitution before the hour mark, with Camoranesi replacing Perrotta in an attempt to give the Azzurri a spark up front. Luis Aragonés replied by sending on Cazorla and Fàbregas for Iniesta and Xavi. Italy had the best chance of the game in minute 62, with Camoranesi’s close-range strike forcing Casillas to make a desperate foot clearance after confusion in the box. With eleven minutes remaining, Senna warmed the hands of Buffon with a stinging free kick. Soon after, the Italian goalkeeper tried to collect a shot from Senna, but the ball bounced out of his grasp and, fortunately for him, struck the post before staying out. Luis Aragonés made his last substitution with five minutes remaining, sending the Spanish League topscorer Güiza in to replace the ineffectual Torres. Near the end, Zambrotta made a vital clearance with Villa ready to hit the target from Fàbregas’ brilliant cross, but there was no way of avoiding extra-time.
In the additional period, Silva fired centimeters wide after Chiellini had blocked Fàbregas’ powerful strike inside the area. However, Italy kept up the pressure and twice had the chance to break the deadlock. First Casillas made an acrobatic save from Di Natale’s close-range header, and then Toni nodded the ball over the crossbar as the Azzurri got closer. As the game went from end to end, Buffon was forced to come off his line to clear Villa’s close-range effort, while Cazorla fired wide instead of passing to the unmarked Villa at the far post. After a sterile 120 minutes, Spain and Italy were headed into a penalty shoot-out. Casillas saved the second Italian shot to give Spain the edge they needed and, although Buffon also saved from Güiza, a new deflection by the Spanish goalkeeper allowed Fàbregas to take the decisive penalty. The Arsenal midfielder kept his cool from the spot to beat Buffon and send Spain into another semifinal 24 years later. |
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| STADIUM: St. Jakob Park (Basel) DATE: 25-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 39.374 REFEREE: Massimo Busacca (SWI) GOALS: 0-1 (Uğur 22’); 1-1 (Schweinsteiger 26’); 2-1 (Klose 79’); 2-2 (Semih 86’); 3-2 (Lahm 90’) BOOKED: Semih (53’), Sabri (90+’) |
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Germany - Turkey |
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3-2 (1-1) |
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GERMANY Lehmann Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Lahm Schweinsteiger, Hitzlsperger, Ballack (c), Rolfes (Frings 46’), Podolski Klose (Jansen 90+’) COACH: Joachim Löw |
TURKEY Rüştü (c) Sabri, Mehmet Topal, Gökhan Zan, Hakan Balta Hamit, Mehmet Aurélio, Ayhan (Mevlüt 81’), Uğur (Gökdeniz 84’) Kazım Kazım (Tümer 90+’), Semih COACH: Fatih Terim |
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| GAME SUMMARY After an exhilarating game, Germany became the first finalist of Euro 2008 thanks to a last-gasp goal by Lahm. Joachim Löw’s men suffered to defeat a Turkish team who, plagued by injuries and suspensions, also deserved to win, but ended up tasting their own medicine: after their incredible comebacks against Switzerland, Czech Republic and Croatia, this time Turkey took the lead, came back from behind to equalize four minutes from time, and just when the game was heading towards an extra-time, Germany stole the victory in the last minute, when full-back Lahm struck to finally end depleted Turkey’s dreams of causing a major upset.
Contrary to expectations, Turkey dominated the early stages of the game and caused plenty of troubles to an insecure German defense. Lehmann had to be alert to efforts from Kazım Kazım and Hamit in the opening ten minutes. The former struck the woodwork in minute 13 with a rising shot that crashed against the top of the crossbar following an Ayhan cut-back. It was therefore not unexpected when Turkey took a deserved lead in minute 22: the lively Kazım Kazım hit the Germany crossbar for the second time—this time with an effort that looped up into the air and onto the bar—and Uğur was on hand to slot home the rebound, despite Lehmann’s best efforts on the line. The Turkish delight was shortlived though, as Germany equalized with their first chance of the match four minutes later, when Podolski sent over a low cross from the left and Schweinsteiger darted in front of Mehmet Topal to cleverly flick the ball with the outside of his right foot into the far corner of the net. Opportunities were coming thick and fast at both ends, with Semih’s header saved by Lehmann, who was then almost left red-faced by Hamit’s distant free kick, which the German goalkeeper misjudged and needed to dive backwards to tip over. Podolski then wasted a gilt-edged chance for Germany when he was put clean through by Hitzlsperger, only for the Bayern Munich attacker to blaze over with just Rüştü to beat. Turkey goalscorer Uğur stung the knuckles of Lehmann with a free kick before Sabri fired just over from distance, as the underdogs finished the first half just as they started it: in total control.
The match was more of an even contest in the second half, with the two defenses looking much less charitable than in the opening period. The ever-threatening Uğur fired a rare shot at Lehmann in minute 71 before Hitzlsperger saw his left-footed effort go just wide of the top corner. But just as the match looked to be drifting towards extra-time, Germany took the lead in minute 79, when Klose beat both Rüştü and Mehmet Topal to a Lahm’s lofted cross into the area and sent a glancing header into an unguarded net. This goal might have spelt the end of a depleted Turkish side’s hopes, but they had proven themselves an obstinate opponent in their three previous matches and, astonishingly, managed to score yet another late goal, when Sabri sent over a low cross from the right and Semih poked the ball past Lehmann at his near post. However, that was not the end of the drama, as Germany also showed their own determination. Just when the game looked destined to head into extra-time, Lahm played a one-two with Hitzlsperger to go clear on goal and fire past Rüştü into the near top corner, sending Germany into the final. |
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| STADIUM: Ernst-Happel-Stadion (Wien) DATE: 26-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 51.428 REFEREE: Frank de Bleeckere (BEL) GOALS: 0-1 (Xavi 50’); 0-2 (Güiza 73’); 0-3 (Silva 82’) BOOKED: Zhirkov (56’), Biljaletdinov (60’) |
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Russia - Spain |
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0-3 (0-0) |
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RUSSIA Akinfeev Anjukov, Ignashevich, V. Berezutskij, Zhirkov Saenko (Sychjov 57’), Semak (c), Semshov (Biljaletdin. 56’), Zyrjanov Pavljuchenko, Arshavin COACH: Guus Hiddink |
SPAIN Casillas (c) Sergio Ramos, Puyol, Marchena, Capdevila Iniesta, Xavi (Xabi Alonso 69’), Senna, Silva Villa (Fàbregas 34’), Torres (Güiza 69’) COACH: Luis Aragonés |
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| GAME SUMMARY A confident Spanish team qualified in style for the final of Euro 2008 after a sumptuous second half display against Russia. The opening 45 minutes were a closely fought affair that was full of tension, if not chances, as both sides toiled without too much success. After the interval, though, Spain, with substitute Fàbregas at the hub of much of their best work, played some glorious football after Xavi opened the score. Fàbregas’ sublime touch played in fellow substitute Güiza to double Spain’s lead with a cute dinked effort, before Silva concluded a wonderful team move with the finish it deserved to put the gloss on the most polished of performances. The last minutes of the game, with a dispirited Russian team, looked more like a training interpassing session of Spain, as players and fans were already celebrating a qualification for a European final 24 years later.
The game started with both teams taking defensive precautions from the beginning but, whereas Russia struggled to get past Spain’s defense, Luis Aragonés’ men tried to get in control of midfield, interpassing the ball patiently until finding the space to connect with attacking duo Villa and Torres. After just five minutes, the former fed the latter inside the area, but the Liverpool striker’s close-range effort was parried away by Akinfeev. With ten minutes played, Villa’s right-footed effort from the edge of the area was saved by the Russian goalkeeper. Hiddink’s men weathered the early storm and began to grow in confidence, with Pavljuchenko hitting a powerful strike that went straight into the hands of Casillas. Midway through the half, Sergio Ramos drove the ball straight to Akinfeev’s hands. Iniesta missed a golden chance to put Spain in front in minute 26, when he was unable to control Xavi’s clever pass toward the box. Casillas came to the rescue for Spain on the half-hour mark, going full length to palm away Pavljuchenko’s curled effort from the edge of the area. In minute 34, Spain suffered a blow when the tournament’s leading goalscorer Villa limped off and had to be replaced by Fàbregas. Villa’s absence seemed to hinder Spain, who seconds later could have fallen behind when Pavljuchenko chested down Saenko’s cross inside the box but fired wide, much to the relief of Casillas. But back came the Spaniards and Sergio Ramos got past his marker before firing just wide of the near post. Torres should have put Spain in front before halftime but, after having controlled Fàbregas’ pass, fired a weak centered effort that proved an easy save for the keeper.
Spain picked up where they left off after the re-start, and their efforts were rewarded in minute 50 when Xavi played in Iniesta down the left before finishing his Barcelona teammate’s cross-shot from inside the box. Torres almost made it 2-0 shortly after with a curled angled effort from Fàbregas’ assist that went just high over the bar. Hiddink was quick to react and made a double substitution, with Biljaletdinov and Sychjov being called upon, but it was Spain who looked more deadly in counterattacks. Torres twice had the opportunity to double Spain’s lead, but his touch from Sergio Ramos’ two sensational passes went wide. Luis Aragonés made the ineffectual Torres pay for those mistakes as he brought in Güiza to replace the Liverpool frontman, and what a wise move it proved to be as the Spanish League topscorer made it 2-0 in minute 73, when he received the ball from the omnipresent Fàbregas inside the area and lobbed it over the keeper. With Russia offering little opposition, Spain continued to surge forward and put the game beyond their rivals’ reach with eight minutes remaining, when Fàbregas’ perfect ball found Silva inside the area, who fired past Akinfeev to start the fiesta for the Spanish fans. |
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| STADIUM: Ernst-Happel-Stadion (Wien) DATE: 29-06-2008 (20:45 h) ATTENDANCE: 51.428 REFEREE: Roberto Rosetti (ITA) GOALS: 1-0 (Torres 33’) BOOKED: Casillas (43’), Torres (74’) / Ballack (43’), Kurányi (88’) |
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Spain - Germany |
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1-0 (1-0) |
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SPAIN Casillas (c) Sergio Ramos, Puyol, Marchena, Capdevila Iniesta, Xavi, Senna, Fàbregas (Xabi Alonso 63’), Silva (Cazorla 66’) Torres (Güiza 78’) COACH: Luis Aragonés |
GERMANY Lehmann Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Lahm (Jansen 46’) Schweinsteiger, Frings, Ballack(c), Hitzlsperger (Kurányi 58’), Podolski Klose (Gómez 79’) COACH: Joachim Löw |
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| GAME SUMMARY So Lineker was wrong after all when he spoke his famous sentence: “Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and, at the end, the Germans win.” In Vienna, eleven players in red masterly controlled the ball and won the title at the end of an enthralling match. Forty-four years later, Spain ended their draught in the European Championship, and they did it with a classy offensive football, proving that defense is not the only way to win titles. Euro 2008 was the end of Spain’s long wait for international glory, and also the end of their reputation as great underachievers in major tournaments. “La Roja” proved just too good for Germany, who couldn’t counteract the Spanish interpassing football (tiki-taka) and didn’t pose their usual threat. Spain created all the danger and were unlucky not to wrap the game earlier in some of the many chances they created.
The pre-match news focused on Luis Aragonés, who announced prior to the tournament that he was to step down as Spain boss at its conclusion (and also the Spanish media had revealed his agreement with Turkish club Fenerbahçe), and German captain Ballack, who was finally fit to play after recovering sufficiently from the calf injury which had prevented him from training before the game. Spain, appearing in their first major final since the 1984 European Championship, opted to name Fàbregas as the replacement for injured tournament top scorer Villa, who damaged a thigh muscle in the 3-0 semifinal win over Russia, as Liverpool forward Torres played in a lone attacking role.
Germany enjoyed the better of the opening minutes, and Klose should have done better when through on goal after collecting a loose pass from Sergio Ramos. Joachim Löw’s side appeared to have highlighted right the Real Madrid full-back as the weak link in Spain’s rearguard, as attacks were focused upon his side and, in one of them, Hitzlsperger tested Casillas from range. Meanwhile, Spain were refusing to abandon their passing principals, and it was this way that they began to dominate possession. In minute 15, the Spanish patient play almost reaped dividends as Germany center-back Metzelder deflected an Iniesta cross towards his own goal and Lehmann was forced into a reflex save to tip behind for a corner. Luis Aragonés’ side were beginning to settle and, seven minutes later, Torres—who appeared to be relishing his isolated role—outjumped Mertesacker to head a Sergio Ramos cross against the base of the German post with Lehmann beaten. The Liverpool striker finally made Spain’s pressure count on 33 minutes, as he showed too much pace and power for Germany left-back Lahm to latch onto a precise ball from Xavi before executing a brilliantly cute finish past the on-rushing Lehmann. Almost immediately after, Silva could have doubled Spain’s lead as he met an Iniesta cross at the far post but volleyed well over the bar. Things continued to go from bad to worse for Germany as a visibly frustrated Ballack was twice forced off after splitting his eyebrow in an aerial collision with Senna, and the Chelsea star also received a booking from Italian referee Roberto Rosetti after a scuffle with Fàbregas and Puyol shortly before halftime.
After the interval, Joachim Löw replaced Lahm for Jansen, and this change seemed to boost Germany, as they began the second half in a bright style. However, a toothless German team were still struggling to disrupt a solid central defensive partnership of Puyol and Marchena, and Spain continued to look the more dangerous in attack as Silva and Torres both had chances to extend the lead. Germany seemed to come to life with a brief spell of domination after the introduction of Kurányi, and Ballack ruffled Casillas’ side-netting with a volley from the edge of the area on 60 minutes. Germany’s confidence was starting to be buoyed, and Luis Aragonés responded by introducing the more defensively-minded Xabi Alonso in place of Fàbregas. Tempers began to raise and Silva was fortunate to avoid a red card after an attempted head-butt on Podolski, and the Spanish coach wisely opted to replace him with Cazorla. After some minutes of German revival (based on physical strength rather than good play), Spain looked again comfortable in the game and resumed their midfield domination. Sergio Ramos should have made it 2-0 when he headed a Xavi free kick completely unmarked, but his effort was saved by Lehmann. In a desperate attempt, Löw brought on Gómez for Klose, but Germany seemed to have run out of ideas by then as Spain, who replaced Torres with Güiza, threatened on the counterattack. Senna went close to prodding in Güiza’s knockdown for an open goal, but Spain comfortably controlled the ball in the remaining minutes and, as the referee whistled the end of the game, sparked wild celebrations at Ernst-Happel-Stadion. |
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