Netherland vs Russia Prediction

The high scoring Dutch look to build on their perfect record when they take on Russia in the EURO 2008 Quarter Finals, in Basel. The Netherlands have scored the most goals through their group stages while Russia are the surprise underdogs of the EURO making the Quarters for the first time ever. Oddsmakers at SBGglobal.com have Netherlands as -140 moneyline favs over Russia who are listed as +375 underdogs. Get your Netherlands vs Russia: EURO 2008 Quarter Finals Prediction in now at SBGglobal.com

The Dutch finished on top of Group C standings with a perfect 3W-0D-0L record after trumping Italy 3-0, France 4-1 and Romania 2-0. They have nine goals for and one goal against. Robin Van Persie (2), Wesley Sneijder (2), Giovanni Van Bronckhorst, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Arjen Robben and Dirk Kuyt are the goal scorers for the Dutch. The Dutch have been by far the most dominant team throughout this EURO 2008 Tournament. It’s looking like Coach Marco van Basten will start the same squad that pumled France in the second half. They will study tape from Spains 4-1 drubbing of Russia, “We have to see what the Spanish did against them and take our lessons from that” Coach said. The Dutch have a well rested starting lineup after their attacking talents sat out of their last Group match against Romania, their second squad still killed them. The Dutch will have to watch their defense with the likes of free-running Russians Yuri Zhirkov and Alexander Anyukov prowling around. But if they do get past their defense they’ll have to get by Man United super goalie Edwin Van Der Sar. In this tournament the Dutch have forged a reputation by building hard-working sides where players perform above their ability.

Russia have been the sleeper team that has the attention of every other team in the EURO. They finished second in Group D standings with a 2W-0D-1L record. They had four goals for and four goals against. Roman Pavluchenko (2), Konstatin Zurianov and Andrei Arshavin are the goal scorers for their nation. Their most impressive win was over Sweden, the match that got them in the Quarters. They showed great speed, skill and determination. A big reason for their offensive boost was the return of the skillful midfielder Andrei Arshavin, who returned after having completed a two match ban. The Russians have players that can stand up to the skills of the Dutch. While the Dutch have Ruud van Nistelrooy in attack, Russia can call on the revitalised Roman Pavlyuchenko. Wesley Sneijder will be up against the equally skilful Andrei Arshavin in the middle of the field while on the wing the Dutch have Arjen Robben and Russia will counter with versatile midfielder Konstantin Zyryanov. Russia’s Coach Guus Hiddink stated, “Our players have proved at this tournament they can keep playing this type of football “ he said. “The way we play we get respect, we like to play the way football should be played and I think the Netherlands do the same.”

Head to Head: 1 match played
Netherlands lead 1-0
The Dutch scored four goals
Russia scored one goal

from: http://www.point-spreads.com/

Croatia 1-1 Turkey (1-3 In penalties)

Turkey will meet Germany in the Euro 2008 semi-final after beating Croatia 3-1 on penalties after a dramatic extra-time finale in Vienna.

Ivan Klasnic headed Croatia in front with seconds left - only for Turkey's Semih Senturk to volley the equaliser with the last kick of the game.

Arda Turan, Semih and Hamit Altintop scored in the shoot-out for Turkey.

Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic missed for Croatia and Turkey keeper Rustu saved the deciding kick from Mladen Petric.

It was astonishing finish to a dreadful game, especially for Turkey keeper Rustu, who made an awful error that looked to have given Crotia victory before his free-kick set up Semih for the leveller as referee Roberto Rosetti prepared to blow the final whistle.
Croatia coach Slaven Bilic, who had celebrated what he thought was a famous victory with his players only seconds earlier, could not lift his deflated players and they looked a beaten side even before the penalty shoot-out.

Turkey, in contrast grasped the lifeline and Euro 2008's great survivors and late show specialists were through again, having led matches for only nine minutes in the entire tournament.

They face a huge task against Germany, however, after losing Arda, Tuncay Sanli and Emre Asik to suspensions after they were given yellow cards - and with keeper Volkan Demirel already out in similar circumstance.

But Fatih Terim's side must believe destiny is on their side after another remarkable escape act to follow their last-minute win against the Czech Republic that put them in the last eight.

Turkey recalled 35-year-old veteran Rustu in goal in place of the banned Volkan - and it was more a case of rusty in the first 45 minutes as he produced an uncertain display that spread uncertainty through his defence.

They had a remarkable escape in the 18th minute when Spurs' new midfield man Modric carved out a simple chance for Ivica Olic, only for the striker to somehow rattle the bar from six yards out.

Niko Kranjcar headed the rebound over the top with the entire Croatian bench, led by coach Bilic, already starting to celebrate.

Turkey, hit by injuries and suspension, were struggling to achieve any cohesion, but Mehmet Topal almost stunned Croatia keeper Stipe Pletikosa with a rising 35-yard shot that flew inches wide.

Olic was involved again as Croatia threatened to turn their superiority into a lead five minutes after the interval, when he headed the ball over the on-rushing Rustu - and was then presented with a second chance by Emre Asik but was able to find the target.

Turkey were providing stubborn resistance, but Croatia were also guilty of wasting chances when they presented themselves.

Olic turned creator to tee up Rakitic with 20 minutes left, but he rushed his finish and shot wildly over the top.

Rustu conjured up some of his old magic after 83 minutes as he dived high to his left to turn away a Darijo Srna free-kick that was destined for the top corner.

Modric was easily the game's most creative performer and with just a minute to go in normal time he set up Olic, but Rustu was perfectly placed to block.

Olic had endured a wayward night in front of goal, and he was off target again with the final kick before the game went into extra time.

Turkey actually looked the fresher side in the additional period and Semih flashed an angled shot just over with Pletikosa beaten.

Tuncay was even closer after 111 minutes with a 20-yard shot that was only inches away.

A terrible misjudgement by Rustu appeared to give Croatia victory in the dying seconds of extra time when he inexplicably raced out of his goal to try and tackle Modric - and he was stranded out of his goal as Klasnic headed in his cross.

Croatia's celebrations were wild, with coach Bilic heavily involved, and yet this tournament has told us never to write off Turkey.

And they equalised with literally the final kick of the game when Semih struck a superb finish as Croatia failed to clear a desperate punt into the area by Rustu.

Croatia looked devastated as the penalty shoot-out started, and they got off to the worst possible start when Modric placed his kick wide.

Arda, Semih and Hamit scored convincingly for Turket, but only Srna scored for Croatia with Rakitic missing and Rustu - the most relieved man in the stadium after his late mistake - saving from Petric.


Croatia: Pletikosa, Corluka, Robert Kovac, Simunic, Pranjic, Srna, Modric, Nico Kovac, Rakitic, Kranjcar (Petric 64), Olic (Klasnic 97).
Subs Not Used: Galinovic, Simic, Vejic, Vukojevic, Kalinic, Pokrivac, Knezevic, Leko, Runje.

Goals: Klasnic 119.

Turkey: Rustu, Altintop, Zan, Asik, Balta, Topal (Senturk 76), Sarioglu, Sanli, Turan, Kazim-Richards (Boral 61), Nihat (Karadeniz 117).
Subs Not Used: Zengin, Cetin, Emre, Metin, Gungor, Akman, Erdinc.

Booked: Sanli, Turan, Boral, Asik.

Goals: Senturk 120.

Turkey win 3-1 on penalties

Att: 50,000

Ref: Roberto Rosetti (Italy).

from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/

Croatia vs Turkey Prediction

The second round of the 2008 EURO Quarter Finals gets started, on Friday June 20, with Croatia vs Turkey, at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna. Turkey will be without their starting goalie after he was suspended two games. Will this favor a Croatian team that’s proven themselves offensively throughout the EURO Group stages? Oddsmakers at SBGglobal.com think so as Croatia are -115 moneyline favs over Turkey who are listed as +320 underdogs. Get your Croatia vs Turkey: EURO 2008 Quarter Final Prediction in now at SBGglobal.com

Turkey finished second in Group A standings with a 2W-0D-1L record after losing their opener to Portugal 0-2, then beating Switzerland 2-1 and the Czech Republic 3-2. They scored five goals and allowed five. Nihat Kahveci (2), Arda Turan (2) and Semih Senturk are the goal scorers for Turkey. A big blow to the Turks is the two game suspension to goalie Volkan Demirel after he pushed Czech striker Jan Koller to the ground in an off-the-ball incident. He sat on the bench after his dismissal when he should have left the technical area, thus the two game ban. 2002 World Cup keeper Rustu Recber will take Volkan's place. Defensive midfielder Mehmet Aurelio is suspended for the quarter-final after picking up a second yellow card against the Czechs and captain Emre Belozoglu has a hamstring problem and has not played since their opening Group A defeat by Portugal. Central defender Emre Gungor, who was carried off in the second half of Sunday's match, has a calf strain and is out of the tournament. Turkey is going to have to rely on players that haven’t played in this tournament or haven’t played enough. They have a total of seven starting players out. But despite all that’s bad Turkey will continue to attack Croatia. “We have been disappointing in the first half of our matches but I think this happened because we were trying to spot our opponents' weak spots so we could attack them in the second. Against Croatia, we will start aggressively, at a high-tempo.” Defender Sabri Sarioglu added. “Our biggest advantage is that we never give up.”said coach Fatih Terim. Get your Croatia vs Turkey: EURO 2008 Quarter Final Prediction in now

Croatia finished first in Group B standings after a perfect 3W-0D-0L record. They shutout Austria 1-0, beat Germany 2-1 and shutout Poland 1-0. They had four goals for and one goal against. Ivan Klasnic, Ivica Olic, Darijo Srna and Luka Modric are the goal scorers for Croatia. Croatia striker Igor Budan will miss the rest of Euro 2008 with a knee injury and defender Dario Knezevic is out with a knee injury after their 1-0 Group B win over Poland on Monday. Croatia has been impressive throughout Group qualifying but they don’t feel like they’ve proven anything yet by making the final eight. “We don't see ourselves as a revelation any more, although some people perhaps still do. In our own eyes, we haven't achieved anything spectacular by reaching the last eight because that was our primary objective before the tournament started” coach Slaven Bilic said. Croatia have great talent and if they can play as a team instead of depending on individual players, they will be a force to reckon with.

Head to Head: 3 matches played
Croatia leads 1-0
2 matches ended in a draw
Croatia scored four goals
Turkey scored three goals

from: http://www.point-spreads.com/

Germany 3-2 Portugal

Germany booked their place in the semi-finals of Euro 2008 by seeing off a below-par Portugal side in Basel.

Bastian Schweinsteiger sidefooted in the first and his free-kick created the second for the head of Miroslav Klose.

Nuno Gomes finished from close range to give Portugal hope, but they failed to defend another Schweinsteiger free-kick and Michael Ballack headed their third.

Portugal substitute Helder Postiga pulled one back in the dying stages but there was to be no grandstand finish.

Portugal had looked so impressive in qualifying for the knockout stages but Luiz Felipe Scolari's reign ended in disappointing fashion.

Scolari, who takes over as Chelsea boss next month, had suggested their lack of height might be exposed by a physically superior German side.

But it was a failure to defend set-pieces that proved their downfall.

In contrast, Germany gave an accomplished display despite suspended coach Joachim Low having to watch the game from the stands.

They will now face the winners of the Croatia-Turkey quarter-final in the last four and will be strong favourites to progress to the final on this showing.

The selection of Schweinsteiger from the start gave them a spark that was missing from their group games.



Germany's Michael Ballack on his decisive goal

He gave them the lead when he got ahead of Paulo Ferreira to burst into the box and steer home a cross from Lukas Podolski, after he had combined well with Ballack down the left channel.

Germany made it two goals in four minutes when Schweinsteiger's curling free-kick was perfect for Klose to head past Ricardo.

It was Cristiano Ronaldo who looked to be the guilty party in allowing Klose a free run at goal.

The Manchester United winger was unable to influence the game and the 2004 finalists' hopes were dealt a further blow when Joao Moutinho was forced off after half an hour.

It was from Ronaldo's shot that led to Gomes' strike, but it owed more to Deco's bursting run from the edge of his own box.

The Barcelona star released Simao and he found Ronaldo, who was denied by Jens Lehmann only for Gomes to show quickness of mind and feet to turn and fire past Christoph Metzelder's attempted clearance.

It was developing into a wonderfully open game, with both sides continuing the theme of the tournament by committing men forward and playing positive football.

Ballack and then Ronaldo went close just before the break and Pepe should have scored with a close-range header from a corner shortly after the interval.

The match looked headed for an intriguing final half hour, only for Portugal's defence to again go to sleep as Schweinsteiger swung in another pinpoint free-kick.

This time it was Ferreira who lost his man, although Ballack did appear to push his Chelsea team-mate before heading past a stranded Ricardo.

Portugal's momentum was stopped in its tracks and they found themselves restricted to long-range shots as Germany looked to close the game out.

Podolski was a yard away from adding to his three goals at the tournament with a hammer of a left-foot shot.

The game got the thrilling climax that it deserved when Nani crossed for fellow substitute Postiga to head in three minutes from the end.

But there was to be no fairytale ending to Scolari's impressive coaching career with the Portuguese.


Portugal: Ricardo, Bosingwa, Pepe, Carvalho, Ferreira, Petit (Postiga 73), Joao Moutinho (Raul Meireles 31), Ronaldo, Deco, Simao, Nuno Gomes (Nani 67). Subs Not Used: Nuno, Rui Patricio, Bruno Alves, Fernando Meira, Hugo Almeida, Miguel, Jorge Ribeiro, Quaresma, Veloso.

Booked: Petit, Pepe, Postiga.

Goals: Nuno Gomes 41, Postiga 87.

Germany: Lehmann, Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Lahm, Schweinsteiger (Fritz 83), Rolfes, Ballack, Hitzlsperger (Borowski 73), Klose (Jansen 89), Podolski. Subs Not Used: Enke, Adler, Westermann, Frings, Gomez, Neuville, Trochowski, Odonkor, Kuranyi.

Booked: Friedrich, Lahm.

Goals: Schweinsteiger 22, Klose 26, Ballack 62.

Att: 42,000.

Ref: Peter Frojdfeldt (Sweden).

Prediction: Portugal vs Germany

BASEL (SW) - The group phase is almost over and it's time to have a look at the first of four quarter finals. Two tournament favorites, Portugal and Germany, face each other in Basel on Thursday.

The Euro 2008 organisation had a busy week when it's about the venue for this match. After the Switzerland - Turkey clash, where heavy rain made normal play practically impossible, the stadium in Basel needed new grass.

That grass, which had to be brought over from the Netherlands, has only been installed this week and some will be worried about its quality.

Nevertheless, both teams would be experiencing the same problems and managers Scolari and Löw will be more interested in the actual match.

Portugal have been doing well so far, with two relatively easy wins in the group phase to secure qualification. Scolari's men did lose the last game to Switzerland, but that was nothing more than a formality.

One to watch is - as always - Cristiano Ronaldo. The Manchester United attacker was influential in the first two games and will want to show his skills once again versus the Germans.

Germany have had an up-and-down campaign so far. After an easy win over Poland, the 1996 European Champions crashed to a defeat against Croatia. Their narrow win over hosts Austria eventually earned them in a spot in the quarter finals.

Manager Löw will have to watch the match from the stands after his removal during the match with Austria, in which both coaches were ex-pulsed.

And the Germans received more bad news as Torsten Frings fractured a rib and may be out for the rest of the tournament. Playing against Portugal seems very unlikely for the influential player.

Although Germany beat Croatia 3-1 in the third-place play off at the 2006 World Cup, they will be more worried about the result achieved against the Portuguese at Euro 2000.

Portugal won that group match 3-0 and advanced to the quarter finals where as Germany wouldn't survive the group phase at all.

If Portugal are to reach the semi finals, they would be doing so for the third consecutive time. For Germany, this is their first quarter final since 1996.

from: http://www.soccerway.com/news/

Russia 2-0 Sweden

Russia 2-0 Sweden: Rampant Russians storm into last eight for first time

DUTCHMAN Guus Hiddink is relishing a clash against the Netherlands after guiding Russia to the quarter-finals of Euro 2008 with victory over Sweden.

Roman Pavlyuchenko and Andrei Arshavin scored in the 2-0 win at Innsbruck's Stadion Tivoli Neu, setting up the last-eight clash for the weekend. Since starting to compete as Russia, in 1992, it is the first time they have made it out of the groupstages of a major
tournament.

"I know the way we play we get respect because we play with the concepts that football should be played, like Holland," said Hiddink, who was the Dutch national coach in the mid-1990s. "I don't know if they fear us, but they have five days more rest, which is an advantage. It's a special game because I know the players, the coach and more people within the squad I worked with.

"I'm very proud of my team and the progress they have made in the last few days. They play modern football."

The inclusion of Arshavin, suspended for the first two games, seemed to give Russia an injection of self-belief and they were unrecognisable from the side who laboured to victory over Greece and were thumped by Spain. His direct running and some confident, slick passing in and around the box had Sweden hanging on from the opening exchanges. Yuri Zhirkov sounded a warning when he drove a volley wide after 21 minutes and three minutes later Russia were ahead. A clever pass allowed Konstantin Zyryanov to escape down the right and he played the ball inside to Alexander Anyukov. The dangerous midfielder then rolled it into the path of Pavlyuchenko who cracked home a first-time shot.

The striker almost had another later in the half when he fired against the bar after another neat exchange. The Swedes issued a reminder of their own threat on the break as Henrik Larsson looped a header against the bar and Mikael Nilsson forced a sharp smothering save from Igor Akinfeyev at the end of the half.

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

"Arshavin is a player who can decide very fast where he can create danger, he's a very smart player," Hiddink added. "There was a lack of match fitness, but that is the reason why I took him in the 23-man squad – he can make a difference."

Sweden had only needed a point themselves to make it out of Group D, but defeat will not necessarily mean the end for older players. Larsson, for one, said after the match that he plans to continue playing for Sweden.

"A new generation is coming through," said head coach Lars Lagerback. "We had a number of younger players in this squad, but it's about picking the best players regardless of their age."

Russia: Akinfeev, Aniukov, Ignashevich, Kolodin, Zhirkov, Semak, Zyryanov, Semshov, Bilyaletdinov (Saenko 66), Arshavin, Pavlyuchenko (Bystrov 90). Booked: Semak, Arshavin, Kolodin.

Sweden: Isaksson, Stoor, Mellberg, Hansson, Nilsson (Allback 79), Elmander, Andersson (Kallstrom 55), Svensson, Ljungberg, Henrik Larsson, Ibrahimovic. Booked: Isaksson, Elmander.

Spain 2-1 Greece

Goals:
Charisteas 42’
De la Red 61’
Guiza 88’

With 10 new faces in the line-up (including 3 Liverpool starters), it was always going to be a tighter game for the Furia Roja. And with nothing left to lose in the competition, going out at the group stage despite being the holders, Greece was willing to attack, although still as difficult to break down as always.

Not only was Xabi Alonso the captain of this revamped line-up, he was also the focal point. Today we saw Alonso near his best, setting the tempo in a deep-lying role, pinging both long and short passes, and nearly scoring from his own half (as he did against both Luton and Newcastle) in the 24th minute, only to see his shot go inches wide.

Even though the game was more lively than you’d expect, with Greece headed out and Spain playing the second string, there were still few opportunities for either side, with Alonso’s long range effort probably the best of the lot.

But in the 42nd minute, the Greece from Euro 2004 reappeared. Having picked up a number of free kicks throughout the half, they finally took advantage of one from the left flank, with Karagounis curling in a ball for Charisteas to head home. It looked like Arbeloa lost his man, although the fact that he didn’t even make the run with Charisteas makes me question who was supposed to mark him. Either way, it was another moment of shaky defending for the Spanish, and they paid for it. There was little Reina could do about it.

The second half saw much of the same, with Alonso still creating Spain’s best chances, most notably with a shot from distance that crashed off the inside of the far post in the 54th. But soon after, Guiza’s skillfully knocked down a long ball into the path of De la Red, who make no mistake with an unstoppable shot from just inside the box. Nikopolidis got a hand to it, but there was no way it was staying out.

It looked likely to end level, which wouldn’t have been an unfair result, but Spain’s increasing pressure finally paid off in the 88th minute when Guiza, who had struggled as a lone striker, got away from his marker to head in an inch-perfect Garcia cross.

Once again, Spain had problems breaking down a packed defense, and Greece is one of the best at getting bodies in front of attackers and closing down the space in the final third of the pitch. Like against Sweden, Spain were too intricate at times, and moves would break down when they approached the Greek goal. One moment stood out when Guiza and Fabregas linked up well on Garcia’s long ball, but it was one pass too many when Fabregas touched it back to Guiza instead of shooting, and nothing came of it. In addition, Dani Guiza is certainly no Torres or Villa, and Spain weren't getting anywhere near enough from the lone striker; they've looked far, far better playing two up top.

But like against Sweden, they held on in the end, and came up winners thanks to taking the game to their opponents for the full 90 minutes and getting a late goal. And surprise, surprise, it came from the player I thought did the least for his chances. Even though Sweden has been better than the Greeks (despite Sweden’s capitulation to Russia today), it’s arguably more impressive today as Spain came back from a goal down and were playing the B-team.

But now the fun starts. No matter how disappointing the Italians were in the group stage, I’m sure they're a team Spain wanted to avoid in the quarter-finals. This tournament is spookily shaping up like the last World Cup: Spain was outstanding in the first game and the best side in their group, only to be matched up with an experienced, if underperforming, big side in the knock-out round. Let’s hope history doesn’t continue to repeat itself.

But to conclude I want to go back to Alonso, who was arguably today’s man of the match, as this is still a Liverpool blog. Today re-raised all the questions that have surfaced because of the supposed Barry for Alonso switch. When Alonso plays like he did today, he looks like he could go straight into any side in the world (he was probably the only player today who forced himself into contention against Italy, and I think he should be starting ahead of Senna, especially with the way the Italians have been playing). He sets the tempo for the entire team and can seemingly complete any pass (if given the time and space to do so).

But he’s been showing less and less of that for Liverpool this season. I’m well aware his injury played a huge part in that, but even after returning to fitness, the first leg against Chelsea was the only match where he truly excelled. And given Liverpool's problems in the league, I completely understand purchasing players with an eye on the Premiership. Alonso rarely, especially after the damage he did in his first season, gets that time and space he needs in England.

I will be devastated to lose Xabi. He is one of my favorites, and I’ve got a lot of time for players who know how to control the tempo and have that range of passing. But I’ve got even more faith in Rafa Benitez. If Benitez feels like Barry, who can link up excellently with Gerrard, is better on set plays, and has an excellent passing sense of his own, is a player than can improve Liverpool in England, so be it. Benitez is renowned for collecting central midfielders (he’s purchased Alonso, Sissoko, Mascherano, Lucas, and Plessis), and knows exactly what he wants out of the position. Plus, the relationship between Alonso and Benitez has always seemed close, so if Benitez is ready ship the player out, he has to feel secure with the decision.

But today’s game showed exactly why I’ll always follow the career of Xabi Alonso, no matter where he plays.

Italy 2-0 France

Ten years’ ago this month, France were World Champions. Two years’ ago, France almost became World Champions once again. But after this defeat against an Italian side that is finally showing some promise, and to refer to Domenech’s much-discussed star-gazing, France is in the midst of a supernova.

Not only is this supernova illustrated by France’s early departure, but also in the players that signify this so-called golden era. Thierry Henry is worryingly short of any threat compared to his Arsenal days; Nicolas Anelka was an irrelevance, coming on as a substitute when Domenech ran out of ideas; Lilian Thuram refused to play because of a supposed bout of nerves; and William Gallas was ineffective and reverting to his volatile state, at one point on the verge of tears.

France’s challenge effectively ended after eight minutes when Franck Ribery, the man who is constantly referred to as the next Zidane — the link between the golden-era and the new, uncertain one — went off with an injured Achilles. The pain etched on his face was likely mimicked by every French man.

Within twenty minutes, Luca Toni could have single-handedly embarrassed the French; instead, it was more the opposite. Opportunities provided by Simone Perrotta and Andrea Pirlo on several occasions weren’t taken, and Toni’s indifferent form will be a real worry for Roberto Donadoni. Toni is in danger of becoming Italy’s equivalent to Andrew Cole: lethal at domestic level, unconvincing at international level.

Still, Toni’s persistence managed to come through after twenty-five minutes thanks to some French assistance in the form of Eric Abidal. After three attempts in getting the ball, Abidal brings Toni down in the penalty area, and France are a goal and a man down thanks to a superior Andrea Pirlo penalty. It was all either side deserved.

The unfortunate Samir Nasri, a transfer target for Arsene Wenger and brought on to replace the injured Ribery, was then taken off after a mere fifteen minutes in a desperate attempt from Domenech to bring some stability to his unstable back four. Yet it also shows how at odds the French were as a whole — needing a win, yet bringing off a talented, attacking player.

Karim Benzema was the stand out player for the French and when going forward, gave a still uncertain Italian defence something to handle. Benzema drew players towards him and left gaps that Henry seldom exploited; and when the French came out for the second half, he spurred the side on which almost caught the lackadaisical Italians who defended dangerously deep on several occasions.

Benzema’s efforts, however, would prove insignificant when on sixty-two minutes, Henry made his only noteworthy contribution. A Daniele de Rossi free-kick deflected goalward off Henry’s flailing left-foot, leaving Gregory Coupet with no chance.

It was only after de Rossi’s strike that Domenech decided to switch to three attackers and eventually bring on Anelka — the lack of any verve or enthusiasm, Benzema aside, was stunning. Indeed, Benzema almost gave the French some hope with a finely struck curling effort that required the best from Gianluigi Buffon.

The Italians’ tournament may have finally begun, and it would be foolish to dismiss them. But with Gennardo Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo suspended for their quarter-final against a ruthless Spanish side, they’re up against it. Even so, these are the Italians.

For France, who reportedly have Didier Deschamps waiting to take over from Domenech, they have a huge black hole to fill (enough of the astronomy terms now…).

from: thesightisinend.wordpress.com/2008

Netherland 2-0 Romania

Timnas Belanda sempurna. Kalimat tersebut layak dinobatkan kepada pasukan Marco van Basten usai menggilas Rumania 2-0 pada laga akhir Grup C di Stade de Suisse Wankdorf, Berne, Rabu (18/6/2008).

Tambahan tiga angka itu memantapkan posisi Der Oranje di puncak klasemen akhir grup dengan sembilan angka, hasil tiga kemenangan. Dua kemenangan Belanda lainnya diraih atas Italia 3-0, dan Prancis 4-1. Artinya, Belanda menyempurnakan kemenangan dalam babak penyisihan grup.

Hasil itu sekaligus memupuskan banyak pihak yang menilai Belanda akan memberikan kemenangan kepada Rumania. Tujuannya agar Italia dan Prancis pulang lebih awal. Namun dua gol Belanda yang disumbangkan striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar dan gelandang Robin van Persie mengubur wacana tersebut.

Berlaga di hadapan ribuan pendukungnya, Belanda memulai laga dengan mengambil kick off. Kendati lebih banyak pemain cadangan, Belanda mampu menunjukkan kerja sama yang diterapkan tim inti.

Bedanya, pasukan kedua Basten belum menemukan kesempatan emas mencetak gol pada babak pertama. Ketika wasit Massimo Busacca (Switzerland) meniupkan peluit panjang babak pertama, kedudukan tetap 0-0

Pada babak kedua, striker Rumania Adrian Mutu melakukan tendangan jarak jauh. Namun upaya itu belum membuahkan hasil. Tendangan kerasnya masih dimentahkan kiper Belanda Maarten Stekelenburg.

Merasa ditekan, Belanda balik menyerang. Gelandang PSV Eindhoven Ibrahim Afellay melakukan akselerasi sebelum memberikan umpan manis kepada Huntelaar. Striker Ajax Amsterdam itu menundukkan kiper Rumania Bogdan Lobont pada menit ke-56.

Gol Huntelaar tersebut membuat barisan belakang Rumania hilang konsentrasi. Akibatnya, Belanda terus melakukan tekanan. Puncaknya terjadi ketika Persie dengan gemilang mengecoh bek Rumania sebelum menaklukan Lobont, tiga menit sebelum laga usai. Persie meneruskan umpan Demy de Zeeuw.

Dengan hasil itu, Belanda menunggu runner-up grup D, yang akan diperebutkan Rusia dan Swedia. Kedua tim akan saling membunuh di Stadion Tivoli Neu, Innsbruck, Kamis (19/6/2008) dinihari.

Daftar pemain:
Belanda: 16-Maarten Stekelenburg; 21-Khalid Boulahrouz (12-Mario Melchiot 58), 3-John Heitinga, 14-Wilfred Bouma, 15-Tim de Cler; 8-Orlando Engelaar, 6-Demy de Zeeuw; 20-Ibrahim Afellay, 7-Robin van Persie, 11-Arjen Robben (18-Dirk Kuyt 61); 19-Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (22-Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink 82)
Rumania: 1-Bogdan Lobont; 2-Cosmin Contra, 14-Sorin Ghionea, 4-Gabriel Tamas, 3-Razvan Rat; 16-Banel Nicolita (7-Florentin Petre 82), 11-Razvan Cocis, 5-Cristian Chivu, 8-Paul Codrea (20-Nicolae Dica 72), 10-Adrian Mutu; 18-Marius Niculae (21-Daniel Niculae 60)

from: http://leoxa.com/everythingyouneed/

Germany 1-0 Austria

Austria 0-1 Germany: Ballack strike sets up Portugal showdown
By John Cross In Vienna 17/06/2008

(pic:Getty Images)
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Michael Ballack set up a quarter-final showdown with his new Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari with a contender for goal of Euro 2008.

Germany captain Ballack struck a stunning 25-yard free-kick into the top corner to clinch a meeting with Scolari's Portugal in Basel on Thursday. Ballack's brilliant 49th-minute pile driver was enough to dump Austria out which means both co-hosts suffered humiliating first round exits.

The front page of an Austrian newspaper had a picture of a naked man's body on the front with Ballack's head imposed on top with a banner headline screaming: "Rip the Germans' trousers off."

But it was the Chelsea man who gave the home side a spanking.
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Ever since the draw was made, the Austrians have been relishing the chance to beat their neighbours. But little did they imagine it would be a play-off for a quarter-final place.

The Germans should have taken an early lead.

Striker Miroslav Klose broke down the right, played a low cross to Mario Gomez who, just three yards out, somehow scuffed the ball in front of an open goal and Gyorgy Garics headed clear from almost underneath his own crossbar.

It was an astonishing miss which just about summed up the early tension in the Ernst-Happel Stadion and, for all of Germany's possession and superiority, they looked nervous while Austria rarely found any rhythm.

Austria also lacked quality and when half chances fell to Erwin Hoffer and Rene Aufhauser Germany's former Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann was quick to pounce on the danger.

Germany were also denied as Lukas Podolski's low 25-yard drive was brilliantly pushed round by Austria keeper Jurgen Macho in the 23rd minute. But tempers and frustrations began to boil over before half time. First, Aufhauser was lucky not to be sent off after appearing to punch Podolski.

Then both managers, Germany's Joachim Loew and Austria's Josef Hickersberger were both sent to the stands in disgrace by Spanish referee Manuel Gonzalez as they appeared to be shouting abuse and leaving their technical areas.

Both coaches shook hands as they made their way up to the stands and immediately took his seat in the directors' box next to the German chancellor Angela Merkel who appeared to try and console Loew.

The second half started as scrappily as the first had ended - but Austria paid a heavy price for Andreas Ivanschitz's clumsy 48th minute foul on Philipp Lahm.

Chelsea midfielder Ballack took the free-kick and hit a stunning 25 yard drive into the top corner for one of the goals of Euro 2008 to provide a rare piece of quality which was enough to take Germany into the quarter-finals. Austria's former Sunderland keeper Macho was then hurt when he bravely dived at the feet of the on-rushing Klose, at the expense of a corner.

And in injury-time German substitute Oliver Neuville dribbled through the home defence only to fire wide.

Austria: Macho, Garics, Stranzl, Hiden, Pogatetz, Harnik, Aufhauser, Ivanschitz, Fuchs, Korkmaz, Hoffer.

Germany: Lehmann, Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Lahm, Fritz, Frings, Ballack, Podolski, Gomez, Klose.

from: http://www.mirror.co.uk/

Polandia 0-1 Croatia

Ivan Klasnic fired the game's only goal for Croatia as Poland's unlikely bid to reach the last eight ended in failure.

Needing to beat Croatia by at least two goals, and for Germany to lose to Austria, only a string of Artur Boruc saves kept Poland's losing margin down.

Danijel Pranjic, Ivan Rakitic and Klasnic had all been denied before the latter lashed in the winner left-footed from 12 yards early in the second half.

Ebi Smolarek wasted late Poland chances but Group B winners Croatia held firm.

Slaven Bilic's team will be full of confidence ahead of their quarter-final against Turkey on Friday after a side boasting nine changes to the one that beat Germany last time out maintained their 100% record in the 2008 tournament.

And the story of the match was made all the more remarkable by the fact that Klasnic only underwent a kidney transplant last year, having suffered kidney failure in January 2007 - and his emotional celebrations told a story all on their own.

Poland came into the match still feeling aggrieved at English referee Howard Webb's decision to award Austria a penalty in injury time in the previous group match to deny them victory.

But any hopes they had of proving they deserved a place in the last eight fell flat, despite an encouraging opening 10 minutes.

First Wojciech Lobodzinski forced a hurried save from Croatia keeper Vedran Runje with a fine, whipped cross and then Dariusz Dudka headed inches wide of the goal from Jacek Krzynowek's corner.

But with Smolarek, their leading goalscorer in qualifying, left on the bench, Poland lacked any penetration and when Croatia settled into their stride, it was left to Boruc to keep the Poles in the game single-handedly.

Even having made so many changes, Croatia showed glimpses of their class, and Hrvoje Vejic was unlucky not direct his header home on 20 minutes from Ivan Rakitic's cross.

Thereafter, it was the Boruc show, Klasnic twice denied by the big Celtic keeper after dashing through a static Polish back line, and Rakitic and Pranjic both seeing firm drives beaten away in the closing stages of the first half.

Minutes after the restart, news filtered through from Vienna that Michael Ballack had put Germany ahead against Austria, effectively ending Poland hopes of qualification.

And, almost as if the news had finally broken their resistance, Poland found themselves behind just seconds later, Klasnic latching on to Pranjic's cut-back and lashing into the far corner left-footed.

Poland raced up the other end, Rafal Murawski sending a drive wide of the upright from 20 yards, but in truth their challenge was done and dusted.

To their credit, Leo Beenhakker's side plugged away and, after Smolarek had been introduced, Roger Guerreiro nearly levelled when he turned in the box and drilled wide.

Southampton striker Marek Saganowski also forced a save from Runje with a firm header, but Croatia always looked relatively comfortable - their main concern being to get through the game without injury.

With that in mind, match-winner Klasnic was removed from the action 16 minutes from time, allowing the last member of Croatia's squad not to have tasted Euro 2008 action - Nikola Kalinic - a piece of the action.

There was still time for Smolarek to twice drill decent efforts narrowly wide of the target and Thomasz Zahorski to waste Poland's best chance of the night - denied by Runje after sprinting clear of the Croatia defence.

But the Croats played out the last few minutes comfortably to extend their recent record to just two competitive defeats in four years and underline their potential as one of the tournament's dark horses for the title.


Poland: Boruc, Wasilewski, Zewlakow, Dudka, Wawrzyniak, Lobodzinski (Smolarek 55), Murawski, Roger, Lewandowski (Kokoszka 46), Krzynowek, Saganowski (Zahorski 69).
Subs Not Used: Kowalewski, Fabianski, Jop, Golanski, Bak, Gargula, Pazdan.

Booked: Lewandowski, Zahorski.

Croatia: Runje, Simic, Vejic, Knezevic (Corluka 26), Pranjic, Leko, Vukojevic, Pokrivac, Rakitic, Klasnic (Kalinic 74), Petric (Kranjcar 75).
Subs Not Used: Pletikosa, Galinovic, Simunic, Robert Kovac, Nico Kovac, Srna, Modric, Olic, Budan.

Booked: Vejic, Vukojevic.

Goals: Klasnic 52.

Att: 30,000

Ref: Kyros Vassaras (Greece).

from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/

Turkey 3-2 Czech Republic

Turkey 3-2 Czech Republic: Turkish delight as sensational knockout blow floors Czechs

TURKEY 3
Turan (75), Nihat (87, 89)
CZECH REPUBLIC 2
Koller (34), Plasil (62)

TURKEY captain Nihat Kahveci admitted it was an "unbelievable feeling" to see his team recover from a two-goal deficit to earn a last-gasp 3-2 win over the Czech Republic in a Group A thriller in Geneva last night.

The Villarreal striker grabbed a sensational double in the final four minutes to complete a memorable comeback by the Turks, who finished second in their pool and now face Croatia in a quarter-final tie in Vienna on Friday.

The extraordinary recovery in a winner-takes-all match was sparked when Arda Turan halved the deficit in the 75th minute but nothing could have prepared his side for what was to follow. Nihat, whose first goal came after a ghastly handling error by Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech, said: "Up until we went 2-0 down, we didn't play well but we didn't give up.

"The first goal was the key, the turning point, and it created concern within the Czechs.

"I managed to make the most of the mistake by their keeper to score the second and then I got the third. You don't get many games like this in tournaments like these and the feeling was enormous to see the ball hit the back of the net.

"To see that goal qualify us for the quarter-final is an unbelievable feeling. We are so happy we did it."

The Czechs, who had never lost to Turkey in 11 previous meetings, looked home and dry in the 61st minute when Jaroslav Plasil added to Jan Koller's first-half opener to put his team 2-0 ahead.

But the Turks' never-say-die attitude enabled them to mount an unlikely recovery in the pouring rain at the Stade de Geneve. And coach Fatih Terim claimed he always had faith in his side's ability to respond.

"I am very pleased to have a team that doesn't give up, that doesn't stop until the referee blows the final whistle," said Terim.

A penalty shoot-out loomed if the match had ended as a draw after 90 minutes 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 Cech in the opening 45 minutes.

The more experienced Czechs, semi-finalists at the Euros four years ago, looked assured from the off and should have been more than a goal ahead at the interval.

It was one-way traffic, the ever-dangerous Libor Sionko firing just over from the diagonal in the 25th minute as the nervous Turks continued to relinquish possession.

The goal the Czechs deserved came nine minutes later, Juventus full-back Grygera galloping down the right and crossing for Koller to power home a trademark header in emphatic style from eight yards out.

That was the towering targetman's 55th international goal and the Nurnberg targetman, who will now quit international football.

The Czechs looked more tentative after the break but Plasil settled any nerves with their second just after the hour mark when he got on the end of Sionko's right-wing cross to prod home at the far post. It seemed all over but Arda set up a tense final 15 minutes when he slid home a low finish past Cech after pouncing on a Hamit Altintop centre.

When Cech spilled a deep cross from the right, allowing Nihat to force home the equaliser into an empty net with three minutes remaining, an historic shoot-out beckoned as both sides were locked together on head-to-head, goal difference and goals scored.

But worse was to come for Cech when barely a minute later, Nihat made the most of some dreadful defending to latch on to a through-ball and curl home a superb finish off the bar.

Czech coach Karel Bruckner admitted his side's defending was not up to scratch in that sensational final quarter of an hour. "After our second goal, we controlled the game and we had several chances to decide the match," said Bruckner "But then Turkey scored, we had problems on the left side and we surrendered to the Turks."

Bruckner, who will step down from the post after seven years in charge, was asked how long it would take for him to recover from the defeat. "Very many nights," said the 68-year-old.

Turkey: Demirel, Altintop, Gungor (Asik 65), Cetin, Balta, Topal (Kazim-Richards 57), Aurelio, Turan, Sanli, Nihat, Senturk (Sarioglu 46).

Czech Republic: Cech, Grygera, Ujfalusi, Rozehnal, Jankulovski, Sionko (Vlcek 84), Matejovsky (Jarolim 39), Galasek, Polak, Plasil (Kadlec 80), Koller. Booked: Galasek, Ujfalusi.

Switzerland 2-0 Portugal

Switzerland 2-0 Portugal: Swiss salvage some pride with defeat of much-changed Portugal


SWITZERLAND 2
Yakin (71, 83pen)
PORTUGAL 0

HAKAN Yakin's slick second-half double last night gave Switzerland coach Kobi Kuhn a victorious send-off as the co-hosts bowed out of Euro 2008 with three points from their final match against a much-changed Portugal side.

The Young Boys midfielder,who also netted his team's only other goal of the tournament in last Wednesday's 2-1 defeat to Turkey, struck 19 minutes from time and then again from the penalty spot 11 minutes later to secure the triumph.

The Portuguese may count themselves a little unfortunate, having hit the woodwork through both Pepe and Ricardo Quaresma, although Gokhan Inler was also denied by the frame of the goal for the Swiss.

With Portugal already guaranteed top spot in Group A and Switzerland knowing they could not climb off the bottom no matter what the result, there was, on the face of it, little to play for.

But both teams played their part in an entertaining affair.

Luiz Felipe 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.

Kuhn, overseeing his last match after seven years at the Swiss helm, made two changes with retiring goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbuhler handed a farewell start in place of Diego Benaglio and Johan Vonlanthen coming in for Tranquillo Barnetta in midfield.

The first opportunity of the match arrived after seven minutes, when an audacious back-heeled cross from Quaresma was headed over the crossbar by Helder Postiga.

Ten minutes later, Pepe got a touch on Nani's low free-kick but Zuberbuhler did enough to divert the effort onto the underside of the crossbar.

Ricardo also then had to be alert to tip Inler's swerving blast over for a corner.

The action continued to flow from end to end, with Postiga's shot from Nani's pull-back seemingly destined for the bottom-right corner until Philippe Senderos' intervention.

Senderos then slid in at the other end and was just inches away from connecting with Yakin's free-kick.

Ricardo then produced a fine save to deny Yakin a second goal of the tournament, superbly palming away the midfielder's header.

Ten minutes before half-time, 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 initially lacking the cutting edge.

Udinese midfielder Inler tried his luck in the opening seconds of the second period but Ricardo fisted the ball to safety.

Manchester United's Nani then burst down the left and got his shot away and past Zuberbuhler, but his low strike hit the post.

Salzburg midfielder Vonlanthen – the youngest scorer in European Championships history with his goal against France four years ago – made way for Barnetta just after the hour mark and the substitute almost made an immediate impact but his attempt from Inler's cross was bundled behind for a corner.

Inler 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.

The Swiss, whose Euro 2008 campaign has been far from plain sailing with coach Kuhn's wife hospitalised just prior to the tournament and star striker Alexander Frei ruled out of the competition in the opening match, were enjoying their best spell of the match.

Barnetta failed to capitalise when the ball broke to him 12 yards out, dragging his left-footed shot wide.

The home fans did not have to wait much longer for the deadlock to be broken, however, with the influential Barnetta playing in Yakin for a neat finish through the legs of Ricardo after 71 minutes.

And 11 minutes later the advantage was doubled.

Austrian referee Konrad Plautz pointed to the spot after Barnetta hit the turf under the challenge of Fernando Meira and man of the match Yakin made no mistake from 12 yards, firing past Ricardo and into the top-left corner.

Switzerland: Zuberbuhler, Lichtsteiner (Grichting 85), Muller, Senderos, Magnin, Behrami, Gelson, Inler, Vonlanthen (Barnetta 61), Yakin (Cabanas 86), Derdiyok. Booked: Yakin, Vonlanthen, Barnetta, Gelson.

Portugal: Ricardo, Miguel, Pepe, Bruno Alves, Ferreira (Jorge Ribeiro 41), Fernando Meira, Veloso (Joao Moutinho 70), Raul Meireles, Quaresma, Postiga (Hugo Almeida 74), Nani. Booked: Ferreira, Jorge Ribeiro, Fernando Meira, Miguel.

Greece 0-1 Russia

Holders Greece were knocked out of Euro 2008 after losing 1-0 to Russia in their Group D match, a result that put Spain in the last eight.

Russia scored the only goal in the 33rd minute when Greece keeper Antonis Nikopolidis ran out to try to clear the ball leaving Konstantin Zyryanov free to tap the ball into an empty net after Sergei Semak's overhead pass.

Greece, surprise winners of the European Championship in Portugal four years ago, have now lost their first two matches in the group and are eliminated before their final game.

Spain are top on six points, three ahead of Sweden and Russia who meet in their final group match on Wednesday.

The young Russian side, faster and more aggressive, never looked back after opening the scoring and attacked in waves leaving the desperate Greeks relying on crosses into the area.

The Russians carved out chance after chance and should have added several more goals in a 30-minute second-half spell that left the struggling Greece defence in tatters.

Pavlyuchenko's close range effort in the 47th was saved by Nikopolidis and the striker came close again six minutes later when he picked up a through ball from Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and raced down the left only to see his low drive fly wide.

The Russian striker continued to wreak havoc in the Greece defence and tried to turn provider in the 57th with a clever back-heel to Bilyaletdinov who fired wide.

The disappointing Greeks, who played with three strikers, failed to create one clear chance in the match with captain Angelos Basinas shooting over from close range in the 55th.

Even when coach Otto Rehhagel freshened up his attack with the speedy Fanis Gekas replacing the tiring Nikos Liberopoulos they could find no way of breaking down a well-drilled Russian defence as they saw their hold on the trophy slip away.

Goal: Zyryanov 33

Teams:

Greece
1-Antonis Nikopolidis; 2-Giourkas Seitaridis, 5-Traianos Dellas, 16-Sotiris Kyrgiakos, 15-Vassilis Torosidis; 21-Costas Katsouranis, 6-Angelos Basinas, 3-Christos Patsatzoglou; 9-Angelos Haristeas, 23-Nikos Liberopoulos, 20-Yannis Amanatidis

Russia
1-Igor Akinfeyev; 22-Alexander Anyukov, 8-Denis Kolodin, 4-Sergei Ignashevich, 18-Yuri Zhirkov; 11-Sergei Semak; 7-Dmitry Torbinsky, 17-Konstantin Zyryanov, 20-Igor Semshov, 15-Diniyar Bilyaletdinov; 19-Roman Pavlyuchenko

Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy)

from: http://www.rte.ie/sport/

Sweden 1-2 Spain

David Villa's last-gasp strike helped Spain snatch a 2-1 victory over Sweden in their Euro 2008 Group D encounter.



The winner came from nothing as the Spanish defence sent a hopeful long ball upfield, only for Villa to sidestep the Swedish defence and calmly slot the ball past Andreas Isaksson.


Spain had taken the lead after 15 minutes when Fernando Torres latched onto David Silva's through ball to tap home his first goal of the tournament.


Sweden had a chance of an instant reply when Johan Elmander found himself one-on-one with Iker Casillas, but his right-footed effort found the side-netting.


But Sweden grabbed a deserved equaliser in the 34th minute when Fredrik Stoor's cross found Zlatan Ibrahimovic who sent the ball underneath a hesitant Casillas.


But Villa's late effort, coupled with Russia's win over Greece later on Saturday, means Spain are now certain of a place in the quarter-finals as they will progress as group winners.


Early threat


The in-form Spanish, now undefeated in 18 games, quickly settled into their passing game and were soon probing the Sweden defence for frailties.


However, apart from an Andres Iniesta shot that went high and wide and a moment of danger when David Silva got in behind the Sweden defence before being closed down, Lars Lagerback's side were able to deal with the early Spanish threat.


Sweden's success lasted just 15 minutes though before they found themselves a goal down thanks to a well-worked Spain corner.


Xavi played a low ball in towards the front post for David Villa, who in turn found Valencia club-mate Silva on the edge of the box and his cross back in towards the six-yard box was stabbed home by the stretching 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 equaliser to Torres' goal.


Veteran forward 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.


Ibrahimovic, widely regarded as Sweden's chief threat, had been well-marshalled by the Spain backline but the Internazionale striker showed his class as he drew his side level 11 minutes before half-time.


The giant striker raced onto a deep cross from Fredrik Stoor, brought the ball under control and, just as it appeared as though the chance might be lost, he held off the challenge of Sergio Ramos before sliding a low shot past Casillas.


That was Ibrahimovic's second goal of the tournament following his superb effort against Greece and saw him move to within one of Spain striker Villa.


Like Ibrahimovic, Villa had also been fairly quiet, but the hat-trick hero against Russia brought a save out of Isaksson in the 37th minute with a 20-yard volley.


Injury setback


Sweden suffered a setback at half-time when Ibrahimovic, 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 Markus Rosenberg taking his place.


Rosenberg had little opportunity to impress in the first 15 minutes of the second half though as the two teams cancelled each other out, and in a bid to shake things up Spain boss Aragones opted to make a double change on the hour-mark with Cesc Fabregas and Santi Cazorla sent into action.


Soon after their introduction Spain had a great chance to take the lead as the Sweden 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 were starting to get the upper hand and Isaksson was again called into action in the 67th minute, diving full-length to turn away Marcos Senna's 25-yard drive.


Sweden enjoyed a rare chance in 78th minute when a deep Anders Svensson free-kick cleared the Spain defence and found Petter Hansson at the far post, but the centre-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 the 89th minute it looked as though the Swedes would be taking a hard-earned point.


However, Villa had other ideas and he raced onto a Joan Capdevila long-ball forward, skipped inside Hansson before coolly slotting home past Isaksson for the winner.