Pertarungan Teknik Melawan Mental

Meskipun sama-sama lolos ke final Piala Eropa 2008, Jerman dan Spanyol masih belum lepas dari sejumlah kekurangan. Karena itu, tim yang menjadi juara pada pertandingan di Stadion Ernst Happel, Wina, Austria, Senin (30/6) dini hari WIB, adalah tim yang dapat memanfaatkan kekurangan lawan. Namun mengacu sejarah restasi dan kinerja kedua tim, bisa dibilang bahwa partai final Piala Eropa 2008 adalah perang antara kehebatan teknik Spanyol melawan determenasi mental Jerman.

Dari segi strategi, pelatih Jerman Joachim Loew harus kembali mengkaji efektivitas dan efisiensi skema 4-5-1 (4-1-4-1). Dengan satu penyerang, Jerman tampil luar biasa ketika menggebuk Portugal 3-2 pada perempat final. Namun, dengan skema yang sama, “Der Panzer” keteteran menghadapai pemain lapis dua Turki. Meski menang 3-2, penampilan Jerman tidak bisa dikatakan memuaskan.

Menghadapi kelincahan dan akurasi Spanyol, Loew harus berpikir untuk kembali menggunakan formasi 4-4-2 yang sudah menjadi tradisi.

Pelatih Spanyol, Luis Aragones juga sangat mungkin mengubah formasi standar 4-4-2 yang sudah sangat mendarah daging. Dengan dua penyerang , Spanyol selalu menang sejak awal puatarn final digelar. David Villa dan Fernando Torres terbukti tangguh. Namun cederanya Villa membuat Aragones memasukkan memasukkan gelandang serang Cesc Fabregas dan mengubah formasi menjadi 4-5-1 (4-1-41). Hasilnya, mereka menaklukkan Rusia 3-0.

Sisi lain yang harus dicermati pada laga krusial ini, adalah mental. Pemain Jerman memiliki mental juara yang selalu berusahan menjaga konsistensi permainan hingga pluit terakhir. Gol Philiph Lahm di menit akhir 90 merupakan bukti keuletan Jerman memanfaatkan setiap detik untuk mencetak gol.

Dibandingkan Jerman, mental Spanyol tampaknya belum teruji. Dengan kelebihgan teknik dan kulitas individu, Torres dkk belum mengalami laga hidup-mati seperti yang dijalani jerman ketika membungkam Turki 3-2.

Sejak awal turnamen Spanyol selalu menang dan hanya mengalami sekali kebobolan lebih dulu yaitu, saat menghadapi Yunani di babak penyisihan grup. Itupun ketika Aragones menurunkan pemain lapis duanya. Spanyol juga punya rekor bagus, tidak terkalahkan dalam 21 laga terakhir.

Spanyol bisa menerapkan gaya permainan tradisionalnya, yaitu umpan pendek dan penguasaan bola karena pemain Jerman yang tinggi-tinggi relative kalahlincah. Contohnya ketika melawan Turki. Jerman kesulitan mengatasi permainan bola kaki ke kaki.

Dari segi pertahanan, kipper dan barisan pertahanan merupakan titik lemah Jerman. Dua gol Turki ke gawang Jens Lehmann, bermula dari kesulitan duet bek Per Mersacker dan Christoph Metzelder membaca pergerakan Ugur Boral dan Semith Sentruk.

Kedua bek tengah itu lebih suka menghadapi penyerang berpostur tinggi daripada mengawasi pergerakan pemain mungil namun cepat, seperti Fabregras atau Iniesta.

Perkiraan Formasi:

Jerman (4-2-3-1): Lehman(g); Friedrich Mertesacker, Metzelder, Lahm; Hizisperger, Frings; Schweinsteiger, Ballack, Poldolski; Klose.

Spanyol (4-1-4-1): Cassilas(g); Ramos, Zyrianov Puyol, Capdevilla; Senna; Iniesta, Fabregras, Xavi, Silva; Torres.

"Head to Head":
Jerman Menang 2 kali
Imbang 3 kali
Spanyol Menang 2 kali

Profile Team (Spain & Germany)

Spain

Nickname: La Furia Roja (The Red Fury), La Seleccion
Domestic Association:

Real Federación Española de Fútbol - based in Madrid and founded in 1909 the Royal Spanish Football Federation received FIFA affiliation in 1913 and UEFA affiliation in 1954.
Confederation:

UEFA (Europe)
Current Coaching Staff and Notable Team Officials:

Head Coach: Luis Aragonés
Team Captain: Iker Casillas
International Records - Nation:

European Championship Winners - 1964
International Records - Players:

Most capped player - Andoni Zubizarreta (126 caps)
Most international goals - Raúl (44 goals)
National Stadium:

Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain

Owned by Spanish La Liga side Real Madrid the Bernabeu is regarded as one of the world's most famous football venues.
FIFA World Cup Record:

1930 - Did Not Enter
1934 - Quarter-final
1938 - Did Not Enter
1950 - Fourth place
1954 - Did not qualify
1958 - Did not qualify
1962 - Round 1
1966 - Round 1
1970 - Did not qualify
1974 - Did not qualify
1978 - Round 1
1982 - Round 2
1986 - Quarter-final
1990 - Round of 16
1994 - Quarter-final
1998 - Round 1
2002 - Quarter Finals
2006 - Round of 16
UEFA European Championships Record:

1960 - Quarter-final
1964 - Champions
1968 - Quarter-final
1972 - Did not qualify
1976 - Quarter-final
1980 - Round 1
1984 - Runners-Up
1988 - Round 1
1992 - Did not qualify
1996 - Quarter-final
2000 - Quarter-final
2004 - Round 1

Germany

Nickname: Die Nationalelf
Domestic Association:

Deutscher Fußball-Bund — DFB - founder member of both FIFA and UEFA. During the Second World War and the resulting separation of East and West Germany, East German football was governed by Deutscher Fußball Verband der DDR (DFV) which was assimilated into DFB upon reunification.
Confederation:

UEFA (Europe)
Current Coaching Staff and Notable Team Officials:

Head Coach: Joachim Löw
Team Captain: Michael Ballack
International Records - Nation:

World Cup Winners - 1954, 1974, 1990 European Championship Winners - 1972, 1980, 1996
International Records - Players:

Most capped player - Lothar Matthäus (150 caps)
Most international goals - Gerd Müller (68 goals)
No National Stadium:

FIFA World Cup Record:

1930 - Withdrew
1934 - Semi-Finals
1938 - Round 1
1950 - Banned
1954 - Champions
1958 - Semi-Finals
1962 - Quarter Finals
1966 - Final
1970 - Semi-Finals
1974 - Champions
1978 - Group Round 2
1982 - Final
1986 - Final
1990 - Champions
1994 - Quarter-Finals
1998 - Quarter-Finals
2002 - Final
2006 - Semi-Finals
UEFA European Championships Record:

1960 - Did Not Enter
1964 - Did Not Enter
1968 - Did not qualify
1972 - Champions
1976 - Runners-up
1980 - Champions
1984 - Round 1
1988 - Semi-finals
1992 - Runners-up
1996 - Champions
2000 - Round 1
2004 - Round 1

Last 8 Match Spain and Germany

                Spain                                                                         Germany
27-06-08 Spain vs Russia       3 - 0             26-06-08 Germany vs Turkey         3 - 2
23-06-08 Spain vs Italy          0 - 0             20-06-08 Portugal vs Germany       2 - 3
19-06-08 Spain vs Greece      2 - 1             17-06-08 Austria vs Germany           0 - 1
15-06-08 Spain vs Sweden     2 - 1             13-06-08 Germany vs Croatia           1 - 2
11-06-08 Spain vs Russia       4 - 1              09-06-08 Germany vs Poland           2 - 0
05-06-08 Spain vs USA          1 - 0              31-05-08 Germany vs Serbia            2 - 1
01-06-08 Spain vs Peru          2 - 1              27-05-08 Germany vs Belarus          2 - 2
27-03-08 Spain vs Italy          1 - 0              27-03-08 Switzerland vs Germany  0 - 4

Analisa Pertandingan Jerman vs Spanyol

Partai final Spanyol vs Jerman diprediksi bakal seru dan lebih ketat. Bahkan banyak yang menyebut partai tersebut partai idela untuk pergelaran Final Piala eropa 2008. Apalagi kedua tim memiliki kualitas yang sama-sama bagus.

Spanyol maupun Jerman memiliki senjata yang bisa diandalkan untuk memenangkan pertandingan. Di final nanti, tergantung kepada kepiawaian pelaih masing-masing tim untuk meracik strategi yangh paling mujarab. Dari lika-liku perjalanan ke final, tentunya Spanyol lebih unggul, mereka belum menelan satu kekalahanpun berbeda dengan Jerman yang pernah menelan kekalahan dari Kroasia 1-2.

Dari produktivitas gol sudah jelas bahwa Spanyol sedikit lebih produktif. Spanyol dari penyisihan hingga final sudah memasukkan 15 gol dan kemasukkan 5 gol. Berbeda dengan Jerman yang hanya menceploskan 10 gol dan kemasukkan 6 gol. Dari data tersebut juga terlihat lini belakang jerman sedikit lebih rapuh dibandingkan Spanyol.

Berdasarkan data itu, Jerman harus lebih hati-hati saat menghadapi Spanyol di final nanti, terutama pada penyerang-penyerang Spanyol. Lini belakang Jerman harus lebih disiplin terhadap para bomber Spanyol.

Sektor gelandang juga harus mendapat perhatian serius, pasalnya lini kedua ini paling sentral. Siapapun yang dapat menguasai lapangan tengah lapangan pada laga final nanti berpeluang besar memenangkan pertandingan. Maklum, kedua tim memiliki pemain-pemain gelandang yang sangat hebat. Jerman mempunyai ballack sedangkan Spanyol memiliki Iniesta

Yang jelas pertarungan kedua tim besar ini menjanjikan pertarungan yang seru. Pertarunga antara ‘Der panzer’ Jerman dan ‘La Furia Roja’ Spanyol, kita nantikan saja!..

Rekor Pertandingan ---Spanyol vs Jerman---

Spanyol dan Jerman akan bertemu di final Euro 2008 senin dinihari. Kedua tim belum pernah bertemu pada laga final sebelumnya, baik di Piala Eropa maupun Piala Dunia. Ada beberapa momen tak terlupakan dalam 19 pertemuan kedua tim raksasa eropa ini, terutama pada Piala Dunia 1966 dan 1982 serta Piala Eropa 1984.

Jerman mengalahkan Spanyol 2-1 pada fase grup Piala Eropa 1996 di Birmingham lewat gol penentu Uwe Seeler. Gol pertama yang dicetakLothar Emmerich tercatat dalam sejarah sepakbola. Emmerich mengontrol lemparan bola dari rekan seklub di Borrosia Dortmund, Siggi Heldt, dan melesakkannya ke gawang Spanyol dengan kaki kiri dari sudut sempit.

Jerman memberi pukulan lebih keras bagi Spanyol pada Piala Dunia 1982 ketika menyingkirkan sang tuan rumah dari arena kompetisi dengan kemenangan 2-1 pada putaran kedua penyisihan grup di Madrid. Gol kemenangan Jerman dihasilkan Klaus Fischer dan Pierre Littbarski.

Spanyol mampu membalskan dendam dua tahun kemudian di Piala Eropa 1984. El matador menggebuk Jerman lewat gol tunggal yang lahir dari sundulan Antonio Maceda pada menit 89 untuk lolos ke babak semifinal. Gol itu jelas menghancurkan jerman. Selain tersingkir, pelatih Jupp Derwall juga harus kehilangan pekerjaan. Dia dipecat setelah bertugas selama enam bulan . Posisinya diganti ikon Jerman, Franz Beckenbour.

Tim besutan Beckenbour kembali bertemu spantol di Piala Eropa 1988, tuan rumah kembali menangguk kemenangan 2-0. Jerman juga mengalahkan Spanyol pada dua laga perempat final untuk lolos ke putaran final Piala Eropa 1976 dan bermain 1-1 di Piala Dunia 1994. Jerman mampu lolos ke final Piala Dunia 1966 dan Piala Eropa 1976 namun gagal menjadi juara. Spanyol pun dikalahkan Prancis pada final Piala Eropa 1984. Dari total pertemuan kedua tim, Jerman unggul dengan delapan kemenangan sementara Spanyo hanya lima kemenangan. Enam pertandingan sisa terakhir berakhir imbang Statistik bukan bukti kehebatan sebuah tim. Apalagi Spanyol telah menghapus beberapa ‘kutukan’ sehingga kini bisa meraih tempat pada laga pamungkas di Wina.

Spanyol Telah Bangun dari Tidur!!....

Final Piala Eropa 2008 akhirnya akan mencapai puncaknya, mempertemukan Jerman dengan Spanyol di partai final. Jagoan group A-B lawan kampiun group C-D. Kalau Spanyol yang menang, itu artinya sejarah 44 tahun lalu terulang. Tapi pada 1964 itu, saat mengalahkan Uni Soviet(2-1), Spanyol merupakan tuan rumah. Maka hampir seisi stadion mensupport tim matador itu, namun pada laga ini Spanyol bukanlah tuan rumah, penonton pastinya akan tebagi dua mendukung Jerman dan Spanyol sama banyaknya.

Pada permulaan Piala Eropa, Jerman dijadikan unggulan terfavorit menjuarai Euro 2008. Salah satu alasannya karena tim-tim besar seperti Italia dan Belanda sudah kandas di babak perempat final. Tapi, setelah melihat cara Spanyol bermain saat meluluhlantahkan Rusia 3-0 di semifinal, angin dukungan mendadak berbelok arah.

Anak asuh Luis Aragones berpeluang menjadi juara saat bertemu dengan Jerman pada laga pamungkas Euro 2008 di stadion Ernst happel, wina, Austria senin dinihari WIB. Catatan sejarah memperlihatkan ini adalah kali ketiga spanyol mapu melaju hingga babak final. Spanyol sudah dua kali menuju final. Pertama pada 1964 saat mengalahkan Uni Soviet, seperti saya katakana pada awal artikel ini. Final kedua mereka raih pada 1984 di Euro Prancis. Tapi di final Spanyol menyerah 0-2 dari tuan rumah Prancis. Sesudahnya Spanyol seperti tertidur. Baik di Euro atau Piala Dunia, Spanyol selalu gagal mencapai final.

Mampukah para matador ini melanjutkan kegemilangan seperti saat melumat Rusia?Jika mampu mengalahkan jerman, kesempurnaan menjadi milik Spanyol. “Kami telah lolos ke babak final Euro 2008. ini yang kami inginkan sejak awal. Tapi kami akan bertarung dengan tim yang sangat kuat, Jerman. Itu merupakan tantangan terbesar kami.” Ujar Aragones.

Dari sisi strategi nampaknya Spanyol bakal pede dengan modal kemenangan atas Italia dan Rusia. Yakni, mengusung pola 4-4-2 yang bisa dimodifikasi menjadi 4-2-3-1 di tengah pertandingan. Mulai lini pertahanan hingga penyerang, Spanyol hamper memiliki skuad yang lengkap secara kulitas individu maupun kerja sama. Pola serangan bakal kembali dibangun melalui Sergio Ramos yang dibantu Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez dan David Silva. Namun penyerang Spanyol yang merupakan pencetak gol terbanyak di Euro 2008 ini, David Villa diragukan tampil akibat cedera otot yang didapatnya pada laga melawan Rusia.

Spain 3-2 Russia

Fabregas proves the inspiration

Superb Spain stormed into their first final in 24 years by rolling over in-form Russia at Euro 2008 in Vienna.

On another wet night in Austria, Luis Aragones' men attacked throughout and scored second-half goals through Xavi, substitute Daniel Guiza and David Silva to claim their fifth win in as many games and set up a title showdown with Germany on Sunday.

The outcome prevented the Russians, who lost 4-1 to Spain in their opening game, from making their first appearance in the final since the break-up of the Soviet Union.

Spain were on top at the Ernst Happel Stadion in the first half but had no goals to show for their efforts and, after losing the tournament's leading goalscorer David Villa to injury in the 34th minute, their prospects did not look bright.

Arsenal playmaker Cesc Fabregas, who converted the winning spot-kick to beat Italy in a penalty shootout in the quarter-final, came on and excelled just as Guiza did when he replaced Fernando Torres.

Russia coach Guus Hiddink made one change to his starting XI with Vasili Berezutski replacing suspended defender Denis Kolodin.

Spain boss Luis Aragones fielded his strongest line-up with Torres playing alongside Villa.

Spain came flying out of the traps and almost took the lead after just five minutes when Villa fed Torres inside the area but the Liverpool striker's close-range effort was parried away by goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev.

Russia meanwhile, struggled to get past the Spanish defence.

With 10 minutes played, Villa's right-footed effort from the edge of the area was saved by Akinfeev.

The Russians weathered the early storm and began to grow in confidence, with Roman Pavlyuchenko hitting a powerful strike that went straight into the hands of Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

Andres Iniesta missed a golden chance to put Spain in front in the 26th minute when he was unable to control Xavi's clever pass into the area.

Casillas came to the rescue for Spain on the half-hour mark, diving full length to palm away Pavlyuchenko's curled effort from the edge of the area.

The Spanish were rocked shortly after, when star striker Villa limped off and was replaced by Fabregas.

And the Russians almost took the lead seconds later.

Pavlyuchenko chested down Ivan Saenko's cross inside the box but fired wide, much to the relief of Casillas.

But back came Spain and Ramos got past his marker before firing just wide of the near post.

Torres should have put Spain in front before half-time. Having perfectly controlled Fabregas's pass, the striker could only manage a weak effort that proved an easy save for the keeper.

Spain picked up where they left off after half-time, and their efforts were rewarded five minutes into the second half.

Xavi played in Iniesta down the left, before finishing his team-mate's cross from inside the box with a well-timed run into the box.

Torres almost made it 2-0 shortly after, with his curled angled effort from Fabregas' assist going just high over the bar.

Hiddink reacted to going a goal behind by making a double substitution with Bilyaletdinov and Vladimir Bystrov replacing Igor Semshov and Saenko.

But it was Spain who looked more dangerous.

Torres twice had the opportunity to double Spain's lead thanks to two sensational Ramos passes but the Liverpool striker could not hit the target.

Aragones made Torres pay for those mistakes as he brought on Guiza to replace him.

And the move was an inspired one as Guiza made it 2-0 in the 72nd minute.

Fabregas played in Guiza inside the area who lobbed Russia keeper Igor Akinfeev.

With Russia offering little opposition, Spain continued to surge forward and put the game beyond their rivals' reach with nine minutes remaining.

Fabregas' perfect ball found Silva inside the area, who fired past Akinfeev to start the fiesta for the Spanish fans.

With two minutes left, Russia almost got a consolation goal but Casillas made a stunning save to deny Bilyaletdinov's header from Andrei Arshavin's cross.

Russia: Akinfeev, Aniukov, Vasili Berezutsky, Ignashevich, Zhirkov, Semak, Zyryanov, Semshov (Bilyaletdinov 56), Saenko (Sychev 57), Pavluchenko, Arshavin.
Subs Not Used: Gabulov, Malafeev, Yanbaev, Alexei Berezutsky, Adamov, Ivanov, Shirokov, Bystrov.
 
Spain: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Marchena, Puyol, Capdevila, Iniesta, Xavi (Alonso 69), Senna, Silva, Villa (Fabregas 34), Torres (Guiza 69).
Subs Not Used: Palop, Reina, Albiol, Fernando Navarro, Santi Cazorla, Sergio Garcia, Arbeloa, Juanito, De la Red.

Goals: Xavi 50, Guiza 73, Silva 82.

Stadium: Ernst Happel Stadion
Attendance:
Match Time: 19:45 UK
Referee(s):
Kyros Vassaras (Fourth Official)
Frank De Bleeckere (Referee)
Alex Verstraeten (Linesman)
Peter Hermans (Linesman)

Match Stats

                   Russia        Spain
Shots (on Goal)     9(4)         18(12)
Fouls               17           14
Corner Kicks         3            4
Offsides             3            3
Time of Possession  35%          65%
Yellow Cards         2            0
Red Cards            0            0
Saves               13            4

Rusia Siaga, Spanyol Siap Tempur!..

Spanyol dan Rusia sma-sama berambisi mencetak sejarah saat bertemu pada semifinal Piala Eropa 2008 di stadion Ernst Happel, Austria, Jumat dinihari. Kedua tim ingin meraih kembali kejayaan puluhan tahun lalu.

Gelar satu-satunya yang pernah dicicipi Spanyol adalah Piala Eropa 1964. cukup tragis memang, untuk tim sekelas spanyol yang selalu dihuni pemain-pemain berbakat. Sejak Piala Eropa 1984, Spanyol tidak pernah mencapai semifinal sebuah turnamen besar. Piala Eropa kali ini impian La Furia Roja Spanyol bisa terwujud.

Rusia pun gagal meraih prestasi tinggi sejak hancurnya Uni Soviet pada 1991. Terakhir, mereka meinikmati final sebuah turnamen besar pada Piala Eropa 1988. Saat itu Rusia, masih bernama Uni Soviet, harus mengakui ketangguhan Belanda 0-2 di final. Sejak itu Rusia seakan tenggelam, seiring dengan jatuhnya Uni Soviet.

Spanyol dan Rusia pernah bertemu sembilan kali. Spanyol meraih lima kemenangan dan Rusia hanya sekali, yaitu pada kualifikasi Piala eropa 1971. Spanyol memenagkan tiga pertemuan dengan Rusia di putaran final Piala eropa. Spanyol unggul 2-1 (1964), 1-0(2004), dan 4-1 di fase group D Piala eropa 2008 belum lama ini.

Kali ini Spanyol akan turun dengan kekuatan penuh. Pelatih Luis Aragones bisa menurunkan semua pemain terbaiknya. Spanyol khawatir pada semangat Rusia yang ingin melakukan balas dendam atas kekalahan fase group.

Spanyol akan mengenakan kostum kedua berwarna kuning sementara Rusia merah. Bagi rakyat Spanyol, kuning adalah warna sial. Aragones juga beranggapan demikian. Saat melatih Atletico Madrid, Aragones melarang menggunakan kostum kostum kedua berwarna kuning. Aragones juga pernah menolak menerima rangkaian bunga warna kuning ketika tiba di Dortmund pada Piala Dunia 2006.

Pemain Spanyol tidak takut mengenakan kostum kuning. “Tidak ada masalah. Saya selalu memakai kostum kuning.”ujar gelandang Marcos Senna, yang selau mengenakan kostum kuning karena membela Villareal.

Rusia dating dengan misi balas dendam. Sejak kekalahan pada laga pembuka, Rusia bangkit dan memukul Swedia dan Belanda. Kali ini Rusia tidak ingin mengulangi kesalahan. “Kami selalu berusaha untuk berkembang. Kami telah belajar meski sangat singkat. Kami Berharap kemenganga akan berlanjut.” Uajr pelatih Rusia Guus Hiddink.

Hiddink banyak berharap kepada playmaker Andrei Arshavin yang menjadi pahlawan Rusia saat mengalahkan Swedia dan Belanda. Pada pertemuan pertama Arshavin absent karena skorsing. Saying Rusia kehilangan bek Denis Kolodin dan gelandang Dmitri Torbinski akibat akumulasi kartu.

Prakiraan Pemain

Rusia (4-4-2): Igor Akinfeyev(g); Alexander Anyukov, Vasily Berezutsky, Sergei Ignashevich, Yuri Zhirkov; Sergei Semak, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Konstantin Zyrvanov, Igor Sernshov; Andrei Arshavin, Roman pavlyuchenko. Pelatih: Guus Hiddink.

Spanyol (4-1-3-2): Iker cassilas(g); Sergio Ramos, Carles Puyol, Carlos Machena, Joan Capdevila; Marcos Senna; Andrea Iniesta, Xavi, David Silva; David Villa, Fernando Torres. Pelatih: Luis Aragones.

Spain Vs Russia Prediction

It’s down to the final four teams in the EURO 2008 Semi-finals. First off, on Wednesday June 25, is Germany vs Turkey then, on Thursday June 26, is Spain vs Russia. Germany and Spain are no surprise to be where they are, but Turkey and Russia have shocked the world! The Spain vs Russia game takes place at Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna. Oddsmakers at Sportsbetting.com have Spain as 2.00 moneyline favs over Russia who are listed as 3.25 underdogs. Get your Spain vs Russia: EURO 2008 Semi Final Betting Prediction in now at Sportsbetting.com

Russia got to the Semi-finals after a stunning 3-1 won over the heavily favored Dutch side. Roman Pavluchenko banged in the first goal only to be countered by Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s goal in the 86th minute to send the match into extra time. Dmitri Torbinski and Andrei Arshavin scored in the second half of extra time as the Dutch couldn’t wrinkle the back onion bag. Now they look ahead to their match against Spain. The combination of Pavluchenko and Arshavin have netted the Russians five goals and their Coach Guus Hiddink label of “The Wizard.” A big reason for their success has been the freedom of which players play on and off the field. "Under Hiddink, there is much more freedom in the team and I mean the kind of freedom you get off the pitch," Arshavin revealed. "In training, you must do as you're told, but outside the training ground no one controls us anymore. No one imposes their requirements on us. It was different before." A happy team is a winning team. The Russians have the youngest squad in EURO 2008, the trust Hiddink places in youth has been an added bonus to his side. Their Coach doesn’t listen to the media or take orders from higher ups, instead he focuses on what a football team should be. He trusts his players as he selects youngsters at every opportunity and bravely uses them in games. He is not afraid of responsibility. They have a coach who is football smart, who has been here before and who is capable of getting his team to the finals. The Russians are playing with great harmony and skill

Spain got a 1-0 penalty kick win over Italy after a lack luster performance Sunday. After resting his squad for the meaningless game against Greece, coach Luis Aragones lined up his strongest team, with tournament top scorer David Villa playing alongside Fernando Torres in attack, but they still couldn’t produce any goals. They’ll have to do a lot better against the goal happy Russians. If Spain have trouble scoring they’ll definitely have to neutralize Andrei Arshavin, or else there’s trouble ahead. “Arshavin is a little genius,” says former Russia and Moscow Spartak star Igor Shalimov. “He can do everything, score, create, read the game and change the tempo, make fast breaks to hurt the opposition, take set pieces and battle for the team. He is so influential.” They’ll have to get David Villa, Fernando Torres, David Silva and Sergio Garcia rolling on offense, apply pressure to their defense. Spain can’t sit back and wait for the other side to make a mistake. “The semi-final with Russia will be a totally different type of game, much more open. The Russians are like us, they are attack-conscious and we will need to circulate the ball.”

Head to Head: 4 matches played
Spain leads 3-0
1 match ended in a draw
Spain scored 6 goals
Russia scored 1 goal

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

Germany 3-2 Turkey

Philipp Lahm's last-minute winner sent Germany into the Euro 2008 final and sank a desperately unlucky Turkey.

Lahm stole in on Thomas Hitzlsperger's pass to beat Rustu Recber and give the Germans victory after a thriller in which Turkey were the better side.

Ugur Boral scrambled Turkey ahead after 22 minutes, but Bastian Schweinsteiger equalised quickly from close range.

Miroslav Klose headed Germany in front after 79 minutes, but Semih Senturk levelled before Lahm's late strike.

Germany barely deserved the victory, but once again they have reached a major final despite being unconvincing, where they will face either Russia or Spain in Vienna on Sunday.

Ravaged by injuries and suspension, Turkey defied all expectations to produce an outstanding performance full of grit, desire and no little quality and they should have been well in front by half-time.

Former Sheffield United forward Colin Kazim-Richards held his head in anguish in the 12th minute when he rattled the bar with a powerful shot that left German keeper Jens Lehmann well beaten.

He was denied by the woodwork again with a looping finish 10 minutes later - but this time Ugur was lurking to scramble in the rebound through the legs of the despairing Lehmann.

Stunned by the speed of Turkey's opening, Germany responded to equalise after 27 minutes.

Lukas Podolski was the creator with a run and cross from the left flank, but it needed a sweet finish with the outside of Schweinsteiger's right foot to beat Rustu.

Lehmann was having a nightmare and he had to scramble back hurriedly after misjudging Hamit Altintop's free-kick to turn the ball over the bar.

It was a superb spectacle, and Podolski escaped the attentions of the Turkish defence only to shoot over the top with Klose waiting unmarked in front of goal.

Lehmann was then forced to punch Ugur's powerful free-kick away after 39 minutes as Turkey continued to show the greater ambition.

Germany coach Joachim Low made a change at the interval, replacing Simon Rolfes, who had suffered a head wound in a clash with Ayhan Akman, with Torsten Frings.

The Germans were furious after 50 minutes when Lahm was clearly felled by Sabri Sarioglu, only to see Swiss referee Massimo Busacca ignore their appeals.

But Turkey, under the inspirational leadership of coach Fatih Terim, were continuing to set the pace and Ugur tested Lehmann once more with a shot at the end of a fine run.

Hitzlsperger showed the shooting power that marked his time at Aston Villa with 18 minutes left, shooting just wide from 30 yards with Rustu beaten.

But it was a calamitous error by the veteran Rustu that gifted Germany the lead with 11 minutes left, when he came for Lahm's cross but got nowhere near it, leaving Klose to head Germany in front.

If this tournament has told us one thing, it is that Turkey's refusal to accept defeat means they are at their most dangerous when behind and so it proved again as they drew level again with four minutes left.

Sabri rounded Lahm superbly on the flank, and the poacher Semih stole in to beat Lehmann at the near post.

Turkey looked to have taken the game into extra time, which was the very least they deserved, but their campaign ended in heartbreak in the closing moments.

Lahm raided forward and exchanged passes with Hitzlsperger before firing high past Rustu.

Germany celebrated the victory, but so much credit must go to Turkey for a magnificent effort that deserved so much more.


Germany: Lehmann, Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Lahm, Hitzlsperger, Rolfes (Frings 46), Schweinsteiger, Ballack, Podolski, Klose (Jansen 90).
Subs Not Used: Enke, Adler, Fritz, Westermann, Gomez, Neuville, Trochowski, Borowski, Odonkor, Kuranyi.

Goals: Schweinsteiger 27, Klose 79, Lahm 90.

Turkey: Rustu, Sarioglu, Topal, Zan, Balta, Aurelio, Kazim-Richards (Metin 90), Altintop, Akman (Erdinc 81), Boral (Karadeniz 84), Senturk.
Subs Not Used: Zengin, Cetin, Emre, Gungor, Nihat.

Booked: Senturk.

Goals: Boral 22, Senturk 86.

Att: 40,000

Ref: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland).

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

Jerman Waspada, Turki Percaya Diri

Jerman dan Turki memiliki hubungan baik. Sekitar 2,2 juta warga keturunan Turki bermukim di Jerman dan hidup berdampingan dengan damai. Sekarang kedua Negara harus bermusuhan pada semifinal Piala eropa 2008 di Stadion St Jakob park, Swiss, Kamis dinihari, untuk memperebutkan satu tempat di final.

Sejak 1951, kedua tim telah 17 kali bertemu, 11 di antaranya dimenangkan Jerman. Turki hanya mampu meraih tiga kemenangan dan tiga kali imbang. Laga semifinal ini akan menjadi pertemuan kedua bagi Jerman dan Turki di sebuah turnamen besar.

Kedua tim bertemu pada Piala Dunia 1954. Saat itu Jerman, yang mengusung bendera Jerman Barat, menghabisi Turki dalam dua kali pertemuan dengan skor total 11-3(4-1 dan 7-2). Jerman pun terus melangkah ke final hingga menjadi juara. Uniknya, kedua pertemuan itu terjadi di Swiss.

Kemengan di Piala Dunia 1954 adalah kemenangan terbesar Jerman atas Turki. Seiring perjalanan waktu dan perkembangan sepakbola, Turki mulai bisa menyaingi Jerman. Buktinya, Turki dua kali menang dan bermain imbang melawan Jerman dalam tiga pertemuan terakhir.

Pada Oktober 2005 di Istambul, Turki mengalahkan Jerman, yang saat itu ditangani Jurgen Klinsmann dan Joachim Loew, dengan kemengan 2-1 lewat gol hamit Altintop dan Nurin Sahin. Kekalahan itu dianggap wajar karena Jerman hanya menurunkan tim cadangan. Sekarang, Jerman akan tampil dengan kekuatan penuh termasuk gelandang Torsten Frings. Motivasi jerman juga sangat tinggi setelah menyingkirkan tim tangguh Portugal 3-2 di perempat final.

Sebaliknya, Turki kehilangan banyak pemain kunci akibat cedera dan akumulasi kartu. Semangat juang tinggi dan kekompakan yang dirajut hamit dkk bisa menghancurkan jerman. Itulah yang dikhawatirkan Loew. Apalagi dia sedikit mengenal karakter pemain Turki yang pantang menyerah selama menangani Fenerbahce.

“Setelah menagn dua atau tiga pertandingan, euphoria begitu tinggi dan Turki begitu percaya diri. Mereka menjadi lawan yang sulit sepanjang turnamen ini. Turki juga diperkuat beberapa pemain yang tangguh secara teknik. Turki punya mental luar biasa, percaya diri tinggi, dan selalu bisa membalikkan keadaan,” ujar Loew.

Sejumlah pemain kunci Turki terkena skorsing, yaitu kipper Volkan Demirel, Emre Asik, Tuncay Sanli, dan Arda Turan. Nihat Kahveci, emre Gungor, Servet Cetin, Tumer Metin, dan Emre Belozoglu terkena cedera. Praktis saat ini pelatih faith Terim hanya memiliki 13 pemain yang siap bermain.

Akibat krisis pemain, Terim bahkan berencana memainkan kipper ketiga Tolda Zengin sebagai bek atau penyerang tengah. “dia bisa berguna sebgai pemain pengganti terakhir untuk menempati posisi di lini pertahanan atau sebagai penyerang tengah.” kata Terim.

Meski sedang dirundung masalah, optimisme Turki tidak menurun. Mereka tetap yakin bisa mengalahkan Jerman dan melangkah ke Final. “Saya selalu ingin anak-anak mengikuti filosofi saya. Saya katakana kepada mereka, jangam takut kalh meskipun sudah tertinggal, dan jangan pernah menyerah. Kami seperti bangkit dari kubur,” ujar Terim.

Turki masih memiliki hamit altintop, pemain bayern Munich. Altintop berguna untuk membeberkan gaya permainan lima pemain inti Jerman yang menjadi rekan setimnya di Bayern. Turki juga berharap keajaiban di tiga laga terakhir kembali terulang sekaligus memenuhi ambisi mencatat sejarah ke partai final turnamen bergengsi untuk pertama kali.

Prakiraan Pemain

Jerman (4-5-1): Jens Lehmann (g); Christoph Metzelder, Per Mertesacker, Philipp Lahm , Arne Friedrich; Thomas Hitzlsperger, Simon Rolfes , Torsten Frings , Bastian Schweinsteiger, Lukas Podolski; Miroslav Klose. Pelatih: Joachim Loew

Turki(4-4-2): Rustu Recber(g); Hamit Altintop, Ugur Boral, Gokhan Zan , Hakan Kadir Balta; Sabri Sarioglu, Gokdeniz Karadeniz, Mehmet Aurelio , Mehmet Topal; Kazim Kazim, Semih Senturk. Pelatih: Fatih Terim

Germany vs Turkey Prediction

It’s down to the final four teams in the EURO 2008 Semi-finals. First off, on Wednesday June 25, is Turkey vs Germany then, on Thursday June 26, is Spain vs Russia. Germany and Spain are no surprise to be where they are, but Turkey and Russia have shocked the world! The Turkey vs Germany game takes place at St. Jakob-Park in Basel. Oddsmakers at SBGglobal.com have Germany as -300 moneyline favs over Turkey who are listed as +725 underdogs. Get your Germany vs Turkey: EURO 2008 Semi Final Betting Prediction in now at SBGglobal.com

Turkey shocked the Croatians with a 2-1 win (penalty shots) after they got a last second goal to take the match into penalty shots. Goalie Rüştü Reçber was great for his nation, he was replacing goalie Volkan Demirel after he was suspended for two games. He appealed the ban but UEFA’s governing bodies rejected the appeal. Rüştü Reçber is a Turkish football icon and is his country's record cap-holder who got Turkey to finish third at the 2002 World Cup. Their goalie situation is fine, now they need to deal with their roster as more than half their team is out with injuries or yellow cards. Attacking midfielders Arda Turan, Tuncay Sanli and centre-back Emre Asik will watch from the stands due to yellow cards. Defenders Servet Cetin, Emre Gungor, midfield men Emre Belozoglu, Ayhan Akman and Tumer Metin have injuries, but with three day’s rest before Wednesdays match they might be able to play. Definitely out of the running to feature in the semi is skipper and main striker and groin injury victim Nihat Kahveci, who scored a goal in the come from behind win over the Czechs. They Turks know they are underdogs against the big bad Germans, but they still believe. “One thing you can be sure of is that our team will not be in awe by a semi-final with Germany. We will not be scared by Ballack, Podolski or Schweinsteiger. We have a more than reasonable chance of reaching the first final of our history. As you saw in the Croatia game we are well organized at the back. The Croats have a lot of attacking talent but they didn't get the better of us very often. We're good counter-attackers and I'd go as far to say we are a better technical team than Germany.” says Fatih Terim.

Germany beat Portugal, rather easily, 3-2 to reach the Semi-finals. Bayern Munich star Bastian Schweinsteiger scored one and set up two more for Miroslav Klose and Michael Ballack. Germany started out their Group stages rather slowly, but their last two games have looked like the favorites their expected to be. “We are a German team and a tournament team,” striker Miroslav Klose explained. “We did not show what we were capable of in the group but I am happy that we could finally play decent football against Portugal.” They cannot let the fact that Turkey hasn’t played on the big stage in a while and that they have a shortened lineup. "Anyone who thinks the game against Turkey will be easier because of thier shortened roster hasn't been paying much attention to this tournament," team manager Oliver Bierhoff said. "The quality is so high that even the players who come in from the fringes are capable of winning games.” Even if Germany go ahead a goal or two they can’t sit back as the Turkish side has come from behind in three games. Keep applying pressure.

Head to Head: 17 matches played
Germany leads 11-3
3 matches ended in a draw
Germany scored 40 goals
Turkey scored 10 goals

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

Squad Euro 2008

Austria

Coach: Josef Hickersberger

Goalkeepers: Alexander Manninger (Siena), Juergen Macho (AEK Athens), Ramazan Ozcan (Hoffenheim)

Defenders: Gyorgy Garics (Napoli), Ronald Gercaliu (Austria Vienna), Martin Hiden (Kaernten), Markus Katzer (Rapid Vienna), Juergen Patocka (Rapid Vienna), Emmanuel Pogatetz (Middlesbrough), Sebastian Proedl (Sturm Graz), Martin Stranzl (Spartak Moscow)

Midfielders: Rene Aufhauser (Salzburg), Christian Fuchs (Mattersburg), Andreas Ivanschitz (Panathinaikos), Umit Korkmaz (Rapid Vienna), Christoph Leitgeb (Salzburg), Juergen Saeumel (Sturm Graz), Joachim Standfest (Austria Vienna), Ivica Vastic (Linz)

Forwards: Erwin Hoffer (Rapid Vienna), Roman Kienast (Ham-Kam), Roland Linz (Braga), Martin Harnik (Werder Bremen)

Croatia

Coach: Slaven Bilic

Goalkeepers: Stipe Pletikosa (Spartak Moscow), Vedran Runje (Lens), Mario Galinovic (Panathinaikos)

Defenders: Vedran Corluka (Manchester City), Dario Simic (Milan), Robert Kovac (Borussia Dortmund), Josip Simunic (Hertha Berlin), Dario Knezevic (Livorno), Hrvoje Vejic (Tom Tomsk)

Midfielders: Danijel Pranjic (Heerenveen), Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Niko Kovac (Salzburg), Luka Modric (Tottenham), Niko Kranjcar (Portsmouth), Jerko Leko (Monaco), Ivan Rakitic (Schalke 04), Ognjen Vukojevic (Dinamo Zagreb), Nikola Pokrivac (Monaco)

Forwards: Mladen Petric (Borussia Dortmund), Ivica Olic (Hamburg SV), Ivan Klasnic (Werder Bremen), Igor Budan (Parma), Nikola Kalinic (Hajduk Split)

Czech Republic

Coach: Karel Brückner

Goalkeepers: Jaromir Blazek (Nurnberg), Petr Cech (Chelsea), Daniel Zitka (Anderlecht)

Defenders: Zdenek Grygera (Juventus), Marek Jankulovski, Michal Kadlec (Sparta), Radoslav Kovac (Spartak Moscow), Zdenek Pospech (Copenhagen), David Rozenhal (Lazio), Tomas Sivok (Sparta), Tomas Ujfalusi (Fiorentina)

Midfielders: Tomas Galasek (Nurnberg), David Jarolim (Hamburg), Marek Matejovsky (Reading), Jaroslav Plasil (Osasuna), Jan Polak (Anderlecht), Libor Sionko (Copenhagen), Rudi Skacel (Hertha Berlin), Stanislav Vlcek (Anderlecht)

Forwards: Milan Baros (Portsmouth), Martin Fenin (Eintracht Frankfurt), Jan Koller (Nurnberg), Vaclav Sverkos (Ostrava)

France

Coach: Raymond Domenech


Goalkeepers: Gregory Coupet (Olympique Lyon), Sebastien Frey (Fiorentina), Steve Mandanda (Olympique Marseille).

Defenders: Eric Abidal (Barcelona), Jean-Alain Boumsong (Lyon), Francois Clerc (Olympique Lyon), Sebastien Squillaci (Olympique Lyon), William Gallas (Arsenal), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Willy Sagnol (Bayern Munich), Lilian Thuram (Barcelona).

Midfielders: Lassana Diarra (Portsmouth), Claude Makelele (Chelsea), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Samir Nasri (Olympique Marseille), Jeremy Toulalan (Olympique Lyon), Patrick Vieira (Inter Milan).

Forwards: Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea), Karim Benzema (Olympique Lyon), Sidney Govou (Olympique Lyon), Bafetimbi Gomis (St Etienne), Thierry Henry (Barcelona), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich).

Germany

Coach: Joachim Löw

Goalkeepers: Jens Lehmann (Arsenal), Robert Enke (Hanover 96), Rene Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)

Defenders: Christoph Metzelder (Real Madrid), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin), Marcell Jansen (Bayern Munich), Clemens Fritz (Werder Bremen), Heiko Westermann (Schalke 04)

Midfielders: Michael Ballack (Chelsea), Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB Stuttgart), Simon Rolfes (Bayer Leverkusen), Torsten Frings (Werder Bremen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburg SV), Tim Borowski (Werder Bremen), David Odonkor (Real Betis)

Forwards: Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich), Lukas Podolski (Bayern Munich), Mario Gomez (VfB Stuttgart), Kevin Kuranyi (Schalke 04), Oliver Neuville (Borussia Moenchengladbach)

Greece

Coach: Otto Rehhagel

Goalkeepers: Antonis Nikopolidis (Olympiakos Piraeus), Costas Chalkias (Aris Salonika), Alexandros Tzorvas (OFI Crete)

Defenders: Giourkas Seitaridis (Atletico Madrid), Christos Patsatzoglou (Olympiakos), Nikos Spyropoulos (Panathinaikos), Traianos Dellas (AEK Athens), Loukas Vintra (Panathinaikos), Vassilis Torosidis (Olympiakos), Sotiris Kyrgiakos (Eintracht Frankfurt), Ioannis Goumas (Panathinaikos), Paraskevas Antzas (Olympiakos)

Midfielders: Angelos Basinas (Real Mallorca), Stelios Giannakopoulos (Bolton Wanderers), Georgios Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Costas Katsouranis (Benfica), Alexandros Tziolis (Panathinaikos)

Forwards: Giorgios Samaras (Celtic), Angelos Charisteas (Nuremberg), Dimitris Salpigidis (Panathinaikos), Fanis Gekas (Bayer Leverkusen), Yiannis Amanatidis (Eintracht Frankfurt), Nikos Liberopoulos (AEK)

Italy

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Marco Amelia (Livorno), Morgan De Sanctis (Sevilla)

Defenders: Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Marco Materazzi (Internazionale), Christian Panucci (Roma), Andrea Barzagli (Wolfsburg), Gianluca Zambrotta (Barcelona), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Fabio Grosso (Lyon), Alessandro Gamberini (Fiorentina)

Midfielders: Andrea Pirlo (Milan), Gennaro Gattuso (Milan), Massimo Ambrosini (Milan), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Simone Perrotta (Roma), Alberto Aquilani (Roma), Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus)

Forwards: Luca Toni (Bayern Munich), Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Marco Borriello (Genoa), Fabio Quagliarella (Udinese), Antonio Cassano (Sampdoria, on loan from Real Madrid)

Netherlands

Coach: Marco van Basten

Goalkeepers: Edwin van der Sar (Manchester United), Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax Amsterdam), Henk Timmer (Feyenoord)

Defenders: Wilfred Bouma (Aston Villa), Tim de Cler (Feyenoord), John Heitinga (Ajax), Joris Mathijsen (Hamburg), Mario Melchiot (Wigan), Andre Ooijer (Blackburn Rovers), Khalid Boulahrouz (Chelsea)

Midfielders: Ibrahim Afellay (PSV Eindhoven), Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord), Orlando Engelaar (Twente Enschede), Nigel de Jong (Hamburg), Wesley Sneijder (Real Madrid), Rafael van der Vaart (Hamburg), Demy de Zeeuw (AZ Alkmaar)

Forwards: Ryan Babel (Liverpool), Klaas Jan Huntelaar (Ajax), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Arjen Robben (Real Madrid), Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink (Celtic).

Poland

Coach: Leo Beenhakker

Goalkeepers: Artur Boruc (Celtic), Tomasz Kuszczak (Manchester United), Lukasz Fabianski (Arsenal)

Defenders: Michal Zewlakow (Olympiakos), Marcin Wasilewski (Anderlecht), Adam Kokoszka (Wisla Krakow), Mariusz Jop (FK Moscow), Jacek Bak (Austria Vienna), Jakub Wawrzyniak (Legia Warsaw), Pawel Golanski (Steaua Bucharest)

Midfielders: Mariusz Lewandowski (Shakhtar Donetsk), Dariusz Dudka (Wisla Krakow), Rafal Murawski (Lech Poznan), Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund), Lukasz Gargula (GKS Belchatow), Jacek Krzynowek (VfL Wolfsburg), Michal Pazdan (Gornik Zabrze), Roger Guerreiro (Legia Warsaw)

Forwards: Euzebiusz Smolarek (Racing Santander), Maciej Zurawski (Larissa), Marek Saganowski (Southampton), Wojciech Lobodzinski (Wisla Krakow), Tomasz Zahorski (Gornik Zabrze)

Portugal

Coach: Luiz Felipe Scolari

Goalkeepers: Ricardo Pereira (Real Betis), Quim Silva (Benfica), Rui Patricio (Sporting)

Defenders: Miguel Monteiro (Valencia), Jose Bosingwa (Porto), Paulo Ferreira (Chelsea), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea), Fernando Meira (VfB Stuttgart), Bruno Alves (Porto), Pepe (Real Madrid), Jorge Ribeiro (Boavista)

Midfielders: Raul Meireles (Porto), Joao Moutinho (Sporting), Deco (Barcelona), Armando Petit (Benfica), Miguel Veloso (Sporting), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Nani (Manchester United)

Forwards: Simao Sabrosa (Atletico Madrid), Ricardo Quaresma (Porto), Nuno Gomes (Benfica), Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen, Helder Postiga (Panathinaikos)

Romania

Coach: Victor Piturca

Goalkeepers: Bogdan Lobont (Dinamo Bucharest), Eduard Stanciou (CFR Cluj), Marius Popa (Poli Stiinta Timisoara)

Defenders: Cosmin Contra (Getafe), Dorin Goian (Steaua Bucharest), Sorin Ghionea (Steaua Bucharest), Gabriel Tamas (Auxerre), Cosmin Moti (Dinamo Bucharest), Cristian Sapunaru (Rapid Bucharest), Razvan Rat (Shakhtar Donetsk), Stefan Radu (Lazio);

Midfielders: Cristian Chivu (Internazionale), Mirel Radoi (Steaua Bucharest), Florentin Petre (CSKA Sofia), Paul Codrea (Siena), Nicolae Dica (Steaua Bucharest), Banel Nicolita (Steaua Bucharest), Adrian Cristea (Dinamo Bucharest), Razvan Cocis (Lokomotiv Moscow);

Forwards: Adrian Mutu (Fiorentina), Ciprian Marica (VfB Stuttgart), Daniel Niculae (Auxerre), Marius Niculae (Inverness Caledonian Thistle).

Russia

Coach: Guus Hiddink

Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeyev (CSKA Moscow), Vyacheslav Malafeyev (Zenit St Petersburg), Vladimir Gabulov (Amkar Perm)

Defenders: Sergei Ignashevich (CSKA Moscow), Alexei Berezutsky (CSKA Moscow), Vasily Berezutsky (CSKA Moscow), Alexander Anyukov (Zenit St Petersburg), Denis Kolodin (Dynamo Moscow), Renat Yanbayev (Lokomotiv Moscow)

Midfielders: Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (Lokomotiv Moscow), Yuri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscow), Igor Semshov (Dynamo Moscow), Dmitry Torbinsky (Lokomotiv Moscow), Vladimir Bystrov (Spartak Moscow), Konstantin Zyryanov (Zenit St Petersburg), Roman Shirokov (Zenit St Petersburg), Sergei Semak (Rubin Kazan)

Forwards: Andrei Arshavin (Zenit St Petersburg), Pavel Pogrebnyak (Zenit St Petersburg), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Spartak Moscow), Dmitry Sychev (Lokomotiv Moscow), Roman Adamov (FK Moscow), Ivan Saenko (Nuremberg).

Spain

Coach: Luis Aragonés

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Pepe Reina (Liverpool), Andres Palop (Sevilla)

Defenders: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Joan Capdevila (Villarreal), Raul Albiol (Valencia), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Carlos Marchena (Valencia), Fernando Navarro (Real Mallorca), Alvaro Arbeloa (Liverpool), Juanito (Real Betis)

Midfielders: Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Xavi (Barcelona), David Silva (Valencia), Santi Cazorla (Villarreal), Xabi Alonso (Liverpool), Ruben de la Red (Getafe), Marcos Senna (Villarreal)

Forwards: David Villa (Valencia), Daniel Guiza (Real Mallorca), Sergio Garcia (Real Zaragoza), Fernando Torres (Liverpool)

Sweden

Coach: Lars Lagerbäck

Goalkeepers: Andreas Isaksson (Manchester City), Rami Shaaban (Hammarby), Johan Wiland (Elfsborg Boras)

Defenders: Olof Mellberg (Aston Villa), Petter Hansson (Stade Rennes), Mikael Nilsson (Panathinaikos), Niclas Alexandersson (IFK Gothenburg), Andreas Granqvist (Helsingborg), Daniel Majstorovic (Basel), Fredrik Stoor (Rosenborg Trondheim), Mikael Dorsin (CFR Cluj)

Midfielders: Tobias Linderoth (Galatasaray), Daniel Andersson (Malmo), Anders Svensson (Elfsborg Boras), Kim Kallstrom (Olympique Lyon), Christian Wilhelmsson (Deportivo Coruna), Fredrik Ljungberg (West Ham United), Sebastian Larsson (Birmingham City)

Forwards: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan), Johan Elmander (Toulouse), Marcus Allback (FC Copenhagen), Markus Rosenberg (Werder Bremen), Henrik Larsson (Helsingborg)

Switzerland

Coach: Jakob Kuhn

Goalkeepers: Diego Benaglio (Wolfsburg), Pascal Zuberbuehler (Neuchatel Xamax), Eldin Jakupovic (Grasshoppers Zurich)

Defenders: Ludovic Magnin (Stuttgart), Christoph Spycher (Eintracht Frankfurt), Philippe Senderos (Arsenal), Patrick Mueller (Olympique Lyon), Johan Djourou (Arsenal), Stephane Grichting (Auxerre), Philipp Degen (Borussia Dortmund), Stephan Lichtsteiner (Lille)

Midfielders: Valon Behrami (Lazio), Gokhan Inler (Udinese), Gelson Fernandes (Manchester City), Benjamin Huggel (Basel), Tranquillo Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen), Hakan Yakin (Young Boys Berne), Ricardo Cabanas (Grasshoppers Zurich), Johan Vonlanthen (Salzburg), Daniel Gygax (Metz)

Forwards: Alex Frei (Borussia Dortmund), Marco Streller (Basel), Eren Derdiyok (Basel)

Turkey

Coach: Fatih Terim

Goalkeepers: Volkan Demirel (Fenerbahce), Rustu Recber (Besiktas), Tolga Zengin (Trabzonspor)

Defenders: Sabri Sarioglu (Galatasaray), Gokhan Zan (Besiktas), Emre Asik (Ankaraspor), Servet Cetin (Galatasaray), Hakan Kadir Balta (Galatasaray), Ugur Boral (Fenerbahce), Emre Gungor (Galatasaray)

Midfielders: Mehmet Aurelio (Fenerbahce), Mehmet Topal (Galatasaray), Emre Belozoglu (Newcastle United), Tumer Metin (Larissa), Hamit Altintop (Bayern Munich), Ayhan Akman (Galatasaray), Arda Turan (Galatasaray), Tuncay Sanli (Middlesbrough), Kazim Kazim (Colin Kazim-Richards - Fenerbahce)

Forwards: Gokdeniz Karadeniz (Rubin Kazan), Nihat Kahveci (Villarreal), Semih Senturk (Fenerbahce), Mevlut Erdinc (Sochaux)

Sekilas Euro 2008

Siapakah kandidat Juara Euro 2008?

Dalam Euro 2008 kali in banyak terjadi kejutan-kejutan yang sulit dipercaya pengamat sepakbola di seluruh dunia.

Kejutan pertama datang dari tersingkirnya inggris di babak kulaifikasi. Tim sekuat inggris bisa tidak lolos babak kulaifikasi, hal itu tentunya sangat mengejutkan seluruh pecinta sepakbola.

Materi pemain bagus dan dukungan penuh suporter tidak sanggup membuat inggris lolos. Mereka kalah dari Kroasia, tim yang tidak diperhitungkan sebelumnya dapat berbuat banyak apalagi dapat mengalahkan tim sebesar inggris.

Kejutan tidak sampai di sana saja, pada kompetisi sesungguhnya di babak group. Dua tim unggulan Republik Ceko dan Prancis tersingkir secara mengejutkan. Terutama Republik Ceko, pada pertandingan “hidup mati”, mereka sempat unggul 2-0 atas tim “underdog” Turki. Tapi apa mau dikata dalam waktu 15 menit sebelum pertandingan usai gawang yang dijaga oleh kiper Peter Cech, kiper yang merupakan salah satu kiper terbaik di dunia dihujani tiga gol an salah satu gol tersebut tercipta berkat blunder kiper tersebut.

Sedangkan Prancis, mereka memang berada pada “group neraka” yang diisi Itali dan Belanda, tapi walaupun begitu, dapat dilihat memang performa Prancis pada Euro 2008 ini bisa dikatakan buruk, mereka tidak mengoleksi satu kemenangan pun. Italia pun bisa lolos babak eliminasi group ini dikarenakan faktor keberuntungan karena Rumania kalah oleh Belanda, jika saja Rumania menang dua tim besar gagal lolos di group yang sama, sungguh dramatis jika hal itu terjadi.

Pada babak perempat final, kejutan terbesar terjadi pada saat tim raksasa Belanda dikalahkan secara mengejutkan oleh Rusia. Bagaimana tidak tim yang difavoritkan juara oleh banyak kalangan karena performa mereka sangat meyakinkan di babak eliminasi group dapat dikalahkan tim Rusia yang diproyeksikan banyak orang hanya menjadi pemanis pada Euro 2008 kali ini.

Kemenangan-kemenangan besar pada babak eliminasi group seakan tidak ada artinya. Dalam pertandingan itu memang dapat dilihat dari segi performa Belanda kalah oleh Rusia. Kita patut mengacungkan jempol pada Guus Hidink, pelatih Rusia asal Belanda tersebut telah meramu strategi yang sangat apik sehingga tim Belanda dengan “total football”nya tidak berkutik di hadapan Rusia.

Tim lain yang mengalami kepahitan di perempat final adalah Kroasia, tim yang menyingkirkan Inggris di babak kulaifikasi ini dan pada babak eliminasi group tidak menelan satu kekalahanpun tersebut dikalahkan tim Turki denga dramatis pada babak adu penalti. Selain itu dua nama besar Portugal dan Itali dikalahkan dua tim besar lainnya Jerman dan Spanyol.

Tim-tim besar telah banyak berguguran dan tersisa empat tim yaitu Jerman, Spanyol, Rusia, dan Turki. Akankah terjadi kejutan demi kejutan lagi? Apakah dua tim “underdog” Rusia dan Turki akan dapat mengalahkan dua raksasa Spanyol dan Jerman? Rusia dengan faktor pelatih Guus Hidink dan para pemain mudanya yang potensial dan Turki dengan semangat pantang meyerah dan tentunya factor keberuntungannya.

Kita lihat saja nanti, tetapi yang perlu diingat filosofi ”Bola itu bundar”, semua hal dapat terjadi dalam sepakbola. Jangan sampai tim besar jerman dan Spanyol meremehkan lawan-lawan mereka, karena hal itu dapat menjadi bumerang bagi mereka sendiri.(dn)

Who Is the Euro2008 Winner

Germany

Spain

Russia

Turkey

Spain 0-0 Italy (4-2 pen)

Spain beat Italy 4-2 on penalties to reach the semi-finals of Euro 2008 after a dour goalless draw in Vienna.



Marcos Senna came closest in normal time when Italy keeper Gianluigi Buffon fumbled his shot on to a post.

Spain keeper Iker Casillas was the hero in the shoot-out, saving from Daniele de Rossi and Antonio di Natale.

Daniel Guiza saw his spot-kick saved by Buffon, but Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas slid home the crucial penalty to set up a last four clash with Russia.

The game never touched the heights and penalties was an almost inevitable outcome given the approach of both sides.

There will now be an intriguing backdrop to the semi-final in Vienna on Thursday, with Spain having beaten Russia - admittedly minus the inspirational Andrei Arshavin - 4-1 in a group game earlier in the competition.

And it was a change of fortune for the Spanish, who have gone out of three major championships on 22 June, the World Cups of 1986 and 2002 and Euro '96 - all in the quarter-finals on penalties.

The opening 45 minutes was a cautious affair, with chances - and quality - at a premium. David Villa, predictably, was the first player to pose a serious threat with a low drive drive from long range that was comfortably held by Italy keeper Buffon.

Fernando Torres had been kept quiet by some trademark Italian defending, but he escaped the shackles after 31 minutes to help set up a chance for David Silva, who curled a shot only inches wide from 25 yards.

Spain tried to break the stalemate by making a double substitution on the hour, sending on Fabregas and Santi Cazorla for Xavi and Andres Iniesta.

But it was an Italian substitute, Mauro Camoranesi, who almost made the breakthrough seconds later when he ended a chaotic goalmouth scramble with a shot that was blocked by the legs of Spanish keeper Casillas.

It had been a frustrating evening for the much-vaunted Spanish strike force of Torres and Villa - and the latter was booked for diving by referee Herbert Fandel after 71 minutes when he tumbled under challenge from Giorgio Chiellini.

Italy keeper Buffon suffered an anxious moment with 11 minutes left when he was forced to punch away a long-range free-kick from Senna.

He had an even bigger scare seconds later when he fumbled a routine shot from Senna, and was relieved to see the ball bounce back into his arms off an upright.

Torres had been disappointing, but it was still a surprise to see him hauled off again by Spain coach Luis Aragones with six minutes left and replaced by Guiza.

Spain had the first chance of extra time, with Silva sweeping an effort just wide with Buffon beaten.

Italy's response saw swift as Casillas turned over a header from Di Natale and Luca Toni headed just over the top.

The stalemate was soon resumed, although Cazorla shot across the face of goal with seconds left as the last chance of avoiding penalties was wasted.

Villa and Fabio Grosso exchanged successful penalties and Cazorla scored for Spain before Casillas saved brilliantly from De Rossi.

Senna and Camoranesi scored, but when Buffon saved from Guiza Italy were back in contention - only for Casillas to repeat his heroics to stop Di Natali's spot-kick.

Fabregas, on as substitute, was left to settle the affair and calmly beat Buffon to spark wild Spanish celebrations.


Spain: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Marchena, Puyol, Capdevila, Iniesta (Santi Cazorla 59), Senna, Xavi (Fabregas 59), Silva, Villa, Torres (Guiza 85).
Subs Not Used: Palop, Albiol, Fernando Navarro, Alonso, Sergio Garcia, Arbeloa, Juanito, De la Red, Reina.

Booked: Iniesta, Villa, Santi Cazorla.

Italy: Buffon, Zambrotta, Panucci, Chiellini, Grosso, Aquilani (Del Piero 108), De Rossi, Ambrosini, Perrotta (Camoranesi 58), Toni, Cassano (Di Natale 75).
Subs Not Used: Amelia, Gamberini, Borriello, Quagliarella, Materazzi, De Sanctis.

Booked: Ambrosini.

Att: 48,000

Ref: Herbert Fandel (Germany).

from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/

Italy 0-0 Spain (aet)
Penalty shootout
Spain 4 Italy 2
David Villa scored Fabio Grosso scored
Santi Cazorla scored Daniele De Rossi saved
Marcos Senna scored Mauro Camoranesi scored
Daniel Guiza saved Antonio Di Natale saved
Cesc Fabregas scored

Spain vs Italy Prediction

The final Quarter Final EURO 2008 match gets underway, Sunday June 22, with Italy vs Spain in Vienna`s, Ernst HappelStadion. For Spain it is an opportunity to make the last four for the first time since 1984 while Italy are bidding for their second semi-final berth in three EURO tournaments. Oddsmakers at SBGglobal.com have Spain as +140 favs over Italy who are listed as +200 underdogs. Get your Italy vs Spain: EURO 2008 Quarter Finals Prediction in now at SBGglobal.com

Spain finished on top of Group D standings with a 3W-0D-0L record after beating Russia 4-1, Sweden 2-1 and Greece 2-1. They had eight goals for and three goals against. David Villa (4), Daniel Güiza, Fernando Torres, Cesc Fábregas and Rubén de la Red are the goal scorers for the Spanish. In recent international tournaments they’ve been less than spectacular, but now Spain are right on track to head all the way. Spain must not let Italy’s slow start fool them. A lot of times they have have struggled to get through the group stages but once they get into the quarter-finals or semi-finals they put out their best and it was quite similar in the (2006) World Cup, so we will have to be quite cautious about that,' midfielder Xabi Alonso said. Spain overcame four-times world champions Italy 1-0 in a friendly in March, they have never beaten the Azzurri at a major tournament outside the Olympic Games. “The psychological aspect is an important part of our work,” added Aragones. “I don't think what has happened in the past will weigh on the players.” Spain have confidence in their game after they went down 0-1 to Greece and came back with two goals to solidify the Quarter Final birth. “The fact we went a goal down, then fought back and won the game says a lot about this team,” said midfielder Ruben de la Red. “We all know we've now got the definitive test coming up and Italy are very difficult to play against but we've got a lot of confidence. “The statistics say they are the favourites as they have always beaten us but we are the form side and if we carry on playing the way we have done and stay firm at the back then we can win.”

Italy finished second in Group C standings with a 1W-1D-1L record after losing 0-3 to Netherlands, drawing 1-1 against Romania and beating France 2-0. They scored three goals for and four goals against. Christian Panucci, Andrea Pirlo and Daniele De Rossi are the lone goal scorers for the Italians. The 2006 World Cup Champs came into EURO 2008 as heavy favorites to make the final, but judging by their performance through their Group matches they might be heading home after their match against Spain. Some injuries may play a big part in this match. Italy's veteran defender Christian Panucci feels fit and ready to play his fourth successive game after he suffered a slight knee problem in Group play and centre back Andrea Barzagli is out of the tournament after undergoing successful knee surgery. Cannavaro's replacement Alessandro Gamberini has only two caps for the world champions and is inexperienced on the big stage. The Italians have great success scoring at big tournaments and their defense has always been inpregnantable. This EURO has been one of their worst outings having only won one game and drawing to Romania. They’ve shown that they can play with their backs against the wall, and guess what, their backs are against the wall.

Head to Head: 27 matches played
Italy lead 9-8
10 matches ended in a draw
Italy scored 36 goals
Spain scored 28 goals

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

Netherland 1-3 Russia

Russia's Andrei Arshavin was the architect as they dumped Netherlands out of Euro 2008 after extra time.
Russia took the lead in normal time when Roman Pavlyuchenko volleyed home, only for Ruud van Nistelrooy to head in an 86th-minute leveller for the Dutch.

But the brilliant Arshavin tormented Netherlands throughout and he crossed for Dmitri Torbinski to prod home.

Arshavin then sealed a semi-final spot in the 116th minute as he ran through and fired low past Edwin van der Sar.

Russia almost had to play with 10 men in extra time after Denis Kolodin was sent off by Lubos Michel in stoppage time, only for the referee to reverse his decision after a chat with one of his assistants.

It was the first European Championship quarter-final that did not have to be decided by penalties after going into extra time and was just reward for another spellbinding performance from the young Russians and their destroyer-in-chief Arshavin.

The 27-year-old, who missed Russia's first two Euro 2008 games through suspension, was in electric form and as Netherlands tired in the extra period, they could not get near him.

It was a triumph too for Russia's Dutch coach Guus Hiddink and his side will now meet either Spain or Italy in Vienna on Thursday in the semi-finals.

From the start Russia settled better than their more-fancied opponents as the Dutch struggled to match the fluidity of their earlier Euro 2008 performances.

Hiddink's men found joy down the flanks, exposing full-backs Gio van Bronckhorst and Khalid Boulahrouz, with one fine cross headed over from eight yards by Pavlyuchenko.

After Van Nistelrooy somehow missed the ball completely three yards out from a free-kick, Russia really began to assert their authority.

The untouchable Arshavin danced past Andre Ooijer inside the Dutch box and curled a right-foot shot goalwards that Van der Sar had to tip away for a corner.

Twice in two minutes, Denis Kolodin hit right-foot piledrivers from 35 yards, the first forcing Van der Sar to tip over and the second flying inches over the bar.

Dutch coach Marco van Basten withdrew the ineffective Dirk Kuyt at the break for Robin van Persie to bolster their attacking threat and almost immediately he screwed a volley wide, before Russia took the lead.

Arshavin cleverly played in Sergei Semak down the left and his cross was expertly dispatched into the net by Pavlyuchenko.

It was the first time the Netherlands had been behind at Euro 2008 and as they began to pour forward in greater numbers, the Russians - matching the counter-attacking brilliance of their opponents from earlier in the tournament - began to pick them off.

A glorious move led to right-back Alexander Anyukov forcing Van der Sar to parry his shot and then Arshavin scampered away down the left and sent in a devilish cross that just evaded Ivan Saenko.

The Netherlands were pressing but were frustrated by a lack of quality, until with four minutes left they somehow hauled themselves level, Van Nistelrooy netting a poacher's classic by heading in Wesley Sneijder's free-kick.

As the clock ticked into injury time, Russia defender Kolodin was given an almighty repreive by referee Michel.

Booked for the second time and then sent off for a foul on Sneijder, one of Michel's assistants told him - perhaps wrongly - the Real Madrid midfielder had not kept the ball in play, so Kolodin was allowed to stay on the pitch.

If Russia were distraught at Van Nistelrooy's late intervention they did not show it as they proceeded to dictate play in extra time.

Pavlyuchenko cannoned a shot against the crossbar and Arshavin weaved his magic way around two more tackles only for substitute Torbinski to shoot at Van der Sar.

They were denied a clear penalty when Yuri Zhirkov was fouled in the box by Johnny Heitinga but soon after Arshavin danced down the left, flighted a tantalising cross over Van der Sar and watched as Torbinski poked in.

Arshavin got the goal his sumptuous display deserved when he wrapped it up four minutes from time, latching on to a throw-in and firing past Van der Sar.



Holland: Van der Sar, Boulahrouz (Heitinga 54), Ooijer, Mathijsen, Van Bronckhorst, De Jong, Engelaar (Afellay 61), Kuyt (Van Persie 46), Van der Vaart, Sneijder, van Nistelrooy.
Subs Not Used: Timmer, Stekelenburg, De Zeeuw, Robben, Melchiot, Bouma, De Cler, Huntelaar, Vennegoor of Hesselink.

Booked: Boulahrouz, Van Persie, Van der Vaart.

Goals: Van Nistelrooy 86.

Russia: Akinfeev, Aniukov, Ignashevich, Kolodin, Zhirkov, Semak, Zyryanov, Semshov (Bilyaletdinov 69), Saenko (Torbinsky 81), Arshavin, Pavluchenko (Sychev 115).
Subs Not Used: Gabulov, Malafeev, Vasili Berezutsky, Yanbaev, Alexei Berezutsky, Adamov, Ivanov, Shirokov, Bystrov.

Booked: Kolodin, Zhirkov, Torbinsky.

Goals: Pavluchenko 56, Torbinsky 112, Arshavin 116.

Att: 42,500.

Ref: Lubos Michel (Slovakia).