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/

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

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).

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/

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.

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/

Spain 4-1 Russia

Right, I had to answer some pretty tricky emails about the URLs we're going to use for the Olympics - wait until you read those babies, they'll blow you away - so here's some hastily pasted team news.

Spain: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Marchena, Puyol, Capdevila,
Silva, Senna, Xavi, Iniesta, Villa, Torres. Subs: Palop, Albiol,
Fernando Navarro, Juanito, Arbeloa, Alonso, De la Red, Fabregas,
Santi Cazorla, Guiza, Sergio Garcia, Reina.

Russia: Akinfeev, Aniukov, Shirokov, Kolodin, Zhirkov, Sychev,
Zyryanov, Semak, Semshov, Bilyaletdinov, Pavluchenko. Subs:
Gabulov, Vasili Berezutsky, Yanbaev, Ignashevich,
Alexei Berezutsky, Bystrov, Torbinsky, Ivanov, Saenko, Adamov,
Malafeev.

Referee: Konrad Plautz (Austria)

If you think I'm lazy, the BBC haven't even started their coverage yet. Instead, we're treated to Newsround, which has told me some dolphins have died (boo), a kitten has been saved by some fireman (hooray), Harry Hill thinks sports days are good and the presenter has a scandalously low-cut top for a children's show. No wonder the younger generation is going to pot. In Craven's day it was turtlenecks all the way.

Come on then, Naylor, have you say: "Spain are in the weakest group, but have an awkward opening match. They've oceans of talent, but possibly don't know their best XI. And will the mix of players drawn from such diverse clubs and cultures gel on the day? We've been here before haven't we? Spain are amongst the favourites, but you can't help thinking that another car crash of a tournament awaits them. They even lost to England on penalties in 96! (though El Tel was very fortunate not to go out that afternoon)." Now, Spain will coast this game – witness the way they blasted Ukraine and Tunisia away at the beginning of the last World Cup, before melting into a cowering wreck come the quarter-finals. As a mildly diverting, but kind of irrelevant-because-it- happened-four years-ago, footnote Spain's opening game of Euro 2004 saw them win 1-0 against …. Russia.

Now, Russia may have knocked England out but they really were terrible in qualifying – they gave England about 532 chances to get back into it, and only Steve McClaren could have failed to accept their ludicrously generous gifts. Plus, Arshavin - Russia's best player - is suspended today. Expect some Romania-style stonewalling.

1 min: Much ball stroking which almost sees the Russians intercept the ball deep in Spain's half. "Isn't that picture from the knockout stage of a tournament," chuckles George Templeton. "How often are Spain celebrating a goal by that time?"

4 min: Free-kick to Russia that causes a bit of puzzlement in the Spanish area, Casillas attempts to punch, stuffs it up, but his team clear. "Here's some URLs for the Olympics: snore@beijing.com; possdrugcheat@sprint.com; dullsport@bbc.co.uk; whocaresanymore@olympics.hubris.com," writes the ever helpful Naylor. They're email addresses, but we'll forgive you Gary. And you forgot factualerrors@tomlutz.co.uk.

5 min: Now it's Spain's turn for a spot of free-kickery. Villa latches onto it with an odd chest/header move that amuses rather than threatens. "My girlfriend is almost going out of her way to accommodate my need to watch as much of the Euros as possible," chunters Graham. "I'm fearing that the backlash, after the tournament has finished, will be fierce. Should I ditch her now, and enjoy an entirely guilt-free championships, or should I enjoy it while it lasts and ditch her straight afterwards, thus avoiding the backlash?" Force her top watch every single one of Stubbsy's pitchside chats with Marcel Desailly on a 24-hour loop, she should get the message pretty sharpish.

8 min: Shirokov fails to control a ball pinged up to him on the edge of the area, while at the other end Torres scuffs a shot wide of the post. David Hopkins can quote French writers and everything: "Voltaire once said 'If God did not exist it would be necessary to invent Him'. Is that how the Rebranded Website writers think of Gary Naylor? What would you do if you sat down for a commentary and Naylor hadn't helpfully written your introduction for you?" Hmmm, not sure let me email Naylor and see what he thinks.

11 min: "What sort of fool doesn't start Fabregas," demands David Doyle. A racist fool, David. And one that's noticed that Cesc is a bit sleepy after his Premier League excursions this season. England's chum Pavlyuchenko causes a few problems down the left, but he's offside as he hits his cross in (and it's rubbish anyway).

15 min: Shirokov ploughs through Villa and Spain get the free-kick, which comes to nowt. So far nothing has happened in this game and yet it's still five times more interesting than France's game yesterday, featuring as it does, shots, passes and all that good football stuff. Silva has a shot from distance straight at the keeper.

17 min: A busy few moments for Russia as they flirt with the idea of actually having a shot. In the end, they close their eyes, cross their fingers and take the risk: Sychev storms in, but his shot is blocked.

19 min: Villa makes space for himself and shoots when he really should have passed to Torres. He gets a corner though, which arrives smartly on the head of a Russian defender at the near post.

Goal!!!!!!! Spain 1–0 Russia (Villa, 20 min)Now Torres is a lot more unselfish than old grabby-guts Villa. He breaks clear and crosses to the unmarked Villa who taps the ball in.

23 min: Russia strike back! (Almost). They thump the ball against the post as Spain's defenders look on idly. Spain then counter-attack like their names were Holland and Akinfeev has to react smartly to put Torres off his stride.

27 min: As good as all this action is, it's quite hard on the old typing fingers. I almost pine for the long, flat stretches of France v Romania. Villa forces the corner after getting a shot in at the near post. "I'll be at work until 5.45 editing video of the dippy but pretty [namedrops furiously] Agyness Deyn in interview," writes Amir. What, you're not going to stick around for another hour and read the rest of my opus? "As for Graham dilemma, I'm in a similar boat - my other half has taken up online role playing games to counter the tournament. My only concern is that when the footie is over, she will either a/ hate me completely b/ be so engrossed in her online role playing that she's forgotten about me entirely c/ both." Or she'll have run off with a seven-foot purple Viking (that's not a euphemism).

29 min: Spain are playing beautifully at the moment, which makes their inevitable decline in a week or so's time even more tragic. The signs are there too, their defenders seem determined not to defend.

33 min: Zyryanov walks through the Spanish defence before they think to tackle him. Russia have had a bit more pressure of late, but aren't creating any real chances.

36 min: Spain take the pressure off with some exemplary tiki-tak (that's Spanish for knocking it about, if Spanish has Ks, it might not). I get an email to confirm our top tecchie Steven Wells (not that one) is working on the Olympic URLs right now – hold on to the seat of your pants, readers, this is about to get interesting.

39 min: "I didn't realise David Villa was Spanish for John Arne Riise," says James Wells. "Has Villa had a touch where he hasn't shot it? And shot it horribly off target, with the exception of the goal, of course?" Top punditry, Wells: Villa blasts a shot into a Russian defender's shins.

43 min: The BBC elect to show a crucial free-kick from a ridiculous overhead angle, which doesn't obscure the fact that Pavlyuchenko's shot strikes the bar. Having said that, our tools have stopped working, so we're not really ones to talk.

Goal!!!!!!! Spain 2–0 Russia (Villa 44 min)Iniesta cuts in and Villa slides the ball through Akinfeev's legs. OK, so his finishing might be a bit better than John Arne Riise's

Half-timeGreat stuff from Villa (and Torres) who have ripped the Russian centre-halfs apart with their movement.

"Spain play some very pretty football but I'm unconvinced. A better pressing team like Italy would give them great problems," says Gene Salorio. Well, maybe not Italy.

"I popped into crowded local bar just as Spain scored here in Barcelona. Pretty sure I actually heard a pin drop," writes Jim Burke. "The Barcelona cats don't seem to be behind the national team, for some reason." Woah! Even the cats in Barcelona are against Spain, no wonder they implode.

46 min: Russia start the second half. "I love the way Spain play but they are so wee. Lots of wee tricky men in midfield. Plus they have a flapper between the sticks," says Russell Brady, conjuring unhealthy images of Iker Casillas dancing the Charleston (he's a brilliant keeper, by the way). "I predict second round exit at the hands of some big men via set-pieces." Ah, where are England when you need them?

47 min: Zhirkov skips past a defender, but gets carried away and loses the ball when he should have crossed. Still, Russia can claim to have dominated this half.

50 min: Bystrov has a fairly free header, but it goes straight to Casillas, who doesn't flap. An associate professor of Spanish (no less) tells us something we'd kind of figured out already. "It may be that the Barcelona cats may not be behind the Spanish national team on account of the centuries of oppression that the Catalan culture has faced at the hands of those in Madrid," storms Bob Davidson.

54 min: Torres is off and Fabregas is on and we have one striker. There goes the best (only) attacking football we've seen at this tournament. "Can I be the 1,057th person to express astonishment at seeing Villa on the scoresheet twice before half time," says Luke Williams. "I mean, that hasn't happened since Andy Gray left, has it?." Or the last time they played Birmingham. Or Chelsea.

58 min: Villa has another shot. Yep, he's scored two but he could easily have had four or five. My foolish decision to open a whole Cannery Row's worth of worms with Jim Burke's email has resulted in at least 98 diatribes on Spanish/Catalan relations which you can flick through at your pleasure if you send me a tenner. I'm praying Switzerland-Turkey don't have any history behind them for tomorrow' s game.

61 min: Bilyaletdinov shoots just wide, although he really should have done better. Spain are attempting to shut up shop, but keep on letting people in to buy post-pub fags and some Pickled Onion Monster Munch.

62 min: Zhirkov puts in a satisfying crunch of a challenge as Silva advances in on goal.

64 min: Iniesta, who has looked a bit peaky all game, is off and Santi Cazorla in on.

67 min: Senna has a header well saved from a corner, before Silva cracks in a great shot that Akinfeev clutches to his chest. "Speaking as an associate professor of Russian (no less, no more), may I lower the cultural level and note that Tommy Smyth's comments on ESPN are even more inane and inaccurate than usual," fumes Associate Professor of Russian Andrew Reynolds. "I'm amazed there aren't any web petitions aimed at getting him and his bulging onion bags the sack. Perhaps we can persuade our American friends to hire Gary Naylor instead?" I think Naylor's aiming to team up with Obama on a dream politics/football trivia ticket.

70 min: Pavlyuchenko is free in the box, but Spain close him down quickly and his shot can only find a defender's legs.

71 min: Bystrov (who was a sub himself) is off and Adamov is on, dashing my hopes of seeing the end of Bilyaletdinov, whose name takes eight minutes to type.

72 min: Russia seem content to see the end of this game, saving themselves for the gentler arms of Sweden and Greece.

Goal!!!!!!! Spain 3–0 Russia (Villa 75 min)Fabregas rips off his jim-jams and delivers a superb ball that Villa slides past Akinfeev.

77 min: The excellent Silva makes way for Alonso. "Nope, no real animosity between the Swiss and the Turks, although the Saracens (some of whom may have been from what is now Turkey) did overrun the Valais in the 10th century," writes Luke Williams who really should be associate professor of Swiss/Turk relations. "Nowadays, that sort of thing is usually done by eager Brits in bobble hats, keen to sample Swiss hospital food and to contribute to the booming Swiss crutch industry."

80 min: Spain are playing the most luxurious of luxury football, just because they can. Rather charmingly, they're all too polite to shoot, eager to give it to one of their friends to score.

84 min: Steve Forstneger reminds me of the fisticuffs Switzerland and Turkey enjoyed during qualification for the last World Cup, so tomorrow should be fun. Casillas has just been clattered while coming for a cross and isn't looking too well.

Goal!!!!!!! Spain 3–1 Russia (Pavlyuchenko 86 min)Russian corner and Pavlyuchenko stoops to head home. Spain don't look too bothered though.

89 min: A brilliantly bad ball from Ramos as he gives it away to Russia on the edge of the area. Spain have been pretty bad for the last five minutes or so, not that it matters.

Goal!!!!!!! Spain 4–1 Russia (Fabregas 90 min)Spain break and although Akinfeev saves the initial shot from Xavi, Fabregas is there to pick up the rebound.

90 min + 2: Here's Paul McLeroy:
A-Level Football Transfers

Written Exam

Using only your fingers and toes calculate how much David Villas price has just gone up and how much less likely it is that he'll be at Spurs next season.

PEEEEEEEEEEEP!!! Impressive stuff from Spain, they ripped apart Russia and moved beautifully as they did so. Villa and Torres were terrifying. Having said that, their defending was sloppy at times, and they started with four goals at the last World Cup too.

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