June 21st, 2008
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Guus Hiddink masterminded Russia’s 3-1 victory against Holland as the outstanding Andrei Arshavin helped to send Marco van Basten’s side to a quarter-final defeat.
The experienced Dutch coach’s tactics were perfect as Holland started poorly and were unable to lift the tempo of the match in stifling conditions.
Russia dominated proceedings from the first whistle and almost opened the scoring after only five minutes when Yuri Zhirkov’s rasping free-kick forced Edwin van der Sar to concede a corner.
Two minutes later Igor Semshov’s cross found the unmarked Roman Pavlyuchenko who headed over the bar when he should at least have tested van der Sar.
Holland were all at sea in the opening stages and their first effort on goal did not arrive until the 27th minute when Orlando Engelaar’s shot from the edge of the area flew wide.
On the half-hour Rafael van der Vaart’s free-kick almost found Ruud van Nistelrooy at the back post but the Real Madrid striker was unable to get his toe to the ball.
When Russia responded, Arshavin curled in an effort that was heading for the corner of the net until van der Sar turned the ball away.
The veteran Dutch keeper had to be at his best to beat Denis Kolodin’s 40-yard effort away before the same player was only just off target with a shot from even further out.
Van Nistelrooy then showed a quick turn of pace to make the space for a shot and forced Igor Akinfeev to make his first serious stop but there was no Dutch player on hand to turn home the rebound.
Just before half-time a bad mistake by Kolodin let in van der Vaart who drilled in a shot that was parried by Akinfeev.
Van Basten decided to bring Robin van Persie on for the ineffective Dirk Kuyt at half-time and the Arsenal man almost made a dramatic introduction to the game, lashing a first-time effort narrowly wide.
But it was Russia that deservedly took the lead in the 56th minute with a great goal as Sergei Semak’s cross was volleyed in to the net by Pavlyuchenko
Hiddink’s side almost added a second goal in the 70th minute when van der Sar made a fine one-handed save to keep Aleksandr Anyukov’s effort out.
But, with four minutes left, the Dutch equalised. Wesley Sneijder’s free-kick was superb, Russia’s defending was dreadful and van Nistelrooy was on hand to head the ball into the back of the net.
There was drama in the 90th minute when the referee sent Kolodin off for a foul on Sneijder, the Russian’s second yellow card offence of the evening.
However, the official then changed his mind after the linesman ruled that the Dutch player had earlier failed to keep the ball in play.
Both sides had chances to win the game in extra-time with Pavlyuchenko going close when his shot came back off the crossbar.
A penalty shoot-out loomed until Arshavin got to the byline in the 112th minute and turned the ball across goal where substitute Dimitriy Torbinskiy acrobatically clipped a shot in to the net.
There was still time for Arshavin to add a third goal when he slipped the ball between van der Sar’s legs to send Russia in to the semi-finals and a clash with either Spain or Italy.
Written by eugeniu on June 21st, 2008 with no comments.
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Russia coach Guus Hiddink has pledged that his side will continue to go on the attack in their Euro 2008 quarter-final against the Netherlands.
Hiddink’s team won praise for their approach to their crucial Group D showdown with Sweden, winning 2-0 to secure a place in the last eight, with the Dutchman now ready for the meeting with his fellow countrymen.
He said: “What is good for the game is that teams who like to attack from the start are surviving.
“That is encouraging, as we can also see that the concept of just relying on your defence, which of course sometimes may have to happen in a game, has no profit any more.
“People like to see a more attacking game. The Dutch like to attack, to have the initiative and control and be dominant.
“But the Russian team has changed a lot, not just in personnel, but also in the way we play.
“We now try to instil the kind of play where people love to come and watch us.
“We have made some progress and we are now meeting a giant, but our approach won’t be any different.”
Written by eugeniu on June 21st, 2008 with no comments.
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Italy defender Christian Panucci is content to play his fourth game in two weeks on Sunday when Roberto Donadoni’s side take on Spain in the last quarter-final.
The 35-year-old AS Roma player is set to partner Giorgio Chiellini at the centre of Italy’s defence after recovering from a slight knee problem and is happy with his overall fitness levels.
He said: “I recover really well. I must say physically I don’t feel tired two days after a match. I am happy.
“I thank my mother for making me this way. I’ve always had a professional and rigid lifestyle.”
Panucci has won his chance as Andrea Barzagli had to have knee surgery on Friday, while Fabio Cannavaro had an ankle operation before the finals got underway.
Panucci added: “This is the last big opportunity of my career. It would not be sensible to say I was aiming for the 2010 World Cup. But you never say never.
“I understand Spain don’t want to play Italy because the history of the Euros is not good for Spain.
“Italy have been more prepared for the big competitions but Spain have improved a lot in recent years.
“We know Spain are a strong side with enthusiasm and they will give us problems.”
Written by eugeniu on June 21st, 2008 with no comments.
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Netherlands coach Marco van Basten has paid tribute to defender Khalid Boulahrouz, who has declared himself ready to feature in the Euro 2008 quarter-final with Russia.
The 26-year-old left the Dutch training camp in Lausanne on Wednesday to be at the bedside of his hospitalised wife, who suffered complications during pregnancy which led to the death of their prematurely-born daughter.
However, Boulahrouz has told van Basten that he is mentally ready for action and has earned high praise from his national team boss.
“It was a very special moment for the team,” van Basten said. “We knew there was a player who had a very sad experience in a private way.
“There are a few players who are very close to him and the whole team was really concerned.
“Yesterday he said to me and also to the players that he was finished with it and wants to look forward to the game against Russia.
“He said ‘we are here for the European Championships and you can fully count on me’ and we are very happy about that.”
Written by eugeniu on June 21st, 2008 with no comments.
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Croatia coach Slaven Bilic admitted to being haunted by his side’s dramatic quarter-final exit from Euro 2008, following a penalty shootout loss to Turkey.
Bilic’s men looked to be heading to the semi-finals when Ivan Klasnic scored with just two minutes of extra-time to play, but Semih Senturk levelled in time added-on to set up the shoot-out.
Then Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic missed from the spot, before Rustu Recber saved from Mladen Petric to seal a 3-1 victory for the Turks.
An emotional Bilic said afterwards: “The last two minutes I cannot describe. This will probably haunt me for the rest of my life.
“I am proud of my players, but at the same time we are sorry and unhappy because we thought we could go all the way.
“I congratulate the Turkish team but I still don’t believe we deserved to lose. This match had an incredible ending, the kind of ending you only find in football.
“In the 120 minutes we had more chances than the Turks, of course they exerted pressure on us for a while, but we have beaten better sides so far in the tournament.”
Of the concession of a last-gasp leveller, Bilic added: “It was a shock for us of course, it seemed as if it were over, then we conceded a goal.
“That was certainly a physiological advantage for the Turks. Of course I can’t tell what was on the players’ minds, but I’m sure the players weren’t focused on the penalties.
“Mentally they must still have been in extra-time, seeing that Turkish goal again.”
Written by eugeniu on June 21st, 2008 with no comments.
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Turkey coach Fatih Terim was elated after seeing his side’s incredible run at Euro 2008 continue with a penalty shootout win over Croatia in the quarter-finals.
Semih Senturk scored a dramatic equaliser in time added-on at the end of extra-time to take the tie to penalties, where Croatia failed with three of their four spot-kicks to allow Turkey to progress.
Terim beamed: “I would like to congratulate the Croatia team.
“It was a good game, but this is football and you should never give up until the very end, until the referee blows his whistle, that is why football is an interesting game.
“I want to congratulate my own players as well, both sides could have won this game. We conceded a goal at a crucial time and then we scored at a crucial time.
“If Croatia had won, I would have said they deserved it too, but I’m delighted we did it. I tell my players never to give up.
“I set them goals and tell them not to be afraid of losing. I think this team could do even better.
“If only we could have the injured players back, but even without them, we are special. There is something special about this team and there is no limit to our success.”
However, Turkey’s progress came at a price, with Arda Turan, Emre Asik and Tuncay Sanli all ruled out of the semi-final against Germany due to suspension.
Written by eugeniu on June 21st, 2008 with no comments.
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Turkey 1-1 Croatia (3-1 on penalties)
Well, that was one hell of a game. It was relatively uneventful for almost two hours, before a stunning conclusion that saw two goals in the last two minutes of stoppage time, before Turkey beat Croatia on penalties. The fact that it was scoreless through regular time was surprising enough, if you’d seen these two teams play earlier, but Turkey were set up to stifle the Croatian playmakers through midfield, and they did their job pretty effectively.
Croatia’s best chance of the game came in the 18th minute, as Luka Modric crossed the ball for Ivica Olic, who hit the crossbar from about two yards out — followed by Niko Kranjcar heading the rebound wide with the goalmouth open. Croatia were undoubtedly missing Eduardo; although Olic ran himself into the ground, he doesn’t have the same killer instinct in front of goal. He had another couple of chances in the second half, but the only time he put the ball in the net, he was flagged offside.
Turkey, on the other hand, had very few shots on goal, although they worked themselves into the game more as time went on — and they certainly picked the right time to peak in extra time. They needed a great save from Rustu Recber to get them that far, though, with a flying stop in the 84th minute on a shot from Dario Srna that was curling into the top corner.
The game was balanced on a knife-edge through extra time, and looked to be going to penalties, before Croatia struck with about a minute left. The ball was crossed from the left and was heading out of play, but Rustu inexplicably decided to chase it down; he was beaten to the ball by Modric, who clipped it back across onto substitute Ivan Klasnic’s head for a simple goal. Let’s hope that fibreglass kidney shield is sturdy, because I think the entire Croatian team plus their coaching staff all piled on top of Klasnic in their delirium.
They got just a teensy bit ahead of themselves, though, and Turkey didn’t give up, taking heart from their late comebacks against both Switzerland and the Czech Republic. Slaven Bilic was ranting at the officials because he wanted to make a substitution, but he should’ve been shouting at his own team instead, because rather than just holding onto possession and running down the clock, Croatia tried to play the ball over the Turkish defence and were called offside. Rustu sent the free kick into the box, where it fell to Semih Senturk to score the equalizer.
Once it went to penalties, you had to give Turkey the psychological edge, and that was only strengthened when Modric stepped up to take the first spot-kick and sent it wide. (It’s a bit harsh on him, because he’d been their best player by far; but we’ll give him credit for not bursting into tears like John Terry, at least.) Ivan Rakitic also missed for Croatia, making it 3-1 to Turkey after Rustu saved Mladen Petric’s shot — and redeemed himself somewhat for letting them score in the first place.
So Turkey are, against all the odds, into the semi-finals. They’ll have to produce something even more miraculous to get past Germany, considering that they have a slew of injuries and suspensions which will severely limit their options. But after this, you can’t entirely count them out.
Bad hair of the day award: Turkish goalkeeper Rustu Recber. It’s not so much a hairstyle as it’s just sort of there — an amazing combination of frizzy and lank. Add that to the sketchy goatee, and he’s not somebody that you’d want to meet in a dark alley.
Written by Jen on June 21st, 2008 with no comments.
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The Portuguese Football Federation has hit out at Chelsea for announcing the capture of Luiz Felipe Scolari during their Euro 2008 campaign.
Scolari’s five-year reign as Portugal boss ended in a quarter-final defeat by Germany on Thursday.
FPF chief Gilberto Madail is unhappy Chelsea revealed his appointment just four days into the tournament.
“I wish Chelsea would have consulted us before so that we could have chosen a better time,” said the FPF president.
Portugal had high hopes of going all the way at Euro 2008, having reached the final in 2004 and the World Cup semi-finals in 2006.
But after an impressive start to their campaign they were far from their best as they were eliminated by the Germans in Basel.
Madail addressed the media on Friday and admitted he thought the Scolari announcement had had a destabilising effect on the squad.
“It wasn’t the best moment for us for Chelsea to announce Scolari’s appointment,” said Madail.
“I know Scolari had nothing to do with it and I was surprised, not by the appointment - because Scolari is a great coach - but at the timing chosen.
“I knew when we entered the tournament that Scolari would leave. We respected his wishes. His cycle with Portugal had ended because he wanted a new experience with a club.
“There was nothing we could do. It was a financial issue and we couldn’t match Chelsea’s offer.”
Chelsea issued a statement defending the timing of the announcement.
“We did everything above board and correctly. It was the appropriate time for both parties to announce and had been agreed in advance. The Portugal football federation were informed.”
Portugal have the difficult task of finding a replacement for Scolari as they turn their attentions to qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Madail added: “Whether some like it or not, Scolari left a mark in Portuguese football. He is a spectacular coach who made a huge impact and that will remain in the history of Portugal. But life continues.
“The new coach will have to speak Portuguese but not necessarily be Portuguese.
“He has to have ambition and be a winner. He has to be someone who the players respect.”
Portugal have also had to deal with the distraction of Cristiano Ronaldo’s club situation, with the winger at the centre of persistent rumours throughout the tournament that he will be leaving Manchester United for Real Madrid.
“I don’t know what is going on in Ronaldo’s mind and I don’t think that contract problems would affect a player,” said Madail.
Written by Darkvader on June 21st, 2008 with no comments.
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Alright kids, this is a tag-team effort (I’m Brutus the Barber Beefcake), as The Fan’s Attic might not be here until right before the beginning of the match. On tap today is the Netherlands (the Dutch; the Low Countries) versus the Russians. The most obvious match-up talk is about Guus Hiddink coaching the Russians against his own country. A better match-up to discuss? The models!
Dewi Diegen: She doesn’t look like a Double-D to me.
Natasha Poly: We salute you too!
Based on this highly scientific research method, one would presume that Russia will win this match. Join us after the jump for all of the details.
The starting XI for Guus Hiddink’s Russian squad:
GK - Akinfeev
DEF - Anyukov; Ignashevich; Kolodin; Zhirkov
MID - Semak (C); Zyryanov; Semshov; Saenko
ST - Pavlyuchenko; Arshavin
And the starting XI for Marco Van Basten’s Dutch side:
GK - Van der Sar (C)
DEF - Boulahrouz; van Bronckhorst; Mathijsen; Ooijer
MID - Engelaar; De Jong; Sneijder; Van der Vaart; Kuyt
ST - Van Nistelrooy
This match is being played at St. Jakob Park in Basel.
Centre official: Lubos Michel (SVK)
Assistant referees: Roman Slysko (SVK); Martin Balko (SVK)
4th official: Massimo Busacca (SUI)
2 important points for this match:
(1) to the relief of announcers and livebloggers everywhere, Saenko is in for the Russians in the starting line-up, replacing Bilyaletdinov; and
(2) if we are lucky, we will see the classy Ruud van Nistelrooy repeat these antics:
TFA here, just finished doing some wedding stuff. That’s right, some lucky broad bagged me. Gentlemen, let me tell, wedding stuff blows. It’s stressful and expensive.
So, babes, ballers and anthems right now. Russians singing. Dutch singing. I don’t understand a word of it.
Holland is wearing all orange and Russia in all white. Monochromosity at it’s finest. Although, I woudn’t mind seeing some baby blue accents on the Dutch kits.
I’m out of the prediction business today, as it seems each prediction I make goes horribly wrong immediately after I make it. That said, I am really looking forward to this match.
0:00 We’re off.
2:00 Boulahrouz Ooijer fouls a Russian like the guy was responsible for his daughter’s death Boulahrouz’s daughters death. Too soon?
4:00 Commenter/Contributor The NY Kid says HD soccer makes him happy in the pants. I couldn’t agree more. Well, not about him being happy in the pants, but HD soccer is a wet dream come true.
6:00 Wow! Incredible save by Van der Sar on a Zhirkov free kick right over the wall to the near post. VDS just got a hand on it to steer it around the post. Holland gives up a corner but nothing results.
8:00 Pavlyuchenko puts a header on the top of the net. Great opportunity for Russia and Holland’s defense looks like its back to its normal form. All Russia so far.
10:00 Guus Hiddink has learned from WWII. You don’t fight a two front war. He’s only focusing on the offense. Not the defense. Sound strategy if you ask me. Kinda like my strategy with women…I only focus on the looks, not the brains.
Written by Darkvader on June 21st, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Euro 2008 and Liveblogs and Netherlands and Russia and The Fan's Attic and The NY Kid.
You may or may not know, but England isn’t participating in Euro 2008. While the rest of Europe tries to win the championship of a game England invented, the English have to find other activities to occupy their time. Even those intellectuals at Cambridge. So, what have they chosen to do? Why, female jelly wrestling at Cambridge. I can’t think of a more suitable replacement.
The competitive juices, or jellys, appear to have overwhelmed one losing contestant. Nadia Witkowski (in the white bikini) lost her match, although accounts suggest she may have lost because of looks not for a poor performance, and then lost her mind.
But when the crowd decided the shapely blonde was the winner anyway, Miss Witkowski lost her temper.
Still covered in red jelly, she stalked away to the sound of the students’ booing and punched a female spectator, leaving her with a bloody nose.
Then she grabbed a bottle of Lambrini and made for the exit, where she was stopped by two burly bouncers.
When they tried to confiscate the bottle, she punched one and butted the other, forcing them to call the police.
Well done, well done. That was a Zidane-like meltdown. Headbutt included.
Witkowski under duress.
Shortly thereafter, the Cambridge grad was arrested and charged with common assault. The spectators should have support Witkowski by saying things like “Show us your tits” and “take it off”, I am pretty sure that would have been better for her self-esteem.
[Photos: Daily Mail]
Written by Darkvader on June 21st, 2008 with no comments.
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