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Euro 2008- Knockout Rounds (R); Quarters, Semis & Final
Topic Started: Jun 18 2008, 09:19 AM (1,655 Views)
libero
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What a game from Russia, and yes Hiddink won the battle of the Dutch coaches. Russia looked quicker, smarter, fitter and even more skilled than the Dutch in this game. What a difference from the team which began the tournament getting beat badly by Spain. But that was without Arshavin who has a good claim for player of the tournament if Russia keeps advancing. I don't think any single player has meant as much to his team as Arshavin has for Russia.

The passing and movement by Russia kept Holland off balance all game long and except for Van der Sar and De Jong Holland's players picked the wrong time to play poorly. Or maybe it just was Russia were better.

All three second place teams from the opening groups have won their quarterfinal matches, that makes me feel better about tomorrow's game with Italy. But missing Andrea Pirlo will be a big loss for the Azzurri. Cassano will have to take up the slack as Italy's chief creative force I think. Panucci and Chiellini have pretty decent speed and I think they can do the job defensively against Villa and Torres. With DeRossi and Ambrosini pressuring Spain's midfielders, they hopefully will be reduced to sending long balls forward to Villa and Torres. That worked against Sweden and Russia, I don't think it will against Italy.
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Manzanares
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I don't think it was Holland having a poor day as much as it was Russia playing a very smart game. They moved the ball well and used their excellent wng play to spread the Dutch out. As shelsoccer noted, they then found the gaps between midfield and defense with Arshavin expertly taking advantage of that but while he deserves the praise for such an energetic and skilled game, it really was a collective effort. They made the Dutch look average for most of this game, except on set pieces where they always caused a danger. The Russian midfield controlled the game and except for a brief spell where Russia were sitting back and defending their 1-0 lead, they took players like Sneijder and van der Vaart out of the match. Meanwhile van Persie had little effect off the bench as he was matched up against the superb Zhirkov.

Well done to Russia. They are opening a lot of eyes with this type of play.

As for tomorrow's game between Spain and Italy, it is time Spain lifted their game in the knockout stages. At least one group winner has to get through! I think Spain can do to Italy what Russia did to Holland today and that is spread them out and use the ball to make them chase you defensively then use their attacking speed to find the holes in the defense. Villa and Torres are expert at that and Silva will I think become a very key player in trying to spread out the Italians defensively. Without Pirlo, Italy may once again be reduced to long balls to Toni and while that always will be a threat, it also makes them more predictable and easier to defend.
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Dr. Z
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There was no fluke goal or referee's help, it was simply a case where Russia were the better team. The Dutch looked spent in overtime and even though you'd think their late tying goal would lift them, it was Russia who came out looking for the win in the extra period. All the praise is going to Arshavin, and he looks like the missing piece to their puzzle, but the entire team play well and are very gifted technically and tactically. This is a smart, skilled, well coached team who are getting better game by game in this tournament.

Western European clubs may be interested in Arshavin but Zenit has plenty of money too and with them being in the Champions League, maybe he'd be wise to stay home for another year? Then again with the tournament he is having, he'll never be more marketable than now. He is a really enjoyable player to watch.
Poniendo el pecho a las balas!
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shelsoccer
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According to the broadcasters here in the US, Arshavin has said he's ready to leave Zenit. They mentioned interest from Arsenal, but I'm sure there are other clubs as well.
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Don Balon
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libero,Jun 22 2008
12:17 AM
What a game from Russia, and yes Hiddink won the battle of the Dutch coaches.  Russia looked quicker, smarter, fitter and even more skilled than the Dutch in this game.  What a difference from the team which began the tournament getting beat badly by Spain.  But that was without Arshavin who has a good claim for player of the tournament if Russia keeps advancing.  I don't think any single player has meant as much to his team as Arshavin has for Russia.

The passing and movement by Russia kept Holland off balance all game long and except for Van der Sar and De Jong Holland's players picked the wrong time to play poorly.  Or maybe it just was Russia were better. 


Arshavin was incredible last night. His movement, speed, energy and passing make him so difficult to defend and it also creates room for Pavlyuchenko which he didn't have against Spain when Arshavin was suspended. Russia use the wings well and I would say they played the Dutch style better than Holland did last night and that is why they are going to the semifinals. Did Holland have an off day? Was that because of Russia's play? Or was the "Group of Death" not as strong as so many thought? We will find out about the latter tonight when Italy plays Spain. Holland's depth was a point of discussion previously but really none of their subs helped them last night and Robben's absence once more through injury effected them.

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All three second place teams from the opening groups have won their quarterfinal matches,  that makes me feel better about tomorrow's game with Italy.  But missing Andrea Pirlo will be a big loss for the Azzurri.  Cassano will have to take up the slack as Italy's chief creative force I think.  Panucci and Chiellini have pretty decent speed and I think they can do the job defensively against Villa and Torres.  With DeRossi and Ambrosini pressuring Spain's midfielders, they hopefully will be reduced to sending long balls forward to Villa and Torres.  That worked against Sweden and Russia, I don't think it will against Italy.


Pirlo's absence will hurt Italy but Perrotta will probably play behind Toni and Cassano and between Perrotta and Cassano, Italy should have it's creative players. But I disagree with libero in that I do think Spain's speed will be important. Russia beat Holland in part due to their speed advantage and Spain are faster than Russia. Get Villa and Torres isolated against Italy's defenders and Spain will have success. Yes Italy will try and prevent that and will try and pressure Spain's midfield but the beauty of having so many skilled players in midfield is that if one is being double marked, then there will be another skilled player open so Italy will have difficulty trying to stop all of them. I think if Spain ups the pace against Italy they will be successful.
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Simon
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Well I don't want to worry our Spanish contingent but there were four teams who sealed their qualification for the quarter-finals after their second game, and took the opportunity to rest all their players in their final match. They were Portugal, Croatia, Holland and Spain - and the first three promptly crashed out in the quarters! Could there be a lesson to be drawn somewhere in all this about interrupting momentum? Neither the Portuguese, Croatians or Dutch were able to match their better play from the group stage, although we can say that Portugal were partly undone by defensive frailties that were present in each of their matches.

I'm afraid I have further cause for concern for the Spanish as well, and that is that I still fancy Spain's chances and will stick a tenner on them to advance. Given that I've essentially spent the last fortnight generously donating money to William Hill, that can't be a good thing for Spain! :(
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Yogi
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With Pirlo out I want to see Aquilani play for Italy and have Ambrosini come in for Gattuso. Thus a midfield of Ambrosini, DeRossi, Aquilani and I'd opt for Camoranesi over Perrotta, will give Italy the right combination of skill and steel to combat Spain's passing game. Luca Toni has been fighting the goal all tournament long, odds are he'll finally find it tonight. Well let's hope so as Italy will need his goal(s) in this one. As Simon notes, strangely all the group winners are out, I'll be hoping Italy makes that 4 for 4 in today's match!

Forza Azzurri!

Russia were the better team against Holland, there is no quetsion about that. Holland came in overconfident I think and Hiddink and Arshavin brought them back to earth. Great game plan by Russia and their speed and passing game were wonderful to watch unless you are a Holland fan.

But what if the linesman had not erred and thought that ball Sneijder had touched at the end of the 90 minutes went out of play? The ref would have then given Denis Kolodin a second yellow and sent him off even though replays showed he didn't touch Sneijder! Shows you how much luck comes to play in these games and no matter how much planning you engage in or how well a team plays, a team is still subject in these elimination rounds to a game changing call by a referee! Fortune does play a part in these contests.
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Martin
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Yogi,Jun 22 2008
07:12 AM
But what if the linesman had not erred and thought that ball Sneijder had touched at the end of the 90 minutes went out of play?  The ref would have then given Denis Kolodin a second yellow and sent him off even though replays showed he didn't touch Sneijder!  Shows you how much luck comes to play in these games and no matter how much planning you engage in or how well a team plays, a team is still subject in these elimination rounds to a game changing call by a referee!  Fortune does play a part in these contests.

Very good point Yogi, it was a bad call (the ball didn't go out) but ended up with the right result, Kolodin staying on the field. Both Italy and Spain know quite well from the 2002 World Cup and their own battle in the 1994 one, how a game can turn on a call but that is the nature of any sport really.

Robben's injury did hurt the Dutch and I noticed in yesterday's game how isolated Van Nistelrooy ended up being. Robben's ability to get into attack usually gave him some support as does Kuyt's general all around energy but with the "Glass Man" Robben hurt again and Kuyt taken off at the half for the ineffective Van Persie, Holland just never got enough people in support of Van Nistelrooy to be effective offensively. That is why they ended up resorting to long range shots or their most dangerous moments came off of set piece plays.

In their first game Russia's defense was opened up by Spain but since then Hiddink made an adjustment and brought Ignashevich in to solidify the backline and ever since Russia have looked quite strong defensively. But in the semifinal they will miss Kolodin suspended for accumulation of yellow cards.

That gets me to my next point, why did UEFA change the rule so that yellow cards picked up in the group stage would carry over to the quarterfinals? They get wiped out thereafter. Previously the slate was cleaned at the end of the group phase. So why the change? It makes no sense to me and now poor Kolodin will miss the semifinal, as will Turkey's Tuncay and Arda because of yellows they picked up in the group stage?

On to the final quarterfinal match. On paper this looks like Spain's best chance in years, or at least since 2002, to make an impact in an international tournament. They've looked lively and skillful and have a cutting edge with Villa and Torres up front that they've previously lacked. But in front of them are the masters of building up as a tournament progresses, Italy. I think DeRossi will be a key player in this game, he is physically strong and will attempt to intimidate Spain in midfield, while also being a box to box midfielder. If he plays well I think Italy will be successful in this game. Spain also have a weakness on set plays and this is where Luca Toni's aerial strength will come into play. But watch out for Villa and Torres and their ability to run at Italy's backline. This should be an intense and entertaining game.
Club Sportivo Desamparados
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Sergio
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I will be supporting La madre patria España today. This is a vulnerable Italy team in my opinion, even more so without Pirlo and their midfield pitbull Gattuso. Defensively Italy are beatable but they also have Buffon in goal to save them. Should be good to see the world's two best goalies in my view, Buffon and Casillas in the respective nets.

As some others have written, Spain's success will I think be based on their speed and ability to spread out Italy's defense. We've seen Germany, Turkey and Russia all have success in the quarters doing just that and using their speed advantage. That is what Spain needs to do to have success.
"You left as a champion, you will always be in our hearts. Rest in Peace Christian Benítez."
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Pepe
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For the lineup aficionados out there:

España: Casillas- Ramos, Puyol, Marchena, Capdevila- Xavi, Marcos Senna-Iniesta, Silva- Torres, Villa

Italia: Buffon- Zambrotta, Panucci, Chiellini, Grosso- Camoranesi, DeRossi, Ambrosini-Perrotta- Cassano, Toni

I can't wait for this to start, two classic teams who surprisingly have not really played that often in major competitions despite almost always being present. Last meeting the infamous 1994 game with Tassotti's elbow and Julio Salinas blowing a one on one with the Italian goalie!

iAupa España!
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shelsoccer
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This time I did doze off, from about the 65th to the 115th minute. Woke up in time to see the better team on the day win (at least from what I saw) and to learn that history doesn't always repeat itself. June 22 is now a day when Spainards no longer need to mourn.
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Simon
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shelsoccer,Jun 22 2008
01:52 PM
This time I did doze off, from about the 65th to the 115th minute.

I'm not surprised you dozed off! I was with a big crowd of family and of course the fellas all insisted the game should be on, so falling asleep wasn't really an option for any of us as we had to stay sociable! I'd certainly have been snoozing under different circumstances, as this was another dreadful game. By midway through the first half the general consensus around the room was '0-0 and penalties' and we were hardly congratulating ourselves on our insight when that happened.

Spain played pretty poorly, but IMO they were deserving winners of the shoot-out as at least they'd tried to play some football and win the game, even if they were badly off colour. The amount of misplaced passes, mistakes and terrible shooting from both sides was a real disappointment, along with a dash of diving thrown in for good measure. But I was particularly sorry to see Italy seemingly reverting to a stereotyped Italian display from the bad old days of catenaccio. The thing is, at least in those days they could still sporadically carry a threat up front from great forwards such as Riva, Rossi, Vialli, Baggio, Rivera etc. This time round they had Luca Toni. The poor bloke has spent this tournament looking like some Joe Public who won a newspaper competition to be Italy's main striker! He's been comically bad at times, and I can only assume his confidence is at rock bottom.

Still, Spain advance and lay to rest the ghost of June 22nd! I still think Spain should beat Russia although I'm careful now not to again underestimate Russia's capacity to rise to the occasion.
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Yogi
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Unlike shelsoccer and Simon I had a lot of interest invested in the game so I wa son the edge of my seat throughout but I came away thoroughly disappointed. Congratulations to Spain, they deserved the win and were the better team. I am sure our Spanish posters are all out celebrating and that is why none have appeared here yet! A very cautious game but Spain were looking to win it while Italy were hoping for a break and against a team of Spain's caliber that isn't going to cut it. Penalties did look inevitable unless either team made a mistake and that didn't happen. Buffon did his part stopping Guiza but Casillas was even better stopping DeRossi and DiNatale.

If there is any solace it is this will likely be Donadoni's last game in charge of the Azzurri, I like him as a person and admired him as a player but he is not a national team level coach at this point in his carer. I really have to question his decisions throughout this tournament, continuing to play Toni when he was clearly ineffective was pointless and why did he wait so long to put Del Piero on? It was as if he was planning for penalties, expecting them to happen. They did and Spain won, deservedly. Italy goes home and hopefully we'll return with a new coach.
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Pepe
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Yes Yogi I was celebrating with family and friends as we had a barbecue here in Monterrey, Mexico with some of the Spanish community and our friends from Mexico and elsewhere. It was a nerve wracking time and the pessimists amongst us saw a repeat of Spain's history in going out in the quarterfinals. But this time it was not to be thanks to San Iker, Casillas who came up with a couple of big save soff of Camoranesi and DiNatale during the game and the penalty stops of DeRossi and DiNatale. Spain did look to win the game but were more cautious than normal, for instance you barely saw Sergio Ramos in the offensive side of the field but David Silva was superb and while Spain's offensive insistence didn't pay off with a goal, the penalties finally turned their way. What a relief! On to the semifinals and whatever happens here after will be fine with me. I am just happy Spain finally passed the quarterfinals for the first time since 1984 and if they keep their nerve they can achieve greater things in Austria.

iAupa España!
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Merengue
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Pepe,Jun 22 2008
04:34 PM
Yes Yogi I was celebrating with family and friends as we had a barbecue here in Monterrey, Mexico with some of the Spanish community and our friends from Mexico and elsewhere. It was a nerve wracking time and the pessimists amongst us saw a repeat of Spain's history in going out in the quarterfinals. But this time it was not to be thanks to San Iker, Casillas who came up with a couple of big save soff of Camoranesi and DiNatale during the game and the penalty stops of DeRossi and DiNatale. Spain did look to win the game but were more cautious than normal, for instance you barely saw Sergio Ramos in the offensive side of the field but David Silva was superb and while Spain's offensive insistence didn't pay off with a goal, the penalties finally turned their way. What a relief! On to the semifinals and whatever happens here after will be fine with me. I am just happy Spain finally passed the quarterfinals for the first time since 1984 and if they keep their nerve they can achieve greater things in Austria.

iAupa España!

My feelings too Pepe. I watched the game in a packed Spanish restaurant in San Diego and the atmosphere was great, even with the pocketful of Italian fans present. The ambience there probably made the game seem more intense and nervy that it was for those watching in their living rooms but that game had me on the edge throughout. When it went to penalties I didn't have a good feeling but with the world's two best goalkeepers on each team it was always going to be difficult to score. It is also worth noting in the penalty shootout nobody hit the post/bar or shot wide, the shots which missed were saved by either Casillas or Buffon.

Spain were a little more conservative than usual due to their respect for Italy but Spain defended well in this game and controlled the midfield. The final pass was just a little off, in part due to Italy's defending. Like Pepe, I thought Silva and of course Casillas were excellent but so were Senna and both Puyol and Marchena. Villa worked hard but was well marked by Panucci and Chiellini. A tough, hard nosed game but Spain showed their grit and pulled out a win on a day when they didn't play their best.
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