Spain 3 – Russia 0 semifinal: goals and precision

Xavi Hernandez, Daniel Guiza and David Silva scored to give the Spaniards a place in the final, road to their second European title, when they play Germany on Sunday at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna.

Lineups:
Spain: Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Carles Puyol, Carlos Marchena, Joan Capdevila, Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez (Xabi Alonso, 68), Marcos Senna, David Silva, David Villa (Cesc Fabregas, 34), Fernando Torres (Daniel Guiza, 68).

Russia: Igor Akinfeyev, Alexander Anyukov, Sergei Ignashevich, Vasily Berezutsky, Yuri Zhirkov, Sergei Semak, Konstantin Zyryanov, Igor Semshov (Diniyar Belyaletdinov, 56), Ivan Sayenko, Andrei Arshavin, Roman Pavlyuchenko.

Germany - Turkey without TV? EURO problems

Where were you? Could you watch the whole Germany - Turkey match? Did you have problems? What do you think about the official broadcasting?

Update: see what have happened according to BBC.

Germany is in the final! Germany 3 – Turkey 2

Germany reached the sixth final at EURO history. They will face Spain or Russia on Sunday.

Picture: www.bild.de

Turkey Squad: Nihat Kahveci is at home!

Fatih Terim could choose only seventeen players for the EURO 2008 semifinal against Germany.

Nihat Kahveci and Emre Gungor have been ruled out through injury. Nihat is already at home in Spain! Emre Asik, Arda Turan, Volkan Demireal and Tuncay Sanli are suspended but could return only if Turkey arrive to the final.

Please take a look at the blog designed by our friend Ahmet Turgut who explain very well the situation.

Russia - Spain: the revenge

Spain and Russia played the first match of the EURO 2008 (LINK) in front each other. Spain defeated without problems 4-1 in the best day of David Villa. When Arshavin returned at the fields Russia improved, they qualified at quarterfinals and made history beating Netherlands.

During the football history, Spain defeated Russia or Soviet Union five times, while Russia only defeated Spain once.

Here we have the head to head:

EURO Q 22/05/1960 Spain 0:3 Soviet Union Forfeit
EURO 21/06/1964 Spain 2:1 (1:1) Soviet Union Madrid
EURO Q 30/05/1971 Soviet Union 2:1 (0:0) Spain Moscow
EURO Q 27/10/1971 Spain 0:0 Soviet Union Seville
Friendly 22/01/1986 Spain 2:0 (1:0) Soviet Union Las Palmas
Friendly 19/02/1992 Spain 1:1 (0:0) Cis Las Palmas
Friendly 23/09/1998 Spain 1:0 (1:0) Russia Granada
EURO 12/06/2004 Spain 1:0 (0:0) Russia Faro-Loule
Friendly 27/05/2006 Spain 0:0 Russia Albacete
EURO 10/06/2008 Spain 4:1 (2:0) Russia Innsbruck

Germany vs Turkey: only one will be in the final

Many people says that Germany is in the final, that Turkey is only the surprise of this EURO, and they can’t beat Germany. But in the EURO 2008 you never can be sure. If you are in front of Turkey, be careful. They are ready to write more history!!!

Meanwhile, let’s see what the numbers says about Turkey and Germany. According to the stats, Germany won 11 matches, they drew 3 and Turkey won 3.

Please pay attention how many matches they played during Euro Qualifyings!!!

Here we have all the meetings:

08.10.2005 Istanbul (TUR) Turkey - Germany 2:1
EURO Q 09.10.1999 Munich Germany - Turkey 0:0
EURO Q 10.10.1998 Bursa (TUR) Turkey - Germany 1:0
30.05.1992 Gelsenkirchen Germany - Turkey 1:0
EURO Q 26.10.1983 Berlin Germany - Turkey 5:1
EURO Q 23.04.1983 Izmir (TUR) Turkey - Germany 0:3
EURO Q 22.12.1979 Gelsenkirchen Germany - Turkey 2:0
EURO Q 01.04.1979 Izmir (TUR) Turkey - Germany 0:0
20.12.1975 Istanbul (TUR) Turkey - Germany 0:5
EURO Q 25.04.1971 Istanbul (TUR) Turkey - Germany 0:3
EURO Q 17.10.1970 Köln Germany - Turkey 1:1
12.10.1966 Ankara (TUR) Turkey - Germany 0:2
28.09.1963 Frankfurt/M. Germany - Turkey 3:0
World Cup 23.06.1954 Zürich (SUI) Germany - Turkey 7:2
World Cup 17.06.1954 Berne (SUI) Germany - Turkey 4:1
21.11.1951 Istanbul (TUR) Turkey - Germany 0:2
17.06.1951 Berlin Germany - Turkey 1:2

Italy – Spain: could the history be important again?

The EURO 2008 is giving some interesting results: all runners-up in groups are winning. But the numbers between Italy and Spain are very particular and they are playing each other since 1920. In the previous matches Italy won 9, while Spain won 8. But during important tournaments, Spain only won in 1920 during the Olympic Games.

Let’s see if Spain can change the history to reach the semifinals.

Here we have all Spain- Italy matches:

Olympic Games 2- 9-1920 Antwerp Spain 2-0 Italy
9- 3-1924 Milan Italy 0-0 SpainOlympic Games
25- 5-1924 Paris Italy 1-0 Spain
14- 6-1925 Valencia Spain 1-0 Italy
29- 5-1927 Bologna Italy 2-0 Spain
22- 4-1928 Gijon Spain 1-1 Italy
Olympic Games 1- 6-1928 Amsterdam Italy 1-1 Spain
Olympic Games 4- 6-1928 Amsterdam Italy 7-1 Spain
22- 6-1930 Bologna Italy 2-3 Spain
19- 4-1931 Bilbao Spain 0-0 Italy
World Cup 31- 5-1934 Firenze Italy 1-1 Spain
World Cup 1- 6-1934 Firenze Italy 1-0 Spain
19- 4-1942 Milan Italy 4-0 Spain
27- 3-1949 Madrid Spain 1-3 Italy
28- 2-1959 Rome Italy 1-1 Spain
13- 3-1960 Barcelona Spain 3-1 Italy
21- 2-1970 Madrid Spain 2-2 Italy
20- 2-1971 Cagliari Italy 1-2 Spain
25- 1-1978 Madrid Spain 2-1 Italy
21-12-1978 Rome Italy 1-0 Spain
Euro 12- 6-1980 Milan Italy 0-0 Spain
Euro 14- 6-1988 Frankfurt Italy 1-0 Spain
World Cup 9- 7-1994 Boston Italy 2-1 Spain
18-11-1998 Salerno Italy 2-2 Spain
29- 3-2000 Barcelona Spain 2-0 Italy
28- 4-2004 Genova Italy 1-1 Spain
26- 3-2008 Elche Spain 1-0 Italy

Netherlands – Russia… or Holland vs Hiddink

The Netherlands take on Russia in the quarterfinals of Euro 2008. Russia is coached by Dutchman recordman Guus Hiddink.

This will be the seventh time that the Netherlands have faced a country coached by a Dutch trainer; and pay attention: The Netherlands have never lost in those encounters, compiling a 5-1-0 record.

According to Infostrada Sports, the only draw was in 2006 against Australia, who were then coached by Hiddink. In February 2007, Hiddink’s Russia lost 4-1 in a friendly against the Netherlands.

Netherlands against countries coached by Dutch trainers

Friendly 2 Jun 2007 South Korea (Pim Verbeek) – Netherlands 0-2
Friendly 7 Feb 2007 Netherlands - Russia 4-1 (Guus Hiddink)
Friendly 4 Jun 2006 Netherlands - Australia 1-1 (Guus Hiddink)
FIFA World Cup qualifier 3 Sep 2005 Armenia (Henk Wisman) - Netherlands 0-1
FIFA World Cup qualifier 5 Sep 2001 Netherlands (Arno Pijpers) - Estonia 5-0
FIFA World Cup qualifier 2 Jun 2001 Estonia (Arno Pijpers) - Netherlands 2-4

Nuno Gomes goals are part of the books

Nuno Gomes scored Portugal’s first goal in the quarterfinal against Germany (2-3), making him the fourth player to score in three different European Championships, equalling French Thierry Henry, German Jürgen Klinsmann and Czech Vladimir Šmicer.

Scoring in most European Championship tournaments

3 Thierry Henry FRA 2000 (3), 2004 (2), 2008 (1)

3 Nuno Gomes POR 2000 (4), 2004 (1), 2008 (1)

3 Jürgen Klinsmann GER 1988 (1), 1992 (1), 1996 (3)

3 Vladimir Šmicer CZE 1996 (1), 2000 (2), 2004 (1)

The Portuguese forward has now scored six European Championship goals. Only English Alan Shearer and French Michel Platini have scored more.

Top scorer European Championship – all-time

9 Michel Platini FRA

7 Alan Shearer ENG

6 Patrick Kluivert NED

6 Thierry Henry FRA

6 Nuno Gomes POR

5 Jürgen Klinsmann GER

5 Marco van Basten NED

5 Milan Baroš CZE

5 Ruud van Nistelrooy NED

5 Savo Milosevic YUG

5 Zinédine Zidane FRA

Nuno Gomes has scored 29 goals in 72 matches with the Portuguese National Team. He will be 32 years old on July 5 and would be part of the 2010 FIFA World Cup European Qualifiers.

Top Scorers in Portugal National Team

47 Pauleta (Paris St. Germain) 88 matches
41 Eusébio (Retired) 64 matches
32 Figo (Inter Milan FC) 127 matches
29 Nuno Gomes (SL Benfica) 72 matches
26 Rui Costa (Retired) 94 matches
23 João Vieira Pinto (SC Braga) 81 matches
22 Nené (Retired) 66 matches
21 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United FC) 58 matches
15 Jordão (Retired) 43 matches
15 Peyroteo (Retired) 20 matches
15 Simão Sabrosa (Atletico Madrid) 64 matches
14 José Torres (Retired) 20 matches

Matches played in Portugal National Team

127 Figo (Inter Milan FC)
110 Fernando Couto (Parma FC)
94 Rui Costa (Retired)
88 Pauleta (Paris St. Germain)
81 João Vieira Pinto (SC Braga)
80 Vitor Baía (Retired)
79 Ricardo (Betis Sevilla)
72 Nuno Gomes (SL Benfica)
70 João Pinto (Retired)
66 Nené (Retired)

Cristiano Ronaldo will be operated and is sad; Bastian Schweinsteiger laughs

Two faces summarize the night at EURO 2008. Cristiano Ronaldo was playing a satisfactory EURO 2008 and Portugal was shining.

Bastian Schweinsteiger was suspended and Germany qualified at quarterfinals without playing well football.

Nevertheless, on Thursday everything has changed. Germany beat 3-2 Portugal. Schweinsteiger scored the first goal, and assisted in the second one.

While Deco was alone in the midfield, Cristiano Ronaldo almost never was part of the game. He confirmed that will be operated in a foot.

Here we have pictures from BILD and ABOLA newspapers that summarize the transcendental match.