Italy vs. Spain

Sorry, I didn’t blog about this match earlier, but it was one of the most boring, BS matches I’ve ever seen in my life.  If I wrote about it, I’d probably want to stab myself in the chest a few times.

Thus, I’m not gonna waste my time on it.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/match?id=232283&league=UEFA.EURO&cc=5901

Spain deserved to win.  Boring, uninspiring, defensive, just a piece of crap match.

Russia vs. Holland

Russia vs. Holland (3-1, Pavlyuchenko, 56′, van Nistelrooy, 86′, Torbinsky, 112′, Arshavin, 116′)

I’m just gonna put this out thre – Guus Hiddink is one of the greatest international managers in history.  He took Australia to the round of 16 in the World Cup, he took the South Koreans to fourth place in WC 2002, and now, he’s led the Russians to the semi-finals in a stunning performance.  His team’s performance was nothing short of spectacular today, as they took the game to the Dutch.  He even said the best defense is offense, and he proved it today by pushing all his players forward.  It was a weird first half for the Dutch because they seemed to be playing mostly out of their midfield, but their midfielders weren’t even involved in the match.  They left van Nistelrooy up front by himself, and when that proved to be a flaw, they moved right-back/right-holding midfielder/right midfielder Dirk Kuyt to striker.  The match was going entirely towards the right hand side, and by halftime, Kuyt already seemed totally out of it for all the running that was required of him.  Sneijder and van der Vaart just couldn’t inject themselves into the match, while de Jong and Engelaar were playing almost as central defenders, with their back ineptness.  Without prior knowledge regarding Arjen Robben’s apparent groin injury, I had predicted van Basten would sub Engelaar and Kuyt for van Persie and Robben.  Ibrahim Afalay was instead substituted for Engelaar, and without the match experience necessary for this type of international, he just looked lost in the wilderness.  As time went on, Sneijder tried to interject himself as got the ball and shot from all angles (even though it was less than advantageous).  It wasn’t working and while the Dutch were shooting, the Russians were creating.  A move on the left resulted in a cross into the feet of Pavlyuchenko for an early 1-0 lead in the second half.  Things weren’t working for the Dutch and inexplicably, they kept shooting from distance to no avail.  Luckily for them, they were able to force extra time on a set piece in which van Nistelrooy headed in a Sneijder cross.  Undeserved, but that’s football for you.  The first half of extra time was a bore, and then Arshvin took over.  He beat his marker Ooijer on the left and crossed it into the feet of Dmitri Torbinsky for an easy tap and a 2-1 lead.  He ended the scoring a few minutes later with a great indivdual effort off a throw, beating his marker (Ooijer again) and slotting it past van der Saar for a 3-1 lead.  The Dutch shot themselves in the feet, I thought by subbing Heitinga for Boulahrouz.  Boulahrouz was playing a decent match, and apart from the tragic death of his daughter or his yellow, shouldn’t have been taken off.  That one reserve could’ve helped the Dutch get an equalizer, someone like a Klaas Jan Huntaelaar who could’ve given the Dutch three attackers.  But by the same token, they would’ve had to switch to 3-4-3 and with that defense, who knows.  Despite all this, a wonderful match again.

Goalkeepers – Edwin van der Saar solidified his place in my book as one of the great goalkeepers in the World with his performance today.  His saves were impeccable, and he established his terratory well, even though his players just flat out sucked.  Akinfeev made all the saves he needed to, and really, you can’t blame van Nistelrooy’s goal on him.  I’m extremely surprised he’s recovered so well after the 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Spain, but with his performances, he might be looking at a transfer to Western Europe after the tournament concludes.  
Defenders – Zhirkov had another great performance at left back, but I’m concerned mostly with the Russians and set pieces.  van der Vaart served up at least 3 perfect set pieces that luckily weren’t met by the Dutch.  If they’ll want to get past the winner of Spain/Italy, they’ll need to improve.  I don’t know what was in Kolodin’s water today, but his shots, even from distances were being rocketed on goal and if not for van der Saar’s many saves, it could’ve been a drubbing.  The Dutch defense, in a word, was horrible.  They were terribly exposed everywhere on the back line, and when John Heitinga is their best defender, there are bigger problems for the Dutch in the near future.  
Midfielders - In one word, the Dutch midfield was disappointing.  First of all, it was tough luck Robben was injured throughout, and a groin injury (apparently) kept him out of today’s match.  But van der Vaart and Sneijder, the two playmakers showed no creativity and really didn’t run the midfield.  Engelaar had a modest match and Kuyt was playing confused (he had no definite position – right back, right midfield striker?), but Nigel de Jong did play well.  If he had been a few inches taller, he would’ve gotten a few goals courtesy of van der Vaart’s set pieces, his only contribution to the match.  For the Russians, not the best performance in the midfield, but then again, who needs a great performance from them when you have Arshavin everywhere on the pitch?  Semak is a perfect holding midfielder for the Russians, but Zurianov and Semshov were nothing special.  
Attackers – van Nistelrooy needed a partner up front, and that was evidenced by his lackluster display in the first half.  When he did get support in the form of Robin van Persie, he played a bit better, although van Persie wasn’t all too great himself.  He did get the tying goal, but otherwise, had a less than stellar performance.  The Russians, on the other hand were once again in unison up front.  Pavlyuchenko and Arshavin worked well together, and even though sub Torbinsky blew numerous chances, he finally converted in the extra frame on a ridiculous ball by Arshavin, who beat Ooijer on the left.  If Torbinsky would’ve missed that, it would’ve been of Mario Gomez proportions.  Luckily for him, he converted.  Oh, and props to Ivan Saneko, the only foreign-based player in the squad for his play against van Bronckhorst.  As a forward, he kept attacking and kept the former Barcelona fullback at bay.

Man of the Match – Andrei Arshavin.  Even though Arshavin played well throughout, he really turned it on in extra time.  For the first 90, van der Saar was my man of the match, saving some ridiculous shots by Denis Kolodin and Arshavin, but during the extra frame, Arshavin turned it on.  When the Dutch looked like they were playing for the draw, Arshavin kept on running, and continued to show the creativity which has jettisoned Russia through this tournament.  He set up Torbinsky perfectly for the go-ahead goal, and created and scored the clincher, getting a little bit of help from John Heitinga’s deflection.  Who knew one player could make so much of a difference for the Russians?  (Ok, maybe I did – check my key players!)
Dud of the Match – The Dutch defense.  Ok, so the back four were solid for the first half, but then they went into a bit of a funk.  Boulahrouz and van Bronckhorst never had the chance to go forward, and they’re really not the best defenders in the world, so there were problems on the left and right for the Dutch.  Then, when you stick to less-than-stellar central defenders in the middle in Oojer and Mathijsen, trouble is expected.  The Russians had so many chances in the box and if not for Torbinksy’s ineptness (he missed seriously like 5 easy chances between the time he came on until the time he scored) and van der Saar’s ridiculous goalkeeping, the Dutch defense would be much maligned forever.  They are missing the one commanding figure in the middle, a la Jaap Stam.  Mathijsen and Ooijer are decent, but you’re not going to find Stam out of them.

Turkey vs. Croatia

Turkey vs. Croatia (1-1, Klasnic, 119′, Semih Senturk, 120+)
Turkey wins 3-1 on Penalty Kicks.

What an unbelievable match.  It’s tough to convey to others why I feel so passionate about this match, but here it goes.  First of all, the Croatians were with their top lineup, the one that demolished everyone in group competition (including embarrassing Germany), while the Turks were without their starting GK, starting back 4, starting midfielder and captain, and starting forward.  They had 15 eligible players – 13 outfield players and 2 goalkeepers.  That’s it!  And you know what?  They hung in there with the high powered Croats.  Of course, the Croatians were still missing Eduardo da Silva from that bone-crunching tackle, but they still were firing on all cylinders heading into the match.  But also, if one thing was certain, it was this – the Turks never give up.  Well, the match went back and forth for awhile, until Luka Modric was able to maneuver his way into the box in the first half, passed it to the feet of Ivica Olic, who blatantly put it right into the crossbar.  The follow-up attempt by Niko Krancjar went nowhere, a major opportunity missed by the Croatians.  There were other chances by Olic created by his unbelievable work rate, including an opportunity with a 50/50 ball he had beaten Rustu Recber to, but turned out to be a little bit of nothing.  Finally, when everyone realized the match was going nowhere, changes needed to be made.  Most importantly, the Croatians brought on two more strikers, Ivan Klasnic and Dortmund striker Mladen Petric, while the Turks also went the attacking mode, bringing on Semih Senturk and Ugor Boral, the leading scorer in the Turkish league last season.  Even as the match stalled to a snail-like pace in the extra frame, the substitutions both resulted in goals.  On a misjudged ball by goalkeeper Recber, he ran out and attempted to punch it away, but was left sprawled, and when Modric headed the ball back to the head of Klasnic, it was an easy 1-0 lead.  This, mind you was in the 119th minute, around 10 seconds from the end of extra time.  The Turks kicked off and attacked, and the Croats went on the counter, only to be caught offsides.  Recber stepped up quickly and fired it downfield, getting it to Senturk, who turned his opponent and fired a goal past Stipe Pletikosa for a 1-1 equalizer.  It was one of the most ridiculous goals you’ll ever see, especially considering the consequences and everything else, and the fact the Turks have been the only team to come back from a defecit, and they’ve done it THREE SEPARATE TIMES!  Insane.  The penalty shootout was a blur, as Recber stepped up and saved a shot by Petric, while Modric and Klasnic both missed their chances wide (one right, one left).  The Turks destroyed all their shots, and won the match in absolutely amazing fashion.  By far, the match of the tournament, and one of my favorite matches ever.

Goalkeepers - Rustu Recber had a weird match.  You have to remember, he was the goalkeeper that led Turkey to third place in World Cup 2002, earned a huge transfer to Barcelona, but played in only four competitive matches before going back to Turkey.  He started out strong, had some lapses, then made a ridiculous save on a Darijo Srna free kick right near the end of regulation to keep it even.  Even though his walkabout led to the Croat’s first goal, he got retribution not only by assisting Senturk’s goal, but also keeping out three penalty kicks.  Luckily, two were wide, but still, he was a presence.  What can I say for Pletikosa?  He had no work throughout the match, then his defense let him down, and he couldn’t save the penalty kicks.  Not his fault.  To me, he’s still been the best in the tournament, only behind Gianluigi Buffon.
Defenders – Pranjic is no longer an unknown commodity, and thus, he was limited on the left by Altintop.  Corluka attacked instead from the right, but his crosses didn’t have the quality Pranjic’s did in the first three matches.  Simunic and Kovac were alright at the back, but were at fault for the equalizer.  The makeshift Turkish defense was less than stellar.  If referee Roberto Rosetti had seen him tugging on Corluka’s shirt numerous times during set pieces, he would’ve not only given up a penalty, but might also have been sent off.  Altintop had another fabulous match.  He’s been the rock in the Turkish lineup ever since Emre went out with an injury.
Midfielders – Luka Modric finally broke out today and had the match I’ve been looking for out of him since the tournament started.  He was creative, he ran the midfield, he passed well, specifically setting up Olic for two easy chances, both of which he blew.  Rakitic and Srna also played well in the midfield.  No complains about the Croats.  Arda Turan was decent, but huge props go to my man Tuncay.  He had another match where his work rate was absolutely incredible and despite not hitting the mark on any of his shots, he still was able to set up his teammates numerous times.  He’s been one of my favorites to watch this entire tournament.
Attackers – Nihat is such an unconventional striker.  He’s short, he’s not that strong, and he plays by himself up front.  He needs someone to play off him effectively for the Turkish offense to work, and today, they stuck Kazim Kazim (formerly Colin Kazim-Richards) next to him in attack.  As the match started, they seemed to be partnered up front, but as the match went on, Kazim dropped back to play behind Nihat, and when he wasn’t getting the touches, he was subbed out for Semih Senturk.  Senturk got the equalizer – that’s all I really need to say about him.  Meanwhile, I won’t deny Ivica Olic’s unbelievable workrate on the pitch, but him and Krancjar really didn’t get it done today.  Olic had two golden chances and he botched them both, and Krancjar had a chance to follow up Olic’s miss that hit the crossbar, but didn’t hit the mark on his header.  He really never made himself a part of the match, and that’s too bad because it cost the Croatians.  Mladen Petric and Ivan Klasnic were both much better offensively, but it was a little too late.

Man of the Match – Semih Senturk.  If I could, I’d give it to the entire Turkish squad.  They were playing with only 15 active players (that’s a full squad and 4 reserves, including a goalkeeper).  But it was Senturk who once again came up with the equalizer, with the last kick of the match in regulation.  You have to remember – he was the one that equalized against the Swiss when the Turks came back in their second match…
Dud of the Match –  Josip Simunic and Robert Kovac.  They played well throughout, but their one lapse was the one that killed the Croats.  On the last boot of the match, Recber hit it pretty much as hard as he could down field, fell to the feet of Senturk.  The central defenders should’ve been there, but didn’t mark him closely enough.  With space, Senturk was able to spin around, and hammer home the equalizer, therebynot only putting the teams on level terms once again, but also shifting the momentum to the Turks.  At least Simunic didn’t get 3 yellow cards again…

Germany vs. Portugal

Germany vs. Portugal (3-2, Schweinsteiger, 22′, Klose, 26′, Nuno Gomes, 42′, Ballack, 62′, Helder Postiga, 87′)

Portugal came into the match favorites, after storming past the group stage, with impressive displays against the Turks and the Czechs in Group play.  The Germans, on the other hand looked out of their element in the Group stage, having lost to Croatia.  The Germans made three changes pre-match, including finally taking out ‘Super Mario’ Gomez, while the Portuguese stayed with the same lineup that did them wonders in their first two matches.  However, as the match started and Joakim Lowe watched from the stands, the Germans took the match to the Portuguese.  They simply dominated proceedings early on, and finally, on a string of beautiful one touch passes leading to the feet of Lukas Podolski, he crossed it in towards the recently suspended Bastian Schweinsteiger, and he simply beat Paulo Ferriera to the ball, and struck it past the stranded Ricardo for a 1-0 lead.  If you thought Schweinsteiger was having a good match so far, his next action was a free kick 20 yards outside the box.  It was swung in perfectly to Miroslav Klose, who didn’t have a great touch on the ball, but still had enough to put it past Ricardo for a 2-0 lead.  After this goal, the Portuguese got a bit desperate and decided to attack more.  Curiously enough, it seemed as if Bosingwa was attacking more on the right than Simao, as he provided some nice crosses, but without the quality a typical right midfielder would’ve done.  The Portuguese struck one back shortly before the halftime whistle when a run by Ronaldo resulted in a save by Lehmann, but the resulting follow up by Nuno Gomes led to his second of the tournament, for a mere 2-1 advantage heading into the half.  As the second half started, the Portuguese continued to push up, but without a competent attack from the right and without a hitman in the middle, things got rough.  Finally, the match was put out of reach with another Schweinsteiger free kick, this time met on the head by captain Michael Ballack for his second goal in two games off set-pieces.  The Portugese crawled one back after a nice run by Nani resulted in a cross met by Helder Postiga, but otherwise, they couldn’t muster much else.  With an able scorer, things might’ve been different, or if Simao hadn’t played like he did, things could’ve changed for the Portuguese.  But as it stands, the Germans are off to the next round.

Goalkeepers – Jens Lehmann was a lot better today.  Nuno Gomes’ goal was a brilliant save that took a wrong bounce, while Postiga’s goal was mainly his defenders’ fault for not marking him.  Ricardo, on the otherhand had a bad match, period.  The final goal where he rushed out for no apparent reason, sealed the fate of the Portuguese.
Defenders – Let’s face it, both defenses were less than stellar.  While Bosingwa attacked, Pepe and Ricardo Carvalho couldn’t cover the ground necessary as central defenders.  That, and Paulo Ferriera looked out of his element at left back.  The Germans weren’t much better, as Mertesacker and Metzelder looked shaky in front of Lehmann.  Lahm didn’t have a great match attacking or defending, but Arne Friedrich made up for it, with his stellar play against Cristiano Ronaldo.
Midfielders – The German midfield dominated the Portuguese midfield.  Ballack and Schweinsteiger looked like themselves for the first time all tournament, while Hitzlsperger made a mark on the right with his blistering, albeit unwarranted long shots.  The Portuguese really got nothing out of Cristiano Ronaldo or Deco, their two star players, while Simao had another ridiculously poor outing.  He’s quickly developing into one of my least favorite players in the world.  In this tournament, he’s shown himself to be not only ridiculously selfish and arrogant, but not all that good.  
Attackers – Pre-tournament, I felt the major weakness for the Portuguese would be up front.  However, as this match progressed, other issues took precedence, mainly the defense.  Nuno Gomes had decent support up front and bagged a goal on a remarkable save by Jens Lehmann that bounced the wrong way, but he didn’t do enough.  Helder Postiga scored on a nice cross by second half sub Nani, but again, he isn’t the finisher the Portuguese need.  The Germans, on the other hand, had Podolski up front for the first time all tournament (he provided the assist for the first goal) with Klose (who got off the mark).  Podolski had another spectacular match, seemingly controlling the match in the offensive end for the Germans.  You’ve gotta wonder if the German game is faltering because they’re not playing players like Podolski at Bayern, or if they’re just too reliant on foreign talent.

Man of the Match – Bastian Schweinsteiger.  He was one of my favorites leading up to WC2006, but since then, I really haven’t seen him play.  Today, he was just dynamic.  He set up two goals with his precise free kicks, and scored after beating Paulo Ferriera to the spot on a Lukas Podolski cross.  He was what the Germans lacked in the first three matches of the tournament.
Dud of the Match – Pepe and Ricardo Carvalho.  It wasn’t a pretty match for the Portugese defense.  The brute strength of the Germans just dominated the more technically sound Portuguese.  The pair were beaten on both headers and were nowhere to be found as Schweinsteiger scored the opener.

Quarterfinal Matchups + Predictions

Portugal vs. Germany – Cristiano Ronaldo will bag a brace, and Klose will get off the mark.  2-1, Portugal.

Croatia vs. Turkey – Without seemingly half their team, the Turks will get downed by the Croats, 1-0.

Netherlands vs. Russia – In the battle of the counter-attackers, the Dutch will take it, 3-2.

Spain vs. Italy – 1-1 after 90 minutes, but the Spaniards will prevail.