Euro 2008

[Socrates 8328]

Switzerland 1 - 2 Turkey

Hakan Yakin (32') - Semih Şent?rk (57') -

Arda Turan (90'+2)

1 Benaglio D. Goalkeeper - 5 Lichtsteiner S. Defender - 20 M?ller P. Defender - 4 Senderos P. Defender - 3 Magnin L. Defender - 19 Behrami V. Midfielder - 8 Inler G. Midfielder - 15 Gelson Fernandes Midfielder - 16 Barnetta T. Midfielder - 10 Yakin H. Striker - 12 Derdiyok E. Striker

*18 Zuberbuhler P. Goalkeeper - 13 Grichting S. Defender - 17 Spycher C. Defender - 7 Cabanas R. Midfielder - 6 Huggel B. Midfielder - 14 Gygax D. Midfielder - 11 Streller M. Striker - 22 Vonlanthen J. Midfielder - 23 Degen P. Defender - 2 Djourou J. Defender - 21 Jakupovic E. Goalkeeper

*Kuhn J. Manager/Coach

23 Volkan Demirel Goalkeeper - 3 Hakan Balta Defender - 15 Asik E. Defender - 2 Servet ?etin Defender - 22 Altintop H. Defender - 10 G?kdeniz Karadeniz Midfielder - 14 Arda Turan Midfielder - 7 Marco Aurelio Midfielder - 11 T?mer Metin Midfielder - 17 Tuncay Sanli Striker - 8 Nihat Striker

*1 R?şt? Re?ber Goalkeeper - 20 Sanoglu S. Defender - 13 Emre G?ng?r Defender - 23 Semih Şent?rk Striker - 18 Kazim Kazim Midfielder - 12 Tolga Zengin Goalkeeper - 21 Erding M. Striker - 16 Uğur Boral Defender - 6 Mehmet Topal Midfielder - 19 Ayhan Akman Midfielder

*Terim F. Manager/Coach

90'+4 THE FINAL WHISTLE GOES!! Switzerland are out of the competition!! They cannot qualify for the knockout round regardless of what happens in the final game! They are the first team out of the tournament and what heartbreak! Arda's deflected goal deep, DEEP into stoppage time has given hope to Turkey, who play the Czech Republic in their last group match. Final whistle at the St Jakob-Park, it's Switzerland-1 Turkey-2!

90'+2 Goal Arda Turan

90'+2 Turkey break forward through Arda... ARDA CRACKS A SHOTTTTTT AND SCORES!!!! TURKEY HAVE TAKEN A LEAD AND POSSIBLY WON THE GAME!! Arda was completely left unchallenged as he dashes down the left, cuts in to the middle and lets rip with a shot outside the box. It takes a deflection off M?ller and Benaglio is rooted to the ground as the ball flies into the top of the net! Turkey lead 2-1!

89' The clock is ticking down. Neither side giving up yet as they desperately want the three points. Asik is forced off the ground with his forehead pouring blood after a clash of heads with Inler. He is still on the pitch and the stretcher has to be called out as the home fans whistle defiantly. Four minutes will be added on!

87' Switzerland have a freekick from 20 yards out. Magnin stands over the ball... Magnin will take it... he tries to curl it in but it takes a deflection off the wall.

86' Terim makes his last sub as he sends in Kazim Kazim-Richards for Nihat. Daniel Gygax meanwhile will replace Yakin for Switzerland.

85' Substitution Nihat Kazim Kazim

85' Substitution Yakin H. Gygax D.

83' SWITZERLAND CHARGE FORWARD ON THE COUNTER... IT'S THREE AGAINST ONE!! Behrami, on the right, centres it for Vonlanthen, who taps it on for Yakin... YAKIN SHOOTS, but Volkan dives low to make the save!! What a chance for the Swiss!!

82' Fatih Terim's men are definitely looking more menacing in the closing stages of the game. They look more adventurous and hungrier going forward. The Swiss look like they have run out of steam.

80' Altintop arrows a cross from the right, M?ller just lunges forward to head it out before it reaches Nihat. But it falls to Aur?lio... AUR?LIO THUMPS IN A HALF VOLLEYYY... But M?ller again makes the crucial block!!

78' Just a little over ten minutes to go. Nervous moments for both sets of fans. A draw will hardly benefit either side but it will keep them in the competition.

76' Ricardo Cabanas has been introduced to replace Gelson. Turkey have a freekick dead centre from some 40 yards out. Altintop will take it... Altintop blasts it well into the stands!!

75' Substitution Gelson Fernandes Cabanas R.

74' Tuncay has found space in the box.... TUNCAY CLIPS IN A LOW CROSS TO NIHATTTT... but Nihat can't quite connect with it!! It looked more like a shot on goal than it was a cross.

72' Vanlanthen does well to turn past TWO Turkish players... VONLANTHEN KEEPS GOING... BEATS TWO MORE AND TAKES THE BALL INTO THE BOX, but Cetin makes a crucial interception with a well-timed sliding challenge.

71' Inler traps the ball from Vonlanthen's pass and unleashes a piledriver from 25 yards but it sails just wide!! It took a deflection on the way out but the referee failed to spot that!

69' Switzerland charged forward on the counter. Lichtsteiner floats in a cross from the right for Yakin but Volkan is out off his line to claim it. Takin gave him a little nudge and the whistle goes against the Swiss frontman.

67' Nihat squirms into space... NIHAT LETS FLY OUTSIDE THE BOX but Senderos makes the block, with his arm. But he hid it behind his body, so only a corner for the Turks.

66' Kuhn makes his first switch, sending in Vonlanthen for Barnetta to bolster the midfield line.

66' Substitution Barnetta T. Vonlanthen J.

64' Arda centres the ball to Tuncay... TUNCAYYYY RIGHT INFRONT OF GOAL... just snatches the shot and the ball bobbles safely wide of Benaglio's goal!

62' Inler knocks in a cross from the right... Derdiyok is there waiting but Volkan springs forward to claim it!

60' Derdiyok centres the ball past Volkan... YAKIN HAS AN OPEN GOAL INFRONT OF HIMMM... Balta slides in to make a last-ditch tackle to rob the ball off Yakin just as he pulls the trigger! Superb defending!

57' SEMIHHHHH... NODS NIHAT'S CROSS INTO THE TOP CORNER!!! TURKEY ARE LEVELLED!! Nihat curls in a perfect ball from the left and Semih ghosts in between the two centreback and Semih actually headed it straight down the middle, but Benaglio pushes it into the corner of the net! It's game on!!

57' Goal Semih Şent?rk

55' MAGNINNN... chests the ball down from a poor Turkey clearance and blasts in a half volley just outside the 'D' but it's gone just wide!

55' Semih cushions down a header, looking for a teammate to latch on to it but no one is there. Benaglio charges out to claim the loose ball.

54' Yellow Card Derdiyok E.

53' Tuncay slips the ball through to Semih, who taps it on for Aur?lio... AUR?LIO TAKES A FIRST TIME SHOT, but M?ller just lunges infront of the ball bravely to make the block!

51' Yakin and Barnetta play a little give-and-go and Barnetta takes it on towards the box, but smacks it wildly with his left foot and it goes well wide.

49' Behrami darts down the right wing... Behrami keeps going... he takes it out to the byline and dinks in a cross, but Volkan plucks it out of the air unchallenged.

48' Yellow Card Hakan Balta

48' Nihat swings in a freekick from the left and BALTA LUNGES FORWARD TO CONNECT... but he does so with his hand!! A blatant handball and he is rightly yellow carded!

47' Fati Terim has made two changes. Semih Sent?rk is in for Karadeniz while Mehmet Topal replaces T?mer.

46' The players are back out for the second period. The conditions are imrpoving. The rain has stopped, the grounds staff has been working tirelessly at the interval to dry off the pitch. Turkey will get the restart underway!

46' Substitution G?kdeniz Karadeniz Mehmet Topal

46' Substitution T?mer Metin Semih Şent?rk

45'+1 Lubos Michel draws the first half to a close. It's a very evenly balanced contest in the first half. Turkey were in control before the rain but once the pitch started to clog up, it was the Swiss who looked the more dangerous side. Yakin's tap in separate the two and Fatih Terim will have to change his team's game plan in the second half to adapt to the conditions. 1-0 to the hosts at the break!

44' Tuncay pumps the ball forward over the defence but it's too tricky for Lichtsteiner to play the backpass with Nihat roving behind him. He safely plays it out for a throw. One minute of time will be added on!

42' The rain has stopped now but conditions on the pitch are beyond trecherous as tackles are flying in precariously due to the slippery surface and the players just cannot control it!!

41' Yellow Card Marco Aurelio

40' Tirkey have a freekick on the right side almost on the halfway line. Aur?lio pumps it all the way forward at goal, trying to test Benaglio's grip on his gloves. And he does show a safe pair of hands!

38' The Schweizer Nati are looking very comfortable and enjoying a stranglehold on the game. They are not looking very threatened at the back and they look dangerous themselves going forward on the counter. Turkey are struggling to cope with the water-logged pitch, which is hindering their quick passing game.

36' Barnetta and Yakin play a difficult one-two to release Derdiyok... but Asik cuts across and takes the safety route by punting the ball out for a throw!

34' YAKINNNNN... MISSED AN ALMOST IDENTICAL CHANCE!! Barnetta this time drills in a cross from the right, it evaded everyone and fell to Yakin at the far post but the awkward bounce forced him to slice the shot as the ball flies into the stands from 3 yards out!!

32' YAKINNNN.... TAPS THE BALL INTO AN EMPTY NET!! SWITZERLAND ARE IN FRONT!! Derdiyok latches onto a long ball, rounds the keeper, squares it on for Yakin in the middle... the ball actually stopped dead right before it reached him, but he just sticks is foot out to roll it over the line!

32' Goal Yakin H.

30' Yellow Card Tuncay Sanli

30' The rain just cannot stop pouring down. Nihat shows the referee his torn jersey as Lichtsteiner tugs on it in a battle for possession! And that is exactly what it is out there... a battle ground!

28' Tuncay goes down right outside the box right on the byline! Nervous moments for the Swiss fans. Nihat will whip it in... BENAGLIO PUNCHES IT OUT BUT IT COMES BACK OFF ARDA AND CANNONS OFF THE POST!! Oh so close for T?rko!! Swiss hearts almost sank there!

26' Inler picks up a loose ball and FLICKS IT OVER TO GELSON... but it was just too long! Volkan again quick off his line to gather the ball and clam the situation for Turkey.

25' Freekick for Switzerland from 20 yards out, to the left. Barnetta will take it.... BARNETTA SMACKS ONE PAST THE WALLLL... Volkan dives at full stretch to his left and JUST tips the ball out with his fingers! Great save!!

23' YAKINNNNN... unleashes a piledriver from 25 yards out and Volkan was almost caught offguard!! But he just manages to parry it out for a corner!

21' Tuncay whips in a cross from the right to Arda... ARDA JUST SNEAKS IN BEHIND M?LLERRR, but fails to connect with a decent shot as the ball stops dead on a puddle of water right infront of goal and the Swiss defence clear the danger!!

19' INLERRR... LOOKS UP AND DRIVES IN A SHOT FROM 30 YARDS OUT... but Volkan craddles it into his arms. It's always worth a try to take a shot from distance with these conditions!

18' Certain parts of the pictch is already water-logged! There is a real threat and possibility of this match having to be called off if the conditions get worse!

16' Turkey now have a freekick down the left wing... but Nihat completely miscues his delivery and it flies right across the field to the other flank... didn't even make it into the box!!

14' Both sides are squabbling for possession in midfield. Very difficult conditions to play in. But the Swiss have a freekick. Yakin floats the ball into the box from the right channel but Turkey clear the danger immediately.

12' It is ABSOLUTELY pouring down now in Basel!! The fans get their raincoats and umbrellas out but the players on the pitch won't care at all about that!

10' Lichtsteiner sprays a long through ball from his own half looking for Behrami, but Behrami just lets it run, thinking there was a teammate behind him and the ball rolls all the way to Volkan in the Turkish goal.

8' It's a lively start to the game but it's the Turks who have the slight edge in possession at the moment and they are showing more spark going forward.

6' Nihat streaks down the right channel... NIHAT GOES FOR THE SHOT FROM A TIGHT ANGLE!!! It flies low and straight into Benaglio's hands.

5' It has been confirmed that Marco Streller is in fact injured, which is why Kuhn has had to go for young Derdiyok to partner Yakin upfront for the Swiss.

3' Gelson tries to slip it through for Barnetta down the middle into the box but it was JUST too heavy and Volkan rushes off his line to clear his lines.

2' Aur?lio backheels the ball to release Balta down the left wing... Balta swings in a cross but M?ller cuts it out for an early corner.

1' Referee this afternoon is Lubos Michel from Slovikia and he will get the match underway. Switzerland will kick off but the loose the ball straight away to Turan.

0' Swiss coach K?bi Kuhn will ofcourse be without main striker and captain Alexander Frei for the rest of the tournament due to a knee injury. But Kuhn has sprung a surprise and start with 19 year old striker Eren Derdiyok instead of Marco Streller to cover upfront and he will partner veteran Hakan Yakin, while leftback Ludovic Magnin will take over the armband.

0' Fatih Terim will have to make do with the absence of his own key figure, midfielder Emre Bel?zoğlu. Centreback G?khan Zan is also sidelined but his partner in defence Servet ?etinare and leftback Hakan Balta have both shrugged off injuries and will start. Nihat Kahveci and Tuncay Sanli will lead the attack, will T?mer Metin, who will start in place of Emre, will provide the support in the ?hole? position in a 4-3-1-2 formation.

0 Welcome to Goal.com?s live coverage of Euro 2008. We?re now on the second round of matches in the group phase and it?s pretty much a do-or-die situation, especially for the teams who lost the first match. Switzerland and Turkey are the two sides from Group A who faltered on opening day and they will go head to head this afternoon. Victory is a must for both teams if they are to keep their hopes alive of progressing to the knock-out stage. But only one can leave Basel?s St. Jakob-Park with all three points.

[hijjawi 0]

Switzerland (3rd, 0/3pts) vs Turkey (4th, 0/3pts)

Wednesday 11 June 2008 20:45 CET

St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland

:: PreMatch Videos ::

Match Trailer

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PES Predicts

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National anthems

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:: Goals ::

First goal for Switzerland - HAKAN YAKIN * 31

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First goal for Turkey - Semih Senturk * 56

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Second goal for Turkey - Arda turan

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:: Extras ::

Heavy Rain effects on the ball

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Good shot for Yakin *22

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Yakin misses a great chance

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Chance for turkey hit the stand *28

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First half highlights

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Small fight between players

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Nihat misses one on one chane

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3 players misses an amazing chance for Switzerland

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[Guest Luigi Daniele]

Thank you!

[Socrates 8328]

Turkish Comeback Sends

Swiss Crashing Out

Switzerland 1-2 Turkey

An entertaining game played out in awful conditions in Basel saw Turkey send the co-hosts Switzerland out of Euro 2008.

Despite falling behind to a first half Yakin goal, Turkey staged a rousing second half comeback and a fine strike from Arda in the last minute sealed the victory.

The game started briskly with Turkey having the edge in the early exchanges in front of a noisy, largely Swiss, crowd.

Yet it was the conditions that quickly became the biggest factor in the match, the rain pouring down and saturating a pitch which rapidly began to resemble a paddling pool. The water on the pitch made passing difficult and caused the ball to hold up, ensuring life became particularly treacherous for defenders.

Both sides struggled to cope with the conditions initially and it wasn?t until almost half way through the first half that the game saw its first shot on target. Gelson Fernandes, for the Swiss, testing Turkish keeper Demirel who saved comfortably.

Despite this it had looked as though the Turks were gaining the upper hand, their superior passing and movement troubling the Swiss although they did appear to lack a cutting edge.

Yet as the conditions worsened the Swiss seemed to adapt better and slowly began to create some chances. Yakin and Barnetta both served notice of their intentions by shooting from range and forcing Demirel into action.

After half an hour the deadlock was finally broken by the Swiss and in fine style. Derdiyok took a long ball from the back well and rounded the goalkeeper at pace before crossing for Yakin. The ball held up right in the middle of the goal ensuring a tap in for Yakin and the lead for the Swiss.

Minutes later and it should have been two nil, with Yakin the man guilty of missing a sitter. A great cross from Behrami on the right picked out the striker at the far post but he contrived to miss the target completely from only yards out.

Turkey, meanwhile, could consider themselves lucky to still be in the game. The waterlogged pitch had undoubtedly interrupted their passing game and they were struggling to create any chances of their own.

Indeed their best chance of the first half had a slice of luck attached to it. A free kick from Nihat was driven into the box, the goalkeeper managing to push the ball out but only onto the head of Arda who watched the ball cannon back off the post.

The interval brought an end to the rain and a change for the Turks as manager Terim threw on Senturk and Topal as he sought to find a way back into the match and avoid an early exit from the tournament that defeat would bring.

The substitutions and the rapidly drying pitch proved crucial for Turkey, with Sentuk equalising on 57 minutes.

A great cross in from the left by Nihat saw Senturk rise to nod past goalkeeper Benaglio. Although Benaglio got a hand to the header, and perhaps should have kept it out, he couldn?t prevent the ball creeping into the back of the net and suddenly the sides were level.

The improved conditions certainly helped Turkey who managed to get their passing game going again. Slowly the chances came, Tuncay crossing for Nihat who was inches away from connecting and putting the Turks ahead.

Yet the Swiss had chances of their own and might have taken the lead with only ten minutes remaining. A Swiss break, after some great passing, culminated with Demirel saving well from Yakin.

But just as it looked as though the game was heading for a draw, the winner arrived in dramatic style in injury time. Arda, the 21 year old winger, picked up the ball on the left and drove towards goal. Reaching the penalty area, he checked and hit a decent shot, which took a slight deflection along the way and gave the goalkeeper no chance.

With only seconds left on the clock the goal sent Switzerland out, meaning the co-hosts are the first team to depart Euro 2008. Turkey, meanwhile, go on to face the Czech Republic in their final group game, which will be a case of winner takes all.

GOALS:

1-2 Turkey (Arda, 90)

1-1 Turkey (Senturk, 57)

1-0 Switzerland (Yakin, 32)

Switzerland: Benaglio, Lichtsteiner, Muller, Senderos, Magnin, Behrami, Inler, Gelson (Cabanas, 76), Barnetta (Volanthen, 65), Yakin (Gygax, 85), Derdiyok.

Turkey: Demirel, Altintop, Asik, Cetin, Balta, Karadeniz (Senturk, 46), Aurelio, Metin (Topal, 46), Turan, Nihat (Kazim, 85), Sanli.

Referee: Lubos Michel

[Socrates 8328]

[Socrates 8328]

Euro 2008 Preview:

Croatia - Germany

What: European Championships, Group B

Who: Croatia vs Germany

When: Thursday 12 June 2008, 18:00 CET

Where: W?rthersee, Klagenfurt

Referee: Franck De Bleeckere (Bel)

The second round of matches in Group B gets underway with Croatia and Germany clashing in Klagenfurt. Both teams won their opening games, so the winner of this one will have gone a long way to clinching their place in the knock-out stage.

Croats Confident

Croatia got their Euro 2008 campaign off to a winning start against hosts Austria thanks to an early penalty from Luka Modric. They will want to continue that good start on Thursday as they face up to one of the tournament favourites Germany.

They are still regarded as one of the dark horses for the tournament and a positive result against the Germans will act as a huge confidence boost to Slaven Bilic?s men.

The Croats are not short on confidence and know that they can mix it with the big boys as their win at Wembley against England during qualification proves.

Striker Mladen Petric outlined the spirit in the side: "We're confident in ourselves, we know we're strong enough, and we have the quality to beat any team" he said.

Germany took the third place in 2006 World Cup as the host, while Croatia ended up with the same place in 1998 World Cup, during which Croatia beat Germany 3-0.

"We would love to be as successful as they were in 1998" Petric explained.

However, Germany has won five out of seven games against Croatia so far. "The Germans are always favourites - and not only in the group. It could be possible that our last game against Poland will decide who's going to the quarter-finals, but I hope we can secure our passage before that" the Dortmund striker added.

Germany beat the Croatians 2-1 in the last eight on their way to winning Euro 96 in England but suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat by them in the World Cup quarter-finals two years later.

Germans Hungry

Germany secured their first victory at a European Championships since 1996 (the year they last won the tournament) against Poland in their Group B opener with Lukas Podolski the two-goal hero.

Joachim L?w has a full strength squad at his disposal, although he will be looking for a better and more accomplished display from centre back Christophe Metzelder.

German team manager Oliver Bierhoff remains upbeat over Germany's prospects. "We are so eager on taking the title that we are hungrier than in 1996" he said.

At the European football championship in 1996, Bierhoff, then the main striker of in the German team, scored the first golden goal in the world's football history to help Germany seal the top title.

"Our team have already found its own style. Maybe it is difficult for me to compare Germany with other squads, but just like 12 years ago, we are a top-level team" he added.

He was of course optimistic over Germany's clash with Croatia. "We know Croatia are a strong rival, the match will be tough, but we will do our best to crush them to win" Bierhoff said.

Croatia however are by no means a minnow for Germany. The team coached by former Bundesliga player Slaven Bilic eliminated England during the qualifying round, and many experts see them as the dark horse in the 2008 tournament.

"Croatia are great tacticians while they also have great individuals who can beat you one-on-one. They know how to control the pace of a game" said German coach L?w.

FORM GUIDE

Croatia

21/11/07 England 2 Croatia 3 (Euro Qualifier)

06/02/08 Croatia 0 Holland 3 (Friendly)

26/03/08 Scotland 1 Croatia 1 (Friendly)

24/05/08 Croatia 1 Moldova 0 (Friendly)

31/05/08 Hungary 1 Croatia 1 (Friendly)

08/06/08 Austria 0 Croatia 1 (Euro 2008)

Germany

27/11/07 Germany 0 Wales 0 (Euro Qualifier)

06/02/08 Austria 0 Germany 3 (Friendly)

26/03/08 Switzerland 0 Germany 4 (Friendly)

27/05/08 Germany 2 Belarus 2 (Friendly)

31/05/08 Germany 2 Serbia 1 (Friendly)

08/06/08 Germany 2 Poland (Euro 2008)

TEAM NEWS

Croatia

Croatia coach Slaven Bilic remains confident midfielder Luka Modric will recover from an ankle injury to boost their hopes of a place in the last eight. Otherwise he is likely to stick with the line-up that overcame Austria.

Predicted Line-Up: Pletikosa, Simunic, R. Kovac, Corluka, N. Kovac, Srna, Modric, Pranjic, Kranjcar, Olic, Petric

Germany

As both striker Gomez and midfielder Schweinsteiger performed well in the first match, it is widely believed that Jogi L?w will make a minor change to send both to the pitch, while putting speedy Podolski backward as a winger to create more scoring chances for team-mates. Clemens Fritz would drop to the bench

Predicted Line-Up: Lehmann, Lahm, Metzelder. Mertesacker, Jansen, Frings, Ballack, Schweinsteiger, Podolski, Gomez, Klose

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Croatia-Mladen Petric

The German defence will know all about the danger posed by Borussia Dortmund striker Mladen Petric after the Croat hit 13 goals in his debut season in the Bundesliga. Slaven Bilic will be looking to him for the goals after the loss of Eduardo to injury.

Germany- Mario Gomez

The best German striker in the Bundesliga last season was undoubtedly Stuttgart?s Mario and he looks to have cemented his place in the forward line alongside Miroslav Klose. The time for him now is to show just what he can do on the highest stage. Lukas Podolski was the hero against Poland, but it could just be time for Gomez to grab the limelight.

PREDICTION

This should be a very close game with neither team wanting to give away the advantage they gained from winning their opening game. A draw wouldn?t be the end of the world for either team

Croatia 1-1 Germany

[Socrates 8328]

Euro 2008 Preview:

Austria - Poland

What: Euro 2008 Group B match

Who: Austria (3rd, 0 points) v Poland (4th 0 points)

When: Thursday, 12th June, Kick-off: 20:45 BST

Where: Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna

Referee: Howard Webb (England)

Victory Now Vital ? For Both Teams

After losing their opening matches in Group B, neither co-hosts Austria nor tournament debutants Poland can afford to be beaten on Thursday in their crucial second outings. If neither of last Sunday?s defeats was entirely unexpected, Austria at the hands of Croatia; Poland by the Germans, then the fighting qualities of the Austrian performance certainly surprised many.

They were undone by Luka Modric's early winning penalty for Croatia ? awarded for a foul by Rene Aufhauser and the fastest-ever spot-kick in the tournament ? but went on to give Slaven Bilic?s side a real run for their money, and finished the game looking by some distance the more likely to score the next goal against a tired looking Croatian team.

Nevertheless, the 1-0 defeat, following Switzerland?s by a similar score 24 hours earlier, meant Austria had become the sixth host nation to lose their opening match of a European Championship tournament. Now they must strive to avoid joining Belgium (2000) as the only host country not to survive the group stage since the introduction of the knock-out rounds in 1984. Since then, seven teams have managed to survive the group stage after losing their opening match. Portugal and England were the last teams to achieve this, at Euro 2004.

Austria?s defeat by Croatia also means they have still not won a game at a major tournament since 1990, although they can take much encouragement from a spirited display that flew in the face of their recent form - a mere two wins in 16 matches, which had left morale at a low ebb going into the tournament.

Referring to the penalty, coach Josef Hickersberger acknowledged: "This is the worst possible start you can have in an opening game of a tournament. After four minutes, we conceded a goal and we took some time to recover. For the first 30 minutes, the team wasn't playing well, we were nervous. But after that, we followed our tactical plan and we did it well. We even dominated the second half."

He added however, "The team is very depressed," so it is to be hoped he has managed to lift them in the meantime, because they showed, especially in the second half, that they are better than they seem to think they are. After losing his opening game in the qualifying

As for Poland, they will be hoping to shrug off their opening defeat against the powerful and impressive Germans, in the same way that they bounced back after losing their first game in the qualifying tournament, eventually finishing on top of their group ahead of Portugal

That successful qualifying campaign meant Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker had done what no previous tactician had managed or Poland ? taken them into the finals of a European Championship. However, the experienced Beenhakker is still looking to end a personal winless streak at major tournaments. He has not celebrated victory now in eight matches embracing four matches with Holland (1990 World Cup), three with Trinidad and Tobago (2006 Fifa World Cup) and one with Poland.

Beenhakker felt the Poles had matched the Germans for much of that first game, despite the 0-2 scoreline. ?There was a moment in the second half where we were totally dominating the game," he reflected, immediately afterwards. ?But it was over after the second goal (by Polish-born Lukas Podolski). We played for 70 minutes at the same level as them. The last 20 minutes we want to forget."

He insisted though that the result would not dent confidence within the squad. ?Everybody was upset about the result and not happy, but we are still in the tournament and that's what it's all about," he said. ?We have three or four days to recover physically and mentally and it's part of being a professional. Everybody is a bit upset now. On Monday we will see how the team is, then we will start up again. Knowing these guys are mentally strong and against Austria, they will be ready."

Opening Day Blanks & Blues

With both Austria and Poland making their debuts at the European Championships, the two countries remain the only participating teams never to have scored a goal in the competition.

Joachim Standfest went closest to changing that for Austria when he headed their best chance of the first half wide, before Umit Korkmaz had a fierce shot well saved after the break and Roman Kienast headed narrowly wide as they searched for an equaliser that would not have flattered them against Croatia. However, the Austrians ultimately paid the price for lacking genuine quality in the final third.

In Klagenfurt meanwhile, Poland keeper Artur Boruc had to save brilliantly from Germany captain Michael Ballack but had little chance against Podolski for the two decisive goals. The Poles might have opened their Euro account when Wojciech Lobodzinsi played in Maciej Zurawski, but the ex-Celtic star pulled his shot wide from a decent position. Brazilian-born substitute Roger Guerreiro, replacing Zurawski forced Per Mertesacker into a timely intervention to clear the danger, and later produced an excellent cross for Marek Saganowski, whose near-post effort was blocked by keeper Jens Lehmann.

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson, on the judging panel for man-of-the-match (Podolski), was impressed by what he saw of Poland, saying they performed well against illustrious opponents, and attributing their defeat in part to the solidity of Germany?s defence.

Hodgson said: "Germany are a hard team to beat because they have a lot of experience, pace and strength in their team, I thought the Polish had an equal share of possession but came up against a strong defence. At 1-0 down they were having to chase the game so they were always in danger of being caught on the counter-attack as they were obliged to throw people forward. But they can feel a little hard done by."

How They See It

Looking ahead to Thursday, Austria coach Hickersberger insists his team will be going all out to win.

"It will be an all-or-nothing match," he said. "The loser will be out. Anything less than a win will leave us virtually without any chance of getting through the group stage."

His captain, Andreas Ivanschitz, is targeting the same level of performance from Austria as they produced against Croatia, but with a better result.

"I think this match is going to be even harder than Sunday's. I expect Poland to be more battlesome, they have great physical strengths,? he said. ?They surely have some weaknesses, too. We analyzed them, but I won't speak about it. I know they are plagued by several injuries. Of course, their line-up interests me, but I'm more interested in our own.

"We are at our best when we play offensively. But we have to take care of the right balance. We must avoid at any cost that Poland takes the lead. No team that dropped behind has won so far at the tournament."

Meanwhile, Poland?s striker Euzebiusz (?Ebi?) Smolarek is equally adamant that his side must triumph in both their remaining group matches if they are to keep their adventure alive.

"We simply have to go out now and win our last two games," he said in the immediate aftermath of the Germany defeat. "We have to play Austria next and we must win that one if we are to have any chance and then we also have to beat Croatia and that won't be easy.

"The Germany game is gone now and we have to put it behind us. We will think about the game, we have a two-hour drive home so we have time to think and talk. We will wake up on Monday morning and talk again, but then we have to forget about this game and move on."

Head-To-Head

Austria and Poland have met on seven previous occasions, Austria winning three times and Poland four, with no draws so far. The Poles have won both competitive matches, 3-2 and 1-3 in the qualifying tournament for the 2006 World Cup 2006 ? and in fact they?ve scored at least three goals in each of their last four games against the Austrians.

FORM GUIDE

Austria

2007-08

22 Aug Czech Republic ( H) Friendly D 1-1

07 Sep Japan ( H) Friendly D 0-0

11 Sep Chile ( H) Friendly L 0-2

12 Oct Switzerland (a) Friendly L 1-3

17 Oct Ivory Coast ( H) Friendly W 3-2

16 Nov England ( H) Friendly L 0-1

21 Nov Tunisia ( H) Friendly D 0-0

06 Feb Germany ( H) Friendly L 0-3

26 Mar Netherlands ( H) Friendly L 3-4

27 May Nigeria ( H) Friendly D 1-1

30 May Malta ( H) Friendly W 5-1

08 Jun Croatia ( H) Euro 2008 L 0-1

Poland

2007-08

22 Aug Russia (a) Friendly D 2-2

08 Sep Portugal (a) Euro Qual D 2-2

12 Sep Finland (a) Euro Qual D 0-0

13 Oct Kazakhstan ( H) Euro Qual W 3-1

17 Oct Hungary ( H) Friendly L 0-1

17 Nov Belgium ( H) Euro Qual W 2-0

21 Nov Serbia (a) Euro Qual D 2-2

15 Dec Bosnia-Herzegovina Friendly W 1-0

06 Feb Czech Rep ( H) Friendly W 2-0

27 Feb Estonia ( H) Friendly W 2-0

26 Mar USA ( H) Friendly L 0-3

26 May Macedonia (a) Friendly D 1-1

27 May Albania (a) Friendly W 1-0

01 Jun Denmark ( H) Friendly D 1-1

08 Jun Germany (n) Euro 2008 L 0-2

TEAM NEWS

Austria

Hickersberger is hopeful striker Roland Linz will have recovered from the ankle injury he suffered against Croatia, but Roman Kienast will come in should Linz not be deemed fit enough. Linz trained on Tuesday despite being told to rest by the team doctor, and Hickersberger said: "I was surprised that he did take part but he wanted to fight for his place in the starting team."

Kienast, who came off the bench to play for 17 minutes against the Croats, is looking to start. ?I hope I will play from the beginning but that is up to the coach," he said. "I am happy Roland was back in training. There is no harsh competition between the two of us. I have a lot of self-belief and I try to convince the coach he should pick me because of my performances."

Meanwhile, captain Andreas Ivanschitz should play despite torn ligaments in his right knee, but Umit Korkmaz is also in contention for a role in midfield.

Martin Hiden will win his 50th cap for Austria if he plays, while at 38, Ivica Vastic ? who became the fourth oldest player in the history of the European Championship on Sunday ? will become the oldest goalscorer ever at the tournament if he finds the back of the net.

Sebastian Prodl, Jurgen Saeumel and Emanuel Pogatetz will be suspended if they receive another caution.

Squad/Last Starting XI:

Macho - Proedl, Stranzl, Pogatetz - Standfest, Aufhauser, Saeumel (Vastic 62?), Ivanschitz, Gercaliu (Korkmaz 69?), Harnik, Linz (Kienast 74?).

Subs not used: Manninger, Ozcan, Garics, Hiden, Katzer, Patocka, Fuchs, Leitgeb, Hoffer.

Poland

Roger Guerreiro is expected to take the place of injured Poland captain Maciej Zurawski (thigh), while Jakub Wawrzyniak could come in for Pawel Golanski at left-back.

While Beenhakker would not confirm whether Roger would definitely start, the South American forward clearly excites his coach, who enthused: "He is great. He's amazing, he's fantastic. He sees solutions and makes choices on the field that are, well, it's Brazilian. I cannot explain it in any other way."

Mariusz Lewandowski and Ebi Smolarek will be suspended if they collect another yellow card, while defender Jacek Bak, who plays his club football at Austria Vienna, will be up against team-mates Joachim Standfest and Ronald Gercaliu.

Squad/Last Starting XI

Boruc - Wasilewski, Zewlakow, Bak, Golanski (Saganowski 75) - Dudka, Lewandowski, Lobodzinski (Piszczek 65), Zurawski (Roger 46) - Krzynowek, Smolarek.

Subs Not Used: Fabianski, Jop, Wawrzyniak, Zahorski, Kokoszka, Pazdan, Gargula, Murawski.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Austria

Middlesbrough defender Emanuel Pogatetz was lucky to stay on the pitch against Croatia after his man-handling of Ivica Olic should have brought a second yellow. He will need to more controlled against Poland, particularly as the 25-year-old is one of the relatively few Austrian players with extensive experience in playing in one of Europe's major leagues. He was banned in 2006 for criticising Hickersberger and Ivanschitz, but is now back and a key member of the side.

Poland

Striker Ebi Smolarek, the 27-year-old Racing Santander forward, is the son of Wlodzimierz, who played in the 1982 and 1986 World Cup finals for the Poles. Ebi hit nine goals during Poland?s qualifying campaign to become, like his father before him, something of a national hero. Although he has not lived up to expectations in the Spanish League, it will be to Smolarek that the country looks to break their scoring duck in European Championships as they seek their first win.

PREDICTION

After being so impressive during qualifying and then coming up against one of the formidable tournament favourites in Germany, Poland have no reason to start doubting their capabilities. But co-hosts Austria proved far more resilient in losing narrowly to Croatia than their woeful pre-tournament had led most to expect. They could prove troublesome for both Poland and Germany. But although they may avoid becoming the tournament?s whipping boys, still expect a Polish win in a close-fought affair.

Austria 1-2 Poland

[ReMad 0]

Croatia vs Germany

European Championships, Group B

Thursday 12 June 2008, 18:00 CET

W?rthersee, Klagenfurt

Referee: Franck De Bleeckere (Bel)

Pre Match Videos

PES 2008 Predicts EURO 2008 - Croatia vs Germany

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Match Trailer : Croatia vs Germany

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Goals

First goal for Croatia - Srna

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Second goal for Croatia - Olic

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First goal for germany - Podolski

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Extras

National anthems

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Danerous chance for croatia from Kranjcar

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Ballack free kick * 32

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Metzelder header *38

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Lehmann's save 42

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Canceled goal for germany 44

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Dangerous shot for Croatia 50

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Schweinsteiger shot 71

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Red card for Schwiensteiger 90

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[Socrates 8328]

Croatia 2 - 1 Germany

Darijo Srna (24') - Ivica Olic (62') -

Lukas Podolski (79')

1 Pletikosa S. Goalkeeper - 5 Corluka V. Defender - 3 Simunic J. Defender - 4 Kovac R. Defender - 22 Pranjic D. Defender - 10 Kovac N. Midfielder - 7 Rakitic I. Midfielder - 11 Srna D. Midfielder - 19 Kranjcar N. Midfielder - 14 Luka Modric Midfielder - 18 Olic I. Striker

*23 Runje V. Goalkeeper - 12 Galinovic M. Goalkeeper - 2 Simic D. Defender - 15 Knezevic D. Defender - 6 Vejic H. Defender - 8 Vukojevic O. Midfielder - 16 Leko J. Midfielder - 13 Pokrivac N. Midfielder - 17 Klasnic I. Striker - 20 Budan I. Striker - 21 Petric M. Striker - 9 Kalinic N. Striker

*Bilic S. Manager/Coach

1 Lehmann J. Goalkeeper - 16 Lahm P. Defender - 21 Christoph Metzelder Defender - 17 Mertesacker P. Defender - 2 Jansen M. Defender - 4 Fritz C. Midfielder - 8 Frings T. Midfielder - 13 Ballack M. Midfielder - 20 Podolski L. Midfielder - 9 Gomez M. Striker - 11 Klose M. Striker

*23 Adler R. Goalkeeper - 12 Enke R. Goalkeeper - 3 Friedrich A. Defender - 5 Westermann H. Defender - 15 Hitzlsperger T. Midfielder - 7 Schweinsteiger B. Midfielder - 18 Borowski T. Midfielder - 6 Rolfes S. Midfielder - 19 Odonkor D. Midfielder - 14 Trochowski P. Midfielder - 22 Kuranyi K. Striker - 10 Neuville O. Striker

*L?w J. Manager/Coach

90'+3 The final whistle blows, and Croatia have earned a deserved and famous victory which furtyher enhances the reputation of manager Slavcen Bilic. It is only Germany's eighth defeat in European Championship history and means they could possibly meet Portugal in the quarter-finals, which would certainly be another interesting encounter. But well played Croatia - two wins out of two, and the second a big improvement on the first..

90'+3 Yellow Card Modric L.

90'+2 Yellow Card Leko J.

90'+2 Red Card Schweinsteiger B..................................

90'+2 Yellow Card Lehmann J.

90'+2 A two footed tackle by Modric earns him a booking

90'+1 Into stoppage rime,Germany's bad day gets unnecessaruly worse as Bastian Schweinsteiger is sent off for pushing Leko who reacts theatrically. Lehmannis also booked for compaining

88' Croatia play a bit keep-ball by the corner flag. They're just a couple of minutes (plus stoppages) away from their second ever win over Germany.

85' Ballack fouls Ivan Rakitic but the free-kick comes to nothing

85' Substitution Kranjcar N. Knezevic D.

84' After Lahm's cross is cleared by Corluka, Niko Kranjcar is replaced by Dario Knezevic

82' A shot by Niko Kranjcar is saved, a bit untidily, by Lehmann

82' Substitution Fritz C. Kuranyi K.

81' Now Germany make another change, Clemens Fritz being replaced by Kevin Kuranyi

80' Substitution Srna D. Leko J.

79' Goal Podolski L.

79' Croatia make a substitution, Darijo Srna being replaced by Jerko Leko

78' GOAL!!! Germany get back into the game and it's that man Lukas Podolski again, with an instinctive vollety ferom inside the area. Lahm crosees from the left, Ballack jumps anut a Croatian defender knocks it out. Unfortunately for him, it falls for Podolski who thumps it into the net emphatically from 12 yards.

77' Ballack's cross is cleared by Robert Kovac as Germany threaten again

75' A foul by Michael Ballack on Ivan Rakitic produces a direct free kick by Luka Modric from the left wing, after Ballack is booked for unsporting behaviour. Kranjcar's shot from the right some 18 yards out is saved by Jens Lehmann

75' Yellow Card Ballack M.

72' Substitution Olic I. Petric M.

72' A cross by Bastian Schweinsteigeris now blocked by Stipe Pletikosa

71' A cross by David Odonkor is cleared by Robert Kovac.

71' A cross by Bastian Schweinsteiger goes out of play and Bilic makes a change, with second goal scorer Ivica Olic replaced by Mladen Petric

68' Croatia win a corner on the left which Lehmann knocks out for another corner on the right. The move ends in a goal kick, but Croatia are looking closer to a third goal than Germany are to a first

66' Frings fouls Kranjcar outside the area to concede a dangerous free-kick but the wall blocks it for Germany

65' Low responds to the latest set-back by taking off Mario Gomez for Bastian Schweinsteiger

65' Substitution Gomez M. Schweinsteiger B.

63' Croatia are giving Germany a very uncomfortable evening - could history repeat itself from that 3-0 1998 World Cup victory?

62' GOAL!! There's a touch of fortune as OLIC taps in for number two, Kranjcar's shot being deflected by Podolski which wrong-foots Lehmann, who manages to knock it onto the post, coming back out for Olic to score.

62' Goal Olic I.

60' If Germany do get back into this the Croats will kick themselves for missing two outstanding chances to add to their lead in the first half

57' Germany look distinctly out of sorts and Ballack is exuding concern and frustration out there. Low on the bench, too, is wracked in consternation. They are a shadow of the side that overcame Poland

54' Danijel Pranjic is caught offside for Croatia. The indirect free kick is taken by Mertesacker but it comes to nothing.

53' Cross by Vedran Corluka is caught by Jens Lehmann.

51' Luka Modric has a shot from distance which Jens Lehmann fumbles before finally gathering it

50' A promising position for Germany completely wasted as Torsten Frings' fre-kick only just reaches the penalty area.

48' Frings finds Lahm on the left, and his free-kiclk is punched out rather riskily by Stipe Pletikosa, for Ballack to lash back towards goal, but it flies over

47' Germany win an early corner but the Croats deal with it.

46' Substitution Jansen M. Odonkor D.

46 For the second half, Germany have withdrawn the hapless Jansem and sent on David Odonkor

45'+1 Yellow Card Simunic J.

45' Josip Simunic kicks the ball away after it has gone out of play, and is booked - the first yellow he'sreceived since GrahamPoll famously issued him with three in thev2006 World Cup. The half-time whistle blows and the Croatians will be delighted with that first-half performance

43' Croatia need to capitalise on Jansen's obvious lack of confidence

41' Lehmann has to make a fine parrying save from Olic spins and fires in a shot from Vedran Corluka's teasing left-wing cross, with Jansen again looking at fault.

40' A nicely worked attack by Germany ends with Lahm whipping in a fine deep cross that Stipe Pletikosa gathers.

38' Josip Simunic concedes a corner under pressure, the corner is taken but is ordered to be retaken. Frings' excellent delivery is met by a free header by Christoph Metzelder, but he puts it over rather on target. Another good chance for Germany.

36' Ballack has moved further forward since the goalto support tothe two front men, but in doing so he has put distance between himself and midfield partner Frings.

32' Now Germany have a superb chance as Michael Ballack lets fly with a ferocious shot from a free-kick that Stipe Pletikosa saves well. Germany's best chance so far.

30' Croatia have a terrific opportunity to double their lead. A Danijel Pranjic cross is headed on by Olic for Niko Kranjcar, who shoots over from an excellent position, prompting Lehmann to remonstrate furiously with his defenders.

27' Srna is involved in everything as he collects the first yellow card of the game for a sliding challenge on Lukas Podolski.

27' Yellow Card Srna D.

24' Goal Srna D.

24' GOAL!! Dario Srna scores for Croatia to cap another great move by Croatia. Kranjcar started the move wirth an astute midfield pass to Danijel Pranjic on the left wing, and his deep cross to the far post saw Marcell Jansen ballwatching as Srna stabbed it home. It was the first shot on target, and the first goal. The Germans really dohave a game on their hands now...

22' Germany are being made to work very hard by Croatia just to get anything into the box

21' Podolski finds Gomez who slips the ball into the net but the flag was up as Gomez had just strayed offside. He needs just to time his runs a fraction later.

19' Lehmann gathers comfortably from an Olic header that looped up, but Croatia will be pleased with they way they are settling intothis game

18' Gomez is caught just offside from a long ball forward as Germany break up another Croatian attack in midfield

15' Croatia have started purposefully and appear to be determined not to repeat the pattern of the Austria game when they settled into a rut after taking an early lead and failed to press on. Germany already know this will be a tougher challenge than thev one they faced against Poland.

13' Lehmann comes tomake contact with a Srna cross but makes no contact as Olic is penalised for fouling Mertersacker, who had managed to head it out for what would have bewen a corner but for the infringement.

12' Srna's right wing delivery from a free-kick is excellent and requires full concentration by the German defence to clear the danger.

10' There is a lot of tension on the pitch in whart has been a cagey, cat-and-mouse opening with few really incisive movements.

7' The Croatian fans outnumber the Germans inside the Worthersee Stadium and they're making plenty of noise as Mertersacker heads clear froma promising left wing Croatian attack

5' Dari Srna needs treatment for an impact injury after a ollision with Christoph Metzelder. They're both Ok after treatment.

3' Nico Kovac is caught on the ball by Fritz and finds Klose, whose return for Fritz is intercepted by Robert Kovac.

2' The referee is Belgian Frank De Bleeckere, there was a massive Croatian flag at the end their fans are concentrate, and the opening exchanges are cagey.

1 The game gets underway in a vibrant atmosphere, Croatia wearing all blue while Germany are in their famous white shirts and black shorts.

0 The second round of matches in Group B sees Croatia take on Germany in Klagenfurt, both teams having won their opening games - against Austria 1-0 and Poland 2-0, respectively. Whoever wins this clash will effectively have one foot in the knock-out stage, and tournament favourites Germany - who looked impressive against the Poles when Lukas Podolski scored both goals - will be confident going into the game. However, while the Croatians were given stern examination by co-hosts Austria and were relieved to hear the final whistle, Slaven Bilic's men have belief in their own ability after an impressive qualifying campaign. They have missed injured striker Eduardo, though, and will need to find a cutting edge against the formidable Germans. Germany have lost just once in eight meetings with Croatia - a 3-0 defeat in the quarter-finals of the 1998 World Cup. Current manager Slaven Bilic (and defender Dario Simic, who's on the Croat bench today) were in that successful side. The teams today are: Croatia: Pletikosa, Corluka, Robert Kovac, Simunic, Pranjic, Srna, Modric, Nico Kovac, Rakitic, Kranjcar, Olic. Subs: Galinovic, Runje, Simic, Vejic, Vukojevic, Kalinic, Pokrivac, Knezevic, Leko, Klasnic, Budan, Petric. Germany: Lehmann, Lahm, Metzelder, Mertesacker, Jansen, Fritz, Frings, Ballack, Podolski, Gomez, Klose. Subs: Enke, Adler, Friedrich, Westermann, Rolfes, Schweinsteiger, Neuville, Trochowski, Hitzlsperger, Borowski, Odonkor, Kuranyi. That means Ivan Rakitic comes in for Croatia, replacing Mladen Petric. He'll be expected to play behind striker Ivica Olic. Germany are unchanged so Lucas Podolski stays on the left with Mario Gomez and Miroslav Klose up front. The anthems are booming out...

[Socrates 8328]

Bilic's Croats Shock Germany

Croatia 2-1 Germany

Group B has seen its first surprise with Croatia beating favourites Germany in Klagenfurt. The German air of invincibility was broken with two goals from Dario Srna and Ivica Olic.

Lukas Podolski grabbed one back, but it proved too little, too late. To make matters worse Bastian Schweinsteiger was sent off late on.

Slaven Bilic made one change to the side that won their opening game against Austria. Schalke?s Ivan Rakitic was brought in to replace Dortmund?s Mladen Petric.

German trainer Joachim L?w sent out the same eleven that beat Poland. Bastian Schweinsteiger had to be content with a place on the bench with Clemens Fritz retaining his place in midfield. Lukas Podolski was again selected on the left hand side of midfield with Klose and Gomez up front.

First Half

The early stages of the game saw Germany with plenty of ball possession, but finding it hard to find any gaps in the massed ranks of the Croatian defence. Jansen looked dangerous going forward and on nine minutes he beat Dario Srna down the left before sending in a dangerous looking cross. However, Simunic was on hand to clear from Lukas Podolski.

Croatia were also looking good going forward. A Srna free kick had to be cleared by Mertesacker, while a corner from the same player after 17 minutes was flicked on well by Simunic, but there was no Croatian striker on hand to profit.

The Croats continued to press forward and looked confident. Modric sent Olic in with a great through pass after 20 minutes, but Metzelder was able to stretch out a leg at the last minute to concede a corner.

With the pressure building from Slaven Bilic?s side, they duly took the lead after 24 minutes. They were given far too much room down the left hand side with Pranjic flighting in a great cross. Jansen lost Dario Srna in the area and the Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder was able to fire home giving Jens Lehmann no chance in the German goal.

Germany looked to hit back instantly, but Mario Gomez headed a Marcell Jansen cross over the bar. Goal scorer Dario Srna then collected the first yellow card of the game for a foul on Jansen out wide.

Croatia looked to have gained hugely in confidence following their goal. They then had a huge chance to double their lead after 31 minutes. Olic laid the ball unselfishly off to Kranjcar in the penalty area only for the Portsmouth midfielder to fire wildly over.

Minutes later Germany were awarded a free kick, which Michael Ballack thumped goalwards from distance. Stipe Pletikosa in the Croat goal took no chances and fisted the ball away. Then a Frings corner saw Klose and Metzelder get in each other?s way.

There were dangerous opportunities from both sides before the break. Five minutes before the half-time whistle, Metzelder rose to head a Frings corner goalwards, but his effort went over.

Croatia then set off on a fine counter-attacking move. Vedran Corluka beat Jansen before crossing to Olic. The Hamburg striker again chose to lay the ball of to Kranjcar, and the midfielder forced Jens Lehmann into an instinctive point-blank save.

Second Half

German trainer Jogi L?w reacted at the start of the second half by taking off Jansen and sending on speedy winger David Odonkor. Jansen had been given a tough time in the first half. Phillipp Lahm switched to left back with Clemens Fritz slotting in at right full back.

The first chance of the second half fell to the Germans but it was wasted. Pletikosa fisted out a cross from Lahm only as far as Michael Ballack. The Chelsea midfielder?s effort however ended up high in the stand behind the goal.

Ballack looked to get his team going by leading by example. He stormed forward on 52 minutes only to get swamped by a deep lying Croat back line. Croatia countered and Modric forced Lehmann into a save with an effort that dipped and swerved in the air.

Germany continued to be the team going forward the most, but they were finding it difficult to create clear goal scoring chances.

Croatia were then handed a huge slice of luck as they doubled their lead on 62 minutes. Lukas Podolski deflected a cross from Rakitic so that the ball hit Jens Lehmann?s right-hand post. Ivica Olic was on hand to pounce and he had the easiest of jobs to stab the ball home.

Germany injected a little more urgency into their play and Bastian Schweinsteiger was sent on to boost the team. Croatia however remained dangerous going forward and forced a whole series of corners.

Germany?s best chance of the game thus far fell to Bastian Schweinsteiger on 73 minutes. David Odonkor had the chance to speed down the right before he played the ball inside to Ballack. The German captain slipped the ball to Schweinsteiger whose low cross-shot flashed just wide of the far post.

Germany were then rewarded for their pressure with a goal 11 minutes from time. Phillip Lahm sent a cross into the box, which Ballack tried to direct goalwards. Robert Kovac attempted to head clear, but the ball fell invitingly to Podolski, who fired past Pletikosa with aplomb.

Much as Germany tried to pile forward the chances just weren?t coming their way. Croatia even looked the more likely to score with Modric and Petric combining well on the counter. Metzelder had to be alert to clear the danger late on.

Things then went from bad to worse in stoppage time as Bastian Schweinsteiger was sent off for a retaliatory shove on Jerko Leko.

Goals:

1-0 Srna (24)

2-0 Olic (62)

2-1 Podolski (79)

Yellow cards: Srna (28) Simunic (45) Leko (91), Modric (92) / Ballack (75) Lehmann (91)

Red cards: Schweinsteiger (91)

Croatia: Pletikosa, Corluka, R.Kovac, Simunic, Pranjic, Srna (Leko 80), N.Kovac, Kranjcar (Knezevic 85), Modric, Rakitic, Olic (Petric 72)

Germany: Lehmann, Lahm, Metzelder, Mertesacker Jansen (Odonkor 46), Frings, Ballack, Fritz (Kuranyi 82), Podolski, Gomez (Schweinsteiger 65), Klose

[Socrates 8328]

Vastic Penalty Denies Poland,

Keeps Austria Alive

Austria 1-1 Poland

With Germany losing to Croatia in Group B's other match, both sides knew that qualification was still in their own hands. A loss for Poland would have seen Leo Beenhakker's team eliminated, while Austria were secure in the knowledge that their third and final group game would be significant no matter what the outcome. Roger Guerreiro fired Poland into a 30th minute lead but an injury time penalty from Ivica Vastic gave the hosts a fighting chance to qualify

An injury time penalty by Ivica Vastic has given co-hosts Austria a chance to go one better than their cohorts Switzerland at Euro 2008, as Josef Hickersberger's side ensured a significant third and final group game against Germany on Monday.

Poland had taken the lead, admittedly against the run of play, from a Roger Guerreiro tap-in, when the Brazilian born player swept home from a suspiciously offside position.

Prior, Austria had squandered a trio of gilt-edged opportunities, Martin Harnik and Christian Leitgeib failed to beat Artur Boruc with the goal at their mercy. Firstly, Hanrik's one-on-one effort was blocked wide by the Celtic man, and saw another goal bound effort stopped by the foot of the impressive Polish custodian.

Leitgeib also failed in his duel, after being released by Andreas Ivanschitz.

A less chaotic second half saw a reassured Poland exert themselves on proceedings with Guerreiro and Jacek Kyrznowek in dominating form. They could not add to their lead however, with Jurgen Macho making a fine double save from Jacek Bak and Mariusz Lewandowski in the 65th minute.

Poland were made to rue their missed chances in stoppage time, as Howard Webb adjudged Sebastian Prodl to have been hauled to the ground by Lewandowski with 92 minutes played.

Austrian fans were left clinging to hope for their final group game as their domestic Player of the Year Ivica Vastic restored parity with the game's last meaningful kick.

First Half

Buoyed by their opening game performance against Croatia, co-hosts Austria expressed their confidence in proving that they were a better team than they thought by shedding their relatively conservative 3-5-2 formation.

Josef Hickersberger replaced wing-backs Joachim Standfest and Ronald Gercaliu, as well as midfield enforcer Jurgen Saumel, with full-back Gyrgory Garics, and genuine wingers Christian Leitgeib and Umit Korkmaz.

Hickersberger's bravado was rewarded from the start with a flurry of threatening attacking intent.

Korkmaz, the jet-heeled Rapid Wien left-sider, gave Marcin Wasilewski a horrendous opening half hour, in which Austria should have taken a three goal lead. Martin Harnik, impressive in his endeavour against Croatia, passed up two opportunities, denied by the excellence of Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc.

Ten minutes had elapsed when Mariusz Jop failed to deal with Wasilewski's pass and allowed Hanrik a clear run at goal. The Werder Bremen striker found only Boruc's considerable anatomy with his pallid shot and Poland escaped.

The same player struck at goal two minutes later after Korkmaz left Wasilewski dizzy on the left wing. His pull back to the penalty spot was met by Hanrik who saw his chance blocked away by the impassable Boruc.

The suspect Polish offside trap, exposed so overtly by a pacy German side on Sunday, was once again not functioning satisfactorily as Christian Leitgeib raced onto a Andreas Ivanschitz pass. The Salzburg winger saw the goals shrink as he bore down on Boruc, and fatally squandered another key opportunity.

The Poles gradually settled into the game thereafter, with Roger Guerreiro and Jacek Krzynowek wresting control of the midfield. On the half hour, Austria were punished for their profligacy as Poland delivered a sucker punch.

Ebi Smolarek's exquisite cross-field pass found Marek Saganowski on-rushing towards the penalty box. He beat Middlesbrough's Emanuel Pogatetz all too easily to find the Brazilian born Guerreiro sweeping the ball home to steal the ascendancy, and score his first international goal from a dubious position.

A shell-shocked Austria failed to shake the cobwebs before the break as Poland entered the interval with an unlikely lead. Leitgeib fired a free-kick over in injury time as the co-hosts sought a reprieve.

Second Half

After seeing Mariusz Jop endured a torrid 45 minutes, Leo Beenhakker replaced the central defender at the break with Pawel Golanski, and reshuffled his back four. The Poles enjoyed a better share of possession as the side adopted a less jittery look. Golanski, however, was at the centre of attention when he looked to have brought Andreas Ivanschitz down in the area; Howard Webb waved away the Austrian protests.

Roger Guerreiro orchestrated the first Polish chance of the half; his chipped through ball found Austria on the turn, and Ebi Smolarek had his shot blocked out by Jurgen Macho.

The Austrians found the second half a different prospect than the first, as they saw themselves chasing, rather than controlling possession.

The Poles continued to create the better chances; Just past the hour, Guerreiro found Jacek Bak with a pass across the box. The central defender controlled on the chest and fired a close range volley which was repelled by Macho. The ex-Chelsea keeper was also equal to Mariusz Lewandowski's follow-up effort.

Jacek Kryznowek, Steffen Effenberg-esque in stature, saw his 35-yard free-kick tipped over by Macho soon after. For all their first-half pressure, by the close of the second, Austria were evidently blunted. Artur Boruc scarcely had a significant touch, as his assured back-line kept the hosts at bay. Guerreiro lit up a relatively muted closing stage with an array of trickery and skill as Poland sought to see-out a testing encounter.

However, there was to be a sting in the tail for the Polish as Austria were handed a championship lifeline deep into stoppage time. After ignoring a Howard Webb warning about jostling in the penalty area, Mariusz Lewandowski hauled Sebastian Prodl to the ground and the Englishman pointed to the spot. Ivica Vastic, 38 years of age, sent the home supporters into raptures and set up a crucial fixture with Germany on Monday.

Line Ups:

Austria (4-4-2): Macho - Garics, Pogatetz, Stranzl, Prodl - Aufhauser (Saumel 74'), Ivanschitz (Vastic 65'), Korkmaz, Lietgeib - Linz (Kienast 65'), Hanrik. Subs not used: Manninger, Ozcan, Standfest, Gercaliu, Katzer, Patocka, Hiden, Fuchs, Hoffer.

Poland (4-4-2): Boruc - Wasilevski, Zewlakow, Bak, Jop (Golanski h/t) - Dudka, Lewandowski, Kryznowek, Guerreiro (Murawski ,85') - Smolarek, Saganowski (Lobodzinski 84'). Subs not used: Kowalewski, Fabianski, Wawrzyniak, Pazdan, Kokoszka, Gargula, Zurawski, Piszczek, Zahorski.

Goals:

Austria: Vastic, (90+2, Pen)

Poland: Guerreiro, (30')

Cards:

Austria: Korkmaz, (56'), Prodl, (73')

Poland: Wasilewski, (58'), Kyrznowek, (62'), Bak, (92')

Referee:

Howard Webb (Eng)

[Socrates 8328]

[Socrates 8328]

Euro 2008 Preview:

Italy - Romania

What: European Championships, Group C

Who: Italy (4th, 0pts) vs Romania (3rd, 1pt)

When: Friday 13 June 2008, 17:00 CET

Where: Letzigrund Stadion, Z?rich

Do-Or-Die For Italy

Italy come into this match knowing that they simply have to win if they are to keep qualification for the knockout stages in their own hands.

The Azzurri were torn apart in their opening group match on Monday, losing 3-0 to Holland in Berne, with Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Wesley Sneijder and Giovanni Van Bronckhorst grabbing the goals.

Roberto Donadoni has since been crucified by the Italian press over his mind-boggling team selection after he chose the out-of-form Marco Materazzi in defence, left the in-form Fabio Grosso on the bench, and preferred Massimo Ambrosini to Daniele De Rossi in midfield.

Donadoni will surely make wholesale changes for the match against Romania, and there has been a press campaign for both Alessandro Del Piero and Antonio Cassano to start after they impressed as late second half substitutes against Holland.

It is not all doom-and-gloom for Italy, and a win here will put them back into the running for qualification. A defeat will see them eliminated, while a draw will leave them requiring both of the results to go their way in the final games of the group, when the Azzurri take on France.

Romania Out To Surprise Again

When the Group C draw was made, Romania were almost immediately discarded as the also-rans, with Italy, France and Holland expected to fight it out for the two qualification places.

However Victor Piţurcă?s men proved in their first match of the group against France that they are no pushovers, as they produced a superb tactical performance to draw 0-0, limiting Les Bleus to few chances the entire game.

While Romania rarely threatened themselves, they did prove that defensively they are a solid and organised unit, and they will surely set themselves up in a similar way against an Italy side who know that they simply have to win.

If the Tricolorii were to obtain a point in this match, it would mean that a victory in their final game of the group against Holland would be enough to qualify. For this reason a cautious approach at the Letzigrund Stadium is a virtual certainty.

It will be a special game for Christian Chivu, Paul Codrea and Adrian Mutu, who all play their club football in Italy, for Inter, Siena and Fiorentina respectively.

These two teams met in the quarter-finals of Euro 2000, with Francesco Totti and Pippo Inzaghi scoring in a 2-0 Azzurri win. The legendary Gheorghe Hagi hit the post for Romania, caused a serious injury for Antonio Conte, and was later sent off in an eventful game.

FORM GUIDE

Italy

09/06 (Euro 2008): Holland-Italy 3-0

29/05 (Friendly): Italy-Belgium 3-1

26/03 (Friendly): Spain-Italy 1-0

06/02 (Friendly played in Zurich): Italy-Portugal 3-1

21/11 (Euro 2008 Qualifier): Italy-Faroe Islands 3-1

Romania

09/06 (Euro 2008): Romania-France 0-0

31/05 (Friendly): Romania-Montenegro 4-0

26/03 (Friendly): Romania-Russia 3-0

06/02 (Friendly): Israel-Romania 1-0

21/11 (Euro 2008 Qualifier) Romania-Albania 6-1

TEAM NEWS

Italy

Roberto Donadoni will surely ring the changes for this game. Marco Materazzi and Andrea Barzagli are both set to be dropped, with Giorgio Chiellini and Fabio Grosso coming in to form a defensive reshuffle. Daniele De Rossi will certainly start in midfield, as will new captain Alex Del Piero up-front. Antonio Cassano is still only likely to be on the substitutes bench.

Probable XI: Buffon; Zambrotta, Panucci, Chiellini, Grosso; De Rossi, Pirlo, Ambrosini; Camoranesi, Toni, Del Piero

Romania

Romania will play the same disciplined system they employed successfully against France. Ciprian Marica will recover from a head injury but will probably be on the bench, with Daniel Niculae preferred. Christian Chivu will again play in centre midfield following his outstanding performance on Monday. Nicolae Dica may get the nod on the left of midfield after impressing in training this week.

Probable XI: Lobont; Contra, Tamas, Goian, Rat; Nicolita, Codrea, Chivu, Dica; D Niculae, Mutu

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Italy ? Alessandro Del Piero: Restored to the Italy line-up after impressing as a substitute against the Dutch, for the first time possibly in his international career, the Italian nation is actually relying on the Golden Boy to dig them out of a hole. The 33-year-old has just had his best season in a decade, finishing top-scorer in Serie A, and will surely be high in confidence.

Romania ? Christian Chivu: The Inter man was an absolute colossus against France. He was authoritative and oozed class in an unfamiliar centre midfield position. Having played in Serie A for a number of years now, he will know his opponents well, and if he can take charge in the middle-of-the-park like the Dutch did, then Romania may fancy their chances of another upset. Chivu will be up against old Roma colleague Daniele De Rossi.

PREDICTION

The pattern that this match will follow is very easy to predict. Italy simply have to win and will be on the front foot, while Romania will sit back and play for the draw as, if they get a point, they know that a win in their last group game against Holland will guarantee qualification. Italy to just pinch it, with Del Piero grabbing the winner.

Italy 1-0 Romania

[Socrates 8328]

Euro 2008 Preview:

Holland - France

What: European Championships, Group C

Who: Italy (4th, 0pts) vs Romania (3rd, 1pt)

When: Friday 13 June 2008, 17:00 CET

Where: Letzigrund Stadion, Z?rich

Friday evening's encounter between the Netherlands and France is fascinatingly poised. A Dutch victory would seal their place in the knockout stages and put France under severe pressure.

The Future's Bright, The Future's Oranje

It was a case of 'brilliant Oranje' for the Dutch on Monday as a breathtaking display of counter-attacking football proved far too much for a beleaguered Italian side to handle.

Victory in their tournament opener gives the Netherlands a superb chance of progressing from the 'Group of Death'. Victory over the French on Friday evening would ensure progression and really lay down a message of intent to the other big nations.

Head coach Marco Van Basten, who departs to take over Ajax after the tournament, will be acutely aware that it is not how the Dutch start the tournament but how they finish.

Although Monday's 3-0 victory appears emphatic the margins were fine. After Ruud van Nistlerooy's highly controversial opening goal the Dutch scored their second and third goals from swift counters moments after the Italians had posed a serious threat at the opposite end of the field.

Van Basten remains coy regarding his side's chances telling the assembled press after Tuesday's victory that, ?We have won just one game. It is only the first step.?

Still it takes a special side to beat the Italians by a three goal margin. This was the first time in quarter of a century that the Azzurri had been beaten by such a score.

Van Basten understatedly said, ?It shows that we have a good team with quality and I'm proud of this.? Formerly a Dutch international of distinction himself Van Basten said that his side could do ?great things? in the tournament.

Once again Vas Basten will look to a deadly attacking quartet to slice open the French defence. Van Nistlerooy is a prolific scorer both at club and international level. His poached goal against Italy was a typical predatory effort from the Real Madrid striker. Supporting him will be Rafael Van Der Vaart, Dirk Kuyt and club-mate Wesley Sneijder.

If this unit can perform as impressive against France as they did against Italy than the Dutch can be extremely confident of victory.

Raymond Domenech: Feeling Les Bleus

France's head coach, Raymond Domenech, finds it difficult to stay out of the papers for the wrong reasons. Even when the French side are going well few pundits have too many complimentary words to say about the former Lyon boss but after catastrophes such as Monday's scoreless draw with Romania there are no shortage of critics.

Les Bleus' tepid draw with the Romanians resonated loudly around Europe. German tabloid newspaper Bild declared Domenech an ?idiot? while the French media were highly critical of his tactics without ever being quite so cutting.

A lack of attacking flair was sighted as France's problem. Missing Patrick Vieira in midfield there was no-one from the centre of park prepared to push forward and get past the strikers. This situation was not helped by a poor showing from Florent Malouda on the left while Rib?ry on the right was often crowded out.

The balance of France's midfield was all wrong against Romania; it was much too defensive. The Netherlands will pose a very different threat to France than the Romanians and so Domenech can probably afford to start with the defensive pair of Mak?l?l? and Toulalan at the heart of his side.

If no changes are made to the starting eleven of Domenech's side it will be a major surprise. Casualties are likely to include Nicolas Anelka, Malouda and Willy Sagnol.

Elsewhere other options must be examined. Thierry Henry, who has returned to training after a back problem, will likely start in attack alongside Karim Benzema while the widemen may also be subject to change.

Rib?ry has already stated that he prefers to play on the left, his club position with Bayern Munich, yet he started on the right against Romania. It would be no surprise to see the ineffective Malouda dropped to the bench on Friday to be replaced by Marseille's Samir Nasri. The future Arsenal player would play on the right thus releasing Rib?ry to play in his favoured role.

Patrice Evra and Fran?ois Clerc both come into contention after uninspiring showings by incumbent full-backs Sagnol and Abidal.

Certainly something has to change if France are to hope to beat a slick looking Dutch outfit.

FORM GUIDE

Netherlands

06/02/08 - Croatia 0-3 Netherlands (Friendly)

26/03/08 - Austria 3-4 Netherlands (Friendly)

24/05/08 - Netherlands 3-0 Ukraine (Friendly)

29/05/08 - Netherland 1-1 Denmark (Friendly)

01/06/08 - Netherlands 2-0 Wales (Friendly)

09/06/08 - Netherlands 3-0 Italy (Euro2008, Group Stage)

France

06/02/08 - Spain 1-0 France (Friendly)

26/03/08 - France 1-0 England (Friendly)

27/05/08 - France 2-0 Ecuador (Friendly)

31/05/08 - France 0-0 Paraguay (Friendly)

03/06/08 - France 1-0 Colombia (Friendly)

09/06/08 - France 0-0 Romania (Euro2008, Group Stage)

TEAM NEWS

Netherlands

Marco Van Basten was without a plethora of attacking talent for the Dutch side's opening game of the tournament and will face France with a depleted squad.

Ryan Babble (ankle ligaments) and Clarence Seedorf (personal reasons) are, of course, unavailable but Van Basten's squad is otherwise returning towards fitness. Robin Van Persie was fit enough to play a cameo role against Italy while Melchiot is also expected to be strong enough to play a part if required.

There is only one Dutch doubt and that comes in the form of Arjen Robben. The Real Madrid winger is closing in on fitness and could be used to play a part from the bench.

Predicted Starting Eleven: Van der Sar; Van Bronckhorst, Boulahrouz, Ooijer, Mathijsen; de Jong, Engelaar, van der Vaart, Sneijder, Kuyt; Van Nistlerooy

France

Like the Dutch les Bleus were adversely affected by injury for their tournament opener however unlike Friday's opponents France could not cope. Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira were conspicuous by their absence against Romania and both will likely play a part if deemed fit enough. Henry should certainly return to the starting eleven however there are greater doubts over the fitness of Vieira.

Raymond Domenech will likely make a handful of changes to the side that claimed a feeble point against Romania.

Predicted Starting Eleven: Coupet; Clerc, Abidal, Gallas, Thuram; Toulalan, Nasri, Mak?l?l?, Rib?ry; Henry, Benzema

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Netherlands

After a stellar opening performance the Netherlands will expect great things once again from Wesley Sneijder however it will be Ruud Van Nistlerooy who will provide the cutting edge to the Dutch attack.

The Real Madrid striker has scored in 4 consecutive group matches in the finals of the European Championship and will aim to extend that record with another goal against France.

A goal poacher extraordinaire Van Nistlerooy is the man most likely to end France's run of 5 international fixtures without losing a goal.

France

Devoid of real attacking flair against Romania the French will look to Barcelona forward Thierry Henry to reignite their Euro2008 challenge.

A back injury may be hampering the forward a little however he is the man who can provide the touch of magic to break the Netherlands' resistance.

Henry has scored 44 international goals in 100 matches, which is a remarkable return, however he has not yet registered against the Netherlands. Friday is an ideal opportunity to break his duck.

PREDICTION

If France adopt the defensive approach that they played against Romania they may well have a greater chance of taking something from the game than if they attack the Netherlands. Marco Van Basten's men have already showcased their devastating counter-attacking potential and have the pace in attack to pick-off a sluggish French defence. Unless Domenech backs his side to beat Italy in a final game shoot-out he will have to push players forward at some point, potentially spelling disaster.

Netherlands 2-0 France

[Socrates 8328]

[CST 0]

@ Socrates

What do you think, will Italy make it?

[Socrates 8328]

Greece 0 - 1 Russia

Konstantin Zyryanov (33')

1 Nikopolidis A. Goalkeeper - 2 Seitaridis G. Defender - 5 Dellas T. Defender - 16 Kyrgiakos S. Defender - 15 Torosidis V. Defender - 6 Basinas A. Midfielder - 21 Katsouranis K. Midfielder - 3 Patsatzoglou C. Midfielder - 9 Charisteas A. Striker - 23 Liberopoulos N. Striker - 20 Amanatidis Y. Striker

*12 Chalkias K. Goalkeeper - 13 Tzorvas A. Goalkeeper - 18 Goumas I. Defender - 19 Antzas P. Defender - 11 Vyntra L. Defender - 4 Spyropoulos N. Defender - 22 Tziolis A. Midfielder - 8 Giannakopoulos S. Midfielder - 10 Karagounis G. Midfielder - 7 Samaras G. Striker - 14 Salpingidis D. Striker - 17 Gekas T. Striker

*Rehhagel O. Manager/Coach

1 Akinfeev I. Goalkeeper - 22 Anyukov A. Defender - 4 Ignashevich S. Defender - 8 Kolodin D. Defender - 18 Zhirkov Y. Defender - 11 Semak S. Midfielder - 17 Zyryanov K. Midfielder - 20 Semshov I. Midfielder - 15 Bilyaletdinov D. Midfielder - 7 Torbinskiy D. Midfielder - 19 Pavluchenko R. Striker

*16 Malafeev V. Goalkeeper - 12 Gabulov V. Goalkeeper - 3 Yanbayev R. Defender - 2 Berezutskiy V. Defender - 14 Shirokov R. Defender - 23 Bystrov V. Midfielder - 10 Arshavin A. Striker - 5 Berezutskiy A. Defender - 6 Adamov R. Striker - 9 Saenko I. Striker - 21 Sychev D. Striker - 13 Pogrebnyak P. Striker

*Hiddink G. Manager/Coach

90'+3 Oh!!! Pavluchenko wastes an absolute golden opportunity as he sends a shot from 12 yards over the net!!! Rosetti blows his whistle to end the match as the defending champions are officially eliminated!!! They will not be able to defend their crown as their failure to score has been their Achilles heel. Russia will now face Sweden in their next match and another victory will send them through to the second round.

90'+1 The fourth official signals that there will be three minutes of extra time for Greece to find an equalizer. Gekas gives the ball away cheaply as the moans and groans from the Greece supporters echo around the stadium.

89' The defending European Champions are in grave danger of crashing out of the tournament as Pavulchenko plays keep away near the corner flag.

87' OH!!! Charisteas puts the ball into the net but the linesman's flag is up for offside!!! Gekas was deemed to have been in an offside position.

87' Substitution Zhirkov Y. Berezutskiy A.

85' Oh!!! Torosidis makes a vital sliding interception as Saenko would have been clear through on goal with only the goalkeeper to beat!! Another errand pass is intercepted and Pavluchenko leads a counterattack that comes to nothing.

84' Yellow Card Torbinskiy D.

83' Karagounis shoves Zyryanov in the back and concedes a free kick on the edge of his own penalty area. OH!!!! Zhirkov's curling effort almost finds the top corner!!!

81' Pavluchenko is all over the place as he tracks back all the way into his own penalty area to head away Karagounis' free kick. Charisteas rises to meet Karagounis' cross but his weak header is easily saved by Akinfeev.

80' Substitution Amanatidis Y. Giannakopoulos S.

78' Time is running out on Greece as they are beginning to show their frustration with every call that goes against them. Karagounis squirms away from his marker and wins his side a free kick.

77' Yellow Card Saenko I.

76' It's four on three for the Russians and Basinas is forced to take down Zyryanov on the edge of the penalty area. Kolodin stands over the ball and thumps his shot straight into the Greek wall.

74' Zhirkov is taken down outside of the area but Rosetti plays the advantage and eventually the ball is kicked out of play so he can receive some attention from the medical staff.

72' OH!!! Karagounis, who has been the Greek's most dangerous player since he has come on, sends in a thumping shot that is inches wide of the mark!!! Pavluchenko roams free on the right flank, cuts inside and lets a shot fly that sails high over the crossbar.

70' It's all Greece right now as Rehhagel pours men forward looking for the equalizer. Bilyaletdinov trots off the pitch and Saenko takes his place as the Russians cling to a one goal lead.

70' Substitution Bilyaletdinov D. Saenko I.

68' Karagounis dials up a speculative long range effort that is well wide of the mark. Patsatzoglou finds some space on the right flank and sends in a cross that Akinfeev punches away.

66' Karagounis pushes forward and finds Basinas but his cross is blocked and goes out for a throw in. It's tense times if you happen to be a Greece supporter as they need a goal to keep from crashing out of the tournament.

64' OH!!!!! It's been a horror show for Nikipolidis as he makes a hash of a cross and the ball squirts loose and Dellas is forced into making a game saving block!!!

62' Gekas trots onto the pitch for Liberpolous who had lost his cool for the last fifteen minutes and Rehhagel felt he might have been in danger of getting himself sent off.

61' Substitution Liberopoulos N. Gekas T.

60' Akinfeev slows the match down after an electrifying last ten minutes that saw some golden opportunities for both teams. Pavluchenko runs at the Greek defence but holds onto the ball for far too long and the chance is wasted.

58' Russia win a free kick that is taken quickly and Bilyaletdinov is taken down in the area but Rosetti waves away his protest!!! OH!!!! Pavluchenko lays it off to Bilyaletdinov whose daisy cutter just misses finding the bottom corner!!!

58' Yellow Card Liberopoulos N.

56' OH!!!!! The ball squirts loose to Basinas whose shot from 12 yards sails high over the crossbar!!! He should have hit the target from there!!

54' OH!!!!! Akinfeev has to beat away a ferocious shot from Karagounis as Greece is not going to go out without a fight! A lively start to the second half with chances for both sides.

52' Greece play the ball around the pitch but the ball is given away cheaply and Pavluchenko almost makes them pay but his shot from 17 yards is wide of the near post!!!

50' Russia win an early corner and the delivery is met by Ignashevich who sends a powerful header high over the crossbar. Basinas stands over the ball and sends in a low delivery that Amanatidis mis-hits at the far post. Another decent chance goes begging for the Greeks who desperately need a goal to stay in the tournament.

48' OH!!!!!! Karagounis stands over the ball and his delivery finds Charisteas who is one and one with Akinfeev but his feeble shot is easily saved by the Russian goalkeeper!! He should have scored from there and his miss is going to keep him up in the morning!

46' The second half is underway with the defending European Champions in serious danger of crashing out of the tournament.

45' Rosetti blows the whistle to end the first half festivities as Russia take a well deserved 1-0 lead into the halftime interval. A terrible mistake by Nikopolidis has gifted the Russians the lead and in truth could have been much worse as the Greek back four looked tired and disheveled to end the half.

43' Greece win a late corner and Basinas' delivery is headed away and the chance comes to nothing. Akinfeev receives the ball and boots it upfield looking for the towering presence of Pavulchenko.

42' Yellow Card Karagounis G.

41' Karagounis is the first player to be booked and he has only been on the field for less than two minutes. Greece push forward looking for an equalizer but Charisteas goes down and fails to win his side a free kick.

40' Substitution Seitaridis G. Karagounis G.

39' Rehhagel is forced into an early substitution as Seitaridis hobbles off the field and Karagounis takes his place. Greece look disorganized at the moment and will be lucky to go into the break only one goal down.

37' Russia win their third corner in the last three minutes but cannot capitalize. Bilyaletdinov dials up a long distance effort that fails to hit the target.

35' The Greek back four look shell-shocked right now as the Russians are running rampant and wild and a second goal does not look too far away.

33' Goal Zyryanov K.

32' GOAAAAAAAAAAL!!!!! What a mistake by Nikopolidis as he thought the ball was going out of bounds but Semak sneaks a pass to Zyryanov who has the easiest of finishes!!!!!

31' Dellas finds Basinas whose return pass is mis-hit and runs out of play as the match has slowed down to snails pace.

29' Bilyaletdinov creates some space for himself and sends in a cross that Nikopolidis gathers easily. Bilyaletdinov tries to find Pavluchenko with a long, looping ball but it runs out for a goal-kick.

27' Russia enjoy a brief spell of possession but nothing comes of it as Semshov's pass runs harmlessly out of play. Zyryanov hits the dirt but Rosetti is having none of it and waves for play to continue.

25' Patient buildup by Greece but once again the pass in the final third of the pitch lets them down. Seitaridis makes it to the byline but his cross is over-hit and the chance goes begging.

23' Patsatzoglu plays a short pass to free up Charisteas but his cross is disappointing and ends up in the stands. Greece look more positive tonight then they did in their first match against Sweden.

21' It's all Greece at the moment as Russia hang back and soak up some serious pressure. It's three points or bust for Rehhagel's men tonight as they look to defend their European Championship crown.

19' Basinas stands over the ball ready to deliver what Greek fans hope is a good free kick. OH!!!! Basinas whips it in and the ball deflects off Semshov and almost into his own net!!!

17' OH!!!! It's the Russians turn to appeal for a penalty as the ball clearly struck the hand of a Greek defender but the linesman's flag is up for offside!!

15' The match has opened up now as Basinas finds Patsa whose tries to find Liberopolous whose taken down in the area but Rosetti waves away his protests!!!

13' Sietaridis is played through on the right flank and his low cross forces Akinfeev into making a good, safe catch. OH!!!!! Pavluchenko receives the ball and tries to chip the keeper but Nikopolidis makes a great save by tipping the ball over the crossbar!!!

11' Basinas commits a foul much to the chagrin of the Greek faithful. The match has no real rhythm yet as a rash of fouls has slowed the match down to a standstill.

9' The crowd jeers as Dellas plays it back to his goalkeeper Nikopolidis in what has been a cagey affair in the early going. BILYALETDINOV tries his luck from 20 yards but his shot sails into the stands.

7' It has been a tentative start by both teams as they are in the process of feeling each other out. Akinfeev plays it long looking for Pavluchenko but Dellas makes a tidy clearance.

5' Zhirkov scampers up the left flank and is brought down by Seitaridis but Rosetti gives the free kick in favour of the Greek defender. The crowd are in full voice giving the match an electric atmosphere.

3' Early chants of "Hellas, Hellas!!" echo around the stadium in the early going but it's the Russians who win an early free kick but it comes to nothing as Basinas heads the ball clear.

1 Roberto Rosetti gets us underway with Otto Rehhagel opting for a three pronged attack in the form of Charisteas, Liberopolous and Amanatidis while Guus Hiddink counters with Pavluchenko as the lone striker. Let's hope both teams really go after it on what is a cool, brisk night in Salzburg.

0 Welcome to Goal.com?s live coverage of Euro 2008! Tonight?s match comes to you from the Wals-Siezenheim Stadion in Salzburg where Greece will lock horns with Russia in a critical Group D encounter. It is a must win game for both sides as another defeat will spell certain doom and an early exit from the tournament. The defending European Champions are coming off a dismal loss to Sweden in their opening fixture and will have to open up and attack more if they are to defend their crown. Russia were left licking their wounds after a 4-1 thumping at the hands of Spain and will need a good result to keep their qualification hopes alive. It should be an intense encounter so sit back, relax and enjoy the show!

[Socrates 8328]

Greece Out As Russia Take Spoils

Russia 1-0 Greece

The champions are deposed. After watching Spain defeat Sweden in Group D?s other fixture, both Greece and Russia knew that a win would keep them in the championships. A defeat would have meant being the second side eliminated from the tournament. It was to be Greece who suffered that ignominy. A solitary Konstantin Zyryanov strike in the first half was enough to sink the Greek challenge.

The European championships has a recurring habit of embarrassing its holders. Three times in the last four tournaments, the champions have been eliminated at the first hurdle.

After Denmark and Germany, out in the group stages at Euro 96 and Euro 2000 respectively, Greece?s name is added to the list in 2008.

A single Konstantin Zyryanov goal, stemming from a fatal error of judgement from Antonis Nikopolidis in goal was enough to ensure that Russia became the side to eliminate Otto Rehhagel?s obstinate side.

This year?s edition of the most frustrating team in football is a pale shadow of its stoic 2004 predecessor, and paid the price for a lack of invention and a frailty in defence.

Nikopolidis? error preceded a second half where the Greeks could barely muster a significant opportunity. Angelos Basinas fired narrowly over just past the hour and Angelos Charisteas had a goal disallowed as the game approached injury time. The margins were minimal after Fanis Gekas raced clear of the Alexander Anyukov and shot against the legs of Igor Akinfeev. However, Roberto Rosetti elected to rule the passage offside.

Greece could not conjure another chance as Russia continued to make the better running. Dimiyar Bilayletdinov and Roman Pavluchenko both went close for Guus Hiddink?s side, but ultimately, one goal was sufficient to see the Greeks deposed from the championship throne.

First Half

Otto Rehhagel responded to his side?s blunt display against Sweden with a more positive formation for this encounter. Out went Paraskevas Antzas from central defence, leaving more space for Angelos Basinas to roam in midfield. Surpirisingly, Giorgos Karagounis was shunted to the bench, but did make a belated first half appearance as a replacement for the injured Yourkas Seitaridis.

Guus Hiddink himself shuffled the Russian deck in the wake of his side?s Spanish drubbing; Dmitri Torbinksi entered the fray as the Russians adopted a more positive set-up. Hiddink was rewarded with a solid opening 45 minutes, in which Russia edged in front.

Diniyar Bilyaletdinov made a strong impression from the outset, his industry in midfield forced the Greeks into discomfort. He picked the pocket of Basinas in the 14th minute to set Roman Pavluchenko clear in the box. The Spartak Moscow front-man curled a right footed effort just over, aided by a Antonis Nikopolidis touch. Yuri Zhirkov went close from the resulting corner; his powerful volley whistled just past the Greek upright.

Pavluchenko was benefiting from the scheming and craft of his midfielders, who worked tirelessly to prevent the Greeks from settling the encounter to their own pace. He was to go close moments later but his blocked effort was ruled offside.

Much like their Swedish performance, Greece?s best chance of a goal looked like it would stem from a set-piece. With no Karagounis from the start, Angelos Basinas was in charge from free-kicks, and from one of his deliveries, Angelos Charisteas should have edged his side in front.

Basinas swung a deep cross from the left, but Charisteas mistimed his jump and saw the ball merely glance off his forehead when the goal beckoned. Igor Semshov was ultimately on hand to clear.

Charisteas and Greece were made to rue that missed chance as Russia took the initiative, and the lead. 33 minutes had elapsed when Dmitri Torbinski over-cooked a cross from the left. His pass had Nikopolidis scampering and leaving the confines of his goal. Sergei Semak hooked the ball over his shoulder before it crossed the dead ball line and Konstantin Zyryanov tapped into an empty net. Nikopolidis, with all his experience, will be disappointed with his bewildering part in the opener.

Pavluckenko had a great chance to double his side?s lead seconds later but his headed chance was ruled offside as the ball bounced over the bar.

Second Half

With only 45 minutes to save their defence of the Henri Delaunay trophy, the Greeks emerged more purposeful after the interval. For all their directness in their endeavours, the holders could not find a finishing touch; Charisteas lobbed limply at Akinfeev after three minutes of second half play.

Russia responded with a chance of their own, through the increasingly impressive Pavluchenko. The striker gained possession wide on the left and after nut-megging Sotiris Krgyiakos fired a drive narrowly wide.

There was an increased urgency in the game; both sides adopted a ?cup final? attitude as blows were swapped at each end. Greece went close again two minutes later, Nikos Liberopoulos teed up Angelos Basinas who fired too high while overbalanced.

The capable Russians looked comfortable while breaking into the Greek rear guard. Full backs Alexander Anyukov and Yuri Zhirkov supported and overlapped with rampant energy ensuring that Greece were continually pegged back.

Pavluchenko?s clever back-heel found Diniya Bilyaletdinov on the edge of the box on the hour, but the Lokomotiv Moscow?s striker left-foot shot dragged narrowly wide. Shambolic Greek defending almost handed Russia a second shortly after; Costas Katsouranis failed to deal with an Anyukov cross but Bilyaletdinov was unable to take full advantage with his goal-bound effort.

Pavluchenko went close again just after, but his profligacy was once again evident. After some brilliant work by Ivan Saenko in midfield, who released Pavluchenko with an eye-of-the-needle pass, the striker was unable to find a finish.

As the game ebbed towards its conclusion, the Greeks looked increasingly desperate. Upfield went their two centre backs in an attempt to save their tournament skins. To no avail however, as Theofanis Gekas released Charisteas, who was contentiously flagged offside long before his shot reached the goal.

Russia will do battle with Sweden in the final Group D fixture on Thursday for the second qualifying berth. With confidence bound to be high in the Russian camp, Guus Hiddink?s side will surely fancy their chances against a deflated Swedish outfit.

Line-ups:

Russia (4-4-2): Akinfeev - Anyukov, Kolodin, Ignashevich, Zhirkov (V Berezuski 88?), Semak, Torbinsky, Zyryanov, Semshov, Bilyaletdinov (Saenko 70?), Pavluchenko. Subs not used: Gabulov, Malafeev, A Berezutski, Ignashavich, Shirkov, Bystrov, Ivanov, Adamov, Sychev.

Greece (4-5-1): Nikopolidis, Petridis (Karagounis 40?), Dellas, Kyrgiakos, Torosidis, Katsouranis, Basinas, Patsatzoglou, Charisteas, Liberopoulos (Gekas 60?), Amanatidis (Giannakopoulos 80?). Subs not used: Chalkias, Tzorvas, Spiropoulos, Vintra, Goumas, Antzas, Tziolis, Salpingidis, Samaras.

Goals:

Russia: Zyryanov 33?

Greece:

Cards:

Russia: Saenko 77? Torbinski 87?

Greece: Karagounis 42?, Liberopoulos 58?

Referee:

Roberto Rosetti (ITA)

[Socrates 8328]

[Socrates 8328]

Euro 2008 Preview:

Switzerland - Portugal

What: Euro 2008, Group A, round three

Who: Switzerland (4th, 0pts), Portugal (1st, 6pts)

When: Sunday, June 15 (2045 CET)

Where: St Jakob Park, Basel

Referee: Konrad Plautz

Dead Rubber

And so Group A is coming to a close. It has been fairly entertaining though not all that surprising, but most definitely full of quality. Even co-hosts Switzerland - who are bottom with no points - have played some good football and looked just a player or two short of being a genuine force.

Portugal, meanwhile, have done exactly what was expected of them and picked up two wins out of two. They were really made to fight for both their results, but had the capability to put the gloss on both results at the death.

They have been clinical and are one of the only top teams who have looked relatively solid in defence. That is to their credit and to Switzerland's detriment, as they are a side severely lacking in firepower.

What they can boast, though, is a solid midfield unit. G?khan Inler has done his growing reputation no harm this summer, while Valon Behrami has established himself a top right-winger (or wing-back, as he plays at club level) and will surely make a big summer move following his performances in the tournament so far. Tranquillo Barnetta is lesser known but another young, exciting prospect in left wing, and Manchester City's Gelson Fernandes, while not being so individually exceptional, complements the rest of the unit quite well.

The midfield, of course, is Portugal's specialty. It is therefore likely that for all Switzerland's quality in the middle, they will find themselves in a league beyond their own and be on the back foot for much of the encounter against Luiz Felipe Scolari's men.

It may prove to be a battle between the Swiss defence and the Portuguese attack on the most part, and the co-hosts can be afforded little hope if that proves to be the case. They may be able to sit deep and hit on the break with their wide men, but even then, their first two games have shown that the finishing touch is decidedly lacking.

It is top versus bottom and picking a favourite is fairly elementary decision-making, but what we can expect is an open game with a fine atmosphere and hopefully, a lot of goals.

FORM GUIDE

Switzerland

June 11

Switzerland 1-2 Turkey

(Euro 2008)

June 07

Switzerland 0-1 Czech Republic

(Euro 2008)

May 30

Switzerland 3-0 Liechtenstein

(Friendly)

May 24

Switzerland 2-0 Slovakia

(Friendly)

Mar 26

Switzerland 0-4 Germany

(Friendly)

Feb 06

England 2-1 Switzerland

(Friendly)

Portugal

June 11

Portugal 3-1 Czech Republic

(Euro 2008)

June 07

Portugal 2-0 Turkey

(Euro 2008)

May 31

Portugal 2-0 Georgia

(Friendly)

Mar 26

Portugal 1-2 Greece

(Friendly)

Feb 06

Italy 3-1 Portugal

(Friendly)

Nov 21

Portugal 0-0 Finland

(ECQ)

TEAM NEWS

Switzerland

Unless K?bi Kuhn decides to give some his second string a run-out in this dead-rubber, it will be by and large the same line-up for the Swiss, as Kuhn is hoping to register the first ever Swiss win at a European Championship. Eren Derdiyok, who impressed against Turkey, may be the third Swiss striker to be ruled out with injury along with captain and all-time leading scorer and Marco Streller. There is a chance Yakin may be required to lead the line and another midfielder drafted in to restore the balance.

Probable starting line-up (4-4-1-1): Benaglio - Lichtsteiner, Muller, Senderos, Magnin - Behrami, Inler, Fernandes, Barnetta - Yakin - Derdiyok

Portugal

There are no injuries to report from the Portugese camp, but Scolari is rumoured to be resting the likes of Simao, Deco and Ronaldo.

Probable starting line-up (4-5-1): Ricardo - Bosingwa, Pepe, Carvalho, Ferreira - Quaresma, Moutinho, Petit, Deco, Ronaldo - Nuno Gomes

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Switzerland - Behrami

The wing-back has been Switzerland's best performer so far at the tournament and is treating it as a shop window, having already announced his intention to leave Lazio this summer. He is sure to have attracted enough interest in the first two games, and knowing this will be his last, we could yet see him at his expansive best up against Portugal's makeshift Paulo Ferreira, who showed he's ill-at-ease against powerful running when up against Libor Sionko earlier in the week.

Portugal - Quaresma

Also picked for the last game - in which he only appeared as a late, tap-in scoring substitute - but will be the one to watch in this game for identical reasons. Far more likely to start with Ronaldo probable to be rested, and he will be eager to showcase his skills as a move away from Porto to one of Europe's elite looks imminent.

PREDICTION

It is likely to be an open game full of positive energy for two sides who already know their fate and will be able to play with a degree of freedom. Should it go end to end, Portugal have far more players capable of punishing opposition in such an expansive encounter and could gain a fairly comfortable victory.

Switzerland 1-3 Portugal

[Socrates 8328]

Euro 2008 Preview:

Czech Rep. - Turkey

What: Euro 2008 Group A Matchday 3

Who: Czech Republic (=2nd, 3/6pts) vs. Turkey (=2nd, 3/6pts)

When: Sunday 15 June 2008, 20:45 CET

Where: Stade de Gen?ve, Geneva, Switzerland

Referee: Peter Fr?jdfeldt (SWE)

If ever there was a winner-takes-all contest in a group stage, this is it. Things are balanced so finely between the Czechs and the Turks that this match could very well go to a penalty shoot-out to establish who joins Portugal in the next round.

On The Margins

The Czechs are a side of relative pedigree on the European stage, but not since the glory days of the mid 90s have they truly been labled as title contenders.

Still, the last tournament in Portugal saw them reach the semi-finals - an eventuality that, while inferior to their 1996 final appearance, certainly beat their ignominious first round exit at the turn of the century.

Now, though, the Czechs have already made life difficult for themselves by suffering a merited defeat at the hands of Portugal. If they go through at all, it will be in second place, where they will meet a Croatian outfit gunning for success.

Coach Karel Br?ckner, then, has plenty to think about as he prepared for this game, knowing that the next round could be his side's last (and, based on form, perhaps should be.)

But before that they must overcome Turkey, and that simply cannot be taken for granted.

On The Margins

Turkey, of course, have only twice before taken part in a European Championship, and only on one of those occasions did they manage to make it through the group stages.

That was in 2000, when they fell at the quarter-final stage to none other than Portugal, one of their tormentors in this current group.

As such, the Crescent-Stars definitely have something to prove in this contest, yet if they are to do so it must be immediate.

The boys from the East have left it late to get started, though, slumping to a fully deserved 2-0 loss to Portugal on the first matchday before only just scraping past the Swiss after fighting back from 1-0 down on Wednesday.

That they were able to win right at the death - and eliminate the Swiss into the bargain - was no mean feat, especially considering that it was a rather unorthodox XI that was sent forth by coach Fatih Terim. As well as compensating for injuries he also made several tactical changes, and these were to bear fruit right at the end.

Given that Turkey also left it late to even qualify for Euro 2008, though, there seems to be little reason to panic heading into what is admittedly a crunch game.

Swiss Near-Miss

With both sides having a win and a loss so far, Geneva, in fact, holds bitter memories for each. On the first matchday the Turks lost out 2-0 to Portugal in the lakeside city; four days later it was the turn of the Czechs to fall at the hands of the Selec??o das Quinas.

As for the history between the two sides, there is relatively little for the Turks to crow about. The sides first met in the Olympics of 1924, during which Czechoslovakia (as the team was then) won 5-2. Since then there have been a further 13 meetings, comprising one Turkish win, two draws, and fully ten losses.

The Crescent-Stars' record against the independent Czechs is arguably even worse, with just one draw and three defeats to show for their efforts since the initial meeting in a 1994 friendly.

FORM GUIDE

Czech Republic

11/06/08

Czech Republic 1-3 Portugal

(European Championship)

07/06/08

Switzerland 0-1 Czech Republic

(European Championship)

30/05/08

Czech Republic 3-1 Scotland

(Friendly)

27/05/08

Czech Republic 2-1 Lithuania

(Friendly)

26/03/08

Denmark 1-1 Czech Republic

(Friendly)

06/02/08

Poland 2-0 Czech Republic

(Friendly)

21/11/07

Cyprus 0-2 Czech Republic

(European Championship qualifier)

Turkey

11/06/08

Switzerland 1-2 Turkey

(European Championship)

07/06/08

Turkey 0-2 Portugal

(European Championship)

29/05/08

Turkey 2-0 Finland

(Friendly)

25/05/08

Uruguay 3-2 Turkey

(Friendly)

20/05/08

Slovakia 0-1 Turkey

(Friendly)

26/03/08

Belarus 2-2 Turkey

(Friendly)

06/02/08

Turkey 0-0 Sweden

(Friendly)

TEAM NEWS

Czech Republic

With victory on the agenda, Milan Baros and Jan Koller could link up in the forward line, meaning that a midfielder would have to be sacrificed. Ther are no new injury concerns.

Turkey

Emre is out, while Gokhan Zan and Servet Cetin remain likely to miss the encounter, meaning that coach Fatih Terim could name an unchanged eleven.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Czech Republic - Libor Sionko: Sionko of FC Copenhagen appears to have hit form at exactly the right time. As well as striking twice against Scotland in a pre-tournament friendly, he also managed the goal that saw his side equalise against Portugal. Admittedly that goal proved fruitless, but nonetheless it will have raised his confidence ahead of a vital encounter.

Turkey - Arda Turan: The 21-year-old winger sealed Turkey's win over Switzerland in the very last minute, but that wasn't all. He also provided a great deal of energy and commitment to the side and has surely won his place yet again against the Czechs. The Galatasaray man won't exactly be odds-on to score another goal, but watch out for his providing ability.

PREDICTION

The Czechs will perhaps deem themselves favourites for this one, but the match is notable due to the fact that neither side has exactly been keeping it sharp at the back of late: both have scored twice and conceded three times already. It could be a nervy occasion and one that goes right down to the wire, and I fancy Turkey to just about nick it after extra time.

Czech Republic 2-2 Turkey (Turkey win on penalties)

[ReMad 0]

Netherlands vs Romania

European Championships, Group C

Netherlands ( 1st , 6 Pts ) vs Romania ( 2nd , 2 Pts )

Tuesday, June 17, 2008, 20:45 CET

"De Suisse?, Wankdorf, Bern, Switzerland

Referee: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)

Pre Match Videos

PES 2008 Predicts EURO 2008 - Netherlands vs Romania

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Romania vs Netherlands in the EURO 2008 Qual.

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Match Preview : Netherlands vs Romania

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Goals

First Goal for Netherlands - Huntelaar 54

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Second goal for Netherlands by Van Persie 84

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Extras

National anthem : Netherlands vs Romania

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Free Kick for Romania by Chivu 8

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Free Kick for Romania by Chivu 8

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Van Persie's Header 18

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Mutu's Chance 28

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One on One Chance for Robben 35

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Dangerous Chance by Van Persie 47

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Nice Play by Referee 80

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=============================================

European Championships, Group C

France (4th, 1pt) vs Italy (3rd, 1pt)

Tuesday 17 June 2008, 20:45 CET

Letzigrund Stadion, Z?rich

:: Prematch Videos ::

Pes 2008 Predicts

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Match Preview

Click Here for Video

Henry Talking about the Match

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National anthems

Click Here for Video

:: Goals ::

1st Goal for Italy - Pirlo (PK)25'

Click here for Video

2nd Goal for Italy - de Rossi 62'

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:: Extras ::

Toni's shot goes wide 4'

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Ribery's injury 7'

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Toni's midair heal kick 28'

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Henry's shot goes wide by the right post 34'

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Grosso's free kick Hits the Post 44'

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Benzema's shot is saved by Buffon 74'

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Toni's shot is saved by Coupet 90+3'

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Cassano Taking Off His Clothes

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=============================================

EURO 2008 - Eleventh Day's Goals Compilation - Group B R3

Netherlands vs Romania vs Italy vs France

Click Here for Video

Regards

[Socrates 8328]

Euro 2008 Preview:

Russia - Sweden

What: Euro 2008 Group D, Matchday 3

Who: Russia (3rd, 3/6pts) vs Sweden (2nd, 3/6pts)

When: Wednesday 18 June 2008, 20:45 CET

Where: Tivoli-Neu Stadion, Innsbruck, Austria

Referee: Frank de Bleeckere (BEL)

Russia face Sweden in a clash of near-neighbours both in terms of geography and qualification prospects in Innsbruck...

In The Balance

The Swedes haven't failed to qualify from a tournament's opening stage in the last three attempts, their previous first round exit coming at Euro 2000 in Belgium and the Netherlands.

For Lars Lagerb?ck, keeping this record going is priority number one. His mixture of youth and experience is so far on track, though, having picked up one win against Greece while suffering only the narrowest of defeats to Spain. Just a draw will see them past Russia, whose goal difference is inferior.

Still, knocks have taken their toll, with the talismanic Zlatan Ibrahimović unlikely to complete the full fixture.

But while the boys in yellow have injury worries, so too do the team in white. Andrei Arshavin, star forward, might be back from suspension, but he remains a doubt, and the midfield has been decimated by injury both before the tournament and during.

This has shown in the performances so far, but boss Guus Hiddink has been around the block long enough to know that this campaign is far from over. After all, his side managed qualification against all the odds when they eliminated England last year, and it would be fitting if they were to pull off the same here.

Head-to-Head

Over the course of history the Swedes have won five games against either Russia or the USSR, while there have been four draws and three wins for the other side.

Since the dissolution of the USSR the two sides have met on three occasions. The sole competitive contest - a 1994 World Cup finals match in Detroit - saw Sweden run out 3-1 winners. A friendly four years later ended in a 1-0 home win in ?rebro, and a further four years elapsed before the most recent encounter, a 1-1 draw in Moscow.

FORM GUIDE

Russia

21/11/'07 (EC) - Andorra - 1-0 (A)

26/3/'08 (Fr.) - Romania - 0-3 (A)

23/5/'08 (Fr.) - Kazakhstan - 6-0 ( H)

28/5/'08 (Fr.) - Serbia - 2-1 (N)

4/6/'08 (Fr.) - Lithuania - 4-1 (N)

10/6/'08 (EC) - Spain - 1-4 (N)

14/6/'08 (EC) - Greece - 1-0 (N)

Sweden

13/1/'08 (Fr.) - Costa Rica - 1-0 (A)

19/1/'08 (Fr.) - USA - 0-2 (A)

6/2/'08 (Fr.) - Turkey - 0-0 (A)

26/3/'08 (Fr.) - Brazil - 0-1 (N)

26/5/'08 (Fr.) - Slovenia - 1-0 ( H)

1/6/'08 (Fr.) - Ukraine - 0-1 ( H)

10/6/'08 (EC) - Greece - 2-0 (N)

14/6/'08 (EC) - Spain - 1-2 (N)

TEAM NEWS

Russia

Andrei Arshavin returns from suspension, although coach Guus Hiddink is still mulling over whether or not to include him in the lineup. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov is doubtful, although Yuri Zhirkov and Sergei Semak should shake off their respective knocks in time to make the match.

Probable Line-up: Akinfeev; Anyukov, Kolodin, Ignashevich, Zhirkov; Torbinsky, Semak, Zyrianov, Saenko; Arshavin, Pavlyuchenko.

Sweden

Coach Lars Lagerb?ck has pledged to put out his strongest possible side, but Zlatan Ibrahimović is exceedingly unlikely to last the full 90 minutes due to his knee injury. He may be used only as a substitute. Christian Wilhelmsson is out.

Probable Starting XI: Isaksson; Stoor, Mellberg, Hansson, Nilsson; Elmander, Svensson, Andersson, Ljungberg; Larsson, Rosenberg.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Russia - Andrei Arshavin: Whether he starts or comes off the bench, the long-serving Zenit St. Petersburg talent will surely be one of Russia's main hopes to get the goal they so sorely need to move through to the next round. He's netted three times during qualifying and will now hope for his first strike in a major finals.

Sweden - Henrik Larsson: If Sweden lose here, it's almost certainly 'Henke's' final game in the yellow shirt. As such the 36-year-old forward will need to use every ounce of his experience to, at the very least, prevent his team from losing.

PREDICTION

Sweden look to have done enough already, and an equalising goal will see them through against a Russian side whose injuries and fitness concerns will ultimately prove to be too much.

Russia 1-1 Sweden

[ReMad 0]

Russia vs Sweden

Euro 2008 Group D, Matchday 3

Russia (3rd, 3/6pts) vs Sweden (2nd, 3/6pts)

Wednesday 18 June 2008, 20:45 CET

Tivoli-Neu Stadion, Innsbruck, Austria

:: Prematch Videos ::

Match Preview

Click Here for Video

National Anthems

Click Here for Video

:: Goals ::

First Goal For Russia - Pavlyuchenko *24

Click Here for Video

Second Goal For Russia - Arshavin *50

Click Here for Video

:: Extras ::

Risky acrobatic volley from Ibrahimovic *2

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Ibrahimovic header *9

Click Here for Video

Pavlyuchenko shot hit the cross bar *35

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Elmander One on One Chance *43

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Dangerous chance for Russia inside penalty area

Click Here for Video

=========================================

Greece v Spain

European Championships, Group D

Greece v Spain

20:45 CET - Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Salzburg, Austria

Referee: Howard Webb (England)

Pre Match Videos

PES 2008 Predicts the Match

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Match Preview

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Goals

First Goal for Greece by Charisteas 42

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First Goal for Spain by De La Red 61

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Second Goal for Spain by Guiza 87

Click Here for Video

Extras

Both Captains shake Hands

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Dangerous Long Shot by Xabi Alonso 25

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Dangerous Shot by Alonso Right to Goal 30

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Great Shot by Alonso Centimeters right to the Post 38

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Strong Strike off the Right Post by Alonso 53

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Dangerous Chance for Greece , Skipping GK and hits the Left Post 63

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Dangerous Shot for Spain by Guiza 73

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Spain Celebrates after the Match against Greece

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===============================================

Euro 2008 - Twelfth Day's Goals Compilation - Group D - R3

Russia vs Sweden & Greece vs Spain

Click Here for Video

Regards

[Socrates 8328]

Greece 1 - 2 Spain

Angelos Charisteas (43') - De la Red (62') -

G?iza (88')

1 Nikopolidis A. Goalkeeper - 11 Vyntra L. Defender - 5 Dellas T. Defender - 16 Kyrgiakos S. Defender Out - 4 Spyropoulos N. Defender - 6 Basinas A. Midfielder Card - 21 Katsouranis K. Midfielder - 20 Amanatidis Y. Striker - 10 Karagounis G. Midfielder Out Card - 9 Charisteas A. Striker - 14 Salpingidis D. Striker Out

*12 Chalkias K. Goalkeeper - 13 Tzorvas A. Goalkeeper - 15 Torosidis V. Defender - 19 Antzas P. Defender In - 18 Goumas I. Defender - 2 Seitaridis G. Defender - 8 Giannakopoulos S. Midfielder In - 22 Tziolis A. Midfielder In - 3 Patsatzoglou C. Defender - 23 Liberopoulos N. Striker - 17 Gekas T. Striker - 7 Samaras G. Striker

*Rehhagel O. Manager/Coach

23 Reina Paez J. Goalkeeper - 18 Arbeloa Defender Card - 20 Juanito Defender - 2 Albiol Defender - 3 Fernando Navarro Defender - 14 Xabi Alonso Midfielder - 6 Iniesta Midfielder Out - 22 De la Red Midfielder - 16 Sergio Garc?a Striker - 10 Cesc F?bregas Midfielder - 17 G?iza Striker Card

*13 Palop A. Goalkeeper - 1 Casillas I. Goalkeeper - 15 Sergio Ramos Defender - 11 Capdevila Defender - 4 Marchena Defender - 5 Puyol Defender - 8 Xavi Midfielder - 12 Cazorla Midfielder In - 19 Marcos Senna Midfielder - 21 David Silva Midfielder - 9 Fernando Torres Striker - 7 David Villa Striker

*Aragon?s L. Manager/Coach

90'+3 The full time whistle sounds and Spain's second string have secured victory, while the Greeks at least bowed out with a goal to their name. Now Aragon?s must focus on Sunday and the Italians, who they have not beaten for 88 years.

90'+1 Spain will go into the quarter finals with a 100 per cent record and on the balance of play they deserve to win this encounter.

89' Sergio Garc?a's cross from the right found G?iza unmarked and he headed home from close range. That is the kind of service that made him top scorer in the la Primera last term.

88' GOOOLLL!!! - After looking like he was going to end with a blank evening, G?iza breaks in his international duck with the winner!

88' Goal G?iza

87' Substitution Salpingidis D. Giannakopoulos S.

87' Greece look to create a move after being led out of their own half by Stelios Giannakopoulos, who ends up limping as the ball is cleared.

85' Huuuyyy!!! - Sergio Garc?a has a go with his right foot and shoots straight at the keeper moments before G?iza warms Nikopolidis' gloves from distance.

84' Sergio Garc?a has a shot on his left foot from the edge of the box after De la Red missed it and the Bar?a youth team product sent the ball over with a shot that went almost directly upwards.

83' Paraskevas Antzas prevents Spain scoring a second, but F?bregas should have shot from inside the area instead of looking for clipping the ball back in for G?iza again.

81' G?iza's first touch was poor after he was picked out by Xabi Alonso and it is hard to see either Fernando Torres or David Villa doing that there.

79' Huuuyyy!!! - Amanatidis controlled the ball just inside the Spain area, but his shot flashed up and over.

77' A flowing Spanish move ends with Sergio Garc?a heading down the right side of the area and he lifted the ball over the keeper but nobody was on hand to tap home from close range.

75' Huuuyyy!!!- De la Red fires well wide after stopping a pass that appeared to be bound for Sergio Garc?a on the edge of the area.

74' Substitution Karagounis G. Tziolis A.

73' Huuuyyy!!! - G?iza is set free down the right of the area and, after taking a touch, he guides the ball wide of the far post.

72' Aragon?s still has changes to make, but he will have to decide which of the first choice team he chooses or will he leave things as they are?

71' Yellow Card Basinas A.

70' Reina hoofs the ball clear as Greece come forward and, once again, Spain go on to concede a free-kick on the flank which Karagounis hits too low.

68' Spain have another corner and F?bregas lifts it in and after heading the ball out of the area, the Greeks cannot clear completely.

66' G?iza waited and waited for a team-mate to find after breaking forward and despite several joining him his cross was blocked away for a corner.

64' Huuuyyy!!! - Charisteas ran on to a through ball and was taken slightly wide by Reina before clipping the ball onto the outside of the post and wide.

64' Substitution Kyrgiakos S. Antzas P.

62' Goal De la Red

62' Nikopolidis put his arm down and the ball did hit it, but realistically he was never going to stop that incredible hit from the Real Madrid starlet.

61' GOOOLLL!!! - Spain are level! De la Red latched onto a knockdown from G?iza and absolutely hammered the ball past the keeper.

60' Huuuyyy!!! - Ioannis Amanatidis took aim from outside the area, but Reina followed his short wide of the post.

58' Iniesta is off for Cazorla who did feel strong enough to play the full match after a stomach bug laid him low for a few days.

58' Substitution Iniesta Cazorla

56' Spain are now applying some pressure, but the Greek defence is standing firm and G?iza has yet to make any movement in this half.

54' Huuuyyy!!! - Xabi Alonso has had another stupendous effort from outside the area and after his shot beat the keeper but cannoned back off the inside of the post.

52' The Spanish have won their last eight games and Aragon?s could have equalled the record as for the most wins of any Spanish national team coach and the number of consecutive wins too for la Furia Roja.

50' Spain's forward momentum is still being comfortably broken up by the Greek rearguard and they need someone to put their foot on it and open things up.

48' Yet another free-kick is given away within Karagounis' range and Spain have to defend as Greece lift the ball into their area once more.

47' Injury Kyrgiakos S.

46' Greece start the second period and there have been no changes by either side. Despite the pre-match talk, there is now plenty for Spain to play for.

45'+3 Karagounis went over after a slight trip and Xabi Alonso slammed the ball into his body and received the wrath of a few Greek players.

45'+3 The half time whistle goes and two years ago Spain had already qualified when they went into the third group at the World Cup and fielded a reserve side. They lost the momentum in Germany and lost to France in the next round. Aragon?s will have to hope history does not repeat itself at Euro 2008.

45'+1 Loukas Vyntra hit a low shot from 35 yards out after Reina's low punch out and the ball flew well wide. Spain will need to reorganise at the break.

45' Spain's reserve side have not had the same rhythm that the team that booked the squad's place in the quarter finals and now they need to raise their game in order to avoid defeat.

45' Yellow Card Arbeloa

43' Goal Charisteas A.

43' It is the Greeks' first goal of the tournament and all the players raced back to celebrate with Nikopolidis.

42' GOOOLLL!!! - Spain finally pay for conceding another free-kick as Charisteas meets Karagounis' cross and hammers a header past Reina. The striker was completely unmarked.

41' Yellow Card G?iza

40' Iniesta looks to play the exchange with Sergio Garc?a in the area and the Barcelona midfielder makes contact with Dellas and goes over. No penalty.

39' F?bregas sends a superb pass into the feet of Sergio Garc?a, but the striker's touch sees him have to stretch and fail to test the keeper.

37' Huuuyyy!!! - Xabi Alonso has another shot after he receives a short pass from a free-kick and drives the ball just wide of the post.

35' Karagounis was booked for a late foul on Iniesta and Spain had their first free-kick around the area, but the ball is headed away by Angelos Charisteas.

34' Yellow Card Karagounis G.

33' This time De la Red has a shot from distance in a bid t make up for his last effort, but the ball flies behind the goal and into the crowd.

32' Sergio Garc?a found De la Red and the playmaker could have shot rather than look for the return pass which ended up bouncing behind the goal line.

30' Huuuyyy!!! - F?bregas clipped the ball into Xabi Alonso and the Juve-bound midfielder hit it first time only to curl his effort wide of the post.

28' Katsouranis takes a wild swing at the ball from 25 yards out and sees it fly high and wide of Reina's goal, while at the other end G?iza does the same.

26' G?iza held up the ball before turning back and after a couple of passes, De la Red attempted a shot from distance that hit the first defender.

24' Huuuyyy!!! - Xabi Alonso takes an incredible punt and sends a superb shot from the halfway line that lands just wide of the goal. Nikopolidis hits the post and needs treatment.

23' Kostas Katsouranis pulls up and was in some pain before the ball was sportingly kicked out and he has now hobbled off for treatment.

22' Sergio Garc?a last two first touches have seen the ball ping up off his foot and meant that Spain's forward momentum has broken down and he will have to improve.

20' A touch forward by Sergio Garc?a sends F?bregas chasing the ball into the area, but Nikopolidis is quickly off his line to clear his lines.

18' Greee are sitting back and G?iza up front on his own in a 4-1-4-1 formation looks a bit lost until Sergio Garc?a joins him from the right flank.

16' Antonios Nikopolidis comes to claim F?bregas' corner and receives an ovation from the Greek fans in what is his last ever international.

14' Spain have now given away a free-kick on the left flank and they will to be careful because Karagounis will find his touch sooner or later.

12' Despite all their passing, the Spanish do not look quite as slick with their change of players as G?iza has yet to find his feet at this level.

11' F?bregas plays uncharacteristically poor pass off the pitch, but Spain quickly regain possession and start going forward once more.

9' The Greeks have a free-kick on the right flank and Karagounis looks to lift it once again, but the set piece is headed out by Ra?l Albiol.

7' Greece do not want to go home having been embarrasses, but they are having trouble gaining possession as Spain continue their swift passing game.

5' Giorgos Karagounis' free-kick found its way to Traianos Dellas at the far post and he was unable to connect fully leaving Pepe Reina with an easy claim.

3' The two coaches have certainly been there and done it here tonight with both Luis Aragon?s and Otto Rehhagel both set to turn 70 later this year.

2' Huuuyyy!!! - Cesc F?bregas escaped down the right and sent over a low cross that Sergio Garc?a touched on its way to Rub?n De la Red and the Madrid man's shot went wide.

1' Spain kick the game off and Dani G?iza can enhance his growing reputation while Sergio Garc?a also plays and hopes to earn himself a move away from Real Zaragoza.

0' The national anthems boom out and both sets of fans are very respectful to their opponents' tunes. It is a full house in Salzburg for this one.

0' Luis Aragon?s has, as predicted, given ten shadow players a start against the Greeks, with only Andr?s Iniesta staying in the team because Santi Cazorla is ill. The Greeks play their last game in the tournament after being eliminated at the weekend.

0' Both Spain and Greece have already resolved their next steps in Euro 2008 and Spain are already looking ahead to Italy in the quarter finals. This should still be interesting though. Follow all the action live on Goal.com...