Wednesday 25 June

Tonight saw the first semi final between never say die Turkey and dull but deadly Germany.  At the start of the match I was convinced that the Germans would walk the game easily. Turkey after all had a team ravaged by suspensions and injuries, with only 13 fully fit players available for the match.  But, not for the first time in this tournament, the Turkish surprised and impressed in the first half.  Dominating possession and taking the lead on 21 minutes.  It was a scrappy goal with Ugur scrambling the ball into the net but it was nonetheless deserved given the passage of play that had happened beforehand.  Not to be denied, the Germans repeated the Turkish treat of scoring almost immediately afterwards, or at least 5 minutes later.  Schweinsteiger produced a deft touch to knock in a cross from close range.  But Germany’s goal was certainly against the run of play.  In fact, Turkey dominated possession and the running for the lion’s share of the game.  They played neat attractive football and had Germany on the back foot on numerous occasions.  But they lacked a pure striker and so were unable to convert possession to goals. 

Germany however, played poorly.  The English TV commentator had just observed that Klose had been almost invisible throughout the game when that same person headed in Lahm’s cross on 78 minutes following a howler of a mistake by Turkish keeper Rustu.  Against the run of play it was Germany 2 Turkey 1.  With 12 minutes to go, I was starting to believe that the Turkey had finally been slain in this competition.  But perhaps not surprisingly, they forced a photo finish to the match, with Semih nicking a neat goal at the near post just 7 minutes later, to send Fatih Terim and the Turkish fans wild in the stands, and evoking thoughts of yet another Turkish miracle.  Germany 2 Turkey 2 with just 5 minutes remaining.  But tonight, the Turkish miracle finally ended.  The Germans failed to perform throughout the game but finally produced a moment of magic when it really mattered.  Philipp Lahm, scorer of the first goal in World Cup 2006 in Germany, latched onto a Hitzlsperger pass to plant the ball high into the near top corner of the Turkish net.  It was a superb finish, considering the lanky goalie Rustu was fast bearing down on him.  And Germany were in the lead 3 – 2 on 90 minutes. 

And that is how the game ended.  Disappointment for the Turks who performed so bravely tonight and who will return home with only pride in their performance.  But all credit to the Germans.  They have progressed to another major championship final.  Their football hasn’t always been pretty and they haven’t always performed at the top of their game.  But when it matters, the Germans have a wonderful ability to get the job done.  I wish them luck in the final against either Spain or Russia.  We will find out tomorrow night which of those two teams will progress.  So hard to predict!

Sunday 22 June

Well, this evening’s match between Spain and Italy was the last quarter final.  And what a dismal encounter it was, with the Italians, in particular, strangling the game in the hope of nicking a goal through a break or a set piece.  There is not much to say about the match apart from that after 120 minutes of play it remained 0-0!

It went to penalties and in the end Spanish goalie and Captain Casillas proved to be the hero of the night saving two penalties to send Spain through to their first semi final in a major competition since the Euros in 1984.  Spain had previouosly lost three quarter final games on penalties, including their 1996 quarter final against England at Wembley (does anyone remember Stuart Pearce’s catharsis on making up for his Germany 1990 miss?).  The fun fact of the day was that the date of each of Spain’s quarter final penalty losses was 22 June!  As today was 22 June I guess Spain finally broke their jinx, fourth time lucky!

I wish them well in what should be a thrilling semi-final against Russia.  Let’s face it, it won’t be difficult to produce a more entertaining game than that on display tonight!

Saturday 21 June

Pre-match

I am still in a state of post Turkey victory shock. Suddenly, nothing in life can ever be taken for granted again.  I mean, before today, I was convinced that the Netherlands would win tonight against Russia, even though Russia improved massively in their last game.  Now I just not so sure! 

Ummm, are any of the Russian players of Turkish descent? Is my first question.  Will they be eating Turkey for their pre-match meal?  I am starting to think these things might be relevant to tonight’s game.  My head tells me that the Netherlands have been by a country mile the best team in this championship so far.  Now none of that seems to matter.  My life is in a spin.  My ability to make judgements and predict outcomes has been shattered by a talented bunch of crazy Turkish people.

OK then, I predict that Turkey will win tonight.  That seems the safest bet.  Oh!  They are not playing right?  OK then I will stick with my gut instinct (that has worked well before)!!  Netherlands should win tonight, even with the fabulous talent of Arshavin to worry them in midfield.  

I won’t be watching this game live tonight as I have to take my parents for dinner but I have my recorder set so that I can see it when I return.  

I won’t be eating Turkey for dinner tonight.  I feel traumatized.  And emotionally fragile right now.  Someone please pass me a Tylenol.  Goodbye for now.  See you after the match.

(Oh, and Sneijder should score for the Netherlands tonight, whatever the outcome.)

Post-match

OK, my prediction was wrong again.  I should definitely give up making predictions on football matches.  Clearly, I got far too confident after Germany thrashed Portugal the other night!

Seemingly against the odds Russia beat Netherlands last night.  But unlike the Turkey win it wasn’t a win against the run of play.  Russia surely deserved this win after extra time, indeed, they should have cleared up the game in 90 minutes. 

The Netherlands, slayers of the French and Italians and having cruised past Romania with a B team, seemed flat and lifeless last night.  They simply lacked snap and speed in the midfield and the reason I think is because they were missing Arjen Robben.  Robbens running against the French and Italians really tore those teams apart and they could dearly have used his talents last night.  Wesley Sneijder for the Dutch was great in midfield, a real dynamo who provided the Dutch with their best chances and best shots. The the reality is that they players around him did not have the same ambition and drive.  A very disappointing performance.

The Russians on the other hand were very impressive.  Very pacy and able to run rings around the Dutch defence and make space easily on the wings.  The return of the Zenit St Petersburg star Andre Arshavin to the Russian team has really seen them lift their game several gears.  However, while Arshavin was not the only star turn.  Pavlyushenko was also asking lots of questions of the Russian defence. Zhirkov was a powerhouse in the middle of the park and Kolodin was unfortunate not to hit the back of the net with one of his long range rockets.

Pavlyuschenko was the first to score for the Russians on 50 minutes and they had a number of chances throughout the game.  But with the clock ticking down to the final whistly Ruud Van Nistelroooy headed in a Sneijder free kick at the far points to take the game to extra time. 

Russia looked the classier side throughout extra time although in the second period they were simply all over the tired Dutch.  Arshavin put a very clever lobbed cross into the path of Torbinski who had the leg speed to prod into the net to send the Russian squad wild with happiness.  And having made all of the key Russian plays throughout the match, Arshavin managed shrug off a defender, turn and nutmeg Van Der Sar in a final insult to the defeated Dutch.

Russia 3 Netherlands 1.  Another shock.  But this time the winning team thoroughly deserved their victory and played with real pace and class.  The Spanish and Italian camps will have watched this match carefully.  The Russians are a team to be reckoned with and are getting better with every game.  Perhaps the Eurovision Song Contest is not the only competition they could win this year?  Let’s see.  I ain’t making any more predictions in this crazy competition!!      

Friday 20 June

Pre-match

Day 14 of Euro 2008 and the second exciting Quarter Final is just under 3 hours away.  Tonight it is going to be Croatia versus Turkey, and both teams really impressed during the group stage.  

Croatia won every game and swept Germany away in their path to win Group B.  Turkey were the come-back kings, coming from behind against both Switzerland and the Czech Republic to win both games in stunning fashion.  In many ways they are similar teams; neither team has a host of internationally recognized players and yet both have a talented coach who appears able to get the most out of their players through a heady mix of nationalism and good team work.  On one hand there is the fiery Fatih Terim, nicknamed the ‘Emperor’ by Turkish fans probably the most vocal coach on the touchline and is reminiscent of a Turkish General willing his troops on in the bluffs of Gallipoli.  And then there is the young charming, chain smoking Croat, Slaven Bilic.  He is one of the most engaging coaches to listen to on the television and projects a real bond with his players and a steely desire to win, whenever he speaks. He is as charismatic as Mourinho, but with more class. 

Both can will their players on to greater things.  But when you take a cold hard look at tonight’s game, it must be clear that Croatia are going to win.  Their progress so far in the competition has been faultless.  And despite the last gasp heroics of the Turks against the Swiss and Czechs, their general performance hasn’t been overly impressive.  Croatia is the toughest team they have faced so far in this competition.  And they go into the game with only 15 players available to play because of a long injury list and player suspensions.  Goal keeping hero Volkan is ruled out because of his foul on Koller.  The midfield has lost three key players including the impressive Mehmet Aurelio.  And frankly, the Turkish squad doesn’t have enough strength in depth to fill the gaps adequately.  While he is a young English lad, Colin Kazim Richards, who will start the game tonight in mid-field has under-whelmed in a big way.  He has been described as an impact player after coming on late in the Czech game but anyone who watched that match closely will have noticed that he contributed nothing and his passing percentage was terrible. 

OK, the bright like of Arda Turan will be available on the left wing.  Tuncay and Captain Hero extraordinaire, Nihat will also play.  But sorry guys.  The Turkish defence has been amazing and their performance against the Czechs will go down in history as one of the greatest come backs.  But tonight, the Croat flag will most certainly fly above the Dardanelles!  Croatia to win by at least two goals.

Join me later to blog the game live, if you can stay awake!!!     

 Post match

Unbelievable! Incredible! Impossible!  Fateful!  What word can you use to describe the last 10 minutes of the 130 minute encounter between Croatia and Turkey?

Let’s face it, 120 minutes of the match were unexciting.  Croatia looked the sharper side by some way but Olic appeared to be doing everything to avoid scoring a goal.  The Turks were packing out their defence and also playing a cynical mix of shirt tugging and fouling.  It wasn’t pretty but it for 90 minutes of normal time and 29 minutes of extra time it worked.  Until, with 20 seconds of extra time remaining the Turkish goalie Rustu decided to go for a country stroll miles from his goal leaving his goal wide open.  He was able to scramble back to his line just in time for Klasnic, hero of the Croatian win over Poland, to head the ball into the back of the net to the joy of Slaven Bilic and the whole Croatian squad who mobbed the pitch, convinced they had won the match.  Almost unnoticed, the fourth official announced one minute of added time. And the Turks, who always seem to perform best when they are seriously p****d off(!!) and who hadn’t looked like scoring all night, were straight back up the field with the ball and after a bit of a scramble, Semih slammed a screamer of a goal into the top of the Croatian net from the edge of the 18 yard area.  Chaotic scenes erupted with the Croats suddenly silenced and the Turkish coach Fatih going crazy and his own players mobbing the pitch.  So it went down to penalties.

The Croats were clearly crushed by the quick Turkish fight back and missed three of four attempted penalties, the last one being saved brilliantly by Rustu, who just moments before had been villain when the Croats had scored in open play.  Turkey had won, coming back from behind in dramatic style for the third game in a row!  Their tale is starting to assume legendary status. I am really not going to make any predictions on them losing ever again!  Hats off to them.  Every Brit loves a tale of the underdog and the Turkish story of this championship will be what many people remember, whoever finally wins.  Well done Turkey and good luck in the semi final against Germany where I am sure you will……. Ooops!

Thursday 19 June

Pre-match

OK, I am just going to lay my opinion straight on the table.  I predict that Germany are going to win this match off tonight in Basel.  

Why?  Portugal haven’t really impressed me so far in this competition and they really look like a team too reliant on their star player, Cristiano Ronaldo.  They haven’t faced any real quality opposition with the same quality and class as the German team they will face tonight.  Arguably, they were in the easiest of the four qualifying groups. Beyond Ronaldo I don’t see many real stars in their squad.  Nuno Gomes the Captain used to be a real quality player but, like Henrik Larsson of Sweden, is now looking a bit long in the tooth.  

OK, let’s be honest, the Germans haven’t impressed either so far in this competition.  They seldom do in the early stages of big contests.  But then they also have a well proven track record of grinding out results and making their way through to the latter stages of both the Euros and the World Cup.  I don’t see Euro 2008 as any different.  Indeed, I think the German squad this year is the best they have had for a few years now and if they play at their best they could beat the best in the world.  

Michael Ballack to Germany is what David Beckham used to be for England.  A real midfield work horse who wears his national shirt with pride and passion and who can often produce a vital ‘captain’s’ goal when it really counts.  His fabulous free kick in the otherwise uninspiring victory over Austria reminded me of David Beckham’s free kick against Greece to secure England’s qualification for World Cup 2006.   The Germans have a lot of talent, but Ballack appears to be their talisman who will be controlling play in the middle of the park.  

Future Chelsea coach ‘big Phil’ Felipe Scolari has been playing up the pre-match mind games with a flamboyant display of proving his indepth knowledge of the German squad at his press conference yesterday.  But what he has actually done is simply highlight Portugal’s vulnerability to high balls given the big height difference between their squad and the Germans.

The penalty imposed on German coach Joachim Low who has been banned from the touch-line because of his spat with the Austrian coach will be an irritant more than it will be a distraction.  A BMW will run beautifully for thousands of miles long after the engineer has put his finishing touches on it in Munich (if you get my drift).  

I know I am sticking my neck on the line, but I just can’t see any circumstances in which Portugal will win tonight.  Well, unless Ronaldo jumps on the floor like an Olympic diving champion and dishonestly gets a German player sent off.  But I am letting my prejudice show now…..

Post match

Well what a thriller of a match that was.  Two very different teams, Germany and Portugal, with two very different styles of football.  The Germans organized and disciplined, the Portugese full of flair and fancy footwork.    But ultimately, the Portugese revealed their frailty tonight; lack of discipline in defence and a vulnerability to set pieces, particularly with high balls.

The first German goal was just excellent, and gets better every time you re-watch it, particularly taking into account Schweinsteiger’s run in from the touch-line.  Goals two and three for the Germans were well worked, but ultimately, they emerged from shockingly bad Portugese defending.  The second goal had 5 Portugese defenders against 4 Germans, two of whom managed to break completely free in the box, with Klose heading in.  The third goal showed even worse defending.  6 Portugal players against three Germans.  One of the Portugese didn’t even bother getting back into the box when the free kick was struck.  Poor discipline, and I am afraid that you just can’t get away with basic mistakes like that when playing against the Germans (as we English have discovered so many times ourselves).

Don’t get me wrong, the Portugese produced some flowing moves and both of their goals were very well worked and deserved.  But for large periods of the game the Portugese barely made any inroads into the final third of the pitch.  A highly organized German defence and a midfield prepared to get back deep neutralized the reds’ attack for most of the game.  Ronaldo was largely invisible and given little space in which to run and challenge defenders.  Aware of his skills, the Germans did their homework on the world’s (allegedly) best player and closed him down almost completely.

This was a work-man like accomplished display which is very typical of the German approach to football at the big competitions.  If they face Croatia again in the semi-final, then I would not bet on them capitulating again as easily as they did in the group match.  My money is still on Germany to make it to the final (see my blog of the group games where you can find my prediction).  Their performance tonight just confirms my gut instinct.

Well done Germany.  Thoroughly deserved win in what was a wonderfully exciting game to watch!