EURO BEST ELEVEN

XAVI HERNANDEZ put as best player in EURO 2008
Below is best starting eleven :


----------------------------Casillas (spa)--------------------------

Zhirkov (rus)-----------Mertersacker (ger)-----------Lahm(ger)

---------------------------Senna (spa)------------------------

Iniesta (spa)---------------Xavi (spa)------------Schneider (Hol)

--------------------------Arshavin (Rus)-----------------------

----------------Torres (Spa)---------------Podolsky (ger)------

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SPAIN Champion

Spain is EURO Champion after beat Germany 1-0

Fernando “Niño” Torres scored the goal that gives the second title to Spain in the history, the first one since 1964.

The goal that made the difference today came from Fernando Torres. He out-muscled and out-hustled Phillip Lahm for a through ball and chipped it over Mad Jens who had made a mad dash to come out and meet him. Anyone who still says Torres isn’t a natural goalscorer should be quiet now.

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SPAIN through to final after beat Rusia "again"

Having already defeated Russia 4-1 in the group stage, Spain now had everything to lose, going into this game.

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

Russia (4-1-4-1): I Akinfeev — A Anyukov, S Ignashevich, V Berezutski, Y Zhirkov — S Semak — I Saenko (sub: D Sychev, 57min), I Semshov (sub: D Bilyaletdinov, 56), K Zyryanov, A Arshavin — R Pavlyuchenko. Substitutes not used: V Gabulov, V Malafeev, R Yanbaev, A Berezutski, R Adamov, O Ivanov, R Shirokov, V Bystrov. Booked: Zhirkov, Bilyaletdinov.

Spain (4-4-2): I Casillas — S Ramos, C Puyol, C Marchena, J Capdevila — A Iniesta, M Senna, Xavi Hernández (sub: X Alonso, 69), D Silva — D Villa (sub: F Fàbregas, 34), F Torres (sub: D Güiza, 69). Substitutes not used: A Palop, J M Reina, R Albiol, F Navarro, S Cazorla, S García, Á Arbeloa, Juanito, R De La Red.

Referee: F de Bleeckere (Belgium).

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Germany is in final Euro 2008..! Germany beat Turkey 3-2

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

Germany have now qualified for the European Championship final for a record sixth time and the first time in 12 years.

Philipp Lahm became the eighth player to score the winning goal in the 90th minute or injury time in European Championship history and the third player to do so at Euro 2008.

Germany's Lukas Podolski is currently the Most Valuable Player at Euro 2008 with three goals and two assists.

By scoring three goals at Euro 2008, Semih Senturk became sole top scorer for Turkey in European Championship history.

Ayhan Akman became the 22nd Turkish player to be fielded by head coach Fatih Terim at Euro 2008.

Third goalkeeper Tolga Zengin is the only Turkish player that has not seen any action at Euro 2008.

Turkey are now one of four teams to have used 22 players at Euro 2008, joining Croatia, The Netherlands and Spain.

Turkey collected a total of 17 cards at Euro 2008. Only two nations have collected more cards in a single European Championship edition (Greece 18 in 2004 and Czech Republic 19 in 1996).

Germany: Lehmann, Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Lahm, Hitzlsperger, Rolfes (Frings 46), Schweinsteiger, Ballack, Podolski, Klose (Jansen 90).
Subs Not Used: Enke, Adler, Fritz, Westermann, Gomez, Neuville, Trochowski, Borowski, Odonkor, Kuranyi.

Goals: Schweinsteiger 27, Klose 79, Lahm 90.

Turkey: Rustu, Sarioglu, Topal, Zan, Balta, Aurelio, Kazim-Richards (Metin 90), Altintop, Akman (Erdinc 81), Boral (Karadeniz 84), Senturk.
Subs Not Used: Zengin, Cetin, Emre, Gungor, Nihat.

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Spain beats Italy in shootout after 0-0 draw

Spain change the history to reach the semifinals.

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

Cesc Fabregas scored the decisive penalty kick in a shootout Sunday night, sending Spain past Italy 4-2 after a 0-0 draw, setting up a semifinal against Russia in the European Championship.

The World Cup champion Italians were stymied twice by goalkeeper Iker Casillas in the shootout.

Spain, the only group winner to make the semifinals, plays Russia in Vienna on Thursday night. The other semifinal has Turkey against Germany on Wednesday in Basel, Switzerland.

David Villa, Santi Cazorla and Marcos Senna beat Italy's Gianluigi Buffon in the shootout. Fabio Grosso and Mauro Camoranesi connected for Italy, but Casillas stopped Daniele De Rossi and Antonio Di Nitale. Casillas guessed right on all four Italy penalty kicks, barely missing the two that found the net.

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Rusia beat Netherland 3-1 in dramatic extra time

Unpredictable ...
everyone predicted that Holland will easy to get semifinal because of their impression performance on their group stage match

Russia’s Andrei Arshavin was the architect as they dumped Netherlands out of Euro 2008 after extra time.

Russia took the lead in normal time when Roman Pavlyuchenko volleyed home, only for Ruud van Nistelrooy to head in an 86th-minute leveller for the Dutch.

But the brilliant Arshavin tormented Netherlands throughout and he crossed for Dmitri Torbinski to prod home.

Arshavin then sealed a semi-final spot in the 116th minute as he ran through and fired low past Edwin van der Sar.

Russia almost had to play with 10 men in extra time after Denis Kolodin was sent off by Lubos Michel in stoppage time, only for the referee to reverse his decision after a chat with one of his assistants.

It was the first European Championship quarter-final that did not have to be decided by penalties after going into extra time and was just reward for another spellbinding performance from the young Russians and their destroyer-in-chief Arshavin.
Holland: Van der Sar, Boulahrouz (Heitinga 54), Ooijer, Mathijsen, Van Bronckhorst, De Jong, Engelaar (Afellay 61), Kuyt (Van Persie 46), Van der Vaart, Sneijder, van Nistelrooy.
Subs Not Used: Timmer, Stekelenburg, De Zeeuw, Robben, Melchiot, Bouma, De Cler, Huntelaar, Vennegoor of Hesselink.

Booked: Boulahrouz, Van Persie, Van der Vaart.

Goals: Van Nistelrooy 86.

Russia: Akinfeev, Aniukov, Ignashevich, Kolodin, Zhirkov, Semak, Zyryanov, Semshov (Bilyaletdinov 69), Saenko (Torbinsky 81), Arshavin, Pavluchenko (Sychev 115).
Subs Not Used: Gabulov, Malafeev, Vasili Berezutsky, Yanbaev, Alexei Berezutsky, Adamov, Ivanov, Shirokov, Bystrov.

Booked: Kolodin, Zhirkov, Torbinsky.

Goals: Pavluchenko 56, Torbinsky 112, Arshavin 116.

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Turkey beat Croatia on dramatic pinalties

Turkey staged another remarkable comeback to seach the semi-finals

Turkey will meet Germany in the Euro 2008 semi-final after beating Croatia 3-1 on penalties after a dramatic extra-time finale in Vienna.

Ivan Klasnic headed Croatia in front with seconds left - only for Turkey’s Semih Senturk to volley the equaliser with the last kick of the game.

Arda Turan, Semih and Hamit Altintop scored in the shoot-out for Turkey.

Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic missed for Croatia and Turkey keeper Rustu saved the deciding kick from Mladen Petric.

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