Euro 2008 Review Part III

The quarterfinals served up a few intriguing encounters. First up is the steel of the Germans against the flair of Scolari’s Portugal. With the German defense as vulnerable as it is, Ronaldo was looked upon to provide to finishing gloss to take Portugal into the semis. However, once again so-called best player in the world disintegrated when faced upon bigger opposition. With him frozen up, Deco had to take up the mantle and he also failed. Yet again, Germany showed the mettle and fortitude in big tournaments. They were tactically sound, cutting off the supply from the wings and taking advantage of Portugal’s soft spot in the middle of defense. For men of their size, Carvalho and Pepe failed to properly deal with crosses into the box and was left exposed with two superb headers off freekicks from outside the box.

Croatia versus Turkey was a tactical battle from the word go. Neither side manufactured enough chances to grab the lead. It was a case of Tuncay and Altintop nullifying the threat of Modric and Srna from midfield. With the supply cut, Nihat and Olic were running themselves to the ground trying to create openings on their own. Neither man completed the entire game. Neither man came off unscathed. The final 5 minutes provided the most entertainment. Turkey equalized from virtually the last kick of the game to send the matchup into a penalty shootout. One can already sensed the disappointing from the Croatian camp in the run-up to the penalties. It was no wonder that Turkey triumph in the end although at a price of missing several key players for the semis due to suspension and injuries.

The Dutch faced the Dutch, well almost anyway. Hiddink’s Russia taking on Holland was an encounter to savour. Both sides played with attacking flair and controlled football. Crisp one touch football dominated this tie. In the end, wily Hiddink won this battle and had to reserve most of his gratitude to Arshavin. Even though most of the Russian played extremely well and should be commended for their effort, their number 10 stood out like a beacon. Tireless with his running, his forays left, right and center of the Dutch defense ran them ragged. They had no answer to his wonderful performance. It was also a case of Holland never showing up. Sneijder tried to hard to justify his stake on the world player of the year award. Attempting to shoot from all angles and all areas of the pitch showed his lack of trust to his fellow teammates. Van Basten’s tactic to stick Robin Van Persie out on the right flank was debatable. Van Persie’s contribution from that part of the field left much to be desired.

If ever Spain had any chance of overcoming their psychological barrier on getting knockout in the quarterfinals, then it is now, for they were up against a weary looking Italian side. Shorn of the talismanic Cannavaro and having entrusted the inexperience Donadoni as head coach, Italy never looked like the side that lifted the World Cup in Germany. Suspension to Pirlo mainly highlighted the fact that there is a lack of depth in the Italy squad. Tried as Aquilani did, he did not have the touch or class of Pirlo. Spain was relentless in their attacks and were really unlucky not to win in normal time. With Senna manning the defense, Xavi and Fabregas orchestrated play from deep. And if the two of them are marked out, Spain still had two other playmakers who can create havoc in Silva and Iniesta. Italy simply had no answer to the movement of the Spanish armada. Though the match lasted till the penalty kicks, there was ever only going to be one winner. Cassilas might be the hero of the hour but the match was well won by the midfield maetros.