Video: Top Goals at Euro 2008

I feel as though I've been spoiled by the European Championships. Now I am going to have to wait another 2 months to watch top notch football (I guess we do have the Olympics to tide us over). If you miss the goals and drama of the Euro Cup as much as I do then here is a little video to cheer you up. These are a few of the better goals scored at the tournament.

EURO 2008 Semi-Final Preview

And then there were four. The semifinal picture is finally complete as Turkey looks to take on Germany and Spain faces off against Russia.

After 120 scoreless minuets in the last quarterfinal of the tournament, Spain defeated Italy by a penalty margin of 4-2. In my opinion the man of the match has to be Iker Casillas. Italy attacked sparingly and created few scoring opportunities during the run of play, but when called into action, Iker keep the reigning world champions out of the back of the net. Casillas' continued to prove his strength as a shot stopper during the penalty shootout, denying both De Rossi and De Natale

Here is a closer look at the Semifinals:

Turkey vs Germany (Wed. June 25, 2:30 EST, ESPN)
Turkey's Cinderella run has been incredible, but one has to wonder if they are facing too large a challenge as they look to take on Germany. Turkey will be without keeper Volkan Demirel, attacking midfielders Arda Turan and Tuncay Sanli and defender Emre Asik due to suspensions. Turkey will also be missing the lethal Nihat Kahveci due a groin injury. Germany's clinical attack may be too much for Turkey to handle.

Spain vs Russia (Thur. June 26, 2:30 EST, ESPN2)
Spain continues to believe that this is their year as they take part in their first semifinal of a major tournament in 24 years. Spain defeated Russia by a 4-1 margin during the group stage, but the Russians were without the magic of Andrei Arshavin in that match. Arshavin and the rest of his team will look to take the game to the Spaniards, much like they did against the Netherlands. Since both teams have a fast attacking style of play that flows through the midfield, control of that part of the field will be the key to the game. Personally, I think the best midfield to "out attack" the Russians would be one powered by Fabregas, Xabi, Ineista, and Silva. Perhaps Cesc's game winning penalty against Italy will be enough to secure a spot in the starting lineup.

Quarter Finals: Russia 3 - 1 Netherlands

A young and explosive Russian side managed to defeat the high flying Dutch by a score of 3-1 this afternoon. Russia struck first in the second half on a goal by Roman Pavluchenko. A great ball played into the goal area was finished off by the streaking Russian forward. It looked as though the Ruskies would win 1-0 until Ruud Van Nistleroy managed to sneak in behind his defender on a free kick and head home the equaliser in the 86 min.

In extra time it remained tied until Andrei Arshavin crossed in a ball that did not look that threatening but managed to make it drop in on the back post and the substitute Torbinsky flicked it into the back of the "onion bag" for the eventual game winning goal. 4 minutes later Arshavin buried a shot (which took a deflection to be fair) to seal the win. Arshavin was undoubtedly the star of the game, constantly displaying his quickness and nose for good attacking football. He should definitely move somewhere big over the summer transfer window.

This was a tough loss for the Dutch as they coasted through the group stage. I think it is safe to say that anyone who underestimates the Russians from this point on will be making a huge mistake. The Russians will play the winner of the Spain versus Italy game which airs on ESPN tomorrow. Gus Hiddink managed to pull off another unexpected result for his team. The man continues to impress wherever he coaches.

EURO 2008 Quarterfinal 1, Germany Oust Portugal

The German's put in a stunning performance to oust a Portugal team that seemed very uninsipired in the first Quarterfinal of the tournament. Bastian Schweinsteiger was the star of the show, coming back from a suspension with a superb showing, scoring Germany's first, and assisting the second and third goals. Here is a look at Germany's first goal--from which they never looked back; a truly beautiful display of precise football.



Portugal attacked with flair at times, but never seriously threatened Germany. Cristiano Ronaldo was a non factor for most of the game, and one has to wonder if his constant transfer speculations proved to disrupt his focus, as well as that of his countrymen.

Germany looked polished; for a team that struggled through the group stage, they must feel very confident as the look to take on the winner of the Croatia/Turkey Quarterfinal. That Quarterfinal takes place tomorrow, game time is 2:30 EST on ESPN2.

Euro 2008 Recap (Part 3), So far...

So the Group stage is now over. Here is what happened in the last round of group stage games.

- The Turks pulled of a remarkable win against the Czech Republic. Down 2 goals with about 15 minutes left to play, Turkey scored 3 goals in a row and won their way into the quarterfinals. It really seems as though Turkey has some momentum and they could be a team to watch closely. They will face Croatia in the quarters.

- Switzerland wins a game that really doesn't mean anything. 2-0 to the hosts over a second string Portugal squad. Hopefully the Portuguese don't lose their killer instinct that they showed in their first two games.

- Germany beats Austria on a screamer of a free kick from Michael Ballack, 1-0. Germany will face Portugal and the Ronaldo circus in the elimination round.

- Croatia beats Poland 1-0 and earns full points from their 3 games. They will face Turkey next.

- Ahh the "Group of Death." Italy beats an under performing French squad 2-0. A penalty/red card in the first half committed by Abidal gave the Italians the lead. A horrible deflection on a free kick off of Henry led to the second goal. Honestly the Italians did not impress me through their first 3 games. They will face Spain.

- The Dutch continued to roll with a 2-0 victory over Romania. With a +8 goal differential, it seems as though the Dutch will be the team to beat. They match up against a young and dynamic Russian squad next.

- Russia downs Sweden to move out of the rather difficult group D. A 2-0 victory over Ibrahimovic and the Swedes will see Gus Hiddink and the Russians into the quarters. They will try to take down the steamroller known as the Dutch. Should be a good game.

- Spain take out the 2004 European Champions, Greece, with a B squad by a score of 2-1. The Spanish will take on World Cup holders Italy in the quarters. I really hope they kick the shit out of the Italians. Not to sound bias or anything...

Euro 2008 Recap (Part 2), So far...

Here is a summary and some observations after the second round of the group stage games:

- Portugal put on a show against the Czechs and manage to put 3 past Petr Cech on their way to a 3-1 victory. It's safe to say that C. Ronaldo and his countrymen are looking very strong through the first two games.

- Turkey score a very late winner and as a result eliminate one of the tournament's hosts, Switzerland.

- Germany gets out played by the Croatians as they lose by a score of 1-2. Croatia shows its potential and Germany shows that it can be beaten.

- Italy and Romania tie as the Dutch route France 4-1. This "Group of Death" has been a bit unpredictable. The Netherlands are definitely one of the top teams in this tournament. Will Italy fail to make it out of the group stage?? (I guess Italy and France could both fail to advance, wouldn't that be something?!)

- Spain beats Sweden on a last gasp goal by the tournament's leading scorer, David Villa. This was a real heart breaker for the Swedes, although I think that Spain definitely out played Sweden in the second half. They must have had around 65-70% of the possession in the second half but couldn't put a goal in until the 93rd minute. A por ellos!

The third and final round of group stage games starts today. Should be some exciting stuff. If you are looking for the TV schedule, just look to the upper right of the page and there should be a link. Enjoy.

Euro 2008 Recap, So far...

So far there has been some really good soccer played and some not so good soccer played. Here is a quick list of some of the headlines and highlights of the European Championship through the first round of games for each group.

- Portugal wins their first match but all the media can still talk about is the Real Madrid/Man Utd/Ronaldo drama.

- Podolski scores a brace for Germany in route to a 2-0 victory over neighbors Poland.

- Both host countries, Austria and Switzerland, lose 1-0 in games where they could have had a more positive result.

- The "Group of Death" did not live up to its billing with France vs. Romania. Unless that name is referring to being bored to death with watching the game. I really thought France would have done better than a 0-0 tie.

- The other half of said group saw the Netherlands dismantle Italy 3-0. This could prove to be a rather large hole for the World Cup champions to dig themselves out of. It will be interesting to see how they rebound against Romania.

- Many peoples' favorite to win the tournament, Spain, picked apart a young Russian side 4-1. David Villa scored the first hat trick of Euro 2008. Russia was not all that bad though. I still think Spain and Russia will be the two teams to come out of this group.

More to come as the tournament progresses...

European Championship TV Schedule

The start of Euro 2008 is creeping up on us. Luckily we will be blessed with ESPN/ABC airing every game on TV. Here is a fixture list to help you all with scheduling your TiVo.