Euro 2008: Preview – Sweden vs. Spain

 

If Spain perform against Sweden in their second Group D match with the same flair, colour and attitude as coach Luis Aragonés showed while previewing the contest then everyone is in for an exceptional treat.

High spirits
In theory the meeting with Lars Lagerbäck’s ultra-disciplined side, thorny rivals during qualification for UEFA EURO 2008™, should have been a cause for nerves and tension. Instead Aragonés was full of wit, good humour and evident anticipation for a great evening at the Stadion Tivoli Neu. Asked by a Swedish journalist about pictures of Sergio Ramos in an Innsbruck disco during the week, the 69-year-old quipped: “It was his day off! You’re just lucky you didn’t catch me in the disco too. I like disco music, but prefer flamenco. I was worried you were going to show me something worse!” He brought the house down. And his high spirits extended to more questions about Fernando Torres.

Father figure
“I had a chat with him but there has never been a problem,” he said in reference to the idea that the Liverpool FC striker was still smarting from being substituted against Russia. “Sometimes you build a paternal relationship with players and I’ve been with him a long time, but he’s only been in my sides on merit.” Torres and David Villa certainly deserve the spotlight. Their partnership destroyed Russia on Tuesday and they linked up for another goal in the final training match before Saturday’s game. But two other factors could be vital against Sweden. Lars Lagerbäck’s outfit are excellent aerially, but they are missing both Niclas Alexandersson (calf) and Christian Wilhelmsson (hamstring) down the right – a weakness Spain will hope to exploit.

Top quality
“Sweden have got big lads who win the ball in the air, so we must cut their supply,” said Aragonés. “I think our left side is in great shape. David Silva can play anywhere across the pitch and Joan Capdevila could be a central defender, a wing-back, a midfielder, and he gives you goals.” Fredrik Stoor should beat off competition from Mikael Dorsin to replace Alexandersson but what concerns Lagerbäck more than changing a winning lineup following the 2-0 defeat of reigning champions Greece, is that his team show total concentration. “What we’ve learned over the last couple of years against Spain is that, if your focus slips, they will hurt you. Give them the ball and drop our concentration and they will play like they are the best in the world. That’s what happened when we lost [3-0] in Madrid but I don’t expect that again.” What he would obviously prefer is a repeat of Sweden’s 2-0 success in Stockholm which preceded that reverse at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Impressive strikers
While Spain are likely to select the same eleven as against Russia, Lagerbäck has an important decision regarding Zlatan Ibrahimović. With the front man still recovering from knee problems, there may be a case to restrict his minutes against Spain. “The good news is that he felt no pain after the last match or in training,” said the coach. “His work with Henrik [Larsson] is top quality and Henrik is back at this tournament simply because he still fulfils every criterion of the modern international striker.” How Spain cope with the former FC Barcelona forward will go a long way to settling this fascinating encounter.

Euro 2008: Netherlands 4 – France 1

The Netherlands secured their place in the UEFA EURO 2008™ quarter-finals with a game to spare after producing another devastating display against France in Berne, with Dirk Kuyt, Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder all scoring in a memorable win.

Clinical counterattacks
Twenty years after his goals led the Netherlands to the European title, Marco van Basten’s 2008 crop underlined their case as serious contenders by building on their defeat of Italy to tie up first place in Group C. There may have been less of the flamboyance they had shown in beating the Azzurri – the Dutch riding their luck at times after Kuyt’s early breakthrough – but the speed of their counterattacking play was again in rich evidence, never more so than in the second goal scored by Van Persie after a lightning surge by Robben. Even when Thierry Henry halved the deficit, Robben immediately restored the two-goal cushion to leave France, punished further by Sneijder, bottom of the section with a solitary point – and with everything to do against Italy on Tuesday, when the Netherlands play second-placed Romania.

Early setback
France, under pressure to perform following their opening stalemate against Romania, came out with Henry installed as leader of the line in place of Nicolas Anelka and Sidney Govou drafted in on the right, allowing Franck Ribéry to play as second striker. “Time to step up a gear” declared the front page of the morning’s L’Equipe newspaper yet within nine minutes they were behind, Kuyt striking from the game’s first corner. Rafael van der Vaart swung the ball in and the Liverpool FC forward got in front of Florent Malouda to nod past Grégory Coupet.

France threat
Kuyt then nearly profited from Lilian Thuram’s misdirected header but, at full stretch, steered over. Les Bleus gradually found their stride, however, with Govou stepping past Joris Mathijsen and sending in a low drive that Edwin van der Sar saved with his legs. The volume of the France supporters began to rise as Florent Malouda, Govou and then the busy Ribéry all tested Van der Sar and Domenech’s team picked up where they had left off on the restart as Henry pounced on a deflected centre by Patrice Evra – starting instead of Eric Abidal – and shot goalwards only to be denied by André Ooijer’s block.

Substitutes combine
The FC Barcelona striker had an even better chance soon after but put too much weight on his lob after Malouda’s acrobatic chip had sent him clear. How he was left to rue that miss when the Netherlands’ two substitutes combined for the second goal after 59 minutes. Ruud van Nistelrooy sent Robben speeding down the left and his cross was volleyed in by Van Persie off the hand of Coupet.

Spectacular fourth
The excellent Van der Sar palmed away Ribéry’s shot as France sought a lifeline and it came when Willy Sagnol provided the low ball for Henry to reduce the shortfall with a neat flick after 71 minutes. Yet hopes of a comeback lasted less than a minute. The tannoy music had barely stopped playing when Robben concluded a three-man move by blasting the ball between Coupet and his near post. Things only got worse for France, for whom this defeat was the worst in UEFA European Championship finals history, as Sneijder rounded off a stunning win in suitably spectacular fashion – driving in a fourth off the underside of the bar in added time.

Euro 2008: Italy 1 – Romania 1

Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon superbly saved Adrian Mutu’s penalty with nine minutes remaining to keep the world champions’ UEFA EURO 2008™ hopes alive as the Azzurri and Romania battled out a breathless draw in Zurich.

Penalty drama
Buffon dived to his left to block the ACF Fiorentina striker’s stinging drive with his arm and foot after Christian Panucci had held back Daniel Niculae in the area. Defeat would have left Italian ambitions on a knife-edge but in a free-flowing match they delivered a perfect response to Mutu’s 55th-minute opener as Panucci levelled a minute later. It salvaged a crucial point, which kept Italy in Group C contention before their reprise of the FIFA World Cup final against France on Thursday when Romania play the Netherlands.  

Widespread changes
Italy coach Roberto Donadoni made five changes to the side that lost to the Netherlands as he looked to rescue their campaign. Victor Piţurcă had more reason to be satisfied after a goalless draw with France, but still freshened up his midfield, with Florentin Petre and Paul Codrea coming in – the latter bringing experience of Italian football with AC Siena. Italy’s reshuffled back line was tested in the first minute when Mutu nodded over and in an open game it was immediately clear that Romania were willing to commit more men forward than they had against France. Alessandro Del Piero made his first start since September and Italy’s captain almost had an early impact when his header was deflected wide.

Ebb and flow
Romania then created three excellent chances in the space of four minutes. Buffon saved brilliantly from Mutu, who had broken free down the left, then stretched to keep out a Gabriel Tamaş free-kick. The goalkeeper was beaten, however, when Cristian Chivu’s long-range free-kick deflected off Panucci, but the ball bounced back off the post. Piţurcă’s team were showing all the invention they had concealed against France and their coach, sensing the momentum was going their way, chose to withdraw the injured Mirel Rădoi for the forward-thinking Nicolae Dică on 25 minutes. Attack was dominating defence, with Romania’s slick passing inviting fear in the Italy rearguard while Luca Toni was winning everything in the air at the other end, Bogdan Lobonţ tipping one header over.

Short-lived lead
AC Milan pair Massimo Ambrosini and Gennaro Gattuso had made way for Daniele De Rossi and Simone Perrotta in Italy’s midfield, yet their replacements were finding little joy against Chivu, who cut off the supply line down the centre. Mutu also continued to catch the eye, drawing a smart stop from Buffon before pouncing on Gianluca Zambrotta’s weak back-header to fire his side in front ten minutes into the second period. The Romania fans were still celebrating when Italy hit back, Giorgio Chiellini heading a corner back across goal for Panucci to knock in.

Buffon brilliance
Lobonţ had to touch away De Rossi’s diving header as Italy pushed for a second goal, although it was Romania who had the best opportunity to win a breathtaking contest. Panucci was adjudged to have restricted Niculae with his arms in the area, allowing Mutu the chance to snatch what would have been a memorable victory. The Azzurri were staring defeat and possible elimination in the face but Buffon produced a dramatic diving save to his left to keep his team in the competition.

Euro 2008: Swiss police call on French riot unit reinforcements for Euro 2008

GENEVA — Local police were reinforced by hundreds of officers from France’s gendarmerie and CRS riot police units for Saturday’s match between Portugal and Turkey at the European Championship.

“We are very happy to be here,” said Denis Kotnik, commander of a CRS detachment from the city of Metz. “We will offer all our support. It is a good example of European co-operation and there is good intelligence between the French and Genevois police.”

Officers from the French cities of Lyon and Grenoble will also work under Geneva canton (state) police authority in 48-hour spells around each of the Geneva’s three match-day operations.

Portugal face the Czech Republic on Wednesday and the Czech Republic plays Turkey next Sunday in Group A. Foreign fans aren’t expected to pose a hooligan problem.

“The support of our French colleagues is a crucial element in our operations,” said Christian Cudre-Mauroux, commander of the Geneva forces at Euro 2008.

The relatively small Geneva force will get federal funds to pay for the reinforcements, and call upon Swiss officers from neighbouring French-speaking cantons.

“It permits us to be present all through this long day in the city, in the fan zone and at the stadium,” Cudre-Mauroux said. “Our philosophy is to be very visible and have contact with the supporters, and to maintain the capacity to be here for our normal job for the population. With these reinforcements we can do all these things.”

Euro 2008: Germany 1 – Croatia 2

Croatia sealed their place in the quarter-finals of UEFA EURO 2008™ as goals from Darijo Srna and Ivica Olić earned a famous win against Germany that took Slaven Bilić’s side three points clear at the top of Group B.

Famous win
With both teams having won their first game on Sunday each knew victory in Klagenfurt would all but secure a ticket to the last eight, and it was Croatia who struck first midway through the first half thanks to the determination of Srna. The points looked safe when Olić tapped in just past the hour, yet Lukas Podolski set up a tense finale with his third goal of the tournament eleven minutes from time. Croatia, whose only previous success against the Mannschaft had come in the quarter-finals of the 1998 FIFA World Cup – a match in which Bilić played – held on with Germany losing Bastian Schweinsteiger to a late red card. Joachim Löw’s men were left needing a point from Monday’s meeting with Austria to continue in the tournament.

Srna strikes
While the Germany coach kept faith with the side that served him well against Poland, Bilić brought in midfielder Ivan Rakitić for Mladen Petrić and pushed Niko Kranjčar into a more advanced role. Neither team were prepared to take risks in a tense opening and the first scoring opportunity did not materialise until the 24th minute – and from it, Croatia took the lead. The ball was worked neatly down the left for Danijel Pranjić to deliver a superb deep cross which Srna, arriving ahead of his marker Marcell Jansen at the far post, steered past Jens Lehmann.

Missed chances
Germany sought an immediate response with Mario Gómez heading over from Jansen’s cross, although Kranjčar might have doubled the Croatian advantage only to volley Olić’s knockdown over the bar. Germany captain Michael Ballack came more into the game, seeking to drive his side forward with half-time approaching and stinging the palms of Stipe Pletikosa with a powerful free-kick, before Christoph Metzelder nodded a Torsten Frings corner too high. Yet it was Croatia who finished the opening period the stronger, with Kranjčar wasting another presentable chance as he volleyed Olić’s pass straight at Lehmann.
 
Olić opportunism
Löw replaced Jansen with winger David Odonkor at half-time, with Clemens Fritz and Philipp Lahm moving to right and left-back respectively as the coach tried to inject pace into his attack. The ploy did result in Löw’s team gaining more possession but they still found it tough to carve out clear opportunities and fell further behind two minutes past the hour, albeit in unfortunate fashion. Lehmann reacted sharply to push Rakitić’s deflected right-wing centre on to his near post, the ball having struck Podolski, but Olić moved fastest to tap the rebound into an unguarded net.

Podolski pounces
If that goal seemed to be the prelude to a comfortable last half-hour for Croatia, a Germany side who were running out of ideas suddenly halved the deficit with Podolski volleying in Ballack’s knockdown from a Lahm cross. Despite that revival of ambition, the Mannschaft failed to mount a late charge and a disappointing day was completed two minutes into added time when substitute Schweinsteiger was sent off for reacting to a challenge from Jerko Leko.

Euro 2008: Poland 1 – Austria 1

 

Ivica Vastic’s last-gasp penalty kept Austria in contention to reach the UEFA EURO 2008™ quarter-finals, salvaging a draw against a Poland side who had looked set to take three points thanks to Roger Guerreiro’s first-half goal and some inspired goalkeeping from Artur Boruc.

Late drama
Boruc made four crucial interventions to frustrate a vibrant Austria before Roger was in the right place to tap in on the half-hour and give Poland the lead. Austria were staring a second successive 1-0 defeat in the face but, three minutes into added time, Marcin Wasilewski pulled Sebastian Prödl’s shirt and substitute Vastic became the oldest player to score in a UEFA European Championship, finally beating Boruc from the spot. These teams now have one point apiece, two fewer than Germany who are Austria’s final opponents on Monday, when Group B winners Croatia are the opposition for Poland.

Austria domination
With both sides having lost already, each knew another reverse would almost certainly end their championship hopes and, buoyed by deafening support, it was Austria who dominated much of the first half. Andreas Ivanschitz set the tone, dragging a hopeful shot wide before testing Boruc with a long-range free-kick. Then came the onslaught. Martin Harnik raced on to a lofted Ümit Korkmaz pass only for his strike to be turned wide by Boruc and, moments later, the Werder Bremen midfielder was again denied after Korkmaz set him up from the byline, having tricked his way past two defenders. Harnik shot from eight metres but Boruc was there again.

Boruc heroics
But for the Celtic FC goalkeeper, Austria would have been out of sight within the first 15 minutes. It was at that point that Boruc was called upon to make his fourth save of the evening as Christoph Leitgeb was put clean through. Like Harnik before him, Leitgeb opted against rounding the keeper and let fly early. Boruc bravely stopped the shot and was alert enough to kick away the loose ball too.

Disbelief
Poland had hardly threatened but somehow, completely against the run of play, Leo Beenhakker’s men went in front in the 30th minute. Euzebiusz Smolarek’s left-wing cross was controlled by Marek Saganowski at the far post and, though his strike was blocked by Emanuel Pogatetz, the ball rolled across goal for Roger to gleefully turn it into an unguarded net. Even Austria coach Josef Hickersberger cracked a rueful smile of disbelief as suddenly a cry of “Polska, Polska” reverberated around the ground.

Macho saves
Beenhakker’s half-time team talk must have been impassioned as Poland emerged after the break with greater attacking intent. Smolarek spurned the opportunity to double the advantage after cutting in from the left and forcing a stop from Jürgen Macho with an angled drive, while Dariusz Dudka was afforded the time to bring down Roger’s cross and make Macho parry at his near post. Poland were now in the ascendancy and, midway through the half, Macho had to be at his best to tip Jacek Krzynówek’s ferocious free-kick over the bar.

Vastic composure
Austria strove manfully to find an equaliser, with Hickersberger throwing on Roman Kienast, Vastic and Jürgen Säumel as the clock ticked down. Säumel and Prödl both sent efforts too high and it seemed there would be no beating Boruc – until Prödl won the penalty and the 38-year-old Vastic did the rest .

Euro 2008: Switzerland 1 – Turkey 2

Ardan Turan’s deflected goal deep in injury time gave Turkey a win that revived their UEFA EURO 2008™ hopes – but ended those of co-hosts Switzerland.

Downpour
Switzerland, like Turkey beaten on the opening day, dealt better with a first-half Basel downpour and Hakan Yakin put them ahead just past the half-hour with a rain-assisted goal. Semih, however, was a prolific scorer from the bench for Fenerbahçe SK this season and 12 minutes after his half-time introduction he repeated the trick for his nation. It seemed a draw would be the outcome but Arda had other ideas and now Turkey can reach the quarter-finals by winning their final Group A game against the Czech Republic on Sunday. Switzerland will finish in fourth place.
New strikeforce
Not only were Switzerland without Alexander Frei after his knee ligament injury in the 1-0 defeat by the Czech Republic but Marco Streller’s groin problem was worse than originally thought so Eren Derdiyok and Yakin, both with Turkish heritage, were drafted in up front. Both teams had begun positively when the heavens opened after ten minutes and water quickly settled on the pitch. Gökhan Inler, the other Switzerland player with Turkish roots, tested Volkan Demirel, who then dived to stop a stinging Yakin shot. The Turkey goalkeeper was kept busy, a Tranquillo Barnetta free-kick the next effort he had to save.

Arda denied
Fatih Terim had reshuffled the Turkey midfield since the 2-0 loss to Portugal, with captain Emre Belözoğlu injured and Tümer Metin, Gökdeniz Karadeniz and Arda all given starts, while Emre Aşık came in for injured defender Gökhan Zan. Any tactical plans had been scuppered by the downpour, however, and it was an old-fashioned set-piece that nearly gave Turkey the lead. Nihat Kahveci’s free-kick was tipped by Diego Benaglio on to the head of Arda and the ricochet hit the woodwork.

Yakin strikes
Three minutes later Switzerland scored and the weather could claim an assist. Derdiyok chased a long ball into the right channel, rounded Volkan Demirel and squared. Unexpectedly, the ball held up right in the goalmouth and the grateful Yakin reacted first to tap in. A couple of minutes later he could have had another but this time he misjudged Valon Behrami’s cross. The rain eased just before the break but the surface water presented a challenge for the groundstaff at half-time.

Equaliser
On to the partially-drained pitch came Turkey substitutes Semih and Mehmet Topal. Semih’s appearance was an understandable statement of attacking intent, and Turkey bravely continued with their short passing game in tough conditions. That enterprise was rewarded when Nihat sent in a superb looping cross from the left and Semih rose to head in. Switzerland responded well and it took a sliding block from Hakan Balta to deny Yakin.

Exciting finish
Johan Vonlanthen was introduced by Switzerland and proved a lively presence, sliding a neat pass which Inler turned just wide, while at the other end Tuncay supplied an inviting cross which just eluded Nihat’s reach. In an open finish to the game either side could have won – Volkan pulled off a great double save from substitute Ricardo Cabanas and Inler, and that proved invaluable when Arda set off on a run and his strike from the edge of the box flew in off the devastated Patrick Müller.

Euro 2008: Portugal 3 – Czech Republic 1

Cristiano Ronaldo scored one goal and set up two more as Portugal qualified for the quarter-finals of UEFA EURO 2008™ after a 3-1 win over Group A rivals Czech Republic at the Stade de Genève.Sublime finish
Deco had given Portugal an eighth-minute lead after good work from Ronaldo before Libor Sionko’s thumping header levelled proceedings. However, Ronaldo turned on the style in the second half, providing a sublime finish from the edge of the area in the 63rd minute before supplying Ricardo Quaresma to round things off in added time. The win left Portugal top of Group A with six points and their last-eight place was confirmed by Turkey’s last-gasp victory over Switzerland later in the evening – a result that leaves the Czechs tied with Turkey on three points ahead of their decisive meeting on Sunday.

Baroš return
While Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari kept faith with the same XI that served him so well in the opener against Turkey, his Czech counterpart, Karel Brückner, dropped Jan Koller in favour of Milan Baroš, top scorer at UEFA EURO 2004™, and elected not to give Václav Svěrkoš the chance to shine from the start despite his winning strike against the Swiss. The Czechs may have registered the first shot on goal after Sionko’s mazy run, but it was the Portuguese who delivered the first telling blow with just eight minutes on the clock. The ever-menacing Ronaldo escaped the clutches of his marker down the left side before a swift one-two with Nuno Gomes left the Manchester United FC winger with just Petr Čech to beat. The Czech goalkeeper somehow foiled Ronaldo’s effort to waltz around him but the ball fell invitingly for Deco to slot home at the second attempt from close range, giving Scolari’s men the perfect start.

Thunderous header
The Czechs, who had clearly targeted Paulo Ferreira as Portugal’s weak link down the right, sought an instant response through Marek Jankulovski but, after cleverly making space for himself, he could only send his long-range effort wide of Ricardo’s post. The game was developing into an absorbing contest played at a breathtaking pace and it came as no surprise when the Czechs restored parity in the 18th minute. Jaroslav Plašil was the architect, swinging in a vicious corner and Sionko, who had been at the heart of almost every Czech attack, powered a diving header beyond the despairing dive of Ricardo.

Ronaldo rocket
The merits of hard work and a deft touch were apparent in both midfields with Petit always assured on the ball and the Czech trio working tirelessly to close down Portugal’s wing quartet whenever they looked threatening. Although Ronaldo had three efforts on goal before the interval, Portugal evidently emerged from their half-time team talk with renewed vigour. First Nuno Gomes, anonymous to that point, had two efforts in quick succession before Scolari’s team regained the lead through a combination of young legs and an older head. After wave upon wave of Portuguese attacks, the ball fell to Deco on the right of the area and he weighted his pass perfectly for Ronaldo to supply the smooth finish with a right-foot shot into the bottom left-hand corner of Čech’s goal from the edge of the area. It was his 46th goal of an incredible season.

Quaresma slots home
The Czechs threw everything at Portugal in the closing stages but could not find their way past Ricardo and a resolute Portuguese defence and in the final minute, with the entire Czech team committed to an attack, Ronaldo raced clear before squaring to Quaresma who slotted the ball home to complete the victory and put Portugal within touching distance of the last eight.

Euro 2008: Spain 4 – Russia 1

A scintillating hat-trick from David Villa gave Spain a clear-cut 4-1 victory over Russia in their first outing at UEFA EURO 2008™ and confirmed the immense power of the Valencia CF striker’s partnership with Fernando Torres.

Thrilling match
In a high-quality Group D encounter, Russia provided moments to indicate that Luis Aragonés’s side may still be vulnerable at the back and gained consolation with Roman Pavlyuchenko’s 86th-minute header. But Villa’s second goal in particular was a stunning team move which may already be one of the goals of the tournament. Only the seventh player in finals history to score three in a game, the 26-year-old’s treble was the first in a EURO since Patrick Kluivert’s against Yugoslavia eight years ago. Villa then utterly stamped his class on the match, crossing for Xavi Hernández to volley and substitute Cesc Fàbregas to head in the fourth in stoppage time.

Unerring finish
Torres has always asked for a quick supply of the ball at international level and in the 20th minute he got it. Courtesy of a Joan Capdevila interception and a notable right-footed pass from the left-back, the Liverpool FC forward was left one on one with his marker. Torres used good upper body strength to put Denis Kolodin under immense pressure and when the Spaniard skipped clear he allowed goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev to try and dive at his feet before slipping the ball to the right, into the path of Villa who finished unerringly. Such was the drama of the contest that within seconds Russia nearly equalised. Their love of overlapping full-back play had already caused havoc in the jumpy Spain back line, but instead of Aleksandr Anyukov this time it was Dmitri Sychev whose right-wing cross drifted, agonisingly, across Carles Puyol, Marcos Senna and even Andrés Iniesta before Konstantin Zyryanov cracked the ball off the post.

Second goal
Instead of daunting Spain, it seemed as if the players in red took their luck as an indication that this was their night. Within six minutes of Villa’s first goal, he and Torres had created three outstanding opportunities – two of which needed smart blocks by Akinfeev. Russia, for their part, were fighting like terriers to impose themselves, repeatedly catching Iniesta in possession, and Pavlyuchenko even hit the bar with a left-footed shot though referee Konrad Plautz had already called a foul. Villa closed a sparkling 45 minutes with Spain’s second, however, following a brilliant move. Zyryanov attempted an ambitious pass across the Spain box and David Silva ran to retrieve it, sparking a lightning-quick passing movement through Silva, Capdevila and Iniesta which left Villa sprinting into the box where he slipped the ball between Akinfeev’s legs.

End to end
The introduction of Vladimir Bystrov for Sychev made an impact as Russia sought a way back. Guus Hiddink’s men pushed forward relentlessly and Bystrov’s header from Zyryanov’s cross in the 51st minute brought Iker Casillas into action before Diniyar Bilyaletdinov shot narrowly wide eight minutes later. However, Spain were irrepressible. Fàbregas came on for Torres as Aragonés chose to rest his striker and give the Arsenal FC man a taste of the action. Villa almost had his hat-trick in the 66th minute but was prevented by a superb Anyukov tackle, yet the forward did not have to wait much longer. With 15 minutes left, he turned Roman Shirokov inside out and finished expertly with his right foot. It was just that Russia’s commitment to attack eventually won some reward in the final minutes. Zyryanov, culpable for the second goal but Hiddink’s best player, took a corner which Shirokov nodded on and Pavlyuchenko headed in at the back post. Even then Villa had the last word, though, creating Spain’s fourth and Fàbregas’s first for his country.

Euro 2008: Greece 0 – Sweden 2

Holders Greece already have a fight on their hands to maintain their grip on the trophy they won so memorably four years ago after second-half goals from Zlatan Ibrahimović and Petter Hansson gave Sweden all three points in their opening Group D match in Salzburg.

On the back foot
Otto Rehhagel’s side were always on the back foot as they relied on the tactics that had served them so well in Portugal, defending deeply and looking for opportunities to threaten on the counterattack. For all their territorial dominance, however, Sweden were unable to pick a way through a characteristically disciplined Greece defence, until a moment of inspiration from Ibrahimović who – with his first international goal since October 2005 – broke the deadlock in the 67th minute. Hansson added a second five minutes later to leave Greece with plenty to ponder before Saturday’s meeting with Russia.

Set-pieces
Sweden coach Lars Lagerbäck had warned repeatedly in the build-up of the danger posed by Greece from set-pieces, yet within three minutes his own team had proved they were not to be underestimated in that department either – Hansson heading across goal from a right-wing corner. Ibrahimović and Fredrik Ljungberg, back after knee and rib injuries respectively, then nearly combined to good effect before Anders Svensson thumped a first-time left-foot volley just past the post from 25 metres.

Larsson involved
Having again reversed his decision to retire from national-team football for this tournament, Henrik Larsson produced an unusually quiet opening half-hour, but burst into life by unselfishly passing up two shooting opportunities by trying to find Ibrahimović. On each occasion the menace was snuffed out, although the FC Internazionale Milano forward then landed an improvised header on the roof of Antonis Nikopolidis’s net. Greece had barely threatened their opponents’ goal with the notable exception of a fine early run past three defenders from the 2004 final match-winner, Angelos Charisteas. His burst ended disappointingly with a low shot straight at Andreas Isaksson, who then reacted smartly to keep out an Angelos Basinas effort from distance on the stroke of half-time.

Greeks sit back
The pattern remained much the same in the second period, with Greece largely content to sit back and soak up pressure. That plan might have come undone within three minutes of the restart, Niclas Alexandersson lifting a pass over the defence for Christian Wilhelmsson on the right after Greece had half-cleared a corner. The midfielder beat Nikopolidis to the ball but his shot was too high. While happy to let their opponents make the running, the set-piece delivery of Greece’s Giorgos Karagounis prompted several uncomfortable moments and the midfielder wasted a presentable opening himself just past the hour, twice firing straight at defenders with Sweden exposed.

Ibrahimović inspiration
There was soon more discomfort for the Scandinavians as Hansson inadvertently headed a Traianos Dellas cross just past his own post – yet within seconds Sweden were ahead. Ibrahimović, without a goal for his country in his 13 previous games, exchanged passes with Larsson and thumped an unstoppable drive beyond Nikopolidis from the edge of the box. That was the first time Greece’s defence had been breached in 425 minutes of EURO finals action but they soon conceded a messy second. Nikopolidis saved from Ljungberg but the ball looped into the air for Hansson to scramble it in at the far post. Sweden were always in control thereafter, although the night ended on a note of concern as Wilhelmsson limped off with a heavily strapped left thigh.