Earning the (re) cap: Euro 2008 quarterfinals

Breaking down the Euro 2008 quarter-finals...

Germany 3, Portugal 2

This game came with the billing of a clash of ancient titans, and it didn't disappoint. Both sides turned in fantastic displays of attacking football, but Germany's team effort proved superior to Portugal's Ronaldo-centric strategy in the end. Bastian Schweinsteiger returned to the German lineup in fine form after a suspension, scoring the side's first goal and setting up the other two with excellent set pieces. The Germans' strength in the air proved vital, as did their skillful attacks down the left flank from Philipp Lahm and Lukas Podolski. They certainly look to have regained their form after a loss to Croatia and a close win over Austria in the group stage.

Related: Stephen Brunt's excellent column on the match [The Globe and Mail]


Turkey 1, Croatia 1 (3-1 Turkey on penalties)

118 minutes of mostly boredom topped off by two of the most exciting minutes in the tournament so far is the best way to summarize this one. There really wasn't much going on for much of this game, but everything changed late in overtime. The story of the game was Turkish backup goalkeeper Rustu Recber, who was only in the match due to the suspension of number-one choice Volkan Demirel. Recber almost lost the match for his side with a ill-advised tackle attempt on Croatia's Luca Modric in the 119th minute, as Modric simply knocked the ball to Ivan Klasnic, who made no mistake when confronted with an empty net. It would have all been over, and the Croats certainly thought it was, if Recber hadn't immediately atoned for his mistake. He demonstrated leg power that would make NFL kickers green with envy, booting a free kick the length of the field where it fell to Semih Semturk after a few ricochets. Semturk drilled the ball into the back of the net, crushing Croatian spirits and sending the match to penalties, where Recber made a crucial save off of Mladen Petric and Modric and Ivan Rakitic both missed, giving Turkey the improbable win and setting up a great semifinal against the Germans.

Related:
- Duane Rollins' post on the game [Out of Left Field]
- John Doyle's column [The Globe and Mail]

The Netherlands 1, Russia 3 (in extra time)

This is an even bigger upset than Turkey's win, in my mind. Croatia was a good team, but only on the edge of real contention, whereas the Dutch had been the most impressive side in the tournament to this point, recording dominating wins over France, Italy and Romania. Turkey also had a prior record of success in major competitions, placing third in the 2002 World Cup and advancing to the Euro 2000 quarter-finals, while Russia had never advanced out of the group stage in either the World Cup or European Championships before this tournament. Guus Hiddink, that master of great results with improbable teams, pulled another one out of his hat, though, and the great thing is he did it in a beautiful-to-watch attacking style, with a little help from one Andrei Arshavin. Arshavin, who few had even heard of before this tournament (except those who follow Zenit St. Petersburg), is now being labeled as "potentially another Pele" by knowledgeable writers like Robert Millward of The Associated Press. He scored two impressive goals and set up another to lead the Russian Bear to victory. Stephen Brunt summarized his performance pretty nicely in this column, entitled "Russian star is born" [The Globe and Mail]:

And so a star is born.
On a steamy night at St Jakob-Park, a tournament that has already taken many a brilliant twist and turn since it opened in this same space two weeks ago has added a new name to the football firmament.
Remember it: Andrei Arshavin, diminutive, short-legged, ruddy-cheeked, looking like he might be fifteen years old. Right now, he belongs to UEFA Cup champions Zenit St Petersburg (and they have no plans to surrender him) but soon enough he's going to belong to the world.
Arshavin, and the brilliant coaching mind of Guus Hiddink, were the catalyst behind the biggest upset of the tournament so far, a 3-1 extra time victory for Russia over Holland, propelling the Russians to the semi-finals, and the Dutch to a soul-crushing defeat.

Bet that kind of press will boost Arshavin's transfer value this summer...

Spain 0, Italy 0 (4-2 Spain on penalties)

Another classic matchup, but the potential of a great game evaporated due to the Italians' stifling defence. It still was a good match, but nowhere near what it could have been if both sides had decided to go for it instead of sitting back and hoping for a break. It's not too surprising that Spain won in the end, though: they've been excellent throughout the tournament so far, while Italy barely squeaked out of their group. It will be most interesting to see what transpires tomorrow between Spain and Russia.

Related: John Doyle's column [The Globe and Mail]

Semifinal previews:

Today: Germany vs. Turkey (Kick-off: 2:45 p.m. ET)

This should be a great match. Turkey will be in tough, though, as they only have 13 players available: five have been lost to injury and two more to suspension. The question is which Germany will show up: the dominant side that bested Poland and Portugal, or the vulnerable one that lost to Croatia and barely edged out Austria? My bet is on the former.

Prediction: Germany 3, Turkey 1

Tomorrow: Russia vs. Spain (Kick-off: 2:45 p.m. ET)
Another good clash. Russia's shown a willingness to attack higher-ranked opposition so far, and if they keep that up against the stylish Spanish, we should be in for a great match. Can Guus Hiddink pull off yet another upset? Possible, but I'm thinking this will be where the Spanish finally come through in a big game.

Prediction: Russia 2, Spain 3

Earning the (re) cap: Ronaldo shines again

Photo: Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with teammate Deco after the two combined for one of Portugal's three goals against the Czech Republic Wednesday (Photo from CristianoRonaldos)

Breaking down Day Five of the European Championships...

Match IX: Portugal 3, Czech Republic 1

So much of the talk about Portugal so far has been about moves taking place beyond the pitch, with the endless transfer speculation about Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid and the just-confirmed appointment of Portugal manager Luis Felipe Scolari to take over Chelsea after the championships conclude [Ben Knight has some good analysis of that move at On Soccer: Stephen Brunt also weighs in]. Their performance Wednesday against a very solid Czech team showed that they deserve lots of credit for their play on the pitch, though: they dominated the entire match, scored three brilliant goals, and ensured their qualification for the next round after Switzerland lost to Turkey in the late game. It wasn't just the Ronaldo show, either: he was great, but so was Deco and the rest of the Portuguese attack, and their defence was also reasonably solid.

As an aside: Ronaldo is showing that he's certainly a good candidate for that "best player in the world" tag, and I doubt many would argue that he's the best player in this tournament. He also seems to be adjusting to the officiating and diving less, which will undoubtedly help his appreciation worldwide. Brunt has a great column on him in today's Globe: here's the highlights.

"But the truth is, this is his moment, this is his tournament and this is his chance to add his name to the short list of players who have single-handedly stolen the show at a World Cup or European soccer championship.
Anyone doubting that possibility needed only to watch yesterday's match against the Czech Republic at the Stade de Geneve, a 3-1 win for Portugal that all but assured it a place in the Euro 2008 quarter-finals, and all but assured Ronaldo's name would again be in lights.
...
Ronaldo, like so many others, will take what he's given and will employ his considerable thespian talents to his team's advantage when it makes sense. They're not handing out acting awards here, though, at least not so far. So after that little tantrum on the sideline, he got up and decided to play.
Running at an opponent, there is no more dangerous player in the world. Nobody can match his footwork and speed – which, watching him live, you understand is combined with considerable strength. He'll run around and past and through just about anyone one-on-one if given the chance. And given like-minded playing partners, he'll set up as many goals as he scores."


Well said. As a diehard Manchester United fan, I certainly hope Ronaldo hangs around Old Trafford for a few more seasons, but if any player could possibly be worth a hundred million Euro transfer fee [FanHouse] and 300,000 pounds a week in salary, he's the one.

Related: Cathal Kelly also has some great lines on Ronaldo in his column [The Toronto Star]. The best one: "Portugal's bluff coach Luiz Felipe Scolari plays on both sides of the spiritual touchline.
The outspoken Brazilian is reportedly in regular contact with a sports psychologist and his parish priest from back home. He receives blessings from both via the phone.
But when he needs miracles, he goes to Cristiano Ronaldo."

Match X: Switzerland 1, Turkey 2

What bad luck for the Swiss. First, they lose a very close match that they dominated to the Czechs, and then they fall in injury time to the Turks, eliminating their chances of moving on from the group stage. There will certainly be a lot of soul-searching in the Alps, but for my money, it isn't all that necessary: with a couple of different bounces, they easily could have moved on already instead of being knocked out. A tough tournament for them, but they should hold their heads high: they put in a great fight, and things just didn't go their way. The Turks played well, but they'll have to beat the Czechs in order to move on, which may prove difficult. The real story of this one, though, was the torrential downpour it was played in, as it's always difficult to adjust to a soaking pitch.

Related: Bradley Klapper's Associated Press game story [The Toronto Star]

On tap today:

Match XI: Germany vs. Croatia (Kick-off: 12:00 ET)

This will be a key test for the Germans: can they keep up the spectacular form they displayed against Poland when they take on a stronger side in Croatia? For the Croatians, the question is if they can rebound from a lackluster performance in their opener where they only edged out Austria on an early penalty and were outplayed for much of the match. My hunch is that Croatia is a better side than they've shown so far, and the experience they've had against Germany's key players will help (a large number of the Croatians play in the German Bundesliga). However, Germany is 5-1-1 against Croatia all time, and I think they've got the talent to keep that streak of form alive.

Prediction: Germany 2, Croatia 0.


Match XII: Austria versus Poland

This one will also be interesting to watch. Austria looked much better than expected against Croatia, while Poland played well, but not particularly impressively against Germany. Both sides will really have to go for the win if they want to keep their hopes of advancing alive: a draw would put them both behind the eight-ball going into the final matches, as Germany and Croatia already both have three points and these sides would only have one apiece. The Austrians will give it a good go, but I think Poland takes this one.

Prediction: Poland 2, Austria 1.

Earning the (re) cap: Spanish style

Photo: David Villa celebrates with fellow Spain striker Fernando Torres after notching one of his three goals Tuesday in a 4-1 win over Russia. (Photo by Paul White, The Associated Press, via Slam! Sports)

Breaking down Day Four of the European Championships...

Match VII: Spain 4, Russia 1

Well, the Spanish won in glorious style as usual, and their striking pair of David Villa (who recorded a hat trick) and Fernando Torres looks to be one of the best in the tournament. The Russians were a bit unlucky that the score wasn't closer, as they created several good chances and rang a few off the woodwork, but Spain certainly deserved the win. Don't read too much into this for the long-term, though: Spain has a long history of excellent play in the group stages and then sudden collapses in the elimination rounds. As Stephen Brunt writes, they've broken plenty of hearts before.

"We have all been there, tempted by a car or a watch or another, sucked in by the magnificent aesthetics, the subtle, poetic touches, the aspects so beautiful it almost hurts to look.
Then it breaks down on the side of the road or stops running on your wrist or runs off with a sleazy musician or a jock or your best friend, and a vital lesson is learned.
Spain has long been the great tease of international soccer. Player for player, nobody is better, nobody is more creative and nobody can find more beautiful ways to stroke a ball down the field and slash it into the goal. Their play has little curlicues to it that no one else can manage. When they're right, all that's left is to shout bravo.
When they're wrong, as happens eventually in every World Cup and every European championship other than the one in which they emerged victorious way back when, they break down, they stop running and, even if they don't actually hit the road, they leave their supporters feeling betrayed."

Very true. You couldn't have asked for a better start from the Spanish, but I want to see more from them before I firmly join the bandwagon. They do look like a solid bet to win Group D, but I'm not sure they can continue to play at this level.

Related:
- Brunt's column [The Globe and Mail]
- Cathal Kelly has a good take on the match in his column [The Toronto Star]
- More from Kelly on his blog [Star Sports Blog]

Match VIII: Sweden 2, Greece 0

As many had expected, Greece again came out with their team-first defensive style, but it failed to work this time around. Greece actually played pretty well, I thought: it was only a supremely crafty 25-yard strike from Zlatan Ibrahimovic (his first tally for his country in three years) that broke the game open, and Sweden then added another when the Greeks got caught trying to get back in the game. I wouldn't write them off entirely yet, though: they're still very capable of getting a result against Russia, and if any defence can stop Spain, it will be this one. The going has gotten a lot tougher for Greece, but it's not impossible yet.

Related:
- John Doyle has an excellent column on this match, brilliantly titled "Greek philosophy as tedious as ever."

What's on tap today:

Match IX: Portugal vs. the Czech Republic (Kickoff at 12:00 ET)

This should be an excellent clash of titans. It's the age-old battle of offence versus defence, individual stars against teams, Cristiano Ronaldo (and a strong supporting cast) against a cohesive unit. Yesterday, Spain showed that brilliant offence can beat strong defence: I'm expecting the same to happen here.

Prediction: Portugal 2, Czech Republic 0.

Match X: Switzerland vs. Turkey

This will be interesting as well: the two lesser powers of Group A going at it. There's some dark history between the two sides: the last time they met was three years ago in Istanbul to see who advanced to the 2006 World Cup at the end of a home-and-home series. The teams tied the series 4-4 on aggregate, but the Swiss advanced on away goals, and a brawl broke out [International Herald-Tribune] in the tunnel between opposing players and coaches. It's been a while since then, but those kinds of actions often aren't soon forgotten. I like the Swiss to win again here: they played well in their opening match against the Czechs, and they'll be eager to get a win in front of the home crowd.

Prediction: Switzerland 1, Turkey 0.

Update, 12:24 P.M. Some other tournament-related pieces:

- Duane's coverage of the Day Four matches [Out of Left Field].
- William Houston goes off at Craig Forrest and Dick Howard for not dumbing down their analysis enough for soccer neophytes [The Globe and Mail]
- Ben Knight has a good post about why Forrest and Howard are doing well, and why Houston's somewhat off base for asking the networks to cater to the lowest common denominator. [On Soccer: Globe-fight!] I especially agree on the Euro front: it's mostly a sophisticated soccer audience watching, and they'll probably prefer detailed analysis to catering to the neophytes. Knight also makes the good point that it's pretty easy for those who don't get a certain comment or term to look into it themselves, and that can even have an enticing effect.
- Duane points out that Houston's rating numbers have the preliminary round of the Euro tournament outdrawing the NBA finals substantially (284,000 average to 258,000) [Out of Left Field]. You can bet there will still be plenty of people (a certain Mr. McCown, perhaps?) referring to soccer as a fringe sport, though.
- My Journal colleague Amrit Ahluwalia weighs in on the matches thus far over at his new blog [There Is No Original Name For This Sports Blog].
- Another Journal colleague, Mike Woods, also believes Spain's play thus far is too good to last [The view from the Woods].

Earning the (re) cap: Portuguese, Czechs win openers

For the three people who didn't hear about it yet, the 2008 European Championships got underway yesterday in Switzerland (the matches in Austria will start later today). In honour of this fabulous tournament, I've decided to present a new feature: a daily recap of past games with a look ahead to the next day's action and predictions for the upcoming matches. The plan is to call it "Earning the (re) cap".

Aside: For the non-soccerphiles, a player is said to have earned a cap when he appears for his country in international matches: thus, the player's number of matches played for his country is referred to as his caps. This comes from the old tradition of wearing caps in soccer, which Colin Jose suggests originated in the English public schools. When international matches began, all players were issued with a cap for representing their country, and the term stuck even after that practice stopped.

So, without further ado (and certainly without further Adu or Edu, as the U.S. isn't in the tournament), here's the first edition of Earning the (re) cap.

Match I: Czech Republic vs. Switzerland
The Czechs were somewhat outplayed in this one, and the Swiss had some glorious chances. Their best probably came after a Czech handball that wasn't called due to advantage rules, when Tranquillo Barnetta was able to force Czech keeper Petr Cech into a great diving save and Johan Vonlanthen drilled the rebound off the post with a wide-open net to shoot at. For the Czechs, it was substitute forward Vaclav Sverkos who proved the difference, firing the ball home off a quick counterattack. Not a great game from the Czechs, but they got the three points, which is all that matters. The Swiss will surely be disappointed to come away empty-handed, though, and the loss of captain Alex Frei for the rest of the tournament due to torn ligaments will hurt their chances of going through.

Related:
- Stephen Brunt's game story [Globe and Mail]
- Cathal Kelly's column on the game [Toronto Star]

Match II: Portugal vs. Turkey

A superb display of attacking football by this incredibly talented Portuguese team saw them pick up a 2-0 victory over the Turks in their opener. It was Brazilian-born central defender Pepe who recorded the first strike after a brilliant give-and-go with Nuno Gomes. Pepe certainly got off to a good start: it was his first game for Portugal in a major competition. Raul Meireles added a second off a setup from Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Moutinho. The result wasn't unexpected, as the Turks are one of the weaker teams here, but the quality of play Portugal acheived it with bodes well for their tournament hopes.

Related:
- Associated Press game recap [The Globe and Mail]
- A different AP story on the match [Toronto Star]

General tournament pieces:
- Ben Knight has a good piece on how the officials got all the tough calls right so far, which is always nice to see [Globe on Soccer].
- Some great stuff over at Cathal Kelly's Euro 2008 blog [Toronto Star].
- Bob Lenarduzzi, the Vancouver Whitecaps' president and former star Canadian defender, has his predictions in his regular Vancouver Province column [Vancouver Province].

Today's matches:

Match III: Austria vs. Croatia (12:00 ET)
I'm not expecting anything great from this one. Croatia is a very dangerous team, and should easily win over the hapless Austrians. Still, you've got to play the games, and there's always the chance of an upset. What will be more intriguing to watch is how Croatia performs without their Brazilian star Eduardo, who's been so important for their team.

Prediction: Austria 0, Croatia 2

Match IV: Germany vs. Poland
Hoo boy, this should be a good one. Poland has never beaten Germany, and you can bet they want to end that streak. Meanwhile, the Germans will have to adjust to the pressure of being the favorites, a new experience for them in recent tournaments. The history between these countries makes this much more than a mere football match, as well: I wouldn't be surprised if some fans do something stupid. The Polish newspapers have already reached the "do something stupid to inflame people and sell papers" stage, and the resulting increased tensions could lead fans on both sides into conflict. Getting back to the action on the pitch, Germany should prevail in the end, but it's not going to be easy for them. It will be interesting to see how Jens Lehmann does in goal after his recent struggles in their tune-ups and his lack of playing time this year at Arsenal.

Prediction: Germany 2, Poland 1

I'll check in with the next round of Earning the (re) cap late tonight or early tomorrow.

European Championships set to kick off

Photo: The Euro 2008 Trophy (Photo by Petros Giannakouris, Associated Press, via Daylife.com)

Well, one of the greatest tournaments for any (European) football fan is set to kick off tomorrow, as 16 teams from all over take to the pitches in Austria and Switzerland for the 2008 European Championships (popularly known as Euro 2008). Over at Out of Left Field, Duane makes the argument that this tournament’s superior to the World Cup. I don’t agree for a couple reasons: first, any tournament that doesn’t include the likes of Brazil and Argentina is a step down in my books, and second, it’s much more fun to see sides from all over the world competing than merely those from around Europe. He also suggests that the weaker teams in European tournaments are usually better than those in the World Cup. As he writes:

"The World Cup is sexier. It’s a World Cup, after all. And, it must be said that the samba beat of a Brazil doesn’t hurt either. But, the hardcore soccer fan understands that the European championship is the better tournament. Ask England how difficult it is to even qualify. As Greece if upsets ever happen. There are no Saudi Arabias in the draw. Ever game is contested and you never know who is going to emerge on top. To borrow a cliché, the World Cup is sizzle. The Euros are steak."

This is an interesting point: I don’t completely agree, as there are some pretty bad teams in the European championships too (cough, Austria, cough), but I think the majority of the teams in the Euros are probably better than the majority of the teams in the World Cup. There's also a great deal of parity: as the Globe and Mail's Ben Knight and John Doyle each point out, almost anyone could win this.

That isn't necessarily a good thing, though: just look at the NHL for the marvelous television that parity brings. When teams are confident of a victory in hockey, they tend to play a more free-wheeling, offensive game that's a delight to watch. When it's going to be close, they often buckle down, bring out the old neutral-zone trap and defend, defend, defend, hoping to get a break and win 1-0. Similar things often happen in soccer, as many sides become more conservative when faced with a tough opponent. The counter-attack becomes in vogue, along with extra holding midfielders clogging up the middle of the park in a soccer version of the trap and a lone striker hoping for a lucky bounce up front. European teams also tend to be much more defensive-minded than the Brazils, Argentinas and Mexicos of this world, leading to even better chances of them settling for defensive shells in close matches.

Many great games have been close or even low-scoring, however, and I'm not saying that there can't or won't be good soccer matches at this tournament, as I expect the opposite. The point is, parity alone is not sufficient grounds to sell a tournament. The European Championships are fantastic soccer, and they should be enjoyed on their own merits, which are more than ample. It's fine to prefer one tournament to the other, but in the end, the question is moot, as they take place two years apart. I'm a confirmed World Cup fan, but I'm still incredibly excited for this year's tournament, and I'll be watching as many games as possible.

As mentioned above, the parity of this tournament makes it bloody hard to predict anything. There are many contenders with the potential to take home the trophy, including France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal. All of them have glaring flaws, though: France's squad continues to age, Spain will undoubtedly pull a Spain and choke so desperately they require the Heimlich Maneuver, Italy's team is also getting old, and they're without their best player in Fabio Cannavaro, the Dutch have some defensive issues and also never seem to pull it together on the big stage, and Portugal can only have Cristiano Ronaldo carry them so far.

Thus, I'm going to go with my cultural heritage and pick the Germans to win it all (and even the oddsmakers agree with me)! There's a lot to like about this team, including the in-form Michael Ballack (now with Premier League experience!), the young talents of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm and Lukas Podolski and the embarrassment of riches up front, including Miroslav Klose, Mario Gomez, Podolski, Kevin Kuranyi and Oliver Neuville. They're coming off a solid third-place finish at the 2006 World Cup, and their fortunate place in the draw leaves them with an easy group (Austria, Poland and Croatia). They also won't have to face any of France, Italy, the Netherlands or Spain until the final, given the way the draw's set up. The only team I can see derailing them on their path to the final is Portugal, but in the end, Germany's strong team play should triumph over Cristiano Ronaldo and his supporting cast. They've also won the tournament three times, more than any other nation, and two of those wins were with only half the country! In the end, it may very well be Deutschland, Deutschland uber alles once more. As former England captain Gary Lineker famously said, "Football is a game played by 22 players, and in the end, Germany wins."

Related:
- Stephen Brunt's excellent column on how the host nations may fall short.
- Brunt and Ben Knight have lots more at the Globe's On Soccer blog.
- Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star has some very interesting stories about his time covering the tournament so far on his blog there: he also has a good column about some of the weaknesses the best teams have.
- Duane Rollins has some great tournament coverage at Out of Left Field.
- Mike Cardillo has an excellent preview over at Deadspin .
- David Hirshey picks Spain to win it all in his final column as Deadspin's soccer closer.
- Hirshey has a nice preview of the tournament (co-written with author Roger Bennett) over at his new gig at ESPN.com.
- The Poles are already taking Photoshopping to new extremes in anticipation of Sunday's clash with Germany: their tabloids have manager Leo Beenhakker holding the severed heads of Michael Ballack and Germany manager Joachim Low (Via the excellent World Cup Blog, which also incorporated a nice Fawlty Towers reference).