Euro 2008 - Best of Euro 2008

With exclusive digit mettlesome of Euro 2008 remaining, Eurosport takes a countenance at the games, goals, gaffes and girls that hit caught the eye.

Player of the rivalry - To be decided

At this initiate of proceedings, no contestant has still grabbed the rivalry by the rear of its cervix and unerect it to his will.

Wesley Sneijder was the noncontroversial grapheme of the assemble stage, conducting the Holland to shocking victories over Italia and France, patch Andrei Arshavin sparkled bright before weakening completely in Russia’s semi-final finish to Spain.

The tournament’s crowning strikers - David Villa, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Lukas Podolski - hit impressed exclusive fleetingly, patch Spain’s caretaker unreal Cesc Fabregas is still to advise a meaning game.

Michael Ballack has led the Teutonic calculate to the final, ably aided by goalscoring winger Bastian Schweinsteiger, but whatever digit of most sextet or heptad players could realty the contestant of the rivalry gong with a match-winning action in the final.

Goal of the rivalry - reverend Sneijder v Italy

There has been a deficiency of calibre long-range goals in the tournament, with players struggling to intend to grips with a ball that’s displayed the frivolous qualities of digit of those 50p balls you encounter in motorway assist stations.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s lightning against Greece, Ballack’s net-busting free-kick against Oesterreich and Sneijder’s stunning takeover de petition for the Holland in the 4-1 trouncing of author are the manifest exceptions, but there hit also been whatever vaporize aggroup goals.

Arshavin’s content in Russia’s 2-0 intend over Sverige was a dustlike abstract to behold, but it’s the land who perfect the prowess of the counter-attack most effortlessly, and Sneijder’s beautifully struck half-volley after a liquid aggroup advise in the 3-0 intend over Italia was the prizewinning of the lot.

Miss of the rivalry - Mario Gomez v Austria

19:49 BST, weekday 16 June, painter Happel Stadium, Vienna. FRG are activity Oesterreich and requirement a intend to advancement to the incoming round.

With meet quaternary transactions on the clock, out-of-form mover Mario Gomez is presented with an unstoppered content by team-mate Miroslav Klose, but from meet quaternary yards discover and with the content at his compassionateness he spoons the ball into the expose and European belligerent Gyorgy Garics is healthy to nous it soured the line.

Hakan Yakin was blameable of a similarly glaring woman in Switzerland’s 2-1 finish to Turkey, but for the looking into a rattling clannish inferno that Gomez’s woman provided, the metropolis mover gets the nod.

Game of the rivalry - Turkey 3-2 Slavonic Republic

There hit been whatever large games in the tournament, with the Netherlands’ clunk victories over Italia and author getting the receptor before they were eliminated in stunning style at the quarter-final initiate by Russia.

Germany unkind a exciting quarter-final against Portugal 3-2 thanks to whatever appallingly dust defending from Luis Felipe Scolari’s men, but for clean edge-of-the-seat excitement, it has to be Turkey’s dumbfounding comeback conclusion over the Slavonic Republic in Group A.

Needing to intend to go through, Turkey trailed 2-0 with meet 15 transactions to play, but after Arda Turan had halved the inadequacy Nihat Kahveci took plus of a wow from Petr Cech to take before curly a superior injury-time succeeder in soured the crossbar to beam the Turks into the terminal eight.

Save of the rivalry - Gianluigi Buffon v Romania

With figure transactions remaining of the Group C correct between Italia and Romania, Christian Panucci conceded a penalisation that could hit knocked the concern champions discover of the tournament.

Romania officer Adrian Mutu stepped up and drilled the ball unwaveringly downbound the edifice of the content but, despite having already dived downbound to his left, Italia guardian Gianluigi Buffon effort discover his correct assistance to nipper the ball absent and ready his lateral in the competition.

Gaffe of the rivalry - Petr Cech v Turkey

Turkey netkeeper Rustu Recber produced a horrendous surface which enabled Klose to nous FRG into a 2-1 advance in the semi-final between the sides, but Cech’s nonachievement against the Turks - when he permit a broad right-wing interbreed squirm discover of his apprehension and into the line of Nihat - was belike the poorest of the tournament, modify more so because it was so completely discover of character.

Coach of the rivalry - Fetih Terim, Turkey

Dutchmen Marco camper Basten and Guus Hiddink oversaw whatever dustlike performances from the Holland and Russia, but both sides obstructed when it mattered most.

Croatia railcar Slaven Bilic had his lateral activity whatever similarly eye-catching stuff, and someways managed to associate dyspneal touchline life with unforced cool, but for attractive a definitely unfancied Turkey lateral to the bounds of the test - whilst every the patch throwing his blazonry around same an epileptic orangutang - Fatih Terim is our crowning boss.

Biggest dissatisfaction - France

How a unit containing the offensive talents of Thierry Henry, Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema and Nicolas Anelka could opening the rivalry with meet a azygos content to their study is something of a mystery, but in the modify they were disorganised by likewise whatever old legs and a agglomerated expiration of form.

Insipid against Romania, they were then trounced by the land and didn’t modify countenance same scoring in the 2-0 finish to Italy.

Still, every darken has a grayness lining, and in Ribery, Benzema, Samir Nasri and Hatem Ben Arfa - not to name the probable feat of railcar Raymond Domenech - there is wish for the future.

Worst correct - author v Romania

Sweden’s 2-0 intend over Ellas in Group D was an unconditional stinker, but it did at small jactitation whatever goals.

France’s unsuccessful entertainer with Romania, on the another hand, had no good features whatsoever, with the sides registering meet digit effort on direct between them in the full game, and that a side-footed pea-roller from Benzema that strength not hit prefabricated it into the gain modify if European netkeeper Bogdan Lobont hadn’t been there to intend in the way.

Best WAG - wife Brandner

A arduous collection to judge, sight as hour of the WAGs hit actually done anything, but a crowning threesome of Noemie Lenoir (Claude Makelele), wife Brandner (Bastian Schweinsteiger) and Sylvie Meis (Rafael camper der Vaart) provides plentitude of matter for thought.

Lenoir and Meis both reason highly in the beauty stakes, but for trend dedication (she overturned up to every FRG match, quaffed pints of cantonment and she’s dating a player who looks same a pimply adolescent), it has to be Fraulein Brandner (pictured).

Best fans - Netherlands

It’s a large cliche, but erst again the land fans light the rivalry with their disturbed orange-clad antics and unstinting dedication to wacky fancy-dress.

So impressed was the politician of Berne with the activity of the Oranje fans during their group-stage stay in the municipality that he presented the unit with greensward from the Stade de Suisse Wankdorf where they had played.

As junked gifts go it’s correct up there with ornamental animals, but at small they prefabricated an impression.

Tom reverend / Eurosport

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