Minute by Minute: Russia - Spain

VIENNA, Jun 26 (SW) - Spain and Russia battle it out for a spot in the Euro 2008 final on Sunday against Germany. SoccerWay keeps you up to date with the latest.

 

Final score: 0-3
More match information: Here.

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FULL TIME - Spain are through to the Euro 2008 final! It was deserved as they were really the only side to attack tonight. In three days from now, their next appointment is with Germany in this very stadium to decide who is to lift this year’s European trophy!

Minute 88: Russia get a free kick and it’s swung in towards the goal. Zyryanov’s header is denied by Casillas.

Minute 85: The three-goal lead is nothing short of deserved as Spain have been the side taking the initiative tonight while the Russians seemed much less inspired than they did in the quarter final.

Minute 82: GOAL SPAIN (0-3) - DAVID SILVA - Spain score another and now it just can’t go wrong anymore!! Fabregas comes down the left wing and crosses to Silva who was left all alone by the Russian defense. The winger makes no mistake and slams it past Akinfeev for Spain’s third!

Minute 81: Less than ten minutes are left in regular time and Russia really need to react now! But in the last few minutes, it has been Spain who just keep on attacking.

Minute 74: The Russians get dangerously close to the Spanish goal but a short pass from the left is controlled by Casillas.

Minute 73: GOAL SPAIN (0-2) - DANIEL GUÏZA - Cesc Fabregas sends a beautiful looping pass over the Russian defense and subsitute Guïza lobs it over Akinfeev to double Spain’s lead!!

Minute 71: The following corner kick eventually enables Xabi Alonso to try a shot but again, Akinfeev gets in the way.

Minute 70: Good distance shot from Fabregas but Akinfeev makes the save.

Minute 69: Goalscorer Xavi Hernández comes off for Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres makes way for Daniel Guïza. Aragonés now has no substitutions left.

Minute 68: Spain want a spotkick as Fernando Torres goes down in the penalty area but referee De Bleeckere disagrees with the claims.

Minute 64: Russia get a free kick in a good spot as Marchena fouls Bilyaletdinov, but it hits a Spaniard.

Minute 63: Another big chance for Spain! Ramos sends in a cross from the right wing but Torres can’t get it on goal.

Minute 62: A difficult shot from Fernando Torres and not too surprisingly, it goes wide. Good attempt though.

Minute 61: Iniesta passes to Fabregas near the end line and Cesc tries to lob it over the goalkeeper to reach Fernando Torres but it’s cleared.

Minute 60: Fabregas is brought down by substitute Bilyaletdinov who is booked as result.

Minute 57: And another quick change for Russia with Sychev coming on for Saenko.

Minute 56: Russia manager Guus Hiddink makes a change and brings on Bilyaletdinov for Semshov. An attacking move this is.

Minute 56: Spain keep attacking now as Luis Aragonés’s men clearly want a quick second goal.

Minute 52: Almost another as Fabregas serves Torres and ‘El Niño’ strikes just over the Russian crossbar.

Minute 50: GOAL SPAIN (0-1) - XAVI - Andrés Iniesta enters the penalty area on the left and his pass reaches Xavi who does well to put the ball between Akinfeev’s legs for 0-1!

Minute 49: Ramos crosses in from the right looking for Torres at the back post, but it’s headed clear.

Minute 46: Back underway in Vienna.

HALF-TIME: A tight encounter as many of these matches deep in tournaments can be. A handful of half-chances, mostly falling the way of Spain, but the Russians aren’t being ripped up at the back like they were the first time around. With Villa out injured, how well will Torres play as the lone striker? All questions to be answered in the second half. Stay tuned.

Minute 45: Free kick lofted in by Xavi is taken well by Akinfeev.

Minute 39: Torres brings the ball down in the area and strikes it with the left boot, but it’s weak and Akinfeev takes it.

Minute 37: Ramos went for the target with a shot from the right, but it misses the near post.

Minute 34: Interesting move as Villa comes off with Cesc Fabregas replacing him.

Minute 31: Great effort by Pavlyuchenko from 20 yards out that doesn’t miss by much. Casillas did get a piece, but a goal kick is awarded.

Minute 29: Free kick for Spain in the center some 30 yards away is struck by Villa, but it bounces into Akinfeev’s arms.

Minute 27: Xavi lofts it into the area for Andrés Iniesta, but he can never get the ball under control.

Minute 24: Ramos has a boot from the right flank, but it floats right into the arms of Akinfeev. Tough takes for the keepers at all times with rain teeming down in Vienna.

Minute 18: First break from Yuri Zhirkov on the left, but his cross is over the goal.

Minute 16: Russia get a free kick in the center about 30 yards away as Carles Puyol hauls down Andrei Arshavin. Roman Pavlyuchenko has a fine strike at it, but he can’t keep it down and it’s over the top.

Minute 13: Corner kick for the first time in the game for Russia is taken short and the lofted ball to the far post is chested by Ramos to Casillas.

Minute 11: Villa has a crack at goal from 25 yards out, forcing a near-post save from Akinfeev.

Minute 10: First bit of dangerous play from Russia as Ivan Saenko sends in a right-wing cross, but it’s low and into the arms of Iker Casillas.

Minute 6: Torres gets a shot on target after Villa lays it back for him, but his turning effort lacked power and was right into the body of Igor Akinfeev. Spain starting the better of the two sides.

Minute 5: Sergio Ramos tries to volley in the right-footed corner, but it’s cleared. Later on, the ball comes back from the right, and again Ramos can’t quite get to it. Another corner by Spain is cleared away.

Minute 4: Fernando Torres accelerates down the right, but his cross is blocked out for a corner by Berezutski.

Kickoff: De Bleeckere gets the semi-final clash underway!

Pre-Game: It’s time for the anthems now. Spain, wearing yellow, will have theirs played first. Then, red-clad Russia will have their turn.

Pre-Game: Belgium’s Frank de Bleeckere will be the referee today, assisted by Peter Hermans and Alex Verstraeten. Greek referee Kyros Vassaras is the fourth official.

Pre-Game: Russia have been electric as of late, with stunning wins over both Sweden and an extra-time thriller against the Netherlands. Manager Guus Hiddink is forced to make one change to the side that beat the Dutch, with Vassili Berezutski stepping into the center of defense in place of the suspended Denis Kolodin.

Pre-Game: As expected, Spain manager Luis Aragonés does not make any changes to the side that beat Italy on penalties after a 0-0 draw in the semi-finals. Spanish observers keep wondering about the status of Fernando Torres, but he’s once again in the starting XI next to David Villa.

Pre-Game: Oh yeah, we didn’t forget. Spain has only won one major international tournament, the 1964 European Nations’ Cup. It was the Soviet Union that they beat 2-1 in the final in Madrid, Marcelino scoring the winning goal six minutes from time.

Pre-Game: These two nations have met four times since Russia began competing as the nation they are now, Spain winning three of those. The only other result was a 0-0 draw in a 2006 friendly. Spain beat Russia 1-0 at Euro 2004, and of course 4-1 in the opening group match of this tournament. They also met once when the CIS competed, that a 1-1 draw in Las Palmas.

Pre-Game: During the USSR era, the nations met five times. The Soviets twice beat Spain in European Championship qualifying, one of those a walkover in 1960 when Spain refused to travel to Moscow. Spain won in a friendly in 1986 and drew 0-0 in 1971.

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Flying Dutchmen aiming for Euro glory

At least one Dutch coach will be in the last four of the European Championships. If a great playing record is among the criteria it will be Marco van Basten; if it’s a coaching pedigree that counts it will be Guus Hiddink.

Netherlands coach Van Basten is aiming to become the first person to win the European tournament as both player and coach after his goal-scoring prowess helped the Dutch clinch their one and only major title in 1988. Hiddink, in charge of Russia, stands in his way in a quarter-final clash in Basle on Saturday as he aims to reach a third major tournament semi-final with three different nations.

Hiddink, at 61, is one of the most renowned coaches in the international game. He has won six Dutch titles and coached four nations - the Netherlands, Russia, South Korea and Australia. Both South Korea and the Netherlands reached World Cup semis under the coach.

VanbastenVan Basten, at 43, is a relative coaching newcomer, in charge of the Dutch national side in his first coaching post and with no experience yet of club management. He takes over at Ajax from July 1 in his maiden club appointment. In 1988, when Basten volleyed a brilliant goal past Soviet Union keeper Rinat Dasayev to seal a 2-0 victory in the Euro final in Munich, Hiddink had been making his own spectacular mark on the game by leading PSV Eindhoven to a domestic double and a European Cup victory against Benfica in Stuttgart.

Their two paths have rarely crossed. Van Basten was an Ajax player who went on to great things at AC Milan before injury cut short his playing career. Hiddink played in midfield for most of his career at De Graafschap, with a spell at PSV Eindoven and in the United States.

A much-travelled coaching career includes spells at Fenerbahce, Valencia, Real Madrid and Real Betis. However, there are similarities. Van Basten may well have noted Hiddink’s management style during the latter’s tenure of the Dutch national side a decade ago, between 1994 and 1998. Hiddink has never shied from confronting big-name players he feels are not fitting in with his scheme of things.

He demands only the best, and needed a firm grip when he took on a talented Dutch squad which was fraught with internal dissent. At Euro 1996 he sent midfielder Edgar Davids home after a dispute, and two years later took a side playing entertaining football to the semi-finals of the World Cup where they were beaten by Brazil on penalties.

Russian players also seem to have benefited from Hiddink’s no-nonsense style. He is a father figure to the youngest squad in the tournament, but that did not prevent him reading the riot act after the team slid to a 4-1 defeat to Spain in their opening game of the tournament.

“I demand a response. I don’t want to sound cocky, but if you want to play at international level then the demands I lay down means you can go one of two ways: either fly, or fight. That’s the choice we offered. They chose to fight,” he said after an impressive 2-0 victory over Sweden to book their quarter-final place. He added: “You cannot guarantee that they will play every game that well, but you can guarantee that players know the principles, what the values are of being in the national team. That’s what we’ve emphasised in our team meetings.” Van Basten has shown similar rigour since taking over the Dutch four years ago.

He had no hesitation in dropping mainstays like Clarence Seedorf, Patrick Kluivert, Davids and Roy Makaay. Seedorf was later recalled but then before the tournament said he no longer wanted to play under van Basten, while Bayern Munich midfielder Mark van Bommel has also fallen out with the coach and appears to be no longer in his planning. Ruud van Nistelrooy is another player who has seen the tough side of van Basten after he was benched at the 2006 World Cup.

The Real Madrid striker quit the international team after the tournament, but is now back in the fold in a Dutch side which impressively defeated world champions Italy 3-0 and France 4-1. The coach was heavily criticised before the tournament by many back home including playing great Johan Cruyff for pragmatic tactics which shun the traditional Dutch 4-3-3 system. But he stuck to his principles.

He has so far been proven right. Both Dutch coaches are flying at Euro 2008 after splendid football from their sides. But on Saturday there will be a hard landing for one of them.

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2008-06-21 - Netherlands v Russia

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Inter Milan and Barcelona chasing Arsenal’s Hleb

Sensational transfer news are out and it is reported that Italian giants Inter Milan and Spanish power house Barcelona are battling to sign Arsenal winger Alex Hleb.

It is reported that Inter’s interest in the Belarus international has already attracted the ire of Gunners boss Arsene Wenger.

The media in Spain reported that Barcelona are also keen on purchasing Hleb and is ready challenge Inter Milan for the winger should the Gunners indicate a willingness to sell.

However, Hleb’s agent has since denied Hleb would be interested in a move to Barcelona or any other team. It is also reported that Hleb himself also denied that he would be interested in a move stating he is “very happy and proud to play for Arsenal” and has no intention of joining another club.

BIO

Full name: Aliaksandr Paulavic Hleb
Date of birth: May 1, 1981
Place of birth: Minsk, Soviet Union
Height: 1.82 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position: Attacking Right Left Midfielder
Current club: Arsenal
Number: 13

Previous Clubs

1999-2000: BATE
2000-2005: VfB Stuttgart
2005: Arsenal

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