Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Spain vs Russia


One of the tournament favorites, Spain, were up against the dark horses of this competition, Russia, in the last group of the UEFA Euro 2008. Spain have been known for playing attractive attacking football at the round robin stage but fade away in the knockout rounds. 


It was Guud Hiddenk`s side who started off brighter, when Yuri Zhirkov`s left footed free kick went just wide of the Spanish goal.


Sergio Ramos gave his side a chance when he ran down the right flank and gave a  brilliant diagonal ball to Valencia striker David Villa. But the former Zaragoza man could not control and shot above the post with his left foot.


It was the Russians who were adding the pressure and Aleksandr Anyukov`s cross was shot wide by Igor Semshov. 


But just when the northern Europe side were settling in well, the Spanish unsettled them with a goal. Fernando Torres ran down the left on a counter attack and used his pace to get past Dynamo Moscow defender Denis Kolodin. The man who scored 30 goals in his debut season for Liverpool then played the ball back to David Villa who made no mistake in finishing it and giving his side the lead.


They say you are most venerable just after you have scored, and Russia almost took advantage of that. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov , under pressure from the defender, crossed the ball into the area just before it went out of play. It went past 2 white shirts before Konstantin Zyrianov`s right footed shot beat Iker Casillias but hit the post instead of finding the back of the net. So near yet so far for the team in white. 


Spain were now finding form and Villa`s low shot had to be punched away by goalkeeper Akinfeev to prevent a second. Fernando Torres now, who traumatized the entire Russian defense with his pace this evening, went round Kolodin before feeding Villa but the Valencia man`s shot was diverted for a conner. 


But a counter attack from Aragonés`s team just made matters worse. Andres Iniesta, marked tightly, gave a cheeky ball from the outside of his right foot for David Villa, and the scorer of the first did really well to beat the offside trap and put it between the keeper`s legs to double his team`s lead.


A lot for Hiddenk to think of at the break, but it was his team who started the second half just like they did in the first. 


But Spain also continued from where they left off and David Villa did brilliantly to hold the ball away from the russian defenders but shot straight into the hands of Akinfeev from slightly outside the area.


Hiddenk`s team had another great opportunity as Bilyaletdinov`s 25 yard effort went just wide of Casillias`s left post and the Spanish fans could breathe again. 


Shots from David Silva and second half substitute Cesc Fabregas were saved by Igor Akinfeev who was having one of the busiest nights of his life. 


The man looking for his hat-ric also had the possibility of increasing the score line from ramos`s low cross, but the russian defense managed to clear.


But the former Zaragoza striker finally got his third, when a long pass from Fabregas found him in the penalty area with 3 defenders and a keeper but the hero on the night finished off sweetly in the near conner, a shot nobody could do anything about. He ran past all his team mates to hug his strike partner on the night, Fernando Torres, who was taken off in the second half to bring the Arsenal midfielder into the field of play. 


Spain now taking things a bit easy as Russia got a conciliation goal as Pavlyuchenko headed in a conner from Zyrianov's right leg. It was the first time that both teams had scored in the Euro 2008.


And they almost made it 3-2 but Semak`s curling shot was saved by Iker Casillias. Would have been a great end to the game if that went in, but it wasent meant to be.


It was almost only a formality, Villa chipped the ball into Xavi`s pass but the Barcelona man`s volley was saved well by the CSKA Moscow keeper who had a very very long night. But it wasent cleared and Fabregas`s diving header was enough to give him his first international goal and Spain the 4th. 


The highest scoring, and one of the highest entertaining match of the entire competition had ended. Spain are certainly going to be a force to reckon with and showed Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands that they too know how to play attacking football. At the end of this one, every football fan will be counting down the hours till the next time this Southern European side play again. 

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