France 0 Italy 2
Italy kept there dream alive when a good performance against France to make there way into the quarter finals against Spain a penalty & a deflected free kick did the damage to send them through. For France the Euro2008 were a disaster some of the players weren’t at there best if at all good some looked like it was a tournament to far & if France went to progress in the future they need a complete overhaul of staff & players.
Italy started the football match very very well if it wasn’t for the terrible finishing of Luca Toni Italy would have won the match in the first 20 minutes. First he collected a long ball & shot wide but disaster for France as Ribery tracked back made a tackle on Zambrotta but badly injured himself & had to be stretchered off. They brought on Nasri but Italy still created a Panucci headed was cleared of the line from Makelele but with all the pressure they Finlay took the lead Toni got through & raced in on goal but Abidal tried to tackle him in the box but was adjudged to have brought hm down & the ref pointed to the spot.
Not only did he give the penalty the ref then sent off Abidal as it was a goal scoring opportunity Pirlo stepped up & scored the penalty pass Coupet to his left. Because of this it was the end of the brief appearance of Nasri as the sub was subbed with Boumsong. Italy pressed for the second goal with Perrotta set up Di Rossi but fired over then Toni missed two chances Pirlo pass into box but Toni fired over then from the resulting corner he could only shoot wide. France got the first chance on 33 minutes Henry had the ball slid into him he held off the defender but he shot wide they had another chance moment later but Benzema sent the free kick against the wall & his second shot was well over.
But it was Italy who finished the strongest & looked to put more pain on France with a Grosso free kick that Gregory Coupet had to touch onto the bar but nothing came out of the corner & the half ended with Italy one nil up.
Poland 0 Croatia 1
Croatia kept up there 100% record in Euro2008 with a hard fought win over Poland after there dramatic win over Germany Bilic made no less that eight changes to give the main players a rest before there quarter final football match against Turkey. Poland on the other hand needed to beat Croatia by 2 goals & needed Austria to beat Germany but they never looked like they would achieve it.
Poland started the game very well with Lobodzinski forcing a hurried save from Runje & Dudka could only see his header go wide from a Krzynowek corner but with Poland trying to get the goals they didn’t really look that threatening & Croatia started to play Pranjic run through on side but chipped wide then a free kick came in from Rakitic but was headed wide by Vejic . Pranjic then put in a great cross but Vukojevic missed his header but was flagged off side then Poland had there keeper to thank & kept them in the football match & still in with a chance.
Klasnic was put through but Boruc made himself big & made a great save the Pranjic tried to beat the keeper but his shot was saved also. Boruc was keeping his team in this then he made another great save from Klasnic before Petric had a shot on goal but could only pull it wide. Croatia where well on top & they looked like they wanted it more & wanted the goal but after Leko had a shot on goal & pulled that wide the half ended goalless.
Austria 0 Germany 1
Germany needed a point out of this match to make sure of a place in the quarter finals of the Euro2008 tournament but for a Michael Ballack strike they didn’t look to convincing & now face portugalwho must think that they have a fantastic chance to beat them. Where Austria played with a lot of effort & did get through Germany at times but didn’t have that cutting edge or quality to finish any good situations off that they had.
Germany did start the game better & should have taken the lead after just four minutes but it turned out to be the miss of the tournament & even the season. Klosemade some good space in the box found Gomez with a pass but somehow poked it up in the air then didn’t have the conviction to put it in & this was all from 2 yards out!!. Austria did start to play afterwards & a long ball played in Hoffer who controlledit but got tangled with Metzelder & fell down but the ref said no Penalty. Then Hoffer had a long shot which was saved by Lehmann & from the resulting corner it was headed away.
Podolski then had a shot from the right hand side which Macho got behind & saved the Austrians were playing well but the Germans you would have though should have been better & when Lahm ran down the left put in a cross to Klose who headed on to Gomez but the flag was off side he wasn’t having a good tournament. A corner for Germany late in the half could only be headed over by Klosebut then the ref went & sent both managers off for what was described as complaining to the 4th official at a constant rate nothing else happened in the half & it ended goalless.
Switzerland 2 Portugal 0
Switzerland finished there Euro2008 campaign with a win over Portugal so they went out on a high where Portugal who made eight chances for the match looked the most likely winners of this football match but after letting in two it mite dent there confidence for there up & coming quarter final or some people will blame Scolari for his announcement of him being the new Chelsea Manger.
The match started with Portugal pushing Switzerland back & with Nani & Quaresma on the wings they created a lot of play & it was Nani who produced the first test for Zuberbuhler when his 35 yard free kick was flicked on by Pepe but the keeper was equal to it & pushed it onto the cross bar then Pepe had another chance but it brought out another good save from the keeper Nani then produced a good shot that hit the outside of the post. Switzerland had two chances themselves when Ricardo was forced into a save from Gokhan Inlers 25 Yard shot & then he had to turn around Hakan Yakin’s brilliant header. Not much happened for the rest of the half so it ended goalless.
Turkey 3 Czech Republic 2
Turkey produced a amazing comeback after being two goals down & not looking likely to pull it off in the exciting football match. Both teams new that a draw would bring penalties to decided who went through to the last eight for the first time in Euro finals history but the Czechs weren’t having none of that how they started but the Turk’s had the last laugh & something you would never see by the best goal keeper in the world.
The game started with the Czechs making all the play & seizing the opportunity as early as the second minute when Jankulovski fired over then Plasil wasted a shot from a corner. Tuncay then had a chance but his shot of all of 30 yards went well wide but the Czech looked more menacing & could have scored when Servet had to do some stern defending to keep out Sionko’s cross with Koller looking to score Sionko again had a shot always rising from the edge of the box then failed to meet a dipping cross but Volkan had it covered but Koller then made his presence felt with the opening goal.
It was Grygera who got down the right & put in a great cross & there was Koller who headed it into the net even though Volkan got his hand to it. Turkey did get a small chance from a Nihat free kick but Servet could only head it over while up the other end Koller managed to head over a good chance from a lovely free kick. Turkey were finding it hard to get into the game & match the Czechs attitude & passion to make the quarter finals so went into the break one nil down.
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