Euro Semifinals Preview

We've arrived at the semifinals of Euro '08, and four nations cling to the hope of glory and continental superiority for the next two years.

The mighty Germans, perennial semifinal participants in major international tournaments, succeeded once again in playing efficient and strong football good enough to see them through to the last four. Turkey awaits, the "cinderella" of Euro '08, bruised and battered and with barely eleven players to field for the match. So, Turkey will likely employ the Italian strategy of sitting back and defending in numbers for 90 minutes, hoping to force Germany to strain themselves in the attack and leave themselves vulnerable to the counter as a result. Look for the Germans to keep the bulk of possession and to have some gild-edge chances, one or two of which will find its way through in route to a 2-0 Germany win. Turkey would have to have its unit at full strength to haror hopes of advancing to its first international final, and it's a shame they don't, because they have been without a doubt the story of the tournament. Who knows, maybe they'll defy logic one more time and score on a counter early and force the Germans into a panic....

Our second semifinal carries a higher level of intrigue, in part because it is a rematch of a game already played earlier in the group stage. Spain trounced Russia 4-1 in their opening match of Euro 2008, stamping themselves early on as an in-form team and a team with real aspirations for this tournament. However, closer examination of that game reveals a tighter affair than the 4-1 score would suggest. Russia had some golden opportunites to level the scoring at 1-1 and to cut te 2-0 deficit in half later on. Had those chances been taken, the game would have adopted a different identity, and the Russians could have given a better account of themselves. As it turns out, that first game beatdown was merely a mirage for the Russians, who went on to prove that they are a quality side with lots of potent weapons in attack. Convincing victories over Greece, Sweden, and the Netherlands have propelled the Russians into the semifinal, where, unlike Turkey, they have a healthy arsenal of talent ready to give the Spanish everything they want. Arshavin and Pavlyuchenko have been particularly illuminating in this tournament, and there is lots of talk about Arshavin moving from UEFA Cup champs Zenit St. Petersburg to the English Premier League this summer. The Russians will enter the game extremely confident, while Spain will enter with more of an air of relief, as they must feel exalted and exhausted for finally beating Italy and reaching the semis of a major competition. Spain are technically superior to Russia, but Russia showed against the Netherlands that they are capable of standing up to any established opposition. Russia wins 2-1.

Germany v. Russia in the final...