Nasri Arrives

This is a great time for all Arsenal fans including me to celebrate because we have just signed Samir Nasri from Marseille officially. The young talent who was a revelation in France in youth football has been dubbed to become the next Zinedine Zidane in world football. He can play as a central midfield player or can be used on either of the wings which provides Wenger with many options. Hope Arsenal can reach great heights with help from players like Nasri.

Transfer Saga...

I am just gonna talk about the latest transfer speculation in the world of football, and this is quite irritating but the truth is that most players are looking at money with more interest than football. The perfect example for now, is Adebayor, the arsenal man. A player who according to me isn't a world class talent is demanding more than US $140,000 a month which is highly unbelievable. Can this world get anymore crazy?

Euro 2008 Debate: Tops And Flops

Austria

Hot: Ivica Vastic, for actually being able to put the ball in the back of the net with an extremely cool last-minute penalty (even if the award looked dubious).

Not: Martin Harnik. For someone who talks so much he sure is awful. Said he would make the Germans "s*** their pants" - and I'm sure they did - from laughing at his inability to convert chances gifted to him by the Mannschaft's moronic defending.

Croatia

Hot: It has to be Bilic. There were some on-song individuals throughout the team, but the charismatic, rock star, lawyer and occasional football coach has proven to be something of a revelation on the international scene. He proves that coaching is as much about having the right attitude as it is the right tactics. Is incredibly loyal to his country, and therefore unlikely to leave them for a big club just yet - perhaps after the World Cup.

Not: The relentless praise of Luka Modric. He's a good player - we get it - but he's not that good. There have been at least a dozen at the tournament who have performed better than him, but because he masterminded a win over the mighty England in qualifying and is on his way to the Premier League with a big-money move to Tottenham Hotspur, does his every run, pass and snot-bubble need to be hailed as something majestic? He's good, not great - there are better.

Czech Republic

Hot: Libor Sionko. He played for Rangers?! Why a team that made their way to the UEFA Cup final playing as little football as possible let a gem like this go is absolutely anybody's guess - even at 31, he has more to offer on a bigger stage than at FC Copenhagen - let's see if someone snaps him up...

Not: Petr Cech. It's cruel - he didn't have a bad tournament - but his Paul Robinson approach to goalkeeping knocked his side out of the tournament when they were on course for routine qualification to the quarterfinals.

France

Hot: What?

Not: In as few words as possible: Raymond Domenech, his marriage proposal, his unnatural attachment to astrology, his hobo-chic approach to fashion, leaving a red-hot Sebastian Frey on the bench, playing Willy Sagnol despite his obvious lack of match practice, not bringing Philippe Mexes to fill in for old man Lilian Thuram, playing Eric Abidal at centre-back, playing Eric Abidal in the first place with Champions League winner Patrice Evra reduced to getting shoved in the tunnel after 4-1 thrashings, his persistence with a double-pivot of slow midfielders, not bringing Mathieu Flamini, Florent Malouda (no explanation required), playing Nicolas Anelka despite Chelsea doing their best to destroy his form and confidence by playing him on the wing and leaving Euro 2000 winner and second-top scorer in Serie A David Trezeguet at home all at the same time, bringing Samir Nasri just because people call him the new Zinedine Zidane while leaving at home an old but far superior and more versatile Robert Pires over a personal feud, and lastly, the fact he still has a job for at least the next eight days. Staggering.

Germany

Hot: Michael Ballack. Wasn't it obvious? Germany's star rises to the occasion once again. Well and truly the consummate midfielder and professional, he has rarely put a foot wrong all tournament. The only thing that will be irking him and without doubt his team-mates is, despite his incredibly pedigree, he has a history of being an also-ran in major tournaments. Will that prove to be the case again?

Not: Central defenders Cristoph Metzelder and Per Mertesacker, otherwise known as Dumb and Dumber. With a double-pivot protecting them against Portugal, they actually passed themselves off as competent defenders, but throughout the group games they did their very utmost to gift chances to the likes of Poland and Austria in what can only be described as the worst group in the competition. Metzelder may be rusty and Mertesacker may still be fairly young, but there is no room for excuses at this level.

Greece

Hot: Yeah, I hear it regularly hits 25 to 30 degrees celsius over there.

Not: Just about everything. Extremely fortuitous champions in 2004 and exposed for what they are this time around. Not good enough. Perhaps their showing will punch a hole in UEFA's moronic bureaucratic logic that they should be awarded a top seed just because they won the competition, while France, Italy, the Netherlands and even an impressive Romania all had to fight it out in one group.

Italy

Hot: Giorgio Chiellini. Should Alessandro Nesta indeed come out of international retirement, he will no doubt supercede the Juventus youngster to partner captain Fabio Cannavaro and probably rightly so, but at least the Azzurri can rest in the comfort that when Fabio calls it quits, there is finally an able successor in waiting. Andrea Barzagli, Alessandro Gamberini and friends are good without being great on the big stage. Chiellini, on the back of his performances at Euro 2008, has the makings of the next great Italian defender.

Not: Gennaro Gattuso and Massimo Ambrosini. Yes, Luca Toni looked a shadow of the man we've known him to be and the defence was shambolic against the Netherlands, but Italy's ultimate undoing lay somewhere inbetween. The lumbering mediocrity of the defensive midfield Milan duo held back the world champions far too often throughout the tournament. Putting aside the fact Daniele De Rossi is quite possibly better than both of them put together and Roberto Donadoni should have been wise to this fact from the beginning, they had the experience and credentials to deliver and failed to.

Netherlands

Hot: Wesley Sneijder. Few would doubt that he was the Oranje's player of the tournament, involved in almost all their attacking play and scoring two sensational goals. Despite moving to Real Madrid almost a year ago and winning La Liga in his debut season, the 24-year-old is still of a relatively low profile on the world stage - perhaps not so much anymore.

Not: Marco van Basten - that's right. So, sacrificing defensive balance in mdifield for forward players worked against France - he was lucky - and in trying it again and getting crucified by the Russians he only made that abundantly clear. Quite like Germany, the Netherlands lack good defenders. As such, it is wise to keep them protected with a double pivot (as Germany did in their only consistently solid performance of the tournament so far). Yet at every opportunity, whether it was pressure above from football's know-it-all Johann Cruyff or his own need to prove just how 'total football' and 'attacking' he was, van Basten gave it away. They were outplayed by the better side in the end, but if anybody could have done more, it was the departing coach.

Poland

Hot: Roger Guerreiro. As is often the case with many countries, their star player is in fact a Brazilian. His skill, tenacity and direct approach to the game facilitated the Poles no end. It is of little surprise that their worst half of football - the opener against Germany - came without him on the field.

Not: Their defending. It would be unfair to single out one or two because they were all just that bad. Artur Boruc well and truly had his work cut out in goal.

Portugal

Hot: Deco! The little wizard with the uneven eyebrows had a timely return to form few could have predicted off the back of his miserable season with Barcelona. The 31-year-old spent much time out with Ronaldinho-like mystery injuries and looked sluggish whenever he took the field for the Blaugrana, but he was full of energy and ideas throughout the tournament, without doubt having a point to prove as he looks to engineer a move away from Camp Nou, with Chelsea and Internazionale thought to be leading the chase.

Not: Luiz Felipe Scolari. Like van Basten, it was all any of the media could do to sing his praises as his side got off to an assured start to Euro 2008, but there were warning signs changes would be needed in bigger games during the knockout rounds and they weren't heeded. Though Germany played well, Portugal's elimination was very much their own doing.

Romania

Hot: Cristian Chivu. His declining set-piece ability aside, the Inter stopper showed all his experience in leading an extremely solid Romanian defensive unit in the face of Italy, France and the Netherlands. Three games, three goals conceded - not bad.

Not: Adrian Mutu. He played well, but like Cech's error for the Czechs, Mutu's penalty miss was the difference between qualification and heading home.

Spain

Hot: Iker Casillas. Just when it looked like he might go through a whole competition without being required to perform any miracles, he consigned Daniele De Rossi to his second heartbreaking penalty miss of the season with a quite incredible stop. Made another more ordinary save from Antonio Di Natale in the same shootout to secure Spanish victory. Cesc Fabregas' attitude and performances from the bench also merit a mention, as does David Villa, who is now everyone's favourite player off the back of a hat-trick against Russia, yet he cannot be mentioned in a sentence without Liverpool's Fernando Torres, despite the fact Villa has been better than Torres for several years, and that remains the case now, as if it isn't obvious already.

Not: Luis Aragones. He has done well to select a good starting eleven, but his substitutions and the lack of inspiration behind them could prove to be Spain's undoing in the end. They well and truly obliterated Russia, leaving him with little to do besides watch on with a smile. They have laboured since; sneaking past Sweden with a win and producing a creditable comeback against Greece with their second string. Their penalty shootout win against Italy is praiseworthy to say the least, but with the weakened state of the world champions, Spain dominated the game but failed to test Gianluigi Buffon - not good enough. Selection can be to blame as well; there is a lack of genuine width, with the in-form Diego Capel and undoubted talent of Joaquin being left at home in favour of a plethora of albeit talented but ultimately superfluous central midfielders. It would be a shame but not a surprise to see this cost them against Russia.

Sweden

Hot: Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He was injured, yet he played through the pain and scored one beautiful goal to essentially win the game against Greece, and another well-taken striker's goal to level things up against Spain, which might have been enough to see them through if not for one moment of defensive weakness at the death which saw David Villa snatch a winner. Few can question his commitment or quality following his performances in Austria-Switzerland, though admittedly he doesn't always do himself too many favours.

Not: The age of the team. Despite Henrik Larsson's most defiant attempts to thwart the press in a post-match interview, it was obvious that he along with many of his team-mates were not up for 90 minutes of action at this level. More youth should have been brought in purely as a source of energy and to give them more options off the bench.

Switzerland

Hot: Just about everything. Great team play, fans and some outstanding individuals. It's hard to believe they failed to make it out of their group, as they did so little wrong. Gökhan Inler, Valon Behrami, Johan Vonlanthen, Tranquillo Barnetta, Hakan Yakin and Eren Derdiyok showed a lot of promise and a lot of class.

Not: Marco Streller. If there's one man you could definitely accuse of not stepping up to the plate, it's the FC Basel striker. Touted as something of a threat following a few goals in the warm-up games, with or without captain and all-time leading goal-scorer Alexander Frei, Streller looked awful. Had he been half way decent in the first game against the Czech Republic and Switzerland got a result - even a point - things could have been entirely different.

Russia

Hot: Andrei Arshavin. He is the new sensation and with just cause, as his creativity and dynamism are exceptional. He is a big game player and can always pop up with a goal. Certain to move to one of Europe's heavyweights this summer, with Barcelona already publicised as the club of his dreams.

Not: Defending. Often eastern European teams are associated with a militant-like discipline to their defensive and incredible fitness being the keys to their success. Russia tick one of those boxes, but their defending remains somewhat suspect, particularly from set-pieces. There is work to be done, but in truth, it is no mean feat picking flaws in the team who have played arguably the best football at the tournament.

Turkey

Hot: Fatih Terim. All you have to do is take a look at the man on the sidelines when his side are losing to understand what inspires Turkey to produce these incredible comebacks: fear. Terim has the demeanour of a man who would not hesitate to nail Nihat to the wall by his ears just to prove a point to the rest of the squad. "Inspirational" they call him. That injury crisis - what do you think really happened?

Not: Ill discipline. The two booking rule is nonsensical and the referees are, in some cases, too strict - but it's the same for everyone - and Volkan's push on Jan Koller in the dying minutes of their game against the Czech Republic defied all logic. Yes, Turkey have had a lot of injuries, but four are also suspended for tonight's game that needn't have been.

Spanish Semi Final At Long Last..!

Scoring Summary:

Shoot Out:

Spain:
David Villa(pen)
Santi Cazorla(pen)
Marcos Senna(pen)
Daniel Guiza(miss)
Cesc Fabregas(pen)

Italy:
Fabio Grosso(pen)
Daniele De Rossi(miss)
Mauro German Camoranesi(pen)
Antonio Di Natale(miss)

Spain reached the semi-finals of Euro 2008 after a penalty shoot-out victory over world champions Italy at the Ernst-Happel Stadium.

Iker Casillas saved spot-kicks from Daniele De Rossi and Antonio Di Natale after a goalless 120 minutes before Cesc Fabregas slid the winning penalty past Gianluigi Buffon.

Cassillas, who had kept his side on level terms with a fine save with his feet from Mauro Camoranesi, helped Spain end a string of three straight penalty shoot-out defeats on June 22 in major tournaments - in the 1986 World Cup, Euro 96 and the 2002 World Cup.

Luis Aragones' men are the only team in the last four to have won all of their games in the tournament and now take on surprise package Russia on Thursday in Vienna.

Italy won the 2006 World Cup on penalties against France but Buffon - the hero that day - was overshadowed by the impressive Casillas this time.

The Italy keeper had kept his side in the competition in the group stages when he saved Adrian Mutu's spot-kick against Romania and threatened to do so again when he denied Daniel Guiza with Spain's fourth penalty.

But Casillas, who had already flung himself to his right to palm away De Rossi's effort, then kept out Di Natale's weak effort to hand the advantage back to Spain.

And Arsenal youngster Fabregas kept his cool to send Buffon the wrong way and give his side a 4-2 shoot-out win.

Having rested all but one of his regulars in their 2-1 triumph against Greece, Spain coach Luis Aragones lined up his strongest team, with tournament top scorer David Villa playing alongside Fernando Torres in attack.

The absence of Andrea Pirlo hindered the Azzurri, who missed the magic touch of the AC Milan playmaker.

Spain dominated possession in the early stages and had the first chance in the eighth minute with David Silva playing a one-two with Villa before his shot took a deflection from Daniele De Rossi and went straight to the hands of goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

Torres wasted a good chance to break the deadlock in the 17th minute when his cross was way off target with Villa and Xavi waiting in the box.

Italy finally had their first effort on goal in the 18th minute, with Simone Perrotta latching onto Massimo Ambrosini's cross but his header proved an easy catch for Casillas.

Midway through the first half Villa's powerful free-kick towards the far post forced Buffon into action.

Buffon's next save was all the more impressive as he was forced to fully stretch to save Silva's left-footed strike from the edge of the area on the half-hour mark.

Luca Toni should have broken the deadlock shortly after but his header from Antonio Cassano's cross hit Carlos Marchena.

Spanish fans demanded a penalty after Fabio Grosso brought down Silva but the referee did well to play on as the tackle happened just outside the area.

Villa then set up Xavi, who fired wide in what was the last chance of an uninspiring opening half.

Spain picked up where they left off after the re-start and Giorgio Chiellini made a crucial tackle inside the area on Silva who tried to punish the Italians for a defensive error.

Villa then wasted a good chance when his cross went off target with Torres waiting in the box.

Donadoni made his first substitution before the hour mark, with Mauro Camoranesi replacing Perrotta in an attempt to give the Azzurri a spark up front.

Aragones replied by sending on Santi Cazorla and Fabregas for Xavi and Iniesta.

Italy had the best chance in the 62nd minute with Camoranesi's close-range strike forcing Casillas to make a desperate foot clearance after confusion in the box.

Marcos Senna warmed the hands of Buffon with a stinging free-kick with 11 minutes remaining.

Soon after, Buffon tried to collect a shot from Silva but the ball bounced out of his grasp. The goalkeeper scrambled toward the goalline to get the ball and fortunately, it struck the post before staying out.

Aragones made his last substitution with five minutes remaining in regular time with Daniel Guiza replacing Torres.

Zambrotta made a vital clearance with Villa ready to hit the target from Fabregas' brilliant cross, but there was no way of avoiding extra time.

Silva fired inches wide after Chiellini had blocked Fabregas' powerful strike inside the area after the re-start.

Italy kept up the pressure and twice had the chance to break the deadlock.

Casillas made an acrobatic save from Di Natale's close-range header while Toni nodded the ball over the crossbar as the Azzurri got closer.

Buffon was forced to come off his line to clear Villa's close-range effort while Cazorla fired wide instead of passing to the unmarked Villa at the far post as penalties were required.

Netherlands 1-3 Russia: Russian Rampage

Scoring Summary:

Roman Pavlyuchenko(56)
Ruud Van Nistelrooy(86)
Dmitri Torbinski(112)
Andrei Arshavin(116)

Dmitri Torbinski and Andrei Arshavin scored in the second half of extra time as Russia powered into the semi-finals of Euro 2008 with a deserved victory over Holland in Basle.

Ruud van Nistelrooy had taken the match into the added period, cancelling out Roman Pavlyuchenko's 56th-minute opener with a stooping header four minutes before the end of normal time.

But Russia's energy levels proved decisive and after Torbinski had poked home a finish in the 112th minute, the lively Arshavin made Russia's qualification safe with a third four minutes later.

Russia's Dutch coach Guus Hiddink risks being public enemy number one in his homeland after pulling off his latest masterstroke to eliminate the team who were tournament favourites after emphatic wins over continental heavyweights Italy and France in the 'Group of Death'.

They now face a semi-final against either Spain or Italy in Vienna on Thursday, and become the third pool runners-up to qualify for the last four.

Prior to the match former Holland coach Hiddink had shrugged off fears of being labelled a 'traitor' back home.

Instead, he urged his players to go out and enjoy themselves in the biggest match of their lives, and they did just that.

They had their opponents rattled early on, Hiddink's tactics smothering Dutch playmakers Rafael van der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder. Yuri Zhirkov's free-kick drew a smart save out of Edwin van der Sar and Pavlyuchenko heading wastefully over when free eight yards out. The Dutch fans, who again dominated the majority of the stadium as they had the city centre all day, were suddenly subdued.

Holland improved slightly and midway through the first half Orlando Engelaar fired just wide and Van Nistelrooy somehow failed to get on the end of Van der Vaart's swinging free-kick. Russia remained dangerous and centre-back Denis Kolodin almost put them ahead with his first rasping drive tipped over by Van der Sar and another - again from 35 yards - just clearing the crossbar. Van der Sar was working overtime and pushed away Arshavin's curling shot with his fingertips before the interval.

With Arjen Robben carrying a slight groin strain Holland coach Marco van Basten sent on Robin van Persie for the second half and the Arsenal forward volleyed just off target within seconds of coming on. Van Persie was then cautioned for use of the elbow but worse was to follow for the Dutch when Pavlyuchenko broke the deadlock.

Sergei Semak burst down the left and crossed low for the Spartak Moscow striker to sidefoot home a left-footed volley. Holland were behind for the first time in the tournament and their title credentials were being firmly put to the test.

Van Persie was still plugging away though, driving a shot over, heading Van der Vaart's corner wide and then spooning a free-kick over after Kolodin was booked for fouling Van Nistelrooy - a caution which rules the defender out of the semi-final.

In a tense last 10 minutes substitute Torbinski should have wrapped it up for Russia but did not connect properly with Zhirkov's lay-off, who may have been better off shooting instead. And they were made to pay when Van Nistelrooy took the game into extra time by heading home Sneijder's free-kick at the far post from close range in the 86th minute.

With seconds left in stoppage time Kolodin thought he had received his second yellow card for bringing down Sneijder but the assistant referee spared the 26-year-old by signalling the ball had earlier gone out of play.

In extra time Arshavin shot wastefully over and Pavlyuchenko struck the crossbar with a fierce effort from the angle. Russia's superior fitness began to tell but Torbinski's close-range effort was weak with just Van der Sar to beat in the 98th minute.

The second period was a similar story with the Russians swarming all over the Dutch but they could not find the cutting edge until Torbinski tapped home Arshavin's deft far-post cross. Arshavin then scored the crucial third by turning his marker and slipping home a deflected shot through Van der Sar's legs.

Croatia 1-1 Turkey: Villain Rustu turns hero

Scoring Summary:

Ivan Klasnic(119)
Semih Senturk(120)

Shoot Out:

Croatia:
Luka Modric(miss)
Darijo Srna(pen)
Ivan Rakitic(miss)
Mladen Petric(miss)

Turkey:
Arda Turan(pen)
Semih Senturk(pen)
Hamit Altintop(pen)

Turkey left it late again to record victory, with a dramatic penalty-shoot out success after an equaliser in injury time of extra-time at Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium left Croatia defeated and took Fatih Terim's side into the Euro 2008 semi-final.

Turkey won in even more stunning circumstances than against Czech Republic in their final group game, having looked dead and buried after Croatia's Ivan Klasnic had broken 119 minutes of goalless action.

Croatia boss Slaven Bilic had run down the touchline in celebration but there was more to come in a remarkable finale - Semih Senturk rifling into the top corner to force penalties.

After Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic went wide with their spot-kicks, Rustu Recber saved from Mladen Petric to set up a fixture in Basle against Germany next week.

It also came against the odds as injuries and suspension left Terim with just 15 outfield players and eight of his starting XI on a yellow card.

Victory came at a cost as Tuncay Sanli, Arda Turan and Emre Asik will be banned for the semi-final after picking up yellow cards. Nihat Kahveci also appeared to pick up a groin strain.

That will not matter, however, to the Turkish quarter in Vienna who were sent into wild celebration when Rustu saved Petric's kick.

Known as "The Emperor'', Terim now has a chance of eclipsing the deeds of 2002 when Turkey reached the semi-finals of the World Cup.

The destroyers of England in qualifying, Croatia were undone by a stubborn Turkish performance. On the day Steve McClaren got back into management after losing his England job following defeat to Croatia, Bilic's dream finally ended.

This was despite a promising start.

Turkey had reached the last eight with back-to-back comebacks, against Switzerland then famously against the Czechs - and they looked in danger of falling behind early to Bilic's men.

It had been a week of turmoil for the Turks, with their coach Terim accused of courting a move back to Italy's Serie A, then their victory over the Czechs leading to a youngster injured when shots were fired in the air.

On the pitch, they were hit by injuries and suspensions, and Croatia almost took advantage of unfamiliarity in the Turkish defence early on.

Veteran goalkeeper Rustu, deputising for Volkan Demirel, failed to clear his lines and Rakitic raced down the left to cross for Darijo Srna - only for Hakan Balta to scramble clear when an open goal beckoned.

Turkey squeezed the midfield but Modric managed to find time on the ball to orchestrate Croatia's attacks.

It was Tottenham's new signing who crossed to the far post in the 19th minute, with Ivica Olic thudding the crossbar when he had most of Rustu's goal to aim for. The finish span to Niko Kranjcar but the Portsmouth midfielder could not tame the ball with his head.

Jeers during the national anthems and a ring of stewards around the pitch hinted at the rivalry between fans, while Tuncay's elbow on Niko Kovac suggested it between the players.

It earned Tuncay a yellow card and a one-match suspension, and he was furious again with Roberto Rosetti when the Italian referee turned down a penalty appeal after Josip Simunic appeared to impede him in the area.

Turkey got even closer to Stipe Pletikosa's goal when Mehmet Topal grazed the post with a powerful 35-yard drive seven minutes before the break.

After the restart Arda joined Tuncay in the referee's book, also earning him a ban.

And just like the first half, Croatia almost pounced on Rustu's hesitancy. Failing to collect a long ball, Olic beat him to the ball but did not get power on his header.

Rustu was down sharply, however, when Modric released Kranjcar and the midfielder poked towards goal.

Turkey went for a change in attack, replacing London-born Colin Kazim-Richards with Ugur Boral, while Kranjcar went off for Petric as Bilic made his move.

Just after the substitutes were made, Rakitic fired over from a promising position after exchanging passes with Olic. Olic then just headed over when he met a hanging cross.

Srna's free-kick was tipped over by Rustu and when the veteran blocked another effort from Olic, extra-time was inevitable.

Klasnic thought he had won it when he headed in Modric's cross after more Rustu hesitation in the 119th minute, but when Semih found the top corner with a deflected drive, the drama of penalties unfolded.

Germans End Portugese Dreams..!

Scoring Summary:

Bastian Schweinsteiger(22)
Miroslav Klose(26)
Nuno Gomes(41)
Michael Ballack(62)
Helder Postiga(87)

All eyes may have been on Cristiano Ronaldo but it was his opposite number seven Bastian Schweinsteiger who stole the show to book Germany's place in the Euro 2008 semi-finals and dump Portugal out.

Bayern Munich star Schweinsteiger scored one and set up two more - for Miroslav Klose and Michael Ballack - to render Nuno Gomes' effort at the end of the first half and substitute Helder Postiga's goal towards full-time little more than consolations.

The result sees Germany, who only clinched their spot in the quarter-finals with a 1-0 win over Austria on Monday, advance to a last-four clash with either Croatia or Turkey next Wednesday.

It also brings Luiz Felipe Scolari's five-year reign as Portugal coach to an inglorious end before he heads off to become Chelsea manager on July 1.

Joachim Low, unable to sit in the Germany dugout due to the one-match ban imposed following his touchline bust-up with Austria coach Josef Hickersberger in the last group match, made three changes to his starting XI.

Schweinsteiger - back after suspension - Thomas Hitzlsperger and Simon Rolfes came into the line-up with Clemens Fritz, Mario Gomez and rib injury victim Torsten Frings missing out.

Scolari stuck to his pre-match word and named the same starting XI which beat the Czech Republic and Turkey to win Group A for this match on the newly-laid turf at Basle's St Jakob-Park.

Low's team, under the temporary guidance of his assistant Hans-Dieter Flick, controlled the tempo and bossed the possession in the early stages.

Hitzlsperger had the first shot with a ninth-minute free-kick but Deco blocked it, and the Stuttgart midfielder lashed another left-footed effort goalwards moments later which rippled Ricardo's side-netting.

Simao made Jens Lehmann work for the first time just before the quarter-hour mark when he found himself well placed on the right-hand side of the area following good build-up play from Pepe and Deco, but the former Arsenal stopper was equal to the Atletico Madrid winger's effort.

Gomes then looked to put Cristiano Ronaldo through but Arne Friedrich got across swiftly at the expense of a corner.

Jose Bosingwa fired in a cross from the left towards Joao Moutinho but it arrived at an awkward height for the Sporting Lisbon midfielder, who ended up diverting the ball over the bar with his thigh.

That miss proved costly as shortly afterwards the Germans forged ahead.

Podolski, who had been doubtful with a calf injury, burst down the left and sent in a dangerous low cross which Schweinsteiger tapped home at the near post in the 22nd minute.

Four minutes later, Germany doubled their advantage when man of the match Schweinsteiger floated in a free-kick and Klose glanced a tidy header past Ricardo.

Portugal then suffered a further blow when Moutinho hobbled off with a knee injury, to be replaced by Raul Meireles.

Ronaldo and Simao combined well just after the half-hour to force Per Mertesacker into a scrambled clearance, but the initially shell-shocked Portuguese were beginning to find their feet again.

Gomes picked a fine time to bag his first goal of the tournament to halve the deficit in the 40th minute, reacting first to fire into the bottom-left corner via the right boot of Christoph Metzelder after Lehmann had parried a Ronaldo blast.

Germany almost immediately restored their two-goal cushion when Ballack cut in well from the left onto his right foot, but Ricardo got down well at his near post to save.

Ronaldo then had an opportunity to level matters in first-half stoppage time, only to see his effort drift just wide of Lehmann's right-hand upright.

Friedrich and Philipp Lahm were both shown yellow cards in the opening minutes of the second half for lunges on Ronaldo and Simao respectively.

Hitzlsperger had a sight of goal five minutes after the restart but lashed his left-footed strike wildly over the top.

Pepe then passed up a great chance to restore parity when he headed over in the 57th minute after Deco had flicked on a corner.

Once again, the Portuguese immediately paid for their profligacy when Ballack met Schweinsteiger's free-kick from the left and - with the help of a shove in the back of his Chelsea team-mate Paulo Ferreira - made space to head past Ricardo.

Scolari threw attackers Nani and Postiga into the fray in a bid to turn the match around, but the Portuguese were struggling to test Lehmann.

Podolski almost made it 4-1 12 minutes from time when his fierce long-range drive whizzed just past the right-hand post with Ricardo merely an onlooker.

Nani then set up fellow substitute Postiga to head home a second and give Portugal hope.

But there was to be no grand finale for Portugal and Scolari, as Germany - even without their coach on the touchline - held on.

Russia 2-0 Sweden: Hiddink books Dutch QF

Scoring Summary:

Roman Pavlyuchenko(24)
Andrei Arshavin(50)

Andrei Arshavin returned from suspension to earn Russia a place in the quarter-finals of Euro 2008 with victory over Sweden in Innsbruck.

Sweden only needed a point themselves but had no answer to the Zenit St Petersburg playmaker, with Dutchman Guus Hiddink now set to face Holland on Saturday after guiding Russia out of Group D.

Roman Pavlyuchenko opened the scoring at Stadion Tivoli Neu before Arshavin sealed the win Russia required after the break.

Since starting to compete as Russia, in 1992, it is the first time they have been out of the group stages of a major tournament.

A banner among the Russia fans read "Home Swede Home - Goodbye Sweden'', and Hiddink's men set off looking like they wanted victory wrapped up by half-time.

This was the type of attacking performance that saw England gripped by panic at the Luzhniki Stadium last October when the cracks of Steve McClaren's reign started to open up.

Pavlyuchenko led to England's downfall that night and he tested Olof Mellberg and his fellow Swedish defenders just as he did against Sol Campbell and Rio Ferdinand.

However, the creative force was just behind the Spartak Moscow striker, with Arshavin playing in the hole and causing problems with the angles of his runs and passes.

Arshavin, who has been linked with Manchester City and Newcastle, had been banned for two matches of the finals after he was dismissed in the final qualifier for kicking out. With their attack bolstered, Russia made all the early running.

Had Konstantin Zyryanov not positioned himself in the way of team-mate Igor Semshov after Diniyar Bilyaletdinov opened up Sweden with a flick, Russia would have had a clear sight of goal in the early stages.

Then Arshavin took centre stage, heading wide from Aleksandr Anyukov's cross from the right and finding himself in a similar position when Pavlyuchenko crossed low from the same flank. Neither finishes got enough purchase.

He then went wide from long range and almost embarrassed Andreas Isaksson when he sliced a cross to the far post and the Manchester City goalkeeper was back just in time to tip over.

From the resulting corner, Yuri Zhirkov fizzed a volley just wide.

Predictably, Arshavin started the move when Russia took the lead in the 24th minute, his ball down the right weighted perfectly for Zyryanov.

The ball was shifted inside to Anyukov and again to Pavlyuchenko, who provided a cool finish despite Fredrik Stoor's last-ditch slide. With the quarter-finals in sight, Hiddink punched the air in celebration, unleashing two upper cuts.

Russia were rampant but Sweden offered a reminder of their threat when Henrik Larsson looped a header onto the frame of the goal.

Just before the break Freddie Ljungberg forced a save when he latched onto Zlatan Ibrahimovic's flick, while Mikael Nilsson also tested Igor Akinfeev when he raced through.

But it was Russia who were providing sustained pressure.

Pavlyuchenko struck the woodwork 10 minutes before the break and Zyryanov saw the rebound clawed away by Isaksson. Bilyaletdinov also wasted chances to extend the lead.

The second goal came in the 50th minute following another sweeping move. Russia went from defence to attack in seconds, culminating with Arshavin sliding in to finish off Zhirkov's cross, then racing off and celebrating with a Jose Mourinho-style "shhhh''.

Sweden refused to throw in the towel and they pushed players forward when Russia were not creating attacks. Mellberg had a decent chance but headed over from a corner.

Russia also threatened to add more goals, and Zyryanov struck the post with 10 minutes remaining. The only sour note for Arshavin was a booking for a trip.

France 0-2 Italy: World champs dispose of French

Scoring Summary:

Andrea Pirlo(pen 25)
Daniele De Rossi(62)

Italy beat 10-man France at Zurich's sold-out Letzigrund stadium to advance to the quarter-finals of Euro 2008 thanks to Holland's win over Romania.

Andrea Pirlo put the world champions in front in the 25th minute when converting from the penalty spot after Eric Abidal had brought down Luca Toni inside the area.

Abidal was shown a straight red card, leaving the French with a mountain to climb following the earlier loss of Franck Ribery to injury.

Italy led but were still made to sweat before Daniele De Rossi's 62nd minute free-kick took a deflection off Thierry Henry and struck the back of the net.

The turn of events completed a terrible tournament for Les Bleus, who were held to goalless draw against Romania in their Group C opener before being hammered 4-1 by Holland.

Italy, who finish second behind the Dutch in their pool, take on Group D winners Spain on Sunday in Vienna but the Azzurri will have to do without key players Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso, both of who were booked tonight earning suspensions.

France coach Raymond Domenech dropped captain Lilian Thuram, who looked sluggish against Holland, with Abidal taking his spot in defence. But the move backfired.

France did have the better start, earning two corners in the opening minutes but it was Italy who should have taken the lead when Toni failed to capitalise on Abidal's poor clearance and fired wide of the near post.

Domenech was forced to make his first substitution shortly after when Ribery sustained a left ankle injury and had to be stretchered off the pitch, with Samir Nasri taking his place.

Claude Makelele was then needed to make a vital clearance at the far post from Christian Panucci's close-range header as Italy got closer.

Karen Benzema's powerful strike from the edge of the area went inches wide of Gianluigi Buffon's near post and in the 21st minute, Pirlo played a one-two with Antonio Cassano before playing a wonderful ball inside the box to Simone Perrotta, who was unable to control the pass.

Disaster struck for Les Bleus seconds later.

Slovakian referee Lubos Michel pointed to the penalty spot and Pirlo coolly struck to the top hand corner.

The Italians made sure to impose their numerical superiority after Abidal's sending off and should have extended their lead by the half-hour mark but Toni wasted three good chances, much to the relief of the French fans.

The Azzurri's failure to capitalise on their opportunities could have cost them dearly as, shortly after, France almost equalised.

Jeremy Toulalan's precise pass found Thierry Henry, who surged inside the area before firing inches wide of the far post.

France keeper Gregory Coupet then provided a stunning save to deflect Fabio Grosso's free-kick onto his far post.

France did not give up but although they showed plenty of character, they failed to find the finishing touch to level the score before half-time.

Les Bleus picked up where they left off after the re-start and Benzema fired wide off the far post before Henry's effort forced Buffon to dive to his left.

News that Holland had taken the lead in the other group game in Bern reverberated around the stadium.

But it failed to inspire the Azzurri, who had mustered little after the break and were lucky to extend their lead in the 62nd minute.

De Rossi's free-kick saw the ball deflect off Henry's left foot and deceive Coupet, who had dived towards the right post and into the back of the net.

France could have got back into the game in the 73rd minute but Buffon made a stunning one-handed save to deny Benzema's curled effort.

Despite their opponents' brave attempts, Italy held on for a crucial victory.

Czech Republic 2-3 Turkey: Nihat seals a thriller

Scoring Summary:

Jan Koller(34)
Jaroslav Plasil(62)
Arda Turan(75)
Nihat Kahveci(87)
Nihat Kahveci(89)

Nihat Kahveci scored twice in a dramatic final four minutes to earn Turkey second spot in Group A and a quarter-final clash with Croatia after a Euro 2008 thriller in Geneva.

The Czechs looked home and dry in the 61st minute when Jaroslav Plasil added to Jan Koller's first-half opener to put his team 2-0 ahead.

But in an amazing end to the winner-takes-all match, Arda Turan halved the deficit in the 75th minute before Nihat came to the party.

The Turkey captain drew the sides level in the 86th minute when he took advantage of a ghastly error by Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech to poke home into an empty net.

And the Villarreal striker sparked delirium among the Turkish fans when he curled home an unstoppable winner with two minutes remaining.

There was still time for Turkey goalkeeper Volkan Demirel to receive his marching orders for an off-the-ball incident involving Koller, but his team held on to record their first win over the Czechs in 12 attempts.

Group B winners Croatia now lie in wait for the Turks in Vienna on Friday.

A penalty shootout loomed if the match had ended as a draw after 90 minutes but it looked long odds against that prospect the way Turkey played in the first half.

They were dreadful and looked a team gripped by nerves as they failed to trouble Cech in the opening 45 minutes.

The more experienced Czechs, semi-finalists at the Euros four years ago, looked assured from the off and should have been more than a goal ahead at the interval.

Koller, back in the starting line-up after being benched for the 3-1 defeat to Portugal, was at the hub of most of his team's attacks and he headed Marek Jankulovski's free-kick over the bar when well positioned in the 10th minute.

Turkey's Brazil-born midfielder Mehmet Aurelio had moments earlier picked up a booking which will rule him out of the quarter-final.

Marek Matejovsky, who was carried off on a stretcher in the 37th minute, drew a decent save out of Volkan while Servet Cetin made a great last-gasp clearance to prevent Koller scoring a simple tap-in.

It was one-way traffic, the ever-dangerous Libor Sionko firing just over from the diagonal in the 25th minute as the nervous Turks continued to relinquish possession.

The goal the Czechs deserved came nine minutes later, Juventus full-back Grygera galloping down the right and crossing for Koller to power home a trademark header in emphatic style from eight yards out.

That was his 55th international goal and the Nurnberg targetman, who will quit playing for his national team after the Euros, almost made it 56 when he nodded over another Jankulovski set-piece.

The Turkey players trudged off heads down at the half-time whistle and would no doubt have been given the hairdryer treatment by coach Fatih Terim in the dressing room.

Terim replaced anonymous striker Semih Senturk with midfielder Sabri Sarioglu at the interval, and the change paid dividends as the Turks began the second half well under rainy skies.

Nihat volleyed over acrobatically two minutes in while Tuncay Sanli deflected a free-kick straight at Cech.

The Czechs suddenly looked tentative but Plasil settled any nerves with their second just after the hour mark.

Moments earlier, Koller had sidefooted wastefully wide with just Volkan to beat but Osasuna midfielder Plasil did much better when he got on the end of Sionko's right-wing cross to prod home at the far post.

The goal initially took the wind out of Turkey's sails and midfielder Jan Polak almost made it 3-0 when he sidefooted Sionko's cross against the post from 10 yards.

But it was not all over. Arda set up a tense final 15 minutes when he slid home a low finish past Cech after pouncing on a Hamit Altintop centre.

And after Servet somehow headed wide from close range in the 81st minute, Cech spilled a deep cross from the right, allowing Nihat to force home the equaliser into an empty net with three minutes remaining.

Worse was to come for Cech when barely a minute later, Nihat made the most of some dreadful defending to latch on to a through-ball and curl home a superb finish off the bar.

In the final few seconds, Volkan saw red for an incident involving Koller but Turkey held on for a dramatic victory.

Netherlands 4-1 France: Dutch master class

Scoring Summary:

Dirk Kuyt(10)
Robin Van Persie(59)
Thierry Henry(71)
Arjen Robben(72)
Wesley Sneijder(90)

Rampant Holland produced an attacking masterclass for the second time in four days to bury France in Bern and seal their qualification for the quarter-finals of Euro 2008.

Dirk Kuyt opened the scoring and Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder added others after the break as Marco van Basten's in-form team sank the French in the same way they did world champions Italy here on Monday.

Les Bleus' consolation came through Thierry Henry on his return to the team, but even their revered defence could not handle the pace and brio of their opponents' attacks.

France meet Italy on Tuesday but they both may be eliminated if Romania, who are second in the group, defeat Holland on the same night.

The Dutch, meanwhile, will now have to cope with the tag of tournament favourites after disposing of the two World Cup finalists of 2006 in sensational style, scoring seven goals in the process.

They were bound to feel at home given the army of Oranje fans who had invaded Bern city centre during the day and then the Stade de Suisse Wankdorf in the evening.

Their confidence was also sky high after their stunning victory over the Italians, and Kuyt's opener after only eight minutes helped them settle.

It was a simple goal of the kind France rarely concede, Rafael van der Vaart sending a corner in from the right and Kuyt beating Florent Malouda in the air to head home at the near post.

France coach Raymond Domenech, who had reverted to a 4-2-3-1 formation in bringing Patrice Evra, Sidney Govou and fit-again Henry back into the side, would have been alarmed at the defending for the goal.

Just as alarming for him would have been the confident swagger that had returned to the Dutch team, whose slick passing game was a joy to watch.

They were posing all sorts of problems early on, Sneijder firing just over in the 15th minute and then Kuyt poking a shot over the bar when free in the area after he pounced on a weak Lilian Thuram header.

France had been criticised back home for their laboured performance against Romania in Zurich but they upped the tempo here and created a host of half-chances in the final 20 minutes of the half.

Their first sight of goal came when Govou's near-post effort drew an excellent instinctive save out of Edwin van der Sar.

Three more opportunities fell to the French in the space of a few minutes - Malouda, Govou and Franck Ribery all bringing decent stops out of van der Sar with low drives.

Henry curled wide from 20 yards with the last opportunity of the half but at the start of the second period, he thought he had earned his side a penalty.

Govou's driven cross-shot was deflected into his path and the Barcelona striker's goalbound effort was blocked by the hand of Andre Ooijer.

Referee Herbert Fandel was obviously unsighted and only gave a corner, much to the chagrin of the French.

Henry had an immediate chance to exact his revenge but having been put clean through in the 53rd minute by Malouda's spectacular pass, the former Arsenal skipper sent his lob way over.

His profligacy was punished on the hour mark when two of Holland's second-half substitutes, Robben and van Persie, combined to put the Dutch further ahead.

The goal originated from some sublime skills by Ruud van Nistelrooy on the touchline and his Real Madrid team-mate Robben took the ball on.

His perfect cross from the left found van Persie, whose volley crept over the line despite the best efforts of France goalkeeper Gregory Coupet.

Henry finally got his goal in the 70th minute when he glanced home a cross from the right from Willy Sagnol but, within seconds, Robben restored Holland's two-goal cushion.

The left-winger ran onto Sneijder's through-ball down the left channel, won himself half a yard against Thuram and drove home a powerful drive from a narrow angle into the roof of the net.

The impressive van Nistelrooy almost got himself on the scoresheet with seven minutes left with an impudent header, but it was clawed out by Coupet.

It was left for Sneijder to add garnish, his superb curling shot from 25 yards giving Coupet no chance.

Croatia 2-1 Germany: Favourites stunned

Scoring Summary:

Darijo Srna(24)
Ivica Olic(62)
Lukas Podolski(72)

Dark horses Croatia sent out a message of intent to the other Euro 2008 finalists tonight as they stunned highly-fancied Germany to take a huge stride towards a quarter-final spot.

Darijo Srna and Ivica Olic struck their side's goals as Croatia, who had only ever beaten Germany once before, produced arguably the first major upset of Euro 2008 in an entertaining encounter in Klagenfurt.

Lukas Podolski pulled a goal back late on for Germany with his third strike in two games to set up a nail-biting finale, but there was to be no way back for Joachim Low's team, who finished with 10 men following the 90th-minute dismissal of substitute Bastian Schweinsteiger .

Both sides came into the game having won their opening matches, although Germany had looked far more impressive in seeing off Poland than Croatia had in defeating Austria.

However, it was Slaven Bilic's side who turned on the style at the Worthersee Stadion as they took control of Group B with two wins out of two.

A frantic start to the match promised much but for all their huffing and puffing, neither side were able to create anything resembling a chance in the opening 20 minutes as defences held firm.

The ball did find its way into the back of the net in the 22nd minute when Germany striker Mario Gomez slotted home past Stipe Pletikosa but the offside flag had already gone up against the Stuttgart man.

The deadlock was broken for real just two minutes after that incident though, when Croatia went ahead through Srna.

Danijel Pranjic sent over a superb cross from the left and Srna nipped in front of marker Marcell Jansen to slide the ball in at the far post, Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann given no chance to save.

Croatia had a gilt-edged chance to make it 2-0 in the 30th minute, but Niko Kranjcar wasted it.

Ivan Rakitic chipped a pass into the area which was flicked back towards the penalty spot by Olic, but the in-rushing Kranjcar was unable to cap a well-worked move as he blazed over.

Germany knew they needed to step up through the gears and they finally made Pletikosa earn his keep with two efforts in rapid succession.

The first saw Pletikosa push away a thunderous Michael Ballack free-kick, before the Spartak Moscow custodian awkwardly deflected away a Christoph Metzelder effort with his knee.

Metzelder then headed a Torsten Frings corner just over from seven yards out as the Germans stepped up their efforts for an equaliser before the break.

However, Low's side very nearly found themselves two goals behind in the 43rd minute, and they needed a fine reaction stop from Lehmann to deny Kranjcar, who chested down Olic's pass and smashed in a first-time volley.

Having seen his side let off the hook, Low opted for a more adventurous approach in the second half as he sacrificed full-back Jansen for jet-heeled winger David Odonkor during the interval.

Aside from a Ballack shot over the crossbar though, Croatia looked fairly comfortable at the start of the period and also had a decent effort of their own with Luka Modric firing in a shot that Lehmann gathered, although not before seeing it squirm through his hands first.

Lehmann's next task was to pick the ball out of the back of his net as Croatia stunned the Germans with a second goal in the 62nd minute.

A Rakitic cross from the right took a deflection off Podolski before arrowing goalwards and although Lehmann, who had begun to come out for the initial cross, managed to dive backwards and get a hand on it, the ball struck his near post before rebounding back out to Olic, who had the easy task of slotting home.

Germany looked for an immediate response but aside from a Schweinsteiger shot that fizzed across the face of goal, they were still finding it difficult to create chances against a well-organised Croatia backline.

Low's side earned themselves a lifeline with 12 minutes to go though when Podolski lashed home a shot on the half-volley after the ball had fallen kindly to him in the box.

Germany could not build on that goal, though, and their final hopes of getting anything out of the match all but disappeared when Schweinsteiger was given a straight red card for shoving Jerko Leko.

Switzerland 1-2 Turkey: Last-gasp Turan winner

Scoring Summary:

Hakan Yakin(32)
Semih Senturk(57)
Arda Turan(90)

Turkey's Arda Turan stunned Switzerland with an injury-time goal at a rain-soaked St Jakob-Park Stadium on Wednesday to knock the Euro 2008 co-hosts out of the tournament.

Hakan Yakin opened the scoring for Switzerland in the 32nd minute but substitute Semih Senturk's equaliser shortly before the hour mark left both teams searching for their first win in Group A and in the bottom two places of the group.

Just as the game looked to be headed for a draw, Arda struck from the edge of the area.

His right-footed effort deflected off a Swiss defender and into the goal to silence the home crowd.

The Swiss had had a chance to move in front late in the game but Turkey goalkeeper Volkan Demirel made a stunning save to deny Yakin's close-range effort.

Turkey take on the Czech Republic in the last group game on Sunday while the Swiss face unbeaten Portugal.

Both teams struggled with the very wet conditions but it did not spoil the atmosphere for the fans packed into the stadium.

Injuries forced Turkey coach Fatih Terim to make three changes to his starting line-up and it was Mehmet Aurelio who was handed the challenging role of replacing injured Emre at the heart of midfield.

Stand-in captain Nihat Kahveci was the engine for the Turks.

Switzerland coach Jakob Kuhn brought in attacking duo Eren Derdiyok and Hakan Yakin, hoping the absence of all-time leading scorer Alexander Frei through injury would not hinder his side.

It proved a wise move by the veteran tactician as both players made life difficult for Demirel.

Nihat was first to test Diego Benaglio early on but his angled effort was saved by the goalkeeper.

With the hosts making unforced errors, Turkey surged forward more aggressively.

Switzerland had their first shot on goal in the 19th minute, with Gokhan Inler's 30-yard strike forcing Demirel into action.

Turkey may have dominated the early part of the match but that soon changed.

Midway through the first half, Yakin warmed the hands of Demirel with a stinging left-footed drive which the goalkeeper palmed away for a corner.

Demirel's next contribution was more spectacular with the goalkeeper making a one handed save from Tranquilo Barnetta's curled free-kick.

The Turks were unlucky not to break the deadlock in the half-hour mark, with Nihat's free-kick cleared by Benaglio but only as far

Arda Turan, whose header struck the far post.

It proved costly as Switzerland broke the deadlock two minutes later.

A long ball from Philippe Senderos was controlled by Eren Derdiyok who served an unmarked Yakin at the far post for an easy tap-in.

The Swiss fans celebrated wildly as Yakin ran towards them and the Turkish fans were momentarily silenced.

The goal inspired the hosts who should have extended their lead shortly after.

However, Yakin fired wide from the far post Valon Behrami's beautiful cross in what was the last chance of the opening half.

Terim made two substitutions after the re-start, with Mehmet Topal replacing Tumer Metin in midfield and Senturk replacing Gokdeniz Karadeniz.

What a move it proved to be as Senturk scored 10 minutes later.

Senturk latched onto Nihat's cross from the left and his powerful header beat Benaglio.

On the hour mark, Tuncay fired wide from the edge of the area as the Turks kept going forward.

Servet Cetin made a crucial tackle as Hamit Altintop threatened to break clear inside the area.

Turkey should have taken the lead in the 73rd minute as Tuncay curled in an inviting cross which Nihat was unable to connect with at the far post but they continued to battle and their efforts paid off.

Czech Republic 1-3 Portugal: Quarters beckon

Scoring Summary:

Libor Sionko(17)
Deco(8)
Cristiano Ronaldo(63)
Ricardo Quaresma(90)

Cristiano Ronaldo's sweet second-half strike all but put Portugal into the Euro 2008 quarter-finals today as Luiz Felipe Scolari's team beat Czech Republic at the Stade de Geneve.

The Manchester United star coolly slotted home after being teed up by Deco shortly after the hour to put the Portuguese in the lead for a second time, Libor Sionko having cancelled out Deco's opener.

Substitute Ricardo Quaresma put matters absolutely beyond doubt in stoppage-time when he tapped home from Ronaldo's pass.

The victory takes Portugal onto six points in Group A following their opening-day win over Turkey, while the Czechs - who beat co-hosts Switzerland 1-0 in the curtain-raiser - will look to clinch a last-eight spot on Sunday when they face Fatih Terim's Turks.

Czech coach Karel Bruckner made two changes to his starting line-up, with Marek Matejovsky replacing David Jarolim in midfield and Milan Baros coming in for Jan Koller up front, while Scolari stuck with the same XI that overcame Turkey.

The Czechs started brightly, but the opening goal came at the other end.

Ronaldo played a one-two with Nuno Gomes, which Petr Cech came to deal with, and Deco scrambled home at the second attempt.

Baros' first sight of goal came on the quarter-hour mark when he headed Zdenek Grygera's cross over Ricardo's bar.

The Czechs were level two minutes later, however, thanks to a diving header from Sionko - one of the smallest men on the pitch - following Jaroslav Plasil's corner.

Deco soon found space to try to restore Portugal's lead, but his shot was too high to trouble Cech, and the Chelsea goalkeeper got down well seconds later to keep out a low drive from Ronaldo.

The game continued to flow from end to end at pace, with Sionko's pull-back from a corner causing panic in the Portuguese defence before the danger was cleared.

Cech again had to be alert four minutes before half-time to palm away a left-footed blast and a fierce right-footed free-kick from Ronaldo, but he was more than equal to both.

The second half began in a similar vein, with both teams on the front foot.

Matejovsky slid a neat ball into the area and into the path of Sionko, whose low cross just evaded the onrushing Czech attackers three minutes after the break.

Nuno Gomes did well to get a shot away but it was at a comfortable height for Cech.

The Benfica striker then almost capitalised on hesitancy from David Rozehnal, but the Lazio defender got back well to make amends.

Portugal were beginning to create half-chances, Simao Sabrosa the next to try his luck from 12 yards only to be denied by Cech.

Then came what proved to be the game's decisive 60 seconds.

After 62 minutes, Czech captain Tomas Ujfalusi got up well at the near post but saw his header flash across goal and narrowly wide from Plasil's corner.

At the other end, Deco rolled the ball to Ronaldo on the edge of the area and the 23-year-old struck his first goal of the tournament into the bottom-left corner.

Plasil almost set up an equaliser for the Czechs shortly afterwards when he headed a corner back across goal but no colleague was on hand to take advantage.

Bruckner introduced the Czechs' all-time leading goalscorer Koller after 73 minutes to join Baros up front in pursuit of an equaliser.

The only time Ricardo was unduly troubled in the remaining 17 minutes, however, was when he had to tip a Sionko header over the bar from substitute Stanislav Vlcek's corner.

And on the stroke of full-time, the Portuguese made absolutely certain when Ronaldo broke free and unselfishly played in substitute Quaresma for the clincher.

Spain 4-1 Russia: Villa's finishing masterclass

Scoring Summary:

David Villa(20)
David Villa(45)
David Villa(75)
Cesc Fabregas(90)

David Villa struck a hat-trick as classy Spain got their Euro 2008 challenge off to a flying start against Russia at a rain-swept Stadion Tivoli Neu in Innsbruck.

Villa scored twice in the first half before netting his third 15 minutes from time, earning himself the match ball, the man-of-the-match award and making him an early front-runner for the tournament's leading scorer.

Roman Pavluchenko pulled a late goal back for Russia, but there was still time for Spain to net a fourth through Cesc Fabregas to wrap up a deserved win.

Spain, who extended their unbeaten run to 17 matches with the win, will be wary about reading too much into this result, though.

At Euro 2004 they also beat Russia in their opening match only for both sides to fail to make it through to the quarter-finals.

Villa, whose position in the starting line-up was the cause of some debate in the build-up to the event, gave the Russian defence an early suggestion it could be a long evening when he had the first chance of the game.

A pinpoint cross-field pass from Sergio Ramos found Villa unmarked on the edge of the area, but after showing good chest control, the 26-year-old, under pressure from Aleksandr Aniukov, sliced his left-footed shot wide with only goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev to beat.

Russia created their first decent opening soon after when Aniukov got in behind Spain full-back Joan Capdevila on the left, but his cross into the centre was drilled wide by Igor Semshov, who will have felt he should have done better.

Spain then took the lead with a goal from nothing.

Fernando Torres picked up possession after a Russia move had broken down and the Liverpool man, having raced goalwards got a lucky break of the ball against marker Denis Kolodin, before he unselfishly passed inside to Villa to slot into an empty net after Akinfeev had come out to meet Torres.

That was a blow for the Russians, who had not scored against Spain in their three previous meetings, but Guus Hiddink's men came within inches of an immediate riposte in the 22nd minute when Konstatin Zyryanov hit the woodwork.

A low cross from Diniyar Bilyaletdinov eluded a host of players as it skidded across the area before Zyryanov sent in a shot that rebounded back off the right-hand post with Iker Casillas well beaten.

Pavluchenko also struck the Spain crossbar with a dipping volley later in the half, but it would not have counted as referee Konrad Plautz had spotted a foul by the Spartak Moscow man.

Aside from those two efforts, it was still Spain who were running the match and Akinfeev was proving much the busier of the goalkeepers and he was called into action to palm away shots from Torres and Villa.

The Russia goalkeeper could do nothing to prevent Villa making it 2-0 in the 45th minute though, when Andres Iniesta's slide-rule pass put the Spain number seven in on goal and he coolly finished under the diving Akinfeev.

Conceding a goal at that stage was a hammer blow to the Russians, but they started the second half in confident fashion and Casillas was called into action to save Sergei Semak's header, although the effort was straight at the Real Madrid custodian.

Villa had the chance to complete his hat-trick just before the hour when the Russia defence opened up in front of him, but his low shot was saved by Akinfeev.

With Russia pushing forward as they needed to, Spain were beginning to find plenty of space on the counter-attack and following one breakaway, which resulted in a corner, Marcos Senna and then David Silva both drew saves out of Akinfeev.

It was no surprise to see Spain net a third goal with 15 minutes remaining, and even less surprising to see it scored by that man Villa.

A slick Spain move in midfield resulted in the ball being fed out to Fabregas on the right and he immediately picked out Villa in the middle.

There was still work for Villa to do, but he saw off the challenge of Roman Shirokov before clinically slotting low past Akinfeev and then racing off to the Spain bench where he celebrated with the substituted Torres.

Russia had battled valiantly throughout the match, and they were rewarded for their endeavours when Pavluchenko thumped home a diving header four minutes from time.

However, it was Spain who had the final word when a breakaway led by Villa resulted in Fabregas diving to head home after Akinfeev had parried Xavi's shot, making it 4-1.

Netherlands 3-0 Italy: A Dutch of class

Scoring Summary:

Ruud Van Nistelrooy(26)
Wesley Sneijder(31)
Giovanni Van Bronckhorst(80)

World champions Italy suffered a calamitous start to their Euro 2008 campaign as they fell to an impressive Holland in their Group C opener in Bern.

The Dutch were lucky to take a 26th-minute lead after Ruud van Nistelrooy turned in Giovanni van Bronckhorst's effort despite being clearly offside.

Wesley Sneijder then celebrated his 24th birthday in style by adding a stunning breakaway second on the half-hour mark.

Italy had numerous chances to reduce the deficit after the restart but Edwin van der Sar came to the rescue, making superb saves from Andrea Pirlo's free-kick and Fabio Grosso's close-range effort.

Van Bronckhorst completed a wonderful evening for Holland by heading past goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon in the 79th minute as the Dutch celebrated their first victory against the Italians since the 1978 World Cup.

The atmosphere at the Stade de Suisse was electric, with the Oranje fans far outnumbering the Azzurri supporters.

The duel between coaches and former AC Milan team-mates Marco van Basten and Roberto Donadoni also added an extra edge to the encounter.

The Azzurri should have taken an early lead but Luca Toni failed to get behind Antonio Di Natale's dangerous cross.

At the other end, Rafael van der Vaart's left-footed strike forced Buffon to dive to his right to clear.

Italy replied, with Toni's header from Gennaro Gattuso's cross going wide of Van der Sar's near post.

In the 17th minute, Holland should have broken the deadlock following a defensive mistake by the Azzurri.

Dirk Kuyt set up Van Nistelrooy, who got past Buffon but lost his balance and the opportunity vanished.

Shortly after, Sneijder's bullet strike went high over the bar as Holland got closer.

Midway through the first half, Materazzi did well to clear Sneijder's free-kick, with Van Nistelrooy ready to head on target.

Holland were lucky to break the deadlock, with Van Nistelrooy in an offside position before tapping the ball past Buffon.

At the other end, Van Bronkhorst made a crucial goalline clearance after a team-mate almost headed into his own net and Holland swept straight upfield to score their second.

Van Bronckhorst's long ball found Dirk Kuyt, who in turn set up Sneijder inside the area, the midfielder's first touch finish beating Buffon.

Italy could have reduced the deficit shortly after but Di Natale's close-range volley was saved by Van der Sar.

Three minutes before the break, Buffon made a fine save to deny Holland their third of the evening.

A beautiful ball by Sneijder found Van Nistelrooy, whose strike was parried by the goalkeeper.

Di Natale then fired just high over the crossbar on the stroke of half-time.

Italy showed more determination after the re-start and had a good chance as Gianluca Zambrotta did well to get past Kuyt but his effort went wide.

Toni then fired wide on the hour mark as Italy moved forward.

Shortly after, Pirlo's stinging free-kick fizzed wide with Van der Sar already beaten.

Donadoni brought in Alessandro del Piero, who seconds later fired on target but his effort was saved by the keeper.

Just when Italy looked to have found their rhythm, Holland scored.

Van Bronckhorst latched onto Kuyt's cross before heading past Buffon.

Italy never gave up but Holland defended deeply and held on for a famous victory.

The Busby Babes: Part Ten

Thirty-one years on from the European Cup triumph of 1968 Manchester United are training at the Camp Nou ahead of their appearance in the final of Champions League.

May 26 1999 is set to be another momentous day in the club's history. By coincidence it will mark the 90th birthday of Busby, who died in 1994 having seen Ferguson end the club's 26-year wait for a league title last won in the season prior to the triumph at Wembley.

On the pitch Alex Ferguson wears a replica shirt from the 1968 triumph. It is at once a gesture which pays homage to those who went before, a show of pride, of honour and of heritage. It is also, in no small part, a canny device designed to inspire his players.

The challenge for Ferguson and his players was to emulate and honour Busby and his players, those who triumphed in 1968 and those who perished in 1958.

In memorium:

Players: Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Duncan Edwards, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor, Liam Whelan.

Journalists: Alf Clarke, Don Davies, George Follows, Tom Jackson, Archie Ledbrooke, Henry Rose, Eric Thompson, Frank Swift.

Also killed: Walter Crickmer (club secretary), Bert Whalley (chief coach), Tom Curry (trainer), Capt Kenneth Rayment (co-pilot), Bela Miklos (travel agent), Willie Satinoff (supporter), Tom Cable (steward).

The Busby Babes: Part Nine

The grim wreckage of flight BEA 609.

United went on to reach the FA Cup final, but lost at Wembley to Bolton Wanderers, they were also defeated in semi-final of the European Cup by AC Milan. As a mark of respect UEFA invited United to compete in the competition the following season, but the invitation was declined.

While tragedy and football are no strangers, from the relatively recent disasters at Heysel and Hillsbrough to the 66-fans who died at Ibrox in 1971 and 1949's Superga air disaster, which claimed the lives of 18 Torino players, the events and aftermath of Munich still resonate.

Perhaps the sense of loss was so acute and is still remembered today because it stemmed from the loss of young, talented people not yet close to fulfilling their potential.

The Babes may not be young by today's standards when 21-year-old footballs are far from a rarity. The same was not true in 1958. The youngest to perish was Eddie Colman just 21 years and 3 months old; the eldest, the captain of the side, Roger Byrne, who died aged 28.

While the city of Manchester and United as a club felt the loss most acutely, Munich was also a tragedy for English football, European football and the game as a whole and perhaps this is why their memories remain so cherished.

Of those that died Tommy Taylor was already an established part of the England national team with 16 goals in 19 appearances, as was Byrne with 33 caps to his name, while David Pegg had just broken into the national side and Duncan Edwards had broken the post-war record as the youngest player to represent England aged just 18, he went on to win 18 caps.

Charlton still says Edwards is the best player he ever saw play the game. That Charlton played with and against players of the calibre of di Stefano, Beckenbauer, Pele and Best makes such a statement all the more remarkable and further echoes the tragedy of talent lost.

Another reason the Babes are still important today is that their legacy has always been at the forefront of everything Manchester United stands for and strives to attain, and it is as important today as it was 50 years ago.

From the 'Flowers of Manchester' banner inside Old Trafford to the ethos of fast flowing football, complete with an emphasis on youth, employed by Alex Ferguson today, the memory and achievements of Busby and his Babes informs and moulds the club.