Back in England a week on from the end of Euro 2008, the tournament still looks as impressive as it did in the Alps. I am not relishing another stolid European club season, dominated by the tawdry money of the big teams, so for the last time, I am looking back on what was a refreshing festival of football, the sort of which comes around only every few years: How was the play? Very good, on the whole, refreshingly adventurous and attacking. Only France v Romania seemed to have come from planet boredom. The French appeared to have a cloud over them all tournament, while Romania strangely failed to turn the screw when they needed to in their final group game, so deserved to leave early, too. Croatia v Turkey was not easy to sit through for two hours, but that was rather down to one team buttoning down the hatches and trying to frustrate another which was playing with winning ambition. The Dutch were irresistible for two games, while Spain danced their way to the trophy delightfully throughout. Portugal were also great to watch and Croatia were not bad, while even minnows like Austria and Switzerland showed enough fighting spirit to commend their efforts. Turkey’s late-late comebacks were thrilling, making up for a lack of the beautiful game with exciting attacking. That leaves Poland and the Czechs as fairly forgettable, although they did at least play to win. Germany, as always, never dazzled but dazed as they ground out more impressive results to add to their endless roll of honour, while Greece could not make lightning strike twice with their safety-first and negative game plans. In their defense, one might argue that Greece were only making the most of their limited options, as were Italy when they kept it tight against Spain after losing playmaker Andrea Pirlo through suspension. The host nations, meanwhile, felt an obligation to their populations to go for broke, given they might not have made it to the finals had they been forced to qualify like the rest of the teams. In terms of entertainment overall, Euro 2008 unanimously thrilled viewers more than the most recent comparisons, World Cp 2006 and Euro 2004. It was also more open than the average Champions League encounter, which tends to resemble the sort of high-quality but low-scoring encounter that Italy and Spain served up in the quarter-final in Vienna. Why was this? The cool air and lush grass of the Alpine settings might have helped, but then again the sweltering conditions of USA ’94 produced plenty of goals, while Korea did not seem short of breath in 2002. Some games at Euro 2008 were chilly e.g. it was overcoat time when Spain played Sweden in Innsbruck, but other days were up to 35C. You can’t read too much into climactic conditions. Euro 2008 was great to watch because the zeitgeist had changed, as it does every few years in football for reasons we find hard to pin down. After a negative Italia '90 came a positive USA '94. Likewise, come 2008, most of the coaches had decided to win games by attacking first and defending second. Otto Rehhagel’s triumph with Greece in 2004 thankfully failed to inspire others to follow his defensive example. Ambition, the successful coaches correctly concluded, was the way to advance. If the next World Cup has teams as exciting to watch as the Spanish, Turkish, Dutch, Portuguese and Russians were in the Alps, then we are in for a treat. The play was clean too, with hardly any diving or play-acting, which has blighted previous tournaments. Only when bad-losers Poland tried to make an issue of Howard Webb’s correct application of the laws on shirt-pulling was there any angry argument over refereeing. The debate surrounding ‘was-it wasn’t-it’ Ruud Van Nistelrooy strike against Italy was more interesting. Given the absurdity of deeming a player lying in a heap off the field as an active participant, the rule surely needs changing to avoid any interminable debate over interpretation, but it looks like FIFA are trying to brush this one under the carpet. Was there any tactical revolution? Spain’s victory would have brought a smile to the former FIFA President Stanley Rous, who insisted that at the end of the day, nothing compares to skill. Let us hope Spain's technical prowess and desire to play to feet catches on. 4-2-3-1, a refinement of 4-5-1, seemed to be the preferred system for most teams, with 4-4-2 second, while even the Dutch ditched their old 4-3-3 formation to win games. Spain’s actual shape was more 4-1-1-2-1-1. The anchor midfielder sat in front of the back four (an advanced sweeper if you will) is certainly in vogue, typified by Spain’s exemplary Marcos Senna, who set up as many attacks as he intercepted. Wingers too, were to the fore, with Roman Pavlyuchenko, Arjen Robben and Cristiano Ronaldo reminding us how exciting wide men can be, as indeed did the previously unheralded Colin Kazim-Richards with a stunning one-off appearance for Turkey against Germany in the semi-final. The overlapping full back is still a potent weapon, as Germany’s Philipp Lahm, Portugal’s flying Jose Bosingwa, Russia’s multi-talented Yuri Zhirkov and an unsung hero, Sweden’s Fredrik Stoor, reminded us. Spain’s miasmic midfield brought back memories of some of its finest club sides, who proved how switching positions increases the attacking potential. Wide men Andres Iniesta and David Silva requently swapped flanks, while Xavi reveled in his free role, popping up all over the last third of the opposition half. While we in England make a sport of criticising Latin teams’ lack of recognisable strikers, the mobile centre-forward in the Thierry Henry or Fernando Torres mould continues to impress. Germany reached the final with their real firepower coming from out wide in Lukas Podolski and Bastian Schweinsteiger. The top scorer of the tournament was a penalty-box predator (David Villa) but Spain won the final without him. Daniel Guiza, Jan Koller and Luca Toni stood out as old style ‘raging bull’ No.9s, but watching the stylistic triumph of the Spanish, you could not help thinking they represented the past in football. If there is still room for tall men up front, then they will have to be skilful on the deck too, like Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Van Nistelrooy, as the physical centre-forward role looks dated. In terms of height anyway, the short men (Spain) beat the tall guys (Germany) in the final. Did the finals miss England? As if. No, the tournament managed quite well without them, danke. When Euro 2008 was about to begin, most Anglos and the land’s breweries no doubt, felt the absence of the three lions quite painfully, but now it has ended, the inital proposition appears absurd. A happy, party atmosphere engulfed the hundreds of thousands of fans who travelled to Austria and Switzerland, the sort of feeling England’s travelling hordes have yet to master en masse. The boorish and un-sporting attitude of too many England fans was certainly not missed, nor was the jingoistic nationalism of its tabloids. Only the Turkish fans (and at times a few Germans and Poles), failed to tap in to the party spirit, preferring to taunt opposition fans when winning or failing to look on the bright side of life when losing. Women were more evident than ever at the FanZones, as were ‘adopted fans’, cheering for different countries every night with the appropriate shirts, flags and face paints. This idea of supporting countries other than your own and enjoying the losing as well as the winning is still sadly anathema to most Englanders. Without England there, real English fans of football could appreciate the games without the nagging influence of the national team’s presence. Those English who travelled to Euro 2008 were true fans of the game. As well as some English supporters, I saw small groups of Irish, Lithuanians and some Colombians, identifiable by their national team shirts, who had travelled to the finals for the love of the game and the pleasant experience it can offer at big tournaments. After a fun-filled month of mutual camaraderie in the Alps, I came home to watch the final in a London pub amid shouts of ‘f*** off Ballack’, and ‘Torres you c***’ etc, completely the opposite in ambience to the rest of Europe. England’s boorishness to the spirit of the game was exposed when the UK tabloids ran several racist articles during the country’s hosting of Euro ’96. Forget the nice stadia; if England wants to host the World Cup again it needs to understand how fandom has moved on. We did not miss the ridiculously overladen English media expectation, nor the trashy WAGs behaving like it's hen night every night, without a nod of respect to the culture they have landed in. If we are talking in terms of football, the question looks even stupider. England finished third in their qualification group and not since their 4-1 demolition of Holland at Euro ’96 have ever looked like contributing aesthetically to the world game. Is Russia about to join the elite in European football? Following Zenit St Petersburg’s UEFA Cup triumph, Moscow’s hosting of the Champions League final, Roman Abramovich’s overflowing bank accounts and the national team’s ride to the semi-final of Euro 2008, one could be forgiven for thinking Russia are about to realise their long-held potential as a major football nation. Steady on. The UEFA Cup is hardly the competition it used to be if Rangers can make the final. Rather, it resembles the old Cup Winners’ Cup in the quality of teams involved. At Euro 2008, Russia flattered to deceive - starting badly before improving enormously, only to bow out in the semi-final the way they began the tournament. Their classy 3-1 dismissal of the previously untouchable Dutch will was unforgettable, but one swallow does not make a summer. The Dutch and Russians had met before of course, in the Euro ‘88 final when Marco Van Basten, the coach 20 years later, scored one of the greatest goals of all time. Like the USSR of 1988, Russia of 2008 at their best were a well-drilled machine, exploiting all areas of the field and compensating for a wealth of individual genius. Andrei Arshavin of course was one such talent, as was Igor Belanov in 1988, along with Lev Yashin one of only two Russians to win the Ballon d’Or European Footballer of the Year award (Oleg Blokhin was strictly speaking a Ukrainian). Whether Arshavin or attacking colleague Roman Pavlyuchenko, is truly great I doubt. Arshavin’s age (27) is not important; players flower at different times in their careers. It is rather that he flourished under the shrewd coaching of Guss Hiddink, without whom Russia would not have even made it to the finals. In the event, they scraped in after losing away to England and Israel thanks to England’s inept 2-3 defeat at home to Croatia in their final game. Russia turned on the gas against Sweden before they neutralized the Dutch courage but their semi-final surrender to the Spanish was such a let-down after those wins that their fans probably deserved a refund from Abramovich. That night, the Russians looked more like a moderately good eleven who had scraped into the finals via some good fortune, but in the end did not really deserve to be eating at the high table. And Arsahvin, the prematurely-crowned king of Euro 2008, was nowhere to be seen. How was the tournament organisation and fan culture? Pretty faultless. Two countries with a high standard of living and renowned for punctuality and cleanliness were never going to mess it up. The trains were plentiful, the signposting ubiquitous, the fan zones superb and the accommodation in the cities I visited available, except for around Basel, where not enough had been provided. With a train pass however, it was not hard to hop an hour to another city where there were beds. That organizers tried to thrust a map and fan guide to the city into the hands of every passenger arriving at Vienna’s Westbahnhof or on nearby tram platforms was proof enough for me of their willingness to help visitors. Poland and Ukraine, if UEFA does not get cold feet and withdraw their hosting, have got a tough act to follow. The large fan zones which dominated the city centres of the two countries (I spared a thought for the middle-aged coachloads come to Salzburg to see the Mozart heritage on the day of Spain v Sweden!) should be the model for all future tournaments. Given there are far more travelling fans than match tickets, it makes sense from a security or atmosphere perspective to encourage them to enjoy themselves together in one area. As long as that area is securely monitored with bag checks, stewarding, plentiful big screens, toilets and food and drink outlets, there should be little risk of misbehaviour. In Austria and Switzerland, there was negligible trouble. I read about a few arrests at Germany v Poland but didn’t see a single incident myself across the tournament and never felt any of the simmering tension present at England games overseas. I felt totally safe and relaxed throughout, whatever fans were in town. When I was not inside the stadia, I found the fan zones almost as enjoyable. In many ways, it was a more relaxed way to watch a game because you could stand, wander around, sit down on the ground and drink beer or wine without restrictions on warm summer evenings. What an amazing contrast the public viewing areas in Manchester were on the day of the UEFA Cup final in May. The big screens were the only similarity to the Euro 2008 fan zones. Without any restrictions on alcohol, inadequate facilities and stewarding, plus thousands of Rangers fans stopping the trams from running, the place soon descended into mayhem. Austria and Switzerland got a lot of flack in the media for having only two stadia with capacities over the UEFA minumum of 30,000 seats, as well as some snide Anglocentric criticisms for having overly-cultural cities lacking the requisite grittiness for football. It would be a shame if only England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain could host Europe's showpiece football event, while one can hardly complain if a host venue is clean and orderly. Let's see what happens in South Africa in two years' time before we moan about civilised countries. Was Michel Platini the real winner? Behind the football, UEFA and FIFA have been rattling sabres over Sepp Blatter’s ‘6+5’ law, which will force clubs to field a minimum four players at the start of a game from 2010/11, rising to six two years later. Despite Platini’s pleas for the specificity of football to be recognized, he is against Blatter on this issue and in agreement with the European Union, whose laws permit the free movement of EU workers among member states irrespective of nationality. UEFA believes FIFA’s law would harm the UEFA Champions League, lair of wealthy clubs with multi-national cadres. Unlike the world’s governing body, Europe’s also oversees the world’s biggest club tournament so has to please both the club and country game. As a concession, Platini instead has advocated quotas based on home-grown players irrespective of nationality, which FIFA opposes because it would encourage a scramble for children by foreign clubs. FIFA’s whole beef is based on the fact international football is suffering from the power of the club game. The jaded European players in the 2002 World Cup helped push their arm, as did the fact England failed to qualify for Euro 2008, despite having two clubs in the final of this year’s Champions League. FIFA weasels therefore, probably wanted Euro 2008 to be a damp squib, while UEFA hoped for a successful tournament to show national teams could withstand whatever the club game had extracted from their players over a long season. Battling it out on their home patch – both organizations have their bases in Switzerland, UEFA came out on top. The free-flowing soccer and memorable goals seem to have won the battle, if not the war for now, and Platini, whether harbouring desires for Blatter’s throne in the future or not, has the upper hand. Are Poland and Ukraine in danger of losing the hosting rights for 2012? Apparently so. Maybe it was the shining efficiency of the Austrian and Swiss settings, but the rumours swelled up in the press rooms in the Alps that Euro 2012 could be headed west after all. There have been reports of UEFA’s worry at the Kiev stadium’s refurbishment as well as the country's political situation, and Platini has just completed a short trip to assess both host nations. A curious story going around is that Scotland and Wales have already been in talks to step in should the visit draw negative conclusions. Poland and the Ukraine were always facing an uphill task to live up to UEFA standards. Their entire hospitality, transport and stadia infrastructure are some way behind those of Western Europe, and the distances between the venues are far greater than ever seen before at a European Championship. UEFA have announced a final announcement will be made in September. If they are politely ushered out following this inspection, it will be regrettable, but will come as little surprise. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccephile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

So dreams can come true. Even Spanish footballing ones. And they can even come true in a wondrous way. The Cava is still flowing and rightly so. In winning Euro 2008, Spain ended a quest for silverware that at 44 years' length, two more than England's, had defied all sense of fairness or logic. But that they laid their hoodoo to rest in such style makes them the toast of the soccer world. Not since the Netherlands in the World Cup of 1974, or the Hungarians in 1954, has a nation playing such dazzling football reached the final of a major tournament. Unlike Cruyff's and Puskas' teams however, the Spanish vaulted the Germans at the last hurdle. The heart has beaten the head at last and the Beautiful Game is new again. Their 1-0 win was not as delightful as their earlier victories in the Alps, but there was still enough of their mesmerizing passing and movement to leave nobody in any doubt that in more ways than one, the best team of the tournament had triumphed. Germany suffered from Michael Ballack's woes; having missed Saturday training, he took a bloody wound to the eye and got himself booked in a frustrating first 45. Then Philipp Lahm, another key player, fatally hesitated to let Fernando Torres score before leaving the side at half time. In the second half, the Germans looked oddly jaded and unable to test Iker Casillas in Spain's goal, but even had fortune been on their side, you suspect the Spanish would still have been too strong for them. This was indeed a victory for football, if we believe the game at its best is about aesthetics and not just winning. The soccer world had believed for so long that strength, hard work and organisation were the keys to victory, that we had forgotten about the entertaining by-product the fans so adore. Flair players are have been considered liabilities in the quest for results, so set against this background, Spain’s win comes as an refreshing counterblast to the prevailing consensus. Watching them labour to a 1-0 win over the USA in Santander on the eve of the competition, I saw enough of a midfield loaded with attacking talent to know they would be a force at the finals, and I tipped a team from the Iberian Peninsula to win, though I still felt a fit and on-song Germany could edge them thanks to their superior big-game mentality. I was wrong – Spain had that inner steel to balance their twinkle toes. Confidence, that most powerful yet elusive weapon a team can posess, stayed with them until the end. Where the Netherlands, the other truly impressive team from the first round failed, the Spanish succeeded. Their self-belief saw off the challenge of the impressive Russians, devastatingly so (3-0) in the semi-final, before their prowess prevailed once more when Vienna called. A final is like a second home to a German Mannschaft, while for Spain it has remained terra incognita since General Franco was in power. But last night in the Prater, the conquistadors of fútbol sailed crossed their ocean of doubt to plant their flag in the winners' enclosure. It is, one hopes, a new era for European football, a lasting challenge to the German-Italian axis which has scooped so many trophies, and an encouragement to coaches worldwide to teach a beautiful style of play to win. Not that Spain set out to entertain, but their end-product was both victorious and dramatic. Dancing to a flamenco rhythm, their ball-to-feet midfield quickly became a joy to behold. Elvish little terriers like Xavi, Andres Iniesta and David Silva mastered the ball like virtuoso musicians, whipping it around with flair and a panache not seen in an international team for years. That the country which contains club giants Barcelona and Real Madrid could apparently not produce a winning national team in almost half a century remains hard to explain. Repeated exits from World Cups and European Championships left us so hoarse from repeating the old maxim that sooner or later it had to be Spain's year, most of us had given up tipping a nation which seemed immune from success. The return of silverware to their FA leaves England, with its last trophy in 1966 as Europe's most under-achieving soccer nation, a depressing albatross of a boast for the game's motherland. In his masterful book 'Morbo', the first English-language dissection of the game in Spain, Phil Ball suggests the historic dominance of foreigners in La Liga and the cultural divisions of the nation could have rubbed off invisibly on La Selección. Journalist Guillem Balague told me this week he thought Spain had never had a winners' mentality because of repeated failure, so just needed a rub o' the green to have a chance to prove they could be victors at last. While England persist with blind optimism and a fighting spirit despite their poor record, Spain's collective mentality has tended to wither more quickly. Take their 1994 World Cup quarter-final exit to Italy for instance. The Spaniards spurned several chances to win the game before Roberto Baggio finished them off. Valencia winger Vicente summed it up when he replied to a question about Spain's Euro 2004 failure - "What do you expect? We're Spain." By 2006, most of us had given up tipping the Iberians for good. Only two years ago, eight of the Euro 2008 winners took the field in the second round of the World Cup finals, facing an ageing French eleven. Spain took the lead through David Villa and had 62% of the ball, but France ran out 3-1 winners. But then along came a saviour. More prosaically perhaps, we can ascribe the torn page in the record book to Luis Aragones. The 69 year-old might hail from Madrid but his Spanish team have played more 'Catalan' than previous incarnations. Three Blau-grana players featured in the team - Iniesta, Carlos Puyol and Xavi; four if you count former Barça man Cesc Fabregas, while Real Madrid had only two - goalkeeper Iker Casillas and right-back Sergio Ramos. The short-passing 'tiki-taka' style of Spanish play looked a lot like Barcelona to me, while the speed of midfield exchanges and player rotation called to mind the best of Valencia's Champions League endeavours in recent years. David Silva and Euro 2008 top gunner David Villa play for that club. Silva was one of Spain's unsung heroes, as mobile and skilful an attacker as any in the team, while the excellent Brazilian-born holding midfielder Marcos Senna was for me one of the players of the tournament, an award which went in the end to Xavi. The team was short by modern standards, which makes their triumph over the tall and muscular Germans even more pleasing. Their goalkeeper was not perhaps the best in the tournament but was no slouch. And while centre backs Puyol and Carlos Marchena lacked a little speed, and full backs Sergio Ramos and Joan Capdevila weren't the best positionally, they defended stoutly enough to repel the best Italy, Russia and Germany could throw at them and kept clean sheets in the knock-out stages. The statistics are staggering: Across the tournament, Spain had more than twice as many shots on target than Germany and made 900 more passes than them with an 81% completion rate, the highest in Euro 2008, just eclipsing the Dutch. They were No.1 for shots on target and with 12 goals, hit the net more than anyone else: End of story. What a great time to be Spanish. Even die-hard Catalans, Galicians and the odd Basque have had to swallow their pride and join the fiesta. If the frail-looking 69 year-old Aragones can get the bumps, so can they enjoy the special moment, too. All in all, a magnificent victory for Spain and a beautiful day for football. Olé! (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

EURO 2008 FINAL, VIENNA The destination of the Henri Delaunay trophy could hinge on the fitness of Germany captain Michael Ballack, who has a calf strain and missed Saturday training. Tournament hot-shot David Villa is of course also missing for Spain, but the absence of the Chelsea midfielder for Germany looks the more crucial. Cesc Fabrega s slotted in against Russia and pulled the strings, while Daniel Guiza has shown his prowess in the box already. My hunch yesterday was that Germany's big match mentality would keep them a nose ahead of Spain, but news of Ballack's fitness has coloured that prediction. He leads by example and his goals have made the difference for Germany so many times, that you wonder if Lukas Podolski and Bastian Schweinsteiger can carry it off without him. Spain will be boosted by the news. They are already euphoric to have after reaching the final and are brimming with confidence having zapped the Russians' much-fanc ied challenge so convincingly in the semi-final. Luis Aragones' men are unbeaten in 21 games since November 2006 and the country's first final for 44 years has enchanted the nation that more than any other are stamped underachievers on the football field. Yet that over-enthusiasm could be their weakness, and the Germans know it. A florid opening and an early Spanish goal could be just what the Germans, often gentle starters, would relish to push the mselves to grab control of the 90. The German game-plan is as mental as physical: They will try to outmuscle the Spanish at key phases of the game to win the mental battle and disrupt their opponents' flow. Spain might take the lead but a German equalizer would be a heavier punch. With the psychological flow in their direction, Germany will then hit back with set pieces from Ballack or rapier counter-strikes through Lahm, Podolski and Schweinsteiger. Spain's best weapon is to stay confident in their own abilities. Their fan tastic passing skills and technique have so far prevailed over all challengers at Euro 2008, but the biggest test is now, a contest which looks too close to call if both teams are fit. It is hard to remember a team playing such beautiful football making a final, which makes Spain the romantic choice of the heart, yet first the Tiki-Taka game must overcome the most physically imposing and mentally tough eleven of the tournament. Let the style trial commence. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

EURO 2008 Quarter-final lineup: Germany v Portugal Croatia v Turkey Netherlands v Russia Italy v Spain Germany v Portugal tonight looks an intriguing contrast of styles. The Lusitanians will be hoping Cristiano Ronaldo can catch fire in the right way tonight and burn the German defence that was breached twice by Croatia in the group stage. While Germany will not be short of fans pouring across the Swiss border to Basel, Portugal can count on the largest expat support of any competing nation in Switze rland. Their victory over the Czechs in Geneva almost felt like a home game, given the numbers of red and green flags flying from windows across the city. * * * "We are more technical, while the German game is more physical," Ronaldo succinctly put it. "The physical game does not win tournaments," assured German coach Joachim Löw, "but it helps you not to lose them." Ronaldo is a daily fixture in the Spanish sporting press, who leap at any rumour of a rumour of a rumour regarding his interest in playing for Real Madrid next season. While the Manchester United winger has erected a wall in front of questions on his future, journalists have had to use a Trojan horse: "Do you prefer paella or fish and chips?" one cheeky hack asked him. "Bacalhau" (Portuguese fish dish) was Ronaldo's smart reply. * * * The uncrowned King of Germany, 'Kaiser' Franz Beckenbauer, who put the boot in relentlessly on Löw's predecessor Jurgen Klinsmann, has said Germany must improve in order to beat Portugal tonight. "The midfield has suffered from a lack of ideas," he told Bild. "They will have to play like they did in the 3rd place play-off in 2006." Should the Teutonic muscle triumph, the praise should go to the American and Japanese fitness coaches employed by the Klinsmann/Löw regime. Mark Verstegen and Massaya Sakihan are gearing up the Mannschaft with tests employed on NASA astronauts. * * * Spain v Italy looks the pick of the quarter-finals to me. The Spanish have played the most attractive soccer of EURO 2008 thus far and do not have any major injury worries. "I thought they (Italy) were dead but they made it through in the end," Spanish coach Luis Aragones told journalists. "They are not the team I wanted to play but today anyone can beat anyone. They will be a very tough opponent but I have a lot of faith in my team." Memories of the USA 1994 quarter-final in Boston chime. Jose Luis Caminero had equalised Dino Baggio's opener for Italy, before Spain missed a hatful of chance s in the second half, allowing Roberto Baggio to pop up and score the winner with three minutes remaining. Spain and Italy are superficially similar Latin European nations, with shared Roman roots and mutually intelligible languages. Spain is the home of two giants of the club game. Barcelona and Real Madrid are colossi of economic and political power, their influence stretching far beyond the football pitch. Spain have also joined Italy at Euro 2008 in complaining about the changeable weather in the Alps, a shock to the weeks of endless sunshine in their own lands. But when it comes to the national teams, however, Italy has long been streets ahead. The Azzurri have bagged three World Cups to Spain's none. This time more than ever, though, the tables look set to turn. The world champions are up to their old tricks, flattering to deceive with a sluggish start before turning their engines on full blast when they're up against the wall. Roberto Donadoni's revival however, will be badly hit by the absence of Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo, suspended after picking up two yellow cards. What a loss to the tournament, let alone Italy. Why must UEFA and FIFA persist with this cruel rule? At least UEFA have prevented another 'Gazza's tears' incident by erasing bookings after the quarter-final. But that is too late for Gattuso and Pirlo, and possibly Italy. In domestic play you need to accrue five yellow cards to miss a match, so why is it two in international tournaments, when the absence of key players ruins the spectacle. * * * Rumours of discontent within the French squad are growing. That would come as no surprise given Les Bleus' disenchanted body language throughout their three games. What are the players traipsing home across the Alps to make of their coach Raymond Domenech proposing live on air just after France had been eliminated by Italy? The game had gone from bad to worse for France, who first lost their most useful attacker Franck Ribery through injury before Eric Abidal was dismissed for a clumsy tackle. "The only thing I am thinking of right now is to marry Estelle," exclaimed Domenech post-match, to stupefied millions. Conspiracy theorists are pointing to Ludovic Giuly's omission from the French squad as down to the Roma winger's 'friendship' with Domenech's girlfriend. Estelle Denis presents '100% FOOT' on France's M6 channel and she and Giuly exchanged a number of texts after he appeared on her show in 2004. Giuly grovellingly apologised to Domenech, claiming he had no idea they were a couple, but that didn't stop Domenech leaving Giuly out of the 2006 World Cup squad, as well as Euro 2008. Domenech and Denis already have two children, Merlin and Victoire. If only their father could have been a magician and pulled a victory out of the hat. Domenech has since apologised for the rush of blood to his head and has also excused France's poor form by saying his real objective was to prepare for the 2010 World Cup. * * * Spain had an unfair advantage beating Greece in Salzburg. The Wals-Siezenheim stadium is nicknamed 'the Bullring', or in Spanish, 'Arena de los Toros', thanks to its occupancy by Red Bull Salzburg. Those purists who fear an American franchising of football in England should wake up to what happened here three years ago. The old Austria Salzburg, dating back to 1933, became Casino Salzburg in 1978, Wustenrot Salzburg in 1993 and finally Red Bull Salzburg in 2005. The last of these changes was the most controversial as it ditched the tradional purple strip in favour of the corporate red and white colours. Salzburg's kit is identical to that of its sister club, the New York Red Bulls (formerly the Metrostars) and forms part of a global corporate identity which includes the Formula One Red Bull team. Die-hard supporters, in a move to mirror those of AFC Wimbledon and FC United of Manchester, formed a new club in 2006, successfully registering the traditional name and logo and entering the team in the seventh tier of Austrian football (no jokes, please). SV Austria Salzburg have enjoyed two promotions in as many seasons and deserve our best wishes. * * * Croatia coach Slaven Bilic has been one of the stars of Euro 2008. The former Hajduk Split, Karlsruhe, West Ham and Everton defender has been the most effusive of the coaches on the touchline, celebrating Croatian goals as if he were still playing. Not your average footballer, the quadrilingual law graduate and smoker plays guitar in a rock band and hails from a radical family. His father was one of the students who organised a protest against 'President for Life' Tito at Split University in 1971. Although Bilic senior was not jailed, the family were placed under surveillance. When Bilic junior was selected to play for Yugoslavia at the 1987 World Youth Cup in Chile, his selection was overruled from above, making Slaven even more pro-Croat than ever. Twenty-one years down the line, he has surely got his revenge. * * * (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

EURO 2008: Spain 2:1 Sweden Stadion Tivoli NEU, Innsbruck. Att: 30,772 Torres 15', Ibrahimovic 34', Villa 90' David Villa, the hat-trick hero for Spain against Russia, roused himself to net an injury time winner send Spain through to the quarter final in Vienna on the 22nd of June. The last-gasp strike from the Valencia marksman was harsh on a well-drilled Swedish eleven who had matched the previously dazzling Spaniards and done more than enough to have earned a point. Fernando Torres had given Spain the lead in the 15th minute, wrong-footing Andreas Isaksson with his flick, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic pulled Sweden level eleven minutes before the break with some typically muscular forward play. For the first ten minutes, there was little to choose between the sides, although Spain were a touch the more incisive. Twice Fernando Torres ghosted past the right back Mikael Nilsson in the box, but failed to deliver a final pass. In the 15th minute Spain snatched the lead when Sweden failed to clear a corner adequately. The ball fell to Xavi Fernandes 20 yards from goal and the Barcelona playmaker stroked the ball into the melee for Fernando Torres to stretch and direct the ball past Andreas Isaksson. Yet only seconds later the Swedes spurned a chance to draw level when Johan Elmander hit the side netting after being put through by Henrik Larsson. Sweden's dynamic duo up front were finding space hard to come by but a morsel of endeavour by Zlatan Ibrahimovic played Larsson through in the 22nd minute, only for the former Celtic star to chip over the bar. 25th Carlos Puyol was oddly replaced by Raul Albiol. Puyol didn't look injured or happy, so it may well have been punishment by coach Luis Aragones for him missing a soft backpass a few minutes earlier. A minute later a Swedish set piece from the right wing found Ibrahimovic but his close range short was blocked by Sergio Ramos. In the 34th Sweden were level. Daniel Andersson picked out an overlapping Fredrik Stoor on the right wing. Stoor controlled perfectly before whipping in a cross to the heart of the box. Larsson leaped but the ball fell to Ibrahimovic at the far post. After keeping his footing, the Inter striker out-muscled Ramos and turned the ball into the far corner, past a helpless Iker Casillas. David Villa the hat-trick hero against Russia, was missing in action, alth ough he did pull a reflex save out of Isaksson in the 38th when Olof Mellberg's headed clearance fell at his boots. But for the closing minutes of the half it was the Swedes who had the wind in their sails while the turbo-charged Spain of a few days ago was stuck in first gear. The half ended finely poised with the much-fancied Spain having experienced an uncomfortable 45 minutes from their underrated Scandinavian adversaries. If the Swedes were edging this game, perhaps it was down to the clim actic conditions. With snow still visible on the highest peaks around us, a cool breeze blew through the stadium, making it decidedly jacket weather in mid-summer. Just short of the hour mark, Aragones had seen enough yellow possession and replaced Xavi & Andres Iniesta with Cesc Fabregas and Santi Cazorla. In the 63rd Spain at last started weaving their magic and a crazy sequence which saw David Silva's shot saved, Villa round Isaksson and pass back before Torres' sidefoot was cleared almost off the line. Five minutes later Senna decided to move up from defensive midfield and drew a diving tip away by Isaksson from 20 yards out. By the 70th minute mark the Spanish were in control territorially, Sweden opting to stay firm and wait for the breaks. For all the Iberian possession, Sweden looked just as likely to score on the counter. The yellow jerseys had formed a solid block at the back, which looked difficult to breach. With eleven minutes left, Sweden made a rare foray upfield and almost scored. Petter Hansson found space down the left and drilled the ball across an unguared goal. A younger Henrik Larsson might have stretched out to connect, but the ball rolled past him. After Ibrahimovic's injury-forced halftime exit, Swedish coach Lars Lagerback withdrew Johan Elmander in the 79th and a tired Henrik Larsson seven minutes later. The game looked certain to end level. Two powerful teams had slugged it out but neither looked eager to change their 4-1-3-2 formations to throw men forward in search of a winner. But then Spain, having kept for so long to their keep the ball philosophy, discovered the joys of Wimbledon in the final two minutes. First, a long punt by Marcos Senna in the 89th was knocked down by Villa, allowing Torres to fire off a shot which Isaksson threw himself low to save. Then with the clock deep into the three added minutes, left back Ricardo Capdevila launched it long towards the edge of the Swedish box. Villa collected it, forced himself past the dithering Hansson and finished in the corner past a flailing Isaksson to hand Spain the spoils. While Spain advance to Vienna to play the second team in Group C, Sweden must get a result against Russia in their final game to ensure their progress. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League

Results 10th June: Spain 4:1 Russia (Villa 20' 45' 75', Pavluchenko 86', Fabregas 90'), Innsbruck Sweden 2:0 Greece (Ibrahimovic 67', Hansson 73'), Salzburg Now we have seen all the teams, what have we learnt so far? Ibrahimovic's golazo against Greece was the most spectacular goal, Spain's 4-1 torching of Russia the most alluring and the Dutch's 3-0 thumping of Italy the stand-out result of the first slew of games. Fears that the Oranje would miss Arjen Robben proved groundless as they trounced the World Champions, defeating the Azzurri for the first time since Nottingham Forest were last crowned English champions. Italy has been awash with soul-searching today after such a clamorous capitulation. Italian back fours are supposed to be as compact as ranks of Roman legionary, not crumble like old Garibaldi biscuits left in the tin for too long. In midfield and attack too, the azure blues were decidedly off-colour as the Dutch sailed past them time and again, bagging three goals when it could have been more. All of a sudden, the in-vogue formation of 4-1-4-1 looked rather ropey. How fortunes change. Marco Van Basten is once again the Netherlands' poster boy after serious doubts were raised following his team's heavy weather in qualifying, while the blissful memory of the World Cup triumph in Germany has begun to fade. My suspicion is the Dutch are yet to prove they can be consistent so let us not get carried away. Remember how the Dutch steamrollered Yugoslavia 6-1 in the Euro 2000 quarter-final before grinding to a 0-0 draw and defeat on penalties against Italy in the semi-final. More recently, they began the 2006 World Cup at a canter, dispatching Serbia 6-0 in the first round before succumbing dismally 1-0 to Portugal in an ill-tempered game that produced four red cards and eight yellow cards. It was a Dutchman who coined the phrase 'sexy football' but it wasn't his countrymen playing the hottest soccer so far in the Alps. That award goes to Spain, who followed a stop-start 1-0 win over the USA in their final preparation match with a 4-1 mutilation of Russia and Guus Hiddink. How much should we read into Spain's deliciously simple pass and move soccer I am not sure. Russia were rubber in defence and, here comes my two cents, I could not imagine England being so outplayed had they qualified in place of them. Russia, let us not forget, were woeful 3-0 losers at Wembley in qualifying and also lost away to Israel, only scraping into the finals courtesy of England's self-destruction at home to Croatia in their final game. Guus Hiddink may be one of the world's top coaches, but his CV looked creased after Spain had finished with his latest team. Other sidesvmaking up the numbers are Poland and Turkey, who were utterly insipid losing to Portugal. And Greece, you might say, but I shall defend Otto Rehagel's team for providing some welcome entertainment. The sight of the Salzburg arena booing and whistling the Greeks for their negative play was wonderful theatre. Yes, we all want to be entertained and God forbid every team played like Greece, but I have a sneaking admiration for a team who managed to win Euro 2004 without any flair and who have the gall to turn up four years later with the same coach and same tactics! Plus we like to boo the baddie. The Czechs and French have yet to convince me while Sweden and Croatia's victories confirmed they will be tough nuts for any team to crack. Romania have yet to show what they are about, if anything while of the twin hosts, Switzerland could yet make it to the second round if results go their way. After, Holland, Portugal and Spain, the fourth and last team in the A-League thus far is of course Germany, who looked a much improved and more confident team than two years ago. That the Germans could be on the road to another final is demoralising on the one hand, but only to be expected on the other. There will be tougher tests than Poland ahead for Joachim Low's side, but there was an inescapable feeling during that game that we have been down this familiar road many times before. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Samuel Eto'o - Golgeter i pjevač Brz, snažan i direktan, Samuel Eto'o može se pohvaliti značajnim iskustvom, unatoč mladosti. Star je samo 24 godine, a čini se da je već "cijelu vječnost" na nogometnoj sceni. Kao najmlađi član kamerunske reprezentacije na Svjetskom prvenstvu 1998., pojavio se kao zamjena u dvoboju protiv Italije. Ubrzo je zaslužio stalno mjesto u reprezentaciji te je osvojio Afrička prvenstva 2000. i 2002. i Olimpijsko zlato 2000. Na Svjetskom prvenstvu 2002. odigrao je sve tri utakmice za Kamerun i postigao pobjednički pogotak protiv Saudijske Arabije. Dvije zadnje godine proglašen je najboljim igračem Afrike, a sezonu 2004/05 trijumfalno je završio kao najbolji strijelac prvaka Barcelone.