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Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Euro 2008 Semifinal

"Football is a game where 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win." This joke by former England international Gary Lineker could once again come true in this Euro tournament.


The first team who managed to claim a place into the semifinal is Turkey.


"After losing their opening game 2-0 to Portugal on June 7, Turkey, in group A matches, revived their hopes by defeating Switzerland 2-1 on June 11 and the Czech Republic 3-2 on June 15. Turkey knocked out Croatia 3-1 on penalties in the Euro 2008quarterfinal on June 20th."


Today, Turkey will play against Germany in the first semifinal.


"Three-time European champion Germany began their campaign in Group B by defeating Poland 2-0 on June 8th, but they then suffered a hiccup when losing 2-1 to Croatia on June 12th. They qualified to the quarterfinals after beating Austria 1-0 on June 16th. Germany played against Portugal in the quarterfinal on June 19th and won the match 3-2."


Who will win tonight?


According to daily times, the German is in big favor of winning against Turkey tonight. "This will be Germany’s sixth semi-final in European competition and so far their record is impressive, winning four out of five. Their only loss came on home soil in 1988. The Germans have been involved in six penalty shootouts across past competitions and have won five of them; their only defeat was in 1976.

The Germans have no players suspended, and three players are expected to return from injury. These include influential midfielder Torsten Frings who should play despite a fractured rib and defender Martin Jansen who overcame a shoulder injury. The Germans will field a full strength squad, and they also have history on their side. They are favorites to progress to the final on June 29."


On the other hand, the other teams that managed to enter the second semifinal is Russia and Spain.


The Russia coach - Hiddink, hopes that Thursday's match will be a revenge campaign for the Russians.



"This game will be very different from the first match against Spain and we want revenge," said the 61-year-old, who led South Korea to their first ever World Cup last four before repeating hismagic here at Euro 2008 with Russia.


And the best thing that everybody is waiting to see is who gets more offensive. It is going to be an exciting match as both teams are famous of their offensive playing styles. It is predicted that the fans will be going home with a big smile, as they will be a few goals, no matter which team wins on thursday.


There is this interesting video to watch.

Who is better - Ronaldinho Vs Christiano Ronaldo?




I seriously hope to watch Germany against Spain on sunday final.

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