Netherlands Dream Run Countinues

The Netherlands secured their place in the UEFA EURO 2008™ quarter-finals with a game to spare after producing another devastating display against France in Berne, with Dirk Kuyt, Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder all scoring in a memorable win.

Clinical counterattacks
Twenty years after his goals led the Netherlands to the European title, Marco van Basten's 2008 crop underlined their case as serious contenders by building on their defeat of Italy to tie up first place in Group C. There may have been less of the flamboyance they had shown in beating the Azzurri – the Dutch riding their luck at times after Kuyt's early breakthrough – but the speed of their counterattacking play was again in rich evidence, never more so than in the second goal scored by Van Persie after a lightning surge by Robben. Even when Thierry Henry halved the deficit, Robben immediately restored the two-goal cushion to leave France, punished further by Sneijder, bottom of the section with a solitary point – and with everything to do against Italy on Tuesday, when the Netherlands play second-placed Romania.

Early setback
France, under pressure to perform following their opening stalemate against Romania, came out with Henry installed as leader of the line in place of Nicolas Anelka and Sidney Govou drafted in on the right, allowing Franck Ribéry to play as second striker. "Time to step up a gear" declared the front page of the morning's L'Equipe newspaper yet within nine minutes they were behind, Kuyt striking from the game's first corner. Rafael van der Vaart swung the ball in and the Liverpool FC forward got in front of Florent Malouda to nod past Grégory Coupet.

France threat
Kuyt then nearly profited from Lilian Thuram's misdirected header but, at full stretch, steered over. Les Bleus gradually found their stride, however, with Govou stepping past Joris Mathijsen and sending in a low drive that Edwin van der Sar saved with his legs. The volume of the France supporters began to rise as Florent Malouda, Govou and then the busy Ribéry all tested Van der Sar and Domenech's team picked up where they had left off on the restart as Henry pounced on a deflected centre by Patrice Evra – starting instead of Eric Abidal – and shot goalwards only to be denied by André Ooijer's block.

Substitutes combine
The FC Barcelona striker had an even better chance soon after but put too much weight on his lob after Malouda's acrobatic chip had sent him clear. How he was left to rue that miss when the Netherlands' two substitutes combined for the second goal after 59 minutes. Ruud van Nistelrooy sent Robben speeding down the left and his cross was volleyed in by Van Persie off the hand of Coupet.

Spectacular fourth
The excellent Van der Sar palmed away Ribéry's shot as France sought a lifeline and it came when Willy Sagnol provided the low ball for Henry to reduce the shortfall with a neat flick after 71 minutes. Yet hopes of a comeback lasted less than a minute. The tannoy music had barely stopped playing when Robben concluded a three-man move by blasting the ball between Coupet and his near post. Things only got worse for France, for whom this defeat was the worst in UEFA European Championship finals history, as Sneijder rounded off a stunning win in suitably spectacular fashion – driving in a fourth off the underside of the bar in added time.

Buffon Keeps Italy Afloat

Romania coach Victor Piţurcă declared himself "satisfied" with Friday's 1-1 draw against Italy at the Letzigrund Stadion, although he felt the Azzurri were "lucky" to escape with a point after Adrian Mutu's late penalty was saved by Gianluigi Buffon. His Italian counterpart, Roberto Donadoni, said his team had the better of the Group C game and apologised to the 'tifosi' "because we did not get the three points we deserved".

Victor Piţurcă, Romania coach
We didn't win but this is a good result for Romania. We have played the champions and the runners-up of the last [FIFA] World Cup and we still have a chance. If we play as well in our next match [against the Netherlands] we can qualify. It was a fair result, and though we should have scored our penalty, we can be satisfied with 1-1. Of course you could say Italy were lucky. When you have a penalty against you and the player doesn't score, that is a lucky thing for Italy. I wasn't surprised we made so many chances – Italy are not at their best and I counted on this.

The fact Mutu missed a penalty is part of the game, it is nothing new. I am more upset by the way they were able to score against us than by the penalty miss. Penalties have been missed, are missed, and always will be missed. I told Mutu to focus and concentrate and hit the ball very hard but maybe he was influenced by the fact Buffon is one of the greatest goalkeepers in the world. He didn't miss – it was Buffon who made a great save. We did have our moments and passed the ball around well. We had some bad moments too, as far as our defence was concerned, but it was a more spectacular game today because both teams needed a win.

Roberto Donadoni, Italy coach
We played well, we were determined and I am pleased with the performance. We pushed forward but we also suffered at times because Romania are a team to be reckoned with. They don't concede much space as you saw against France. We were hurt [after losing 3-0 to the Netherlands] and sorry for hurting so many Italian fans. We are sorry tonight as well because we did not get the three points I think we deserved. In terms of chances and general play, we were better than Romania. Their defence is very good so my congratulations to Romania, but I think we had more openings. Just because [Alessandro] Del Piero and [Luca] Toni were top scorers in their leagues you can't expect them to score all the time. I'm not worried about it either. They haven't scored so far but this happens.

I didn't see any bad defending from us. [Gianluca] Zambrotta's [misplaced header which led to Mutu's opening goal] was more of a mishap, an accident. In fact, Zambrotta deserves a word of praise. He did well in all areas of the pitch and linked up well in attack. I liked Toni's performance very much – he gave everything. He fought and he also created for others. Alex [Del Piero] sacrificed his attacking instincts to make passes for his team-mates. He had to ask for a painkiller because he was having a few problems which is why I replaced him, he seemed tired. The next game will be very important and we will use this adrenalin to prepare for France. The players are disappointed because they did not get their rewards, but the disappointment is short-lived. It only lasts overnight because tomorrow we focus on the next game.

Austria Draws With A Late Penalty By Josef Hickersberger

After requiring a 93rd-minute penalty to scrape a draw with Poland, Josef Hickersberger is banking on improved finishing from his forwards when Austria tackle neighbours Germany in their decisive Group B fixture.

Nail-biting night
The brilliance of Poland No1 Artur Boruc and the profligacy of the Austrian forwards contributed to a nail-biting night at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion, where Vastic drove in a stoppage-time spot-kick to earn the co-hosts their first-ever point in a UEFA European Championship. They will need three more on Monday to stand a chance of qualifying, and Hickersberger remains undaunted. "With the support of the fans to inspire us, it won't be a hopeless case against Germany," said the 60-year-old. "The team put in a fantastic performance in the first half but we just didn't take our chances to score."

No advantage
Hickersberger played both in the Bundesliga – for Kickers Offenbach 1901 and Fortuna Düsseldorf – and in Austria's only competitive victory against their rivals, a 1978 FIFA World Cup tie which put paid to West Germany's chances of advancing in Argentina. Although he would love to repeat that that feat on home soil, the veteran trainer refused to see any portents in history. "That's far too long ago and doesn't have any bearing on what's going on here," he said. "Any player who thinks that we have any kind of advantage over Germany going into this game needs to get it out of his head over the next few days."

A Dream Victory For Croatia

Croatia defender Josip Šimunić paid tribute to his team's hunger and dedication after their 2-1 victory against Germany in Klagenfurt helped them seal first place in UEFA EURO 2008™ Group B.

'Outstanding game'
Darijo Srna slid in the opener for Slaven Bilić's men after 24 minutes and, instead of being forced back as they were against Austria at the weekend, they added a second through Ivica Olić after Ivan Rakitić's deflected cross had come back off a post. Lukas Podolski then made things interesting again with eleven minutes to go, but Croatia comfortably held on. "We didn't have the best of games against Austria and we wanted to show that we can play a lot better," Šimunić told euro2008.com. "We played an outstanding game and every player on the field gave his heart. We deserved to win. In every duel, our players showed we wanted the ball and we showed initiative going forward. We defended very well and every player did his job all over the park."

Blossoming partnership
One feature of the match was the virtually faultless display by Šimunić and Robert Kovač in the centre of Croatia's rearguard. Šimunić has only recently cemented his place in the middle after being mostly used as a left-back by his country, but he was immaculate at the Wörthersee Stadion, heading away ball after ball that looked destined for Miroslav Klose. "I've actually got a headache," the Hertha BSC Berlin man joked. "Myself and Robert have a good partnership. We actually had a lot of people criticising us before the tournament, but I think that in the last two games we, and the rest of the team, have shown what we can do. We had a big blow before the tournament, losing Eduardo da Silva, and people were writing us off, but we're still showing we can come up with good results."

'Zagreb is on fire'
The 30-year-old was also quick to praise Croatia's fans, who provided raucous backing in Klagenfurt and have been swept up in the tournament back home. "I think this will mean a lot [to them]," he said. "A few of my friends have sent me messages saying Zagreb is on fire. They're celebrating and they have every reason to do so. Our fans are outstanding." The players themselves are not getting carried away yet, however. "It's a nice feeling but we still haven't achieved anything," added Šimunić. "Our goal before the tournament was to reach the quarter-finals and we're playing one game at a time. But we're enjoying it – we're having fun."