The Final Showdown

After a long agonising wait of 44 years, Spanish Armada would be looking forward to storm down the final frontier and bring the title back home. Making a mockery of the Russian challenge in the semi finals, Luis Aragones and his boys seem to be more than a match for Germany. More so, tagged as the underdogs and not given a serious chance by soccer pundits to make it this far, the team would surely try to prove everyone wrong by winning the Euro 08'.

On the contrary, pushed to the brink by the underdogs Turkey in the semi finals, the Germans would need to lift their game if they want to keep the ever so menacing Spanish forward line at bay. Even though with the lethal David Villa sitting it out due to a side strain, Germany's defensive line would still have its task cut out against the pair of Fernando Torres and David Guiza. Moreover, with defenders like Puyol, Ramos, and Casillas guarding the goal, it would be a uphill task for the German forwards as and when their chances would come.

However, it would also be a mistake to underestimate the prowess of the treble European championship winner Germany. With one of the strongest midfield in the soccer world, led by the legendary Michael Ballack along with Bastian Schweinsteiger and Torsten Frings, the German forward line of Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose would be getting all the crucial passes and set pieces on a regular basis. Further, Christoph Metzelder and Philip Lahm - Germany's late scorer against Turkey, would be providing all the necessary support to Jens Lehman in the defensive line up.

An intriguing battle in the offing at the Ernst Happel, Vienna, the final would be a treat for the die hard soccer fan. But, it will also mark an end to the almost month long tournament. Well, as they say all good things must come to end, the curtains will fall on Euro 08 and along with that the countdown for the tournament in 2012 will begin.

Long Live The Beautiful Game....

Clash of The Titans

The date would be 17th June 2008 on which we would yet again witness two superpowers of the soccer world collide with one another. On one hand would be the might of the Les Bleus and on the other would be the prowess of the soccer world's reigning czar - The Azzurri.

The Stakes

A keen contest on hand, the French would look forward to avenge the defeat in the finals of the World Cup 2006 and book a berth in the last eight. Whereas, Italy would like to keep the French at bay so that they could advance into the Quarter finals of Euro 2008.

Venue
The battlelines have been all drawn up and the Stade de Suisse stadia at Berne, Switzerland would be the staging ground for the epic battle.

Players to look out for

Thierry Henry-France
The leading goal scorer for the French national team, Henry is a goalkeeper's nightmare. Having scored 44 goals for his country, the striker has gone well past Michel Platini and has established himself as the numero uno striker for the Les Bleus.

Karim Benzema -France
The 20 year old striker has wowed one and all with his goal scoring ability. Playing for Lyon he has scored 20 goals in 32 appearences, a feat which has earned him the award of best player in France. Blessed with the ability of playing as a central striker as well as off the wings , it will be a tough call for coach Raymond Domenech to decide the starting line up with the likes of Thierry Hernry and Nicholas Anelka also in the fray.

Franck Ribery-France
Being compared to the great Zizou by one of the greatest goalkeepers of the contemporary era is a compliment hard to come by. The Great Oliver Kahn showered praises on Ribery for his stupendous performance in the Bundesliga. As a midfielder he not only scored 11 goals in his 26 appearances but also assisted the strikers on a number of occasions. Voted as the best player in the league, Ribery has the speed and the skills to put any defence on the wrong foot.

Luca Toni-Italy
The Italian goal machine is in its full flow. Playing for Bayern Munich, the striker has scored 24 goals in 31 appearances. Off colour in the world Cup 2006, Toni has struck a purple patch of late. This was evident in the qualifier against Scotland when he struck for the Italians in the very first minute of the game.

Alberto Aquilani-Italy

An important cog for Roma in the midfield, Aquilani is well known for his long range thunder bolts and astute passing ability. He can also cordon off the defence by playing deep in the midfield. Although he may not feature in the starting line up for Tuesday's match, France should have a plan to counter this potent force, as and when it is unleashed by Donadoni.

Andrea Pirlo-Italy
Voted as the man of the match in the Semi Final and the Final of the the 2006 World Cup, Pirlo would always be the favourite choice of any coach. On this occasion too he would be starting as coach Donadoni's favourite. The midfielder is a master playmaker, his pin point accuracy and set piece deliveries will always keep the Italian strikers in business.

The Aftermath

A do or die situation for both the countries, it would be a contest that every soccer fan craves for. Both the countries would go all out and try for a win to keep their chances alive. However, the match would be of little consequence if Romania manages to salvage a win against Holland, a fact that would be rued by both the teams for missing their chances in the opening round.

Croatia Stun Germany !!!

In what could be termed as the biggest upset of the Euro 2008, Croatia stunned Germany 2-1. Being tagged as the favourites to win the tournament, Germany would really need to pull up their socks if they want to advance any further into the tournament.

Even though Germany always started as favourites, it was Croatia who got on to the score sheet first. It was the brilliance of Srna in the 24th minute that put them one up against their illustrious rivals. Not done with, the 63rd minute again saw Croats get the better of the Germans. On this occasion it was Olic who got the second one for them. The goal proved to be decisive as Germany could only manage to pull one back in the 79th minute through Lukas Podolski. It was a result which effectively meant that Croatia became the second team to qualify for the Quarter Finals and Germany would have to play out of their skins against Austria.

Inspired by the brilliance of Midfielder Luka Modric, the Croats always looked as the better team on the field. Declared as the man of the match, coach Slaven Bilic was all praise for the Tottenham Hotspurs new signee. Drawing a comparison between him and Cristian Ronaldo, Bilic believed that Modric was leagues ahead of the Portugal player. Going a step ahead further, he even branded Luka as the best player in Europe.

Azzurri gets drubbed by Holland

The goal scoring machine of Van Nistlerooy, Sneijder, Van Bronckhorst was in full motion at Bern. Pummeling Italy into submission they once again proved why the Dutch were a force to reckon with at the Euro 2008.

The Azzuri once a land of the defenders and famous for their catenaccio style of play were jolted thrice by the Netherlands. Leaving us to wonder whether this was the same team that tasted glory at the World Cup 2006.

Overall a bad day for both the teams in blue, the colour surely brought the blues for the French as well as the Azzuri. With Vieira and Henry sitting it out, due to injuries, the misery was further compunded for the French. The likes of Nicolas Anelka and Karem Banzema never ever looked like the duo who could give Romanians a run for their money. Even Franck Ribery looked a pale shadow of the star we saw in the world cup. However, all is not lost and it can only be said that both the teams have got it in them to bounce back and yet again taste the glory they witnessed in the past.

Portugal and Czech Republic start on a Winning Note

The first match of the tournament was rather a mixed bag for co-hosts Switzerland. Starting agressively, the team through out the first half had a good measure of the Czech defence. Testing Peter Cech on many occasions, the trio of Valon Behrami, Gokhan Inler and Alexander Frei came very close to opening the account for the Swiss team.

It semed as if the Czech team was more than happy to play the second fiddle and dig its heels for a long overhaul. However, the momentum was broken when Alexander Frei sustained a knee injury and hobbled of the field. A double whammy was in the offing for the team as it was later on learnt that Frei might have put himself out of the contention for the remainder of the Championship. With frei gone off the field, the potency of the home team seemed as if it was weathering out.

In the second half, the Czech team started rediscovering its lost touch and it was not long before it started to come in its own. This was amptly reflected in the 70th minute when Vaclav Sverkos netted the ball to the left of goal keeper Diego Benaglio. Only in his third appearence, it seemed as if Sverkos had made up his mind to not to be confined to the bench again. The goal eventually proved to be a decisive one as it gave the team a 1:0 win over the hosts.

Later in the evening, the next match saw Portugal get the better of Turkey. With the two teams locked in a stalemate in the the first half, it was the second half that tilted the match in Portugal's favour. With the wodwork coming to the rescue of Turkey on three occasions the scoreline of 2:0 in a way saved the team the blushes. Scoring the opening goal for the Portugese in the 6oth minute, Pepe yet again proved why the team was a strong contender for the trophy. The thought was yet again reinforced when Joao Moutinho scored the second goal of the match and put the match beyond Turkey's reach.

Euro 2008 Kicks Off

The football extravaganza has kicked off and it remains to be seen whether the icons of the soccer world would retain their coveted places or the long held bastions would be breached by the next generation superstars.

With the battelines all drawn up, vying for top honours would be Europe's top teams like Italy, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands. Challenging them strongly would be the defending champions Greece and the likes of Romania, Russia, Turkey, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Crotia, Czech Republic and Poland. So, All you football aficionados out there just sit tight. With the stage all set and the performers ready to dish out their tricks, the Euro 2008 is bound to generate a frenzy like never before.

Will Les Bleus triumph again?

When it comes to soccer, my heart just believes that there is one team that should be glorious tournament after tournament, and that is Les Bleus aka France. Eventhough to begin with I never ever keenly followed the fortunes of the French national team, it all changed after the 1998 world cup and the European Championships that followed it. Mesmerised by the deft footballing skills of Zinedine Zidane or Zizou, it was an affair that would not end soon. To see Zizou in action was like seeing a wizard cast a spell on his hapless victims. The great man was a sheer poetry in motion and an unstoppable force that blew away all that came in its way. It would only be that the meastro could be stopped through skills not being worthy of called soccer skills. The famous headbutt incident that involved him and Materazzi in the World Cup 2006 was a perfect example of this. Leaving a bitter taste in the mouth, it was the turning point that tilted the match in Italy's favour. Otherwise things might have gone France's way yet once again.

With Euro 2008, just three days away, I think Zizou would be missed big time. It would be a tall order for somebody to fill in the boots of one of soccer's greatest player. But being a die hard fan of the Les Bleus, I still believe that the likes of Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira might just bring the title back home.

Long Live Les Bleus!!!!