EURO 2008 Quarterfinals Preview

Thursday, 19 June 08, 08:20 AM · Comments(0)

Italy Team Logo They made hard work of it, but somehow Italy have made it through to the UEFA EURO 2008 quarter-finals. Goals by Andrea Pirlo and Daniele De Rossi gave the Azzurri a 2-0 win against France, while Romania were sunk by the Netherlands by the same scoreline in Berne.

Spain Team Logo Spain take on the World champions. Despite the wealth of individual talent at their disposal, it is 48 years since Spain won the UEFA European Championship – their only major finals victory. Can they finally fulfil their promise and win it again, or will a quarter-final against world champions Italy prove a step too far?

Netherlands Team Logo As top seeds in Group C, Marco van Basten's men were able to play all three group games in the Swiss federal capital and they made it a home from home. Their orange-clad supporters, in particular, proved a hit both inside the stadium – as the team defeated Italy 3-0, France 4-1 and Romania 2-0 – and outside, where as many as 150,000 fans, more than the regular population of Berne, flocked to follow the action on big screens.

Portugal Team Logo Portugal hope Luize Felipe Scolari can make the best of his second chance to win the UEFA European Championship after defeat in the final four years prior. This year much of Portugal's hopes rest on the young shoulders of Cristiano Ronaldo who scored eight goals in qualification.