Dutch FA: What happened doc? He was doing so well. He seemed fit, strong and there was an air of confidence about him. 

Doctor: He suffered from a case of peaking too soon, I’m sorry for your loss.  

Dutch FA (KNVB): I don’t understand. peaking too soon? 

Doctor: Yes, its case normally suffered by New-Zealanders when entering a Rugby competition. They do extremely well before the tournament by brushing teams aside and producing outstanding performances. The problem comes from the pressure of the fans, media and coaches to maintain this high standard, that when there is a chance they might lose…they start to panic. 

Dutch FA (KNVB): oh, I see. Maybe next time 

Fair play to Russia who completely deserved there win, at times during the match they completely took control of the match. The defense was well-aware at back and contained them for long periods of time, causing the Dutch to become frustrated and to take there chances from long distances. However, I was bit surprised that the Dutch looked slightly tired and sluggish during extra time compared to the Russians, even though most of there star players got to rest during the third Match day.  

Well done to Guus Hiddink for leading Russia to the semi-finals, which is a fantastic achievement. However, I was annoyed with his antics and celebrations at the end. It is one thing to knock-out your home country but to celebrate in his manner was disrespectful to all the Dutch fans. He could have taken an example from much younger professionals such as Podolski on how to act when you defeat your home nation. 

Club News: James McFadden is reported to have told his agent he wants to leave Birmingham after they were relegated to the Championships. This is understandable, McFadden is in the prime of his career and would want to push his abilities at the highest level. With Celtic reported interested in him and I’m sure a number of Premiership clubs will inquire about his availability.

Bastian Schweinsteiger speaks about his desire to one day play in the Premiership. With his contract at Bayern almost expiring, the move might materialize this summer. He spoke to Sunday Mail: 

"England does have a good appeal as it is one of the world's best leagues. "I've always wanted to play there and we'll see if it happens this year."

If he does move to the English Premiership, I am sure he will be looking to move to one of the big four. I see him as a good addition to the Liverpool squad, who need more goals and supply from the midfield.  

Lots of news about Adebayor but since writing anything down about this will only be repeating what a million other blogs and news articles have said about him. So I move on   To Roma who have signed the other half of Mirko Vucini for a reported 12 million euros from Lecce. I think he was over priced purchase of a striker who only returned 9 goals last season. If Roma do really want to push Inter for the title especially with the appointment of Mourinho, they must make more inspirational signings than Riise and Vucinic. 

To end with Wolfsburg are looking to add to there impressive signings of Barzagli and Zaccardo with an attempt purchase the small-town boy Alexander Hleb. I think the lovely and quite scenery of Wolfsburg and the calmness of Uefa Cup football is exactly what Alex Hleb needs.

To start off with, the Russia vs Sweden match must be discussed. Guus Hiddink has always proved he is a master-mind at what he does but his recent achievement of steering Russia into the Quarter finals is highly impressive. Russia started of the campaign with a whipping from Spain and i must admit i thought i would be difficult for Russia to regain their confidence in time to secure a place in the next round. However, Guus got his red army up and running again and secured victories against the European Champions and shutting out the attacking threat of Ibrahimovic and co. to book a place against the un-stoppable Dutch. One has to wonder, if any one can stop Holland it would be the Dutch born Guus Hiddink. His knowledge and experience of Dutch football and his ability to shut out attacks will be his biggest assets when facing a team that has shown no mercy to world-class defenders.

A player i like a lot from the Russian National team is Roman Pavlyuchenko. He currently practices his trade at Spartak Moscow. I think he would be a great signing for one of the mid-table clubs looking to push for Europe. He scored an impressive two goals against England during the qualifications, he has the physical features to dominate a game (1.88cm and 78kgs) and most importantly he can read the game like a child reads Harry Potter. What im trying to say is that a host of clubs will be contacting his agent when the championship ends.

Tonight's game Germany vs Portugal will be great, two world-class teams going for a win will provide for a classic encounter. I'm convinced this is the decider on who will face Spain in the finals. Portugal will take full advantage of the extra week of rest most of their star players got and the fact there manager Low will be sitting in the stands.

Club News: Roma have signed out of favour Riise for a reported £3.96million. I think that’s a great purchase for the price they got him. Riise comes with a wealth of Champions League experience, International Experience and a sweet left foot that is aching to play consistent football.

Sky Sports understands that Paul Ince is the favorite to take over from Mark Hughes. Personally i think he has done a great job at MK Dons and he has the desire to do well at Blackburn. Steve McClaren and Sam Allardyce would be a step backwards for Blackburn, personally i would like to see Steve McClaren retire from managing or at least apply for an assistant job at Leeds Utd.

In other news Brazil vs Argentina was a complete bore. Messi missed two complete sitters and concerns came over Man Utd Anderson who was taken off by stretcher. This result is bad news for Brazil who lost their previous qualifying match against Paraguay 2-0 leaving then in fourth place.

Lots of pressure on Dunga.