All history is bunk?
Euro 2008 says it's partially wrong, as Spain came out the sole group winners surviving the quarterfinals after Sunday's ugly win over Italy.
Luis Aragones' side, dubbed as one of the most formidable teams in offence, only managed a 4-2 victory on penalty shootout after holding 0-0 in 120 minutes to knock out world champions Italy at Ernst Happel here on Sunday.
The procession of the Group D winning Spaniard followed victories of group runners-up from Germany over Group A winners Portugal, Dark Horses Turkey over surprising winners of Group B Croatia, as well as a decent win of Guus Hiddink's Russian side over all-conquering Holland, the perfect record holders in the Group of Death.
Since the format of the Euros changed to accommodate first semifinals in 1984 and then quarterfinal matches in 1996, only twice has a side topping their group gone on to win the trophy.
France were champions in 1984 and Germany in 1996, but the four other winners, Netherlands, Denmark, France and Greece, all stepped up a gear in the knockout rounds after finishing group runners-up.
And this time, three of four group winners fell at as early as the last eight stage.
After taking the quick qualification with earlier victories in group stage and won over time to rest and heal injuries, Portugal, Croatia and Holland got shocked while coming face to face with their aspiring or patient rivals.
Luiz Felipe Scolari's side, having reached the last Euro final on home turf in 2004 and then the World Cup semifinals in Germany two years later, failed to add credit to the Magic Brazilian, losing a humiliating 3-2 to the Germans, whose head coach Joachim Low had to oversee the match in the stand.
Absent-minded in the opening minutes, Portugal halved a two-goal deficit twice through Nuno Gomes and Helder Postiga in the dying minutes, but failed to match Bastian Schweinsteiger's smart tap and headed goals by Miroslav Klose and Michael Ballack for Germany to shrug aside impressively their occasional first-stage torpor in a captivating way.
Turkey, without suspended first-choice goalkeeper Volkan Demirel, turned a dull game into a thrilling one here on Friday, scoring last minute goal in the Euro's first extra time to cancel a Croatia lead just one minute earlier and force a very first penalty shootout, which ended 3-1 in favor of the Turk underdogs.
It has been contest over patience and nerve strength as the short handed Turks made the Croats nail-biting in the slovenly first 118 minutes but launched impressive comeback to make it through to their first UEFA European Championship semifinals at Croatia's expense.
For the classy Russians, it's another edition of fairy tale. Dmitri Torbinski and Andrei Arshavin struck in the last eight minutes of extra time to take Russia into the last four at the expense of the Dutchs as Guus Hiddink eliminated the nation of his birth on a 3-1 win.
From the off, Russia never allowed Marco van Basten's previously imperious side space and they attacked with vigour. Roman Pavlyuchenko's 56th-minute volley seemed to have won the game but with four minutes remaining Ruud van Nistelrooy headed an equaliser.
However, Russia dominated the additional half-hour and the tireless Arshavin set up substitute Torbinski to restore the advantage from close range in the 112th minute. The No. 10 added another himself to book a semifinal , although Torbinski and DenisKolodin will miss that match through suspension.
Spain have been against the historical omens all the way, while three-time champions Germany, vowing to lift the Henri Delaunay trophy again after making their first semifinals since 1996, became the only old standbys along side with the later comers, Turkey and Russia.
Thanks to the conservative tactics insisted by Aragones, the Spaniard gave up their romantic traditions and played ugly pragmatists in Sunday's Italy clash, attacking with a pinch of salt and betting lucks on the penalties against a team they had not beaten in a competitive match since the 1920 Olympics.
On the contrary of the traditionally slow-starting Azzurri, Spain's next rivals in the semis here on Thursday will be Guus Hiddink's Russian team, which, in the words of Aragones, is "at the best moment of the Russian football".
A day earlier in Basel in the other semifinal showdown, injury-packed Turkey, with Volkan still on suspension, will again test their luck as well as the staying power against Germany, which are now out to show that often the slowpokes make it all the way.
Source: Xinhua
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