The knockout stage of UEFA Euro 2008 began with the quarter-finals on 19 June 2008, and was completed on 29 June 2008 with the final at Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna.
All times Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
Format The knockout stage was different from that of past tournaments. Teams in groups A and B were separated from teams in groups C and D until the final. This meant that teams from the same group who advanced past the quarterfinals would play each other again in the semifinals instead of the final. The reason for the format change this year was to equalise the rest periods during the knockout stage. Also, in another major change, for the first time in a European Championship, only two venues (St. Jakob-Park, Basel and Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna) were used for the seven matches in the knockout stage of the tournament. As with every tournament since UEFA Euro 1984, there was no third place play-off.
Another new rule forgave all single yellow cards received up to and including the quarter-finals. However, players that were booked both in group tournament and quarter-finals missed semi-finals through suspension, but could play in the final. It was thus not possible to be suspended for the final without a red card.
Qualified teams The top two placed teams from each of the four groups qualified for the knockout stage.
Group Winners Runners-up A B C D
Bracket
Quarter-finals The first quarter-final saw Group A winners Portugal take on Germany, who finished as runners-up of Group B. Germany's Bastian Schweinsteiger scored the opener half-way through the first half, before Miroslav Klose doubled their lead four minutes later. Portugal pulled one back five minutes before half-time, but Germany restored their two-goal lead on the hour mark. Portugal now needed two goals to take the game to extra time; Hélder Postiga pulled one back, but Germany were able to hang on to qualify for the semi-finals for the first time since 1996.
The second quarter-final was between Croatia and Turkey, and was a less high scoring affair. No goals were scored in normal time, and it took 29 minutes of extra time before Ivan Klasnić put Croatia into the lead. However, two minutes into injury time at the end of extra time Turkey was awarded a free kick. Controversially referee Roberto Rosetti did not allow the Croatian coach to put on a substitute, after Turkey was awarded the free kick, which would have allowed for the Croatian defence to better settle. A long free kick from Turkey goalkeeper Rüştü Reçber found Semih Şentürk on the edge of the area; the striker turned and hit a shot into the top corner of the net to take the game to a penalty shootout. Croatia went first, but only managed to score one of their four penalties, while Turkey scored all three of theirs to win 3–1.
The Group C winners, the Netherlands, who had won all three of their group games, took on Group D runners-up Russia in quarter-final 3. The Netherlands' players wore black armbands in sympathy for the death of Anissa, Khalid Boulahrouz's premature baby daughter. Russia took the lead through Roman Pavlyuchenko just before the hour mark. Ruud van Nistelrooy equalised in the 86th minute. In the 90th minute, Ľuboš Micheľ sent Russian defender Denis Kolodin off for a second booking, but reversed his decision afterwards. The reversal was based on a linesman's (mistaken) observation that the ball was out of play before the tackle. Eugen Strigel, head of the German referee committee, later judged the reversal against regulations as based on a mistaken premise. The Russians played on with 11 players and with two quick-fire goals in the last eight minutes of extra time from Dmitri Torbinski and Andrei Arshavin secured a remarkable win.
The final quarter-final pitted Spain against Italy. In 120 minutes of football, neither team managed to produce a goal, sending the game to penalties. Spain went first and scored three of their first four penalties, Gianluigi Buffon saving the other from Dani Güiza, while Iker Casillas saved two of Italy's four penalties. This left Cesc Fàbregas having to score to send Spain through. He converted, meaning that Spain had won their first competitive match against Italy since the 1920 Summer Olympics and that Spain had qualified for the semi-finals for the first time since 1984.
Portugal vs Germany
GK 1 RicardoRB 4 José BosingwaCB 15Pepe CB 16Ricardo CarvalhoLB 2 Paulo FerreiraCM 8 Petit CM 10João Moutinho RW 7 Cristiano RonaldoAM 20DecoLW 11SimãoCF 21Nuno Gomes (c) Substitutions:MF 6 Raul Meireles MF 19Nani FW 23Hélder Postiga Manager: Luiz Felipe Scolari GK 1 Jens LehmannRB 3 Arne Friedrich CB 17Per MertesackerCB 21Christoph MetzelderLB 16Philipp Lahm CM 6 Simon RolfesCM 13Michael Ballack (c)RW 7 Bastian Schweinsteiger LW 15Thomas Hitzlsperger CF 11Miroslav Klose CF 20Lukas PodolskiSubstitutions:MF 18Tim Borowski DF 4 Clemens Fritz DF 2 Marcell Jansen Manager:Joachim Löw
Man of the Match: Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany)
Assistant referees: Stefan Wittberg (Sweden) Henrik Andrén (Sweden) Fourth official: Kyros Vassaras (Greece) Reserve assistant referee: Dimitrios Bozatzidis (Greece)
Croatia vs Turkey
GK 1 Stipe PletikosaRB 5 Vedran ĆorlukaCB 4 Robert KovačCB 3 Josip ŠimunićLB 22Danijel PranjićCM 14Luka ModrićCM 10Niko Kovač (c)RW 11Darijo SrnaLW 7 Ivan RakitićSS 19Niko Kranjčar CF 18Ivica Olić Substitutions:FW 21Mladen Petrić FW 17Ivan Klasnić Manager:Slaven Bilić GK 1 Rüştü ReçberRB 22Hamit AltıntopCB 4 Gökhan ZanCB 15Emre Aşık LB 3 Hakan BaltaDM 6 Mehmet Topal RM 20Sabri SarıoğluCM 17Tuncay Şanlı LM 14Arda Turan CF 18Colin Kazim-Richards CF 8 Nihat Kahveci (c) Substitutions:DF 16Uğur Boral FW 9 Semih Şentürk MF 10Gökdeniz Karadeniz Manager:Fatih Terim
Man of the Match: Hamit Altıntop (Turkey)
Assistant referees: Alessandro Griselli (Italy) Paolo Calcagno (Italy) Fourth official: Manuel Mejuto González (Spain) Reserve assistant referee: Juan Carlos Yuste Jiménez (Spain)
Netherlands vs Russia
GK 1 Edwin van der Sar (c)RB 21Khalid Boulahrouz CB 2 André OoijerCB 4 Joris MathijsenLB 5 Giovanni van BronckhorstCM 17Nigel de JongCM 8 Orlando Engelaar RW 18Dirk Kuyt AM 23Rafael van der Vaart LW 10Wesley SneijderCF 9 Ruud van NistelrooySubstitutions:FW 7 Robin van Persie DF 3 John Heitinga MF 20Ibrahim Afellay Manager:Marco van Basten GK 1 Igor AkinfeevRB 22Aleksandr AnyukovCB 4 Sergei IgnashevichCB 8 Denis Kolodin LB 18Yuri Zhirkov DM 11Sergei Semak (c)RM 17Konstantin ZyryanovCM 20Igor Semshov LM 9 Ivan Saenko SS 10Andrei ArshavinCF 19Roman Pavlyuchenko Substitutions:MF 15Diniyar Bilyaletdinov MF 7 Dmitri Torbinski FW 21Dmitri Sychev Manager: Guus Hiddink
Man of the Match: Andrei Arshavin (Russia)
Assistant referees: Roman Slyško (Slovakia) Martin Balko (Slovakia) Fourth official: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland) Reserve assistant referee: Matthias Arnet (Switzerland)
Spain vs Italy
GK 1 Iker Casillas (c)RB 15Sergio RamosCB 4 Carlos MarchenaCB 5 Carles PuyolLB 11Joan CapdevilaRM 6 Andrés Iniesta CM 19Marcos SennaCM 8 Xavi LM 21David SilvaCF 7 David Villa CF 9 Fernando Torres Substitutions:MF 12Santi Cazorla MF 10Cesc Fàbregas FW 17Dani Güiza Manager:Luis Aragonés GK 1 Gianluigi Buffon (c)RB 19Gianluca ZambrottaCB 2 Christian PanucciCB 4 Giorgio ChielliniLB 3 Fabio GrossoRM 22Alberto Aquilani CM 10Daniele De RossiLM 13Massimo Ambrosini AM 20Simone Perrotta CF 9 Luca ToniCF 18Antonio Cassano Substitutions:MF 16Mauro Camoranesi FW 11Antonio Di Natale FW 7 Alessandro Del Piero Manager:Roberto Donadoni
Man of the Match: Iker Casillas (Spain)
Assistant referees: Carsten Kadach (Germany) Volker Wezel (Germany) Fourth official: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium) Reserve assistant referee: Peter Hermans (Belgium)
Semi-finals The first semi-final saw Group B runner-up and three-time champions Germany face Group A runner-up and first time semi-finalists Turkey. Turkey scored first as Uğur Boral converted a rebound from the crossbar. Bastian Schweinsteiger equalised for Germany four minutes later. In the 79th minute, Miroslav Klose headed Germany into the lead with his second goal of the tournament. Turkey managed to get back seven minutes later when Semih Şentürk flicked the ball past Jens Lehmann. The match was headed for extra time when defender Philipp Lahm in the 90th minute scored the final goal and sent Germany into their sixth European Championship final. The TV broadcast of the match experienced technical difficulties caused by severe thunderstorms in Vienna, Austria, from where the television broadcast was transmitted. Television pictures in several countries were interrupted on three occasions, including at the time of Klose and Semih's goals. The entire match was recorded and distributed to all countries.
The second semi-final was a replay of the opening match of Group D, Spain in their first semi-final since 1984 faced Russia who had not been in a semi-final since 1988 as the Soviet Union. The first half was scoreless, but five minutes into the second, Xavi opened the scoring. Dani Güiza replaced Fernando Torres in the 69th minute and scored the second goal for Spain in four minutes. David Silva rounded up the scoring with Spain's third of the night, sending Spain into their third European Championship final.
Germany vs Turkey
GK 1 Jens LehmannRB 3 Arne FriedrichCB 17Per MertesackerCB 21Christoph MetzelderLB 16Philipp LahmCM 15Thomas HitzlspergerCM 6 Simon Rolfes RW 7 Bastian SchweinsteigerAM 13Michael Ballack (c)LW 20Lukas PodolskiCF 11Miroslav Klose Substitutions:MF 8 Torsten Frings DF 2 Marcell Jansen Manager:Joachim Löw GK 1 Rüştü Reçber (c)RB 20Sabri Sarıoğlu CB 6 Mehmet TopalCB 4 Gökhan ZanLB 3 Hakan BaltaDM 7 Mehmet AurélioRM 18Colin Kazim-Richards CM 22Hamit AltıntopCM 19Ayhan Akman LM 16Uğur Boral CF 9 Semih Şentürk Substitutions:FW 21Mevlüt Erdinç MF 10Gökdeniz Karadeniz MF 11Tümer Metin Manager:Fatih Terim
Man of the Match: Philipp Lahm (Germany)
Assistant referees: Matthias Arnet (Switzerland) Stéphane Cuhat (Switzerland) Fourth official: Peter Fröjdfeldt (Sweden) Reserve assistant referee: Henrik Andrén (Sweden)
Russia vs Spain
GK 1 Igor AkinfeevRB 22Aleksandr AnyukovCB 2 Vasili BerezutskiCB 4 Sergei IgnashevichLB 18Yuri Zhirkov DM 11Sergei Semak (c)RM 17Konstantin ZyryanovCM 20Igor Semshov LM 9 Ivan Saenko SS 10Andrei ArshavinCF 19Roman PavlyuchenkoSubstitutions:MF 15Diniyar Bilyaletdinov FW 21Dmitri Sychev Manager: Guus Hiddink GK 1 Iker Casillas (c)RB 15Sergio RamosCB 4 Carlos MarchenaCB 5 Carles PuyolLB 11Joan CapdevilaRM 6 Andrés IniestaCM 19Marcos SennaCM 8 Xavi LM 21David SilvaCF 7 David Villa CF 9 Fernando Torres Substitutions:MF 10Cesc Fàbregas MF 14Xabi Alonso FW 17Dani Güiza Manager:Luis Aragonés
Man of the Match: Andrés Iniesta (Spain)
Assistant referees: Peter Hermans (Belgium) Alex Verstraeten (Belgium) Fourth official: Kyros Vassaras (Greece) Reserve assistant referee: Dimitrios Saraidaris (Greece)
Final
The final match was played between Germany and Spain on 29 June 2008 at the Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna, Austria. Spain won the match 1–0, the winning goal scored by Fernando Torres.
Notes
References
External links UEFA Euro 2008 official history