From Russia, with love

Last night belonged to one man. Andrei Arshavin. I know I talked about Russia being potentially eliminated from the tournament before he became eligible to play. And I know I said Zlatan Ibrahimovic was much better. Last night, I was proved wrong in spectacular fashion, although Ibrahimovic was not fully fit.

Russia's 2-0 victory over Sweden was easily their best performance of Euro 2008 and their best to watch, Arshavin being a focal point in Russia's best moves. He was involved in the buildup to Roman Pavlyuchenko's goal and he also finished off a sweeping counterattacking move to put the Russians ahead by two. His passing led to numerous goalscoring opportunities and was a key factor in Russia's win. Guus Hiddink's tactic of deploying him just behind Pavlyuchenko paid off handsomely and we were treated to a masterful performance by Russia. It goes to show how highly he is rated in his homeland, Hiddink selecting him in the knowledge that Russia may be out of the tournament by the time he completed his two game suspension. His gamble was fully justified last night and Arshavin showed the world why Hiddink labelled him one of the most intelligent players he has coached.

The support cast also proved to be able performers, notably Konstantin Zyryanov, Aleksandr Anyukov and Yuri Zhirkov in particular. Zyryanov passed the ball neatly in midfield and was involved in many of their best passing moves. Zhirkov provided pace and penetration down the left wing, Anyukov on the right and they were both rewarded with an assist each. Their attacking style has drawn comparison with the Dutch and judging by this performance, a repeat in their quarterfinal could possibly be the best game of the tournament. Their second goal was the perfect indication of how far Russia had come, moving the ball effortlessly within the Swedish half of the field, culminating in a goal for Arshavin. Another point to note was how Hiddink allowed his fullbacks, Zhirkov and Anyukov, so much attacking freedom. They were key to Russia's attacks but this could prove to be their undoing when playing against the Dutch. Their counterattacks have dismantled France and Italy and they could easily do the same to the Russian. Everything points to a mouthwatering encounter when these two teams meet in the quarterfinals and I hope it will not disappoint.

Sweden on the other hand were very disappointing. They were far too careless with the ball and did not offer much going forward. Freddie Ljungberg was their main attacking threat, with Ibrahimovic struggling to make his mark on the game. Henrik Larsson's best effort was a glancing header that hit the upright but that was about as close as Sweden got to a goal. Lars Lagerbäck summed up Sweden's game perfectly saying, "Today they were better than us. We were too passive." Russia completely dominated the game and played Sweden off the park. No ifs and buts. There was only ever one team in it and the lack of fight put up by the aging Swedes surely signalled the end of an era for many of them. Surely now they must rebuild the team around younger players like Kim Källström, Johan Elmander and Ibrahimovic. Too many of the squad were at the wrong end of 30 and it is now time to pass on the torch.

I did not watch Spain vs Greece and still have not seen the highlights as of yet. I only saw Angelos Charisteas' goal. Spain must be pleased to have come back against a Greek team with a strong work ethic, but undeniably lacking quality. Spain made ten changes to the team that started the first two games and came away with another late victory. Rubén de la Red and Daniel Güiza scored their first international goals and this will certainly please Luis Aragonés, knowing that he has ample firepower on his bench should his main strikers fail to perform. Spain will play Italy in the quarterfinals, and I expect them to find their way past them. Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso are suspended and ths may tip the balance in Spain's favour. Italy have more experience but I think Spain's firepower may prove to be too much to handle.

Attacking football has been a staple at Euro 2008, giving hope that international football is not all about tactical organisation and defensive duties. Tonight's game features Portugal against Germany, hardly what you would call a game likely to be cagey. I hope it won't be and I believe the players starting the game will prove me right. As long as Cristiano Ronaldo does not fail to perform on the big stage again, we should be in for a treat. And if Joachim Löw starts with Mario Gómez again, it may prove to be a very costly decision. His backing of Gómez is well documented but it's hard to imagine he will start him again. He may yet justify his selection but his first three games have only added to the weight on his shoulders. Kevin Kuranyi has yet to play any telling part in Germany's campaign so far and Löw may be reluctant to throw him into the deep end. Whatever the tactical choices to be made, tonight's game is not to be missed and will hopefully deliver on its promise.