Scintillating Spain too strong for Russia

Spain will play Germany in the Euro 2008 final after a majestic second-half display secured a 3-0 victory over Russia in Vienna.

After an even first half, Spain turned on the style after the break, and played with all of the fluidity expected of such a technically gifted team, at the expense of a Russian team which looked a shadow of the side that bundled the Netherlands out of the competition.

Xavi broke the deadlock on 50 minutes, before Dani Guiza and David Silva each netted in the last 20 minutes to inflict Spain's second three-goal defeat on Russia for the tournament.

Much of the talk pre-game surrounded whether Russian manager Guus Hiddink could lead Russia to its first major success since the break-up of the Soviet Union. But again, Hiddink has failed at the semi-final stage, but the Russians certainly made significant progress at the tournament, and will most certainly be in the reckoning during the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

The only negative for Spain on the night was the early injury to Euro 2008 top goalscorer David Villa, with early reports suggesting he will miss the final as a result. It would be a blow for Spain, but his substitute on the night, Cesc Fabregas, was absolutely superb in giving Spain the ascendancy after the interval, and he will be hard to leave out of the starting XI for the final.

Hiddink made just one change to his side that defeated the Netherlands, albeit an enforced one, as the suspended Denis Kolodin was replaced by Vasili Berezutski, whilst Spanish counterpart Luis Aragones opted for the same XI that has served him well for much of the tournament.

The first half was certainly entertaining despite the lack of goals, as both sides enjoyed good spells of possession and decent opportunities.

Fernando Torres was the first to test either goalkeeper, as clever buildup play from Valencia pair Villa and Silva created space, but Torres' shot was saved smartly by Igor Akinfeev. Villa then tried his luck from range, but again Akinfeev was well positioned to palm the ball away.

The Russians were certainly not overawed in the early stages, and were quite prepared to pass the ball around. Roman Pavlyuchenko had Russia's first sight of goal, but he blasted a free kick over after Carles Puyol had felled Andrei Arshavin.

Considered by many to be the star of the tournament, Arshavin failed to make an impression on the game, and his influence was sorely missed by a Russian side which lacked craft when it was most needed.

The Spaniards consistently attempted lofted diagonal balls over the lumbering Russian centre-backs towards the quicker Villa and Torres, but despite finding good positions, Berezutski and Sergei Ignashevich were equal to the attacks.

Villa's night ended just after the half hour when he seemingly strained a muscle after striking a free-kick straight at Akinfeev. A hat-trick hero against Russia in the group stage, this time he cut a forlorn figure as he trudged to the sideline to be replaced by Fabregas.

Pavlyuchenko represented Russia's clearest threat on the Spanish goal, and he had Casillas at full stretch as he curled an effort just past the post. Shortly after this attempt, a clever diagonal ball from Konstantin Zyryanov picked out Pavlyuchenko, who found space between the Spanish centre-backs, but after a great first touch he scuffed his left-foot shot wide.

With the teams level at the break, it was a question of which team would find its real rhythm first, and Spanish nerves were calmed as they took the lead after 50 minutes.

After neat interplay on the left flank, Iniesta cut inside before unleashing what appeared to be a cross-cum-shot, and his Barcelona teammate Xavi arrived late to slide the ball home after ghosting into the penalty area unmarked between Berezutski and Ignashevich.

The goal settled the Spaniards, and they nearly went two up moments later, but the ever-menacing Fernando Torres curled his shot over the bar.

The Russians never really found their rhythm after falling behind, with Arshavin often invisible as the Spanish midfield took control. Fabregas was having an immense influence on proceedings, as he pushed and probed around the Russian penalty area.

Torres then had two half-chances from two separate Sergio Ramos crosses, but he wasted both, shooting wide on the first occasion, before failing to react in time after finding space in behind Ignashevich on the second.

Fabregas and substitute Xabi Alonso then both tested Akinfeev from distance, as Spain began turning the screw, and moments later they deservedly got the second goal they craved.

Another sumptuous move, this time from the right flank, ended with Fabregas dinking the ball over the Russian defence from the edge of the box, and substitute Dani Guiza broke the offside trap before lifting the ball over Akinfeev.

The Spaniards were comfortable well before the second goal, but with the Russians now forced to attack in search of a way back into the contest, they made the game even safer 10 minutes later, with Fabregas again involved.

Iniesta released Fabregas down the left side, and he again played a delightful cross to Silva, who slotted the ball past Akinfeev despite late pressure from the Russian defence.

Russia only forced Casillas into his real save on 88 minutes, as substitute Dmitri Sychev had his effort well kept out, but the Russians had by now run out of ideas, and the teams were merely playing out time.

The Spaniards greeted the final whistle with jubilation, and they will now face Germany in the final on Sunday, whilst the Russian fans need not be too disheartened, having far exceeded their own expectations at the tournament.

Ratings

Russia
1 - Akinfeev - 6 - Nothing he could do about goals.
2 - V. Berezutski - 6 - Defended well against Torres.
4 - Ignashevich - 5 - Struggled.
9 - Saenko - 6 - No real influence.
10 - Arshavin - 5 - Invisible when needed.
11 - Semak - 6 - Outnumbered.
17 - Zyryanov - 6 - Down on his form.
18 - Zhirkov - 6 - Ran himself to exhaustion, but failed to create.
19 - Pavlyuchenko - 7 - Represented Russia's biggest threat.
20 - Semshov - 5 - Anonymous.
22 - Anyukov - 6 - Didn't get forward enough.

(SUB) 15 - Bilyaletdinov - 6 - No impact.
(SUB) 21 - Sychev - 6 - No impact.

Spain
1 - Casillas - 7 - Not much to do.
4 - Marchena - 7 - Assured.
5 - Puyol - 8 - A rock at the back.
6 - Iniesta - 7 - His best game for the tournament.
7 - Villa - 6 - Off early.
8 - Xavi - 7 - Scored important goal.
9 - Torres - 7 - A constant menace.
11 - Capdevila - 7 - Safe.
15 - Sergio Ramos - 7 - Got forward well.
19 - Senna - 8 - Broke up Russian play superbly.
21 - Silva - 7 - Always threatening.

(SUB) 10 - Fabregas - 8 - Outstanding.
(SUB) 14 - X. Alonso - 6 - No significant impact.
(SUB) 17 - Guiza - 7 - Scored a nice goal.