Best Goals of Euro 2008

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Jun 29, 2008

Best Goals of Euro 2008

Fernando Torres | Spain vs. Germany, June 29

Fernando Torres, broke through off a brilliant feed from Xavi Hernandez in the 33rd minute. Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, at 38 the oldest player in the competition, charged from his net when he saw that defender Philipp Lahm was beaten on the right side. But Torres chipped the ball over the sliding Lehmann and into the gaping goal for the game-winning score.

Xavi | Spain vs. Russia, June 26

Andrés Iniesta hooked up with Barcelona teammate Xavi to open the scoring in Spain's semifinal meeting with Russia. When Iniesta fired a shot toward the far post from outside the area, Xavi slipped into the box and rocketed the ball past Russia keeper Igor Akinfeev -- an emphatic redirection to give Spain a 1-0 lead on its way to the Euro 2008 final.

Philipp Lahm | Germany vs. Turkey, June 25

Lahm drove home a redemptive 90th-minute winner for the Germans off a nifty one-two with Thomas Hitzlsperger, sealing his team's 3-2 victory in the semis. Just four minutes earlier, the 24-year-old left back had been undressed by Sabri Sarioglu on Turkey's late equalizer.

Semih &#350;ent&#252;rk | Turkey vs. Germany, June 25

Facing a 2-1 deficit in the 86th minute with elimination looming, the defiant Turks rose up once again. As Sabri Sarıoğlu's low cross veered toward German keeper Jens Lehmann, Şentürk darted forward and gently redirected the ball into the net with the outside of his left foot. But Turkey's fourth dramatic comeback in four matches would prove for naught.

Miroslav Klose | Germany vs. Turkey, June 25

Klose's first goal of the tournament broke a 1-1 deadlock in the 79th minute, touching off the frenetic final reel of the Germany-Turkey semifinal. When veteran Turkish keeper Rüştü Reçber sprinted from his line to punch away Philipp Lahm's long entry into the box, Klose arrived first and sharply headed the ball into the unguarded net.

Dmitri Torbinski | Russia vs. Netherlands, June 21

Locked in a 1-1 tie with the Netherlands, the Russians required a moment of brilliance to settle their quarterfinal staredown. After bravely carrying the ball from midfield down to the goal line, Andrei Arshavin looped a dazzling rainbow across the mouth of the goal for the surging super sub Torbinski, who punched the cross into the net for Russia's game-breaking goal in the 112th minute.

Roman Pavlyuchenko | Russia vs. Netherlands, June 21

Pavlyuchenko turned in one of the transcendent performances of Euro 2008 against the Netherlands, running his markers ragged and keeping Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar on his toes with a number of dangerous challenges. The 26-year-old striker opened the scoring with his third goal of the tournament, a booming left-footed volley in the 56th minute off a flawless Arshavin feed.

Semih &#350;ent&#252;rk | Turkey vs. Croatia, June 20

Trailing 1-0 and facing elimination in their quarterfinal clash with Croatia, the Turks engineered their third miraculous comeback of Euro 2008. When Turkish goalkeeper Rüştü Reçber's long clearance fell to Şentürk's foot at the edge of the penalty area, the Fenerbahçe striker turned and drove a left-footed shot into the top-left corner of the goal. The dramatic 122nd-minute equalizer sent the match to penalty kicks, where Turkey prevailed to advance into the semis.

Ivan Klasni&#263; | Croatia vs. Turkey, June 20

Klasnić's nifty header off a Luka Modrić cross caught Turkey's goalkeeper way out of position, snapping a scoreless tie in the 119th minute. The strike sparked Croatia's fans into jubilation, their country seemingly having advanced to a semifinal rematch with Germany. But their lead would prove short-lived.

Bastian Schweinsteiger | Germany vs. Portugal, June 19

After Philipp Lahm, Michael Ballack and Lukas Podolski negotiated the Germans downfield with some deft passing, Schweinsteiger opened the scoring against Portugal with a sliding finish in the 22nd minute of their soggy quarterfinal clash at St. Jakob-Park in Basel.

Andrei Arshavin | Russia vs. Sweden, June 18

Having received a red card in Russia's final Euro 2008 qualifier, Arshavin sat out his team's first two games in group play with a suspension. But the gifted Zenit St. Petersburg midfielder made up for lost time in his return match, sliding out of a full sprint to direct Yuri Zhirkov's pass into the goal for Russia's second goal in the 50th minute.

Michael Ballack | Germany vs. Austria, June 16

The Chelsea midfielder nearly punctured the back of the net with his thunderous free kick in the 49th minute against co-host Austria. The goal would prove the difference in a 1-0 victory, which secured a second-place finish for Germany in Group B and propelled the three-time European champs into the quarterfinals.

Nihat Kahveci | Turkey vs. Czech Republic, June 15

In a winner-take-all match for a spot in the knockout stage, the Czechs opened a 2-0 lead on Jaroslav Plasil's second-half strike. When the Turks equalized on a pair of late goals, the teams appeared headed for penalty kicks. But Nihat (bottom) left nothing to chance, delivering a stunning winner in the 89th minute. The Villarreal forward's blast from the edge of the area bent past goalkeeper Petr Cech, struck the underside of the crossbar and caromed in, sealing Turkey's miraculous 3-2 victory.

David Villa | Spain vs. Sweden, June 14

After logging a hat trick in Spain's first group match against Russia, the Valencia striker turned in a forgettable performance against Sweden until the final minute of stoppage time. With the Group D co-leaders locked in a 1-1 tie, Villa received Joan Capdevila's long pass, twisted up his defender and fired home a dramatic 92nd-minute winner at the Stadion Tivoli Neu in Innsbruck.

Wesley Sneijder | Netherlands vs. France, June 13

Sneijder (right) put an exclamation point on Holland's dismantling of the French, rifling a shot past goalkeeper Gregory Coupet off the underside of the crossbar into the net. The goal punctuated a convincing 4-1 victory, which clinched a first-place finish for the Dutch in Group C and a place in the quarters.

Arjen Robben | Netherlands vs. France, June 13

Less than a minute after Thierry Henry scored to pull France within 2-1, Robben wrested the momentum back for the Dutch with an artful strike. The Real Madrid winger darted around a pair of French defenders and fired a shot toward the net from an impossible angle, beating Coupet on his near post and preening for the Dutch supporters.

Darijo Srna | Croatia vs. Germany, June 12

Croatia's Danijel Pranjic delivered a gorgeous deep cross onto the left foot of Srna, who directed the ball past German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann to give Croatia a surprising 1-0 advantage in the 24th minute at Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna.

Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal vs. Czech Republic, June 11

After receiving a pass from Deco near the edge of the penalty area, Ronaldo rocketed a shot past Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech. The 66th-minute strike opened a 2-1 lead, seizing momentum for the Portuguese on their way to a 3-1 triumph.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Sweden vs. Greece, June 10

Ibrahimovic has struggled in the Sweden shirt over the past few years, entering Euro 2008 without an international goal since October '05. But the gifted Inter Milan striker ended the drought with a brilliant long-range strike in the 67th minute to break a deadlock against defending champion Greece.

Wesley Sneijder | Netherlands vs. Italy, June 9

A beautifully executed Dutch counterattack swept the length of the field, setting the table for Sneijder's clinical right-footed finish past Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. The 31st-minute goal opened a 2-0 lead for Holland, which went on to end its 30-year victory drought against Italy with an emphatic 3-0 result.

Lukas Podolski | Germany vs. Poland, June 8

Podolski ended Poland's upset hopes with his second goal of the day, a booming left-footed volley in the 72nd minute at Worthersee Stadium in Klagenfurt.

Best Goals of Euro 2008