Netherlands 1-3 Russia

Russia’s Andrei Arshavin was the architect as they dumped Netherlands out of Euro 2008 after extra time.

Russia took the lead in normal time when Roman Pavlyuchenko volleyed home, only for Ruud van Nistelrooy to head in an 86th-minute leveller for the Dutch.

But the brilliant Arshavin tormented Netherlands throughout and he crossed for Dmitri Torbinski to prod home.

Arshavin then sealed a semi-final spot in the 116th minute as he ran through and fired low past Edwin van der Sar.

Russia almost had to play with 10 men in extra time after Denis Kolodin was sent off by Lubos Michel in stoppage time, only for the referee to reverse his decision after a chat with one of his assistants.

It was the first European Championship quarter-final that did not have to be decided by penalties after going into extra time and was just reward for another spellbinding performance from the young Russians and their destroyer-in-chief Arshavin.

Holland: Van der Sar, Boulahrouz (Heitinga 54), Ooijer, Mathijsen, Van Bronckhorst, De Jong, Engelaar (Afellay 61), Kuyt (Van Persie 46), Van der Vaart, Sneijder, van Nistelrooy.
Subs Not Used: Timmer, Stekelenburg, De Zeeuw, Robben, Melchiot, Bouma, De Cler, Huntelaar, Vennegoor of Hesselink.

Booked: Boulahrouz, Van Persie, Van der Vaart.

Goals: Van Nistelrooy 86.

Russia: Akinfeev, Aniukov, Ignashevich, Kolodin, Zhirkov, Semak, Zyryanov, Semshov (Bilyaletdinov 69), Saenko (Torbinsky 81), Arshavin, Pavluchenko (Sychev 115).
Subs Not Used: Gabulov, Malafeev, Vasili Berezutsky, Yanbaev, Alexei Berezutsky, Adamov, Ivanov, Shirokov, Bystrov.

Booked: Kolodin, Zhirkov, Torbinsky.

Goals: Pavluchenko 56, Torbinsky 112, Arshavin 116.

Att: 42,500.

Ref: Lubos Michel (Slovakia).


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