Russia's young stars had been urged to "learn fast" by their coach Guus Hiddink and they came of age in Salzburg as Konstantin Zyryanov's solitary goal earned them a 1-0 win against Greece, thus ending Otto Rehhagel's team's reign as kings of Europe. After both sides had lost their opening matches in UEFA EURO 2008™ Group D, the stakes were high at the Stadion Wals-Siezenheim, but Russia emerged victorious to knock defending champions Greece out of the tournament.

Nikopolidis error
The only goal will haunt Greece goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis long into the night as he inexplicably chased a cross by Diniyar Bilyaletdinov that had already cleared his posts by five or six metres all the way to the touchline, and he was made to pay the full price for his 33rd-minute excursion. The Olympiacos CFP keeper was beaten to the ball by Russia captain Sergei Semak, who hooked it back over his head and Zyryanov was on hand to guide it ever so simply into an unguarded net.

Croatia coach Slaven Bilić is seldom slow to show his emotions and they were apparent for all to see during his side's 2-1 victory against Germany in Klagenfurt. Bilić, a man who epitomises the word animated, was the liveliest and most agitated figure at the Wörthersee Stadion, and his exertions would have been worth watching alone, had this Group B match not been such an exciting affair.

Unconventional
Bilić, even without having the scalps of England in qualifying and now Germany here on his CV, is quite some character. At the age of 39, he is the youngest coach at UEFA EURO 2008™ and the least conventional. Surely no coach has ever patrolled the sidelines sporting a diamond earring, with a law degree to his name and a penchant for playing guitar-based heavy metal music. His Klagenfurt counterpart, the immaculately groomed Germany coach Joachim Löw, seemed somewhat dour by comparison. Both men once played for Bundesliga side Karlsruher SC in Germany, but there the similarities end.

Legend has it that Ernst Happel, after whom the magnificent stadium in Vienna was renamed in 1992, was a man of few words. Very few when it came to the final gee-up from the legendary Netherlands coach before his teams left the dressing-room. "Gentlemen, two points" was the gist of it.

Superfluous oratory
The two coaches involved here, Josef Hickersberger and Leo Beenhakker, would not have employed those exact words. After all it is three points that they play for these days. But the same sense that great oratory was superfluous held true. Neither set of players needed stoking up for this one. They had each lost their opening game and a second defeat was something they dared not contemplate. 

Lifeline
It had been billed as a 'do-or-die' clash in advance - winner stays in, loser goes out. Yet, intriguingly, Germany's defeat by Croatia had offered a lifeline to the co-host nation. It meant that if Austria were to lose they could still dream of going through to the next round, albeit with a remarkable pair of results on Monday. Not that Hickersberger would have been bothering to explain the maths to his team as the minutes ticked down to the 20.45 start. "Gentlemen, three points" would have been much more appropriate.

Sublime finish
Deco had given Portugal an eighth-minute lead after good work from Ronaldo before Libor Sionko's thumping header levelled proceedings. However, Ronaldo turned on the style in the second half, providing a sublime finish from the edge of the area in the 63rd minute before supplying Ricardo Quaresma to round things off in added time. The win left Portugal top of Group A with six points and their last-eight place was confirmed by Turkey's last-gasp victory over Switzerland later in the evening – a result that leaves the Czechs tied in second with Fatih Terim's side on three points ahead of their decisive meeting on Sunday, which if it is drawn will go to penalties.

Baroš return
While Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari kept faith with the same XI that served him so well in the opener against Turkey, his Czech counterpart, Karel Brückner, dropped Jan Koller in favour of Milan Baroš, top scorer at UEFA EURO 2004™, and elected not to give Václav Svěrkoš the chance to shine from the start despite his winning strike against the Swiss. The Czechs may have registered the first shot on goal after Sionko's mazy run, but it was the Portuguese who delivered the first telling blow with just eight minutes on the clock. The ever-menacing Ronaldo escaped the clutches of his marker down the left side before a swift one-two with Nuno Gomes left the Manchester United FC winger with just Petr Čech to beat. The Czech goalkeeper somehow foiled Ronaldo's attempt to waltz around him but the ball fell invitingly for Deco to slot home at the second attempt from close range, giving Scolari's men the perfect start...

Hamit Altıntop has hope for Turkey's Group A finale after their 2-1 win against Switzerland, saying: "If we play like we did in the second half, there is nothing to fear."

Second-half recovery
A goal down at half-time after Hakan Yakin put the co-hosts ahead amid a fearsome downpour in Basel, Turkey restructured at half-time, bringing on Mehmet Topal and Turkish Süper Lig top scorer Semih Şentürk. They were rewarded as Semih scored their 57th-minute equaliser before midfielder Arda Turan grabbed all three points with a deflected winning goal in added time.

Rain supreme
"We started the way we wanted but then it started to rain," Altıntop told euro2008.com. "Before the match, [Fatih Terim] told us to play short passes, but that is very hard on that kind of pitch. We responded well, especially in the second half, so I think we are on the right track. With this morale boost, I hope we can show our best football and get the result from the third game against the Czech Republic. If we play like we did in the second half, there is nothing to fear."

...

Holders Greece already have a fight on their hands to maintain their grip on the trophy they won so memorably four years ago after second-half goals from Zlatan Ibrahimović and Petter Hansson gave Sweden all three points in their opening Group D match in Salzburg.

On the back foot
Otto Rehhagel's side were always on the back foot as they relied on the tactics that had served them so well in Portugal, defending deeply and looking for opportunities to threaten on the counterattack. For all their territorial dominance, however, Sweden were unable to pick a way through a characteristically displined Greece defence, until a moment of inspiration from Ibrahimović who – with his first international goal since October 2005 –
 broke the deadlock in the 67th minute. Hansson added a second five minutes later to leave Greece with plenty to ponder before Saturday's meeting with Russia.

Set-pieces
Sweden coach Lars Lagerbäck had warned repeatedly in the build-up of the danger posed by Greece from set-pieces, yet within three minutes his own team had proved they were not to be underestimated in that department either – Hansson heading across goal from a right-wing corner. Ibrahimović and Fredrik Ljungberg, back after knee and rib injuries respectively, then nearly combined to good effect before Anders Svensson thumped a first-time left-foot volley just past the post from 25 metres....

Thrilling match
In a high-quality Group D encounter, Russia provided moments to indicate that Luis Aragonés's side may still be vulnerable at the back and gained consolation with Roman Pavlyuchenko's 86th-minute header. But Villa's second goal in particular was a stunning team move which may already be one of the goals of the tournament. Only the seventh player in finals history to score three in a game, the 26-year-old's treble was the first in a EURO since Patrick Kluivert's against Yugoslavia eight years ago. Villa then utterly stamped his class on the match, crossing for Xavi Hernández to volley and substitute Cesc Fàbregas to head in the fourth in stoppage time...