Fàbregas serves up second-half feast

A masterful second-half performance from Spain on a storm-tossed night at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion blew Russia away and booked their place in Sunday's UEFA EURO 2008™ final against Germany.

Confident Spain
Although the game was goalless at the break, the signs were already there that Spain were not about to submit to the one-touch pass-and-move style the Russians had utilised to such devastating effect against Sweden and the Netherlands. There was a general confidence about Spain's play from the start – as there should have been just 16 days after they had overwhelmed the same opponents 4-1 in Innsbruck.

Starved up front
Russia were never allowed to get their passing game going, with Spain surrounding the man in possession and effectively knotting the supply line to the forward pair of Andrei Arshavin and Roman Pavlyuchenko. Arshavin, so dangerous in his previous two matches, barely got a touch. Indeed, he gained possession just 26 times – a meagre total compared with the tallies of the two midfielders operating behind him – Konstantin Zyryanov (55) and Sergei Semak (47). Pavlyuchenko was starved of service to an even greater degree, getting just 20 touches all game.

Fàbregas impact
With Russia's attack blunted and a degree of authority imposed – Spain had five shots on goal to Russia's none in the first half – Luis Aragonés's side went for the jugular in the second period. An injury on 34 minutes to David Villa, Spain's hat-trick hero in the Group D encounter, led to the early introduction of Cesc Fàbregas, and it was his impact in an advanced midfield role that underpinned Spain's complete domination after the restart.

Comprehensive win
The FC Barcelona pair of Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández started the ball rolling by combining to put Spain 1-0 up. Thereafter, with Fábregas effortlessly pulling the strings, Russia found themselves stretched beyond breaking point. Russia coach Guus Hiddink made two substitutions but to no avail. The force was now irreversibly with La Furia Roja, and further goals from substitute Daniel Güiza and the busy David Silva, both set up by Fàbregas, crowned a comprehensive victory. The end-of-match statistics underlined Spain's domination, notably in the final third of the field. Where Russia could only muster one effort on goal, Spain put eleven of their 20 shots on target, with Igor Akinfeev, the overworked Russia No1, having to bail his team out eight times in addition to the three occasions when the ball flew past him into the back of the net.