Spain are trying to keep the lid on the euphoria after their breaking their quarter-final curse with a penalty shoot-out victory over world champions Italy.

Because of the vagaries of the draw for Euro 2008, "la furia roja" now face Russia in the semi-finals, the team they beat 4-1 in their opening match of the tournament.

On paper, Spain have everything running in their favour. Psychologically they have the upper hand given the result of the group game, team morale has been boosted because of the win over Italy, they have no injuries and the first choice players remain fresh after being rested in the final group game against Greece.

Spain triumphed in both their previous semi-final appearances in the competition, over Hungary in 1964 and Denmark in 1984.

But with Guus Hiddink in the opposition dug-out, Spain would do well to be on their guard. The Dutchman was, of course, the coach of South Korea when they knocked Spain out of the 2002 World Cup. He also took an unrated Australia to the last 16 of the 2006 World Cup where they were desperately unlucky not to derail Italy and led the Netherlands to the semis of France 1998.

Hiddink is an expert on Spanish football having coached Real Madrid, Valencia and Betis and he is sure to have a few aces up his sleeve ready for Thursday's showdown. With Andrei Arshavin in sparkling form following his return from his ban and Roman Pavlyuchenko on form up front, Russia could go all the way.

It has been a good year for Russian sport. Zenit won the UEFA Cup, CSKA Moscow won the Euroleague basketball. Could they make it a hat-trick with Euro 2008?

PHOTO: Guus Hiddink celebrates after Russia's victory over the Netherlands in Basel, June 21, 2008. REUTERS/Michael Kooren

When the Spain squad for Euro 2008 was announced all the talk in the Madrid media was about the absence of "El siete de España" -- Raul. Luis Aragones, they said, would regret leaving out the former national team captain and all-time top scorer.

But David Villa has made light of the supposed burden of inheriting the number seven shirt and laid the debate to rest in the space of four days with his hat-trick against Russia and superb stoppage time winner against Sweden.

The chants from Spain fans calling for the return of Raul have faded away and been replaced by a chorus of "Villa maravilla".

Born in the Asturian town of Tuilla, "El Guaje" ("the kid" in the Asturian language Bable) is the son of coal miner, but instead of following the family tradition and heading down the pits he decided to try his luck at football.

Spain must be thanking their lucky stars that he made that career choice for Villa has become a synonym for goalscoring since breaking into the Spanish national side.

His winner against Sweden brought his tally to 18 in just 33 games, a far better strike rate than either Fernando Torres or Raul who scored 44 in 102 appearances for the national side.

Speedy, streetwise, skilful and razor sharp, Villa has all the characteristics of a great striker. Although he faces some stiff competition from Torres, Lukas Podolski, Luca Toni, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, for me Villa is and will be the best striker here at Euro 2008.

Real Madrid are apparently intent on signing Cristiano Ronaldo to spice up their attack, but if I were the Spanish giants I would be looking a bit nearer home and preparing a bid for a product from Asturias. On the other hand if United are forced to sell Ronaldo I'm sure the disappointment of their fans would quickly evaporate if they bought Villa with the profits.

PHOTO: Spain's David Villa scores against Sweden in their Group D Euro 2008 match in Innsbruck, June 14, 2008. REUTERS/Miro Kuzmanovic

When the draw took place last year, the Spanish press were celebrating that la selección had avoided the European big guns, but as the tournament has drawn near it has dawned on many that making the last 16 may not be such an easy task.

Even without Andrei Arshavin and Pavel Pogrebnyak, Russia look like dangerous opponents, Sweden have been forewarned about Spain's strengths having come across them in qualifying, while Greece are probably a more complete and versatile side than the one that won the tournament four years ago.

Spain also cannot seem to find a place for Cesc Fabregas, one of the Premier League's most outstanding players in recent seasons, while the team's over-elaborate build-up play does not provide Fernando Torres with the sort of service that allowed him to have such a great season at Liverpool.

They have a talented and skilful midfield, but the team seem to have no plan B if things go wrong and they concede an early goal.

It is not a problem that Raul was left out, but I do think it was a mistake not to bring Guti to Austria and a shame Bojan is not here. The Real Madrid midfielder is the sort of player who can provide a quick pass on the break and has the vision to change the course of a game. The Barcelona prodigy could have added that edge of unpredictability to the side which makes them candidates to win the tournament.

Spain may also feel isolated and over-relaxed in their Austrian mountain retreat in Neustift, the sort of place where you expect to see a smiling Julie Andrews skipping across the hillsides.

There's also the seemingly fatalistic slogan on the team bus: "Pase lo que pase, España siempre" (Whatever happens, always Spain) and I'm even a little negative about the fact that the majority of England fans (accustomed to experiencing so many disappointments) are reported to have adopted Spain as their team in the tournament.

So after all this, explain why Spain will cast off their reputation as perennial underachievers and win the tournament 44 years after their only previous triumph.

Real, however, deny any wrongdoing, saying all they have done is express their admiration for one of the hottest properties in world football.

"We aren't going to start a conflict," said Real president Ramon Calderon. "If a club does not want to sell a player why would we insist they sell him? We know they are not a selling club. It is a problem between the player and his team."

Real have a point. Aren't United pointing the finger in the wrong direction?

After all the one person who could end all the speculation is the player himself. All Ronaldo needs to do is say he is committed to United and the whole saga would be over in a matter of minutes.

But the winger, who is no doubt receiving some expert advice from his representatives, seems prepared to see which club can come up with the best offer before making any definitive decision on his future.

If United tried taking the case to FIFA, they would be hard pressed to prove Real have actually done anything wrong. However much it may appear to be, Marca is not the club's official channel of communication.

Marca, of course, is by far the biggest selling newspaper in Spain with content primarily devoted to football and more accurately anything connected with Real Madrid. Arch-rival AS is the same. The two papers compete for the ear of the players and the top brass on the board, constantly vying with each other to provide the inside line on developments at the club.

But they both have around 50 pages to fill each day. During the season they report every quote from the daily club press conferences, give blow-by blow reports of training sessions, include cut-away diagrams of who sat where on the team plane, and even provide exhaustive lists of the kit the team might take on away trips in the Champions League.

But they are faced with a serious problem at the end of the football season. How on earth do they fill the paper when Real Madrid aren't playing? The national team does not generate the same level of interest so they need something else to keep the readers' attention and that is where the summer-long transfer saga comes in.

Former president Florentino Perez was a godsend to the Spanish press. His lengthy pursuit, and successful capture, of big name players such as Figo, Zidane and Beckham provided endless copy during the close season with every twist and turn documented in the papers and on television.

Since Perez's departure the press have had to pounce on any scrap of information in the hope of reviving interest. For the last two seasons they have spent the summer talking up the chances of Cesc Fabregas and Kaka moving to the Bernabeu but in the end there was almost no basis to the stories.

But this season is different. Calderon's undoubted desire to sign Ronaldo, off the record briefings from club directors outlining the club's plan of action, the player's refusal to rule out a move to Spain, and United's angry response have provided them with the perfect ingredients for a summer-long saga.

No matter how much United complain this one will run and run until Real get their man or until Ronaldo comes clean about his future.

Simon Baskett, Madrid

PHOTO: Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring against Chelsea during the Champions League final, May 21 REUTERS/Darren Staples

Typically Sunday's 1-0 win over Deportivo Coruna came with the usual dose of nail-biting, wincing and stomach churning that have made the Calderon such a stressful place to be in recent seasons.

Although the dependable Diego Forlan put Atletico ahead on the stroke of halftime, the team looked to be suffering a severe bout of stage fright in the final quarter and nearly threw it away as they watched the Galicians lay siege to their goal.

So it was with a mixture of joy and relief that Atletico secured their first top four finish since they did the double back in 1996.

It is about time too as the club's claims to be one of the "equipos grandes" had begun to wear dangerously thin following a stream of morale-sapping disappointments and false dawns.

Atletico have always been one of La Liga's big spenders but they have developed the unfortunate knack of buying expensive and selling cheap, recruiting sought-after players who then sink without trace while watching their discards turn into world beaters at other clubs.

This season seemed set up for the usual disappointment, what with the sale of iconic striker Fernando Torres to Liverpool and a massive outlay on new players such as Forlan, Jose Antonio Reyes, Simao Sabrosa, Raul Garcia and Luis Garcia. The club then appeared to have shot themselves in the foot when they decided to sell Maniche mid-season after he fell out with coach Javier Aguirre.

But for once, other results went Atletico's way as their immediate rivals failed to take advantage of their slip-ups. They also had the good fortune to have one Sergio Aguero in their ranks. Shielded by Aguirre in his first season at the club, the 19-year-old Argentine came into his own following the departure of Torres and thrived alongside the selfless Forlan.

Aguero has racked up 18 goals this season, while Forlan has weighed in with another 16, so that despite losing their direction in midfield following Maniche's exit and having one of the shakiest defences in the league, Atletico held on to ensure their return to the big time.

Some of the club's success-starved fans used Sunday's win as an excuse to celebrate at the Neptuno fountain in the centre of Madrid, but the more experienced of the Calderon faithful kept their feet on the ground.

"Just wait until we lose in the Champions League qualifiers and don't even end up playing in Europe next season. That will be typical Atletico," one fan said to me when I saw him this morning.

Simon Baskett, Madrid

PHOTO: Atletico players celebrate the win against Deportivo Coruna, May 11. REUTERS/Susana Vera

It's quite a gamble.

Over the past two seasons, Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger, Marco van Basten, Juande Ramos and Ernesto Valverde have all been mentioned as possible replacements for Rijkaard, but the club have rejected the tried and tested contenders and gone for old boy Guardiola, whose coaching experience amounts to nothing more than a single season in charge of the club's reserve team Barça B.

Given his Catalan credentials and close association with Johan Cruyff's "dream team", the appointment of Guardiola will be welcomed by some of the Nou Camp faithful, but he is hardly the sort of figure you would expect to take charge of a big team like Barça when they're going through a Galactico-style meltdown.

Guardiola's appointment could be a sign that Barça now realise their attempt to pack the team with big-name players was a foolish one and that they may now try to recruit more low profile figures to replace the likes of Ronaldinho.

But it is a risky strategy to ask a coach as inexperienced as Guardiola to try and pick up the pieces, construct a new side and deliver success in his first season in the big time.

Real Madrid tried a similar approach with coaches like Mariano Garcia Remon and Juan Ramon Lopez Caro, but both ended up being turfed out as they struggled to deal with the pressure and expectation. In the end it took the experienced Fabio Capello to get the team back on their feet.

Will Guardiola prove the sceptics wrong and make a success of his first major coaching job? He'll need time to do it, and that may not be available. Maybe it's a healthy sign that the club has gone for a former player, hungry to make his name in coaching. Or is it a case of being too scared to appoint a coach like Mourinho, who might be too headstrong and independent? Give is your thoughts in the comments below.

FILE PHOTO: Pep Guardiola during his presentation as Barcelona B team coach in 2007. REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino

Two giants of European football, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich wrapped up their respective league titles with plenty of room to spare this weekend.

Real, the nine-times European champions, snatched a dramatic 2-1 win away to Osasuna in the teeming rain to clinch their 31st Spanish title.

Things were also getting soggy in Wolfsburg, after Bayern secured their 21st German league title, completed a domestic double for the third time in four seasons and celebrated by soaking each other with good Bavarian Weissbier (see photo above).

Neither side was seriously challenged on their way to their triumphs and they are both clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the domestic opposition.

But the celebrations will be that little bit more muted because neither side made their mark in Europe this season. Once again Real limped out of the Champions League in the first knockout round, while Bayern, who had to content themselves with participation in the UEFA Cup, were almost knocked out in the quarter-finals by humble Getafe and were then humiliated by Zenit St Petersburg.

What will it take for these two sides to become forces in Europe once again?

Real have not exactly been shy about buying in big names of late, while Bayern have a galactico coach coming in the shape of Juergen Klinsmann, and he will presumably want to strengthen the squad.

Would they better off sticking with what they've got, bringing on some youngsters and hoping to gradually build on their domestic triumphs? Or do you now need truly world class players like Cristiano Ronaldo or Kaka to win the Champions League?

PHOTO: Combination of pictures showing Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld getting showered with beer by Luca Toni as they celebrate winning the German title in Wolfsburg, May 4, 2008. REUTERS/Christian Charisius

Despite seeing literally hundreds of games over the course of a season, there is the occasional match you know will stick with you forever and Thursday's UEFA Cup quarter-final between Getafe and Bayern Munich was one of them.

It was the second Spanish-German clash I'd been to this week, having gone to the Nou Camp for the Barcelona-Schalke Champions League match the night before, but in terms of pure emotion and excitement there was absolutely no comparison. No excuses for resorting to an overused cliché because this time it is no exaggeration - this one was a real rollercoaster of a Cup tie.

From the first whistle to the last it was non-stop action and as a journalist it was one of those games where you feel like telephoning in your resignation at halftime because you don't want to miss any of it while typing your match report which, by the way, I had to rewrite about five times.

There was something in the air that made you know it was going to be a classic and when Bayern had a goal ruled out for offside in the first minute my feelings were confirmed. Getafe had their top player Ruben de la Red sent off after six minutes and lost their most dangerous striker Ikechukwu Uche before the 20th.

But the setbacks and the deafening support of the 16,000 fans crammed into the Coliseum only served to inspire them. Cosmin Contra, the hero of the first leg with his last-minute equaliser and a veteran of Alaves's fairytale run to the UEFA Cup final in 2001, struck a brilliant solo goal to give Getafe a deserved lead just before halftime.

But I knew it wasn't going to be a simple giantkilling win when Getafe substitute Braulio sped clear midway through the second half, rounded Oliver Kahn and then slipped over as he was preparing to slot the ball into the empty net. True enough, in practically their only attack of the second half, Bayern equalised with just over a minute to go.

Usually you expect the smaller side to hang on for grim death in extra time and eventually fold against their more illustrious opponents or hope for penalties. But Getafe might just have been listening to my colleague Mark Elkington, who was sitting beside me commenting: "Oh dear, you don't want to go for penalties against the Germans."

Two quickfire goals from Javi Casquero and Braulio sent the crowd into delirium and Getafe on the way to a famous victory...except of course the dream never came true.

With five minutes to go Luca Toni pulled one back after Getafe goalkeeper Pato Abbondanzieri fumbled a simple cross and rolled it into his path.

As the crowd nervously began the countdown to the final whistle, Bayern keeper Oliver Kahn charged up into the opposition area and eventually Toni headed in. Total silence... even the Bayern fans seemed stunned.

Seconds later it was over and it was heartening to see the first reaction of many Bayern players was to go and console their opponents. Martin Demichelis put his arm round Argentine colleague Abbondanzieri, Kahn did the same. It was obvious Getafe had won the respect and admiration of the four-times European champions.

"I've played 140 games in the European Cup. I've played everywhere - Madrid, Milan, London and Barcelona - but tonight has been incredible. I've never experienced anything like this," Kahn said. That comes from someone who played in the 1999 Champions League final against Manchester United remember.

"Getafe fought like madmen for 120 minutes and in these circumstances it is difficult to perform. We are obviously delighted but you have to feel for them."

Getafe now pick themselves up for a league match at home to Real Zaragoza on Sunday and then take on Valencia in their second consecutive King's Cup final next Wednesday.

When I went down to the mixed zone to talk to the players I had little doubt this team will be back to fight another day. With his eyes still red with tears, club captain David Belenguer made his way out of the dressing room and patiently talked to all the waiting reporters til well after 1am.

How can Getafe bounce back from this we asked? "Don't worry," he said. "We already have."

Simon Baskett

PHOTO: Bayern Munich's Luca Toni heads the winner against Getafe in the UEFA Cup quater-final second leg. April 10 REUTERS/Felix Ausin Ordonez

It was with more than the usual haste that I strode off from the Nou Camp after Frank Rijkaard's customary non-committal news conference on the eve of Barcelona's Champions League match against Schalke on Tuesday. Liverpool against Arsenal was being shown on terrestrial TV here in Spain and it was one of those games that you didn't want to miss.

So I settled down to my usual Reuters expenses supper of a bottle of beer and a Kit Kat from the hotel minibar and wasn't disappointed. For sheer breathless excitement, intensity and entertainment the match couldn't be beaten. The game had the Spanish commentators gasping with delight at the football being played by both sides, the commitment from the players and the non-stop support from the fans.

The next day the Spanish media was awash with tributes to the English game, with sports daily AS even managing to bring in an unexpected reference to Nelson and Trafalgar in their editorial on the match.

The Admiral's famous "England expects every man to do his duty," was the motto of English football, said the paper's director Alfredo Relaño.

"There may have been almost no English players on the pitch, but this was pure English football," he said. "It was open, attacking football, full of commitment, enthusiasm, risk and nobility.

"The fact that there were few English players involved showed that this sort of football has nothing to do with genetics but with the atmosphere in the English game, one of respect, fair play, solidarity and a job well done. Players who in other leagues are cheats, moaners and defensive turn into exemplary competitors in England. This is how football should be played."

Now Alfredo may have got a little carried away with his purple prose but there is little doubt that with three sides in the Champions League semi-finals for the second year in a row England is without doubt the dominant force in European club football (See Mike Collett's analysis and lots of other stuff on our main soccer site).

The contrast with Spanish football at the moment couldn't be sharper. Admittedly they still have two sides in European competitions, but the quality in La Liga has undergone a worrying downturn in the last two seasons.

The patient, short-passing game favoured by so many Spanish sides is past its sell-by date. The stop-start nature of matches in the Primera Liga does little to prepare teams for the intensity of European encounters, while the players are struggling to match with the sheer physicality of English-based players.

Where the best players were once clamouring to join Spanish sides, an increasing number are now looking to England first and it isn't just because of the money on offer. Being part of a top English club now appears to offer the best chance of success in the continent's elite competition.

I get the impression it is the same story in other European leagues. Is there anything they can do to stop the English domination?

Simon Baskett

PHOTO: Carlos Tevez scores with a diving header to give Manchester United a 1-0 win on the night and a 3-0 aggregate victory over AS Roma in their Champions League quarter-final. Roma were Italy's last representatives in this year's competition, April 9. REUTERS/Darren Staples

Marca and the rest of the Madrid-based media seem convinced of it, meaning we could be about to see the former World Player of the Year following the well trodden path of such luminaries as Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Romario, Juan Roman Riquelme, Luis Figo, Hristo Stoichkov, Bernd Schuster and Maradona.

All of these players underwent the transformation from Nou Camp idol to persona non grata in a remarkably short space of time.

Maradona left for Napoli after a traumatic two-year spell at the club marked by a bout of hepatitis, a horrendous tackle by Athletic Bilbao defender Andoni Goikoetxea, rumours of drug taking and a mass brawl after the final of the King's Cup.

Schuster was ousted after walking out following the team's defeat in the 1986 European Cup and a subsequent legal wrangle with the club. Romario and Stoichkov were not on speaking terms with then coach Johan Cruyff when they left the club.

Ronaldo departed at the peak of his powers after just one glorious season with the Catalans in which he racked up 34 goals in 37 matches, deciding that he would get better treatment at Inter Milan.

Luis Figo, of course, famously defected to Real Madrid after he was offered a more succulent deal by presidential candidate Florentino Perez, while Rivaldo was revered for the wonderful hat-trick that put Barca in the Champions League only to be ushered out of the side door a year later.

Other top Barcelona players such as Gary Lineker, Steve Archibald, Ivan de la Peña and Patrick Kluivert could all have left under better circumstances. Ronaldinho's career at Barcelona appears to be following a depressingly familiar line.

Having guided Barcelona to two league titles and victory in the Champions League in his first three seasons at the club he is now being accused of failing to pull his weight.

Fitness problems, no-shows at training, a series of below-par performances on the pitch and rumours about late nights have all served to tarnish his reputation. Some of the local media even say that Barca will be prepared to let him leave on a free transfer at the end of the season, while the latest stories suggest he could exercise FIFA's article 17 and buy himself out of the contract for a song.

It is hard to believe that only two seasons ago he was the most sought-after player on the planet. What is it about Barcelona's tendency to devour its own sons?

We asked at the start of this season whether it was time Barcelona let Ronadinho go, and the consensus was that it would be too great a loss for the club. I wonder how many people have changed their minds.

Simon Baskett, Madrid

PHOTO: Ronaldinho reacts during the Atletico Madrid-Barcelona match in Madrid, March 1. REUTERS/Susana Vera