You are here: Betting Guide » Euro 2008 » Euro 2008: Holland breeze through, plus previews of Group D games

Euro 2008: Holland breeze through, plus previews of Group D games

Monday’s Group C Results

All signs pointed to an easy France victory against a poor Romania side - Indeed the best available odds for France to win were just 5/6 prior to kickoff. However Romania set their stall out early on - After just five minutes, they had all 11 men behind the ball in their own penalty area - They clearly set out to stop France creating anything, and they succeeded, as the two teams played out one of the worst games of football ever witnessed at a major tournament in a real “bore-draw” 0-0 game. Les Blues will have to pull their socks up now with wins against Italy and Holland if they are to progress to the knock-out stages.

By contrast, the Holland v Italy game showcased everything that is great about the game - end to end flowing, attacking, passing football from both sides, and although Holland rolled out 3-0 winners, the game was a lot closer than that - Ruud van Nistelrooy’s opener looked about 5 yards offside, and their second came just 30 seconds after Van Bronckhorst had cleared off the line to deny an Italian equaliser. Holland were the 2/1 underdogs to win this tie, but no-one will underestimate them after this performance - Their odds of winning the tournament have plummeted from 16/1 at the start of the tournament to just 5/1 (888sport) after last nights showcase.

Results:
Romania 0-0 France
Holland 3-0 Italy

A £10 bet on Ruud van Nistelrooy scoring the first goal would have returned £80 with 888sport

Tuesday’s Group D Previews

Spain v Russia - 17:00 kickoff, live on BBC1
Every man and his dog seems to be tipping Spain to win Euro 2008, mainly on the basis that they have always underachieved at major tournaments, and the fact that they have the brilliance of Liverpool’s Fernando Torres up front. They are currently 5/1 to win the tournament (888sport), and they should safely progress through the group stages without too many frights.

They face Guus Hiddinck’s Russia side in Innsbruck, and the Spaniards lineup will be one of the least experienced in recent history with Luis Aragones preferring youth to experience and blood a new wave of stars - Whether they will need to count on that experience later on in the tournament remains to be seen - who was it that said “You won’t win anything with kids”? If the bookmakers are to be believed (and they’re very rarely wrong!), then this should be a walk in the park for Spain, with odds of just 8/11 from William Hill for Spain to beat Russia.

Match Odds:
Spain to win: 8/11 (William Hill)
Draw: 13/5 (Bet365)
Russia to win: 4/1 (Blue Square)

First Goalscorer:
Torres: 9/2 (Ladbrokes)
Villa: 11/2 (Bet 365)
Guiza: 7/1 (Ladbrokes)
Garcia: 8/1 (888sport)
Pavlyuchenko 9/1 (VC Bet)
Sychev: 11/1 (Bluesquare)

A £10 bet on Fernando Torres to score first and Spain to win 3-0 would return £750 with 888sport

Greece v Sweden- 19:45 kickoff, live on ITV1
Current holders Greece begin the defence of their title with everyone once again underestimating them (You can currently get 50/1 on Greece to win Euro 2008 with VC Bet), and if they can recreate the team spirit that led them to victory in Portugal in 2004, then they could go all the way again. Although they will have to navigate their way out of a tricky group, you must remember that in 2004 they managed to defeat Portugal (twice!), France and the Czech Republic, with their only defeat coming at the hands of fellow Group D hopefuls Russia.

Sweden coach Lars Lagerback has adopted a very different approach to Luis Aragones, opting for experience in excess, with the oldest squad at Euro 2008, personified by 36 year old Henrick Larsson, who is looking to bag goals in his thrid consecutive European tournament. By contrast, his striking partner Zlatan Ibrahimovic is just looking to score - He’s currently without a goal in 14 consecutive internationals.

Match Odds:
Greece to win: 21/10 (Bet 365)
Draw: 2/1 (888sport)
Sweden to win: 8/5 (totesport)

First Goalscorer:
Ibrahimovic: 6/1 (Ladbrokes)
Larsson: 6/1 (Stan James)
Allback: 7/1 (sportingbet)
Gekas: 15/2 (Blue Square)
Rosenberg: 8/1 (skybet)
Charisteas: 9/1 (888sport)

A £10 bet on Zlatan Ibrahimovic to score the first goal and Sweden to win 2-0 would return £900 with 888sport