Russia next in German sights

Three days after their spectacular 4-0 win against Serbia and Montenegro, Germany return to Luxembourg's national Josy Barthel stadium, scene of that triumph, to face Russia in the UEFA European Under-17 Championship semi-finals.

Stubborn Russia
Germany had the best records in the qualifying and Elite rounds, so it was no surprise they performed so well in the group stage here in Luxembourg, with a 4-0 victory not only on Monday but in their opener against Belgium as well, and they also dominated the goalless draw with the Czech Republic. Russia, though, showed their stubborn side on Matchday 1 against talented Hungary, withstanding a first-half barrage to win with a late Sergey Morozov header.

Talented Germany
But Germany coach Bernd Stöber is able to call on a talented lineup, whose attacking 4-3-3 formation displayed its full strength against Serbia and Montenegro. Manuel Fischer took the joint lead in the scoring charts with a hat-trick that raised his finals tally to four, while the defence and goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler form the only back line yet to be breached in Luxembourg.

Bullish coach
Stöber has been probably the most confident of the eight coaches who started this event last week, and his team's performances have hardly dented his bullishness. "I will not try to keep their feet on the ground," he said. "We are playing so well, it is best it stays that way."

Bumpy road
Russia have had a bumpier road to the last four, the best run for their nation in either the U16 or U17 Championships since the collapse of the Soviet Union. After the dramatic success against Hungary, they were swept away 3-0 by Group A favourites Spain. But they knew that if Spain defeated Hungary, a point against hosts Luxembourg would take them through. And in the event Russia won 2-0, with Hungary losing by the same score.

'Primary goal'
"By getting to the semi-finals, our primary goal is achieved," Russia coach Igor Kolyvanov said. "Now we will try to do even better. However, I have to stress that the best teams are definitely Spain and of course Germany. Normally these two sides would compete for first place. But we will do our best."

Birthday absentee
No players are suspended for this match, although Russia defender Anton Vlasov has been ruled out for the tournament with a hamstring injury suffered against Spain and will celebrate his 17th birthday by cheering on his team-mates. However, while Germany have only Marko Marin and Mario Vrancic sitting on yellow cards, Russia's Roman Amirkhanov, Semen Fomin, Amir Kashiev, Evgeni Korotaev, Pavel Mochalin, Aleksandr Sapeta and Denis Scherbak are all one booking away from missing the final or third-place play-off on Sunday.