Will there be another shocker?

Can Spain shake off the June 22 jinx or will their their 20 match unbeaten run come to an end??




Well so much for Turkey getting roasted, but hold that thought because Germany is their next opponent. What a shocker though by Russia against Holland, a tragic tale once again by the Dutch. Holland Manager Van Basten made a mistake by taking out Khalid Boulahrouz and the fact that the Russian's league season only starts in the summer meant that they had more time to prepare and were much more fresh compared to their opponents.

Roman Pavlyuchenko and Andrei Arshavin who were missing from the 4-1 defeat against Spain in their group opener made a significant difference to the team. The off-the ball and on the ball running of the Russians were fantastic, despite being outnumbered by the Dutch defence in their counter attacking runs, the Russians still managed to outcalss the Dutch. They looked like Mig figter jets streaming down in formations.

Spain meanwhile will play Italy today on June 22, a date they will not like at all. They lost to Belgium on penalties in the 1986 World Cup, they lost to England in Euro 96 and they lost to South Korea on penalties in the 2002 World Cup all on June 22. The last time they beat Italy in an offcial competition was in the 1924 Olympics....how interesting.