Euro 2008: Man of the Matches, June 9
Wesley Sneijder, Netherlands. The Real Madrid midfielder set up the first goal (albeit controversially) for Ruud van Nistelrooy, produced a quality finish himself for the second and was a constant threat in the Dutch's 3-0 win over Italy.
WHAT WE LEARNED MONDAY
1. That you can play an opponent offside even when you are off the pitch injured, according to bizarre FIFA Rule 11.11. Christian Panucci was the victim, van Nistelrooy the beneficiary.
2. That a lot can change in two years, even for the world champions (Italy) and the World Cup finalists (France). And that the decline might not be pretty.
WHAT WE WANT TO SEE TUESDAY
1. Whether Zlatan Ibrahimovic can transform his club form on to the international stage and score for Sweden for the first time in two and a half years.
2. No more crowd trouble in match cities similar to that which followed Germany's victory over Poland. The tournament is taking shape nicely and doesn't need a minority of idiots trying to cause havoc.
