ANDREI ARSHAVIN, RUSSIA. If Real Madrid is prepared to pay up to $150 million to Manchester United for Cristiano Ronaldo, then Arshavin could be a bargain for someone at a quarter of the price. The Netherlands never came up with a suitable answer for the brilliantly creative Arshavin, whose cleverly weighted cross set up the second goal. He capped off a memorable 3-1 victory by scoring the third himself.

WHAT WE LEARNED SATURDAY

1. That winning your group means nothing at Euro 2008. For the third night in a row, a group winner was bounced out of the tournament and all Holland's wonderful effort in the Group of Death was wasted.

2. That Guus Hiddink is a tactical genius. OK, we knew that already, but few expected his Russian side to out-think and out-play the Dutch so comprehensively. His accomplishments with Russia add yet another line to Hiddink's glittering resume.

WHAT WE WANT TO SEE SUNDAY

1. To see a classic battle between two great football nations with Spain's attacking flair against Italy's experience and technical ability. Enjoy.

2. To see whether Sergio Ramos' head is in the right place for a European Championship quarterfinal. Ramos' attitude has been questioned by head coach Luis Aragones, who wants to drop him from the starting lineup but believes he is the best man to handle Italian striker Luca Toni.

ANDREI ARSHAVIN, RUSSIA. If Real Madrid is prepared to pay up to $150 million to Manchester United for Cristiano Ronaldo, then Arshavin could be a bargain for someone at a quarter of the price. The Netherlands never came up with a suitable answer for the brilliantly creative Arshavin, whose cleverly weighted cross set up the second goal. He capped off a memorable 3-1 victory by scoring the third himself.

WHAT WE LEARNED SATURDAY

1. That winning your group means nothing at Euro 2008. For the third night in a row, a group winner was bounced out of the tournament and all Holland's wonderful effort in the Group of Death was wasted.

2. That Guus Hiddink is a tactical genius. OK, we knew that already, but few expected his Russian side to out-think and out-play the Dutch so comprehensively. His accomplishments with Russia add yet another line to Hiddink's glittering resume.

WHAT WE WANT TO SEE SUNDAY

1. To see a classic battle between two great football nations with Spain's attacking flair against Italy's experience and technical ability. Enjoy.

2. To see whether Sergio Ramos' head is in the right place for a European Championship quarterfinal. Ramos' attitude has been questioned by head coach Luis Aragones, who wants to drop him from the starting lineup but believes he is the best man to handle Italian striker Luca Toni.

SEMIH SENTURK, TURKEY. With the final kick of extra time, Senturk wriggled clear of his defenders and sent a left-footed shot scorching into the top corner for one of the most dramatic moments in European Championship history.

WHAT WE LEARNED FRIDAY

1. That Turkey never, ever, knows when to quit. Ivan Klasnic's 119th-minute header should have knocked the stuffing out of Fatih Terim's team, but this group of players fights to the bitter end and pulled off another miraculous comeback.

2. That even the "boring" games of this tournament are fantastic. Compared to the entertainment of the past fortnight, the first 118 minutes of the Croatia-Turkey quarterfinal were relatively dull. But what happened defied belief.

WHAT WE WANT TO SEE SATURDAY

1. To see if Holland can repeat its superb performances from the group stage. Marco van Basten's team has been a pleasure to watch and has been adopted by the Swiss public after the co-hosts went out.

2. To see what Andrei Arshavin has up his sleeve next. The little Russian was sensational against Sweden to take his team into the last eight, but Holland will be a tougher prospect.

SEMIH SENTURK, TURKEY. With the final kick of extra time, Senturk wriggled clear of his defenders and sent a left-footed shot scorching into the top corner for one of the most dramatic moments in European Championship history.

WHAT WE LEARNED FRIDAY

1. That Turkey never, ever, knows when to quit. Ivan Klasnic's 119th-minute header should have knocked the stuffing out of Fatih Terim's team, but this group of players fights to the bitter end and pulled off another miraculous comeback.

2. That even the "boring" games of this tournament are fantastic. Compared to the entertainment of the past fortnight, the first 118 minutes of the Croatia-Turkey quarterfinal were relatively dull. But what happened defied belief.

WHAT WE WANT TO SEE SATURDAY

1. To see if Holland can repeat its superb performances from the group stage. Marco van Basten's team has been a pleasure to watch and has been adopted by the Swiss public after the co-hosts went out.

2. To see what Andrei Arshavin has up his sleeve next. The little Russian was sensational against Sweden to take his team into the last eight, but Holland will be a tougher prospect.

BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER, GERMANY. The standout performer in a ruthless and efficient German effort, Schweinsteiger hit the ground running and helped his team grab an early stranglehold in a 3-2 quarterfinal victory over Portugal.

WHAT WE LEARNED THURSDAY

1. That Portugal cannot defend set plays. Big Phil Scolari's team was exciting to watch and electric going forward, but defensive lapses robbed them of the chance to go on and challenge for the title.

2. That those Germans are up to their old tricks again. When the going gets tough, they get going and they love nothing more than to prove the doubters wrong. Michael Ballack did push Paolo Ferreira for the third goal, but Germany deserved the win.

WHAT WE WANT TO SEE FRIDAY

1. An end-to-end encounter between two fiery and entertaining teams. Croatia cruised through Group B, while Turkey staged a dramatic comeback in clinching a quarterfinal place. Neither team will hold back.

2. Some clarity from Cristiano Ronaldo on his future. He said he would talk further about his possible move from Manchester United to Real Madrid once his tournament was over. Now's the time.

BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER, GERMANY. The standout performer in a ruthless and efficient German effort, Schweinsteiger hit the ground running and helped his team grab an early stranglehold in a 3-2 quarterfinal victory over Portugal.

WHAT WE LEARNED THURSDAY

1. That Portugal cannot defend set plays. Big Phil Scolari's team was exciting to watch and electric going forward, but defensive lapses robbed them of the chance to go on and challenge for the title.

2. That those Germans are up to their old tricks again. When the going gets tough, they get going and they love nothing more than to prove the doubters wrong. Michael Ballack did push Paolo Ferreira for the third goal, but Germany deserved the win.

WHAT WE WANT TO SEE FRIDAY

1. An end-to-end encounter between two fiery and entertaining teams. Croatia cruised through Group B, while Turkey staged a dramatic comeback in clinching a quarterfinal place. Neither team will hold back.

2. Some clarity from Cristiano Ronaldo on his future. He said he would talk further about his possible move from Manchester United to Real Madrid once his tournament was over. Now's the time.

ANDREI ARSHAVIN, RUSSIA. Why would you include someone in your squad who was suspended for the first two games? Well if you're Guus Hiddink and the player in question can perform like that, then it's a no-brainer. Arshavin showed Euro 2008 what Russia has been missing with a wonderfully imaginative and all-action display in a 2-0 win over Sweden.

WHAT WE LEARNED WEDNESDAY

1. That Russia – yes, the team that was demolished 4-1 by Spain in its opening game – cannot be written off. Hiddink's men, spurred on by Arshavin's brilliance, have hit form at just the right time.

2. That negative football has no place in this tournament. Sweden was made to pay for its lack of flair and while Greece, the most boring team of the lot, was the only side to finish without a single point.

WHAT WE WANT TO SEE THURSDAY

1. To see whether Cristiano Ronaldo can unlock a German defense that will dedicate itself to shutting him down. That battle could decide the first quarterfinal.

2. To see the pitch at St. Jakob's Park in Basel hold up. The turf has been re-laid at short notice and there are real fears it could churn up. It would be an awful shame if the mouth-watering quarterfinal was affected by such factors.

ANDREI ARSHAVIN, RUSSIA. Why would you include someone in your squad who was suspended for the first two games? Well if you're Guus Hiddink and the player in question can perform like that, then it's a no-brainer. Arshavin showed Euro 2008 what Russia has been missing with a wonderfully imaginative and all-action display in a 2-0 win over Sweden.

WHAT WE LEARNED WEDNESDAY

1. That Russia – yes, the team that was demolished 4-1 by Spain in its opening game – cannot be written off. Hiddink's men, spurred on by Arshavin's brilliance, have hit form at just the right time.

2. That negative football has no place in this tournament. Sweden was made to pay for its lack of flair and while Greece, the most boring team of the lot, was the only side to finish without a single point.

WHAT WE WANT TO SEE THURSDAY

1. To see whether Cristiano Ronaldo can unlock a German defense that will dedicate itself to shutting him down. That battle could decide the first quarterfinal.

2. To see the pitch at St. Jakob's Park in Basel hold up. The turf has been re-laid at short notice and there are real fears it could churn up. It would be an awful shame if the mouth-watering quarterfinal was affected by such factors.

ROBERTO DONADONI, ITALY. Failure to reach the last eight would have probably cost the Italian coach his job. But he conjured a more motivated and passionate performance from his troops, caught some luck, and escaped the Group of Death with a 2-0 win over the French.

WHAT WE LEARNED TUESDAY

1. That France is too old, too slow and devoid of any meaningful ideas under Raymond Domenech. It is time for a change ... and change is a-coming.

2. That the sweet smell of success surrounding Holland does not extend to Rafael van Der Vaart, who disgusted his colleagues on the bench by suffering from an ill-timed bout of flatulence. The reaction of the other members of the Dutch bench, who pulled their shirts over their noses and waved their arms frantically, was priceless.

WHAT WE WANT TO SEE WEDNESDAY

1. To see what impact Andrei Arshavin can have on Russia. Arshavin stupidly got himself sent off against Andorra in qualifying and missed the first two games. But the influential Zenit St Petersburg star is back in time for the crucial head-to-head showdown with Sweden. The prize: a spot in the quarter-finals.

2. How Luis Felipe Scolari handles the latest bombardment of questions about his impending employment at Chelsea. The Portuguese media and public are furious at the lack of information and explanation supplied so far, and are quickly falling out of love with the charismatic national team boss.

ROBERTO DONADONI, ITALY. Failure to reach the last eight  probably would have cost the Italian coach his job. But he conjured a more motivated and passionate performance from his troops, caught some luck, and escaped the Group of Death with a 2-0 win over the French.

WHAT WE LEARNED TUESDAY

1. That France is too old, too slow and devoid of any meaningful ideas under Raymond Domenech. It is time for a change ... and change is a-coming.

2. That the sweet smell of success surrounding Holland does not extend to Rafael van Der Vaart, who disgusted his colleagues on the bench by suffering from an ill-timed bout of flatulence. The reaction of the other members of the Dutch bench, who pulled their shirts over their noses and waved their arms frantically, was priceless.

WHAT WE WANT TO SEE WEDNESDAY

1. To see what impact Andrei Arshavin can have on Russia. Arshavin stupidly got himself sent off against Andorra in qualifying and missed the first two games. But the influential Zenit St. Petersburg star is back in time for the crucial head-to-head showdown with Sweden. The prize: a spot in the quarterfinals.

2. How Luis Felipe Scolari handles the latest bombardment of questions about his impending employment at Chelsea. The Portuguese media and public are furious at the lack of information and explanation supplied so far and quickly falling out of love with the charismatic national team boss.