There was more last-minute excitement at EURO 2008 as Russia blew away the highly-fancied Netherlands with a double strike in extra time.
The Russians went in front on 56 minutes through Roman Pavlyuchenko and looked to have the game in the bag until Ruud van Nistelrooy levelled for the Dutch four minutes from the end of regulation time.
But Russia were not to be denied and two goals in four minutes in the second period of extra time from Dmitry Torbinski (112.) and Andrei Arshavin (116.) gave them a deserved victory and a semi-final meeting next Thursday with the winners of Sunday's Spain-Italy match-up. For Russia coach Guus Hiddink it was perhaps a bitter-sweet victory over his fellow countrymen, but a job well done.
Slow start
A 38,000 crowd in Basle's St. Jakob Park watched a tactical first-half unfold with the Russians creating the better of what chances there were. The Dutch meanwhile presented themselves in subdued form compared with their flamboyant showings in the group stages. Coach Marco van Basten played Khalid Boulahrouz from the start, despite the tragic death of the defender's prematurely-born baby earlier in the week.
Dutch keeper Edwin van der Saar was called into action to stop a shot from Arshavin on the break (31.), but it was not until the second half that Russia really began to step up the pace.
Russians break deadlock
By the time Pavlyuchenko broke the deadlock, volleying home a cross from Sergei Semak at the near-post, the lead was overdue. Russia continued to look the more likely to score after that, opening up with an impressive display of the kind of total football for which the Dutch themselves are famed. Van der Saar had to save from right-back Alesandr Anyukov at the end of one rapid-passing movement.
With time running out from the Dutch, Wesley Sneijder swung a free-kick onto the head of van Nistelrooy and they were right back in it at the last. But there was time for one more bizarre incident before the end of the regulation 90 minutes: the referee sent off Russia's Denis Kolodin for a second bookable offence -only to rescind the decision when the linesman informed him the ball had gone out of play when Kolodin fouled Sneijder.
One-way traffic
Dutch hopes of a revival on the back of their late eqauliser proved misguided as Russia continued to press in extra time. Pavlyuchenko hit the bar (97.) and Torbinski was foiled by van der Saar two minutes later.
In the second period, the effervescent Arshavin put in a wonderful cross leaving Torbinski to tap Russia in front from a yard out. Then, four minutes from time, Arshavin sealed it with a low shot deflected off Andre Ooijer. Now, there was definitively no way back for the Dutch.
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