it made all the difference." Around the hour mark, Oleh Kuznetsov passed to Mykhaylychenko who supplied the ball to Lytovchenko. His shot was blocked by Franco Baresi but Lytovchenko struck the rebound into the corner of the goal to give the Soviet Union the lead. Four minutes later, Oleksandr Zavarov passed to Protasov who hit a measured shot over Zenga to double the Soviet Union's lead. They had further chances to extend their lead but the match ended 2–0 and the Soviet Union progressed to their fourth European Championship final. Netherlands The Netherlands progressed to the final tournament of UEFA 1988 after finishing top of qualifying group 5, finishing unbeaten in the group which comprised Greece, Hungary, Poland and Cyprus. The Netherlands won six and drew two of their eight games and ended the qualification phase five points ahead of Greece. They were also drawn into UEFA Euro 1988 Group 2 alongside the Soviet Union, the Republic of Ireland and England. Their first game was against the Soviet Union which they lost 1–0 with Rats scoring in the 57th minute. The second group game saw the Netherlands face England, with the match taking place on 15 June 1988 at the Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf in front of 63,940 spectators in what author Jonathan O'Brien described as "the best match of the tournament". England struck the frame of the Netherlands' goal twice in the first half. Firstly Gary Lineker hit the post after running clear of the Netherlands' defenders after a pass from Bryan Robson, before Hoddle's free-kick hit the inside of the post. A minute before half-time, Van Basten, who had been restored to the starting line-up, received a pass from Gullit before turning past Adams and shooting beyond Peter Shilton, the England goalkeeper. With seconds left before the interval, Van Basten took the ball round Shilton but his shot was cleared by Steven. Nine minutes into the second half, England equalised: Robson played a one-two with Lineker before scoring past Van Breukelen. With less than 20 minutes remaining, Gullit passed to Van Basten who controlled the ball before striking it across Shilton to make it 2–1 to the Netherlands. Soon after, Wim Kieft's flick-on from Erwin Koeman's corner was met by Van Basten who scored to complete his hat-trick and give the Netherlands a 3–1 victory. The Netherlands' final group match was against the Republic of Ireland and was played