Matchday 7

Italy vs. Romania (1-1, Mutu, 55′, Panucci, 56′, Mutu – Missed PK 81′)

Both teams came into this match with something to prove.  The Italians needed to prove they weren’t as bad as the team that got crushed and dominated by the Dutch 3-0.  The Romanians needed to prove they weren’t an anti-footballing team.  Well, both teams dispelled that, but still, the scoreline remained locked at 1, thanks in part to the ref.  The Italians made a handful of changes, most notably inserting Alessandro Del Piero as the strike partner for Luca Toni.  The Italians started the match desperately pushing forward, but anytime they got close, they were either stymied by the defense of Romania, or by Lobont.  Even worse, the Romanians counter-attacked early and often, and caught the Italians a few times.  Luckily for the Italians, the Romanians couldn’t convert the chances, especially one early in the first half where Mutu was 1v1 against Buffon.  Luca Toni had a goal ruled to be offsides seconds before the break, another mistake by the referees here in Euro 2008, which got the Italian bench pissed off, especially Roberto Donadoni.  Heading into the half, the scores remained deadlocked.  However, 10 minutes in, the Romanians caught a break, as on a Free Kick from midfield, Zambrotta misjudged his distance from himself to goalkeeper Buffon, Mutu pounced in and hit a screamer for an easy goal, stunning the Italian faithful, and sending the Italians reeling.  The Italians increased their pressure by inserting eccentric forward in for Simone Perotta, which helped to restart the offense lost after halftime.  It paid off, as a minute after the Romanian goal,  Zambrotta was able to send a ball in for Panucci, who rocketed it past Lobont for the equalizer, 1-1.  The Romanians had a chance to win the match when Panucci was judged to have dragged down his man inside the box, but Buffon made a ridiculous save on Adrian Mutu’s strike, as the match ended 1-1.  The ref made horrible decisions against the Italians all day, and instead of a win, the Italians had to settle for a draw, and it could’ve been worse if Mutu had converted the try.

Goalkeepers – Buffon was simply outstanding.  Zambrotta stranded him for his first conceded goal, but otherwise he made some fine saves throughout the match.  Lobont also had a really solid match.  He wasn’t tested as often as Buffon (believe it or not), but nevertheless, he still looked like the goalkeeper Ajax brought up from years past.
Defenders – Thankfully, the Romanian fullbacks pushed up a little bit more to make things exciting.  Rat had another solid outing, but it was Dorin Goian who had the game of his life marking Luca Toni.  Toni still had his chances, and Goian was being a bit of an ass, but he still got the job done.  Panucci looked rusty as the central defense partner of Giorgio Chiellini early on, but settled down quite a bit.  Fabio Grosso had a nice match at left back, pushing up often to disrupt Cosmin Contra and the right hand side of the Romanian team.
Midfielders – If we count Mutu as a midfielder, the Romanian midfield was good.  If not, it was moderate at best.  The most out of place player looked like Florentin Petre, all 5′5 of him.  He looked like a little midget running around against the likes of Luca Toni.  The Italian midfield looked vastly improved with Perotta and Di Rossi entering for Milan stalwarts Ambrosini and Gatusso.  Chivu had another moderate match.  Nothing really impressive.
Attackers – Toni had his chances but he was just a bit off all match long.  Daniel Niculae didn’t get much service, and he played horribly himself, so really nothing active for both sides.

Man of the Match – Gianluigi Buffon.  Ridiculous saves all match long, and he saved the penalty kick which could’ve eliminated the Italians.
Dud of the Match – The Refs.  They all sucked.  Luca Toni wasn’t offsides, and Panucci got screwed over by the penalty awarded against him.  But then again, it’s mostly UEFA’s fault for telling the refs to get harsher on activity in the box during the middle of the tournament.

 

 

Netherlands vs. France (4-1, Kyut, 10′, van Persie, 59′, Henry, ‘71, Robben, ‘72, Sneijder, ‘90+)

Total Football at its finest.  The Dutch crushed the French as if there were no tomorrow, with an astonishing four goal spree against two World Class central defenders, a Bayern Munich right back, a Manchester United left back, and holding midfielders from Chelsea and Lyon.  It didn’t really matter, did it?  The Dutch had a plan, to attack when tied, to attack when ahead, and to attack when behind.  It has worked perfectly against two of the World’s best.  Dirk Kyut, seen only as a late match sub for Arjen Robben coming into the tournament, had his second goal of the Finals, with a nicely headed ball from a van der Vaart corner for an early 1-0 lead.  However, that seemed to rejuvenate Les Bleus more than anything else, as they sent attack after attack down the field towards Edwin van der Saar, who stopped everything in his way.  Going into halftime with a 1-0 lead is never secure, so of course, van Basten opts to go for another attacker for a defensive midfielder and brings in the finally fit Arjen Robben to replace Orlando Engelaar, who didn’t follow up his first match all too well.  Once he made his way onto the pitch, his creativity, pace, vision and striker’s mentality showed, as he broke away on a counter attack on the left, crossed in a beautiful ball to fellow sub van Persie, who luckily slotted it past Coupet for a 2-0 lead, shocking the French contingent even further.  Henry hit one back with a deft touch on a Willy Sangol cross, but just 45 seconds later, while the French crowd were still singing La Marseillaise, Sneijder found Arjen Robben with room on the left, and he took on the entire French team, until he got to Coupet and fired a rocket over Coupet’s head for an immediate answer.  3-1.  Finally, in extra time, Wesley Sneijder capped off scoring with a stunning run just outside the 30 yard box over Coupet, sealing UEFA MoM honors, and a stunning 4-1 blow for the French at the hands of the Dutch.  Personally for me, one of the most entertaining matches I’ve seen in awhile.  Thanks, Marco van Basten.

Goalkeepers – van der Saar was solid again in goal.  It’s amazing how van der Saar seems to get better with age while Lehmann gets worse, and his mouth gets bigger and bigger.  Coupet didn’t have so much of a bad match as he did an unlucky one.  The first goal was Malouda’s fault for not marking Kyut, the second goal was Robben and van Persie’s marker, and the final two goals were the fault of the midfield and defense, as they just sat there watching the midfield do its work.  I kinda feel bad for him, because this is finally his chance, and the team can’t do shit for him.
Defenders - Gallas + Thuram + Sagnol + Evra = What the Fuck today.  They were outplayed so dearly by the Dutch back 4 of Boulahrouz, Mathijsen, Ooijer, and Gio.  I mean, there’s nothing more that needs to be said.
Midfielders - Ribery was a bit off today in everything he did.  He still ran the midfield decently, but no to his full potential.  Toulalan and Makelele, one of them has to go because the French are a bit confused right now in the midfield, and Malouda had a weird outing.  I had no idea what he was doing half the time… while the Dutch midfielders (Engleaar, Sneijder, Robben, van Persie, Kyut, van der Vaart), I mean, it’s just unfair.  They were a part of all the goals today, and 6 different players have scored.  Just stunning.
Attackers – Henry blew a wide open chance but hit another one, so I think he did alright.  van Nistelrooy was a bit selfish up front, but the midfield spelled him.

Man of the Match - Wesley Sneijder.  Goal, Assist, ran the midfield well, again.  Real have a star.
Dud of the Match – Lilian Thuram & William Gallas.  Just look at the scoreline.  If you still disagree, look at all four goals again.

Matchday 6

Germany vs. Croatia ( 1-2, Srna, 24′, Olic, 62′, Podolski, ‘78 )

Quite simply put, Croatia deserved to win this match.  They outplayed their counterparts throughout the entire pitch, from the solid goalkeeping of Stipe Pletikosa to the solid play of striker Ivica Olic.  This match seemed to favor the Germans in every which way – they were coming off a 2-0 victory over Poland and were playing almost at home, while the Croatians had only narrowly beaten host nation Austria in a game dominated mostly by the Austrians.  However, as the match started, the Croatians seemed to have an idea of what they were doing, while the Germans did not.  Mladen Petric was ineffective in the first match and replaced by Niko Krancjar, who played last match as a psudeo midfielder/forward.  He was more effective as Olic’s strike partner today, and looked a lot more comfortable.  The first goal was served up on a cross by Pranjic into the feet of Darijo (the Diver) Srna, who pocketed it easily for a goal.  Srna had beaten his marker, Marcell Jansen to the ball and easily beat Lehmann, who was clearly out of position.  Entering halftime, the Germans seemingly were dominated at every point, and much of the same occurred in the second half, even when the Germans substituted in David Odonkor at right midfield.  Ivica Olic made it 2-0 on a rebound from a deflection off the post, and the Germans were desperate.  They reverted to a 3-4-3 by subbing right defender Clemens Frtiz for striker Kevin Kuranyi, and the immensely Mario Gomez for supersub Bastian Schweinsteiger.  Schweinsteiger made his mark on the match immediately on the left-hand side which led to Germany scoring on a volley by Lukas Podolski, his 3rd of the tournament.  Unfortunately, this was it for the Germans, as they continued to play listlessly and frustrated.  Ballack was frustrated, but even more so was sub Schweinsteiger, who got red-carded for shoving sub Leko on the Croatians.  All in all, an ugly day for the Germans, and a very impressive display by the Croatians, who were my choice as potential surprise packages in this tournament…

Goalkeepers – Another very lackluster match for Jens Lehmann.  At this point, I can see why Arsenal would rather start Manuel Almunia than Lehmann, someone who is a lot quieter and far less eccentric.  Pletikosa had another solid match, but honestly, not much was thrown his way.  He might be getting a look from western European teams for his performances in this tournament, finally.
Defenders – The Croats were awesome, and the Germans were ugly.  Lahm didn’t defend since he had to attack most of the match, Jansen didn’t attack nor defend effectively, and the combination of Metzelder and Mertesacker were just plain ineffective.
Midfielders – Ballack played totally out of his element and Frings played like garbage, especially on set-pieces.  Fritz wasn’t the same as the last match, and Podolski, even after scoring wasn’t as effective either as he was against the Poles.  On the other hand, Darijo Srna ran the midfield well for the Croats.  I didn’t see much from Luka Modric still, but he did enough to be named MoM by UEFA.  Niko Kovac held the midfield perfectly, and Rakitic, a new insertion into the lineup played effectively on the left against Marcell Jansen.  Pranjic provided service on the right against Frtiz and Lahm.  The Croatians were on the level of Portugal and Holland, basically.
Attackers – Klose got absolutely no service, and his strike partner, Gomez played horridly.  It was one of the worst performances of the tournament from a big name player, and he needs to be benched if Germany are to have any more chances.  Olic and Krancjar played well.  They didn’t have many chances, but the ones they had, they bagged.  They also had an excellent work rate.

Man of the Match – Slaven Bilic.  Sorry, gotta hand it to the eccentric Croatia manager.  He made all the right decisions, and it was a total team effort for the Croats, who dominated the Germans much like in 1998.  The team, not individuals collectively made the machine work beautifully.
Dud of the Match – Michael Ballack.  Horrible match for the mastermind of the midfield for the Greeks.  Taken out of the match by Croatia’s patient and precise approach, Ballack played out of his element, making horrible passes and tackles, partly out of frustration. 

For the Germans - They NEED this lineup in order to get back into form against the Austrians:

4-4-2

GK - Jens Lehmann
DL - Philip Lahm
DR - Clemens Fritz
DC – Per Mertesacker, Cristoph Metzelder
ML - Thomas Hitzlsperger
MR – David Odonkor
MC – Michael Ballack, Tim Borowski (DMC)
S – Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski 

 

Austria vs. Poland (1-1, Guerreiro, 30′, Vastic, 90′+)

Five hours after full-time, and I am still pissed off.  Selfishly, I had Artur Boruc on my Fantasy Football team, and he was well on his way to capturing at least 20 points for me, when, in the last 30 seconds, a ridiculous call in the box turned around my fortunes, and the Poles.  An Austrian (I don’t even know who) was deemed to have been ‘fouled’ in the box, severe enough for a Penalty Kick.  Come ON!  There was so much jostling throughout the match, and he calls it in once instance?  That’s so fucking pathetic.  Anyways, hometown hero and favorite son Ivica Vastic sent Boruc the wrong way, and the Poles and Leo Beenhakker are still without a win in the competition.  The first ten minutes were easily dominated by the Austrians, however, as they tested Boruc on successive possessions, as he made 4 beautiful saves to keep the Poles in the match.  Once the Poles slowed the match down and started knocking it around, they got in a bit more of a rhythm, leading to a lob by Smolarek towards the right side of the box, slotted through to Roger Guerriero for the Poles’ first of Euro 2008.  Likewise with the second goal, there was controversy here also, regarding whether or not the naturalized Pole was actually onside or not.  Anyways, the Poles would go on to dominate the match until the ridiculous call.  From a fan’s standpoint, quite possibly one of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen have come out of the game.  Fair play to the Austrians for not giving up, but it should not have come down to an idiotic penalty.  Oh, let us not forget – Vastic gets the free beer for life also.  Great promotion, huh?

Goalkeepers – Boruc was simply outstanding in the first 10 minutes of the match.  If the Austrians had any World Class strikers (or if Boruc had been facing Rangers in the Civil War), it could’ve easily been 4-0, and not even his fault.  One specific 1v1, he had a nice crotch block, and other times, he made the impossible, possible.  Man of the Match if not for the idiotic call.  Macho also played a ridiculous match, and deserved at least consideration for the MoM performance, as he kept the Austrians in the match when the Polish onslaught ensued.
Defenders – In the first match, the Poles were caught twice by their high line/offsides trap and the counter, and this time.  Not only did they not learn from this (apparently), they saw the Austrians waste another few chances as they were caught on the counter once again.  If not for Boruc, the Polish defense would be public enemy #1, even if they did settle down eventually.  The Austrians were a ton better today, led by Aufhauser and Pogatetz, who didn’t daw any cards.  They kept the Austrians in the match, along with Macho.
Midfielders - Kryznowek had a solid match on the left.  The rest of the Poles were moderate, at best, even with Saganowski providing Guerriero with the crucial service for his goal, and the temporary lead.  The Austrian midfield played horribly, especially their captain Ivanschlitz.  When they had wide open opportunities, they failed.  They looked overmatched after their 10 minute fury to start the match.
Attackers – Ebi had another immensely disappointing performance, and had to be bailed out by Guerriero, playing behind the Racing Santander man.  The Austrians were no better here than in the midfield, as they squandered opportunities left and right.  Vastic gets the credit for equalizing from the spot, but the striker shouldn’t have taken the shot because it wasn’t a penalty.

Man of the Match – Roger Guerriero.  Guerriero had a splendid match replacing the injured captain Maciej Zurawski, as his presence was felt early and often.  However, if not for some horrible refereeing, this would’ve gone to Artur Boruc.
Dud of the Match –  Howard Webb.  The ref really, really fucked up this match.  Sorry for my language, but this almost makes me think the match was fixed.  One wrong decision (there’s no question) and one potentially wrong decision (the Guerriero goal) I guess canceled each other out, but come on!  You can’t referee matches like that.

Matchday 5

Portugal vs. Czech Republic (3-1, Deco, 8′, Sionko, 17′, Cristiano Ronaldo, 63′, Ricardo Quaresma, ‘90+)

The second round of group stage matches started with a bang, as the defending runners-up Portugal squared off against the Czechs.  On paper, the matchup seemed to favor the Portugese, even though the Czechs have one of the best goalkeepers in the world in Petr Cech.  The Portugese didn’t disappoint at all, with great performances all throughout the team.  Deco opened his Euro 2008 account with a scramble near the goal which resulted in a goal past Cech for an early lead after 8 minutes.  Czech right-winger Libor Sionko come back 9 minutes later with a beautifully headed goal off a set piece for the equalizer.  Sionko, based out of Denmark has had a solid tournament thus far, and finally has something to show for his hard work.  At the half, the scores were level.  However, once the teams came back on the pitch, the Portugese started to take over.  Deco assisted on Cristiano Ronaldo’s first of the tournament, and scoring was capped in extra time with sub Ricardo Quaresma slotting in a wide-open goal from an unselfish play by Cristiano Ronaldo.  Even though the Portugese came out ahead, the Czechs were vastly improved all through the team, especially up front, as Milan Baros had a solid match.

Goalkeepers – Cech had a difficult match as the Portugese dominated posession especially in the Czech’s half.  On the other hand, Ricardo didn’t have the best of games either, as he seemed extremely uneasy and unsure at the back.  He only let in a goal, but it could’ve been more if he hadn’t made the saves he did.
Defenders – The Portugese were exposed a bit at the back.  Bosingwa pushed forward way too much and was often caught on the counter by Marek Matejovsky and Jaroslav Plasil.  Paolo Ferriera, already playing out of his preferred right-back position, had only a moderate match on the left and was outplayed by the man he was supposed to mark, Libor Sionko.  In the middle, Pepe didn’t have the match he did the last time out, but he still could’ve played better.  The Czechs, meanwhile were caught off the counter a few times, but mostly, they didn’t have enough people in the box to really trouble the Portugese.  All three goals came within the 30 yard box, with Deco’s and Quaresma’s goals right on the end of the goal.
Midifielders - The left side of the Portugese midfield was absolutely brilliant today.  Cristiano Ronaldo and Deco played well together, and both deserved man of the match honors.  On the right, it was a little bit uneasier, as Simao had a rocky match, along with Joao Moutinho, and Petit didn’t have his best match as holding midfielder.  The Czechs were vastly improved from their previous win over the Swiss, but still not good enough against a tougher opponent.  Libor Sionko has played a very nice tournament so far, and if he fires on all cylinders against Portugal, the Czechs may have a chance.
Attackers – A quiet afternoon for Nuno Gomes, as most of activity went through the attacking midfielders and midfielders for the Portugese.  The Czechs were vastly improved from their previous outing, as they provided support for the main hitman (in this case, Milan Baros) by suppling him with Matejovsky and Plasil, and Baros looked very nice in the first half.  Unfortunately, it didn’t amount into any goals, which eventually doomed the Czechs.

Man of the Match – Cristiano Ronaldo and Deco.  Both had a goal and an assist apiece.  Both deserved the honors.
Dud of the Match -  Tomas Ujfalusi and David Rozehnal.  They weren’t bad at all, but they certainly didn’t play like they did in the first match.

 

Turkey vs. Switzerland (2-1, Hakan Yakin, 32′, Semih Senturk, ‘57, Arda Turan, ‘90)

Comedy football at its finest here.  When the cameras were fixated on the sky, I saw a huge cumulus cloud hovering above, and I knew shit was gonna fall, and it certainly did, which made the first half a ridiculous display of comedy.  Runs weren’t completed, balls weren’t being sent to the right players, it was something out of a middle school football tournament in the rain.  However, though it all, Hakan Yakin was able to get his name on the scoresheet first with a nice strike.  He had a chance for the second, a shot he should’ve converted, but he didn’t, and that cost the Swiss severely.  As the rain subsided in the second half, the Turks started getting a bit desperate, pushing forward at any opportunity.  They tried to involve star striker Nihat as much as possible to no avail, and it turned out to be substitute Senturk who opened the Turks account at Euro 2008.  With a minute left in extra time, all the extra effort exerted by the Turks (and all the brilliant saves along the way by Volkan Demeriel) came to a climax as Arda Turan hit a shot, deflected off an opposing player and pass Swiss goalkeeper Benaglio for a goal.  That sealed the victory for the Turks, and set up a matchup for the rights to advance to the quarterfinals between themselves and the Czechs.  Definitely not the prettiest match, but the Turks were up to the challenge, coming up from two down away from home for the improbable victory.

Goalkeepers - Volkan Demeriel had his highs and lows.  He was stranded a few times in no-man’s-land, while other times, he saved everything which came to him, especially a sequence where he foiled a follow-up attempt by Hakan Yakin which should’ve made it a 3-0 match.  Luckily, Yakin missed two easy shots and the Turks capitalized.  Benaglio wasn’t bad, but eventually, the pressure was going to be too much for the defense, and Benaglio collapsed with the pressure.
Defenders – The key to any Swiss run in the tournament would be its defense, and Muller and Senderos didn’t step it up.  Magnin went forward far too often, leaving huge holes on the right side for the Turks, and Lichtsteiner didn’t have a great match overall.  The Turks were missing two at the back and started 34 year old Asik Emre at the back, but that turned out to be all they needed.  They’ll have to step it up another notch for them to have any chance at defeating the Czechs.
Midifielders - Very mediocere match for the Turks, but Arda Turan showed why he’s one of the rising stars in Turkish football with a vintage performance.  However, with a revamped midfield and the poor conditions, they Turks really need to have some sort of a gameplan when it comes to the midfield.  They were lucky the right-hand side opened up with Magnin going forward, but that won’t happen every match.  The Swiss were fantastic in the midfield, led by Behrami on the right and Barnetta in the middle, but that was a match too late, as they are now out of the tournament. 
Attackers – Tuncay and Nihat really never meshed as strike partners, and Tuncay was moved back to the midfield in the middle of the match by Fatih Terim, the correct decision.  Nihat was taken off also due to poor performance, and he’ll really have to step it up, especially in the absence of Emre.  The Swiss weren’t bad, especially being forced to play a teenager as the lone striker, but he needed more support and didn’t get it.  That’s just the game, though.  Injuries hurt.

Man of the Match - Volkan Demeriel and Arda Turan.  Volkan made a key, key save on an easy follow up to preserve a 1-1 tie, and Arda won it.  
Dud of the Match –  Hakan Yakin.  He scored, yes, but he should’ve, and could’ve won the game for the Turks.  I mean, it’s tough to blame him, but Magnin can’t be blamed for attacking, because the Swiss are up against the Portuguese in the last day of Group play…

Matchday 4

Spain vs. Russia (4-1, Villa, 20′, 45′, 75′, Fabregas, 90′)

Another entertaining (hey, two in a row!) and fun match to watch (especially if you were a Spain fan).  Even though the pitch was soaked and thunderstorms were in the vicinity, the game started with a bang, with end to end action led by Liverpool hitman Fernando Torres and Spartak striker Roman Pavluchenko.  However, after the first 20 minutes, the Spainards started taking over the game slowly, yet surely, despite some unease at the back with central defenders Puyol and Marchena.  While the Russians pushed up offensively, their defense demonstrated some massive holes, especially at right back, exactly where the Spaniards played to.  After an uninspiring attack, the Russians and Denis Kolodin were caught on the counter, as Torres went forward after a failed tackle and made a neat pass to David Villa for the first goal.  Villa came back just before halftime for a second, and capped his hat trick off in the 75th with a beautiful solo effort, sending Russian goalkeeper Akineev the wrong way, for a 3-0 lead.  Shortly thereafter, Pavluchenko struck one back with a beautiful header from a set piece, eliminating any Spanish dreams of a clean sheet.  The Spainiards got another, though as an offsides Cesc Fabregas beat Akineev for the last time.  The Spaniards dominated the match and deserved to win.

Goalkeepers – The one goal Casillas gave up can be pinned on his defense for not clearing away the header, which bounced right to the head of Pavluchenko for a powerful header.  Otherwise, he had a solid match.  Akineev, on the otherhand, did not, and while he was let down by his defense, he did make some blunders at the same time.
Defense – I’ll say this.  If the Spaniards have any issues with their team, it’s at the back.  Sergio Ramos is a bit too offensive minded, Capedvilla didn’t really capture anyone’s attention with his performance, and the partnership between Puyol and Marchena didn’t look like bread and butter.  However, they still only gave up a goal, and that’s all that matters.  The Russians, though were caught with their pants down on the counterattack quite a few times, and were destroyed on the left hand side, as Kolodin had a ridiculously poor outing.
Midfield – Iniesta started roughly, as he was not totally fit, but he came back and assisted on Villa’s second.  Otherwise, Marcos Senna held the midfield well.  Sergey Semak ran the Russian midfield, but he’s a bit too old, and collectively, they looked winded as the game progressed slowly into the night.  
Attackers – Not much to say, really.  Torres + Villa’s partnership was sublime, and Pavluchenko had to work hard by himself as a lone striker and even though he scored and hit the post, he could’ve used more support.  By himself, he had a nice match.  The Russians are missing Arshevin a ton, and he only has himself to blame.

Man of the Match – David Villa.  3 goals, solid play throughout.  Could’ve had 5.
Dud of the Match – Denis Kolodin.  Fernando Torres destroyed him on the left time and time again.  Caught out of position frequently, and if not caught out of position, made a mess of things at the back.

 

Greece vs. Sweden (0-2, Ibrahimovic, 67′, Hansson, 73′)

You know, when Romania played, I was pissed off for at least 80% of the match by their version of Anti-Football.  But with the Greeks, who also play their own unique brand of Anti-Football, I laughed most of the match.  It’s maybe because while the Romanians were being total assholes while playing their Anti-Football and making absolutely no effort to go forward (even with a team featuring Adrian Mutu and Cristian Chivu), the Greeks did go forward once in awhile with a moderate forward (Gekas), and even if their tackles were rough, they did their job (and of course, Ibrahimovic got knocked in the bollocks once also).  The Greeks spent most of the first half playing out of the always pathetically ugly looking 5-4-1, featuring three tall, big defensive backs, two defensive midfielders and a lone striker.  With the Swedes sitting on their hands, it was a long, uneventful first half.  However, once things got rolling, they really started to roll.  After the Greeks almost scored off a set piece, there was a quick clearance into a throw, which went to the head of Henrik Larsson and to the boot of Ibrahimovic, who fired away for a beautiful shot passed ‘The Greek George Clooney’ Nikopolidis.  The Greeks, realizing they needed a goal now, reverted to a 4-4-2 by taking off central defender Dellas for another striker.  This led to a counter involving Frederik Ljungberg and an eventual goal by Hansson after a riduclous goal-line scuffle.  By this time, you knew the Greeks were dead, with their lack of firepower up front.  Otto Rehahgel now has to rethink his strategy, especially against the Russians in a match which could potentially decide the second placed team in the group.

Goalkeepers – Isaksson had a horrible year with Manchester City as second choice behind the up-and-coming English goalkeeper Joe Hart, but he had a nice match and got lucky a few times also.  On the other hand, Nikopolidis had a horrible match, out of position for the last goal and beaten on the first, even if it was a scortcher by Zlatan.  He’ll need to step it up for anti-football to work at its finest.
Defense – The Greek defense was something else for the first half and broke the spirits of the Swedes.  However, once the Swedes broke them down, their confidence bottomed out, and they were lackluster and unorganized.  The Swedes were rarely tested by the Greeks offensively, and the defense, led by Mellberg had a nice match.
Midfield – The Greeks lacked a normal midfield.  It seemed like most of them were playing holding positions instead of going forward, even if they did have some attacking midfielders.  The Swiss were the more creative, led by the dynamic Wilhelmsson on the right and the aging Ljungberg on the left.  
Attackers – The Greeks had no attack at all, except for the one occasional chance.  But hey, that’s how they play.  Unfortunately, Gekas and Samaras both played alone and needed support.  Ibrahimovic broke out of his goal-scoring slump in style with a blazing shot, which really turned around the match for the Swedes.

Man of the Match – Zlatan Ibrahimovic.  Questions have been raised about his work ethic and his ability to perform in big games.  Well, those questions were laid to rest with a vintage performance.
Dud of the Match – The Greek Defense.  The Greeks need all three of their central defenders and both their fullbacks to play in unison, and they didn’t.  Then, with no offense at all, the Greeks were screwed.  They need to win their next match against Russia now, which means they need a 1-0 victory, one which can only be provided if they can stop Pavluchenko in the next match. 

Matchday 3

France vs. Romania (0-0)

From a fan’s point of view, a very boring, dull and lifeless match – the worst match of the tournament so far.   France couldn’t do anything offensively, and Romania played some of the best anti-football I’ve ever seen (poor me).  France was missing striker Thierry Henry and holding midfielder Patrick Vieira and from the looks of things, their fortunates may have been different if both were available.  The French left Nicolas Anelka up front to fend for himself (after moving Karim Benzema into more of a forward role, playing behind the striker), and moved Jeremy Toulalan to Vieira’s holding midfield position.  Both had sub-par performances, and the playmaker, Ribery was effectively shut down by Rat on the right-hand side.  Romania’s game is anti-football, and they achieved their goal, tying a shorthanded, but nevertheless, a powerful French side.  I have to say, as a fan, their style really made me dislike their team.  But I guess you’ll do anything for a draw/win, even if it means playing some ugly ass unattractive football.

Goalkeeper – Coupet and Lobont were rarely tested, for different reasons.  The Romanians barely produced any offense, and the French had some really weak shot attempts at goal.  This, combined with the game being played mostly in the midfield led to a particularly quiet day for both goalkeepers, as both earned clean sheets.
Defense – In the middle of defense, Thuram and Gallas rarely saw any action and were rarely tested, as Romania rarely pushed up with their lone striker Niculae.  Sagnol and Abidal had a below-average matches going up and down the left/right hand flanks.  On the flip side, the Romanians stuck seemingly their entire team in the box the whole game.  I mean, when I looked up, I would see 7 Romanians in the box at a time.  It was disheartening really.  I really didn’t like Romanian right-back Contra’s play either, especially his ugly time wasting tactics.
Midfield – Ribery was severely limited by Rat, Malouda and Makelele both had decent matches, but I thought Toulalan really killed France.  There was no need for a second holding-midfielder for the French at a time they needed to press up and score, with the Romanians sitting back.  Domenech should’ve brought on Samir Nasri much earlier in place of Toulalan or William Gallas (3-4-3, 3-5-2, whatever), but did neither.  That aided the draw.  On the flipside, the Romanian midfield sat back most of the match, so it was tough to gauge them.
Attackers – Anelka had a poor match because the system killed his chances of doing well.  Benzema had a poor match because Domenech made him play almost 3 positions at once (Attacking Midfielder, Forward, Striker) and the opportunities he got, he was probably tired.  Finally, Gomis just wasn’t ready for the big stage.  On the Romanians, nothing really exciting to report offensively.  It was a bore, as Niculae did jack, and Adrian Mutu really didn’t show the prowess which made him one of the top scorers through qualifying.  Not his fault, though – a product of the system.

Man of the Match – Razvan Rat.  Others will no doubt disagree, but he played into the system beautifully as the left fullback.  He stifled Ribery at every opportunity, and really controlled his team’s left side of the defense/midfield. 
Duds of the Match – Karim Benzema/Bafetimbi Gomis/Nicolas Anelka.  Gomis’ inexperience showed, Anelka’s lack of a partner killed him, and Benzema didn’t take his chances.  His oppportunity at the top of the box really should’ve won the match for France, and it didn’t.

 

Holland vs. Italy (3-0, van Nistelrooy, 26′, Sneijder, ‘31, van Bronckhorst, 80)

By far, the most entertaining match of the tournament.  The Dutch were flying on all cylinders, while the Italians looked constipated, drunk, oblivious, whatever.  I thought without attacking midfielder Arjen Robben for this match, the Dutch would struggle, but that obviously wasn’t the case.  van Nistelrooy scored while offsides (I’m sorry, Panucci didn’t keep him on), but that obviously didn’t matter in the end.  Sneijder scored 4 minutes later on a stunning counter attack which led to the feet of Dirk Kuyt, who fed a nice volley into Ruud’s Real Madrid teammate for a beautiful goal.  Despite being up by two goals against the World Champions, the Dutch continued to play their brand of ‘Total Football’, and capped the scoring with former Barcelona fullback Giovanni van Bronckhorst heading in an inviting cross.  By this time, the Italians were well out of the game, with their comebacks looking lifeless and listless.  What more can I say?  After a row with Clarance Seedorf during the run-up to the tournament, Marco van Basten figured out Italy, like the way he figured out how to score against Italian opponents in Serie A when he was playing with AC.  His counterpart, Roberto Donadoni, couldn’t figure out the Dutch, and really wasn’t aided with having the youngest team in the tournament.

Goalkeepers – Buffon played in front of a horrible defense (lacking Fabio Cannavaro) and van der Saar played in front of a surprisingly strong defense led by Khalid Boulahrouz and Andre Ooijer.  Tough luck, Gianluigi.  It wasn’t your fault today, in my opinion.  Your defense hung you out to dry, bigtime.
Defense – The Italian defense was absolutely horrific today.  One of the keys I talked about pre-tournament discussed whether or not Barzagli/Materazzi could replace Cannavaro, and the answer today, simply was no.  They were outplayed, outrun, outsmarted by the Dutch.  On the right, Zambrotta got a yellow card for his late tackle, and Panucci needed to move inside to solve the issues the central defense was having.  On the flip side, Joris Mathijsen and Gio were having splendid matches running up and down the right/left flanks, and of course, Ooijer and Khalid did their job in the middle.  It was night and day between both defenses.
Midfield - The Italian midfield featured Ambrosini, Gattuso and Pirlo.  All three are from AC Milan, all three over 30, and two attacking midfielders and one defensive.  Ambrosini, the surprise selection, proved he wasn’t the solution in the midfield.  Gattuso just wasn’t himself today, and Pirlo had only a decent match.  On the other side, Kuyt and Sneijder looked awesome and holding midfielders Engelaar and de Jong were brilliant.  Again, night and day between the two midfields.
Attackers – The Italians were a bit better on their side of the pitch.  Luca Toni had a few chances he almost bagged, but he was evened out by Di Natale’s extremely poor performance in parterning with him.  Del Piero almost rescued Italy’s chances with Cassano, but it was a bit too late, as Di Natale’s poor performance cost the Italians for a bit too long.  van Nistelrooy had a solid match up front.

Man of the Match – Wesley Sneijder.  He tore apart the Italians.  Vintage performance.
Duds of the Match – The entire Italian National Team.  It was a pathetic display from the World Champions.  Being in the Group of Death, they have no time to breathe – they need to rebound. 

Matchday 2

Croatia vs. Austria (1-0, Luka Modric, 4′ (P))

The game started with a bang.  Ivica Olic got fouled in the box, Luka Modric stepped up, converted a penalty, and Croatia looked well on their way to destroying Austria in front of their home crowd.  For the first thirty minutes, Austria seemed to simply lack the quality players that Croatia had all across the board.  The stars which one would’ve thought would’ve helped them, Ronald Linz and Ivanschitz, weren’t really doing much on offense (other than firing long, ill-advised shots).  However, after Middlesborough left-back Emmanuel Pogatetz almost got his second yellow (and quite honestly should have), Austria turned it around.  They began firing on all cylinders all the way until the end of the match, while Croatia seemed to pack it in for their next group match.  If not for the lack of quality on the Austrian side (and Croatian goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa), the Croats would’ve been dead in the water.  Luckily, however, the Tottenham-bound midfielder Modric was able to convert his penalty and insure a victory of slim proportions for the Croatians.

Goalkeepers – Jurgen Macho, preferred over the other Austrian GK Alex Manninger played well.  He was tested early and often, but held his ground.  The Modric penalty was his only mis-step, but you can’t really blame him for the inconsistent refereeing.  His counterpart, Stipe Pletikosa had a solid performance, earning him Man of the Match accolades (in my book, at least).
Defenders – A game of two halves, basically.  The Austrian defense looked absolutely horrific for the first 30 minutes, led by the ineptness of left back Pogatetz.  At the same time, the Croats, led by Robert Kovac seemed to be effectively shutting down the Austrian offense.  However, in the second half, the Austrians looked like the stronger side, and Kovac began to show his age in years.  I was very thoroughly unimpressed with the Croatian defense in the second half.
Midfielders – Darijo Srna and Luka Modric were everywhere for the first 20 minutes.  Then Modric disappeared from the match, and Srna started diving.  Krancjar never got into the game, and neither did Niko Kovac.  The Austrian midfield showed amazing work rates all across the board, but their quality killed them in the end, and the fact they were playing a modified 3-5-2 really killed the stamina of their right and left midfielders.
Strikers – Mladen Petric was playing with an injured back, but partner Ivica Olic showed an incredible work rate (from my point of view).  It wasn’t either of their faults that the midfield didn’t provide the service needed for them.  Like the midfield, the Austrians simply lacked the quality.  Ronald Linz had a poor performance and needed to be substituted, and the Austrians just took a few too many long range shots.

Man of the Match – Stipe Pletikosa.  Nice clean sheet for the Croatians.
Dud of the Match – Rene Aufhause.  Ok, so the Olic foul in the box could’ve gone either way, but he still got caught with his pants down, and he paid the price.

 

Germany vs. Poland (2-0, Lukas Podolski, 20′, 72′)

This was a fun match to watch in the first half, as it was basically end to end football at its finest.  However, once the Germans broke through, the Poles seemed deflated in their pursuits.  The Poles were living dangerously in the early portions of the match and were caught out of position as their high line offside trap got exploited by the Germans.  Miroslav Klose was in alone and fed it to Podolski, who fired it in for an easy goal past Artur Boruc.  In the second half, there was a pocket of around 20 minutes where nothing happened, but then, after Klose whiffed on a shot, Poldi smacked the rebound home for his brace.  Germany dominated the rest of the game and won in convincing fashion against the Poles, looking for a win against their most heated rivals in Europe.

Goalkeepers - Jens Lehmann proved he belonged in the starting lineup with a strong performance.  Of note was his save off a Roger Guerriero shot in the second half.  Artur Boruc had a decent match with some fine saves, but ultimately, the high line was responsible for the first goal, and pure skill on the part of Podolski accounted for the second goal.
Defenders – Mertesacker and Metzelder were very mediocere in the first 20 minutes, especially Mertesacker and his indecisiveness when coliding with his goalkeeper.  However, along with Lahm and Marcell Jansen, the Germans proved too much for the Poles to penetrate.  On the other side, the Poles were caught attempting a high line offsides trap, exploited by the Germans for an easy first goal.  As the game settled down a bit, the Poles were decent at the back, but by that time, the Germans were thoroughly dominating the match.  
Midfielders – Impressive work rate from Clemens Fritz on the right for the Germans and skill by Podolski, playing a psuedo-MR/F/S role for the Germans.  Ballack had a decent game, but I didn’t see enough from Frings, even if he was playing more of a subdued holding role.  The Poles were active in the first half, especially with Zurawski and Krzynowek.  But once the Germans started dominating the match, therew as a little too much running to be had for the midfielders, who tired down significantly.
Strikers - Ebi Smolarek picked up a yellow, and had a call go against him (it was the wrong decision).  On the flipside, Miroslav Klose had 2 assists and the aforementioned Podolski had 2 goals.  Mario Gomez was the major weakness for the Germans, and looks like a potential benching for coach Joakim Lowe, who may look to bring in Bastian Schweinsteiger on the left and move Lukas Podolski to partner with Miroslav Klose.

Man of the Match – Lukas Podolski.  Two goals after a dissapoting year with Bayern.
Duds of the Match – Maciej Zurawski and Ebi Smolarek.  The Poles needed them for offense and creativity and they didn’t do either.

Matchday 1

Czech Republic vs. Switzerland.  (1-0, Václav Svěrkoš, 71)

This turned out to be an immensely disappointing game.  Playing in front of the home crowd in Basel, Switzerland started out strong, and even though they seemed to be dominating posession, they didn’t seem to be doing much else with the ball (except for passing it around and giving it up once in awhile).  The Czech were just flat out, well, flat throughout the game.  I mentioned one of the keys for the Czech was someone needing to play off Jan Koller, and of course, no one did.  Koller was a lone target man up front, and essentially got no decent chance.  Luckily, where the Czechs failed, so did the Swiss.  Philippe Senderos did not have a particularly strong game, and the lob into the box which was horribly defended by Magnin, Sendros, Muller and Lichtstein killed any chance the Swiss had.  Oh, also, the injury to Alexander Frei didn’t help either…

Goalkeepers – Benaglio was solid in goal, very solid.  His defense let him down.  Cech had a strong defense in front of him, which made life pretty easy for him, and helped secured his clean sheet.
Defense – Rozehnal and Ujfalusi were spectacular at the back, apart from Ujfalusi’s two hand-balls (he needs to stop hailing taxi’s, as Derek Rae would say).  Muller and Sendros were less than stellar.  Magnin and Grygera played well at fullback positions, and Lichstein and Jankulovski had minimal roles in the outcome of the game.
Midfield – Galasek played a nice game as holding midfielder, but it seemed particularly odd how the Czechs played entirely through the right side of the pitch, especially though the Danish-based Sionko.  That left Polak with very few opportunities.  On the flipside, let’s be real – the Swiss had a poor game in the midfield.  Behrami and Barnetta played especially poorly, and Gelson Fernandes just didn’t have the chances.
Forwards – Koller got no service, and his reserve was lucky to have one chance, which he bagged.  Frei’s out for awhile, which will be a huge blow to the Swiss, and Streller did not do much of anything.  It’s going to be a tough ride for the Swiss from here on out.

Man of the Match – Tomas Ujfalusi.  Held down the fort well for the Czechs. 
Duds of the Match – Marco Streller, Patrick Muller and Philippe Sendros.  When you can’t score, you can’t win.  When you can’t defend, you can’t win.  Simple. 

 

Portugal vs. Turkey (2-0, Pepe, 61 and Raul Merieles, 90+)

Coming into the match, I thought this could’ve been one of the most closely fought matches.  Of course, I was wrong.  Portugal dominated all aspects of the game, from superior defending to a superior attack, led by Cristiano Ronaldo.  I predicted the defense would be fine (and it was), but it turned out the midfield (apart from psuedo-forward Ronaldo) was more of an issue for the Portugese, as Nuno Gomes played very up front for the Portugese.  On the other hand, Emre and his midfield didn’t play well at all.  Emre, recently agreeing to a move back to his native Turkey really didn’t have much of a presence on the pitch today, and seemed to be outplayed by the Naturalized Kazim-Richards.  Tungay wasn’t great either, especially after he whiffed on a nice juicy lob.  Nevertheless, the goal produced by Pepe was magical – a nice 1-2 from Nuno Gomes, and a little help from the deflection helped Portugal cruise.

Goalkeepers – Ricardo played well.  He benefitted from the Turks not being on target (especially Asik and Tungay) and he made all the saves he needed to make.  Voltan Demirel had a shaky game, but produced an awesome save on Cristiano Ronaldo’s free kick in the first half.
Defense – Portugal was splendid as predicted.  Carvalho and Pepe were mangificient, Boswinga, a new Chelsea recruit was solid at the back, and even Paulo Ferriera, playing out of position looked solid.  Turkey’s defense wasn’t helped by a knock picked up by Gokhan Zan after swiping his leg at Simao (if I recall correctly).
Midfield – Deco and Simao were alright.  Deco made some nice passes, but really didn’t get into the attack.  Simao played solid all-around, but he was also caught in no-man’s-land a few times, especially after Deco picked him out in the first half.  Moutinho looked out of it, and we’ll see if Big Phil makes a change for him for the next match.  The Turkish midfield was poor to say the least.  Emre and Tungay, the two biggest names played poorly, and while Kazim played well, he can’t win the game singlehandedly, especially when his striker isn’t doing the work up front required.
Forwards – Nuno Gomes played a great game until he was substituted in the 60th minute or so.  He hit the bar twice, and played a crucial role in Portugal’s first goal.  On the other hand, Nihat was frozen up top much the same way Koller was frozen by the Czech squad.  He looked lost out there, and didn’t get many chances at all.  Terim needs to reconsider another striker with Nihat, or at the very least more support. 

Man of the Match – Pepe.  There’s a reason Real Madrid payed so much for the Naturalized Brazilian and it showed today, with not only his solid defense, but also his nice goal. 
Duds of the Match – Emre, Tungay, Emre Asik.  The midfield looked horrible apart from Kazim.  They need to perform better. 

Predictions

Group Stage (In predicted order of finish) - 

Group A – Portugal, Czech Republic, Turkey, Switzerland

Group B – Germany, Croatia, Austria, Poland

Group C – France, Italy, Netherlands, Romania

Group D – Spain, Russia, Sweden, Greece

Knock out round -

Portugal vs. Croatia – Portugal

Germany vs. Czech Republic – Germany

France vs. Russia – France

Spain vs. Italy – Italy

Semi-Finals -

Portugal vs. Germany – Portugal

France vs. Italy – France

Third Place - 

Italy vs. Germany – Italy

Finals -

France vs. Portugal – France

Top Goalscorer – Miroslav Klose (Germany)

Player of the Tournament – Franck Ribery (France)

Potential Surprise Package – Coratia

Key Players – Group D

Let’s start with the holders…

Greece - Angelos Charisteas (F, Nurnberg) and Traianos Dellas (D, AEK).  Looking closely at Greece’s squad and their recent friendly loss to Hungary (yeah, seriously what the heck?), the Greeks don’t seem to have much of a chance of repeating as European Champions.  If they make a run, Charisteas will be a key player, as he was Greece’s top player in the last tournament.  Nikopolidis, the aging goalkeeper and Dellas, the aging defender will both have to hold down the back also in order for Greece to have any chance at advancing.  The Greeks have a solid midfield and a solid bench, and this might help them if they are to make any run at retaining the Championship.

Russia - Andrei Arshavin (F, Zenit).  Guus Hiddink is a mastermind coach.  No matter where he goes, he seems to have success.  Now, noting against Russia, but this isn’t the most assuming squad in the tournament, even after Zenit defeated Rangers for the UEFA Cup.  Arshavin, the captain will have to come up big for this extremely young, and relatively inexperienced squad, lacking the institutionalized Yegor Titov.

Spain – Fernando Torres (F, Liverpool) and David Villa (F, Valencia)  Spain are the lovable losers you hate to love, but love to hate.  They always have a solid team in every tournament they enter, but never seem to win anything.  Could this year be it for the Spainards?  The answer lies in the hands of El Nino, one of the best strikers in the World.  He had a splendid first season with Liverpool, and now, he’ll need to duplicate the feat by performing well with his national side.  Villa burst onto the international scene with a great performance at the World Cup.  The last two friendlies have shown the Spaniards to be extremely reluctant up front, and if they want to do anything in the tournament, Torres and Villa will have to score.  Spanish fans and Luis Aragones are losing their patience.

Sweden – Zlatan Ibrahimovic (F, Inter).  Zlatan’s fallen off the map a bit since his introduction into Serie A football, and is slipping even further with the funk he’s currently in.  In order for the Swedes to slip into the next round, they will need him to perform, because without his goals, it could be a long tournament.

Key Players – Group C

The so called ‘Group of Death’…

France – Franck Ribery (M, Bayern Munich).  Gregory Coupet and the combination of youngsters Samir Nasri/Karim Benzema will be vital to the success of France, but Ribery will be the key player.  After a stellar World Cup campaign in Germany, Ribery traded in his Marseille shirt for Bayern Munich and immediately demonstrated why he’s so often considered one of the brightest talents in Europe.  Ribery had a stellar season in Germany, earning honors for player of the year in the Bundesliga, and he looks to continue his hot season, this time needing to replace Zidane in France’s midfield.  Overall, France are one of the favorites to win the tournament.

Italy - Andrea Barzagli (D, Wolfsburg).  Fabio Cannavaro’s injury was crushing for Italy’s chances of repeating in a major tournament, and someone will have to step it up a notch for them to get back there.  That player could well be Marco Materazzi, or it could be Barzagli, unknown to Italian soccer fans as much as four years ago.  Progressing through the ranks of Italian football in recent years, he’ll have to prove he can step it up on the World stage and step in for one of the most clever defenders in the World, whom he’ll be relied on to replace.  He’s already secured a move to Wolfsburg due to his outstanding performances with both Serie A minnows Palermo and Italy, but it’s time to step it up another notch.

Netherlands – Robin van Persie (F, Arsenal).  I’m partial to the Dutch as they were one my favorite side growing up, but they really have some awesome midfielders and forwards.  They could potentially play 4-3-3 with Sneijder, van der Vaart and van Persie across the midfield, and Robben, van Nistelrooy and Klaas Jan Huntaellar up front.  That’s firepower right there folks.  But at the same time, van Persie’s recovering from a severe injury which limited his action this season, and he’ll have to work hard to regain his fitness for the tournament.  If he can, and if John Heitinga can hold up the back well, there’s no telling how far the Oranje can go.

Romania – Cristian Chivu (D, Inter).  Let’s face it – Romania are pretty fucked from the look of things, having to go up against the World Cup winner and runner up, along with the Dutch.  But, they have some talented players.  Chivu and forward Adrian Mutu lead the list as the two most popular players since Popescu and Hagi.  I believe Romania can do it, but getting past this group will be quite difficult.  Chivu has always been a solid player, and he’ll have to be on his game in order for Romania to have a chance at all.