Euro 2004 journal

So here we are. The competition hasn't even yet started and everyone is sure who's going to win.
I'm in France and of course, over here there's no doubt who'll come home with the trophy.
Of course, it was the same atmosphere in 2002 (ahem) but hey, patriotism is good for the morale, right? No but seriously, The French do seem to have the best chance, and they're a little less arrogant than the last time around...(its a bit difficult to be anything else but less arrogant, at the same time)

The Italians are second choice. Revenge is in the air. Portugal? I'm doubtful, but they ARE playing at home. Spain? Again, I'm a sceptic but they ARE playing at home (more or less...)

And then the outsiders: England (Ho hum), Sweden (why do we always forget the Scandinavians?), Germany (assuming that the beaten finalists of the last World Cup walk out of this group alive) the Netherlands (where have they been for the last three years?)

First Match Day - 13th June

Portugal just lost 1-2 to Greece in an insipid display and for some reason i'm not at all surprised. Brazilian coach + Brazilian playmaker does not equal Brazilian game.

Spain beat Russia in an unsurprising but unimpressive result, 1-0. I suppose one Iberian upset in the day is enough.
Things might just not go as planned...

Second Match Day - 14th June
Croatia just finished an uninspiring goalless draw with a Swiss team down a man for most of the second half. Looks like the bookmakers aren't going to be surprised by anything in this group.

This is how a football match should be played. With intensity, courage and determination. A clash of styles saw a workmanlike English team lead the French for 88 minutes. Then, in the space of two minutes and two goals, Zinedine Zidane showed why he is a legitimate contender for the title of New Age God. The superiority of the French tactics won over. But their victory had nothing to do with it. Its just a pure case of football magic. They should go far in this tournament, and I am giving Jack his jacket...

Third Match Day - 15th June
Denmark just played a superb collective game and Italy suddenly looks a lot less impressive. 0 - 0 doesn't correctly resume this match. Something else to think about...

Ouch. Bulgaria just took 5-0 from Sweden. The worst part of it is they played a pretty good game for most of the match. Henrik Larsson should be on the Swedish Olympic diving team because that header...picture perfect. Severe result, but the Vikings have signalled that they are out for war...

Fourth Match Day - 15th June
The Group of Death started off today and the unfancied Latvian team proved that they weren't going to roll over for anyone of the other three teams. They lost 1-2 to a Czech Republic side that took a lot of time to settle down.

Germany and the Netherlands both disputed this match in an unsatisfactory manner - Germany by it lack of tactical imagination, and Netherlands by its surplus of prudence in the first half. Both faults led to a goal, and the match finished 1-1. They'll need to change their respective games if they want to get far.

Fifth Match Day - 16th June
Portugal beat the Russians 2-0 after Scolari, their coach made 5 changes to their starting lineup.
Greece just held Spain to a 1-1 draw. Seems like everyone forgot that this hellenic outfit finished ahead of Spain during the qualification rounds. This is not going to be a two horse race to the quarterfinals.

Sixth Match Day - 17th June
England took out their frustration on the Swiss 3-0. Pity, considering that the Swiss had played pretty well for two thirds of the match.

France just squeaked a 2-2 draw with Croatia after playing an excellent first half and an insipid second half and suddenly, the defending champions look extremely fragile.

Seventh Match Day - 18th June
Denmark finished off the Bulgarians 2-0 and looked pretty self assured about it.

The Swedish just pulled off an incredible last minute stunt thanks to their striker, Ibrahimovich, with one of the most original goals you'll ever see in a football tournament and the Italians characteristic defensiveness left them holding another draw.
From this moment, the Italians are going to need a bit of luck to qualify. No, hold up...they need the result of the two scandinavian teams to not be a draw...uhh, hold that thought...a lot of luck.

Eighth Match Day - 19th June
The Germans just failed to score against the Latvians, despite dominating the match. With such an inexcusable performance, the beaten finalists of the World Cup should start packing right away. This is not the stuff of which European champions are made.

An impressive collective performance from the Czechs. Despite going down 0-2 to the Dutch determined to attack after their first match, the Czechs rallied and calmly put three goals past the Dutch goalkeeper Van Der Sar with ten minutes to spare. This is the first team to qualify for the quarter finals and THE team to watch.

Ninth Match Day - 20th June
This match day marked the first of the last preliminary round matches and as to be expected, it was highly disputed.
The Iberian derby swung finally in Portugal's favour as the hosts played a solid game to assure their place in the next round and at the same time deny their neighbours. With a goal coming from Nuno Gomes after a long awaited Pauleta substitution exactly when the Spanish seemed to have weathered the Portuguese attack sufficiently to counter, the Spanish needing a draw found them suddenly holding the short end of the stick. They would never get closer to regaining control of the match than Torres' header against the post.

Despite being already eliminated from the competition, Russia came out to save their national pride and put two goals past the surprised Greeks before Vryzas salvaged the one that would eventually assure them a place in the quarterfinals. 2-1 in the Russian's favour and only the Spanish are left to grieve.

Tenth Match Day - 21st June
A rampant attack display by the English, despite showing a worrying fragility in defense on set pieces, assured them a convincing 4-2 victory over the Croats and a place in the quarter finals.
Wayne Rooney confirmed his place as the new english attacking phenom putting in two goals and setting up a third.

The French played a Jekll and Hyde match, with the faces of Zidane and Henry smiling from ear to ear in the first and last twenty minutes despite a huge troubled period around the interval.
Zidane's twentieth minute header semmed signal the end of the doubts hovering over the defending champions, but the Swiss doggedly equalized with Vonlathen catching the French defense flat footed. Up to the inteval and on starting the second half the French looked decidedly ordinary and quite capable of losing the match until the header from Louis Saha, replacing the phantomlike Trezeguet 20 minutes from the end permitted Henry to escape the Suiss defenders. His second goal six minutes was just a formality...The French win the group without losing a match, but still do not seem at all convincing.

Eleventh Match Day - 22 June 2004 -
A complicated tabulation procedure left Italy needing a victory and a lot of luck to qualify for the quarterfinals. Whatever happens, the Italians have to pray that the Scandinavians do not finish with a draw with each one having scored two goals or more.
However, this motivation wasn't enough to stem the complacence that has reigned in the Italian attack and it was no surprise when the Bulgarians went ahead on a penalty just before the half. As was to be expected the Italians managed to score the two necessary goals to beat the brave Bulgarians, but Cassanno's winner only made the situation even more bitter as the Azzurri, no longer master's of their own destiny saw themselves nevertheless doomed to an early exit.

2-2 = Scandinavian victory, the horned-helmeted supporter had seen the writing on the wall...In a highly disputed tense match, the Swedish came from behind twice after Jon Dahl Tomasson had struck to assure their ticket to the quarterfinal. In a match that witnessed the most impudently beautiful goal of the tournament, courtesy, Tomasson's lob, it was a last minute Jonson strike that decided the fate of the group.

Twelfth Match Day - 23 June 2004
The brave Latvian outfit saw itself simply outmatched as the Dutch, confident despite their loss to the Czechs camped out in the Latvian's half of the field. Van Nistelrooj scored a penalty and a header to boost the Orangemen into a 3-0 win and into the next round, equalling Rooney as the tournament's top scorer.

The Czechs already sure of winning the group, resting 9 players from the original 11 that started against the Dutch, pulled off an impressively calm demonstration against a German team needing a win to keep their chances of progression alive.
Despite going behind to a somptuous Ballack free kick in the middle of the first half, the Czechs kept their calm. Marek Heinz with an equally sumptuous set piece of his own and then Milan Baros, substitute, with a superb accelerating counter attack 13 minutes from the end resigned the Germans to an early exit and Rudi Voller to a sure resignation.

Quarter-final Matches
Thirteenth Match Day - 24 June 2004
The Quarter Finals began in a dramatic manner as England and Portugal duked it out 2-2 up to the end of extra time before the Iberians prevailed 6-5 on penalties.
A horrendous defensive error in the third minute of the game gave England a lead that they would not give up until the last minutes of the game when Postigha equalised. Nuno Gomes' brilliant long range shot in extra time should have decided the issue but the English proved persistent, but despite being denied a Sol Campbell header for a foul on the goalkeeper by another player, they managed to equalise through Lampard on a goalmouth scrimmage five minutes from the end.
However, the English tenacity fell away during the penalty kick session...David's Beckham's shot flew largely wide as he unearthed a large clump of the sod and Vassell's tame shot was savedby Ricardo, barehanded, before he shot home himself the winning penalty.

Fourteenth Match Day - 25 June 2004
Another huge upset and once again the Greeks are in the vicinity. A French team that looked a shadow of its former self, disorganised in front of the unrelenting man to man marking of the Greeks, suffered for most of the first half. With the trend continuing after the interval, Theodor Zagorakis pulled of a stunt that left Bixente Lizarazu in the stands and made a pefect pass to Charisteas. The French never deserved to equalize and the Greeks earned their semi-final ticket 1-0 but in style.

Fifteenth Match Day - 26 June 2004
A prudent, sterile first half from two teams boasting two of the better strikers in the tournament. The Netherlands reverted to their playing style against Germany, afraid to launch any large attacks that could leave their defenses exposed and Sweden looked highly handicapped, too conscient of their makeshift defense and not finding the space that caracterised their free flowing game this tournament.
Despite a Larsson header and a Ljunberg attempt that hit the post towards the end of the 90 minutes the Swedes would pay for their hesitation after 30 minutes of extra time,. With no one seeming to want to take their penalty kicks after Ibrahimovich's miss, the captain Melberg (who never takes penalties) would send a timid shot to the Orange goalkeeper and allow Robbens to win the match for the Dutch 5-4 on penalties

Sixteenth Match Day - 27 June 2004
After a first half in which the Czech Republic narrowly failed to break the seemingly solid Danish defense and appeared neutralised by their midfield, they would waste no time in the second half.
Led by Poborsky on the wing and Nedved in midfield a sublime passing game would allow them to gain a corner that Poborsy would send expertly in Koller's direction. Poborsky (who had clipped the crossbar at the end of the first half)would also provide the final pass to Baros for the second goal, once the floodgates opened. Nedved would even allow himself to hit the bar from 30 yards out before feeding Baros on a counter attack for his second and the Czech's third.
3-0 Czech Republic and the Greeks better have a humongous rabbit in their hat for the semi-finals

Semi-final Matches

Seventeenth Match Day - 30 June 2004 -
The Portuguese looked serene for the first time in the tournament winning 2-1.
Figo, having repented for his sore behaviour after being substituted against england looked like a real captain sewing chaos in the Netherlands midfield. On the Dutch side, Van Nistelrooj looked pretty harmless without the ball at his feet in the penalty area.
The first goal would come from a Cristiano Ronaldo header off a Deco corner in the first half.
After Figo hit the post just before the return to the lockers it was no surprise when Manich pulled of a wonderful shot that left Van Der Sar rooted in his boots.
A clumsy piece of defense on the part of Jorge Andrade woiuld see him lob his own goalkeeper and give the Dutch hope coming to the end of the match but the Portuguese calmly assured their victory and their final at home.

Eigteenth Match Day - 01 July 2004 - Match 30
The battle between the beautiful game that the Czechs played throughout the tournament and the physical commitment that the Greeks put in to surprise all of their more highly classed opponents swung today in favour of the underdogs. However contrarily to their other encounters the Greeks did not merit this victory. Their first twenty minutes saw them nervously negotiate a swarm of Czech attacks before they got into the match offensively. A second stream of Czech offense could have presumably cracked the Greek code but instead cracked Nedved's knee, eventually forcing him to take an early shower. (To the Greek's credit we should note that the injury was completely accidental)
In the second half, the Czechs looked just as menacing but they seemed bsomewhat lost without their enigmatic midfielder and missed some clearcut occasions. The Greeks on their side profitted from Nedved's absence to restart their offense. However, no goal followed for either team.
With the extra time, the Greek vitality began to shine and the Hellenes looked the fresher of the two teams. Pressing their attack at the end of the first period of extra time, they would gain two corners in succession, the second corner would be signed by a Dellas header, which coming as it did several seconds before the end of the first extra time period signalled the end of the match under the silver goal rule.
Greece 1 - 0 Czech Republic = final Portugal/Greece = rematch of opening game

Somehow, this time around I'm betting on the Greeks. They've done this before, they have nothing more to prove and personally I like their fighting spirit a whole lot better than the prima donnaism that reigns inside of the Portuguese "Golden Generation". I've never liked Figo, I'm not a big fan of those pretty boy footballers (like Cristiano Ronaldo) and personally I'm sick of losing my prognostics every time that Greece is concerned (yes I lost on the Greece-Russia too. Of course, Portugal is playing at home. Of course, they want revenge for that opening match. Of course Scolari is going to get some sense and replace Pauleta by someone on the bench who's AWAKE during the matches. Is that going to be enough? I'm betting on the Greeks.

Final Match
04 July 2004 - Match 31
Portugal 0-1 Greece
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