Euro 2008 Recap--Day 1

The 13th edition of the European Championships started out in decent fashion today, as both games had their exciting moments and neither ended in draws. The picks of many to advance from Group A, Portugal and the Czech Republic, both came away with victories, setting up a showdown in Geneva between the two in four days' time. That game will likely determine the group winner, but before we get there, let's take a look back at the opening day of Euro 2008.

In the first game, co-host Switzerland had the crowd in Basel firmly behind them against their opponent, Karel Brückner's Czech Republic. While his team seemed content to sit back and defend in their 4-5-1 for most of the first half, the Swiss came out as the aggressors and created several chances sprung by their wide men, Tranquillo Barnetta and Valon Behrami. On the rare occasions that the Czech Republic did push forward, Switzerland was able to build dangerous counter-attacks, and Alexander Frei forced Petr Čech to make two good saves, one from long range and the other coming from in tight as Frei bore down on the Czech goalkeeper from an angle.

Frei was forced to come off with a knee injury right before halftime, one that left the team's captain and all-time leading goal scorer in tears. At the time, it didn't seem like a huge blow because the Czech Republc had done absolutely nothing in the first half to convince anyone that they'd be able to score, and it seemed inevitable that Switzerland was going to eventually break through. Jan Koller was nothing more than a statue up front on his own; he can't run anymore and it didn't help that his teammates were not playing to his strengths -- getting him the ball with his back to goal so he could play it off to a midfielder making a forward run.

It was more of the same in the second half. Switzerland was controlling the game and playing it at their tempo, forcing the Czechs to chase the moving ball all over the field.

The creative Hakan Yakin came on for Frei at halftime and immediately made his presence known by drawing a foul right at the edge of the area and using his terrific passing ability later on. Yakin should've been on from the outside in place of Marco Streller, who also looked frozen up top, and the Swiss were made to pay for not being able to push one by Cech when Václav Svěrkoš, who had replaced the ineffective Koller in the 56th minute, outfoxed a Switzerland back line that was in the process of pushing up to catch the Czechs offside and managed to sneak in behind them. A lobbed header over the top by right back Zdeněk Grygera put Svěrkoš in alone, and the Banik Ostrava striker made his first international goal count in the 71st minute. He clearly mishit the ball; he wanted to strike it on the bounce with his laces but kind of shanked it off his ankle, but they all count the same.

After that goal, Switzerland threw everything they had and the kitchen sink at the Czechs, who dropped 10 men behind the ball and relied on a hoof-and-chase style to clear the ball out of their defensive third. Switzerland had a stone cold penalty turned down by Italian referee Roberto Rosetti after Tomáš Ujfaluši clearly handled the ball in the box. Barnetta then picked up the loose ball, forced Cech to dive to his left to push away a smashing, low left-footed shot, and Johan Vonlanthen put the bouncing rebound off the crossbar. Seconds before full time, another questionable use of the upper arm in the area by a Czech player went unnoticed by Rosetti, and the match ended 1-0 despite the fact that Switzerland deserved a better fate.

Today's second game wasn't nearly as dramatic; Portugal dominated Turkey for large stretches and were unlucky to only win 2-0 as Nuno Gomes hit the crossbar and a post and Cristiano Ronaldo's beautiful curving free kick in the first half was parried off the post by Turkish goalkeeper Volkan Demirel.

Real Madrid's Pepe had had his header off a corner kick disallowed due to a correctly called offside in the 17th minute, but he more than made up for it with the beautiful one-two between himself and Nuno Gomes that resulted in Pepe walking in alone on goal. The center back coolly finished the play like he was an experienced striker. It had taken just over an hour for Portugal to finally break through, and the goal seemed to break Turkey's spirit a little bit. Minutes later, the aforementioned Nuno Gomes, who wore the captain's armband in this game, nodded Cristiano Ronaldo's good cross off the crossbar.

Turkey huffed and puffed but never did enough to equalize, and Raul Meireles' first international goal sealed the deal in the 93rd minute. It was created by Ronaldo (who else), who slid a right-footed through ball from the left wing to João Moutinho, who was streaking into the box right down the middle. Moutinho's remarkable turn with the ball onto his right foot left him with only one option as Turkey's goalkeeper was bearing down on him, and Moutinho laid a soft pass onto Meireles. Meireles had the net at his mercy and Portugal finished the game in style after outshooting their opponent 16-6 over the course of the game.

I came away most impressed with Switzerland and Portugal, the former of whom I still think will make it out of Group A. The Czech Republic showed me nothing at all except the fact that they obviously miss Tomas Rosicky as their creator in the midfield, and Turkey are good technically but just don't offer much going forward. Switzerland and Turkey play each other in four days, and the loser of that game will be eliminated from contention -- perhaps not mathematically, but for all intents and purposes, the loser is done. Even a draw doesn't help much for either team, so that should be a fun game to watch. I expect Portugal to wipe the floor with the Czech Republic, perhaps 2-0 or 3-1 if the Czechs really get their scoring boots on.

Group A Standings (after one game):
1. Portugal (3 points, +2 goal differential)
2. Czech Republic (3 pts, +1)
3. Switzerland (0 pts, -1)
4. Turkey (0 pts, -2)

The four teams in Group B open up their respective accounts tomorrow, with co-hosts Austria meeting Croatia in the early game and Germany looking to “blitz” through their Polish neighbors once again in the second match of the day.

Today's highlights:

http://101greatgoals.magnify.net/item/W87TN981TDJJFHTS -- Svěrkoš' winner
http://101greatgoals.magnify.net/item/776CQ7SXK83K202S -- The handball that wasn't and the chances that followed
http://101greatgoals.magnify.net/item/NM76BVXMRY5V8BL8 -- Pepe's beatifully worked goal
http://101greatgoals.magnify.net/item/7GF1B11WPHSKZVBR -- Icing on the cake for Portugal

Euro 2008 Final Rosters--Group A

No time to waste, I have a summer class to get to so let's get right to this.

Czech Republic:

GK (3): Petr Čech (Chelsea), Jaromír Blažek (Nuremberg), Daniel Zítka (Anderlecht)

DEF (7): Zdeněk Grygera (Juventus), Radoslav Kováč (Spartak Moscow), Marek Jankulovski (AC Milan), Zdeněk Pospěch (FC Copenhagen), Michal Kadlec (Sparta Prague), Tomáš Ujfaluši* (Fiorentina), David Rozehnal (Lazio)

MID (8): Jan Polák (Anderlecht), Tomáš Galásek (Nuremberg), Libor Sionko (FC Copenhagen), David Jarolím (Hamburg), Marek Matějovský (Reading), Tomáš Sivok (Sparta Prague), Rudi Skácel (Southampton), Jaroslav Plašil (Osasuna)

FWD (5): Martin Fenin (Eintracht Frankfurt), Jan Koller (Nuremberg), Václav Svěrkoš (Baník Ostrava), Stanislav Vlček (Anderlecht), Milan Baroš (Portsmouth)

*Captain

Switzerland:

GK (3): Diego Benaglio (VfL Wolfsburg), Eldin Jakupović (Grasshopper), Pascal Zuberbühler (Neuchâtel Xamax)

DEF (8): Philipp Degen (Borussia Dortmund), Johan Djourou and Philippe Senderos (Arsenal), Stephane Grichting (Auxerre, Patrick Müller (Lyon), Stephan Lichtsteiner (Lille), Christoph Spycher (Eintracht Frankfurt), Ludovic Magnin (Stuttgart)

MID (8): Tranquillo Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen), Valon Behrami (Lazio), Ricardo Cabanas (Grasshopper), Gelson Fernandes (Manchester City), Daniel Gygax (Metz), Benjamin Huggel (FC Basel), Gökhan İnler (Udinese), Hakan Yakın (Young Boys)

FWD (4): Eren Derdiyok and Marco Streller (FC Basel), Alexander Frei* (Borussia Dortmund), Johan Vonlanthen (Salzburg)

*Captain

Turkey:

GK (3): Rüştü Reçber (Beşiktaş), Tolga Zengin (Trabzonspor), Volkan Demirel (Fenerbahçe)

DEF (7): Uğur Boral (Fenerbahçe), Servet Çetin, Hakan Balta, Emre Güngör, Emre Aşık, and Sabri Sarıoğlu (Galatasaray), Gökhan Zan (Beşiktaş)

MID (8): Emre Belözoğlu* (Newcastle), Mehmet Topal, Arda Turan, and Ayhan Akman (Galatasaray), Mehmet Aurélio and Colin Kazim-Richards (Fenerbahçe), Tümer Metin (Larissa), Hamit Altıntop (Bayern Munich)

FWD (5): Nihat Kahveci (Villarreal), Semih Şentürk (Fenerbahçe), Gökdeniz Karadeniz (Rubin Kazan), Tuncay Şanlı (Middlesbrough), Mevlüt Erdinç (FC Sochaux)

*Captain

Note: Portugal's final roster was already named.

Euro 2008 Preview--Group A (Part 2)

After taking a little break to watch some afternoon baseball, I'm back with the second part of my Group A preview.

Switzerland:

Coming off their unexpected progression to the Round of 16 in World Cup 2006, where they were the only team to not concede a goal during regulation, Switzerland has fairly high hopes in this edition of the European Championship. Boosting those hopes, of course, is the fact they are a co-host of this tournament along with Austria, and we've seen in recent international competitions that the host country is almost a surefire lock to make it out of the first round.

Switzerland's competition in Group A complicates that notion; behind Group C, this year's "Group of Death", Group A is the trickiest to navigate. Köbi Kuhn's team hasn't played a competitive game since losing in PK's to Ukraine in the last World Cup; as a co-host, they had an automatic berth in this tournament and thus didn't participate in qualifying.

Kuhn announced a 26-man provisional squad on May 13, and from its breakdown by position, I would guess that he'll trim it down to the required 23 by dropping two defenders and a midfielder, although there are injury worries in both areas. Going by age alone would indicate that this a young team, but that's not the complete truth. This is a very experienced group of players and will use their success in Germany two years ago to their advantage.

For me, it all starts with the ageless one, Pascal Zuberbühler, in net, although Diego Benaglio has gained considerable momentum in Kuhn's eyes and could very well be first choice on June 7.

The back line is insecure at the moment. Philippe Senderos will anchor the defense, that is for certain, but there are question marks surrounding the health of Ludovic Magnin, the first-choice left back, the soon-to-be Liverpool player Philipp Degen, the starting right back, and Patrick Müller, Senderos' fellow central defender. If all three are fit, all three will start, but if not, Johan Djourou, Senderos' teammate at Arsenal, will take Müller's place, Stephan Lichtsteiner will play on the right, and you could see Stéphane Grichting or Valon Behrami on the left.

The midfield also has some concerns. Tranquillo Barnetta is a fixture on the right, but he took a knock recently in training and missed Switzerland's 2-0 friendly victory over Slovakia two days ago. If he recovers in time, which appears likely, he could be joined in the midfield by Manchester City's Gelson Fernandes, who would occupy a central role behind the creative Hakan Yakin. There are two candidates for the left wing, Valon Behrami and Daniel Gygax, but Behrami is more naturally a right-sided player who is capable of playing either left back or left midfield if necessary.

The captain, Alexander Frei, will lead the front line if he's fully fit after an injury-plagued season at Borussia Dortmund. Frei needs just two more goals to become Switzerland's all-time leading goal-scorer with 35 after scoring in that game against Slovakia, and you know he'll be hungry to do that in front of his countrymen in the crowd. Alongside Frei, you could see Marco Streller (first option, but health issues remain) or Johan Vonlanthen, who has been effective off the bench in his international career.

As you can see, there are a lot of "ifs" and concerns surrounding this team. If everything is resolved, and all signs right now point to that being the case, Switzerland will be very dangerous in front of their home crowd and could repeat their success from World Cup 2006. By avoiding group favorite Portugal until the third match, the Swiss should be able to pick up the points they need in the two previous fixtures and put themselves in a position where their destiny is in their own hands in that final game.

Turkey:

I won't lie -- I know very little about Turkish soccer aside from watching Galatasaray, Beşiktaş, and Fenerbahçe in European club competitions. The national team finished seven points behind group champion Greece and a point ahead of Norway to make it to Euro 2008 out of the weakest qualifying group.

With all of that said and my ignorance aside, it would be foolish to underestimate a nation that made it to the quarterfinals in Euro 2000 and won the third-place game in World Cup 2002. Rüştü Reçber, the goalkeeper on that World Cup team, could be back between the sticks again and has piled up 128 caps in his career. An outstanding goalkeeper or one who just gets hot at the right time can carry a team in any competition, and on that basis alone, Turkey can't immediately be counted out.

Defense appears to be the weak link on this team; the leading cap-winner amongst that group on the 27-man provisional squad announced by coach Fatih Terim is center back Emre Aşık, who is 34 years old but has appeared only 26 times for his country.

There are some recognizable, talented names in the midfield and up front. Belözoğlu Emre is the nation's captain and a stalwart in the center, where his creative abilities have helped land him in Serie A at Inter Milan and now Newcastle. He is one of the most decorated, accomplished Turkish players ever (although granted, Turkish soccer has only recently come to the forefront).

Yıldıray Baştürk, who was born in Germany and has played his entire domestic career in Germany, is another vital contributor to the Turkish midfield. Also born and bred in Germany is Hamit Altıntop, a spectacular ball-striker who can score from long range and rack up assists. He's carved out a very nice career in the Bundesliga and is at Bayern Munich now. A broken metatarsal suffered on March 27 has Altintop's availability for Euro 2008 in question, but as of this preview today, I couldn't find any articles or reports declaring him out of the squad.

Mehmet Aurélio is the other well-known player in Turkey's midfield, and he is more defensively-minded than the previous three, though he does score his share of goals. Aurélio is Fenerbahçe's captain and was the first naturalized player to appear for Turkey when he played in a friendly at the age of 29, as he was born in Brazil and didn't go to Turkey until five years prior.

Middlesbrough's Tuncay Sanli will spearhead the forward line with either Gökdeniz Karadeniz or Nihat Kahveci right there with him.

Turkey has the most difficult schedule in the group, with their first game coming against Portugal and the second (and pivotal) game against Switzerland. They'll finish up against the Czech Republic, likely needing a victory in that game to have a chance at advancing to the quarterfinals.

Group A Final Prediction (teams in bold advance):

1. Portugal --7 points
2. Switzerland -- 5 points
3. Czech Republic -- 4 points
4. Turkey -- 0 points

Check back tomorrow for my full preview (which will be more brief, I promise) of Group B, made up of Austria, Croatia, Germany, and Poland.