Good evening everyone!

Welcome to the 41st staple of the blog! Today we are looking at the first week of Euro 2006; can you believe that all of the first match days have been played already and that the tournament is already nearly a week old? In addition, we shall look forward to the next round of fixtures, so without any further messing around, let’s get down and dirty!

GROUP A: France flatter to deceive as Payet proves the difference for Deschamps…

Going into the tournament curtain raiser, all eyes were on France as they welcomed a plucky Romania side to the Stade de France on Friday. Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann were earmarked as the 2 men to carry the French to glory in their homeland, however it would be the much derided Olivier Giroud who would score the first goal of the competition, before being pegged back by a resolute and well drilled Romania side, whom equalised courtesy of Bogdan Stancu’s penalty. It would be a man whom flew under the radar, (as far as expectations at the European Championships were concerned), who would be the hero under the rain of Paris, and in turn become the man bestowed with the hopes of a nation: West Ham superstar Dimitri Payet rifled home a signature curling effort in the 89th minute to deliver the 3 points for the home nation. Fabian Schar’s 5th minute strike was enough see off tournament debutants, Albania in a game more notable for the narrative that saw the Xhaka brothers representing opposing nations; it would of course Arsenal signing, Granit Xhaka that would be the prevailing brother over his sibling Taulant. In tomorrow’s games, Romania meet Switzerland in the 17:00 GMT kick-off, needing a victory to stay in the hunt for automatic qualification, whereas a Swiss victory should guarantee qualification to the last 16, which would be a boon, given that their last game in the group is against France. The Romanian’s proved that they are no pushovers as their defensive proved equal to the French artillery up front for large periods, and were unlucky not to score early on. France of course meet Albania in the evening kick off, and as expected, they should comfortably see off the South-Eastern European side; particularly as they have to deputise without their captain Lorik Cana.

GROUP B: England have to slay the Welsh dragon Bale with all to play for in Group B…

Group B began in Bordeaux as Slovakia met Wales in a clash featuring 2 of the world’s finest footballers as Wales unleashed Gareth Bale on the European Championships, while Slovakia had their own magician in Marek Hamsik. Hamsik was unlucky to score early as his breath-taking piece of skill was denied a goal by a late Welsh intervention. It would then be the mercurial Bale who would break the deadlock with a 10th minute freekick; while the goalkeeper woefully misread the situation, as he believed Bale would strike the ball to his near side, as he had done previously for ‘the Dragons’. Slovakia were rewarded with an equaliser as Duda found the net on 61st minute, before the game was settled in favour of Chris Coleman’s side, when Hal Robson-Kanu scored an 81st minute winner; a goal which gave Wales the honour of being the first ever British side to win their opening group match at a European Championships, and in turn putting the pressure on England to come away with 3 points in their tussle with Russia that evening. With tensions at an alarming high following crowd trouble between the fans of both nations, England tried to do their talking on their field as they dominated proceedings; the goal however would prove to be all elusive. It would take a late Eric Dier free-kick to break the deadlock, however in almost typical England fashion, they would fall victim to the sucker punch, as Vasili Berezutski equalised for Russia with the last kick of the game to rescue a precious point. The stage is then set then for tomorrow’s showdown between Russia and Slovakia, where 3 points for either side will keep them in the hunt for automatic qualification. The big game in Group B however, is Wales and England’s clash on Thursday afternoon. The Welsh are riding an unprecedented wave of momentum, armed with a top 5 player in the world in Bale, Chris Coleman’s men are in the ascendency. Moreover, England are dealing the ramifications of the dropped 2 points, in addition to the ongoing crowd trouble that their fans have been involved in; there may be no better time ever for Wales to get one up over their British rivals.

GROUP C: Germany stay stuck in 3rd gear & Poland start positively…

Group C action began on Sunday, as dark horses Poland met Northern Ireland in Paris. Equipped with the goal machine Robert Lewandowski, and supported by the likes of Kamil Glik, Lukasz Piszczek, Grezegorz Krychowiak, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Piotr Zielinski and Arkadiusz Milik; big things are expected from the Poles, yet there still a feeling of much better things to come, despite seeing off Northern Ireland. Ajax hitman, Milik netted the only goal on the 51-minute mark, however they will need to be better if they are get a result over Germany. Speaking of the reigning world champions, Germany began the Euro 2016 campaign against the Ukraine in Sunday’s late kick off. In arguably the best match of the tournament at that point, Germany defeated a spirited Ukraine side 2-0 in Lille. Shkodran Mustafi opened the scoring for Germany, however the goal seemed to relive the Ukrainian’s of their fear, as they courageously came forward shortly after conceding, and were unlucky not to equalise on numerous occasions. Germany made sure of the points late on, as one of the heroes of Brazil 2014 stepped up and made his experience count, as Bastian Schweinsteiger inflicted the hammer blow to Eastern European nation in the 90th minute. Group festivities resume on Thursday, as Ukraine and Northern Ireland battle for their first points of the group; make no mistake, defeat for either side will effectively seal their exit from the competition. Germany meet Poland in the groups other clash, as 2 of the strongest sides in the tournament meet in a mouth-watering game. Both sides own wins over one another during qualification, so this proverbial rubber match will surely gift the victor the prize of finishing top of the table. Despite electrifying against Portugal in their opening game in Brazil, Germany grew into the world cup before taking the scalps of France, Brazil and Argentina, en route to glory in 2014, and thus expect Germany to grow into this competition with each passing game.

GROUP D: Spain start strong & Croatia channel the Czech’s of 2004…

Group D’s opening game between Croatia and Turkey was contested prior to Group C’s offerings, and although the 1-0 score line might not suggest it; Croatia laid the marker down as one of the certified dark horses to win the entire competition. Any side blessed with players that possess players of the calibre of: Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic, Dario Srna, Ivan Perisic, Mateo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic, Nikola Kalinic and Mario Mandzukic, will always be contenders on paper, performing to those levels is another story however. Luckily, the Croats didn’t disappoint as Rakitic and Modric controlled the midfield, while Perisic tormented the Turkish backline at will with his mazy dribbling. It would be the metronomic Modric who would smash home a wonderful dipping, first time volley that would deceive Volkan Babacan in the Turkish to gift Croatia all 3 points. While Croatia were forgiven for capitulating at the group stage of Euro 2012 as they were pitted against both finalists: Spain and Italy, their poor showing at the 2014 world cup was inexcusable, however if their players can maintain the same level of quality that they displayed here, there is no stopping them lighting the tournament up in the same way that the Czech Republic did back in 2004. Reigning and defending champions Spain began their pursuit of an unprecedented 3rd straight European title against the Czech Republic in Monday’s early kick off. Off the back of their disastrousL world cup campaign in 2014, Spain arrived at a major tournament for the first time this decade, NOT as the favourites to win. Moreover, with the likes of Carles Puyol, Xavi, Xabi Alonso and David Villa all retiring from the international game and previous stalwarts: Fernando Torres, Juan Mata, Jesus Navas, Javi Martinez & Diego Costa all left out; a new cycle beckons for Vicente del Bosque’s side. With Alvaro Moratta and Nolito lining up front for ‘La Roja’, the new look Spain dominated possession as you would expect, however the goal was elusive as Morata in particular wasted chances. It seemed that not even a possessed Andres Iniesta could unlock the Czech door, however on the 87th minute, Gerrard Pique headed home past Petr Cech to give Spain a deserved 3 points to start their campaign with. Both the Czechs and the Turks, seemingly offered nothing to suggest that they would upset the applecart, moreover they may even face difficulty in progressing by way of the 3rd place entry. For both Croatia and Spain, expect their qualification to be wrapped up on Friday as they play the Czech Republic and Turkey respectively.

GROUP E: The Azzurri commit the Italian Job on the Red Devils…

Long heralded as the best international side on paper and sitting 2nd in the FIFA world rankings, Belgium were expected to lay waste on supposedly the worst Italian side in recent memory, as they sought to lay a marker and a send a message to the rest of the challengers to the crown. How wrong we were, as Antonio Conte masterminded a sensational 2-0 victory over Marc Wilmotts’ men. Just as they did against Argentina at the world cup 2 years ago, Belgium were outclassed tactically, and more alarmingly, lacked the intensity of continuity to keep up with the Italians. Emanuele Giacherini opened the scoring, as Leonardo Bonucci’s defence splitting long pass bewildered Toby Alderweireld, paving the way for the Sunderland man to fire past Thibaut Courtois. While Italy can have Buffon to thank for keeping Romelu Lukaku and Divock Origi at bay, the Belgians lacked the ingenuity to truly threaten the score line, and thus it came as no surprise when Graziano Pelle put Antonio Candreva’s cross away to make in 2-0, to record this most emphatic of victories. Make no mistake, an overlooked Italian side is a dangerous one, much like the 2006 world cup and 2012 Euro’s; the Azzurri were by no stretch the favourites, however they famously became world champions in 2006 and reached the final in 2012. In addition, Conte has the best defensive unit in the world at his disposal, with Buffon, Barzagli, Chiellini and Bonucci and with a new found intensity and urgency; Italy might be the real dark horses of this competition. Belgium meanwhile, will need to show drastic improvements if they are to win this tournament, the ease in which the threat posed by Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne, Lukaku and then Origi was nullified will give Wilmotts cause for concern as he prepares for the showdown with the Republic of Ireland on Saturday. Martin O’Neil’s Ireland came into this tournament looking to better the poor showing displayed 4 years ago in Poland and the Ukraine, and despite having the oldest side in the competition, valiantly held Sweden to a 1-1 draw. Wes Hoolahan opened the scoring with a fine effort, before the majesty of Zlatan Ibrahimovic saw his cross turned into an own goal by Ciaran Clarke, to ensure that the spoils were shared. If Ireland play as they did in the first 45 minutes against Sweden, and Belgium perform as they did against Italy; who knows, maybe the Irish will be able to pull off the upset. Up next for Italy is Sweden, and with it a chance to exocise the demons of Euro 2004, where Ibrahimovic scored a jumping back-heel to condemn Italy to 1-1 draw, and subsequent group stage elimination.

GROUP F: Portugal freeze against Iceland, while Hungary upset the applecart…

When Iceland, Portugal, Austria and Hungary were pitted together in group F, you could’ve been forgiven for thinking that the top 3 would be a formality, with the Hungarian’s set to finish 4th. On Tuesday afternoon however, Berndt Storck’s Hungary upset Austria 2-0 to control of Group F. In the featured contest that evening, Portugal met the conquerors of Holland in qualification: Iceland in what was set to be an intriguing affair in Saint-Etienne. Nani got Fernando Santos’ side of to the perfect start, finding the back of the net after 31 minutes, however a resolute Iceland were not there to be made an example of, and in the second half, their resolve was rewarded with an equaliser, when Birkir Bjarnason exploited a defensive mix up, to fire past Rui Patricio on the 51st minute. While chances came few and far between for Iceland thereafter, Portugal, and Cristiano Ronaldo in particular were left frustrated with the Icelandic wall that was in front of them. In the end both sides had to settle for a point. Saturday will see Iceland square off with Hungary, where a win for the Hungarians will see them surely qualify from the group. Portugal will meet Austria in the day’s final outing, where Marcel Koller’s Austria must win in order to stay in the hunt for qualification. As unbeaten winners of Group G, this Austria side featuring the likes of Marko Arnautovic, David Alaba, Christian Fuchs and Mark Janko were expected to make the last 16 as a bare minimum, thus, anything less than victory against the ‘Sellecao’ will surely end the Central European nation’s sides hopes achieving that goal.

LAST WORDS ON MATCH DAY 1…

Like many a European Championship, matches are won and lost by the finest of margins, where defensive and tactical nous are king. Refreshingly we still haven’t had a single game where a goal hasn’t been scored, bar however, the Italy and Belgium and Germany and Ukraine games, the matches have been cagey at best. As I pontificated earlier, I fully expect the likes of Germany, France and Spain to only get better as the groups progress. Moreover, Italy have set an interesting narrative after defeating Belgium, and may have the most momentum of all the sides after the first games. It is also worth pondering the dichotomy between Roy Hodgson and Antonio Conte’s team selections. Hodgson neglected Leicester City’s Danny Drinkwater in favour of Jack Wiltshire; a player yet to complete a single 90 minutes all season long for his club? Moreover, Wayne Rooney was included, despite having a less than stellar campaign for Manchester United, and Liverpool duo: Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge were also included, despite openly carrying injuries. Italy to the contrary, have selected a 23 man squad designed to fit around the system and style of play that Antonio Conte is looking to employ, and thus despite having an excellent season for Milan, Giacomo Bonaventura was left out, while Andrea Pirlo, despite his mythological status, was left out, as was Sebastien Giovinco despite his scoring exploits last year for Toronto, and of course, Mario Ballotelli was left at home after 2 miserable seasons for Liverpool and A.C. Milan, and rightfully so.

Speaking of team selections, I am still a bit miffed that Didier Deschamps selected both Andre Piere-Gignac and Olivier Giroud while leaving Hatem Ben-Arfa, and that Moussa Sissokho was chosen ahead of Geoffrey Kondogbia; I guess when you have Dimitri Payet in scintillating form, both of those decisions become inconsequential! Lastly, whose decision was it to allow Harry Kane to take every set-piece? His Cristiano Ronaldo tribute act is simply not cutting the mustard, moreover, expect Jamie Vardy to be the man to be isolated and played out of position as result of the favouritism towards the Tottenham man. Last of all I would like to touch on the play of the defending champions Spain, while their all round play was nothing short of breathtaking, I would like to see ‘La Roja’ integrate new tricks into their game, much like Barcelona have done in the last couple of years, it would be nice to see Spain look to shoot from distance and whip in some crosses; especially when the likes of Aduriz is on the field of play.

CONCLUSION…

I would like to preface by saying that I did start to write this on Tuesday evening, however the toil of the day has gotten the better of me in the evenings! I am aware that by the time this gets published, Groups A & B would have had the second match days played, however to keep in sync with how I’m covering the Euro’s. Moreover, I will try and bring some coverage and anlaysis of the Centenario edition of the Copa America this week, there has been some scintillating action these last couple of weeks in the United States! Until then…

Goodnight and God bless,

Steven,

OSSUUU!!!!

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