Visiting Pune - Impressions from a drive to Mulshi

Since the day I landed in Pune, it has given me an impression of a have been hill station now mauled by ugly hoardings and new constructions. Mosoons seem to add to the misery with all the mud and traffic jams.

Today gave me a chance to break away from the concrete jungle and experience the beauty of the Pune monsoons that I had heard about. Below are some snaps of our drive to Mulshi.

Euro 2012 - Final - Preview

Euro Cup final is here. After Germany crashed unexpectedly against an attacking Italy inspired by Balotelli, I had to go with Spain. As much as I dislike Italy for their defensive playing style, they are an extremely dangerous side and have been impressive in this tournament.


I am supporting Spain.. let's hope for the best!!

Euro 2012 - Group Stage Analysis And Future Predictions

What a tournament we have had till now with as many as 14 teams still in contention before the last round matches were to be played. Except for Ireland and Sweden, each and every team could have hoped to qualify for the next round going into their final group matches – just incredible!

So I made some predictions before the tournament – some were on the spot, some went the other way – you win some you lose some :) 2GCXWN55SN9W

Group	Teams	Predicted Qualifiers	Actual Qualifiers
1	Czech Republic	Czech Republic	Czech Republic
	Greece
	Russia	Greece	Greece
	Poland
2	Germany	Netherlands	Germany
	Portugal
	Denmark	Germany	Portugal
	Netherlands
3	Spain	Spain	Spain
	Croatia
	Italy	Croatia	Italy
	Ireland
4	France	England	England
	England
	Ukraine	Ukraine	France
	Sweden

Group 1 results were on expected lines but not withstanding the last minute jitters. I was hoping the Czechs would cruise through to the quarters but the Russians had other plans. They routed the Czechs 4-1. The Greeks also made last minute amends and some inspirational performance saw them edge past Russia. All said and done you can’t help but feel for Russia, they deserved to be in the knock-outs. Overall one of the most competitive and entertaining group of the tournament – you can imagine how tough it was from the fact that every goal in the last two matches being played simultaneously was altering the equation of who would go through.

Euro Cup Day 6

[Group2] [Portugal vs. Denmark] [Anticipated Result – Portugal wins 2-1]

One of the most thrilling contests of the tournament so far. A win would have sealed Denmark’s place in the next round and Portugal desperately needed to win this one to stay in contention. Both teams fought hard and the better one on the day won but just by a whisker. It was a roller coaster ride with both teams taking a combined total of 25 shots at the goal. Nicklas Bendtner scored two goals for Denmark but couldn’t get the result they wanted.

[Final Result – Draw – 3-2]

Denmark	Portugal
Nicklas Bendtner (41')	Pepe (24')
Nicklas Bendtner (80')	Hélder Postiga (36')
	Varela (87')

[Group2] [Netherlands vs. Germany] [Anticipated Result – Netherlands wins 2-1]

Euro Cup Day 4 & 5

[Group4] [England vs. France] [Anticipated Result – England wins 1-0]

Maybe it was the Chelsea effect rubbing over but England didn’t show enough hunger to win the game. Their strategy seems to be score draws against stronger opponents and try to scrape through to the next level. But this may backfire in the long run. I couldn’t catch up this match on TV but anyways it would have been a waste of time.

[Final Result – Draw – 1-1]

France	England
Samir Nasri (39')	Joleon Lescott (30')

[Group4] [Ukraine vs. Sweden] [Anticipated Result – Ukraine wins 1-0]

Euro Cup Day 3 - Thoughts and Analysis

[Group3] [Italy vs Spain] [Predicted Result – Draw with 1-1]

Before the game started, I was thinking Spain would win 1-0 but after looking at the starting line-up was more inclined towards a draw as Spain strangely decided not to have a striker in the main lineup. And that did cost them dearly as they made so many good moves in the first 20 minutes but were unable to finish. What else you can hope for when you are playing against a side which is known for their defense. With some lenient refereeing making the game rough, it was more physical than artistic. Italy got a few good chances but was denied by brilliant saves by Casillas including the one towards the end of the first half.

Balotelli missed a sure shot chance at the beginning of the first half and he was then rightly called off. The move immediately paid off with Di Natale giving Italy the lead. That gave the Spaniards some inspiration and they soon equalized through Fabregas. Finally better sense prevailed and Torres was brought in. You could see some earnestness after Torres came in but may be it was a little too late. The second half also saw the referee being a little stricter and saw as many as 7 yellow cards. Overall it was an entertaining second half but a little disappointing as Spain didn’t win it.