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.

Euro Cup Day 2 - Thoughts and Analysis

[Group2] [Netherlands vs Denmark] [Predicted Result – Netherlands will win 2-0]

The game started with top notch artistic football from Netherlands – delicate footwork, one touch passes. Danes didn’t have much possession but didn’t look out of control as well. Dutch made a few good moves but the Danes successfully kept them off the net. There were hardly any attacks from the Danes worth counting except a header in the opening minutes. The back-pass in the 18th minute could have done the trick for the Dutch but the referee didn’t think it was deliberate. But fortunes took a turn when Krohn-Dehli made a beautiful move and made it 1-0 for the Danes. And the Dutch came alive into the game. The Dutch kept attacking relentlessly with Robben hitting the post in the 36th minute to his bad luck. The Danes too got a couple of more chances to score at the end of the first half but couldn’t convert

Euro Cup Day 1 - Thoughts & Analysis

[Group1] [Greece vs. Poland] [Predicted Result – Greece will win 1-0]

2 Goals, 2 Red Cards, 1 Missed Penalty and such a hard fought wonderful match with all the ingredients of a roller coaster – what else can one ask of the open match in a tournament. Absolute delight!! After Poland took the lead in the 17th minute through Lewandowski the Greeks were looking clueless but they soon got their act together. And despite the unfortunate send off for Papastathopoulos after two harsh yellow cards, they still kept fighting and kept the spirits alive. 

Greek substitute Salpigidis scored the leveler right at the start of the second half. But the drama was not over, and then came the send off for the Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny in the 68th minute and a penalty to seal the game off. But some jittery nerves and good anticipation from the new goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton kept the score at par. Overall the Greeks were unfortunate for the harsh send off and then an almost certain penalty (handball) being denied. But they are to be blamed themselves a bit as well for missing a straight forward penalty.

Predictions For Euro 2012

The Euro 2012 is about to start in a day or so. I am making some predictions just for fun, let’s see how they hold out. 

Group Stages 

Group1:
This is the group of the minnows and that makes it somewhat exciting too as it very difficult to predict who will move ahead. I am backing the Czechs to top the group as they have one of the best goalkeepers in the world - Petr Čech – who on his day can guard his fortress like a wall. Also hoping Greece to get inspired by their 2004 win (though they had a forgettable 2008 campaign) and finish second in the group.