Euro 2008 Update
June 8, 2008
Euro 2008 Update
On a day of efficient rather than all out cavalier soccer, Portugal and Czech Republic took a large step towards securing their places in the knockout stages of the Euro 2008 championships. At the end of matchday1, Portugal and the Czech Republic lead Group A with a victory each and they will be hoping to continue that form over the reminder of this footballing extravaganza.
The first match of the Euro 2008 championships saw the Switzerland soccer outfit put up a strong fight against the Czech Republic only to lose out to a Sverkos goal in the second half. After losing Alexander Frei to injury in the first half, the large Swiss home crowd must have expected the worse as the Czech Republic poured into attack from all sides. However, a strong rearguard action from Switzerland took the match all the way to the wire and despite losing the clash, there are plenty of positives that the Swiss national team can pick up as they look to enter into the knockout stages of the European championships for the first time in history.
The other clash in Group A saw Portugal put in an efficient performance to down fighting Turkey 2-0. Despite possessing some of the very best flair players in Cristiano Ronaldo, Simao, Deco and Nani, it took a wonder strike from Real Madrid central defender Pepe to help Portugal take a lead. Pepe had a goal ruled out earlier for offside and his performance will surely go a long way in securing him a permanent berth alongside Ricardo Carvalho at the heart of the Portuguese defence. Raul Meireless added a second one in the 81st minute to strike a dagger into the hearts of the Turkish players who now have a mountain to climb if they are to make it to the quarterfinals of the Euro 2008 finals.
The next round of matches sees Germany take on Poland while home outfit Austria take on promising Croatia.
Posted in Champions League, EURO 2008, General, UEFA Cup
