As I jogged back through town yesterday to ensure I made it back to my desk in time for the start of Euro 2012, somebody handing out leaflets advised me to slow down. His reason? It’s Friday. Clearly not a football fan.
The highlights of the opening game made it look a better match than it was. Poland are nervous, carrying a huge burden of expectation at home and those nerves were only briefly settled when they took the lead. As soon as they allowed Greece back into the game, they looked like a team under pressure.
The result leaves them in a difficult position. More is expected, yet they fluffed their lines in what is likely to be the easiest game they face. I can’t see them beating Russia and they’ll do well to take a point against the Czechs.
Greece might have won it had their penalty been well struck and they displayed some wastefulness in front of goal – Georgios Samaras in particular.
His profligacy was nothing in comparison to Russia’s Aleksandr Kerzhakov. Had he either found his shooting boots, or been dropped in favour of Roman Pavlyuchenko, Russia could have hit double figures against Czech Republic. Seriously.
Their patience on the ball and technical ability showed why it isn’t just me tipping them to make a big impression in the tournament. They have plenty of goals in them and if they get a bit of luck along the way, who knows just how far they can go.
Today we see Germany play Portugal and Netherlands take on Denmark. I see goals, goals, goals galore.