Euro 2012 so far...

Euro 2012 Logo

With the Poland-Ukraine 2012 building up, the world has been treated to entertaining matches by the qualified European nations. After the first round of matches, with the second round starting today, there have been few upsets, and the tournament has started in a predictable fashion. As expected, all the nations played their first matches in a cagey old-fashioned way, with the exception of Russia who came out with a roar and walloped Czech 4-1. The other noticeable upset was the result on the second day of the tournament in the match between Netherlands and Denmark, where the Dutch suffered a shocking defeat with a lone goal.

June 8, which was the opening day, we saw a nervy game between one of the hosts (Poland) against a stubborn, determined Greek side; and the game which was very physical ended 1-1 with two(2) RED cards awarded to both teams- one apiece.

Germany’s encounter with Portugal was a match that could have gone either way, depending on who went for the game with more hunger and structure. One goal was enough to secure the win for the organized German team- a game were Ronaldo denied all the brilliance he has displayed the entire season, that enabled his club to lift the la liga title. Conversely, on that same day, his arch-contender- Messi- messilessly struck a hat trick in the colours of Argentina, in a friendly game with Brazil, which Argentina won 4-3. If you ask me, these games may count someday.

Goalscorer Gomez celebrates after scoring against Portugal

The game between Spain and Italy ended 1-1, which was not a surprising result, especially owing to the formation of the Spanish team that saw the coach, Del Bosque, producing a strikerless team with SIX (6) midfielders and Cesc Fabregas serving as the man upfront.

Captain Gerrard Challenges Nasri.

The other top match was France-England meeting where the match ended in a 1-1 draw. I feel that was predictable too, as Roy Hodgson is the master of cagey defensive games. Although the French have gone on a 21-match unbeaten run, I knew the English team will be a hard nut for them to crack. In my own view, I feel the English team could have come out with all three points, if they were more adventurous. But all the same, it puts them in a good position, still saddled with confidence going into their next game against Sweden on the 15^th.

Overall, I still place my bet on the Spanish team on retaining the title, ESPECIALLY if they can put out a core striker upfront for the midfielders to work for. Germany also stands a chance of lifting the title. Greece, Russia and Denmark should be closely watched as upset-teams.