Euro 2004

It has started! The event I've been waiting for! Euro 2004! 16 countries playing top class football to be the European Champion. So fo the next 23 days my rants will be all about Euro2004.

Portugal 1 - Greece 2

It should've been an easy one for Portugal. It's their tournament, they are the host, they have capable players like Figo, Rui Costa, Pauleta, Cristiano Ronaldo, Deco, etc. And Greece isn't exactly a team you put your money on (unless you're Greek obviously).

However, the Portuguese looks as if they never played together. They kept losing balls and couldn't find Pauleta up front while the Greeks were playing solid. A mistake by Ferreira led to the opening goal of Giannakopoulus (or whatever his name is). And even if the Portuguese had more ball possession, they didn't do much with it. When Cristiano Ronaldo tripped that Greek guy and caused the penalty it was pretty much over. The Portuguese did pull one goal back, but only in the 91st minute.

The Portuguese suddenly have a lot to do. Otherwise they might end up like France in the World Cup 2002. They are more than capable to do so, but they need to play as a team. I guess not playing any qualification matches takes out the competitive edge out of the team. As for the Greeks, well I suppose this will be the end of their surprises. There's never any surprises with a German coach...