Germany 2-0 Poland

Poland couldn't have been happy at the Euro draw when they saw Germany was in their group. Trying to beat the Germans for them has proven impossible over the years; they've never done it. Poland's last loss to Germany came in the 06 World Cup, in a closely contested Group A game. What had to make Sunday's result frustrating, yet again, is that the Poles really were competitive throughout a good deal of this game. They outshot the Germans and were able to string passes together and control the tempo through the first half and in the early portion of the second half. But Germany never looked completely off guard, and weathered the storm even as Poland got some quality looks on goal. Germany really is great to watch for any offensive-minded fan; they aren't afraid to send their wingers on long balls and let their speed do the rest in open space. Lukas Podolski's two goals were the difference; an important lunch and some spotty cable in Houston prevented me from watching all of this one, but I was able to see a lot of the second half. I only saw Podolski's second goal on a replay (thanks, cable box), a nasty volley buried into the top left corner that came thanks to a whiff by Miroslav Klose, which caused the ball to spin awkwardly in Podolski's direction. The Polish-born forward turned a forgettable play into the goal of the tournament after two days. The final score didn't seem to indicate how competitive Poland was in this one, but that seems to be how it's gone for years against the Germans. These Group B favorites got off on the right foot and have put themselves in a good position to advance; if Croatia doesn't play up to their potential later this week, we could be looking at 9 points for Germany in the first round.

And while we're discussing Germany, is there any name more ridiculous than Bastian Schweinsteiger? The winger was sporting a bleach-blonde 'do to match his uber-name, and created some nice chances when he subbed in; this wouldn't necessarily be worth mentioning if his name weren't Bastian Schweinsteiger, of course. That's the kind of name that can probably get you a free stein of the darkest brew at Hofbrauhaus, if I had to guess.