Czech Republic 1-3 Portugal

The Portuguese showed again why they're the class of their group yesterday, coming out on top in a well-paced affair with the Czechs. Cristiano Ronaldo had a hand in all three goals, reinforcing the belief that he's the best player in the world every time he touched the ball. At some points their were five red-clad Czechs chasing no. 7, and the fact that he was able to do so much damage is a testament to his skill. I don't like the guy, but he's amazing to watch. The first goal came via deflection from a Ronaldo run that carved through the Czech penalty box. The second came off Ronaldo's own foot, a perfectly placed rope into the lower left corner from about 18 yards out. It was another example of what this guy can do to a team when he gets even a little space. The third and final goal for the Portuguese saw Ronaldo seize a chance after he caught the opponents napping on defense. His simple square pass left to Ricardo Quaresma created one of the easiest goals you'll ever see at any level, a tap into an open net. Future opponents of Portugal should fall into defensive funks at their own risk; they'll make teams pay for lapses in the back.

Despite the loss, the Czechs exit this game with a chance to advance in Group A. They were outplayed, but showed some nice stretches (winger Libor Sionko was especially good, scoring the only goal for his team off a corner in the first half). I've been very disappointed in Koller and Baros up front so far; Koller hasn't created many chances, and Baros hasn't done much with the ones he's had. This is a team that could easily be 0-2 right now, yet I still give them the edge over Turkey to advance to the quarters. Petr Cech and his water polo helmet continue to be great in goal, and I expect him to play huge against Turkey. The Portuguese, meanwhile, can kick back against the co-hosts and wait to see who comes up second in Group B.

Switzerland 0-1 Czech Republic

What a start to the tournament. I missed most of what seemed to be a fairly sloppy, ho-hum first half, but the second half provided plenty of drama, especially considering there was only one goal scored.
The Swiss came out of the locker room with a lot of energy and offense, and basically dominated the Czechs from the opening whistle. A Hakan Yakin free kick sailed over the left part of the crossbar several minutes in; a Johan Vonlanthen screamer hit the bar later in the half. The Swiss showed some nice offensive creativity, stringing together one-two passes and overlapping runs in the offensive half to knock the Czechs back on their heels. This was even more impressive considering the fact that star striker Alex Frei left the game late in the first half with an injured knee; they could've easily folded and began playing for a draw, but they didn't.

Yet despite their play, the Swiss failed to captialize on their opportunities. When the Czechs countered and got a corner, a bad clearance by Philippe Senderos led to a header back toward the Swiss goal, where Czech sub Vaclav Sverkos (who replaced veteran star Jan Koller) narrowly avoided an offsides penalty and buried the ball into the lower right corner of the net in the 71st minute. The Swiss didn't stop attacking, and had several more opportunities to draw even, including a controversial no-call (looked like a PK to me, a Czech defender chicken-winged the ball in the box and got away with one) late which would have given them an easy chance. Despite controlling possession and outshooting the Czechs 13-8, the Swiss came away with no points, and now face a must-win against Turkey during the week. As for the Czechs, they are fortunate to have left their first game with 3 points; they were sloppy and just plain bad at times in the second half, and were lucky to score on a counterattack/Swiss miscue. That they could win a game where they were outplayed so blatantly is impressive on one hand, but they're going to have to bring their proverbial "A game" in Group A next time out against Portugal. Group A games resume on Wednesday in Switzerland.

Group A Preview

Hoping to catch the first game tomorrow morning, have a wedding in the afternoon that will cause me to miss the Portugal-Turkey game. Without further ado:

Portugal
World Ranking: 11
Euro 04: Finalist (L-Greece)
WC 06: 4th Place (L-France/Germany)
Three to Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Deco (Barcelona), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea)
If you prefer attacking soccer with some flair, this might be the team for you. The Portuguese butter their bread in the offensive third and have the best player in the world in Cristiano Ronaldo. Returning their core group from the 04 and 06 international campaigns leaves this team as the clear favorites in Group A and one of the favorites to hoist the trophy in three weeks. Also, just so you know, their coach, Luis Felipe Scolari, is a dead ringer for Gene Hackman. Expect to see some Hackman movie quotes in Portuguese in the coming days, courtesy of IMDB and Babelfish. If these guys don't get to the semis and see Germany, I'll be shocked.

Switzerland
World Ranking: 44
Euro 04: Group play
WC o6: Round of 16 (L-Ukraine)
Three to Watch: Alexander Frei (Borussia Dortmund), Johan Djourou (Arsenal), Tranquillo Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen)
The co-hosts from the land of chocolate and pocket knives open against Czech Republic tomorrow, coming off a surprise performance in the World Cup where they didn't surrender a single goal in 390 minutes of play (they lost in a shootout to Ukraine after a scoreless draw). They're a bit different from Portugal, playing a more conservative style that emphasizes defense and seeks to capitalize on counters, but don't underestimate them. We've seen the power of a home crowd in international tourneys over the last decade, and despite some injuries and a dearth of marquee names on the roster, the Swiss could build off their run in Germany and make it out of this group with some luck. They're probably battling the Czechs for second banana.

Czech Republic
World Ranking: 6
Euro 04: Semifinalists (L-Greece)
WC 06: Group play
Three to Watch: Petr Cech (Chelsea), Milan Baros (Portsmouth), Marek Jankulovski (AC Milan)
Last seen dismantling the U.S. in the World Cup then crashing out against Ghana and Italy, the Czechs enter Euro 08 with a veteran squad. An injury to Arsenal's Tomas Rosicky, the team captain and one of the side's best players, presents a big void the Czechs may not be able to fill. Critics denounce these guys as old and kind of clunky, but anyone who watched their opening game against the Americans nearly two years ago to the day might beg to differ. They're ranked so well by FIFA for a reason, and will contend in Group A barring something unforeseen.

Turkey
World Ranking: 20
Euro 04: Did not qualify
WC 06: Did not qualify.
Three to Watch: Tuncay Sanli (Middlesbrough), Nihat Kahveci (Villareal), Servet Cetin (Galatasaray)
Group A's mystery team hasn't been seen on the international scene since a Cinderella run in the 02 World Cup that saw them reach the semifinals and challenge eventual champion Brazil. It's probably better if you judge these guys by the links provided, because I really know very little about them, other than a.) they probably won't advance, b.) they supposedly have crazy, Oakland Raider-type fans, and c.) all their guys play in Turkey. Your guess is as good as mine, but I'm going to say Turkey gets smoked, three and out.

Enjoy the games, Group B preview coming soon! Graphics for this article will also be posted tomorrow.

And it begins...

Stay tuned for random thoughts and a preview of Groups A-D before the Swiss and Czechs kickoff on Saturday.