Bracket Standings, 6/15

Okay guys, sorry about slacking off a bit on the blog, I've been following really closely but haven't written a whole lot about the last few days. Here are the standings. They include the final Group A games, as well as the 3 pts for each quarterfinal team correctly predicted. Only 1 of 13 had Turkey through to the last eight...

J. Chiang-16 pts (Germany over Spain)
N. Joshi-14 pts (Spain over Germany)
A. Magee-14 pts (Germany over Italy)
A. Dhir-13 pts (Netherlands over Germany)
S. Coan-12 pts (Spain over Germany)
A. Zuerndorfer- 12 pts (Netherlands over Portugal)
A. Levy-11 pts (France over Portugal)
J. Schildecker-11 pts (Germany over Spain)
S. Kumar-10 pts (Portugal over Spain)
M. Choi-9 pts (Italy over Germany)
Sa. Abramson-8 pts (Portugal over France)
Sh. Abramson-8 pts (Italy over Czech Republic)
E. Teasdale-8 pts (Spain over Czech Republic)

Normal updates will resume tomorrow--I'll have thoughts on Turkey's crazy comeback, the last set of Group C games, and Sweden vs. Russia.

Croatia 2-1 Germany

Raise your hand if you saw this one coming. I need to tally the scores for the blog's bracket challenge, but I'd say no more than one person had Croatia prevailing in Klagenfurt on Thursday. ESPN announcers Derek Rae and Tommy Smyth (who are great to listen to, and I love the effects that blend the crowd noise with their commentary so that it sounds like they're actually at the game when in reality they're in a studio in the middle of Connecticut) noted that the Germans looked flat-footed and very different from the team who took the field against Poland last weekend. I have to disagree with them on this point. I think that a smaller Croatian midfield surprised a lot of people by outplaying Michael Ballack and friends, but I don't think the Germans necessarily had a bad game in the midfield. They had their defensive lapses for sure, but so did Croatia; the real problem was that the Germans just didn't create a lot of good opportunities in this game. They did possess the ball well and show patience in advancing when the Croats buckled down in their own half. I state the obvious here, but soccer comes down to who finishes and who doesn't a lot of times; it was no different here. But to say the Germans were dominated, or played a terrible game, is inaccurate. They didn't play their best, or create the chances in the offensive third, but they had enough skill keeping possession to give themselves some opportunities all game. I think they're okay and still expect them to advance out of this group. Lukas Podolski netted his third goal of the tourney with a sizzling volley in the box, but it was too little too late for the Germans. Their game with Austria is huge all of a sudden, and a silly red card by Schweinsteiger in injury time leaves one of their greatest offensive weapons stranded on the bench for the next one.

Of course there's also the matter of giving Croatia a ton of credit for this upset. They demonstrated an awesome team possession on the first goal, which ended on the foot of Darijo Srna at the six-yard box after 15 passes that saw every player for Croatia touch the ball. Grant Wahl was right; watching it on DVR is beautiful, a testament to how patience, switching fields and staying in the play can reward a team. They could've had one and possibly two more in the first half, but couldn't convert point blank gifts in the penalty box. The second goal was more of an unlucky break and slight error by German keeper Jens Lehmann than anything (watching the replay convinces me that a goalie should never let himself get beat near post like that, deflection or otherwise), but the Croatians were there to take advantage, and we can't say that about every team who has had similar opportunities afforded them in this tournament so far. The Germans showed speed and power in both the last World Cup and their opening game against Poland in Euro 08, but the Croatian side didn't seem to be afraid. They were just as physical and played virtually mistake-free soccer after their defense was a bit shaky against Austria. Croatia will head to the quarters with confidence, an extremely animated coach, and a lot of very, very talented players whose last names end with the letter C. Let's just keep crossing our fingers for those checkerboard unis before their run/the tourney itself ends.

Switzerland 1-2 Turkey

So much for that Swiss quarterfinal pick. The poor, poor co-hosts had to leave the locker room at halftime feeling good, with a 1-0 lead on a swamp of a field in Basel. But Turkey came out firing in the second half, creating more chances and earning a lot of respect with two gritty goals. Because something about the Turks irritates me, I will choose to focus on the Swiss being the better team for long stretches on both of the matches they've lost. One particularly good chance late in the second half, which would've put them up 2-1, came on a 3-on-1 counterattack that saw the ball stop dead in a puddle at the six-yard box, fooling striker Hakan Yakin. An unlucky deflected goal in injury time doomed Switzerland, a team who will be remembered in this tournament as being long on chances and short on luck. The bottom line is they probably didn't deserve to win this one, and I'm not clinging on to my pick/sentimental pick, but I really think that in a five or seven-game series the Swiss could beat the Czechs, the Turks, or maybe both. Oh well, they'll have to prove themselves in WC 2010 qualifying. Turkey, who was soundly beaten in their first outing, now finds themselves with a chance to advance with Group A silver if they can beat the Czechs on Sunday. I'm inclined to pick against them, but I've done it already, and they've proven me wrong. Czech Republic and Turkey are tied on goal differential, so if they're tied after full-time on Sunday, it's PK time. Advantage: team with goalie who plays for Chelsea (the Czechs).

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.

Interview with Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl

I had a chance to speak with Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated before today's games on the progress of Euro 2008. This isn't an exact transcript, and I didn't have a recorder, as I was on lunch break from my real job, but here are his thoughts, more or less.

SMA: Let's talk about the Group of Death first, specifically Holland's shocking 3-0 win over Italy, where they never let up, even late in the game when they had a two-goal lead. Will the Dutch continue to play their relentless style if they're up one goal in a must-win game? What are your thoughts on playing that way in a game down the road?

Grant Wahl: Honestly, they may get slightly more conservative in that situation, but not much more. That's just the way the Dutch play the game. Style matters to them. When I covered Euro 2000 (co-hosted by the Netherlands) over there, I remember watching Johann Cruyff comment on Dutch TV about the way the Dutch national team played just as much as the final score. It's not just about winning for them, it's about winning in an entertaining way. I'm not sure that getting defensive with a lead would be the best thing for this team. Packing it in in soccer is like the prevent defense in the NFL, and I'm not a big fan of the prevent defense, either, playing not to lose. We saw the Russians use the same style yesterday from the start of their game against Spain, and it's no coincidence that their coach is Dutch.

SMA: Out of Groups A, B and D, what team who lost their first game is most likely to get through to the quarters?

GW: Russia played good soccer yesterday, they just had some bad screwups. Hiddink called some of it "grade school play" after the game. Until they gave up that second goal, they were in that game, and could have equalized. I think they're one of the better attacking teams in the tournament and can do well in their final game. Austria and Switzerland have been unlucky too. They're playing for pride's sake, and I see at least one of them getting a win in their next game. I'd say one of those three teams has the best chance out of the teams with 0 points thus far.

SMA: Speaking of the co-hosts, who got a worse break: the Austrians with the PK that was (for Croatia) or the Swiss with the PK that wasn't (for them)?

GW: Both were pretty tough. Looking at Austria-Croatia, it wasn't a very hard foul, and there was no threat to score in the corner of the box there. I think refs have to take into account the time and place of the game when they call a PK--that wasn't the right time or place or situation to call that for a few reasons. With the Swiss game, it was a missed call with a guy whose arm was completely upraised. It wasn't by his side, it was up in the air, like he was trying to hail a cab. Both were equally tough, but the handball might have been slightly more egregious.

SMA: Have you seen anything at the top of the bracket that would deter you from your semifinal pick of Portugal-Germany?

GW: Not really. Portugal and Germany are pretty clearly the class of that side of the bracket. It's a really lopsided bracket with so much talent on the other side.

SMA: How would the U.S. do, based on what you've seen in their recent three-game stretch, in this competition?

GW: It would be a rough go. There are so many good teams in Europe, and so much of it would depend on the draw. We've seen them play well on European soil, winning games at Poland and Switzerland, but we've also seen them outclassed by England recently. Could I envision the U.S. getting out of, say, Group B? Maybe. Germany and Croatia are the class of that field, it'd still be very tough. There are very few truly weak groups at any Euro tourney.

SMA: Portuguese coach Luis Felipe Scolari is Gene Hackman's long lost brother, as you've mentioned before. What Hackman character is Scolari most like, and what is your favorite Gene Hackman film?

GW: (Laughs) Coach Norman Dale (Hoosiers) would have to be up there, he's probably most like him. As far as Gene Hackman goes, I'm a big movie guy, not a huge Gene Hackman guy, though. I guess I'd say my favorite film of his is The French Connection.

SMA: You kept Louisville's basketball team in the Magic Eight all year last year, taking a lot of heat for it at one point. With Earl Clark returning, do you see the Cards in your Magic Eight of 2009?

GW: Potentially. I really like Terrence Williams, having him is just as big a deal as having Earl Clark back. If those guys can play well, Edgar Sosa gets his head screwed on straight, they can be very good.

Thanks for the interview, Grant! We'll speak with him again on Saturday, let me know if you have a question for him.

Bracket Standings, 6/10

After the first wave of games, the bracket competition looks like this. Sorry, Holland and Sweden, for picking against you at the last second. We still have a perfect bracket, in case you were wondering. Each man's predicted final result is in parentheses.

J. Chiang-8 pts (Germany over Spain)
N. Joshi-7 pts (Spain over Germany)
M. Choi-6 pts (Italy over Germany)
A. Levy-6 pts (France over Portugal)
J. Schildecker-6 pts (Germany over Spain)
Sh. Abramson-5 pts (Italy over Czech Republic)
A. Dhir-5 pts (Netherlands over Germany)
S. Kumar-5 pts (Portugal over Spain)
Sa. Abramson-4 pts (Portugal over France)
S. Coan-4 pts (Spain over Germany)
A. Magee-4 pts (Germany over Italy)
E. Teasdale-2 pts (Spain over Czech Republic)
A. Zuerndorfer-?

Next update: 6/14, after the Greece-Russia game

Greece 0-2 Sweden

I didn't see much of this one live on the DVR, but was advised but both friends and journalists to avoid the first half like the plague. This was due to the fact that Greece implemented their no-fun style that led them to the Euro 2004 title, which involves basically acting like there is no goal, and the object is to play keep-away in the defensive third. Grant Wahl observed it as a victory for any neutral fan who likes seeing good soccer, and I trust his opinion (and not just because I'll be interviewing him tomorrow). This isn't to say Greece didn't have several good chances, they just didn't play particularly aggressively on the offensive end. I don't know if I've ever seen a greater disparity between two goals from one team in the same game. The first, from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, was maybe the best goal of the tournament so far. The tall Swede (redundant?) was on the receiving end of a one-two and fired an awesome shot, across his body, that rang in the top left corner of the net. They don't come much better than that one. The second one, on the other hand, was a complete disaster. I won't even try to describe it, I'll only say that there were bodies everywhere, guys taking swings at the ball, and it somehow ended up trickling into the Greek net. Disgusting. I feel foolish now for picking against Sweden when I originally liked them. That's the last time I'm talked out of a pick, especially one that makes me switch to a team who didn't qualify for the World Cup. Oh well, not much else to say about this one from this end. Spain-Sweden should be sensational on Saturday. In the meantime, Swedish meatballs and IKEA furniture for all.