A decent first game. Poland looked to have some menace to go along with their energy; and rightfully took the lead early on. After Greece were reduced to 10-men in the first half (Papastathopoulos punished for first jumping and then falling over) it looked like the result was in no doubt; but strangely Poland seemed to lose confidence as the game went on. Szczesny, who's name surely needs an additional vowel somewhere, got himself sent off and but for the resultant penalty miss by Greece, would have lost his team the game.
So; a 1-1 result that Greece will be far happier about than Poland; but both have room for improvement.
Observations include:
- the Greek manager looking more like their finance minister; head in hands, despairing head shakes, a man tormented by the slowness of his own team.
- Samaras showing quite a few bits of tekkers - though at the same time making the likes of Mata and Parker look like Hussain Bolt - my he is slowwww
Next up; Czech Republic and Russia - should be a good one.
Good effort Birchy - I've been meaning to send you a note and ask whether you were doing a blog for the Euro's. I now have my answer!
ReplyDeleteMy mood is changing slightly now that the action has started.... I initially had as much enthusiasm for this tourney as Stewart Downing has for passing to a teammate.
It was never in doubt Steve! Tournament footy is awesome; and with the least attractive game already out of the way, it should just get better and better.
ReplyDeleteGive me a shout if you want to contribute - I can easily set you up; squad rotatiuon keeps us pundits fresh too!