Given how awesomely well my Stanley Cup prediction went (I'd have had to work hard to do worse ;P) and how much fun I had doing it (the detail was RIDICULOUS!) I thought it would be fun to do it again. Hooray. This time for the Euro Cup. Hooray. And for 4 games.
Czech Republic VS Portugal 1-4
The Czechs, after winning their dubious group, were, no doubt, hoping Denmark would find a way to qualify in the "Group of Death". Well... they didn't. And Portugal (particularly chief striker/Captain Christiano Ronaldo, pictured giving his personal thumbs up) has found their game. As a result... the result isn't pretty. After a 1-1 first half (goals by defender Michal Kadlec in the 29th minute, and by forward Helder Postiga in the 33rd), Ronaldo comes alive in the second, scoring goals at the 50th, 61st, and 73rd minutes to seal the relatively easy 4-1 win for Portugal. The Portuguese enjoy 63% of the possession in their win.
Germany VS Greece 2-0
The beleaguered Greeks, without Captain Giorgos Karagounis due to a stupid yellow card in the game against Russia, do what they always do: work for a win. Unfortunately (and not for lack of trying, with several great scoring chances by Giorgos Samaras and Fanis Gekas, all foiled by Manuel Neuer) the Greeks don't get that win. After some tight(ish) play, with the Germans getting the majority of the shots and chances (though not to a dominating extent) the ice is finally broken when, at the 33rd minute, Thomas Muller makes up for a largely lackadaisical group stage by potting his 1st goal of the tournament on a feed from star defender Jerome Boateng. The 1-0 advantage continues into the 2nd half, until Mario Gomez pots his 4th goal in the 55th minute off a feed from Bastian Schweinsteiger off a Mesut Ozil free kick, which pretty much ends any excitement in the game, as the Germans go into shell mode for the rest of the contest.
Spain VS France 1-0
Both teams bounce back from dismal performances in their respective final group matches with a tightly contested game. Spain enjoys the majority of the shots and chances, though not to the extent maybe expected. A few lapses by Spain's young defensive line lead to prime scoring chances for French forwards, though 'keeper Iker Casillas is up to the task. Most of Spain's chances are created by Andres Iniesta passes to Fernando Torres, who invariably fires either 10 feet wide or 10 feet high. Eventually, in the 73rd minute, Torres is substituted for Cesc Fabregas, and 2 minutes later, Fabregas heads home a goal from a Xavi Hernandez corner to get the win for the Spaniards.
England VS Italy 2-1
After a strangely lethargic group stage, Italy was looking to take the bull by the horns against the English. A very small bull, they thought. The Italians drill the English for almost 70% of the ball possession, with multiple scoring chances, shots, posts, blocked shots, and near misses. They finally score at the 40th minute on a mid-range shot by Antonio Cassano that eludes goalkeeper Joe Hart, giving the Italians their well-deserved lead. However, in the 56th minute, a cross by Theo Walcott bends its way to striker Wayne Rooney, who slams home a header for the tying goal. The rest of the half is played much like the first, with Italy tossing chance after chance at the English goal, all of which fail for one reason or another. Then, in the dying seconds of stoppage time, Theo Walcott slides into the open with a burst of speed to take a Steven Gerrard pass and roofs an absolute laser to give the plucky Britts the improbable 2-1 lead... and the win.
heh. That was fun.
and now, this.
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