Euro Cup – And then there were 8…

Favourites and Upsets, twists and turns, victory and defeat, an exciting and entertaining first round of football in beautiful Eastern Europe.

Group A

Mighty Russia, a favorite to win it’s group and travel far through the gauntlet was a bust as they blew out Czech Republic, tied Poland and then lost to Greece to be ousted from the tournament with the Greeks gaining the elusive second place ticket for the next round. Co-host Poland played fairly well but could not get the final score lines needed to advance. The Czech Republic did the opposite of the Russians, getting better with each game and winning Group A with their victory over the co-host Poland. Karma may have had a hand in this group with quarreling fans of Russia and Poland both having their teams exit early from Euro Cup 2012. Winners Czech Republic and Greece, both playing well and poised to meet the two winners from Group B.

1.Czech Republic

2.Greece

Group B

The ‘group of death’ was deadly for two teams: Denmark, who did play well with great defense and solid offence and the other being the Netherlands, one of the early favorites to win the tournament. The Dutch didn’t play as a team and their superstars under-performed and could not deliver, failing to earn even one point. Portugal, improved with every game and with all their key players in full stride, they could be quite the formidable opponents in the second round. The pure class of this dangerous group was Germany, the only team to win all three games in the Euro Cup first round. The Germans play the strongest team game and are the best-positioned squad in the competition. German engineering should take this team deep into the quest for football glory. Germany and Portugal will now battle the two winners from Group A, Czech Republic and Greece.

1. Germany

2. Portugal

Group C

This group was entertaining but somewhat predictable with Italy and the defending Euro and World Cup champions Spain, winning the games they were supposed to win and drew against each other which was enough for both to advance to the second round. Croatia played decent but could not get the points needed to move on, while Ireland was simply outclassed in every match. Italy was up and down with their play but still managed some phenomenal finishes and the points needed to continue in the tournament. Spain with their victory over Croatia, and their explosive 4–0 performance against Ireland was the difference to winning the group for the Spaniards. These seasoned teams now have the opportunity to advance and play the two winners of Group D.

1. Spain

2. Italy

Group D

The excitement in this Group D was top notch as England soared into the Euro Cup fresh from the Diamond Jubilee celebration and were able to play well in the first two games without their superstar Rooney and with his return in the final opening round match were able to conquer Ukraine to solidify themselves as the top team in Group D. France was unstable and had an inconsistent performance but were still able to stay alive and advance to the next round despite their 2–0 loss to Sweden in their final round-one game. Ukraine and Sweden both managed a win but could not gain additional points to earn a place in the elimination stages. As most predicted, England and France both advanced and move on to play the winners of Group C, Spain and Italy.

1. England

2. France

 The Semi-Finals

So now that the early dust has settled and these remaining cleated warriors have tasted victory and triumph, here are the epic match ups for round two of

Euro Cup 2012:

Czech Republic vs. Portugal – Thursday, June 21

Germany vs. Greece – Friday, June 22

Spain vs. France – Saturday, June 23

England vs. Italy – Sunday, June 24

It has been a spirited, opening round of soccer and now that Euro Cup 2012 has completed the opening round and I, like most experts, having a few failed predictions for the tournament, it is truly unpredictable what may transpire on the field next. Look for more shocking upsets, fantastic finishes and pure drama on the pitch. Euro Cup should really heat up in the second round and continue to sizzle into the finals on July 1^st.

*Written by DARPAN Contributing Writer Daniel Joseph

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D