Euro 2008 quarterfinals: surprises or disappointments

From day one, Euro 2008 has been full of surprises, as we have witnessed many of the teams favored for the second round either being left out or still fighting to stay alive. A clear example is the Azzuri or the Italian team, which was one of the strongest groups to take the Cup home, but the true story was another. Since his first match against the Netherlands; the Italians had a hard time and ended up losing 3-0; a very unexpected first game that we could hardly believe. Italy then played their second rival Romania on June 13, where we saw a more aggressive team, but unfortunately for the Azzuri, their first goal was knocked out and the game ended in a draw.

On the other hand; we have the Le Blue or the French team, which was another disappointment, since they also drew and lost to the group leader, the Netherlands, with a final score of 4-1. Now; the French and Italians will meet for the second place that will secure a place in the quarterfinals. As for Romania; the team has drawn in their previous two games and they haven’t really shown much to deserve advancing in the tournament; however, they have accumulated a total of 2 points with two goals against, so it is very possible that the French or the Italians will take second place.

Regarding Group D; The Greek team was expected to take at least second place, but failed to win any of the games played so far. Otherwise; Spain is the current team leader and has accumulated a total of 6 points by beating Russia and Sweden. Both Russia and Sweden have the same number of points and will meet in the final game of the first round; therefore; if Sweden win, they will qualify for second place to proceed to the quarterfinals… a very similar situation for the Russians if they are the winners.

Additionally we have Group A which is currently led by Portugal and Turkey with a total of 6 points each; the other two teams, the Czech Republic and Switzerland, which were expected to show a bit more potential and football spirit, have been left behind and already out of the next round.

Finally; we have Group B where Croatia has become the absolute leader; certainly a very pleasant surprise as the team won all three games against Austria, Germany and Poland. Croatia now advances to the quarterfinals with the German team as their captain Michael Ballack was able to push his team by scoring his first goal of the tournament against Austria winning the game 1 – 0 for a total amount of 6 points on the scoreboard.

With a little luck; this year, Euro Champion will also be a surprise, as the teams will continue to show their full potential in the coming weeks.