We’ve turned the corner at Euro 2012 and just about every match from here on out will have some bearing on who lifts the trophy July 1 — well, all of them besides the June 12 games. Group A is an outlier.
Czech Republic 2 – Greece 1
Poland 1 – Russia 1
– So this is what a bad match feels like. Euro 2012 has been blessed with a run of great games, but Czech Republic-Greece bucked the trend. Yes, there were three goals, but two came in the blink of an eye and the rest of the game was low on flow and high on dirty tricks. For being a side that prides itself on toughness, the Greeks have no qualms with faking injuries at the slightest touch. Czech midfielder Petr Jiracik stole the show when he ripped down a Greece player and then acted like he got stabbed in the stomach as his opponent attempted to clear him off to stand up.
– Tomas Rosicky led the Czech revival. He had to be taken off and will miss the Poland game with an Achilles tendon injury, but the captain was an inspirational figure while on the field. Rosicky made it clear this week in the press that the Russia blowout was unacceptable and stood out in this match with his energy. The veteran was aggressive both in attack and defense and is a major reason why the Czechs still have a strong chance to advance.
– Robert Lewandowski and Jakub Blaszczykowski need some help. Polish frontman Lewandowski was a warrior all night against Russia, fighting for every long ball and holding up play for as long as he could. Blaszczykowski showed why he deserves the captain’s armband with the strike of the tournament to earn a draw. But the pair of attackers were often on an island up top, as the teammates struggled to transition from defense. The Polish midfield — particularly Ludovic Obraniak — will have to pick up their game if this side is to beat the Czech Republic and advance.
– Russia failed to capitalize on Poland’s reticence. Poland came out strong but quickly faded into a defensive shell. Russia turned up the pressure and took the lead, and a second goal seemed inevitable before Blaszscykowski’s wonder strike against the run of play. The goal lifted Poland’s confidence enough to eke out a draw, but the Russians should have put the game away long before the equalizer. Aleksandr Kerzhakov was a threat all night but was particularly wasteful in front of goal.
– Groups are rarely as unpredictable as this. Normally after two matches, teams know just about where they’re going to finish as the knockout stages loom. Not in Group A — Russia leads with 4 points, then Czech Republic with 3, Poland with 2 and Greece with 1. Russia looks set to, at the very least, advance with a significant goal difference, but every one of the last three teams could go through and each could even finish in first. It would be a huge shock if Greece were to knock off the Russians, though, and Poland will need to recover their confidence quickly to overcome a resurgent Czech side.
