A breakdown of this week's end to the group stage of the tournament.
Group A
Czech Republic recovered from an opening 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Russia to top the group. Two quick goals against Greece gave the Czechs their belief back, as an aging side many had written off prior to the tournament proved doubters wrong. Even with the group victory, this side will be an underdog against Portugal in the quarterfinals. The Czechs’ disciplined style of counterattacking football could surprise the Portuguese, however.
Greece made few fans with their ultra-negative, gritty style of play. But it was hard not to feel a bit of joy for their people after the side shocked Russia to provide a temporary reprieve from domestic troubles. Few gave Greece a shot to move on, even heading into the last group stage game. Even fewer will give them a chance in a politically charged quarter-final against Germany, but this is a team used to playing against the odds.
Russia will be bitterly disappointed to be out already. A pair of impressive opening performances had the Russians looking like a title contender, but it all came undone against Greece. Russia had 69 percent of the possession and 31 shots against the Greeks, paying the ultimate price for wastefulness in a 1-0 loss.
Poland’s finishing at the bottom of this group is a major letdown. The co-host received a golden draw and had it all set up going into the final match. The June 16 game was billed as the biggest sporting event ever to take place on Polish soil, only for the home side to barely even threaten the Czech goal and lose 1-0.
Group B
Germany has confirmed its status as pre-tournament favorite. The Germans dictated the flow of play in all of their group matches and, while they were threatened in each of them, emerged unscathed. Striker Mario Gomez silenced those who said he would never come through on the biggest stage with three vital goals, providing a finishing touch to Germany’s flowing attacks. Greece presents a unique challenge, but the Germans should roll into the semifinals.
Portugal is a legitimate title threat. Having taken Germany to the wire, showcased a surprising resolve against Denmark and beaten Netherlands comprehensively, Portugal has been one of the teams of the tournament so far. The side was able to grind out results when Cristiano Ronaldo was below par and stepped up to another level with their star firing against the Dutch to win 2-.1 Czech Republic-Portugal will be one of the tightest quarters, but the attacking threat of the latter should decide the tie.
Denmark was a neutral’s dream, an underdog with a commitment to positive play. They did themselves proud and will feel unlucky to not move on. The Danes will wonder what might have been if Silvestre Varela hadn’t scored late for Portugal to cancel out a two-goal Denmark comeback.
Netherlands will go down as the disappointment of the tournament. The Dutch could never find a balance between their prodigious attackers and leaky defense. Internal dissention and external pouting made the world number four’s exit even more embarrassing.
Group C
Spain topped the group, but not with the ease they are accustomed to. Spanish passing is as mesmerizing as ever, but their bite in the final third has sputtered. Without a true in-form forward, coach Vicente del Bosque has experimented with an unorthodox six midfielder lineup as well a traditional one. Neither has resulted in consistent finishing. Spain had better regain its golden touch soon – especially with France waiting in the quarterfinals – or their dream of three straight major tournament titles will quickly vanish.
Italy had to wait until the final seconds of the group stage to punch its ticket to the last eight, as Spain held on to knock out Croatia. The Italians were solid but unspectacular, picking up the results they needed but without exhibiting much fluency. The Azzurri will need Mario Batotelli to keep executing bicycle kicks and avoiding controversy if they are to overcome England – apart from Wayne Rooney, the Three Lions have no one that can match the young striker’s natural talent.
Croatia was a joy to watch in this tournament, especially in its first two matches. The side attacked relentlessly, had a commitment to creative passing and somehow found a way to celebrate every goal as a team. Manager Slaven Bilic should be proud of his side, even if it fell well short of his stated desire to bring the trophy home to Zagreb.
Ireland qualified for the tournament with grit and determination, but its lack of quality was badly exposed in this loaded group. The effort was there and their fans were a credit to the tournament, but the Irish were simply overmatched. At least they went down swinging by putting a scare into Italy.
Group D
England entered a major tournament as an underdog for perhaps the first time ever and thrived with the decreased expectations. Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck infused a shot of youth into what had been an aging side, and the balance between enthusiasm and experience came off perfectly. It was not always pretty, and the Three Lions were fortunate to sneak by Sweden and Ukraine, but England has a legitimate shot at the semifinals after earning a favorable matchup with Italy in Kyiv on June 24.
France was the most inconsistent side in the field. Flashes of brilliance (see: a 2-0 win over Ukraine) alternated with maddening dullness (see: a 2-0 loss to already-eliminated Sweden). The undoubted talent in the French attack makes it impossible to count them out, but their inability to string together strong performances makes a title run unlikely. Their quarterfinal match with Spain is a fascinating showdown between teams that have displayed both the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde sides to their respective games.
Ukraine fell agonizingly short of their goal of a knockout round berth but did themselves and their nation proud in the process. The Yellow-Blues may have been outclassed by France, but they got the better of England even in a loss. The co-hosts even provided one of the moments of the group stage when Andriy Shevchenko cemented his national hero status by carrying his side past Sweden. The pain will subside; memories of that thrilling night in Kyiv will not.
Sweden was a frontrunner for the “disappointment of the tournament” tag before earning its pride back by stunning France in a finale that meant little to them. The isolation of Zlatan Ibrahimovic was a fatal flaw – the striker showed his class but often looked like he was playing 1-on-11.
