Euro 2008: Day 12

Greece vs Spain
0 - 2

Russia vs Sweden

2 - 0

I don't think I'm going to make it down to the fan mile tonight. I've really hit my stride in this video project I've been working on for one of my classes, and I think if I just keep working through tonight I'll be able to finish it. And then I'll be free to go watch the football that really matters (ie the quarterfinals and beyond!). I'm not sure which game they'll be showing tonight, anyway. You would think Sweden/Russia, since that's the only game of consequence, but that didn't stop them from airing the pointless Portugal/Switzerland game. Either way, I'll be surprised if tonight's victors aren't Sweden and Spain (unless Spain lets all of its best players take a rest, then Greece might win). Heja Sverige!

Update: Whoa! Who saw that coming?! I sure didn't! I'm sorry, Sweden, I feel like I let you down by not going down to the fan mile and supporting you. How the hell did Russia win? Were they just having an off day that game when they were playing Spain? Do they really, secretly, actually know how to play hockey? I don't know, but I'm going to go on record right now in saying that if they end up beating the Netherlands in the quarterfinals I will be really impressed. Poor, poor Sweden. It was nice knowing you, Team Tall Indians! Stay Swedish!

Euro 2008: Day 8

Spain vs Sweden

2 - 1

Greece vs Russia

0 - 1

I'm not sure whether I'm going to see these games today or not. I'm not particularly attached to any of the teams, especially since my two rooting interests in this group, Spain and Sweden, are playing against each other, and I have a lot of homework I should catch up on. It certainly does worsen my already questionable work ethic to have all of my days basically end at 6:00. I haven't decided yet, though, so we'll see. In any case, if I'm forced to choose, I say go Team Tall Indians! (Sorry, Spain. You're still smokin' hot, though!) Russia and Greece... I don't care much about that game either way, but I guess it would be nice to see poor forlorn Russia win a game. I'm not sure that's possible though.

Update: Well, that was unexpected. To be honest, I was a little burnt out on this whole two-football-games-a-day thing, so I decided to only see one of the games being played last night, and Spain/Sweden promised to be the more entertaining of the two. But it seems like I missed quite the surprise in the second game. Sure, I wasn't expecting Greece to repeat their Euro Cup title, but I wasn't expecting them to get knocked out quite this early. And by the Russians, too, that's gotta sting a little. But, yay! Go Russia! You aren't completely hopeless at sports that aren't hockey! (You're still not going to beat Sweden in your next game, though, I hate to break it to you.)

On a completely shallow note, I think Spain/Sweden was probably the best-looking game so far in this tournament. Both teams are full of dreamboats, and the Swedes in particular are always charming and smiley, even in defeat. At one point last night, a Swedish player was taken down at the goal line and sent rolling into the end boards head first. He got up grinning from ear to ear, and shrugged it off. I think I might be in love with the Swedes. On the other hand, I also have a raging, girly crush on Spain's Fernando Torres:

I wonder what the soccer term for Puckbunny Fodder is.
[Getty Images]

Ahem. Okay, with the swooning out of the way (for now), I can focus on the actual game. I got to the fan mile a little late, and Spain was already up 1-0 on a Torres goal (swoon!). The Swedes tied it up not long after, though, thanks to a goal by a guy with the most un-Swedish sounding name ever:

Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Are you Swedish, sir? No really. Are you?
[Getty Images]

After that, the game kind of went into lock-down mode. Lena, who was watching the game with me, started complaining that it was getting boring, but personally I loved watching the Swedes play defense. Maybe Spain was doing just as good of a job and I only noticed Sweden's defense because I wanted them to win, but it was a real joy to watch. There were multiple times when a Spaniard would be powering toward the goal at a good pace, only to be stopped dead and completely undressed of the ball. Another time, Sweden calmly and effectively turned away multiple Spain shots in a row, including one on a gaping net that was deflected away by a defender. Anyway, sexy defense seems to be Sweden's thing. It's a shame that they had to crack at the very last second, when David Villa scored in stoppage time to give Spain the win, but from a purely objective standpoint it was a beautiful goal. The shot itself wasn't anything great, but the long pass that made the shot possible was gorgeous: powerful and arcing and perfectly placed. So it was hard for me to be upset, even if the game didn't end the way I wanted it to, especially since Sweden should be able to handle Russia in their next game (at least I hope) and should join Spain in moving on to the quarterfinals.

Euro 2008: Day 4

Spain vs Russia
4 - 1

Greece vs Sweden

0 - 2

I'm back in Vienna and should be headed down to the fan mile again tonight to continue winging this whole "blogging about a sport that isn't hockey" thing. For the record, I'll be rooting for Spain and Sweden, at least until I have a reason to do otherwise. I predict my two phrases of the night will be "Thank God I'm going to the circus" in Russian, and "Are you Swedish, sir?"

Update: I went to both of the games tonight on the fan mile with my friend Mark and my roommate Lena, who's from Bavaria. Everything was splendid! For the early game, there weren't too many people there, so we actually got to sit on the ground in Rathausplatz and watch the big screen. Mark and Lena decided to cheer for Russia, but, while I truly appreciate everything Russia has done for my favorite sport, the pull of the hot Spaniards was too much for me. Especially since it appeared to be raining in Innsbruck (where the game was being played), which only increased the disparity of hotness between the two teams, making Spain look like super models and Russia look like drowned rats (or, even worse, Brian Campbell at his sweatiest). Poor Russia. At some point during the game I felt kind of ashamed to be rooting for Spain, because they were really dirty--grabbing, tripping, and kicking all over the place--but, honestly, I don't think it would have made much of a difference since Russia... didn't seem very good at football. The turnovers were atrocious and there were a few occasions when they had golden opportunities, and ended up hitting the post, kicking it wide of the net, or pretty much passing it to the goaltender. Yeah, it was like a team of Yo-Yos with none of the upside. At least they have hockey. Still, they're the only losing team so far in this tournament to score a goal, and it was a pretty gorgeous one, too. I can't really remember if it was a corner kick or just a long cross, but a Russian put it in just over the goalie's hands with a diving header. The ball changed direction so quickly that the Spanish goalie didn't really have a chance, but I still used the excuse that he couldn't save it because he was concussed. Earlier in the game he'd jumped in the air to grab a ball, only to collide with a Russian player trying to get his head on it. They replayed the collision from about ten different angles, and one pretty clearly showed his head connecting with the other guy's shoulder. I certainly hope he's not concussed, but it sure looked like it hurt. Anyway, it was a good game from my perspective, though not terribly exciting, since Spain seemed to always have the game in hand. Lena and Mark also hoped the next one would be better.

Before the next game, we all went home to change and get something to eat. Mark and Lena put on white shirts to support Greece, while I donned a gold shirt to support Sweden--once again it was two against one, but I didn't care. I briefly considered putting on my Yo-Yo jersey, since it's blue and gold and could maybe pass for a Sweden shirt, but it was way too hot for that. The game was really fun, and more exciting than the first, even though it was still scoreless about three quarters of the way in. Both teams had some close calls and were trading chances and momentum pretty fluidly. At halftime we all went and bought beers (or what passes for beer in Austria--Lena and Mark, a German and a half-German, are beer snobs) just to get the cool plastic cups with all the flags on it. Now that I have the cup, I don't think I'll ever feel the need to buy beer on the fan mile again, especially considering it was 5 Euro, about $7.50. We then pushed farther into the crowd, and Mark and Lena led me directly into a huge group of Greece fans, which was cruel. I didn't feel threatened or anything, especially seeing as how I wasn't really conspicuously rooting for Sweden. I just felt so small cheering for the Swedish goals amid the chants of "Hellas! Hellas!" The first goal was really, really beautiful. A clean kick from just outside the penalty box that arced right into the top left corner of the net. Pure soccer. The second goal, however, was a veritable clusterfuck. A Swedish forward found himself one-on-one with the Greek goaltender, only to kick it straight at him. It ricocheted off the goalie to another Swede, who kicked it way high in the air in the direction of the net. Yet another Swede attempted to head it in, missed, and then eventually knocked it in over a defender's back and through the goalie's legs. It was a mess. But a mess that ended up in another point for my team, so I was happy. I also double-love Sweden now, because they facilitated my favorite chants so far. First, as we were walking to the game, we heard someone behind us chanting "I-KE-A! I-KE-A!" which was really funny. And then, during the game, the Austrians cheering for Greece started leading the cheer "Ihr seid nur ein Möbellieferant! Möbellieferant! Möbellieferant!" ("You're just a furniture store!") It was inspired, but all for naught, as Team Hank Tall Indians still claimed victory. Hah!

Eagerly awaiting the next games...

Idiot's Guide to UEFA Euro 2008: Group D

The UEFA Euro Cup (also known by about a billion other names like the European Football Championship, Euro 2008, or die Euro or die EM if you're speaking German) is a competition consisting of 16 teams, split up into four groups of four. In the early rounds of the tournament, the teams from each group compete amongst themselves and the top two finishers go on to play in the quarter finals. The 2008 schedule looks like this. I've spent the past couple of days getting to know the teams a little bit, and here's what I've found out.

Group D - Greece, Sweden, Spain, Russia

Greece

Greece 2004 - Get ready to hand it over.
[Getty Images]

What I think: Aside from the obvious--chicken wings, beef on weck, sponge candy--the thing I miss most about the Western New York food scene is the abundance of Greek restaurants. I would kill for some of Kosta's taramosalata or chicken souvlaki. Stuffed grape leaves! Baklava! Mmmmmm! So, in keeping with the tradition of letting my football opinions be swayed by the deliciousness of a country's native cuisine, Greece has my approval.
Jerseys I would consider buying just for the sake of having the name on my back: Patsatzoglou, Spiropoulos, Giannakopoulos, Liberopoulos
The outlook: Surprised many by winning Euro 2004, apparently relying very heavily on their defense. They logged three consecutive shutouts in the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final round, winning each by a score of 1-0. That's pretty sexy. Unfortunately for them, in the 48-year history of the Euro Cup, in which 12 champions have been crowned, no team has yet managed to effectively defend their title, so the odds are against a Greek repeat. Still, it looks like they're not going to give it up without a fight, at least. They were one of the most successful teams in qualifying, clinching with two games to spare and notching 31 points, more than any other team in the qualifying round. After failing to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, it looks like they're coming on strong again.

Sweden

Various Swedes - Look, it's a team of Hank Tallinders!
[Getty Images]

What I think: Sweden has brought me so many great things. Henrik Tallinder. Swedish Fish. Pretty much all of the home furnishings in Europe (at the moment, the chair I'm sitting on, the bowl I'm eating cereal out of, and the spoon I'm eating it with all say IKEA on them). And did I mention it's an entire team of Swedish men? Yeah, how could I not like the Swedes?
Jerseys I would consider buying just for the sake of having the name on my back: Shaaban, Majstorovic, Ljungberg, Ibrahimović
The outlook: This will be Sweden's fifth consecutive appearance in the Euro finals, but they have yet to make it past the first knockout round of the tournament. In 2006 they were likewise sent home by Germany in the Round of 16. The story of their qualifying games is somewhat less than inspiring, as they won their first four games, including a 2-0 victory over Spain, but failed to clinch their place in the finals until their very last game, when they beat Latvia 2-1. There's also this somewhat bewildering story accompanying one of their games in Denmark:

Sweden were awarded a 3-0 win against Denmark in their next game after the qualifier in Copenhagen was abandoned after a Danish spectator attacked the match referee, who had just awarded Sweden a late penalty with the scores level at 3-3.

I'm confused. Does this mean that Denmark scored three goals, but then had them all taken away? Officially? Because of the actions of one of their fans? That doesn't seem right at all. (Neither does jumping out of the stands to attack a referee, but that's European football for you.) Anyway, despite this curious gift, Sweden still struggled to qualify and seem primed to get knocked out in the early going once again.

Spain

Iker Casillas - He's definitely not icky.
[Getty Images]

What I think: After exhaustively researching Spain's photo gallery, I've determined that they are, almost as a rule, all sexpots. I approve.
Jerseys I would consider buying just for the sake of having the name on my back: Palop, Puyol, Capdevila
The outlook: Spain won the Euro Cup in 1964, but have failed to really make a strong impression since then, perennially exiting in the early rounds. They also bowed out of the 2006 World Cup early, not even making it out of the group stage. They ended their recent qualifying round strongly, recovering from a bad start which saw them take only three points from their first three qualifying games (I don't know what that means, but apparently it's near-disastrous). They eventually finished on top of their qualifying group, and seem to be a popular pick to win it all this year.

Russia

Alexey Berezulski - Russian ballet?
[Getty Images]

What I think: After I perfect my German (HA!), I hope to one day learn Russian. I already have a semester's-worth under my belt, which means I can read Cyrillic, albeit only very slowly and with all the emphasis on the wrong syllables, I'm sure. I can also say the sentence, "Thank God I'm going to the circus," which, of course, is useful in any number of situations. I'm practically fluent already! My point is, I'm inclined to like the Russians based on the awesomeness of their language, as well as their high production of NHLers. Unfortunately, in a group full of steamy Mediterranians and darling Scandanavians the Russians are, with a few exceptions, the European football equivalent of Marla Hooch from A League of their Own. (What a hitter!) If they want to win me over, they're going to have to do it with their play. And preferably with only wide-angle camera shots.
Jerseys I would consider buying just for the sake of having the name on my back: Malafeev, Ignashevich, Bilyaletdinov, Pavlyuchenko
The outlook: Well, it looks like the Russians are probably going to have a hard time impressing me on the field, too. They failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, and didn't survive the group stage of Euro 2004, which remains their best performance in a Euro Cup to date. (As the USSR, they won the first Cup in 1960, and appeared to two other finals thereafter.) Their performance in their qualifying games was somewhat less than encouraging, as they managed a surprise qualification only because Croatia beat England 3-2 in their last meeting. Well, at least their hockey team are champions, right?

Coming Soon: Day 1, July 7th!