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Tell us your views, comments or news about Euro 2004, from wherever you are.
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HERBERT KNOSOWSKI |
| LIGHT AND SHADE: Czech Republic soccer players celebrate their 3-2 win as Netherlands' Rafael Van Der Vaart walks away in disbelief |
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Russia and Bulgaria may well be history as far as Euro 2004 is concerned. But others aren't so ready to be written off. If you're one of the old guard, hang on for a bumpy ride
By JENNIE JAMES | Lisbon |
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Posted Sunday, June 20, 2004; 14:28 BST
On planet football, the sun often sets in the east. No team from Eastern Europe has walked off with the European Cup since these championships took their current form in 1980. Judging by the first two rounds of the Group phase of Euro 2004, which concluded Saturday night, there's still a glimmer of hope for Eastern European teams, with three sides from the region remaining in the running. Sure, night came especially early for Russia, which on Wednesday claimed the dubious honor of being the first side eliminated from Euro 2004 after defeats by Spain and Portugal. And on Friday the Bulgarians, reeling from a one-two punch delivered by Nordic neighbors Denmark and Sweden, concluded a campaign that was almost as brief as Euro 2004's crisp opening ceremony, but nowhere near as pretty. But on Saturday Latvia kept their hopes alive by pulling off a stunning 0-0 against an astonished Germany and claiming their first-ever championship point. Meanwhile the Czech Republic staked a serious claim, becoming the only team so far to guarantee themselves a place in the quarter-finals after a thrilling 3-2 victory over the Netherlands. And let's not forget the rough-and-tumble Croatians, who last Thursday gave reigning champs France a nasty fright in their 2-2 draw.
Being in the same boat as the Bulgarians was no consolation to Russian fans like Kovolova, 45, a distraught financial director from Moscow, who was wiping away a few quiet tears at Lisbon's Estádio da Luz after her team was sent packing. "I came to see [Vadim] Evseev," she says. "This has made me sad." But truth to tell, although the first week may have been rough on the eastern underdogs, it is the so-called powerhouse sides of Western Europe who should be ashamed of themselves. Sound harsh? Not a single clear winner has yet emerged among the Western football elite, and many big guns face nasty do-or-die challenges just to make the cut.
Take Portugal. In sport, home ground advantage is supposed to inspire local heroes and intimidate their opponents. But in their first match, a 2-1 loss against a mechanistic but efficient Greek defense, the Portuguese played as if fan expectations were drowning rather than driving them. For Portugal's crucial 2-0 victory over Russia, coach Luis Felipe Scolari benched three-quarters of his starting defensive lineup. Not that there haven't been bright spots in the Portuguese campaign: in both games, young winger Cristiano Ronaldo has brought energy to the pitch when he has come on a substitute.
But it will take more than a fresh face for Portugal to win their next match: this weekend's winner-take-all slugfest against bitter Group A adversaries Spain. The Spanish have long been labeled the "nearly men" for their tendency to promise but never deliver. Although a jittery Portuguese team will be looking to exploit weaknesses in the Spanish defense, this match might just be a matter of who blinks first. If that team is Portugal, they will become only the second home side to be knocked out of a European Championship before the quarter finals. "This is a war," says Scolari, "and in war, it's kill or be killed."
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 Brand it Like Beckham [Apr. 27, 2003]
England's captain on keeping his life in balance: "Never say never"
Players Behaving Badly [Jan. 14, 2002]
More English footballers wind up in the courts, prompting questions about discipline off the pitch
Home-Field Advantage [Feb. 27, 2001]
Are some foreign football stars playing for European teams with the assistance of bogus passports?
Back to the Bad Old Days
[Oct. 14, 2002]
English fans were at their worst at last week's Euro 2004 qualifying match against Slovakia
No Money, No Kickoff [Aug. 25, 2002]
Reality bites, and Italian teams are forced to take drastic action
Pink, Proud And Scoring [May. 14, 2001]
Spain's Alav s proves soccer success doesn't always require big bucks
In The Football Business [Sep. 7, 2003]
The true cost of a kick in the grass
Play and Pay [Jul. 30, 2001]
European soccer's big leagues are eager to recruit Japanese players and not just for their ball skills
Search all issues of TIME Magazine
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| Saturday, June 7, 2008 |
UEFA Euro 2008
Austia & Switzerland |
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