Do I really have to talk about Germany? They simply methodically dissected Poland like – okay,I won’t go there. World War II is done and over with. Ballack was satisfactory. But in a game like this one, who cares? The Germans will cruise.
Croatia 1 Austria 0
Surprise level: 0
Some observers have been critical of Croatia’s unconvincing opening game victory. But who do they have to convince exactly? They bagged the three points and that’s what matters. That being said, they will have to be better against Germany if they dream of more.
It was mission accomplished for Austria. They competed and actually created more chances. The truth is that it’s rare to blow out teams in soccer (ahem, Italy). Teams have pride and Austria had enough to put up a fight. Whether by design or not, Croatia is coming out slow to gather strength as the tournament progresses.
Group C
Doo-dee-doo.
"Oh hello, welcome to hell. I’m your host, the devil."
Ever notice how the word “hello” is one letter away from hell? It’s my favourite word.
France 0 Romania 0
Surprise level: 6
That was tough on the eyes. Romania did their homework and neutralized Franck Ribery. Ribery is a creative, fast, energetic player but not a scoring threat. The Romanians were disinterested in pushing the play, aiming for a tie.
France’s defense is rock solid and plays with a ruthless edge. How many of Makalele’s spikes were found in the shins of the Romanian players after the game, I wonder? On the other hand, its offense, well, it looked dysfunctional.
The absence of Trezeguet should question Domenech’s sanity. Things aren’t so bad, he always has a future in astrology if France crashes out.
There are two ways to look at Italy/Netherlands. One is the excellent quality of play by the Dutch and the other is to examine Dubious Donadoni’s utterly naive and useless lineup. Materazzi as a central defender? Surely you jest.
It’s rare to watch Italy look rudderless at the back so it was fascinating to watch. Losing Cannavaro is much bigger than people think.
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