Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Issue # 3 "Trouble's a Brewin'"
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June 13, 2012

Foster's Futbol Brew:  Trouble’s a Brewin (Third Edition)

Well, the first half of Group play has concluded, and as usual, there were plenty of surprises.

Let’s start with Holland losing to the Great Danes.  Well, as I predicted, Arjen Robben would be the guy to hold back the Dutch…but I didn’t expect a loss.  I can count at least half a dozen shots taken by Robben, only one of which was a worthwhile strike, which hit the post.  All other attempts sailed over the cross bar or were an easy save for the Danish keeper.  If Robben had passed on those occasions, he may have created several scoring opportunities that would likely have converted one goal.  Being in The Group of Death (Group B), this loss is likely their undoing in this tournament.  To advance to the knockout stage, Holland will have to whoop Portugal now that it lost to Germany, while the Danes must lose to the Germans.  The goal differential will come into play, and the Dutch are currently at a disadvantage in that department….not looking good for the Orange Army.

The game between Sweden and Ukraine had unexpected results, without a doubt.  Sweden, the third-highest scoring team entering the tournament, got only one goal against the weaker defense of Ukraine.  Shevchenko scored with two great headers to lift the home team to victory.  A disappointment throughout the game was that not one set play, including corner kicks, saw a well-struck service…so many balls seemed to sail too far…you wonder if the ball is to blame!?  Either way, Sweden squandered some great opportunities, including their huge height advantage.  As usual, the Swedes managed to under-achieve on the biggest stage of futbol.

Let’s talk about a few letdowns.  Can anyone name THE striker for Greece?  Anyone?  Samaras is listed as the man, but he showed nothing with or away from the ball.  I don’t see Greece moving on, despite getting one point from their tie with hosts Poland. They lost their second match, and have no go-to goal scorer to beat the heavily favored Russians!  It’s too bad Poland couldn’t play with the same vigor in the second half as they did in the first half against Greece…they’ll highly regret not coming away with a win after pulling even with the front-running Russians.  No matter what, the tournament co-hosts are in a MUST-WIN against the Czechs to pull thru to the elimination phase.

Anyone wonder how Ronaldo would fare in this competition? Against Denmark, he had two breakaways, one where he was truly alone, and took a hastily struck shot wide, instead of dribbling around the goalie and burying it into an empty net.  He just can’t close the deal in a Portugal jersey!  Thankfully his team stepped up, including late substitute Varela to win in an active 3-2 victory in what was the game of the tournament thus far.  Ronaldo might have one last chance against what looks to be the weakest defense in the group – the much touted Dutch, which will likely feature attacking midfielders, meaning more openings for the Portuguese to exploit for potential goals.  Although I predicted the Dutch would pull out of the group in 2^nd place, it looks like the Portuguese have the best chance, since Denmark must face the relentless Germans.

Looking ahead in the coming days…will my surprise pick for 2^nd place in Group C pull off the upset over Italy?  I think Croatia is riding high, now let’s see if they can break down the tough Italian defense!  Will France and England each get a needed win over the less-favored Ukraine and Sweden?  Is another upset in the cards by the co-host nation?  I think the Frogs will do the stomping this time, and the English are set for a close one…if they dominate possession, they should come away with 3 points in the group standings, with both teams on their way to securing a place in the final 8.