Weekend Roundup

Let's start with the stunner of the day--Lukas Podolski's second against Poland:  

Speaking generally, it's been a very formulaic tournament so far.  All four favorites have won, with the favorites to win their respective groups (Germany and Portugal) winning 2-0 and the other winners taking it by a score of 1-0.  There have been surprises in the run of play but none in the scorelines.  Today, Austria and Poland dominated large parts of their games but came away with nothing to show for their efforts.  We haven't gotten our first truly great game or goal, but sometimes these big tournaments start off a little slow.  Anyway, with tomorrow's massive group C clashes on the docket, we should not have to wait much longer.  

There certainly have been some bright spots so far in these generally dour first two matchdays.  In no particular order, here is a list of those performances that have impressed me the most:

Pepe (Portugal)- dominant in the back and scorer of a very impressive goal.  Rarely do you ever see a center back capable of coming forward and taking part in the kind of passing exchange that led to the Real Madrid man's well-taken strike.  Arguably the most impressive all-around performer of the tournament thus far.

Bosingwa (Portugal)- the recent Chelsea signing demonstrated his worth for the Portuguese as

 a constant attacking threat from the right back position.  Bosingwa has the rare attribute of fully incorporating himself in the attack without ever compromising his defensive positioning.  As an Arsenal fan, it's too bad he is going to west London in the fall.

Servet Cetin (Turkey)- the Galatasaray center back's nickname is Ayibogan, which translates to "man who could choke a bear."  Not sure how all of that is conveyed in a single word, but Servet looks like he would be more in place at the World's Strongest Man Competition with Magnus Samuelsson and Mariusz Pudzianowski than on the pitch against Cristiano.  In addition to being the strongest player in this tournament, Cetin is deceptively quick and completely shut down Nuno Gomes up front for Portugal.  Rumored to be headed to a larger club outside of Turkey in the upcoming year.

Lukas Podolski (Germany)- see above.  Podolski scored two against his birth country to make an early bid for the golden boot.  A natural forward, Podolski was lined up as a midfielder wide on the left by coach Jochim Low, giving the Germans three genuine striking options with Klose and Gomez.  After a couple of really tough seasons on the domestic stage with Bayern Munich, it is good to see Podolski regain his international form from the previous World Cup.

Austria- Surprisingly chippy in their opener against Croatia, the Austrians have already shed the title of "worst team to ever play in the Euro," even if they still contrived to lose.  Pogatetz remains a liability.

Andy Gray- His caustic wit and knowledge of the game is a pleasant change from the usual ESPN drivel.  My only concern is that he punches Julie Foudy in the face for her footballing ig'nance.

See you tomorrow for the group of death.