Portugal and Czech Republic start on a Winning Note

The first match of the tournament was rather a mixed bag for co-hosts Switzerland. Starting agressively, the team through out the first half had a good measure of the Czech defence. Testing Peter Cech on many occasions, the trio of Valon Behrami, Gokhan Inler and Alexander Frei came very close to opening the account for the Swiss team.

It semed as if the Czech team was more than happy to play the second fiddle and dig its heels for a long overhaul. However, the momentum was broken when Alexander Frei sustained a knee injury and hobbled of the field. A double whammy was in the offing for the team as it was later on learnt that Frei might have put himself out of the contention for the remainder of the Championship. With frei gone off the field, the potency of the home team seemed as if it was weathering out.

In the second half, the Czech team started rediscovering its lost touch and it was not long before it started to come in its own. This was amptly reflected in the 70th minute when Vaclav Sverkos netted the ball to the left of goal keeper Diego Benaglio. Only in his third appearence, it seemed as if Sverkos had made up his mind to not to be confined to the bench again. The goal eventually proved to be a decisive one as it gave the team a 1:0 win over the hosts.

Later in the evening, the next match saw Portugal get the better of Turkey. With the two teams locked in a stalemate in the the first half, it was the second half that tilted the match in Portugal's favour. With the wodwork coming to the rescue of Turkey on three occasions the scoreline of 2:0 in a way saved the team the blushes. Scoring the opening goal for the Portugese in the 6oth minute, Pepe yet again proved why the team was a strong contender for the trophy. The thought was yet again reinforced when Joao Moutinho scored the second goal of the match and put the match beyond Turkey's reach.