The first circle

Of course, far -reaching conclusions to draw prematurely. One could only take a closer look at the participants of Euro 2012 , trying to look at at least the participants of the semi-finals among 16 teams.

At first glance, two teams applying for the best in the four are noticeable today. I would dare to name the national teams of Russia and Germany-adjusted that the Russians still had the weakest rivals, football players of the Czech Republic . Nevertheless, mistakes and not very confident game of the opponent should still be used - and in this sense, the Dick's Dick team showed itself very vividly. The fans with Poland are looking forward to both countries, although, it seems, this impatience lies somewhere on the outskirts of the rest of the football world. True, Russians are able to change this state of affairs. Poland has nowhere to retreat-after a very nervous match with the Greece team , so famously begun and with such difficulty saved, one of the owners of the championship, defeat in a match with the Russian national team, perhaps, will withdraw from among the applicants a ticket to the playoffs. This moment, by the way, is beneficial to the Russians: I already wrote that the attacking Poland for the Russian team looks preferable than a closed, which has gone into a solid defense. Well, the Russian team knows how to implement counterattacks very high quality.

To complete the conversation about this group, I note that Russia will almost certainly play in the quarter-finals, but I have not yet been determined to determine the second participant in the playoffs. Poland or Greece? ..

Further-a few words about the second (or rather, first and main) favorit of Euro 2012, that is, about the German national team. The Germans played a typical game, powerful and aggressive. The head coach of this team Joachim Lev, showing at the 2010 World Cup a very promising, young and updated team, very creatively worked with his players. In this team, all resources are far from disclosed, but the Portuguese team, beaten by the German team, is far from a whipping boy. Nevertheless, Germany played strictly in the tournament situation: she scored three points for victory, and saved quite a lot of effort. Germany, however, has a weak place - this is an attack, but the only goal in its composition was scored by the forward - Mario Gomez ...

The Dutch, who were listed as the second favorite of this group, became co -authors of the first sensation of the championship, losing to the Danes. The Holland team is the finalist of the 2010 World Cup, and her players are mainly the same, but in the starting match she clearly did not have enough character. The Dutch people cannot be occupied by the Dutch, but they did not succeed in breaking the "deeply echeloned" defense. The Danes recalled their compatriots of the 1992 model, who won the continent championship. The coach of that national team Richard Melller-Nilsen once and for all left a sample to all the "dark horses"-showing how to play against the favorites. The current Denmark team is in appearance-an outsider in the company of Germany, Holland and Portugal, but it leads together with Germany after the first round, and therefore claims to enter the playoffs. Nevertheless, I would venture to assume that Germany and Holland will reach the quarterfinals-and one of them will be at this stage the rival of the Russian national team.

In the other two groups, in the first matches there were just the deliberate favorites - Italy with Spain and English with France. I must say that these teams, which have in their history, the titles of the world champions, chose to protect strength in a situation where the game with the main opponent goes the first on schedule, and then there are meetings in which the favorites can count on victory. Both results - draws 1: 1 - leave this strong team good chances. Italy and Spain sometimes played very inspired, the Spaniards could even tear out victory, if it were not for the traditional slope in the attack of Fernando Torres. And England and France, having exchanged Donbass-Arena to Donnbass Arena, preferred to save strength in a 30-degree heat, causing a frank whistle of the public.

Favorite tactics are clear. And what to do to the rest - let's call them "conditional outsiders"? The team of Croatia and its coach Glory Bilich, who, I recall, will soon be headed by the Moscow Lokomotiv proposed one option. Croats, reasoning that neither Spain nor Italy would be attacking unrestrainedly, they played merrily and, let's say, brazenly. Their rivals - the Irish - at first looked amazed, then accepted such a game manner of the game, and in general the teams gave out, perhaps, while the most fun match. Of course, the Croats were slightly lucky, especially when the ball after hitting the bar came into the head of the goalkeeper of the national team of Ireland and stuck into the Irish gate. The goal turned out to be in the style of a selection of the most ridiculous heads in YouTube - but their three points are Croats, nevertheless, earned honestly. Now Italy and Spain will have to catch up with this unexpected leader of the group.

And the last 1 round match was played in Kyiv by Ukraine and Sweden. The owners before the tournament began, along with the Czech team, almost the weakest team of Euro 2012 . Oleg Blokhin, the head coach of the Ukrainian team, experienced difficulties with the composition, due to injuries, having lost several applicants for the place in the main composition, which cost at least the loss of three very strong goalkeepers at once. However, in their starting match, Ukrainians played aggressively, making up for the shortcomings of individual skill with emotions and a desperate desire to win. But desire for desire, and the main word in this game was said by true masters, and both are the former and current Milan players. The account was opened by Zlatan Ibragimovich, and then the veteran of the Ukrainian national team Andrei Shevchenko, who held his 109th match for the national team, took up the job. His two goals, scored with his head after serving from the flanks, decorated this match and plunged the Kiev Olympic stadium into a stormy joy. In fairness, it must be admitted that the Sweden team in this game looked better in the organization of attacks and at the end of the game could well equalize. Now, Ukrainians and Swedes will have to defend their game principles in matches with England and France, only Ukraine has already received its cherished three points.

These are preliminary impressions of the first round of Euro 2012. The tournament started, cool football was shown far but everything, on the next it will only be more interesting. Alan Dzagoev (Russia), Mario Mandzhukich (Croatia) and Andrey Shevchenko (Ukraine) are in the lead dispute.