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Four matches were a joy to watch

The tournament promises to deliver many more highlights, writes Franz Beckenbauer

The first round of group matches at the Euro 2008 gave us a level of play which varied greatly. But I would like to emphasise four matches: Holland against Italy, Germany against Poland, Portugal versus Turkey and Spain against Russia. Those were really a joy to watch.

In the so-called ‘group of death’ — Group C — there were only two possibilities: Either to start out cautiously so as not to risk a defeat, or to go all-out from the starting whistle in order to secure the first three points.

The Dutch did the latter in exemplary fashion as they dismantled World Cup champion Italy. Okay, the Italians had to replace the injured Fabio Cannavaro, but the Dutch also had two injured players in the speedy forwards Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie.

From the textbook

The tournament promises to deliver many more highlights, but the goal making it 2-0 for Holland was something straight out of a textbook of modern football: that diagonal pass from left-back Giovanni van Bronckhorst down on the right wing to Dirk Kuyt. And then his header straight into the run of Wesley Sneijder, who finished superbly with a volley shot into the back of the net.

I was disappointed, however, by the Romania-France match. Both teams had decided to risk very little, something understandable on the part of the Romanians. I think Franck Ribery, against Holland, should be allowed to switch from the left to the right side, a position he likes better.

In Groups A and B it is a shame that the co-hosts — Switzerland against the Czech Republic, and Austria against Croatia — lost 0-1. This hurts the overall atmosphere, and both the teams, due to their fighting spirit, deserved a draw.

The Austrians spent four weeks longer than the others in preparation, so they will have reserves of strength when they play against Poland and Germany.

The 2-0 win over Turkey was a sign that Portugal is going to make a fight for the title. This side is not just about Cristiano Ronaldo — whoever has the likes of Nani in reserve can count themselves lucky.

In Group B, the 2-0 win by Germany must be highly valued. The Poles had been well-prepared by head coach Leo Beenhakker, but they were not up to the speed of the Germans. I admit I hardly recognised Lukas Podolski who scored both goals, when I think about his inconsistent form at Bayern Munich.

Spanish magic

The Spaniards created their magic for only half the match against the technically-strong Russians. But the magic which Xavi, Fernando Torres and the triple goal-scorer David Villa showed only underscored what I expected of the Spanish side — it is one of the title favourites.

The Russians, even though striker Pavel Pogrebnyak now must be operated on, will not be giving up — they still have a good chance against title defender Greece and against Sweden. It’s a shame that in the other Group D match between those two teams the match so quickly lost niveau.

The customarily defensive-minded Greece against Sweden was one of the low points of the first round of play. At least the Swedes punished the Greeks for their safety-first style of play. Thanks to Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The man is world-class. — DPA

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