Euro 08 (Matchday 1)

Matchday One

Group A

Switzerland 0-1 Czech Republic

A match the Swiss surprisingly could have drawn, or even won with some luck. The Czechs were strangely subdued, and only managed to break the deadlock late into the second half. Switzerland had their chances, but were dealt a body blow when Frei left the field injured. Behrami and Barnetta created several good opportunities, but the Czechs held on to open their Euro 08 accounts.

Portugal 2-0 Turkey

How Turkey must have been wishing they had started the match with more positivity. Throughout the first half, the Turks seemed more intent on stopping Portugal play rather than winning the match. The much-hyped Ronaldo had a so-so game, spurning two good chances, including a well-taken freekick which missed the target. But once Pepe put the Portuguese ahead in the second half, the Turks launched into attack, though things always pointed out to Portugal scoring on the break, which they did through Meireles.

Standings:
Portugal P-1 Pts 3
Czech Rep. P-1 Pts 3
Switzerland P-1 Pts 3
Turkey P-1 Pts 3

Group B

Austria 0-1 Croatia

I expected a Croatian goal fest, and was understandably disappointed after the match. The Croats hardly impressed in this game, requiring a Modric 4th minute penalty to settle the match, the penalty being highly dubious. The Austrians made a game of it, and can count themselves unlucky for not having secured a point. Croatia will need to raise its performance against Germany, though Bilic has been quick to point out that they won despite not playing at their usual best.

Germany 2-0 Poland

Germany secured their first Euro win since 1996, and it was thoroughly deserved. Special mention has to be made about Poland, who put up a strong fight against a German team that displayed plenty of attacking capabilities, but were at times suspect in defence and ball possession. Podolski's double was a class act, and he's bound to increase his goal tally as the tournament progresses. Klose deserves special praise, as do Frings, Ballack and Schweinsteiger. Next up, Croatia.

Standings:
Germany P-1 Pts 3
Croatia P-1 Pts 3
Austria P-1 Pts 3
Poland P-1 Pts 3

Group C

Romania 0-0 France

A boring, drab affair. France was insipid, while Romania obviously did not want to start their Euro campaign with a defeat. The French seemed to sorely miss Henry, though his temperament and form in this tournament might be dodgy. As expected, all French attacks funneled through Ribery, which made it easy for the Chivu-led Romanian defence to break up. I predicted the Romanians going through to the QFs, and by the looks of it, they seem to think so too.

Netherlands 3-0 Italy

As far as I recall, the last time Italy suffered a defeat as heavy as this was in the 1970 World Cup final. The Dutch were sublime, and their pacy attack ensured they claimed their first victory over the Azzurri. Despite the scoreline, the Italians were far from outplayed, and much of the blame should be shouldered by Donadoni. A suspect squad selection, and a lack of tactical acumen when Italy most needed it played a major role in consigning the southern Europeans to this crushing loss and handing the initiative in the group to the Oranje.

Standings:
Netherlands P-1 Pts 3
France P-1 Pts 1
Romania P-1 Pts 1
Italy P-1 Pts 0

Group D

Spain 4-1 Russia

A Villa hattrick sent the Spanish Armada cruising past the Russians as Spain lived up to their reputation of being always quickest off the blocks. Whether they finish the race in front remains to be seen. But what a display of swift, incisive attacking football. Russia was naive in defence, often sending the ball out of defence right into the Spanish wave. Spain dominated possession, though it must be noted that the Russians hit the post after being 1-0 down. To be honest, I don't see them recovering from this drubbing, while Spain will need to maintain their performance against the Swedes and Greeks to convince doubters that they're coming good this time around.

Greece 0-2 Sweden

Well, the Spartans finally fell, to the Vikings. One thing was made clear last night, total defence works fine only once. The Greeks were impregnable in 2004; they aren't anymore. Ibrahimovic finally scored after what seemed an eternity of a goal drought; more importantly Sweden showed that it could break down a resolute defence with patience and will, and this will serve them well against the Spaniards next. For Greece, the Russia game is a must win, which would set up their final fixture against Spain very nicely indeed.

Standings:
Spain P-1 Pts 3
Sweden P-1 Pts 3
Greece P-1 Pts 0
Russia P-1 Pts 0

Euro 2008

The Euros are finally here.

After months of anticipation and worrying about who's in and who's out of the squad, the final reckoning will kick start tomorrow (7 June) when Switzerland takes on the Czechs. Not exactly the high profile match one would have expected in arguably the toughest international competition around (yes, it would seem the Euro is harder to win than the World Cup).

My prediction on which team in going to win this edition is pretty much crystal clear. But lest I sound like a typical English supporter (blah-blah-blah), I thought I'd do a run through of the four groups and my expected qualifiers. Further than that, I will not warrant a guess, cause we all know who's going to win, right? (Faint sounds of Deutschland Uber Alles in the background).

Group A: Switzerland; Czech Republic; Portugal; Turkey

This is one of the most open groups in the tournament. On paper, Portugal and the Czech Republic appear clear favourites. But I'm not too convinced about that. I think Turkey will have something to say about the qualifying two. And if the Swiss avoid defeat in the first two matches, the Portuguese will not have it easy by any means when they play the co-hosts at St Jakob Park. The Swiss would surely be fired-up by the cowbells if they needed a result against the Iberians.
My prediction: Portugal and Turkey

Group B: Germany; Austria; Croatia; Poland

Quite clear cut, I must say. I expect Poland to offer some semblance of a fight against the Croats, but all things considered, if Germany and Croatia don't proceed to the quarterfinals, it would be a great shock of epic proportions.
My prediction: Germany and Croatia

Group C: Romania; Italy; Netherlands; France

Alright, there you have it, the necessary Group of Death. And I still believe there are four teams capable of qualifying, even though most pundits are quick to write off Romania. Romania has long had a reputation as the most technically gifted side in the Europe, if not the world. And I don't expect them to keel over easily as some might suggest. I have a strong feeling (or is that indigestion?) that either Netherlands or the French will screw up big time. Donadoni has made some unexplainable decisions by dropping Inzaghi and not appealing to Nesta's patriotism. But I do expect their defence to stand firm, even without Cannavaro. Ribery and a host of young African-French players should dazzle on paper, but I reckon the Bayern man is running on empty. An excellent campaign seems to have fatigued him, while I see another nonchalant performance from Henry. And Netherlands might once again succumb to in-fighting, though they seem more unified this time around having discarded Seedorf and Davids.
My prediction: Italy and Romania

Group D: Sweden; Greece; Spain; Russia

I see Spain screwing up, I seriously do. The final game against Greece has 0-0 written all over it, despite the Spaniards' scoring prowess. And the Russian will surely be buoyed by Zenit's unexpected triumph in the UEFA Cup. But Arshavin's suspension for the match against Spain will hurt them surely. I still think Russia's qualification was due more to the inconsistency shown by England, Israel and themselves rather than footballing prowess. The defending champions, if they go down, will not go down without a fight. The dogged defence might still prevail, but scoring will be the Achilles heel. They have the look of finishing undefeated in the group and still exiting. Sweden will play well, though Larsson's inclusion breathes of desperation by the Swedish coach to avoid play funnelling to Ibrahimovic. And he hasn't exactly performed in international football.
My prediction: Spain (yes, i know) and Greece

Well, that's my take on the group stages. Pity the timings are all off, so I doubt I'll be watching most of the games. Then again, Red Bull has been improving its sleep-fighting ingredients, so you just never know. I might even watch Austria against Poland.

Fuel Fuss

Well, at least petrol here is not as expensive as in Thailand. That's what the government would like us to comfort ourselves with. Or as high as Singapore. Or Indonesia. Hmm, what do these three countries have in common with Malaysia, other than being in Southeast Asia and practising an askewed form of democracy in one way or another? Oo, I know. They're all oil-exporting nations. (Buzzer sound) Wrong! Of the four, only Malaysia is a major exporter of crude oil.

So why is it that the government is comparing oil prices in those countries and not with oil exporting countries? Easy. That's the proverbial wool they ever so often pull over our eyes. Yes, fool us into believing we're so much better off than our neighbours and impose a sense of gratitude among the citizens for the government.

Comparitively, the following are some of the major oil producing nations and the numbers in parentheses represent the price of petrol per litre in the respective countries: UAE (RM1.19); Egypt (RM1.03); Kuwait (RM0.67); Saudi Arabia (RM0.38) and Nigeria (RM0.32). Reportedly petrol in Brunei costs RM0.50 per litre. Suddenly the poor-us-we're-victims-of-global-prices lament seems lame.

I think it's a common consensus that the government has just about screwed everyone up with this hike of gargantuan proportions. And it's going to be worse come August if, as many suspect, petrol goes up to RM4 per litre. I'm pretty sure all hell will break loose, if it hasn't already.

What's the hike like, one may ask. Well, under the old rates, I was paying RM70 for approximately 36.5 litres, which fills up my car tank by 99.9%. Now, for the same amount of fuel, I'll be paying RM98. That's a bloody RM28 increment in my petrol-pouring budget. Multiply that by six (the number of times I pur petrol in a month) and I'm paying RM168 more. That's close to RM2000 more per year. Pretty scary figures, if you ask me.

More so as the cut-throats that pervade Malaysian commerce, i.e the mamak shops, the transport companies, the farming industry and such will all seize the opportunity to increase their already high prices. Only Solomon knows how a 78 sen increase in petrol leads to a RM1 increase in chicken rice or milo ais. These blood sucking bastards are already clamouring for permission to increase prices, though the announcement was only made yesterday (4 June).

So that's it, folks. Yet another case of mismanagement of funds hurting my wallet. We end up paying through our noses because our so-called Cabinet of Ministers comprises graduates with backgrounds in Religious Studies, Malay Literature, Home Economics and Agriculture. Yes, that's right. Not Economics, Finance, or even Business Administration. Ask yourself, when was the last time an expert in economics or finance was holding the Finance portfolio? Think hard, think hard.