The Quarter finals begin

We are going to preview the first two quarterfinals, The Czech Republic against Portugal which will be played tonight and then Germany against Greece which is on Friday night.

However, before we start, I must add an addendum to my previous post, one of our American readers contacted me off blog to ask why I had not included Danny Welbeck’s goal for England against Sweden in the best goal category. He is correct it should have been in, but although it was a very good move and an excellent piece of skill and a goal of importance, it didn’t have the big bang feeling, but it is now on our list.

The first game poses somewhat of a dilemma for this blogger. Our mission statement is too try and entertain an audience who aren’t necessarily that interested in football, but just want to know what’s going on  and perhaps  they may learn that there is more to this football lark than they previously thought and come to appreciate the game for what it is.

However Portugal Verses the Czech Republic has nothing but football, there is no bad blood, no wars have been fought, no common borders are shared, so we shall try and keep it brief. The Czechs were always a good bet to get out of their group, but that is as far as it goes. The Portuguese are good when they are not under pressure and I expect them to win tonight, with Ronaldo putting on another classy performance.

The second game, however, is a very different kettle of fish. Apart from the nations who remained neutral during the Second World War, every country in Europe has some gripe with the Shermans. They were either duped into being on their side and then suffering the consequences of losing, or they were under a usually very nasty German occupation.

The Greeks are proud of their history and did not enjoy the weight of the German jackboot on their necks, resistance was fierce and German reprisals to that resistance were even worse. That was then, this is now and the Germans are again pressing hard on the Greeks to get there economy in order.

The Sherman's in the form of Frau Merkel are insisting that the Greeks tighten their belts, not easy on a Greek oily diet and the Greeks are not happy. The German tabloid Bild had the following headline which translated to something like. "Be Happy, Dear Greeks, the coming defeat on Friday will be a gift. There will be no rescue fund against Jogi Loew's team."

Coming back to Frau Merkel for a moment, she likes her football, she was present when Germany thrashed Argentina in the world cup and the team considers her a good luck charm. It is quite easy to picture Frau Merkel slapping her thighs and downing a Stein as she watches with the lads.

The Greek captain, will miss the game due to suspension and his absence will be massive for the Greeks. It is always dangerous to make predictions when dealing with the Greeks, but I can't see them stopping the Shermans.

We will preview Spain V France on Friday.