Euro 2008 Diary [day1]

Swizerland 0-1 Czech Republic

The tournament begins in Basel in a stadium strangely dwarfed by the close proximity of a gleaming towering structure; Jan Koller is starting for the Czechs. Koller's team mates seem particularly uninspired by one of Europe's least bombastic anthems, a state mirrored by their play. The most significant incident of the first half comes just before the break as Alexander Frei goes down injured and his attended by two men, one clutching a cool box the other a DJ's record case. As the half-time whistle sounds Frei limps toward the tunnel in tears sporting the kind of ice-pack on his knee that is normally only seen in the design sections of Sunday broadsheet supplements.

Ten minutes into the second half Jan Koller is substituted to a chorus of presumably Swiss whistling. The swap for Vaclav Sverkos brings brief life to the Czech game-plan, which in turn causes the tournament's first booking for Swiss captain and uglier Gareth Roberts-a-like Ludovic Magnin. After seventy minutes the Czechs manage their first real effort on goal and it's enough for Sverkos to give them an undeserved lead.

Hard done by, the Swiss spend the rest of the match on the attack, throwing a succession of long balls into the Czech area. The hosts' desperation is not helped by their coach Kobi Kuhn who is physically incapable of mustering any facial emotion other than slight amusement and general joviality and as such unable to convey any sense of urgency to their play. The Swiss substitute Johan Vonlathen has a similar impact to Sverkos, picking up a booking inside five seconds and latter blasting his side's best chance against the bar as he followed up Tranquillo Barnetta's effort. It is to prove as close as they come to a goal in a lively opening match.

Portugal 2-0 Turkey

"It beats GCSE revision" is Clive Tyldsley's parting line as ITV head for their customary pre kick-off break. A strangely low billing for what promises to be one of the most fluidly attacking games of the group stages. Portugal are the more coherent of the two in the opening stages a fact enforced as Nihat Kahveci puts in a great last ditch tackle; sadly for him the tackle is on his team-mate Tuncay. Quarter of an hour in and Portugal think they've scored but it's ruled out for offside; "Good decision" intones Tyldsley. The closest we come to a goal is a Cristiano Ronaldo free-kick that hits the post. "How on earth did he do that?" yells Tyldsley seemingly so lost in hyperbole that the concept of a man kicking a ball very hard has taken on new and magical properties.

Early in the second half Gokhan Zan hesitates before hoofing the ball downfield and ends up hoofing Simao into the air instead; before the midfielder has landed Nuno Gomes has already followed up and as Tyldsley says; "for the second time tonight Portugal strike wood". On the hour comes the break through; centre half Pepe breaks, exchanges passes with Gomes and finds the net under pressure. In celebration The green tabard wearing Portugese subs swamp the scorer producing a scene which resembles an escaped psychiatric patient finally being taken down by the orderlies.

Turkey who had looked threatening on the break in the first half struggle to move the ball forward with any purpose as Portugal see out the match efficiently. Having already struck the woodwork a third time via Gomes again they make the points safe with a glorious breakaway goal in injury time; Ronaldo breaks down the right and feeds Joao Moutinho who's great turn and unselfish lay-off feeds Raul Meireles for the clinical second