Beauties of the Beautiful Game: Greece/Czech Republic

See more of Samantha Shane and Erika Knight. 

Greece – Group Record: 1-2-0, misses elimination round

Believe it or not, there are still a handful of people living in the bubble world of 2004 who think Greece can go deep into the Euro 2012. That’s just not the case; the bubble is about to pop. 2004 was a miracle for the Greek side, a combination of good luck and good breaks that will not replicate itself this year. Granted, with defenders like Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Avraam Papadopoulos, they’ll be difficult to break down in the backfield, but Greece simply does not have the ball movement or striking capabilities upfront. They’re playing in a decidedly weak group but they’re at least a quarter of the reason for that.

Czech Republic – Group Record: 1-2-0, misses elimination round

News flash: everything you thought you knew about the 2012 Czech team is…true. They’re bad. Their defense was dismantled in the first game, albeit by an offensively blessed Russian side. Their offense is old, led by Tomas Rosicky (31) and Milan Barros (30) and their goaltender, Petr Cech, while a household name in the soccer business, is playing in his fifth major international tournament. Let’s put it another way: the Czech Republic took on four goaltenders for their 2012 roster; Cech’s age is the reason why. 

Wanna see all the girls who particpated in our Euro scarves shoot? Click Here.