As we do every four years, Soccer365 will revisit each corresponding set of games from the European Championship with notes, news, numbers and other various nifties, including a star team of the round.
By the time we reach the July 1st final in Kyiv, this space will have dished out a continent's worth of informational tidbits you never, ever wanted to know about Euro 2012 - but still may proudly bust out during pub debates.
Feels Like The First Time... Or Not
England's game two rally wasn't just exciting, it gave the team its first ever victory over Sweden in a competitive match. Until Danny Welbeck came down with the sickness for the late 3-2 rally-capper, the Swedes had gone seven tourney meetings without a loss the Three Lions.
However, Italy's win drought continued against Croatia thanks to a late equalizer from hot hand Mario Mandzukic. The Azzurri have now gone four competitive games plus two friendlies without topping the young nation.
Bravissimo!
The good news for Italy is that Andrea Pirlo is certainly still a high impact player on the big stage at age 33. But we're not here to discuss his brilliance in the middle of the park through two games of this tourney.
No, we're on the subject to applaud him for bringing back my own personal favorite, the direct free kick. When Pirlo buzzed one past the wall to score against Croatia, he became the first player to ring the bell at UEFA's big dance in such a manner since the Czech Republic's Marek Heinz did so in an ousting 2-1 upset of Germany at Euro 2004 - a long, lonely span of 50 tourney matches for free kick lovers.
Crushed Orange
It was bad enough for the Dutch national team that they failed to crack Denmark's defense, but in then needing 73 minutes to score on arch nemesis Germany, a side bearing the top EPL and Bundesliga scorers from last season again looked sadly out of character.
The last time Oranje has failed to light the lamp for three consecutive halves in competitive matches? That was 2007, or 37 games ago.
The "No Soup For You!" List
Since we're heading into the final round of group play, let's quickly report as to why we're really already down to 14. Ireland and Sweden are mathematically eliminated from contention, while fellow cellar dwellers Greece and the Netherlands are hanging on to their advancement hopes by a thread.
S365 Team of Group Match Two
G - Andriy Pyatov (Ukraine)
Frankly, I think he was starting to freak France out a bit. Several big Pyatov saves kept his side in the game into the second half when they could have been buried quickly.
RB - Mathieu Debuchy (France)
This round's performance may not have been quite as good as his massive England effort, but through two games, the Lille defender has been among the tournament's best players.
CB - Olof Mellberg (Sweden)
Sure, he perhaps could have helped stop the first goal simply by getting off the ground, but one would really be stretching to fault him on Welbeck's crazy winner. Beyond that, Mellberg had a hand in both Sweden goals and racked up a number of fine challenges.
CB - Mats Hummels (Germany)
Dear Borussia Dortmund,
Good luck keeping him for long.
Love,
European glamour sides
LB - Fabio Coentrao (Portugal)
After making a mockery of Denmark speedster Dennis Rommedahl and feeding Portugal's attack for most of the day, the left back delivered a pinpoint cross for the winner.
DM - Andrea Pirlo (Italy)
Second verse, same as the first: Let's just all assume there's no need to describe what elements he provided.
CM - Steven Gerrard (England)
It's about time the Liverpool engine was on full chug for a big national team game. His diagonal cross for the England opener was ridiculous.
CM - Eugen Polanski (Poland)
The lively Poland two-way midfielder was close to a nod in round one, and this time he snares it for another all-around display.
CM - Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany)
Besides the obvious of two assists, "Basti Fantasti" was an incisive figure with both the run and pass for 90 minutes.
F - Karim Benzema (France)
Instead of striking the fatal blows, the forward dropped deep to do in the Ukraine with recovery and build efforts. For his troubles, Benzema notched both assists for France.
F - Fernando Torres (Spain)
We can pick apart the particulars. Or we can simply say: Two goals = two doses of confidence. That goes for both Torres and Spain.
