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After the end of the strongest national championships in Europe and determining the winner of the most prestigious club tournament - the Champions League, all eyes turn to Portugal: in this country, a long-awaited football celebration for all football fans started - sixteen national teams are fighting for European gold.
According to many experts, although the European Championship does not attract as much attention as the World Cup, it is the highest level, as the best teams in the Old Continent always gather here, and there are practically no weak opponents. This year the competition is especially tough - almost half of the participating teams are capable of winning the tournament. Eurofootball.com will try to review all four groups.
Guess the match results in the totalizator!
Group A
Portugal
The host of the tournament Portugal will have the twelfth player on the field - the home walls and thousands of fans supporting the team. This factor should certainly help, but, on the other hand, every player will experience great pressure - the whole country is waiting for victories. For many of Portugal's "golden generation" players, this is the last chance to achieve something in an international tournament: stars like Luis Figo, Fernando Couto, Rui Costa, Pauleta are nearing the end of their careers. This year, the younger players who won the Champions League with "Porto" - Paulo Ferreira, Deco, Costinha, Maniche - will assist these players who are over 30. However, the captain of "Porto" and long-time national team goalkeeper Vitor Baia will not be in the goal, but the younger Ricardo. This decision was quite criticized, and if unsuccessful, this choice by coach Luis Felipe Scolario will certainly not be forgotten.
Spain
The Spanish national team, like its neighbor Portugal, is considered a favorite not only in this group but also in the entire tournament. This has been a common occurrence in many recent tournaments. But the Spaniards, who were real leaders in the qualifying matches, often failed in the decisive stages. In the last two tournaments, the reason for the failures in the quarterfinals was penalty shootouts - two years ago, after penalties, Spain lost to South Korea, and in the 2000 World Cup, team leader Raul missed a crucial penalty shot in the last minute. This time, the pressure is again on the shoulders of Raul. After an unsuccessful season with "Real", Raul, the all-time leading goal scorer for the national team, will need to regain form and lead the team to victories. In the attack, he will be assisted by his long-time team-mate Fernando Morientes, who had a great season with the "Monaco" club.
Greece
Greece will be one of the teams that many know little about, so they could provide some surprises. The Greeks proved their strength in the qualifying matches - they won their group after defeating the Spanish once and automatically qualified for the final tournament. However, Greece's lack of experience could be a stumbling block, as the country has only participated in major tournaments twice so far - in the 1980 European and 1994 World Championships.
Russia
This time, the Russian team seems to be classified as an outsider. Having lost their key defenders - captain Viktor Onopko and Sergei Ignashevich just before the tournament, the team doesn't look very strong. Although there is no lack of talent in the attacking line, this year Russia did not win any of the friendly matches, so it is unlikely that they will be able to resist such powerful teams as Spain and Portugal. To advance to the next stage, the Russians will need a lot of luck.
