Euro 2004 Day Seven

One week down, two to go.

I made a wise decision and decided to skip the first match today between Bulgaria and Denmark, and Steve said the commentators were less than impressed by the quality of play from the Bulgarians. Goals at the end of each half from Jon Dahl Tomasson and Jesper Gr�nkj�r earned Denmark three points and sent Bulgaria out of the competetion. Even though the action on the pitch left a bit to be desired, at least the stadium looked nice, since it's carved into a granite mountain face.

Andrew made his first appearance to watch the highly anticipated Sweden vs. Italy match, and as expected it was well-played game. Italy finally looked interested in the tournament and their constant pressure payed off in the 37th minute when Antonio Cassano finessed a header past the Swedish keeper from short range. His reward was a sweaty group hug from his teammates.

The second half substitues for Sweden helped apply some consistent pressure on the Italian defense and in the 85th minute Swedish striker Zlotan Ibrahimovic flicked home a lose ball in the box for the equalizer. This exciting and improbable goal allowed Sweden to escape with a tie and remain top of their group.

Pic of the day:
(Pretty weak day for photos. Where all all the cute shots of the Swedes?!)

Cute Italian facepainted girls .

Tomorrow brings a Latvia vs. Germany early match followed by The Netherlands vs. The Czech Republic.