Paul Harper and Cameron McMillan take a look at five things that stood out after the first round of matches at Euro 2012.
Expect the unexpected
It didn't take long for the first upset of the tournament, and there are bound to be more to come. One of the favourites to
take home the title, the Netherlands now face an uphill battle to reach the second round after a 1-0 loss to Pool of Death rivals Denmark. However the result should not come as a shock - Denmark is in fact ranked ninth in the world by Fifa (the Netherlands is ranked fourth), and boasts the likes of Liverpool's Daniel Agger and Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner. Remarkably all teams in Group B are in Fifa's top 10, with Germany ranked third and Portugal tenth.
Russia roulette
Four years ago Russia made the semi-finals of the Euros - the question now is can they do it again? The Ruskies comfortably beat the Czech Republic 4-1, and had it not been for some wayward shooting by Aleksandr Kerzhakov it could have been even more. Led by Arsenal's Andrei Arshevin, Russia passed the Czechs off the park, prompting Russian news website Pravda.ru to hail the side the "New Brazilians of the East". The 13th ranked team is likely to top Group A - but is bound to face stiffer opposition in the next round, coming up against opposition from the Group of Death. The team's fortunes will depend heavily on Arshevin, but he will need support from the likes of Kerzhakov, Alan Dzagoev (who snatched a brace) and substitute Roman Pavlyuchenko, who scored a brilliant - if not selfish - individual goal to seal the win.
Fans - the good, bad and the ugly
Much was written in the press before the tournament about the conduct of the host countries' fans, but it is the behaviour of some visiting supporters that has marred the event so far. The German Football Association has been charged by UEFA after supporters threw grapefruit-sized paper balls at Portuguese players during Germany's 1-0 win in Lviv, while Russian supporters were filmed attacking stadium stewards in Wroclaw. Russia fans also displayed a nationalist flag, threw fireworks onto the pitch and allegedly racially abused Czech defender Theodor Gebre Selassie, who is of Ethiopian-descent. Fans also clashed with police in Poznan ahead of the Croatia vs Ireland match. While it is easy to focus on the negative, it should be pointed out that the bulk of the fans have been in fine voice and proudly sporting their country's colours - showcasing why European football supporters are among the world's most passionate.
England victorious in draw
It shows how low the English morale is when the Sun newspaper went with the headline 'Yippee! We got a draw' following their nation's 1-1 stalemate with France this morning. Any other year and the UK press would be ripping into the side are who ranked nine places higher than their first-up opponent. After the match French defender Patrice Evra made the obvious comparison of England's play to Chelsea who played with a defensive gameplan on their way to winning the Champions League title (France had 21 shots today compared to Bayern's Munich's 35 in the Champions League final). The tactics obviously worked for Roy Hodgson and his men who should actually be happy with the one point after heading into the tournament will a long list of injuries and a new coaching staff. However they will be looking to be more clinical up front with Ashley Young and Danny Wellbeck largely ineffective and thinning-haired Wayne Rooney still suspended until the final group match against Ukraine. With Ukraine toppling Sweden today, England's next match against the Swedes on Saturday isn't exactly a must-win but another draw won't help their chances at all.
