Euro 2012 Analysis: Poland and Greece Draw, Two Sent Off, What It All Means

Euro 2012 is well and truly alive and kicking after a barnstorming first match of the tournament, which has seen Greece come from behind to draw with Poland.

Not content with merely being the opening game of the European Championships, this fixture served up two goals, two red cards, plenty of controversial talking points and a complete turnaround in the second half from what we'd seen in the first.

Here is a complete breakdown of what this match tells us about Euro 2012 and what we can expect going forward.

Flashpoints of the Game

Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo sent off two players, awarded a penalty and generally riled up the Greeks in the opening Euro 2012 game.

After a rapid start by Poland they took the lead through Robert Lewandowski's downward header, capitalising on some shoddy defensive work down the flanks from Greece.

It got worse for Greece, as Sokratis Papastathopoulos was shown a ridiculously harsh red card before half-time for two nothing challenges, which warranted a yellow card apiece from the referee, who was otherwise happy to let the game flow.

Dimitris Salpingidis entered the pitch at half-time and promptly bagged the equalising goal, following up with a finish from close range after a cross from the right had caused confusion in the Polish penalty area.

Poland leveled things up in the red-card stakes as well with 20 minutes left, Wojciech Szczesny seeing red for tripping Salpingidis, who was through on goal—but substitute goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton saved the ensuing penalty with his first touch of the tournament.

Greece captain Giorgos Karagounis was the player who shouldered the responsibility—but ultimately he missed the chance to give his country a vital three points in Group A.

Players Who Caught the Eye

Kuba Blaszczykowski, the captain of Poland, was an inspiration and a threat for his country.

He worked hard, chased down the Greek defence and sent over dangerous balls from the right flank, as well as supporting centrally when he had the chance.

Linking up with club teammate Lukasz Piszczek down that side of the pitch, it often looked like Poland would carve Greece open at will, but the raids dried up somewhat in the second half.

Substitute goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton also deserves a mention for saving a penalty just seconds after entering the pitch after Wojciech Szczesny was dismissed.

For Greece, Giorgos Samaras was one of the few to show any real heart or effort for long periods of the first half, but he was woefully lacking in real ability in the final third.

Nonetheless, he did help his side gain some momentum and work their way back into the game.

Dimitris Salpingidis had a mammoth impact after coming on at half-time, scoring the equalising goal and winning a penalty.

Most Disappointing Performers

Greece's star attacker, 22-year-old Sotiris Ninis, accumulated the following statistics for the match:

Attempted back-heels—701

Completed passes—0

Completely unnecessary and unwarranted show-boating when his team could barely keep hold of the ball, a lack of linking up with his central forward Theo Gekas and ultimately losing the ball when he did try to accomplish something productive like running at the defence—Ninis was a liability and a huge disappointment, and it was no real surprise when he was hauled off by his manager at half-time.

Both starting goalkeepers can be unsatisfied with their performances; Greece's Kostas Chalkias flapped at a cross and got nowhere near the ball, allowing Robert Lewandowski a simple downward header to open the goalscoring, while Poland's Wojciech Szczesny did likewise for Salpingidis' equaliser.

Arsenal stopper Szczesny then compounded his misery by getting sent off.

A word of disappointment must also go to referee Carlos Velasco Carballo, who needlessly sent off Sokratis Papastathopoulos for two barely-anything challenges, which hardly warranted a foul between them, let alone two yellow cards.

Quick Tactics

Greece tried to sit deep, contain Poland and hit them on the break.

Unfortunately, the full-backs apparently didn't get the message, as they were caught far too high up the field on both sides.

The wide forwards, Giorgias Samaras and Sotiris Ninis, were too far away in the first half from their central striker to link up at all or have any kind of an impact, though the slight forced shift in formation after the break, with the sending off and ensuing substitutions, helped in this regard.

Though their 2004 success was built on a stern defence and good organisation, the Greeks looked a world apart from the disciplined regime of Otto Rehhagel.

For Poland's part, their enthusiastic start, backed by a vocal home crowd, was based on two things: This was one game they believed they could win, and they wanted to measure their pace and power in attack against the slow and faltering defence of Greece.

Lukasz Piszczek and Kuba Blaszczykowski linked up frequently down the right flank whenever possible in the first half, but centre-forward Robert Lewandowski was left too isolated after the break, as Poland rarely threatened a second goal.

It was a little gung-ho from Poland early on, which almost worked to give them three points against Greece, but against more savvy counter-attacking opposition—such as Russia, their next fixture—they could get caught out in a big way playing similarly.

What the Result Means for Group A

Make no mistake about it—this was a game that Poland wanted to win.

Aside from being the host nation and it being the opening match of the tournament, Poland have very real aspirations of qualifying from an open Group A and would have seen the defensive-minded Greeks as a team they could take three points from.

After 45 minutes it very much looked as though they were on their way to a great start, but it didn't quite go to plan after the break, as they suffered a mini-meltdown, conceding early on and then seeing their goalkeeper sent off.

For Greece, they will merely be relieved to still be in with a shout of progressing, though with the penalty miss they might even be regretting not taking the three points themselves.

A draw for anybody in the first round of matches opens things up in a big way—if one of Russia or the Czech Republic pick up a win later on in the matchday, then they are straight away in the ascendancy for qualification from the group.

One point from one game isn't a nightmare for either side—but both have to play the two perceived stronger sides in the group. Greece play Czech Republic next and must take the three points, with Russia sure to put up a massive challenge in the final round of games.