Euro 2012 Bracket: Examining Opening Performances

It was a fitting kickoff to Euro 2012 on Friday, with Poland and Greece battling to a draw and Russia showing top form against the Czech Republic.

If Day 1 is any indication, this should be yet another thrilling tournament, complete with underdogs gunning for glory.

If we learned anything about Group A on Friday, it was that nobody is a clear-cut favorite, with each side having the potential to either rise dramatically or plummet in any given game.

Here's a look at how the four opening squads did on Day 1 of Euro 2012.

Poland

Poland was considered the favorite heading into its matchup against Greece, and the Polish played like it early on, scoring an early goal and constantly threatening.

But Poland let its foot off the gas, allowing Greece to tie it up in the second half, and missed a prime opportunity against a team it should have beat.

Poland plays Russia next. Whether the side or not wins depends on if it plays like it did in the first half or the second against Greece.

Greece

Greece, frankly, looked awful early on against Poland. But you have to give the Greeks credit for taking advantage of Poland's lackluster play in the second half.

Still, Greece didn't looked particularly spectacular. The side had several wide-open chances to score in the second half, and a better team would have won that game. Poland was essentially handing it to Greece.

The good news for Greece is that Czech Republic is up next, which played poorly overall against Russia. 

Russia

Russia was the favorite against the Czech Republic, and it looked like it early on, shutting out the Czechs, 2-0, in the first half.

There was a bit of a letdown to start the second half, with Russia ceding a goal in the 52nd minute, but the Russians responded by scoring two more goals en route to a convincing 4-1 victory.

Russia plays Poland next. If the Russians play like they did overall against the Czech Republic, they should be able to win this game. 

But if Poland regains its form from early on against Greece, a draw, or even a loss, is possible for Russia.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic was outplayed on Friday in all aspects of the game. The side gave up a two-goal advantage early on and failed to capitalize after scoring to make it 2-1 in the second half. Russia was clearly the better team, but the Czechs played below low expectations as a whole.

Czech Republic plays Greece next, which could be an interesting match. The Czechs obviously have to play much better moving forward, but Greece didn't exactly look great either on Day 1.

This could be a situation where the team that simply plays decent soccer will come out on top.

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