Games Poland vs. Greece, Czech vs. Russia Begin Euro 2012 in Dramatic Fashion

The Euro 2012 tournament kicked off yesterday with a quick and well-produced ceremony. One of the hosts, Poland, was to kick off their campaign with a game against the Euro 2004 champion Greece.

The game ended in a 1-1 draw but it was thrilling nonetheless. Lewandowski opened the scoring for the host with a powerful header. Poland was all over the Greeks and was dealt a huge blow when Papastathopoulos was booked a second time and saw red.

Somehow the Greeks came back into the second half with more composure and started playing. Substitue Salpingidis levelled with a low drive.

And then the ultimate moment that would kick off the drama of the Euros: Poland keeper Szczesny brought down Salpingidis. The referee had no other choice but to show a straight red card. A red card in the competition means players are banned for just one match.

Substitute keeper Tyton came on with the pressure of saving the penalty. And he dealt with it well,  pushing the ball to safety from Karagounis's spot-kick. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.

The other teams in group A saw Russia take on the Czech Republic. The Russians walked over the Czech as they ran riot, winning the game 4-1. Arshavin put in a commanding performance but it could have been much more if Kerzhakov could hit the target.

Dzagoev put in a notable shift as the 21-year-old showed amazing composure in front of the goal. He scored two goals and was a constant menace, demonstrating great power too.

He has instantly become my player to watch during the tournament. Big clubs in Europe will be watching too.