Euro 2012 Schedule: Must-Watch Matches in Second Round of Group Play

How much fun was the first wave of group play at the 2012 European Championships?

Denmark stymied the potent Netherlands attack, Italy escaped against tournament favorite Spain with a 1-1 tie, Germany beat Portugal 1-0 in a fantastic tilt and host Ukraine shocked everyone by defeating Sweden, 2-1.

And it's only going to get better.

So what games from the second wave of group play should you absolutely be tuning in to see? Which teams will take another step towards advancing past group stage, and what other teams might dig their own graves a little deeper?

If you watch the following games, you'll find out.

Poland vs. Russia, 6/12, 2:45 p.m. ET

This match intrigues me.

Tournament co-host Poland dominated play in the first half against Greece and looked sure to escape with an easy win behind striker Robert Lewandowski. But they let up in the second half, allowed the Greeks to slow down the play and ultimately finished with a disappointing 1-1 tie.

Such was not the case for Russia. The Russian attack was incredibly potent against Czech Republic, netting four goals and working the counter-attack to perfection.

That could be a problem for Poland, who will be without starting keeper Wojciech Szczesny after he was given a straight red against Greece.

But not if Poland plays like they did in the first half of that match. With everything at stake, I think the Polish squad will give it their all but in the end won't quite be able to defeat the Russians, settling for a 2-2 tie in an open and exciting match.

Portugal vs. Denmark, 6/13, 12:00 p.m. ET

The Portuguese played very solid football against Germany and easily could have come away with a tie or even a win. And they did so without getting a plus performance from Cristiano Ronaldo, who surely will be more of a factor in this one.

Ronaldo and Nani on the wings make Portugal a terrifying proposition for opponents, and Denmark only kept a clean sheet against the Netherlands because the Dutch attackers wasted multiple scoring opportunities.

Denmark is too solid to lose badly in this one, but I'd expect the Portuguese to play solid defense and break through on the attack. Portugal will win 1-0, leaving the group of death open for the taking heading into the final wave of group play.

Germany vs. Netherlands, 6/13, 2:45 p.m. ET

After beating Portugal, Germany can probably live with a tie in this match. But with a loss to Denmark—generally considered the weakest squad in the group of death—the Netherlands very badly could use a win.

Arjen Robben of the Oranje will hope to recover from another match of wasted opportunities against the Germans, a streak of inopportune play that seems to be carrying over from the end of Bayern Munich's season for the star winger.

Surely, striker Robin van Persie will have several missed chances dancing in his mind as well.

The Dutch are perfectly capable of winning this game. The Germans looked vulnerable against Portugal and were a bit lucky to escape with a 1-0 win. Given the goal scorers littering the Dutch lineup, the Germans may find it more difficult to keep a clean sheet.

But the Dutch aren't as strong defensively as Germany, and the German side has a slew of talented attackers as well. I think this one will be more open than Germany would prefer, but they'll hold serve and finish with a 1-1 tie.

England vs. Sweden, 6/15, 2:45 p.m. ET

While I don't want to underestimate Ukraine, one would imagine a superior French squad would defeat the co-hosts. That makes the tilt between England and Sweden all the more vital.

England looked solid against France without star player Wayne Rooney, grinding out a 1-1 tie, and they'll be able to play a more open game against the less-skilled Swedes.

But Sweden will come into this game desperately needing a victory knowing they still have a date with France to deal with. While Sweden is always a threat given world-class striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, I wouldn't be surprised if they pressed a bit in this match and gave England some tasty opportunities to counter.

Look for England to take this one 2-1 and set themselves up nicely to advance to the quarterfinals.

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