Euro 2012 Schedule: Matches That Will Be Decided Early

Most soccer games aren't decided early in the action. They develop slowly, a progressive chess match on the pitch that ebbs and flows until one team finally breaks through and puts the ball in the net.

Then again, there are also those matches that are shockingly over almost as soon as they begin. Just ask Greece, who fell behind the Czech Republic 2-0 after six minutes of play on Tuesday.

So, moving forward, which matches should see a team jump out to an early lead and never look back?

Let's find out.

Spain vs. Ireland

I mean no disrespect to the Irish side—a gritty bunch who never go down without a spirited fight—but they stand little to no chance against powerhouse Spain.

While I would like to see Spain start the game with a striker as a focal point of the attack against the Irish, sure to sink back and bunker up defensively, they have too much skill for the Irish to deal with.

Look for Spain to totally dominate possession, get on the board early and never leave any doubt about the result in this tilt.

France vs. Ukraine

Ukraine shocked me by beating Sweden 2-1, namely because I thought Sweden would join France in the quarterfinals from Group D.

I also expected a win for France against a depleted English side lacking striker Wayne Rooney.

So if the above is any indication, you can probably take what I say about this match with a grain of salt. But this is a game France must win, in my opinion. While a tie, or even a loss, wouldn't necessarily doom them, a victory would put them in prime position to advance.

Frankly, France is simply better than Ukraine. They need to strike early, steal Ukraine's belief that they can pull off the upset and regain control of Group D.

Portugal vs. Netherlands

This one is pretty simple—if Portugal scores a goal, the Netherlands are likely going home.

If you want the full layout of what the Dutch must do to advance, I've covered that here. But essentially, to move on they need to beat Portugal by two goals and hope Denmark loses to Germany.

Which means just one Portugal goal will likely ensure doom for the Dutch.

Knowing this, the Dutch are going to press forward even more than usual, leaving the already weak back line under added pressure against a Portugal counter-attack headed by superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani. It's hard to imagine Portugal won't score in this match.

The longer this tilt goes without Portugal finding the net, the more hope the Netherlands will have, especially if they score first. But given the dire straits the Netherlands find themselves in, I fully expect they'll leave themselves vulnerable to a counter and Portugal will capitalize early on.

Here's your full Euro schedule:

6/14/2012	Italy vs. Croatia	12:00 p.m. ET	Group C
6/14/2012	Spain vs. Ireland	2:45 p.m. ET	Group C
6/15/2012	Sweden vs. England	12:00 p.m. ET	Group D
6/15/2012	Ukraine vs. France	2:45 p.m. ET	Group D
6/16/2012	Czech Republic vs. Poland	2:45 p.m. ET	Group A
6/16/2012	Greece vs. Russia	2:45 p.m. ET	Group A
6/17/2012	Denmark vs. Germany	2:45 p.m. ET	Group B
6/17/2012	Netherlands vs. Portugal	2:45 p.m. ET	Group B
6/18/2012	Croatia vs. Spain	2:45 p.m. ET	Group C
6/18/2012	Italy vs. Ireland	2:45 p.m. ET	Group C
6/19/2012	England vs. Ukraine	2:45 p.m. ET	Group D
6/19/2012	Sweden vs. France	2:45 p.m. ET	Group D
6/21/2012	Group A winner vs. Group B runner-up	2:45 p.m. ET	Quarterfinals
6/22/2012	Group B winner vs. Group A runner-up	2:45 p.m. ET	Quarterfinals
6/23/2012	Group C winner vs. Group D runner-up	2:45 p.m. ET	Quarterfinals
6/24/2012	Group D winner vs. Group C runner-up	2:45 p.m. ET	Quarterfinals
6/27/2012	Quarterfinal 1 winner vs. Quarterfinal 3 winner	2:45 p.m. ET	Semifinals
6/28/2012	Quarterfinal 2 winner vs. Quarterfinal 4 winner	2:45 p.m. ET	Semifinals
7/1/2012	Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner	2:45 p.m. ET	Finals

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