Stuttering Germany are now up against it. Their EURO credentials were severely dented by Croatia, and they were not convincing at all against Austria, though Ballack’s goal was pure world-class. I still expect Germany to put up a massive fight. Portugal are certainly favorites in this...

I watched the kickoff at 2:45am, filled with excitement and expectation at the same time. The first 20 minutes were breathtaking stuff. Germany played at full speed, like a runaway train threatening to smash everything in its wake. This is unlike the Germany before 2006, where they played like...