June 7, 2008, 4:30 PM Swiss time.
Basel, St. Jakob Stadium, the opening ceremony of Euro 2008.
Accompanied by majestic music, the flags of the 16 national teams in the group stage slowly rose.
On both sides stood "Tricks" and "Felix," mascots representing Switzerland and Austria respectively.
From this moment on, the Euro Cup officially began.
"The Euro Cup opening ceremony has started. From now on, representatives from 16 European countries will compete for 22 days, eventually crowning the champion team of this Euro Cup."
"The entire tournament will take place in Switzerland and Austria,"
the Swiss announcer spoke on television.
Suker and the others gathered around the TV, watching the opening ceremony and eagerly anticipating the kickoff matches.
There were two matches today.
Both from Group A.
The first match featured host Switzerland against the Czech Republic.
The second match was Portugal versus Turkey.
Compared to the first, the second match clearly attracted more attention.
Portugal was a European powerhouse led by the rising star Cristiano Ronaldo, naturally drawing a large crowd of fans.
Many strong European teams were also watching this game, as they believed Portugal would secure one of the qualifying spots from Group A.
"So, who do you think will win, Switzerland or the Czech Republic?"
Mandžukić chewed gum, turning to ask the group lying on the beds.
On Suker's bed lay Dujić, Modrić, Srna, and Pranjić, sprawled side by side, forcing Suker to sit on the chair by the window.
"I'm rooting for Switzerland!"
"Nonsense! Czech Republic is obviously stronger!"
"I agree, Czech will win! After all, they're Eastern European teams!"
The term "Eastern European Knights" didn't just refer to Croatia, but was a title for all Eastern European teams.
Only the best performing team truly deserved the title.
Many people associated Croatia with the "Checkered Army."
But the Croatians themselves preferred the nickname "Eastern European Knights."
The Czechs also wanted that title, but their performance couldn't match Croatia's.
Still, Switzerland couldn't beat the Czech Republic.
"Hey, don't you guys have TVs in your rooms?" Suker teased.
Modrić: "Yes! But watching together makes a better atmosphere."
"Then why not watch in your room?"
Modrić: "want them to come mess up my room?"
Before Suker could speak, Dujićmovic pointed at the TV: "The match is about to start."
Everyone's eyes turned to the screen.
The camera switched to the player tunnel.
Swiss and Czech players stood on either side, ready to enter the field.
At this moment, everyone's mood became a bit heavy.
The pressure of the Euro Cup hit them.
At St. Jakob Stadium, fans from Switzerland and the Czech Republic cheered enthusiastically.
The camera showed fans in wild costumes, energetically supporting the home team.
Waves of cheers, whistles, and applause followed one after another, heating up Basel's night sky.
"This is the Euro Cup!"
Dujićmovic licked his dry lips in awe.
The others' eyes also grew serious.
Tomorrow, they would be like these players, standing in the tunnel, ready for their first international tournament representing their country.
In the room, except for Srna, all others were attending the Euro Cup for the first time, full of anticipation for such a grand international event.
Suker looked at the TV and saw a club teammate in the Czech squad — Jankulovski.
Soon, with the referee's whistle, the match began!
From the first minute, the Czech Republic controlled the rhythm firmly.
Although Switzerland played hard, wanting to win the opening match, the Czech side was extremely cautious.
The entire first half saw no goals, with very few threatening attacks or shots.
The ball mostly circled in midfield.
"So dull!"
Dujmovic complained impatiently.
"Push forward! Pass to the wings! Why do the wingers keep passing backward instead of pushing forward?"
"Well, it's a big tournament! And it's the opener, so being cautious is understandable."
"But it's really not fun to watch."
Everyone grumbled.
Yet they understood — it was a national team event, an opener, so a slower pace was acceptable.
In the second half, the Czechs slightly adjusted, playing more actively.
At 71 minutes, Galásek made a beautiful horizontal pass, setting up substitute Švehlík to score.
But after the goal, the Czech team returned to defense, and the game became dull again.
The full 90 minutes saw only one goal.
In the end, the Czech Republic beat host Switzerland 1-0.
The second match: Portugal versus Turkey.
This game had a faster pace and more intense confrontation, at least compared to the first match.
Turkey had performed well leading up to the Euros.
But they were still finding their rhythm within the tournament environment, gradually improving and aiming for the semifinals.
Portugal boasted players like Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Moutinho, Deco, playing more aggressively.
Yet goals were scarce.
Eventually, Gómez assisted Pepe for the goal.
A forward assisting a defender — this gave Portugal the advantage.
Portugal immediately switched to defense mode, intending to secure the win.
The second match ended with Portugal 1-0 over Turkey.
The first day of the Euro matches concluded.
The Czech Republic and Portugal each earned 3 points.
Host Switzerland and Turkey failed to win.
"Time to sleep! Time to sleep!"
After the day's matches, everyone got up to head back to their rooms.
Although the matches were dull, thinking about their own games tomorrow made them excited.
This was their first Euro Cup!
As the big event approached, this excited atmosphere also meant they needed to adjust their state.
Most importantly — sleep.
Many players, before big matches, couldn't sleep due to excitement.
Croatian players tossed and turned, counting sheep, cows, frogs — anything to fall asleep, finally drifting off slowly.
Suker, however, fell asleep early.
His sleep quality was always good.
He believed his greatest strength was the ability to quickly switch into match mode.
Even on the eve of big games, Suker could fall asleep at will and be ready to compete sharply once the match started.
The next day, a wild atmosphere continued to rise in Basel.
After the excitement of the opening matches, the Euro Cup's passion and enthusiasm were fully ignited.
On the second matchday, Croatian fans became the center of attention.
This was because of the strong Croatian national team, heavily covered by media.
Croatian fans loved this feeling — who doesn't like praise?
From the afternoon, they marched the streets of Basel.
Their loud singing echoed in the sky, slowly converging towards the stadium.
For the Croatian players, they spent the whole day preparing.
They needed not only to activate their bodies but also to stoke their passion and enthusiasm for the game.
On matchday, the coaching staff were the busiest.
They arranged pre-match plans and also cared for the players' needs.
During this period, the most precious thing was the players' condition.
They couldn't let any emotion interfere and had to devote themselves fully to the match.
Fortunately, Croatia had no cowards.
Although this was their first Euro game, they showed no signs of stage fright, instead eager to compete.
This relieved the Croatian coaching staff, including Bilić.