UEFA EURO 2008: Czech Republic defeats Switzerland 1-0

(BEIJING, June 8) -- In the UEFA EURO 2008 tournament curtain raiser, the Czech Republic defeated host Switzerland 1-0. Vaclav Sverkos, a backup for Jan Koller, scored the only goal of the match after 70 minutes. Though the Swiss created good opportunities for a potential goal, they could not manage to find the net. The injury of team captain Alexander Frei during the match also came as a heavy blow to the Swiss.

In another match, Portugal defeated Turkey 2-0. Cristiano Ronaldo, nearly scored for the Portuguese in the first half, but his free kick was denied by Volkan Demirel's brilliant save. The Portuguese stepped up their attack in the second half, and Pepe scored in the 61st minute. Though Ronaldo did not score in the match, he broke though the Turkish defense and passed the ball to Joao Moutinho, whose assist helped substitute Raul Meireles side-foot the finishing touch in the 90th minute.