Yesterday, Bai Niao called to ask which two teams I thought would win, and I decisively said I favored the host Poland and Russia.

In the end, the host was forced to a draw, but Russia lived up to expectations and won.

I favored Russia because I was writing *Forbidden Zone's Hero*, so I know a little about Russian football. Plus, many of the Russian players' names are particularly endearing, and... Zenit players in the Russian team have played alongside the Hero, while players from other teams have been ravaged by the Hero, all benefiting immensely!

So, even though the Czech Republic is a veteran powerhouse that used to be very strong, I still firmly told Bai Niao that I favored Russia.

Sure enough, Russia didn't disappoint me. I estimate that in the season that just ended, Cech probably didn't concede four goals in a single game in any match...

The Poland vs. Greece match was really quite dramatic. Friends who watched the game understand. Originally, I favored Poland, but as the game progressed, I thought Greece should win. Unfortunately, that penalty kick didn't go in...

Then today, I suddenly thought, since I have nothing to do anyway, why not just predict the results of each day's matches and see how many I can guess correctly? The predictions are based on nothing, just random guesses, so please don't take them seriously and use them as a basis for buying lottery tickets! I'm not responsible if you lose money!

Today, Netherlands vs. Denmark, I favor the Netherlands to win, which shouldn't be a surprise.

Germany vs. Portugal... Although it looks like the two teams are evenly matched, I still favor Germany. Germany as a whole is stronger than Portugal. Apart from Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal lacks a midfield core. Germany should have a better chance of winning.

So, Netherlands and Germany to win!

I'll check back tomorrow at this time to see if my guesses are correct...

Finally, taking advantage of the European Cup wind, I'm begging for monthly tickets! Aaaaaaah!!!