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Leiria party falls flat

Despite a vibrant atmosphere and substantial local support, neither Croatia nor Switzerland could collect three valuable points in Leiria.

The main event
Never mind the fact that this, the first match in the section, brought together the two sides many considered would be looking up to France and England by the end of the round robin. To the population of Leiria, which is situated between Lisbon and Porto in the central region of Estremadura, this was the main event. France's visit here on 17 June will get equal billing.

Pilgrims' progress
Before EURO 2004™, the biggest thing to happen in these parts was the Virgin Mary. Quite literally. Nearby Fátima is Portugal's national shrine where the Virgin is said to have appeared to three shepherd children in 1917. Naturally, Leiria has served as a stopping-off point for the sanctuary down the years, yet it is the castle town of 43,000 that is currently the centre of attraction, attracting pilgrims of a less ethereal kind.

Colourful show
They were gathered outside the stadium long before the 17.00 start, the red army of Swiss fans mingling freely with their chequered counterparts from Croatia in a convivial atmosphere. The scenes were no less colourful inside the stadium, which has a 30,000 capacity and was rebuilt for the finals. The ground, which opened last November, is distinguished by its brightly coloured seats, which blended nicely with the varying combinations of red, white and blue on view.

Feeling at home
If the large Swiss contingent in the North stand were the best co-ordinated, forming a sizeable scarlet chunk behind Jörg Stiel's goal in the first half, then Tomislav Butina at the opposite end also had reason to feel at home thanks to the miscellany of Croatian flags and banners. Even Toronto's Croatian community got a mention amid the many Mostars and Zagrebs.

Opening ceremony
Nor was the flag-waving limited to the stands. With each EURO 2004™ game to be preceded by a three-minute opening ceremony, the proceedings here entailed a dance routine which had a semaphoric accompaniment from enthusiastic local youngsters.

Cause for optimism
Before the match, both coaches, Jakob Kuhn and Otto Baric, had earmarked this fixture as the one their sides had to win to progress in the tournament. And both were able to feel satisfied with the opening period. The hard-working Swiss performance belied the fact that Kuhn's men had struggled to overcome Liechtenstein seven days before. Meanwhile, Croatia, who had produced their best display of recent years in defeating Denmark the previous weekend, spurned the better opportunities.

Card sharp
However, not even the 50th-minute dismissal of Switzerland midfield player Johann Vogel could remove the tension from the game. Like the hundreds of Portuguese boy scouts who had gathered in Leiria last week with the aim of clearing the local beaches, referee Lucílio Batista also had to 'be prepared' throughout what proved to be a niggly encounter. The match official handed out five yellow cards to the Swiss, including two to Vogel, and five to the Croatians.

No goals
The result was a stalemate. The Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa might be overlooked by Leiria's castle, but on this special day for the city, neither team was quite good enough to be king.

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