Start of the UEFA European Championship - 2004-06-12

The UEFA European Championship tournament began on Saturday in Portugal. 16 prominent national teams from Europe will compete in this tournament, which takes place every four years and two years before the World Cup. In the opening matches on Saturday, the host national team lost 2-1 to Greece, while Spain defeated Russia 1-0. In the match between Greece and Portugal, Georgios Karagounis, the Greek midfielder, scored in the 7th minute, giving Greece the lead, and then Angelos Basinas scored another goal for Greece with a penalty in the 51st minute. Cristiano Ronaldo's goal in stoppage time was not enough to prevent Portugal's defeat. In the match between Spain and Russia, Juan Carlos Valerón, a substitute for Spain, scored shortly after entering the field with a shot from 8 meters, leading his team to a 1-0 victory. This three-week competition will be the largest sporting event in Portugal's history. The 2004 UEFA European Championship will be held in 8 cities across Portugal, and it is expected that a total of 8 billion viewers worldwide will watch the matches on television, which would be the highest number of viewers for a sporting event after the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup. Security measures during this tournament will be very strict, with 20,000 police officers on duty, supported by the Portuguese army. Additionally, naval warships will monitor the Atlantic coast, and F-16 fighter jets will patrol no-fly zones during the match days.