Aveiro's day in the sun

In the heat of Aveiro, the Czech Republic and Latvia put on a show worthy of UEFA's 50th birthday.

Birthday greetings
Prior to kick-off "Happy birthday to you" rang out and 102 balloons - 50 for each of UEFA's years and one for each of the 52 member associations - were released into a cloudless sky. It was a colourful sight for a colourful occasion.

Lego castle
The Estádio Municipal de Aveiro on the outskirts of the city is hard to miss as you approach by road. An ambitious piece of architecture, built from scratch, it is uncannily reminiscent of a Lego castle with its seats of all hues.

Ambitious arena
Part of an multi-sport complex, the Aveiro authorities say hosting UEFA EURO 2004™ was an "opportunity to develop the city at many levels". A 30,000-capacity arena in a medieval settlement with a population of around 75,000, it certainly is that, fitting into the 15th-century location with its Art Noveau design.

Magnificent atmosphere
All this combined has created a magnificent atmosphere. Unsurprisingly, as the larger nation, the Czech fans outnumbered the Latvians, but as at many of the venues in Portugal there was even an English presence, a Derby County FC flag among the banners from Prague and Ostrava.

Latvian heartbreak
With loud cheers ringing out, Latvia overcame their underdog status, temperatures touching 34 degrees and a shaky start to take a shock lead on the stroke of half-time through Maris Verpakovskis. Luck seemed to be smiling on the Latvians, but the Czech Republic's experience shone through and Milan Baroš and Marek Heinz struck late on to spoil the small Baltic nation's party.