Gentlemen, start your abucuses

As much as I love soccer, and as closely as I am following Euro 2004, it is hard for me to defend the need to do calculations like these to determine who advances from the forst round:

Netherlands: A win for Holland would only be any good should Germany fail to beat group winners the Czech Republic. A draw could put them into contention.
If Germany lose and Holland-Latvia is a scoring draw, Holland will go through on goals scored between those three sides on two points.

If Germany lose and Holland-Latvia is a goalless draw, Holland will go through - unless Germany lose by one goal in a scoreline of 2-3 or equivalently greater.

And Italy's was even more complicated (although, since they beat Bulgaria today while Sweden and Denmark drew 0-0, the most complicated possible outcome actually came true). Surely we can find a better way to break ties, maybe by playing rock-scissors-paper or duck-duck-goose or something.
- posted by Anonymous @ 5:11 PM