NEIL ASHTON'S EURO BLOG: £9 a beer and not much to cheer - the party's over before it has begun for the co-hosts - Sport

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The hosts have spent so much time erecting marquees, mowing the lawns and pouring genetically modified servings of beer for the guests that they have forgotten to enjoy their own shindig.

Austria and Switzerland have spent four years planning the Festival of Football, but the tournament is already in danger of passing them by.

Game over: Czech Republic and Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech thwarts the Swiss in the tournament opener

Naturally, it would help if their teams could play a bit.

Switzerland got the co-hosts off to a bad start when the Czech Republic arrived on Day One and beat them 1-0.

Predictably, Croatia overcame Austria in grounds of Vienna the following evening. Walk around town and the only smiles are on the faces of the bar owners.

Little wonder at £9 for a mug of beer in some bars. Scandalous. It is always the same problem with parties: the hosts spend so much time checking that their guests are having a good time that they forget to enjoy their own event.

Still, they can turn this around. The music will be blaring at the St Jakob Park before Switzerland take on Turkey tomorrow night. If they lose that one, the party really will be over for them.

Cabanas

ADDENDUM: Good to see one of the Switzerland players capable of lightening the mood. Ricardo Cabanas, who did not play in their opening defeat, was in the same Zurich bar as some members of the BBC Five Live team on Sunday evening.

Beers all round? Not for Cabanas, who was sipping hot chocolate in between requests from shreeking young girls demanding to have their picture taken with the midfielder.

MY PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT (SO FAR): Toss up between Franck Ribery and Edwin van der Sar.

It will take a long time before anyone can fill the shoes of Zizou, but Ribery is a remarkable young talent. He lost the ball just the once against Romania on Monday evening and his capacity to do the unexpected, passing to a team-mate when everyone - especially the opposition - anticipate another pass is impressive.

Edwin van der Sar

Franck Ribery (No 22)

Van der Sar, who was man of the match in the Champions League Final, was excellent against world champions Italy. Expect both to be in UEFA Team of the Tournament.