A ten-man Switzerland battled to a goalless draw with a disappointing Croatia side in an ugly opening Euro 2004 Group B clash on Sunday.
A game devoid of flowing football was littered with stoppages as Portuguese referee Lucillo Batista produced nine yellow cards, two of which meant a sending-off for Swiss midfielder Johann Vogel.
He was cautioned only five minutes into the opening half for a foul on Croatian midfielder Niko Kovac and sent off when he fouled him again and kicked the ball away early in the second period.
"I am very proud of the team, it was a good performance for 90 minutes and very good in the second half with 10 men," Swiss coach Koebi Kuhn told reporters.
"It was very hard but it is too early to say what this result means. We have to wait until we have seen more games."
The nearest either side came to a goal was when Croatian midfielder Ivica Olic grazed the crossbar with a header when he should have scored just before halftime.
"It was very hard out there because it was very very hot, 38 maybe 40 degrees," Croatia coach Otto Baric said. "The players were fighting and trying but they couldn't manage it.
"We haven't won and of course I'm not happy but I cannot complain about the effort."
For the French and English teams, who meet these sides later in the week, it must have produced ironic smiles as they realised both the Swiss and Croatians had not only failed to win but also suffered disciplinary problems.
Vogel, a key defensive holding player for the Swiss, was sent off four minutes into the second half, leaving his depleted side to battle in torrid heat against a physical side.
The Croats were also not at all shy when it came to simulation and two of their five yellow cards were shown for diving when they reached the penalty box, striker Dado Prso and attacking midfielder Ivica Mornar being the culprits.
The other three bookings went to midfielder Nenad Bjelica, substitute Milan Rapaic and left back Boris Zivkovic for fouls while, in addition to Vogel, midfielder Benjamin Huggel was cautioned for a foul and goalkeeper Jorg Stiel for dissent.
Both teams had declared it was imperative to win their opening clash, as a single point would not be enough, but both failed to find the inspiration required on an afternoon of frayed tempers.
There was precious little flowing football and few clear chances -- neither goalkeeper had to make an outstanding save -- as it seemed the hot weather sapped energy and imagination.
In the opening half, Swiss striker Alexander Frei had a 20-metre shot saved while, at the other end, Stiel mixed decent stops with erratic errors.
He misjudged the bounce of the ball twice and was lucky when Niko Kovac headed over from an unmarked position after 36 minutes and, again, when the lively Olic's follow-up header grazed the bar just before the interval.
In the second half, defences dominated. Huggel fired in a strong shot that was saved and, in the closing minutes as Croatia searched for a breakthrough, Prso had a shot on the turn blocked and Niko Kovac fired wide from a Mornar cross.
Teams:
Switzerland (4-3-1-2): 1-Joerg Stiel; 2-Bernt Haas, 20-Patrick Mueller, 5-Murat Yakin, 17-Christoph Spycher; 8-Raphael Wicky, 6-Johann Vogel, 18-Benjamin Huggel; 10-Hakan Yakin; 11-Stephane Chapuisat, 9-Alexander Frei.
Croatia (4-4-2): 12-Tomislav Butina; 13-Dario Simic, 21-Robert Kovac, 3-Josip Simunic, 6-Boris Zivkovic; 19-Ivica Mornar, 10-Niko Kovac, 22-Nenad Bjelica, 18-Ivica Olic; 9-Dado Prso, 11-Tomislav Sokota.
Referee: Lucillo Batista (Portugal)
Linesmen: Paulo Januario (Portugal), Jose Cardinal (Portugal)
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