B조 첫 경기 스위스 대 크로아티아와의 경기는 0-0으로 득점없이 무승부로 끝났다. 프랑스와 잉글랜드라는 '거함'이 버티고 있어 힘겨운 여정이 예상되는 스위스와 크로아티아는 가능한한 서로를 이겨야 조별 예선 돌파의 기회를 가까이 다가갈 수 있었다. 하지만 양팀은 득점없이 비김에 따라 앞으로의 경기에 총력을 기울여야만 하는 어려운 상황에 놓이게 되었다. 

 
Jorg Stiel (Switzerland) saves with his head Goalkeeper and captain Jorg Stiel stops the ball with his head during the match 

치열한 미드필드 공방으로 경기를 풀어나간 양팀은 '지면 끝'이라는 심정을 대변하듯 거친 몸싸움으로 승부했고, 양팀 선수들은 모두 경고가 10장을 받을 정도로 그라운드는 더욱 뜨겁게 달구어 갔다. 결정적인 기회는 크로아티아부터 만들어나갔다. 전반 중반의 니코 코바치의 결정적인 헤딩슛과 전반 후반 이비차 올리치의 크로스바를 맞추는 헤딩슛은 크로아티아 팬들에게 못내 아쉬움을 자아내기도 했을 법 했다. 

크로아티아는 후반 초반 스위스 수비형 미드필더 요한 포겔이 경고 누적으로 퇴장을 명 받아 숫적 우위를 점하고, 베테랑 공격수 밀란 라파이치등 공격 자원들을 투입시키며 득점을 노렸지만 뜻대로 완벽한 찬스를 만들어내지는 못했다. 포겔이 빠진 10명이서 경기를 풀어나간 스위스도 하칸 야킨의 2번의 프리킥 찬스가 있었지만 크로아티아의 골문을 여는데에는 실패했다. 

이로서 승점 1점씩 나누어가진 양팀은 앞으로 강호 프랑스와 잉글랜드를 상대해야만 하는 일정이 남아있다. 산술적으로 1승 1무승부 이상을 거두어야만 최소한 조2위를 거두어 다음 라운드에 진출할 수 있기 때문에, 스위스와 크로아티아는 첫 경기에서 부족했던 그들만의 특별한 '무언가'를 남은 2경기에서 최대한으로 발휘해야만 하는 입장이 되었다. (사커라인 이남훈) 
 
굿데이 2004.06.14 

The Swiss will be happier with the result after midfielder Johann Vogel was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 50th minute but it was they who threatened to break the deadlock rather than Croatia as the Croats failed to muster a single shot on target in the remainder of the match.
 
Swiss coach Jakob Kuhn was understandably the happiest of the coaches.

"Vogel was obviously a great loss but it is a great result for us," said the 61-year-old.

"This is a step forward for Switzerland and I can't wait for our next match (against England on Thursday)," added Kuhn.

His Croat counterpart Otto Baric was far from happy.
 
"We should have taken advantage of the situation," said the former Austria handler.

"I am not satisfied with the result but mark my words neither of the other teams (England and France) will have it easy against a very good opponent such as Switzerland," he added.
 
Croatia striker Dado Prso moaned that it could have been different if Switzerland had remained at full strength.

"It would have been better if we had stayed 11-11 because even if we had numerical superiority we were always chasing the ball.

"It makes our task against France and England that much harder," said Prso, whose goalscoring exploits for Monaco last season earned him a move to Scottish giants Rangers.

Vogel got his marching orders in the 50th minute when he brought down Tomo Sokota and right under referee Lucilio Batista's eyes the 27-year-old PSV Eindhoven midfielder kicked the ball away after the freekick was awarded against him.

Ivica Mornar was the next player to go into the book as he was yellow carded for diving in the area bringing the number of yellow cards to seven and red's to one after just 53 minutes of the match.

Sokota had a good chance to finally draw blood as Sokota fed by Niko Kovas turned inside a defender outside the area but his shot from 15 metres out sailed over the bar.

The match reached a nadir when Swiss keeper and captain Jorg Stiel missed a backpass and had to race back to stop it going into the goal, literally stopping the ball with his head. He was to receive the eighth yellow card minutes later for dissent.

The Swiss put together their best move of the match in the 77th minute ending with Benjamin Huggel's rasping shot from 30 metres out being bundled away for a corner in unorthodox fashion by Croatia keeper Tomislav Butina.

Both had started brightly as Mornar's sweetly struck freekick was well-taken by Swiss goalkeeper Jorg Stiel and then three minutes later Swiss playmaker Hakan Yakin forced Butina into a save with a shot from outside the area.

However the physical side soon took over with Vogel being booked for a foul on Croatia's Niko Kovac and Dario Simic was fortunate his elbow on Alexander Frei by the touchline went unnoticed by the match officials.

The Swiss took advantage of a mistake in the Croat defence on the quarter hour mark which let in Frei and though the 24-year-old's cross shot was only parried by Butina Robert Kovac managed to bundle the ball away to safety.

Croatia then missed a golden opportunity to break the deadlock.

A Swiss ploy to play the offside trap failed completely as from a Croat freekick Stiel was faced with four Croat attackers.

He managed to push out Josip Simunic's header and when it came back out to Ivica Olic he could only head it against the bar from three metres out.

The Croats, though, had the last effort of the first-half when Niko Kovac let fly from 30 metres only to see it just go over the bar.