The Euro 2012 semi-final match at Donbass Arena in Donetsk, Ukraine on June 27, 2012. Portugal, in their red and green and attacking from left to right, get us going. How many goals did he score last season? Portugal will also be through if they lose by a one-goal margin and Denmark are also beaten. About time too, will be the cries from the Dutch fans. Bye. The myriad permutations in Euro 2012’s Group B for bedlam played out Sunday with Germany and Portugal advancing to the quarterfinals: Portugal squashed the Netherlands, 2-1, while Germany defeated and eliminated Denmark by the same score.. After early jitters and a goal by Rafael van der Vaart, who earned the start for the desperate Dutch, Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo sprang to life. "Is there somewhere we're able to see such highlights and I just missed the memo?". It's no contest at all, as he ducks inside, on to his right foot, and then clips the left post with a low right-footer from the edge of the area. "Well, since you ask, I once found Lancashire cheese in Trader Joe's store in Sunnyvale, California," says Stuart Ardern. Roberto Alonso Fernández (Spain) 43 min: Nani is also having a very good game and is giving Willems a torrid time whenever he sees the ball. Cristiano Ronaldo's double sent Portugal through to the last eight and a dismal Holland on their way out, Wesley Sneijder of Holland battles with Joao Pereira of Portugal during the Group B match between Portugal and Netherlands at in Kharkiv. 45/1 on Paddy Power too, so I guess no-one has noticed. Hang on a minute ... Oh. Good to see some things never change, eh? Here is a running account of the action. The Germans have poor form in this regard, having fitted up Algeria in the infamous Anschluss game against Austria in the 1982 World Cup, when a 1-0 win for West Germany ensured both they and Austria went through at Algeria's expense, and the temptation to wind up their neighbours and rivals may be too great to resist. The tournament started on 8 June and the final took place in Kiev on 1 July 2012.. Each national team had to submit a squad of 23 players, three of whom must be goalkeepers, by 29 May 2012. 66 min: Ibrahim Afellay comes on for Jetro Williams, so Holland are now playing with three defenders plus Nigel de Jong at the back. Confused? To be fair, they also had Cristiano Ronaldo in unstoppable form, which tends to be quite useful. He's being afforded so much time by the non-existent Holland midfield though, Nigel de Jong ploughing a lone furrow at the base of it. "Evening Jacob! 27 min: Sneijder cuts in from the left and hammers a shot at Patricio from 25 yards. They were unable to clear the corner properly and when it was wheeched back into the area, Postiga clattered into Stekelenburg as the goalkeeper came out to claim the ball. WARSAW, Poland (AP) — In the first quarterfinal at Euro 2012, Portugal beat the Czech Republic 1-0 on Thursday. Recent history is not on their side however, Holland having failed to beat Portugal in their last eight matches, their last victory over the Portuguese coming in qualifying for Euro 92. Fourth official: 80 min: Alves heads a corner back across goal, and Oliveira heads straight at Stekelenburg. They're losing their touch. So far the under-fire Bert van Marwijk, who appears certain to leave after the Euros, has resisted those calls, but his hand has surely been forced after the defeat to Germany, when even despite the presence of two defensive midfielders Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mesut Ozil still ran riot. Who'll be doomed? Minute-by-minute report: Cristiano Ronaldo's double sent Portugal through to the last eight and a dismal Holland on their way out. says Peter Harmer. 37 min: Van der Vaart is no defensive midfielder. ___ 2245: The Czech players go over to applaud their fans, who return the gesture. [10] In the other match (played simultaneously in order to prevent the teams from gaining a strategic advantage by knowing the result of the other match on the same day) between Portugal and Netherlands, Rafael van der Vaart scored to give the Netherlands a lead for the first time in the entire tournament, but after much criticism in the media for his failure to score in the first two matches,[11][12] Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to secure a 2–1 victory for Portugal. ", "Euro 2012: Denmark's 1–0 upset leaves Dutch "speechless, "Germany vs Portugal, Euro 2012: final score", "Denmark vs Portugal, Euro 2012: final score", "Netherlands vs Germany, Euro 2012: final score", "Denmark vs Germany, Euro 2012: final score", "Euro 2012: Nani springs to Cristiano Ronaldo's defence after criticism", "Cristiano Ronaldo under mounting pressure to perform for Portugal at Euro 2012", "Portugal beats Netherlands 2–1 at Euro 2012", "Tactical Line-up – Group B – Netherlands-Denmark", "Tactical Line-up – Group B – Germany-Portugal", "Tactical Line-up – Group B – Denmark-Portugal", "Tactical Line-up – Group B – Netherlands-Germany", "Tactical Line-up – Group B – Portugal-Netherlands", "Tactical Line-up – Group B – Denmark-Germany", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=UEFA_Euro_2012_Group_B&oldid=993019422, Pages using sports table with possibly ignored parameters, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, The winner of Group B, Germany, advanced to play the runner-up of, The runner-up of Group B, Portugal, advanced to play the winner of, This page was last edited on 8 December 2020, at 10:43. UEFA EURO 2012 (Poland - Ukraine) - Portugal. The corner had been taken, but Holland sussed the ruse, so Meireles put the ball back. • Denmark will progress with any win. If Denmark lose they are out. Portugal 1-1 Holland (Ronaldo, 28 min): Take that, Messi! North and South Holland make up less than half of the population of the country of The Netherlands, representatives of whom are currently playing a football match against Portugal. It keeps everyone on their toes.". says Phil Sawyer. 58 min: "Re: the accusation that Ronaldo is one-dimensional," says Christopher Burke. Group B of UEFA Euro 2012 began on 9 June 2012 and ended on 17 June 2012. Instead he whipped it in to the far post, where Alves's header back into the six-yard box had to be cleared. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images, sitting together by the side of the pitch, watching the madness unfold. Additional assistant referees: Are either side going to bother with defending here, or is it going to be a shambolic free-for-all? He was six yards out with a clear sight of goal and still didn't shoot, the oaf. [13] With these results, Germany and Portugal qualified, in first and second place, respectively, and Denmark and Netherlands were eliminated. Good. 70 min: "A tough cheese?" says Peter Scott. Euro 2012: Holland are sent home by Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo. Nani scoops a Scholes-style pass over the defence to Ronaldo, whose attempt to place a careful shot into the far corner is blocked. Just occasionally, I feel this should be encouraged. It had to happen eventually, and Portugal fully merit this, because they have been the superior side since Holland's goal. How on earth did he mess that? It will be intriguing to see where Sneijder, Van der Vaart, Robben and Van Persie are positioned. "But if the results could somehow contrive to send Germany out then all will be forgiven. Fourth official: Full time: Portugal 2-1 Holland. Six years on and Van Bommel is still stomping around pitches acting the eedjit, a major factor for why many neutrals have fallen out of love with Holland. Paul Doyle has the latest. Terrible angle? He cuts inside and then finds Coentrao with a cute pass on the edge of the area. Are they goths? Edge of the box with two teammates near the penalty spot in space? Legal disclaimer: theguardian.com does not condone breaking and entering into other people's property. Fredy Fautrel (France) Robben cuts inside from the right, on to his left foot and then releases Van der Wiel with a glorious backheel. It's subtexted in German but you get the gist. "Surely it should have been a scrum.". ___ Ronaldo, pictured playing against Germany at Euro 2012, assumed the captaincy in the wake of Euro 2008. This time he curls it with his right foot from 25 yards out. Portugal will be bold when they take on Spain in Wednesday’s semi-final, full-back Joao Pereira has promised. 3 min: Wesley Sneijder has started in a position on the left, with Van der Vaart and Van Persie inside. "Why do you call it Holland?" 8 min: A brief moment of worry for Holland in their own area. He tries to Van der Vaart it in, but Stekelenburg pats it aside for a corner, which will be delayed while Meireles receives treatment. He shuffles inside on to his left foot and then cracks one just past the right post. A turgid bore at the World Cup, they have attacked with considerable elan in this tournament, particularly tonight. "An Edam perhaps, very tight but also a little elastic. Primoz Arhar (Slovenia) Host nations Poland and Ukraine failed to qualify for the quarter-finals, making it only the third time in European Championshiphistory that the h… You don't get Ronaldo? First Robben tees up Van Persie, whose shot from the edge of the area is blocked. 40 min: The traffic has been so one-way that I can't remember the last time Huntelaar or Van Persie touched the ball. He reminds me of one of my mates who, when we went clubbing, would proposition literally every woman he saw until one said yes, and then would brag about how successful he was with the ladies. A song to send them on their way. Up the other end, Robben's shot from the right hits Huntelaar and Patricio saves. Really easily, especially if not cut with proper technique. This is a peach of a goal from the recalled midfielder, who tonight captains Holland. I'm really starting to enjoy this new qualification system," says Colt Kennedy. Man of the Match: Ronaldo breaks clear on the left again but his wonderful low cross somehow evades every Portugal attacker. 40 yards out? Ronaldo will take it. Stekelenburg probably had it covered though. 49 min: A defensive header falls to Moutinho in space on the edge of the Holland area, but his wonky volley flies well over. If only to see the entire population of Holland turn a different shade of orange. Ever. Ultimately, Germany defeated Denmark 2–1 after Lukas Podolski and Lars Bender scored for Germany in the 19th and 80th minutes, respectively, despite an equalizer from Michael Krohn-Dehli in the 24th minute. Alves gets in the way. Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has dismissed talk that their Spanish rivals have reason to complain because they have two days less to recover before their Euro 2012 semi-final clash on … Well done! Juan Medina/Reuters Spain’s Cesc Fabregas celebrated after scoring the … He was unmarked, should have scored and he knows it as well. Nani went over to take the corner and then just tried to fool Holland, gently tapping it out of the quadrant, before running away and leaving it to Meireles. 39 min: What's been notable when Ronaldo has struggled for Portugal is that he's been given little time or space by the opposition, but Holland's predicament has compelled them to open up, and the consequence of that is that Ronaldo is taking them to the cleaners, largely because poor Nigel De Jong is having to contend with the entire Portugal midfield on his own. His Gruesome Twosome act with Nigel de Jong in midfield has brought much scorn from the Dutch public, who would rather see Rafael van der Vaart introduced, or perhaps the smooth-passing Kevin Strootman. Slavko Vinčić (Slovenia), Man of the Match: 32 min: The opening half hour has flown by in a flash. Oh dear. says Marie Meyer. It would be handy for Holland if Van Persie stops being such a galoot, an eventuality that could make this a trickier evening than anticipated for Portugal. Stekelenburg is there. • Portugal will be through with victory unless Denmark win by a one-goal margin (other than 2-1 and 1-0). By Duncan Irving June 27, 2012 1:01 pm June 27, 2012 1:01 pm. Geography corner. Ronaldo's cross-shot from the left finds Postiga six yards out and he turns it past Stekelenburg, but it's correctly disallowed for offside. Up the other end, Sneijder and Van der Vaart are having a row. 77 min: Nani torments Holland again, sliding a low cross into the six-yard box that just evades Pereira.