Portugal and Germany advance
WARSAW — Portugal and Germany advanced to the European Championship quarterfinals Sunday, with the tournament’s star attraction finally coming alive.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice, and saw two shots strike the post, in an outstanding display as Portugal came from behind to win 2-1 against the Netherlands. The 2010 World Cup finalist exited Euro 2012 after three straight losses.
Germany also progressed as Group B winner, beating Denmark 2-1 to complete a perfect three-win record.
Portugal will play the Czech Republic in the first quarterfinal in Warsaw on Thursday. “Now, everything is possible,” Ronaldo said.
Germany faces Greece in Gdansk on Friday for a match with political overtones as Euro 2012 plays out amid a financial crisis in the eurozone.
Ronaldo
arrived
at
Euro 2012 amid doubts over his record at major tournaments, and despite a prolific scoring season with Spanish champion Real Madrid.
The Portugal captain disappointed in his first two matches in Ukraine — and gave an emphatic response Sunday.
“Ronaldo got so much criticism in the last game and he is back now,” Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk said. “That is how fast things can change.”
The Dutch took an 11th-minute lead, chasing the two-goal victory they needed to have any chance of advancing. Captain Rafael van der Vaart scored with a curling left-foot shot.
When Ronaldo’s shot five minutes later brushed the outside of a post, his rueful expression suggested he still lacked confidence.
His defiant swagger returned after scoring in the 28th, timing his run perfectly before slotting the ball past Netherlands goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg.
Portugal then dominated against a lineup set up to attack and defend.
Ronaldo scored the winner in the 74th, calmly finishing off a rapid counterattack. He was denied a hat-trick when a 25-yard shot rebounded back off a post.
Germany was always favored to progress from the toughest Euro 2012 group, yet endured a nervous spell in the second half before securing its place in the last eight.
Lukas Podolski, playing his 100th international for Germany, scored in the 19th minute in Lviv, finishing a chance created by Thomas Mueller and Mario Gomez.
Denmark equalized within five minutes, as Michael Krohn-Dehli rose in a crowded goalmouth to nod in Nicklas Bendtner’s headed pass.
The Danes almost took a shock lead when a shot by Jakob Poulsen clipped the outside of German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer’s right post.
When Portugal led
struggling
2-1
to
in
Kharkiv, a second Danish goal would have been enough to knock out heavily fancied Germany.
“We could have been eliminated,” Germany coach Joachim Loew said, “and that was on our minds. We had a lot of possession and I was sure that we would score and advance.”
The second-ranked Germans restored order in the 80th minute when stand-in defender Lars Bender scored from a pass by Mesut Oezil into the heart of the Danish penalty area.
Also Sunday, UEFA fined the Russian football association ¤30,000 ($37,800) for “improper conduct” by its fans who displayed nationalist flags and threw fireworks on the pitch against Poland last Tuesday. One man also ran across the pitch carrying a Russian flag after the final whistle.
The punishment adds to Russia’s ¤120,000 ($150,000) fine imposed after fans attacked stadium staff in Wroclaw at its match against the Czech Republic.
The new sanction did not activate a 6-point penalty UEFA threatened Russia with for a repeat of crowd violence before Euro 2016 qualifying ends.
UEFA has also been investigating claims that Russian fans racially abused Czech defender Theodor Gebre Selassie, who is black.
With Croatia facing a charge over its fans’ racist abuse, coach Slaven Bilic on Sunday urged UEFA to be tough.
“We are not a racist country and that’s why we are so angry with these couple of crazy supporters,” Bilic said
Anti-discrimination monitors told UEFA that around 300 Croatia fans directed monkey chants at Italy forward Mario Balotelli during the teams’ 1-1 draw in Poznan last Thursday.
On Monday, Croatia plays against Group C leader Spain in Gdansk, and Italy faces Ireland in Poznan at the same time.
Italy must win to have any hope of advancing to the quarterfinals, but will be eliminated if Spain and Croatia draw 2-2.
“We are sportsmen and the Croats and us will both go out to win,” Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said. “There is no question about such a result. Nothing has been calculated.”
Del Bosque revealed he signed a two-year contract extension through the 2014 World Cup in Brazil to lead the champion in its title defense.
Greece, Czech Republic through from Group A
Co-host Poland and Group A favorite Russia crashed out of the European Championship on Saturday, as the Czech Republic and Greece scored 1-0 wins to advance to the quarterfinals.
The Czechs won the group as a second-half goal from Petr Jiracek beat Poland, which wasted a series of chances early in the game in rainy Wroclaw.
Greece recaptured the spirit and style of its surprise Euro 2004 title triumph to upset Russia, which led the group before kickoff.
Captain Giorgos Karagounis scored against the run of play with the final kick of the first half, and Greece hung on though an expected Russian onslaught never came.
The streets of Warsaw were calm before Russia’s return to action in the city four days after violent clashes with Poland fans.
Earlier, UEFA opened its first disciplinary case for racist abuse at Euro 2012. It charged the Croatia football association after anti-racism monitors said fans made monkey noises at Italy forward Mario Balotelli.
A tense night was promised in Group A with all four teams knowing a victory would ensure a last-eight berth.
Poland had to win to progress, but became the latest European Championship cohost which failed to progress from the groups.
Despite a typically aggressive start, Poland did not make its chances count and Robert Lewandowski sliced his shot wide when clear on goal in the 10th.
The Czechs struggled without Tomas Rosicky, their captain and playmaker, who failed to recover from an Achilles tendon injury.
Still, Rosicky’s teammates got stronger as the game progressed and Jiracek scored with a right-foot shot after twisting past a defender.
Poland poured forward late on searching for an equalizer which would have eliminated the Czechs.
In the fifth minute of stoppage time, Jakub Blaszczykowski beat goalkeeper Petr Cech with a rising shot, but defender Michal Kadlec ran back to twist and head the ball back out to safety.
“We realized that Russia was losing and we needed to win,” Jiracek said. “We were very lucky that Poland didn’t score in the last minute.”
Russia started play with four points and needed only a draw to advance. It threatened several times in the first half, though Greece goalkeeper Michalis Sifakis only had to save from a closerange effort by Andrei Arshavin. Aleksandr Kerzhakov and Yuri Zhirkov just missed the goal with shots from distance.
Karagounis, making a Greek record-tying 120th appearance, shot low under Russia goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev with the last kick of the half.
Russia occupied Greece’s half for most of the second period, but was kept at bay by characteristically resolute defending.
Forward Alan Dzagoyev came closest in the 84th, but his glancing header from Arshavin’s cross drifted just wide.
Minutes later, it finished 1-0 — as it did most times when Greece played eight years ago.
Karagounis — who had a penalty saved in the opening match against Poland — will miss the quarterfinal. He thought he won a penalty when making contact with Sergei Ignashevich, but Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson instead booked the Greece captain for a dive.
One day after receiving reports from anti-discrimination monitors working at Croatia’s 1-1 draw with Italy on Thursday in Poznan, UEFA laid formal charges.
Croatia will answer a case of “improper conduct” by their supporters, including “racist chants, racist symbols,” UEFA said in a statement.
The Football Against Racism in Europe monitors wrote that Croatia fans made monkey noises at Balotelli, who is black, and displayed far-right nationalist flags.
Those responsible were “not supporters, but hooligans who should be isolated from all sports events,” the Croatian body said in a statement, appealing to UEFA “not to punish the Croatian national team.”
Croatia returns to action on Monday against Group C leader Spain in Gdansk.
Balotelli injured his right knee in training on Saturday, and is doubtful for Italy’s game against Ireland in Poznan on Monday.
Germany will play Greece in Warsaw, and Portugal will face the Czechs in Gdansk in the quarterfinals.