Thanks to the late-headed goal scored by Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal was able to claim a 1-0 victory against the Czech Republic on Thursday, which in turn sends them into the semifinals of Euro 2012.

The first half of the match was considered disappointing for the first quarterfinal match of the competition. Early chances by the Czech Republic only came from corner kicks, which they were unable to capitalize on due to very poor deliveries.

Portugal seemed to get into the game later in the first half, when Ronaldo fired a beautiful shot that Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech was able to save with an amazing dive. The goal would not have counted if it had gone in, due to referee Howard Webb stopping play mid-pass that was not heard by the Portuguese forward.

In the final minute of the first half, Ronaldo came up again after handling a great cross from Raul Meireles. He gained control of the ball and kicked it straight into the post, the only thing that could stop him from giving Portugal the lead. The chance gave off a strong sense of determination from Portugal, who went into halftime in control of the game even though both teams have not yet scored.

Portugal came out ready to play, with Hugo Almeida missing a header by inches only a couple minutes into the second half. Ronaldo showed up yet again five minutes later with a close chance, taking a bending free-kick that struck the post again instead of hitting the back of the net.

The Czech Republic did not seem as though they were trying to take any offensive chances; Portugal controlled much of the possession throughout the early part of the second half, and the Czech’s seemed to stay on the defensive no matter what. The only real chance for the Czech Republic came in at the 60 minute mark, when Vaclav Pilar managed to speed around the Portuguese defenders with ease, only to give the ball away with a disappointing attempt at a cross.

After several more attempts from Portugal, which were all wide of the net or beautifully saved by Cech, Ronaldo was finally able to capitalize in the 80th minute after a great cross from Joao Moutinho. Ronaldo found room and headed the ball directly into the ground, which in turn ricocheted over the diving Petr Cech and into the top of the goal.

This lone goal was all that was needed in order to send Portugal into the semifinals. For a team that has never won a title at the Euro’s, Portugal heads into the semifinals as an underdog that shows no signs of letting this chance slip through their fingers.

Portugal will play in their semifinal match on June 27 against the winner of the quarterfinal match between Spain and France, which is scheduled for June 23.

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Both Portugal and the Netherlands had everything to play for in their game at Metalist Stadium in Kharkov, Ukraine. A win would essentially secure qualification for the Portuguese. The Netherlands required at least a two goal winning margin as well as hoping the in-form Germans could beat Denmark in their last group game.

With the likes of Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben in their squad, the Netherlands are a side always capable of producing excellent attacking displays. They set about doing just that when they took the lead in the 11^th minute. Robben fed the ball to Rafael van der Vaart on the edge of the penalty area, and the midfielder curled the ball into the top corner, beyond the reaches of the beleaguered Rui Patricio.

Often criticized for their defending, the Netherlands were lucky to still be leading after twenty minutes. Poor defending allowed Cristiano Ronaldo, Helder Postiga and Raul Meireles to all have early attempts, although all three failed to test Maarten Stekelenburg in the Dutch goal.

So often the hero for Real Madrid, Ronaldo came close to doing the same for Portugal when he beat his marker to meet Nani’s cross, but his header, albeit powerful, was aimed close to Stekelenburg. The Dutch goalkeeper made an impressive reflex save, continuing to leave Ronaldo goalless so far at the tournament.

His wait was not a long one, however, as he leveled the scores for his side in the 27^th minute. He timed his run to perfection to collect Joao Pereira’s through ball into the area and calmly slotted the ball past the onrushing Stekelenburg.

Despite starting more brightly, the Netherlands were looking outclassed at the half time whistle with Portugal, and more specifically Ronaldo, growing into the game as it progressed. The interval offered a chance for the Netherlands to regroup and attempt to re-establish the dominance they enjoyed at the beginning of the first half – a must if they were to have any chance of progressing into the knockout stages of the tournament.

A few tactical changes, including the switching of Robben to the left wing and Robin van Persie to the right, allowing Sneijder to hover behind the striker and attempt to pick up the ball in the space between the defense and the midfield, seemed to breathe life into the Dutch. Yet they still seemed to lack the final pass or composure to unlock the Portuguese defense.

With time running out, the Dutch threw caution to the wind, bringing in Ibrahim Affelay for Jetro Willems, weakening their defense to bring on the extra attacker. Their defensive frailties were soon realized when Ronaldo scored his second of the night after being given far too much time on the ball in the Dutch penalty area.

Credit should be given to the Dutch for their unwillingness to give up on the game, but with just fifteen minutes left to play and three goals needed to put them into a position to qualify from the group, it was a case of too little too late. The Dutch succumbed to a 2-1 loss to Portugal.

Portugal manager Paulo Bento will be thrilled not only with the attacking incision displayed by his team, but also their defensive discipline. With the knockout rounds looming, the resurgence in form of Ronaldo has to be the biggest positive from the game and will have quarter-final opponent Czech Republic worried.

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The second round of matches in Group B got underway with an enticing tie between Denmark and Portugal at Ukrajina Stadium in Lviv, Ukraine.

Denmark, buoyed on by their impressive draw against the Netherlands in their opening match, started brightly against the more highly favored Portugal, passing the ball confidently and looking strong at the back.

Misfortune struck early though for the Danish, first with an injury to Niki Zimling, who was replaced by Jakob Poulsen, and secondly by an opening goal for Portugal. A Joao Moutinho corner in the 25th minute was met by an unmarked Pepe at the near post, the Portuguese defender coming up with a superb glancing header to beat the Danish goalkeeper Stephan Andersen.

The goal seemed to highlight the discrepancies between the two sides and Portugal began pushing hard for the second. Ten minutes on from the first goal and Portugal were once again celebrating, this time thanks to a Helder Postiga goal, the striker getting in front of the nearest defender to collect a low cross from Nani and score a fantastic goal from a tight angle.

Denmark were far from out of the game however, and grabbed themselves a lifeline just before halftime with a well worked team goal from Nicklas Bendtner. Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Patricio rushed out to deny Michael Krohn-Dehli an easy attempt on goal, but instead the Dane headed the ball back across the goal towards the arriving Bendtner who then had only to knock the ball into an open goal.

All of Denmark’s positive work at the end of the first half was nearly undone early in the second when Poulsen played a poor pass along the Danish defensive line which was picked up by Postiga who looked to be clear through on goal and was only denied by a last ditch tackle from Daniel Agger.

Portugal certainly seemed rattled by Denmark’s goal, with the Danes looking far more assured in possession and frequently foraying into the Portuguese penalty area, with the leading side looking far less comfortable going forward than they had in the first half.

Despite their renewed efforts, Denmark were struggling to create real chances once they were in Portugal’s half, with the Real Madrid defensive duo of Pepe and Fabio Coentrao seeing off most threats.

With just over 10 minutes to play, Portuguese talisman Cristiano Ronaldo spurned a great chance to put the game beyond Denmark when he was one on one with the goalkeeper but his effort was uncharacteristically wide.

With Ronaldo still lambasting himself for the miss, the Danes counter-attacked with pace and proficiency, a deep cross finding Bendtner at the far post for the tall striker to head home his second goal of the night and draw Denmark level in a game which Portugal must have thought they had won in the first half.

Unfortunately for Denmark though, heartbreak was still to come. With just three minutes left in the game Silvestre Varela, after scuffing his first attempt at the ball, swiveled and struck a powerful right footed effort at the bottom corner of the goal and the ball flew past the outstretched fingertips of Andersen to give Portugal a vital 3-2 victory.

The win gives Portugal everything to play for in their final group game against the Netherlands, meanwhile Denmark are unlikely to have much more than pride to play for in their next game against Germany, a game which will most likely be their last at these championships.

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Thanks to a late goal from the talented Mario Gomez, Germany was able to snag the victory against Portugal with 17 minutes left in the match, leaving them tied at the top of the Group B standings with Denmark. In a match that brought a lot of chances from both sides, Germany were the only ones to capitalize, which leaves Portugal in a tricky situation at the bottom of the table with the equally unlucky Holland.

The match was heated from the beginning, with the first shot on goal coming a minute into the game off of Germany’s Gomez, which was easily saved by Portugal’s Rui Patricio. The German fans were also showing their emotions towards the opposing team by throwing empty water bottles at Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo as he was trying to setup a corner kick in the fourth minute.

Germany’s lineup for the match came as a surprise, as seven of the starting players are teammates on the Bundesliga side Bayern Munich. This seems to have had an impact on the match, since Germany was able to create many chances in the offensive half throughout the entire match. Portugal came out on top according to the stat sheet, getting seven of their eleven shots on goal compared to the four out of twelve shots that Germany were able to create.

The first half of the match finished without any changes on the scoreboard, giving a sense that the match would end with a goalless draw. This would play out well for Holland, giving them a better chance of climbing back from their 1-0 loss to Denmark earlier in the day.

The second half came with just as much intensity as the first. Both Germany and Portugal’s offense were playing creative soccer, which formed many chances for both sides. Portugal managed to test the German goalkeeper Manuel Neur more with several attempts on the goal.

Germany was finally able to capitalize in the last 20 minutes of the match after a ball was crossed into the box, deflected off a Portugal player, and then found its way to Mario Gomez. Gomez was able to head the ball past the goalkeeper into the opposite corner to give Germany the 1-0 lead. Mario Gomez was struggling to finish any of his shots throughout the second half, and was about to be substituted for Miroslav Klose before he managed to head in the game-winning goal.

No matter how many attempts the Portuguese had to tie the game up in the remaining 10 minutes of play, they were unable to break down the German defense. Germany faces off against Holland next on Wednesday, while Portugal faces Denmark that same day.

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Real Madrid keeps its 10-point advantage over Barcelona after winning at Benito Villamarín 2-3 against Betis. Mourinho’s team knew how to use the punch of Ronaldo and Higuain despite their bad play to beat a great Betis. The home team was fighting until the last minute and claimed a penalty by Ramos, who rejected a shot with his hands, but the referee did not whistle on it.

First Half

Pepe Mel’s team was not intimidated over the danger of Real Madrid’s stickers in the counterattack. Betis played with its line defenders forward and pressing on Madrid’s midfielders. Betis had the passion of the ball while Madrid was waiting to have their chances. A nice combination of passes between Nacho and Ruben Castro had the ball ending up with Molina who put the hosts ahead in the ninth minute.

The joy of the fans lasted only 14 minutes since German play maker Ozil broke the defensive line of Betis with a long pass to Argentinean Higuain, who made the equalizer. In the last five minutes of the first half Betis got two chances: Stricker Castro slipped after dribbling clear Ramos; and playmaker Salva Sevilla, who rattled the crossbar after Casillas saved the ball by tipping it with his fingers in the freekick. Meanwhile, Ronaldo had his own chance to score but an inspired Fabricio denied him the goal.

Second Half

In a raid by Brazilian leftback Marcelo, he assisted Ronaldo inside the box who scored an easy goal in the 51st minute. Betis were at level three minutes later after Madrid failed to clear a corner; the ball was left inside the box to Montero, who blasted Casillas’ goal.

Betis got a double chance from low-range to beat Casillas, but he saved them. The match was still being played at high speed but Betis seemed tired and Madrid was launching quick counterattacks. Fabricio denied Marcelo’s goal with a spectacular save on the 62th minute.

The home team appealed penalties when Alonso touched Nacho’s cross with his hand. The referee who had to replace injured Iturralde Gonzalez at half-time did not give the maximum punishment.

In the 72th minute, a corner delivered by Kaka was headed by Ramos but Fabricio pulled out the ball to Ronaldo who score the winning goal. With 20 minutes remaining, Betis put forward their lines to try to get the draw. Ronaldo had another chance to make his hat-trick, but his foot was away from Fabricio’s goal.

In the extra time Betis got a last chance, a corner was only half-cleared and Montero took a shoot from long range that was repealed by Spanish defender Ramos by an arm. The referee blew the final whistle and ignored Betis’ complaints.

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An exciting and one-sided match at the Santiago Bernabeu ended in a 4-0 victory for Real Madrid over visiting Lyon, extending their lead at the top of the group to five points. With two previous wins under their belt, Madrid will now feel that qualification to the knockout stages is fairly assured, although they will be sure to not take anything for granted in the reverse fixture against Lyon at the Stade Gerland.

Lyon meanwhile will now have their hands full contending with the threat of Ajax for the runner-up position, who triumphed over Dinamo Zagreb and now sit above the French side on goal difference. Real Madrid got off to the perfect start when Cristiano Ronaldo flicked on Mesut Ozil’s corner, finding Karim Benzema at the far post for the Frenchman to simply tap in and give his side the lead.

Madrid seemed to grow visibly in confidence with the goal, and were soon dominating both possession and tempo as they searched for a way to extend their lead. Although they were now in complete control of the game, Madrid had to wait until the beginning of the second half for their next goal, Benzema picking up on a defensive slip, and gaining possession of the ball before slipping it across to the onrushing Sami Khedeira who fired home from 12 yards out.

Things then went from bad to worse for Lyon, as Madrid collected their third goal when Ozil’s low cross was turned into the back of the net by goalkeeper Hugo Loris, confirming victory to all but the most cautious of Madrid fans.

Not content with having helped keep a clean sheet for his side, defender Sergio Ramos then stepped up with Madrid’s fourth and final goal, as he was given far too much time on the ball following a corner from Kaka, and could take his time before hitting the ball into the back of the net.

Manager Jose Mourinho will be extremely happy with his team’s performance and will be confident that they can remain unbeaten in their three remaining group games, ensuring they face an easier draw come the knockout stages.

Ajax’s victory over Zagreb does not bode well for Lyon, as they now drop to third place in the group, and they will be targeting their upcoming fixture against the Dutch side as a must win if they are to progress to the next round of the competition.

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