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.

Image Courtesy of  Rui Alexandre Araujo / Shutterstock.com

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Group B of the European Championships got off to a competitive start when Denmark took on World Cup runners-up the Netherlands at Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

The Dutch were favored heading into the match and started well, pressuring Denmark all over the pitch and causing a number of errors, but despite going close through both Robin Van Persie and Wesley Sneijder, they were unable to break the deadlock.

The opening goal, against the run of play, fell to the Danes in the 24th minute when Michael Krohn-Dehli picked up the ball on the edge of the penalty box following a cross from Simon Poulsen, and burst past defender Ron Vlaar to fire the ball beneath the helpless Maarten Stekelenburg in the Dutch goal.

The Netherlands continued to threaten and should have equalized when Vlaar was left unmarked at a corner but his header went harmlessly wide of the goal. An even better opportunity beckoned minutes later when Danish goalkeeper Stephan Andersen attempted to pass to one of his defenders, but instead sent the ball straight to the feet of Arjen Robben, but the wingers’ curled effort hit the post to the relief of the travelling Danish fans.

The rest of the first half played out with the Netherlands in almost complete control of the game, repeatedly denied an equalizer by the impressive duo of Daniel Agger and Simon Kjaer at the heart of the Denmark defense.

The Dutch onslaught continued at the beginning of the second half, Robben forcing Andersen into a good save to his right whilst Ibrahim Afellay was inches wide of the goal with his left footed strike from outside the area. Frustration from the Dutch players at their inability to break down a resolute Danish defense led to some poor passing from the Netherlands, gifting possession back to Denmark on more than one occasion and allowing the Danes to relieve some of the pressure being exerted on them.

With the Netherlands getting more desperate for a goal, they began to push more players forward and were only denied it by the heroics of Andersen, the goalkeeper coming out to smother the ball at the feet of Klaas Jan-Huntelaar, as the Dutch striker was readying himself to lift the ball over the rushing goalkeeper and towards the unguarded net.

Despite their best efforts, the slick passing game of the Dutch could not break down a well disciplined Danish side, and Denmark recorded a highly impressive 1-0 victory.

Denmark manager Morten Olsen will be thrilled with his sides’ victory, a feat even more impressive given that Group B has been dubbed the ‘Group of Death’ as it boasts European powerhouses the Netherlands, Germany and Portugal. The defensive work of Agger and Kjaer will have been particularly pleasing and will have given Olsen confidence that his side could also upset either Germany or Portugal and defy the odds by qualifying from Group B.

Bert van Marwijk, the Dutch manager, will be far less pleased as he watched his side slump to a 1-0 loss to a side they will consider inferior to themselves. This game will have been highlighted by coaches as a must win for the Netherlands and they will now face an uphill battle to qualify from the group as they take on one of the tournament favorites in Germany, and a skilful Portugal side led by the talismanic Cristiano Ronaldo.

Image Courtesy of  mooinblack / Shutterstock.com

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