Euro 2012: Germany, Portugal Progress With Wins

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Portugal Vs. Netherlands, Euro 2012: Final Score, Cristiano Ronaldo Guides Portuguese Into Quarterfinals

Bert van Marwijk's attacking changes got the Oranje off to a brilliant start in their Group B finale against Portugal, but their lack of defense was ultimately their undoing. It was always just a matter of time before Cristiano Ronaldo found his finishing touch, and he turned it on against the Netherlands on Sunday, scoring two goals in a 2-1 Portugal win that sent them through to the quarterfinals.

Rafael Van der Vaart, who replaced Mark van Bommel in the Netherlands lineup in an attacking maneuver by van Marwijk, scored the game's opening goal after just 11 minutes. Arjen Robben shocked the world with his unselfish play on the goal, laying off to Van der Vaart for a nice assist on the Tottenham man's 20-yard blast past Rui Patricio.

For some reason, Holland started to look like their job was already done after that goal, and they were thoroughly outplayed by Portugal for the rest of the match. The Portuguese front four could have had multiple goals before they finally finished off a good chance and bagged one in the 28th minute, with Ronaldo netting the equalizer on a Joao Pereira through ball.

Portugal controlled the entire second half, and with his team needing multiple goals, van Marwijk made very aggressive substitutions. He pulled left back Jetro Willems off for Ibrahim Afellay, shifting his already porous defense into a makeshift back three that featured Gregory Van der Wiel as a right central defender. No one can blame the Netherlands for being aggressive at that time, but their lack of quality and communication in defense was their eventual undoing.

Ronaldo scored his second goal of the game and the tournament in the 74th minute, applying a simple finish to a pass across the box from Nani. The Netherlands defense was all over the place on the goal, offering little resistance. Considering how poorly they defended all night, the Netherlands were very lucky to only concede twice. They now exit Euro 2012 with zero points after entering the tournament as favorites to make the knockout stages.

You can find our previous live coverage of both of Saturday's games in our Euro 2012, Group B Finale StoryStream. For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on twitter.

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Denmark Vs. Germany, Euro 2012: Final Score, Die Mannschaft Impressive In 2-1 Win

Germany have dealt with their fair share of adversity in the first three games of Euro 2012, but they've escaped from group play unscathed. A long scoreless period against Portugal and a Danish equalizer haven't kept them down, and they're through to the quarterfinals with a perfect record after they defeated Denmark 2-1 to win Group B.

Lukas Podolski, making his 100th appearance for Germany, scored the opener just 19 minutes in. Mesut Özil started the attack with a great ball to Thomas Müller, who put a cross into the box towards Mario Gomez. The German center forward couldn't get good contact on the ball, but it fell favorably for Podolski, who applied the finish.

Denmark found a surprise equalizer in the 24th minute, which they might have thought put them in position to advance to the quarterfinals. Michael Krohn-Delhi scored the goal, nodding in a headed ball across the box from Nicklas Bendtner on a corner kick.

Germany would eventually break the tie, though it wouldn't have mattered for Denmark even if they did hold on to a draw, as Portugal went on to win the other match. Lars Bender scored the surprising winner for the Germans, getting onto the end of what appeared to be an overhit ball by Özil. It worked out well in the end with the midfielder-turned-fullback turning the ball into the net to preserve Germany's perfect record.

You can find our previous live coverage of both of Saturday's games in our Euro 2012, Group B Finale StoryStream. For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on twitter.

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Portugal Vs. Netherlands, Euro 2012: Cristiano Ronaldo Puts His Side Up 2-1

Portugal are currently on their way through to the quarterfinals of Euro 2012, thanks to another goal by Cristiano Ronaldo. With their match tied 1-1, the Netherlands needed to score twice to have a chance to progress and threw all caution to the wind by switching to a three-man defense. Their four-man defense wasn't really doing much defending, so their makeshift back three was predictably taken apart, and Portugal now lead 2-1.

Ronaldo equalized the game with his first goal of the tournament in the first half, and he's added another in the 74th minute. Once again, it was practically gifted to him. Nani set him up with a great ball into the box and the Netherlands defense was nowhere. He was allowed to take his time before placing a shot past Maarten Stekelenberg, all but finishing off the Dutch.

We'll have live coverage of both of Saturday's games simultaneously in our Euro 2012, Group B Finale StoryStream. For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on twitter.

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Portugal Vs. Netherlands, Euro 2012: Halftime Score, 1-1 Draw Has A Selecção Through So Far

The Netherlands got off to a fantastic start in their Euro 2012 Group B finale against Portugal, looking like they were very much up to a fight for a place in the quarterfinals, but they fell apart in the latter part of the half and face a long road back to second place in the group. They're locked in a 1-1 draw with Portugal at halftime, and Portugal appear to have all of the momentum.

It appeared as if Bert van Marwijk got his tactics spot on in the early going, with Rafael Van der Vaart scoring a stunner in the 11th minute to put the Netherlands ahead. The Oranje seemed to step off the gas a bit after that goal, however, and they don't have the defense to step off the gas. From the goal until the end of the half, Portugal looked like the better side.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, Raul Meireles and Helder Postiga all had opportunities that they should have done much better with in the first 30 minutes of the game, but Ronaldo finally capitalized on one in the 28th minute. Joao Pereira found him with a well-placed through ball that split the Holland defense and Ronaldo pounced, running onto it and applying a calm finish past Maarten Stekelenburg.

Van Marwijk has a lot of work to do in the locker room to get his team back into the match. As long as Denmark and Germany stay tied, they can't go through to the knockout stage, but they'll go through if they win this match by two goals while Germany win by one. They're not dead yet, but they sure looked like it based on their last 15 minutes in the first half.

We'll have live coverage of both of Saturday's games simultaneously in our Euro 2012, Group B Finale StoryStream. For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on twitter.

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Portugal Vs. Netherlands, Euro 2012: Finally, A Cristiano Ronaldo Goal

Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal teammates had a number of excellent chances in the first half hour of their match against the Netherlands, but it didn't look like they had their finishing boots on for quite a while. After Ronaldo's poor performance against Denmark, it was easy to think that the goal was never going to come, but he finally capitalized on a golden chance in the 28th minute, equalizing the match for his side.

The Dutch haven't defended well at any point in the tournament and the Portugal goal was no exception. Their third central defense pairing of the tournament was easily carved up by a Joao Pereira through ball, placed beautifully into the path of Ronaldo. He got onto it and finished comfortably, making it 1-1. At the moment, Germany lead the group while Portugal and Denmark are tied on four points. That puts Portugal through on the head-to-head tiebreaker.

We'll have live coverage of both of Saturday's games simultaneously in our Euro 2012, Group B Finale StoryStream. For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on twitter.

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Denmark Vs. Germany, Euro 2012: Michael Krohn-Delhi Equalizes

Germany didn't have a lead over Denmark for long. The Danes have equalized in impressive fashion, and more importantly, gotten themselves into a position to advance. As it stands, Denmark will go through in second place, with Germany winning the group. Michael Krohn-Delhi was the scorer, netting his second of the tournament.

The goal came on a beautifully executed set piece, where the Germany defenders got caught ball watching in the 24th minute. Lars Jacobsen hit a line drive corner kick to the back post, where Nicklas Bendtner was able to rise up above the defense to nod the ball back across goal. Krohn-Delhi was waiting and was virtually uncontested as he nodded the ball past Manuel Neuer, getting his team back into the top two places in the group. A draw does not guarantee progression for Denmark, however, as Portugal will go through if they win or draw their match.

We'll have live coverage of both of Saturday's games simultaneously in our Euro 2012, Group B Finale StoryStream. For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on twitter.

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Portugal Vs. Netherlands, Euro 2012: Rafael Van Der Vaart Scores Stunner

The Netherlands have held up their end of the bargain thus far, but they're still going to need some help from Germany to progress to the next round of the competition. Bert van Marwijk's decision to drop defensive midfielder Mark van Bommel for attacking midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart has paid off in spectacular fashion with the Tottenham Hotspur man scoring a stellar goal after just 11 minutes of play.

Arjen Robben provided the assist by cutting inside onto his left foot, then, in rather uncharacteristic fashion, passing the ball. Van der Vaart stepped up and placed a perfect left-footed shot past Rui Patricio at the far post, giving him no chance to make a save. The Netherlands are now ahead of Portugal in the group, but will not go through if Germany-Denmark stays 0-0.

We'll have live coverage of both of Saturday's games simultaneously in our Euro 2012, Group B Finale StoryStream. For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on twitter.

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Euro 2012: Both Matches Underway In Group B

We're underway in the final matches in Group B play, and already, it's all one-way traffic in both games. Germany and the Netherlands are already laying siege to the nets of their opponents, but there haven't been any clear scoring chances yet. This isn't a terribly surprising development as the Netherlands have been attacking their opposition's goal and setting up in their area with no results for two games while Denmark always start sitting back a bit.

Contrary to initial reports, Silvestre Varela is not in the Portugal lineup, and Miguel Veloso has not been dropped. Portugal is in their usual 4-3-3, and it's a tad bit defensive. If Germany defeats or draws Denmark, Portugal just needs a draw to go through, so there's no reason for them to be overly attacking.

Because Denmark lost to Portugal, they can't afford to be too conservative, though throwing caution to the wind against Germany is a good way to get torn up. Martin Olsson has to find the right balance between aggression and pragmatism.

We'll have live coverage of both of Saturday's games simultaneously in our Euro 2012, Group B Finale StoryStream. For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on twitter.

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Denmark Vs. Germany, Euro 2012: Lineups

Denmark have made one tactical change to their team from their first two games while Germany have made one change due to a suspension. The Danes have taken out veteran Dennis Rommedahl and replaced him with 25-year-old wide forward Tobias Mikkelsen, who has just five caps. He's coming off of an impressive season at Nordsjaelland. Germany are without a right back in the absence of Jerome Boateng -- who plays central defense for his club anyway -- so they have a different not-right-back at right back today with defensive midfielder Lars Bender filling the void.

Denmark Lineup (4-2-3-1): Stephan Andersen; Simon Poulsen, Daniel Agger, Simon Kjaer, Lars Jacobsen; William Kvist, Niki Zimling; Michael Krohn-Delhi, Christian Eriksen, Tobias Mikkelsen; Nicklas Bendtner

Germany Lineup (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Holger Badstuber, Mats Hummels, Lars Bender; Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger; Lukas Podolski, Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller; Mario Gomez

Kickoff is at 2:45 p.m. ET from Lviv Stadium in Lviv. You can catch the game on ESPN2 in the United States.

We'll have live coverage of both of Saturday's games simultaneously in our Euro 2012, Group B Finale StoryStream. For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on twitter.

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Portugal Vs. Netherlands, Euro 2012: Lineups

The Netherlands and Portugal will both be gunning for a win on Sunday, with the Oranje needing a victory for sure and Portugal potentially needing a win, but possibly just needing a draw. The Netherlands have withdrawn both Mark van Bommel and Ibrahim Afellay and replaced them with an attacking midfielder and a striker, respectably, in a very aggressive move. Portugal's lineup is even more interesting, with Miguel Veloso dropped for Silvestre Varela. This likely moves Cristiano Ronaldo off of the left wing and into a free role. Initial reports of a more attacking Portugal lineup were false, and they're unchanged.

Portugal Lineup (4-3-3): Rui Patricio; Fabio Coentrao, Bruno Alves, Pepe, Joao Pereira; Miguel Veloso, Raul Miereles, Joao Moutinho; Cristiano Ronaldo, Helder Postiga, Nani

Netherlands Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maarten Stekelenberg; Jetro Willems, Ron Vlaar, Joris Mathijsen, Gregory Van der Wiel; Nigel de Jong, Rafael Van der Vaart; Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, Robin van Persie; Klass-Jan Huntelaar

Kickoff is at 2:45 p.m. ET from Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv. You can catch the game on ESPN in the United States.

We'll have live coverage of both of Saturday's games simultaneously in our Euro 2012, Group B Finale StoryStream. For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on twitter.

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Group B, Euro 2012: Scenarios For Advancement On The Final Matchday

Sorting through the scenarios for advancement heading into the final matchday is always a mess. When all four teams are still alive and there is the possibility of three different ties, including two three-team ties, then it is a super mess. Thanks so much, Group B.

Germany advance if: The Germans are in with a win or a draw no matter what else happens and they do so as the winners of Group B. Even if Germany loses they are still through so long as the Netherlands win or they draw with Portugal. If Germany lose and Portugal win then the Germans are most likely out, unless it's an exceptionally weird scenario.

Portugal advance if: As long as Portugal win they are through to the quarterfinals and even if they draw they are through so long as Denmark do not beat Germany. If Portugal loses then they can still advance, but only if they lose by one goal and Germany beat Denmark.

Denmark advance if: A win and Denmark are the Group B winners, but they almost certainly need a win to get through. Otherwise they need to draw and hope Netherlands draw Portugal or they are going home.

Netherlands advance if: The Netherlands need to beat Portugal by at least two goals and have Germany beat Denmark. That's it, but after taking zero points from two matches they are lucky to have any chance at all.

We'll have live coverage of both of Saturday's games simultaneously in our Euro 2012, Group B Finale StoryStream. For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on twitter.