Euro 2012: Portugal Doing Well to Survive in the "Group of Death"

Denmark (41', 80' Bendtner) 2 - 3 (24' Pepe, 36' Postiga, 87' Varela) Portugal
 
Portugal kept its dream of Euro 2012 gold afloat after surviving a Danish – or should we say Nicklas Bendtner? – comeback, with a narrow 3-2 victory.  

As critics loved to point out before, during, and after the match, golden boy Cristiano Ronaldo failed to impress yet again.  The Portuguese all-star missed two critical goals that could have put nerves at rest.  It would be Silvestre Varela that who rode in at the very last minute, serving as Portugal's metaphorical Knight In Shining Armor.  Varela's late strike at the 87' minute mark solidified three points for his side, keeping hopes alive for A Selecção and their fans.  These three points take the Portuguese on to the qualification race for Group B into the final match day where they will face the Dutch (Netherlands) this Sunday.

As aforementioned in this article, Portugal has become quite predictable, showing a consistent strategy no matter the opponent.  And as expected, Paulo Bento made no changes to his side as they went toe-to-toe against the Danes at L'viv Arena.  Pressure weighed heavily on Cristiano's shoulders, and while the Real Madrid man is accustomed to playing on a world stage, perhaps being grouped into what has been endearingly coined as the "Group of Death" heightened that pressure by the tenfolds.  He had a promising 10 to 15 minutes of play, but was noticeably not himself the rest of the match.

From a Portuguese point-of-view, the first 15 minutes of play were very poor, as the team was unable to grab hold of the game and as the Danes continued to push them into their own half.  In spite of the lack of initial creativity, Bento's side improved shortly after the 15' minute mark, where they began to control the game and began to create some chances.  Nani showed up and A Selecção's back line remained tight. 

Pepe's header off a João Moutinho corner at the 24' minute mark solidified Portugal's control of the match.  Momentum built up and the Portuguese doubled their lead minutes later at the 36', with a Héider Postiga strike off a superb Nani cross.

But do not discount Denmark.  Everything seemed to be going well for the Portuguese, that is, until their kryptonite – Bendtner – headed one in the 41' minute mark, unmarked and presented with an empty net.  The Danish striker tallied another goal against Portugal, as he always seems to score against them.  Great for Bendtner.  Portugal?  Not so much.

Throughout the second half, Denmark showed signs of grabbing a late equalizer and it would have been a mistake on Portugal's part to discount them.  The Danes remained a well-oiled machine, staying organized and compact.

The Danes should have been buried six-feet under at the 78' when Cristiano found himself in a one-on-one situation with Danish GK Stephen Andersen.  However, the 27-year-old lucked out on racking one for his side, his frustration and disappointment [in himself] quite evident given his demeanor.  Pressure too high?  Probably.  But it seems that Denmark figured out that frustrating the forward early on in the match would lead to an uninspired CR7 on pitch.

Minutes later, Bendtner struck again with another header, this time following a cross from Lars Jakobsen.  The Danes equalized, the match 2-2.  And just when it looked like Portugal had thrown their game away, Varela came in to save face – a narrow 3-2 win for the Portuguese.

Cristiano will once again be criticized for days to come until Portugal's next match for his under par performance.  His lack of creativity going forward certainly brings things into perspective.  Has Bento placed too much pressure on his shoulders?  Has he placed too much pressure on himself going into the Euro tournament?  Perhaps... as he seems to score effortlessly at club level.

What is it going to take for CR7 to get out of this slump?  Whatever it is, hopefully it finds him soon.  I want to see the Cristiano Ronaldo I know and have come to love to show up sometime this tournament, preferably soon.

written by Gail Hidalgo