Portugal Ends Le Oranje Dreams of Euro 2012 Quarterfinals

Portugal (28', 74' Cristiano Ronaldo) 2 – 1 (11' Van der Vaart) Netherlands

At last, at last.  Cristiano Ronaldo scores at last.  The 27-year-old silenced critics this Sunday with an inspiring performance, scoring in both halves and effectively taking the Netherlands out of the Euro 2012 competition.  Critics had already written the Real Madrid man off as one of the tournament's flops and biggest disappointments, but Cristiano served their words back on a silver platter.  And on what better day to deliver than on his son's second birthday?

Rafael Van der Vaart got things started in Kharkiv, breaking the deadlock at the 11' minute mark, putting the Netherlands ahead of their opponents 1-0.  However, the men of A Selecção improved thereon after, proving themselves to be the deadly force I had come to associate them as over the years.  After minutes of pressing forward and a flurry of opportunities later, Cristiano would negate his former RM teammate's goal following a superb assist from João Pereira.

Now tied 1-1, the Dutch needed two clear goals to stand a chance of progressing further in the competition.  Coach Bert van Marwijk utilized a more attacking lineup up against the Portuguese in comparison to the lineups in previous matches.  Still yet, his men could not penetrate Portugal's defense. 

Super Mario Slices Le Oranje

A superb performance by Bayern Munich's forward Mario Gomez defeated a disappointing Dutch team. Germany is not afraid of carrying the favorite title; they are carrying it proudly and fearlessly. Germany has been the most consistent team in Europe for the last decade getting into the last 3 World Cup semi-finals and being runner-ups in the last Euro Cup. This year doesn't seem to be an exception for them.

The beginning of the match was very even, respects by both squads, the Dutch were taking more initiative given their urgency to win. The European Classic promised to be a real spectacle. There were early chances by both sides Van-Persie opened fire but was deflected by Neuer, while Mesut Ozil responded instantaneously but was deflected by the post. On the 24th minute Gomez received a precious pass from Schweinsteiger between the Dutch defenders and with a beautiful turn he put it to the right of Stekelnburg, a wonderful goal.  This Euro Cup has revealed serious weaknesses in the Netherland’s defense. It only took 14 minutes for the Germans to put the Dutch against the ropes. Again the Schwensteiger-Gomez combination, this time Gomez received next to Willems but skillfully crossed it from left to right, leaving Stekelnburg helpless, another masterpiece by the 6’2 forward. In this goal, the young Jetro Willems (18 yrs old), showed that this tournament came a little pre-mature for him.

The Danes give the first surprise of the Euro 2012

The “Group of Death” started with a big upset. The Dutch had been rated as the third best team in the Championship after the always-powerful Germany and defending champion Spain. However, Denmark defied logic, being considered the weakest team of the group, and clinched a 1-0 victory. 

“La Naranja Mecanica” (The orange machine) dominated possession and was not able to capitalize on the abundant chances it created, they had 28 total shots. On the other hand a well organized and confident Danish team capitalized one of the very few chances they created. Michael Krohn-Dehli skillfully sprinted through two defenders and blasted the ball in between Stekelenburg’s legs. The Dutch were stunned after being in total control of the game. Much was expected from Robin Van Persie and Arjen Robben, but they weren’t having their days. A good sign for the Dutch was Sneijder’s notable performance, he kept feeding chances to his teammates whom just couldn’t capitalize. If the Dutch can fix their aim, they will delight us with their crushable offense. 

UEFA Euro 2012: Netherlands vs. Denmark Match Preview

The Dutch and Danish will go head-to-head this Saturday in Kharkiv at the Oblasny SportKomplex Metalist.  Both sides seem to be top form, with Netherlands's Joris Mathijsen as the only doubtful due to a hamstring injury.

Denmark does not score much or often, but have the ability to linger back and attack the opponent on the break. They have the ability to create problems for the Dutch side, particularly for strikers Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Robin Van Persie.