The Road to Euro 2012

Jun 23, 2012 by     1 Comment     Posted under: Sports Buzz

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Ronaldo fires blanks, yet Portugal conquer the Danes!

In a match that saw Christiano Ronaldo fall from grace in spectacular fashion, the Portuguese side somehow managed to register a 3-2 victory over a brave Danish outfit. Goals galore in L’viv Arena as fans were treated to an exhibition of desperate football, with early goals from Pepe and Postiga followed by a superb comeback courtesy of a brace by Nicklas Bendtner. In the last few minutes of the match however, it was substitute Silvestre Varela who sunk the dagger in Danish hearts with a thunderous finish from close range.

Portugal came into the game on the back of a disappointing performance against the Germans, being criticized by European Media for their profligacy in attack, whereas Denmark went into the game with an air of optimism about them, buoyed by their shock defeat of favourites Netherlands on the previous matchday.

As 32,000 odd supporters made their way into the arena, it was Portugal who started brightly, with Pepe firing in a near post header on a routine corner kick. The Danes, known for their strong aerial ability, were gutted to see that one go past them.

At the time of the goal, Portugal were dominating possession without really threatening much, and the game was by no means a spectacle. YET. The Danes had barely recovered when Helder Postiga beat Kjaer to another low cross to make it 2-0 for the Iberians, and thus put them in a comfortable position.

All seemed to be going according to plan for the Portuguese by this time, and one would be forgiven to overlook the turnover in possession every time their main man Christiano Ronaldo touched the ball or dared to run with it.

However, things changed for the good of the neutral’s eye in the 41st minute as some intricate passing led to Bendtner heading home into an empty net. It was just reward for the persistent pressing play by the Danes, and set up for a mouth-watering second half, with both managers having to reassess their team talks. Going into the break, it was players like Miguel Veloso, Pepe , Daniel Agger and William Kvist that impressed the most.

Cristiano Ronaldo had a glorious chance to put Portugal 3-1 up four minutes into the second half when clean through on goal, but his attempted slot into the bottom corner was read well by Andersen. Ronaldo misjudged the amount of time he had and failed to adequately place the ball. Better was expected of a man who vies to be the best player in the modern game.

The chances keep on coming for the Seleccao with Postiga gifted the opportunity to pounce after terrible giveaway from Simon Poulsen, but  Agger was on hand  to snuff out the chance. Denmark were then forced into a change on the hour mark, as Dennis Rommedahl hobbled off in obvious discomfort, with Tobias Mikkelsen coming on.

Despite the setback, the Danes were inching their way back into the match. Kvist caused a few hearts to skip a beat with a thunderous drive from the edge of the area that whistled inches away from the top corner.

Bendtner was next to try his luck after plucking a pass out of the air at the corner of the box, but his finish did not match his control, and was scuffed wide of the mark.

The Danes should have been dead and buried on 78 minutes, but were spared thanks to another awful miss from Cristiano Ronaldo. The 27-year-old found himself one-on-one again with Andersen, but his side-footed finish was comfortably wide of the mark. It was easier to score than miss, and Ronaldo had his head hanging in shame for the rest of the night.

Within three minutes, Denmark would make him pay and prepare for the worst. Lars Jakobsen lifted a cross towards the far post over the head of Pepe, where Bendtner was waiting to head home strongly. The ball hit Rui Patricio and the post before finally flying in.

The goal was testament to the great will and heart shown by Denmark throughout the match.

However, just when it looked like they had thrown the game away, substitute Varela rescued all three points for the Iberian side with a well-taken half-volley from a Fabio Coentrao cross after missing the initial shot to settle the game in Portugal’s favour. It was heartbreak for the Danes, but on balance of possession and chances, deserved for the Piortuguese.

The result brought Portugal level on points with the Danes, with both sides now having won and lost on their tours. Next up for Portugal will be the Dutch, and the writer reckons they must have all huddled in front of a television screen to watch the Dutch take on the Germans in a classic Derby match!

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The Author

A football nut, like many others - I adopt a studious approach to the beautiful game. Its a sport I have worshiped ever since Rivaldo scored the perfect hat trick playing for Barcelona against Valencia in the millenium season ;) { the bicycle kick at the death being my definition of a modern day miracle} ; football manager simulator games are my bible :p Nothing divides opinion like football,and there is no family I'd rather be a part of than the family of football fans. Your feedback is encouraged. Cheers!

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1 Comment + Add Comment

  • Russia will qualify with ease and live up to the dark horse tag that has been given to them, they are a good solid unit and can make it to the semi’s at least in my opinion. As for the other team to qualify, ill put my money on the hosts Poland, they’ll pull of an upset against the Czech.

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