Denmark 2
Bendtner 41, 80;
Portugal 3
Pepe 24; Postiga 36; S. Varela 87;
Portugal beat Denmark 3-2 in a thrilling Group B clash in Lviv yesterday to keep alive their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals.
A goal by substitute Silvestre Varela three minutes from time saw the 2004 finalists take the points after they had let slip a 2-0 lead as Nicklas Bendtner drew the Danes level with two headers.
Goals from Pepe and Helder Postiga had given the Portuguese a perfect start. However, a series of terrible misses by their star player Cristiano Ronaldo had threatened to prove very costly until Varela stepped up to save them just three minutes after coming on.
The Danes had the first chance as the ball deflected to Christian Eriksen inside the area but Pepe did well to block his goal-bound shot.
The Portuguese managed to put very little together in the opening 20 minutes save once when Ronaldo drifted in from the wing into the centre and played the ball to Raul Meireles.
Meireles found the Real Madrid striker – just five goals in 15 tournament matches – in space but he produced a woeful shot and tried to blame the pitch as he looked ruefully down at it afterwards.
However, he was not found wanting when he delivered his corner in the 24th minute as Pepe came steaming in to head home, the ball flying in over William Kvist’s head at the near post.
Ronaldo appeared to take heart out of that and he was unfortunate to see an on-target free-kick take a deflection off a Danish defender.
But he did not have to wait long for his side to double their lead.
Nani was the creator, passing the ball into the box where Postiga got a yard on his marker Simon Kjaer and put the ball away with a sharp finish.
The Danes, though, got themselves back in the match four minutes before half-time as a smart header across the goal from Michael Krohn-Dehli found Bendtner unmarked and he made no mistake with a close-range header to make it five successive games that he has found the net with the Portuguese.
Ronaldo, though, should have restored the two-goal advantage soon after the start of the second half as put clear he was one-on-one with Danish ‘keeper Stephan Andersen, but the latter blocked the shot with his legs.
Bendtner was in lively form and worked himself some space in the 72nd minute to set himself up nicely but he sent his shot well wide of the goal.
Ronaldo’s woes in front of goal continued as Nani’s throughball found him in acres of space and from about eight yards out and with just Andersen to beat he put it wide – provoking jeers and whistles in the stands.
That miss looked to have been extremely costly as Bendtner rose superbly to head home Lars Jacobsen’s excellent cross from the right on 80 minutes.
However, the drama was not over as Fabio Coentrao hared down the left flank and crossed into the box.
Varela swung at the ball with his left foot and miskicked but showing remarkable composure connected with his favoured right foot and lashed home.
Denmark
S. Andersen, L. Jacobsen, S. Kjaer, D. Agger, S. Poulsen, D. Rommedahl (T. Mikkelsen 60), W. Kvist, C. Eriksen, N. Zimling (J. Poulsen 16), M. Krohn-Dehli (L. Schone 90), N. Bendtner.
Portugal
R. Patricio, J. Pereira, B. Alves, Pepe, F. Coentrao, R. Meireles (S. Varela 84), M. Veloso, J. Moutinho, Nani (Rolando 89), H. Postiga (N. Oliveira 64), C. Ronaldo.
Referee: C. Thomson (Scotland).
Attendance: 30,000.
Day-to-day fixtures
Group A
» Poland » Greece » Russia » Czech Republic
Poland vs Greece - 1-1
Russia vs Czech Rep. - 4-1
Greece vs Czech Rep. - 1-2
Poland vs Russia - 1-1
June 16: Czech Rep. vs Poland - 20.45
June 16: Greece vs Russia - 20.45
Standings
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Russia | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 4 |
| Czech Rep. | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Poland | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Greece | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Group B
» Holland » Denmark » Germany » Portugal
Holland vs Denmark - 0-1
Germany vs Portugal - 1-0
Denmark vs Portugal - 2-3
Holland vs Germany - 1-2
June 17: Portugal vs Holland - 20.45
June 17: Denmark vs Germany - 20.45
Standings
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Germany | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Portugal | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Denmark | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Holland | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Group C
» Spain » Italy » Ireland » Croatia
Spain vs Italy - 1-1
Ireland vs Croatia - 1-3
Today: Italy vs Croatia - 18.00
Today: Spain vs Ireland - 20.45
June 18: Croata vs Spain - 20.45
June 18: Italy vs Ireland - 20.45
Standings
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Croatia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Italy | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Spain | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Ireland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Group D
» France » England » Ukraine » Sweden
France vs England - 1-1
Ukraine vs Sweden - 2-1
June 15: Ukraine vs France - 18.00
June 15: Sweden vs England - 20.45
June 19: England vs Ukraine - 20.45
June 19: Sweden vs France - 20.45
Standings
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Ukraine | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| England | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| France | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Sweden | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Quarter-finals
| Quarter-final 1 | June 21 | Winner Group A vs Runner-up Group B | 20.45 |
| Quarter-final 2 | June 22 | Winner Group B vs Runner-up Group A | 20.45 |
| Quarter-final 3 | June 23 | Winner Group C vs Runner-up Group D | 20.45 |
| Quarter-final 4 | June 24 | Winner Group D vs Runner-up Group C | 20.45 |
Semi-finals and final
| Semi-final 1 | June 27 | Winner Quarter-final 1 vs Winner Quarter-final 3 | 20.45 |
| Semi-final 2 | June 28 | Winner Quarter-final 2 vs Winner Quarter-final 4 | 20.45 |
| Final | July 1 | Winner Semi-final 1 vs Winner Semi-final 2 | 20.45 |