MX23RW : Tuesday, September 10 00:08:21| >> :600:233717:233717:

Match Analysis: Euro 2012 - Denmark 2-3 Portugal

Sports Mole reviews Portugal's late 3-2 victory over Denmark at Euro 2012 this afternoon.

Portugal headed into this encounter with Denmark knowing that anything but a victory would all but eliminate them from the competition with just two matches on the board.

What followed was a match full of incident, ending with the Portuguese winning by the odd goal in five.

Sports Mole has analysed the previous 90 minutes in Lviv.

Denmark statistics:
Shots: 9
On target: 6
Possession: 58%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 18

Holland statistics:
Shots: 17
On target: 12
Possession: 42%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 9

Was the result fair?

Just about, yes! Portugal played the better football and had Cristiano Ronaldo been his usual prolific self in front of goal then the result would have been more comprehensive. Credit to Denmark, who battled hard with their limited resources.

Denmark's performance

As mentioned above the Danes gave their all. They were slightly disappointing in the first half but after the restart they had a real go at times. Despite being dominated for large parts of the match, they will be angry at losing a match that they were drawing in the closing stages.

Portugal's performance

A mixed bag in truth. At times they looked extremely fluid in attack but in defence there are big question marks - a fact highlighted by Nicklas Bendtner's two headed goals. A late goal from substitute Silvestre Varela ensured that their domination actually counted for something.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Nicklas Bendtner: The Danish striker has been mocked by many for having so much belief in his ability. However, on one of the biggest stages of them all, the Arsenal striker proved himself with two headed goals - the second of which was an unstoppable effort.

Referee performance

Craig Thomson put in a real faultless performance throughout the 90 minutes. The Scottish referee allowed the play to flow and kept his cards in his pocket unless the offence warranted a punishment.

Biggest gaffe of the game

No doubt about this one! Picture the scene - Ronaldo goes through one-on-one with a goalkeeper and there is surely only one outcome, isn't there? Well on this occasion the Portuguese captain shot horribly wide. To make matters worse Denmark went straight up the other end and levelled up proceedings at two goals apiece.

What next?

Denmark: You have to fear for Denmark's chances now. A point here would have gone a long way to helping them progress to the quarter-finals. However, as it stands it looks as though they will need to beat Germany to stand any chance of getting through.

Portugal: They have given themselves a lifeline here. Victory over Holland on Sunday will see them progress beyond the group stages. They will need to defend better though.

ID:30764: cacheID:30764:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4756:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Helder Postiga
Read Next:
Half-Time Report: Denmark 1-2 Portugal
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
1.20am
Jets
@
49ers
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City33009279
2Liverpool33007079
3Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton32106247
4Arsenal32105147
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle32104227
6Brentford32015416
7Aston Villa32014406
8Bournemouth31205415
9Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest31203215
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs31116334
11Chelsea31117524
12Fulham31113304
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham310245-13
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd310225-33
15Leicester CityLeicester301235-21
16Crystal Palace301225-31
17Ipswich TownIpswich301227-51
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves301239-61
19Southampton300315-40
20Everton3003210-80


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!