MX23RW : Friday, November 8 20:54:14| >> :600:97559:97559:

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
FT
Bengals
34-35
Ravens
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


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!