Euro 2012 Scores: Underdogs Who Showed Signs of Promise

We are two days into Euro 2012, and already we've been treated to some valiant efforts (and victories) from underdogs.

Poland, Germany and the Netherlands all came into their opening matches thinking they would get the win, but it was not to be for some.

Here are the underdogs who impressed in the first two days of the tournament.

3. Greece

Greece was the underdog against Poland on Friday, and it looked that way early on when the tournament co-hosts took the lead, but Greece buckled down after that, scoring a goal of its own and coming away with a 1-1 draw.

It certainly wasn't an overwhelming performance, but Greece did what it had to do against a favorite, and could have actually come away with the victory when Poland's starting goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny, received a red card in the 69th minute after conceding a penalty, but Giorgos Karagounis saw his spot-kick saved by replacement goalie Przemyslaw Tyton.

Greece certainly isn't a favorite in the tournament, but showed great perseverance against Poland. That should serve them well moving forward against the Czech Republic. 

2. Portugal

Portugal simply faced a better team on Saturday. Germany played solid soccer, and its defense was outstanding, extending to keeper Manuel Neuer. Plus, you can't exactly blame Portugal for giving up a goal to the explosive Mario Gomez.

Portugal had its chances, however. Pepe missed a wide-open opportunity right before the half, and Cristiano Ronaldo was in great position to score before Jerome Boateng made an outstanding play to kick the ball from under him.

The important thing is that Portugal played well, and it's only a matter of time before the side takes advantage of those opportunities.

1. Denmark

All I can say is, "WOW."

The Netherlands came into this match as the favorite, but Denmark blew everyone away. 

The Dutch were lackadaisical from the start, and Denmark made them pay with 24 minutes gone, Michael Krohn-Dehli firing the ball in between Maarten Stekelenburg's legs for the game-deciding goal.

The Netherlands, of course, had several opportunities to score, but Denmark held firm throughout the match, refusing to buckle under the pressure, and came away with a much-deserved victory.

the Danes are all of a sudden in the hunt in Euro 2012, and faces a determined Portugal squad on Wednesday.