Euro 2012 Day 2 Wrap: Dutch Stunned, Germans Survive, Fan Trouble
The Dutch are reeling, the Danes are flying, and the Germans, well, they're still the Germans.
Denmark stunned the Netherlands, 1-0 in Saturday's first match at Euro 2012. The Dutch entered the tournament among the favorites, but after misfiring in their opener they will face potential elimination Wednesday against the powerful Germans.
Germany, meanwhile, edged Portugal 1-0 in a cagey match that saw both teams spurn chances.
Off the pitch, the host nations again received negative publicity, with multiple incidents of fan violence making the news.
All the details from Day 2 are inside.
Group of Death Claims First Victim
1 of 10It's called the "Group of Death" for a reason. Any team can lose, and any can fail to qualify for the knockout stage.
The Netherlands are in deep trouble Saturday night after losing 1-0 to Denmark in Kharkiv. Michael Krohn-Dehli scored the game's only goal in the 24th minute, nutmegging Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg after gliding through the box past Holland's defense.
Holland misfired repeatedly. Arjen Robben hit the post in the first half, and Robin van Persie wasted multiple chances, notably whiffing on a second-half shot.
"It wasn't only Robin van Persie," said Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk. "There were four, five or six players who had lots of chances."
He added: "We just have to beat Germany (on Wednesday). It's not going to be easy, but that's the goal now and everyone knows that."
On the other side, Denmark coach Morten Olsen said his squad earned their victory.
"You saw a Danish team who overall were the better team and also, over the last 10 minutes, were better physically than the Dutch team—that was very important," he said.
Penalty Appeals
2 of 10The Netherlands had two penalty appeals denied by referee Damir Skomina.
In the first half, Ron Vlaar's header from Arjen Robben's corner hit Denmark defender Simon Poulsen's hand inside the box.
In the second, Denmark's Lars Jacobsen handled the ball repeatedly inside the box under pressure from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
The latter galled Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk.
"It is such a clear penalty, and then you likely get a draw," Van Marwijk said.
Gomez Does Job for Germans
3 of 10In Saturday's second match, prolific striker and Back To The Future look-alike Mario Gomez scored the winner in Germany's 1-0 triumph over Portugal.
After the Bayern Munich striker headed home off a Sami Khedira deflected cross in the 72nd minute, Germany then weathered a spirited Portugal onslaught.
Nani hit the crossbar with a cross-shot and Silvestre Varela forced a sprawling save from Manuel Neuer in the closing minutes.
In another near miss, Pepe hit the bar near the end of the first half with a curled shot following a Portuguese corner, but the entirety of the ball just failed to cross the goal line.
Ronaldo Misfires
4 of 10Cristiano Ronaldo struggled to make an impact against Germany, though he did draw a save from Manuel Neuer in the second half.
Ronaldo, Portugal's captain, skipped through the German defense on the left side in the 82nd and drilled a dipping shot that landed in front of Neuer, who swatted the ball away uncertainly.
The Real Madrid superstar then set up Nani in the 90th minute, dribbling to the end line before pulling back for his former Manchester United teammate. Nani's shot was blocked by Holger Badstuber.
In the 64th minute, Ronaldo ran onto a long pass behind the German defense, and with the goal in his sights, Ronaldo was stopped by a last grasp Jerome Boateng tackle.
Group B Table
5 of 10Denmark and Germany lead Group B with three points each and a plus-one goal differential.
Portugal and Holland sit at the bottom of the table with no points and a negative-one goal differential.
Group B resumes play Wednesday with Germany facing the Netherlands and Portugal taking on Denmark.
Fans Behaving Badly
6 of 10Disturbing footage of fans behaving badly circulated around the Web early in the European Championship.
As the Daily Telegraph reports, Russian fans attacked stadium stewards after their team's 4-1 win over the Czech Republic on Friday. (See article video.)
According to the Telegraph, four stewards required medical attention after the incident.
The match was also marred by reports of racial abuse directed at Czech Republic defender Theodor Gebre Selassie (pictured).
Quote of the Day
8 of 10England manager Roy Hodgson finally responded to his critics, citing his reasons for leaving defender Rio Ferdinand off his roster for a second time.
The defender's snub has mushroomed into a controversy, dubbed "Rio-gate" by the media.
Here's part of what Hodgson said about his decision, via The Guardian, stating the veteran was too valuable to bring on for a sub's role:
"Rio Ferdinand for me is not a player that you call up as a substitute, or to cover for the players that you have."
Ferdinand, for his part, has said he fears for his international career.
Up Next
9 of 10Group C favorites and international bluebloods Spain and Italy clash Sunday in Gdansk, Poland. Kickoff is scheduled for noon Eastern.
Spain won Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010. Italy won World Cup 2006.
In Sunday's second match, the Republic of Ireland and Croatia face off in Poznan, Poland. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:45 p.m. Eastern.
Overnight Reading
10 of 10B/R world football lead writer Will Tidey writes that Germany's win Saturday highlighted Portugal's decline and over-reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo.
For more on Holland's loss to Denmark, here's my take on the match.
Finally, Ryan Rudnanski writes that Portugal's loss to Germany doesn't make Portugal any less scary.
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