Euro 2012 Scores: Biggest Disappointments in Tournament's Early Action

It's still early in the 2012 European Championship, but the tournament has already seen its fair share of disappointing clubs thus far.

High hopes for several countries exist at the beginning of each and every Euro Cup tourney, whether they are realistic or not. That can directly lead to the broken hearts of soccer fans and their favorite squads.

Here are some of the biggest disappointments early on this year.

Spain

Spain started off their Euro 2012 with a tie to the Italian club. However, hopes were higher for one of the top clubs in the world.

Coming off a win at Euro 2008 and then a victory in the 2010 World Cup, Spain was expected to have their way with Italy's defense and be able to score almost at will.

But that wasn't the case in this match and it proved no opponent can be taken too lightly. Spain must improve their play if they wish to deserve more than just a tie, or worse, a loss.

Portugal

There is no doubt that Portugal has a talented club and played a strong match against Germany, but the fact that they didn't score a single goal with Cristiano Ronaldo on their roster was disappointing.

Portugal had no shortage of opportunities, either. Whether it was right before half time or at the closing minutes of the match, the Portuguese weren't able to capitalize on their opportunities with the help of a great defensive effort from the Germans.

This was a great test for Portugal and a bad sign in regards to the outcome. This club must complete its chances on even the most elite defenses in the world if they wish to advance in Euro 2012.

Netherlands

Coming off of an historic 2010 World Cup that saw the Dutch make it all the way to the final match, the Netherlands were aiming higher coming into Euro 2012.

Instead, the Dutch were a dud and were shutout by Denmark, 1-0. Sure, slow starts to the Cup are normal, but a loss like this is a concern for a club like the Netherlands.

The Dutch must put the ball in the net in order to complement their solid defensive effort. There's little doubt this club can advance and be dangerous moving forward, but they must give a better effort if they wish to accomplish anything.