Euro 2012 Results: Most Disappointing Squads in Group Stage

Euro 2012 has seen some impressive performances like the Czech Republic and Greece taking Group A and the Italians tying Spain in Group C, but that doesn't mean there haven't been disappointments.

There were a handful of teams that came into this tournament with hype, only to fall on their faces once they got on the pitch. Here are the most disappointing teams that were eliminated in group play.

Russia

The Russians came into the 2012 edition of the Euro just four years removed from reaching the tournament semifinals and recently defeating Italy in a friendly.

Head coach Dick Advocaat built on that success when his squad defeated now-Group A champion Czech Republic by a score of 4-1 in their first of three games.

The team then saw its momentum stopped cold by Poland in a 1-1 draw just before being defeated at the hand of the Greeks and thus eliminated from the tournament. Group A was the easiest of all the groups and Russia was the favorite to run away with the No. 1 spot. Now they find themselves packing their bags on their way out of Euro 2012.

Netherlands

While Russia's performance was not what their fans wanted to see, Netherlands fan base must still be in shock. Holland came into Euro 2012 not just as a favorite to win their group, but to win the whole darn tournament after finishing runner-up to Spain in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The team responded to that hype and high expectations by losing every single fixture on their way out of contention. With just two goals scored by a team featuring Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie, disappointing almost seems too kind of words to use.

The Dutch posted arguably the worst performance out of any nation in this tournament and these embarrassing last three games will not soon be forgotten around Europe.

Republic of Ireland

The Irish came into the latest battle for Europe with perhaps too high of expectations, but anything is better than what they've accomplished so far.

Ireland has only once qualified for the Euro up until this year and did nothing to instill confidence they will be back in four years. With just one goal scored in two matches, there is little to be proud of for the fans of this squad.

Getting beat down by a score of 4-0 against Spain certainly wasn't a surprising event, but to lose 3-1 to Croatia in the team's first-ever Euro fixture immediately put the Irish behind the figurative eight-ball.

Head coach Giovanni Trapattoni's team has already been mathematically eliminated from contention and they haven't even played their final match against Italy yet. If you're eliminated before you've even played all three fixtures, you're a shoo-in to make this list.