Euro 2012 Scores: Breaking Down Biggest Surprises of Group Stage

The Euro 2012 group stage featured plenty of twists and turns, which is what makes the tournament so intriguing. Even though everybody has a prediction for what will occur, something always happens to shake things up.

There were several surprising results over the past few weeks that changed the course of the entire event. Let's take a look at some of the biggest upsets and break down how they will impact the European Championships moving forward.

Greece 1—Russia 0

Russia looked dominant in its opening match victory over Czech Republic, making it appear like the Sbornaya were going to cruise through Group A. Following a draw with Poland, Russia only needed a draw to advance but couldn't get it done.

The Russians played tentative throughout the first half, and it cost them when Giorgos Karagounis gave Greece the lead. That allowed the underdog Greeks to rely on their technical ability in the second half to pull off a stunning upset.

Greece is no stranger to European success, of course. The Galanolefki won the tournament back in 2004 and will be looking to use their team-first mentality to make life difficult on the favorites once again. Germany will be their quarterfinal opponent.

Denmark 1—Netherlands 0

Thanks to a squad that featured a bunch of superstars, Netherlands was a popular choice to win the entire tournament. A lackluster performance against Denmark in the opener put them in a hole right away, and the Oranje never recovered.

Whether it was the pressure of being expected to make a deep run, being placed in the toughest group or just poor play, it's going to be awhile before Netherlands gets over the brutal showing. Failing to record a single point is the biggest surprise so far.

On the other hand, the win gave Denmark a golden opportunity to advance, but the team proceeded to lose its next two games. That has to make the Oranje feel even worse about their performance, if that's even possible.

Ukraine 2—Sweden 1

Ukraine was given an automatic bid into Euro 2012 as one of the co-hosts. The Zbirna weren't expected to accomplish much given their ranking in comparison to the other teams in Group D, but that all changed with a victory over Sweden.

Andriy Shevchenko scored twice after Sweden had taken the lead, and Ukraine never looked back. Playing in front of the home fans definitely helped give the Zbirna the extra boost of adrenaline they needed to hold on for the win.

It was a crushing blow for Sweden, which ended the tournament as a possible sleeper team since England was going through a transition phase. Instead, the Blagult are already eliminated with one game left, and Ukraine still has a chance, showing how important every game can be.