Euro 2012: Power Ranking the 8 Quarterfinalists in the Tournament

The group stage of Euro 2012 is over and our field of 16 has been pared down to eight.

As we enter the knockout stages, let's re-evaluate our eight quarterfinalists based upon their performances in their respective groups.

As always, more recent performances and results are weighted more heavily in these "power rankings."

Here are the rankings of the eight nations left standing in Poland and Ukraine.

8. Greece

Greece got their miracle in a win over Russia in their final group match to sneak into the quarterfinals.

However, their performances in their Group A matches were anything but dominant.

Against Poland, they were thoroughly outplayed for a half and looked a shambles, but did well to capitalize on a side that went to sleep in the second half to pick up a draw.

Against the Czech Republic, they came out completely flat and had a nightmare at the back; credit must be given for how hard they fought to get back into the match, but it was too little too late.

And against Russia, they played quite defensively and were bailed out quite a few times by poor Russian finishing.  They were out-possessed 62-38 and out-shot 25-5, but they showed grit and determination to make it through.

One would have expected a side coming out of Group A to have done so a bit more impressively, but Greece did it their way.

Now they have a date with Germany in which their captain can take no part.

The Greeks fairy tale may well be over soon.

7. Czech Republic

The other survivor of Group A comes in at number seven.

The Czechs' 4-1 thumping at the hands of Russia on the opening night of the tournament seemed to be an omen of terrible things to come for their stay in Poland.

However, they showed great fortitude in their last two matches, toughing out victories over Greece and Poland to win their group.

Still, their defense looked susceptible to the counter and they were not nearly as dominant as you'd expect a group winner to have been against such weak opponents.

Captain TomአRosický is still a doubt for their quarterfinal with Portugal, which could be a big loss for them.

With the heart and determination they have shown, though, don't count the Czech Republic out just yet.

Oh, and having a game-changing keeper like Petr Čech doesn't hurt too much, either.

6. France

Before today, France seemed like a dark horse contender for the Euro title.

After all, they were coming off a 1-1 draw with England where they had dominated much of the play and a 2-0 defeat of co-hosts Ukraine that was fairly convincing.

Today, though, a lot of questions were raised about this French side that need answering before their quarterfinal.

Not too many changes were made to the side that had played in the first two group matches, but France were handed a fairly convincing loss by Sweden, who had come into the match with no points.

Just like in the first twenty minutes of the England match, the French back four was a liability, and just like their first two matches, France struggled to finish.

With the loss, France ended up getting through the group in second, setting up a quarterfinal with defending Euro and World Cup champions, Spain.

They will need a much better performance in that match to have any chance of even competing.

5. England

England's win over Ukraine and draw with France may not have been thoroughly convincing, but they were still the results they were looking for.

To boot, the Three Lions showed the hearts of lions in their victory over Sweden, coming back from a goal down without their top striker available.

Do not expect England to go all the way, but there are too many parallels between this side and Chelsea's Champions League side to discount the possibility.

Their quarterfinal meeting with the crafty Italians on Sunday will tell us quite a bit more about this England.

4. Portugal

Looking back on Portugal's loss to Germany in their opening group stage match, the Portuguese may have proved themselves to be a huge threat in this tournament.

After all, they defended valiantly against the rampant Germans and were able to create several chances to nick a result.

Then, in their final two matches, Portugal showed their heart, fighting to grab a late winner against Denmark and coming back from a goal down to the Dutch to dominate the match and advance from the "Group of Death."

With Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani on the wings, don't take the Portuguese's chances too lightly.

3. Italy

Very quietly, the Italians advanced from Group C as one of only two teams in the tournament not to have trailed in any match.

This speaks to their defensive prowess and ability going forward against strong opposition.

In their match with Spain, Italy proved crafty enough to take matches from strong opposition.

Some warning signs arose in their second half performance against Croatia, but they were still able to hang on to a draw in that match.

Their final match against a weak but determined Ireland was a professional performance that put their abilities on full show.

Italy seems like a side that can quietly win this title before anyone knows what happened, but could also just peter out with a loss in the quarters.

We will find out more about this side when they take on England in the quarterfinals on Sunday in a match that is shaping up to be the most interesting of the lot.

2. Spain

The defending Euro and World Cup champions have gotten the results needed to win their group, but they have not been nearly as impressive as one would have expected them to be.

They have proven that they desperately miss the goal-scoring striker role that David Villa played for them in past tournaments.  First, there was the failed experiment of the false number nine system against Italy; then, it was the less than stellar play of Fernando Torres in the match against Croatia that made this clear.

But just like in South Africa, they took care of business and are off to the knockout stage with an incredibly talented side.

A quarterfinal matchup with a France side who looked a shambles in the back thanks to Christian Wilhelmsson should make Spanish mouths water.

1. Germany

Three wins out of three without so much as trailing in the "Group of Death?"

This German side may finally be ready to take that final step and win a major title.

Only the next few weeks will tell.

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