Portugal 2 Holland 1: Ronaldo finally joins Euro party to put Dutch out of their misery

Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Portugal's passage into the quarter-finals with two goals that ended dismal Holland's participation at Euro 2012.

Monday, June 18, 2012
Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Portugal's passage into the quarter-finals with two goals that ended dismal Holland's participation at Euro 2012.Ronaldo was irresistible throughout as he led his side to a last-eight appointment with the Czech Republic in Warsaw on Thursday.The 27-year-old responded to criticism of his form with a mesmerising display topped by a goal in each half to ensure Portugal finished the 'group of death' as runners-up behind Germany.Apart from a fine early strike from Rafael van der Vaart, Holland were poor, ensuring a team considered among the pre-tournament favourites finished bottom of Group B without a point to their name.The match was 11 minutes old when Holland’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals were given a shot in the arm.On the other side, Lars Bender spared Germany from a shock Euro 2012 exit with the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Denmark, whose tournament ended tonight in Lviv.The Bayer Leverkusen midfielder, playing as full-back for the national team, struck as Denmark were pushing for a goal which would have taken them through to the last eight at their opponents’ expense, and just after Morten Olsen’s side had seen a strong penalty appeal turned down.Lukas Podolski put Germany in front in the 19th minute, but a goal from Michael Krohn-Dehli five minutes later lifted Denmark’s spirits.