Posts Tagged ‘Ronaldo’

Euro 2012 Semi-Final: Portugal vs Spain – 4 Talking Points

Posted: June 27, 2012 by jameseugene in Euro 2012, Euro 2012 Round-Up
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A highly anticipated match, Portugal squared-off against the European and World Champions Spain in the first semi-final. With what was seen as a tense game by some, boring by others and alright by the rest, the game managed to go to penalties, with Spain winning 4-2 in the end, thus advancing to the finals.

1. Both Sets Of Full-Backs Were Brilliant…

The Real Madrid teammates were involved in a key battle today

A vast array of attacking was exhibited by all four full-backs during the game. Portugal’s two full-backs Coentrao and Pereira provided that extra dimension in attack that Spain found difficult to contain. Combined with Nani and Ronaldo on the flanks, Portugal seemed to be a threat, especially in the 1st half. The 2nd half, however, saw the Spanish full-backs step up to the podium, most notably Sergio Ramos who even outpaced Ronaldo at one point. To praise him further, Ramos had the highest pass completion in the whole match: 89 pass, 76 completed, 85% completion rate, which is slightly more than his teammate Xavi who racked up an impressive 84% completion rate.

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SFG Euro 2012 Team Of The Round: Quarter Finals

Posted: June 26, 2012 by jameseugene in Euro 2012, Euro 2012 Team of the Round
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Just like the previous ones, Mario Balotelli once again does not feature.

GK – Petr Cech (Czech Republic)

Played brilliantly against the Portuguese, making various saves to keep the Czech Republic in the game. It’s a shame he saved his best performance of the tournament for the game in which is team lost 1-0, but he has made the team nonetheless.

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Euro 2012: Quarter Final Round Up and Talking Points

Posted: June 24, 2012 by jameseugene in Euro 2012, Euro 2012 Round-Up
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Fixture List

Summary of Matches:

Portugal 1-0 Czech Republic

Captain Ronaldo shone once again, showing his dominance during the game and ended up scoring the only goal of the game.

Germany 4-2 Greece

Six goals. Greeks parked the bus, but Germany managed to not pay the fare and   netted 4 goals past them. The Greeks scored 2 goals, but they were only seen as consolation goals.

Spain 2-0 France

Some found it boring, others thought it was a passing masterclass. Either way, the European and World Champions beat the French by two goals from Xabi Alonso.

England 0-0 Italy (2-4 on penalties)

After a 120 minute stalemate, a handful of Italian chances and the England post rattling on numerous occasions, it came down to penalties, which Italy has won 4-2.

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Euro 2012: Portugal vs Czech Republic – 4 Talking Points

Posted: June 22, 2012 by jameseugene in Euro 2012, Euro 2012 Round-Up
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The first Quarter Final match saw Portugal face off against Czech Republic. Neutrals were expecting to see Ronaldo continue his run of form and also to see Petr Cech improve his form, subsequently receiving both. After a tense tie, Portugal emerged as winners, with Christiano Ronaldo heading in the only goal of the match, concluding the game at 1-0.

1. Portuguese Talisman Shines Again

Ronaldo nods in the only goal of the game

Carrying over his blazing run of form from the previous game, Christiano Ronaldo is currently on fire, scoring the winner and only goal of the game after getting on the end of a superb cross to head the ball towards goal. He had numerous opportunities beforehand, hitting the woodwork on numerous occasions just like he did in the Group Stages. Not only he create a lot of opportunities, he also bullied the Czech Republic defence, who found him quite difficult to contain. With the semi-finals coming up soon, Portugal are one step closer to lifting the trophy, something that Ronaldo craves.

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Euro 2012: Czech Republic vs Portugal Preview

Posted: June 19, 2012 by Joe Kennedy in Euro 2012, Euro 2012 preview
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On Thursday night Portugal will take on the Czech Republic in the first of the quarter finals, here’s a look at how the two sides have done so far, the battles that may shape the match and who will come out on top.

Road to the quarters

Czech Republic – After opening day humiliation at the hands of Russia, the Czechs looked a sure bet for an early exit, but 2 goals in the first 6 minutes against Greece saw them go on to secure a win and move back into contention. Coming into the last game off the back of a valiant fight back against their Russian rivals, many thought that co-hosts Poland would have enough in them to win. They didn’t. After surviving several early scares, the Czech Republic scored a well taken goal on the break and thanks to Greece’s shock win over Russia, they topped the group, setting up a quarter final date with Portugal.

Portugal – Like their opposition, the Portuguese suffered a loss in their opening game, though being an unfortunate narrow loss to Germany perhaps there was less cause for concern in their camp. Despite letting a 2 goal lead slip, a late great Varela finish secured a win against Denmark which meant beating the Netherlands would send them through to the quarters, a draw being enough should Denmark fail to beat Germany. An early Van der Vaart effort put their hopes in doubt before Ronaldo came good, well, more than good, scoring 2 goals in a brilliant individual display he helped the Portuguese secure second spot and progression.

Possible line ups

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