- European Championship Finals
- 22 June 2012, 7:45pm
- PGE Arena
Germany | v | Greece |
4
| 2
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live commentary
GERMANY CRUISE THROUGH!The Germans join Portugal in the semi-finals where they will play Italy...or England. Greece caused a brief scare after Samaras scored an equaliser against the run of play at the start of the second half, but they were level for just six minutes before the Germans finally started taking their chances. No 2004 repeat then for Greece, while on this evidence, Germany will take some stopping. Thanks for following our coverage.
90 mins:Two minutes added on.
89 mins: THE GREEKS PULL ONE BACK!SALPINGIDIS sends Neuer the wrong way to reduce the deficit. It's come too late, but something for the Greece supporters to cheer.
88 mins: GREECE PENALTY!Soft decision. The referee must be feeling sorry for Greece. Torosidis' cross does strike Boateng on the arm, but it was down by his side and certainly wasn't deliberate. Either way, it won't make much difference to the outcome - unless you have a bet on Germany to win by three goals.
86 mins:Sifakis again fumbles a routine shot as Ozil's effort bounces off the keeper's chest, but he manages to recover before Gomez can pounce.
83 mins:Fotakis has a dig from distance but Neuer is comfortably behind the ball.
81 mins:Ozil, who I think has been the best player on the pitch, dances his way through a few challenges before driving in a shot which is blocked by the keeper.
80 mins:Germany use up their final subs as Gomez and Gotze replace Klose and Reus. So much quality off the bench.
76 mins:Papastathopoulos is booked for a foul as the defender halts another German attack.
74 mins: FOUR FOR GERMANY!They are running away with this quarter-final now. Ozil is again the architect as he threads a through ball to Klose. The striker is denied by a sprawling Sifakis, but the ball pops up to REUS who smashes an emphatic volley in off the bar from the edge of the box. There was no keeper but that was another clinical finish.
71 mins:Muller is next to have a strike, but his angled effort from the right whistles wide of the Greece goal. The Greeks make their final sub as Liberopoulos replaces Makos.
69 mins:And this is almost number 65 as Klose pounces on a loose ball on the corner of the six-yard box, but his effort is well blocked by Sifakis.
68 mins: KLOSE HEADS IN!This should be more than enough now for the Germans. Ozil's corner is met by the towering Klose who heads into an empty net after keeper Sifakis decided to go walkies. That's his 64th international goal, and 17th in major tournaments. He's not even their number one striker!
67 mins:Germany are making their first sub as Muller replaces Schurrle. The winner of the 2010 World Cup Golden Boot hasn't got off the mark yet in this tournament.
65 mins:Half-chance for Reus who is picked out by Klose on the right of the Greece box, but he takes too long on the ball and is tackled before the Greeks clear the danger.
63 mins:Greece go up the other end and Gekas finds some space for himself after a clever turn on the edge of the box, but he spoils his good work by firing his shot well over.
61 mins: KHEDIRA THUMPS HOME!Six minutes. That's how long Greece were back on level terms. Boateng supplies another cross from the right. The ball flies over Klose's head, but Khedira arrives and sends a first-time volley crashing into the roof of the net. Quality finish. Relief for Germany.
57 mins:Germany immediately launch another attack as Boateng breaks down the right before sending in a cross which is punched away by Sifakis. The German fans are in shock.
55 mins: GREECE HAVE ONLY GONE AND SCORED!The Greek fans will enjoy this one! Substitute Gekas darts down the right flank and lays a peach of a cross on a plate for SAMARAS who slides the ball in from a few yards out. Neuer got a touch but couldn't keep it out. The Germans are caught napping! Incredible.
51 mins:Woeful clearance by Sifakis as the Greece goalkeeper boots the ball straight to Schurrle, but the Bayer Leverkusen can't take advantage and loses possession on the edge of the box.
49 mins:Badstuber climbs well at the back stick to meet to nod Ozil's free-kick back across goal, but Papastathopoulos clears his lines.
Walshy, Glossop:"May as well blow for full time now Greece haven't got a prayer."
46 mins:And we're back. Greece have made a double sub with Gekas and Fotakis replacing Tzavellas and Ninis. Gekas, who has an impressive goalscoring record at club and international level, should offer more firepower.
HALF-TIME:That was a first-half pummelling, but Germany only have the one goal despite creating plenty of chances. It came six minutes before the break from Lahm's right foot and was well worth the wait. Greece have been very negative but will surely change tactics for the second half now that they need a goal.
45+2 mins:So close to a second! Schurrle, who is getting stronger as the game goes on, drills a wicked shot towards goal but his effort shaves the post.
45 mins:It's still Germany attacking. Schurrle's effort from the left deflects past Klose and wide for a corner. Three minutes added on.
41 mins:So do Greece have a 'Plan B'? They've offered barely anything in attack so far but now need a goal.
39 mins: LAHM BREAKS THROUGH!What a beauty by the German skipper. Lahm attacks from full-back and cuts onto his favoured right foot before firing in a superb 25-yard shot which swerves past Sifakis into the corner. Belter.
36 mins:Excellent trickery from Ozil as he sets up Khedira whose 20-yard shot is fumbled by the keeper but then hacked to safety by Tzavelas.
Aaron:"If Germany lose I will laugh my head off."
34 mins:Schurrle turns inside Torosidis and tries to bend a shot into the far corner, but his effort curls wide of the Greece goal.
32 mins:Now a shot on target for Greece as Ninis unleashes a strike from 25 yards, but Neuer gets down quickly and gathers at the second attempt. There was no Greek player even interested in following that up.
30 mins:Rare attack for Greece as Salpingidis darts down the left flank, but he has no support and Germany quickly win the ball back.
Rishal Peter, South Africa: "1-0 for Greece to win."
26 mins:Reus is featuring in every German attack and is presented with another chance, this time shanking his attempt from the right of the Greece area. Germany should be out of sight already.
24 mins:Germany are piling on the pressure. Sifakis turns a shot from Reus behind for a corner, before the same German player pokes Ozil's cross just wide of the far post. Klose was sliding in but couldn't get there in time.
23 mins:What a chance for Ozil! The midfielder is teed up inside the box after a slick one-two involving Reus, but his weak shot is blocked by Sifakis' legs.
Alan Pollard, Shaftesbury:"Greece will cave in - it's just a matter of when."
20 mins:As expected, Germany are bossing possession with Greece defending deep. Every blue shirt is back in the Greek half when the Germans have the ball.
16 mins:The Greek defenders aren't too pleased with Khedira who throws himself to the ground inside the box after failing to get on the end of a cross. The referee doesn't fall forthe German's theatrics. The pitch is already starting to cut up. There's been a lot of rain in Gdansk.
14 mins:Samaras gets away with a shove on Khedira, but moments later is booked for raking the back of Schweinsteiger's ankle.
11 mins:Lovely one-touch football as Germany slice through their opponents. Klose's forward pass finds Reus, but he slices his shot wide from the edge of the box. The ball appeared to take a bobble just before he struck it.
7 mins:Khedira tries his luck from about 25 yards but skies his effort,. Germany are already well on top. Could be a long night for Greece.
5 mins:Germany think they've scored as Schweinsteiger taps in after Khedira's shot is spilled by Sifakis, but the flag is up against the Bayern Munich midfielder. It was tight, but probably just the right call. Goalkeeper Sifakis now needs the physio.
Bob the dinosaurus:"I reckon it will end 2-0 to Germany but I want Greece to win."
3 mins:Bright start by Germany. Reus drills a low cross into the middle but it's just behind Klose who loses his footing. Khedira is down and needs some early treatment after being caught by Samaras.
0 mins:The Greeks get this second quarter-final underway, facing from right to left. German chancellor Angela Merkel, not a popular figure in Greece, is sat next to Michel Platini.
1942:As expected, there's some jeering from the Greece supporters during the German national anthem. However, the Greeks are heavily outnumbered tonight. It's like a home game for Germany with about 25,000 of their fans packed into the stadium, compared to about 5,000 for Greece.
1938:For Greece, this is more than just a football match. They are desperate for revenge over the Germans who they blame for the severity of the austerity measures they are now enduring back home. National pride is at stake. Here come the teams.
1853:Greece have made two changes. Grigoris Makos replaces suspended captain Giorgos Karagounis, while winger Sotiris Ninis is picked ahead of Fanis Gekas.
Dave, York:"Thank you Mr.Loew. That's mucked my fantasy team up, along with a lot more I guess. Still 2-0."
1850:Big news from the German camp. Joachim Loew has changed his three-man attack with the tournament's joint top scorer Mario Gomez, Thomas Mueller and Lukas Podolski replaced by Miroslav Klose, Andre Schurrle and Marco Reus. Bit of a gamble to rest that trio. Is Loew underestimating the Greeks? Jerome Boateng also returns from suspension and replaces Lars Bender at right-back.
1845:Good evening and welcome to our live coverage of the second Euro 2012 quarter-final between Germany and Greece at the PGE Arena in Gdansk. Team news in a tick...
- European Championship Finals
- 22 June 2012, 7:45pm
- PGE Arena
| Germany | v | Greece |
4
| 2
|
match report
Philip Lahm, Sami Khedira, Miroslav Klose and Marco Reus all scored as Germany beat Greece 4-2 in their Euro 2012 quarter-final clash.
Germany eased ominously into the semi-finals of Euro 2012 - where they will meet either England or Italy - as Greece's resistance finally crumbled.
Greece set out to frustrate from the off and once they fell behind to Lahm's goal just before half-time the 2004 champions were always up against it.
Having equalised somewhat unexpectedly through Celtic forward Giorgios Samaras they could not hold on for very long, and goals from Khedira, Klose and Reus merely reflected the dominance of the three-time winners of this tournament before Dimitris Salpingidis' late penalty.
On the four previous occasions Germany have won a last-eight encounter they have reached the final, and this performance increased the likelihood of them making it five.
For a long time in the first half it appeared they might regret a number of missed chances, but once Lahm broke the deadlock there was only going to be one winner.
Greece, who have now have never beaten their opponents in nine competitive matches, scrambled, scampered and blocked their way towards half-time only for the Germany captain to fire home a swerving effort from outside the penalty area six minutes before the break.
It allowed coach Joachim Low to breathe a little easier after making four changes from the side which beat Denmark, the most notable being handing Klose his 120th cap at the expense of three-goal Mario Gomez.
After the Lazio striker had an early effort ruled out for offside, when Michalis Sifakis had fumbled Khedira's shot, Germany laid siege to Greece's goal.
Excellent movement and passing had the Greeks manning a determined rearguard effort, but even when that was breached Mesut Ozil shot weakly at Sifakis after being set up by the impressive Reus, who had already sliced one shot wide.
Klose failed to get on the end of Reus' cross-shot and Khedira had Sifakis scrambling with another shot before Lahm made the 39th-minute breakthrough, the left-back cutting in from an advanced position to smash in a swerving shot.
The advantage should have been much greater, however, and Germany were made to pay 10 minutes after the break when out of nowhere Greece equalised.
Substitute Theofanis Gekas released Salpingidis on a quick break down the right, and when he slid over a teasing cross Samaras poked home at the far post.
They were level for only six minutes, though, as Khedira, Germany's supposed defensive linchpin in midfield, timed his run from deep perfectly to volley home from Jerome Boateng's assist.
Klose ensured the Greeks could not produce another 2004 upset when he powered home a header from Ozil's free-kick as Sifakis came but got nowhere near the cross, and Reus lashed in a volley off the underside of the crossbar after Klose's shot rebounded off the goalkeeper.
Salpingidis converted a late penalty, generously awarded for Boateng's handball, but it was little consolation.
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