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17.06.2012 » Portugal 2-1 Holland. Vintage Ronaldo rescues Portugal in a big stage
Portugal earned a thrilling 2-1 victory against Holland this Sunday night and assured their presence in the EURO 2012 quarter-finals. With half world expecting Ronaldo and Portugal to flunk in one of the most important games of the season, the Real Madrid forward silenced the critics once again, in what has probably been his best performance ever in a Portuguese jersey. Two goals, two shots hitting the post, endless runs from start to end and several great passes that led to goalscoring opportunities for his teammates... that's how good Ronaldo was this Sunday night! The Portuguese Team will now clash against the Czech Republic in the EURO 2012 quarter-finals, in a match scheduled for next Thursday (June 21).
Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Portugal vs Holland
The game didn't defraud expectations, as Holland and Portugal presented the fans a very open game, right from the kickoff. The Dutch were in a very uncomfortable position, as they had two defeats in their previous games against Denmark and Germany, forcing them to get the 3 points against Portugal and wait for a German win at the other group match. As for the Portuguese Team, they knew that a victory against Holland would assure them with a ticket for the EURO 2012 quarter-finals, as long as Denmark wouldn't win against Germany with a certain amount of goals scored.
With 11 minutes on the clock, Holland took the lead after a great goal scored by Tottenham's midfielder, Rafael van der Vaart. The play started in Arjen Robben's feet, who took on a defender as he cutted inside from the right. He then made a short pass to Van der Vaart, who controlled the ball and striked a terrific and accurate curled shot, leaving no chances for the Portuguese goalkeeper, Rui Patrício.
The Portuguese reaction didn't take too long and the game became more open and exciting in the following minutes. Cristiano Ronaldo was close to the equalizer 5 minutes after Van der Vaart's opener, but his right-foot shot hitted the post and the Dutch lead would remain valid for a little longer.
Near the 28th minute of the first half, the long awaited goal from Cristiano Ronaldo finally arrived and this time, there was no pressure capable of affecting the Portuguese player's concentration in front of goal. It all started in a great initiative from the new Valencia CF signing, João Pereira, who drove the ball inside just before making a great assist for CR7, with the outside part of his foot. Cristiano Ronaldo knew he couldn't waste such great opportunity and beat Stekelenburg for the first time, levelling things up in Kharkiv.
Half-time would reach with no more goals being scored, despite the fact that both teams kept playing in a very offensive way. The final and decisive goal took place deep in the second half, around the 74th minute. Once again, Cristiano Ronaldo came to the rescue and finally proved to be able to to carry the Portuguese team on his back. In a perfect counter attack, Nani was left with plenty of space to rush through the right wing and had no problems in spotting and assisting his former Manchester United teammate, sprinting at the other side of the pitch. It was then up to Cristiano Ronaldo to sit down a Dutch defender just before hitting the back of the net for the second time in the game, in great style. Ronaldo then took the opportunity to send a dedication to his son, Cristiano Ronaldo Junior, who celebrated his second birthday this Sunday (June 17).
The result wouldn't suffer any further changes and Portugal earned a final 2-1 victory Holland, that assured the desired passage to the EURO 2012 quarter-finals. Moreover, the likes of Ronaldo, Pepe, Fábio Coentrão, João Moutinho and Nani rised to the occasion and proved that this Portuguese team may still have a say in the fight for the EURO 2012 title. The next opponent goes by the name of Czech Republich, a side that left behind Russia and Poland, who were theoretically favorites in Group A.
Portugal line-up vs Holland:
Goalkeeper: Rui Patrício
Defenders: Fábio Coentrão, Pepe, Bruno Alves, João Pereira
Midfielders: Miguel Veloso, Raúl Meireles, João Moutinho
Attackers: Nani, Cristiano Ronaldo and Hélder Postiga
| Match stats provided by www.ronaldo7.net
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|---|---|---|
Portugal
|
vs
|
Holland
|
2 |
Goals |
1 |
24 |
Shots |
14 |
8 |
Shots on goal |
3 |
7 |
Corner kicks |
5 |
17 |
Fouls commited |
12 |
1 |
Yellow cards |
2 |
0 |
Red cards |
0 |
38% |
Ball possession |
62% |
Real Madrid's season is now over and there are no games left in their schedule until the pre-seasons starts by July. Cristiano Ronaldo is now with the Portuguese Team at the EURO 2012 and the next game will be against the Czech Republic in the EURO 2012 quarter-finals, next Thursday (June 21). In the meanwhile, you can watch France vs Sweden, Spain vs Croatia, England vs Ukraine and Italy vs Ireland, all from our football live streams section. Cristiano Ronaldo will certainly be on the line-up, when Portugal faces the Czech Republic for the EURO 2012 quarter-finals.
Portugal vs Czech Republic kick-off time (21-06-2012):
Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+8: 02:45
Spain (Madrid) | GMT+2: 20:45
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+1: 19:45
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-1: 17:45
New York (United States) | GMT-4: 14:45
Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-7: 11:45
Beijing (China) | GMT-7: 11:45
Sources: ronaldo7.net / espn.com
