Germany booked their place in the Euro 2012 Semis with a comfortable 4-2 win over Greece despite being pegged back to 1-1 early in the second half after former Manchester City striker Giorgios Samaras levelled the game.
German coach Joachim Loew saw fit to rest several players in the expectation that the Greeks would be a soft touch but had to battle against a stubborn rearguard performance for much of the first half before their breakthrough.
German captain Philipp Lahm had given his side a deserved lead before Samaras’ equaliser in the second half but Sami Khedira, Miroslav Klose, and Marco Reus put the Greeks to the sword to underline their dominance.
A late penalty for a soft-handball by Jerome Boateng was converted by Dimitris Salpingidis but it was nothing more than a consolation for the Greeks
Yesterday, former United star Cristiano Ronaldo produced the goods again as Portugal were rewarded for their excellent play by beating the Czech Republic 1-0.
It’s been a tournament for goalscoring as no game so far as ended goal-less and adventurous sides have mainly been rewarded for their attacking play while defensive sides know they are living dangerously if they don’t create and convert chances themselves.
With the England v Italy game on Sunday likely to be a much more tactical affair both sides will hope to be present in Warsaw on Thursday 28th June to face the Germans in a mouthwatering Semi-Final.