Portugal vs Germany, 2008 European Championship, Quarterfinals
· UEFA European ChampionshipAbout
Portugal are hosting Germany
at St Jakob Park, , , starting on
. The match is a part of the UEFA European Championship.
Match Timeline
- 0': Join us for the first quarter-final of Euro 2008 between Portugal and Germany at 1945 BST.
- 0': Basel hosts two of the pre-tournament favourites and one of them must go tonight.
- 0': Portugal go with the tried and trusted formation that won them their first two games.
- 0': Germany make some changes. In comes Schweinsteiger after his ban for being sent off against Croatia. Former Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzslsperger comes in as the hapless Mario Gomez and injured Torsten Frings drop out. Podolski will partner Klose.
- 0': Portugal: Ricardo, Bosingwa, Pepe, Carvalho, Ferreira, Petit, Joao Moutinho, Ronaldo, Deco, Simao, Nuno Gomes. Subs: Nuno, Rui Patricio, Bruno Alves, Fernando Meira, Raul Meireles, Hugo Almeida, Miguel, Jorge Ribeiro, Quaresma, Veloso, Nani, Postiga.
- 0': Germany: Lehmann, Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Rolfes, Ballack, Hitzlsperger, Klose, Podolski. Subs: Enke, Adler, Jansen, Fritz, Westermann, Frings, Gomez, Neuville, Trochowski, Borowski, Odonkor, Kuranyi.
- 0': The Deutschland anthem rings out. Kaiser Franz is there.
- 0': And Portugal's rather lengthy and complicated anthem is upon us. Deco doesn't know the words. But Pepe does, even though they were both born in Brazil.
- 0': Fists pumping for each team. On a pitch that looks like a meadow from the pre-enclosure age before the Agricultural Revolution. More of the pitch later; relaid two days ago, it looks a botch-job from here.
- 0': Germany get underway.
- 0': Some slipping around. Simon Rolfes, in for Frings, gets an early touch.
- 1': Lahm stopped by Simao and then chooses to foul him. Ricardo prepares to launch it long.
- 1': Bosingwa comes across to nod out. Another throw as Moutinho comes in.
- 2': Ricardo on safari as the ball doesn't carry. He shakes off Schweinsteiger and smashes it long.
- 3': Simao fouled by Podolski. Theatrical roll.
- 4': Germany 4-5-1 with Klose ploughing a lone furrow.
- 4': Ronaldo on the left gets space. Cross comes in but Lehmann catches it with ease.
- 5': Herr Flick is the assistant boss who will man the dug-out in the absence of Jogi Loew, the housewives fave.
- 6': Lahm cuts in but his ball is only to Pepe. The Real Madrid man hacks away.
- 6': Deco's flicked header nearly found Gomes. Lehmann comes out to claim with the Portugal skipper fancying his chances. German relief.
- 7': Friedrich and Schweinsteiger play in Ballack. Petit penalised. Free-kick.
- 8': Hitzlsperger smashes it into Deco's decals. Throw only. A waste. Ballack may have fancied it after his Austria blockbuster.
- 9': Simao was found by a nice ball. He lost it and Germany break.
- 10': Hitzlsperger shoots from distance again. Wide. He used to do that for the Villa. He scored occasionally. But missed mostly.
- 11': Bosingwa on the overlap whips in a great ball. Gomes couldn't get to it. A chance went begging.
- 11': Ronaldo loses possession to jeers from the German fans.
- 12': Friedrich overlaps this time. Nodded away by Petit. Metzelder gets the ball but loses it to Petit, whose hand comes across him. Metzelder falls to the floor but soon gets back up again.
- 13': Simao turns. Deco doesn't get it. Germany break. Klose cuts in and falls over. He can't blame the pitch. It was a dive.
- 13': Simao skips past Rolfes. Ball to Ronaldo misses the man with the golden touch.
- 14': Deco slips in Simao. He went perhaps too wide and eventually shot. Lehmann saved at the near post.
- 15': Portugal possession. Ronaldo stopped by Lahm and falls to the floor. He didn't like that and made a noise to suggest a foul.
- 16': Germany looking comfortable....until Metzelder decides to pass back. Lehmann has to thrash the ball away.
- 17': Schweinsteiger slips Ferreira with a bit of skill. Wins a corner.
- 17': Taken towards Ballack but headed over.
- 18': Lovely combination of passes. Ronaldo is the target for a lovely Simao flick. Friedrich concedes a corner.
- 19': Simao overhits the kick. But Portugal get it back.
- 19': Bosingwa's cross from the overlap found Moutinho. It came off his knee. And missed. Best chance so far.
- 20': Portugal carving chances here. Worry for Germany.
- 21': But here's a superb break from Podolski after a superb ball from Ballack. Cross from the left and in slid Schweinsteiger.
- 21': To score! 1-0 to Germany!
- 22': Germany play the flowing stuff the Portugese were expected to play.
- 23': What a shocker for Portugal. How will they respond?
- 24': Moutinho has an injury. He goes off for treatment but returns.
- 24': Metzelder, who seems to be playing like a traditional sweeper in the Germa mould is fouled.
- 25': He wins a free-kick. And that's looped in by Schweinsteiger.
- 26': Klose creeps in unmarked. And heads in. Ronaldo had left him. 2-0 to Germany!
- 26': Oh dear, Ronaldo. Oh dear, Big Phil...
- 27': But Portugal have a free-kick. Deco can take it. But straight into the wall.
- 28': Corner conceded by Lahm from a Deco cross.
- 29': Simao's kick evades everyone. Hitzlsperger clears.
- 30': Bosingwa on the overlap too. That's cleared. We have a game on our hands here.
- 31': Bosingwa fouled. Off comes Moutinho. And Raul Meireles, who scored against Turkey, is on.
- 31': Ballack cleared when Deco was the target. Portugal still have a threat.
- 31': Now Ronaldo gets into it. Nice move again but his ball across to Gomes is intercepted.
- 32': Schweinsteiger and Ballack link. Klose looks clear. But he's offside.
- 33': Bosingwa tried to get outside the Germans but the ball can only come off him.
- 35': Ronaldo got the ball to Nuno Gomes with his back to goal on the edge of the six-yard box. He fell over. Ref waves play on and Germany nearly get a break on before Klose is again offside.
- 35': Ronaldo wins a corner.
- 36': But Lehmann catches well at a ball directed at his penalty spot.
- 37': Ferreira clears under a pass from Schweinsteiger.
- 37': Raul Meireles fires from distance. Wide. And high. They can do better than that.
- 37': Long ball from Bosingwa to Ronaldo. Just too far. Portugal are playing the long ball more and more.
- 38': Ballack went down as if shot. He wasn't. Though perhaps he should be for services to the acting profession.
- 39': Ronaldo on the run. Cuts in from the left. And he shoots on goal. Lehmann saves. But Gomes swoops to score as Metzelder dives in vain to stop it going in. 2-1! Game on!
- 40': Well, it was coming, and that's set up a great second half. And perhaps a good last five minutes.
- 41': Friedrich wins a throw. Some respite for Germany. They are still ahead but the momentum is with the Portugese.
- 42': Ronaldo got space. He shot but couldn't beat Metzelder.
- 43': Lahm shepherds out the ball.
- 44': Carvalho comes across to clear the ball for a throw.
- 44': Ronaldo goes down under a heavy tackle from Metzelder. He didn't like that.
- 44': Ballack has a chance. Beats Bosingwa with a neat turn and then shoots. Ricardo saves.
- 45': Ronaldo on the run. In from the left and hits with his left. He misses the goal by the smallest of margins.
- 45': Breathless stuff. What an excellent half. Superb. A real treat. And all to play for in the second half.
- 45': Coach Joachim Loew can play no part in the half-time teamtalk after his ban for his spat with the 4th official against Austria. He's in an exec box tonight. No Boris Becker or Angela Merkel either. Lonely in Loew maybe.
- 45': Herr Flick (and Helga possibly) has a job to do in his absence. Scolari may have his dander up after that Gomes goal.
- 45': We're back on. Can it match the pyrotechnics of the first half?
- 45': No subs on. Portugal have already made one after Moutinho's injury.
- 45': Ronaldo and Gomes kick off.
- 45': Deco slips into space. Neat backheel. Raul Meireles gets a chance to shoot. But it goes wide.
- 46': Ronaldo weaves past Friedrich. He's fouled. And then the German looks to have stood on him. He's booked but it could have been worse. A sending off may have resulted.
- 47': Petit's shot is miles over. Poor effort.
- 48': Deco wins the ball from Lahm. Lahm fouls him. That's a yellow card for the other full-back. Both on sudden death.
- 49': Simao went down. Podolski was the man he ran into.
- 50': The rain pours down. Could this affect the newly laid pitch?
- 51': Hitzlsperger controlled a Klose ball. But he snatched at his shot. And could have passed it to Schweinsteiger.
- 51': Deco's burst beats two men but his backflick is poor. Deco then goes through to score. Offside flag waves. No goal.
- 52': Bosingwa cross into Ronaldo only hits the top of his head and is directed wide. Mertesacker looked to have clashed heads with him but he gets up.
- 54': Bosingwa again aims for Ronaldo. And misses the target,
- 54': Ricardo calm when Klose chased him down. Ronaldo cuts on to his left. Ball claimed by Lehmann.
- 55': Bosingwa wins a corner.
- 56': Flick on by Deco. Pepe in on goal but it perhaps came too fast to him. A miss nevertheless.
- 57': Ballack on the charge is held up on the edge of the box just as he seemed likely to get a shot in.
- 58': Ronaldo smash cannons away off Metzelder. Lahm forced to concede a corner.
- 58': That's taken far too low. Podolski comes away with it and is happy to win a throw.
- 59': Pepe booked for a clatter on Klose.
- 59': A bodycheck that has Klose down injured.
- 60': The stretcher is on. But Klose trots off. And will be Ok.
- 61': Schweinsteiger takes. It drifts into the Portugese box. And Ricardo comes out. And Ballack comes in to head in on goal. Terrible defending. 3-1 Germany! JA!
- 62': For all their skill, Portugal cannot defend dead balls at all. Ricardo was dreadful there.
- 63': Ronaldo gets a chance to shoot. He gets nowhere. Raul Meireles shoots again. That's cleared. We face half an hour of some German defending.
- 64': There is a claim that Ballack pushed Paulo Ferreira for the second goal. It's a decent claim.
- 64': Nani is coming on it seems. Who will be the fall guy. It should be Ricardo.
- 65': Phil Scolari didn't like that.
- 66': Nani on for Nuno Gomes. Ronaldo will go central and gets the armband.
- 66': The pressure heaped on Ronaldo now...can he produce. One almost hopes so. Portugal going through would stop his circus derailing what has been a great tournament.
- 67': As if on cue the golden boy wafts a free-kick miles over the bar. A total waste.
- 68': Great run from Nani but he couldn't beat the last man. Friedrich stopped him after he accelerated past four players.
- 69': Lahm on the outside. He then chooses to cut in and shoots on goal. But wide. Spaces opening in the Portugal defence.
- 70': Deco slides it into Petit. And his daisy-cutter is aimed correctly but won't beat Lehmman from there.
- 72': Nani in space from a Deco corner. Off comes Hitzlsperger for Tim Borowski, now of Bayern. Petit comes off for Portugal. Helder Postiga on.
- 73': So, Big Phil has made his final throw. Possibly as boss of Portugal.
- 74': Simao on the run. Nani tries a shot from distance. It's another waste. Few have managed to get long shots on goal during this tournament.
- 75': Raul Meireles shoots again. Someone should have a word. He's no good at shooting.
- 76': Simao's ball smashes into Nani's face. It's not as flowing as the first half for the Portugese. The Germans will like that.
- 77': Klose, a lone wolf up front, wins a corner.
- 77': And gets the fans involved with some fist pumping.
- 78': Ball cleared. Only to Podolski. And he whacked a shot just wide of Ricardo's goal. What a hit!
- 79': Germany looking more assured as time goes on. Klose wins a free-kick. Portugese heads dipping.
- 80': Corner. Headed away by Bosingwa. Portugal break. Simao shoots wide. Awful attempt.
- 81': Deco tries to create. Germany back in numbers. And looking comfortable with it too.
- 81': Ronaldo's shot is blocked. Corner after Simao misjudges the ball.
- 82': Fritz on for Schweinsteiger.
- 82': Raul Meireles's cross is poor. He's had a poor game, the midfielder.
- 83': German fans getting into this now. Portugal's plan is dying on its feet. Ronaldo peripheral. We're waiting for them to lose their cool.
- 83': Deco back to defend. Portugal pressing.
- 84': Lofted Deco pass to Postiga. Lehmann looms to collect and took a whack. And went down. He'll stay there for quite some time, if I know Jens Lehmann. And I know Jens Lehmann.
- 86': Time ticks on and Ronaldo looks very frustrated indeed.
- 86': But there's life in this yet......
- 86': Nice work by Nani. Cut in from the left. Right-foot cross and Postiga heads in. 3-2!
- 87': Well, well, well.
- 87': What can they create? Grandstand finish awaits.
- 88': Borowski tries to run down time but fouls Pepe in the process.
- 88': Sub to waste time. Off comes Klose for Jansen.
- 89': Mertesacker fouled by Postiga. He didn't need to do that.
- 89': Almost into 90 minutes.
- 90': Four added minutes.....
- 90': Goal-kick to Portugal. Maybe they'll get one more chance.
- 90': Nani is again influenttial. German desperate to clear it away.
- 90': But now Nani is wasteful in shooting wide. Foolish.
- 90': Defenders piling forward. Nani again on the wing. Postiga again fouls Mertesacker. Again, a waste.
- 90': One more minute...
- 90': Ronaldo's out on the left. Hacked away by Metzelder.
- 90': Podolksi comes away with it. And nearly scores. That will be the last of it. Goal-kick signals the end.
- 90': And that is the end for Portugal. Germany show their pedigree in big tournaments and Scolari's time at Chelsea will begin quicker than he would have wanted.
- 90': What now for Ronaldo? It's all to come on Soccernet. As is tomorrow's other quarter-final, in which Croatia play Turkey to decide who faces the Germans in the next round. Join us tomorrow for all the action. Guten Aben!
Statistics
 GER |
POR |
|
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Fouls | 11 |
| 2 | Yellow Cards | 3 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 3 | Offsides | 2 |
| 3 | Corner Kicks | 8 |
| 7 | Saves | 2 |
| 47 | Possession | 53 |
| 10 | SHOTS | 21 |
| 5 | ON GOAL | 10 |
| 0.5 | On Target % | 0.5 |
| 0 | Penalty Goals | 0 |
| 0 | Penalty Kicks Taken | 0 |
| 3 | Accurate Passes | 11 |
| 3 | Passes | 11 |
| 0.0 | Pass Completion % | 0.0 |
| 4 | Accurate Crosses | 5 |
| 5 | Crosses | 11 |
| 0.8 | Cross % | 0.5 |
| 0 | Long Balls | 0 |
| 0 | Accurate Long Balls | 0 |
| 0.0 | Long Balls % | 0.0 |
| 5 | Blocked Shots | 0 |
| 0 | Effective Tackles | 0 |
| 0 | Tackles | 0 |
| 0.0 | Tackle % | 0.0 |
| 0 | Interceptions | 0 |
| 2 | Effective Clearances | 3 |
| 2 | Clearances | 3 |
Game Information
Competition: UEFA European Championship
Venue: St Jakob Park
Location: ,
Venue: St Jakob Park
Location: ,
Line-Ups
Portugal
| No. | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ricardo (GK) |
| 4 | Bosingwa |
| 15 | Pepe  |
| 16 | Ricardo Carvalho |
| 2 | Paulo Ferreira |
| 8 | Petit |
| 10 | João Moutinho |
| 7 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 20 | Deco |
| 11 | Simão |
| 21 | Nuno Gomes |
Germany
| No. | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Jens Lehmann (GK) |
| 3 | Arne Friedrich |
| 17 | Per Mertesacker |
| 21 | Christoph Metzelder |
| 16 | Philip Lahm |
| 7 | Bastian Schweinsteiger |
| 6 | Simon Rolfes |
| 13 | Michael Ballack |
| 15 | Thomas Hitzlsperger |
| 11 | Miroslav Klose |
| 20 | Lukas Podolski |
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