Czechs through as Poland check out - EURO 2012

Czech Republic 1-0 Poland
Petr Jiráček scored the only goal of the game in Wroclaw to send the Czech Republic through to the quarter-finals and eliminate the co-hosts.

The Czech Republic must have been few people's favourites to emerge as Group A winners after their heavy opening loss to Russia, but Petr Jiráček's second-half goal won them the section as they left the co-hosts heartbroken.

Jiráček had struck the joint third fastest goal in UEFA European Championship history in the defeat of Greece on Tuesday which reignited his country's hopes, and although he waited until 18 minutes from the whistle this time around, the VfL Wolfsburg midfielder's second strike of the tournament was even more warmly welcomed. The Czechs will now contest a quarter-final tie in Warsaw next Thursday, while the co-hosts must settle for watching it on television.

The designated home team had won all five previous encounters between the pair, and that trend continued with the Czechs given home status in Wroclaw. The gusto with which the Polish national anthem was sung left no doubt as to which team would enjoy the crowd's favours, however, as did the collective holding of breath when Theodor Gebre Selassie's cross was deflected into the path of Václav Pilař. Beautifully poised in front of goal in the Czechs' opening two matches, the winger was uncharacteristically hurried and did not connect cleanly.

It was the same story at the opposite end for Robert Lewandowski, whose shot squirmed wide off his left boot after Jakub Błaszczykowski had stolen onto a loose Czech pass before feeding his team-mate. The ominous clouds that had gathered overhead finally broke just before kick-off, and the spectacular electrical storm raging above the pitch was then mirrored on it by Poland. Sebastian Boenisch and Eugen Polanski both shot wide when well positioned before Boenisch's dipping long-range effort was expertly turned aside by Petr Čech. For the Czechs, who had taken the collective decision to grow beards until their tournament was over, it was their closest shave for some time.

Missing the creativity of the injured Tomáš Rosický, the Czechs struggled for inspiration. However, as the elements finally relented, it became simultaneously clear that Michal Bílek's men had ridden out their own storm. Jaroslav Plašil's deflected shot was well held by Przemysław Tytoń, and when the Poland goalkeeper then spilled Pilař's low shot, he quickly plunged onto the loose ball ahead of the lurking Milan Baroš.

With only Pilař providing drive from midfield, the Czechs looked to their full-backs for impetus after the break. A Gebre Selassie centre from the right zipped invitingly across goal, and, on the left, a burst forward by the excellent David Limberský ended with him stabbing into the side netting. Another defender, Tomáš Sivok, might have provided the breakthrough had he expected a Plašil free-kick to reach him, but instead of heading cleanly, the ball ricocheted off his brow and Tytoń blocked.

With Poland seemingly a spent force, a Czech goal appeared likely, and when Tomáš Hübschman won possession, he sent Baroš haring forward on the break. The veteran forward showed his worth by waiting patiently before releasing the ball to Jiráček, who cut inside before firing beyond Tytoń. Marcin Wasilewski had the opportunity to deny the Czechs, if not save his own side in the closing stages, but headed over, and Michal Kadlec cleared off the line to leave the co-hosts in tears.

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Karagounis fires Greece into last eight - EURO 2012

Greece 1-0 Russia
Giorgos Karagounis's goal in first-half added time put Fernando Santos's side in the quarter-finals at their opponents' expense.

Eight years after lifting the Henri Delaunay Cup with victory over Portugal in Lisbon, Greece finally won another game on the UEFA European Championship stage, resurrecting that famous 1-0 scoreline to take their place in the last eight of UEFA EURO 2012 at Russia's expense.

Russia had started the night in Warsaw as Group A leaders but were undone by a goal on the stroke of half-time by one of Greece's survivors of 2004, captain Giorgos Karagounis. It was the 35-year-old who took advantage of a Russian defensive lapse by bursting through to beat Vyacheslav Malafeev with a low drive. It was some way to mark his record-equalling 120th international appearance, and a blow from which Russia failed to recover.

The result of it all was that Greece leapt from the foot of the standings to claim second place and the prize of a quarter-final in Gdansk against the Group B winners. For Russia, by contrast, a campaign that began with an impressive 4-1 win over the Czech Republic ended in sheer frustration.

Greece entered the game under orders to avoid a repeat of their slow starts against Poland and the Czech Republic. There was early encouragement when Karagounis's early corner was met at the near post by Kostas Katsouranis but his shot lacked the height to trouble Malafeev.

It was not long before the game settled into a pattern of Russia dominating possession and Greece sitting back, getting men behind the ball and frustrating them. Ten minutes in, Andrey Arshavin got his foot to an inswinging Alan Dzagoev cross but without sufficient power to bother Michalis Sifakis, deputising for the injured Kostas Chalkias in Greece's goal.

Minutes later, Aleksandr Kerzakhov unleashed a volley from the edge of the box but, typical of his luck in this campaign, the ball flew just wide. Russia had control of the middle of the park though it was from a rare opening down the flank that Yuri Zhirkov sped away from Sokratis Papastathopoulos but his exciting run concluded with a white, not red shirt, on the end of his cross. Kyriakos Papadopoulos did well to cut out another cross, this time by Arshavin, then Kerzhakov missed his kick when teed up by Dzagoev's header before Zhirkov flashed a shot just over.

After all that, an innocuous-looking situation in first-half added time brought the opening goal at the other end from Karagounis. When a Greece throw-in came down the line, Sergei Ignashevich misdirected his header infield and Karagounis scampered clear, cutting into the box in front of Zhirkov and beating Malafeev with the power of his shot. 

Dick Advocaat responded by introducing Roman Pavlyuchenko for Kerzhakov but Russian advances continued to crash against the white wall of Greece's defence. Indeed, the Greeks so nearly extended their advantage shortly before the hour as Vassilis Torossidis, surging into the box, put a ball across goal, but Aleksandar Anyukov got there just ahead of Fanis Gekas.

Greece came close again as Giorgos Tzavellas curled a free-kick over the Russia wall and on to the angle of post and crossbar. By the end Advocaat had sent on Marat Izmailov for defender Anyukov and one more opportunity came Russia's way, Dzagoev nodding Arshavin's cross past Sifakis but beyond the far post. It was the story of their night. Although Karagounis's booking rules him out of the quarter-final, for Greece, by contrast, this felt like the reprisal of their greatest tale.

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Italy and Germany first to finals - Women's EURO

A 9-0 win ensured Italy became the first team to clinch a place in next summer's finals in Sweden, where they will be joined by Germany who advanced without kicking a ball, while Austria are in the play-offs.

Switzerland's win against Spain meant Germany qualified

Italy and Germany are the first two teams to qualify for UEFA Women’s EURO 2013 – the holders without being in action – while Austria clinched at least a play-off place on a busy day of action which is rounded up below.

The group winners and best runners-up (not counting results against the sixth-placed teams in the larger Groups 1, 2 and 3) when the sections finish in September progress to the UEFA Women's EURO 2013 final tournament from 10 to 28 Julyalongside hosts Sweden. The other six runners-up go to the play-offs for the remaining three places.

Group 1
New Italy coach Antonio Cabrini knew a win against theFormer Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia would clinch top spot with two games to spare and they duly prevailed 9-0 at Turin's Stadio Olimpico, Patrizia Panico claiming a hat-trick. The Azzurre now boast 34 unanswered goals in eight perfect victories. Russia remain two points ahead of Poland in the race for second having overcome Greece 4-0 while Poland triumphed 2-0 in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Both Russia and Poland are in midweek action with the play-off berth or even the best runners-up slot on their minds.

Group 2
Germany were not in action having beaten Romania 5-0 at the end of May but cannot now be caught after Spain lost 4-3 in Switzerland. The Swiss twice trailed before Ramona Bachmann's second on 80 minutes drew them level, leaving substitute Selina Zumbühl to delight the crowd with a winner soon after. Spain know victories against Turkey on Thursday and Romania on 19 September would secure second spot from Switzerland, but today's loss is a blow to their hopes of claiming a best runners-up spot.

Group 3
Iceland and Norway won their games in hand on morning leaders Belgium to become the new top two. Iceland are at the summit, an early Margrét Lára Vidarsdóttir goal setting them on the way to a 3-0 win against Hungary. Norway are a point behind, but one ahead of Belgium, after defeating Bulgaria11-0. Isabell Herlovsen starred with five goals. On Wednesday, Belgium go to Hungary and Norway welcome Northern Ireland – five points off the lead in fourth. The next day Bulgaria tackle Iceland, whose September trip to Norway looks decisive.

Group 4
With France well clear after six wins out of six, Scotland are in a strong position in the race for second place. They won 8-0 at home to Israel, inspired by a first-half Kim Little hat-trick, but the Republic of Ireland were surprised 1-0 at home byWales, for whom goalkeeper Nicola Davies was inspired before Helen Lander's 71st-minute breakaway strike. Scotland are three points ahead of Wales – who have played a game more – and four in front of Ireland, who welcome the second-placed team on Thursday. If Scotland do not win, France's qualification will be confirmed.

Group 5
Finland moved a step close to a third straight finals with a 2-1 victory in Ukraine. Sanna Talonen proved the key, opening the scoring on 35 minutes by heading in Pernilla Nordlund's cross. And although Olena Khodyreva pounced on a rebound for a deserved equaliser midway through the second half, Marianna Tolvanen set up Talonen for a winner with five minutes left. Unbeaten Finland are six points clear of Ukraine and Slovakia – who meet on Wednesday – and three ahead of their own midweek opponents, Belarus, who were made to work for a 4-2 victory in Estonia.

Group 6
The key game in this section, England against theNetherlands, is on Sunday in Salford but results in Groups 2 and 7 (if not Group 1) were good news for whoever ends up second best of these two. In today's fixture, Serbia made almost certain of third place by winning 4-1 in Croatia.

Group 7
Denmark have won all five matches but the new leaders areAustria, who secured at least a play-off place for the first time with a 3-2 victory in the Czech Republic. The key moment in Prague was on 39 minutes when Czech captain Iva Mocová was dismissed for deliberate handball and Sarah Puntigam converted the penalty. The teams traded goals in first half added time before Nina Burger's 63rd-minute strike ensured Petra Divišová's late goal was only a consolation. Austria, having played two games more, are a point ahead of Denmark. The Czech Republic need a win in Vejle on Wednesday to maintain mathematical hopes of qualifying.

Bento full of belief ahead of Dutch decider-EURO 2012

Portugal could lose and still go through but Paulo Bento is adamant his team must "control the game" against the Netherlands, who "have to go for it" to stand a chance of qualifying.

Paulo Bento says his team will be going for victory against the Netherlands

UEFA EURO 2012 Group B may be a minefield of ifs, buts and maybes heading into matchday three, but for Portugal coach Paulo Bento and Netherlands counterpart Bert van Marwijk there is only one equation that matters: win and let the rest look after itself.

The Dutch are firmly stuck behind the eight ball after successive defeats and know all too well that they must win by a two-goal margin and rely on Germany to beat Denmark. However, they and the Republic of Ireland are the only two teams to have scored just once in their first two fixtures – taking that tally to three on Sunday is the minimum requirement.

It is a tall order yet Van Marwijk is not a man prone to hyperbole and was keeping his cards typically close to his chest at Saturday's press conference. History is not on his side, either, with the Netherlands victorious against Portugal only once in ten meetings; they have lost six. Bento, therefore, has plenty of reason for optimism.

"If I didn't believe in the possibility of succeeding then I wouldn't be here," the Portuguese said. "There's not any other way of playing this game – we have to believe in the possibility of reaching the goal that we have had from the very start. That all depends on our ability, our organisation and our talent. We have shown enough to suggest we can be confident and have belief in a great result."

It is when that other encounter in Lviv is thrown into the mix that things get complicated. For the Selecção das Quinas, however, victory will suffice unless the Danes triumph by a one-goal margin other than 2-1 and 1-0. If the permutations are as clear as mud, Bento's approach is at least a little more defined.

"We have to try to control the game, not only in defence, but also have possession of the ball and look for attempts on goal," he added. "Our aim is not just to go through but to win the game. We know what the Netherlands' strategy will be from the beginning. We've seen that in many Dutch teams; they like to have the ball, to play and to control the game. They've always shown great technical quality. But we shouldn't only rely only on counterattacks."

There are no such tactical nuances to consider for the Oranje, whose travails belie the fact that they were the top scorers in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying. With a squad boasting ten of the starting XI in the 2010 FIFA World Cup final, one thing is for certain: now is the time for them to rediscover their scoring touch.

"There's always going to be pressure on me and the players as well," said Van Marwijk. "It's about one game and we know we have to go for it. We know from the start we have to win by a two-goal difference if Germany win. Playing in a league when you've got ten or 20 games is very different to something like this where you've got one game left and you've got to win 2-0. The tactics we choose will of course be impacted by that. We're just going to play our game and we know what our goal is – then wait and see what Germany do."

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Zimbabwe won by 11 runs

Tamim Iqbal made 38

Zimbabwe 154/6 (20/20 ov)

Bangladesh 143/5 (20.0/20 ov)

Zimbabwe won by 11 runs

• Zimbabwe Twenty20 Triangular Series - 1st Match
• Twenty20 match | 2012 season
• Played at Harare Sports Club
• 17 June 2012 (20-over match)

	Zimbabwe innings (20 overs maximum)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	H Masakadza	run out (†Mushfiqur Rahim)	62	52	35	6	4	177.14
	V Sibanda	st †Mushfiqur Rahim b Elias Sunny	7	29	15	1	0	46.66
	BRM Taylor*†	b Mashrafe Mortaza	38	47	41	1	1	92.68
	CR Ervine	run out (Nasir Hossain)	0	4	2	0	0	0.00
	S Matsikenyeri	b Abul Hasan	18	18	16	3	0	112.50
	E Chigumbura	not out	7	14	4	1	0	175.00
	AG Cremer	c Nasir Hossain b Abul Hasan	11	4	6	1	0	183.33
	P Utseya	not out	2	4	1	0	0	200.00
	Extras	(b 1, lb 2, w 6)	9
	Total	(6 wickets; 20 overs; 91 mins)	154	(7.70 runs per over)

Did not bat KM Jarvis, CB Mpofu, R Muzhange

Fall of wickets 1-47 (Sibanda, 6.3 ov), 2-91 (Masakadza, 11.5 ov), 3-92 (Ervine, 12.2 ov), 4-131 (Matsikenyeri, 17.5 ov),5-134 (Taylor, 18.2 ov), 6-145 (Cremer, 19.2 ov)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	Mashrafe Mortaza	4	0	33	1	8.25
	Abdur Razzak	4	0	20	0	5.00
	Abul Hasan	4	0	37	2	9.25	(1w)
	Elias Sunny	4	0	30	1	7.50
	Ziaur Rahman	2	0	16	0	8.00	(1w)
	Mahmudullah	2	0	15	0	7.50

	Bangladesh innings (target: 155 runs from 20 overs)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	Tamim Iqbal	c Jarvis b Mpofu	38	56	35	3	0	108.57
	Mohammad Ashraful	st †Taylor b Utseya	22	41	28	2	0	78.57
	Ziaur Rahman	c Ervine b Mpofu	23	27	22	2	1	104.54
	Mushfiqur Rahim*†	b Muzhange	5	7	4	1	0	125.00
	Mahmudullah	c Utseya b Jarvis	14	25	15	1	0	93.33
	Nasir Hossain	not out	29	23	15	3	0	193.33
	Mashrafe Mortaza	not out	2	2	2	0	0	100.00
	Extras	(lb 5, w 4, nb 1)	10
	Total	(5 wickets; 20 overs; 93 mins)	143	(7.15 runs per over)

Did not bat Elias Sunny, Abdur Razzak, Jahurul Islam, Abul Hasan

Fall of wickets 1-61 (Mohammad Ashraful, 9.3 ov), 2-87 (Tamim Iqbal, 13.1 ov), 3-95 (Mushfiqur Rahim, 14.2 ov),4-99 (Ziaur Rahman, 15.1 ov), 5-136 (Mahmudullah, 19.2 ov)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	CB Mpofu	4	0	20	2	5.00	(3w)
	KM Jarvis	4	0	32	1	8.00
	E Chigumbura	1	0	11	0	11.00
	R Muzhange	4	0	33	1	8.25	(1nb)
	AG Cremer	4	0	24	0	6.00	(1w)
	P Utseya	3	0	18	1	6.00

Match details

Toss Zimbabwe, who chose to bat Points Zimbabwe 2, Bangladesh 0

Player of the match H Masakadza (Zimbabwe)

Umpires O Chirombe and RB Tiffin TV umpire TJ Matibiri Match referee NN Singo Reserve umpire S Rwaziyeni

Match notes

Online Scorer: Donald J. Nyoni Zimbabwe innings Power Play :overs 0.1-0.6 (Mandatory - 46runs /0 wickets) Zimbabwe : 50 runs in 7.0 overs,(42 balls) 32 minutes 6x6 2x6 Masakadza H. : 50 runs off 34 balls, 4x5 6x3 Zimbabwe : 100 runs in 14.2 overs (87balls) 8x4 5x6 Zimbabwe :150 runs in 19.4 overs this news brought to by "Sports zone" from http://www.espncricinfo.com/

France find their stride to pick off Ukraine

Ukraine 0-2 France
A torrential storm interrupted the action in the first five minutes before Jérémy Ménez and Yohan Cabaye fired France to their first Group D win.

It was wet, it was loud, and it was a long time coming, but France eventually earned their first victory at UEFA EURO 2012 thanks to quickfire second-half goals from Jérémy Ménez and Yohan Cabaye.

The weather conditions threatened to take the headlines after a torrential storm interrupted the action, but an improved display from Les Bleus hardly went unnoticed either. Karim Benzema was the provider on both occasions as Ménez and Cabaye struck within the space of three minutes to lift France to the top of Group D – ahead of tonight's meeting between Sweden and England.

Laurent Blanc had urged his players to be awake from the first whistle during this game and, were there any danger of a drowsiness to match their start against England, an eardrum-shattering thunderclap during La Marseillaise brought everyone to instant attention. It also brought thick sheets of rain tumbling from above and, with less than five minutes gone, the referee had to bring proceedings to a halt.

Fears of a postponement were eventually allayed 58 minutes later as the match resumed, and Benzema sought to exploit any moisture on the ball when his curled shot nearly squeezed through goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov's grasp. The Real Madrid CF forward looked in eager mood as France sought to apply pressure from the off – as per Blanc's instructions – but clear chances were another matter and Andriy Yarmolenko got the locals going when he pulled a low effort wide.

Still, Les Bleus looked destined to take the lead just before the half-hour when Franck Ribéry sped beyond Taras Mikhalik to retrieve a loose pass down Ukraine's right and hooked a cross towards Benzema in the area. A deflection rerouted the ball to Ménez in front of goal, but, having already blasted one attempt over, the surprise starter fired straight at Pyatov.

If he was expected to handle that, the Ukraine keeper then excelled when clawing a Philippe Mexès header away from the top corner following Samir Nasri's free-kick delivery. It was Hugo Lloris, though, who had made the first impression between the two when he batted away a powerful Andriy Shevchenko strike, the veteran streaking clear behind right-back Mathieu Debuchy and unleashing thunder of his own.

Shevchenko threatened again soon after the resumption when he speared a shot narrowly off-target from the edge of the area, and it was evident that both teams had resolved to raise the tempo. By that point, Pyatov had denied Ménez when the midfielder had squirmed free down the left, but the keeper was helpless to prevent him opening the scoring when he received a pass from Benzema, skipped inside Yevhen Selin and stroked low inside the near post.

When it rains, it pours, of course, and three minutes later Pyatov was beaten in the same corner of his goal, Cabaye this time applying the low finish from another Benzema assist. The Newcastle United FC midfielder could have had a second when he rattled a post from distance and, with Ukraine reduced to long-range attempts at the other end, Nasri forced Pyatov to palm away a late free-kick. For France, the clouds are starting to clear.

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