EURO 2016 – Quaresma sends Portugal into last eight, as Poland, Wales advance News

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EURO 2016 – Quaresma sends Portugal into last eight, as Poland, Wales advance

By Daily Sports on June 26, 2016

Ricardo Quaresma headed Portugal into the Euro 2016 quarterfinals three minutes before the end of extra-time to break Croatian hearts after dominating the game.

Cristiano Ronaldo was denied matching Michel Platini's record of nine goals in European championship finals by a fine save from Danijel Subasic, but the ball fell to Quaresma to head into an empty net.

"We knew the difficulties we were going to encounter, the stress, the anxiety that comes with the game, but I think we should congratulate ourselves because we believed until the end," said Quaresma.

Portugal will face Poland in the quarterfinals in Marseille on Thursday after the Poles beat Switzerland 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw earlier on Saturday.

Ronaldo was kept extremely quiet for most of a dull encounter which became the first match in European Championship history where neither team managed a shot on target during the regulation 90 minutes.

Croatian boss Ante Cacic was left to bemoan his side's inability to turn possession into goals.

"We cannot say football is fair, we had many chances, we dominated for the whole match, so it was not a psychological problem," said Cacic.

"The best team doesn't always win and that happened tonight."

Northern Ireland's Gareth McAuley scored a heart-breaking own goal to hand Wales a 1-0 victory in the so-called Battle of Britain and a place in the Euro 2016 quarterfinals.

In a cagey contest, Michael O'Neill's Northern Ireland largely succeeded in muzzling Gareth Bale, but the Real Madrid star produced a wicked 75th-minute cross that the hapless McAuley turned into his own net.

McAuley proclaimed himself "gutted" and his coach Martin O'Neill said the defeat was "very cruel".

The West Bromwich Albion centre-back's unwitting intervention allowed Wales to reach the last eight in a major tournament for the first time since the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.

"We knew it was going to be an ugly match," Bale said.

"Northern Ireland made it difficult to play. There was not much space up front. You can't ask for anymore. It's incredible."

Poland claimed the first Euro 2016 quarterfinal place Saturday by beating Switzerland 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out after Arsenal-bound Granit Xhaka blasted his spot-kick wide.

Jakob Blaszczykowski proved again he has the midas touch for Poland as the Borussia Dortmund winger gave his side a first-half lead in the last-16 clash.

Xherdan Shaqiri's spectacular second-half bicycle kick levelled for Switzerland and with the scores 1-1 after extra time, the clash at Saint-Etienne's Stade Geoffrey Guichard went into penalties.

Xhaka, who will join the Gunners after the European Championship finals, sent Switzerland's second penalty wide while Poland nailed all five kicks.

Blaszczykowski, nicknamed 'Kuba', then drilled home Poland's fourth shot and his nation was sent into delirium when Grzegorz Krychowiak nailed the crucial fifth kick.

Poland have not reached the quarterfinal of a major tournament since the 1982 World Cup.

•Text gotten from supesports.com. Photo shows Quaresma celebrate his goal against Croatia

Source Daily Sports

Posted June 26, 2016