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Live Commentary: Euro 2012: Czech Republic 0-1 Portugal - as it happened

:Headline: Live Commentary: Euro 2012: Czech Republic 0-1 Portugal - as it happened:
Join Sports Mole for our live text commentary of tonight's Euro 2012 quarter-final between the Czech Republic and Portugal.
Sports Mole

Good evening and welcome to Sports Mole's live text commentary of tonight's Euro 2012 quarter-final between the Czech Republic and Portugal in Warsaw.

The group stages have been done and dusted which means that we now move into the drama of the knockout rounds.

The Czechs are looking to get to their first semi-final since 2004, while Portugal last made the semis in 2004 when they eventually lost the final to Greece.


21.41That's it from us tonight. Join us at the same time tomorrow for live text commentary of Germany's last eight encounter with Greece. Thanks for your company this evening and we hope to have you with us again tomorrow. Goodnight!

21.40The Portuguese players go over to their fans who are in turn cheering their players. Paulo Bento's men will meet the winner of Spain and France on Wednesday.

21.37There's the final whistle! Portugal are through to the semi-finals thanks to Ronaldo's superb headed goal with 11 minutes to play. They have been deserved winners on the night.

90+4 minFULL TIME: Czech Republic 0-1 Portugal

90+3 minPortugal have a chance to break and score with Cech way out of his goal, but they lose the ball on the halfway line. Drama!

90+2 minThe Czechs have a corner and Cech has gone up for it!

90 minWe'll have four minutes of injury time. Can the Czechs snatch an equaliser?

89 minVeloso has a crack at goal now, but his strike from the edge of the box goes well over. Portugal could have had about five goals tonight if they had their shooting boots on.

88 minAnd that's the last of the action from the Chelsea man. He comes off for Rolando.

87 minThat's ridiculous from Meireles. The midfielder aims a half-volley at goal from all of 35 yards which goes into Row Z.

86 minHubschman is off and Pekhart is on for the Czechs as they desperately seek an equaliser.

84 minMeanwhile, they make a change with Custodio coming on for Nani. Can Portugal hold on for the final six minutes?

82 minPortugal nearly double their lead as Cech bats away Pereira's shot on the angle.

81 minHe's had plenty of critics claiming that he doesn't produce the goods in the big games, but Ronaldo has been by far and away Portugal's best player tonight. A totally deserved goal for the captain.

80 minIt's that man again! Ronaldo makes a powerful run into the area to head Moutinho's cross past Cech. Portugal have one foot in the semi-finals!

79 minGOAL! Czech Republic 0-1 Portugal - Ronaldo

76 minClever play again from the winger as he works the space to get in a cross, but the delivery is poor to say the least and goes straight into Cech's hands.

74 minNani! The winger has a pop from 12 yards out which the Czech clear.

74 minMore pressure from Portugal as some patient play sees Meireles get the ball out wide only to put his cross way too deep.

72 minOr not. Meireles is found by Ronaldo in the box before lashing the ball high and wide.

70 minMeireles is now clutching his shin following a tackle from Baros. He's up quickly, but these breaks in play could hamper Portugal's momentum.

68 minKadlec looks to be okay after that.

66 minKadlec looks to be hurt here as he collides with Cech when defending a cross. The centre-back took one in the ribs there.

65 minAlmeida has another header on goal, but he nods it over the bar.

64 minMoutinho is the latest Portuguese player to have a shot at goal which Cech tips over the bar. The Czechs clear the corner, but Portugal have another.

62 minBaros has an speculative strike on goal which flies well over.

60 minThe Czechs are making a change now as Darida is being replaced by Jan Rezek.

59 minThe ball is in the net, but the goal has been ruled out for offside. Almeida heads in Nani's cross and is correctly flagged by the linesman. This is remarkable stuff from Portugal as they are pretty much camped in the Czech half.

57 minGreat save from Cech! Nani unleashes a powerful drive towards goal which the goalkeeper parries away.

55 minThe Portuguese captain goes for goal again, but the ball is deflected behind for a corner.

54 minRonaldo is wayward with his effort this time as he slices the ball high and wide of the Czech goal. He would have expected to have done better there.

52 minPortugal are well in control now. They're dominating possession and the Czechs can't get anywhere near them.

49 minRonaldo hits the post again! The forward lines up another free kick which he hits low and onto Cech's left post. Amazingly unlucky for the number seven.

47 minIt's all Portugal in these opening exchanges as Ronaldo blasts a free kick into the wall. The pressure is mounting for the Czechs.

46 minWe nearly have a goal inside the first minute as Almeida is allowed a free header in the area. However, the substitute can only put it over from close range. He really should have scored.

45 minThe players are out for the second half and it'll be the Portuguese to get us underway. Let's hope for some goals.

20.39Funnily enough there have been no 0-0 draws at the tournament so far. There has to be a winner tonight, but hopefully we'll have some goals in normal time. Join us for the second half shortly!

20.36You can check out out Half-Time Report from Warsaw here.

20.33And there goes the whistle to signal the end of the half. The Czechs are probably the happier of the two teams due to the more threatening nature of their attacks, but Portugal could have been ahead thanks to that Ronaldo effort right at the end.

20.32HALF TIME: Czech Republic 0-0 Portugal

45+1 minOff the post! Ronaldo collects Meireles' ball magnificently in the box before he turns and fires against the post. It would have been one of the goals of the tournament had it gone in.

45 minWe'll have two minutes of injury time...

44 minPortugal are claiming for a penalty, but Howard Webb waves them away! Nani looks to have been brought down by Limbersky, althought replays suggest that the winger slipped in the box.

42 minAlmeida is certainly a more physical presence for the Portuguese than Postiga. Let's see if they change their style to suit the substitute.

40 minThe striker is taken off on a stretcher and is replaced by Hugo Almeida. It looks like that could be it for Postiga at the tournament, but we'll see.

39 minNow then, Postiga goes down clutching the back of his right thigh. That could be a hamstring injury. He seemed to pull up without anyone around him.

37 minA rare moment of poor control there from Ronaldo. Anyone who isn't Portuguese inside the stadium jeers predictably.

35 minJust wide! The ball explodes off his boot and wanders away from Cech's goal. He hit it cleanly, but it lacked the accuracy.

34 minNani is now down clutching his leg following a challenge from Limbersky. Free kick to Portugal which looks to be in Ronaldo range...

32 minVeloso combines well with Meireles as his looping cross is tipped out for a corner by Cech. The ball bobbles around in the box before Ronaldo fires just wide with a spectacular overhead kick. Wonderful stuff from the captain.

30 minPostiga and Nani link up outside of the area, but the ball evades the winger and Cech collects.

28 minThe Czechs are on the attack again as Selassie whips in a dangerous cross. However, the Portuguese defence hacks it away.

27 minAnd we now have a second. This time it's for Veloso after he hacks down Darida.

26 minWe have our first yellow card of the match as Nani is booked for bundling into the back of Limbersky. The Manchester United winger is looking frustrated out on the flanks.

25 minRonaldo forces a point-blank save from Cech but the whistle has already gone for a foul by the Portuguese forward. Either way, that was a good stop from Cech.

23 minIt's been an indifferent opening 23 minutes so far. Neither side has created a meaningful opportunity yet neither team looks to be playing overly cautious.

20 minAt the other end Portugal's corner is delayed as Ronaldo and Jiracek have a bit of a to-do in the box. Howard Webb has a word with both men before Nani whips the set piece over and out of play. Poor.

18 minClose for the Czechs! Darida whips in an inviting cross towards Baros and the striker is inches away from making contact. Meanwhile, the Czechs have ANOTHER corner. It's aimed in to Selassie, but the full-back can't reach it.

17 minOoh, some indecision there from Portugal. Patricio comes to collect, but Ronaldo heads it away from him and out for another corner, but it again comes to nothing. Some steady Czech pressure here now.

15 minAnother corner for the Czechs here thanks to the tireless running Jiracek.

14 minOpportunity for the Czechs as Kadlec nearly gets on the end of a cross having made a marauding run into the area.

13 minPortuguese legends Eusebio and Luis Figo are spotted in the crowd. What would Bento give to have them on the pitch now? In their prime, of course.

11 minPaulo Bento's men are starting to get a foothold in this match now. They win a corner, but Meireles' floated delivery is headed away. Moutinho has an shot at goal from the edge of the box which Cech gathers easily.

8 minA chance for Portugal now, but Nani's cross is cut out by Limbersky. Ronaldo then sees his heavy pass to Coentrao go out for a thrown on the left side.

7 minIt's disappointing, however, as it's played short before the Portuguese clear.

6 minThe Czechs get another corner after Jiracek's effort is deflected over...

5 minI'll also add that Howard Webb is the referee tonight. He's already had a word with a couple of players following some tasty challenges. Looks like he wants no funny business tonight.

4 minIt's all a bit scrappy out there at the moment, but the Czechs look to be more in control.

2 minBut it comes to nothing as the ball is overhit and out for a throw in.

2 minSome early pressure from the Czechs leads to a corner.

19.45I must add that the roof is over the National Stadium following some severe storms in Warsaw last night. It'll be the Czechs to get us underway...

19.39The players emerge from the tunnel to the roaring crowd. Here come the national anthems...

19.37The players are in the tunnel tracksuited and booted. We're just under 10 minutes away from the first quarter-final of this year's European Championship...

19.35Looking at the Czechs, it's been a funny old tournament for goalkeeper Petr Cech. While showing some flashes of the brilliance that has made him a Premier League star, the shotstopper has also been shaky between the sticks. Can he put in a solid display tonight?

19.31You might expect Helder Postiga to get on the scoresheet tonight as the former Spurs man has found the net in Portugal's last two quarter-final ties at the Euros.

19.25And what about the absence of Tomas Rosicky? The captain has been a driving force for the Czechs in the group stages but has to settle for a place on the bench tonight after failing to shake off an Achilles injury.

19.22Looking ahead, the winner of this match takes on either Spain or France in the semi-finals.

19.20Former Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz recently claimed that the national team depends too much on the Real Madrid man.

19.17All eyes will be on the Portuguese talisman tonight as he looks to add to his two goals against the Dutch last time out. He started the tournament in oddly quiet fashion but his influence has grown in each of the games since.

19.15These two sides have met twice in the Euros before: First in 1996 when the Czech ran out 1-0 winners and after that in 2008 as Cristiano Ronaldo scored in a 3-1 group stage triumph for the Portuguese.

19.10TEAM NEWS: The Czechs have made one change for tonight's match, while Portugal have stuck with the same side that beat the Netherlands on Sunday. You can see the teams here.

19.06Right, here we go. The group stages are over and we are through to the business end of Euro 2012: the knockout stages.
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