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Czech Republic v Portugal – Euro 2012 live

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EURO 2012 LIVE: Czech Republic v Portugal – follow the quarter-final as it happens

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UPDATED:

18:51 GMT, 21 June 2012

With half of the teams now eliminated, follow Sportsmail's coverage of Euro 2012 as Czech Republic face Portugal in Warsaw for the first of the quarter-finals. Both sides progressed to the last eight despite losing their first group game but improved to win their next two and book a place in the knock-out stage. Send me your thoughts on the action at dan.ripley@dailymail.co.uk or contact me on Twitter @Ripinho.

Czech Republic 0-0 Portugal (7.45pm)

Click here for the live goals as they go in

Czech Republic: Cech, Gebre Selassie, Sivok, Kadlec, Limbersky, Hubschman, Plasil, Jiracek, Darida, Pilar, Baros.
Subs: Lastuvka, Suchy, Hubnik, Necid, Rezek, Rosicky, Petrzela, Rajtoral, Kolar, Pekhart, Lafata, Drobny.

Portugal: Rui Patricio, Joao Pereira, Pepe, Bruno Alves, Fabio Coentrao, Meireles, Veloso, Joao Moutinho, Nani, Postiga, Ronaldo.
Subs: Eduardo, Custodio, Almeida, Quaresma, Nelson Oliveira, Ricardo Costa, Rolando, Ruben Micael, Varela, Miguel Lopes, Hugo Viana, Beto.

Referee: Howard Webb (England)

6min: Twiddle your thumbs stuff so far. We have not had a shot on target, off target or even blocked yet. Come on chaps!

3min: Decent enough start from the Czech Republic, who haven't created much but have forced the Portuguese into some defending. That's your lot so far.

Kick-off: As the countdown…well…counts down, Czech Republic get us going.

19.42: From Sportsmail's Ian Ladyman:

Did Ronaldo just wink at Cech in the tunnel then I think so. Not quite Vieira/Keane is it

19.39: The roof is covered (despite a sunny evening) as the players make their entrance on to the pitch. The Poles may be out but from what I can see there isn't that many empty seats – good to see.

19.34: All focus is on Ronaldo for Portugal, but one of their unsung heroes so far has to be Nani.

The winger has shined on the right flank and has revealed his excellent form and even his career is down to Portugal boss Paulo Bento.

Taking charge: Premier League referee Howard Webb will officiate the match at Warsaw

Taking charge: Premier League referee Howard Webb will officiate the match at Warsaw

19.31: From OptaJoao:

2 – Helder Postiga has scored in Portugal’s last two quarter-finals at the Euros. Hero

I'm still spiting feathers over that goal against England that came off his shoulder at Euro 2004.

19.28: Nice to see some English representatives in this match too as Howard Webb takes charge.

The Premier League official never lets the occasion get the better of him and he has had a great tournament so far – more of the same please Howard.

19.23: There has only been one meeting between these two since Poborsky's heroics.

And again it came in the Euros as four years ago Portugal got their revenge when Deco, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Quaresma all scored in a group stage 3-1 win.

Libor Sionko scored the Czechs goal as they bowed out Euro 2008 shortly after.

19.18: And it's deja-vu for the Kadlec family too according to InfostradaLive:

Miroslav Kadlec follows in the footsteps of his father Michal Kadlec who played for Czech Republic vs Portugal in the QF of Euro 1996.

19.15: So it's a rematch of the quarter-final from Euro 96, where on that occasion Karel Poborsky scored one of the goals of the tournament when he lobbed the ball over Vitor Baia in the 53rd minute to seal a 1-0 for the Czechs.

It was a surprise result considering the huge attacking talent Portugal had on that day. Luis Figo, Rui Costa, Sa Pinto, Joao Pinto and Paulo Sousa all featured at Villa Park.

Flying the flag: Two Portuguese supporters wave a flag inside the National Stadium in Warsaw while a Czech Republic fan takes to wearing a football mask

Flying the flag: Two Portuguese supporters wave a flag inside the National Stadium in Warsaw while a Czech Republic fan takes to wearing a football mask

Flying the flag: Two Portuguese supporters wave a flag inside the National Stadium in Warsaw while a Czech Republic fan takes to wearing a football mask

Flying the flag: Two Portuguese supporters wave a flag inside the National Stadium in Warsaw while a Czech Republic fan takes to wearing a football mask

19.10: Full line-ups from Warsaw:

Portugal: Rui Patricio, Alves, Pepe, Coentrao, Pereira, Veloso, Moutinho, Meireles, Nani, Ronaldo, Postiga Subs: Eduardo, Beto, Costa, Rolando, Lopes, Custodio, Quaresma, Micael, Viana, Almeida, Oliveira, Varela.

Czech Republic: Cech, Gebre Selassie, Kadlec, Sivok, Limbersky, Plasil, Pilar, Hubschman, Jiracek, Darida, Baros Subs: Lastuvka, Drobny, Suchy, Hubnik, Rajtoral, Rezek, Rosicky, Petrzela, Kolar, Necid, Pekhart, Lafata.

19.05: From InfostradaLive:

This is Ronaldo’s 13th ECh match. He needs one more to equal Portugal’s record holder Figo and Nuno Gomes. Edwin van der Sar (16) and Lilian Thuram (16) are the only players with more ECh matches.

18.55: Full line-ups to come but Portugal remain unchanged while the Czechs make one switch that sees Valdimir Darida come in for Daniel Kolar.

18.50: It's bad news for Czech Republic fans early on with Tomas Rosicky again ruled out (to start at least). The Arsenal midfielder has been a major player for the Czechs in this tournament and he is going to be heavily missed this evening.

18.45: And then there were eight – but who would have thought these teams would be two of them after the opening round of games

Czech Republic and Portugal were in danger of being on the first plane home at the start of the competition, now they are just 90 minutes (maybe more) away from reaching the semi-finals. Oh the joys of tournament football – team news on the way folks.

On the ball: Cristiano Ronaldo trains with Portugal ahead of their quarter-final with Czech Republic

On the ball: Cristiano Ronaldo trains with Portugal ahead of their quarter-final with Czech Republic

Euro 2012 results: Czech Republic 1 Poland 0

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Czech Republic 1 Poland 0: Co-hosts limp out as Jiracek sends Bilek's men through

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UPDATED:

21:03 GMT, 16 June 2012

Petr Jiracek's second-half goal ensured the Czech Republic squeaked into the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 as co-hosts Poland suffered an early exit.

Outplayed for the majority of the first half, the Czechs were seemingly stung into action after Greece took a half-time lead against Russia in the other Group A game in Warsaw.

That result left Michal Bilek's men needing all three points to reach the last eight and after dominating the tempo after the interval, Jiracek's calm finish ensured they topped the group, with Russia and Poland the eliminated teams.

Party time: The Czech Republic celebrate their goal (above) and qualification (below)

Party time: The Czech Republic celebrate their goal (above) and qualification (below)

Czech players celebrate after winning during the Euro 2012 championships football match between the Czech Republic and Poland

MATCH FACTS

Czech Republic:
Cech, Gebre Selassie, Sivok, Kadlec, Limbersky, Hubschman, Plasil,
Jiracek (Rajtoral 83), Kolar, Pilar (Rezek 87), Baros (Pekhart 90).

Subs Not Used: Lastuvka, Suchy, Hubnik, Necid, Rosicky, Petrzela, Lafata, Darida, Drobny.

Booked: Limbersky, Plasil, Pekhart.

Goals: Jiracek 72.

Poland:
Tyton, Piszczek, Wasilewski, Perquis, Boenisch, Dudka, Polanski
(Grosicki 56), Blaszczykowski, Murawski (Mierzejewski 73), Obraniak
(Brozek 73), Lewandowski.

Subs Not Used: Szczesny, Wojtkowiak, Kaminski, Matuszczyk, Rybus, Wawrzyniak, Sobiech, Wolski, Sandomierski.

Booked: Murawski, Polanski, Wasilewski, Blaszczykowski, Perquis.

Att: 44,416

Ref: Craig Thomson (Scotland).

Poland knew nothing less than a win would see them reach the knockout stages at the expense of the Czech Republic, who also needed three points to guarantee their qualification for the last eight.

Similar to their previous two matches, Poland were understandably backed by boisterous home support and they nearly gave them something to shout about early on but Dariusz Dudka's overhead kick hit the side netting.

Yet they should have been behind soon after and were grateful for Vaclav Pilar completely fluffing his lines in front of goal after Theodor Gebre Selassie had picked him out with a low ball into the area.

The frenetic start continued, with Poland midfielder Ludovic Obraniak's free-kick from a narrow angle hitting the side netting once more while Robert Lewandowski should have done better after slicing horribly wide with a decent sight at goal.

It seemed only a matter of time that the Czech Republic defence would be breached and goalkeeper Petr Cech had to be at his best to push away Sebastian Boenisch's dipping 30-yard effort.

Winner: Jiracek scores slots the ball past Przemyslaw Tyton to send the Czech Republic through

Winner: Jiracek scores slots the ball past Przemyslaw Tyton to send the Czech Republic through

With the rain teeming down in Wroclaw, the action slowed down a touch although the Czechs, who beat Greece after losing to Russia, ended the half well.

Milan Baros, after beating the offside trap, failed to control David Limbersky's chip over the defence while Pilar's powerful strike from the edge of the area was gathered by Polish keeper Przemyslaw Tyton at the second attempt.

Devastated: Poland players react to their exit from Euro 2012 after defeat to the Czech Republic

Devastated: Poland players react to their exit from Euro 2012 after defeat to the Czech Republic

Devastated: Poland players react to their exit from Euro 2012 after defeat to the Czech Republic

As the teams trudged off at the interval it was the Czechs who would be going through but Greece taking a shock lead on the stroke of half-time against Russia meant both the Czech Republic and Poland needed victory if the result in Warsaw stayed the same.

Spurred into action the Czechs responded positively, dominating possession in the early stages of the second half but failing to create any clear cut chances.

Bored Czech Republic's Tomas Rosicky looks at his mobile phone while sitting on the substitutes' bench

Bored Czech Republic's Tomas Rosicky looks at his mobile phone while sitting on the substitutes' bench

However, Poland were conceding needless free-kicks on the edge of their area and were nearly made to pay for their reckless defending.

Plasil's excellent delivery found Tomas Sivok but his header was blocked and then instantly punched away by Tyton.

Heartbreak: A Poland fan looks on as her side is knocked out of Euro 2012 by the Czech Republic

Heartbreak: A Poland fan looks on as her side is knocked out of Euro 2012 by the Czech Republic

The Czechs were rewarded for their second-half persistence in the 72nd minute as Jiracek gave them a deserved lead.

Baros ran through on goal before sliding the ball to Jiracek, who cut past Boenisch and coolly slotted past Tyton.

Clash: Michal Kadlec and Robert Lewandowski challenge for the ball in Wroclaw

Clash: Michal Kadlec and Robert Lewandowski challenge for the ball in Wroclaw

Poland head coach Franciszek Smuda threw caution to the wind, bringing on Pawel Brozek and Adrian Mierzejewski immediately after but they failed to test Cech although the Czech Republic defended stoutly.

However, in injury time Poland's Jakub Blaszczykowski went through on goal and lifted the ball over Cech only for Tomas Sivok to head off the line, with the final whistle blown immediately after to herald scenes of jubilation from Bilek's men.

Battle: Czech midfielder Vaclav Pilar (left) vies with Polish midfielder Ludovic Obraniak

Battle: Czech midfielder Vaclav Pilar (left) vies with Polish midfielder Ludovic Obraniak

EURO 2012: Tomas Rosicky to captain Czech Republic as provisional squad is named

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Rosicky to captain Czechs at Euros after missing out on 2008 finals

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UPDATED:

11:19 GMT, 14 May 2012

Arsenal's Tomas Rosicky will captain the Czech Republic side at the European Championships after missing the 2008 finals due to injury.

Czech manager Michal Bilek named Rosicky and Chelsea's Petr Cech in his provisional 24-man squad.

Back in: Tomas Rosicky was forced to miss the 2008 Euros due to injury, but will captain his side in 2012

Back in: Tomas Rosicky was forced to miss the 2008 Euros due to injury, but will captain his side in 2012

Czech Republic squad

Goalkeepers: Petr Cech (Chelsea), Jan Lastuvka (Dnepropetrovsk), Jaroslav Drobny (Hamburg), Tomas Grigar (Teplice)

Defenders: Frantisek Rajtoral (Plzen), Roman Hubnik (Hertha), Tomas Sivok (Besiktas), Michal Kadlec (Leverkusen), Daniel Pudil (Cesena), Theodor Gebre Selassie (Liberec), David Limbersky (Plzen), Marek Suchy (Spartak Moscow)

Midfielders: Tomas Rosicky (Arsenal), Jaroslav Plasil (Bordeaux), Jan Rezek (Famagusta), Daniel Kolar (Plzen), Petr Jiracek (Wolfsburg), Milan Petrzela (Plzen), Vaclav Pilar (Plzen), Tomas Hubschman (Donetsk)

Forwards: Milan Baros (Galatasaray), David Lafata (Jablonec), Tomas Pekhart (Nuremberg), Tomas Necid (CSKA Moscow)

Rosicky, who missed the 2008 finals in Austria and Switzerland, will lead the team out at the tournament in Poland and Ukraine, and fellow Premier League star Cech will be the first-choice goalkeeper.

However Bilek was forced to include four goalkeepers in the squad, as Cech will only be available after Saturday's Champions League final against Bayern Munich.

Cech's understudy Hamburg's Jaroslav Drobny is struggling to overcome an illness, and Tomas Grigar of TK Teplice has been brought into the squad as back-up.

CSKA Moscow striker Tomas Necid has recovered from a long-term knee injury in time to join the Czech Republic preliminary squad for the finals.

The 22-year-old forward's recovery is good news for coach Michal Bilek who was short of options in attack.

The Czech's biggest goal threat, former Liverpool front man Milan Baros, has scored 40 international goals but a paltry one in the qualifying stages.

A small shock in Bilek's selection was the omission of attacking midfielder Jiri Stajner, who led Liberec to the Czech league title on Saturday.

He opted for Daniel Kolar of Viktoria Plzen instead. The Czechs will face Greece, Poland and Russia in Group A.