Germany beat Portugal 1-0 at Euro 2012

Mario Gomez Celebrates after scoring a goal.

 Germany Beat Portugal 1-0 Germany forward Lukas Podolski admitted that his side were not at their best during win over Portugal in Euro 2012 Group B, but felt that they deserved victory for all of their hard work.Joachim Low's side only managed one serious attempt on goal in the first 45 minutes, but Mario Gomez's header in the second-half was enough to give them all three points.After being lauded for their attacking flair in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Germany were expected to continue that form into the European Championship, but Podolski says that victory is what counts."The three points are important," he said after the game. "Maybe we did not play as well as in 2010, but we fought hard and in the end it was important to start off with a victory."If you look at the Portuguese [team] you cannot say that they're bad opponents. We have room to improve but the victory was very important, especially after Netherlands surprisingly lost against Denmark."Portugal had two good attacks at the end. We had little space, even after the [goal that made it] 1-0. We did not play as well offensively as in 2010. We need to improve that."Everybody expects 'fun football' and attacking football from us. We have to match those expectations."Now, the new Arsenal signing is switching his focus to die Mannschaft's next fixture, when they face Oranje in Kharkiv on Wednesday."It won't be easier against Netherlands. They have their backs against the wall. If they lose, they are out. We can qualify for the quarter-finals."Podolski also feels that the Germans' 3-0 success when the two sides met in a friendly last November will give them the confidence to go up against the Dutch again."The 3-0 win back in November is still a topic in their team, maybe. It's the same team that will be on the pitch for them. We don't have to hide."

Denmark upset Netherlands 1-0 at Euro 2012

Denmark's Michael Krohn-Dehli (left) scores during the Euro 2012 soccere championship Group B match against Netherlands in Kharkiv on Saturday.

Denmark secured the first huge surprise of the European Championship with a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands on Saturday in Group B.And it was Michael Krohn-Dehli that provided the lethal finishing that the Dutch inexplicably lacked.Krohn-Dehli scored against the run of play when he picked up a loose ball close to the penalty area in the 24th minute, left two defenders standing and shot through the legs of Maarten Stekelenburg from a tight angle.It was something Premier League top scorer Robin van Persie never got close to as he came to symbolize Dutch futility with a couple of bad mistakes. Denmark goalkeeper Stephan Andersen made several clutch saves to secure the most important Danish victory over the Netherlands since the Euro 1992 semifinals.The Dutch had their best chance of the first half when Andersen gave away the ball to Arjen Robben just outside the area in the 36th minute, but the Bayern Munich winger curled his left-footer onto the far post and out of danger.It came to symbolize the sticky night in eastern Ukraine and leaves the World Cup runners-up with two clutch games against top-10 ranked teams, Germany and Portugal.Late in the match, a penalty appeal for handball was denied when the Dutch were running out of time as Lars Jacobsen appeared to touch the ball with his upper arm in the box.Denmark, seen as outsider in the toughest group of the championship, can already take a huge step to the quarterfinals by beating Portugal in their second game.From the start, the tactics of the match were laid out for all 39,232 fans at the Metalist Stadium. The Dutch started with furious attacking and the Danes counted on a solid attack and a dose of luck to keep out of danger.The creative skills of Robben, Van Persie and Ibrahim Afellay created plenty of chances, but finishing was off and Andersen would not budge.With one lethal counter, Krohn-Dehli showed some of Europe’s best players how it should be done with his well—taken strike.The Netherlands came into the tournament without key defender Joris Mathijsen and a questionable left defensive flank. Ron Vlaar and Jetro Willems confirmed the assumptions as the back line did not look at ease when the Danes came pushing forward around the half-hour mark.Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk even had to come to the sideline to shout and wave his players forward. And on a difficult day, luck was not with the Dutch either, when Robben’s shot bounced free.Van Marwijk’s decision to pick Van Persie over Bundesliga top scorer Klaas-Jan Huntelaar came into sharp focus. Two minutes from halftime, Wesley Sneijder set up the Arsenal striker in the center with only the goalkeeper to beat.Uncharacteristically, Van Persie had a bad first touch and was forced too wide and shot at the goalkeeper instead of scoring an easy goal.Early in the second half, too, he inexplicably mis-stepped on another great chance for goal as the Dutch pushed forward from the second half whistle. They forced Andersen into two fine saves on a half dozen occasions.The thousands of orange-clad fans filled the air with shouts of “Holland, Holland,” but to no avail.The Danes didn’t fully lock themselves up but showed poise by patiently pushing forward again. Still, the Dutch kept piling up the misses and Van Marwijk brought in both Huntelaar and attacking midfielder Rafael van der Vaart for defensive midfielder Nigel de Jong with 20 minutes to go.

Maria Sharapova wins French open

Maria Sharapova kisses her French Open trophy after beating Sara Errani 6-3, 6-2 in the final.

Maria Sharapova is now a champion on the red clay, too.The Russian star won the French Open on Saturday, defeating Sara Errani 6-3, 6-2 in the final at Roland Garros to complete the career Grand Slam.Second-seeded Sharapova, who was guaranteed of moving to No 1 in the world regardless of the result, jumped to a quick 4-0 lead against the 21st-seeded Errani, who was in her first Grand Slam final.But Errani battled back on a cool, blustery day in Paris, turning what looked like a blowout into an 89-minute endurance contest, filled with long rallies that forced Sharapova to find another gear. Eventually, Sharapova's bigger serve and bigger groundstrokes wore down Errani, who at 5-foot-4 stands 9 inches shorter than her opponent.When Errani netted a short backhand on the third match point, Sharapova dropped gingerly to her knees and buried her head in her hands, then reached back and looked heavenward - a long, hard road back to the top finally capped with the only major title that had eluded her.Along with hoisting the French Open trophy for the first time, she'll be back at No 1 on Monday for the first time since June 2008."It's been such a journey for me to get to this stage," Sharapova said. "There are so many people to thank, but most importantly, it's my wonderful team that keeps me together."Sharapova added this year's French Open title to championships at Wimbledon in 2004, the US Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008 to become only the 10th woman to win all four major tournaments.This was her 27th career title and it puts her in elite company, along with players such as Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams and Billie Jean King - who are among those who have won all four majors.Sharapova finally won the trophy on the red clay of Roland Garros, about three years after dropping as low as 126th in the rankings after shoulder surgery that threatened her career. She rededicated herself to the game and made a special effort to improve on clay, the surface on which she moved to 18-1 in matches this year.Back in 2004, Sharapova was 17, just becoming a name on the tennis scene when she swept into Paris and made a surprise trip to the quarterfinals. A month later, she won Wimbledon and everyone knew her name."It took me many years to get to this stage," she said. "Eight years ago, it was my first breakthrough Grand Slam. I made it to the quarterfinals, and eight years from that day, I'm here on this stage. I'm so happy to share this moment."The lopsided score in the final wasn't all that unexpected, given the size, experience and power advantage Sharapova brought to the first meeting between the two. But really, the score didn't tell the whole story.Errani, who won the doubles title Friday and will move into the top 10 in singles for the first time Monday, struck a victory for any athlete who ever walked onto a court or field, looked up at an opponent towering over them by a foot and said, "Hey, maybe I can do this."Despite spinning serves in at 70-80 mph, while Sharapova was topping out in the 115 mph range, Errani played Sharapova toe-to-toe for the better part of the hour and a half, especially after she overcame the jitters in the shaky opening games.Eventually, Sharapova's power game won out but Errani fought to the bitter end - showing the savvy to hit two drop shots that won points in the final game, each of them sending Sharapova scrambling toward the net, only to arrive a split second late.Still, Sharapova finished the match with 25 winners from the baseline compared to four for Errani, while committing 29 unforced errors to 11 for her opponent. Sharapova also led in aces, 6-0, including one that set up the third and final match point.