I guess that what has been said about Portugal applies to all teams: not always the ones who play better are the winners. In 2006 the winning over Holland may have been ambiguous, but Holland had a great team, right? I think that when the level is so high it's hard to be dominant at all times. Italy may have won the world cup thanks to a non-existing penalty against Australia. Did they deserve to win? Did France deserve to be in the finals? That can be subjective.
I think that the problem with Portugal has to do with coaching: Scolari was great at motivating the players, but not good in tactics. Portugal wasn't playing with a root left defenser, Chelsea's Paulo Ferreira is not a left defenser. And the results against Germany showed. He looked like he didn't belong there. Also, Ricardo is not our best goalkeeper, and that showed. Maniche, always a decisive player, wasn't even selected for the team. Uncomprehensible.
I think that Portugal is a good team and in my comments I only talked about Portugal vs Germany, so I don't know why you are talking about another championships and another games. Ok, Portugal may not have done great exhibitions at qualifying games, but who cares about qualifying games?
In this Euro, name me a good exhibition from Germany. It may have been Germany vs Poland (I don't know because I didn't see the game). But no more
I love Germany and its people, I think it's a lovely country I just don't like german football. So what? I don't think that Germany has been playing well, and in my modest opinion they don't deserve to be in the finals after average performance against Portugal and poor performance against Turkey. In that game I couldn't see Schweinsteiger (the "better than Figo player") hold the ball for more than 2 seconds. Against Turkey B team. Wow. But they are in the finals anyway, and I wish luck to both teams, may the best win.

portugal played w/no strategy and germany played w/discipline & great humility, 2 simple virtues that portugal could absorb from germany .wich coupled w/its natural talent would propell them from good to great.that synergy should produce efficiency;see the difference: 3 passings and GRMNY is scoring. having said that still portugal had a chance to win if we consider 2 gols preceeded by fouls and an overlooked penalty kick over N.Gomes, however that would have been unfair for the maturity and desire shown by the tectonics.Lastly a word for that coach"s strategy:I wish mr.scolari improves his ways of assesment as well as his poor judjement capacity.

If you're irritated by such a weak push, you are a bad defender... no doubt this win was deserved

I think you will find that in Euro 2004 English players were holding and restraining Ricardo the goalkeeper's arms! You must be blind if you didn't see that, and after all these years you still can't accept it? Rightfully a disallowed goal - u blind arrogant fool! The evidence doesn't lie! England can never never win a tournament anyway ;-)

People complaining about Ballacks Push for winning goal. I believe what go's around comes around.England had a good goal disallowed against Portugal they didnt complain about that int he last world cup.

kindergarden !!! foul !unfair! he was pushed ! u guys have no idea about soccer. ecer looked what is happening when a corner or a free shoot comes : everybody is working with his hands. jesus! just because germany was the better team.

ANAMAR: football is not only about maradonas. it's so much more!
1- brazil had a great team in the 80's zico, falcao, socrates, alemao, branco and they failed. unfortunately. also aunfortunately they didn't fail with a bad team and ugly football in 94 and even worse in 2002. they won against germany in the finals and they deserved that win. but they shouldn't have reached the finals cos everybody saw how they won against turkey in the semis. so i guess your rule applies to brazil too! big teams are favoured. true even for brazil!
2- portugal had a great team in the euro 2000 with figo and rui costa amongst others, but they lost with a penalty by abel xavier at the semis against france. and that was (i'm sorry) fair too! france played better and it was a penalty. nevertheless that was the best football presented by portgugal! portugal has always great players but they lack winning mentality and most of all they play too individualistically instead of as a whole team! be it as it may, didn't play the kind of football you so much praise at the world cup 2006 starting with a lousy performance against angola 1-0, with an ambiguous win over holland at the 1/8, which by the way was more like a fight-club battle than really a footbal game, won at the 1/4 against a 10-man england B in penaltys, again a lousy performance, and ended up losing against france at the semis with the brilliant statistics of 2 shots in the whole game (1 on target)... is that teh pretty, brilliant artistic football you are talking about??!! i don't think so, but i'm convinced whenever you lose you think it's unfair and everytime you win it is natural, right?
3- the best games portugal made the last years since the world-cup were actually against turkey and against the chechs cos portugal played as a team (the international more neutral press said it too!). untill the euro-finals 08 during qualification and friendlies , please name me ONE GOOD GAME???
I REST MY CASE! yours truly, NANO

I am not against Germany it's just that if you had won fairly I would not be disappointed.. Like I said: Portugal did not play well, but they didn't deserve to lose like this.
I am glad that there is a team like Brasil that plays beautiful football and has won its place among the best and everyone respects them. I am glad that they are the best country ever in Football. There is no such respect for Portugal, yet. Hope there will be someday.

To NANOSIMBIOTICA:
I'm disappointed I can't put a URL for you to watch.. But for anyone that is interested in seeing, the first goal is actually preeceded by fault, and it's not shoulder to shoulder, Podolsky pushed Bosingwa with his hand and that's not legal. It can only be seen in one of the replays not all. And it would have been a GREAT GOAL if it was FAIR!
Also, I would like to know why did Schweisnteiger get only one game of suspension while turkish goalkeeper got 2 games for doing exactly the same fault! Where is the fairness? Where is the coherence? Shame on people that let this happen! Why are always the known and "glorious" teams that get helped?

Re Portugal-Germany it was very disappointing that match official Peter Fröjdfeldt failed to see Ballack's push in the penalty area that led to 3rd goal and inevitably dictated the early departure of Portugal. This crucial error should not be tolerated in these kind of games.

TO ANAMAR: is it just me or whenever portugal loses it's because of the referee, a penalty, a foul or something else.. i mean, is it possible portugal could lose just because the other team proved to be better?!?! podolski pushed bosingwa in the first goal???? (i know portuguese players are untouchable.. that's why usually they fall on the ground so often begging the referee for fouls that don't exist!) my god, if you'd be fair you'd say: WHAT A GOAL! 10 seconds from defence till the goal always running and just making one-to-one passes, which by the way all the mighty ronaldo and staff never do 'cos they have to show off with that ridiculous dance in front of the opponent - by the way did ronaldo play??? did the so called (everyday in the press it gets tiring!) best player impress you anamar?? i would think he's miles away from Figo! and you wanna talk fouls? remember 4 years ago in portugal in the 1/4 finals england scored a clean goal in the last minute and portugal would be off - but the referee saw something nobody else did in the replay - somebody supposedly pushed ricardo... maybe portugal had to pass 'cos they were playing home, right?? and what do you have against germany? just because they beat you they're not allowed to win? or is it just because they won so many times and the all mighty portugal best team in the world (yet to prove in results..) didn't win anything yet?? i mean talk about bad-losers... you know it's a virtude to give some credit and just acknowledge once in a while when you lose! sorry but portugal may have the most expensive players it doesn't mean they have the most expensive team! you have to play football in a team and it doesn't help even if you have 11 maradonas on the pitch if they don't play with each other! portugal will be more lucky in the world-cup 2010 if they grow as a TEAM (keyword - team)!

What team england will play in the EURO 2008 quarter-final????

Well Done Germany and good luck with the rest of 2008 =)

All hail German machine, this is the kind of game i enjoy watching, i see them reaching the final.

And on the first goal Podolsky pushes Bosingwa on the shoulder and I'm no sure that it can be done! I though that football was not to be played with hands......

Congratulations to the German team and to all Germans anyway

All I have to say to you blind people is to get a pair of glasses and drink less beer during the game!!! I will not say that Portugal was lost because they were robbed (although they were indeed - one pelnalty on the first half, and fault on the third goal) but because Portugal lacked in strategy and atention during the game (on the 2nd and 3rd goals of Germany). So that's really the point. Germany won because Portugal didn't play well and they had a little help from the referee, not because they are the best! German team is average right now with 3 or 4 great players. And 2-1 against Croatia shows it. Hope the best team wins in this Euro and that puts Germany out. Spain, Holland and Croatia, one of them deserves to win and watch out for Italy, always a good team. Would be really sad if the German won this Euro. Go Spain, estoy con vosotros ahora!

German view ! yes Portugal had better players on the field . just looking at the defence worth more than a 100mm plus ronaldo, deco and so on. So it was clear in Germany that we were the underdog. Looking at the game I have to admit that Portugal had more ballpossesion and everything looked easier when they played. Nevertheless what do u guys expect us to do run into the open knife and try to play like Portugal ? we would have lost with a 4 goal difference. Some are claiming that the German game is boring I just have to reply that they have no idea of soccer . the situation which was leading to the 1:0 was probably one of the best attacks in this tournament and Podolskis 30m shot which missed the goal just by a few centimetres would have been the goal of this tournament. yesterdays game was a prove for me that soccer is really a team game !!! Germany played really bad against Austria and Croatia but its really ignorant to say that Germany played bad or just lucky yesterday. don't forget the winner is who has the most goals !

@ all England fans
would have loved to see u guys in this tournament instead of Greece . Sorry Hellas it was to tough to watch

Congratulations German Machines. U play your hearts out and got the result. Feel sorry for Portugal and the wonder boy Ronaldo. I'm not a Man U fan but u cant take the World player award from Ronaldo he deserves it. All hail NETHERLANDS the Champion! Orange boys, dont diappoint oooooooooooooooooooo!

Simply put,the bigger,the fitter and the more physical Germans easily manhandled the smaller,bigger-headed and confused Portuguese!! Poor job coaching by Scolari.He wont'last long at Chelsea!!