Mario Gomez scored two first-half goals Wednesday to give Germany a 2-1 win over the Netherlands in one of the most anticipated showdowns of the European Championship. Robin van Persie pulled one back for the Netherlands in the second half at Kharkiv, Ukraine, but the defeat left the 2010 World Cup runner-up on the brink of elimination.
In the other Group B game, Silvestre Varela scored in the 87th minute at Lviv, Ukraine, to give Portugal a 3-2 win over Denmark and revive his team's hopes of reaching the quarterfinals. Germany has six points from two wins but is still not sure of advancing from Group B, where three teams could end up with six points.
"Early on we had decent chances but the German goals came out of nowhere," Netherlands Coach Bert van Marwijk said. "We defended badly. Our offense and defense did not connect. "Germany really has an excellent team. It has power, creativity and scoring."
Varela scored from short range three minutes after coming on as a substitute in the 84th minute, helping the Portuguese bounce back from a 1-0 loss to Germany in their opening game. Portugal looked as if it would have to settle for a draw after Nicklas Bendtner leveled the score with his second goal in the 80th minute.
Pepe gave Portugal the lead with a header in the 24th and Helder Postiga added another in the 37th. But Bendtner scored in the 41st when he headed into an open goal after Michael Krohn-Dehli headed across the goal from the back post. Cristiano Ronaldo had another miserable game, squandering two clear chances in front of Denmark goalkeeper Stephan Andersen and bringing jeers from the crowd.
Off the field, UEFA threatened Russia with a six-point deduction in Euro 2016 qualifying as punishment for fans attacking stadium stewards Friday in Wroclaw, Poland. UEFA also ordered Russia to pay a $150,000 fine. And The mayor of Warsaw apologized to foreign visitors after violent clashes Tuesday when Poland played Russia on a tense day in the capital city.
