Giorgos Karagounis (Wikimedia Commons)
We now know the first two teams that have advanced to the quarterfinals of Euro 2012.
In two very exciting games, Greece and the Czech Republic have advanced to the knockout round.
The Greeks, the Euro 2004 champions, defeated Russia 1-0 on a goal from Giorgos Karagounis in the second minute of extra time in the first half.
Karagounis however was the center of controversy in the second half when he was penalized for diving. The 35 year-old midfielder who plays for Panathinaikos in the Greek League, should have received a penalty kick as he was clearly tripped by Sergei Ignashevich in the box. Instead, it was Karagounis that received the yellow card and will have to miss the quarterfinal match.
In Wroclaw, Poland, the Czechs got a huge second half goal from midfielder Petr Jiracek, that in essence eliminated not only the host country of Poland, but Russia as well.
The Czech Republic won Group A with a record of 2-1, while Greece advances with a record of 1-1-1. Greece in fact had the same record as Russia, but advanced because of their victory over Russia today.
Tags: euro 2012, giorgos karagounis, petr jiracek
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