Ballack ends Portugal's Euro 2008 dream

Glad to see that the hype surrounding Scolari's so called genius management is just hype as I thought.

He won the world cup with Brazil..., not quite that difficult when they had one of the best Brazilian line ups in their fantastic history. Anyone could have done that, the team picked itself. Michael Ballack, the Chelsea midfielder, helped dump his future manager at club level out of Euro 2008 with the third goal in a pulsating quarter-final triumph for Germany over Luiz Felipe Scolari and Portugal.

I guess Scolari will doubtless have something to say when the pair meet for the first time on the Chelsea training ground later this summer, though Ballack’s goal merely highlighted the ineptitude of the Portugal defence and their goalkeeper, Ricardo.

Aided by a push in the back of Paulo Ferreira, his team-mate at Chelsea, Ballack created the space to

Ballack

 nod home Germany’s third, a task made all the easier by Ricardo’s reckless rush off his goalline when he had little hope of collecting the ball.

Earlier, Bastian Schweinsteiger put the Germans in front in the 23rd minute following a flowing move involving Ballack and Lukas Podolski, before Bayern Munich team-mate Miroslav Klose headed in their second four minutes later when unmarked at a free-kick.

Portugal were largely disappointing in the opening 45 minutes but Nuno Gomes managed to halve the deficit in the 40th minute. After Ballack had restored Germany's two-goal advantage, a headed goal from Helder Postiga, the former Tottenham Hotspur player, with three minutes remaining, gave Scolari's side hope of an unlikely revival.

The other major significance of this result is that it brings into focus the future of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Manchester United forward so coveted by Real Madrid. The £60 million-rated player has parried questions about his future until his tournament was over. Now it is, and he can hide behind the smokescreen no longer.

After a disappointing opening to what had the potential to be the most entertaining of the quarter-finals, the match suddenly burst into life on 13 minutes as Simao drew a comfortable near-post save out of Jens Lehmann, the Germany goalkeeper.

Then Joao Moutinho wasted a great chance to open the scoring when caught in two minds over which part of his bodyscoring for Germany in the 23rd minute. Ballack and Podolski linked up superbly down the left, and the latter crossed for the incoming right-winger to slide home a delightful finish.

Klose doubled Germany’s lead four minutes later when Portugal’s defence went missing. Schweinsteiger sent in a free-kick from a central position and the Bayern Munich striker bagged his 40th international goal by glancing home a simple header from eight yards out with no marker in sight.

Just after the half-hour Moutinho - who had injured himself minutes earlier - hobbled off the pitch and was replaced by Raul Meireles. Portugal fought back and halved the deficit five minutes before half-time.

Ronaldo, who was having a quiet match, was set free down the left channel by a crossfield ball from Deco but his left-foot shot was saved by Lehmann. The ball rebounded out to Nuno Gomes, whose scuffed finish from 10 yards crept into the back of the net despite the best attempts of Christoph Metzelder on the line.

Gomes’s goal made him only the third player to score in the finals of three European Championship finals, after Jurgen Klinsmann and Vladimir Smicer.

Ballack almost helped Germany restore their two-goal cushion just before the break but his fierce effort was kept out at the near post by Ricardo, while Ronaldo, becoming increasingly influential, curled a shot around Per Mertesacker but just beyond the far post.

Pepe headed over for Portugal from close range after Deco's flick on of Simao's corner had taken him by surprise. Ballack put the Germans in control with his headed effort just after the hour, but it was to be a nervous end for Joachim Loew's side after excellent work by Nani, the Manchester United player on as a substitute twisting clear of his markers and crossing from the left for Postiga to head past Jens Lehmann.

Untlimately, though, it is Germany who will meet the winner of tomorrow's match between Turkey and Croatia for a place in the final.