Jun 17, 2008, 0:18 GMT
Vienna - A memorable goal from veteran captain Michael Ballack gave Germany a 1-0 win over Austria on Monday and set up a quarter-final meeting with Portugal.
German captain Michael Ballack (R) vies with Austria's Rene Aufhauser during the UEFA EURO 2008 Group B preliminary round match between Austria and Germany at the Ernst Happel stadium in Vienna, Austria, 16 June 2008. EPA/ROLAND SCHLAGER
Ballack belted in a direct free-kick from 25 metres shortly after the interval to end the Euro 2008 tournament for Austria, who join fellow hosts Switzerland to go out in the group stage.
Croatia made it three wins in a row with a 1-0 victory over Poland in Klagenfurt courtesy of a second-half goal from Ivan Klasnic.
At Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadion, Josef Hickersberger's Austria team needed to win to reach the quarter-finals, but never looked capable of doing so.
Germany coach Joachim Loew said: 'I am satisfied with the win because there was enormous pressure on us.'
He said his team would need to improve for the meeting with Portugal in Basle on Thursday.
Croatia - who beat Poland 1-0 in Klagenfurt - finish top of Group with nine points and will meet surprise package Turkey in the quarters.
Germany finished second with six points and will face Portugal. Austria and Poland finished joint bottom of Group B with just one point apiece.
In Klagenfurt, Austria, Croatia completed Group B with a 100-per-cent record after they beat Poland 1-0 in a disappointing match.
Klasnic scored the only goal of the game after 52 minutes and though Poland had a couple of late chances, Croatia were deserved winners as they moved through to a quarter-final against Turkey.
Klasnic, who was the first kidney transplant recipient to play a match at the European Championships, finished off neatly after some nice play by Danijel Pranjic.
Having already wrapped up top spot in the group, Croatia manager Slaven Bilic made nine changes.
France captain Patrick Vieira will not be fit to play in Tuesday's Group C game against world champions Italy at Euro 2008 after failing to recover from a thigh injury.
Coach Raymond Domenench had hoped to have the 31-year-old Inter Milan midfielder on board for a game France need to win to have any chance of staying in the tournament.
Netherlands coach Marco van Basten dismissed talk of a Dutch B team playing Romania, saying all his players were first-teamers.
'We have a very professional group with 23 A internationals and they are all seriously professionally and good players,' he said.
The Dutch group C winners face Romania in Berne, knowing if they were to lose the Romanians would go through at the expense of Italy and France.
'Tomorrow we will confront the game with the same concentration and attention we gave in the last two games. It is the same preparations as before,' he said.
Karel Bruckner admitted after his side's 3-2 defeat to Turkey the previous night that his final game in charge of the Czech Republic after six-and-a-half years at the helm had been a disappointing one.
The Czechs led 2-0 and seemed to be cruising into the last eight but Arda Turan pulled one back with 15 minutes remaining and two goals in the last three minutes of regulation time by captain Nihat Karveci sealed an incredible comeback for the Turks.
'It's difficult. I have to learn to live again,' said Bruckner.
Parting Swiss coach Koebi Kuhn said that his team had shown at Euro 2008 that it can compete with Europe's best.
Kuhn, who was addressing an emotional press conference, at which he was applauded and thanked by Swiss journalists, said that his team was twice unlucky to lose.
Kuhn's team was eliminated from Euro ahead of a final 2-0 win over Portugal on Sunday night, having lost 1-0 to the Czech Republic and 2-1 in stoppage time against Turkey.
Spanish league top scorer Daniel Guiza heads a list of reserve players who have a chance to be fielded in Spain's last Euro 2008 group match with dethroned champions Greece on Wednesday.
Coach Luis Aragones has already announced that he will rest several regular starters as the team is already qualified as group D winner for a quarter-final against Romania, France or Italy on Saturday. Greece, meanwhile, is eliminated in last place.
Work began on replacing the pitch at Basle's St. Jakob-Park stadium.
A Group A clash between Switzerland and Turkey was last week played on a waterlogged pitch in the stadium after torrential downpours.
The new pitch will be ready for Thursday's quarter-final between Portugal and Germany. A further quarter-final and a semi-final match are to played in the stadium.
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