Sports Thread For 11/15/11: The Euro 2012 Finals Have Been Set

Photo from UEFA.com

The strongest European Championships in recent editions will take place next summer in Poland/Ukraine, as playoff favorites Croatia, Czech Republic, Ireland, and Portugal join the other 12 countries into the finals.

In the tie that certainly was most in the balance, Portugal finally showed their offensive might with a 6-2 emphatic victory over Bosnia & Herzegovina side.

The scoreline may appear as a match of one way traffic, but it was far from the case. Bosnia replied after two great strikes from a Cristiano Ronaldo free kick and a Nani rainbow gem to score through Zvjezdan Misimovic from the penalty spot right before half time. And just when the Iberian power thought it was assured of a smooth evening after Ronaldo's second and Senad Lulic's sending off, the Bosnians showed continued resilience down 10 men with Emir Spahic's poaching finish to make it 3-2.

But the host eased their nervous fans' fears with another class goal, a left footed blast from Helder Postiga to make it 4-2. Miguel Veloso made it another highlight reel tally with a deft left footed feet kick for 5-2. And they rounded out their rocky but advancing campaign with Postiga's 2nd by way of a header.

The other contest that left some uncertainty in advancement was the Czech Republic's 2-0 advantage heading into Montenegro. But an organized Czech side stymied the host chances of a famous comeback, with Petr Jiracek's 81st goal booking their short travel to Poland/Ukraine in a 1-0 win on the night and 3-0 aggregate overall.

And there were no major fears for Croatia and Ireland, as their opponents Turkey and Estonia respectively could not overcome their massive deficits. The Croatians finished 0-0 on the night, as their 3-0 advantage in Istanbul from leg one was more than enough. The same and then some could be said of Ireland, as they advanced with a 5-1 aggregate win. Celebrations were expectedly abundant in Dublin, as Stephen Ward 32st effort was cancelled by a pride filled goal for the away team from Konstantin Vassijev to make the 2nd leg score 1-1.

These four playoff winners join Spain, Germany, Holland, England, France, Italy, Greece, Denmark, Russia, Sweden and joint host Ukraine and Poland in the finals next June.