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Premier League, Upton Park – West Ham United 1 (Diame 21) Arsenal 3 (Giroud 41, Walcott 77, Cazorla 83).

Arsenal came from a goal behind to beat West Ham United 3-1 at Upton Park and move up to fifth place in the Premier League.

The Gunners dominated in possession, but Sam Allardyce's side fashioned the better early chances and went in front courtesy of a 21st-minute stunner from Mohamed Diame.

But Olivier Giroud's first Premier League goal levelled things just before the break, and in the second half a strike from substitute Theo Walcott and a rasping goal from Santi Cazorla swung the game their way.

Andy Carroll returned to the starting line-up for West Ham after 20 minutes as a substitute in the Hammers’ victory at QPR, while Per Mertesacker came back for Arsenal, displacing Laurent Koscielny. Up front, Giroud started as the target man, flanked by Lukas Podolski and Gervinho, who have both operated in that role this season.

Arsenal began the stronger, passing the ball around with trademark style and verve, and enjoying over two-thirds of the possession. Giroud called Jussi Jaaskelainen into action early, with Hammers goalkeeper having to tip an early effort from the edge of the area around the post.

But the home side struck first with a flowing move capped off by Diame. It began with Guy Demel controlling an Arsenal cross and knocking the ball forward, and ended when the Senegalese midfielder cut past Aaron Ramsey into the penalty area and curled the ball around Vito Mannone.

Carroll was also a menace for the Hammers, seemingly first to every high ball, and he could have doubled the lead with a header just after the half-hour mark which Mannone grabbed.

The Gunners took their time to rebound from conceding, but made sure they went in all square at the break after Podolski whipped in a devilish low cross from the left that Giroud volleyed home from close range. It meant that the France striker broke his Premier League duck after five hours and six minutes of play in some style.

Kevin Nolan spurned several chances for the home side, including one on the stroke of half time as Carroll nodded down into his path, and from point-blank range he steered the ball beyond the far post.

The game drifted early in the second half, with Arsenal again in charge of possession without converting it into a raft of chances. There were injury worries for both sides - Kieran Gibbs went off with a thigh problem for the visitors, while Ricardo Vaz Te appeared to dislocate his shoulder after a clash with Mannone.

But the introduction of Walcott for Gervinho woke the game up.

The England winger almost played Giroud in for a second with a backheel after 65 minutes, only for Carroll to glance a header wide at the other end moments later with Mannone beaten.

Nolan and Podolski swapped chances as the game opened up, before Walcott put Arsenal in front with 13 minutes to play. Giroud turned provider on the counter-attack, weighting the through ball perfectly, and Walcott showed great composure and accuracy to place a finish beyond Jaaskelainen on his near post.

Nolan had yet another decent chance to level just two minutes later, but lifted it high over the bar, before a moment of magic from Cazorla settled things.

The Spaniard crashed a shot across goal from 25 yards with just seven minutes remaining, reducing Jaaskelainen to a standstill as the ball found the corner.

Taylor tested out Mannone late on with a dipping effort of his own, while Giroud might have capped his performance off with a second goal had he clipped Cazorla’s delicate through ball over Jaaskelainen rather than over him.

But it was nonetheless a victory of substance for Arsenal – this was the sort of fixture they have lost all too easily in recent seasons, but again they came back from a tricky position in the match to record an encouraging win.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Olivier Giroud (Arsenal) – Scored the equaliser, set up the winner, and put in a performance worthy of Arsene Wenger’s summer investment in him.

Premier League, Emirates Stadium – Arsenal 1 (Gervinho 42) Chelsea 2 (Torres 20, Mata 53).

Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-1 at Emirates Stadium to stay top of the Premier League and maintain their unbeaten start to the domestic season.

John Terry's every touch was booed enthusiastically by the home fans in light of his impending four-match ban for racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, but he ended up on top as Chelsea won a lively London derby.

Goals from Fernando Torres and Juan Mata did the damage, although Arsenal gave them a hand as their inability to defend set pieces was exposed for a second weekend running.

Gervinho was on target for the Gunners, who had lengthy spells of possession but were unable to create enough chances as Petr Cech only made two saves of note all match, although substitute Olivier Giroud hit the woodwork before putting a good opportunity wide in injury time.

It was Arsenal’s first defeat of the campaign, while their Chelsea hoodoo continues: the Blues are the first team to beat Arsene Wenger’s side three times in a row in the Premier League at the Emirates.

A frantic first half finished even as both sides attacked with vigour, Chelsea getting the better of the opening exchanges as Torres netted his 75th career Premier League goal at the expense of Laurent Koscielny and co.

Last weekend the Gunners’ zonal marking was criticised as they conceded to Manchester City at a set-piece, but their failure to attack the ball was at fault then as it was now, although their man-marking was exposed this time.

A superbly weighted Mata free-kick saw Koscielny fail in his task as a man-marker, allowing Torres to hook a leg around his torso and flick an improvised finish past Vito Mannone.

It was not all Koscielny’s fault as the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – who had just entered play following another injury to poor Abou Diaby – allowed David Luiz and John Terry the freedom of the box before Torres’s intervention.

While a lapse in organisation was at play, it was a deserved goal in the sense that Chelsea - with three attacking midfielders - had pressed and harried Arsenal from the off, their style of chasing and clever passing echoing that of Barcelona.

Chelsea should have gone 2-0 up when Koscielny fluffed his lines under pressure from Torres, who went clean through but – in electing to round Mannone instead of finish directly – fell over under pressure from the chasing centre-back.

The Spaniard wanted a penalty but the minimal contact was a result of his swinging boot catching Koscielny’s as opposed to any intent on the defender’s part.

The hosts responded well, using overlapping full-backs Keiran Gibbs and the excellent Carl Jenkinson to great effect as they launched waves of attacks.

Gervinho, leading the line as Giroud watched on, should have done better with a far-post header from Lukas Podolski’s driven cross, the Ivorian’s effort across goal well-fielded by Terry.

Chelsea were dangerous on the break, Torres just offside as he finished from a sweet Mata through ball, but Arsenal’s equaliser was always on the cards.

Jenkinson, who has taken to his attacking right-back role with gusto and surprise given his shaky displays last season, was involved in much of Arsenal’s forward play and it was one of his runs that saw Oxlade-Chamberlain released down the right.

His low ball picked out Gervinho, who turned before firing an unstoppable effort into the top right, a finish out of keeping with the Ivorian’s oft-disappointing end product.

There was still time for Torres to find the side netting after a counter attack that marked Chelsea’s increased tendency to sit deeper into half-time.

The second half continued with the pattern of Arsenal possession and Chelsea counters, with the visitors more effective than the hosts, whose afternoon was typified by Cazorla’s wild finish from a good spot, one of many poor shots from the talented Spaniard.

Chelsea were soon back in front as Mata again showed his quality with the dead ball, this time swinging it beyond everyone bar the lunging Koscielny, who got a touch as it flew past Mannone to the bottom left. The ball was on target so Mata was credited with the goal, but ball-watching Arsenal again should have dealt with it.

Arsenal responded with possession-driven attacks but it was worth nothing that Cech made his first proper save just before the hour mark, tipping a Lukas Podolski header over.

Jenkinson and Gibbs were leading the charge at will but, despite some dangerous crosses, Arsenal were second to the ball in the vital areas.

Giroud and Theo Walcott were brought into the fold but the former, for all his undoubted effort, looks short of the quality required to be a main striker at this level.

He inadvertently came close to a leveller when his low shot took a huge deflection off David Luiz, but Cech palmed it wide for a corner, while a flicked header from a corner touched the woodwork, although a flag went up in the melee.

Chelsea had men behind the ball but still countered with intent, sub Victor Moses close to a spectacular half-volleyed goal that dipped just over.

Arsenal were throwing everything at the Blues, who tried to run it into the corner at every opportunity, although the hosts still carved out enough chances to grab a point. Cazorla smacked one high and wide when he should have at least made Cech work, while in stoppage time Giroud showed poor composure when put through by the aforementioned Spain midfielder, taking an extra touch wide before hammering his finish into the side netting.

Chelsea’s win – their first in 33 against Arsenal without Didier Drogba in the team – cements their claim to being the form side in England, while Arsenal must look to bounce back from disappointment, an inability to do so having marked recent seasons.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Juan Mata (Chelsea) – His dead-ball delivery is second-to-none and the Spaniard was on song today, creating the first and scoring the second as he exploited Arsenal’s hesitancy at set pieces.

Premier League, Emirates Stadium - Arsenal 6 (Hooiveld og 11, Podolski 31, Gervinho 35, 71, Clyne og 37, Walcott 88) Southampton 1 (Fox 45).

Arsenal benefited from two own goals and saw unlikely centre-forward Gervinho score twice as they hammered Southampton 6-1 at Emirates Stadium to go joint third in the Premier League.

Gervinho had not scored in 2012 but produced one of his best performances in an Arsenal shirt when filling in for Olivier Giroud in attack, the Ivorian scoring with a firm finish after 35 minutes and a close-range shot in the second half.

Southampton, bottom of the Premier League having now lost four from four, found themselves 4-1 down at half-time with Jos Hooiveld and Nathaniel Clyne putting the ball into their own net and Lukas Podolski continuing his quick acclimatisation to English football with a lovely free kick.

Wojciech Szczesny's awful error allowed Saints to pull one back just before the break but Gervinho's second of the game killed off any hopes of an unlikely comeback and Theo Walcott added a sixth against his former side with two minutes remaining.

Arsenal chose to drop summer signing Giroud to the bench but Arsene Wenger surprisingly opted to leave Podolski wide on the left as Gervinho was tasked with playing through the centre. It was a role the Ivorian adopted at times during pre-season but never looked truly comfortable in. Still, the tactical tweak worked perfectly in a first half that Arsenal dominated comprehensively.

Podolski in particular was in fine form. The summer acquisition from Cologne was using the ball well and linking up with Santi Cazorla impressively again, while his physical strength also unsettled a Southampton defence that had already conceded eight goals in three games prior to Saturday.

It was Podolski's power that helped Arsenal open the scoring after only 11 minutes. Having been knocked to ground, he got up and outmuscled two men to regain the ball and dinked a neat pass to the left to find Kieran Gibbs. The left-back opted to shoot from a tight angle and when the ball popped up off Kelvin Davis, the luckless Hooiveld got his legs in a mess and knocked it over the line for a rather comical own goal.

Podolski - scorer of 44 goals in 103 caps for Germany - has been signed for his final product but initially it was his build-up play that caught the eye, another neat pass through for Gervinho allowing the forward to win a corner with a deflected shot. Davis flapped at the delivery but then made a neat save when Francis Coquelin chipped the ball back into the box to meet the head of Per Mertesacker.

Cazorla was fantastic again after his influential performance in a 2-0 win at Liverpool last time out, his close control exceptional, and an exchange of passes with Podolski on 24 minutes preceded a ball out to Gibbs that allowed the defender to cross for Gervinho. The unlikely centre-forward headed over.

Arsenal's pressure was relentless and they doubled their lead after 31 minutes with the first of three goals in seven minutes. Steven Davis was guilty of a clumsy challenge on Coquelin and Podolski punished him with a superb curling free kick from 25 yards, though the Saints goalkeeper should have got closer to the attempt.

Four minutes later it was three. Mikel Arteta spotted a clever run from Gervinho as the Ivorian spun away from substitute Maya Yoshida, a replacement for Hooiveld who had succumbed to injury. All too often Gervinho has lacked composure in front of goal but he claimed his first goal of 2012 with a rasping finish at the near post.

Gervinho was also involved in the fourth, too. He sprayed the ball out wide to Gibbs, who provoked a second own goal of the game when his low cross was turned past Davis by Clyne. Southampton had been eviscerated, but they were gifted a goal of their own just before half-time when Szczesny was guilty of a horrible lapse and spilled the ball to Fox, who drove the ball home from eight yards.

Saints made a change at the break as Davis was removed from the centre of midfield and Gaston Ramirez, a £12 million club record signing from Bologna, was introduced for his debut. The Uruguayan almost made an immediate impact, a curling shot with his left boot forcing Szczesny into action.

Ramirez then had a sight of goal and while his shot was dragged right across the face of goal, it found Rickie Lambert arriving at the back post and as the striker slid in to meet the ball he only succeeded in turning it wide of the far post.

Southampton enjoyed a much-improved spell as they began to hit a passing rhythm but Arsenal wrestled control of the game once again on 71 minutes. Cazorla found substitute Aaron Ramsey with a glorious pass off the outside of his right boot and the Welshman held off Nathaniel Clyne to drive into the box and poke a shot past Davis. It came off the base of the post but Gervinho was on hand to tuck it away for his second of the afternoon.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain almost made it six soon after when seeing a thumping drive tipped wide by Davis, before Arsenal opted to give Podolski and Gervinho a rest, the goalscorers replaced by Theo Walcott and Giroud.

With two minutes remaining, Walcott had a goal against his former side. Thomas Vermaelen saw an initial shot saved by Davis after driving upfield but Cazorla produced a little touch off to Walcott as Southampton failed to clear and the England international tucked the ball home to round off a dominant display.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Gervinho (Arsenal) – Tough to single out one player as Podolski was hugely influential in establishing Arsenal's early lead and Cazorla was as brilliant as ever, but purely for the fact that this was such a departure from the norm for Gervinho, he takes it.

Arsenal ended their goal scoring duck in impressive fashion as they outclassed Liverpool to secure an impressive 2-0 win at Anfield.

New boys Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla both opened their accounts for Arsenal either side of half-time while Liverpool's transfer deadline day inactivity came back to haunt them as they had limited options to try and change things.

Nuri Sahin made his debut in midfield for the Reds but it was Arsenal's midfield that bossed proceedings with a fit-again Abou Diaby putting in a man of the match performance.

Liverpool meanwhile had no clear-cut attacking options on the bench, with Stewart Downing and the admittedly impressive Jonjo Shelvey the best they could do in the way of attacking substitutions.

Brendan Rodgers has tried to implement a passing policy at Liverpool, but just as last week when Martin Skrtel was guilty of an error that led to a goal, it was a misplaced pass that led to the Arsenal opener on the half hour.

An uncharacteristically off-colour Steven Gerrard was the guilty party this time as he gave the ball away cheaply while Liverpool were attacking, allowing Arsenal to burst forward on the counter.

Cazorla dribbled impressively to the edge of the area and with a dummy run from Oliver Giroud to his right creating space, the Spaniard was able to slip the ball to Podolski on the left instead and the German finished impressively after making a fantastic run.

Arsenal really should have doubled their advantage in the 41st minute in similar fashion when Diaby powered forward magnificently from deep in his own half before playing in Giroud. But the French striker made a woeful hash of his shot, slicing wide of the left post and earning an earful from Podolski as a result.

Liverpool were doing just as much attacking as Arsenal but did not have nearly the same fluidity in the final third.

The one exception to that rule was the livewire teenager Raheem Sterling, who was Liverpool's best performer. He hit the outside of the post with Liverpool's best first-half effort after slickly spinning inside the box to create the chance for himself.

The second-half followed a similar script to the first. Arsenal didn't dominate possession, but used the ball so much better than their hosts with Arteta and Diaby conducting proceedings from deep.

Even their full-backs were getting forward with Kieran Gibbs and Carl Jenkinson both forcing Pepe Reina into saves.

To be fair to Liverpool they did have a decent shout for a penalty when Per Mertesacker seemed to man-handle Luis Suarez inside the box early in the second-half, but the Uruguayan's reputation and willingness to drop to the floor theatrically clearly did him no favours as referee Howard Webb waved play on.

Arsenal deservedly doubled their advantage in the 68th minute after a lovely passing move but after his spill against Hearts in midweek, questions will again be asked about Pepe Reina.

Cazorla finished a one-two with Podolski with a shot from the left half of the box that Reina seemed to have got down to save, but the Spanish keeper only managed to deflect the ball goalward with his left hand and the ball went in at the near post.

Shelvey, who had just come on for Sahin, was also guilty of not tracking Cazorla's run, but to be fair to the substitute, he did at least try and make up for it at the other end, twice forcing Vito Mannone into good saves before the end.

Arsenal never really looked like conceding though as they kept their third consecutive clean sheet of the season, with new defensive coach Steve Bould clearly having made an impact.

On the other hand, Liverpool could have desperately done with a plan B but will now need to unearth a free agent from somewhere if they want to expand their attacking options with the transfer window shut until January.

Arsenal drew 0-0 for the second game in succession at the start of the Premier League season as they were unable to break down Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium.

In an attritional game that witnessed few genuine chances, and became ever more rancorous as one of the Premier League's real grudge matches progressed, Arsenal almost stole a win in the closing minutes through an audacious long-range effort from Olivier Giroud.

However, their new recruit brushed the top of the net with his shot, ensuring Arsenal's new attack was left frustrated again after drawing a second blank.

Having once angered Stoke by branding them a rugby team, largely due to their obvious aerial threat and brute physical presence, it was no doubt with some trepidation that Arsene Wenger was forced to name the unconvincing Vito Mannone as his goalkeeper following injuries to Wojciech Szczesny and Lukas Fabianski. The only other change from a 0-0 draw with Sunderland on the opening day saw Giroud come in for his first start, Podolski pushed out wide and Theo Walcott dropped to the bench.

Stoke had lost Matthew Etherington to injury and Dean Whitehead to suspension but, on a day when American midfielder Geoff Cameron also made his debut in midfield, it was the presence of Ryan Shawcross on the home team sheet that spoke to previous bad blood between the two clubs, the serious injury suffered by Aaron Ramsey in March 2010 never far from the surface when these two teams meet.

But while the stands witnessed some verbal sparring between the two sets of supporters, with Stoke fans in provocative mood when donning Wenger masks in an attempt to make fun of the Arsenal boss, the first half at least had little of the animosity that has characterised previous meetings between the two sides.

The game did at least initially follow one established narrative strand as Arsenal quickly found themselves exposed in the air. Peter Crouch rose above Thomas Vermaelen to nod the ball down to Jon Walters, who thumped the ball into the roof of the net before being rightly ruled offside. It had the shape of a warning shot for Arsenal, but unexpectedly the visitors defended superbly for the remainder of the half.

Stoke's best chance came when Michael Kightly turned sharply 25 yards from goal and tested Mannone with a firm drive, but otherwise Arsenal dealt with set-pieces and long throws admirably, the influence of new assistant manager Steve Bould perhaps coming into play as they shed the kind of nervous energy that has caused them to lose three of their five Premier League games at the Britannia Stadium.

Fielding their three big summer signings simultaneously for the first time, Arsenal showed plenty of invention approaching the box with Podolski lively cutting in from the left and the tiny figure of Cazorla a joy to watch as he dictated proceedings from a central role in more considered fashion. The Spaniard tested Asmir Begovic with one stinging drive from long range but his best work came in his manipulation of the ball, teeing up Podolski for a firm shot over the bar.

Having produced a lethargic debut against Sunderland, the Germany international was far more influential at the Britannia Stadium though he found his route to goal frustrated. One fine run was halted by a foul from Robert Huth, while his best chance was blocked by the diving Andy Wilkinson, who should have conceded a penalty when placing his arm in the way of the ball.

Arsenal lost their way somewhat after half time and were a touch fortunate not to concede a penalty after 58 minutes when Jermaine Pennant got round the wrong side of Kieran Gibbs and went down under contact just inside the box. The Stoke winger was furious when referee Lee Mason waved play on.

As any quality seeped out of the game, Stoke served up a reminder of the darker side to their game when Andy Wilkinson was guilty of a pretty disgraceful tackle on Podolski as he steamed into the German from behind on the edge of the box. He saw yellow, but such was the reckless nature of the challenge a red was hardly beyond the bounds of possibility.

And once again the Ramsey-Shawcross incident spilled to the forefront when the former was introduced as a substitute after 82 minutes and was booed by the home crowd.

In search of poetic justice, the Wales international flashed one shot wide of the upright and, soon after Jon Walters wasted a good chance by poking the ball at Mannone, Ramsey hared forward late on, only to be ignored by Giroud as the striker went for a spectacular long-range shot from out on the left flank.

For Arsenal, it was another tale of minor frustration at the start of a season that has witnessed real upheaval in their attack.

Arsenal began life after Robin van Persie with a frustrating 0-0 draw against Sunderland in their opening match of the new Premier League season at the Emirates Stadium.

Santi Cazorla had an impressive debut for the London side but another recent arrival, striker Olivier Giroud, missed a great chance to score his first goal for the club and seal the victory with 10 minutes remaining.

The stalemate was the third time in as many years that the Gunners have begun their campaign by only picking up one point, and it is also the third goalless draw in the last five Premier League games at the Emirates.

With their departed captain and top scorer preparing to make his Manchester United debut on Monday, Arsenal fans were given their first competitive glimpse of the future of their attack. New signings Lukas Podolski and Cazorla both started with their third summer acquisition, Giroud, on the bench.

The presence of those new star names on the teamsheet was cause for optimism among Arsenal fans, but that was more than offset by the absence of midfielder Alex Song from the matchday squad amid reports that a move to Barcelona is in the offing.

For their part, Sunderland gave a debut to Carlos Cuellar at right-back, while striker Louis Saha was only named on the bench having completed his move to Wearside earlier in the week.

Arsenal completely controlled the first half, enjoying 70 per cent of the possession, but it was Sunderland who had the first chance of the game after five minutes. James McClean was played into the box on the left and his shot from an angle was blocked by Wojciech Szczesny. Arsenal immediately countered, and Cazorla galloped forward before firing in a shot from 20 yards that Simon Mignolet parried with an outstretched arm.

That was the first significant action of a highly influential debut for Cazorla. The Spaniard struck a low shot just wide after both he and Podolski went to meet Gervinho's cross, crossed for Theo Walcott to head over the bar and generally provided a good link between midfield and the front three.

Abou Diaby, starting in the missing Song's stead, forced a good low save from Mignolet with an effort from range, but they ended the half with just two shots on target, the same as Sunderland.

The second half followed much the same pattern as the first, with most of the action in the Sunderland half as the visitors did their best to keep Arsenal at bay.

Cazorla volleyed wide after one of many searing runs into the box from Gervinho saw a deflected shot fall for him, before Theo Walcott hit the side-netting at the end of another promising move.

Midway through the second half Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger replaced Podolski – who had been tightly marked throughout – with Giroud. The French striker, who finished joint top-scorer in Ligue 1 last season as Montpellier won the title, did well to connect with Karl Jenkinson's cross with a side-footed volley on the turn, but he could not guide it on target.

If he could have been forgiven for that miss, then his next chance will have made the realisation of life without Van Persie all the more sobering. With 81 minutes on the clock, Giroud timed his run well to meet Cazorla's through ball, but with only Mignolet to beat he fired wide of the target.

That miss was to prove costly, as the final whistle came without any more opportunities as clear as that, and Arsenal finished the day having not won any of their last four home games.

Germany reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 as winners of Group B and sent Denmark crashing out after beating them 2-1 at the Arena Lviv.

Right-back Lars Bender's first international goal won the game for Joachim Loew's side on the night with 10 minutes remaining after Michael Krohn-Dehli had cancelled out Lukas Podolski's early opener.

There were some appeals for a Denmark penalty with 15 minutes remaining when Nicklas Bendtner appeared to have his shirt tugged by Holger Badstuber but referee Carlos Velasco Carballo - usually so liberal with his cards - did not take any action.

On an evening in which possession of the much-coveted second place in the group changed hands four times but failed to deliver the nail-biting finish the many group permutations had promised, a combination of Danish defeat in Lviv and Portugal's 2-1 win over Netherlands in Kharkiv saw the Danes eliminated by finishing third in the group on three points.

As group winners with nine points, Germany will play Greece in Gdansk on Friday June 22, while Portugal will face Czech Republic in Warsaw a day earlier after they finished second on six points. The Dutch go home with no points.

The victory for Germany means they have won every single competitive fixture since they lost 1-0 to Spain in the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup, having come through the qualifying phase for this competition with 10 wins out of 10. What's more, they have opened the scoring in each of those 13 subsequent games.

As expected, Germany's pace and attacking thrust saw them have the best of the opening exchanges, with Thomas Mueller firing one half-volleyed shot over the bar before sending a tame side-footed effort trickling to the keeper from six yards.

Podolski opened the scoring for Germany, putting Portugal in the top two despite Rafael van der Vaart's opening goal for Netherlands in Kharkiv.

Podolski, who turned 27 years of age a fortnight ago, became the youngest European to reach 100 international caps, and he marked the occasion with his 44th goal for Germany.

The forward, who will be lining up for Arsenal next season, gave the Premier League a taste of what to expect on 19 minutes when he pounced on to a low cross from the right and fired home from 10 yards. Denmark keeper Stephan Andersen got both hands to the strike, but the power was enough for it to hit the net.

That goal had Portugal poised to go through alongside Germany by virtue of their superior head-to-head record with the rest of the group, but it was far from the final twist in the tale.

Germany's lead lasted just five minutes before Krohn-Dehli levelled up for the Danes. The Brondby man, who scored the winner in the 1-0 win over Netherlands, was the most alert when Bendtner nodded a corner back across goal, and the five-foot-seven midfielder glanced his own header past Manuel Neuer.

Denmark were now set to progress as the outright second-placed side, but there was more drama before the half-hour mark as Cristiano Ronaldo's goal was sending Portugal through thanks to their 3-2 win over Denmark last time out.

Podolski blazed over a free-kick from the edge of the box and Sami Khedira prodded an effort wide, but the score remained level at half-time with Denmark on their way out.

Morten Olsen's side made a brief stab of a fightback after the break, with Jakob Poulsen's strike shaving the outside of the post after good hold-up play by Bendtner, but in truth that was as close as they got.

Andersen was forced into a regulation save from Bastian Schweinsteiger low to his left, but once news filtered through that Ronaldo had scored his and Portugal's second in Kharkiv there looked no way back for Denmark - despite the fact that scoring one more of their own would put them through and Germany out.

Some thought they would have that chance when Bendtner was at full stretch to meet a floated ball into the box and Badstuber appeared to have a handful of the Arsenal striker's shirt. However, Spanish official Velasco - whose two red cards in the opening match of the tournament took his tally for the season to 17 and who averaged 7.5 bookings in La Liga last term - deemed the incident unworthy of his involvement.

On 80 minutes it was all over and Germany were confirmed as progressing with a 100 per cent record. Mesut Ozil's pass was too far ahead of substitute Miroslav Klose, but it ran ideally for Bender to meet on the run and sidefoot a cool finish past Andersen to open his international account on his ninth senior appearance.

Mario Gomez gave Germany a narrow 1-0 win over Portugal in Group B after a wretched match at the Arena Lviv in Ukraine.

The match seemed destined to finish goalless with both sides reluctant to commit bodies forward, but Bayern Munich's Gomez settled the match in Germany's favour when he rose to head Sami Khedira's deflected cross beyond Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio on 72 minutes.

Portugal enjoyed their best moments of the match when they were forced to throw caution to the wind in the death throes of the match, but their defensive approach did not contribute to an appetising spectacle as men such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani and Helder Postiga were forced to live off scraps for most of the evening.

Germany will reach the last eight if they beat the Netherlands on Wednesday night. It should be a fascinating occasion with the Dutch needing to avoid defeat having lost 1-0 to Denmark in Kharkiv earlier in the day.

Portugal showed enough against Germany in the final 18 minutes to suggest they can beat Denmark on Wednesday but they would be better served to adopt a more positive outlook against Morten Olsen's side.

The first period was a non-event in terms of being an event as Lukas Podolski drove a shot into the arms of Patricio on eight minutes with Thomas Mueller screwing a effort wide seven minutes before half-time.

The best chance of the half fell to Portugal a minute before half-time as Pepe saw a header come back off the underside of the bar before bouncing to safety.

Portugal claimed for a goal, but replays showed it had not crossed the line.

Jerome Boateng was forced to make a fine tackle on Ronaldo as he prepared to shoot inside the Germany box on 64 minutes. Gomez struck eight minutes later to settle the matches moments before he was going to be replaced.

Watched by Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, Portugal could have rescued a draw in the closing moments as Nani saw a cross clip the top of Germany's bar while Ronaldo's effort from distance was beaten out by Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer as it dipped and swerved in the air.

Neuer then spread himself superbly well to save from Varela after his fellow substitute Nelson Oliveira had shown some intelligence to play provider.

Portugal have never been eliminated from the group stage of the European Championships in five appearances. They at least know what is on the line before they confront Denmark.