Euro 2012 Team of Matchday 3: Cristiano Ronaldo & Cassano save their best for final group games

Goal – Wed, Jun 20, 2012

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The Euro 2012 quarter-finalists have been decided after a frantic final set of group-stage fixtures that saw a number of individuals put in star performances in the hope of helping their countries progress. Goal.com takes you through the players who stepped up for their national teams.

Beginning with the goalkeeper, one cannot ignore the display of Stephan Andersen against Germany. The Danish shot-stopper did brilliantly to deny Thomas Muller in the early stages and also stopped Andre Schurrle later on. In a losing cause, he expertly claimed crosses as Denmark could not survive the group stage, but that was certainly no fault of the man who stepped in after an injury to first-choice Thomas Sorensen.

At the back, Portugal have been one of the more impressive sides at Euro 2012 so far and the strong play of Pepe against Netherlands in their final pool match helped them emerge from the 'Group of Death'. The desperate Oranje had the majority of the possession, but the powerful centre-back stopped Bert van Marwijk's side in their tracks as Paulo Bento's men progressed and their opponents went crashing out of the competition at the first hurdle.

Croatia and Gordon Schildenfeld in particular can feel aggrieved at their elimination from Euro 2012 after a fine performance against trophy holders Spain. Dominant at the back, the former Sturm Graz man nullified the threat of Fernando Torres and made several brave challenges against his talented opponents, nonetheless his side succumbed to an unfortunate late goal.

England topped Group D on the back of teamwork and effort more than flashes of brilliance and John Terry was a prime example, keeping the defence organised as Ukraine piled on the pressure. An early challenge on Artem Milevsky set the tone before his acrobatic goal-line clearance kept the co-hosts off the scoresheet, although replays suggest the ball narrowly crossed the line.

Moving into midfield, Terry's team-mate Steven Gerrard proved to be the Three Lions' assist man once more. The Liverpool star's swirling ball eventually found its way to Wayne Rooney's head at the back post, and his set-piece delivery, as well as some bustling runs from midfield, were once again a bright spot for Roy Hodgson's side.

Bastian Schweinsteiger's disciplined performance against Denmark certainly did not grab the headlines, but earned him a second cap in our Best XI and was crucial to Germany's cause against Christian Eriksen and Co. in Lviv. The Bayern Munich star continued to answer his critics by shutting down the Danes' counterattacks.

Petr Jiracek was named Goal.com's Player of the Week after he helped the Czech Republic to surprisingly top Group A. The 26-year-old midfielder booked his side's passage to the quarter-finals and broke the hearts of co-hosts Poland with a fine goal as he drifted inside from the wing and placed a low shot just inside the far post.

Greece were led to a shock quarter-final berth by Giorgos Karagounis, who struck to claim a 1-0 win over much-fancied Russia. The team captain bagged an emphatic winner with a powerful low finish after taking advantage of a defensive error, but cruelly will miss the knockout tie with Germany after a controversial booking.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the first player to earn a perfect five-star rating from Goal.com at Euro 2012 following his decisive display against Netherlands. The Seleccao star made an inch-perfect run before nudging the ball home for his first goal and then scored the winner by calmly finishing off a counterattack after beating his marker. Ronaldo was simply unplayable on the day, also hitting the post twice in what was arguably his best-ever performance for his country.

Up front we have two AC Milan strikers, starting with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose world-class volley gave Sweden a 1-0 win over France despite an early exit from Euro 2012. The towering striker was once again at the heart of his side's attacking play and can leave the tournament with his head held high after such an outstanding strike.

Finally, Italy squeaked into the quarter-finals and Antonio Cassano was a step ahead of the rest in the 2-0 success over Republic of Ireland. The playmaker helped the Azzurri dominate for a long stretch of the first half with some fine interplay up front and broke the deadlock with a header from Andrea Pirlo's corner kick.