Portugal might have needed the final playoff round to qualify for Euro 2012, but its latest performance put the rest of the field on notice that it can still live up to its reputation as a world powerhouse.
After being held to a scoreless draw in the first leg of its playoff with Bosnia & Herzegovina, Portugal exploded for six goals in a 6-2 rout in the home leg on Tuesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored twice, kicked things off for the hosts with a tremendous free kick, and Nani doubled the lead with a gorgeous strike from outside the area. Bosnia & Herzegovina twice got within one goal, but Portugal finished with a flurry, getting two goals from Helder Postiga and one from Miguel Veloso in a 10-minute span to run away with the result.
Portugal was one of four teams to qualify for the finals in the second-leg matches played on Tuesday:
Robbie Keane's Republic of Ireland was already a virtual lock to be one of the final 16 teams after a 4-0 first-leg victory, but it officially cemented its place with a 1-1 draw against Joel Lindpere's Estonia. Stephen Ward and Konstantin Vassiljev traded goals to account for the scoring.
Keane emerged unscathed after starting and playing 67 minutes and will be ready to suit up for the Los Angeles Galaxy during this weekend's MLS Cup. Lindpere, the New York Red Bulls midfielder, started for Estonia, playing 54 minutes.
Croatia also rode it's first-leg advantage to eliminate Turkey. After winning, 3-0, on Friday, Croatia sparred the visitors to a scoreless draw on Tuesday.
Joining those three qualifiers is the Czech Republic, which added a goal from Petr Jiracek to its 2-0 first-leg advantage in a 1-0 win at Montenegro.
As a result, the 16 teams in next month's Euro 2012 draw will be:
Poland, Ukraine, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, England, Russia, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, France, Denmark, Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland.
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Impressed with Portugal's attacking display? What did you think of Tuesday's other results? Which underdog among the final 16 teams can you see doing some damage?
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