Great day for me, says German debutant Lars Bender

Lviv (Ukraine) – Debutant German defender Lars Bender, after scoring the match-winner against Denmark in the Euro 2012, said it was a great day for him scoring a goal in his first match.

Germany beat Denmark 2-1 Sunday to score the full nine points from three games to advance to the quarter-finals as winners of Group B, reports Xinhua.

“Apart from my goal, it was a great day for me. It was my first appearance at Euro and I scored the winning goal to help us reach the quarter-finals. I will remember this day for a very long time,” said Bender.

After a 1-1 first half tie, Denmark, who lost to Portugal 2-3 earlier in the group, tried to import some urgency into their game, knowing a draw would still nullify their hope of advancing as Portugal then led 2-1 over the Netherlands.

Thus, Germany punished them in ruthless fashion as young Bender slotted the winner past Stephan Andersen for his first international goal in the 80th minute.

Lukas Podolski gave Germany the lead on his 100th appearance as he scored the opener in the 19th minute after Thomas Muller turned in the box and cut the ball back for the Arsenal striker who produced an emphatic finish from close range.

Michael Krohn-Dehli found the equaliser for Denmark with a firm header from a corner five minutes later.

Germany will face Greece in the quarter-finals June 22 in Gdansk, Poland, while Portugal, who eventually beat the Netherlands 2-1, progress as runners-up and will take on the Czech Republic in Warsaw June 21.

“Against Greece, it will be a completely different match,” said Germany coach Joachim Low. “Nevertheless, they play a very similar game to the Danes. They are very dangerous in attack and strong in defence.”