Luck deserted us, says Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo

Euro 2012: Luck deserted us, says Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo

• Germany and Portugal are both charged by Uefa
• Holger Badstuber: 'Win has released pressure on Germany'

Cristiano Ronaldo believes Portugal were the better side despite the 1-0 defeat to Germany in Group B. Photograph: Mario Cruz/EPA

Germany and Portugal have both been charged by Uefa following Saturday's Group B game. The German Football Association have been called to account over the behaviour of their country's supporters, who threw missiles on to the pitch and let off smoke bombs at the Arena Lviv.

Portugal, meanwhile, face action over a delayed kick-off to the second half, but that was the least of their concerns after defeat left Cristiano Ronaldo bemoaning their bad luck – yet in doing so he was also overlooking their shortcomings at the end of a night that left his side facing a pressure game against Denmark on Wednesday.

The Germany goal lived a charmed life in the closing stages but Portugal had waited for too long to raise the tempo against a team who failed to deliver a performance in keeping with their billing as one of the favourites.

Although Germany were beginning to look increasingly desperate as the clock ticked down, it was not until after Mario Gomez's towering header beat Rui Patrício in the 72nd minute that Portugal attacked with real menace, although that was not the view of Ronaldo. "In the second half they had virtually one chance, and we hit the bar twice and had some big opportunities," said the Real Madrid forward. who showed only flashes of brilliance on a largely disappointing evening."[There was] a lot of bad luck and a lot of frustration because we knew we deserved more.

"We have been playing well for several games and just haven't had the luck with our finishing. It's not due to efficiency; I think the main reason has been a lack of luck. Anyone who watched the match will have seen that we were better than Germany and the chances speak for themselves. But now we have to pick ourselves up. We have to take as an example 2004, when we also started with a defeat but then reached the final."

For Germany, the overwhelming emotion was one of relief. Although they controlled possession for long spells in the first half, they lost their way and Gomez was close to being withdrawn when he expertly converted Sami Khedira's cross. "I have had a good feeling since the first day I came here and so I was able to repay the coach," the Bayern Munich striker said. "It was clear that Miro [Klose] would be brought on for the last couple of minutes. I thought I would get a last chance, and I took it."

Germany will go into the game against Holland on Wednesday in a much better state of mind than their opponents, who lost 1-0 against Denmark. "We can now release a little bit of the pressure and focus on our next game," said Holger Badstuber. "For the Netherlands, it's do or die. It'll be a tough one. It's always been a prestigious encounter and I think it will be even tougher than usual as it's crucial for them. We will go there full of confidence, not to hide."

Pepe, who hit the bar in the first half, refused to be downbeat about Portugal's prospects. "There are four high-quality teams in our group [and] we have showed we're capable of getting through if we continue to play as we did [against Germany] – we just need the luck.

"Unfortunately it's not always the best team that wins. I spoke to [Mesut] Ozil [a Real Madrid team-mate] and he told me a draw would have been a fairer result."

By : Haiderzai