The Czech Republic and Greece qualified for the Euro 2012 quarter-finals on Saturday after the Czechs beat co-hosts Poland 1-0 to win Group A and the Greeks unexpectedly defeated Russia by the same scoreline.

Petr Jiracek's 72nd-minute strike meant the Czechs ended with six points and will face the second-placed team in Group B.

A goal from Giorgos Karagounis in first-half stoppage-time knocked out the fancied Russians and put Greece into a last-eight match against the Group B winners.

The Greeks, bottom of the group after two games, finished level with Russians on four points but took the qualifying spot because of their better head-to-head record. Dick Advocaat's men had been tipped as possible winners of the tournament but paid the price for a poor performance.

Why Greece go to Quarter Final and not the Russian team ?
Tie-breaking criteria

If two or more teams are equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following criteria are applied to determine the rankings (according to paragraphs 8.07 and 8.08 of the regulations, and amendment to 8.07 adopted by the UEFA Executive Committee):

  1. Higher number of points obtained in the matches played between the teams in question;
  2. Superior goal difference resulting from the matches played between the teams in question (if more than two teams finish equal on points);
  3. Higher number of goals scored in the matches played between the teams in question (if more than two teams finish equal on points);
  4. If, after having applied criteria 1 to 3 to more than two teams, two teams still have an equal ranking, criteria 1 to 3 are reapplied exclusively to the matches between the two teams in question to determine the final rankings of the two teams. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria 5 to 10 apply in the order given;
  5. Superior goal difference in all group matches;
  6. Higher number of goals scored in all group matches;
  7. If two teams which are tied in all criteria 1 to 6 play their last group match against each other (i.e., the result is a draw and the two teams have the same number of points, goal difference and goals scored), and provided no other teams within the group have the same number of points, the ranking of the two teams in question is determined by penalty shoot-out. Otherwise, criteria 8 to 10 apply in the order given;
  8. Position in the UEFA national team coefficient ranking system;
  9. Fair play conduct of the teams (final tournament);
  10. Drawing of lots.

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