Germany, one of the main favorites to win Euro 2012, has scored its first victory at the championship in a clash against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.

Germany and Portugal were 0-0 at halftime in their Group B opener at the European Championship on Saturday in a match, which took place in Lviv, Ukraine.

Even though the game promised a lot, the first half was very quiet. Portugal proved difficult to break down for the Germans, who seemed happier to keep the ball than attack.

Pepe had the best chance of the match, hitting the underside of the German crossbar late in the half. But Germany had more chances and more possession, they just couldn't translate that into goals.

Cristiano Ronaldo created Portugal's first chance in the 18th minute but Philipp Lahm slid to prevent the ball from reaching Nani at the far post.

Mario Gomez's pinpoint header on 72 minutes stole all three points for the tournament favorites with a second-half header.

In another sign that the closely-fought encounter could have gone either way, Portugal had their best chance of the match two minutes before the end, but Neuer did fantastically well to spread himself and block Nelson Oliveira from point blank range.

Next up for Germany is a clash against fellow favorites Netherlands, while Portugal square off against Denmark, with both matches taking place on Wednesday.

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