Germany Has 1-0 Halftime Lead Over Greece in Euro Quarterfinal

Captain Philipp Lahm scored to give Germany a 1-0 lead against Greece at halftime of their quarterfinal in soccer’s European Championship.

The defender cut in from the wing and scored past an outstretched Greek goalkeeper Michalis Sifakis in the 39th minute of the match in Gdansk, Poland.

Germany had 70 percent of possession in the period, and had several chances to score before Lahm’s goal. The Greeks tried to frustrate their opponents by keeping 9 or 10 players in their half to defend.

Germany made it to tonight’s quarterfinal as the sole team to win all three matches in the tournament’s opening group round. Greece advanced by beating Russia 1-0 on the final day of the opening stage.

The teams have met eight times, with the 2004 European champion Greece never beating Germany, which has won 5 of the matches and tied the others, according to statistics from FIFA, the sport’s governing body.

Last night, Portugal defeated the Czech Republic 1-0 to become the first team to reach the semifinals.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Christopher Elser at celser@bloomberg.net