Italy, Denmark Eliminated From European Championship

Italy was eliminated from the European soccer championships Wednesday with a scoreless tie against Germany.

The Germans advanced to the quarterfinal from Group C, along with the Czech Republic, which tied Russia, 3-3.

The Italians and Czechs tied for second behind Germany, but the Czechs defeated Italy, 2-1, last Friday.

When the Russians turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead with five minutes remaining, the Italian fans among the 53,740 at Manchester United’s Old Trafford went wild. But their joy turned to agony when they heard that Vladimir Smicer had tied it a minute from the end.

Also ousted was defending champion Denmark, despite defeating Turkey, 3-0, in Sheffield and finishing third in Group D.

The Czechs face Group D winner Portugal in one quarterfinal Sunday, and two-time titlist Germany faces Croatia. The other games are England-Spain and France-Netherlands, both Saturday.