Tags
Alvaro Negredo, Bruno Alves, Cesc Fabregas, Cristiano Ronaldo, Euro 2012, Euro 2012 semifinal, Paulo Bento, Spain Portugal penalty kicks, Spain-Portugal Recap, Xavi
Spain defeated Portugal in penalty kicks 4-2 to advance to the 2012 European Championship.
• Portugal had the right strategy. Press hard on defense and never let Spain get ready on the ball. Xavi had arguably his worst game of the tournament. On the flip side, Portugal only produce a few chances and Cristiano Ronaldo was guilty of overhitting the ball several times. Still, a side worthy of applause because they tried to attack Spain as best they could.
• It was the first time in the tournament Spain looked shaky and frustrated. Their only flashes of offense came in the extra 30 minutes. Manager Vicente Del Bosque shocked fans when he starting Alvaro Negredo. That was disastrous and he brought on Cesc Fabregas early in the second half.
• It’s looking more-and-more likely that we see a Spain-Germany final. However, if Spain replicates their performance today they will lose to the Germans. Maybe Portugal has finally put down the blueprint on how to stifle the silky Spanish attack. It’s amazing what happens when a team plays with confidence and doesn’t hide from the opponent.
One More Thought: Paulo Bento and Portugal made a drastic error in having Cristiano Ronaldo set to take the fifth penalty. Instead Bruno Alves took the fourth penalty and missed. Then Fabregas came up and knocked in the game-winner off the post.