AFP, Sochi :
Friday’s World Cup clash between Portugal and Spain will be their fourth meeting at a major tournament this century, going back to Euro 2004, when Cristiano Ronaldo was just starting out.
AFP Sport casts a glance over the previous three clashes, which produced just two goals:
Euro 2004
June 20, 2004, Lisbon: Euro 2004 Group A
Portugal 1 Spain 0
Ronaldo is the only survivor from this game who will feature in Sochi. He was just 19 when the Iberian neighbours went head to head in a vital final group game at the European Championship in Portugal. The winners knew they would go through to the last eight with Greece and a second-half Nuno Gomes goal gave the host nation the victory in Lisbon. Captained by Luis Figo, Portugal went on to lose the final to the Greeks, while the early exit was something of a nadir for the Spanish. Only three players from this game – Iker Casillas, Carles Puyol and Fernando Torres -were still there to start the Euro 2008 final victory over Germany.
World Cup 2010
June 29, 2010, Cape Town: World Cup last 16
Spain 1 Portugal 0
Spain, by now the reigning European champions, got their revenge in this knockout clash at the World Cup in South Africa. Portugal had reached the last 16 without conceding a goal but Spain eventually broke them down in the 63rd minute in Cape Town, David Villa scoring at the second attempt after his initial effort had been saved by Eduardo.
The Portuguese finished with 10 men after Ricardo Costa was sent off on a poor night for Ronaldo, who sloped off the pitch at the end, spitting disapprovingly at the ground right in front of a television camera that was following the Real Madrid star. – Euro 2012 –
June 27, 2012, Donetsk: Euro 2012 semi-final
Portugal 0 Spain 0 after extra time
Spain win 4-2 on penalties
Another incredibly tense and tight meeting of the countries, this time in deepest Ukraine with a place in the final of the European Championship at stake.
It was half past midnight local time when Cesc Fabregas scored the spot-kick that took Spain through to the final in which they destroyed Italy to win a third consecutive major title.
Ronaldo had been unable to make the difference and did not even get the chance to take a penalty in the shoot-out. He was lined up to go fifth, but misses by Joao Moutinho and Bruno Alves had already condemned Portugal before he stepped up.
