Fabregas sends Spain into Finals
Portugal and Spain teams line-up alongside the officials
The opening 45 minutes, while having a good ebb and flow to the game, it certainly did not set the footballing world alight.
Chances were few and far between as the game was characterised by the sublime passing and good possession control by both teams.
However, neither side were too adventurous in attack as both teams’ defences looked well organised and impenetrable.
Spain definitely had the better of the opening exchanges and looked content to pass the ball around without posing any real threat on goal.
In the ninth minute, though, some intricate passing inside the box by the Spanish led to a chance on goal for Alvaro Arbeloa, but the defender fired just over the bar from 16-yards out.
The next chance on goal only came 20 minutes later and again was the result of some slick Spanish passing. This time Andres Iniesta curled his shot from just inside the box inches over the woodwork.
Portugal’s first real scoring chance only came in the 31st minute and it was none other than Ronaldo who had the opportunity on goal.
A slip in the Spanish defence allowed Ronaldo to let loose with a low pile-driver from 20-yards out, but his shot went narrowly wide of the target.
The teams entered the half time break all square.
The second 45 was much of the same and the crowd began to let the team’s know how they felt with boos ringing out any time a team passed the ball about without real purpose.
And hence, with neither team able to break down the other’s stubborn defence the players resulted to shooting from long range.
In the 57th minute Hugo Almeida let fly from 30-yards, but the Portuguese striker lacked accuracy as his shot sailed over the crossbar.
In the 68th minute it was the turn of Xavi Hernandez to shoot from distance, but while his shot had plenty of power his 25-yard effort was straight at the goalkeeper who made a comfortable save.
Ronaldo had a couple of chances after that from set-pieces, roughly 25-yards out each in the 73rd and 84th minute respectively, but both efforts sailed over the crossbar.
The 90 minutes saw the match finished 0-0 and the teams entered extra-time in a bid to find a winner before the dreaded penalty shoot-out decided matters.
The first 15 minutes of extra-time definitely saw the Spanish doing the majority of the attacking, but for all their pressure on the Portuguese goal Spain couldn’t create a clear-cut scoring chance.
That was until the 104th minute when Iniesta missed a glaring chance as he timidly tried to turn a left-wing cross home, but his weak four-yard shot was saved by Rui Patricio at close range.
In the second half of extra-time only Patricio kept the scores level when he stopped a thunderous 14-yard shot from Jesus Navas in the 11th minute with a fine save, diving low to his right to make the stop.
After that the game flowed from end to end as the players tired, but neither could find the winner as the game ended 0-0 after 120 minutes of football and entered the lottery of the penalty shoot-out.
The first two penalties were saved before the next five were successfully converted. Bruno Alves then struck the crossbar with his spot-kick before Cesc Fabregas scored the winning penalty to take Spain to the finals of Euro 2012.
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