Spain’s Historic Victory: Beating Portugal in the 2012 EURO Semi-Finals

The EURO 2012 Semi-Finals will forever be remembered as one of the most thrilling matches in the tournament’s history. This epic showdown between Spain and Portugal was a battle to determine who would advance to the finals. The game was a showcase of top-tier football, filled with unforgettable moments that will be etched in the memories of players like Jesús Navas, Cesc Fàbregas, Fernando Torres, Ricardo Costa, and Miguel Lopes. As the game progressed, the tension and excitement only grew, with each team fighting fiercely for every opportunity. Let’s journey back to that unforgettable night and relive the excitement of one of the most remarkable matches in EURO history.

EURO Cup 2012: Spain vs Portugal Semi-Finals

The year was 2012 and Spain was in the Semi-Finals of the Tournament after being undefeated in the whole group stage while the Portugal team had lost just 1 match and were also high on confidence. On 27th June 2012, Portugal was scheduled to play against the Spain team at the Donbas Arena, Donetsk which had a seating capacity of 48,000 football fans who were present in the stadium to cheer for their favourite team. 

First-Half of the Match

The match started with Spain having the ball possession and hence they got up with an attacking mindset. In the opening minutes, Veloso’s deflected effort forced Casillas to tip it over for a corner which the Spanish goalkeeper gathered. Portugal maintained possession comfortably in the early exchanges, with Ronaldo and Nani involved. However, they could not create any clear-cut chances. Spain had their first spell of possession a couple of minutes in, but it was short-lived as Arbeloa conceded a foul on Coentrao.

As the game settled, Portugal continued to probe through Coentrao’s threat down the left flank. However, their attacks did not yield any notable opportunities. Spain began to control the tempo and dictate play around the 9th minute after a strong Portuguese start. Their first meaningful attack saw Alba and Iniesta combine down the left before Pepe cleared the danger. Moments later, Alonso played Silva through on goal, but Patricio collected the ball. 

The first half continued to be an evenly contested affair. Portugal created a chance in the 43rd minute when Ronaldo found Almeida in the box, but his header went just wide. Ronaldo was a constant threat, while Moutinho controlled the midfield impressively for Portugal. Spain had a sight at goal when Alba picked out Silva in the area, but Alves cleared the danger with a thumping header. The first half ended with a scoreline of 0-0 with both teams waiting for their first-ever goal of the match.

Portugal’s high ball possession didn’t allow Spain any time on the ball. The Spanish lacked ideas going forward, with moves regularly breaking down when Iniesta and Silva combined. However, Spain went close when Xavi played Iniesta through in the box, but his effort narrowly missed the bar. Portugal had a golden opportunity when Ronaldo found space in the area, only to drag his shot just wide.

Second-Half of the Match

For the second half of the match, both the teams were looking forward to creating some more chances and finally getting the lead in the match. Portugal started the second half on the front foot, with Pepe playing a long ball towards Ronaldo in the opening minute. However, a foul was given against the Portuguese. The first real chance fell to Portugal again when Nani delivered an inviting cross into the box, but Pique rose highest to head clear the danger.

Spain struggled to get going after the restart, with Portugal continuing to press them high up the pitch and control possession in the Spanish half. There were no signs of a change in approach from Spain despite their lacklustre first-half display. They eventually won their first corner when Silva made a foray down the right, but Alves cleared the set-piece. Portugal broke quickly from the cleared corner, winning another set-piece of their own off Alba, though Alonso dealt with Nani’s resulting delivery.

By the 81 minutes of the game, both the teams were still at a scorecard of 0-0 and it looked like the match was going to go to extra time. Somehow, Portugal got a free-kick and it looked like they had a chance to convert it into a goal but Christiano Ronaldo missed the free-kick and hence another chance ended up as missed. With the clock ticking towards the 87th minute and extra time looming, Spain substituted Xavi for Pedro, indicating no further role for Torres. The game seemed to drift towards extra time, as both teams played with cautious intent. 

The fourth official signalled three minutes of added time, and in the 92nd minute, Portugal had a golden chance to clinch victory. Meireles led a swift counter-attack and slipped the ball to Ronaldo, who, unfortunately, blasted his shot high and wide. Spain swiftly regained possession, maintaining their patient approach, probing with precise passes in the final moments. But both the teams failed to make it big in the 90 minutes and hence the scorecard remained at 0-0.

Extra Time of the Match

As extra time began, Spain quickly attacked with Navas running down the right side, but Pepe cleared the danger. Portugal then focused on keeping possession, while Busquets went down in midfield. In the fifth minute, both teams played cautiously, with little threat from either side. Pedro had a promising run in the seventh minute, but he was stopped by Portugal’s defence.

The game slowed down with both teams passing the ball neatly but without much action. Pepe made a strong defensive header in the 10th minute. Towards the end of the first period, Spain increased their attacks. Ramos’s powerful shot just missed the goal. Spain had a free-kick before the break, but it didn’t lead to a goal. The first half of extra time ended goalless, with Patricio making a crucial save to stop Iniesta’s close-range shot.

In the second half of extra time, Spain kept pushing for a goal. In the 28th minute, Alba’s cross was cleared by Pepe, and Pedro and Iniesta’s play was stopped by an offside call. Navas sent another dangerous cross, but Portugal got a free-kick. Pedro tried to break through in the 24th minute, but Coentrao cleared the ball. Alonso’s tough tackle on Ronaldo added to the tension, leading to a free-kick for Portugal. Varela came on for Meireles, and Navas had a shot saved by Patricio.

Fabregas took a long shot in the 20th minute, but Pepe deflected it. Ronaldo stayed down briefly after a challenge from Ramos, and Coentrao’s pass to Ronaldo didn’t connect. In the final minutes, Spain controlled the ball and kept creating chances, but couldn’t score. In the end, neither team could score during extra time, leading to a penalty shootout to decide the winner of this hard-fought Euro 2012 semi-final.

Penalty Shoot-Outs

As the game went into the penalty shoot-outs, both Spain and Portugal got their players ready to get the game in their favour. The Penalty shoot-outs went as follows:

https://youtu.be/IgwsdBR_N1w?si=xgWAbrYItYXTiKQZ

After so much drama and a flurry of emotions, Spain finally cruised to the Finals of the EURO Cup 2012 while the Portugal team was eliminated. Christiano Ronaldo was in disbelief and was disappointed with the way the match ended as his team was knocked out of the competition. For the fans, this contest was an amazing one because of the way it was decided through the penalties.