Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Euro 2012—Semifinal 1, Donbass Arena, Donetsk, Ukraine
Portugal vs. Spain (second half)
LINEUPS
Portugal: Rui Patricio; Bruno Alves, Pepe, Fabio Coentrão, João Pereira; Miguel Veloso, João Moutinho, Raul Meireles; Nani, Cristiano Ronaldo Hugo Almeida.
Spain: Iker Casillas; Sergio Ramos, Gerard Piqué, Jordi Alba, Álvaro Arbeloa; Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Xavi; Andrés Iniesta, David Silva; Álvaro Negredo.
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76'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
The Portuguese have a promising attack and Nani finds himself with space on the right for a moment.
But the pass is behind him and Spain's defense catches up.
75'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Still no score, and it's getting a bit chippy out there.
Spain passing the ball aimlessly at the moment. Their movement is uncharacteristically slow.
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73'—SHOT!
Ronaldo gets his shot to dip, but it still flies over the bar.
Not a bad effort.
72'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Cristiano Ronaldo draws a foul outside the box. He'll have a free kick about 30 yards out, somewhat close to the middle.
70'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Just 20 minutes left and it's still scoreless.
Who will make the breakthrough? Will anyone make the breakthrough?
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I believe Karl is right:
please correct me if i'm wrong - was that shot from xavi the first one on target today?
— Karl Matchett (@karlmatchett) June 27, 2012
67'—SHOT!
Xavi shoots straight at the keeper from long distance. Portugal looked a bit stretched for once.
Cesc Fabregas was open. Maybe Xavi should have laid off the ball.
65'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
The free kick is headed out authoritatively.
Corner to Spain, and it's headed away too.
64'—CARD!
Joao Pereira brings down Cesc Fabregas along the edge of the box on the left side.
Fabregas would have been through on goal otherwise. Good foul to give up.
Free kick for Spain in a dangerous spot.
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Yep, this is about right:
Busquets and Pepe got yellow cards within seconds of each other. Suddenly the Earth is in balance #euro12
— Dan Levy (@DanLevyThinks) June 27, 2012
61'—CARD!
Pepe clatters into Xabi Alonso's back with a high knee. He earns a yellow for his trouble.
Surprisingly, that's Pepe's first card of the tournament.
Xabi Alonso looks shaken up.
60'—SPAIN SUP
Jesus Navas replaces David Silva.
That must mean Spain's players are really tired.
60'—CARD!
Sergio Busquets receives a yellow card for complaining about Cristiano Ronaldo.
Looks like Busquets wanted a yellow card for Ronaldo, who had tumbled in the box under Sergio Ramos' challenge.
Good call by the ref.
Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images 59'—SHOT!
Cristiano Ronaldo and Hugo Almeida play a one-two down the left, and Almeida runs on goal before shooting high and wide of the near post.
57'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Nani takes a corner for Portugal…
… and it's poor. They'll have to do better than that to beat Spain.
Moments later, Hugo Almeida hits a shot well over the bar after another lost possession by Spain.
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For a substitution, we've just seen a surprisingly large amount of activity generated on Twitter.
Did Del Bosque try to publicly prove a point about the 4-3-3-0 system by starting the completely ineffective Negredo?
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) June 27, 2012
And:
Finally Alvaro Negredo comes off, but it's for Cesc Fabregas so we get no strikers instead of Fernando Llorente because, ummm..
— SB Nation Soccer (@SBNationSoccer) June 27, 2012
And:
Viva 4-6-0!!! God shall smile on Spain for appeasing the tactical gods.
— Mike Cardillo (@thatsonpoint) June 27, 2012
54'—SUB!
Alvaro Negredo leaves the match. Cesc Fabregas comes on for Spain.
Why not make that change at halftime?
Alex Livesey/Getty Images 53'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Now Joao Pereira has his cross deflected out for a corner.
That was set up by Joao Moutinho, who has been good once again.
51'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Pereira heads the ball out for a corner after a nice cross by Spain's Alvaro Arbeloa.
Martin Rose/Getty Images 49'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Rumors of Spain's demise have been greatly exaggerated. The Spaniards just strung together about 371 consecutive passes over the last two minutes.
Didn't lead to anything though.
46'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Portugal restart the match. No goals so far, but I figure we'll see at least one this half.
No changes at the half.
Martin Rose/Getty Images HALFTIME: PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Spain had only 56 percent of the possession in the first half. That's not their normal dominating amount of, say, 65 percent or more.
Portugal's midfielders and defenders seem to be swarming to the ball in numbers, but the twist is that they're doing it while the ball is in transit from one Spanish player to another.
The strategy seems to be working, but Spain's players also look tired. They've been more careless with their passes than I can ever remember.
More than anything, though, the consensus seems to be that Portugal's players and coaches aren't afraid of Spain.
So what will happen in the second half?
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From Twitter:
Paul Carr @PCarrESPN
Spain's pass completion pct of 83.8 is its lowest in a first half at #Euro2012.
And:
Will Tidey @willtidey
Bring forth the Torres
And:
Miguel Delaney @MiguelDelaney
Spain not quite getting to passes, Busquets miscontrolling... is the four days and the travelling having an effect? Not at optimum.
Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images HALFTIME: PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
There's the halftime whistle. Neither side scored in the first half, nor were there many clear chances.
But it's interesting to see how Portugal's players are holding their own. Spain don't look like the same team that's dominated Europe and the world for the past four years.
Back in a moment with tweets and a few more thoughts.
45'—CARD!
Fabio Coentrao receives a yellow card. No one seems to know why.
45'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Almost halftime. Not many chances yet, but this has been a fascinating game.
43'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Spain lose possession again in the midfield. Is this a different team than the one that played the first four games?
Anyway, Tweeps are starting to turn on Spain striker Alvaro Negredo:
Neri Stein @neristein
This Negredo thing has not worked out. But can't sacrifice Busquets for attacker when defense is so shaky.
And:
Xoel Cárdenas @XoelCardenas
OK, Negredo is not working. He needs to go in the second half.
41'—CARD!
Spain lose possession again, and Portugal counter.
Sergio Ramos takes out Ronaldo in the midfield and earns a yellow card for it.
He should have drawn a yellow for his challenge on Nani too.
Jasper Juinen/Getty Images 38'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Spain's David Silva angles through the midfield and runs toward goal, but instead of shooting, he tries to lay off for Iniesta.
Should have shot.
36'—INJURY
Nani is lying on the pitch and receiving attention after running into the back of Sergio Ramos.
Prediction: In two minutes, he'll be running like nothing was ever wrong.
Jasper Juinen/Getty Images 35'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
More tiki-taka passing from Spain, but this time they let the ball go out without any pressure from Portugal.
Spain's players look tired.
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Totally agree:
Grant Wahl
@GrantWahl
- ✔
Darke & Macca sounding rawer than usual, like guys who've been traveling hard for 3 weeks. I like it.
31'—RONALDO SHOT!
Ronaldo shoots just wide of the near post from just outside the box.
Again, the chance came after Portugal took possession off Spain.
His first touch really created that opportunity, though.
30'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN
Nani bursts through Spain's midfield with a charging dribble, but the ref calls him back…
… for a foul on Spain.
What was that, ref? Way to let Portugal play the advantage.
29'—SPAIN CHANCE!
Andres Iniesta curls a shot just over the bar!
The move started as Alvaro Negredo tracked down a speculative long ball from Xabi Alonso.
Alex Livesey/Getty Images 27'—PENALTY?
Spain's Sergio Ramos chests down a pass in his own box. The Portuguese fans want a penalty, but it looks like the ref made the right call.
26'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Portugal intercept a Spain pass and start a counter. Pique heads it away, but Portugal's attacks are becoming more dangerous.
It looks like Portugal's players are swarming Spain's midfielders as a pass comes to them. With their back turned to the defenders, the Spanish players don't have lots of time on the ball.
The strategy is working right now.
24'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Cristiano Ronaldo runs onto a loose ball, turns and shoots in one smooth motion.
But the shot rockets way over the bar.
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Click the link and you'll agree:
Dan Levy @DanLevyThinks
Separated at Birth: Portugal's Raul Meireles is.gd/bDZ2qB and Iron Chef @MarcForgione is.gd/NWPTFc #euro12
22'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Ian and Macca debate the bore-factor of Spain's pass-happy style.
Meanwhile, Spain keep passing.
20'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Nani bursts free down the right and beats Sergio Ramos, whose hip check sends Nani to the ground.
Looked like a clear foul to me, but no call from the ref.
Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images 17'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Ronaldo slams his free kick into the wall.
Disappointing.
16'—FOUL!
Cristiano Ronaldo tumbles under a challenge just outside the box.
Free kick for Portugal on the left side in a very dangerous spot.
14'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Fabio Coentrao tries to pick out Cristiano Ronaldo with a long ball over the top, but it's a bit too long.
Here's a tweet only an Englishman could come up with so early in the match:
If this goes to pens, Casillas could in theory be up against 3 Madrid teammates in Pepe, Ronaldo and Coentrao
— Will Tidey (@willtidey) June 27, 2012
13'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Ronaldo bursts down the left, outruns a few defenders and crosses back to the middle.
Iker Casillas is on hand to collect it, but it wasn't easy.
If you're wondering why the atmosphere inside the Donbass Arena sounds so quiet, it's because there are so few fans there. Not good news for UEFA.
Handout/Getty Images 10'—SHOT!
Andres Iniesta has a go from outside the box on the left side.
It's way over the bar.
9'—SPAIN CHANCE!
Arbeloa shoots over the bar!
Iniesta starts the move with a surging dribble into the box. After Portugal's defense intervened, the loose ball fell to Arbeloa.
7'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Passing, passing, passing and more passing by Spain.
This could go on for several minutes.
Martin Rose/Getty Images 4'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Pepe shuts down an attempted long-range pass to Negredo, the lone Spanish striker tonight.
3'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
Here's the second corner for Portugal.
Meireles takes it from the left, and Iker Casillas collects the ball out of the air.
Decent start for Portugal.
2'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
A Spain clearances goes only as far as Miguel Veloso, whose long-distance shot is deflected out for a corner.
Veloso takes the corner, and Iker Casillas palms the ball out for another.
1'—PORTUGAL 0, SPAIN 0
The game is under way! Spain do the honors…
Portugal wearing their all-white away kits. Spain in their traditional red shirts and blue shorts.
Pre-match
Anthems over. Captains to meet at midfield after delivering messages about respect, unity and diversity.
Here's a tweet from inside the stadium.
Say what you like about Donetsk, the view from the press box is first class twitter.com/WorldSoccerEd/…
— Gavin Hamilton (@WorldSoccerEd) June 27, 2012
Lots of empty seats.
Pre-match
The teams emerge from the tunnel. Ian and Macca finally take over the microphone.
Time for national anthems now. Have goosebumps yet?
Martin Rose/Getty Images Reading material
Need some last-minute pregame reading material?
B/R's Dan Levy says Cristiano Ronaldo has a point to prove today.
Pre-match
About 15 minutes until kickoff. Anybody want to hazard a guess for today's final score?
Can Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal knock off Spain?
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A couple more fun facts:
The last player to score against Spain in KO match at ECh or WC was Zidane beating club mate Casillas. Can Ronaldo repeat that feat? #porspa
— Infostrada Sports (@InfostradaLive) June 27, 2012
And:
Pepe was sent off in December last year for elbowing Negredo in Real's win at Sevilla.
— Simon Evans (@sgevans) June 27, 2012
Lars Baron/Getty Images Pre-match
Anyone remember that 4-0 Portugal win over Spain in November 2010?
It was only a friendly, yes, but that was still a shocking result.
Highlights of the match can be found here.
Pre-match
The ESPN telecast has begun in America. The studio guys love Vicente del Bosque's decision to bring Alvaro Negredo into Spain's starting lineup.
Will it work? We'll see.
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A couple cool stats from Opta:
1 - Hugo Almeida for Helder Postiga is the first line-up change that Portugal have made at Euro 2012 so far. Supplement
— OptaJoão (@OptaJoao) June 27, 2012
And:
35% - Spain played 65% of their passes in opp. half, but only 30% in the final third. Portugal 63% in opp. half and 35% final 3rd. Handball
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) June 27, 2012
Handout/Getty Images Road to the semis
Here's how both teams got to today's semifinal.
Portugal (second in Group B):
Germany 1-0 Portugal
Denmark 2-3 Portugal
Portugal 2-1 Netherlands
Quarterfinal 1: Czech Republic 0-1 Portugal
Spain (Group C winners)
Spain 1-1 Italy
Spain 4-0 Republic of Ireland
Croatia 0-1 Spain
Quarterfinal 3: Spain 2-0 France
Alex Grimm/Getty Images Pre-match
A couple of notes to make about the starting lineups.
Alvaro Negredo starts in the Spanish attack ahead of Cesc Fabregas and Fernando Torres. This is the first start of Euro 2012 for the Sevilla forward.
For Portugal, Hugo Almeida starts in place of the injured Helder Postiga.
Lineups
Portugal's starting XI, courtesy of Fox Soccer:
PORTUGAL Patrício, Alves, Pepe, Coentrão, Pereira, Veloso, Moutinho, Meireles, Nani, Ronaldo, Almeida
— FOX Soccer Trax (@FOXSoccerTrax) June 27, 2012
Lineups
Spain's starting XI, via Fox Soccer:
SPAINCasillas, Piqué, Ramos, Arbeloa, Alba, Iniesta, Xavi, Alonso, Busquets, Silva, Negredo
— FOX Soccer Trax (@FOXSoccerTrax) June 27, 2012
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