Spain and Portugal are to face each other in the Euro 2012 Semifinals in the battle of the Iberian Peninsula. Both teams made great efforts in arriving at this stage of the tournament.
What will be expected for the two teams? The time has come to discuss the recent encounters between the two teams.
It will be followed by comments about the possibilities of Spain and Portugal in the semifinals in order to arrive at a prediction.
Previous Recent Encounters
According to Dominic Vieira of A Football Report (AFR), Spain and Portugal faced each other in Euro 2004. Both countries needed to advance to the quarterfinals but Portugal defeated Spain 1-0 secondary to a goal scored by Nunes Gomes.
Spain returned the favor by defeating Portugal 1-0 during the 2010 FIFA World Cup as reported by the BBC.
Spain
The victory of Spain over France during the weekend Euro 2012 quarterfinals is unforgettable. Iker Casillas was able to save the day deflecting attempts by France to score.
Xabi Alonso was able to score with a header within 19 minutes and again within the end of the match. Spain was in possession during most of the match and kept going without second guessing.
The Spanish Euro 2012 squad maintained possession for the majority of the match. They also allowed the clock to roll in order to stall for time and prevent the French from equalizing.
It was a formula that worked for aFrench team that did not recover from its humiliating defeat to Sweden during the Group D Tournament. Spain may be expected to maintain the same formula in its match against Portugal by reinforcing the midfield.
Iker Casillas will remain the goalkeeper secondary to the results in Euro 2012. Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres are expected to play a pivotal role in the semifinal battle of the Iberian Peninsula.
Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo may be celebrating his contribution to Portugal arriving at the semifinals. Ronaldo may think that he is the greatest footballer in the world, but he will have to change his thinking style.
Ronaldo will not be able to stop the Spanish onslaught because of his poor performance in Portugal’s match against Denmark. Ronaldo lost two opportunities to score for Portugal and it was Silvestre Varela that helped Portugal win its quarterfinal match against Denmark.
Ronaldo will not expect any mercy as he attempts to score goals. Iker Casillas, who is Ronaldo’s teammate in Real Madrid and one of Spain’s principal goalkeepers, will prevent Ronaldo from getting near the goalpost.
Ronaldo (like Jose Mourinho once did) may find scapegoats for their loss to Spain. The end result is that they will be to blame in the eyes of the Portuguese and world media when Portugal loses.
Final Predictions
The predictions may or may not be right taking into account what will transpire in the match. What can be said is that the match between Spain and Portugal is expected to be filled with tension and excitement as both teams show their strength to the world.
The end result will be Spain 2-1 Portugal with Spain facing Germany in the final match of Euro 2012.
source: bleacherreport.com
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