The last time these Iberian neighbours clashed in a championship tournament was in the World Cup Quarter-Final in 2010. That match saw Portugal crash out of the FIFA World Cup tournament late in the game, as a late missed off-side goal ended their World Cup campaign. Spain went on to win the FIFA World Cup.
Portugal and Spain clashed once again late in 2010 in Lisbon, this time for an international friendly. This storyline in this match was a completely different story. Paulo Bento was now the Portuguese coach, and a hungry and clicking Portugal were rampant against Spain, destroying them 4-0. The scoreline could have easily have been 5-0 or more were it not for a linesman's bad call on a wonderful goal by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Spain has matured as a team, and have continued their work on focusing on owning the mid-field game with their tiki-taka play. A style so frustrating to the competition that it eventually sucks the life out of the other team.
A victory over Portugal, will give Spain a chance to go for a third consecutive international title; having won the UEFA Euro 2008 and the FIFA World Cup 2010 back-to-back. Yes, the Spanish have reason to feel confident, especially when the Roja looks like a morphing of two of the biggest football clubs in the world: FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, albeit without their biggest stars (CR7 & Messi).
Cristano Ronaldo has been in stratospheric form all season, and has shown no signs of slowing down. Portugal will have a decent shot at beating Spain with a perfect performance, since the Spanish rarely make mistakes. The Portuguese attacking play has proven to be very effective through-out the tournament and their biggest test is upon them as Spain currently has the best defensive record thus far. Ronaldo & Co. surely will be up for it!
We should also mention that the last time Spain lost a European Championship match was back in 2004, against Portugal.
Spain vs Portugal - Euro 2012 Online Streaming and TV Listings
- USA: ESPN, ESPN Deportes (spanish), ESPN3 [Live Stream], ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio (spanish)
- Australia: Watch Spain-Portugal live on tv on Setanta Sports Australia or online at Setanta-i Australia
- Canada: Watch the match live on RDS (french), TSN Radio, TLN en Español (spanish), TSN (on tv and live streaming), TSN Mobile (live streaming), TLN Telelatino (italian).
- United Kingdom: Watch the match live ESPN Deportes Radio (spanish), ESPN Deportes (spanish), ESPN, ESPN3 (live stream)
- Rest of the World: Check out our full TV listings on the Spain-Portugal Euro 2012 match page.
Watch video highlights of the last encounter between Portugal and Spain
Latest articles covering the Portugal and Spain semi-final
- How to stop Cristiano Ronaldo – Euro 2012 favourites Spain have a special plan
- Portugal vs Spain: Fatigue must not be an excuse for the European Champions
- Spain looking to pass their way to the final in a match with many familiar faces
- Why Portugal are potential Euro 2012 finalists with the Cristiano Ronaldo policy
*** The Live Soccer TV schedules for this match were updated at 03:45 PM (EST). We strongly urge you to double check your local listings as TV broadcast schedules are always subject to change.
