Spain reaches Euro final after penalties win over Portugal

June 28, 2012 03:10 am | Updated November 16, 2021 11:41 pm IST - Donetsk (Ukraine)

Reigning champions Spain will get the chance to defend their title after beating Portugal 4-2 on penalties in the Euro 2012 semi-finals to reach the final.

After the game was deadlocked 0-0 after 120 minutes, Iker Casillas saved one penalty and Portugal’s Bruno Alves struck the crossbar, setting up Cesc Fabregas hitting the winner in the all—Iberian battle in front of 48,000 spectators at Donetsk’s Donbass Arena.

Spain — the first winners to return to the final since West Germany in 1976 when they lost on penalties to Czechoslovakia — will now face the winner of Thursday’s semi—final between Germany and Italy in Sunday’s final in Kiev.

The Spanish — into their fourth final after victory in 1964 and loss to France in 1984 — still have a chance to become the first team to defend their Euro title, and with it become the first nation to take three straight major titles.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.