The Portugal-Spain encounter was a very disappointing affair for the first hour. Spain needed just to draw to reach the quarter final, but you would have thought it was Portugal that didn't need to score, so nonchalant were they. It was hard at times to remember that this was a crucial match to decide whether Spain or Portugal were to get knocked out of the competition. When Gomes scored in the 57th minute, it was quite a relief, as it actually meant that Spain had to come out and look for the equalizer. In the last few minutes, both sides could have scored more than once, as the game really opened up with Spain desperately looking for a goal. But it never came, and once again Spain fall short of national expectation and say farewell to Euro 2004.

The Portuguese crowd wildly celebrated the victory, but the mood was probably as much relief as anything else - and the fact that they had knocked out their neighbours and bitter rivals. As a spectacle, this match will not stay long in the memory. Yet Spain almost had a lifeline. In the other match, played at the same time, Russia needed to beat Greece by three clear goals to let Spain through, and at one point the Russians were winning 2-0. But Greece got one back, and 2-1 is how the game finished.

11:02:48 PM