© EuroFootball.com
In the first quarter-final match of the European Championship, after a dramatic battle, the tournament host Portugal secured a victory by defeating the English national team. The main match ended in a draw of 1-1, the extra time was also a draw of 2-2, and in the penalty shootout, the hosts were more accurate. They will find out their semi-final opponent tomorrow when they meet the Swedish and Dutch national teams.
Portugal - England 2 - 2 (main time 1 - 1, 11m. 6 - 5) 3' 83' 110' 115'
The match, watched by almost 60 thousand spectators, began without goals. Both teams demonstrated beautiful, technical football. In the 3rd minute, after a mistake by the defenders, Michael Owen scored his first goal of the championship and put the English team ahead. It seemed like after the early missed goal, the Portuguese should crumble, but that did not happen. The young Cristiano Ronaldo played particularly actively, having several opportunities to score.
At the end of the first half, the England national team's forward and top scorer of the tournament, Wayne Rooney, received a small injury. He was replaced by Darius Vassell, who actively joined the game. However, the first half ended (1-0) with the Portuguese going to rest knowing they would have to equalize in the second half.
In the second half, Luis Felipe Scolari introduced three attacking players onto the field: Simao, Rui Costa, and Postiga. It was the latter's attack that proved to be the decisive turning point in these dramatic and beautiful matches.
Just like in the first half, the teams played an open, beautiful game. In the 83rd minute of the match, Simao appeared on the field and passed the ball from the left to the forward Helder Postiga, who headed it past David James. The English still had a chance to snatch the victory when Campbell's header hit the crossbar, then John Terry jumped high and scored a goal, but according to the referee, another defender, John Terry, was holding the Portuguese goalkeeper Ricardo, so the goal was not counted. After playing 93 minutes, it was clear that the teams would go into extra time.
The extra time started more cautiously. Neither team wanted to create more problems, so they did not create more dangerous opportunities.
In the second half of the extra time, the game intensified, especially noticed by the English defenders. In the 19th minute, Portugal tried to convince the referee, Urs Meier, that the ball had crossed the goal line, but the referee did not react. It seemed that everything was settled a minute later when Rui Costa sprinted from midfield and sent the ball from about twenty meters with a powerful shot past the goalkeeper. 2-1 and tears could be seen on the faces of both English and Portuguese team fans.
But that was not the end. With five minutes left to play, after Terry's header, Frank Lampard received the ball in the penalty area, turned, and shot accurately into the corner of the goal - the score was equal again. After playing another five minutes, Urs Meier declared that the winner of the match would be determined by an eleven-meter penalty shootout.
The English took the first penalties. David Beckham, to show that the missed penalty against the French was an accident, stepped up first. Beckham ran, shot - over the goal! The English "golden boy" turned and looked at the eleven-meter mark for a few seconds, as if wanting to say that the grass at the new Luz Stadium was uneven.
Then Deco, Owen, Simao, Lampard scored, and it seemed that the Portuguese would easily win the penalty shootout, but the fourth taker, Rui Costa, just like Beckham, missed the goal. The Portuguese fans were dismayed again.
Then Terry, Ronaldo, Hargreaves, Maniche, A.Cole, Postiga scored accurately. The turn came to Darius Vassell, whose shot, without gloves, was saved by goalkeeper Ricardo. The decisive penalty was taken by Ricardo himself - the shot was accurate, and the player became the hero of Portugal.
Once again, England failed to achieve significant results in this European Championship, while the host Portuguese team advances to the semi-finals.
