Portugal send Spain home

Portugal's one-nil win over Spain tonight sends their near neighbours and fierce rivals out of this summer's European Championships and ensures that Belgium remain the only host nation to have failed to qualify from the group stages.

Portugal reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2004 with a famous 1-0 win over Spain thanks to a goal from substitute Nuno Gomes on Sunday.

Spain went out of the tournament with Greece going through despite losing 2-1 to Russia in the other Group A game.

The Portuguese went into the game needing a win to advance and got it courtesy of a sharp shot on the turn by Nuno Gomes 12 minutes after he had come on at halftime.

The victory, 23 years to the day since their last win over Spain, was just reward for Portugal's enterprise against a Spanish side initially content to sit deep and play for the point they needed.

It marked a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for both sides after the host nation had begun the tournament with a shock 2-1 defeat by Greece as Spain eased past Russia 1-0.

Fans of the Iberian neighbours had been on the streets of Lisbon all day in anticipation of the clash but the enormity of the occasion seemed to get to both teams as the opening 20 minutes was punctuated by poor control and misplaced passes.

Cristiano Ronaldo, enjoying his first start of the tournament, was a constant threat on both wings for the hosts and he missed their best first-half chance when he headed a Luis Figo cross wide in the 45th minute.

Spain were reluctant to commit men to attack and had only a Fernando Torres header over the bar a minute earlier to show for their limited efforts.

Portugal coach Luis Felipe Scolari sent on Gomes for the ineffective Pauleta at halftime and the change soon had an impact.

Figo slid a pass into his feet at the edge of the box in the 57th minute and the striker turned and fired low past Iker Casillas to send the Jose Alvalade Stadium crowd into raptures.

Spain, forced to change tactics and go for the equaliser, came close to getting it five minutes later when Torres beat the offside trap but poked his shot against a post.

Portugal hit back and Casillas made two sharp saves in a minute to keep out a Figo free kick and a close-range header by Jorge Andrade.

Spain then went close through substitute Albert Luque and Juanito, whose looping header grazed the top of the bar, as they threw everyone forward in a desperate last 20 minutes.

But it was Portugal who could have added a second through Maniche, whose run and shot was cleared off the line near the end, and Nuno Gomes whose late effort was blocked.

Filed by Barry J Whyte