Euro 2012: Spain Beats Portugal 4-2 on Penalties, Advances to Final

The Spanish are through to the final. The defending European and World Cup Champions beat Portugal 4-2 on penalties after a 120-minute long, dreadfully boring 0-0 draw. Let us never speak of it again. The big question for Portuguese fans will be why Cristiano Ronaldo did not take a penalty. There are two possibilities.

(1) He was waiting to be the anchor on the fifth kick. If true, this was a dumb strategy as it necessitated Bruno Alves and Nani ensuring Portugal would have a fifth kick. Importantly, was that Ronaldo’s decision or Bento’s?

(2) He got the yips. Penalties are a unique pressure situation that can make a mortal of anyone. Ronaldo missed in both the Champions League Final in 2008. He also missed against Bayern Munich in this year’s Champions League Semifinal. He has to take a penalty there, but if he didn’t feel confident enough to take one you don’t want him on the spot.

[Photo via Getty]

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13 Responses to “Euro 2012: Spain Beats Portugal 4-2 on Penalties, Advances to Final”

molemaninthemorning Says:
June 27th, 2012 at 5:49 PM

Portugal is done here.

/coop’d

pRohphet8 Says:
June 27th, 2012 at 5:54 PM

I like for my best pk taker to go first or third. Sometimes a player will ask to take one in a certain spot in the order. Generally the coach will defer to a player’s wishes in that situation because they don’t want to shake their confidence. But the Ronaldo hater in me thinks he wanted the glory of the final shot….

KC Resident Says:
June 27th, 2012 at 5:54 PM

Ty – Was it worse than watching burly Englishmen barge at each other like raving drunks?

Maxwell Says:
June 27th, 2012 at 5:55 PM

He was being held for the highest leverage spot. As it turned out they didn’t get there, but why is that bad strategy? Don’t think Alves was more likely to succeed in a do or die rather than 4th. The only thing that would have made more sense would have been to switch it up once Alonso missed and send Ronaldo out first to “guarantee” that Spain falls behind.

AssaultWithAConcreteDildo Says:
June 27th, 2012 at 5:58 PM

Yeah while reasonable minds will disagree having Ronaldo in the anchor is hardly some nefarious decision.

rambo.cts Says:
June 27th, 2012 at 5:59 PM

He wanted a repeat of 2006 when he was the 5th to take a PK vs England and knocked them out. You know that he wanted that 5th kick to get his ego even bigger

jthussler Says:
June 27th, 2012 at 5:59 PM

dreadfully boring 0-0 draw. Let us never speak of it again

I enjoyed being bludgeoned with the idea that we shouldn’t speak of Spain’s play as boring only four posts ago.

The last 240 minutes of soccer I’ve watched have been riveting.

sousedbergin Says:
June 27th, 2012 at 6:23 PM

The last 240 minutes of soccer I’ve watched have been riveting.

Agreed.

Absolutely retarded to risk CR7 taking the last kick, although I was salivating at the chance of a Baggio-esque 20 meters over the bar attempt.

Gritty Hombres Says:
June 27th, 2012 at 6:31 PM

It’s a bad strategy because it keeps your, in theory, best shot maker from ever even taking a shot. There is an old saying, You can’t win if you don’t play. You can’t score if you never get to take the shot, which is the same as not playing. Same problem with the U.S. Womens team last World Cup. The PK order was terrible.

ar1186 Says:
June 27th, 2012 at 7:32 PM

It’s controversy over nothing. What matters in penalties is that the taker knows how to strike the ball, and won’t be too nervous about doing so. Even goalkeepers can take penalties and make them (like Neuer), and top strikers can miss them (Trezeguet in 2006 WC final). Ronaldo’s absence here feels unsatisfying but it practically would’ve made no difference – Bruno Alves just had bad luck.

tanyon Says:
June 27th, 2012 at 7:34 PM

It’s a bad strategy because it keeps your, in theory, best shot maker from ever even taking a shot.

This.

I think they have to go first. Let you best set the table for the rest. Get the team to see one hit the back of the net. If the first one is missed, it could rattle everybody.

AssaultWithAConcreteDildo Says:
June 27th, 2012 at 7:39 PM

Oh and this game was dull, I was watching it in Lisbon and the crowd was just above listless, though I am sure on replay someone will break it down and claim it’s the Beautiful Game incarnate. Blegh, pass.

MP Says:
June 28th, 2012 at 9:22 AM