If not for anything else, this game has shown that Spain are not so invincible after all. If a team is willing to press incessantly instead of just sitting back and wait for the Spanish players to come forward, then they can create more chances and score goals. Portugal did exactly that, albeit the end product was missing. If the chances were converted, it would have been Portugal that would have gone through to the final instead of Spain.
Ronaldo throws away chance at immortality
We all know Cristiano Ronaldo is a great player. But the truly immortal ones perform for both club and country. Coming on the back of three good games, it was expected that Ronaldo would step up and be the thorn in the Spanish side. But, inspite of quite a few chances, he couldn’t convert any of them. Also, as captain, he should have stepped up to take the first penalty. Instead, he was slotted for the 5th kick, sparking accusations that he was looking for personal glory.
Spain need to play a traditional striker
Spain surprised viewers in their first game against Italy when they played Fabregas up front. Del Bosque returned to putting Torres up front again for the later games but chose to go with Negredo in the semifinal. Starting a player who hasn’t had much game time in the tournament, in a semifinal, was suicidal to say the least. It was ineffective and he had to substituted with Cesc coming in. Facing Italy/Germany in the final would be a lot more difficult if these tactics are continued.
Penalties could decide the champions
Unless the finalists take their chances, it would seem as if the European championship could be decided on penalties. Irrespective of whether Germany or Italy win the other semifinal, they can go toe-to-toe with Spain and will not sit back like other teams. They will look to create chances and take them too. For their part, Spain will try to maintain possession, which could make it a very tense final. Since the teams would be evenly matched, it might go all the way to the penalties.
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