It was a test of resolve and character and came a shade early for Portugal and Spain. They did not expect a knockout match in the group stage. The one with a stronger will and greater desire was to succeed, and on Sunday night, there was no doubt over who possessed more of these qualities.

Spain were not far behind in terms of attempts on goal but they were clearly a notch below Portugal when it came to pure passion. It was another titanic end to the dreams of the Spanish Armada and the zeal to fight fire with fire made the difference. Spain’s lack of authority and professionalism in front of the Portuguese goal was another key factor.

Tactically, the Portugal coach had to strike a balance between attack and defence and he took a risk by fielding three players who hate to defend in the five-man midfield. It clicked because Maniche and Costinha, less creative of the five, shouldered extra burden. The flair of Deco and Ronaldo caught the eye more often, but it’s difficult to overlook the silent and solid job done by these two.

The sense of occasion and purpose was evident in deep defence too. Jorge Andrade stood like a rock, while Ricardo Carvalho effected valuable interceptions and clearances.

This is where Scolari is so sound, he knows when to use his best cards and how to attain the right balance while combining skill with steel. Big Phil played a big role in what happened, his gambles in selection of players paying off. Leaving out Rui Costa, Simao Sabrosa and taking off Pauleta were spot-on moves.

Spain had much to play for, but didn’t show the same hunger and intensity. They were just not inspired enough. It was surprising, because most of them play with or against the best in the world in their domestic league. They play well when in Spain and yet, the same can’t be said when they play for Spain.

This has been their traditional problem and to see that it persists in the high-speed and quick-changing world of modern football is difficult to understand.

The Spanish venture suffered also because of their strikers and the selection of strikers. To leave out Morientes — unless there was some fitness-related or disciplinary problems — was unwise. He is a striker who scores in big matches and was doing exactly that till the previous outing. He is a better header than Raul and doesn’t shy away from body-checks as the Spanish skipper does. Morientes may not have made a huge difference, but was certainly a better choice than Fernando Torres. Raul avoids the collision course and there are technical deficiencies in his jump and timing while heading.

He needs room to operate and can’t lead by example. A true leader delivers when the chips are down, and as apprehended in these columns before the tournament kicked off, Raul is still to acquire this trait. Broadly, Spain failed because they missed somebody who would try to snatch things back until the death.

Cristiano Ronaldo makes things happen by instinct

Portugal were ahead in technical skill too. Figo, Deco and Ronaldo are all accomplished ball-players, superior in quality. Deco is intelligent, has a great positional sense and though a tad slow, he has the vision to slip in the final pass which takes everyone by surprise. Figo has lost pace and doesn’t always win one-on-ones but he fights and his crosses can still probe.

Ronaldo is one of the most outstanding talents on the world scale. He has power, skill and acceleration to go past his markers and also possesses a good touch. He makes things happen by instinct and the commitment he showed on Sunday reflected the collective determination displayed by his team.

This do-or-die match probably came a little too early for Portugal. But now that they have done it once, they would like to believe that they can do it again.

More important, Scolari has had the time and opportunity to check what suits best in his scheme of things. As for Spain, they have no choice but to accept that they are still a bunch of boys in a group of men.