Figo's final fling

Portugal 2 Holland 2

They were inspired by the magnificent Luis Figo on a night when tension and the fear of making a mistake exerted a big influence on a game that was not as memorable in a skilful sense as some that had gone before, but compensated in the raw courage shown by two committed teams.

Portugal deserved to win, if only because they created more scoring chances over the 90 minutes. But they almost blew their chance of qualifying for a historic first major championship final with an extremely nervous and fretful opening, when Netherlands might well have taken a decisive grip.