Portugal set up mouth-watering clash with arch-rivals Spain

Portugal 2 Russia 0

Goals from Maniche and substitute Rui Costa, the man blamed by many for Saturday's opening defeat by Greece, were enough to see off 10-man Russia last night.

The win sets up a mouth-watering final Group A clash with arch-rivals Spain at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon on Sunday evening.

Only a second victory in that game will be enough to send Luiz Felipe Scolari's side into the quarter-finals.

Gilberto Madail, president of the Portuguese Football Federation, did not attend the game because he feared for his health if he had done so. He was probably wise to stay away as Scolari's men dominated but made heavy work of dismissing the Russians.

There was no margin for error for the host nation following Spain's 1-1 draw with Greece in Porto earlier in the evening.

Scolari wielded the axe as three members of the back four who started the ill-fated opening day clash with Greece Paulo Ferreira, Fernando Couto and Rui Jorge made way for Miguel, Ricardo Carvalho and Nuno Valente, while Rui Costa's place went to Deco.

The changes meant only one member of Portugal's famed golden generation, skipper Luis Figo, remained in the side, a reflection of their country's need for fresh ideas.

The Portuguese started at a gallop, Deco, Figo and Sabrosa Simao dragging the Russian defence all over the pitch

In fact, it took them just seven minutes to fashion the opening with Maniche swivelling on Deco's ball into the box to bury a right-foot shot in Ovchinnikov's bottom left corner.

The Russians plight deepened on the stroke of half-time when Ovchinnikov was sold short by Dmitri Sennikov's back-pass and was adjudged to have handled outside his area to prevent Pauleta capitalising.

Yartsev immediately sent on substitute Viacheslav Malafeev in place of midfielder Evgueni Aldonin, but his side's chances were receding with every passing moment.

The second-half it was largely one-way traffic. Deco tested Malafeev with a long-range free-kick, but only slightly, and Scolari opted for change as the hour-mark approached and passed, sending on Nuno Gomes and, to a mixed response, Rui Costa for Pauleta and Simao.

Deco forced another good save from Malafeev with a dipping 74th-minute drive, before Cristiano Ronaldo entered the fray as a 78th-minute replacement for Figo.

Rui Costa did the trick with a minute remaining, converting Ronaldo's cross from close range to ensure Sunday's showdown assumes massive proportions.

RUSSIA: Ovchinnikov, Evseev, Smertin, Bugaev, Sennikov, Alenitchev, Aldonin (Malafeev 45), Loskov, Kariaka (Boulykin 79), Izmailov (Bystrov 72), Kerzhakov.

PORTUGAL: Ricardo, Miguel, Andrade, Ricardo Carvalho, Nuno Valente, Costinha, Figo (Ronaldo 78), Maniche, Deco, Simao (Rui Costa 63), Pauleta (Nuno Gomes 57).

Referee: Terje Hauge (Norway).