Soccer’s Iberian heavyweights get their first look at each other as World Cup opponents today.
In a match better suited for the later rounds of the tournament, European champion Spain (ranked No. 2) and third-ranked Portugal face off in Cape Town. Spain has won 15 of their 32 meetings, with Portugal taking five.
The countries are rich in cultural and sporting similarities. They share a border over 750 miles long, a history of overcoming fascism, and a passion for soccer defined by creativity and individual skill.
Obviously, this is the biggest sporting matchup the neighboring nations have had.
“It’s all for the winner and nothing for the loser now,” Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz said. “We are motivated and prepared to leave it all on the field.”
The match promises to be a tense struggle among players who know each other well. Seven of the Portuguese play in Spain’s La Liga, including captain Cristiano Ronaldo. And there are 14 holdovers from both squads that met six years ago in their last major game — a 1-0 win for Portugal that knocked Spain out of the 2004 European Championship.
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said his team needs to improve after failing to impress in its first three matches, which included a 1-0 loss to the Swiss.
The Spaniards also would like to see star striker Fernando Torres find the net. He has been particularly wasteful in the group matches after recovering from right knee surgery.
“The most important thing is that he’s played three games and he’s better,” Del Bosque said. “Though he hasn’t brought goals . . . he’s always a dangerous player.”
So is Ronaldo, who broke a two-year scoring drought for the national team when he got a goal against North Korea.
Paraguay and Japan meet in the other group of 16 match. Both teams are relative surprises to have gotten this far — indeed, Paraguay won Group F after Italy’s collapse.
The Paraguayans have been emblematic of the opportunistic performances by South America at this tournament. In the opening round, only Chile lost a match of teams from that continent, and all five of those nations advanced.
The Japanese have shown more offensive creativity than in previous tournaments.
Neither Paraguay nor Japan ever has been beyond the second round of a World Cup.