ANDthis next friday Spain will be measured at Swiss in the quarterfinals of the Eurocup. The key point in the championships and that on many occasions has become a elongated shadow in the history of the national team and their participation in international tournaments (Euro Cups Y World). But … what has been the route of Spain and what has happened in other quarterfinals? We review its history as well as other relevant quarterfinals.
The first time the charm came · Spain 1964
And it is that the first participation of the national team dates back to 1964. It was the second edition after that of France 1960 and final phase was played in Spain under the name of European Cup of Nations. The Santiago Bernabeu and the Camp Nou were the two venues in which the semifinals were played as well as the final and the third and fourth place respectively. Spain had reached the semifinals after beating Ireland in the quarterfinals that were played a year earlier, in 1963, 5-1 and 2-0 respectively. The national team reached the final after beating Hungary by 2-1 where he faced the Soviet Union. Spain raised its first Eurocup thanks to the goals of Pereda Y Marcelino.
The 80’s
And it is that we would have to wait until 1980 for Spain participate again in a Eurocup (that of Italy) although in this edition and in 1988 the selection did not get past the first phase. Only in the Eurocup from France from 1984 Spain reached the semifinals of the tournament. In that year, the tournament format only hosted a group stage and the jump to the semifinals. Spain, who finished first in Group B and faced in ‘semis’ against Denmark. The game was settled on penalties and Spain could be measured in the final with the host, France, which signed a 2-0 in the Princes Park and took his first European title.
The ghosts of the rooms
1996. The Eurocup from England it was the starting gun for the ghosts of the quarter crossings to make a hole in the collective imagination of the fans. Despite ‘The Red’ had qualified as second in the group behind France, the crossing of quarters against England fell on the English side in the penalty shootout. The same result was obtained by the selection in the Eurocup 2000 contested in Belgium Y The Netherlands. On that occasion it was France who won 2-1 with goals from Zidane Y Djorkaeff in front of both Spanish, work of Mendieta.
To these should be added other failures in the quarterfinals. They came from the hand of World Cups in the United States 1994 with a 1-2 defeat against Italy Y South Korea and Japan 2002 with the controversial performance of the Egyptian referee Gamal Al-Ghandour that got to cancel up to 3 goals to the team that, at that time, was training Camacho.
Glorious Cycle 2008 and 2012
But Spain managed to break that room barrier in the Euro 2008, the one that opened the most relevant moment of Spanish football. The curse remained until that penalty shoot-out against Italy. The winner came from the boots of Cesc Fabregas after what Say natale yours failed.
Four years later, luck fell again on the Spanish side in the tie against Portugal. After the tables (0-0) on the scoreboard, everything was decided from eleven meters. The famous “injustice” that could be read on the lips of Cristiano Ronaldo collided with the joy of the Spanish players.
Spain meets again with the quarter finals, this time before Swiss. New opportunity to overcome old evils and continue to write new pages in the history of Spanish football.
