When did Portugal and Spain last face each other at FIFA World Cup?

But before today’s blockbuster matchup, do you remember the last time these two giants faced off at the World Cup?

The last meeting between the two teams took place at the 2018 World Cup, played at the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi, Russia, on June 15. That match was one for the ages, which is probably regarded as one of the greatest group stage games in World Cup history. It was a game which saw Portugal’s star man Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a hat-trick as he also become the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick at that time.

Portugal lined up in a classic 4-4-2 formation under Fernando Santos with strikers Ronaldo and late Andre Silva leading the attack for them. Spain, managed by Fernando Hierro, played in their traditional 4-3-3 shape, with the main focus on creating short passing combinations to launch the attacks from the left side.

Portugal kicked off the game sticking perfectly to their game plan and immediately earned the prize within the opening moments. In the 3rd minute, Ronaldo got in a one-on-one situation with right back Nacho on the left wing, baiting his Real Madrid teammate into a rash challenge inside the box. The five-time Ballon D’or winner stepped up to take the penalty and calmly slotted the ball past Manchester United’s David De Gea in the 4th minute.

Spain responded right back by keeping the possession, essentially with the presence of Koke, Sergio Busquets, and Andres Iniesta in the midfield. Their patience paid off in the 24th minute when Diego Costa, receiving a long ball from the back, physically shrugged off a challenge from Pepe at the edge of the penalty box, and outsmarted three Portuguese defenders before drilling a low shot into the bottom left corner.

Spain controlled the game for a good part of the first half before Portugal took the lead back before the break as Ronaldo fired a sharp grounded drive with his weaker foot from the edge of the box in a surprising moment where De Gea let the ball slip through his gloves, gifting Portugal a 2-1 lead heading into halftime.

The 2010 World Cup winners came back after the break with much improved tactical approach and completely turned the game around in a space of 3 extraordinary minutes. Diego Costa levelled the game in the 55th minute thanks to a perfectly executed set-piece routine by David Silva and Sergio Busquets. Moments later, 58 minutes on the clock, Nacho from outside the penalty area shot a clean half-volley as the ball  struck the inside of the left post, and ricocheted into the net to make it 3-2.

However, in the 88th minute, as the game was nearing towards a Spanish triumph, Ronaldo drew a foul from Gerard Pique just outside the Spanish penalty area. Ronaldo stepped up and struck a gem of a free-kick that curled cleanly over the wall and dipped sharply into the top-right corner, leaving De Gea with no choice but to stand motionless. The scores got levelled again, 3-3 and ended with the same scoreline.

Before this thrilling encounter, the two sides also met at the 2010 World Cup, in Spain’s only winning edition, when they came out on top with a 1-0 win in the Round of 16 matchup, thanks to a brilliant goal from David Villa.

Portugal vs. Spain head-to-head

The head-to-head record between these two shows incredibly tight contests every time, with four of the last meetings featuring draws.

Portugal vs. Spain: Last five meetings