Chapter 897: The Final in Sight
After Portugal's emphatic 3–0 win over Austria, their group stage ended perfectly—three straight victories, top of Group C, and full momentum heading into the knockout rounds.
The Netherlands recovered from their loss to Portugal to beat Austria and North Macedonia, finishing second. Austria ended third, while North Macedonia, with three defeats, bowed out.
Two days later, the remaining group-stage fixtures concluded, confirming all 16 qualifiers. Italy, Belgium, Portugal, England, Sweden, and France won their groups; Wales, Denmark, the Netherlands, Croatia, Spain, and Germany took second.
Among the best third-placed teams, Switzerland, Finland, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Ukraine advanced. Slovakia and Finland, however, failed to rank high enough and were eliminated.
Portugal's opponent in the round of sixteen was the Czech Republic, third in Group D.
Elsewhere, the matchups were: Wales vs Denmark, Italy vs Netherlands, Belgium vs Ukraine, Croatia vs Spain, France vs Switzerland, England vs Germany, and Sweden vs Austria.
Portugal's match was set for June 27 at Budapest's Puskás Arena—one game, winner-takes-all.
For Santos, there was no room for rotation now; Portugal played with their full-strength lineup.
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At this stage, every match was decisive. Portugal were powerful, but Santos wasn't arrogant enough to underestimate a team like the Czech Republic.
Though the Czechs finished third in their group, they had been impressive: a 2–0 opening win over Scotland, a 1–1 draw against Croatia, and only a narrow 0–1 loss to England.
Santos' caution proved wise.
In Budapest, Diogo Jota struck first for Portugal, but in the 66th minute, Tomáš Holeš leveled it.
Three minutes later, Portugal regained their lead—Bernardo Silva converting from Bruno's assist to make it 2–1.
But the Czech resilience persisted. In the 78th minute, Holeš assisted Patrik Schick with his fourth goal of the tournament, leveling again.
Then, as time ticked toward stoppage, Portugal's leaders delivered. A rapid counterattack saw Bruno feed Ronaldo, who scored to make it 3–2.
Portugal held on to win at the Puskás Arena and advanced to the quarterfinals.
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The round of sixteen, however, was full of shocks. Wales and Gareth Bale were hammered 4–0 by Denmark. The Netherlands fell 2–0 to Italy. France and Switzerland drew 3–3 in regular time and remained tied after extra time; Switzerland triumphed 5–4 in penalties, sending France home—and Mbappé straight to summer vacation.
The most anticipated showdown was England vs Germany. Historically, Germany held the upper hand, but this time England stunned their rivals 2–0 at Wembley.
In the other matches, Belgium edged Ukraine 1–0; Austria beat Sweden 2–1 in extra time; and Croatia fell 3–5 to Spain after extra time in a goal-filled thriller.
The quarterfinals were set: Switzerland vs Spain, Belgium vs Italy, Portugal vs Denmark, and England vs Austria.
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July 3, Baku, Azerbaijan—Portugal vs Denmark in the National Stadium.
Denmark had been one of the tournament's surprise packages. Unbeaten in qualifying—alongside Portugal, Spain, Belgium, and Italy—they finished second in their group and stunned Wales 4–0 in the previous round. Confidence was sky-high.
Portugal, rested and restored, looked ready. Bruno Fernandes, sharper than ever, led a full squad into battle, and from kickoff, they seized control.
Just three minutes in, during a swift counterattack, Bruno sliced through four Danish defenders alone, charging into the box and calmly slotting past Kasper Schmeichel. 1–0.
Denmark dropped deep, weathering wave after wave of Portuguese pressure until the 59th minute. From midfield, Bruno threaded a pass left to Guerreiro, who overlapped and cut it back for Ronaldo. The captain found space and finished coolly. 2–0.
Only three minutes later, Bruno led another attack, darting through midfield and firing a diagonal ball into the box toward Ronaldo. The veteran shielded the defender, feinted, and returned the ball backward—straight to Bruno, charging in behind.
Bruno drilled home his second of the night. 3–0.
He was unstoppable—effortless dominance.
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Moments later, Bruno almost completed his hat trick with a long-range strike, but Schmeichel stretched to save brilliantly.
Then, Guerreiro crossed from the left, Bruno pounced, and poked in from close range—only for the referee to rule it out for a supposed foul by Ronaldo in the buildup. Outraged Portuguese players surrounded the official, insisting no foul had occurred, but the decision stood.
Santos promptly replaced Bruno with João Moutinho to rest him.
Without their midfield maestro, Portugal lost rhythm. Denmark surged forward—Dolberg and Delaney scoring quick goals to cut it to 3–2.
Still, at the decisive moment, Portugal held strong, surviving the storm to secure a 3–2 victory and a place in the semifinals.
Joining them were Spain, Italy, and England.
Spain had battled Switzerland to a 1–1 draw across 120 minutes before winning the shootout 3–1. England crushed Austria 4–0. Italy edged Belgium 2–1 in a tactically intense duel.
The semifinals were set: Portugal vs England, Italy vs Spain.
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Four days after beating Denmark, Portugal flew by charter to London, arriving at Wembley to prepare for the semifinals.
Both semis—and the final—would be held at the iconic stadium. If Portugal reached the final, Wembley would serve as their stage once more.
Their opponent: England. A familiar adversary for Bruno.
The last meeting between the nations had been the 2018 World Cup semifinal, where Bruno's Portugal triumphed 2–1 to reach their first-ever World Cup final.
Once again, he rose to the occasion.
In only the fifth minute, Bruno assisted Bernardo Silva, who smashed in the opener.
In the 34th minute, Ronaldo repaid the favor—setting up Bruno to double the lead. 2–0.
It was Bruno's ninth goal of the tournament, tying Michel Platini's record for most goals in a single European Championship (nine, set in 1984).
By then, his total European Championship finals tally reached 17—surpassing Ronaldo and reclaiming the all-time lead.
In the second half, Bruno combined with Guerreiro down the left, cutting inside for yet another goal. 3–0—the tenth of his tournament, breaking Platini's decades-old record.
England clawed one back late, but Portugal prevailed 3–1. They were heading to the final—against Italy.
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In the other semifinal a day earlier, Italy and Spain battled furiously. The first half ended goalless.
At the 60th minute, Federico Chiesa curled in a stunning shot from just outside the box to put Italy ahead.
In the 80th, Álvaro Morata and Dani Olmo worked a brilliant one-two sequence that sliced through Italy's defense, and Morata finished to equalize.
Extra time saw no breakthrough. The fate of both sides came down to penalties.
Italy converted four of five; Spain managed only two.
4–2—it was Italy who advanced.
And now, the stage was set: Portugal vs Italy, Wembley Stadium, the European final.
One match, one night—for history.
(END CHAPTER)
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