Cristiano Ronaldo: 5 Reasons Why Spain Won't Be Worried at Euro 2012

And then there were four...

On Wednesday June 27, the Euro 2012 semifinal will feature a fiery Iberian Derby between reigning champions Spain and tournament upstarts Portugal. 

Much of the attention will be on Portuguese captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who, with three goals in the past two matches, has silenced many of his critics and comes into this semifinal encounter as Portugal's form player. In his past two performances, Ronaldo has often looked unplayable. He will be hoping to send Portugal back to the finals, where they lost in 2004 at the hands of Greece.

Spain, however, are 10/11 favorites to progress to their second consecutive Euro final, and have, even at their worst, looked the part of champions. La Furia Roja will no doubt attempt to replicate their dominant showing against France. Despite the recent match-winning performances of the Portugal and Real Madrid ace, Spain will go about their business as usual. 

Here are the five reasons why Spain will not be worried about Ronaldo in their Euro 2012 semifinal encounter:

1. The Spanish Defense

All credit should go to Ronaldo for rampaging his way to three goals in two games and single-handedly propelling Portugal this far, but the Spanish defense bears no resemblance to that of the Danish, the Dutch or even the Czechs.

In Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos, Spain have as solid a center-back pairing as they come in world football. Alvaro Arbeloa and Jordi Alba also add guile, speed and on-the-ball ability from the sides that neither of Portugal's last three opponents could boast. Furthermore, in Iker Casillas Spain has arguably the safest pair of hands between the sticks.

Unlike against the Czechs in the quarterfinals, Spain will not let Portugal take the game to them, and will instead look to double the Portuguese star whenever he is in possession. With likes of the pacey Ramos and the intelligence of defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets, Spain have the perfect duo to shut down Portugal's one-man show.

2. Tiki-Taka

The current Spanish national team is being hailed as one of the greatest of all time, and it is easy to see why. 

With Xavi Hernandez as the conductor, and the supreme attacking talents of Andres Iniesta, David Silva and Cesc Fabregas, Spain have made this tournament look easy by dominating possession and putting on a passing masterclass against France in the quarterfinals.

Despite their speed on the wings, Portugal, like Spain, have thus far required long spells of possession to come up with goals. Against Spain, however, they will be afforded no such luxury. 

The international retirement of Deco in 2010 meant that Portugal was bereft a talented playmaker who could competently handle the ball and spread play to the flanks. While Joao Moutinho has done a capable job thus far, he is no Deco or Rui Costa.

Spain simply do not afford their opponents much time on the ball, which places even more pressure on Ronaldo to take advantage of the few spells of possession that Portugal will see. High-profile misses against Denmark and Germany in the group stage highlight the temperamental nature of Portugal's lead attacker, and will no doubt give Spain confidence that they too can sufficiently frustrate him on the pitch.

3. Portugal's Attack = Cristiano Ronaldo

Rarely has a national team been as dependent on one player as Portugal is on their speedy captain, and rarely do teams that depend on one player succeed against superior competition.

Great football teams, it is said, are not built around one player, yet history to some extent does contradict that statement (France with Zidane, Brazil with Ronaldo and Holland with Cruyff). Even so, Zidane's France, Ronaldo's Brazil and Cruyff's Holland all possessed world-class players surrounding their superstar offensive leaders. 

Portugal, with just the dual threats of Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo from the wings, are hardly blessed with the type of world-beaters that strike fear into opponents.

When Ronaldo is misfiring (while beating the ground with his fists, shouting at teammates and throwing his hands in the air in search of a referee's whistle), Portugal has no other viable option against a team of Spain's caliber. If Spain can frustrate Ronaldo, then they can shut down Portugal.

4. Ronaldo's Spanish "Pato"

With what seemed like a simple "stroll in the park," Spain brushed aside an exciting France side that some predicted could win the tournament. France, a far more talented and complete squad than Portugal, could barely manage a shot on goal against Spain, who will enter this contest as clear favorites to progress. 

But Spain may also take solace in the fact that Ronaldo has never scored against them, not even in a friendly. In Portugal's previous competitive match against Spain at the 2010 World Cup, Ronaldo did not manage a shot on goal and was harshly (though deservedly) criticized in the media for a lackluster tournament. 

With only three international goals against top 10 sides (one against Holland at Euro 2004/two at Euro 2012 and one against Argentina in a friendly), Spain will hardly be quivering in their boots at the sight of the Portuguese captain and should be confident of ensuring that his scoring duck against them continues.

5. Proven Results

Whether at club level or on the international stage, Spain's star-studded squad has plenty of experience facing (and shutting down) Ronaldo.

The 2011-2012 season aside, Barcelona's well-documented dominance of Real Madrid under Pep Guardialo has been mostly down to their ability to double-team and subsequently isolate CR7. 

With five first-team starters coming from the Catalan giants, and a further four who train with Ronaldo nearly every day at Real Madrid, Spain will be more than confident that their experience against the speedy winger can guide them to another stifling victory.

Spain's dominance against Portugal in their 2010 World Cup Round of 16 match, in which Spain saw almost 62 percent of the ball possession, will be a point of reference for Vicente del Bosque and his squad, who should progress to their third consecutive final in an international tournament.