Not again! England succumbed to the nerve-shredding agony of a penalty shoot-out defeat once more as Darius Vassell joined David Beckham in suffering the torment of an unwelcome place in history.
Beckham's horribly miscued effort was his third consecutive miss for his
country but England looked to have recovered when Rui Costa also blasted his
effort over the top.
However, a new chapter was then added to the England shoot-out nightmare that
had previously struck the country in 1990, 1996 and 1998.
For not only did Portugal keeper Ricardo dive to keep out Vassell's penalty.
He also stepped up to end the match with a spot-kick of his own.
England were yet again left to lick their wounds after a match of incredible
drama, when Sven-Goran Eriksson's side battled to the last and had nothing to
reproach themselves for - apart from their ability from the spot.
They had even come just seven minutes from victory in normal time after coping
with an injury to talisman Wayne Rooney.
However, Tottenham misfit Helder Postiga, with just two goals all of last
season, struck the late equaliser.
And in so many gut-wrenching ways, it was the agony of St Etienne in 1998
repeated as Sol Campbell once again had a late 'goal' harshly ruled out.
In extra-time, Rui Costa looked to have won the game for the hosts, only for
Frank Lampard to give England hope with a last-gasp equaliser of his own.
It nevertheless came to penalties and once again, a nation was forced to
endure a glorious defeat with a horrible sense of deja vu.
Unbeaten on the pitch, but unable to win a penalty shoot-out.
It was all too depressingly familiar as Eriksson again lost out to Luiz Felipe
Scolari, the former Brazil coach, in the quarter-finals of a major tournament.
It had all started so differently, with England seizing the lead after just
three minutes, just as they had done in their Euro 2000 defeat by Portugal.
This time, the goal was entirely from the route one factory, with Costinha
misjudging James' long punt as the ball brushed off his head and landed in no
man's land between him and Ricardo.
Owen was nevertheless onto it in a flash, swivelling 180 degrees before
acrobatically flicking the ball past the stranded keeper as his finishing
instincts proved as sharp as ever.
Portugal were immediately stung into action and with Nuno Gomes heading wide,
while James tipped Maniche's shot over the bar, it was heart-stopping stuff.
England did threaten on the break, with Owen just lobbing the ball over the
bar from Steve Gerrard's clever chip, while Campbell narrowly headed over the
top.
However, with just 26 minutes gone, the supposedly unthinkable happened as
Rooney was forced off after having his foot clipped by Jorge Andrade and was
taken for an X-ray.
On came Vassell, with Owen dropping slightly deeper as a result, although
England's strikers ended up rather cut off from their supply lines.
That England held out to half-time was due not only to some heroic defending
but also some hapless finishing from both Deco and Figo, although Owen was
himself denied by Ricardo.
Portugal continued to push in the second-half, and Eriksson, criticised for
his tactical inaction against Brazil, made the decision to replace Scholes with
Phil Neville with 56 minutes gone.
Portugal were by no means out of it just yet though, with Ronaldo heading wide
and substitute Sabrosa Simao flashed a shot just past the post.
England's tackling was incessant but still Portugal pressed and when Figo was
surprisingly replaced on 75 minutes by Postiga, it proved to be an inspired
decision by Scolari.
With just seven minutes left, Simao crossed and Postiga rose unchallenged to
head past James. Game on.
England thought they had won it deep into injury-time when Campbell headed
Beckham's free-kick against the bar and then nodded the rebound over the line.
However, with shades of England's 1998 defeat by Argentina when Campbell's
header was also disallowed in injury-time, this was also ruled out for an
alleged push by John Terry on Ricardo.
Just three days after beating Croatia and with Portugal having had an extra
day's rest, England were forced into extra-time, with Eriksson having used Owen
Hargreaves as his last substitute.
Portugal upped their tempo again, but had two penalty appeals turned down and
England temporarily weathered the storm.
Beckham placed a header just wide, but even though Cole cleared off the line
from Postiga, the agony continued.
Rui Costa brushed aside Phil Neville's desperate challenge and unleashed a
shot of such power that James was left helplessly rooted to the spot.
England could have collapsed thereafter, but showed their true character in
mounting a comeback of their own as Lampard swivelled onto Terry's knock-down
from Beckham's corner.
With Rooney, Paul Scholes and Gerrard all substituted, England were deprived
of three natural penalty-takers.
Up stepped Beckham, who had missed his last two efforts against Turkey and
France and, once again, he ballooned the ball over the bar, blaming the turf as
he walked disconsolately away.
While Deco scored, so did Owen, Sabrosa Simao and Lampard, only for Rui Costa
to follow Beckham's lead as he cleared the bar.
John Terry, Cristiano Ronaldo and Owen Hargreaves all calmly found the net,
but so too did Maniche and Ashley Cole, before Helder Postiga's mis-hit chip just
scraped past James.
Up stepped Vassell and while his shot was struck relatively strongly, Ricardo
dived to his left and saved the day.
So buoyed up was the keeper that he delivered the final blow himself.
A nation feared it was coming, but after a tournament in which, inspired by
Rooney, England had promised so much, that did not help ease the extreme pain
one little bit.
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