Genius of Ronaldo can take Portugal to first Euro title

Of the eight teams who qualified for the Euro 2012 quarter-finals, only two had not won the competition. England, clearly, are one. The other are Portugal. But no one could deny they have come close. On Thursday in Warsaw, the 2004 runners-up made it to their fourth Euro semi-final (England have just the two to their name).

In their camp there is a growing conviction that this time they can finally right the statistical quirk in their history and win the tournament at last. Not that it will be easy: in the semi-final they will play either France - who beat them in the Euro 2000 final - or the tournament favourites, Spain.

"Maybe then we can play England in the final - you never know," said the Manchester United winger Nani. "Anything is possible. But first of all we have to win our next game before we start to think about that. We don't mind who we play, it doesn't matter."

The reason they can approach any tie with such confidence was obvious to any of the 50,000 largely neutral fans watching them beat the Czech Republic on Thursday: they have in their number easily the best European-born player around. Cristiano Ronaldo followed up his astonishing match-winning performance against the Dutch in the group stage with another coruscating display. Putting in a Stakhanovite shift up front, he worked tirelessly, twice hitting the post, before netting the only goal.

It was the nature of Ronaldo's goal that demonstrated the Portuguese have a right to be confident about their immediate future. When Joao Moutinho's cross evaded the substitute centre-forward, Hugo Almeida, it might have appeared to have missed its intended target. But Ronaldo, lurking behind his team-mate, timed his run to perfection, met the ball with a stooping dive and headed it at unstoppable power past Petr Cech. The amazing thing was: he did not disturb a single hair on his slicked-down Valentino quiff.

It was a centre-forward's goal, one of muscle, scored by a man largely thought of as a quick-footed winger. But that is the thing about Ronaldo: he can do everything. Dribble, cross, pass, head: he has no weakness, beyond perhaps a fancy for mirrors. In this competition so far he has been doing everything rather effectively.

"Being the top scorer?" he said.

"I don't even want to think about it;

I just want to go as far as possible at the Euros. To me it doesn't matter whether it's Spain or France. The team is ready. The most important thing is the ambition and spirit in our squad. I scored one more goal and I am happy for that."

Ronaldo may have been a touch modest here. The growing conviction among those who have watched the Portuguese so far is that they are a team of 10 decent players and one genius. And it is the genius who has projected them forwards. As Almeida, suggested. "When you have one top player like Cristiano it's more easy because he's No?1 in the world. He deserves congratulations because he had such a great game."

Not that the 10 plus one theory is one to be aired around the coach Paolo Bento. He seethed when a British reporter asked him at the post-match press conference how much he thought his star player might now be worth on the transfer market.

He flung off his translation headphones and angrily lectured the assembled press on the value of teamwork and how his side exemplified its tenets. Even as Bento raged, Ronaldo, anointed man of the match but excused press conference duties as he had an urgent appointment with his hair products, was being lavishly praised by team-mates grateful for the difference he makes.

"Ronaldo is a fantastic player and tonight he showed it again," said Helder Postiga, who was substituted midway through the first half with a hamstring strain. "He showed he's one of the best in the world."

Moutinho, meanwhile, was less equivocal. "Ronaldo is the best there is," he said. "I'd rather have him in my team than Lionel Messi."