Portugal coach Luis Felipe Scolari paid tribute to the ?spirit of a nation? which he believes helped inspire his side to the historic victory over Spain. The 1-0 triumph, courtesy of Nuno Gomes? stunning second-half strike, kept alive the hosts? Euro 2004 hopes and booked their place in the quarter-finals. It was Portugal?s first win over their Iberian rivals for 23 years and saw them top Group A while Spain were dumped out of the competition. ?It was the fighting spirit, and the spirit of a whole nation that guided my team to victory,? said Scolari.

Goalkeeper Ricardo also admitted he was amazed by the backing Portugal have received from their fans. ?The support is increasing in this country,? he said. ?The people are putting more flags out, even after our defeat against Greece. That was extremely important and it gave us a lot of strength.?