Portugal and Spain are considered among some of the strongest football nations in Europe as well as in the World. Spain has won the World Cup once i.e., 2010, while Portugal hasn’t won the trophy yet. Their best performance was in 1966 World Cup when they were in the Third Place in the Tournament. Portugal vs Spain rivalry is one of the oldest football rivalries and originally it dates back to 1581. Their rivalry is also known as The Iberian Derby or The Iberian War. Interestingly, Portugal and Spain are drawn into the same group in 2018 World Cup. As per current FIFA men’s ranking, Portugal is on #3 while Spain is on #6.
Let’s check their stats and analyze who is leading in Portugal vs Spain Rivalry.
Portugal vs Spain Rivalry – Statistics and Figures:
| Total Matches played | 36 |
| Won by Portugal | 6 |
| Won by Spain | 18 |
| Draws | 12 |
| The first match played on | 18-Dec-21 |
| Winner of the first match | Spain 3-1 |
| Meeting at World Cup | 1 |
| Spain best Score | 9-0 |
| Portugal best Score | 4-0 |
| Spain Goals | 74 |
| Portugal Goals | 41 |
Although Portugal vs Spain rivalry dates back to 1581 but the football rivalry was started on 18 December 1921 when Spain defeated Portugal by 3-1 in their first ever meeting. Spain won first 5 matches while 6th match was a 2-2 draw. It took Portugal about 26 years to win their first ever match against Spain when they defeated them by 4-1 in a friendly match. This match was played in Lisbon on 26 January 1947.
Portugal vs Spain in the World Cup:
They had met just once in the history of the World Cup. This match was played in Cape Town on 29 June 2010 in the Round of 16. Spain won this match by 1-0 and later Spain also won this World Cup.
The last match between Portugal and Spain:
Both the rivals met in Donetsk for the 1st semi-final of UEFA Euro 2012. This match was resulted in 0-0 in full-time and Spain won this match 2-4 on Penalty Kicks.
Portugal vs Spain in 2018 World Cup:
Portugal and Spain are drawn into Group C and they will meet each other on June 15 20178 in World Cup. According to the Football experts, it will be a close match.
Key Players:
Portugal:
Key player for Portugal for their upcoming match is without any doubt Cristiano Ronaldo. All the eyes will be on him for this match.
Spain:
For Spain, the experts are considering David Villa as a key player. The performance of Spain will depend on his performance.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
