Spain's 'great joy' as Morata strikes late to book Nations League semi-final spot

A 1-0 win over Portugal in Braga sends La Roja into the final four alongside Italy, Croatia, and the Netherlands

Alvaro Morata celebrates with teammates at the end of the Uefa Nations League match between Portugal and Spain at the Municipal Stadium in Braga, Portugal on September 27, 2022. AP

Alvaro Morata scores for Spain against Portugal at the Municipal stadium in Braga. EPA

Alvaro Morata begins his celebration after scoring for Spain against Portugal. EPA

Alvaro Morata and Cristiano Ronaldo after the Nations League match between Portugal and Spain. EPA

Spain's forward Alvaro Morata (C,R) celebrates with teammates after his team victory in the UEFA Nations League, league A, group 2 football match between Portugal and Spain, at the Municipal Stadium in Braga on September 27, 2022. - Spain won 0-1. (Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA / AFP)

BRAGA, PORTUGAL - SEPTEMBER 27: Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal reacts during the UEFA Nations League League A Group 2 match between Portugal and Spain at Estadio Municipal de Braga on September 27, 2022 in Braga, Portugal. (Photo by Octavio Passos / Getty Images)

Cristiano Ronaldo after missing a chance to score for Portugal against Spain. Getty

Portugal's Danilo Pereira and Alvaro Morata tussle for the ball. Getty

Portugal forward Diogo Jota and Spain midfielder Rodri challenge for the ball. Getty

Spain forward Ferran Torres on the ball during the game against Portugal. EPA

Portugal defender Ruben Dias challenges for a header during the game against Spain. AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo on the ball under pressure from Spain midfielder Sergio Busquets. EPA

Spain players celebrate after beating Portugal to advance to the Nations League semi-finals. AFP

Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva in action with Spain full-back Jose Gaya. Reuters

Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon collects the ball in front of a frsutrated Cristiano Ronaldo . EPA

Alvaro Morata said Spain's never-say-die attitude was the key to victory on Tuesday night after the Atletico Madrid striker scored the only goal of the game against Portugal to send his team into the Nations League semi-finals.

Spain needed to win in Braga to finish top of League A Group 2, but struggled on another difficult night for the Euro 2020 semi-finalists, until Morata's 88th-minute breakthrough.

Spain have not been able to hit top form leading up to the Qatar 2022 World Cup, but this hard-fought victory provides a welcome morale boost.

Portugal had the better of the game but the visitors improved in the final stages, with the introduction of several substitutes, including Nico Williams, who headed across goal for Morata to turn the ball in at the back post.

"When we had to stand up, we did," Morata told TVE. "If we had lost, it had to be giving everything we had on the pitch, and that's what we did.

"I'll remember the attitude of the team, we fought until the end. And Nico Williams, in his second game for the national team, was key and I put it over the line."

Spain will join Italy, Croatia, and the Netherlands in the semis in June 2023, although attention now switches to the fast-approaching World Cup.

Luis Enrique made wholesale changes to the side that suffered Spain's first home defeat since 2018 against Switzerland on Saturday, retaining only four starters. Morata was brought in to lead the line, while the manager rotated his entire midfield trio.

Spain still dominated possession, as their gameplan demands, but to little effect as Portugal created the more dangerous openings.

Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simon made a solid save to deny Ruben Neves and then a brilliant stop to keep Liverpool striker Diogo Jota at bay.

With Portuguese confidence increasing, Bruno Fernandes lashed an effort narrowly off-target, celebrated prematurely by swathes of the stadium as the ball appeared to settle in the net.

Just as they did against Switzerland, Spain failed to get a single shot on target in the first half, and after Simon made another good save from Cristiano Ronaldo early in the second half, Luis Enrique took action.

He sent on Pedri, Gavi, and Yeremy Pino to try and give La Roja more inspiration going forward, although it was the hosts who almost broke the deadlock when Dani Carvajal deflected a strike narrowly over his own crossbar.

The changes livened Spain up and they began to turn the tide, building momentum as the game reached its denouement.

Carvajal launched a crossfield ball into the area, with Williams' header leaving Morata with the simple task of firing into the empty net to put the runners-up of the last edition of the Nations League back into the final four.

An exasperated Ronaldo was denied by Simon at the death and Fernando Santos's Portugal left ruing their missed chances and wishing they had killed off Spain when they had the chance.

"We had many chances and Spain few, we are sad, we would have liked to have been in the finals," said Santos. "Ronaldo had three or four chances that he would usually score, but he could not. That's football."

It was a disappointing end to a good run for Portugal, while Spain experienced the opposite sensation. After defeat by Switzerland and frustrating draws with Portugal and the Czech Republic in June, Morata's late winner provided relief for La Roja.

"This is a wonderful sport in which winning is the best antidote to any depression or sadness," said Luis Enrique.

"Portugal are a top, top, top team. In the first half I insisted, maybe too much, on having the ball, and we did. It's evident we'd prefer to play the passes in their half.

"(But) the first half was necessary to show that the ball was ours, and in the second we had the sensation that the goal would come. We're in the final four again and it's a great joy."