31 min: Spain try to play their way through the centre, as is their wont, with Pique passing to Xavi between the lines of midfield and defence, then Xavi helping it on its way for Torres to chase. He puts his boot through the ball a bit too hard, leaving Torres with too much to do.

33 min: In the Portugal right-back position, Iniesta dinks the ball towards Xavi, who tries to divert it into the path of a Torres run. It's blocked by a defender.

34 min: I forgot to mention earlier, by the way, that Spain are wearing their usual colours tonight, while Portugal's players are kitted out in white shirts, green shorts and white socks.

35 min: Sergio Ramos goes on the rampage again, up the right wing. He pulls the ball back to Iniesta on the edge of the penalty area, but he's robbed of possession before he can pull the trigger. Moments later, the ball is rolled back to Xabi Alonso a few yards outside the Portugal penalty area, but his shot his blocked by one of three defenders who throw themselves in front of him when he shapes to shoot.

38 min: Spain are playing into Portugal's hands here. The Portuguese are sitting back, happy to defend as Spain repeatedly try to play through them, rather than around them. The only other way is over them, which they haven't really tried yet.

39 min: Portugal attack down the left flank. Simao sends in a marvellous cross to Almeida and Ronaldo who are queuing up at the far post, with only Carles Puyol to mark them. Almeida leaps highest, but his header is only glancing and the ball skims wide. He really should have scored.

41 min: With Ramos and Puyol jogging back into position after a sortie into the Spain penalty area, Coentrao plays a through-ball for Almeida to chase. Iker Casillas sprints off his line and out of his penalty area to hack the ball clear and only just beats the Portugal striker to the chase.

44 min: Coentrao turns provider again, hoisting up a cross from the left. Tiago gallops into the box and leaps into the air, flashing a header across the face of goal and wide.

45 min: There'll be one minute of added time.

45+1 min: Iniesta tries to pick out Torres with a pass, but not for the first time, the striker looks off the pace.

Half-time in a cagey encounter. It's been interesting, but remains scoreless. Spain are struggling to create chances and Portugal are defending obdurately.

Half-time analysis: "Could you apologise for your comment before the match about some of the Portuguese team being too young to remember the famous day in 1139 when their country won independence from Spain," asks Colin Bolster. "The Portuguese girlfriend wasn't too pleased with the BBC saying the same thing. Apparently Portugal has never been part of Spain and Spain is actually 'just a bunch of stupid counties where no-one speaks the same language'. The rest of her shouting has mostly been in Portuguese but I did understand 'stupid Wikipedia page'." Consider it done - mea culpa. I copied my information from the BBC.

Keith Shaw writes: "The biggest problem for Spain is that Xavi has looked tired since March," he writes. "He might not play in the Best League in the World (TM), but Euro 2008, World Club Championship, and Confederations Cup have taken their toll."

Second half: In the BBC studio, Jurgen Klinsman reckons that Spain need to get the ball out to David Villa on the left flank and isolate Portugal right-back Ricardo Costa. It's a fiendishly cvlever plan that will almost certainly work, but one they've been unable to execute more than once or twice throughout the first half.

48 min: The second half has picked up where the first left off, at a snail's pace with Spain pressing and probing, trying unsuccessfully to find an opening, with Portugal defending patiently and resolutely, content to attack on the break.

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