( CNN ) -- Cristiano Ronaldo 's late header sealed a deserved win for Portugal in the Euro 2012 quarterfinal clash against Czech Republic . The Real Madrid forward , who found form so emphatically with two goals in the previous match against Holland , proved the difference once again as he powered home a Joao Moutinho cross with 11 minutes remaining . It was no less than Portugal 's display merited after they dominated the second half against an unfancied Czech side that started the match brightly but faded drastically . Portugal 's win set up a semifinal meeting next Wednesday against either France or Spain . `` We played very well , created a lot of chances and I hit the post twice , '' Ronaldo told TV reporters after the victory . Soccer Live : CNN 's blog from Thursday 's opening quarterfinal . `` We know it 'll be difficult in the next game , but we 're very a mature team and we 're ready for the fight . '' This match was a repeat of the Euro '96 quarterfinal in England , where Karel Poborsky scored a famous scooped lob to give the Czech underdogs a 1-0 win . It was that losing Portugal side , elegantly marshaled by the likes of Rui Costa and Luis Figo , which prompted Ruud Gullit to coin the phrase `` sexy football . '' And there was plenty to seduce viewers in Portugal 's second-half display in Warsaw , as the Czechs were blown away by their opponents ' pace and guile going forward . Not that Paulo Bento side 's superiority was evident in a cagey first half where the Portuguese were labored and sloppy , in contrast to the lively , well-drilled Czechs . Still , it was Ronaldo who almost broke the deadlock with a moment of brilliance seconds before halftime . The winger deftly chested down a Raul Meireles pass inside the Czech box , spun cleverly away from Michael Kadlec and unleashed a low shot that bounced back off the post . The Portugal captain looked to the heavens in exasperation , but it was a warning sign the Czechs would have heeded . Yet Michal Bilek 's side were powerless to stem the tide of Portuguese attacks that followed after the break . Minutes after the restart , Ronaldo hit the post again -- this time with a fearsome 35-yard free-kick . It set the tone for the remainder of the game as Portugal relentlessly pinned the Czechs back , with chances coming thick and fast . Hugo Almeida sent a free header tamely over the bar , before Petr Cech parried Nani 's venomous hit and tipped over a fizzing effort from Moutinho . Meireles and Nani then fired chances over the bar with the goal begging . Ronaldo , inevitably , had a few attempts of his own too . He fired a shot over and had several efforts blocked , the spasms of anguish that greeted each miss becoming increasingly animated . But that frustration was released with the clock ticking towards extra time , as Ronaldo 's aerial prowess came to the fore . Moutinho delivered a right-wing cross and Ronaldo hurled himself at the ball to send a powerful header into the ground and bouncing over the outstretched fingers of Cech to spark wild Portuguese celebrations . Portugal are unlikely to be the favorites in the semifinals , whichever team they face , but with Europe 's best player looking at the peak of his powers , who would bet against them ?
Cristiano Ronaldo scores winner as Portugal knock Czech Republic out of Euro 2012 . Real Madrid beat the Czechs 2-1 in a friendly at Estadio Nacional de Sao Paulo on Tuesday night to reach their first final since 2002. Portugal spurned numerous chances before eventually taking the lead . Paulo Bento 's side will face either France or Spain in next week 's semifinal .