Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas has said that he is extremely confident that the Spanish defenders will be able to keep Cristiano Ronaldo quiet in the first semi-final between the two nations. The winner of this match will be facing Germany or Italy in the final of the competition.

Cristiano Ronaldo has come into form at just the right moment in the tournament after he has moved into when the Golden Boot award. He has helped Portugal not only get past the group stages, but has also helped them get past the Czech Republic in the quarter-finals with a great header in the closing moments of the game.

He will once again be a major threat for Portugal when they take on Spain. In fact, most of the pressure will be on Cristiano Ronaldo to score in the match. Iker Casillas understands that Ronaldo is the major threat for Portugal, but is confident that his teammates can deal with the Portuguese. The lack of Barcelona defender Carlos Puyol is a major actions for Spain, but Casillas reckons that the presence of Pique is more than enough to stop the threat from the Portuguese captain Ronaldo in the match.

“Puyol’s absence? Pique has always done very well, both at Barca, and in the Spain national team. When I arrived, my role was different. I was looking, listening, learning. Now I am one of the most experienced players. I have shared the dressing room with Spanish legends, but you also learn with the youngsters, who arrived with their future ahead of them. I prefer to be remembered by my character than by the titles I have won. In 2008, we arrived at the Euros in a completely different way,” said Iker Casillas ahead of the match with Portugal on Wednesday night.