How Portugal reached another Euro semifinal without winning a single game

Portugal has now played five games at this Euro and has not won a single one. Not technically, anyway. Not in regulation.

Yet Portugal is into the semifinals.

For the fourth time in the last five editions this tournament has been played.

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It’s a remarkable thing, really, the brinksmanship and tenacity that has enabled so much success, and done it so quietly. Consider, after all, that Portugal tied all three of its group stage games at Euro 2016. It was only because of the infinite mercy of the new 24-team format – which knocked out just a third of the field in the group stage, or one team for every 4½ games – that the Portuguese advanced as the third-best of the six third-place teams. In spite of going winless, scoring just four times in three games and posting a goal difference of zero.

Then, in the round of 16, they needed until the 117th minute, nearing the end of extra time, for a tiny Ricardo Quaresma tap-in from a deflected Cristiano Ronaldo shot to slay a superior Croatia.

On Thursday, in the quarterfinals, the contest went to penalties, after 18-year-old wunderkind Renato Sanchez’s deflected strike canceled out Robert Lewandowski’s second-minute go-ahead goal for Poland. Rui Patricio made the big save and Quaresma scored the clinching spot kick to win the shootout 5-3.

So Portugal is through to the last four again. For the fifth time in their seven appearances at the Euro – although they’ve reached the final just once, shockingly losing to Greece on their home soil in 2004.

Look into the small nation’s Euro history and a striking picture emerges of a team that, over the generations, consistently grinds out good results with late goals and comebacks. Weirdly, that ability seldom translates to the World Cup, which has historically been more forgiving – other than in 2006, anyway, when the Portuguese did make the semis.

Anyway, at the last Euro, in 2012, Portugal dropped its opener to Germany. But then the Portuguese beat Denmark 3-2, blowing a two-goal lead before getting an 87th-minute winner. Finally, they came from behind to beat the Netherlands 2-1 and advance from the toughest group. They beat the Czech Republic 1-0 in the quarterfinals on a 79th-minute Ronaldo goal.

Next, look at Euro 2004, played in Portugal – 2008 was the only tournament in this millennium in which the Portuguese didn’t reach the last four, losing to Germany 3-2 in the quarterfinals. After losing their first game to Greece, they beat Russia. They needed to beat Spain to advance and did, 1-0, winning the group outright. A late equalizer took their quarterfinal with England to extra time, which ended 2-2. The Portuguese then prevailed 6-5 on the second round of sudden-death penalty kicks. The Dutch were narrowly dispatched 2-1 in the semis.

Go back even further, to Euro 2000. First, Portugal overcame a 2-0 18th-minute deficit to England to win 3-2. Then the Portuguese beat Romania 1-0 on a 94th-minute winner. Their 3-0 win over Germany was more comfortable. So too was the 2-0 quarterfinal victory over Turkey. But then the semifinal with France went to extra time again, which wasn’t lost until a Zinedine Zidane penalty in the 117th minute made it 2-1 to the eventual winners.

Now, at the ongoing tournament, Portugal is two wins – or ties and extra time/penalty heroics – away from the European crown yet again. In spite of failing to beat Iceland, Hungary and Austria in the group stage – solid teams all, but hardly contenders.

This is the art and enduring mystique of the Portuguese at the Euro. Somehow they haven’t been convincing in several editions of the tournament, yet hardly ever fail to perform. Even on nights when the team looks flat and Ronaldo is a shadow of his old self, like on Thursday, scuffing very makeable shots, failing to score from a handful of decent chances where he once needed just half of one to convert. Because the essence of the recent Portugal teams isn’t Ronaldo. It’s Pepe, the hard-as-nails Real Madrid defender who is somehow also one of the softest players in the sport, writhing and play-acting at the slightest contact from an opponent.

That attitude and insufferable habit doesn’t reflect the rest of his team, necessarily, but it does underscore its mindset. Portugal will do what it takes. Portugal will conjure the goals it needs and conspire to keep out the ones it can’t afford to concede. Portugal will find a way.

On Thursday, Portugal found a way again.

Leander Schaerlaeckens is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @LeanderAlphabet.