Rolling back the years and displaying the pace, power and skill that made him the golden boy of Portugal's golden generation, the 31-year-old Figo inspired the 2-1 win over the Netherlands that sealed the hosts' place in Sunday's Euro 2004 final.

Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Maniche clinched the win but Figo's tireless runs down both wings repeatedly bamboozled the Dutch defenders.

Despite the impudence of Ronaldo's header which put Portugal ahead and Maniche's lethal, curling 20-metre strike doubled the lead, it was Figo at the heart of the victory.

Playing his 109th international, he briefly shared Portugal's all-time appearance record with Fernando Couto, who was in the Portuguese side that won the FIFA World Youth Cup in 1989.

Figo, along with Rui Costa who remained on the bench, were in the team that won the 1991 version, 13 years ago to the day.

Couto came on for the last seven minutes to regain his record with 110th cap and the two experienced players were surrounded by their younger team mates at the end.

The Portugal squad and most of the 46,000 fans in the stadium celebrated as wildly as their ancestors must have done when they heard the news that Vasco da Gama had rounded the Cape of Good Hope and discovered the sea route to India in 1498.

SCOLARI'S JOURNEY

But someone even older than Figo was also mobbed -- Luiz Felipe Scolari, who coached Brazil to glory in the World Cup final two years ago and now stands on the brink of delivering silver to his adopted country.

Scolari, whose journey from Rio to Lisbon could reach a peak with him becoming the first foreign coach to win the European Championship, totally ignored Figo's display of petulance when he was substituted in the quarter-final against England by playing him for the whole match.

Figo repaid his faith fully and although there were periods when the Dutch were in control, Portugal dominated.

The tempo was set by Figo on one wing and Ronaldo on the other, and they kept the Dutch defence under pressure, even though striker Pauleta, who has failed to score a goal in the tournament, had another unproductive match.

Link play between Maniche and Deco was delightful too, and while the Dutch battled hard, they were too often out-numbered in midfield and forced to defend deep.

Their coach Dick Advocaat sacrificed his one effective pacy player Marc Overmars for Roy Makaay at halftime and by the end of the game he had three forwards, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Makaay and Pierre van Hooijdonk, on the pitch with Rafael van der Vaart on as an attacking midfielder.

But Portugal defended well with Jorge Andrade -- apart from his own goal -- and Ricardo Carvalho coping with everything the Dutch threw at them.

In the end, Portugal were deserved winners and the Dutch had few causes for complaint about losing their fourth European semi-final out of five.

JINX OVER

The victory also ended Portugal's long wait for a place in a major final. Beaten in the 1966 World Cup semi-final when Eusebio left the field in tears at the end of a 2-1 defeat by England at Wembley, and in the 1984 and 2000 Euro semis by eventual winners France, it was fourth time lucky for Portugal.

They now have a chance of becoming the first hosts since France in 1984 to win the competition and have ended the four-competition streak of the hosts losing in the penultimate round.

After the match Scolari announced he would be staying on in the job as Portugal's coach for another two years and perhaps that might inspire Figo to play on.

He is considering his international future and was thought likely to retire after the tournament. But although performances like this might not come along that often, the fact he can still do it when it matters might persuade Figo not to hang up his red number seven shirt just yet.