We want to avoid penalties against Italy: Sergio Ramos

Kiev: Spain defender Sergio Ramos hopes that the Euro 2012 final against Italy is not decided by a penalty shoot-out.

The European champions beat Portugal on penalties on Wednesday, but Ramos insisted that he does not want to see a repeat of that game in the final. "Honestly, I would not like to go into a penalty shoot-out again," he said during a press conference. "But we are very eager to win and for that we will need to stay humble and try to do things well, while respecting Italy. "These days, memories of our recent past come to our mind. This motivates us to win this final and relive those incredible moments with the Spanish people." Ramos converted his penalty against the Seleccao with an audacious chip, but noted that it was not a message to those who had criticised him for his failed attempt against Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals. "A lot of things were said and the truth is that they hurt my pride," Ramos added. Spain fans ecstatic with win "But I did not take the penalty like this for any special reason, only because I was confident. "There were many people waiting for me to miss, but that never affected me." Andrea Pirlo has been an integral part of Italy`s run to the final, but Ramos insisted that there is more to the Azzurri than the Juventus playmaker. "He is a unique player, one of the best in Italy, but he is not their only threat," Ramos added. "What has taken them to the final is their collective game. There is not just one stand-alone player." The Real Madrid defender was part of the squad which won Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, and he is hoping to repeat that success on Sunday to give the Spanish people more satisfaction. "Of course we think about making history," the 26-year-old said. "We know what we are playing for on Sunday, although we know that no matter what happens, we have already made history. "The icing on top of the cake would be to win the Euros. The entire country can be very proud of us, regardless if we win or lose." Goal.com