Presentation of the Portuguese national team. Representation of the Portuguese national team Home European Championship
What is the Portugal national team like now? Probably, many football fans are asking themselves exactly the same question... Without going too far from the obvious, at the moment Portugal is Ronaldo and everyone else, right? But just eight years ago
Goalkeepers
Betu (CFR)
Rui Patricio (Sporting)
Eduardo (Benfica)
Defenders
Bruno Alves (Zenit, Russia)
Ricardo Costa (Valencia, Spain)
Fabio Coentran (Real Madrid, Spain)
Miguel Lopes (Braga)
Pepe (Real Madrid, Spain)
Joao Pereira (Sporting)
Rolando ("Porto")
Midfielders
Miguel Veloso (Genoa, Italy)
Ugu Viana (Braga)
Custodiu (Braga)
Raul Meireles (Chelsea, England)
Ruben Mikael (Zaragoza, Spain)
Joao Moutinho (Porto)
Nani (Manchester United, England)
Forwards
Ugu Almeida (Besiktas, Türkiye)
Silvestre Varela (Porto)
Ricardo Quaresma (Besiktas, Türkiye)
Helder Postiga (Zaragoza, Spain)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, Spain).
The Portuguese national team was the main favorite of the continental tournament, but then there were crazy envoys of Hellas under the leadership King Otto who destroyed the team's dream Scolari, and on its territory...
What are European Brazilians like at this point in time - early June 2012? Well, naturally, they are simply unthinkable without their leader - Cristiano Ronaldo, who is probably recognized as the best football player on the planet last season. Ronaldo, just like in Real Madrid, is ready to play for the national team in any position in the attack line, much depends on the condition of the national team’s center forwards. The fact is that Uh-huh Almeida And Elder Postiga They play at the level of the Portuguese national team only from time to time, so the option of Ronaldo at the forefront does not seem out of the ordinary.
Nevertheless, the coach of the Portuguese national team Paulo Bento quite conservative. He prefers a powerful center forward, rather than an option with the same Ronaldo in front. Why? Well, that's understandable. The Portuguese monster nominally plays on the flank in his Real Madrid. Have you seen his performance? So Bento hopes to see something similar in the national team, despite the fact that only Nani corresponds to the level of the Madrid midfield.
This, in fact, lies the main problem of the Portuguese team. If the defense is led by Pepe ready to resist the most famous attacking combinations in modern football world, then the line of midfielders, in which we do not include Ronaldo and Nani, is basically only capable of helping defs... Moutinho, which received a lot of advances 5-6 years ago, has stalled in its development. Veloso He only thinks about how to competently perform the “standard” and give his T-shirt to the crazy Genoa fans... Meireles- the only one in this trio who has made a significant leap in his development lately... But he, first of all, is ready to fight, and not to be creative, to create something.
As a result, what happens: close Nani and Ronaldo - and there is no Portuguese national team... Maby, this is so, nevertheless, it is not for nothing that Bento is considered the most thoughtful in the new generation of Portuguese coaches. He simply has to come up with something like this, because Ronaldo shouldn’t remain in the background of the national team’s tournaments.
Remembering the 2010 World Cup, Portugal was remembered for its competent defense. Defense, oddly enough, is currently the strongest side of the Portuguese team. Let Bruno Alves V
Calendar
06/09/2012. 22:45. Germany – Portugal
06/13/2012. 20:00. Denmark – Portugal
06/17/2012. 22:45. Portugal – Netherlands.
Russian Premier League has discredited itself, but paired with Pepe He looks brilliant as part of the national team on the European stage.
The Portuguese national team achieved its greatest success in 2000, when, together with Figo, Costoi, Joao Pinto, Nuno Gomes she reached the semi-finals, where she was unable to cope with the lucky French. What is needed to repeat that achievement, or even surpass it? Bento must find a person in the center of his team, perhaps in the line of midfielders or in the center of the attack, who would be able to interact with Cristiano and Nani. If the young coach, a favorite of the Portuguese fans, copes with this task, then Portugal will not be superfluous at the celebration of life of Group B. In terms of its potential, it is inferior to Germany and Holland, but there is no Ronaldo in these teams... And the factor in the person of such a football player can be decisive in individual meetings, because, as we have already said, the most western team Europe has great order in defense.
The Portuguese national team has recently been ranked among the giants of world football. And even though the Portuguese do not have the most talented generation playing now, this team is extremely dangerous for any opponent.
History of the Portugal national football team
- Participation in the final stage of the world championships: 6 times.
- Participation in the final stage of the European Championships: 7 times.
Achievements of the Portuguese national team
- World Championships - bronze medalist (1966), 4th place (2006).
- European Championships - champion (2016), silver medalist (2004), bronze medalist (1984, 2000, 2012).
Portugal team at the World Cup
For a long time, the Portuguese national team remained outside the major football tournaments, and the reason for this was the lack of professional football in the country.
With the formation of such came international successes - first at the club level, and then at the national team level.
At the 1966 World Championships, the Portuguese team, being a debutant in the tournament, immediately became a prize-winner. Having defeated the teams of Hungary (3:1), Bulgaria (3:0) and the current world champions Brazil (3:1), the Portuguese confidently took first place in the group.
But, unfortunately, the Portuguese were remembered not only for their game. In the match with Brazil, the Portuguese national team players staged a real hunt for Pele, deliberately trying to injure him. And they succeeded - Pele left the field, and when he returned with a bandage on his knee, he, by and large, no longer participated in the game. Substitutions were not allowed then, and he had to remain on the field until the end of the match.
In the quarterfinals, the Portuguese were opposed by the DPRK team, which created a sensation at the tournament by defeating the Italian team. But still, few could have imagined that by the 25th minute the North Koreans would lead 3:0. But Portugal had the great Eusebio, who scored 4 goals against the Koreans (two of them from penalties) and Portugal won 5:3.
In the semi-finals, Portugal had to play the home team. Two goals from Bobby Charlton predetermined the victory for the British, and another penalty converted by Eusebio only sweetened the bitterness of defeat for the Portuguese.
In the match for third place, the attitude towards which in those days was somewhat different than now, the Portuguese football players defeated the USSR national team 2:1, scoring the decisive goal a minute before the end of the second half.
The “European Brazilians,” as this team is also called, had to wait twenty long years for their next entry into the World Cup. The start of the Mexican championship went well - a 1:0 victory over the English team. However, defeats from Poland and Morocco dropped Portugal to last place in the group.
The next break from participation in world championships was a little shorter - the Portuguese missed “only” three world championships and got to the 2002 world championship. In Portugal, high hopes were placed on this team, made up of players from the “golden generation”, because at Euro 2000 they almost reached the final.
However, even here the Portuguese were disappointed - defeats from the US and South Korean teams, which did not have players of the level or Rui Costa on their roster, did not allow them to advance to the playoff stage.
But four years later, the Portuguese were again one step away from the world championship final. Players such as Maniche, Deco and Cristiano Ronaldo appeared in the team.
Having won the group quite easily - 3 wins, in the 1/8 finals the Portuguese national team players defeated Holland in that very famous match, where the Russian referee Valentin Ivanov showed the players 16 yellow and 4 red cards, setting a world championship record.
Having defeated the English in the quarter-finals on penalties, the Portuguese lost to the French 0:1 in the semi-finals, and the match turned out to be a kind of deja vu: as in the Euro 2000 semi-finals, Zinedine Zidane scored the winning goal in the match from a penalty.
In fact, this was the peak of the Portuguese national team; after 2006, Luis Figo, Paulo Sousa, and Pedro Pauleta finished playing for the national team.
In 2010 and 2018, the Portuguese were eliminated in the 1/8 finals, losing to the Spaniards 0:1 and the Uruguayans 0:2, and at the Brazilian World Cup they were unable to leave the group at all.
Portugal national team at the European Championships
The amazing is nearby - so one might say, having learned that the debut of the Portuguese team at the European Championships took place only in 1984! But the debutants did not look like extras at all. Having drawn with Germany (1:1) and Spain (0:0), and defeating the Romanian team, the Portuguese reached the semi-finals of the tournament.
The hosts of the tournament and future champions, the French national team, were waiting for them there, and the match turned out to be, perhaps, the best of the tournament. The French opened the scoring, the Portuguese equalized it 15 minutes before the end of the match. IN Extra time Portugal had already taken the lead, but the French players not only equalized the score, but snatched victory - Michel Platini scored the decisive goal a minute before the end of overtime.
Since Euro 1996, the Portuguese have constantly qualified for the continental championship. At that tournament, they confidently took first place in the group, only in the 1/8 finals the Czech national team became an insurmountable barrier for the Portuguese - remember that match when Karel Poborsky scored his famous “scoop” goal?
Subsequently, the Portuguese national team often lacked just a little bit of luck to win the European Championship.
In 2000, they easily reached the semi-finals, winning 4 times - over England, Romania, Germany and Turkey. But in the semi-finals they lost to the French, conceding the decisive goal from the penalty spot in the 117th minute of the match.
In general, the French are a kind of “curse” for the Portuguese - three semi-finals at the World and European Championships ended in three defeats for Portugal with a minimal score.
In 2004, Portugal hosted the continental championship. The young Cristiano Ronaldo was added to the “golden generation” players - this was a great chance for Portugal. But, alas... The gray and nondescript Greek team, which inspired boredom with its play, managed to defeat the Portuguese team twice, in the opening match (2:1) and in the final (1:0).
In 180 game minutes, Portugal's excellent attack was unable to find the key to the Greek defense, scoring only one goal, and that was from the penalty spot with the score 0:2 in the 93rd minute of the first match. Four years later, the Portuguese again took first place in the group, but they were unlucky enough to meet the German team in the quarter-finals, then the Germans won 3:2.
Not only did she reach the semi-finals, but she also managed to hold off the “champions of everything” - her neighbors on the Iberian Peninsula, the Spanish team. The Portuguese football players played that match on the brink, and even beyond the limits of human capabilities, tightly blocking all approaches to their goal and insuring each other.
But having fulfilled the minimum task of not conceding, they were unable to score, and in the penalty shoot-out, the misses of Mautinho and Bruno Alves blocked their path to the European Championship final.
The Portuguese did not go to Euro 2016 as favorites, even if they were shadow ones. Apart from Cristiano, only Pepe and, with a slight stretch, João Moutinho could be considered world-class players. Ricard Carvalho turned 38 on the eve of the championship, Nani and Quaresma finished out the Turkish championship.
Matches group stage The pre-start layouts seemed to be confirmed - the Portuguese finished all three matches in a draw, and their group opponents were clearly not top - Iceland, Austria and Hungary. There was a 3:3 draw with the Hungarians, and the Portuguese players fought back three times, and the second and third goals were scored by team leader Cristiano Ronaldo.
Thanks to him, as well as the expansion of participants in the European Championship, the Portuguese national team slipped into the playoffs from third place. In the 1/8 finals they were awaited by the Croatian team, which won the Spanish group. The match was heading towards a goalless draw; in the 117th minute, Quaresma managed to score the only goal. The Poles were defeated in the quarter-finals only in a penalty shoot-out, and only in the semi-finals did the Portuguese manage to win in regulation time - 2:0 in the match with Wales.
In the final, everything seemed to be going against Portugal - in the middle of the first half, Cristiano Ronaldo left the field due to injury, and it seemed that the hosts of the tournament, the French players, who had gained momentum, would simply sweep away the Portuguese. But they endured it, and in the 109th minute, substitute Eder hit Hugo Lloris’ goal with a shot from outside the penalty area.
So the Portuguese national team became the European champion in approximately the same style as the Greek national team in 2004. It is noteworthy that the Portuguese defeated the hosts in the final with the same score with which the Greeks beat them in the home Euro. Solid symbolism.
Portugal national football team players
Record holders for the number of matches played
- Cristiano Ronaldo - 147 matches.
- Luis Figo - 127.
- Fernando Couto and Nani – 110 each.
- Joao Moutinho - 100 each.
- Rui Costa - 94.
You read: The composition of the Portuguese national team for Euro 2012.
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Portugal national football team
Despite sufficient stability in world championships, the Portuguese national team is participating in the European Championship for only the fifth time, and played for the first time in 1984 in France. By the way, starting this year at the Euro they stopped holding matches for 3rd place. Thus, the “bronze” of the tournament was shared by Portugal and Denmark, who lost in the semi-finals. Portugal made it through the group stage of Euro 1984 with difficulty. It started with draws with Germany and Spain, and in the final match against Romania the equal score remained until the 81st minute, when Nene finally hit the opponents' goal. At that time, Germany was leading the group with four points, but lost to the Spaniards in the 90th minute, which brought two Pyrenean teams into the semi-finals and left the reigning champions behind. The main time of the semi-final with France also ended in a draw. In the extra period, Domergue and Jordau scored doubles, and in the 119th minute, the eighth of Michel Platini's nine goals in this championship brought victory to the French. Four years later, Portugal failed to qualify in a group with Italy and Sweden. Four more years later, in 1991, the Portuguese suffered two defeats in the selection - from Greece and the Netherlands, and allowed the latter to participate in the Euro.
"Golden generation" of the national team
By 1996, Portugal had found a “golden generation”, easily qualified from the qualifying group with the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and easily won the group in the final part against Croatia, Denmark and Turkey. But after that she was eliminated immediately in the quarterfinals, having been defeated by the future finalists - the Czechs. The only goal for Vitor Baye was scored by Karel Poborsky, who never became a star larger than the Czech Republic. The year 2000 brought the Portuguese another bronze medal. In the group round they met their opponents in qualifying - the Romanians, as well as England and Germany. Who would have thought that the last two would actually be the last! Moreover, Portugal showed a 100% result, scoring three goals to everyone except Romania - with that they had to wait 90 minutes for Costinha’s goal and another 5 minutes of stoppage time.
A double by Nuno Gomes, who became one of the top scorers tournament with four goals, scored a victory for the team in the quarterfinals over Turkey. And in the semi-finals, our heroes again lost to the future champion, and again it was France: Zidane’s penalty in the 117th minute became the “golden goal” - then this rule was still in effect, and even if the Portuguese had the opportunity to continue the game, it was unlikely that three a minute would have been enough for them to save themselves. Despite Gomes and Sergio Conceição's three goals, only Luis Figo, for whom Euro 2000 was truly his finest hour, was included in the symbolic team of the tournament.
Home Championship Europe
In 2004, the trophy came to Portugal, but only because Euro 2004 itself took place in this country. The owners were in excellent shape and had a chance to really keep him, but fate decreed otherwise. The captain of the national team, Figo, was gradually eclipsed by Cristiano Ronaldo. Among the losses of the “golden generation”, only Vitor Baia could be noted, but Ricardo, with his charisma, coped well with replacing the goalkeeper position. The basis of the defense was made up of Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira, known later from Chelsea, while Dynamo losers Maniche and Costinha dominated in the center. In the attack, perhaps, all the possible forwards of Portugal of the new era came together: veteran Pauleta, Benfica leader Siman Sabrosa, the already mentioned Ronaldo and Gomes, as well as Helder Postiga, who is always restless in clubs, but still scores goals. In short, it was no longer possible to better solve the traditional problem of forwards in the national team. The tournament began with a sensation that seemed like an accident at that time: the hosts lost to Greece, and not because of one random goal, but quite as a matter of fact - 1:2, and Ronaldo scored a prestige goal only in stoppage time. The key victory, however, was won in the third round: in a stubborn match, Portugal celebrated a victory over Spain - 1:0, and before that they beat Russia, which was falling apart on the move, - 2:0. The Red-Greens, as expected, finished the group round in first place, the defeat from the Greeks was still perceived as a misunderstanding. But while the Portuguese heroically beat England through extra time and penalties, and then into the main game - Holland, Greece methodically squeezed the juice out of France and the Czech Republic. And for the first time in history, the teams that played the opening match met in the final. As they said, Greece beat everyone, because their opponents approached them with the thought “Well, we won’t fail,” and Portugal in the final - “Well, now we won’t fail.” Failed: Charisteas scored the only goal of the final early in the second half and the hosts bid a tearful farewell to what may have been a once-in-a-lifetime chance of winning the Euros.
Almost flawless clip
The generation of Pyrenean football players has somehow changed imperceptibly. Now Cristiano Ronaldo not only flaunts the captain’s armband, but is one of the best players in the world, and much more unconditionally than Figo in the old days. The center of defense is made up of the aggressive Zenit player Bruno Alves and Pepe from Real Madrid, with the promising Fabio Coentrand helping on the flank. The center is filled with a powerful fist of Miguel Veloso, Joao Moutinho and Raul Meireles, previously known only locally, but have been promising for a long time. Nani easily duplicates Ronaldo on any flank of the attack. Only the positions of the goalkeeper and, obviously, the only forward are in doubt, but Postig is still in place, and Ronaldo will probably have to play at the forefront more than once - as a true leader. He is already one of the top ten scorers in the history of the national team and will not stop soon.
Costinha, Nuno Gomes and Capuso. Photo: AFP
Of course, one can argue that Ronaldo was unlucky with the national team, and if he had been of a different origin, he would have had his name long ago big trophy and at this level. Perhaps someday the Portuguese national team will still be led by Jose Mourinho, and then, at a minimum, the European championship will practically not be played (especially if the star generation of Spaniards fades away). But for now everything is as it is. The same Spain constantly had advances and flew out of the final tournaments in the frivolous early stages, but at one point they cultivated the psychology of success. Portugal also has everything for this. In qualifying, the Portuguese looked like clear favorites, but they did not take this role with due composure: for example, they managed to lose points at home with Cyprus. True, the outcome in the group was decided anyway last match: Portugal lost away to Denmark and gave them first place, while they went to the playoffs, beating Norway. A goalless draw in Bosnia and Herzegovina made us a little worried, but in Portugal Edin Dzeko's team suffered a crushing defeat 2:6, and the Portuguese expected at the Euro were still there. The “group of death” in which Paulo Bento’s team ended up at the Euro, of course, cannot be encouraging, but practice shows that those who are given at least minimal preference do not always make it out of such groups. With successful results in two out of three matches, you can easily count on the playoffs, and, in addition, at this stage you can get rid of the most dangerous opponents and hope to meet them again only in the finals.
Portugal
How many times have you played at the Euro: 4 (1984, 1996, 2000, 2004)
Best result: 2nd place (2004)
How I got to the EURO: 2nd place in Group H (with Denmark), victory in play-offs with Bosnia and Herzegovina
Team leader: Cristiano Ronaldo
Matches at Euro 2012 in the group stage:
the 9th of June. Germany - Portugal. Lviv
June 13. Denmark - Portugal. Lviv
June 17. Portugal - Netherlands. Kharkiv
