Euro 2012 Group B: Portugal
GROUP B
Germany Denmark Netherlands Portugal
[Team Jersey Images © Soccerphile]
Portugal
Road to Poland & Ukraine
The flamboyance with which Portugal concluded their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign was in stark contrast to how they began back in September 2010. Former coach Carlos Queiroz lost his post after amassing just a solitary point from the opening two fixtures, but Portugal rallied under new manager Paulo Bento to finish second in Group F behind Denmark (on goal difference from Norway).
However, the unpredictable nature of the national team's playoff victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina - a goalless draw in Zenica in the first leg followed by 6-2 win in Lisbon with two goals from skipper Cristiano Ronaldo - was typical of the entire campaign, which included a 4-4 draw with Cyprus and a 5-3 win over Iceland.
Fixtures
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Portugal Kit 1
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Portugal Kit 2
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Portugal v Germany 9 June; Lviv
Portugal v Denmark 13 June; Lviv
Portugal v Netherlands; 17 June; Kharkiv
Analysis
After being considered unlucky to encounter eventual winners Spain in the last 16 in South Africa two summers ago, Portugal will begin their Group B campaign high on optimism. The bulk of the squad which performed so well at the last World Cup has been retained despite the change in leadership, and coach Paulo Bento has a mouth-watering array of forward experience and power at his fingertips.
Notwithstanding Cristiano Ronaldo's mesmeric talents, the Portuguese attack boasts veteran Nuno Gomes, Porto's Silvestre Varela, Hélder Postiga and Hugo Almeida, who now plays in Turkey for Besiktas alongside three compatriots in playmaker Ricardo Quaresma, attacking midfielder Manuel Fernandes and winger Simao Sabrosa after moving in the transfer window from Werder Bremen.
Nani provides even more creative juice in midfield; however, the side will have to manage without in-form Danny, who scored 11 goals in 23 games for Zenit St. Petersburg in the Russian Premier League this season before being ruled out of Euro 2012 following a cruciate ligament tear in this right knee.
Key player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese captain, not only scored seven goals in eight matches during qualifying to draw him level with Luis Figo on Portugal's all-time goalscoring chart (32 goals), he has also dazzled at Real Madrid over the past two seasons. However, domestic and qualifying form has rarely been an issue for Ronaldo. It is during the big tournaments that his critics have suggested he falls behind Lionel Messi, and this summer's competition will be another opportunity for the former Manchester United winger to put the record straight. Remember that he scored eight goals in Portugal's Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, but finished with only one goal in the tournament as his side were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Germany.
One to watch: João Moutinho
Porto midfielder João Moutinho might feel he has a point to prove to international audiences after being overlooked for Portugal's World Cup squads in 2006 and again in 2010. The tidy playmaker, who was strongly linked in the English media with a transfer to Chelsea following Andre Villas-Boas's switch to London last summer, was a key figure in the Porto team that Villas-Boas guided to the domestic double and Europa League title last season. The 25-year-old joined Porto from Sporting Lisbon in 2010 and he was a key member of the side that wrapped up the Portuguese title with five matches to spare.
Coach: Paulo Bento
Paulo Bento made an immediate impact upon replacing Carlos Queiroz after just two games of Euro 2012 qualifying. The former national team holding midfielder, who was handed a six-month suspension by UEFA for improper behaviour towards referees after the Euro 2000 semi-final with France, has admitted that he brought a new philosophy and new ideas to Portugal's set-up, although his stubbornness and ideology have not always endeared himself to all players. For instance, Chelsea full-back Jose Bosingwa recently followed fellow defender Ricardo Carvalho into international exile after accusing Bento of disrespect.
Record
1960-1980, 1998, 1992 Did not qualify; 1996, 2008 Quarter-finals; 2004 Runners-up; 1984, 2000 Semi-finals
FIFA Ranking
How they qualified for Euro 2012
Portugal were second in Group F; qualified via the play-offs beating Bosnia & Herzegovina.
On the sidelines
Luis Figo is presently Portugal's most capped player with 127.
Soccerphile says
Portugal will need to be at their united and creative best to battle past Denmark and the Netherlands to earn a quarter-finals place alongside Germany.
The Squad
Goalkeepers:
Rui Patricio (Sporting), Eduardo (Benfica), Beto (Cluj)
Defenders:
Joao Pereira (Sporting), Bruno Alves (Zenit St Petersburg), Fabio Coentrao (Real Madrid), Pepe (Real Madrid), Ricardo Costa (Valencia), Rolando (Porto), Miguel Lopes (Braga)
Midfielders:
Carlos Martins (Granada), Joao Moutinho (Porto), Miguel Veloso (Genoa), Raul Meireles (Chelsea), Ruben Micael (Zaragoza), Custodio (Braga)
Forwards:
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Hugo Almeida (Besiktas), Helder Postiga (Zaragoza), Nani (Manchester United), Nelson Oliveira (Benfica), Ricardo Quaresma (Besiktas), Silvestre Varela (Porto)