Portuguese Republic Portuguese Football Federation (1941)
Coach: Carlos Queiroz
Confederation: UEFA
FIFA Ranking (Nov 09): 5
Previous appearances: 4 (1966, 1986, 2002, 2006)
Portugal v Ivory Coast 15 June; Port Elizabeth
Portugal v North Korea 21 June; Cape Town
Portugal v Brazil 25 June; Durban
Record
1986, 2002 First Round; 2006 Fourth Place; 1966 Third Place.
Background
To secure third place in world cup debut is unusual. Immediately disappear into oblivion for the next two decades is more unusual. But that was what happened to Portugal. The return in 1986 was not phenomenal, exiting in the first round. Portugal again did the vanishing act, this time for 18 years. The real resurgence came thereafter and this will be Portugal’s third consecutive World cup. There was a pattern to it: quarter finalist in Euro 96 and semi finalist in Euro 2000, World Cup appearance in 2002, runner-up in Euro 2004 and fourth place in World Cup 2006. Steady progress if any.
the road to the 2010 FIFA World Cup
Portugal was placed in Group A with Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Albania, and Malta.
Portugal, without the skipper Ronaldo thrashed Malta 4-1 in the opener. However, the optimism generated by the easy win was short lived. Nani put the team ahead and Portugal was leading till the 84th minute, when Nicklas Bendtner equalized. Just two minutes on Deco restored the lead with a penalty. But Denmark’s Jensen and Poulsen scored a goal each in the dying moments to stun the Lisbon crowd to silence. Despite Ronaldo’s return Portugal was unable to move the net of the opposition in the next three games. Encounters with Sweden, Albania and Sweden were all goal less draws. However in June 2009, Portugal defeated Albania in the return match 2-1 to put the campaign back on track, the winning goal coming in the injury time. But the next game again saw Portugal sharing the points with Denmark, the equalizer for a change coming in the last minutes. Next on was Hungary, and they were edged past by a solitary goal. Now it was a win- all -situation for remaining in contention and this Portugal did by getting the better of Hungary in the home tie. In the last match, Portugal crushed Malta 4-0 and qualified for the play-off.
Play-off
Portugal were paired with Bosnia Herzegovina in the play-off. Ronaldo was yet to recover from the ankle injury. In the first leg played in Portugal, the hosts managed to edge past the visitors by one goal scored by.Bruno Alves. They wrapped up the second leg by a Raul Meireles goal and managed to avert a no show at South Africa. It was a fluctuating and hard fought qualification campaign, but what mattered was that they made it.
Strengths
Portugal has a solid defence line with Bruno Alves and Ricardo Carvalho managing central defence. Pepe plays as the defensive midfielder. As for attacking they have Nani, Simao and the one and only Cristiano Ronaldo.
Weaknesses
Entire scheme of things veer around Ronaldo and that is not an ideal situation. Liedson as the lone up front striker is good enough, but not the best as his accuracy on big occasions have been questioned. Midfield will have to compensate with fire power.
Coach
Carlos Queiroz became the coach of Portugal in 1991, when Portuguese football was down in the dumps. He could not get the team qualifications either to Euro 2002 or to World Cup 2004. He left the job in the acrimony that followed experienced the wide world of football. Queiroz was with Real Madrid for some time and then with Manchester United as assistant to Alex Ferguson. Now he is back as the boss of his country’s squad. He has successfully completed the first mission; qualification for South Africa 2010. for all his experience of international football, he remains a hard core Portuguese in his approach to the game, a reinforced centre and pacy attack through the wings.
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Star Men
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, Spain);
Even when he is one of the best footballers in the world, he is also an icon and a crowd puller. Either he has a knack of being there at the goal mouth when an opportunity arises or opportunities arise when he is present in the shooting range.
Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea, England);
As the centre-back, Carvalho is hard and trust worthy, like a working machine, well oiled and efficient. He sparkles in defending set pieces, with keen anticipation.
Raul Meireles (Porto, Portugal);
He was called up for international duty only in 2006. but after the debut, the Porto midfielder has become a regular feature of the team and one on whom the coach relies for executing his plans.
Nani;
Nani is an excellent dribbler of the ball and has deadly long range shots. Deadly because they are power packed and accurate. Nani may not a big success with Manchester United. But there are certain sportsmen who attain their pinnacle only on the grand stage. Nani could prove to be one such rare species in South Africa.
Best Footballing Moment
The debut in world Cup for Portugal was in 1966, England. Even though knocked out in the semifinal by the eventual champions England, it was a fantastic tournament by any standards. Portugal defeated Hungary, knocked out Brazil and miraculously won against North Korea 5-3 after being 0-3 in the first 25 minutes.
World Cup Objective
The ambition could be to repeat the last World Cup and reach semi finals, a reasonable objective would be the last eight.
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