Rebooted Portugal Prepare to Make a Fashionably Late Entrance to Euro 2016

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: June 13, 2016

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By the time Portugal begin their assault on Euro 2016 in Saint-Etienne on Tuesday evening, we’ll have seen what 22 of the 24 teams in France have to offer.

The 23rd, Portugal’s opponents Iceland, are perhaps the biggest unknown quantity in the tournament given their unlikely qualification and status as the smallest nation to ever appear at one of these events.

However, not being too well known is a distinction that they share with the team they’ll be lining up against at the Stade Geoffroy Guichard.



You might think that is a bizarre thing to say about a team boasting Cristiano Ronaldo as well as players who have donned—or will soon be donning—the shirts of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United and Bayern Munich, but there is a real sense that this Portuguese vintage isn’t quite sure how good it is.

Unlike in previous tournaments in recent memory, there hasn’t been a rush to acclaim Fernando Santos’ side as one of the favourites this time, and that is simply down to the fact no one knows what to expect.

Qualification for this tournament was virtually assured once the Portuguese were placed in the weak, five-team Group I. They began with a shock home defeat to Albania but responded with seven straight victories—never by more than one goal.

The pre-tournament friendlies also failed to offer much by way of definitive proof of anything beyond Ronaldo’s effect on proceedings.

When the Real Madrid superstar plays, Portugal can look an exciting, attacking unit capable of finding the net from all angles, as they did in friendly wins over Norway and Estonia in which 10 goals were scored (Ronaldo only played in the latter, admittedly). When he doesn’t, such as in the dreary defeat to an unconvincing England at Wembley, then everything changes.



And that, of course, is to be expected.
...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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