Final Euro 2016 - Portugal

What a ride it has been for Ronaldo’s team, in France. As always, Portugal arrived at the competition as an outsider to get to the latter stages, mostly due to the fact that they have in their ranks one of the best players ever, but their group stage was very underwhelming, with all game ending up in draws, and a qualification as a 3^rd best placed seemed to predict hard times for Fernando Santos’ squad.
 In the knockout stages, Santos has been employing a result-minded strategy, ignoring the critics that bash this as “negative football”, stating he much rather win the games, even if it’s not in the beautiful way. And the fact is, making the best of their side of the draw, Portugal got the 2^nd final in their history, first away from home and they’ll want to do to France what Greece did to them.

Strengths

·         He is best player in the world, obsessed in the need of being the best ever, Ronaldo looked like he was feeling the pressure to perform in the group stages, making the right movements, but only making what he does best against Hungary, in the last push for a very hard-fought qualification. In the knockouts he seemed a bit looser and his form is rising, with the game against Wales being the match where Ronaldo showed more of himself. More than anyone, the Real Madrid superstar will want to get his hand on the trophy, and he’ll have to be on form to achieve an historic title that will catapult him to Best Ever status.

·         One of the reasons Portugal has been sucessuful in France is the great moment of form that Pepe presented in the competition. The Real Madrid problematic defender has been a true leader in the Portuguese team, fact much more noticeable if you think that he only arrived in the country with 17 years old. With his pace and anticipation, Pepe is also one that can bring his team forward, with long passes or carrying the ball himself, but today he’ll have to choose the moment of going forward as France will make him pay if space is left in behind.

·         In a competition where the routines are hard to come by, it took three games, but eventually Fernando Santos succumbed to the pressure of deploying the trio of William, Adrien and João Mário, players that have been playing together for 2 years, and successfully. William and Adrien will have another big mission in stopping the main dangers from opponents, as they did with Modric/Rakitic, Milik/Krychowiak, and now will try to stop Griezmann/Pogba, the two most dangerous French men.

Weaknesses

·         Renato Sanches has clearly been the biggest Breakout Star of the Euros in France. After a great starting season at Benfica, that was rewarded with a multi-millionaire transfer to Bayern Munich, everyone was very curious to see how well the 18 year old would play in a bigger stage, and the wonderkid did not disappoint. He’s composed, strong, is not afraid to charge against the defender and has a very positive energy bringing Portugal forward in a different way than they were used too, potentiating a more counter-attacking style.
 The main concern with Renato Sanches is decision making in pass, that was an issue against Wales, and that France is more suited to make pay if they repeat themselves. But if he has options, he’ll carry the ball to the feet of a teammate, minoring the risks of a break on his defense.

·         Cédric Soares and Raphael Guerreiro have been the more consistent full backs for Portugal, with the left side player in a particular good moment of form that he will want to carry to his new adventure in Dortmund. For this final, though, both will have a very demanding game, as it will be required as much presence in the defensive as the offensive process. With João Mário and Renato Sanches’ tendencies to cut inside, there will be space in behind Evra/Sagna, but the young Portuguese defenders will have to time their runs well, to maintain the back line whole.  

·         The biggest debate in the Portugal’s starting XI is Danilo vs William. Not only because they are two good players, but because they bring very different aspects to Portugal’s game, it’s a decision that will probably will hugely influence the outcome of the final. If Santos opts for Danilo he will gain a holding midfielder that is a great recover of the ball, is ready for a tackle, but has trouble of getting possession clean out of their feet. William Carvalho looks better suited to deal with Paul Pogba that with Antoine Griezmann, but it will be the Atletico Madrid player that will be in his area, and the pace of the top goalscorer of the competition might put him into trouble, but if he can impose himself he can a be a great outlet to exploit the French space in the wide areas.

How they will approach the Final

Fernando Santos has a dream, and that is to win the Euro 2016. Ronaldo wants to win so badly he was missing goals he doesn’t usually miss, but he got his confidence back against Hungary and is ready for the last hurdle.
 It’s expected that Portugal will stick with the tactic that brought them here, in a sea of critics and shouts against their merit to reach the final, as the success they had speaks for them. For the game with France Santos will bring back Pepe and, probably, William, and then he might tweak the full back position to avoid the danger of Sissoko on the right. Certain is that Portugal will gladly give control of possession to France, as they have in the whole competition, and try to break on the hosts with the pace of Ronaldo, Nani, Sanches and others, all glued together by a very tough midfield duo of William and Adrien.

 The game against Wales was not the norm of the tournament, as it was the one where Portugal went into it as the slight favorite but they never were caught off position, rather maintain the defensive line, and they will be happy to give all the favoritism to France, sit back, and try to break quickly. It has worked so far, but they haven’t face an opponent as strong as the French yet, as everyone seems to think they will finally break. 

Poland vs Portugal - Quarter-Final preview

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Poland

 Lewandowski and Milik suffered heavy knocks in the epic battle against Switzerland, and they were considerably out of their best game in that game. While they were fit, Poland dominated their opponent, created chances, and could’ve scored more goals in a first half that showed us what Nawalka team can be. A force in the front, very hard to stop with their power and speed in the wings, provided by Grosicki and Blaszczykowski and that still hasn’t been fully awaken, as Lewandowski still hasn’t started his goal tally.
 To counter-balance the lack of offensive prowess, Nawalka was able to solidify the Polish’s defensive quality, a problem that had limited them in the pass. But with Krychowiak just ahead of the strong duo of Glik and Pazdan, it’s hard to beat them through the air and in pace.

 Poland has been one of the most solid teams in the tournament, as proven by the fact that it took a Shaqiri wonder goal to finally see the Poles concede in France, having shut down Germany in the group stage in a game they could’ve won. Their main focus in qualification was their attack though, and we’re yet to see all the sectors of team perform at the same time. The time is now.

Portugal

It wasn’t easy, rather a bumpy road, for Portugal to get to the quarter-final stage. Inserted in group F, widely renowned as the least star studded of the competition, Portugal had the chance, and some said the obligation, of coming out of the group strong and in first place.

 Fernando Santos had a problem and he tried to found a solution. The lack of quality strikers in his national pool, allied to the goal machine that Ronaldo can be, determined that former Greece manager opted for changing Portugal’s natural system from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2. But a very unorthodox system, where the two strikers are normally wingers by nature, they open up the defense with runs and behind and open space for the likes of João Mario or Renato Sanches to be the second line of danger.
 Santos’ changes go much deeper than the players he employs and how they organize on the pitch, though. What really needed a change, and it seems is coming, was the mentality and cold blood, necessary to survive a competition like this. Portugal was always a team that wanted the ball, wanted to create danger and make the crowd gasp in enthusiasm. A very liked team, with good players, that never won anything. But Santos is trying to change that. Forget being liked, forget attacking without criteria, just for the sake of it. Now Portugal doesn’t mind, even thrives, on giving the possession away and playing in a counter-attack style, that fits best the skills of Ronaldo, Nani or Quaresma.

 Their win against Croatia was a bit overshadowed by the lack of chances, but it was pretty clear that the Croats didn’t create anything because of the web in the midfield that Santos arranged to stop Modric and Rakitic. Adrien Silva was absolutely essential in that, with William also gaining his spot.

The game

Both teams arrive in Marseille coming off very hard fought wins, but can take away the positive of their opponent being the other team that played an extra-time and won, meaning there’s no team more tired than the other.
 It’s an historic opportunity for both this countries, not only to get to a semi-final, a place there are not that used to, but with their side of the draw being accessible, you’d feel both Poland and Portugal are strong enough to get to Paris and play the final.
 But for that to happen, one of them will go out today. The pace of the match will be decided by Nawalka’s strategy in the beginning, because it’s expected that Fernando Santos will bet on the same team that engulfed Croatia in their web, didn’t allow their stars to shine, and got a very scrappy win. Poland on the other hand, ended the game defending, something they don’t like, and with Lewandowski and Milik both suffering from knocks, it’s hard to say how fit they are for this match.

 If the striking force that Nawalka has in his hand is back on form, then Poland will probably take the steer of the game, try to dominate while Portugal sits back and counters with their quickness and wit, with Ronaldo needing to show a bit more of himself. Adrien Silva was a great part of the win in the last-16 and he will have the mission to block the Polish creativity, mainly Krychowiak.

Both defenses have been very solid, and both attacks less prolific than they should, but still enough to be in this stage, and for one of them, enough to get to the semis. It’s unlikely that the managers will change much of their teams, so expect a game where teams will be afraid to concede first, will be mostly playing safe. It will be required that the stars of both sides step up their game, and it feels like Portugal has been a bit better on that particular item. And with that in mind, we feel that Portugal is the slight favorite, but Poland will dominate possession. There will be few goals in this match, especially if there’s no early goal to open play up, and Portugal's bigger experience can be a decisive factor. Poland needs their goalscoring machine back, or their chances will be tarnished. 

Croatia vs Portugal Last-16 round preview

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It was a very unlikely match to happen, but Croatia’s proof of force and Portugal’s inability to win – or lose, for that matter – any game lead us to one of the headlines of the last 16 round. Two strong candidates to dark horses status, only the Croats confirmed they are ready to try and go all the way, 18 years after their historic campaign in the World Cup in this very same France. Inserted in a group that required full concentration from kickoff, Croatia’s midfield talent emerged, with Modric, Rakitic, Perisic being top quality players that destroyed the teams they faced in the group stage. They lost focus after their fans disrupted the game against Czech Republic, but responded fantastically against Spain, even with Cacic changing his squad. It was that win that confirmed Croatia is a strong candidate to be in the final.

 Portugal has just be disappointing. There’s very few things to motivate them after the three shockers of matches – all for different reasons – they had, but maybe the fact they haven’t lost, and that Ronaldo seems to be regaining confidence. And that is what gives Portugal some chances of qualifying. Because Ronaldo can, almost alone, win a game. Even against Hungary, with both Dzusdszak’s goals being deflected, you could argue that the Real Madrid’s goals should’ve been enough.

 It will all depend how well Modric recovered from the injury, and how the Croatian midfield will be on the day. They have the quality to dominate Portugal, but they will have to be quick on the ball, and they will have a very different match from the Spain one. Because this Portugal team, in the way its set up, will gladly give up possession so they can unleash quick counters, with Ronaldo throttling them forward. With all the quality in the players involved, this promises to be one of the best matches of this round, and we hope it lives to that expectation.  

FIL’S ODDS FOR THE GAME

Croatia 60%%-40% Portugal

Group F analysis - A group of minnows, dominated by the minnows of the minnows

1^st Hungary (>FIL’s Prediction)

  Hungary came into France knowing they were looked as the weak team in a weak group. Storck was aware of his team’s limitations, set them to defend and counter against Austria, in search of, maybe, a draw to set them alive in the competition.

 Things went better than expected, with a great win that catapulted to the top of the group, place they would never give up. They had real trouble against the organized Iceland, only getting the draw in the dying minutes of the game. And in the end they gave us the most electrifying game of the competition, a positive 3-3 draw against Portugal.

 They got first place and they did much more they expected, so they have nothing to lose, and that can be their biggest force.

2^nd Iceland (>FIL’s prediction)

 The biggest of the fairytales, a country that is so little that 10% of its population is in France to support this absolutely unthinkable dream. A dream they don’t want to end and their trusting their heroes to let continue, and what a job they’re doing in it.

 With a lot of players that never dreamed to be here, allied to the experience of names like Sigurdsson, Gunnarson or Sigthorssen, Iceland has a very clear game plan, and have the perfect executioners for the plan, designed by cult hero Lars Lagerback. They defend with every man, very physically, and try to counter with long balls to the two players upfront, giants that are now able to hold the ball. That’s how they surprised Portugal and got the win against Austria. The dream is alive!

3^rd Portugal (<FIL’s Prediction)

 One of the teams that can be very thankful to the format of the competition, Portugal was very underwhelming during the group stage. With Ronaldo only being himself in the last match, when his team was getting desperate, Portugal is a team that seems unable to create danger when they control possession.

 They had three matches where they were the favorite, and they drew all of them, always making shots, with Ronaldo being prolific at that, but very rarely able to actually transform them in goals. Nani and Ronaldo need more help from their midfield, like it happened, finally, against Hungary. They qualified, and with Ronaldo they can win any game, but they haven’t yet, and that cannot be positive for morale.

 4^th Austria (<FIL’s Prediction)

 It was the opening match that determined Austria would be a flop, more than a dark horse. And it all started so well, they were pressing, they had chances, but they faced the best Király of the competition, and were always just an inch away from the goal.
 Then, the horror. They conceded, Dragovic was sent off, and a second goal still went by Robert Almer. And the competition was that much harder now, especially with Portugal coming, also in need of a win.

 They hold Ronaldo, but then, again, weren’t able to break down an organized defense, this time in the form of Iceland, ended up losing the game, and going home, with the feeling they could’ve done much more...

Group F - Final round preview

How they got here

Hungary

Protagonists of the first round of games, with an inspired and unexpected win against Austria, where they showed their defensive resolutions and were extremely effective in the counter. Against Iceland they had to attack more, but ended up with the draw reward in the end, and with a foot and a half in the next stage.

Iceland

Their physical style of play, always looking to the front but with the main worry to protect their goal, Iceland has disturbed Portugal and Ronaldo, in a way they haven’t come back yet. They got two points in their tow first games, and know will be looking for their first win in a competition like this.

Portugal

Disappointing to say the least. Out of shape, nervous, in a hurry to prove they are the star they think they are. Portugal is Ronaldo and Ronaldo is Portugal, and those adjectives could be directed to the whole team or, really, just the Real Madrid star. The offensive volume was tremendous, but there was no calm in front of goal, and now qualification is a bit trickier.

Austria

They did not deserve the luck they got from the game against Hungary. Their first half was very good, and the game full of pull backs, with injuries, sending offs, hitting the post and just not scoring. They got hit in the motivation, but did a great job in denying Portugal of the victory, even if they had to suffer a lot to get the point.    

What they need

Hungary

Surely no one expected them to get to this round with qualification so close, let alone on top of the group. They still have to face the best team of the group, name wise, but their results and matches have been good to watch, and they know the point is more than enough to qualify

Iceland

It’s possible that Iceland will try and defend again, against Austria. They know that three points might be enough, but Lagerback, when they defend, they don’t really park the bus. It might seem that way, but that’s because of their height and ability to run for their country for the whole match. A determination that will make sure they will qualify, one way or another.

Portugal

 Ronaldo needs, urgently, to try and turn the frown into a big wide smile, maybe followed by a “SIIIIIIIIIII!!”. Portugal is looking for a win, and they know that the win will, most likely, give them first place of the group, even if in a very poor way go get it. But this Portugal team is all about results, not necessarily the spectacle. They just need to hit the goal.   

Austria

With such a tight group, made even tighter by Portugal’s lack of finishing ability, Austria still can reach qualification, although always behind Hungary. But the math is simple for Austria, is a win or elimination, so you’ve got to expect that Marcel Koller will try and dominate the match from early on. 

Matchday 9 - Belgium arrives in France, while Ronaldo is getting desperate

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BELGIUM

·         The Player – Romelu Lukaku

 With no goals in 11 competitive games for club and country, Lukaku's place in the Belgium starting XI had come under scrutiny, especially after a lacklustre display against Italy. In the first half against the Republic, he struggled to make an impact once again. The Everton striker did not have a single shot on goal in the opening 45 minutes, nor did he complete any successful dribbles or create a chance. Coach Marc Wilmots resisted the temptation to replace him at half-time with Divock Origi, and it was a decision that paid off. Moments after the second half started, Belgium hit their opponents on the break as De Bruyne fed Lukaku on the edge of the area and he placed the ball beautifully into the corner of the goal. He then showed good composure to pass the ball into the net following excellent work by Hazard for his second and Belgium's third.

If Belgium are to go far in this tournament, they will need Lukaku to perform like he did in the second half of this game on a consistent basis.
 

·         The Moment – The breakthrough

 It was a very important goal, in the perfect time but the man that most needed to score. Belgium was controlling possession, and limiting Ireland to quick and mostly ineffective counters, but the chances weren’t happening with the flow Wilmots would want.
 Origi was warming up in a move that pressured Lukaku, as the Everton man was surely to be replaced, and in a quick counter, him and De Bruyne fabricated the goal that made everything easier for Belgium. 

·         The Team

Belgium coach Marc Wilmots: "Unity is very important. We win and lose together.

"With Romelu Lukaku, we wanted to give him some confidence. I think he scored four goals in four matches but when he missed against Italy everyone was saying it's all different. I just needed to explain things to him and make sure he knew I trusted him. He did what I expected today."

REP.IRELAND

·         The Player – Shane Long

He was left alone for the most of the game, with Ireland’s inability to create some flow of game like they had against Sweden. With that the strategy was playing long to Long, but that strategy needs someone like Walters, that holds the ball as well as any superstar. Without him it was just a tactic easily resolved by the Belgium defense.

·         The Moment- Penalty shout!

It was a very poor game for the Irish, especially in the danger chances creation department. There was, though, a good chance for Ireland to open up the score, when Shane Long was involved in a scuffle in the Begium penalty area, but the ref saw nothing, and four minutes after Lukaku opened up the score and destroyed Ireland’s hearts

·         The Team

Republic of Ireland boss Martin O'Neill: "You have to analyse the performance and assess where mistakes are made. The first goal was vitally important and that came from our attack - they broke and got the goal. Then as we started to chase the game we got caught a few times, Belgium are a good side and put the game beyond us.

"We're bit disappointed with our performance considering how well we played against Sweden. We have to win this game against Italy and we feel that, once we've freshened ourselves up again, we'll be ready to go."

- FIL’S FINAL THOUGHTS

Belgium boast a wealth of individual talent and had topped the Fifa rankings within the last year, making them one of the favourites to go far in France. However, they looked nothing like a team capable of winning the tournament against Italy, against whom they lost 2-0 on Monday. The Belgians lacked fluidity and a sense of unity. As goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois put it: Tactically, technically and organisationally, they came up short. It was a different story against the Republic. They dominated possession throughout, with Eden Hazard and Kevin de Bruyne proving much more effective at stretching their opponent's defence than they were against the Italians. Both finished with an assist each. The win means they are in a strong position to finish second in the group and, while they will face opponents much more attack-minded than the Republic, the victory will undoubtedly boost a side that had appeared lacking in confidence at the start of the tournament.




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ICELAND

·         The Player – Gylfi Sigurdsson

The most recognized Iceland player was again essential for his national team to continue to live a dream history. Sigurdsson was his usual, coming back and forth in his style of long ball to try and jump over the construction stage. Never forgetting to defend, he had the penalty to convert and did it cool as a cucumber.

 

·         The Moment – The penalty

 A mistake by Király, Gunnarson was fouled in the area – though he went down fairly easily – and Sigurdsson had a chance to put Iceland, for the first time, ahead of an Euro match. The Swansea man did not waste the chance, and Iceland would lose out on the win in the dying minutes of the match.

·         The Team

Iceland will be a team that will give you the control of the ball, but be ready for them, because they do that so they can charge with their Viking build and will. Some people expected them to come a bit more forward that what they did against Portugal, but it’s not their way. And it almost worked in what they wanted, again.

HUNGARY

·         The Player – Gabor Király

 Gabor Király is one of the leaders of this Hungary team and when he is on form, Hungary knows how difficult it will be for the opponents to beat them. But in the first half against Iceland it seemed that Király was a teenager, looked way to nervous, and basically it was him that created the penalty. In the end, they got the draw, but Király needs to improve, as next game is decisive and against an angry Ronaldo

·         The Moment- The deserved goal

Hungary was the better team in the pitch, in the way that it was them that dominated possession. After the surprising win against Austria, the defeat that was about to come was a big disappointment. But then, a reward! With the overload finally working, Nikolic tried to find a colleague, only found a defender, but he did the job anyway. 1-1 and Hungary still top!

·         The Team

It was an unknown side of Hungary for us, anyway. They were the dominating team, had more possession, but they were very nervous in the first half, maybe because they did not expect that Iceland would have the same strategy they had against Portugal. But that’s Lagerback for you, and Hungary had to take a different approach. After getting behind, the Magyars had to react, and so they did, with the draw coming in the latter stages of the game. Deserved

- FIL’S FINAL THOUGHTS

Birkir Saevarsson's late own goal denied Iceland a famous victory as Hungary edged towards the last 16 of the European Championship with a draw. Gyfli Sigurdsson gave Iceland the lead in the first half when he converted a penalty after a foul. Hungary dominated possession from then on but found themselves repeatedly frustrated by the Iceland defence. However, Saevarsson turned Nemanja Nikolic's cross into his own net to hand Hungary a point. The result means the Hungarians are top of Group F with four points and can clinch first place with victory against Portugal in their final group game on Wednesday. The point for Iceland means they are second in the group and remain in the hunt for a place in the last 16, but it will feel like a defeat after they frustrated Hungary for so long.

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PORTUGAL

·         The Player – William Carvalho

It’s certain that Austria did not try to attack that much, but every time they did try, Portugal had a weapon that was missed against Iceland, the quality of William Carvalho. He impressed BBC commentators, as he always does when they see him, with not only his defensive skills but, especially, when he gets the ball he automatically turns to the goal and tries to find the best option. A great game from Sporting’s player, that surely guaranteed his place for the rest of the competition.

 

·         The Moment – The penalty

  After trying again, and again, Ronaldo was pushed in the penalty box, just as he was about to score. But he had the penalty to mark his 128^th cap – Portugal record – with a goal and a win that would, almost, guarantee qualification. Ronaldo did a great job in waiting for Almer to fall down, but still tried to place the ball and ended up missing. And his face after said it all.

·         The Team

Portugal boss Fernando Santos: "Fair or unfair is a moot point, the only difference in the two matches we've played is that against Iceland we scored one and conceded one, here we didn't score but we didn't concede either.

"We had plenty of chances, but we didn't score. Now we have to think about the next match.

"Iceland wasn't great, if we had won it that would have been a major step forward. Today we had another very positive match but what we need now is to play the next one and to win it; that will make the team grow.

"Hungary will be happy to draw against us, they are primed to go through. They will be highly motivated but we will have to break that wall down."

AUSTRIA

·         The Player – Robert Almer

What a game for the Austria keeper! He was everywhere, and when he was beaten there was something else the Portuguese players did wrong – hit the post, offside position. After a poor display against Hungary, where he did not transmit any confidence to his team, Almer was huge in goal, and only was to fault for his foot game, that created some quick transitions to Portugal.

·         The Moment- Go rest Alaba!

In a game where Austria tried to defend the draw, in a game where there was no Junuzovic, in a game that William Carvalho was a giant, Alaba was destined to have a game in suffering. It was just that, with Bayern’s all-around being confined to run after the ball. After 70 minutes Koller sent the definite sign of “Let’s defend, boys” when he took out Alaba off the game, cutting the creative link for good.

·         The Team

Austria coach Marcel Koller: "It was important not to lose this game. Portugal had more chances but we have won a point with a good defensive effort.

"Normally that's not our type of game but you have to be flexible in a tournament and adapt to the teams you are playing.

"We are still in the race. We're in very different place mentally now compared to the last game; now the players are happy and that makes it easier for us. We have a final in the last game, and I hope we can win it."

- FIL’S FINAL THOUGHTS

Cristiano Ronaldo missed a second-half penalty on the night he became his country's record appearance holder as a hugely frustrating match for Portugal and their captain in Paris ended goalless to leave Group F wide open. Ronaldo struck the base of the post with his spot kick after Austria defender Martin Hinteregger had wrestled him to the ground and later headed home only to be denied by the offside flag. But huge credit for Austria's point must go to keeper Robert Almer, who made a string of sensational saves. He stopped a crisp low strike and a header from Ronaldo as well as blocking from Nani, who struck the post with a first-half header as Portugal looked to pick up their first win of the competition. Portugal dominated large swathes of the first competitive meeting between the sides since 1995 but were almost caught out several times, in particular when Stefan Ilsanker forced a good save with a crisp low strike shortly after the restart. The result means that Hungary top Group F with four points, Portugal and Iceland both have two and Austria one - a situation which leaves all four in with a shout of reaching the last 16.

Portugal vs Austria - preview

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- Latest events

PORTUGAL

·         A very average match against Iceland only resulted in a draw, and Portugal needs to perform better to make sure qualification isn’t a bigger challenge that it needs to be.    

·         With good and bad things to remember, Portugal will need to be more proactive without the ball, as Austria will close as Iceland did, and it’s between the lines is where danger can be created.     

·         Ronaldo was in the right areas but his actions weren’t brilliant and he, more than anyone, will want to rectify that.      

AUSTRIA

·         Austria started well against Hungary, and was always looking the best team, and then they had an horrendous five minutes where they conceded a goal out of nothing, and saw Dragovic get sent off.   

·         The final punch in the stomach was the second goal, and their spirit must be shattered, with Marcel Koller having the job of lifting his squad.      

·         It’s do or die for Austria, but they will try to hold Portugal in the first half, try to frustrate Ronaldo like Iceland did, and then counter. That’s the plan anyway     

- Areas to follow

PORTUGAL

·         Defense

It was a shaky start for Portugal back line, with Rui Patricio having to make two good saves, and no chance in the goal. Pepe and Vieirinha were particularly out of form but only the Wolfsburg player should lose his place, as Pepe is one of the leaders of the group.     

·         Midfield

One of the reasons why Portugal was unable to win against Iceland was the fact of the size difference between, for example, Gunnarson and Moutinho. As Portuguese players were just unable to create space in lines, they would always have an Icelandic on top of them that would dispossess them, with or without foul. At least the Austrians are smaller, but the pass-and-go mentality still needs to improve.

·         Attack

Ronaldo missed chances he usually doesn’t and Nani did score, while Quaresma seemed ready to start as well. Santos will make his decision, but it feels that if the ball gets to the last third in good condition, these three will create something for Portugal. And that’s what they are planning on happening.  

             

AUSTRIA

·            Defense

Dragovic is suspended and Marcel Koller will either go with Prodl or Wimmer. Either way, Austria knows that space like what was allowed to Kleinheisler and Szalai will surely been taken by Portugal’s forwards. They will have to show they are ready to fight for their team, and it will need to do exactly that.

·             Midfield

It has been bad news after bad news. Junuzovic’s injury in the first quarter of the game would eventually take him out of the game and leave Austria without its creative force. Alaba can do it, obviously, but then he leaves the space where his defensive awareness is also needed. Arnautovic can explore the space behind the full back, as Harnik, they will be active in this game.

·             Attack

Janko’s size is enough to have Santos worried, as his aerial capacity will certainly be the way Austria will try and surprise Portugal. He’s a fighter and will provoke Pepe throughout the game, in hopes to see a familiar moment of madness from the Real Madrid’s center back. Marc Janko has played in Portugal, and will surely one of the most active players in the pitch.

- FIL’S VERDICT

 Cristiano Ronaldo would have been hoping to make his mark early at Euro 2016 - and Portugal's captain did just that following his outspoken reaction to the 1-1 draw with Iceland. After hastily leaving the pitch, he accused Iceland - population just 332,000 - of negative tactics.

"It was a lucky night for them," he said. "When they don't try to play and just defend, defend, defend, this in my opinion shows a small mentality and they are not going to do anything in the competition."

Portugal attempted 26 shots against Iceland, including 10 from Ronaldo. It is a familiar story for the Portuguese, who often struggle to find a cutting edge. All seven of their qualifying wins were by single-goal margins, and they have also lost friendlies to Cape Verde and Bulgaria recently despite peppering the opposition goalkeeper.

Both Portugal and Austria saw long winning runs end in their opener - Portugal had won seven competitive games in a row, while Austria had won nine.

Austria coach Marcel Koller felt his side made a good start against Hungary - but became increasingly nervous as the game progressed. Koller will need to steady the ship at the Parc des Princes but will have to do so without two key figures - centre-back Aleksandar Dragovic and playmaker Zlatko Junuzovic.

Portugal will have to try and take advantage of Austria’s likely nerves in the beginning to break down their plan. If they let confidence grow it’s going to be a game the Portuguese is used to play, and usually with awkward results. But this is the time where everyone needs to step up and if Ronaldo can do that, Portugal is favorite.

FIL’S PREDICTION

 

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