Portuguese Football in English
Portugal beat Belarus 1-0 in their opening 2023 UEFA European U21 Championship qualifier at Estádio José Gomes in Amadora. Fábio Vieira’s 32nd minute penalty was the difference in a match the Esperanças dominated from start to finish.
Rui Jorge selected a 4-3-1-2 formation with Vieira in the playmaker position. João Gonçalves and Tomás Händel got their first starts for Portugal with Fábio Silva partnering Gonçalo Ramos up front.
It’s a new era for the Esperanças with qualification for the 2023 UEFA European U21 Championship beginning in Lisbon on Monday. Portugal have been placed in Group D alongside Greece, Iceland, Belarus, Cyprus, and Liechtenstein.
Rui Jorge’s squad for the opening match against Belarus contains some familiar faces alongside three players yet to make their mark on the international stage.
There is still a healthy representation of players who were part of Porto’s successful 2018/19 UEFA Youth League squad. Jorge has selected a trio of players who are representing Tondela.
PortuGOAL's Matthew Marshall breaks down the squad before the opening match.
Portugal beat Qatar 3-1 in an international friendly at Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen. Two quick goals to André Silva and Otávio established a 2-0 lead before the World Cup hosts were reduced to 10 men on the stroke of half time.
The Seleção failed to run away with the contest however, Abdelkarim Hassan making it 2-1 before a late Bruno Fernandes penalty sealed the deal.
Despite a poor run of form, Portugal remains a popular team to back on bet365 bonuskod and other gaming sites, gamblers convinced performances will improve given the players available to the coach. The match allowed Fernando Santos to tinker with the formation and personnel with Otávio making his debut. Danilo Pereira started at centre-back with Rúben Neves and João Moutinho running the show in midfield.
Portugal left it late at Estádio Algarve as two Ronaldo headers secured a 2-1 victory against a stubborn Republic of Ireland side. The result sees the Seleção go three points clear of Serbia at the top of Group A in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
Fernando Santos’ substitutions made a big contribution to the victory, but the fact that two late goals from Ronaldo were required provides Santos’ critics with more ammunition against the most successful manager in the history of Portuguese football. Let’s leave that aside for now, focus on what happened in Loulé and what it means for the team moving forward.
Portugal beat Republic of Ireland 2-1 in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers at Estádio Algarve. Cristiano Ronaldo saw an early penalty saved as the visitors took a half-time lead, and when all seemed lost Portugal’s talisman stepped up with two late headers.
Ronaldo finally eclipsed Iran's Ali Daei as the highest goalscorer in international football, taking his tally to 111 goals in 180 internationals.
