Portuguese Football in English
Portugal 1-0 South KoreaThough surely not quite on top form, Portugal opened Group F play at the U20 World Cup with a 1-0 victory over South Korea at the Bielsko-Biala Stadium. Braga's Trincão was the hero for Portugal as their midfield engine was stymied by a high energy display from Korea.
Even so, Portugal outshot and outpossessed their opponents and will draw confidence from having secured three points despite the opening-match jitters.
There were no major surprises as Seleção coach Fernando Santos today announced the players who will represent Portugal in the Final Four of the Nations League, to be disputed in Porto and Guimarães in a fortnight’s time.
Benfica’s teenage sensation João Félix makes the cut, there is a recall for veteran midfielder João Moutinho and Braga striker Dyego Sousa retains his place in the 23-man squad. As hosts, Portugal are one of the favourites to win the competition and many are taking advantage of the bethard bonus code 2019 to back this strong group of players to lift the trophy.
As for notable absentees, striker André Silva is dropped after suffering injuries and loss of form in the second half of the season at Sevilla, and Leicester’s player of the year Ricardo Pereira can consider himself unlucky to miss out, with Nélson Semedo chosen as the back-up right-back for João Cancelo.
On 24 May, the FIFA U20 World Cup will kick off in Lublin, Poland. Portugal’s U20 team will be there hoping to battle it out and ultimately take home the trophy, a title the Portugal’s U20s have won twice before (1989, 1991).
The 1991 squad featured stars such as Luís Figo, Rui Costa and Jorge Costa. Fast forward to 2019 and Portugal are on the brink of another Golden Generation.
Aaron Barton takes a closer look at why this young Seleção side are considered one of the favourites ahead of the U20 World Cup.
Bruno Fernandes' journey to super-stardom begins this summerA midfielder par excellence.
Premier League sharks are circling for Bruno Fernandes after an extraordinary season that will have escaped the attention of very few ardent supporters of Portuguese football.
As yet another prodigiously gifted talent nears the leap from the Portuguese Liga into the realm of football’s elite, PortuGOAL.net’s Nathan Motz evaluates the factors which may influence Bruno’s success and what that might mean for the Seleção.
Portugal’s UEFA 2020 European Championship qualification campaign got off to a lacklustre start with two home draws against Ukraine and Serbia at the Estádio da Luz. Despite creating more than enough chances to win both matches, Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to the squad failed to have the desired effect, and four dropped points had many reaching for the panic button.
One thing Seleção supporters have understood over the years when it comes to qualifying is the hard way is the only way. Many questions have been raised about Fernando Santos’ personnel and formation decisions. Let’s try and dissect some of the biggest decisions he must make and get the glass half full.
