Portugal resume their World Cup qualifying campaign tomorrow with a home match against the Faroe Islands at Boavista’s Bessa Stadium in Porto, followed by a trip to Budapest to play Hungary on Sunday.

Nothing less than six points will do, with Switzerland continuing to boast a 100% record in Group B. Any slipup from Portugal will make top spot and automatic qualification for the 2018 World Cup in Russia practically impossible.

It is difficult to argue with Fernando Santos’s frequently repeated opinion that “I do not believe Switzerland will drop any points until they play us in the final match.” To put it bluntly, Portugal must win all their remaining matches to avoid a play-off.

In the latest round of international duty call-ups, Fernando Santos was obligated to make some surprising adjustments to the Seleção squad that competed in the Confederations Cup over the summer. The absence of key players has extended a rare opportunity to several familiar faces ahead of the World Cup qualifiers against Faroe Islands and Hungary.

Meanwhile, Rui Jorge once again completed the unenviable task of choosing the right combination of young prodigies to face Wales in the opening match of U21 Euro 2019 qualification.

Portugal are out of the Women’s Euro 2017 after losing 2-1 to Group D winners England yesterday.

A draw would have been enough to reach the quarter-finals in Portugal’s debut appearance at a major tournament, and hopes were high when Carolina Mendes equalised after England’s early opener, but Nikita Parris scored what proved to be the winner for the English in the 48th minute.

After the match, Portugal coach Francisco Neto spoke of his pride in the team, saying they did not deserve to be knocked out of the competition and insisting that the Seleção would learn from the experience and come back a stronger side.

England defeated Portugal 2-1 to claim their first U19 European Championship at the Tengiz Burjanadze Stadium in Gori, Georgia.

The game came to life in the second half, goals from Easah Suliman and Lukas Nmecha either side of an own goal from Dujon Sterling securing victory and completing a remarkably successful run by England’s youth teams this summer.

Despite falling at the final hurdle, coach Hélio Sousa, who led this same group of players to victory in last year’s U17 Euro, expressed his pride in his team’s performance at the end of the match.