Portugal overcame an early deficit to outclass Sweden and secure a 4-1 victory in Lod. Emmanuel Tannor set up Jardell Kanga for the opening goal in the 7th minute, but the Equipa das Quinas weathered the early storm and took control.

Goals to Rodrigo Ribeiro, João Veloso and Afonso Moreira established a 3-1 half time lead, Veloso netting his second goal in the 60th minute to seal the deal.

Leonardo de Oliveira scored a late consolation for Sweden but it was too little too late, Portugal powering to the top of Group D and taking a big step towards the U17 European Championship quarter-finals.

To experiment or not to experiment? That was the question. Portugal coach Fernando Santos has opted for the latter, it seems.

With just six months and six competitive matches to prepare for the Qatar World Cup, Santos has called up all of Portugal’s big guns as he seeks from an enormously talented Seleção squad the combination of players to produce the right team chemistry – a task that has often eluded him in recent months. 

Nevertheless, there is room in the 26-man squad for two newcomers: Ricardo Horta and David Carmo.

Braga captain Horta has enjoyed yet another outstanding season, while his club teammate Carmo has also excelled since returning from a year out with injury. Carmo is seen by many as the long-term centre-back partner for Rúben Dias at the heart of Portugal’s defence. 

  1.   13 Comment
  Dhazer — Finally, Ricardo Horta and Carmo. I've been calling for them to be called up for over a year now. Really glad they got the call. Going to be a fun Nations League tournament. As for Moutinho, I get it that he's too old now when there are a bunch of interesting youngsters waiting, but Santos seems to......
  Renato — I am glad that Santos isn't afraid to Experiment and I do think that's important but I don't understand why Renato Sanches, a player who has proven himself again and again is a frequent unselected player - it happens fairly often. Can someone explain WHY Renato Sanches is AGAIN Not Selected?......
  Neville — GOOD TO SEE DAVID CARMO & RICARDO HORTA GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY. AND THE BEST ARE THE EVERGREEN STARS OF PORTUGAL. JOAO MOUTINHO, PEPE, RONALDO etc SELECTED TO LEAD THE SQUAD AND SET EXAMPLE TO THE YOUNG TALENT.ED PLAYERS WELL DONE Portugal coach Fernando Santos...

Portuguese striker Gonçalo Paciência is celebrating after Eintracht Frankfurt were crowned winners of the UEFA Europa League on Wednesday evening, following a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Glasgow Rangers.

The German side scored all five of their spot kicks at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in Sevilla to claim a 5-4 win in the decider, with the teams having played out a 1-1 draw in front of a vibrant crowd in Spain. While the Frankfurt hero of the night was Colombian striker Rafael Borre, who scored his team’s equaliser as well as the winning penalty, for Portuguese forward Gonçalo Paciência the trophy carried a particularly special meaning.

This week’s Long Ball Futebol Podcast is a big one, the End-of-Season Roundup! With the 2021/22 Primeira Liga season drawing to a close, we analyse every Primeira Liga club’s season, how they’ve performed, and what they could expect next season.

We also recap the scenes from an incredibly dramatic relegation battle finale on the last day of the season, and listen back to our pre-season predictions with plenty of embarrassing moments for both of us… 

Qatar 2022 may just mark the final time Cristiano Ronaldo graces us with his presence at football’s biggest spectacle. And what a way it would be for him to bow out from the international stage, lifting the FIFA World Cup for the first time in his illustrious career, and completing a grand slam of winning every major trophy in the process.

CR7 and his Portuguese teammates are part of the mid-card when it comes to the tournament favourites. But websites like oddschecker, who compare online bookmakers offering free offers, also had Ronaldo and co in a similar position ahead of Euro 2016. They said the Seleção had only an outside chance of lifting the European Championship in France, but that’s exactly what happened.

On the global stage, Portugal have not had as much success as in the continental tournament, although twice the Seleção have reached the semi-finals. Manager Fernando Santos will be hoping his side can go all the way this winter and lift the greatest prize in sport. But what are Portugal’s chances compared to some of the favourites? 

  1.   5 Comment
  Jerrold Hewson — I think it will all depend on the midfield, are they going to back passing lazy distracted players or aggressive move the ball up the pitch players. We have people that can finish up front and defend in the back, its all midfield to determine in my opinion...
  Nelson — Depth will likely be more of a factor this year given the timing of the WC and how tightly the club schedules will be packed in the weeks leading up to the tournament. THERE WILL BE INJURIES. An argument could be made that we are spoiled for choice at midfield and up front, it is the backline that......
  Chris — Ronaldo will never win again. Messi win will again this year.... and next year.... and the year after that, and then the year after that. Messi will even when 5 years after he retires. What we have to concede about the Ballon d'Or is that it is a joke of an award which rewards players based on fa......

Portugal’s U17 European Championship campaign got off to winning start in Lod after a comfortable 5-1 victory against Scotland. Goals to Ivan Lima, José Rodrigues and João Veloso established a 3-0 half time lead.

Scotland showed some fight early in the second half and got their reward when Magnus Mackenzie scored to get them back into the contest.

The fightback was short lived however, Afonso Moreira and Rodrigo Ribeiro scoring in the space of four minutes to end the contest.

As the planet’s favourite sport, football has produced countless legendary players spanning more than a century who have earned acclaim worldwide. However, when it comes to selecting the greatest ever footballers, polls and awards significantly lean towards forwards and attacking midfielders.

Defenders are rarely talked about in the same terms of grandeur, as attested by the fact that the Ballon d’Or has been attributed to defenders only two times since the award championing the best individual footballer in the world was inaugurated in 1956. Fabio Cannavaro and Franz Beckenbauer were the recipients.

In this article PortuGOAL redresses the balance somewhat, at least in terms of Portuguese footballers, by listing the 10 greatest Portugal defenders of all time in no particular order – each and every one a legend in his own right. 

  1.   9 Comment
  Gee Dee — I hear you Tom , I guess it depends on what the criteria is. Coentrao had a far greater career individually(particularly at the club level)than Alves , but I guess I feel Alves might have been more valuable to the national team based on what he did for us , not only that goal that we mentioned bu......
  Gee Dee — Great article Tom , I might take Bruno Alves over Coentrao. I'm sure he'd make your top 15 or top 20 at the very least. I'll never forget his stoppage time goal against Albania in 2009 , where he nearly jumped over the goalkeeper to head the ball in. That goal prevented Portugal from being eliminate......
  Val — Great article Tom. Fabio Coentrao did fall off the earth quick tho, shooting star player?...

AC Milan are on the brink of their first Italian title in eleven years, with Rafael Leão once again proving the catalyst in another Rossoneri win on the penultimate weekend in Serie A. The Portuguese forward scored a second-half opener in a 2-0 win over Atalanta at San Siro, which gives Milan a two-point lead over Inter heading into next weekend’s final round.

Elsewhere, Jota was recently crowned Scottish Premiership champion with Celtic, and he ended the season with a goal in their 6-0 win over Motherwell on the final day. Lech Poznan are the new Polish champions with João Amaral again on the scoresheet, while Bruma also scored for runners-up PSV as the Dutch Eredivisie played its final matchday.

  1.   2 Comment
  Val — Leao has been unplayable down the stretch. His game v Verona was incredible, he served up 2 tap ins for Tonali. Incredible runs...
  Justin/rochester — Swear to god if Leao isn’t an automatic starter for us over the next 5+ years…what else is there to wait and see with him? I mean at this point, I think Leao has to be in the conversation for one of the top 5 players of his generation…seriously he’s that good. He’s like a human cheat code in a vide......

This weekend saw the Liga Bwin campaign draw to a close (barring next week’s relegation playoff) with most of the big decisions already taken care of throughout the table.

The aforementioned playoff needed some configuring, and it was Moreirense who at least earned a stay of execution after thrashing Vizela. As a result, Tondela and Belenenses SAD descended to the second tier.

One of the most impressive results from the weekend took place at Famalicão as they came from 2-0 down to stun Braga and unexpectedly leap into a top half finish. Their top goalscorer Simon Banza was once again their hero, his two goals helping to complete their superb comeback: the French striker is our final PortuGOAL Figure of the Week for 2021/22.

Portugal have arrived in Tel Aviv as they make their final preparations for the 2022 UEFA European U17 Championship. Sixteen nations are competing in Israel with José Lima’s side attempting to lift the trophy for the third time.

The “Equipa das Quinas” have been drawn in Group D alongside Scotland, Sweden and Denmark. Their campaign begins against the Scots, the match taking place in Lod on Tuesday 17 May.

PortuGOAL’s Matthew Marshall is in Israel to repent for all his sins and see if Portugal can continue their proud history at the tournament. They won four titles when it was an U16 event and two titles at U17 level, in 2003 and 2016.

More Articles ...

  1. Moreirense get a dramatic lifeline, Tondela go down and Porto smash points record
  2. What’s happened to André Gomes at Everton?
  3. Brazil: Storm rumbles on after “unethical” Jorge Jesus covets Paulo Sousa’s Flamengo job, as Vítor Pereira leads the way in Brasileirão
  4. Which Portuguese players abroad will feature in domestic title-winning teams this season?
  5. Long Ball Futebol Podcast: Chora Bebeeeeeee!

      

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“It’s fantastic, it’s probably the best moment of my career so far. This club is a different club. It’s an incredible atmosphere in the city, the fans. It’s a perfect blend. It’s actually incredible to wake up every morning and go to training with all these players in a diversity of cultures: France, Portugal, Brazil, Colombia... It’s incredible. This club has something special.”

Gonçalo Paciência
(Eintracht Frankfurt’s Portuguese striker after his team won the UEFA Europa League) 
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