Disorganized Portugal well-beaten by the Oranje

Portugal 0-3 Netherlands

Following what was considered by most to be a lacklustre match against Egypt, the Seleção finished the international break with a horrific performance against the Netherlands in Geneva, Switzerland.

Poor marking, slow build-up play, incoherent movement and a genuine lack of attacking threat paved the way for the Netherlands to hit Portugal three times in the opening 45 minutes. Despite a reasonable effort by Portugal's second half substitutions, João Cancelo's red card and the monumental task of being three goals behind was simply too much to overcome.

As expected, Santos made numerous substantive changes to the side that eked out a 2-1 victory over Egypt three days prior. Anthony Lopes took over for Beto as Portugal's No1, while Mário Rui made his long awaited debut opposite João Cancelo. Barcelona's André Gomes was among the more surprising inclusions in midfield alongside both Manuel and Bruno Fernandes. 

The Netherlands also fielded a rather experimental side with Ronald Koeman making seven changes to the side that was beaten 1-0 by England last Friday. As a result, the initial exchanges were fairly uncoordinated with both sides misplacing routine passes and making little forward progress. Gradually Portugal took over possession of the ball, but chances remained at a premium until a Holland counterattack broke the deadlock.

Van Dijk and Kenny Tete advanced the ball down the left and fed Van de Beek who badly mishit his shot, but Depay was well positioned in the penalty area to finish past Lopes and give the Dutch an 11th minute lead. Portugal resumed their dominance of possession without end product while at the other end Wijnaldum fired over on the half volley in the 21st minute. 

Ronaldo played Bruno Fernandes through down the left wing in the 28th minute with his dangerous cross eventually being cleared by Cillessen after Nathan Ake initially failed to deal with it. But Ryan Babel added to Portugal's woes in the 32nd minute with a bullet header following a cross from de Ligt after he found space down the right wing. Ronaldo narrowly missed Quaresma's cross minutes later, but Portugal were being far too easily contained by the Dutch defence.

Bruno Fernandes was finally able to register a shot on goal for Portugal when he controlled a cross over the top, but his off-balance effort was easily collected by Cillessen. Anthony Lopes made a wonderful point blank save to deny a Memphis Depay header just minutes before halftime with Portugal's backline again all at sea.

But the nightmarish half wasn't over yet. Virgil van Dijk received a cushioned header from de Ligt following a free kick from the right wing and struck the ball first time into the bottom right corner past Lopes to put Holland up 3-0.

Luis Neto replaced Rolando at the start of the second half with Gonçalo Guedes and André Silva coming on for attacking inspiration in place of Gomes and Adrien. The effect was immediate as Ronaldo required Cillessen to make his first save of the match with a downward header following a free kick just minutes into the half. Quaresma tested the Dutch keeper again moments later with a trivela attempt from the right edge of the penalty area. 

Santos added more pace to the formation with the introduction of Gelson Martins in the 55th minute. But a late challenge by João Cancelo in the 62nd minute complicated the matter immensely with the referee showing the Inter fullback his second yellow of the match.

Portugal labored onward, and Mário Rui forced another good save from Cillessen with a thunderbolt from 35 yards. Next, Gelson showed good footwork to make space for himself on the right side of the penalty area but he blazed his shot well over the crossbar. Cillessen saved yet another goalbound effort from Guedes before Silva had a shot cleared off the line at the end of the 90 minutes. The Dutch lazily defended, but with a man-advantage were able to maintain the result despite Portugal's efforts.

The outcome will have highlighted ever more clearly Portugal's difficulty in creating opportunities, especially through central midfield. Furthermore, the centreback scenario unfolding just months prior to the start of the World Cup looks quite bleak indeed without Pepe. Similar to the match against Egypt, Portugal's substitutes looked well chosen but under the circumstances were unable to fix the damage inflicted during the first half by the Dutch. Santos, despite his willingness to try different players and formations, has yet to settle on a concrete starting XI, and the incoherent nature on display merely reflects the lack of chemistry between the players. 

Notwithstanding their crucial role in winning Euro 2016, on this evidence several players from that squad are simply not prepared for the rigor of World Cup football, namely Adrien, André Gomes, João Mário, and Portugal's centreback options. With Santos required to name the squad prior to the last friendlies before the start of the World Cup, one has to wonder just how the wily old manager will assemble the talented individuals available to him, and which players will find themselves on the outside looking in as a result of unfortunate seasons with their domestic clubs. 

Portugal will next host Tunisia on 28 May in Braga. 

 

by Nathan Motz

 

Portugal XI: Anthony Lopes, João Cancelo, Rolando (Neto, 46'), Jose Fonté, Mário Rui, André Gomes (Guedes, 46'), Manuel Fernandes, Bruno Fernandes (Mário, 78'), Adrien Silva (André Silva, 46'), Ricardo Quaresma (Gelson, 55'), Cristiano Ronaldo (Moutinho, 68")

Netherlands XI: Cillessen, De Ligt, Van Dijk, Wijnaldum, Depay, Ake, Proepper, Tete, Van de Beek, Babel, Vilhena

Goals:

[0-1] Memphis Depay, 11’

[0-2] Ryan Babel, 32'

[0-3] Virgil van Dijk, 45 + 1'