The flow brigade of this European Cup, the Portuguese team of the Five Shields Legion, made a grand debut tonight.
Portugal's opponent is another dark horse in this European Cup, Slovenia, which drew 3 games and 3 draws in the group stage. It seems that this should be another battle of strength and weakness, and the Portuguese team's promotion to the quarterfinals should be a matter of hand.
However, as it stands, Portugal may not be as easy as it seems if they want to qualify.
Although the Slovenian team only qualified third in Group C, they are unbeaten in the group and are obviously not soft persimmons. Inheriting the essence of the former Yugoslav football, the Slovenian team staged a miracle of a small country in the powerful European football arena.
In the European Cup qualifiers, the Slovenian team was able to beat the Danish team with a record of 7 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses to advance to the top of the group, relying on a solid defense. After all, it is Oblak who guards the goal for the Slovenian team and has the best reputation in football today.
One thing to say, in terms of tactical fit and overall unity, the Slovenian team is even better than the Portuguese team. Slovenia beat Portugal 2-0 during the March international break, and although the friendly was not of much value, with Cristiano Ronaldo leading the rotation and substitutions to face the team, it also showed that this duel was not as easy as it seemed.
Although Portugal secured the top spot in the group ahead of schedule, internal problems have been looming from time to time. Coach Martinez is still oscillating between ideals and reality, and neither end of the line is flattering.
In the final round of the group stage, Martinez made a large rotation of the lineup, but Ronaldo, who should have been rested in the rotation, still started. Portugal defeated Turkey 3-0 in the second round, and Ronaldo knocked selflessly when he could shoot and assisted B Fei to score, which became a beautiful talk in major media.
However, just when everyone thought that Ronaldo had reconciled with himself for the sake of the team and the glory of the championship, he actually started in the final round in order to brush up the scoring data.
What's worse is that the Portuguese team not only lost, but Ronaldo also angrily scolded the referee for receiving a yellow card because of his dissatisfaction with the penalty, and a familiar scene seems to be about to happen again.
Obviously, Cristiano Ronaldo is still the key to whether the Portuguese team can go further, his mentality, his pattern, his choices, his sacrifice...... will be the decisive factor in the success or failure of the Portuguese team. It is admirable to gallop on the green field in the year of no confusion, but if it is only for your own selfishness, it can only leave a laughing stock.
Portugal is not without a positive centre-forward, and Ramos is by no means a short-lived role, and many fans always talk about his goals. But one thing to say, how can a young center who can't even get many opportunities to play, and who has to be repeatedly criticized and compared when he scores goals, can play steadily?
There has never been a striker from that football powerhouse, and a hat-trick in the knockout rounds of the World Cup will still attract verbal criticism, is it just because he can carry the future striker of Portuguese football?
The Portuguese team is currently harmonious on the surface, but the atmosphere is very delicate, and it is not easy for Martinez to take care of Ronaldo's emotions on the one hand, and to appease the other players on the other. Now Portugal fans all over the world want Ronaldo to score as soon as possible and achieve the great achievement of scoring in six European Championships. In this way, perhaps Ronaldo can truly reconcile with himself and make the most accurate choice in order to compete for the championship.
In the death half, the Portuguese team needs Cristiano Ronaldo to score, and it needs the whole team to be united, and there is really not much time left for Martinez. Looking at the strength on paper, the Portuguese team naturally has a greater chance of winning, but if the 1/8 final is the most likely upset, it should be this one.