Coach Fernando Santos says his side are confident of fighting against the best teams as Portugal take on Belgium in Last-16 tie
Portugal’s star striker Cristiano Ronaldo (right) trains with teammates William Carvalho (left) and Sergio Oliveira at the Illovszky Rudolf Stadium, Budapest, on Friday. Pic/Getty Images
Portugal felt the full range of emotions during the Euro 2020 group stage and with Cristiano Ronaldo in the groove again, they can really begin to believe.
After scoring three late goals to beat Hungary, Portugal were shaken by a 2-4 loss to Germany, only for a 2-2 draw against France to restore morale and ensure they snuck out of Group F in third place.
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The result is a Last-16 clash with Belgium in Seville today, when one of the tournament favourites will bow out in what is surely the blockbuster tie of the round.
One of the frontrunners for the Golden Boot will fall too, with Ronaldo and Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku both in contention. Ronaldo leads the scoring charts on five goals with Lukaku not far behind on three. Portugal may have taken only a point from a sweaty contest with France at the Puskas Arena in Budapest but the belief and confidence gained from going toe-to-toe with the world champions could be pivotal for the rest of their tournament.
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Fernando Santos. Pic/AFP
After chaos against Germany came concentration against the French, a committed, organised and aggressive performance which was a reminder of what carried Portugal to success at Euro 2016 and in the Nations League three years later. “We were strong and consistent. The players helped each other, we had possession, we attacked well. We improved a lot from the game against Germany,” said Portugal’s coach Fernando Santos.
“We can fight against the best teams. Either we believe or we don’t because we can beat anyone and I’ll keep saying it—no team thinks they will have an easy time against Portugal,” he added. The principal threat against Belgium will be Ronaldo who, at 36, is sparkling again on the biggest stage, delivering goals and breaking records from the outset.
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Five
No. of goals scored by Ronaldo in Euro this year
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