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Absolutely Clinical: Lisbon swings to chorus of olé!

March 26th, 2007 | By: Luis | 27 Comments »

Quaresma and Ronaldo Portugal handed Belgium a 4 goals to nil defeat at Lisbon’s José Alvalade stadium, this Saturday. It was a match that started cautiously and measured for the hosts, but it would eventually end with an extended chorus of Olé. The class was simply undeniable. Portugal showed its quality in every aspect of the game and coolly managed the match from start to finish - even if the goals didn’t come until the second half.

The individual performances in this match were brilliant, but each and every goal scored was a team goal and for that, Scolari deserves all the credit. In terms of strategy, he played each minute masterfully, starting the match with emphasis on ball circulation and control. In fact, at times, it seemed Scolari was more intent on taking the vinegar out of the match then scoring goals. With every passing minute, however, it became clear Big Phil had the measure of his opponent and the match as a whole.

To their credit, Belgium did a pretty good job of closing down spaces in the early moments of the match, forcing Portugal to the back pass, often. There were plenty of chances but by the end of the first half the scoreboard still read nil - nil, and most of us wondered if Scolari would make changes to secure that elusive first goal. Conservative as usual, Scolari sent out the same 11 in the second half.

With the start of the second half, Portugal showed new urgency and poured cross after cross into the area. Ronaldo, Quaresma, Moutinho, Tiago, and eventually Nani, all did their part in providing service. Oh, did I mention Deco wasn’t on the pitch? Because nobody seemed to notice. Again, tremendous credit to Scolari for managing these young talents so perfectly. Few lineups could suffer the loss of a player like Deco and barely show it.

Ronaldo bags a brace
Cristiano Ronaldo did what he usually does when confronted with a controversial match. He kept his mouth shut and put in a brilliant performance. The match started quietly for Ronaldo. But as the match progressed, he began to make his mark, first on the wings and then up the middle in combination runs with Tiago and Moutinho. It was one of these runs that eventually lead to the first goal (Gomes 53).

For most players the assist would be enough, but for Ronaldo, it was just the start to a very eventful second half. Two minutes later, he would have a goal of his own from a perfectly timed Quaresma cross. That was later followed by a second goal in the 75th minute to secure the 4 - nil victory. A memorable days work for sure, but perhaps sweetest of all was a well deserved apology after injury time.

Golaço ala Quaresma
Ronaldo had a fabulous game, but in my opinion, he was equaled by Quaresma in every way. Of Portugal’s eighteen shots on goal, Quaresma was responsible for six of them. He fired shot after shot at the Belgian goal and after a while I found myself thinking - he’s bound to score eventually, isn’t he? When it did come it was trademark Quaresma - an amazing off angle shot with the outside of his foot. It rose, curled and curved its way into the pantheon of Quaresma classics while Stijnen stood by in amazement. Tough choices ahead for Scolari. With Quaresma in this kind of form, it seems foolish to sit him on the bench.

Moutinho: biggest small man on the pitch
João Moutinho came through in a big way in this match. He was strong in midfield and kept pace with Ronald and Quaresma on just about every run. His linking play made the difference in the second half and allowed Portugal to dominate possession.

Nani’s dazzling potential
It’s a shame that Nani only played for twenty minutes. He came on for Quaresma in the 70th minute and quickly showcased his extraordinary potential. I can’t help liking his play. He has a sweet style. He’s both direct and creative with fantastic pace to match. Hopefully we’ll see more of it in the future. With a possible move to England on the horizon, the future looks bright for yet another SCP Sporting gem.

Looking to Serbia
Portugal next faces Serbia this Wednesday, March 28. Serbia suffered a tough defeat in Kazakhstan and will look to restore lost pride at home. It’s sure to be a physical match in front of a very hostile crowd and you can be sure Scolari is taking nothing for granted. Serbia is level with Portugal in group A with 10 points and five games. Finland currently holds second with 11 points, while Poland temporarily holds top honors with 13 points from six matches.

Minute-by-minute match report

Tags: Belgium, Euro 2008 Qualifiers, football, Portugal

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Comments

Displaying the most recent 25 comments from a total of 27 comments.

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By Pedro P | March 26th, 2007 at 6:44 am

Martha, I (together with at least 10 million more) have been hearing, thinking, feeling, experiencing, etc, this you say, for the past 20 years… Let’s hope you’re right… We have to qualify first.

It seems to be kicking in since 1996-2000, though - if we forget 2002, a bad year for FRA and POR, and also 1998 - a good one for FRA but equally bad for us…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification_(UEFA)#UEFA_Group_9
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal_national_football_team#1998_FIFA_World_Cup

This decision, from the September 1997 match against Germany, put tears in Rui Costa’s eyes and deemed it to be the last match mr Marc Bata whisled in Portuguese territory…

Posted from Netherlands

By Pedro P | March 26th, 2007 at 8:22 am

Sorry… This is it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification_(UEFA)#UEFA_Group_9

It shows that even losing only once, a team like 1998’s Ukraine prevented PT (one the best PT teams ever, for me) from going to France… Must say this reflected perfectly the PT teams from the time. The “time” being one that included most of the GG… This trend changed for the better, even more after Scolari. Huge dificulties against over-defending and over-direct teams, that would kill us in a deadly counter, but with very little technical skills. This was our history, always coming so, so close. The so-called “Moral-Victories” fed the portuguese souls for more than a decade… People still remember that victory against Germany, I think in Stuttgard, in the qualifying for WC86…

Off topic ;-)…: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Portugal

Posted from Netherlands

By Pedro P | March 26th, 2007 at 9:12 am

Very nice profiles here: http://www.portugoal.net/PlayerProfilesHome.htm

Posted from Netherlands

By Nelson | March 26th, 2007 at 10:57 am

Quaresma put in a Man of the Match performance. Hands down best player on the pitch. Moutinho, he looked so small! but played big when it mattered. Tiago playing in the Maniche role I guess, Petit was in the Costinha role and Moutinho in the Deco role. Each did their job superbly. Ferreira is still the best partner for Carvalho.
Does Simao play in the Moutinho/Deco role against Serbia?

By OGrandeTrinco | March 26th, 2007 at 12:15 pm

Agreed MOM-Quaresma. Kudos to Moutinho for a job well done.

Overall, PT will take 3 points, but from a coaching perspective there were certainly areas to be addressed. Ie. Belgium had too many simple breaks. Interplay amongst the 4 offensive players, ie. too many individual efforts.

No Quaresma should play against Serbia. There have been rumblings that Nuno is benched for Simao, with one of the 3 wingers deciding during the game when to push up and act as striker at a particular time. I am not a fan of this.

Hopefully they can fill the net early and bring on Almeida and see if he can form some chemistry.

Posted from Canada

By Luis | March 26th, 2007 at 12:41 pm

OGT - there were a few breaks, but the team held their shape well in most cases. There is always room for some improvements as you stated because the competition will only get more fierce at the finals. We are unlikely to see any 4 - 0 victories once the cream of the crop is left.

Posted from United States

By musica | March 26th, 2007 at 5:30 pm

It was a top performance. Ronaldo was Ronaldo, Quaresma was the standout and Nani left us wanting more. Defense was solid except for a couple of breaks (where we recovered quickly). Question is how would Deco and Simao fit? Lots of options and tough decisions for Scolari. A nice problem to have, however.

Posted from United Arab Emirates

By Nelson | March 26th, 2007 at 7:18 pm

what an amazing match

did anyone else catch how the commentator in the clip from above tried to talk about the simao vs quaresma dilemma but kept getting cut off by ronaldo’s attempt/goal

hahaha i started to feel bad for the poor guy b/c the other commentators were just ignoring him and shouting RRRRRRONALDO!!!!

to OGT- im not sure that idea would be too horrible…all 3 of them are proven dribblers/crossers/goalscorers and they certainly possess the vision to see who goes up and who stays behind

but i doubt scolari would go for it, he is way too conservative

it would be nice to see almeida get some playing time, as well as more of nani and moutinho

i can’t wait until serbia!!

Posted from United States

By Luis | March 27th, 2007 at 12:33 am

It seems Scolari played Ronaldo as a more central striker in the last practice. The consensus seems to be that Scolari will leave the midfield unchanged and simply start Ronaldo in Gomes’ spot. OGT - that’s pretty much what you suggested. That would leave the wings to Quaresma and Simao and allow them to flex between 4-3-3 and 4-4-2. What do you guys think? What other options do we have?

Posted from United States

By Joel | March 27th, 2007 at 2:29 am

Lets try Ronaldo at striker

By soul | March 27th, 2007 at 4:19 am

Viva Quaresma!!!

Posted from Philippines

By Pedro P | March 27th, 2007 at 7:15 am

http://www.portugoal.net/NationalTeam2/MRPortugal40Belgium.htm

Posted from Netherlands

By Luis | March 27th, 2007 at 9:21 am

Nani getting headlines in England.

20 million asking price

Posted from United States

By Pedro P | March 27th, 2007 at 10:01 am

Regarding the “who plays in the middle” issue, I must say I have no clue… We all understand that CR is currently sort of untouchable, Quaresma made a great game and Simao is comming back… We also know that although CR is not a striker, it might actually be better than Nuno Gomes… Joke… Nuno scored a good goal saturday!

But why not Almeida…?

Also read here and there that the guys have been practicing finishing and also a lot of shots. I don;t think there will be a lot of room for fancy play.

Servia, in Belgrade, will be anything except a walk in the park. More… They came from a defeat. We could break down the belgiums resistance and after scoring the first it all gets easy. With Servia, I’m really not so sure!

FORCA!

Posted from Netherlands

By joe | March 27th, 2007 at 1:03 pm

Ronaldo is doubtful for tomorrow, he sprained his ankle during training.

By Laurie | March 27th, 2007 at 2:20 pm

LOVE the photo of C-Ron deeply inhaling those male pheromones. Although I hear the game was fantastic.

Posted from United States

By Luis | March 27th, 2007 at 2:31 pm

heh…Laurie you’re too much. That’s the smell of victory he’s inhaling. I’m starting to understand what you love so much about this sport. It’s all the man-love isn’t it?

Posted from United States

By Laurie | March 27th, 2007 at 4:25 pm

Luis, I just got a little shiver when you said that.

I mean…wait…what? NO! It’s ALL about the GAME!!

Posted from United States

By Luis | March 27th, 2007 at 4:34 pm

Posted from United States

By Beto | March 27th, 2007 at 4:40 pm

You have to admit….that picture is a bit g?y!

By Luis | March 27th, 2007 at 5:39 pm

Perhaps, you’re right. Next time, I’ll remember to keep the g?y factor down for future pic choices.

Posted from United States

By Laurie | March 27th, 2007 at 6:26 pm

Hey, don’t make changes on my account.

Posted from United States

By Luis | March 27th, 2007 at 6:58 pm

Words of caution. U21 team loses to Serbia 2 - 0 in a friendly. Both teams are headed to the U21 Euro finals this Summer. I bet Nani and Moutinho would have made a big difference.

Posted from United States

By Laurie | March 27th, 2007 at 11:23 pm

Btw, Pedro? I’m totally confused about the meaning of your last comment on my France page. Please explain.

Posted from United States

By Pedro P | March 28th, 2007 at 4:41 am

The pic’s not gay… They’re just a bit renaissance like…

Posted from Netherlands

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