Portugal – Spain: Match Preview

It was the Ricardo Costa that left Villa through. I feel sorry for Eduardo, without a doubt the best player for Portugal, followed by Coentrao! Didnt see Ronaldo for the last 30mins of the game. Actually didnt see our frontline for the last 30 mins of the game. I just hope it is the last we see of CQ and his negative tactics. Portugal are not a defensive team and would rather have them on the attack. Anyway time for me to go and sulk!!

Hal,
sure they were. Congratulations! Now, don’t start trolling us just because of that, and win this World Cup. I don’t wanna see us losing to someone who WASN’T the championn of the tournament.
I said it, go and win it!

Posted from  Portugal

Has anyone looked at the fact the goal was offside yet?

Posted from  Canada

OK, just a few things…

1) Congrats to Spain, they were better and deserved to win.
2) Go Brasil. Ao menos que ganhe uma equipe que fala a nossa língua!
3) SPA´s goal can be argued was offside and we had a phantom red-card, like Brasil and Kaká – but at the end it´s really irrelevant, cuz it had no bearing.
4) I hope it´s clear now that CQ should be sacked ASAP.

WTF, what´s CQ planning on…? Ric Costa again as right-back…? Together with Pepe…?
We´re 1-0 down and what´s he thinking on…? What´s the !”#$ B-plan…? Defend a bit more? Take out Almeida, the sole striker, who was actually playing one of his best matches? As if we were already 2-0 ahead? For Danny, coming out of injury and who at best is good behind the striker? Deco was never put to play cuz he criticized CQ (I don´t really believe that hip injury, that miraculously disappeared the morning after we played BRA).
Tonight Ronaldo really had no service at all and didn´t do much either – this is how we see the team has no true Cpt/leader… And then, 1-0 down, CQ puts Liedson in for Simão rather than a def-mid, as if we had enough creative players on the pitch…

CQ, go and do things to yourself with a large meathook, for f”"# sakes…

One thing is to be good in defense, another is to have a team with the DNA of POR only playing defensive… On a #$%”#$ knock-out!!! What´s he thinking…? That POR is bloody Italy??? Penalty your way to the Final…?

The only true really good thing tonight was EDUARDO. HE WAS A GIANT!!!

!”#$”#$%&/”#$%& you, Carlos Queiroz!!!
FORÇA PORTUGAL, NA VITÓRIA E NA DERROTA ESTAMOS SEMPRE CONTIGO!!!

Posted from  Netherlands

I blame this loss on the referee. WE were cheated again just like in 2006 vs France and Germany. Ronaldo was the best player in the tournament and the ref’s were out to get him. Spain will lose bad to Paraguay.

@Alex

I agree the red card had no bearing but how can you say the offside goal had no bearing. In the end the best team on the pitch was the winner but we had the wrong set up from the get go. Costa-big mistake, but we played similar to the way we played against Brasil. It was doomed to fail.

Posted from  Canada

Cant believe nobody has mentioned that we were fucking robbed yet. The goal was offside. Puyol dives and tumbles when Pepe didnt touch him.. and gets no card? Then Capdevila fakes so badly and Costa gets a Red card. WTF?!?!? C.Ronaldo is pushed with 2 hands to the floor and no call.. OMG these refs man. Its all fucking bullshit. As long as FIFA is in control of this world cup shit we’ll never be eliminated fairly.

Posted from  Canada

ya, the goal was offsides. FIFA doesn’t care because Portugal has 10 million people and a media that can make as much noise as the markets they cater to.

Everyone will jump on Ronaldo’s performance, but he didn’t get much service, and refs now allow opposing players to foul him and it’s perfectly legal.

I think Ronaldo is the victim of his own reputation, he should read the boy who cried wolf.
Yes the goal was offside, but the reason we lost the game was because of Almeida’s substitution we lost control right there.

Queiroz should go, and be replaced by Jorge Jesus.

to be fair , even though the goal was 100% offside, it was VERY close. I can understand that error (even though it cost us the game)

I have a bigger problem with the phantom red card (even if it was late) and Ronaldo not getting a single call whenever he was fouled, vs the spanish players always getting the call.

Mourinho for 2014 plz.

At the end of the day we just werent good enough. Offside, no offside it doesnt matter! Negative tactics, poor team selection. Would love Jorge Jesus to take over Joao but right now he is at the right club!! We were doomed as soon as CQ took over the squad, he might be a great number 2(pun fully intended) but he just doensnt cut it as a head coach! I mean he was at Real Madrid with arguably the best team on the planet(Figo, Zidane, Fat Ronaldo) and he didnt motivate them, what chance did we have! Get rid of him now, we need a few new faces in there

Almeida’s substitution had zero to do with our defensive coverage. At the 60 min mark we began to tire and spain raised it up a notch. Ricardo Costa got sucked into the middle and left the most dangerous spanish player alone in the box.

But at this point i’m not even blaming Costa. CQ selected a central defender to play as out of position over a natural rightback who faced Villa everyday in practice this past season. It’s CQ’s fault.

I’m gutted. Spain deserved it. Congrats.

The goal wasn’t offside.

Costa did elbow Capdevilla and deserved the red card.

One or two bad-calls by the ref but with no influence on the just outcome of the game.

Posted from  Portugal

I’m not jumping on this band-wagon of wanting Queiroz’s head.

Ultimately this loss should be pinned on him but I think there is lots of merit to his coaching and he will grow this team to become Europe’s best. I’m actually more disappointed at Ronaldo but that doesn’t mean I want him gone.

Posted from  Portugal

Miguel, I’m sorry man thats incorrect. Costa’s elbow did not make contact with Capdevila. Even the slightest of touches shouldnt have been a red. You know this game was paid off. You dont want to look like a sore loser but be honest with yourself. The ref was all in favour for Spain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eF42UZjHwo <– here is the dive. Watch it again and I recommend pausing and starting at 0:04.

Posted from  Canada

You are being fooled by his reaction. There is no angle where the elbow makes contact.

Posted from  Canada

At 0:04 the elbow had long struck. At 0:15 you see it happens when Costa gains position. This youtube video is crap in terms of resolution but even the Russian (?) commentators agree it exists.

Posted from  Portugal

Obviously the ref favored Spain as he never ever favored Portugal in any call. “When in doubt favor Spain” was his motto. But did we lose the game because of it?

Posted from  Portugal

I was wrong about the offside goal!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQQVuQD3120&feature=player_embedded

I take back what I said about the ref’s influence! FFS FIFA!

Posted from  Portugal

You know, Miguel, that’s what I written shortly before the game (I’m registered in FIFA):
“Good morning or night, like you wish.
I came here to express my disgust of what you have stated here on your site. While doing a broadcast of the Paraguay-Japan match, you were doing quite good of a resume of what was happening in the field.
I didn’t expect to read such a disrespectful mistake to be made for my country (Portugal). That’s what you written in the play-by-play match cast: “Thank you for joining us here on this Emirates MatchCast. Be sure to return later to follow Spain-Paraguay”.
So, apparently Spain has already won against Portugal? You are willing to make the bigger country eliminate a smaller one for no reason other than money interests? You’re a disgrace for letting the bigger nations go through at the expense of the smaller ones! Does France-Ireland say anything to you?
I don’t care if this is a typo mistake. Not even if you written below that Paraguay will play with the winners of the Iberian match. It’s still a mistake that demotes your professional entity and, more than that, shows big disrespect to a specific entity of FIFA.
I’ll be watching the Spain-Portugal. Only a unbiased criteria in the officiating will help me restore your now painful image that the fans of the smaller countries (not only Portugal) see in you. If Spain ends up winning exclusively or highly because of the referee giving unfair advantage, I’ll never more post here! It will be also additional proof that I’ll show other people of how the bigger countries win because YOU FIXED THE MATCHES in favor of the ones who have more international power!
See you later, ivanpt.”
Yeah, I know it doesn’t change anything, but someone had to show them that we wouldn’t be just standing still doing nothing. I couldn’t just accept that message.

Posted from  Portugal

I sent that to FIFA before the game started.

Posted from  Portugal

Guys, I really think these two calls have absolutely no bearing on the result. If anything, that fake red card was just inches from becoming throwing gasoline into the fire. Plus they are all big boys and professionals, they eat that stuff every week. Believe me, Portugal was much more hindered by refs in the past. I´m talking of the days when the team didn´t qualify for 98 and 94, I´m talking about HOL vs POR in 06, I´m talking of POR vs FRA in 06, also in 84, etc.
This time, for me, there´s only one guilty party and it´s obvious since 2 years already. We can´t even blame the players for anything, this time.

Posted from  Netherlands

Im really annoyed with Queiroz. His decision to sub Almeida was ridiculous!

Im even more annoyed after Almeida revealed that he was confused by the substitution as well. He said he felt good about the match and was physically fit to continue playing.

The refereeing was a joke, but Spain could have been beaten even with bad refereeing.

Posted from  United Kingdom

Ronaldo and Almedia have pointed fingers at Queiroz, by the llok of these two quotes on goal.com

“After the match, Ronaldo refused to comment on the result, and told reporters to ask Queiroz for the reasons for the scoreline.

“How do I explain Portugal’s elimination? Talk to Carlos Queiroz,” Ronaldo told RTP as he stormed out of the mixed zone, without addressing any other reporters.”

Queiroz replaced Hugo Almeida with midfielder Danny, leaving Portugal without a single forward for almost 15 minutes, and said after the match that he felt the striker was tired.
============================================

“…However, Hugo Almeida has quashed such claims and stressed he thinks he was in good condition to help his team against Spain.

“I was not surprised with my substitution, I was upset because I wanted to play, but the coach is the one to make decisions. Our team played well, but we could not do it,” he told RTP.

“I was not worn out.”

I mean it does sound slightly like goal.com are taking the thing a little further by calling both the articles Ronaldo/Almeida hit at Carlos Queiroz…but heyy, right now everyone must be pointing at Queiroz.

Posted from  United Kingdom