The team had a rocky qualification campaign which only saw them narrowly qualify for the tournament in June. After being 4th for most of the campaign, Portugal made a late burst that saw them overtake Sweden and Hungary to grab 2nd place. They were then pitted against Bosnia and Herzegovina in a two legged Play Off which they won comfortably. At the World Cup draw, they were placed in what was dubbed the “group of death” after being drawn against Brazil, Ivory Coast and North Korea.

The new Portugal away shirt is predominately white with two stripes running down the centre of the body. The right stripe is green whilst the left stripe is red. Manufacturers Nike place their green “tick” logo in the top right of the shirt and the national badge is situated in the top left. Other details include a green patch on the edge of the sleeves and a green squad number that intercepts the central stripes in the middle of the shirt.

The team had a rocky qualification campaign which only saw them narrowly qualify for the tournament in June. After being 4th for most of the campaign, Portugal made a late burst that saw them overtake Sweden and Hungary to grab 2nd place. They were then pitted against Bosnia and Herzegovina in a two legged Play Off which they won comfortably. At the World Cup draw, they were placed in what was dubbed the “group of death” after being drawn against Brazil, Ivory Coast and North Korea.

HOME

The new Portugal home shirt design is predominately red with small green patches on both sleeves. The main detail on the body is the large green stripe that runs across the chest. Inside the stripe are numerous small red dots and a black outline of the national badge which lies in the top left.

AWAY

The new Portugal away shirt design is predominately white with small green patches on both sleeves. The main detail on the body is a large vertical green and red stripe that run side by side down the middle of the shirt. A black outline of the national badge is situated in the top left of the shirt.

Following a solid 1-0 victory at home against their lesser known opponents, the Portuguese knew that a goal in Bosnia would ensure that the hosts would have to score three times to stand any chance of winning the two legged tie.

The opening period began with Portugal looking the more likely to stretch their aggregate lead even further ahead. However, a lack of composure in the final third kept Bosnia in with a chance of nicking a goal. Even so, the hosts who had their best ever chance of making a World Cup finals were relatively inactive with Miralem Pjanic and Edin Dzeko failing to live up to their dangerous reputation.

Carlos Queiroz’s side had their first real chance in the 20th minute as Tiago backheeled for Raul Merieles who unfortunately struck his low shot straight at the goalkeeper.

However, the game started to become scrappy for the remainder of the half with neither side looking really likely to open the scoring.

The second half saw Portugal approach the match in a more positive manner and the team effectively put the tie to bed in the 55th minute as a low cross from Nani found the impressive Merieles unmarked in the penalty area. The midfielder slotted past the goalkeeper to make it 2-0 overall on aggregate to give his team one foot on the plane to South Africa.

The Bosnians were struggling to make an impact and only a long range free kick from Bajramovic really troubled Eduardo in the Portuguese goal. Nevertheless, just minutes later Sejad Salihovic picked up a second yellow card for disent to leave Bosnia down to ten men and effectively killed off the tie.

Wolfsburg striker Edin Dseko had a good chance for the hosts towards the end but the night began to Portugal who celebrated qualification to the World Cup when at one stage it looked as if they would finish 4th in their group.

Felipão’s Era and Carlos Queiroz

After winning the World Cup 2002 with the Brazilian Team, Luiz Felipe Scolari (a.k.a. Felipão/Big Phil), assumed the Portugal National Team, and started a six-year campaign that would be revolutionary to the Portuguese Team.

In the words of lost of Portuguese fans, Felipão’s work “brought back the passion of the Portuguese people with their national team”, something that didn’t happen since World Cup 1966, when Eusebio leaded the team to the third place.

(Big Phil: missed by every fans but Chelsea’s)

The results of National Team weren’t good since that time, too: in Big Phil’s charge Portugal achieve the second place in Euro 2004 and the fourth place in World Cup 2006. More than that, with the help of Luis Figo, C. Ronaldo, Ricardo Carvalho, Simão, and others, Portugal became a competitive team, that gave hope and proud to the Portuguese.

But after the elimination on the quarter-finals of Euro 2008, Big Phil decided to leave Portuguese command, and Carlos Queiroz, at time Sir Alex Ferguson assistant manager, was chose to fill the role of Portugal National Team Coach. Even being one of the most capacitated men to the job, Queiroz could not follow Felipão’s results, at least until now, which bring us to Portugal’s results in World Cup 2010 Qualification.

World Cup 2010 Qualification

These are the results of Group 1:

As said before, Portugal face serious danger of not qualify to World Cup 2010. Six points in five games make then 7 points behind the 1st and 2nd place. Not only that, Sweden has one game less than Portugal, and which can take Portugal to the fourth place.

This position also makes it hard for Portugal to achieve the second place playoffs, since all second places that would be classified now have better results.

These are the games Portugal already made:

Malta 0×4 Portugal
Portugal 2×3 Denmark
Sweden 0×0 Portugal
Portugal 0×0 Albania
Portugal 0×0 Sweden

The retrospect shows that Portugal’s position can be credited to the poor home streak: two points in three matches. Summed to that, the defeat against Denmark took out the chance of catching up the first place and qualifies directly to the World Cup. The draws against Sweden were bad for both teams, bud worst for Portugal: if Sweden overtakes Portugal in its sixth game, there will be no way of Portugal being the first place if both teams have equals results in the following games.

Portugal table is:

Albania x Portugal
Denmark x Portugal
Hungary x Portugal
Portugal x Hungary
Portugal x Malta

For now on, all Portugal games will be decisive. And, if Portugal’s home retrospect isn’t good, the team will have to play well away to achieve the points it needs.

Portugal’s table has some strong points for the future of the team:

1) Portugal can achieve six points against Albania and Malta, which Denmark and Hungary can’t, since these teams have already played against Albania and Malta (Hungary have already made all games, and Denmark will play Albania away).

2) Portugal will play Hungary twice, which could reduce the distance between them to only one point, or, at the time they face against, Portugal can overtake Hungary and fight for the second place, since Portugal has one game less than the Hungarians.

Sweden

To me, the most dangerous enemy to Portugal is Sweden. Even being tied with Portugal, the team has one game less and an easier table:

Sweden x Denmark
Sweden x Malta
Hungary x Sweden
Malta x Sweden
Denmark x Sweden
Albania x Sweden

Sweden will play Malta twice and Albania once, and if manage to get the 9 points, Portugal will have no easy life to overtake Sweden, Hungary and Denmark.

Portugal must hope that Sweden and Denmark loses as many points they can, with two draws. And that is the Portugal’s biggest problem: even with good results, Portugal may depend on others results, which may not happen. And not only in its group, but also in the other groups.

(C. Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic: can they both be on the next World Cup?)

Will Queiroz make the players play all they can?

I’ve started this post talking about Felipão because, to me, the main reason that Portugal can have the results is because Queiroz can’t motivate Portugal team as Big Phil did.

Portugal has the best players of the teams in its group, to no mention C. Ronaldo. And it’s well know that Big Phil is better motivator that tactician. The Felipão’s revolution sure was based on Portugal strength of will, which is missing in the World Cup Qualification. Summed to that, I don’t think there’s lots of ways to change Portugal team tactically, so Queiroz will have to find other ways to improve Portugal’s game.

I’m pointing this because lack of motivation is the problem of Brazilian Team until today. Since Felipão left, neither Parreira nor Dunga managed to motivate Brazilian players, and that’s why the team is so unstable.

Queiroz has to work not only for his job, but to not let the Scolari’s Reovlution ends, and Portuguese people forget about their national team again.

(Queiroz)

Chelsea confirmed on 11th June that Scolari would be their new manager, shortly after Portugal beat Czech Republic in the 2nd Matchday of Group A. Portugal then went on to lose 3-2 to Germany in the quarter-finals.

The president of the Portuguese Football Federation (PFF), Gilberto Madail, believes that Chelsea’s timing of the announcement showed a lack of respect and that they should of informed the PFF of their plans.

Madail said,”It wasn’t the best moment for us for Chelsea to announce Scolari’s appointment.”

He continued,”I know Scolari had nothing to do with it and I was surprised, not by the appointment – because Scolari is a great coach – but at the timing chosen.

“I wish Chelsea would have consulted us before so that we could have chosen a better time. The club could’ve told the federation in advance.

“We tried (to keep him) … but I felt Scolari really wanted a change in his life. Even if we found (the money from sponsors), we wouldn’t get close to the conditions offered to him.”

The Portuguese were outclassed 3-2 by the Germans in Basle, but Scolari is refusing to blame the announcement of his agreement to join Chelsea, instead admitting that it was his side’s defensive mistakes that cost them a place in the last four.

He said, “If I had not announced we would have lost anyway. We lost because we did not do things right or with more quality. It has nothing to do with that.

“I am responsible for choosing the players and the tactics so the main person responsible for Portugal not being in the last four is the coach.

“We made mistakes for the goals, though I can argue that on the third goal there was a foul. But that was a mistake, because we can’t wait for the referee to signal a foul.

“I’m upset because I think Portugal had the ability to be among the best four (teams). But we made mistakes today and couldn’t get the result.

“We lost but we played the match in a way that pleased us. In general, I’m satisfied with what the players did in the competition and I’m proud.”

Three-time winners Germany started the game brightly and created several chances, causing problems for the defence of the Euro 2004 finalists Portugal. And the Germans got their reward on 22 minutes, when Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger – who was back in the side after his one match suspension – broke away from his marker Paulo Ferreira, and got on the end of a Lukas Podolski cross, smashing the ball past Portugal keeper Ricardo.

The Germans doubled the scoring 4 minutes later, after Christoph Metzelder was fouled by Armando Petit 40 yards from goal. The scorer of the first goal, Bastian Schweinsteiger, took the free kick and floated the ball to the far post, where Schweinsteiger’s Bayern Munich teammate Miroslav Klose beat the offside trap to headed the ball past Ricardo.

However, the Germans’ lead was halved five minutes before the interval when from the edge of his box, Deco began a counter-attack and played a long ball to Simao Sabrosa. Simao then passed to Cristiano Ronaldo, whose shot was blocked by Germany keeper Jens Lehmann, only for the ball to deflect back out to Nuno Gomes, who made no mistake of his golden opportunity and hit a left-footed shot past Lehmann and in off Metzelder’s outstretched leg.

Germany put more pressure on the Portuguese just after the hour mark, when Michael Ballack got on the end of another Schweinsteiger free kick, and headed the ball past the badly positioned Ricardo to give the Germans a 3-1 lead. However, the goal caused controversy as Ballack was judged to have pushed Paulo Ferreira when jumping to head the ball.

Portugal tried to come back into the game and threw everything at Germany in the closing stages, and scored in the 87th minute when substitute Helder Postiga headed powerfully past Ricardo from an excellent cross by winger Nani, to make the score 3-2.

But is was not to be as Germany held on, and despite Portugal’s best efforts, they could not find a way past the determined German defence, who held on to put their country into the last four of the European Championships.

Scolari has confirmed he will make eight changes to the side that lost to the Swiss, bringing back Cristiano Ronaldo – who was rumoured to miss out on the game due to a calf problem – Deco, Joao Mountinho, Ricardo Carvalho, Jose Bosingwa, Armando Petit, Simao, and Nuno Gomes.

Germany have been dealt a major blow ahead of the match, as coach Joachim Low will not be allowed to make any contact with his squad when they arrive at St. Jakob-Park, due to a one match suspension given to him by Uefa for verbally assaulting fourth official Damir Skomina of Slovenia in the game against Austria.

Low will now have watch his team from the stands in the game against Portugal, as he is not allowed in the techinal area or tunnel, and will not be allowed in the players’ dressing room. His assistant, Hans-Dieter Flick, will take the coaching responsibilties for the game.

Both Lukas Podolski and Torsten Frings are major doubts for the Germans ahead of the game, after getting injured in the match against Austria. Podolski was forced off due to a calf problem, and Frings broke a rib, but battled on to last the full 90 minutes.

Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger is available again after his red card in Germany’s clash with Group B winners Croatia, while Vfb Stuttgart’s new signing Jens Lehmann and Chelsea’s Michael Ballack are one booking away from suspension.

The playing surface at St.Jakob-Park has caused controversy ahead of tonight’s quarter-final, as many people have questioned the quality of the patchwork pitch after it was hastily relaid, due to the damage caused to it by the terrible weather conditions that plauged Switzerland when they encountered Turkey in the 2nd Matchday of Group A.

In 15 meetings between Portugal and Germany, Germany have seven victories compared to Portugal’s three victories.

In their last encounter, hosts Germany beat the Portuguese 3-1 in the 3rd place play-off at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Portugal’s last win over the Germans came 8 years ago, back in Euro 2000, where a Sergio Conceicao hat-trick gave the Portuguese a 3-0 win in the group stages.

Being in the knowledge that they weren’t going to progress to the quarters regardless of the result, the Swiss made the best of it and signed off their Euro 2008 campaign with a win courtesy of star striker Hakan Yakin.

Portugal started off better than the Swiss and completely dominated the first half, as Pepe saw his effort tipped onto the crossbar by Pascal Zuberbuhler, Helder Postiga had a goal wrongly dismissed for offside, and Nani had two penalty appeals turned down.

However, following the half-time break, the Swiss came out brighter, and got a deserved lead in the 71st minute when striker Hakan Yakin latched onto Erik Derdiyok’s clever flick and fired past Ricardo.

The Swiss then doubled their lead and secured their first points of the tournament when Hakan Yakin scored his and Switzerland’s second with a well-taken penalty seven minutes from time after Tranquillo Barnetta was brought down by defender Fernando Meira.

Scolari, who is currently trying win Portugal their first ever European Championship, has agreed the offer to occupy the so far vacant managerial post at Stamford Bridge.

A club statement read: “Chelsea Football Club is delighted to confirm that Luiz Felipe Scolari will be the club’s new manager from July 1, 2008.”

Although Scolari has failed to coach at club level in Europe so far, he does have a winning pedigree in South America, winning the World Cup with Brazil, and the Copa Libertadores during his time at Gremio and Palmeiras.