This is the Swiss opponent Portugal
He may be 37 years old, out of favor at his club and not as explosive as he was in his prime. And yet, the Portugal national team is still all about Cristiano Ronaldo. When the important 1-0 in the second group game against Uruguay failed, the superstar vehemently claimed the goal for himself. He stroked the ball with his hair.
It could have been the subject of a polemic, because it was obvious: Cristiano Ronaldo was more important to his ninth goal to catch up with Portugal’s record World Cup goalscorer Eusebio than to treat his team-mate Bruno Fernandes to a double. However, This reacted calmly, would have granted CR7 – in contrast to the video image of FIFA – the success.
The structure of the team does not seem to suffer from the superstar’s ego, as was already evident with the 2016 European Championship title. CR7 still has its place, but unlike Robert Lewandowski’s Poland, Ronaldo’s entourage also meets high standards . The mixture is not without potential for conflict, but it is also very promising.
Several golden generations
There has often been talk of a “golden” generation in Portuguese football. First with the folk hero Eusebio, who was born in the Mozambique colony, then with the generation around Luis Figo and Rui Costa. But now it is a team of several generations. The veterans Ronaldo and Pepe, each with over 130 caps, a strong midfielder with João Cancelo and Bernardo Silva from Manchester City or the said Fernandes from city rivals United and young guns with great potential like Ruben Dias, Ruben Neves or João Felix.
Ordinary Swiss balance sheet
At European level, the Lusitanians often exploited their potential, European champions in 2016, EM finalists in 1984 and winners of the Nations League in 2019. But things never really worked out at the world championships. The 3rd place in 1966 with the famous top scorer Eusebio is the lonely highlight. In 2006 they lost to France in the semi-finals, before and since the Portuguese never made it past the round of 16.
This time, Switzerland shouldn’t be too high a hurdle to get ahead again. Advancement was clear after two victories without really convincing. Can Ronaldo and Co. now shift up a gear? The Swiss balance sheet probably gives hope. Overall, the SFV team leads with 11:9 wins (5 draws). Most recently in the Nations League, Portugal showed two opposing faces within a week in June. In Lisbon they won 4-0, which was still too narrow, in Geneva Switzerland responded with a 1-0 win thanks to a goal by Haris Seferovic.
Portugal in numbers:
Portugal in numbers. – Population: 10.1 million – Capital: Lisbon. – FIFA ranking: 9. – Participation in World Cup finals (8): 1966, 1986, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022. – Best World Cup result: semi-finals (1966/3. and 2006/4. ). – Top scorer in World Cup qualifying: Cristiano Ronaldo (6 goals). – Record player: Cristiano Ronaldo (194 games). – Record goalscorer: Cristiano Ronaldo (118 goals). – Most famous players: Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, João Felix, Bernardo Silva. – Coach: Fernando Santos (POR/since 2014). – Record against Switzerland: 9 wins, 5 draws, 11 defeats (last duel: 0-1 on June 12, 2022 in Geneva in the Nations League).