Jota forces a save from a rare Portugal counter. The chances are less frequent now. Portugal really needed a second when it was dominating thoroughly for about 20 minutes after halftime. Now the team is tired and Poland is able to push up the field a bit and have some possession.
It would've been interesting to see how Portugal would've played if Dalot and Joao "Jota" Filipe were healthy. Jota played both must-win matches that got Portugal to the playoff and it really missed his creativity and finishing ability while it pummeled Poland early in the second half today.
The only positive thing about this loss is that maybe we will bring a full strength team to the Under 20 World Cup, having failed to qualify for the Under 21 Euro.
If nothing else, a match like this will show this group of players that you can't take anything for granted and you've got to be ready to play from the opening kick. They did what was supposed to be the hard work in Poland and then shit the bed within eight minutes today.
Given the quality of this squad, or the lack of it, not sure it will necessarily a good thing :/ I've watch quite a few of the qualification games and I have long been under the impression that this team is, give and take, mediocre. Rafael Leaõ is good, Jota, João Félix, João Carvalho, Joel Pereira, Iuri Medeiros aren't nothing to write home about, really.
This game shows Portugals great mental failing not of the inferiority complex but of arrogance and resting on your laurels. We won 0-1 away then started the game like we had already won the tie, then we go Down and all of a sudden start playing when we have already handed victory to our opponents, how many times have we seen this? Congratulations Poland, we did not deserve to go through.
João Félix had quite a few opportunities that he blew from excellent positions, including early on when he missed the target and would of made it 1-2. João Carvalho from the little I have seen has normally been medíocre. Joel Pereira seen some good stuff and some awful. Our previous sides had more garra too, also maybe it is time for Rui Jorge to move on?
All of the people calling for Rio Jorge to be national team manager I hope you guys understand how frivolous that suggestion was. He’s been blessed with good teams and this side had much talent within it compared to the Poles but he absolutely blew it after being 1-0 up
Less convinced now but we Will see how he does when he manages a Liga side, we Will then see if he is another Lopetegui.
That's too bad considering how well all our youth have been doing. To scratch and claw to the playoff, dominate the first leg but only win by 1 just to have a nightmare first half. Oh well, hopefully the U20's deliver then go on to give us something for the next u21.
I’ve never liked Rui Jorge as a manager to be honest, I would love to see Hélio Sousa take over after the u20 World Cup, I think he’s got so much potential as a National team manager and understands short knockout tournaments really well plus he’s worked with all these guys coming through over the few years. I think long term he would be a great manager for th National team
Poor Rui Jorge. I think that to be fair with him you have to look at his entire performance as the Under 21 coach. I think he's been pretty good. It's true that this premature elimination is frustrating, Portugal won't go to the Euro nor the Olympic games, but I think it's more to be credited to the lack of quality players than anything else. Next year he'll be working with the generation who won the under17 and under19 European title and I'm confident he'll do just great.
Rui Jorge is a really ordinary manager, I’ve been saying for ages he underperforms with both talented squads & ordinary ones. A nothing manager
Portugal 4 -1 Norway how bad is Rafael Leão's 1st touch on the ball, messed up 2,3 good chances to score but for his shit 1st touch. as soon he went off we got our 3rd and 4th goals. Pedro Neto 2 goals and man of the match he looked really good tonight in fact 3 goal scores all from Wolves.
I really think Neto will become a quality player, and Jota's transfer to Liverpool will give him the game time at Wolves that he needs to improve as a player. As much as I love Jota, I think Neto will outshine him before long. He's far more composed in front of goal, is quick, can play a quality pass or cross, and I honestly don't think it'll be long before he gets picked for the full National team (though I appreciate there's plenty of competition). I love watching this lad develop and have really high hopes for him..
Selling jota for 45 was great business. However that great business was null once you bought a 45 million scam
3-0 win at Gibraltar. Holland is blowing the group apart and even if we beat them in the return leg and end up tied on pts, in highly unlikely at this point that we’d better their goal difference.
Group winners and then the best runner up (could be more than one runner up actually, the format as I read it was a bit unclear). Then the rest of the group runners up will play a home and awAy playoff to determine the rest of the qualified teams.