Ricardo 6 Bonsingwa 8...wow, I wish he was a left winger because he is so good...who do you bench...miguel shows up when it counts. Pepe 10...MOTM Bruno Alves 7 Caneira 6...great first half Meira 8...Solid Maniche 7...Old Veloso 7...Great future and deserves to start regardless of who is healthy C Ronaldo 3...Honestly he doesn't deserve to start. He just isn't a smart player and what he used to give us on attack is gone. In a game this important when one counter attack can cost you a place in the Euros he lost the ball too much in our half of the field. Every quality counter attack Finland had was because Ronaldo lost the ball in our half of the field. Quaresma 7 Really should be an 8 but he missed two easy goals and should have crossed instead of shooting a couple of times. He played very smart and was the best attacker. It was nice to see Scolari give him the start ahead of Simoa and see him respond with a solid performance. Nuno Gomes 4 Terrible subs Nani 6 Gave the offense a much needed boost should have come in earlier for Ronaldo or Maniche as attacking mid Makukula 4 Terrible...did nothing but foul and didn't win the ball in the air when the chances were given Meireles 6 Solid made one mistake but it could have cost us.
For The Idiots Who Are Happy With This Game... Hey, first time poster and long time reader here (since 2003). I've been waaaay to lazy to get an account in the past but this game just irritated me so much i just had to say something. I understand many in here aren't as knowledgeable about futebol as others so let me give youse a lesson. First off, this was BY FAR Portugals' WORST qualifying campaign in which they would go on to the final tourney (I've been watching every game since 2000). Finland eeeeasily coulda won this game. For those who were "watching), all of Finlands' chances were all closer then what Portugal created the whole match ...and now lemme go into detail why this happened. When I first saw the line-up I knew trouble was a brewing...this was easily one of or the worst line-up scolari coulda feilded.As for youse who said Finland parked the bus? You guys are high.They had at least four players past the halfway line through most of the game. Meira as DM, why not Fernandes?let's go through some of the players: Bosingwa - 9/10 THE best player on the feild, if it wasn't for him I woulda fell asleep. As much as I love Miguel I think Bosingwa is the answer, though he isn't as quick as Miguel. I'd like to see Miguel on the left back , I know he can't cross from there but he's the best we got since Antunes(one of the best in EUROPE) will not get called.At one point in the game he noticed how useless his team was so he ran from RB all the way tp LW to make an amzing play. Pepe - 7.5/10 I'll be honest , I was never a big fan of him at FCP (I'm a supporter) but he suprised me today. Only beef I have with this IDIOT is he loves going to ground when he is the last man back...almost cost us twice today...not all referees are gonna call in his favour so he needs to straighten that out of his game. Caneira - 1.5/10 Always was worthless . Definatley not NT material, makes mistakes all the time, only got a 1.5 cuz he looked like he wanted to create some offense today. Maniche - 3/10 Looked like Petit with his useless fouling out there today. Easily the worst game I've seen him play. ( I am a big Maniche fan) Miguel Veloso - 7/10 I l loooove this guy what can I say. THE Future, though this was one of his crappier games( he usually never loses a ball) Quaresma - 5/10 I am a FCP fan but even i know this guy is GARBAGE on the NT. ya he may lifted his performance in the second but it was still sub par. NANI pleeease. Quaresma can be used as a sub of he can go f himself. C.Ronaldo - 3/10 Useless waste of space out there.This guy needs to be benched for a couple. Hogged so much today when he needed to pass, who the f does he think he is? asking for cards and so on...don';t get me wrong my fav player but these last two games have been the worst i've seen him play. maid no runs just staring at the ball ...not defending...his defence was nowhere to be seen this game. Nuno No-golos - 0/10 I dun want to see this useless &^^&^^%^%* on the NT ever again.This isn't a striker folks.He needs to support a striker. All game long , every ball that went into the box this guy would PURPOSEFULLY try to get away from touching the ball anyway he could. This player has missed more open nets then any player i have ever seen play this sport. thank you for scoring against Spain now f-off. Almost as useless as Postiga. Almeida and Makue are the answer.
lol...no i didn't, Portugal qualified didn't they. I brought you gusy luck. Congrats on going through!!!
Read my posts again... Anyways...how nervous were you guys...lol Don't feel like doing rating right now, in the middle of school, maybe tonight. Pepe and Bosingwa were excellent. wowzers... Ronaldo was bad, but does not deserve to start? Come on....relax. If anything he should have been taken out of the game around the 65th minute for Nani (Who should get more playing time). Maku starts...he is more active then Almeida...actually nah, if Almeida's form drops during anytime from now till EURO, Maku is his nameO. Why Raul? Honestly? Actually I won't hate, he played well and was very active...but Fernandes man. Anyways...yay...and wow on England.
Re: For The Idiots Who Are Happy With This Game... Are u sure u watched the game???? Here are the statistics from uefa.com Portugal- Shots on Target- 8 Portugal- Shots Wide- 10 Finland- Shots on Target- 1 Finland- Shots Wide- 1
Portista Yes i watched it...I meant Finlands chances were much closer to goal including the one Alves almost scored in his own net which uefa prolly didn't count
Re: Portista your over reacting a bit man Portugal dominated this match, and finland defended well and their goalkeeper did superb. only near the end, finland started pressing forward at our defense to get the late goal... they never really looked like scoring our D held them off. the closest Finnland came to scoring, was Alves kicking it out for our corner, close to our goal.
Pepe played extremely well but maybe you missed his attempted clearance from the right flank where it fell short to a Finland attacker and gave them a quick counter/chance to score. 10 is a score for a perfect performance but that's okay because this next ridiculous rant makes this small error forgettable. Wow!
Re: For The Idiots Who Are Happy With This Game... Multiple accounts or just brothers with Down Syndrome? You decide.
Ronaldo has set the bar so high in past games, anything short of a goal and an assist is often seen as despicable by some fans the guy scored 8 goals in qualifying, what more do you want. give him a break until the euro's. if he sucks ass at the euro's then talk Smack, he gifted a sick pass to maniche today but maniche didnt score. im not saying to lick his culo, yes he didnt play his best games but its not enough to suddenly turn on a player whos been playing very well in the qualifiers overall, definitely our best attacker (what Quaresma or Deco did more in the qualifeirs ???). he definitely isnt a "waste of Space" and all these other terms some people in here are using to call him.
Re: Wow? lol, he hasn't played well in the past few games, but doesn't deserve to start? I think an early sub would be enough to open his eyes although he might have just had a rough few games and will be back to normal soon enough.
Woooooooooowwwwwww! Honestly come on! As u can see Ronaldo is my favorite player! My uncle when I was younger played wit the national team & trust me it aiint that easy as it looks! People keep talking, if I was the player or so on I would not do this or that! Ive heard people say if I get paid that much or if I played for the national team I would always perform blah blah blah, yea but once u enter that life u will everything changes! These r human beings, what do u expect them to do? Everytime they touch the ball to score or not lose it?? After my uncle had his leg broken twice & from the pressure you could tell he was just frustrated at times ! Then when there were family problems he would be affected & it showed in his game! So people tend to forget they r just humans & will not always have a great game! Quaresma played brilliant today, more of individually! He is a great shooter, but didnt really provide much as a whole! Yes he had A LOT of beautiful curled shots saved & decent runs! This and a few other games he shined, but most of the time he failed! & as frustrating as that is, I have ALWAYS said put him in the freeking team! Make him stay there untill he grows up & starts performing & not allowing the pressure get to him! I know he has talent & just bc of a few bad performances doesnt meen ohh my god he doesnt deserve to start for the team! Now on ROnaldo! He doesnt think he is anyone, referring to a comment here! It shoudn't even be a doubt how much he cares for Portugal! Im not sure maybe I observe in a different manner, but u could see how much he enjoys performing in that jersey & for that team! In Euro 04 he & WC 06 one could see his dedication to the team! Also thoughout the tournament, he played!! SOme games where the team really didnt do much he was one of the few who cared to perform! To actually say he DOES NOT deserve to start is one of the most redicilous comments I've heard! Maybe u could say he DID NOT deserve to start or to be substituted but DOES NOT its implying to not start anymore for the team! I would just wish for Scolari to not call him to the Euro 08 tournament & see the result of Portugal since a few of u are already complaining about his last 2 performances! When he plays bad Im the first one to say it & I did!The first half it was dreadful, but the second he actually provided some good passes but unfortunately no one could make them! Now, its not like he decided "Im the shit & I wont perform today" wtf? He cares too much for Portugal to decide consciously to not perform, he was just not on form, is not tlike he said nope I'll lose! Against France & Germany even after losing he didnt stop trying untill the end, against Poland at away just watch the game he didnt stop trying, so if there r any doubts he does not lack hunger! Today was not a good day for him, but I guess some of u just think hes a robot, well he's human! Its ok to say Ronaldo didnt perform, I even said he needs a vacation but to the point that He doesnt deserve to start or he thinks hes too good for the national team is just unbelievable! Sorry I had to get that out Im too happy Portugal qualified so I'll just leave at that
I am with Scolari. The Fins simply parked the bus (I don't know what WTF_Scolari was smoking during the game - but I think the stats, if nothing else - confirm this), as Portugal did not need to win, he did what he always does - he plays a defensive, risk-averse tactical setup. Scolari's style, whether you like it or not, has never changed. I, like everybody else, wish we could have throttled the Fins with waves of attack today, and the same for the WC. I live in the deluded conviction that this is a feasible strategy but it's not. It's fantasy. In soccer, nowadays, as in many other sports, defense is what wins tournaments. And if you have any qualms about the choices that Scolari has made over the years just compare his achievements with those of any other coach Portugal has ever had. It's not even close. (and don't tell me the bunk that it's the players that have made the team. Let's again count the successes of the golden generation). CRonaldo had a horrendous 1st half but you guys are crazy if you think Scolari ever considered replacing him. On such a big game, if the score had gone sour on us, who ELSE would you rather have there at the end of the game fighting to score with left, right foot, inside the box, outside the box and in the air. He is, bar none, the most dangerous player on our team by a mile and the most likely to make a game changing play. This is a problem too, of course, as HE knows this, and risks lazy performances like vs Armenia and the first 3/4 of today's game. But I think he has shown over and over again to have tremendous competitive spirit and I frankly always trust that he'll be there at minute 90 fighting for a goal. And, today, after about 3/4 of the game he did turn it around and start making better plays. As BigSoccer Quaresma said: "Bosingwa/Miguel - Pepe - Carvalho - Miguel/Bosingwa." Exactly. That's Portugal's defensive 4 of the future. I drool. As I said before, screw the fact that neither Miguel nor Bos. is a natural LB. They are the best offensive AND defensive full backs we have. By far. Also, our depth at CB is now ridiculous. And, I repeat myself, I liked seeing F.Meira as DM. He played well and he adds even more height to our team when he is played in that position. Let's count them: 2 CBs, Meira at DM, Ronaldo, Almeida and Maku. That's TALL. Imagine us fielding a team like that - more than 1/2 of our team would be huge threat in the air. Time, once again, to begin the petition to bring Figo back to play Beckham's position - "designated crosser". Finally, our performances in this Qual. campaigns since the Belgium game have been mediocre. The team needs to play more as a team. There's _tremendous_ individual talent on this team right now - a lot of it young blood too. It will take some time for this team to gel together and play well together as a team. Let's hope Scolari can figure it out before the next big tournament. Hey, one more thing: how much do you think the Brits are ruing the day they pissed off Scolari and pushed him away from their NT? Wow. The Russians practically handed them the Euro spot on a silver platter and still they couldn't pull it off.
First of all...I love Ronaldo. The game verses France in the WC was one the greatest games I have ever seen a player play. He nearly willed us to the final. He left his heart on the field. The Ronaldo I have seen recently is the Ronaldo from the Olympics. A selfish player that thinks he is above the team. A ball hog who doesn't see the big picture and just wants to be the hero all the time. All the great players are selfish at times. Ronaldo is starting to take it to another level. Dribbling 3-4 players is just not necessary when controlling the midfield is the key. I could understand if we are down 1-0 and you are trying to make something happen. But he just doesn't seem to play for the team. Example....count the number of times he is trying to dribble past two or three players in our half of the field in the last two games. Knowing we are hanging to 1-0 lead vs Armenia and need AT LEAST a tie to qualify. My comment about him not starting was to light a fire under him. Show him that he is not untouchable. I will say it again....this is the Ronaldo from the Olympics...a selfish player that makes stupid mistakes that would have hurt us is we were playing against a better team.
Ronaldo is untouchable at the moment. Get over your silly rant. This is the kind of player that can produce a moment of game winning magic at any point in the game, no matter how horrible he is playing. I guarantee you he was trying his ass off out there. It's rare for a player of his nature to look good for 30 minutes (forget 90 minutes) against a team that gets all their players behind the ball. For anyone who thinks he should have been substituted, thank god Scolari is the coach. Imagine Portugal going down 1-0 in the final 20 with their biggest impact player sitting on the bench. What a joke. Turn off the lights and go to bed.
I think too many players made mistakes that could of actually cost us the spot! And Ronaldo today Im not sure that he actually went overboard dribbling like he used to do! He barely dribbled in the crazii mood as he does, not to mention the first half he didnt even get much of the ball! The second half when he driblled he actually was able to put some great passes in & against Armenia although he did dribble he did put many passes in the box but they were not converted! I know, this is also the problem with Quaresma! When he just goes insane with his dribles when he could of easily just made a nice simple pass! Is not that they think they are better than the team nor do they want to be the hero, they care for the team and when they are under pressure and want the team to make it they could lose it and go overboard! Ronaldo is still 22 & has kept learning throughout but there will be a few games where we see that the pressure gets to him! Shit if the team is not scoring & u only need a draw, then Ronaldo by dribbling might win fouls, which he did & win time, more chances etc! Also out of them there could come a chance of scoring etc! Besides PEPE probably told him u do ur dribbles cause I got it all cool on the back line What can wake him up its a substitution, but I think leaving him out of the squad would wake up some of the fans & make them realize that he is crucial to the team! Can we just be happy Portugal won? Although these last few games Portugal has been on drugs lol they will be back! The ones I feel sry for is England, urhmm talk about the entire team not performing yakeess!
In other news, I thought Meira played the DM role quite well today. He looked very calm and in control out there. What a breath of fresh air compared to Veloso who was giving me fits with all his nervous looking turns/spins on the ball. It's great to see that Meira may be useful to the team in multiple positions.
Porque e isso? Aquele e um vergonha! Even on his offday, he is easily he best player on the pitch. I will say this, once carvalho comes back, the captaincy should be given to him because ronaldo is a selfish prick. Maybe he took one, or few too many blue pills....you know alot of people here shitted their pants in the last ten minutes of this game. As for veloso, What a awesome player. I mean this guy is a blessing to have on this team. He just dictates the tempo, rarely makes a mistake and even takes the time to get a snapshot for the morenas in the crowd.
Im happy that the boys got the job done. In the words of Figo; pre 1996 we struggled to qualify for tournaments, now we qualify for every major tournamnet this alone shows the improvement in our football. So fantastic we qualified hip hip hooray!!!! The last 5 qualifiers have been the most frustrating football i have seen from portugal EVER!! It doesnt seem as though anyone wants to play for the national team. Wheres the hunger the fire. Scolari is to blame he is destroying this team, he needs to get a hold of ronaldo and quaresma. They are not doing there job and not playing to there potential. We dont play as a team, its a buch of individuals its disqusting!!!
^^ Is that your words or figo's words? I concur....We need to lit a fire under their asses. This team should be near the top with that kind of talent. The diamond generation has made it interesting with the three amigos; Quaresma, Ronaldo, Nani!
Exactly!! WTf is scolari doing, even our midfield is usually disjointed and lacks flair, creativity, and brilliant one touch passing nowadays.
The teamwork will come. Not to worried about that. Yes it did look individualistic at times...but I think once things settle, Portugal will be fine.