PortuGOAL

PortuGOAL Figure of the Week: Benfica's hat-trick hero Pizzi back to his best

08/14/2018

Liga NOS is back for another season and with it PortuGOAL’s Figure of the Week feature. Each week we highlight the standout figure (player or manager) of the round’s action with the caveat that no individual be featured more than once throughout the campaign. The opening weekend featured a number of

Big Three kick off new season with victories

08/13/2018

With a sizeable 306 games to look forward to, it’s with a spread of renewed faith that we all welcomed back Primeira Liga football for the 2018/19 season.Our first stop, a trip to the Estádio da Luz, saw Benfica hold onto an initial three-goal lead to defeat Vitória de Guimarães 3-2, as hat-trick he

Portuguese title race preview: talent drain levels the playing field

08/06/2018

There is no getting away from it: Portugal’s Primeira Liga has seen a brutal downgrading of its talent pool in recent seasons – and the trend continues apace. As the financial disparity between Portuguese football and the rest of Europe’s top leagues grows ever wider, Porto, Benfica and Sporting are

Portugal claim first Euro U19 title after thrilling final against Italy

08/01/2018

Two years after Portugal’s greatest football triumph at Euro 2016, the country added another European title, this time at U19 level, beating Italy 4-3 in the final in Seinäjoki, Finland on Sunday.It was their first Euro title at U19 level since the format was changed in 2001. Portugal lost in the fi

Will Cristiano Ronaldo help Juventus end Champions League drought?

07/14/2018

After Cristiano Ronaldo played a fundamental role in winning four Champions League titles in the last five years for Real Madrid, the Portugal captain is expected to emerge as Juventus’ guiding light in their quest for UCL victory.Since winning the trophy in 1996, Juventus has played five finals but

Conquistador

07/13/2018

A tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo's extraordinary time at Real MadridHaving realized his childhood dream to play for Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo will not be finishing his storied career in the Spanish capital. While many other articles have chosen only to tease out the reasons why he left, PortuGOAL

Portugal’s World Cup assessed

07/11/2018

Was Portugal’s performance at World Cup 2018 underwhelming, in line with expectations, unlucky, or as the kids today like to say, just “meh”? The post-tournament reaction (or lack of it) would seem to indicate the last option.There have been no recriminations flying around the media, no headlines de

Portugal Man of the Match vs Uruguay: Bernardo Silva

07/01/2018

Portugal’s World Cup adventure came to a premature end last night after a narrow 2-1 loss to Uruguay in the last 16. The exit is an obvious disappointment for Seleção fans everywhere, but just as frustrating was the team’s failure to fulfil their potential to perform with what looked a strong group

Portugal player ratings versus Uruguay

07/01/2018

Portugal’s World Cup campaign came to an end in Sochi tonight as they were beaten by a brilliant brace from Uruguayan centre-forward Edinson Cavani.An improved performance perhaps deserved better. Pepe was again excellent, and a tactical switch by Fernando Santos at half time perhaps points the way

Cavani double knocks Portugal out of the World Cup

06/30/2018

Uruguay 2-1 PortugalPortugal have been eliminated by Uruguay in the World Cup's Round of 16, courtesy of an Edinson Cavani brace in a 2-1 loss at the Fisht Stadium.The European champions fell behind to Cavani's strike as early as the 7th minute, but Pepe's equaliser in the second half promised to pr