World Cup Team Checks: Portugal
March 18, 2006
World Cup qualifiers
Twelve games, nine wins: for the Portuguese, World Cup qualification was a clear matter. No other European team shot more goals: 35 altogether. In the end, the Portuguese confidently qualified themselves as group leader, ending a whopping seven points ahead of second-placed Slovakia.
Stars
Ricardo Carvalho and Fernando Couto in defense, key players Deco and Luis Figo in the midfield, as well as strikers Cristiano Ronaldo and Nuno Gomes are the top performers in the Portuguese team. And don't forget forward Pauleta. His 11 goals not only put him at the top of the European scorers' chart, he also beat the legendary Eusebio's record of 41 international goals for Portugal.
Trainer
The Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari led his country to the World Cup title in South Korea and Japan. He has been training the Portuguese since 2002. The experienced coach was supposed to bring the team, which didn't get further than the preliminary round in 2002, up to par. The European Cup in 2004 on Portuguese soil was the first major challenge. Portugal made it into the final, but lost against Greece. But this didn't keep Scolari's charges from performing strongly in the World Cup qualifiers.
World Cup History
Portugal is participating in the World Cup for the fourth time:
1966: Third place, 1986: Preliminary round, 2002: Preliminary round
Match Schedule: Preliminary Round
June 11, 2006: Angola -- Portugal in Cologne
June 17, 2006: Portugal -- Iran in Frankfurt
June 21, 2006: Portugal -- Mexico in Gelsenkirchen
World Cup Base
The Portuguese team is setting up camp during the World Cup in Marienfeld, North Rhine-Westphalia.
Outlook
Following lastly two futile attempts, the Portuguese team wants to finally survive the preliminary round. This is its minimum aim. The team and above all its fans are actually hoping for more, though. The European Cup's runner-up is peppered with stars. The team's confident qualification for the tournament in Germany fuels the hope for a successful performance in the World Cup.