Euro 2020: Ronaldo hapless, Fernandes uninspiring again as Portugal suffer elimination

A game between Portugal and Belgium was always going to capture the attention of the football world, especially when it was a knockout clash. That was exactly the case on Sunday, as two of Europe’s best teams locked horns.

Portugal, the defending European champions, took on Belgium, the best team in the world yet to win a trophy.

If the above description didn’t do enough justice to the status of the two teams, then the game itself provided that spark when Thorgan Hazard scored a worldie. The Borussia Dortmund forward undoubtedly provided the moment of the game, leaving Portugal with a tall mountain to climb after falling behind.

The Selecao failed to get the equaliser despite their gallant efforts, haplessly suffering elimination in the process.

⏹ Final do jogo. Fizemos de tudo para seguir em frente, mas um golo deixa Portugal fora dos 'quartos'.🇧🇪 1-0 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/TolyF3x0eb

— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) June 27, 2021

No show for Portugal stars

There’s been a lot of talk about the current Portugal team and the talents under Fernando Santos’s command. Some have even said that the current team is better than the one that won the Euros four years ago. However, Cristiano Ronaldo was the only one who really came to the party during the tournament.

Diogo Jota showed flashes of brilliance in their first game against Hungary but his form fizzled out as the tournament progressed. The same can be said for Bernardo Silva while Bruno Fernandes “ghosted” completely, as Jose Mourinho stated last week.

Big players are expected to step up in big games. However, Portugal’s stars simply failed to rise to the occasion. Rather, it was Renato Sanches, Raphael Guerrero Diogo Dalot who stood out during the defeat to Belgium.

🇵🇹 Joao Felix 🇵🇹 Bernardo Silva🇵🇹 Diogo Jota🇵🇹 Andre Silva🇵🇹 Bruno Fernandes🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo🇵🇹 Rafa SilvaPortugal possessed this scary attack and only three of them made goal contributions. pic.twitter.com/1qsn5Fz8xg

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 28, 2021

Selecao lacking identity

Santos may have led Portugal to win Euro 2016 but there’s no doubt that he failed to get the best out of this hugely talented squad in the current tournament. The fact that great players Fernandes, Joao Felix and Ruben Neves can’t get into the starting line-up speak volumes about the coach.

Portugal were ultra-defensive during their run to Euro 2020. However, that style of playing has proved counter-productive, especially with the amount of attacking talent in the team at the moment.

Under Santos, though, Portugal look like a side that lacks an identity. One cannot tell whether they’re an attacking side or still a defensive team.

"I think the result is unfair but this is football. They scored, we didn't. After 10, 15 minutes when we didn't play that well and they pushed us back, we found our stride. We played with a strong mentality, we tried to attack when we had possession,” Santos said after his team’s elimination, as quoted by Sky Sports.

"We hit the post, we kept being dangerous, we always fought for it, but the ball wouldn't go in. We feel very disappointed. We thought we could reach the final and win," added Santos.

Portugal did not lose to Belgium due to a lack of effort: The Selecao actually put up a spirited performance. Their lack of an identity, however, prevented them from getting the best out of their star players.