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Portugal finally secured a victory to add up to their drawn game against Spain and are comfortably positioned to progress to the next round of games now. A thumping, diving header by Cristiano Ronaldo ensured that they managed to take a 1-0 lead in the first five minutes itself.
However, it wasn’t all cakewalk for Fernando Santos’ men as the Moroccan side were extremely well-drilled and unquestionably were the better side throughout the course of the ninety minutes.
Their flawless style of play coupled with the knack of initiating some scintillating, fast-paced forward game meant that the Portuguese defence was kept on their toes for long. The Moroccan team has been exceptional with their style of play and were always looking to crack open the holes in the opposition’s backline.
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Some superb wing play combined with smooth passing in the midfield meant that they dominated their higher-favored opponents and were always inches away from notching an equalizer.
Poor finishing, the failure to keep nerves in testing scenarios and a general lack of experience was quite visible and hence Portugal emerged victors in the end. Like yesterday, here, I analyze five players, with juxtaposing outings today.
#5 Best: Jose Fonte
Portugal have been setup in an extremely well-drilled defensive shape by Fernando Santos, as the team managed to get back into their positions during the transitions quite quickly. They aren’t gifted with classy, ball-playing central defenders at the heart of the backline.
However, in Jose Fonte and Pepe, they have players who can be relied upon to play the hard way and keep the opposition at bay with some old school rough defending. Maybe, the rough part of the statement could be reserved for Pepe, but Fonte is someone who certainly impressed with his concentration and strong display of physical play at the centre of the park.
Against Morocco, he was at his tenacious best, often following the forwards, making upn the lost ground and carefully stationing himself at the correct positions to win the aerial battles. He made it difficult for players like Ziyech to find space in the box, and bullishly outmuscled the forwards by closely marking them and offering no blank areas in the box.
Fonte was all over the defensive line, clearing the ball, putting in the required tackles and jumping up and high enough to get better of the opposition in the air. Here are his stats from the game!
#4 Worst: Goncalo Guedes
Portugal are heavily reliant on Cristiano Ronaldo, that, no one can disagree with. However, every team requires a star player to be supported with an adequate partner in attack.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, has to be always content with some aspiring young lad with him in the forward line. In Euro 2016, it was Andre Silva. Now, it is Goncalo Guedes.
Silva was originally the more preferred forward for a considerable period, but Guedes has outmuscled him into the starting XI with a strong domestic season with Valencia in the La Liga.
He adds more movement, dynamism and versatility to attack, which can be ably coupled with Ronaldo’s majestic presence on the other side.
Just, the fact that this does not seem to be working well for the team currently. Guedes has the tendency to shift wider and create space for Ronaldo and the other midfielders, but he has been poor with the possession of the ball.
His knack of taking a tad bit longer to release the ball often results in throw-ins and the team struggles to maintain a certain kind of fluidity in their offensive moves.
Guedes has been wayward with his passing during counter-attacks too, often misjudging the weight of the released ball and failing to find Ronaldo too. His lack of reliability in front of the goal is quite irritating for the Portuguese fans.
Santos can replace the lad with Silva, but the AC Milan forward is a target-man of sorts and that is something that the team cannot afford to have in their setup currently. It is certainly a matter of dilemma for the coach going into the busy stages of the tournament.
#3 Best: Hakim Ziyech
Morocco looked swift in attack, as their moves broke down Portugal’s midfield lines in a jitter. Most of it was possible due to the presence of Hakim Ziyech, who certainly did not miss the chance to impress again today.
Ziyech initially started on the left but drifted all across the forward line with the unique running style of his that finds the forwards with utmost ease.
His footwork and technique on the ball were impeccable; as Ziyech’s widespread passing range fed the Moroccan national team to a good extent.
His skills on the ball were good enough for them to quickly turn defensive situations into promising attacking movements.
Ziyech was interchanging positions, hence confusing the Portuguese fullbacks and subsequently, he exploited the space vacated by them.
Hakim played in some delightful lobbed balls into the box and should have bagged a couple of assists through some of the free kicks that he took.
His deliveries into the box should have been taken better advantage of, and the team failed to do that which eventually has resulted in their exit from the tournament.
For someone with such good technique, skill and temperament to churn out those assist-worthy deliveries into the box, Ziyech’s campaign would end it a bittersweet mode.
Bitter because his team bows out of the tournament; sweet because he could be proud of his efforts right there.
#2 Worst: Bernardo Silva
Bernardo Silva is actually one of the few Portuguese players to have been playing in the top clubs of Europe.
Silva endured a somewhat decent campaign last time for Manchester City, where he was benched for a majority of the time before jumping into action in the final few months of the season.
Silva was expected to be the creator-in-chief for Portugal, as his quality and talent are certainly unmatched amongst the certain crop of Portuguese players. Silva is blessed with good footwork, crosses the ball well enough and has a tendency to take appropriate decisions in the final third.
He should be the one fixing and bring cohesion to the Portuguese attack, alas, that’s not been the case whatsoever.
In both their games until now, Bernardo has failed to stamp any authority, as he has been way too lackluster and lethargic to turn the tides of the game.
His crosses aren’t reaching the box accurately, neither are his passes which tend to be blocked due to lack of power and precision in them.
Silva has been outmuscled quite often through the centre too and has absolutely gone missing at crucial counter-attacking junctures of the game.
His work-rate has been poor for a team like Portugal that looks to defend in numbers, collectively.
Gelson Martins, even in that short cameo, gave a better outlook of what the team could do if they inject some good pace on the right flank, as most of the attacking moves feel to be flowing through the left side of the pitch.
Silva needs to buckle up soon enough or lose his place eventually.
#1 Best: Cristiano Ronaldo
It is undoubtedly the man himself. Ronaldo!
No, he wasn’t as stupendous as he was against Spain. His free kicks didn’t express or radiate the same level of fear and excitement, and he missed a chance to double the lead at the brink of the second half too.
But, when it was needed, he was there. Portugal has been threatening from the set-pieces, and Ronaldo has been the fulcrum of the team that has managed to steal impressive results from both matches.
If he was scintillating, constantly amazing against Spain, today was a lot different than that.
Against Morocco, he decided to turn up when he sensed the bleakest of opportunities and scored a thumping, diving header that left Munir with no chance to at least fathom to block it.
In the last few years, Ronaldo has been choosing the moments in which he has to shine, but those are hugely significant scenarios; something that turns the course of the game in an instant. Today, it was no different than that.
Ronaldo sensed that he was unmarked at the outside of the box, and times his run to perfection by getting in between two opposition players.
That, however, was just not enough for him to contact the ball on time, and hence, he dived.
Not the usual one, where one looks for penalties, nope!
He dived to connect, and to thump the ball at the back of the net, giving his nation another early lead and breathing space into the game.
Eventually, this goal that led to their victory, and Portugal could not be anything less than thankful to still have the services of this majestic genius of a man!
What is your opinion on the list? Sound off in the comments section below!
