Fernandes fears for Portugal

Manuel Fernandes knows that Portugal "don't have our destiny in our hands any more" following Wednesday's 2-1 Group A defeat against the Netherlands.

Puzzled
Having drawn 0-0 against Belgium in their opening game, Portugal lost against the UEFA European Under-21 Championship hosts and holders, leaving Everton FC star Fernandes puzzled by his side's inability to make their mark. "I don't know what's going wrong," he said. "If you do understand, please tell me because I want to know. Clearly, we don't have our destiny in our hands any more."

Unforced errors
"[The Netherlands] played well in the first half, but I don't think they were better than us in the second," said Fernandes. "We've made mistakes we shouldn't have made. Against Belgium we didn't make any mistakes and a draw was not such a bad result. Obviously here we have had a bad result." Third in Group A with only one point, the 2006 U21 finals hosts are in trouble.

Final permutations
Portugal's only chance of reaching the semi-finals depends upon Belgium losing their final game against the Netherlands on Saturday while they beat Israel. Fernandes said: "Everyone is telling me that now it's all about beating Israel but it won't be easy at all. We will do what we can and hope for the best."

Last straw
A third-placed finish in the section could still give Portugal a last chance at qualifying for the Olympic Games provided England finish first or second in Group B. Since England cannot play in the Olympics, the fourth and final ticket to Beijing would be contested between the sides finishing third in their respective sections. "Qualifying for the Olympics would at least mean we had reached one of our targets here," conceded Fernandes.

Captain composed
Captain Hugo Almeida was less concerned about Portugal's poor start against the Netherlands saying: "We had to get to know our opponents - it's a different thing than watching them on TV." He also took courage from his side's second-half display. "We did enough to win but they made it 2-0 just as we were getting at them. What is important is that we showed that we are a big team."