Abel's Portugal dream comes true

Sporting Clube de Portugal right-back Abel has described his first Portugal call-up as "a dream come true", as he looked forward to his side's UEFA EURO 2008™ Group A finale against Armenia and Finland.

'Delighted'
The 28-year-old has been drafted in by coach Luiz Felipe Scolari following injuries to Luis Miguel and Ricardo Carvalho, and he is ready to take his chance. "My time has come and I will do everything in my power to help Portugal," he said. "I'm delighted to be here. This was one of my goals but I didn't know if it was ever going to happen – and it wasn't ideal to come in because a team-mate was injured. But I would like to share this moment with everyone who has helped me throughout my career, especially my club."

'Fantastic group'
Portugal need four points from their last two games to make sure of a place in Austria and Switzerland. FC Porto centre-back Bruno Alves is determined to get the job done over the next seven days. "We're all focused on securing our ticket to the finals. I have been establishing myself at my club and I hope to do something similar with my country," said the 25-year-old. His partner at the heart of Portugal's back line could be Real Madrid CF's Pepe, who is eager to make his debut after missing the autumn qualifiers through injury. "This is a fantastic squad," said the Brazilian-born player, 24. "I couldn't have been made more welcome and I feel very lucky to be here. I played 45 minutes in Real's last match and I'm ready to help Portugal."