Portugal plan to show true face
Saturday, January 23, 2010
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After the 5-5 draw with Belarus that has virtually taken them through but was still a disappointment, Portugal know they have to put things right when they face Spain, already in the last eight.
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Just two days after their sapping 5-5 draw with Belarus, Portugal take on UEFA European Futsal Championship holders Spain seeking a big improvement.
Consolation
Spain opened Group D with a record 9-1 defeat of Belarus, but Portugal had to come back from 4-2 down against the same opponents, who then struck a last-gasp equaliser for a surprise point. Despite that, Portugal will reach the quarter-finals unless they lose to Spain by more than Belarus did, and that is a consolation for coach Orlando Duarte, for whom a victory would mean staying in Debrecen for Tuesday's last-eight game as group winners rather than having to travel to Budapest to potentially play Russia.
Improvement needed
"It was not a positive result but Belarus are in a worse position than us as they lost 9-1 to Spain and I don't think we will suffer a similar result," Duarte said. "No two matches go the same way. Belarus played differently against us because it was a decisive game for them but I don't think this result will affect the team. We still have it in our hands to finish top but we have to think about what went wrong and try to put it right against Spain."
Spain plans unchanged
The holders now are assured a quarter-final berth, but know full well the strength of Portugal as in the last four in Porto in 2007, Spain trailed the hosts 2-0 late on before a comeback saw them level the scores and then win the game on penalties. This year Spain have beaten their neighbours 1-0 and 4-1 in friendlies but despite Friday's slip-up for Portugal, coach José Venancio López – who may be missing Fernandao through injury – is taking the challenge seriously. After watching the draw between Portugal and Belarus from the stands, he told uefa.com: "This result does not change our plans; we will play them the same as we did against Belarus. Portugal are a great team and they have pretty much qualified, so that will free them to play without pressure."
Ricardinho factor
Defender Kike, a veteran of many encounters with Portugal, believes the injury absence of perhaps the most important player from their opponents' ranks could actually help their cause. "They are missing Ricardinho and everybody says it will be negative for Portugal, but I think it will very positive for their team spirit; it will get all the players closer and they will have more responsibility, which will be good for their self-confidence," he argued.