Unity For Portugal

Paulo Ferreira the Portugal defender could feel sorry for himself for two games bench warming from the biggest stage of the world, but he is not that kind. After playing right-back in the opener for 90 full minutes against Côte d’Ivoire, for tactical reasons, he was sacrificed for the next two games. The team has a lot of top players in various positions and everybody should be prepared to play from the beginning or come in from the bench, he said in an interview after just sitting in the entire game with Brazil with the draw score of 0-0. Coach and Carlos Queiroz opted for Ricardo Costa since he is a better aerial threat than Ferreira.

In the contest for second in Group C, the former boss of Real Madrid and former assistant at Manchester United to Sir Alex Ferguson choose Miguel for the right side of the defense, recognizing his team needed goals after the tie with the Ivorians. Ferreira is a wide man who is now on the outside looking in again. It is a good thing for a manager to have, multiple options for different positions, said Ferreira. The team is getting lots of production from the starting guys and also from those who are coming on off the bench. Ferreira is eager to point out the importance of team spirit and the competition especially for a World Cup competition.

Portugal 7-0 North Korea (Highlights)

Portugal defender Paulo Ferreira said they work as one in the team. The former Porto man does not always play as a starter at club level with Chelsea the English champions. There, he plays alongside Ricardo Carvalho his national team-mate. If he is not a starter, he gets mentally prepared to come off the bench if the time comes and do the best to help the team. Queiroz has used up the maximum of three substitutions in all three of their games so far and used up three distinct starting line-ups in their winning run on the group stage. You need alternatives if you expect to go a long way in a World Cup. Football will no longer be 11 guys.

Portugal will need more than luck and every bit of their depth if they want to survive to the quarter-final stage for their second straight time at the World Cup. Now they have to battle Iberian neighbors and Spain in the Round of 16, While Cristiano Ronaldo is always on the headlines, being chosen as Budweiser Man of the Match in all three games, it is still the unity of the team that Ferreira sees as the vital element.

Spain Top Choice Against Portugal

The Round of 16 will close with the match between Spain and Portugal and open encounter involving Paraguay and Japan. Even with the opening game falter versus Switzerland, the European champions Spain was able to muscle their way through to the knockout stage and was able to finish top of their group in the course. They now come across a Portugal team in their trail who was able to pass a severe test of surviving a tough fight alongside Côte d’Ivoire and Brazil. This was the final 16 that a lot of people expected and coaches Vicente del Bosque and Carlos Queiroz should have had a lot of time to plan for the downfall of the other teams.

In comparison, very few people could have predicted Italy’s failure in Group F, where Paraguay finished on top even without the service of their leading scorer Salvador Cabanas in qualifying. Los Guaraníes now has to face the Japanese team that is aiming to reach unfamiliar games at this level by winning the second last-16 between South American and Asian competitor at the World Cup, where Uruguay winning past Korea Republic 2-1.

The big game will feature the match between Spain-Portugal. History will pick on Span to dominance, with the European champions winning over Portugal three times and drawing only once in four World Cup qualifiers. The 32 games overall A Selecção das Quinas have won a mere five times, while loosing 15 and having 12 draws.

Now they must try to reverse that development against one of the strongest line-ups of Spain, although their Iberian rivals began to show vulnerability with their fluid play possibly being decoded by the enemy coaches. Del Bosque made some sacrifices on his team’s keenness for the stunning for support of a more direct line of attack, as shown in their 2-1 win over Chile, but the opposition Queiroz, is confident of discovering an answer. His team emerged victorious from the strongest section in the group phase claiming to score seven goals and not conceding any and will continue with their ironclad defense and Cristiano Ronaldo star forward to make the big difference.

The Real Madrid star hassle defenders and makes an opening space for his team mates and he will enjoy matching up against fellow Liga stars like David Villa. Whatever happens, expect a lot of teasing about this match.

As for Okada, the 53-year-old clever tactician, knows his team will not win a physical contest but likes them to play at pace with passes going into the space behind defenders and full-backs coming close to help exploit the strength of the players. Expect different moves from two coaches, with one set to elevate his profile by getting into the last eight.

North Korea vs Portugal in 2010 FIFA World Cup– Portugal needs to Make it Their Game.

The game between Portugal and North Korea is a crucial match for both teams. The game will be a classic reminder of the World Cup clash that took place in 1966. Both phenomenal teams with some great guns to their side looking to crack it up and get a grip on the game!

Portugal need to stir up their game especially after their opening match against Ivory Coast was a goalless draw. North Korea was however defeated by the boys in canary yellow Brazil by a mere margin of 2-1. Although North Korea lost versus Brazil they still gathered a lot of praises and accolades for putting up a stellar performance against the 5 times World Cup winners. This is a good enough boost for them to either stop the Portuguese from scoring any goals or taking the match to another draw.

The North Koreans have a very simple tactic and it seems that they could follow the same one that they used in their game against Brazil. You could see almost everyone behind the ball at all times and this was one way that they stopped the Brazilian Samba from showing off their game flair.

It’s been 44 years since the North Koreans played against the Portuguese where they had a remarkable game and even reached the quarterfinals where they were eventually ousted by Portugal 5-3.

There is a slight tip in favour of North Korea and although they are placed 105 amongst teams whereas Portugal is 3rd, they could mettle the Portuguese. Japanese based striker Jong Tae-Se is the one to watch out for who has already got lot of positive attention.

Portugal will be bringing back Simao Sabrosa in place of Danni hoping to add some substance to the game. Although the Portuguese have flair and substance in their game, what they lack is scoring goals, without which it is impossible for them to win.

If Portugal has to win they need to stop stressing on Ronaldo to shine, rather work as a team to gain their needed 3 winning points.

Soccer Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo was born 5 February 1985. He is a Portuguese football player and plays for Real Madrid.  His position is winger and is also the captain of the Portuguese national team.  He is currently the most expensive player in football history in a deal worth £80 million or $132 M.  His contract with Real Madrid is believed to make him the world’s highest-paid football player.  He started his career as a youth player in Madeira team and move to Sporting Clube de Portugal.  

His great talent caught the attention of Alex Ferguson the manager of Manchester United and at 18 he signed for £12.24 million in 2003. The following season, he won his first FA Cup and reached the UEFA Euro 2004 final with Portugal where he scored his first international goal.  In 2008, he won his first UEFA Champions League title and became the player of the tournament.  He was named the FIFE World layer of the Year and FIFPro World Player of the Year in addition he is the Manchester United’s first Ballon d’Or winner in 40 years.

Cristiano Ronaldo Contemplates Future

Cristiano Ronaldo has said that he would first take time off and vacation before deciding on whether to continue his duties in a Manchester United uniform. This is after the Red Devils’ disappointing loss to FC Barcelona in the Champions League final, two goals to zip. So disappointing was his performance in the championship match that even the Catalan crowd jeered him as he received his second place model.

Hovering around the star striker are rumours of a move to Real Madrid, which he left hanging by neither confirming or denying it. What he did confirm though was his stint with the Portuguese national team for the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup to be held at South Africa. That is how far the FIFA Footballer of the Year has planned for his future, and said beyond that, he would still have to see. That has made many fans of Manchester United biting their nails.

Manchester United’s Masterful Win

The Red Devils have inched closer to the English Premier League crown with a masterful 5-2 win over the Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford last Saturday.

There was pressure early on as Liverpool eased into the lead of the leader board on goal difference due to their win against Hull earlier in the day. And the lacklustre performance of Manchester United in their own match against the Spurs seem to let their title chances slip away. But the substitution of Carlos Tevez made all the difference as all the goals of the team were set up or passed through the Argentine’s sterling play.

Well, that was in the first half as in the second half showed the will of champions in front of their home crowd as Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo scored two goals apiece in a span of fifteen minutes which sealed the win with a penalty kick slotted by Cristiano Ronaldo finalized the score to the jubilation of the more than 75,000 Manchester United fans on hand.

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